#this would also tie into himbo tropes

[justletmeramble1701]

I want to write an essay about masculinity in My Adventures with Superman, specifically how Clark is presented with traits that would traditionally belong to a feminine love interest, but I feel like I will need knowledge on anime romantic archetypes and yuri tropes.

Can anyone help me find resources so I can talk about this in an informed manner?

[kitausuret]

Multiples of 4 for SymbiOT3? Only as many of those as you want

For you, Dok, one of the first people on board this ship with me.. I will indulge this. Or at least a few of them.

4. Which one is more protective? Who needs to be ‘protected’?

This one is soooooo funny because @amaronith and I have literally discussed this and the answer is always "they all protect each other" but I feel like mostly Eddie and Flash's instinct is to protect the symbiote. I also though feel that whoever is at that moment bonded to the symbiote is probably more like... aware of the partner who is not being potentially more vulnerable? I think Flash is probably more foolhardy about it though. Symbiote or no he WILL throw himself into the fray. My precious himbo. 💖

8. What happens if one of them gets sick?

So, haha, I have 100% written this already for Flash and the symbiote, but that aside.. If one of the humans is sick, the first call is probably to May Parker because obviously they need her chicken soup recipe. Other than that, if Eddie is the one who's sick, he does not get to work, Mister don't even think about touching that laptop and all. Flash is a little bit more self-aware of his limitations but he gripes about it a lot. If the symbiote gets sick, they probably reach out to Reed Richards if they can because he's probably the closest they can get to an expert opinion while on Earth. Other than that, love and patience and lots and lots of fluids.

12. Do they have many heated arguments? How do they smooth things over?

I'm sure they have their fair share! Eddie and Flash are both pretty bull-headed and while it helps to have a third party, it also makes the symbiote sometimes feel like it's obligated to be a mediator (or tie-breaker). It's complicated when you literally know both of their brains. This sounds silly but they probably fall back on things they've each learned in therapy to de-escalate. 😅 It's important to have growth. They try not to go to bed angry at each other though.

16. Can they stay up all night just talking?

While it's romantic to think that they would I DO think that Flash has a tendency to drop off to sleep as soon as he starts getting tired. He can and will fall asleep to the sound of Eddie's voice. He is just exhausted. When Eddie has insomnia though I'm sure he and the symbiote stay up communicating, maybe silently. Or if someone stirs awake or can't sleep, the symbiote is always there.

20. Choose one song that perfectly describes their relationship.

I didn't want to just say "Dust to Dust" by The Civil Wars again so... "Days of Thunder" by The Midnight. It's about the complexities.

Love is a fatal flaw / Is a broken jaw / Is a burning bridge

24. Who's more likely to give the other a massage?

Honestly the symbiote does it for them out of instinct. Eddie is tensed up like 99% of the time so he usually needs a shoulder rub. Man needs to learn to loosen his muscles or they'll start cramping.

28. What are there thoughts on pet names? Do they have any?

100% on Amaronith for this one but Eddie calls Flash "golden boy". It's that old trope of "this started out derogatory but now it's affectionate". For the symbiote, honestly I will just defer to canon for this ("love", "darling", and "dear" from Eddie; Flash is not very good at terms of endearment so hilariously he might stick to "partner", "friend" lmao but @dyradoodles had the galaxy brain idea of "sweetheart" so. yoink!). I like the idea of Flash calling Eddie "babe" it seems fitting.

For the symbiote, Eddie is its "heart" and Flash is its "light" but I've already explored that here like the SAP I am.

32. Who's the better story teller?

Eddie, probably. He has a natural flair for the dramatic but is also very long-winded. He has a wonderful way with words though and Flash and the symbiote like to listen to him talk. Like he could read the phone book and Flash would just gaze lovingly upon him for ages.

36. Who's more likely to fire up the stove at 2am because the other woke up in the middle of the night hungry?

Flash. Especially if he's having trouble sleeping. However, Eddie might be up at 2AM stress-baking (thanks @cannibal-wings for this HC.. wow, this is turning into a group effort huh).

44. Who would dance in the kitchen making dinner? Would the other join in or watch from the doorway?

Obviously depending on mobility situation, I feel like this is a Flash mood, and Eddie is probably in the doorway smiling. Unless the symbiote drags him over. Unless Flash has the symbiote and a tentacle reaches out and drags Eddie in hehe.

52. Describe their weekend getaway?

I really like the idea of them going upstate to visit Flash's mom regularly and maybe they go to like... a state fair or something that would be cute. They win the mega big prizes for random kids there. The symbiote makes itself sick on fried oreos.

56. What do they do turn the other on/put them in the mood?

Well... I'm not saying Flash can get turned on at the drop of a hat but, lol. Eddie likes to be wooed a little bit more, a build-up from a nice evening together is good. Maybe one of his favorite records. The symbiote might make a few suggestive comments, put a few ideas in someone's head. It enjoys this, too. ;)

60. Who pulls the other closer when they’re sleeping?

The symbiote! It likes to tug everyone together. Except when it's like, 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Then it's going to go sleep in the freezer. Eddie himself also tends to gravitate towards a sleeping partner, usually with just like an arm, but Flash will actively seek out warmth. Rudely presses his cold nose against Eddie's back, I'm sure. 🙄🤭

Wow this was so many but I did almost all of them!! Thank you for this though you know I am always weak for the symbiot3.

Ask me questions about my ships!

[rangarlamamicado]

//tw: Drugs

Okay... I can tell that recently many of us can easily think of what's extremely ironic about the recent Ace Attorney Chronicles Anti-Weed PSAs.

If you haven't already heard despite it being the totally holy year that is 2021, the titular story character and plot anchor, Sherlock Holmes, while not a weed smoker, was actually a common cocaine, opium, and painkiller user! Doesn't that explain a lot?

The erratic behavior... the dangling from walls... the mood swings... EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS MAN. THIS MAN IS LITERALLY ON HARDCORE DRUGS. 24. 7.

If you already know or wanna skip my analysis of this, go ahead... but if not, allow me to start it from the top.

In Conan-Doyle's original writings of the Sherlock Holmes series, as well as at the time of the writing of the original Sherlock Holmes series, places known 'opium dens, were a common thing. At the time, it was associated with Chinese imports and the like since this was an age of discovery and all, but the dens themselves would act as places where you could not only buy the drugs, but use them in the same place - hence the den part.

As for where the tie-in is, at the time,, these places got big, and it was a time where their harmful effects had yet not been discovered (albeit, it would happen later on and actually have an impact on the later editions of the stories of Sherlock Holmes.) Regardless of what we know now, at the time it was the fad thing to do hard drugs, and Sherlock Holmes, as we all know, is commonly depicted with a pipe, as are most stereotypical detectives, most of which deriving this trope from Holmes as well...

...But, however, what you might not know is that, in stories such as "The Man with the Twisted Lip," it actually becomes known in some instances that what he's smoking is actually opium! Yep. And he's done all these other drugs in the past too, despite the author being a medical professional like Watson.

