#web novel ad

[spinogreen0iq]

ATTENTION I’m currently writing a web novel, and I’d like it if you went and checked it out,

It’s free to read, so um yeah >:3 what’s stoppin you /j

it’s so hard to get people to look at your art nowadays :,33 there is so much cool art, no one has enough time to get invested in all those special stories,

But still I’m asking you, YES, you, if you’d like to read my story, cause it really means a lot to me

(This story LITERALLY saved my life multiple times, so yeah :,3 )

my tism would also be happy if u read it

[kouraissant]

In the examination of a (love poem) name

On a name that was a love poem, On Yudrein Aile, On Eternity (Above) The Vine, Tennessee Williams / Chapter 445, Turning, 쿠유 / Dear [ ], Nick Lantz (2018) / Soft Human, Emery Allen / Handle with Care, Jodi Picoult / Headless John the Baptist Hitchhiking, C. T. Salazar / Maria, West Side Story (Below) Letters to Milena, Franz Kafka

[denpaguts]

source

[risingshards]

reborn in a fighting game with my rival comic sans powerpoint

i figured i should do reborn also!!! this one is shorter because I wanted to just hit the big main points of this series

you can read it HERE!!!

[syphoncontinuity]

Swimming against the current and swept together by circumstance, these six strange bedfellows have everything to lose. 

(When you're too busy with hijinks to bother with this main character business.)

Starting September 12, we'll be posting The Butterfly Koi as a serial novel. Sign up now to read from the beginning at https://syphoncontinuity.substack.com.

[elizabethplaid]

The logo for the Alpha Novel app looks like a doubtful tanuki.

I suppose that fits with my reactions to the stories presented in these two ads. Seemed worth the giggle to share with tumblr

[atomicjellycat]

Change for the sake of change to create the illusion of progress is a rich mans poison

I worked as a 'personal shopper' at a grocery store for 2 years. Every few months these holier than thou fuckers from corporate would interfere with thousands of dollars worth of new weird shopping carts, system changes, and procedure changes that ultimately were either making our times worse or we just ignored for the sake of our quota. We would tell them time and time and time again how these changes were not helpful and harmful most of the time.

Instead of raises or fixing the issues we were actually complaining about (like constant system crashes, failures, not enough storage space, and printers not printing vital things to send through the system) they spent a shitton of money on a 'new and improved' shopping cart that was just 3 flat shelves on a dolly, with notable features such as-

Being way too long to turn corners and needing to angle outwards like your driving a 16 wheeler

Way too big, hitting people, the 9 trillion cardboard stands, and blocking alses

Being so fucking heavy that once you start rolling it it's damn near impossible to stop quickly, especially of your client is buying 6 24packs of fucking aquafina. Oh, ever consider that children run around this store and oh, I dunno, could get severely hurt? I have nearly brutalized a 2 year old with this monster.

Unlike the very intuitive design of the shopping cart, there are no actual basket walls to the side of this thing, so if you have literally anything that is spherical (fruit), rounded (cans), or light in anyway (like boxes of cereal) every time you stop, things fall on the floor! Glass things!! Things that break! The shelves aren't tall enough for wine glasses to stand upright, they can just ROLL OFF THE CART at literally any time.

This was back in 2017-18 or something so I don't remember all the other bullshit details, but we were forced to use that cart. Most of the time it was abandoned at the back of the room because everyone fucking hated it.

We had a billion and one issues that they could have resolved with less money and less effort. We were very open about it especially since they were always asking us to tell us how they could optimize our jobs.

We were just outright ignored because I guess the idea of fixing a severe work-halting system issue is less fun than a shiny new toy that causes way more problems than solutions.

'but our studies say' 'our tests have shown' 'well, in a controlled test' 'you see on paper'

No.

Shut the fuck up.

Shut. The. Fuck. Up.

