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feuqueerfire · 2 years ago

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Alice is Borderland S1 & S2 Live Blogging

I don't actually know that much about this show except it's like playing deadly (video) games? And Keita Machida from Cherry Magic is in it

Season 1

Ep 1 (May 20)

so did they go into a parallel world through the bathroom stall?

oooh game arena okay

oh she called those lasers the borderline

did this woman do this before or something? she seems to know things and be quite matter of fact

as expected, the girl who came the latest and was the most scared and innocent-seeming died first, especially after the Chotaro TODO guy was like don't worry! play with us and nothing will happen!

lol this puzzle is too much also I don't get it why are those 2 rooms a no-go? - oh i see, that's where they came from before or something

ooh, a survivor

i mean he died but you know, survivor of the games for a while

oh, are those red lasers killing everybody whose visa ended today?

that's pretty cool, I wanna watch another ep but also want a nap hmm

Ep 2 (May 20)

Did not nap, and went to my driving lesson, here's to another episode

cool, beautiful girl with a dead/murdered father

oh she was just also in the bathroom when the power went out and then nobody was there when she came outside

okay but so she got here 3 days ago and there were other people here since before then too so ? hmm ig instead of the guy's theory that the electromagnetic stuff takes out everybody in the city, it's rather that these specific people get taken to a different parallel city? when the power goes out

okay they're also discussing possibilities about time moving differently or VR

Club = team, diamon = wits, spades = physical strength, heart = betrayal and playing with people's hearts. larger number means more difficulty

rip the first game was a 3 and this is a 5

oh nice shot of us learning to find a safezone in the building and the shot keeps going up and up to show how large the building is

oof the guy has turned to God, I think his mother who he gave money to also bought into some religious cult since she kept asking for money to cleanse Tokyo

Shibuki is such a troublemaker lol now she's tryna turn Chota against Arisu and Kurube

horseman

i did expect the real estate guy who was hanging around to die but not so soon oof

oh actual boobs?

damn we keep getting instances of women sleeping with people to get ahead, especially ones who are seen as unreliable (Chota's mother) and untrustworthy (Shibuki). also lol I just remembered the girl that Kurube was making out with had a boyfriend. why do the male characters get laws and backstories and for female characters it's just their sexuality lol

man i love unlikely group of people coming around to help each other in life and death so much we'll see how many of them survive this round

oh he really let him die interesting

a swoooooooord

oh wtf horse man got here quick is there more than one of em

there issss more than one of them okay

the climber girl is so cool beloved <3

the taggers were also in game yaaa it's like when people were wondering whether the masked men in Squid Game were also playing a different sort of game

oh? answer? the beach

Ep 3 (May 20)

Watching this a few minutes after finishing ep 2, ah been a few weeks since I binged something intensely

very intense music for that doodle

ooh in addition to phones, also weapons? and VR

fun instrumental music too

makes sense that it's a 7 of Hearts (betrayal and playing with people's hearts) when it's just the 4 of them playing. kinda like ep 6 squid game marble game

I'm slightly confused by this game. so you don't wanna abe found by the wolf and you'll become the next wolf if you're found but the person who is wolf at the end is the winner right? so won't the lambs wanna be found and wolf won't want to seek? or is it like they'll tall try to make eye contact with the wolf so that they're the wolf like some sort of reverse hide and seek where the wolf wants to hide

Shibuki picks up on it quickly as expected

woahh friendship is magic moments flashback from Arisu

oh it's interesting that by the time Arisu wants to give the wolf back, Chota literally drags Shibuki away with her mouth shut (he must be strong as hell despite his injury) and Kurube also doesn't speak because they both don't want it anymore

They're "hiding well so that the sheep don't find" them

what the fuck do they actually die for real? isn't this too early in the game for all of them to die it feels incorrect wtf i feel like I've seen kurube around for season 2 stuff maybe? is this a dream or something wtf

Ep 4 (May 20)

Man I have things to be doing but these people know how to end the episodes so that I keep clicking on the next one

oh I heard her say "they accept me as I am" about the mountains and father and my first thought was oh? is she gay?

oof we're getting how her backstory went sour too

ah her father went missing and now is suspected to have committed suicide? I guessed he died after falling from the mountains or something but this is more interesting

she kind of slightly reminds me of First from JaFirst

lmfao a trio of guys who stuck together for 4 games and even saying "having friends is the difference between winning and losing" really rubbing it into Arisu's face you fools, I don't expect more than 1 of them to survive

ah it's so fucked up like okay 1 of them survived and it's the unlikely one and the starting position was the goal damn

Ep 5 (May 20)

I've actually not done any work today and it's 10:30pm. I took a long break between ep 4 and 5 and hoped I would've done some work in between but alas.

ooh this Beach is like the weird strange highly-controlled rebels or governments or organizations in dystopian YA novels

oh there's like hundreds of people at the beach wtf

the blonde guy from the horseman tag is here too and seems to have a subplan within the Beach? okay interesting. also the beach people have weapons and he had a taser, I originally thought he'd acquired it by himself but I wonder if it's from The Beach

okay it makes sense that they're meeting so many people from previous games at the Beach (like the blonde guy and the guy Arisu saved both from the tag game) because I was like how can there be this many beach people but we only met like 2 thus far but nah we just didn't know the others were also in the beach. anyway, I think this guy will maybe die but the girl Kuina will live

oh i see just flipping the switch while the door is open doesn't mean you're giving an answer - it's your chance to see if it's correct or not but if not, you just choose one of the other 2 as the answer

how would Ann know the answer?

oh bruh i definitely should've guessed the "touch bulb to see if it's hot" thing that's like easy science and doable as a viewer, online the other tests

all the weapons people sharing a look when Hatter says he'll have to replenish his visa soon okay

Hatter is so gross and self-absorbed, I wonder if he's gonna die really soon lol

was that zoom out of the beach supposed to show us something about where they are or anything? it's lost on me unfortunately

Ep 6 (May 20)

fuck I really should just be doing work but here I am aghhh

so did he just make up the thing about being able to leave? I did wonder if maybe that way of escape wasn't accurate but that they had been given wrong info, not that they had manufactured the info

wait but even if he does steal the cards then what? he's gonna have to keep going to games to renew visa/get 10 of hearts right? and won't the beach people just kill him there? or he's gonna steal it but keep it a secret ig be a little double agent

oh wtf Ann is digging through a dead woman's brain to find a GPS there

actually I'm off-put by how much skin and butt and boobs we're seeing of women and none of men like either do none or do both. this show really does just assume the audience is cishet man i guess

oh Hatter died for real which is expected but who knows if it's from the game or if the militants took him out

i like how the blonde guy looks like an elf sort of

damn elf guy really betrayed Arisu for no damn reason T.T unless he's just ? pretending somehow who fucking knows even let's not think and just see where this goes

ooh a drawing of a deer aka where the safe is. but also yknow now I'm reminded of the drawing that elf guy found in the horse mask's pocket during tag

there really is no need for sexual assault like why does this show just treat women like that

woah elf man is ruthless fr

oh ho ho 10 of hearts among all the beach players woahhhh nice

omg this is so fun they're gonna have to for real burn somebody but a bit toooo fun, how will I go to bed after this instead of watching next ep

Ep 7 (May 20)

Ah fuck, I'm here at 12:15 AM (so technically may 21) instead of doing my work

chaooooosssssss

this is genuinely so fucked up they're just killing everybody and burning them in the fire but none of those killed are the witch, just innocents

oof Kuina volunteering to fight the sword man girl don't die pls

this running around the complex while trying to escape but only to be gunned down by the militants brings back memories of the recurring nightmares from my childhood where the gunda with guns would break in and we'd be forced to run all throughout the quarters to try to escape

oh we're getting backstory of the sniper mans (Niragi) also he's so beautiful he reminds me a bit of taeyong when he's in his childhood bullied attire and actually quite a bit like Kai (he reminds me a bit of Yoongi as this beach sniper version of himself)

ah kuina trans woman! shitty childhood but she did it

okay fuck so i was thinking that we always get some backstory before a character dies, so when we got Nigari's story I was like is he gonna die? but thought maybe not yet but then he did die and now kuina also got to tell her backstory so agh she's probably gonna die soon too

oh bald guy has this sort of body posture because of sitting on his computer all the time? of his wording about freedom even through death and this land or whatever is so good honestly. "for me, I have no past" but if he kills kuina I'll slaughter him myself

not Arisu fighting for life and strength again cuz of his flashback to a trio moment T.T

omg did kuina beat him?? don't die don't die don't die pls

oh they're insinuating that the stoic new number one leader is the witch?

ohh he's called Hatter because he was a hatter. and he and stoic new number one knew each other

this episode is so fun because we have so much chaos and so much backstory for side characters

oh Ann really ot whacked so quick

Favourite episode so far

Ep 8 (May 20)

Fuck it, I'll watch the last ep of the season too. how the fuck am i supposed to not?

oooh dead Momoka and her friend (Asahi) were taking recordings/vlogs? I hope they show what the two of them were always secretively talking about

oh come onnn i wanna know

so stoic man Aguni is not the witch? well he did kill Hatter okay

what's Aguni's motive? just kill everybody so that they don't hope of leaving the place? cuz he knows it's bogus?

bro didn't they have 15 minutes at the end of last episodes, what time do we have left now

was Hatter's gun empty? i thought it kinda looked like that when shooting but wasn't sure

oh what the hell Asahi is the dealer? so is that the thing they were talking about on the vlogs like "the man" and took them to "the place"

lmfao seeing the elf man do nothing but just watch from the balcony above everybody and see his reactions occasionally is so funny like oh. that's us the viewers

oh aguni going to agun/fire with nagiri omg

bro why is the sword tattoo man's words so beautiful and haunting it really does read like the way of somebody who belongs to a cult though

okay okay okay let's see what the recordings have

ooh so those mask people during taggers were also dealers

bets? oh it's D:

oh the game masters are even more fucked up here than in squid games fr these poor girls and the game masters' laughter while they're dying like i think the fact that it's so casual and crowded and not even given all the attention unlike squid games which had these horrific games as an Event makes it worse too

it's like 2am and I'm the only one awake in the house so this stuff is making me really scared

omg all the game masters are dead too? laser burns

oh the drawing that blond elf found has come to use

ohhh finding all the numbered cards means those people who aren't game masters but above dealers all died. so they were also in the game in a way

I like how the blond elf man's expressions are always of mild curiosity and a hint of smile. evil man I kinda like you

oh the executive Mina D:

that was fucking insane

Overall:

I think this is a fun show with cool games, intense moments, and some fun characters (specifically Kuina, followed by cool climber girl and Arisu. I also like scary elf man - Chota).

I binged the whole 8 eps in 14-ish hours, which I haven't done in a long time, so that shows just how engaging this was! Something that helped with that though was that the show wasn't very deep, it didn't take much thinking, some characters were good but I wasn't invested in them. So this surface level enjoyment + the threads of anticipation made me able to binge the show quickly without having to really sit with it for a few hours. Which is fine, just a contrast to something like Squid Game which I love so dearly and really burrowed into me.

Also, I finished watching this at like 2AM and the last 2 episodes had me frightened at the end when I had to go to the bathroom and then sleep lol

Rating: 7/10

Season 2

Starting this the next evening and I also haven't done any work since finishing season 1, just hung out with my friend. It is what it is.

I looking a bit at reddit and I spoiled myself about the ending reason of why they're in the game just a bit. Apparently they're in limbo (accidentally got spoiled) and there's a meteor that hit Tokyo and the writer was confussed if the bathroom scene in ep 1 s1 happened of not (this was spoiler that I sought out). So I guess they're all already dead from the meteor? Let's see I suppose

Ep 1 (May 1)

interesting parallel to Arisu playing the video game at the start of S1 Ep 1 as the killer and now running

King of Spades - just shooting at everybody

insane car chase and crash

The Tatta or whatever guy keeps hesitating, it feels like he's gonna die in the game they play or something

Ep 2 (May 2)

the king of clubs was a rockstar in the original world?

it's a life or death game for the citizens/kings as well so they're not quite the game masters

butt man is showing a lot of butt fr

it's dumb that this fight between Arisu and Usagi is taking up so much random screentime

bro why the fuck is the 100 point guy just walking out of range of the pole bro what if somebody just runs and battles you bruv, he should at least have been given 600 points so that he has a chance cuz man I'm thinking he's gonna die like so soon

damn are they gonna make us sympathetic to Nigari and then kill him off or are they gonna make the characters sympathetic to Nigari and give him a reason to betray them, which he will so that he lives

this must've been so intensive to shoot without ever showing this man's dick

man wouldn't it be fucked up if they all somehow survive except Tatta who has 10k points and didn't volunteer to be brave by going to the opposition pole

nah Arisu even told Tatta that he loves his positive attitude bruh no way Tatta's gonna make it out alive right

bro you did fucking try to rape her last season you fuck

bro Nigari is weak and dying and Usagi is strong and fast and capable, are we really doing this right now again?! i looooooooove the "bad guy tries to rape girl and she's saved by main guy love interest" trope it's so good every time and never boring and never annoying and never unnecessary

agh they're stopping in the middle of the game rip

Ep 3 (May 21)

I'm gonna stop watching this as soon as the game ends and whoever needs to die dies. they keep ending episodes on cliffhangers, so I can't rely on myself to stop when an episode ends

lol Tatta backstory, he's boutta die frfr rip

oh my god Tatta really fucked up a guy

okay so Tatta will sacrifice himself for the team to make up for his past mistakes?

on a reddit thread, I read a comment that Usagi was badass in s1 but had some damsel-in-distress moments in s2 and I guess randomly having to be rescued by Arisu here is one of them

is Arisu tricking the king of clubs by sweet-talking him, does Arisu know that he has more points or something like is another player gonna pop up hold hands and together they'll beat Kyuma like what's going on with this handshake and intensive talking

ohh Tatta sacrificing a hand just like he disfigured that guy's hand back then but he probably will also die bc of all this fucking bloodloss

hm Kyuma said so they finally lost, so that means they've been playing before? But they said this is the first time they're playing the king of cards or whatever right.

oh if someone wins all the games, then they just become a citizen

Kyuma's death is very christlike

oof Tatta's death has been foreshadowed for a while but still it's a rip

jack of hearts

damn they're really set for life with this game and food lol

so is the jack of hearts a random player or a citizen, I wonder?

I like this evil fake-nice girl she's terrible she's evil she's a killer. idk if she's too obvious as the jack or not though

poor bullied guy though first he got beat up by the bully -> then got told to kill the bully off by someone else -> then thought he was being recruited into a team but is getting killed by them oof

i like the girl in red but she chose the wrong fucking group to ask as 2nd choice T.T

the jack of hearts troop all ended up killing each other ah

the crying overall dude being the jack would be wild lol he's the only non-suspicious one left (well the abused girl also)

pls elf man whose name i can never remember is so funny "looks like I'm screwed"

Ep 5 (May 21)

Not only did I not stop in the middle of last ep, I'm also continuing to watch the next ep agh it's 11pm when will I actually figure things out

oh hoooo so the 2 most suspicious ones are gonna die this round? and I'm guessing that elf man just gonna guess correctly

okay interesting outcome but the endless talking and explaining is like bro dialogue

i don't get Banda and suit man's convo like "why are you in this country and here playing this game" like huh? cuz you don't wanna die i guess

bro when elf man walked out by himself i thought for a second that he was Jack since the other two didn't walk out with him like what

aw Kuina is also leaving, so we really just gonna get Arisu and Usagi? be serious

this filming of a settlement reminds me of dystopian novels for real, specifically The Knife of Never Letting Go and Station 11

ooh the fireworks?

man fuck she really died before we got to hear about the fireworks?

oh alive Aguni

Ep 6 (May 21)

man fuck I missed my Memrise streak cuz I was too preoccupied with this show agh and also obviously haven't done any action work rip yet here I am starting a new 1h+ ep at 12am

was the high school girl flashback the girl who was shot at previously or this new girl who is with Aguni

oh the girl with Aguni I guess

wtf is that shot we get to see up her skirt or what

i wonder if we'll get to have the lovely trope of new girl wants male character's attention and then her and usagi will have a little fight off because ofc, esp since she used to be boy crazy. prove me wrong pls

that's so fucked, I forgot kids could be here

lmfao plsss Aguni also used Arisu as bait, first elf dude and now this. these Beach executives will forever use Arisu as this

Oh, I just understood what is meant by "limbo" right now. i was like how did everybody die but only these people are here and they're playing games for what reason but I'm guessing all the people who were able to go to heaven or hell just got sent there, which is why everybody disappeared. however a certain percent were in limbo and their behaviour in the games will determine whether they go to heaven or hell afterward?