Sir Conan-Doyle's father actually struggled with alcoholism that landed him in an insane asylum, and despite learning and applying the studies of Sigmund Freud, who is also a quack who did drugs that happened to get a few things right, Conan-Doyle stood with the side of reason, making sure to depict Holmes' struggle as realistically as possible, likely leading to his writing's acclaim.

At first impressions with his addictions, Watson and Holmes' family were quick to judge - and rightfully so - But most of all, Watson in the stories described it not only as "A distraction," but ALSO "The answer for what a genius' brain likely does to do away with his boredom," that which Holmes in TGAA CLEARLY does seem to have in common with the real Holmes - Have a disdain for boredom, and boring people, logic, or boring behavior.

What's more troublesome, however... in the later issues of the original stories, when it became clear that these drugs were EXTREMELY detrimental, it becomes clear in the writings that Holmes' addiction is taking control of his life, and Watson personally addresses him about this, saying that it's a "major threat to his thriving career."

So... while several other instances and adoptions of Sherlock Holmes may choose to omit this glaringly unspoken characteristic and addiction, it seems that Holmes in TGAAC still blatantly displays several instances of depressions, angry episodes, and hyperactivity... so while on screen he may seem like a himbo with an over-the-top personality... let's just say Capcom knew what they were doing for once... until now, that is, though I guess they could always use a quick buck or two from the government for the fuck of it. As one does.

... and as for the implications of where Iris fits into this... yea, I don't wanna know.

BUT ANYWAYS!

That's been my extended explanation of the irony I'm finding in the use of TGAA's characters in the recent TGAAC anti-drug PSA in the Osaka Prefecture, as we can clearly see, considering they're friends with a world renowned detective... who's also a struggling drug addict, despite singlehandedly being the key to these characters' success.

So yea! If you know, you know.

[entraptism]

My takes on Masters of the Universe: Revelations, because Why Not (SPOILERS!)

Can't believe how emotionally attached I am to Orko. I don't remember a single episode from the old cartoons, but I remember the little guy being the first character that gave the "I wish I'd thought of that" feeling, his design is just so good! When he first showed up I was like "there he is! There's my boy!", when we saw him all frail and sick I teared up, and when he died, lets just say I had to stop and go play with my dog for a while. Seeing a Beloved Childhood Character(tm) die is just not something that happens every day.

Okay, with feelings out of the way, lets tackle Big Thing One: this series so far has barely been about He-Man. Not a bad thing, there's a whole world of characters to explore, Teela was basically the main character and her and Lyn had great (still unfinished) arcs that I'm happy to have be the main focus of the show. BUT. I really hope that's not the end of Adam. Boy deserves so much better than that shitty death. Bring him back and kill him a third time if you have to, but let him have a proper heroic death, he deserves as much. He's a good boy, and even though he basically only had one episode of character development (episode 1 doesn't count because there's nothing to develop, as it serves as a tie-in between the changing world of this show and the static world of the old one),it was good stuff, and him choosing to forego paradise only for his reward to be to be backstabbed immediately, not getting to fight The Fight? Feels bad. Even if it's just for one episode, for a final showdown with Skeletor, I hope he comes back in some manner, he deserves as much.

Big Thing Two: the way this show 100% embraces all of the ridiculousness of the old stuff and juggles it alongside taking itself 100% seriously is amazing. I'm honestly speechless at how the writing, the visuals, and the acting all converge in this incredibly serious world of characters with all sorts of issues, which is full of weird technology, those outfits, and those names?? Amazing. I especially adore Lena Headey's acting, oh my god. To voice a character who calls herself Evil-Lyn, who wears that helmet, and to do it so gloriously? Incredible. Also, the Lord of the Dead who Feeds of Fear is called Scare Glow. What.

Onto smaller stuff: They referenced the Horde! I'm sure it's just a throwaway line, but still!!!

Speaking of, they said He-Ro and Grayskull fought together, yet they also both wielded the sword of power??? I'm confused about that one.

Andra is preciouss and amazing and I love her so much. She seems to be a new character (though maybe not? idk) and she's a nice addition. It's unclear if her and Teela are friends or if that's just what historians will say about them but either way their dynamic is fun, though the intentional visual parallels implying that she's to Teela what Teela is to He-Man got me scratching my head a bit. Like I can't tell if they're supposed to be an established couple or best-friends-to-lovers or unrequited, because I also got some weird love triangle vibe from Adam-Teela-He-Man. Honestly, hopefully this isn't something that will be explored too much in the show (edit: not because I have any problem with any of the couples mentioned, just because I don't think a heavy focus on romance would fit well in this story). I'm not coming at this as a shipper, just observing the tropes and visual language used.

The only real place were i was like, "yes, They Are in Love!" was the Sorceress and Man-at-Arms. No idea if that's a thing or not but god I hope it's explored more because it has this whole Star-crossed lovers vibe that I just really dig.

Also Lyn get your shit together but ALSO the way she puts on a mask the moment Skeletor comes back is SO good, again both the visuals and the acting worked really well together and it's so clear, without it being said outright, that she's very much NOT done with her newfound independence. I wonder if she'll change her name to Misunderstood-Lyn.

Skeletor canonnically is evil because he's an incel, amazing.

I feel the need to reiterate that Andra is precious and I love her.

Roboto, yet another example of "yes, we will keep the stupid name and the questionable design. Yes, we will also explore the nature of this mechanical replication of a living man and possibly make you cry about it". I am STILL salty that Teela didn't call him "brother" at the end.

throwaway thought but remember the creepy cyborg girl? that shit will keep me up at night.

I kinda wish Adam hadn't been "the only one" to choose his "lesser" form, I wish Himbo Paradise had like a small group of twinks living there in harmony with the himbos it would have been so nice and wholesome to see the one who feel like they were their true selves with the power and the ones who feel like they were their true selves without it co-exist in harmony because yeah, they're different, but they all died for the same noble cause and they just get each other in a way no one else can because of shared experiences. Also some of the "lesser" ones might not be twinks, just not He-Man levels of buff. But mostly I like the idea of a himbo-twink solidarity utopian society it makes me smile.

And now for a segment I like to call, The Horny Corner:

There was some good stuff in Himbo Paradise but tbh not really my thing.

Andra is Precious, yes, but she's also so Pretty???

Teela has (presumably, unless this is all or at least partially misdirection) Good Genes, like the Sorceress and Man-at-Arms are both very very fine wine. Especially Man-At-Arms like sir please don't ever put that dumb helmet again you look so good without it?

Lyn's hair! I gasped the first time we saw it! So pretty!!!!

And of course, Teela. Oh my fucking god. Oh my god. jesus fucking christ. oh my god. fucking shit jesus fuck oh my fucking jesus fucking christ. god in heaven. holy fucki ng shit.

[onesmallcentury]

top 5 redacted audios, nsft

I’m doin it ya’ll. If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I am not afraid to be blatantly sex-positive on main. If you’re cool with that, and you’re ready for me to have absolutely way too many thoughts about the 18+ content on rasmr, then let’s goooo! 

Also, tagging anyone who feels wild and funky fresh. 

18+ discussion below the cut. Minors DNI. 