WE are telling you your wasting our time. Yes we understand a new fancy optimization on something that didn't need optimizing is way more exciting than say, idk, getting us new fucking bins or a new freezer or fixing the second register that hasn't worked in months, or fixing the 12 of the 15 scanners that DONT WORK.

But change for the sake of change just because you have too much money to wave around instead of pay us with is so fustratingly irresponsible and hauntingly dystopian.

I can't feed my family but you can create stupid 'numbers focus test studies have shown' products just for it to rot in the back of an over crowded back room because we both know it was unnecessary. Cool.

Not everything needs to be 'optimized for the future!!!!' sometimes things just work. And sometimes fixing and polishing the boring stuff is way more helpful to your workers AND consumers than being novel.

Change for the sake of change to create the illusion of progress is a rich mans poison

i need to know exactly the kind of scenario where anyone in the entire world would need a laptop like this and could justify the cost and inconveniences this bears. (edit: it comes with a detachable keyboard btw)

[fangjuexias]

Live-Action Murder Mystery Audio Drama S1 || Theme Song "Cocoon"

制作人：kami@Kami-kkkk、红泥小火炉@一梦还江月 策划/作词：红泥小火炉@一梦还江月 演唱/和声：呈安Bryan@呈安Bryan 作曲/编曲：Kami@Kami-kkkk 混音：兜爷 海报：荒寺@高阶社恐用户汤 字幕： OCIR·字幕组@OCIR·字幕组

诚心许下的诺言 在灵魂深处反复排练 来不及兑现 颤抖着纪念 难道要永远 永远亏欠 亏欠

还是要永远怀缅 怀缅到岁月甩伤口一鞭 亦只能静默 无声也无言

当过去纠缠成茧 却还在奢求赦免 可笑得可怜 像大雨等晴天

边滂沱边枯竭 边温暖边消解 还心甘情愿 还心甘情愿

决心立下的誓言 在灵魂深处反复上演 来不及兑现 颤抖着纪念 难道要永远 永远亏欠 亏欠

还是要永远怀缅 怀缅到伤口都溃烂发炎 亦只能静默 无声也无言

当过去纠缠成茧 却还在奢求赦免 可笑得可怜 像流星吻海面

边连接边断��� 边燃烧边毁灭 还心甘情愿 还心甘情愿

[spinogreen0iq]

okay imma advertise this as good as I can let’s go!!!

I am currently writing a book, book 1 of a larger series. It’s being published chapter for chapter, like a fanfic ig. I think you call it a web novel? Idk

The story (at least the first act) is about a young girl who gets thrown into a new fantastical environment where she has to cope with daily life and slowly uncovers the secrets of her now deceased family, finally having to come face to face with a horrible truth... and don’t forget this is just the first book :) OH and there's shapeshifters. and childhood friendship. and trauma obviously.

My main focus is establishing the characters and getting the plot rolling for this one. Since shit is about to go down in the books after that. Even though the summary doesn’t sound like it, there are some dark themes (mostly of the tragic backstory variety).

If ur not sure if the quality is up to your standards, I’m doing the best I can and I’ve written a few things before, I even have beta readers so umm, maybe check it out :,33 it’s third person perspective btw

It’s completely free, I don’t post it to earn money, I’m doing it so I get to show others my special interest :}

xDDAll I want is to make my autism happy/hj (neglected it for too long lol)

This story saved my life a couple of times, so maybe you’ll enjoy it too? Pls check it out I’m begging you please please please

If all dat seems interesting to you, I’d love it if u went and checked it out :33

At the time I’m posting this chapter 1 is already out and chapter 2 is currently in editing stage, but to be released shortly, as soon as the beta readers are done :33

[karinasbaby]

sim jaeyun — sense.