Time really is strange here how is every building covered with this much moss and tress and vines

I kinda don't get this game, like if the challengers become queen team and then queen team wins, do the challengers on that team win or lose? like can't they all just tag each other and become queen team so that they're all queen team by that round and win? i guess then they haven't defeated the queen and so they haven't progressed?

oh i see, so people do stay with the queen but they have to keep playing with the queen

Ep 6 (May 21/22)

Idk what to call this date cuz it's 1AM on May 21 but I haven't yet slept or taken break from binging

Also this is the longest episode yet ah 75 minutes

the queen of spades death of jumping is quite pretty

man I feel like I should like this couple more but I just don't care yknow

oh diamonds is wit. have we played a diamonds before?

bruh number 2 is king of diamonds? so we have mira and number 2 who are higher members, though mira is def higher than #2

horrifying sulfuric acid deaths like what happened to 1 laser shot quick deaths bruv

bro this explanation of how elf dude chose the number is so dumb

oh elf dude was a doctor? but why are we getting his backstory now is he gonna actually die this round wtf um

oh true number 2 could know momoka was a dealer and the witch

oh, mira says "at last it's our turn" so is she also a face card citizen?

finally an end of an episode that I can actually finish watching on ah it's already 2am again rip

Ep 7 (May 22)

2 episodes left, it's 5pm the last day of the long weekend, still haven't done any homework/chores but i did do a lot of driving okayy hope it's a satisfying and fun ending

queen of clubs (team) kuina and ann my girls yayy

now why are my girls saying "just a few more games, we'll make it to the end" that just speaks trouble

oh deadly dodgeball

okay at least they survived this yes cool girls leaving as the blimps are aflame behind them

okay sad we won't get King of Hearts but think we might get queen of hearts since that hot air balloon is still up. i wonder if it'll be Mira

what the fuckkkkk Niragi elf dude can't die by his hands right? like he survived everything by himself and nearly died so many times no way Niragi of all fuckers is taking him out

this gun-off between Niragi, elf man and Arisu is so boring goddamn just kill Niragi why are we fucking having this long ass convo be serious

is Niragi's shot really killing Chishiya >:((( agh he deserves a more interesting death than to die by Niragi's hand and then this fucking monologue

bro wtf so did Chishiya die after that monologue and then what? it's just him closing his eyes and then immediately us getting fucking Niragi monologue? but no right like we didn't actually see his proper dead body right he wasn't still and non breathing?

Kuina saving Ann yes girlfriends

bro the blimp isn't fucking down yet don't celebrate so quick aksl;dfj

omg fireproof king of spades

why can't someone scale the walls and try to just shoot him in the head

fuckkkkk Heya and Ann within a few seconds of each other D:

sorry Aguni just punching and dragging the king of spades and throwing him around is killing me so bad he's so funny and then he just keeps

bro where's fucking Usagi with her gun or smth why does she keep getting fucking injured every time except like the queen of spades thing

nooooo Kuina tooo my beloved the stabbings D: and Usagi too?

nah did Aguni miss D:

i need king of spades ripped apart limb from limb for real for real seriously

oh brother Aguni is actually invincible lmfao

damn they really blew up that bomb huh

so will the blimp finally come down or nah is the king of spades still alive wtf

damn wtf does the king of spades mean by "sorry. that was the only way i knew how to save you" as his dying words

Aguni's mission to kill king of spade fulfilled and Hatter finally came to him in a hallucination to dissuade him from killing himself

noooo Ann and Kuina sharing dying promises of being friends if they meet again T.T

I wonder why Aguni-Heya and Ann-Kuina's deaths and relationships are all more important and touching than Arisu crying over Usagi's injured body like why do i not give a single shit

oh okay Chishiya elf dude isn't quite dead yet

Arisu's reiterations that he's gonna protect Usagi are so boring like bro you and your friend group are protecting each other, that's what y'all do. When Usagi was protecting him during the queen of spades game or whatever it wasn't like she kept saying yeah I'll protect you! the fuckass hero having to protect the female love interest all the time and repeatedly talking about it is fucking annoying

as expected, Mira is the queen of hearts

Ep 8 (May 22)

an hour 20 minutes longest episode, hope it answers everything pls

Aguni, Kuina, Chishiya, and Nigari are still alive and waiting

damn are these 2 the only competitors

why is Mira stalling so hard man

Is Mira lying or is this the truth about 1000 years into the future and VR? I feel like on reddit someone was like "at least it wasn't stupid VR"

oh lol she was kidding x2

oh Mira created 7 of Hearts, so did the face cards create the games

hmm is this "it's all in your head and you're creating memories, Arisu" this correct, no right? like me knowing the answer about limbo and meteor hitting Tokyo is making all this a bit anticlimactic and meandering

oh interesting very elaborate mind games

actually not that interesting,this boring mindgame is being stretched out so much. talk less stupid stuff and do more or talk about real actual things nowwww we're legit at the halfway mark of episode

Arisu and Usagi love confessions and romance so boring goddamn

ohh so the last time they cleared all the games, that's when the face card masters cleared all their games and chose to become citizens

denies: Aguni, Heya, Kunai, Chishiya (lol his I think), Niragi, Usagi, Arisu

accepts: the pair from Jack of Hearts,

aw, Aguni and Heya :<

ahhhhh Kunai holding Ann's hand and saying let's go back together

so are they assuming they get to go back to their own world now? if they decline?

20 minutes left before credits ah will they wrap it up properly

ohh they were all there that day when the fireworks happened - but I'm assuming just the new players? and not the face cards bc they've been there since before?

and then got fucking blasted by meteors along with everybody else (or is it meteorites? what's the one where they actually hit the planet)

wait, so Arisu did live after the meteor explosion?

oh never minddd so the whole borderlands thing happened already? but in a single minute where Arisu died/was stuck in limbo?

so whoever died in the game also died in real life but if you made it through all the games then you did get to go back, though what happens to those who become face cards? Do they die irl too?

ohh so they're all getting to meet each other again at this hospital. Chishiya and Nagiri (why did this fucker not die man), Aguni and Heya, then I'm sure Arisu and Usagi will meet too

all their injuries irl are the same ones they got during the games

omgggg Ann?! I was like oh no Kuina gonna be by herself but nah Ann has also been resuscitated and Kuina's mom also here

I actually don't really get the time because it's been 2 days or a week and they're all just waking up, so did all of them briefly die or what? Like Ann was just resuscitated but it's been a few days. Maybe it's not that you have to die, just that you have to be unconscious?

also I justttt realized they don't have memories of the time lol before I was like oh? Why did Heya say she doesn't know Aguni? bruh my stupidity. I think it's cuz Nagiri and Chishiya spoke like they know each other

why is there Joker on the table

Okay, the conclusion did conclude and it also made general sense.

Overall:

This sequel was worse I think... but interesting it its own ways too. I liked getting more Kuina my beloved <3 and also Chishiya's parts were fun. The Jack of Hearts with Chishiya and team game with King of Clubs were pretty much the only engaging games, and number 2 with Chishiya was also alright. A whole bunch of games were boring and I was so meh about Arisu/Usagi like I just did not care and I feel like both characters became more boring this season?

Pretty interesting ending though, I kinda knew about it because of my spoiler consumption but yeah it made sense, though it's sad that they didn't remember each other.

Rating: 6.5/10

#ep by ep commentary #alice in borderland

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deecotan · 3 years ago

Photo

more stuff for dragon zoro & prince sanji AU! We have daddy mihawk and the other dragon-human pair, luffy and law

Massive loredump beneath this so read it at your own risk!

In this setting, dragons and dragon-shifters are the same, but also different. Pure dragons are 100% animals/monsters with no human intelligence, while dragon-shifters are a subtype of dragons who can turn into a human via magic in their blood. Dragon-shifters are heavily discriminated against in human society, considered as subhumans the same level as animals – therefore, dragon-shifters rarely mingle with humans and would rather stay in the wilderness. Dragon-shifters are also capable of communicating with dragons, and would have a better chance to survive by coexisting with them rather than humans. Dragon-shifters are also considered a commodity in the black market.

Zoro’s backstory

Zoro was an orphaned dragon-shifter ever since he was young, and had never learned how to turn into a dragon. He used to live in the wilderness until he arrived on a small human settlement where he met and subsequently befriended Kuina, a human girl. It was from her where he learned the way of humans, including their culture and language. Despite his horns and scales, Kuina and the other people in the village thought he was some sort of a specific magical race instead of a dragon-shifter and thus never questioned his identity. As Zoro started to grow older, though, he started to noticeably possess more dragonic features in his body, such as a pair of wings that sprouted from his back, which was when Kuina started to realize what he really was. Fearing that the villagers would kill him if they found out, Kuina tried to convince Zoro that he had to hide himself in a way, but Zoro stubbornly said that he didn’t care about what other humans thought of him. They broke into a fight that ended with Zoro running away into the woods. Kuina tried to chase him, but in an unfortunate twist of events, she accidentally slipped when trying to climb a high ground and died instantly from the fall. The shock that overcame him triggered Zoro to turn into his dragon form, his roar in agony subsequently alerting the villagers. When Kuina’s father, Koshiro, soon discovered them, he immediately recognized the dragon as Zoro as he had known from Kuina of his identity as a dragon-shifter, and despite learning of his daughter’s death, he understood that Zoro wasn’t responsible for it. However, he immediately told Zoro to leave the village and to never look back, since the villagers would never be able to accept dragon-shifters and that they would think Zoro was the one who killed Kuina.

He ran away from the village and soon met with Mihawk, an ancient dragon-shifter. Disoriented in his new dragon form, he initially became hostile towards the older dragon and attacked him, though Mihawk easily overpowered him and gave him a permanent scar on his front body. After realizing that Zoro is a dragon-shifter, though, he decided to take him under his wing and practically raise him. Mihawk was the one who taught Zoro the way of the dragons, and that “humans are rarely to be trusted”. After learning of Zoro’s friendship with Sanji, Mihawk was initially not very keen on it, though in the end he lets him off.

Zoro and Sanji’s story (continuation)

Zoro and Sanji initially lived in the mountains near the village where Zeff lived. However, over the years, many people of the village started to grow suspicious of the two of them, especially Sanji, because he had a mysterious upbringing and a distinctively foreign-looking face that doesn’t belong in the eastern region they lived in. The turning point of their fates happened when the infamous bounty hunter Don Krieg turned up in the village – after he and his crew suffered a humiliating defeat after trying to slay Mihawk in his dragon form, he tried to restore his pride by changing his target to the dragon in the mountains that allegedly hoarded a huge amount of gold. Carrying out a surprise attack and using a dragon poison, Krieg was able to overpower Zoro and capture Sanji. Upon finding out that there was no gold, though, and that the dragon was actually a dragon-shifter, Krieg planned to sell them off to the black market instead, but not before he was stopped by Zeff and his tavern workers.

The groups clashed against each other, and at some point after Zoro was given an antidote to counter the poison, he gained enough strength to defeat most of Krieg’s men. Krieg tried to take Sanji hostage at first, but was surprisingly stopped by Gin, one of his subordinates, who in an attempt to find help for his crew was the first person to arrive at their village and subsequently got his injuries treated and then fed by Sanji. Krieg was soon defeated and Gin admitted his crew’s defeat, promising never to bother them anymore and thanking Sanji for his help.

The event had stirred unrest in the village, and Zeff, concerned that the growing attention would jeopardize Zoro and Sanji’s safety, encouraged the two of them to leave the village altogether to find a better place to live. Despite Sanji’s initial objection, he eventually complied, realizing that Zoro would be better off somewhere where he wasn’t being hunted down every now and then. After a tearful farewell, Zoro and Sanji began the journey to find a new home.

The two of them spent weeks looking for a place to settle in, coming across a variety of places and people in the journey. At one point, though, they crossed paths with a group of bounty hunters who knew of Zoro’s identity as a dragon-shifter. They managed to hold them off enough for them to run, though Zoro’s left eye got injured by a poison-coated knife, drastically weakening him. Sanji desperately tried to find help while carrying an unconscious Zoro, but on the way, he came across a mysterious stranger who claimed that he was a medic who could treat Zoro. Having no choice despite not believing him at first, Sanji decided to follow the stranger.

The stranger turned out to be telling the truth, taking them to his dwelling where he immediately treated Zoro’s injury. The stranger also revealed that he knew of Zoro’s identity as a dragon-shifter, and treated his injury like he would to a dragon-shifter. The stranger introduced himself as Law, a doctor and surgeon who was studying medical practice for both humans and magical creatures. Even more surprisingly, though, was the fact that Law himself had been living with a dragon-shifter – a cheerful lad named Luffy.

Law and Luffy’s backstory

Prior to meeting Luffy, Law was working under Doflamingo, an infamous underground broker who had a wide network of illegal activities, including the business of buying and selling magical creatures in the black market. The only survivor of the plagued city of Flevance, Law was taken by Doflamingo’s group when he was a child. Law was recruited by Doflamingo for his vast knowledge in medicine and human anatomy, and was the one who encouraged him to learn about medical treatment for magical creatures. Law’s task usually required him to run medical experiments on the magical creatures to “enhance” their appearances/abilities so that they could be more profitable in the market.

Despite working together, Doflamingo and Law’s relationship was far from being called a good one. Law deeply resented Doflamingo for his arrogance and pride, and didn’t always agree with Doflamingo’s illegal, often unethical practices he ran in the underground business; he only agreed on working together with him because Doflamingo had been abusing him, and threatened to shatter any semblance of freedom left on Law’s life if he ever dared to oppose him. He also hated Doflamingo for killing Corazon, Doflamingo’s own brother and a father figure to Law - the only person who showed genuine love and care for him while living with Doflamingo’s group. Doflamingo, while considering Law’s skills to be useful, had always treated him badly and considered him to be an insolent brat. Doflamingo’s mistreatments of Law mostly manifested ever since he killed his brother after he tried to take Law away from him. While Law didn’t manage to escape, Corazon’s influence had managed to make him aware of how dangerous Doflamingo was, and he had been secretly planning to overthrow Doflamingo by secretly collecting all the resources and information he needed ever since Corazon died.

He first met Luffy when the dragon-shifter was unconscious and greatly injured after a battle. He patched Luffy up and took him under his watch for a while, before promptly setting him free – he had a principle that he would never involve magical creatures who had human intelligence to the black market, and knowing that Luffy was part human, he let him go. However, unexpectedly, Luffy came back to him a few months after his injuries were treated by him, claiming that he was grateful for Law’s help and that he wanted to be his friend. While their relationship started off a bit rocky, mostly due to the disparity of their personalities, they eventually became close since Luffy was the first person whom Law could truly open up to, ever since Corazon.

“Why do you like to talk to me? Don’t you have other people you’d rather hang around with?”

Luffy stared at him. “Do you have other people you want to hang around with, Torao?”

Law didn’t answer immediately. Couldn’t. There were always those like Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin whom he actually liked to talk with – a little brash and overexcitable, perhaps, but good people nonetheless. But that’s the exact problem; they’re good people, and Law wasn’t, and he couldn’t possibly get into anything deeper with them. They’re just… acquaintances. Associates. People he worked with when necessary. They’re not his… he wasn’t their friend. He wasn’t anything to them. The less they knew him, the less likely they would consider him important. They wouldn’t be involved in the clusterfuck of a mess that was his life.

“... well, no, I don’t. But I enjoy my solitude. I’m not like you who could go around and make friends with whoever you like.”

“Then that’s fine!” Luffy smiled, unexpectedly. (It was the brightest smile he had ever seen.) “I like hanging around with you. You’re a good guy, Torao. I don’t want you to feel alone.”

Luffy’s growing friendship with Law was what led him to be involved in his plan to defeat Doflamingo. After Doflamingo was defeated and his crime organization fell apart, Law decided to move to where Luffy and his friends resided, the Thousand Sunny, where he built a home and a small clinic near the woods. Luffy was the one who wanted to stay with Law, since the two of them had built a special bond after they’ve spent a lot of time together.

Luffy was some sort of a mix between an European dragon and a feathered serpent, so his dragon form had four legs, but with a long, semi-feathered body, feathered tail, and prominently a pair of bird-like wings instead of a dragon one. He had a noticeably very flexible and somewhat elastic body that allowed him to bend and twist to almost impossible forms, which he would like to describe as “rubber-y”. Despite his lithe form, Luffy was surprisingly very powerful both in dragon and human forms, and notably one of the very few who could overpower dragon Zoro, both in his normal form and Asura form.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Surprisingly, Dragon (as in Luffy’s dad) wasn’t a dragon. He did have a child with a dragon-shifter, though, which was how Luffy was born.

Shanks was a famous, well-respected knight, one that was notably known for never discriminating against dragon-shifters or any human-monster hybrids. He and Mihawk knew each other. He was the reason why Mihawk said “most humans are not to be trusted” rather than “all humans”.

After Doflamingo’s defeat, Law sought out to become closer with Bepo, Shachi and Penguin, and they became close friends ever since.

The villagers of Thousand Sunny were an exceptionally welcoming and open-minded bunch, that even a dragon-shifter like Luffy was welcomed with open arms. Thousand Sunny was established with the idea where people and magical creatures of all kinds could live together in peace.

I never actually get to draw Luffy with his iconic straw hat in this since design-wise it would just obscure his horns. But he would still wear them around his neck, though, and his crew would still be called the Strawhats.

With that being said, the Strawhats in this universe and their occupation/species/etc: Nami - human, weather witch; Usopp - half-elf, craftsman and artist; Robin - nephilim (ironically known as “Devil Child”), historian; Chopper, a human-deer hybrid, doctor; Brook, an undead whose curse was lifted by Luffy, musician; Franky, orc with prosthetic body (a “cyborc”), architect and weapon tinker; Jinbe, fishman, martial artist and diplomat.

#prince & dragon AU #zosan #lawlu #lulaw #lawlulaw #one piece #my art #i ended up writing a lot for luffy & law's part even tho i initially wanted them to be like. the side pairing #turns out i had too much fun in making law's backstory lol #he and sanji have a lot of similarities #which. yknow. is actually kinda fitting cuz zoro & luffy coming into their lives is like a massive turning point in their lives #in this AU at least #zoro n luffy barging in like YOUR PRINCE CHARMING IS HERE only theyre dragons #roronoa zoro #sanji #luffy #trafalgar law #dracule mihawk #deeco art

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zoobus · 3 years ago

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Is there a piece of media that you absolutely detest? And I do mean detest, like, a movie or book or man(hu/hw/g)a (etc) that when you remember it's existence makes you go fricking ballistic (or the nearest negative emotion).

I've written this essay for at least different platforms but somehow not tumblr. Yes. One of the most popular otome isekais out there no less. And for once I'm going to put this under a cut. I know people browse the otoisekai tag for fun and aren't looking the beating I want to give this manwha. Also because this is a copy-paste-edit of something I wrote months ago on reddit and it's too long. Stale material gets the snip.