Sooooo I decided to split this into 2 parts, because why not?! First part is the 18+ content available on the youtube channel (like HBW, HBS, etc). Also not linking these because I’m just too lazy right now please forgive.

1. Your Dom Incubus Confesses His Feelings to You - HELLO?! If I could hold this video in my little hands and give it a smooch I would. GAVIN. This audio was absolutely the springboard for my magenta series. I can’t get over how perfectly Erik paces it, the transitions from sexy -> serious -> emotional -> joyful, I get fucking whiplash every time. The vulnerability from Gavin in this audio, and that first ‘I love you’.......I’m just going to lay here on the floor. 

2. A Steamy Shower With Your Tsundere Alpha Werewolf Boyfriend - Alright the rest of this list is going to be me ranking my favorite HBW audios lol. No shade to last year’s HBS, I adore those too, but HBW really popped off for me. David’s HBW had absolutely everything. The wood chopping, the shower, omg. My favorite part about this audio was David’s ‘I know you want me, and I want you too’ attitude. 

3. Heating Up in the Bedroom With Your Himbo Boyfriend - BIG HIMBO ENERGY YES PLEASE. I listen to the first half of this audio with a stupid grin on my face every time. The tenderness of letting him ramble, uninterrupted? And the second half, *ahem*. The voice drop(!!!), the kisses, the pleased hums, I go crazy. Also I’m obsessed with Huxley saying “babe”. 

4. Fireside Cuddles Get Hot With Your Vampire Boyfriend - A lore drop?? In my smutty vignette??? It’s more likely than you think! Not only that, but flirty Vincent. Perfection. I also think that because it was the first HBW released (I think??) that it really set the tone. 

5. Taking Care of Your Overworked Boss Boyfriend Gets Hot - I don’t have very many coherent thoughts about this one. I love Aaron. I love relaxed Aaron. I love relaxed Aaron becoming turned on Aaron. I love Aaron saying baby. Brain melts when re-listening to this one. ALSO PLEASE THIS TIMESTAMP - 21:26

Okay, now we rank the Bonus Audios that are Patreon exclusive. Ya’ll still with me?? Lol

1. Milo - OBVIOUSLY. Ya’ll read apple and honey, you know what I’m about. I 100% believe that this BA is perfect. The best balance of spicy and soft. Check-ins, praise, dirty talk, GROWLING, HELLO?! I don’t think I need to say more. The day we get a 2nd BA for Milo is the day you see me combust. 

2. Gavin - Specifically referring to his first BA, that follows the ‘sneaking kisses at a party’ video. Dirty talk in this one is god tier. We love soft Gavin, but we love slutty Gavin too. 

3. Huxley - When I tell you I screeched when I listened to this for the first time. I’ll say it again, voice drop. I also collapsed into a heap at the concept of him getting them off and not immediately expecting reciprocation. 

4. A tie between David (2) and Aaron - I honestly couldn’t pick between these two. They’re just both the best kind of dom. David being feral, and Aaron being, well, Aaron. I can’t say much more without being incredibly explicit lol. 

5. Flyboi - YA’LL. THIS AUDIO GRABBED ME BY THE THROAT. I know we were all incredibly shook when we got this notification, but then the audio was so fucking hot. It helps that phone sex is one of my favorite tropes. Also the mouth sounds in this one I’m sorry you can bury me now. 

Honorable mentions: Geordi, Asher, and Elliott!!

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

1. you know whats also bad about the red eyes? not only do they look awful on persephone's pink color, they're not even a unique feature? like we've seen hades' eyes go red, we've seen eros' eyes go red, and ares' eyes are ALWAYS red, so even this idea its her "unique queenly trait" doesnt even hold up?? because we've seen it on other characters before?like at least the blue glowing eyes looked unique and even gave her a possessed, otherworldly look, something with the red eyes just dont have.

2. The faces in the latest ep (not fastpass).... Ew

3. I saw someone praise lore olympus art, specifically the ones where Apollo is playing his lyre and Daphne is covering her ears while her hair is split in two (yuck! Bad decision looks awful) so we can see Apollo, the one where she transforms into her hibernation state (weird perspective, chin and neck, I think, also what the hell was that supposed to be?) and the last one before cutting to Thanatos (which, I admit looks a little better that the other but I still got distracted Apollo's arm among other things).

Now, Rachel is a professional artist like 15-25 years older than me (I dunno her age) drawing one of the most liked webtoons.

I feel like I'm nitpicking or being too harsh or crazy because I think it is a little terrible and this person thinks it's amazing and I know art is subjective and all but like the difference of opinion is jarring. I am by no means a professional and my art leaves a lot to be desired and I guess I don't have incredibly high standards (or do I? I'm second guessing). Is it really that good?

Because I know that Smythe commits more than a few anatomy atrocities. I wanted to redraw a few panels two years ago and I noticed a few things that Don't Work Like That.

4. ok but that other anon is right. we shouldnt have to go off old tumblr asks or random tweets to understand what's going on and who the characters are. rachel doesnt realize you have to actually write whats going on, not putting the readers on a scavenger hunt trying to figure out what they're even reading.

5. im honestly surprised LO hasnt ruined more mother figures at this point. maybe maia will be next and depicted as neglectful and hermes is only the way he is because hes acting out to be noticed by her, maybe dione will slut shame aphrodite, who knows, the possibilities are endless when its about ruining every mother figure to prop persephone and hera up and to avoid giving the characters actual personalities that isnt dependent on mommy/daddy issues.

6. I hate the clothing choice for Daphne in run for your life. It felt like she was drawn in a sexualized manner when she shouldn’t have been because she was running away from a r*pist. Like she almost had a nip slip, we almost got her ass, it was like Rachel was trying to fit her butt and chest in a lot of the frames like some video game with the token woman character. Like if a different dress was choosen or how she made Daphne tie the dress, I just feel like Rachel can’t draw outside of pinup sexy that well. Like sexy is fine for sexy scenes but running away from a r*pist is not sexy. (I probably sounded really lame, but the way Rachel presents the story in a feminist way but can only draw one way in not even the same style is annoying)

7. Things I think would have been better for the story instead of focusing so much on HXP

-Expanding on Minthe’s and Hades beginning of their relationship (he couldn’t of fallen for her since she didn’t laugh at him and when she yelled at him said it’s not your fault but you have the hat I think that would have added to his character more to see him more than a 40 year old who hits on barely legal)

-Leto’s kidnapping of Demeter. Both we/are close with Hera, and probably know or each other or may have been friends. Like I wanna know how Leto kidnapped her but also how are they interacting since they probably know each other and Demeter probably had Hera’s back when Hera ended their friendship.

-Ares return to Aphrodite. We don’t get to see much of her character but we know this is something she’s wanted, but they way it was handled was so flat, We assume Aphrodite told Ares that his gf slept with his father to save their son but we don’t actual read any words between the couple. And then they’re living together. I wanna see how they actually interact and stay together like their better moments. Like how well did he settle in, did they talk about how long he left for or is he mad like come on that’s something interesting but I feel like RS can’t write outside of HXP

-the deal with Echo. Why do people think Echo could possibly be Hera’s gf if she’s her assistant. Yeah they do dirty work together BUT I didn’t get a wiff or sexual tension or anything. Was it that she was there with the doctor? It just seems like Hera is that CEO trope who has the assistant always by her now.