P. spiderman!jake x fem!reader (17+) | W. unprotected sex, sir kink, somewhat hard dom jake, tying up, pet names, making out, jake is desperate and needy, breeding kink, creampie, cursing, other filthy shit | WC. around 3k im assuming | A,N. wanted to write smth for spiderman jake so here we are ! pls read a,note at the end !

in which.. jake gets affected by an unknown aphrodisiac potion in the middle of a fight.

limping towards your apartment building at two am wasn’t the ideal situation jake was hoping to find himself just a few hours ago.

yet here he is. right hand pressed against the bleeding gash on the side of his waist while his left hand loosely wrapped around his red mask. an unfavourable situation really. seeing the friendly neighbourhood spiderman walking funnily down the streets of queens.

crimson red leaking between his fingertips and bleeding through his suit, multiple small cuts adorned his legs and angles, ripping apart the high-tech suit that was crafted by mr.stark for him only, weeks of hard work wasted down the drain in the matter of a few villains.

yet none of those tragedies were processed inside of jake’s foggy mind. as ridiculous as it sounded, he felt all the blood rushing from his body to the middle of his legs. adding more to his lightheartedness overall.

he couldn’t figure out what the fuck the stupid robber threw at him in that filthy glass bottle of his. the glass shattering right next to jake’s jaw letting the liquid seep into his suit and before he could even realise it, he had ingested way too much of the unknown liquid mid fight due to his stupid habit of licking his lips and heavy breathing.

tongue pressing against the dampened fabric that was soaked with what he assumed was a potion of some sort because it fucked him up entirely.

he was rock fucking hard. in the middle of the street. with multiple injuries. at two am.

to say that he was sexually frustrated would be an understatement. his body was aching in every way possible. his senses heightening further than they normally should be, hearing his heartbeat drumming loudly in his ear drums as he dragged himself closer and closer to the brick wall of his favourite building.

he almost moaned when he lifted his head upwards to face the windows of the apartment, throbbing, tortorous pain pulsing all throughout his veins and body. he could barely remember all the scenes from the unnecessary assault, from the stinging kicks to his abdomen to the tenderness he felt in his knuckles due to his calculated punches that had the guy knocked out on the floor after hours.

knowing your tendency of asking him countless questions from his fights and encounters with criminals, he tried to prepare himself to relief all your confusion. key word: tried. because he felt his legs beginning to shake under him. breaths turning heavier with each passing second.

he inhaled a deep breath to ground himself just for the next few minutes. eyes focusing on the sight of your window still open, you were still waiting for him. jake’s fingers loosened in relief before he lifted his right arm upwards to shoot a long, thin web. connected himself from the ground to the side of the brick wall.

the translucent web kept his weak figure balanced against the pull of the gravity, feet lightly pressed under the rough ridges and corners before he finally pressed his knee against your window sill.

jake’s half lidded eyes desperately searched for your presence, widening in complete delight when he spotted your figure laying on the bed. one hand wrapped around your favourite novel while the other adjusted the volume of your headphones. your fingers instinctively pressing against the negatively symbolised button before a blur caught your attention. the sight making your heart drop.

your gaze quickly met jake’s exhausted one. “jaeyun?” you whispered in surprise, taking in the appearance of his battered body. shit, how did he get hurt so bad when he left not even an hour ago?

before you could realise it your feet carried you away from your mattress and towards your lover who was now holding onto his stomach in pain. eyes closed and head lowered to swallow down the bile that rose in his throat at the pure anguish his body was going through.

he felt each nerve pulsing with white hot heat. ache circulating his body stemming from the cuts and punches along with his confusing boner that made his head spin in need.

“i’ll go get the first aid kit.” taking off your headphones, you rushed towards the door of your bedroom before disappearing. unaware of the way jake was desperately reaching forward to just stop you. to tell you that his cuts didn’t matter at the moment. and that if he didn’t have you under him in the next few minutes his mind might erupt.

his body ran on his impulse at this current second. head pushing away all his pain and burn from his small cuts and bruises (in comparison to his previous injuries) to focus on his leaking cock that pulsed between his unusually tight boxers.

he felt ridiculously hot and warm. it was uncomfortable to stay in his suit when his body ached to hold yours, he was struggling. so much.