I hate The Villainess Lives Twice/Again. I hate it so much. tl;dr don't quadruple amputee your morally black heroine and have her draw a pentagram on a dirty floor with the bloody remains of her tongue in chapter 1 if you're not gonna follow through. I really felt like I was bamboozled into reading what was ultimately a generic contract marriage, saved by the hot duke romance, and I hate it. If you like this comic, don't click this.

I know TVLT is popular. I know it's well-loved and often trotted out as an ur-example of the genre. Why? I'm not really sure.

I hate it because on every single level, for any possible reason I enjoy otoisekai, it fails. All the charms of the genres it attempts end in failure. I hate it for lying about what kind of otome story it intended to be.

The concept? Great. Wonderful. I have a mighty need for writers to fill the gap on villainess characters that are actually villainous. I love otome isekai and stories where they let a girl-boss stay winning? They're the best. Let👏female👏protags👏be👏toxic👏👏👏

And here? Chapter one STARTS with our MC getting taken down for some crime she didn't commit and you know what? She can't even be mad, because what she's accused of pales in comparison to what she's actually done. Chapter one ENDS with our now limbless MC squirming across a filthy floor, dragging the remains of her sliced out tongue to form a pentagram so she can sacrifice herself and turn back time, knowing full well this alone could never atone for the crimes she committed for her own selfish gain.

The execution? oh my god, I hate this comic for hyping me up like that. Every single chapter after had me desperately searching for the potential I saw in the first. A peak into what could have been. But there's nothing. Why is there nothing.

1. Agency

Chapter 1 is essentially MC getting tortured for a wrongful accusation, with her noting the irony of this. She explicitly refuses to apologize or justify her actions. She knows there's no point in doing so. We're presented with a woman who knows there's no excuse for the innocent lives she's destroyed - no sad childhood or miserable backstory can make up for the evil she's puppeteered. She had choices and she chose evil.

Lol jk actually she has a tragic backstory that is vewy sad :,( and we're not saying you should feel sorry for this poor little war criminal lady, but she just wanted her mamma's love!

I can't tell you how much I despise the "cool motive, still murder" meme but it really applies here.

Chapter 2 is a slap in 1's face. After seeing her go to such lengths to own her actions, we get a frustrating and, frankly, confusing recollection of her terrible childhood (they suggest she's being starved, but that doesn't really make sense with other info given; MC doesn't have a lot of clothes but wouldn't that make her ambitious family look...bad? because nobles are always looking for weaknesses and you're intentionally sending a representative of your family name outside looking like a scrub? The emperor passed a law that only married people can have affairs - why?? What does this bizarre piece of law do besides marginalize our MC??? You think you're too good for normal concubines? These aren't spoilers, they're just weird details that add nothing or make things less coherent). Chapter 2 is a long way of saying "I know there's no excuse for what I did, BUT"

2. Dumbass's Machiavelli

Did you assume the mastermind-orchestrator MC would be equally brilliant and manipulative once she returns to the past? lol. It's a 1-2 combo of "plot conveniently happens to MC in a way she could not have planned but we'll pretend she did" and "MC does objectively dumb shit."

An example of the former -

MC walks downstairs, gets randomly slapped for no other reason than she needs a reason to lecture the slapper "you need to get your father's attention in a different way than throwing tantrums at his mistress's house." Said slapper is in her 30/40s with two kids, so uh. If she's still throwing tantrums, I don't see this being a convincing argument.

An example of her doing objectively dumb shit - hey, if you know you're going to the poorest area in the whole empire, why would you roll up in a noble carriage and put your black cloak disguise on after you step out and the beggars have already seen your noble-exclusive golden hair?

I can't even edit this screenshot smaller, you have to see this fucking framing in its entirety:

This fucking screenshot. This FUCKING PAGE. It throws me into fits, it turns me into an incoherent animal because there's SO MUCH bad, it throws off my numbered list format 1 2 3 4 THIS PAGE the depiction of POVERTY before a noblewoman gets PRINCESS CARRIED out of a carriage, complete with the pink glitter background because this is meant to be a ROMANTIC scene for an INTELLIGENT character by a KIND male lead AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO SEES THIS???

3. Fuck the male lead

That's him in that last pic. ML is stated to be the people's Duke, a duke who cares, a duke who is disgusted by the treatment of commoners at the hands of the aristocratic elite. Commoners should receive just as much valor for the efforts as us nobles!

"Riches aren't important," he says that verbatim. We, the reader, should root for his ascension to the throne because he's not like the other noble boys ;^)

He displays his unrelenting commitment to justice and commoners by:

Verbally attacking and embarrassing MC's bully at a party, despite the implausibility of sherlocking enough facts to recognize the bully is in the wrong (side note, I was #teambully - she points out MC has worn the same dress to six parties in a year, not even aware that MC is wearing her filthy clothes from the day before, when she was out in the sunshine cooking up a BO-storm. I know enough about historical garments to know that those layers heat up and that she did not wash them before the party). I got off-topic, I'm just saying I would not be comfortable with a guy who jumps to conclusions like this being my political representative - we know she's a bully. He could not.

Terrifying a visibly nervous butler for giving info the ML literally just demanded, which is treated as proof the MC has an abusive life, as there's no other reason a butler would say "Oh MC's at the ball" to the scary 6'5 war hero duke glaring down at him. Again, a noble second to the king jumping to conclusions without considering how his intimidating presence might affect how less powerful people perceive him is not actually a good look. I know you have a brain cell in there somewhere, use it.

Openly hostile to beggars living in what we are explicitly told is the most poverty-stricken part of town for having the audacity to ask rich people stepping out of a noble carriage for money.

😍 Dripping wet over being princess carried in front of the wretched poor before my boyfie whips his sword out in case one tries to touch me😍

4. "Banter"

Yeah so if you've ever seen the actual video where this gif comes from, the context is that the smirking guy is "roasting" the other dude with these bizarre quips that either aren't clever or make no sense, but his friends are going nuts anyway.

MC cannot banter. She shares personal info unbecoming of an alleged mastermind. Her jokes suck, like booooo get off the stage boooooo. I'm not even going back to screenshot them, they're too tryhard/corny.

5. Just say you hate fashion

The fashion is hideous, anachronistic, and at points, clearly traced from something else. I don't expect all otoisekai to care about fashion - it's a perk when they do, but I can ignore it when it's not - but all the clothes are noticeably from different centuries, at times it's super obvious the artist traced a stock photo, and the stylistic inconsistency is weirdly notable. I have never cared about this kind of thing before, but I guess you could say TVLT has a special place in my heart. NONE of these clothes are from the same period which would be fine except they're UGLY. How dare you.

tl;dr2 The Villainess Lives Twice is the worst OI I've ever read because they baited me with an MC who's literally willing to crawl in the dirt, to spill blood to get what she wants, a boss-bitch more than prepared to play 12th dimension human-chess.

And then those stakes turned out to be tripping over her own feet on prom night.

✌️Cliffhanger✌️

#otome isekai #long post #mine #My theory is this comic uses mass hypnosis and I'm immune

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cherryblossomshadow · 3 years ago

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Arcane Reaction

Episode 1

Hm the running along the rooftops scene looks a lot like the heist scene from Tangled.

I can’t believe Vi is literally daring Discount Adrien Agreste to cut her. He doesn’t have anything to lose! He should have done it, just for spite.

It’s interesting that Vander is trying to calm Vi down from picking fights with topsiders, because he understands that passion and has been there. And as spitfire as she is, she still wants Vander to reassure her that everything is going to be alright. And he does. He tells her he’ll makeeverything alright.

Ah, Vander and Grayson have a deal! Good, that makes sense. I like the setup here!

Hm Vander compared Marcus to Vi. Upstarts who don’t know the way of the world yet.

Episode 2

I had to explain frostbite to my sister because of Jayce’s mom.

It is extremely hard to get through a scene with Mel without commenting about how beautiful she is. I don’t think my sister and I have made it through a single scene yet.

Episode 3

Aw, Powder wants to help. Such a waste of literal magicthough. Measly explosions? And honey, you really only need one.

Oh wow. They’re like dead dead …

Man, Powder really pounced on Silco immediately. Does she even know who he is? I guess it’s nice that he develops a good side for her.

Episode 4

Oh wow that was all backstory? At least it wasn’t in flashbacks.

Wow, Powder looks so much like Vi. And her hair is gorgeous.

My sister and I literally got into an argument over whether the firelight dude was Vi or not 😂

Huh so Cait wants to be an enforcer. She’s a good detective! My sister compared her to Sierra from La Casa de Papel. I love how Jayce tried to maintain her job, by giving her a position backed by his newly elevated House.

And she used it lol.

I love the way Marcus dismisses Caitlyn like “you’re used the getting your way” and “there’s a chain of command.” Because like yeah those things are objectively true! Like wow he’s using valid arguments to do bad things. Great writing

Also, I REALLY like Jayce and Cait’s friendship, but why do I feel like I’m detecting … vibes? Like, he’s too old for her, right?

Oh wow. Powder’s like legitimately crazy? Like, absolutely traumatized. Flashbacks, changing moods, voices in her head, talking to the dead, the works. Impressive. I hope they portray her well!

I think Jayce and Victor have vibes but they’re kinda understated. And it’s been a couple years, right? If they haven’t done something by now, I don’t think they’re going to (not to mention the series wouldn’t take that chance probably).

Mel, tho? “He’s the only interesting person in the whole city” etc etc. I’m honestly surprised it took her five years to make a move. And she’s teaching Jayce politics (exciting!) … (Well not “teaching” so much as “pushing him into,” but still!

Ooh Vi is in the prison! Is she on Marcus’s payroll? Is that why she attacked the witness?

Episode 5

I wonder if Grayson is who got Caitlyn into law enforcement.

Ooh this is a cool dynamic. The released prisoner and the uppity goody-two-shoes. They probably won’t do a LOT a lot with it, but there are fun moments like “you’re hot cupcake” and “you’re so sweet, like a cupcake.” That’s mostly Vi putting her off balance, and Cait not reciprocating tho. Better not get my hopes up.

Ok, please please please don’t go the direction it feels like you’re going. Silco’s like a father to you, right? Idk he got reallyclose to your face during the river baptism …

I suppose Marcus will be making a heel-face turn. Why else are we focusing so much on him? Props for letting the sleazy character be so sleazy, tho. Like he is SUCH an unapologetic coward.

The best part of his character though was how self-righteous and hot-headed he was, pre timeskip. Just like Vi. And look where he is now.

Man, I love how Jayce starts by trying to root out corruption, but when Mel pushes him into making backdoor deals, Jayce just absolutely commits to it. It’s so fun! Politics! Messy business! It was at this point that I was like, “so, this story is Good. It’s well crafted.”

Oh Heimerdinger! Probably the only one there for the music 😹

Episode 6

Jayce is taking SO well to the politicking! He voted out his friend and mentor Heimerdinger! No one is listening to the voice of history! In the interests of convenience and comfort! I probably sound lackadaisical, but honestly? It’s refreshing to see something so realistic. Like, yes, from the comforts of our own homes, it’s so easy to point that out as a Bad. But Jayce’s arguments sound So Reasonable! I’m enjoying the fantasy politics so much!

Did the magic potion that Cait got for Vi’s stab wound have Shimmer in it?

Who was the guy that took her there? Was it Mylo? It looked like him right?

Oh, it was the glasses dude that Vander saved from getting shortchanged then hurt during Vander’s introduction

Aw Powder thinks Vi is a figment. Then she thinks she’s there to steal the gemstone. Wow.

Episode 7

Man, I love older Ekko. Good for him, eking out a living and a following that way. Interesting how he pays respect to Powder, while maintaining Jinx is irredeemable.

Ugh, I really wish Vi took on Jinx and let Ekko escort Cait. We all knew as soon as he fought jinx that he was a goner.

Episode 8

It is so interesting that Powder and Cait have barely interacted, yet Cait is the face of all of Powder’s nightmares. That’s so interesting! Talk about parasocial 😂

Yay, Ekko’s alive!!

Wow there is just so much face touching with Cait and Vi. There is no heterosexual explanation, and they weren’t even trying. I was not expecting that 😮

Did Viktor’s hex thing just eat Sky?

Oh wait can it control Viktor?! Is the Arcane sentient and waking up?

Episode 9

Ugh Ambessa cast Mel out, not even because Mel was weak but because she made Ambessa weak?! What a terrible person, but honestly, she sees it as protecting her family. Very cool character motivation, even if I don’t like her.

“Is there anything so undoing as a daughter.” Hm, so Silco is realizing why his brother was so unreasonable. He was protecting his children.

That image of everyone’s voices as chalk monsters fighting in her head?! That was fantastic! Reminds me of Zuko’s Iroh and Azula dragons, but scarier.

Man, the whole council agreed to peace and Zaun’s independence. And then Jinx killed them all. Wow.

Extra

I put on True Giants - Damage because I wanted to look at their version of Ekko, and it was so jarring to look at normal animation after three hours of Arcane 😂

#arcane #arcane series #arcane reaction #arcane jinx #jinx nee powder #arcane vi #caitlyn kiramman #jayce talis #i post #i speak #i watch things #long

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eleanorfenyxwrites · 4 years ago

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Hi y'all!

So I realized today that it's been about three months since I started cross-posting my stuff to ao3 (those of y'all who were here for After Each Midnight while it was still a wip will know that I've been writing for longer than that but anyway). With the latest fic I just posted, I now have 30 works published to ao3 within those three months! Which is wild to me!

Since that averages out to ten fics a month and I like round numbers, I decided to celebrate by listing my 10 favorite fics...of my own lol. Narcissistic? Maybe! But it's fun anyway!

This is a really long post as each rec includes a summary, an excerpt (or a few), and some personal notes/anecdotes about the writing process or what inspired me to write the fic, etc. so I'm putting it all under the break. If this doesn't sound like your cup of tea then of course please just skip over this one, but for anyone who wants to revisit some of my older works with me, or if you're curious about which fics I personally like the most, or if you want to talk about your favorite fics of mine in the replies or anything, then that's cool too! I just wanted to find a way to mark this down because it feels like something of an achievement ^_^

Thank you!

1. After Each Midnight Begins A New Day, (54,401 words, Rated E) Ship(s): 3zun, Wangxian Summary: When Lan Xichen wakes up the morning after the fifth anniversary of his life crumbling to rubble around him in Guanyin Temple, he's shocked to find both Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao in his bed, both whole and alive and...married to him?! (A time travel fix-it in which the time traveling and fixing of things has already been done by Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, and Lan Xichen accidentally gets dragged along for the happily ever after.) Excerpt(s):

1. “Poor da-ge,” [Meng Yao] teases again, this time with a bit of an edge, and Lan Xichen cracks one eye open just enough to see him stripping first out of his shoes and socks, then his third layer of robes, then his second, until he’s dressed much as he had been the prior evening - in nothing but a black under-robe so sheer that it actually almost looks gray. It clings to all the petite, lithe curves of him and the sight makes Lan Xichen’s mouth practically water. “What if I want my turn with you now? What if I’m jealous that er-ge got to have you all to himself for hours , while your poor A-Yao had to go have a drink with Xian-didi just to pass the time.” “Oh gods you’re a beast too,” Nie Mingjue groans as Meng Yao slips on top of him gracefully to lean down and pepper kisses up and down his neck and shoulder. “Get off of me, foul creature. Go tempt our husband, I’m temporarily immune to your wiles.” “You’re never immune to my wiles, da-ge, and er-ge is meditating oh so diligently. He’s certainly not smiling and watching us through his lashes as if we’re not well aware of his tricks and what he likes to watch.” - 2. “It took years of practice, you with your painting and I with my answering, but when you were a teenager I finally decided on the best advice I could think to give you: Do not seek for every answer in this life all at once, Xichen,” he instructs with a smile as he returns to painting. “Let them come to you gently and in their season, and trust that all will be as it should in the end.” Lan Xichen takes another breath and returns to his painting with a slightly trembling hand - a trembling that ends up creating a lovely branch on the tree he is painting that, when he turns his head to look, is modeled almost exactly after the one growing in the garden behind the Gentian House, just beyond the window. “I don’t remember ever seeing this tree,” he whispers and Qingheng-Jun hums across from him in clear understanding. “And yet it flows from your brush all the same. Now we can all know that you have nothing to fear, your memories will also come to you in their season. Until then, allow yourself to rest, and remember that you have the support of your family whenever you need it.” “Yes, father,” he replies with a whisper and a tremulous smile, feeling lighter than he has in days. - 3. “I will go into seclusion.” The statement is a stone dropped into the gently rippling water of a spring-fed pool. The stone is jagged and pitted with all that the world has done to chip away at it, to make it rough and painful to the touch. It is sharp in his hands, heavy with all the hurts he still carries in his chest, all the grief he has no more room to hold. He feels lighter with it out of his grasp, the words settling into the ensuing silence with some bittersweet relief.