-a little more of Pysche and Aphrodite friendship. Like Pysche says Aphrodite is lonely (and we can assume a part of that is Ares) but also because she “doesn’t have many friends” so why not a solo scene of just the two of them being actual friends. Like what did Aphrodite say when she brought back a purple nymph that was gonna help them with their work.

-Hermes not talking about Persephone. I feel like that 99% of what his character is and then just a little bit of himbo. 

-Maybe Thantos and Minthe started flirting/hooking up. We’re they friends first or flirts first? Was it after Hades and Minthe got into a fight or something else? What did Thantos like about Minthe and what does she like about him? Why did she stay with Hades with Thantos was there (it’s not like she wanted to be queen of the underworld) How did Thantoas and Thetis meet and become friends? Idk if I was seeing two guys and one of them actually liked my friend I might consider leaving Hades for him. But again hades did have the power to control everything in Minthe’s life (job, home, everything) I do like Daphne and Thantos But I feel like the transition could have been better if we knew more, but again RS can only focus on one thing and that’s HXP.

------FP Spoiler/Mention------

8. FP SPOILERS— I’m done. I’m really done. We called it. We FKN called it. They got married behind the readers back, Demeter didn’t respond to the question as she actively avoided it and time was up, Apollo is somehow involved in the trial- THIS WHOLE THING IS A MESS AND IM TIRED OF HOPING THAT IT GETS BETTER. Four FKN years of this??? I’m done with this Webtoon even though I’m FKN stuck in it. I’m so FKN done.

9. Fast Pass spoiler (kinda) OH MY GOD, I JUST REALIZED THE POMEGRANATE PIN IS JUST PASTED ON EVERY FRAME, NOT EVEN RE DRAWN FOR PERSPECTIVE, NO, JUST COPIED AND PASTED, REGARDLESS THE OUTFIT ANGLE AND LIGHTING, IT'S HILARIOUS!!!I mean, I knew the art was decaying, but this just made me laugh out loud of how bad it looked.

10. persephone’s pomegranate pin just looks like a giant fly that landed on her and won’t leave LMAO

[dangermousie]

2020 End of Year Post - cdrama edition

This is only going to cover cdramas that aired in 2020; if I had to make a post about all the cdramas I watched this year, I would still be doing it in three months...

Overall it’s been a fairly decent cdrama year (certainly better than the very lacklustre kdrama year.) It’s no miracle that 2019 was (so many excellent dramas!) but overall pretty solid.

DRAMAS WATCHED

(In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality; I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list)

44 The Legend of Jing Yan - the worst cdrama I have seen this year, and possibly the worst drama of 2020, period. The hero and heroine were both uncharismatic, incapable of acting and saddled with such shrilly moronic characters, the only suspense was how they haven’t both perished long since from forgetting to breathe. Nor was anyone in the rest of the cast much better; the screenplay was written by a lower mammal and the cinematography was the best a third-rate wedding cinematographer could offer. Stay the HELL away from this one.

43 Unicorn Girl - the only unicorn about this bland yet irritating piece of pap was the fact that I was supposed to believe the leads are hockey players.

42 Autumn Cicada - I like spy stories, Allen Ren, and Republican Era settings. I can tune out Communist propaganda with the best of them. Yet, the propaganda ate the story to such a degree that there was nothing left; pre magic change Pinocchio was less wooden then this narrative.

41 You Complete Me - no you do not.

40 Skate into Love - the only positive thing I can say about this is that at least it’s better than Unicorn Girl, if for no other reason that only one of them is supposed to be a hockey player.

39 Irreplaceable Love - how do you make a story about fake siblings with a mad mother falling for each other boring? I don’t know, ask the makers of this.

38 Eternal Love Rain - I hate to rain on their parade, but these two actors cannot act, have about as much chemistry as a piece of bread, and are trapped in a story perfect for entertaining the mental abilities of the leads of Jin Yan.

37 For Married Doctoress - ummmm, you could do worse I guess. It only made me break out in mild hives. The sadistic ending did make me laugh though.

36 Dance of the Sky Empire - why you get Xu Kai and waste him in this insipid mess of a story is beyond me.

35 Love Designer - it’s inoffensive except to my sense of entertainment. There is nothing wrong with it but oh God is it bland.

34 Love a Lifetime - It felt like a lifetime watching this, but I didn’t love it. The story is incoherent, the actors have no chemistry and it’s all an epic waste of time.

33 Love is Sweet - so sweet it gave me diabetes. I like Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu, but there is literally no plot. I don’t need to sink into a plotless morass to watch pretty people engage in PG-rated make-outs. I am an adult with access to stronger stuff if I am thus inclined, though to be fair they could get x-rated and I still wouldn’t be able to sit through so many episodes of plotlessness for that.

32 Fake Princess - I love Zhao Yi Qin, but the guy needs to pick better projects. The female lead in this one has the voice and personality that can strip paint but the story is also doing nobody any favors.

31 The Changan Youth - I lost my brain checking this out. I had to go and read a dense treatise on medieval coinage or Mayan farming to try to recover it.

30 My Dear Destiny - kinda cheesy fun. It honestly shouldn’t be as low except it really feels like community theater.

29 Handsome Siblings - why is the Nic Tse version so good and this one so bad? True mystery for the ages. Chen Zhe Yuan is the sole reason this isn’t lower, because that kid tries SO HARD to make this drama bearable and almost succeeds. I can’t wait to see him in Sha Po Lang which actually will give him something to do.

28 In a Class of Her Own - see my comment on The Changan Youth. But at least Song Weilong is gorgeous to look at.

27 General’s Lady - inoffensive, pretty and so utterly pointless.

26 The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion - those two leading actors are a no go to me but at least they considerately acted with each other instead of ruining two dramas for me. It’s very pretty though.

25 Jiu Liu Overlord - it’s a mess and I bailed, but I placed it this high merely due to the fact that Lai Yi finally gets a leading role and he’s sexy as fuck and I am shallow. Whoever styled Bai Lu should never work again except at a circus, however.

24 Cross Fire - not my genre and Luhan will always look too much like my cousin for comfort, but it’s a surprisingly gripping and dark drama. I liked it!

23 God of Lost Fantasy - if you want to watch a mediocre wuxia/xianxia, this is not a bad choice. Probably better than Legend of Fei actually, because at least it doesn’t have an A-list cast to waste and gives us Sheng Yilun himbo and shirtless.

22 Renascence - the insane cuts (it went from 70 eps to 36!!!) made a fairly cheesy story into a total mess. But I had a good time until I finally bailed mainly because of the male lead (Chen Zhe Yuan yet again carrying a not-good 2020 drama on his shoulders; the guy should be nicknamed Atlas) and the insane but in a fun way story. The female lead (both the character and the actress) were not up to par but oh well.