“sit down on the bed, baby.” you walked back inside the room carrying the small box in your hands, attention caught on the ointment that was in the middle of the box surrounded by the multiple bandages that you mentally counted in your head, they seemed like a good amount.

“how did this even ha—?” your words got cut off when jake wrapped his arms around your waist and harshly pulled you against him, the sudden movement causing the first aid kit to fall out of your hands and clatter quietly on your carpet, “get on the bed right now.” jake practically whined into your ear, breath hot against your skin as his desperation was evident in every word.

you were confused, bewildered to say the least. how was he even able to move with such horrendous injuries that were probably excruciatingly painful for him right now? “baby wha—“ “please, baby. i’m begging you. please strip and get on the bed.” he groaned, hands loosening around you as they pushed you gently against the bed.

“but jake your inju—“ rip!

a punch of pieces of fabric just fell onto the ground as jake harshly ripped your clothes off. you didn’t even have the time to process what happened before he buried his face into your chest, hands cupping your breasts that were decorated in his favourite dark red lacey bra. he adored the sight of his favourite lingerie on you, but at this current second he loathed every fabric that was on both of your bodies.

“fuck— baby, i need you so bad. i-i don’t know what’s going on, i got hit with this random liquid by this stupid fucking— oh my god—“ he cut himself off when he felt you leaning closer to him, the slight brush of his dripping cock against your thigh made him almost cum in his suit. “i need you so fucking bad.” he whined before pressing his lips desperately against your lips, relief washing down his body when you reciprocated and stopped asking questions.

truth was you were more than confused at the moment. but with the way your lover was a few seconds away from getting on his knees to beg you so you allow him to fuck you was… an experience indeed.

you really loved seeing this side of jake. functioning on nothing but pure desire and need.

he quickly pushed you towards the bed, falling right after you on top of your soft mattress before he connected your lips again, sucking on your tongue needily while he humped your thighs. his breaths were heavy, soft whimpers of your name and how much he needed you left his pretty plump lips while you felt your panties growing wetter by the second.

you brushed your fingers through his fluffy hair while he tried to kiss you and hump you while simultaneously trying to remove his suit. the frustrated fucks and shits leaving his mouth when he would pull away to get a quick breath before kissing you again.

once his suit was off he couldn’t keep his hands to himself. pushing his body on top of yours, burning skin on skin as he felt countless beads of sweat roll down his body. his body was completely on fire. a depraved urge to fuck you till sunrise centered itself in his head. and before he knew it he was ripping your panties in half and spreading your legs wide open.

you moaned in pleasure when his dripping cock settled on top of your cunt, the precum running down his base almost like he had already came. he cursed under his breath before he used his strength to move you around to his liking.

“you know i’m not the type to do this, but today i just can’t baby. i’ll make it up to you.” he rushed out as he lifted your wrists up above your head, you confusedly look at him before he shot multiple webs around your wrists and the bed. trapping you under him entirely.

your heart dropped to your stomach as jake was the complete opposite of whoever was on top of you right now. he never truly fucked you, he made love to you every chance he got. wrapping himself around you and gently pleasuring you because your pleasure was his. he was so tender and loving. a drastic contrast from the man that used to kiss your wrists when you were coming down from your high to the man that just tied your wrists by using his web fluid. and you can’t say you weren’t excited.

he settled onto his knees, taking in the breathtaking sight of you sprawled out on the bed in front of him, legs spread widely with your cunt dripping. your hole practically begging him to fill you up. he slapped his cock against your soaked folds a few times. riling you up further as you squealed under him at the jolts of shock rushing throughout your body from your clit.