Notes: I know I've said it before but it bears repeating: this entire fic exists solely because of the smut scene in chapter 1. I thought of the smut first, and then the lead-in to it, and I intentionally left the end of chapter 1 ambiguous - it could have ended right there as an angsty one-shot with Lan Xichen believing that it was all a hallucination, and there's nothing really in the text to say that it's not because Lan Xichen is a very unreliable narrator in this fic. But then I wanted to write the backstory for the smut if, in fact, it wasn't a hallucination - and everything kind of...butterfly-effected out from there to become what it is now, along with all the extras in the series that's now roughly 120k long altogether and still not finished. Oops. Oh and also: this fic that started the ball rolling only exists because for some reason the servers for Omegle went down for months where I live, and prior to that I used to spend hours rp'ing. Without that creative outlet, I filled the vacuum with writing fic instead and now here we are. So if you're grateful for my fics then thank Omegle for sucking for a few months lol --//-- 2. Loving, Loud, Wild, and Theirs (7386 words, Rated T) Ship(s): Xuanli & Gen (kidfic), 3zun (briefly) - an extra for AEM Summary: A brief look at how in this kinder world, Jin Zixuan managed to find and legitimize his three siblings as well as a snapshot of the chaos of love and fun that is his family with his siblings, his beloved wife, and their seven children. Excerpt:

He had listened to [Madam Qin] and her handmaid, and he had believed them, and he had been unsurprised to find himself thinking quite uncharitably of his father following his promise to Madam Qin that he would do everything in his power to make it right, as much as he could. [Jin Zixuan and Meng Yao] return to Jinlintai the day after the next, once their business is concluded. He’s relieved when nothing needs his immediate attention as it means he’s free to retreat into his and Jiang Yanli’s quarters so he can tell her everything that’s weighing on his mind. “No more surprise siblings from now on,” he sighs into the comfort of Jiang Yanli's chest when he’s finished outlining what has happened and his plans to prepare a new suite of rooms in the family wing of the tower. For Qin Su. His sister. Jiang Yanli just laughs her tinkling laugh and kisses him, her hands gentle as she combs his hair back from his face with her fingertips. “You’ve got more siblings now than any of the rest of us,” she teases with a mischievous smile down at him that is a bit too reminiscent of, weirdly, both Wei Wuxian and Mo Xuanyu for comfort. “Two brothers, a sister, and of course we must keep Mianmian in her spot on the list. If you would like to count brothers-in-law as well you’ve also got A-Xian, A-Cheng, Huaisang, Wangji, Xichen, and Mingjue...” He groans and hides his face properly in the soft silk of her robes even as she laughs again over his head.

Notes: This fic is actually a request fill for someone and I had some trouble ending it because there's a lot more I want to write with this wild family, though I did eventually find what felt like a good place to cut it off with 3zun arriving in Jinlintai for the visit they leave for at the end of AEM. There is something of a follow-up floating around my wips that - if it ever gets written - is a direct sequel to AEM that continues where this extra leaves off, with 3zun getting to spend time with their hoard of niblings in Jinlintai. No promises about if/when that will get written though. --//-- 3. Performance Art (8106 words, Rated M) Ships: 3zun, Wangxian (briefly) Summary: A Modern AU inspired by the 'Hysterical Literature' performance art project. Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue, and Meng Yao take turns doing their best to read aloud from chosen written works as they're filmed. The twist is that they're trying to do so as they're being pleasured with a vibrator controlled by one of their partners off-camera, each of their turns ending when the partner being filmed/played with has an orgasm. Excerpt(s):

1. “Engage people with what they expect; it is..- it…it is what they are able to discern and.. ngh.. confirms their projections. It settles.. ah settles them into predictable-“ He cuts off suddenly to set the book down flat and slap one hand down sharply on the tabletop. Meng Yao simply clicks another button and Nie Mingjue groans as his newly unoccupied hand twitches back to rest on the edge of the table closer to himself, as if about to drop down beneath it. Lan Xichen and Meng Yao both shift forward in their seats but Nie Mingjue catches himself before they have to intervene, returning his hand to the middle of the table and forcing a deep breath into his lungs so he can continue. “-Predictable patterns of..of response, occupying their minds while you w-wait for the ex- extra-“ he huffs out a sharp breath and curls his hand into a fist as he tilts forward and forces out the rest of the sentence in a rush. “Extraordinary moment — that whichtheycannotanticipate. FUCK!” - 2. It’s a few hours of quiet, peaceful work later when Lan Wangji shifts his weight in the way that means he wants Wei Wuxian’s actual attention and not his ‘ I’m sculpting so I’m periodically looking at you ’ sort of attention which he is, of course, quick to grant. He pauses in his muttering half to himself and half to Lan Wangji to say, “Hm? What’s up Zhanzhan?” “From Xiongzhang,” he says by way of explanation, holding his phone out for Wei Wuxian to squint at the screen. It takes him a moment to understand what he’s looking at, his eyes needing a second to adjust to the small black and white video that’s playing after having spent hours looking between Lan Zhan and the clay form taking shape under his hands. “What is this?” he asks as he leans in closer and squints a little harder. He blinks and his eyes go wide in the next moment as he realizes what’s happening on the screen as the woman’s tension climaxes ( literally ) - and then it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to figure out just why he’d been asked to create an eerily similar setup in his own studio the previous afternoon for three men he might as well consider his sort-of brothers at this point. His next exhale is a wheeze as his ears go hot and Lan Wangji is instantly shrugging into a robe to stand from his lounging position and approach, concern written all over his features. “Wei Ying?”

Notes: I don't really have too much to say about this one except that it brought me so much joy and laughter to write and it honestly kind of surprises me that it's one of my less popular fics - it's nothing but a fun, sexy time! But I'm also terrible at guessing trends/what people will want to see so that might be on me haha. Oh! Also - a minor thing but something I'm very mildly proud of: the narrator voice is dependent on who's behind the camera! I wanted a way to make the person filming feel just as involved as the other two and I thought that was a fun way to do it since within the narrative it's technically going to be their perspective used for the video they're recording. Just to give y'all a little insight into my decision-making when it comes to my writing style for this one. --//-- 4. Anything For My Nie-Zongzhu (6411 words, Rated E) Ship: NieYao - pre-canon (just barely) Summary: Meng Yao is Nie Mingjue's trusted right hand, intelligent and valued by his Sect Leader, at least, who has learned lately to appreciate him a hell of a lot in private too - and for much more personal matters than the minutiae of running the Nie Sect. Seeing as Nie Mingjue trusts him so much, he finds it in himself to ask for something new - for Meng Yao to top him. [Technically an extra for AEM but can be read as a standalone] Excerpt:

“Am I to play into this boorish act you’re putting on tonight?” he teases instead as he steps closer until he’s near enough to feel the way the steam from the bath has turned the air sticky and humid. Nie Mingjue finally looks up at him and Meng Yao is internally crowing with triumph as he watches the lines of tension around his eyes and mouth fall away, his expression smoothing into quiet contentment. He did that. His presence alone is enough to help Nie Mingjue relax. It feels nearly as good as the day the man had angrily defended him to his own disciples and promoted him on the spot. “It’s not an act, I’m plenty boorish,” Nie Mingjue gruffs, returning his gaze to the letter, but this close Meng Yao can actually watch his eyes do nothing but try to glare a hole through the center of the page. “Of course you are, Zongzhu,” Meng Yao allows, his tone openly humoring - as is the smile tightening the corners of his mouth. “Therefore I can only suppose that you would prefer it if I returned to my walk and left you to continue your...correspondence in peace.”

Notes: Once again not really many notes on this one! I just love NieYao, I think their dynamic during Meng Yao's Nie Sect days has so much potential and I love exploring it every so often. --//--

5. Bite The Hands That Feed (1590 words, Rated E) Ship: XiYao Summary: After being forced out of the Nie Sect, Meng Yao has to come to grips with the hunger that's been chasing him his whole life, and he finds temporary satisfaction over and over in Lan Xichen, who is always so generous with his time and his body and is willing to help him feel less empty even just for a night. Excerpt:

He would never bite the hands that feed him, that stuff him full enough to make him believe for a moment that he’s no longer starving. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t inflict pains. He bites and he scratches and he plants himself in the bloody furrows until flowering moans reward his violent care, until pleasure bursts sun-warmed and sweet between them, berries ripe for the picking. He stains his mouth red with them, his fingers purple with the bruises he paints so delicately on his devotee’s body. If Meng Yao is being clawed to a slow torturous death from within, then it stands to reason that his other half will be ripped to shreds from without. He keeps his nails sharp and his teeth bared to tear into his flesh and drink sweetly of the vintage he offers - sweat, spend, blood, saliva when their mouths meet for crushing kisses. All of it is his to consume. He puts his mouth to the feast of Lan Xichen’s body and eats until the hunger pangs are satiated, drinks until he feels dizzy with it.

Notes: So I wrote this one when I was getting a little tired of the straight narration style of all my other fics and I wanted to try my hand at something looser, a little more prose-like but also a little darker than my usual fluff. I'm not sure how successful I was - this is actually one of my absolute least popular fics, number-wise! - but it's one of my favorites anyway. --//-- 6. A Figure, A Mouth (2788 words, Rated M) Ship: Wenzhou Summary: A quiet, intimate evening spent in the comfort of the Four Seasons Mountain Manor sometime between their arrival/fixing up of the place and the confrontation with Ye Baiyi. Excerpt:

After a while of warming each other up Wen Kexing urges him back up to push the bed under the window just as he’d said he would. Zhou Zishu takes the opportunity to blow out the candles before he rejoins Wen Kexing in their bed, the sudden darkness leaving them free to admire each other clothed in nothing but broad swathes of cool, sweet blue light bisected by deep black lattices of shadow from the trees out in the yard, the shadows from the contours of the wall and decorations around the window blocking and revealing them in turns. Lao Wen is, of course, as beautiful like this as he has been in every way Zhou Zishu has ever seen him, and he takes the time to savor it, to indulge in the decadence that Wen Kexing presents for each of his remaining senses. He’s a feast for the eyes, all hard muscle and skin glistening with glittering diamonds of sweat along his shoulders and the soft curve of his cheek. He’s a symphony for the ears, breathless desire and tender calls of his name that Zhou Zishu never lets go unanswered when they’re like this. By now Wen Kexing is an expert at drawing pleasure from him in every unlikely way there is to make sure that the effects of the nails don’t keep him from reaching his peak at least once, occasionally more in spite of his fading sense of touch.

Notes: Wenzhou makes me so soft and emotional, y'all. The next one on the list is also a Wenzhou fic and I just can't seem to stop writing them in fluffy/smutty situations because it's what they deserve. I really don't have anything more interesting to say about this fic, I just love them haha. --//-- 7. Tease Him Just Enough (2537 words, Rated M) Ship: Wenzhou Summary: A possible outcome if the conversation post-face reveal in episode 6 had gone differently - i.e. if Zhou Zishu had called Wen Kexing out on all his flirting and challenged him to do something about it - and then he does. Excerpt:

They don’t need words to communicate that at least right here in this particular moment there’s no one else they would rather have in their arms, pressed up against their bodies, no one else’s tongue who would find a new home in each other’s mouths or any other body their hands would rather explore. Wen Kexing has already known that they’re fated, but for the first time it feels like they’re agreeing to be so. Even if it’s just for a night. (Not that he thinks it will be just one night for them, but getting Zhou Xu to agree to anything remotely of the kind is like trying to drag a stray back-alley cat into a bath so he’ll take what he can get.)

Notes: My first fic for Word of Honor! The whole time I was watching the show (read: obsessively binge-watching) I was like 'Okay I like this show a lot but it's not nearly as compelling as The Untamed, idk if I'll be motivated to write anything for it'. Then I got to the end and I was like NEVERMIND YES I AM. I played myself. --//-- 8. You Need Tending (12,108 words, Rated T) Ship(s): Lan Wangji & Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji & Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren & The Jades & Wei Wuxian (this is a kidfic so nothing romantic!) Summary: Wei Wuxian is alone and homeless on the streets of Yunmeng, unaware of the presence of his parents' old friend so nearby. Lan Wangji is a child grieving for the loss of his mother in silence, overwhelmed by the world his uncle keeps dragging him out into. It takes their paths crossing more than once for Lan Qiren to realize just who Wei Wuxian is and that he needs their help, but he gets there eventually. Excerpt:

He watches on as the man comes to a stop next to the boys and squats down to check over the one who had been lost and suddenly he remembers lying on the ground and looking up at a stern-faced man with gentle hands and a ribbon across his forehead. The man who had given him medicine and bandages after a small boy had defended him from dogs, and an older boy had talked to him so kindly and helped him to sit up off the dirt. Wei Ying gasps as the memory hits and he scrambles back down off the roof, landing on the packed dirt of the space between the buildings with an oof, excitement bubbling in his chest. Along with the memory comes a name and it flies from his lips as he scrambles up off the ground to push his way into the crowd again. “Master Lan!” he shouts, his tiny voice lost in the din of the market. He tries to shove closer but the little family is already walking away, their backs to him as he strains against the flow of people much bigger and stronger than him. “Master Lan!” he tries again, desperation lending extra strength and emotion to his cry. Wei Ying stops struggling as he watches the two boys in white walk away, the pair of them flanking Master Lan in his sky blue robes as they move through the market, radiating serenity in the midst of the chaos. His vision blurs and he scrubs his forearm against his eyes angrily to dry them, trying to keep the three of them in his sight for as long as he can just in case they turn around and spot him. Just in case they remember him and maybe want to tell him to come with them.

Notes: Baby Wei Ying T-T He just hits me right in the heart, and so does baby Lan Zhan! And baby Lan Xichen. All the babies. This fic was actually completely inspired by an utterly adorable fanart of Lan Xichen giving a grumpy baby A-Zhan a piggyback ride! I'd been wanting to write a kidfic type fix-it for a while and that art was the spark I needed to come up with something workable. (Edit: here’s my reblog of the art I’m talking about!) --//--

9. Familial Circumstances (5393 words, Rated G)

Ship(s): Lan Qiren & Original Characters, Lan Qiren & Jin Zixuan, Lan Qiren & Qin Su, Lan Qiren & Mo Xuanyu - An extra for AEM

Summary: Another kidfic extra for the horde of children in Jinlintai, this time as seen through the lens of their beloved Great Uncle Lan. It's a simple relationship-study-type look at how all the children love their Great Uncle and how much he loves and treasures them in return.

Excerpt:

An unusual stillness accompanies [Jin Ruhai's] playing. Jin Lu stops fidgeting with her fingers, the twins slip into the perfect stillness of those who are utterly aware of themselves at all times - a trait [Lan Qiren has] noticed in every skilled fighter he’s ever come across - and even Jin Ye relaxes, slumping further and further backwards until she’s slouched down against his stomach, legs dangling over his crossed shins.

The piece isn’t a terribly long one, nor as complex as the next score Lan Qiren intends to teach the boy, but Jin Ruhai’s mastery of it is impressive. Again, Lan Qiren is forcefully reminded of Lan Wangji, always most at peace when behind his instrument to play with and/or for the people he loves.

There’s silence in the room until the last note fades with a shiver into the air and Jin Ruhai pulls his hands back from the instrument. The stillness lasts for one more moment before it’s interrupted by Jin Lu sneezing suddenly and her siblings laugh as the quiet breaks.

“I had to hold that in the whole time !!” Jin Lu laughs as she rubs her sleeve under her nose, one eye screwed shut as she giggles. “I didn’t want to mess up A-Zhuang’s song, it’s so pretty!”

Notes: I'm definitely biased because they're all my oc's except for Jin Ling, but I genuinely love all of the Jin children in the AEM AU. If anyone is ever interested in knowing more about their individual personalities and the like please don't hesitate to ask me, I've actually put quite a bit of thought into all 6 of the kids I created wholecloth and I have a lot of feelings about Jin Ling getting the chaotic siblings and loving parents he was robbed of.

--//--

10. Opportunities To Practice (5710 words, Rated M) (*WIP)

Ship: Xuanli - An extra for AEM

Summary: Jin Zixuan is nervous for his..marital activities with Jiang Yanli - after all, who could he possibly ask for advice? His father? No thank you. Thankfully Jiang Yanli is sweet and patient and knows her husband well - he just needs a bit of time and he'll get it figured out.

Excerpt:

She shivers with an interesting combination of want and intense vulnerability as she stands there, feeling bare in spite of her remaining layer. It’s of a material so sheer as to be practically nonexistent, nothing more than a delicate veil of a red so pale it’s nearly pink that sits on her body like a second skin. Until it falls gently away at the knee to flutter around her ankles, it clings to every curve, every contour, and as she watches Jin Zixuan doesn’t even bother to hang the robe he had just removed on the screen. He lets it drop into a soft pool around her bare feet, his gaze roaming her newly exposed figure - she would perhaps feel strange about it did he not look so devoted , so in awe of seeing her practically naked in front of him.

Yanli gasps softly as he suddenly drops to his knees at her feet and oh - that’s heady. Her body, which she hasn’t really thought of too much in the past beyond the occasional irritation that it’s weaker than she would prefer, has put the man she loves on his knees. He’s looking up at her now, his eyes wide and his hands reverent as he raises them to rest on her thighs, thumbs caressing her too-warm skin through the barely-there robe that bunches up softly under the pressure of his grip.

“You’re right,” he finally breathes, sounding slightly strained. “I’d like this to stay on. If that’s - are you alright?”

“I am,” she reassures.

Notes: This last fic is technically a wip, the only one in the list! However! - it's going to be a collection of one-shots centered around Xuanli and their sexual exploits that lead to their seven children, and possibly also the ones that are just for fun (horny Yanli rights forever). It's not currently high on my list of priorities or anything and the one chapter that's up so far can stand on its own so it's a wip but it's not? I just love Xuanli so much and I want to explore their relationship in my happy fix-it AU whenever the mood strikes, and whenever that happens this is where those one-shots will go.

--//--

And that's it! My personal top 10 favorite fics of my own as of right now. I thought about doing my top 10 according to statistics like hit counts or kudos, but I genuinely love some of these unpopular fics and I wanted to give them some love and attention even if it's just for me. I know there's a lot here to sift through but if any of y'all enjoyed the list or any of the specific fics on it let me know! I liked taking this little pause to take a look at what I've actually been producing these last few months.

Thanks for reading!