21 Legend of Fei - only this high because objectively there is nothing I disliked it. But there is nothing I liked either. The most uninspired drama on the list. If you could eat cardboard, this is what it would taste like.

20 Ever Night 2 - compared to EN1, it’s a waste of film. On its own merits, it’s not very good (the cast replacements are uniformly inferior and Dylan Wang is so wrong for Ning Que I cannot even put it into words; the script is useless.) But it had some parts I loved so very VERY much (all the shippy stuff was perfection) so I don’t feel too bitter.

19 Castle in the Sky 2 - a lovely if not too complex fairy tale. It is inferior to its prequel because it doesn’t have Zhang Ruo Yun who elevated it, but it’s still a solid bit of fun.

18 The Great Ruler - it’s very high fantasy, very pretty, and surprisingly involving.

17 (tie) Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos - the secondary couple steals the show but the rest is not too bad if not too involving.

17 Legend of Awakening - a solid bit of fun with a seriously BDSM streak (theme this year apparently - but come on, the lead’s powers only activate when he’s in extreme pain!) It’s a bit generic and the costuming is done by a blind person, not to mention the OTP is a NOTP, but the rest of relationships (romantic and platonic) are wonderful (I live for the found siblings story in this one) and I like most of the characters.

16 Consummation - a rare modern cdrama I liked; a sweet coming of age story (and love story) even if wrapped in a pretty weird virtual reality concept.

15 Oops the King is in Love - this is how you do a low budget, sweet, silly piece of fluff. Our heroine pretends to be a eunuch and crosses paths with a powerless young king and they are adorable, even more so than the drama.

14 Song of Glory - pretty solid, though draggy and I didn’t love the toothpaste filter. But A+ cast, excellent leading couple chemistry, Li Qin being a BAMF and a leading man (Qin Hao) who is actually an adult.

13 And the Winner is love - objectively kind of a mess (and the heroine has the brainpower of a gnat), but the OTP chemistry is excellent and Luo Yunxi fighting and flirting with a fan as finally a leading man is worth the price of admission.

12 Miss S - snazzy and snappy and stylish and whatever else starts with S.

11 Eternal Love of Dream - I don’t know if it would work for you as well if you weren’t a hardcore shipper for this OTP in Three Lives but I was and this was such a darling, wonderful, shippy delight; plus I love this type of high fantasy.

10 (tie) Maiden Holmes - solid and sweet and a wonderful OTP. Proves that functional doesn’t have to mean boring. If you watch one cross-dressing drama this year make it this one.

10 Qin Dynasty Epic - srs bsns history epic. I am not far into it but it’s so good and smart and visually stunning (if you love battles, this one is for you.)

9 Love Lasts Two Minds - I adored this so much more than I should objectively have, but it’s so beautiful (and no I am not just referring to Alan Yu’s face) and the OTP has wonderful chemistry and the story is solid, and the whole trope of her memory being wiped but falling for him all over again while he’s constantly and utterly devoted is a fave; plus he’s in pain and semi-dyng for most of it so sluuuurp (happy ending, don’t worry)

8 To Love - yes, a modern drama is this high! But it involves intensity, tragedy, genuine adults and sexiness that is Lin Gengxin. And there is an actual plot and darkness OMG!

7 Legend of Xiao Chuo - so beautiful, so fun, so full of gorgeousness of Shawn Dou. Plus, Liao is a rare setting for a cdrama and there are a lot of characters and stories I liked a LOT. Less ship content than I wanted but more than I expected.

6 The Romance of Tiger and Rose - so so delightful. I was literally laughing out loud. I have no idea if it will work as well if one isn’t a seasoned watcher of period cdrama/reader of web novels, with bonus for watching/reading Goodbye My Princess, but it was a complete delight for me (and yes, I shipped for real, as well. Best of both worlds.)

5 Twisted Fate of Love - Jin Han gets a leading period drama role! And he’s enjoying it to the hilt, excellent as a smart, twisty bastard who is also charming and so madly in love with heroine. Sun Yi is beautiful and tough and her chemistry with JH is on fire, the story never drags, and it’s so twisty and fun and just awesome.

4 Love In Between - the most underrated drama on this list. It has no big names or big budget, but it’s wuxia that’s clever, driven, tragic, hopeful and so beautifully shot. Three separate (amazing) OTPs, a leading man who is so not typical (a doctor who cannot fight and who never acquires this ability) and who is intense and smart and damaged, a heroine who puts her quest ahead of her emotions, an unhealthy degree of involvement by yours truly. This is a drama Fei should have been.

3 Love and Redemption - such a lovely, addictive, utterly romantic fairy tale. I was obsessed with it for a reason. All the tropes you love and some you didn’t know you did, a star-crossed OTP to the nth power (and a secondary OTP I hardcore love), a twisty yet coherent plot, some insane chemistry and so much whump and hurt/comfort they must have bought blood packets in bulk.

2 Go Ahead - yes, I can’t believe it either. A contemporary slice of life cdrama made it this high on my list. But the way it feels so real, the found family perfection, the characters I love and loathe, the perfect cherry of a wonderful OTP that hits my narrative kinks on top, and just a perfect storm of loveliness all around with this one.

1 The Wolf - is that any surprise to anyone who’s checked out this tumblr for the last couple of months? Tragic, intense and gorgeous; so romantic and angsty and passionate it made me lose my mind (though some of it was gone the moment the camera panned to Darren Wang) - all my favorite tropes and then some; this is a drama that may not be perfect but it is 100% and then beyond perfect for ME.

FAVORITE DRAMA

The Wolf - I have seen objectively better cdramas; even this year. But it has been literal years since I have been this hardcore obsessed, this utterly pleased, this emotionally catered to and devastated at once. A beautiful dark fairy tale that manages to own me despite the storytelling gaps due to censorship, it took me for one of the biggest emotional roller coaster rides of my drama watching career. Visually gorgeous, poetic, intense, and so romantic it took my breath away, this is not just my favorite cdrama of 2020, it’s my favorite drama this year period, and the one cdrama this year to make it into my permanent Top 10 cdramas list.

WORST DRAMA

Legend of Jin Yan - see my write up for it for why as I refuse to waste more time on this stupid mess.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Wolfie, The Wolf - he is such a haunted, tormented, complex, dark mess; loving and violent, severely damaged and with a hidden yearning softness, longing and aloof. And the amount of charisma and sheer masculine sex appeal Darren Wang brings to the role is insane and not something I see much of in a cdrama. Plus, that character arc with its rapid fall and slow painful redemption is A++++

Runner Up:  Sifeng, Love and Redemption - has a male lead ever loved more utterly and selflessly, suffered more thoroughly and beautifully, and managed to have such chemistry with both his leading lady and his leading man (that his leading lady temporarily turned into) at once? The answer is no.

Almost made the cut - Feng Xi, Twisted Fate of Love, Han Shuo, The Romance of Tiger and Rose, Qing Ci, Love in Between.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Xiao Qian, The Romance of Tiger and Rose - so funny, so much the reason this drama was such a delight. I adore her beyond words.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

Murder Daddy, The Wolf - I am sad the censors robbed us of seeing him die on screen. He was fully human but nonetheless managed to be the worst monster in a drama full of literal ones.