“look at you baby… you looking so beautiful. so pretty for me.” he breathed out dazedly, a soft smile carving its way onto his lips as your pretty eyes glossed over while your bottom lip got trapped between your teeth, “gonna be a good girl for me tonight, hm?” he teased as he brushed his pulsing length between your folds, dipping the tip just in slightly before pulling away and enjoying your mewls of his name.

“yes— yes, yes! i’ll always be your good girl, please.” you choked out, the need for him pulsing throughout your body. “please what?” he paused his movements as his eyes pierced into yours. “please, sir.”

“such a good girl for me.” he chuckled when he pushed his length in, you gasped as he thrusted in deeply, brushing against all of your sweet spots in one go. you were seeing stars at the way he filled you up, his thick length always stretching your walls out just right. he was perfect.

“fuck— baby, you feel so fucking good.” he moaned, his pace becoming completely out of control as he felt his need and desire becoming more intense, his emotions stirring with his thoughts while the only thing he knew his body needed was to release. to fill and stuff you full of his cum and hopefully the effects of the potion will come off.

you moaned his name so sweetly for him, hands struggling against the webs as he spread your legs wider against your bed, his eyes entranced on the way his length disappeared inside of your soaked cunt before it came out glistening, multiple threads of wetness connecting you both as the wet sounds began to echo in your room. “sir— i’m so s-so close.” you mewled out as he continued to pound into you.

at your words jake switched his position, from balancing himself on his knees on your mattress to hovering above you, placing your legs back atop his shoulder as he sank in deeper this time.

broken moans of his name left your mouth as his tip kept abusing your sweetest spots over and over again. eyes rolling to the back of your head when jake slipped his hand between the two of you and used his thumb to rub tantalising circles on your swollen clit, coaxing your orgasm out.

“wanna cum for me baby? cum all over my cock like a good girl?” teasing you, he leaned down to leave bite marks over every inch of skin he could access, his body jolting with electricity and excitement when you arched your back against him, jaw going slack as the coil in your abdomen tightened more and more.

jake felt his mind reeling when you finally tightened unbelievably around him to the point pulling out almost felt painful. he relished in the way your body convulsed while he switched from rubbing your clit to landing slaps against it. each wet slap resonating in the room accompanied by your desperate moans while you creamed around his cock so prettily.

he felt like he was floating through a cloud of euphoria at the view of you shaking beneath him, because of him. his hips continued to pound into you, dick pulsing in need inside of you as his own climax was right around the corner.

you desperately pulled at the webs, twitching under jaeyun as he continued to fuck you through and overstimulate you from your orgasm, your body felt like it was lit ablaze as he pleased you while he chased his own release. “feels good baby?” he asked as lowered himself this time to kiss along your chest, smiling against your skin when you nodded with a soft “mhm”. unable to produce any coherent response.

jake’s other hand came up to rip your bra off, swiftly and with ease the thin fabric landed on the floor next to the other garments while one of jaeyun’s hand came up to massage your breast as his lips wrapped around the other.

you threw your head back when his tongue and fingers played and pulled at your sensitive nipples teasingly. the sensation of him fucking himself so deep inside of you while he toyed with your breasts shocks of pleasure travel across your spine. every nerve ending blasting with ecstasy as jake overstimulated you.

“shit— baby i’m so close.” he moaned against your chest, swollen lips wrapped around your nipples while he absentmindedly thrusted his hips sloppily, his body running on his impulse to get him off as soon as possible, his own abdomen tightened in pleasure as he could taste his orgasm on the tip of his tongue

“please fill me up, please sir. i need you so much.” you moaned out in need, craving the feeling of his warm cum spilling inside of you. “yeah? how bad do you need me?” he breathed, littering kisses down the middle of your breasts as his mind spun continuously. “so fucking bad. i need you to breed me and stuff me full with your cum, sir. please please give it to me.” he groaned as your words seemed to push him right down the edge.

his body jerked above you while his cock twitched, spilling out rope after rope deep inside of you. you both moaned in euphoria at the feeling, so fulfilling and satisfying for both of you as jake began to grind against you, riding out his release before falling on top of your body.

the two of you were catching your breaths, basking in the blissful aftermath when you realised jake was unusually silent. “jake…?” no response.