#the untamed fanfic #gonna tag the main romantic ships listed:#3zun #NieYao #XiYao #Wangxian #Xuanli #Wenzhou #y'all I legit spent hours formatting this and writing all this out #I also went looking for the fanart that inspired You Need Tending so I could link it and my page refreshed #which I suspected it would do so of course I hit Ctrl+A and copied it all -#only to find out that doing that doesn't extend past the readmore break which I had already put in #so I lost the whole introductory bit and had to rewrite it #T-T I didn't even find the fanart I'm gonna look for it again on mobile cuz it's easier #ANYWAY - literally no one asked for this and I don't even know if anyone was curious to begin with but I wanted to make this anyway soooo #It's also lowkey one of my goals to write something one day that becomes popular enough to end up on rec lists #So this is me kind of indulging that in a very 'tooting my own horn' kind of way that I refuse to apologize for #No shame in my game #Also if you see any typos or formatting weirdness No You Don't :) I've been doing this for 5+ hours and I'm hUNGRY

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lumiereandcogsworth · 3 years ago

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Fanfic Writer 20 Questions!

tagged by @misscrazyfangirl321 thank u :))

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

48 in total! 46 for batb lol

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

115,935 !!!

3. how many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

okay i mean, technically i have three on ao3. i wrote ONE fic for law & order svu and it’s an entirely irrelevant fic now because what i wrote about HAPPENED. but people still read it every now and then so i just leave it up. and i also wrote an epilogue fic for the netflix film juanita. i’m not in that fandom cuz that fandom doesn’t really exist but i watched the movie for a film class and i literally turned that fic in as my project for it (yes i got 100% yes go read the fic). so pretty much all i write for is beauty and the beast 2017, my beloved :)

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

1. his perfect reality

2. after the kiss

3. sunrise, anew

4. sleepless nights

5. do me the honor

all batb 2017, and i think those are also my most read fics just in different order, so this checks out!

5. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

i do! i always try and say thanks and show my appreciation for my readers cuz yeah i’m writing for me but gosh we love the feedback, lads

6. what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

fading memories is your dream, for SURE. 99% of my fics end in a very happy and fluffy way. the only ones that end angsty are my young adam fics, and that one is the Big Boy Prequal Fic that ends in a perfectly tragic way that should lead you right to the beginning of batb 2017. it’s all angst, man.

7. do you write crossovers?

no but i’m not against them! i think they can be fun :) emily and i have an ongoing crossover universe but we’ve never written any fics it just exists through our insane texts and incorrect quotes sjdksj

8. have you ever received hate on a fic?

thankfully, no! the batb readers are all very kind and sweet!! (or at least the ones who read my fics lol)

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

nope nope the furthest i’ll go is making out and even then i’m not graphic or detailed at all

10. have you ever had a fic stolen?

no not that i’m aware of 👀 is someone out there stealing my domestic fluff???

11. have you ever had a fic translated?

again not that i’m aware of but i would be so honored

12. have you ever co-written a fic before?

well no not besides me and @ilikebigassbuttsandicannotlie’s crossover universe but it’s not exactly in fic form. and i collab’d with @drawnby27emilys but i did the writing and she did the illustrating, we stuck to our strong suits, lol.

13. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

adam and belle from beauty and the beast 2017 are quite nearly the only ship i have paid any attention to in the last 4 years!!

14. whats a wip that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

hmmm. maybe i’m just optimistic but i feel like i’ll get to everything eventually. there’s one really long fic that i’ve written so many bits and pieces of but never just sat down and written it. mostly for technical plot reasons that i just don’t spend enough time trying to work out. OH! there’s that fic idea i got from that dream i had where it was modern au and adam had a little sister. SHOOT bro i do wanna write that. i wrote so much dialogue for it that next day but the wip itself is hardly anything :(

15. what are your writing strengths?

setting the scene and just painting the picture really nicely so you can see everything clearly. little details that make you feel like you’re watching it. i don’t know, character blocking? i think about what they’re doing a lot, with their hands or where they’re looking or whatever. also i think i’m pretty good at dialogue but that’s just cuz adam and belle are in my head all day long so i know their voices very well

16. what are your writing weaknesses?

conflict for sure. i’m too much of a fluffy writer!! i don’t like writing arguments or them getting mad at each other unless it’s stupid domestic stuff then it’s funny. i’m really good at writing the reconciling/making up lol but i seriously need to work on creating conflict. i just get too attached and i don’t like to see them fight even though i know everyone does and it’s a part of building the relationship >:( and even if it’s not adam and belle i just need to be better at writing it in general, for my oc’s and such. do it for the kids, lyd!

17. what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

it’s very cool in the correct context!! i can’t do it really but hell yeah!! obviously with batb being in france i sometimes use french terms of endearment, mostly for lumiere lmao, but that’s about all i’m capable of! in my recent kiddos fic i tried out some familial titles like pépère for grandpa maurice and tata & oncle for auntie plumette and uncle lumiere <3 that was fun!

18. what was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

bbc sherlock babeyyyy. i used to hand-write sherlock childhood fic in a journal??? i didn’t even know what fic was i just liked giving him a backstory haha. i did the same for loki but in my phone notes app. i’m nothing in not a sucker for the sad and innocent childhood backstories of very sad men apparently!

19. what’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

oh man this is so hard. i’m proud of a lot of my work! majesty of a different breed comes to mind honestly. it’s one of my longer ones and i just truly love how it turned out. i think my descriptors are so good and i capture adam and belle’s dynamic as a newly married couple really well, i think. and i give them a dog! how can you not have a good time reading that fic!

honorable mentions to easy to remember, harder to move on — my maurice memories fic that i also really love. AND fading memories is your dream! my longest work and gosh, i really do love the tragic backstories bro!!! big proud of both of those too :)

(and this one cuz it’s too soft and i’ll never not love seeing my otp be the sweetest parents ever)

20. who do you tag?

if you’re a writer and you wanna do this you can totally say i tagged you!! but i’ll tag some writers off the top of my head! @leighswhannell @ilikebigassbuttsandicannotlie @lumiereswig @myfellowcandlesticks @thesadchicken @sweetfayetanner @tinydooms @trulyhopelessromantic @ceasarslegion

#this was so fun i love talking about my writing #proud of all my lil babies #lydia writes!#tagged

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ready-to-obeyme · 4 years ago

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[OM!] (American) College!AU Demon Brothers

Scenario: Headcanons on the demon brothers as college students (specifically in the US because I don’t know how college works elsewhere), their possible majors, career goals, extracurriculars, ~GPA~ and whatever else I could think of + how meet you in college

Note: I’m hoping to do a Part 2 with the Undateables but honestly… we’ll see lol. This is based off something ~A~ and I thought of for our specific university but we’ve made it broad enough to share HAHA this turned out VERY long

Lucifer

Majoring in Political Sciences with a minor in Psychology

Pre-Law-- most likely immigration law or child custody (there’s definitely a backstory here)

Initially went to community college for the first two years to save up money to take care of his younger siblings

Rejected an offer to go to an Ivy League because it was too expensive; if his siblings ever found out they’d be furious that he’d give up on that chance, but he knows he can succeed wherever he goes (and besides, family is first)

Transferred into a 4-year university his junior year

Very high GPA-- VERY

In a professional fraternity with Diavolo and Barbatos

He didn’t think he’d join one either but Diavolo was the vice chair when he transferred in and the president the year after so… ~nepotism?~ and also Lucifer is charming as heck so no surprise he’d get in

Also rooms with Diavolo and Barbatos

Goes to the gym regularly just to keep fit; gets goaded by Diavolo and Satan into joining an IM team with his frat brothers and actual brothers-- probably basketball or flag football

Probably meets you at a interclub council meeting and mutters under his breath how useless the board members are and you overhear

“Never have I met more incompetent people.”

“Lmao mood”

“!!!”

Keeps sitting next to you at every interclub meeting then after because at least there’s someone that can keep his mind stimulated (thinks you’re hot if you’re competent btw)

If you somehow meet him on campus, he’s the type of guy to put his hand up and pretend he didn’t see you (just kidding, he always ends up saying hi anyways)

Will Absolutely Lecture You if you are procrastinating on studying especially if your midterm is, like, TOMORROW

Always ends up studying with him because he’s actually focused on studying and glares at you if you get distracted (but hey you get good scores in the end)

Mammon

Majoring in Business Econ/Economics, Minoring in Statistics

(always ends up in the middle of the “is econ a humanities or a STEM major” debate that leaves him left for dead)

Planning to work in Business as Finance -- probably has been treasurer or finance director for a club; can even see him being a banker if it suits his plans better

Goes to a four-year university

Decent GPA (or Lucifer would absolutely destroy him), and does REALLY well in mathematics classes

Would room with Lucifer and his posse if they all go to the same school

Probably in a Business Frat as well because he’s pretty charismatic when it comes down to it but was an RA for some of his years for the free rooming and dining hall privileges

Is a very chill and understanding RA (as in he smokes weed with you when he’s off-duty) but is surprisingly well-versed in dealing with roommate issues

Works part-time (gasp) to buy stuff off of Amazon and go out to places

Spends a lot of time exploring places with his friends, going hiking, rock-climbing, clubbing-- which is expensive, as it turns out, so he needed to be able to afford it somehow

Meets you when you’re eating your lunch outside somewhere and he asks you if you have a dollar he could borrow for a vending machine snack

You exchange numbers with him so he can pay it back (even though you honestly don’t really need it, but why not) and turns out he’s in your GE class

“Heyyy wassup! So glad I have a friend in this class”

“Oh by the way, did you finish the homework? Haha, I forgot it.”

Mammon always repays you for your help in food though so you aren’t complaining

Leviathan

Majoring in Computer Sciences

And honestly that’s too much for me already-- the man is doing computer programming, coding-- WHEW-- and they do NOT rest

Goes to a community college but honestly has no problems cinching internships. The computer is his domain-- online applications are EASY, doing projects NOT as easy, interviews? HARD-- REALLY HARD (someone help him)

Probably intends to work with a big company like Google if only to help supply his income so he can live his life going to AX and buying merch

Most likely moved out of his house mid-college with his online friends (who are luckily compatible with him living-space wise) and visits home once a week

There’s two potential sides you can meet first:

Either you meet him at a convention and you both gush about the same character and anime and somehow find each other online (not college related)

Or his favorite Ruri-chan keychain gets broken off in the computer lab, and you’re the one running after him to give it him

He may or may not owe you his life after that (and if you enjoy anime, well that’s a bonus)

Both of these meetings can happen if he doesn’t recognize you in class because you were in cosplay-- imagine the surprise

The two of you as friends are MASTER PROCRASTINATORS at every assignment the two of you have-- so low-key not a great influence-- but you have fun together watching animes, playing games, talking about life-- anything but actual work

Always ends up scrambling to finish things-- but he keeps doing it because it’s been working for him so far

You help him prepare for interviews because he’s always nervous before each one regardless of how well his application looks

Satan

Majoring in Comparative Literature AND Anthropology (ya boy is doing the whole nine yards)

Planning to get his Master’s and then a PhD in one of his majors (whichever proves to be more engaging for him)-- visibly excited to become a Professor

College was meant for Satan-- like REALLY; the man is in LOVE with learning; most likely to go and be accepted to an Ivy-League after Lucifer but... truly believes you can get a good education anywhere so it depends on his financial standing (and how much scholarship he gets)

Does get a little disgruntled when his classes aren’t available but doesn’t mind learning something new-- if the professor bores him to death, he’ll read the book

Really good at tutoring people; someone suggests that he works as a peer-learning facilitator/writing tutor and he does-- might as well make bank doing something you always do anyways

Joins a writing/journal club as an extracurricular and a club that provides tutoring services to the underserved community-- surprisingly good with kids!

He knows friends in high places, so if he wanted to, could get into any party without batting an eye and his favorite professors love him

Spends a lot of his time going out to the city and exploring places, similarly to Mammon, rock-climbing, hiking, paragliding-- anything

He is VERY well-rounded as you can see; competes with Lucifer to see whose GPA is better though

You probably meet him during office hours, and you can only stare in awe as he asks questions that you had in mind, but better; if you’re visibly confused about something, he’ll take his time to help you too (it’s habit at this point)

Ask him for his contact info and you’ll get it, and maybe repay him in coffee? (You always see him at the cafe on campus.)

Most likely to have a specific spot in a cafe that he is always at that the workers actually save a spot for him or give him his usual order before he even arrives-- may or may not have helped them edit their essays or with their homework as a thank-you so you KNOW they’ll love him forever

The type of person to help you make flashcards and cram if you need it

Asmodeus

Majoring in Dance and Fine Arts (I HC going to NYU specifically)

Considering going for an Master of Fine Arts degree but he might just move to New York and go for being a Broadway Star

College is mainly just training for him and hoping to land gigs in local theater-- and the university theater if there is one-- and building his resume for his big break

Has SO many extracurriculars, all pertaining to his career choice, but also because he enjoys what he does: drama, competitive dance team, acapella, fashion design

Makes an unbelievable amount of friends, incredibly good at networking

The first time you saw him was when he was performing for a local theater and you were in love with his performance, and the next time you saw him in the hallway of a classroom building, you told him how much you enjoyed it

Always accepts compliments about his looks with grace, but there’s something about truly being admired for his acting and singing that has him preening

Invites you to come out to his next performance, and if not his, then to another play-- and it can be a date, but up to you ;)

The man is the KING of Multiple Talents and has big dreams to match

Always finds a way to hang out with you and drag you to every club that he can use his fake-id for (and when he’s actually 21 and above, gets a little offended that he doesn’t get ID’d)

A night in the town with you is always a good night!

Sometimes when he has practical exams coming up, he asks you to watch him perform-- and he likes your compliments but actually takes getting all the moves seriously so you better pay attention!

Most likely to move far away to reach his dreams, but he would take you with him if he could-- his little star

Beelzebub

Majoring in Physiological Sciences

Pre-Nursing or Pre-Sports Medicine

He’s a little undecided, but he’s definitely going to go into the health field because he likes the idea of being able to use his strength to help others

Gets a scholarship from the university because he’s part of the football team, which is actually pretty hard on him because Fall Semester/Quarter he has to keep skipping classes for games

Always brings a snack to eat with him during lecture-- and is not afraid to bring his entire lunch and make it right in the front row, though he tends to stick to the back because they tend to have electrical plugs

You most likely meet him during lecture: he offers you an entire sandwich (not a chip bag, not fruit snacks, an entire LUNCH) because he heard your stomach growl during class

From then on, you collect notes for him when he’s gone from games and even go to games if you aren’t usually the type to just to see how he’s doing; it’s hard trying to find you among the huge bleachers, but he always asks you where you’re sitting anyways

Really appreciate it if you help him study into late at night because it IS hard balancing sports and academics

He most likely doesn’t really have any time for anything else so he usually makes up for it during the rest of the year when training is less to volunteer in the hospital or at the gym as a personal trainer

If you ask him to teach you how to properly lift weights, he’ll definitely help out and the both of you can work out together-- though you feel bad when he has to add four extra weights to each side after you finish your reps

Belphegor

Majoring in Computer Graphics/Animation

Intending to go into making animation or game design-- is one of the brothers who doesn’t really know exactly what he wants to do yet because he’s afraid that doing what he loves as a job will ruin it for him

His family reassures him that they’ll support him whether or not he continues with his path in life, but he’s considering art school and then taking internships in places so he has a better idea on what he wants

Most likely to sell his own original work and become a full-time artist regardless

I think you already know how you meet him-- he’s sleeping in a lecture hall-- either against the wall or on the small piece of wood they call a desk when class ends and he’s still sleeping; and you wake him up

Sleepily thanks you and continues to sleep through every class that you wake him up to; when you ask him why he doesn’t just go home and sleep, he tells you he’s too lazy to walk back and forth from his dorm/apartment to campus (mood)

When you add each other on Snapchat or something, he sends you pics of ‘places to nap’ on campus

You always end up studying together because he’s actually pretty good at understanding lecture stuff despite not being awake for most of it-- apparently he’s used to teaching himself

Will make you art for your birthday and will vehemently refuse payment so he just tells you to take him out for dinner instead

If you talk about how you’re not sure on what you want to do in life too, he’ll probably say ‘mood’ but is most likely to encourage you to do whatever you want to do in life too

#obey me #obey me headcanons #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me satan #obey me leviathan #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me shall we date?#ngl i would date beel in this au 100%

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emiefaunwrites · 4 years ago

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Hey!!! I’m back again!! Been thinking about your oc Shinjiro Hamasaki (I think I got his name right lol)! I just gotta know; what’s he like? How did he and Takaaki become friends? Does he know Taka well? And… what do you see their relationship as? Do you see them as good friends… or something more? 😏😏 sorry if this is a lot lmao! You don’t have to answer all these now! They’re just thoughts that I had!

Heyyyy!

Haha yep you got it right! And yeah, let's give him backstory! I've actually (mid writing this) realised how I want them to be connected and why he didn't abandon Takaaki like everyone else...slight change to what I originally said when I introduced him but pfft. I'll go back and edit it!

As for question on what he is to Takaaki...sorry to disappoint, but he's his best friend. Takaaki for me is a straight man as is Shinjiro. I quite like the HC of Takaaki and Hiro's mum being a thing - contemplating it in my AU but not sure. So no romance for Takaaki today haha!

Fun fact - when I picture Shinjiro I get a combination of Matsuda from Death Note and Adachi from Persona 4 (like...early version of him...which you'll know what I mean if you've played it...).

But let's give him a friend, shall we? Thank you so much for your ask and I hope you enjoy!

**********************

• Shinjiro and Takaaki have been friends since University.

• They were roommates and, despite having polar opposit personalities, they got on like a house on fire.

• Takaaki was always a serious man, even before his father's scandal, and it wouldn't suprise you to know that Taka is pretty much his teenage carbon copy.

• Shinjiro, on the other hand, was quite quiet and gentle.

• But the opposite personalities clicked and they became inseparable.

• They both studied law and partway through decided that they would apply to the police force as soon as they could after graduating.

• And Shinjiro was actually the one to introduce Takaaki to his future wife...who happened to be his sister.