Ling Xiao’s Mom, Go Ahead - I hate her so much I don’t want to look up her name. She abused the kid, the disappeared and came back to abuse him some more. I mean she literally gave her child mental health issues. She is the WORST.

FAVORITE SHIP

Xing’er x Wolfie, The Wolf - are you kidding me? Who else could it ever be for me? They destroyed each other and saved each other, sworn enemies and childhood lovers, soulmates and epic messes, they couldn’t live with or without each other. The longing, the passion, the intensity, the angst, the epicness. LIKE THERE ARE NO WORDS!!!!

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Si Yuan, Shen Manqing, Love in Between - I loved them as much and often more than the main OTP. So much angst and passion and a happy ending! She is a seeming sect darling (except the sect is horrible and also sexist so her only worth is as a marriage candidate) and he’s an information broker who is actually one of the members of a destroyed sect that’s blamed for the massacre of her family. That chemistry and yearning is insane. The scene where she touches his face when he’s unconscious was in serious running for my favorite scene of 2020.

NOTP

Legend of Awakening - I have never seen a couple that didn’t just have no chemistry but exhibited actual revulsion towards each other before watching Chen Feiyu and Cheng Xiao try to act as lovers in this one. It was almost entertaining to be honest.

FAVORITE SCENE

It’s a tie and both are from The Wolf. One is a sequence where Wolfie marches to the walls alone, seeking death at Xing’er’s hands and the whole sequence with the battle and rescue follows. The other is the intercut between Xing’er going to her wedding and Wolfie going to his execution, and the auto-da-fe being intercut with her wedding.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Wolfie, The Wolf - Ummm have you seen this tumblr lately, it’s basically a drool shrine to the man.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Yelü Yansage, The Legend of Xiao Chuo - I have loved this actor since The Myth and he continued to competently steal every scene he was in.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

To Love - come out of the coma, dammit!!!!!!!

NEEDS A DIRECTOR’S CUT

The Wolf - duh. It started out as 59 eps and got cut to 49. I reaiize some stuff is never gonna get put in due to censorship, but some of the stuff that got cut got for time reasons because they were deluded and hoping to get a TV broadcast so ep count had to be under 50. I mean I doubt the censors would care if they kept scenes of Wolfie building her a swing or whatever. I really really want a director’s cut the way Goodbye My Princess did even if like with GMP it’s only three extra eps. Hell, I will take extra three minutes, as long as those three minutes are Darren Wang shirtless or with a sword. Ahem.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

The Song of Glory - it’s a fairly solid drama but honestly it didn’t need to be as long as it was and kind of got draggy and I got lost interest. (I could have gotten snarky and said all the dramas I didn’t like needed scissors taken to them in their entirety but decided to play nice.)

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

There are a number of dramas I could complain about with regard to this (hi there, darling The Wolf!) but this award goes to Renascence - poor Renascence was never going to be a masterpiece, but it had the potential to be a bit of good cheesy fun until it had its run time cut by more than half and became an incoherent piece of insanity.

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

Dumb shrill innocent heroine who can’t tie her shoes - see basically all the cdramas I didn’t like this year.

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Male lead torture - I mean it’s always open season on that in cdramas, but between Love and Redemption, The Wolf, Love Lasts Two Minds, Love in Between and so on, it was a banner year!

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Legend of Fei - what a waste of that cast; what a waste of our finite time on this Earth. What a waste of my intelligence to hope for something better and stick with it for a dozen eps. I have had stale wonderbread that had more personality than this drama.There is absolutely nothing that stands out about this drama in any way,  from half-dimensional characters, to actors who are sleepwalking, to a plot that moves at the speed of an arthritic snail, to uninspired cinematography and direction, to lack of any chemistry between anyone in the cast. If paint-by-numbers was done by a group of particularly linear robots, it might come across the same way as this drama.

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

The Wolf - honestly, I did not expect it to come out AT ALL EVER let alone to become my favorite drama of 2020. I was not familiar with the leading man (hahah), I liked Li Qin but wasn’t yet obsessed with her, and Xiao Zhan was excellent in The Untamed but I was hardly going to follow him from drama to drama (and I don’t do SLS any way.) And the trailer was enjoyable but unlike seemingly everyone, I didn’t think it was going to be some epic masterpiece. And then it came out and while it wasn’t objectively an epic masterpiece, it pulled out all the favorite tropes, shippy and narrative kinks from the deepest darkest recesses of my id. And I fell harder than I have in years. 

2020 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

None. Covid Year gave me PLENTY of time

BEST NON-2020 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2020

Novoland Eagle Flag and Joy of Life - they are in my Top 10 dramas from anywhere now. They are quite different except being smart and giving me protagonists to obsess over.

ETA: Also The Untamed because @idlewilds3 pointed out I actually watched it in 2020 even though I didn’t think so because this hellyear has lasted about three decades.

MOST ANTICIPATED IN 2021

I am gonna limit it to dozen and leaving out ones that aren’t necesarily supposed to air next year (Joy of Life 2, Love in Flames of War, Novoland Princess from Plateau.)

Monarch Industry, Novoland Pearl Eclipse, Silk Washing Stream, Dream of Changan, Sword Snow Stride, Wu Xing Shi Jia, Ancient Love Poetry, Immortality, The Long Ballad, Mirror Twin Cities, The Imperial Age, Fall In Love

[whiskeyfox]

The White Cat's Divine Scratching Post

I have finished reading this amazing novel. And it’s such a gem. 

The start of the novel can be a bit off putting, especially with the slow start and the chapter titles as our protagonist drops dead right at the start, but hey it seems like a repeating trope for those who like reincarnation novels. 

This novel is full of comedy and oh so many dick jokes, the characters are so well developed and lovable, some of them even deserve their own little spin off series of their misunderstandings. If you like couples who take joy in others misery, you will love Mo Tianliao and Qingtong. 

As the novel does progress onwards there is heavier themes of death and murder, as well as limb removal, which does not go in to too much detail, for those who fear gore, it’s very easy to skip over those parts without losing too much context. 

The only thing I found difficult to follow were the certain fighting scenes near the end to the novel as well as the extras, but it could also be down to both the TL and English being my 2nd language. 

The ending to the actual novel felt rushed, or more like it wasn’t planned out, but the extras to an extent helped to tie it off.

Characters:

Mo Tianliao is our well feared Demon Lord who is absolutely obsessed with his kitten, and every cat owner can agree with me that we do love and cherish our cats dearly. 

Qingtong is our cold and aloof yet once again somewhat childish Immortal that is feared by most, and I just love how every young demon beast becomes the most docile little thing in his presence. Another thing I absolutely loved about Qingtong is he has no shame, he more than once straight up punched people in the face or beat the crap out of them, which is really different to his cold appearance. 

Taishi was everything in this novel since he was made, he cracked me up so much and was the main object of the comedy in all of this. 