“jake i swear to god if you fell asleep and left me in these fuckass webs i will chop—“ and then you heard him snoring.

.. on the brighter side atleast he’s no longer affected by a sex potion.

a,note. this is not proof read or edited and will 100% be rewritten when i have the time cuz i hate how it turned out its so fawking rushed like this came out from 30 mins but pls take this as i try my best to write my full heeseung fic im trying my best thank you !! ♡

[chronoscout-writ]

Note: Xuân (guy on the right) is my bisexual male hồ ly tinh OC who I made in this Picrew.

[denpaguts]

source

[seven-gill]

Listener drawing is coming. Little delayed because I had accidentally deleted my original progress, and I was also struggling to get an expression I liked. Here’s a little sneak peek, alongside one of the versions I considered moving forward with. Was gonna be Listener after being upstaged by Whiteout but it wasn’t really working for me.

I also kept getting distracted cause I wanted to sketch other characters lol. Here’s some of those said sketches.

1. Coral and Anemone. I dressed Coral in a lot of…coral jewelry…alongside pearls, various sea critters, and golden strands of seaweed. Maybe she also has some coral colored markings because I like giving the tribes traits and colors outside the canon. Are they natural, or did she dye herself? Dunno. She’s almost identical to Tsunami, although she’s larger and has a longer, slender snout, and her colors are just slightly off. Different markings, too. I really liked Anemone’s colors here. Very pastel and pearlescent. I’ve given her curling horns and stripes that resemble anemone tentacles.

2. Gill, before his time in the arena. I like giving SeaWings facial hair made of fins and webbing and whatever else. He and Tsunami have the same facial structure, and Auklet has his colors.

3. Tsunami…again! This was to visualize her outside of my cover redraw. I gave her a different fin style and decided to push the wave motif. She’s got her father’s square chin/jaw, and his big round nose- a trait I gave to Turtle as well. She also has a stylish scar over her brow that she received from Gill in the arena. Her and Coral have similar patterns, but Tsunami lacks the extra coloration on her jaw (something I’ve also decided to cut from the cover redraw).

4. Blaze. I’ve drawn her before on my DA account, but I decided to make some changes. She’s got a color scheme closer to the graphic novel (mainly in the horns). I also wanted to give her pure black eyes this time around (I headcanon that SandWings find super dark eyes attractive) and a hint of pink in her scales. I think it’d be funny if Burn and Blaze looked similar. Similar in that they both have pinkish scales, blonde sails, reddish horns, and pure black eyes. Otherwise they’re completely different.

5. Burn. Disregard the anatomy pleeaaaase, I was not focusing on that when I sketched this out. Anyways, yeah. Burn is huge and absolutely SHREDDED. She wears scars like jewelry and her teeth are orange from how bloodstained they are. Her colors and facial markings are inspired by lions. I also added a bit of pink in her scales, too.

[barbylion]

2024 additions under the cut!

Bloodhounds (2023)

what inititally drew me in was the bromance between two idiots, but idiots in different flavors. and it quickly ended up being SO good. a reserved rookie boxer goes against a more boisterous one and wins. and rather than his opponent leaving it at that, he decides he HAS to be besties with this guy that can fight him lol. the quiet guy's mother is going through financial issues and she ends up targeted by a shady loan shark. so, naturally, the two of them end up working with a mysterious money lender and his foster daughter who hates them. it's good. not to harp on the found family trope but uhhh yeah <3 there's supposed to be a season 2!