• Kiyomi Hamasaki fell head over heels for Takaaki Ishimaru the moment she lay eyes on him and her brother made sure they ended up together.

• Naturally, Shinjiro was the best man at their wedding five years later.

• During this time, they both signed up to be in the police and passed with flying colours.

• And as soon as they stopped being seen as 'rookies', they were assigned as each other's partner.

• Life was easy at first - Takaaki and Kiyomi were enjoying life together and Shinjiro was always around to spend time with.

• When he found out he was becoming an uncle, Shinjiro was over the moon.

• And don't you know he was the best damn uncle!

• His confidence had grown a bit and although still a quiet man, he could lay down the law when he needed to - not that baby Taka was much trouble.

• He was also the one of the few that stood by the Ishimaru's when the scandal happened.

• He knew that Takaaki and his father had a rocky relationship and knew that he had no involvement with what happened.

• So when the world turned its back on them, Shinjiro helped them find a home and looked after Taka when they had to work late nights just to feed their son.

• He watched as Takaaki's personality changed around everyone - even his family - but vowed to stand by him no matter what.

• He stopped coming around so often - not because he wanted to, but because Takaaki was embarrassed of how he and his family were forced to live.

• But they stayed partners, even though the police tried to pull Shinjiro away.

• And so Shinjiro was treated the same as Takaaki - given the worst cases with no emotional support.

• It was fine though. He had his best friend by his side and he would always keep him above the water when things seemed tough.

• But when Kiyomi died...Takaaki changed.

• He became distant and cold, throwing his whole life into his job.

• And it was so he didn't have to go home to an empty house - even if that meant Taka was alone.

• Shinjiro was also devastated - of course he was, she was his only sister.

• But one of them had to be strong. And he decided it would be him.

• He would often make sure Takaaki ate, told him to go spend an evening with his son, anything to keeo him going.

• He could see Takaaki trying not to drown, could see the love in his eyes whenever they spoke about Taka.

• But Shinjiro knew this was something he just couldn't fix.

• Once Taka was older, Takaaki started to change as well.

• Maybe it was this boy that his son was dating that did it - but he could see more happiness on his face whenever he spent time with Taka.

• The OCD, the social awkwardness, the bullying...it seemed to be getting better for Taka - and Shinjiro knew these were things that Takaaki had no idea how to deal with.

• So seeing his son finally happy made him happy too.

• Sure, work still sucked and they were treated like the scum of the earth.

• But Shinjiro was able to finally see the man Takaaki used to be.

• And that made him happier than he could possibly imagine.

#takaaki ishimaru #shinjiro hamasaki #kiyomi ishimaru #kiyotaka ishimaru #ask request #yaysof11037 #wooo two OCs

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peepspersonalperspective · 4 years ago

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MY PICKS: Top 10 K-Dramas

Disclaimer: These are totally subjective choices and I've justified them as per my preferences. Consider them friendly recommendations and let me know if you disagree. Also, I've discovered the wonderful world of K-Dramas over the last couple of years and they've really evolved not just in storytelling but also production value so I personally prefer the more recent ones. So for example I haven't put a very popular pick like My Love from the Star simply because I've seen better stuff since (don't shoot me). Anyway, 가자!

MEMORIES OF ALAHAMBRA

This is my first recommendation for anyone who's just starting out watching Korean television content simply because it's so different from what new viewers expect it to be. It's so gripping and thrilling. I would expect nothing less from Song Jae Jung's writing.

So it's a sci-fi show, set in Spain, about an augmented reality game, that seems to have physical implications in the real world, sending the lead, Hyun Bin on a rollercoaster ride to find answers. Exo's Chanyeol has a recurring role as the game developer, so that's exciting too. I learnt that he was cast because of his love for PubG. Lol.

Every episode will leave you wanting more, and you'll find yourself as desperate to search for answers as Yoo Jin Woo (Hyun Bin).

Granted, mid season, it gets a little complicated, especially with newer nuances of the game unfolding, but fret not because the characters are discovering the secrets of the game with you. So they're as confused as you would be, and that's why this show is so good! More so because the graphics are excellent! You can tell they really spent money on ensuring high quality work. You will really feel like you're part of the game with Yoo Jin Woo.

Anyway, if you are an EXO-L, or you like gaming, sci-fi, thriller and Hyun Bin, this show is great!

2. W - Two Worlds

Another piece of awesome from Song Jae Jung. I would still rank this show a little below Alahambra, because I think the makers made improvements from this sci-fi drama in Alahambra, in the sense of storytelling. Still, W is just as intriguing.

Oh Yeon Joo (Han Hyo Joo) gets sucked into a comic book where she falls in love with the lead character of the comic book, Kang Chul (Lee Jeong Suk). Sounds like a typical romance drama right? Don't be fooled because there are many many twists and turns along the way.

I feel like there is metaphor in there somewhere about existentialism, the creation and destiny. But maybe that's just me reading into things.

Lee Jeong Suk is extremely desirable as Kang Chul, unsuspectingly charming and endearing, and Oh Yeon Joo is an absolutely relatable character, and how she deals as an ordinary girl thrown into extraordinary circumstances is genuine.

I would say this drama is wholesome, with sci-fi, suspense, thriller, action, romance, filial relationships, and more. And while it's usually difficult to jam pack all this into one show without screwing it up, W emerges exceptional.

3. Extraordinary You

This show is so cute! If you want just a light hearted, quirky show, this is the one for you.

It's about characters in a cartoon becoming aware of their existence in a cartoon. But don't worry this is NOTHING like W.

The best part about the show is that it's not about the main characters of the said cartoon. It's the story about the extras finding their way in that world, hence the pun intended in the title. The main characters (of the cartoon) are actually the most dull, because they are bound by the laws of stereotypical high school romance. But the real stuff is happening on the sidelines, with Kim Hye Yoon as Dan Oh and Rowoon as Haru.

Dan Oh is a hilarious character and Kim Hye Yoon does a fantastic job of switching emotions when she's in and out of a scene in the cartoon. One minute she goes into character mode, next minute she's bitching at the sorry fate of her character when she wakes up, to the astonishment of the characters surrounding her (who aren't aware of their reality yet).

Rowoon has a quiet charm about him that perfectly complements Hye Yoon. Check it out for a chuckle and a taste of something different.

4. Crash Landing on You

This show is hard not to like. Apart from the poorly picturized tornado carrying our leading lady over the border to North Korea, this show is a wonderful Netflix and Chill kind of show, I think.

The cultural disparity between the South and North is interesting to watch and also entertaining. Like when they mention buying mobile games at an App store (a literal application store in a Pyongyang market).

Ri Jung Hyuk (Hyun Bin again) and Yoon Seri (Son Yejin) are such a delight in comedic, romantic, and dramatic scenes. But the scene stealer for me was Yang Kyun Won as Pyo Chi Soo, and his unshakeable nationalism that he is ready to set aside for some shampoo and conditioner.

The interesting thing is going into the show, you have an idea of the longevity, so ofcourse, Seri's journey back to the South ain't going to be easy, also her relationship with Ri Jung Hyuk is doomed, and yet you find yourself rooting for them at each step, crying with them during their failures and crying with them even in their triumph. But the most tears were shed for the least expected character, who simply left us all heart broken.

5. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

In a world where women are expected to behave and look a certain way to be considered attractive by someone they're vying for, here's a food hogging, tomboy, weightlifting champ, with her first crush.

The premise may rope you into the show, but midway you realise that the heart of the show is in its characters, and without realising you become so invested in them that you feel their fears, insecurities, and cherish their victories with them.

This coming of age show really relishes on the quirks of each character, friendship, love and aspirations. It's not a very dramatic story which is probably why it didn't rate very high during its broadcast, but that's part of its charm, and that's why it's been able to gather a significant cult following since.

Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk portray the most sincere friends and eventual couple. Their relationship blossoms in the most organic manner and it's so heartwarming. They're not cheesy or unrealistic; they even beat each other up! I don't think I've seen that level of comfort portrayed on screen so well before.

Watch out for guest appearances by Ji Soo and Lee Jeong Suk.

6. Strong Girl Do Bong Soon

I'll be honest, this recommendation is mainly for Park Hyung Sik. He's amazing in the show. And there could be no better supernaturally strong petite girl than Park Bo Young, either.

So there are actually a lot of things happening in the show, story wise, but I promise it all comes together in the end. There is quite a build up and I'm happy that it pays off adequately.

This is like a superhero show with all the spices and flavours of a Marvel movie, but K-Drama style. There's an invincible villain, some idiot gangsters for comedic value, romance (a love triangle infact), functional training, a point of lost hope for Bong Soon, and then her resurrection as a superhero.

It's all there, and more.

But Park Hyung Sik.....

7. Itaewon Class

This recommendation is simply for the refreshing change of representation on TV. I know a lot has already been spoken about it already, but I have to admit that that's what sets this revenge drama apart. That, and the music. Dayum, Start by Gaho is so catchy! And let's not forget V's Sweet Night.

This show starts off slow but give it 3 episodes before it gets to the real shit.

Park Saeroyi is almost too good to be true, and in that lies his shortcoming. His character is so strong that while watching him I forgot that Park Seo Joon was acting. And despite some unnerving moments I found myself rooting for him. He has some strong motivational lines too, like about his choice for a better life. His determination is almost unreal, as he goes on to take down his mortal enemy.

Some of the best scenes, though, are of Jo Yi Seo (Kim Dami), a sociopathic enterprising genius. She was the one who actually kept me hooked to the series. She added some much needed flair to the show, and as it appears to Park Saeroyi's establishment.

Actually, every character was strong, every character had a strong backstory and motivation for the action, and most importantly they never broke character.

Watch out for Park Bo Gum's special appearance.

8. Love In The Moonlight

Speaking of Park Bo Gum...

This show is all kinds of weird in the best way! A girl pretends to be a palace eunuch and falls in love with the crown Prince. That is so messed up!

But that's the fun part! And Park Bo Gum and Kim You Jung make it a wonderful ride. Full of quirky romance, political conflicts and hidden identity issues, this show is addictive af!

And even though this wasn't in the show and was just a promo, be sure to watch Park Bo Gum's Bombastic dance. It's adorable!

9. The Third Charm

I'm sure this is my least popular recommendation. But something about watching this show was so cathartic. I highly recommend it for those who may have gone through heartbreak ever in their lives.

This is probably one of those rare times when I was lost in the story instead of Seo Kang Jun's eyes. Hehe. This story is about an on again off again couple and their journey through life together and apart.

This was meant to be a healing drama, and it really does take you through the emotional evolution that comes with growing up. I think it's the perfect medicine for a healing heart.

10. It's Okay Not To Be Okay

This show! This is my current obsession. Kim Soo Hyun's comeback couldn't have been more perfect. Seo Yeji couldn't have been a more perfect casting. And the two leads couldn't have had a better chemistry.

This show is all kinds of whimsical and I love it. Also a healing drama, this show deals with.... Baggage....to put it simply. Some baggage may be bigger than other baggage, some even irrevocable. But seeing all the characters overcome this baggage is so fulfilling.

But the charm of this show is in Ko Moon Young's (Seo Yeji) craziness and the Tim Burton-esque setup, that really makes one perceive fairytales in a whole new way. I mean I always knew that fairytales were sanitized German folklore, but I never thought to find a very different messaging from the material. The parables are ingenious, and it really is a pleasure to watch each and every person on this show.

Special mentions: Goblin, Reply 1988, 30 but 17/ Still 17, My ID is Gangnam Beauty, Hotel Del Luna

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thesixthstar · 3 years ago

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Primes, character(s) of your choice

I'm gonna answer these for whichever character(s) I have the most interesting/relevant answers for:

2. Do they consider themselves an optimist? Pessimist? Realist? What are they like in actuality?

Nydra (drow moon cleric) is optimistic pretty much as part of her religion/is part of her religion because she is optimistic. She wants to believe the best of everyone and give everyone as many second chances as is practially possible

3. How do they carry themselves around strangers? Friends/Lovers? Family?

I'm not the *best* at roleplaying personalities vastly different from my own, so most of my characters, when they're around friends act as silly and rambly as I tend to be around my own friends. The main exception to this is HILDA (pissed off robot), who is the most different-from-myself character I've ever played, despite falling very firmly into the universal law of "DND is about projection". She is extraordinarily blunt, and always says things with as few words as possible. She's not comfortable with many people, but with those people, she's way more willing and able to admit she's not 100% confident and correct in her life philosophy, as opposed to the rest of the time, where she's not willing to entertain the idea that someone else might be right....

5. How does your character express they’re comfortable?

Leanora (chaotic stupid rogue) stops trying to impress people when she's comfortable. This is when all her worst ideas get to see the light of day.

7. How impulsive is your character?

As mentioned a moment ago, Leanora is a factory of the worst ideas you could possibly imagine. She doesn't just do stupid things without consulting the party usually (bc that can be a very un-fun table dynamic) but this is the character who goes to the local magic school, and buys the student's not-quite-right-but-not-disastrously-failed potions homework. This has resulted in hilarity and messes and she's been turned to stone by one of them.

11. How does your character blow off steam?

HILDA is definitely the character with the most steam to blow off, being filled with existential dread and rage at all times as she is. While she is in denial about a lot of it, you can really see a lot of that being expressed in incredible violence! There's a lot of grenades to be thrown, and a lot of uhhhhh needless cruelty in how she deals with organic life forms.

M'artha Stu'art, another half elf rogue, whose character concept is "housewife who finally fucking lost it and ran off to become an adventurer" also likes to indulge in violence, but also she does a lot of stress baking! Luckily her campaign setting involves a lot of access to ovens, so a lot of times she'll provide the party with delicious pies and cookies.

13. If they were a body of water, what would they be?

Nydra would be a lake, I think.

17. Does your character swear? What’s their favorite phrase/word?

Leanora has lots of reasons to go "oh sit. fuckfuckfuck noooooo" a lot.

19. How does your character act when they want to seem threatening?

HILDA goes with brute violence and a lot of looming over people. The rest of my characters tend go for leverage rather than "threats of bodily harm" when they need to intimidate, partly because I don't tend to play beefy lads (or beefy non lads).

23. Would your character want to be famous? Why or why not?

The only character I have that might want to be famous is my recently-created tiefling bard, Disco.

29. What does your character have too much of?

HILDA canonically has an endless supply of grenades. This may be too many.

31. Can your character visualize actual concepts in their head? Or are they just vague thoughts?

I personally really struggle to literally visualize images, and can't relate to people who can, so all my characters are like that too lol

37. What are some ways your character acts silly?

Leanora is trying to establish folklore about a minor god(dess) of soup. Any time the party is sleeping at an inn, she'll "spread the good word", especially if the inn serves a really good soup or stew.

Mercy (idiot Changeling sorcerer traveling with an evil party) will prank the warlock, by placing little toy spiders everywhere

41. What’s a texture/sound your character cannot stand?

I have misophonia and therefore so do all my characters. Disco hates anything dirty or slimy.

43. Is your character good at apologizing? Why or why not?

HILDA will never admit she has done anything wrong. Ever. Leanora will nope right out of the consequences of her actions mostly (or try to solve them by usually making a bigger problem).

Nydra can get a little single-track-mind, and when she realizes this in retrospect, she's usually OK about apologizing.

47. Do they consider themselves funny? How do they use humor?

Leanora truly uses humor as a defense mechanism. This is because DND Is About Projecting.

HILDA usually claims that humor is a stupid things that humans do, but when she occasionally has a zinger to contribute, she considers herself a comedic genius.

53. What does freedom mean to them?

One of Leanora's base ideals is freedom, in the sense of not letting anyone tell you jack shit about yourself. Her backstory is not Full Tragedy, but it involves a lot of her mentor and her social circle kind of telling her "this is how the world is, and this is how you need to act to live in it, and the fact that you're here means you're this kind of person", and the reason she's an adventurer is to prove to herself that it isn't true.

59. What’s something your character has realized?

We stopped playing this campaign shortly before HILDA actually realized this, but she was about to realize that, not only is gender fake even in general, but she's literally a robot and it doesn't even make sense for her to have a gender, she was just programmed with "female" as part of the concept of her existence. Her name is also uhhh, not a name. Its an acronym that stands for Household Integrated Live-in Domestic Assistant, and there are millions of HILDA units out there. The realization that she doesn't even have a name just a designated label, its like a toaster coming to life and continuing to just be called "toaster". The realization that she had been using a human designation that quite literally objectifies her, and the idea that this weird notion of gender had been foisted upon her without any input of her own and she had just gone with it without questioning that until now. That realization was gonna be a doozy.

I did not intend for HILDA to be this, but she accidentally became a way for me to look at my own agender feels. I really wish I had gotten to play more of that campaign for a number of reasons, but this is one of em. I also did a little bit of Agender Feels with Mercy the changeling sorcerer, but its less intrinsic to her character.

61. Who do they go to when they’ve had a nightmare?

It's cliche, but Nydra prays. Lately, though, the moon might be Fake, so she's not sure really where to go with things like that at the moment.

67. Selflessness or Self-Preservation?

Nydra is all about selflessness, and kind of struggles when she has to think of herself first, even when it means she's preserving herself so she can do More Good later. she's the asshole in the trolley problem who throws herself in front of the trolley to stop it, though she knows thats kind of also a flaw a lot of the time.

HILDA and Mercy are 100% self preservation, and M'artha is like 65% self preservation at least.

Leanora is very "por que no los dos" about everything, and tries to loophole her way into a Both answer whenever possible.