Meng Hu made me fall in love with his character so much which made me want to scream “He's just a tiger himbo” he’s such a sweet character and poor man thought he could escape his sect responsibilities but near the end he never did.

Shi Di and Ding Hu deserve their own little spin off series, the amount of times they ended up in compromising positions and people had them misunderstood, overall they seem like they would make a fun couple if they ever got together haha.

Xuanji really stood out to me, especially even though he didn’t appear much he left such an impression on me that I had to mention him here. Appearing as someone who doesn’t like attention or even fighting Xuanji was an interesting and fun character to see, especially when it came to Qingtong and how him being pushed out of his comfort zone made him act. 

Overall the novel is such a fun and light read and for those who are looking for a bit of comedy with pinches of heavy topic, it's definitely worth a read.

[that-bi-bitch-writes]

My Favs... and possibly why

(Haikyuu, My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen)

Haikyuu!!

1. Iwaizumi- tbh if you think it’s because I find him hot you are partially correct. but like he is a multitalented athlete who cares about his friends(strangers too) and despite having all the traits of a strong leader he spends his time supporting and helping others and is passionate about it marry me now. He strong also. My haikyuu husband

2. Kenma- Anxious gamer boy supports nerdy friend, in his passion finds joy in it, is incredibly smart/perceptive, hot , awkward, puts his all in the things he likes doing. everyone says he’s not baby he’s aggressive, chaotic and would not hesitate to fight but that is what makes him MY baby.

3. Noya- Hello what show are you watching if you don’t like nishinoya?? although he is very energetic and it would exhaust me at time he’s talented, pretty, passionate, shorter than me, loving and motivating. I want to be the kiyoko or asahi in his eyes. that look in his eyes. I want it to be for me.also i want to go on a gay trip around the world with him no fair asahi

4. Asahi- Trope subversion yes please. Give me my big softie who is a ball of anxiety but a normal teenager even though he looks so tough and mature i love him so much and he’s strong and reliable and would support you in whatever you’re doing come on what is there not to like (besides his new design) i want him to smile for me and design some clothes for me.

5. Tie for Hinata and Bokuto- Idk i don’t have that shounen mc aversion so i love loud passionate babies. Hinata is not my favorite but I haven’t seen the whole series and I think i can fall in love with him a little more because he’s adorable and passionate and hardworking look at him why would I hate him. Bokuto is like hinata if hinata had his personality put in a bigger body. It’s a little more unstable in the bigger body but still fun and so amazing. beefy.

honorable mentions: Aone & Ushijima: Asahi in different fonts. Suga: I would marry him if he asked but in terms of fav characters he narrowly missed top 5. Tendou & Kyotani: They are seen as scary but i don’t find them scary and want to tame them and have them for myself. Matsukawa: Hot. you need anything else?

 Jujutsu Kaisen:

1. Yuji Itadori- He is SO CUTEEE. Hellooooo are you watching jujutsu kaisen? like I know you’re all unnecessarily horny for Gojo and Sukuna but no one is better than Yuji. He is sweet and cute and considerate and loving and trusting and a beautiful himbo. He is adaptable, welcoming, passionate, and he’s like one of the only characters i know who says “i don’t want to kill because I value human life but one day I will have to. Until then I am going to look for other ways” He accepts the darkness of the world and that he is going to be put in a difficult position. He is not on the “killing people is always bad no matter what situation you’re in” train. I dislike those people. 

2)Teenage Gojo and Geto- to avoid spoilers I’m just gonna say icons. mwah

3) Nobara- I am not a gay disaster I am a bi/pan disaster. All other men (except the ones above) pale in comparison to this wonderful woman. She is chaotic, badass, smart, amazing wonderful talented gorgeous where was I going with this. Anyway when she was fighting that one guy and she was whooping his ass it was amazing (this happens i would say often so it’s not a spoiler)

4) Nanami: I feel better about him than Reigen Arataka but they are similar. Nanami wants Yuji to be a child, though he respects Yuji and recognizes his power and passion. He wants kids to be able to be kids and let the adults handle the big problems. Unlike reigen he actually realizes when he can’t handle everything by himself and the kids will be put into hard and horrible positions so he teaches/advises. Also he hates working as he should

5) Megumi: He is cute and i love his non gendered preference for good people. plus i think his animals are cool. He is respectful and cares a lot, i like how his bad backstory affects him but doesn’t control/motivate him. pretty dry otherwise

honorable mention: Adult gojo: cutie! Junpei: no words. Sukuna: bastard but likeable

BNHA/ My Hero

1. Aizawa- Did you think I would put anyone else in the number one spot? please. Aizawa Shouta is my one and true husband above all fandoms. This man is hot, all other words for attractive, gorgeous, funny, sleep deprived passionate (“really cool”-shigaraki) he cares about his students, regular people and i think a little bit for people who become villains out of necessity. I have read the manga and vigilantes and oh my god he is such a great hero and so strong ugh. Him and the kitty in vigilates 10/10. He is a true hero and I think he’s better than all might

2) Bakugou- It took me a long road to get here but I am 100% a bakugou fan. When he was in middle school I wanted to beat the crap out of him and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. He took things too far. But then I started to think about his life and i’m 100% sure I would’ve become a villain in like season 4. He matured, and became a strong willed passionate person who cares about saving people over proving his worth and I know that was hard for him. I dare say he had even more character growth than anyone else in the series that stuff speaks to me. It definitely doesn’t hurt that he’s attractive

3) Shinso- I think I saw a tiktok where people were confused how we like shinso so much after seeing so little of him and I was so confused as to how his little screen time wasn’t enough for y’all??? Traumatic backstory? pretty hair? sleep deprivation? strong motives and an amazing quirk? sarcasm and cutthroat attitude to get where he wants but he refrains from violating people too much? he is like aizawa and bakugou mixed together and then given some insecurities what’s there not to like

4) Midoriya- He’s a really cool MC i’m gonna be honest. He just isn’t my favorite person in the series. He’s a hard worker, brave, strong, admirable, adorable, and sweet. he can also get violent and lets loose and cares about people. I for one am really glad to see him living out his dream and thinks he’ll be fantastic

5) Amajiki & Kirishima- These two are the opposites of each other but make up for it and make great work partners. Amajiki is cute and shy with a lot of anxieties but he’s powerful and smart and can take control of a situation very quickly once he makes his mind up. He is wonderful i love him. Kirishima is handsome and bold showing off his strength and charisma but he has a lot of insecurities about inaction yet he can be great support especially when he’s got a good partner/leader fighting with him (bakugou, fatgum, amajiki). An he’s sweet and amazing

honorable mention: Twice: He is caring and so sweet and i love him, also he’s hot. Iida: loosen up a little class rep, you’re smart and semi adaptable, you are passionate and pretty handsome too. Present Mic: amazing talented brilliant showstopping. the only other person who can have aizawa. 