#tag #ask #ask meme

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gizkasparadise · 5 years ago

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cdrama rec/review: le coup de foudre

KDRAMA AND CDRAMA MASTER LIST OF REVIEWS

Series: le coup de foudre / love at first sight / i don’t like this world, i only like you Episodes: 35 w/ a special Genres: then & now, slice of life, high school to adult life, romance, reunion/getting back together, working with the ex Spoilers in the Rec: for set-up/light ones for character backgrounds If You Like, You’ll Like: the reply series, sad-looking dogs that are loved very much, because this is my first life (VERY similar male lead), sibling love, my sunshine but if people were nicer and had significantly better hair, multiple couples that are all a lot of fun

Rank: 10/10

PREMISE

flashback to 6-8 years ago (because the OP here can’t remember lol): it’s desk selection day in qiao yi’s classroom! a very dramatic moment for all high schoolers, qia yi has to select who she sits next to. because she’s at the bottom of the class ranking, she gets last pick, which essentially narrows down her choices to that creepy kid who writes love poetry to every female student in the class and yan mo, the scary genius student who has placed 1st in their class since...forever.

taking a gamble, qiao yi goes with yan mo. yan mo eventually agrees to tutoring qiao yi outside of class and they become friends. then...friends? if you know what i mean. it’s very sweet and cute. only problem is that yan mo is both a genius and from a Family of Means, and so is already planning on attending cambridge (yeah, fucking cambridge) after graduation. not wanting to separate, yan mo asks qiao yi to come with him and she agrees to study hard so she can get accepted to a university in the UK, too.

but then, well, bad shit happened.

qiao yi ended up staying in their home town, yan mo left for cambridge, and we got two v heartbroken teenagers on our hands.

4 years later, yan mo returns after studying in the uk, and by chance they end up bumping into each other. angry because qiao yi hurt him, yan mo puts up an ALOOF AND COLD AND I DONT CARE AT ALL front that she sadly buys. but after he leaves for the big city to pursue a business opportunity, qiao yi harnesses some amazing big dick energy to go after him, in a sort of inverse DONT LET HER GET ON THAT PLANE! move. very abba.

the plot bounces between their (and their friends’) high school years, their lives as reunited adults, and their future lives as married folks. i love it very, very much.

MAIN CHARACTERS

zhao qiao yi

as a high schooler, qiao yi was a quiet girl with low self-esteem, who consistently ranked at the bottom of her class and was always attempting to retreat into her school tracksuit like a turtle. despite this, qiao yi has some solid friends and is always kind if somewhat shy or uncomfortable in certain situations. as a adult, qiao yi works as a television producer and is clearly more confident.

she buys truly awful graphic t-shirts as thank you gifts that one feels obligated to wear. falls for scams easily. will help you fold 1000 paper stars for your boyfriend even if she hates your boyfriend because she’s ride or die like that. look at how cute she is no one is allowed to be mean to someone as cute as this.

yan mo / “frank”

if you liked se hee in because this is my first life, you’re in luck because here is a 10% angrier version. at first, yan mo seems cold, aloof, snobbish, pretentious, arrogant...

okay, but he’s ALSO got a lot of feelings and will help people out. well, at the start of the show, he’ll help two people out. but that expands to like 10. so, progress! in high school, he falls for qiao yi in the typical Cannot Spit It Out fashion, buying her sentimental cans of coke, PUTTING IN ONE EARBUD SO SHE CAN LISTEN TO THE BEATLES WITH HIM, feeling Weird about her tying his tie, and single-handedly ruining a for-profit afterschool tutoring business in about 30 seconds, because they weren’t teaching qiao yi anything, and he knew he could do it better. tbh he completely fucking destroys a lot of things and people in under a minute. #ruthless

he’s very protective of qiao yi and rather than explain it, here is a clip from the special episode where yan mo confronts another student who left a love confession meant for qiao yi in his desk by mistake (subtitles have to be selected under settings, but it’s subbed in english):

youtube

zhao guan chao

zhao qiao yi’s twin brother, who has always placed 2nd in their classes after yan mo. despite his high grades, he comes off as a laidback teen heartthrob and has a reputation for being a flake and a playboy. BUT he’s legit a chill dude and clearly popular for a reason--he gets along with (almost) everyone. he loves his sister and is extremely protective of her, especially since she’s so shy and has low self-esteem for Reasons That Will Be Explained in the Tragic Backstory. he’s such a good brother. the best brother. also looks out for qiao yi’s best friend, wu yi. understands the value of shoes.

hao wu yi

qiao yi’s best friend, and another classmate of The Crew. i say this with so, so much love, but she’s got a lot of chaotic dumbass energy. struggling along the bottom ranks with qiao yi during high school. she has the worst taste in men as a teenager, falling for the guy who literally bullied her in like. ep 2. thankfully she’s got qiao yi and guanchao.

the trio are close, and that doesn’t change as they grow up. wu yi ends up becoming a novelist who writes pop and steamy romance novels and has a significant teenage girl fanbase. it’s amazing.

fei da chuan

my boy. another classmate, he, qiao yi, and wu yi make up the official Dumbass Trio of their high school class and have adorable adventures + solidarity in it. he’s also yan mo’s uncle. somehow. because rich people families are wild. while he’s got a place to live, he more often than not crashes at yan mo’s, who Does Not Like It. but da chuan does not notice or care.

abrasive but 100% sincere about everything and toward everyone. people will think he’s an asshole or a gangster but then he’s secretly feeding abandoned kittens in the corner or something. as an adult, has the best business casual outfits. serves as a big brother figure to a lot of people, but qiao yi in particular. cannot, cannot fucking do math.

SUPPORTING

“alicia” / cheng youmei. an old family friend of yan mo’s who is very posh and rich and dignified. studied abroad with him at cambridge, and is cold toward qiao yi after arriving back in china. cosplays B)

teacher gao. everyone’s high school teacher who later owns a bar that seems to be there only for dispensing advice. seriously. there is no way this bar is economically sound as the only customers you ever see are gao’s students coming in one at a time for Wisdom and you never see them pay for anything. also the bar has no fucking roof and is directly above traintracks. i have hang-ups about this bar

lin shu. yan mo’s mother. very sweet and pretty and a ballernia turned program director. is almost never home but clearly loves her son. du chaun’s sister. somehow.

zhao suyin. qiao yi and guan chao’s mother. one of her kinks is roleplaying condor heroes characters? okay okay okay

tian weimin. qiao yi and guan chao’s stepfather who works as police officer. best dad award. he’s so sweet and corny and peak dad humor. he loves them kids & they love him back

grandpa. yan mo’s dog in high school. a very old basset hound with sad eyes:

dollar or d. i cant tell you anything about him, other than he used to be a stray and yan mo says he’s ugly, which, rude.

DRAWBACKS

plot...hm. there’s SOME plot, but this is about characters + romance + friendship + family. if you’re looking for scheming mothers-in-law or tragic car accidents or secret destinies this isn’t the one for you. similar in vibe to Reply 1988 (they even watch the show in the show :’D / make references to it)

OKAY SO every plot summary i’ve seen says that yan mo is in a relationship with someone else when he gets back to china. no he is not. i say this because it was a huge turn off for me/initially put me off watching the series. he is definitely a one-and-only type. there’s no cheating in this show. lmao, hell, neither of the mains are even interested in anyone else but each other

i liked du chuan and his love interest a lot, but they definitely didn’t get as much screen time as the others

while it’s clear qiao yi + yan mo are the mains, another couple gets a lot of screen time as well. this might be a skip if you don’t like multiple couples/secondary relationships in a show

i surprisingly enjoyed the high school storyline a lot more than the adult one? which is super weird for me, but idk i was sad when it was over because it was so cute.

some...weird technical decisions. every once in a while, the camera will have like a nostalgia filter and then it disappears and then the edges get a bit blurry and idk it feels very film school 101 to show that what’s on screen is a ~memory. the soundtrack/music is sometimes also too loud--to the point where it can drown out the actors (particularly janice wu in the high school arc, since qiao yi is soft-spoken)

REASONS TO WATCH

the lead actors (janice wu + zhang yujian) are legit two of my favorites and they have great/easy chemistry. all the actors are amazing. everyone’s loveable

SIBLING GOALS the zhao twins are amazing and they’re both each other’s biggest fans. gaunchao had some really heartwarming brother moments

i love love lmao. this spoke to a lot of my favorite dynamics: exes reunited/having to work together, childhood sweethearts reuniting as adults, “gangster” and princess, childhood friends turned lovers, bickering couples, cold man who actually has a lot of feelings, lots of people being overprotective, idk. everything was just great. 0 complaints on any of the ships.

i genuinely liked every character other than that one piece of shit poppa zhao. even alicia, who’s put into the stereotypical rich bitch role, was actually really fun and subverted a lot of expectations for this trope

it’s just. real cute y’all. probably my favorite cdrama and definitely in my top 10 (maybe 5?) dramas overall.

FINAL THOUGHTS

i love them ;;

#le coup de foudre #janice wu #zhang yujian #eden zhao #ma li #cdrama #gizka does kdrama #!my post #why yes i am procrastinating please have another in this trying time #this one's my favoriiiiiiiiiiiiiiite

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irkenheretic · 4 years ago

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okay i promised id do it and im doing it: Explaining The Plot Of That AU I’m Vague About: The Post

(as i was preparing to write this i actually got my 250th follower, which slapped)

so i’m just gonna start with the simple version, which is this: it’s a rebel AU which primarily centers around the tallest, who are both defective. they give up on trying to make any meaningful changes as figureheads, and instead direct their attention to being involved with the “neo defect revolution,” or NDR. they do manage to make one change as tallest- there is a garbage dump planet turned into a sanctuary for defectives (who in this au are executed once discovered,) and eventually enough of the populace finds out about it that the tallest have to deal with it. they finesse their way into kicking it out of the empire, so now it’s its own planet with its own rules, governments, and most importantly, immigration policies and protections

a lot of stuff happens and it’s gonna be structured using arcs, and each arc has a separate protagonist/deuteragonist/tritagonist lineup (but that doesnt mean the same lineup won’t be used multiple times!) and yes the insane list of OCs are for this au alone: some arcs are very OC-centric, some have OCs as supporting characters, and a couple are all-OC or mostly-OC.

its going to be very longform and it’ll span from the tallest’s elite training days to twenty years after zim arrives on earth. (the 20 year gap btwn zim arriving on earth and the story proper isnt as tightly plotted as later tho.) the point is to see how a revolution on the scale of the NDR works, who was fucked over by defact laws, who was fucked over by other laws, etc. theres a lot of lore and a lot of headcanons i made for this AU and even a conlang. i am a being of hubris. itll be a series of fics, some multichapter and some oneshots.

the series as a whole is gonna be called Invader Zim: Annexed or just Annexed for short. its a pun on an irken word that sounds similar but means the exact opposite. i am not explaining more bc itll be explained in the fic itself. but thats why the tag for it is #anx lmao

i didnt mean for this to be as long as it got but under the cut im gonna breakdown some of the early arcs:

so it all starts with a fanfic called Love Is The H-Word (no the “h-word” isn’t “hell.) it centers around red and purple as elites-in-training, who do a little whoopsie and have an egg. purple doesnt wanna smuggle it into a smeetery, bc then he’ll never see it again, so they go to the defect sanctuary (still a part of the empire at this point.) purple knows he’s defective while red has a hard time accepting that he is as well, due to events from his past. but being around all these other defects are starting to wear down his denial, and the fic is all about that. it also sets up some plot stuff, like how defects adopted a self-identifier in the word “heretic,” hence the sanctuary being named, “heretirk.” (hey look my url!) (no, the “h-word” is not heretic, either.)

i dont wanna say what happens in that fic bc spoilers, but stuff Happens. its also when we meet some ocs that end up being important, and the existence of others are foreshadowed. this is also where we meet the tallests’ future advisor, rarl kove, for the first time, as a local who decides to keep them company. purple bonds with kove due to their shared interest in politics, while red reluctantly bonds with titch, a young irken (a smeet in heretirken standards, an adult in imperial standards- did i mention he and red are roughly the same age? lol) who is interested in military stuff and thrill-seeking and general destruction. titch is pissed because he claims his father is stealthing on devastis as a military commander, but won’t let titch sneak in as a soldier, as titch is deaf.

(fun facts: in the au, “titch” is regional slang for “a little bit.” ironically, titch the character is above-average in height.)

due to titch’s deafness, he developed “gesturespeak,” irken sign language, so he can communicate. this existing becomes important later

a oneshot called invade the system is right after h-word in publishing order. it details zim’s exploits in leaving foodcourtia, where he was assigned and infiltrating the invading academy he eventually graduates from (in this au, zim is too short to be an invader, which sucks because the hight minimums for the military are really short to begin with lmao)

the fic chronoligically after H-Word focuses on red and purple being back in their platoon on devastis, specifically red navigating his training and his relationships with two defective platoonmates, pon and zi (who are in h-word a little,) after the realization that he too is defective. it also focuses on how the irken military works, and how they train their soldiers.

the first arc overall focuses on red and purple going thru training and such, and ends after they graduate and are on the field, working to get commander rank. (they planned to gain commander rank then leave and go back to heretirk to train an army there, as heretirk has.... no army.) in the middle of this, they’re pulled out and told they are to become the next tallest. they debate over staying and taking the job or just running to heretirk, and they ultimately decide to stay.

the next arc i call the “bridge,” tbh. its less tightly plotted than the other arcs; fics are spread apart from each other chronologically and all that. it spans the time after the tallest being appointed to a little after zim arrives on earth. it also has a couple of anthologies focusing on imperial defects- each chapter is a new character. these guys are all important and the easiest way for me to introduce their backstories without cluttering everything up is anthology style, lmao. other things that happen are a look into how the tallest work, eventually culminating with the resolution of the tallest having to Deal With Heretirk, tenn’s rescue from meekrob, and zim on earth obtaining a half-irken smeet named pip due to stealing an Unethical Science Experiment from dib (which is pip.) the bridge is basically just. “heres some stuff that happens between point A and point B so when we get to point B you’re not confused as all hell.”

the next arc focuses on zim. in the first fic, pip is sick and zim is trying to get into his neighbor’s pants, to cope. this basically sets up that zim in this au has no idea how to find personal fulfillment in living- he’s only OK if he focuses on pleasing someone else, be it taking care of pip or doting on the neighbor, some rando human named piqu (pronounced, “peek.”) this is mainly a cute romance story with the underlying veneer of “a child is slowly and painfully dying” in the background. fun!

without spoiling the circumstances, zim and pip end up on heretirk, which at this point is its own independent planet. pip is in the hospital for most of it so zim has to do his own thing. computer fans rejoice bc hes basically zims dad at this point, who tells him to go outside and get some fresh air and talk to the locals instead of schmooping or screaming in anxiety. im sneakily introducing more characters like ini, the “next-gen zim;” a short bio-engineer (she works on PAKs) who was constantly passed over by everyone because they dont trust someone that short or they dont trust someone that spazzy, even though shes actually brilliant. also her brother mo, who’s a pilot that NOBODY will teach military-class ships to (at this point, HTK has a population of ex-military that had their old ships, but still no formal army) because he doesnt talk and they think hes “slow” as a result. for the curious, he is physically able to talk most times, he just doesnt like it. zim ends up teaching him how to fly military-class which ends up being important laterrr

(haha ini and mo. wheres meenie and minie? ILL GET TO THEM)

no really, theyre quadruplets. named ini, myni, minie, and mo. these are real characters.

minie isnt introduced till later. shes too cool to be the side character in someone elses arc. she is feel uncomfortable when we are not about her.

myni is busy palling around with pip and pip’s friend “elly” (real name elevenn, with two N’s.) elly is a half-meekrob War Crime Baby and tenn’s smeet. he has vision problems (he can “see” energy signatures of things, as opposed to conventional sight. everything is monochrome and he has to really focus to see like, words on a paper. also fuck tablets) but the trade-up is telekinetic powers (that he cant use too much or his brain will melt. fun!) this isnt relevant until the arc AFTER zim’s, where they end up poking around a historical site due to myni’s interest in that kind of thing, and they find logs of an old revolution (that was actually pretty successful in their goal, before they were caught and executed,) that lead them to a man named lefy. he helps with revolutions and helped these guys, and the trio go to seek him out; myni because he wants to impress his parents with helping them, pip because after they’ve recovered enough to walk around and do stuff, feel like they need to justify the choice to save their life and make their dad proud and all that, elly because he doesnt want pip to get hurt and die. And thats where the stuff REALLY starts happening and i cant tell u more sorry

this seemed kind of disjointed but thats bc i cant really be too detailed otherwise id like.... spoil it lmfao. but thats the summary of the first few arcs.

#*falls over and dies* my poor hands and fingeys #yall better mf read this.....#ill post a fic later today or maybe tomorrow #its being betad rn #take this lol! i finally explain myself #for those of you on mobile i am SO sorry #this is fine to rb in case ur wondering. dk why u would wanna but its chill #anarchisma au #live from conventia #long post

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vagrantblvrd · 5 years ago

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undercover battle buddies defecting to the fakes?

Lol, omg, yessss!

I feel I always go the route of whatever agency/organization Ryan and Jeremy worked for when the battle Buddies became a thing being ~evil/corrupt?

But I’m in a Shenanigans kind of mood in which nothing hurts. (Much.)

SO.

Let’s say these two assholes actually work for a decent agency/organization that isn’t out to derail governments for fun and profit/otherwise take over the world, okay.

They’re just out there doing their best to protect their country and protect innocents and all this other good stuff. (But then Ryan and Jeremy come along and their superiors and handlers and everyone else Suffers because dear God they’re such assholes. Also that whole thing with the Mutual Pining that drags on for years before they sort their shit out, but that’s a tale for another time.)

They Battle Buddy it up, and after a while their bosses figure out it’s smarter to hand the missions requiring anything like subtlety/stealth to anyone else in the agency/organization if they don’t want another Incident on their hands.

Which is great, because it means they get the missions that require summer blockbuster movie levels of pyrotechnics and demolitions and all-out chaos.

And then, IDK, the FIB comes to them with a Problem or something else has their agency/organization looking at Los Santos.