[eastendies]

Hey it's your gift exchange person! I'm writing you a fic so what are your favourite tags? Any AUs you especially like? Specific characters you want/dont want in it? Your favourite tropes? The POV you want it in? I'm here to please so pls dont hold back on anything you want, specific or not 💕

I super super put this off (sorry my dude) but i DEF got some fav aus

- anything ww2 and ww1 related?? I'm a SUCKER for anything historical related so you can go to the Victorian era or even the 1950s and i would be so flipping happy like I LOVE the effort and care that goes into historical fics plus its not smth you find a lot in this fandom?? So many THEMES you can do with ww1 too, like Callum is there for longer and he's way more jaded than anyone else but is still kind and gives a crap abt ppl and Ben arrives at the front and hes already so miserable and Callum just kinda helps him out and tells funng jokes to make him smile and it doesn't make any sense bc??? Why are you happy??? And Callum just gives a fuck abt ppl?? The themes you could tie in!! The emotion!! The crying!! The angst!! The existentialism!! The fun times when they're allowed to be ppl!! (Bascially do anything historical and I'll guarantee I'll do fanart for that fic and 2 more of your own i love the genre that much)

- another au idea is (and I've posted this before on here) Lexi not liking Callum and Callum having to earn her trust, just a general family building fic? Lexi can be wary and/or jealous of the time her dad is spending away from her for this random guy and Callum tries to win her over but she refuses bc she feels like she's losing her dad and what makes HIM so great and maybe at the end they have this tiny moment together at the end that's just super heart warming where Callum says Lexi doesn't have to like him and his whole character arc is that he's found peace with that and Lexi says smth like "you won't hurt him wont you" and Callum is stunned but says "no I won't. I promise" and they maybe have a small hug and Lexi just likes him better from than on bc he's different from all of her dad's other boyfriends and just AAAA THE FOUND FAMILY I CANTTT

- also, just in general, pls acknowledge that ben is HOH/Deaf in some way?? Like maybe not profoundly deaf like he is now (it can always be set in the past or with a cochlear implant, but still he isn't Hearing and I would super appreciate it if you acknowledge that in some way!!

- for characters I'm game for everyone with maybe an emphasis on Shirley?? Love her attitude. Also Frankie!! My fav!! Pls add her as well if you can!! Himbo Callum is also a must. Keep his Halfway side

- for tropes in general I don't like it when the end goal is the relationship?? Like have there actually BE a romance and not just kiss and its over. If just generally, I LOVE funny stories. Comedy is king. I love drama but pls put in the humor!! That stuff makes me want to keep reading for ages and gets me invested!! There was this one ballum fic that was super into making everything funny (i think it was that house fixing partners one) and it got me so invested that its still one of my favs out there. Also found family. Bc that's important.

- general ticks: no present tense, no 1st person pov, no heavy exposition, and pls have varying sentence structure. And for some reason I'm kinda over Callum thinking he's in super duper in love with Whitney and then cheating on her and having this inner crisis, like its interesting and def go there if you think you can spice it up but its kinda boring to me by now?? Or maybe don't make it the focus

Sorry again for the long response time, let me know if you see this, gift anon, and let me know what you think!!

[silentwalrus1]

For the commentary thingy: "'...He called to tell me I should have pulled him into this last week. Then I asked him for weapons and money.' Which Tony is all too happy to give, if it’s for one of his alien-fighting buddies who eat shawarma together once and never call again." Or really anything about how you write Tony because I really like your interpretation of him and I'd love to know how you got there. I love your writing and art so much! Thank you for creating!!!!

when iron man came out in 2009 (i think 2009??) i really loved it - from being such an incredibly fun movie to the fuckin FLYING METAL ARMOR SUIT, HELL YES. i read a lot of avengers fic from 2009-12 and got exposed to a lot of different characterizations of tstark, a lot of which were informed (i assume) by the comics which ive never read. personally, i’m not thrilled per se with how i executed ithlyn tony - i largely used him as ex machina + package deal that came with rhodey - but i’m glad his appearance resonated!  

in general, though, i depart entirely from canon, partly bc it’s butchered his character so badly and partly bc a deep dive on tstark would be.... like, okay, if i take it seriously, we’re going to get a character that i don’t have a lot of interest in exploring. he’s a badly spoiled billionaire trying to right his wrongs and while he gets a lot of it right - GREEN ENERGY, CHANGING INDUSTRY - he gets a lot of other things wrong. and much like in real life, i’m not interested in midwifing a man through his journey to not being an oblivious asshole 

that said, i AM doing a deep dive on pepper potts, who i find to be a much more fascinating character - she occupies, ostensibly, the same position tony does, only she’s a woman. i refuse to believe that potts doesn’t have at least SOME engineering background, and you bet your bippy she taught herself more the further she went in stark industries (also? she’s not a PA. that just is not possible. she’s chief of staff equivalent, PAs cannot become CEOs even in marvel verse, it’s just - the worst decision ever, i am excising it from canon, potts was never a PA ever for anyone). 

so while i have to admit i’ve never fleshed out tstark too deeply, i have thought a lot about him in relation to potts - essentially, why is potts with him? they care about each other, and clearly stark has to be bringing SOMETHING to the table for potts to be willing to tie herself to that personally as well as professionally. And i refuse to do the whole “ohh she mommies him, she explains to him How People Work, she does every ounce of emotional labor and runs cleanup for him whenever he DGAF’s people around him”. firstly, tstark knows damn well how people work, hes not an idiot, and secondly, i won’t demean potts like that, and thirdly, what a boring fucking relationship that would be. what an utter misery to write!! what a tired misogynistic trope!!! 

so yeah, i’m gonna say that potts and stark are a couple of born-rich assholes, they’re both richer than god, they’re both insane workaholics, they bitch incessantly to each other, they shop, they appreciate the finer things, they make each other laugh. they are INSUFFERABLE snobs, they both do insane rich people shit like weird diets and cryotherapy or whatever and they are the only people theyve met who can keep up with each other, tit for tat, not just in intelligence, expertise and pursuits but also in personality. tstark gave potts the leg up she needed bc he is a himbo but values competence over gender & recognizes and promotes talent/skill; potts actually loves doing all the structural and organizational and social company running shit that tstark rather wouldnt do. they are both, objectively, the kind of person who thinks nothing of 36 hour work days, has the mercenary confidence of the rich-from-birth, sports an entire walk-in closet of fake personalities and an even bigger warehouse of issues. Nice people? sure, when they decide to be. 

potts, swallowing an entire palmful of inch-long vitamins dry while on a headset conference call listening to a SME report on nanotech while doing 20 mph on her specially designed soulcycle: yes - yes - wonderful, thank you, gary - great, let’s turn it over to nasreen - [HITS MUTE] tony when are you going to hire a project manager that can tell a pym particle from a pancreas, i told you a thousand times - jesus fuck i better lose these last six ounces before the fucking met gala - 

stark, on his back on the floor, carefully smearing scented beeswax around his arc reactor from a $1,200 home chest waxing kit while trying to finish a line of code by poking at a holo-keyboard with his left big toe: can you at least TELL ME when you’re on mute so i can turn dictation on, jarvis, quick, take this down - 

jarvis: [reroutes pepper’s call so it’s on the suite sound system and they all experience gary at 200 decibels]