Rumors this new crew making waves in the city’s criminal underground is Up To Something involving Really Bad Stuff. (New designer drug that kills a good percentage of its users, or running guns that are more heavy artillery than what typically makes it way into the city, or human trafficking or something vile and all that, because plot reasons demand it. Something to have their bosses rightfully Concerned.)

And then for whatever reason they decide their best bet to getting to the bottom of things is sending these two assholes in undercover?

Sets them up with vague-ish backstories that even the Battle Buddies can’t fuck up, you know? (God knows Ryan has a habit of forgetting code names during missions to everyone’s exasperation/exasperated fondness?)

Something about former spec ops or government agents who were betrayed by their superiors and had to fake their deaths and go into hiding ad had to create new identities for themselves to stay under the radar and so on. (“...are you trying to tell us something?” and “Huh. That’s not at all concerning.”)

ANYWAY.

The usual backstory I love to use for these assholes in the FAHC AU, only it’s something their bosses came up with to explain their presence in Los Santos. Just another set of mercs with a Tragic Backstory looking to make a few bucks.

They run around for a bit, a few months working for small-time crews and so on, working on building up their reputations and all that fun stuff.

Problem is, it’s boring.

They don’t get to blow shit up anywhere near as much as they used to and whatever jobs they hired to do don’t need a lot of brainpower.

Ryan starts it, this slow decent into madness and fashion-related atrocities with the damn mask he picks up one day, right?

Shrugs when Jeremy asks what the deal is and makes up some story about this vicious killer he’s supposed to be wanting to keep his identity a mystery or some other BS and Jeremy is like “Okay, buddy,” like he’s not the one to suggest the face paint later on as a joke. (Forgot that this was Ryan he was talking to with that theater background and stubborn as hell and just kind of an idiot? But whatever. Ryan makes it work.)

Not to be outdone Jeremy pieces together Rimmy Tim over a few months. Kind of passive-aggressive about it when Ryan pulls a stupid stunt that almost gets him killed.

Sees a cowboy hat in a store window as he’s walking past because Ryan was all “I don’t see what the problem is,” and “It worked” and “You worry too much” and it was either go out for a bit to cool down or implode from his worry-fueled anger. (The rest follows after, to Ryan’s confusion/fear/disgust until Rimmy Tim is just as well-known as the Vagabond and their bosses and handlers are just like “What have we done,” setting these assholes loose on Los Santos the way they have, because seriously.)

A few months later and the Fakes go to them for a job because they’ve heard about these mercenaries and need the extra muscle.

There’s the whole Thing where Ryan is very Vagabond at them and Jeremy is very Rimmy Tim and the others are like, “Well, alright” because God knows they’re not exactly normal themselves, you know? What’s a couple more weirdos in the mix?

Crime-related shenanigans in which Ryan and Jeremy realize pretty quickly on the Fakes aren’t the ones behind all the Bad Stuff coming into Los Santos.

Like.

They’re assholes, but not that kind of assholes?

Also, they’re kind of going after all these other gangs and crews and whatever else’s that have been plaguing the city for years. Real assholes involved in Bad Stuff they’ve managed to get away with time and time again.

Ryan and Jeremy are just ~subtle with the whole “Why go after these assholes?” line of questioning, and get blank looks.

Because look, okay.

They have standards, and those assholes were bringing the city down, but before the Battle Buddies get the wrong idea, think the Fakes are Good Guys or whatever? Those assholes also had territory the Fakes wanted, prime real estate for their own criminal ventures and shit. Nothing noble about it, so stop with those looks, assholes.

Anyway, anyway.

The crew(s) behind the Bad Stuff happen to be the Fake AH Crew’s main rival(s), and they’re engaged in what amounts to all-out warfare.

Once Ryan and Jeremy realize what’s what, they’re all for helping the Fakes out because it’s kind of why they’re in Los Santos to start with? And also they end up liking these assholes they’re working with.

A little too much, really, because once they take out the assholes behind the Bad Stuff once and for all, they don’t want to leave?

Got a little too attached to the crew and their life in Los Santos, you know?

Don’t feel that keen about going back to work for the agency/organization even if they were treated well there because it was starting to wear on them. (Came way too close to burning out there before their latest assignment and it’s. Yeah.)

There’s a whole Thing in which they do go back, because Duty and whatnot, but they’re not happy and it shows.

They do their job, but it’s obvious to their bosses/handlers something is off with them. At first they think it’s related to the Los Santos assignment, but for the wrong reasons? Think having to pose as criminals and all that wasn’t the best idea and they’re having problems readjusting. (Which to be fair, they are, but again not for the reasons they’re thinking.)

This goes on for a while, until there’s another Situation in Los Santos, right? One that has Agent 14 going to the Battle Buddies because whatever the Situation is, it’s something that no one can know the IAA or whoever he works for was involved.

Somehow, Ryan and Jeremy have become the sekrit agent/operative/spy experts on Los Santos and the criminal element there given their time undercover there. Agent 14 goes to them asking how viable approaching the Fakes for help with the Situation would be and that -

Look.

They really like the Fakes, okay. Got along a little too well with them and their chaos and miss it a whole hell of a lot. (Kindred spirits and all that.)

To say they’re not pleased about Agent 14 and his bosses wanting to use the Fakes to fix their own mistakes would be an understatement. (They know how assholes like Agent 14 and his bosses work, okay. Know how incredibly lucky they’ve been to work for an agency/organization that gives a damn about them beyond how useful they are.)

So.

They manage to pull strings, call in favors whatever to make sure if/when Agent 14 does go to the Fakes Ryan and Jeremy go too.

(This is the point where their bosses/handlers realize why the two of them have been acting so weird since the Los Santos assignment and why and are just, SIGH because of course these assholes would get attached to the Fakes.)

Anyway.

Agent 14 goes to make a deal with the Fakes, and around the time Geoff asks why the hell they’d want to agree to any of it, Ryan and Jeremy pop up, all, “Hey, guys” and “Long time, huh?” and also “So, there’s a funny story about all this,” and go through the whole Thing of them being government agents/operatives and waiting for the fallout.

(There has to be one, right? All this anger/resentment and so on from the Fakes about being lied to and they’re all “This is a terrible idea” but like hell are they going to let Agent 14 and his agency/organization use the Fakes and most likely try to arrest them whatever afterward, so yeah.)

But!

“I fucking knew it!” and “You owe me fifty bucks,” and so on because of course the Fakes knew they were government agents/operatives, you know?

Maybe not at first, but they had Gavin or Matt or whoever looking into the Battle Buddies – small inconsistencies beyond their cover stories that didn’t feel right and general paranoia and so on. Always ready for the two of them to turn around and betray them.

(Also, though. Trust being built when perfect opportunities came up for just that and Ryan and Jeremy let them slide on by and the two of them disappearing after everything without a peep. The long months/year after that without undue trouble from various law enforcement fronts. Maybe some of them ~scheming ways to find them and see what the hell was going on with them now, if they needed help or were just fine for themselves and so on, because crew is crew is crew.)

Ryan and Jeremy being Baffled because there’s less Accusation and such going on than expected?

Geoff going up to them without a glance at Agent 14 and asking them if he should trust the asshole, help the government with their problem.

And there’s this moment where the two of them have to think about it, because it’s a valid question, you know?

If it was their agency/organization, they wouldn’t have to think too hard. (They’re all for Doing the Right Thing, and sometimes that means bending the rules just so.)

But this is Agent 14 and his bosses and so they’re like.

No, because they sure as hell don’t trust the asshole, but the problem he and his agency/organization have isn’t something they can ignore.

So.

They just tell him they’ll be working with them on this too, implication that if Agent 14 and his people try to screw the Fakes over they’d have to go through the Battle Buddies and their agency/organization first, and that’s not a fight 14 and his people would win, you know?

Geoff is just, “Good to hear,” and then the whole Thing where the Battle Buddies show back up in Los Santos and they help the Fakes deal with Agent 14’s problem and all that.

It’s not exactly smooth sailing, because sure the Fakes knew they were government agents/operatives and all that? But it’s different knowing and acting like they didn’t and having it out in the open like this.

Don’t really expect to be betrayed by them, but it’s weird as hell for a little while.

But then there’s an attack or something in which Ryan and Jeremy are so much themselves – ridiculous everything while explosions and fire is happening that the crew is like, “Well okay then” because that at least is the same.

All of them figuring out how they fit together as a crew (family) now and working out whatever lingering issues remain from all that.

And then!

When it’s all over and everyone expects Ryan and Jeremy to go back to their agency/organization, Agent 14 pops up all, “You know...” and makes a little suggestion for Ryan and Jeremy to take back to their usual lives about how handy it was having an asset like the Fakes available to them?

Like.

Really, really useful and all. Could be worth looking into, in case other Situations arise in the future?

And of course they think about it, because Agent 14’s not wrong.

Still.

Not likely to happen, so they go back to their agency/organization and go on missions and try to pretend they’re doing Just Fine.

Their bosses, though.

Get a visit from Agent 14 and his bosses, or just find a proposal from them regarding the Fakes and what a valuable asset they’ve proven to be. (And, you know. It could be a smart investment on their part to have liaisons and all that, in case of future Situations and do Ryan and Jeremy’s bosses have any suggestions for that spot???)

There’s a Thing where the agencies/organizations Plot because it’s not a bad idea at all. Is actually one of the better ones they’ve ever had, just need to iron out some details and all that before they make it a reality.

And then they do, because of course they do.

Call Ryan and Jeremy in for a meeting that has the two of them wary as hell. (Generally speaking, it’s not a good sign when it happens.)

They’re braced for some deeply unpleasant assignment and just kind of ??? at their bosses/handlers and Agent 14 and his bosses as they explain this new assignment they’re being given.

Because it all sounds too good to be true? Acting as liaisons between the Fakes and the agencies/organizations and all that.

Get to do whatever (within reason) until a Situation crops up, and then they’re expected to get the Fakes on board.

(Agent 14’s people seem to think it’s more of an OR ELSE kind of agreement, while their own people are just pls don’t make us regret this you assholes because they know how Ryan and Jeremy work and this is a Terrible Idea but what else can they do? Agent 14 is just kind of amused because like Ryan and Jeremy, he’s actually met the Fakes and kind of likes them, so yeah.)

ANYWAY.

Ryan and Jeremy get to go back to Los Santos and the Fakes who are assholes, sure, but are far from being the worst thing to ever happen to Los Santos. (Do a lot of good, actually, and pretend they don’t because ~hardcore criminal types who are Totally Ruthless and all that.)

Their agency/organization continues to Suffer because now they have this whole crew to worry about aside from their two idiot agents. (And vice versa, with a whole lot of commiserating going on between Geoff and B-Team and the government agency/organization and if the public ever found out it’d be a nightmare? But whatever, nothing worse than what the Battle Buddies have caused for them before.)

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#ragehappy #jeremwood #battle buddies #fahc au #technically not a fic #vagrant fic #Anon #prompt fills #Anonymous

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tfw-no-tennis · 4 years ago

Text

mtmte liveblog issue 11

and here we have to conclusion to the shadowplay arc...

clearly prowl hasn't seen national treasure smh

prowl, what exactly is confusing you about ‘secret government-sanctioned brainwashing facility’

the fact that prowl was willing to go so strongly against his morals to protect chromedome...oof bro

so the senator is basically professor x and all the outliers are mutants. got it

senator shockwave was just a sexy thot who wanted justice....poor guy

so there ARE gloves on cybertron...am I to just assume that the doctors don't like using them for some reason????? I mean tbf I've known a few medical professionals who don't wear gloves during certain procedures, like giving shots which, imo, yikes I would never, even simple vaccines can cause bleeding, but to each their own...are ppe rules not strict on cybertron, or is there a low risk of infection transfer due to the nature of cybertronian diseases? ah, the real questions

anyways. I should stop going on extremely off-topic medical rants

I relate to tailgate in his tendency to misspell. these liveblogs would be unreadable if it weren't for spellcheck

ouch, the fact that cd ‘never really forgave’ prowl for leaving the heist party w/out a word, even tho it turns out prowl stormed off w/a final request to keep cd safe and out of it all....cd and prowl are just a big tragic trainwreck huh

its interesting that skids used to be religious, when it seems like he isn't now. Wonder What Could Have Caused That Shift In Ideology! Hm!

oh my god I love how ironfist’s fanboy ranting about the primal vanguard is cut short just as he’s saying ‘a bomb disposal kit once used by-’ bc its like Oh I bet he was about to mention tailgate, yknow, the guy who (claims he) was the primal vanguard’s bomb disposal guy...that's such a great little detail

the stuff we hear from roller about senator shockwave is super interesting - it sounds like he’s been pretty aware of the state of society for a while, and has been trying to combat it from the inside...which isn't going so great, it seems, considering the state of society at the time.

also the whole ‘modifying people to hold the matrix (sometimes without their consent?)’ thing he’s got going on is. interesting. again, is there any sort of ethics laws on cybertron, seriously guys,

oof, op cares so much abt senator sw :( they were in love okay

red alert :(

rodimus is such an interesting character AUGH the fact that he takes red alert’s potential suicide to be a personal failing on his part as a captain...which, yknow, that idea has merit considering rodimus’s part in the whole overlord thing, as well as rodimus having told red alert that ‘everyone thought he was losing it.’ yeahhhhh, that's not quite the approach to take w/someone clearly suffering from a paranoid breakdown

poor magnus has no idea about all the overlord stuff, which is what triggered red alert’s breakdown

tho, magnus, idk that putting red alert in a cryofreeze chamber or w/e is the solution here. although maybe they’re all just at a loss bc cybertron’s only mental health specialist is current hanging out comatose in a bar

are we supposed to (retrospectively) read into rodimus and drift’s agreement to put red alert in storage as a way of covering up the overlord stuff? did they deduce that he figured out about overlord and that's what caused his breakdown? rodimus seems genuinely distressed about the whole cold storage situation, but is there more to it than ‘I failed as a captain bc this guy had a breakdown under my command’? I genuinely do not remember a lot about the overlord plot bc I was so confused the first time I read it and the second time I was too busy being extremely sad, so.

genuinely shocked that cybertron even has ‘health and safety inspections.’ it just figures that the one ratchet conducted wasn't an actual inspection, but an excuse to prepare for some good ole fashioned heisting

man I love a good heist/break-in

ok so skids rlly is just here for his grappling hook hvbhksddfjbjkdf my man

UH OH SENATE GOONS. never good

whoa, cybertronians have glenohumeral joints?? tho, ratchet says ‘glenohumeral socket,’ which doesn't exist in humans - we have a glenoid cavity/fossa/socket that articulates w/the head of the humerus to form the glenohumeral joint, so, close enough

anyways, that sure was a nonsequiter. ratchet busting out his lock picking skills is dope. do they teach that sorta stuff in cybertronian medical school? maybe its in place of the patient confidentiality lesson

seriously, ratchet sure knows a lot about bombs for a doctor. maybe they also cut out the courses on ppe and patient consent to make room for the cool stuff like BOMB CLASSES

op really DOES like jumping off stuff, doesn't he

oh no senator :(

JK HERES OP BUSTIN THRU A DUDES CHEST

oh no roller :(

‘remember me how I was�� NOOOO IM GONNA FUCKING CRY. SW AND OP MAKE ME SO SAD. GOD

op yeeted that matrix bomb like he was trying to make a touchdown or...something. not sure why I chose football, the only sport I dislike, as my metaphor here

lol it blew up a police station, nice

god, that reveal that the institute that we saw last issue was just one of many....and the one we saw was strikingly awful enough, so the fact that there's a ton more like that....oof

also, again, super interested in the fact that cd was involved in this arc where they see how scary and evil the institute is and then ended up working for the institute - well, the ‘new institute’ - later on

I'm weeping at the ‘big reveal’ for tailgate being that orion pax is optimus prime....its so funny that he didn't know that so it was a huge twist for him and absolutely nobody else hvbakdjhfbksjdf I love tailgate

also. is that the picture somebody drew of op for tg lmao

:D and then skids manages to wake rung up!!! all by getting his name wrong lmao. tho, maybe all the storytelling helped!

oh shit its zeta (prime?), here to talk to op, presumably about becoming the next space pope

HHHHHHHHHHHHHH GOD THAT REVEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!! BROOOOO the senator shockwave reveal slapped me right in the FACE the first time I read this, and that's saying something bc I seriously only understood like 40% of the shadowplay story my first readthru. but the shockwave reveal still had me SHOOK like oh god that was so fucking brutal. jesus

like the fact that the emotionless decpeticon shockwave used to have a completely different look and personality is already crazy enough, but then the tie-ins of empurata and shadowplay? brutal and amazing

like, this is the kinda retrospective backstory stuff that I love. it gives a lot of cool depth to both the characters and the world. I feel like it really helped cement concepts like empurata and shadowplay in the world

and just, AUGH The Reveal still gets me...im pretty sure in my first readhtru I only picked up the fact that the senator PURPOSELY hasn't been named during this issue, and I was kinda ready for some sort of reveal but also figured it could be someone I didn't know bc of my limited tf lore knowledge, but even I knew who shockwave was and phew that blew me away

that full-page art spread is fuckin banging also

anyways, shadowplay arc! I really enjoy this arc and all its genre-hopping goodness, and the framing device of the characters telling a story is a lot of fun. plus we get to see a lot of cool backstory for many characters, and got tons of great worldbuilding for jro’s pre-war cybertron.

I understood a lot more of the story upon my second (and now third) readthru of the series, which was super rewarding bc the first time I wasn't able to follow a lot of stuff (1st readthru I tended to assume that me being confused about something was due to my lack of previous knowledge of lore/story, so I didn't often analyze stuff seriously, or even employ critical thinking skills lmao).

also some gnarly stuff went on w/the red alert b-plot, which we’ll pick up with later....

#lj rereads mtmte

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