Lies Hidden in My Garden (2023)

a reallllyyy good psych thriller about a woman who grew up wealthy and is a housewife to a lofty doctor. her peaceful ideal life is turned upside down when a strange smell in her backyard leads to her finding a body. she suspects her husband and investigating it alone leads to her meeting another woman who lives a much poorer life. their lives collide and a lot of shit goes down. it's very slow-paced and you really have to be in the right mood to enjoy it. but i was when i watched it, so i recommend!

Light Shop (2024)

currently airing, with the next two episodes coming out this week. this one centers around a dark, creepy back street in a neighborhood that has a beacon-like light shop owned by a mysterious man at the end of it. another major location is a hospital. very quickly, you start to learn that they're the center of a lot of crazy supernatural things happening and i don't want to go into too much detail bc spoilers, but it's GOOD. it's interestingly-paced, the acting is great, and the cinematography is everything. halfway through and i have so many questions i want answered, which has me both ready for the last half and not wanting it to end - bc, again, it's gorgeous. the set dressing, the lighting work, the coloring, all of it.

literally just a list of my favorite webdramas and short-run tv dramas bc this is my house

My Fuxxxxx Romance (2020)

messy not-really love triangle where four people become friends in a bar. two of them start screwing around while the guy prefers open relationships and the girl's friend is hella toxic and in love/obsessed with her so she starts sleeping with the guy to prove he's shitty. the 2nd guy is there to be the foil/naiive one that's new to this whole world tbh. it's just a really great drama where there isn't a single character you're meant to like or cheer for. they're all sucky people in their own way lol. anyway, it was literally made around and to promote Park Won's album of the same name.

Please Find Her (2017)

it's CUTE, it's an ad for Itaewon, you learn some Korean at the end of every episode lol. about a mixed Dutch man named Jan who flies to SK to find the girl he fell in love with. the plot's a little all over the place, but it's an ad. and it's cute >:( Lee Hyun Jae is the love of my life. Hayoung and Hyungwon are there

You Raise Me Up (2021)

a man is going THRU IT with his life and self confidence and anxiety and everything genuinely sucks for him. his urologist and old gf (Hani) brags about him being this super amazing and jealousy-worthy first love bc her current boyfriend sucks. lots of emotional vulnerability and growth. i love it sm

The Witch's Diner (2021)

honestly this one's just fun! i love every single main actor, i love the dark witchy aesthetic. each ep follows a different main subject who needs their lives fixed in some way. but ofc if you make a deal with the devil/a witch, it's not gonna go exactly how you expected. idk i love this one, it's got my mother Song Ji Hyo in it

Little Mom Scandal (2008) and Little Mom Scandal Season 2 (2008)

a very old one that i watch yeeears ago but it still holds a special place in my heart. super real, less fairy-tale idealistic romance, as most 2000s dramas were. it's about an 18-year-old teen mom and her struggles with raising a baby, being a wife, and trying to live her life. the friendships in this one are what stuck out the most tbh. they're the primary focus, despite the title/attention grabber.

Birthcare Center (2020)

this one's about a successful career woman who suddenly finds herself pregnant. she spends the time after giving birth in a birthcare center, common places for moms to get help when starting out. she's self concious about being much older than the other women but makes a bunch of friends in the other mothers who have stories and struggles of their own and she actually has a healthy relationship with her husband. we love to see it. uh, found family :( <3

The Killer's Shopping List (2022)

about a guy who has an incredible memory and is locally praised for stopping a dangerous robbery when he was a kid but struggles to pass his civil service exam. he's determined to make it while working at his mom's convenience store. but a murder happens at the apartment building he frequently delivers to and they're huge suspects bc the delivery bag at the victim's house. so he, the market workers, and his cop gf (Seolhyun) try to solve the serial murders themselves. it has good queer rep imo, not gimmicky but not so subtle it might as well not be there.

Our D-Day (2023)

big tw for suicide mention, attempts, and ideation. tw for abuse, as well

it's still airing! one week left. but it's about a suicidal 30-year-old and his friends all trying to navigate their lives. he literally spends the entire drama so far trying to figure out how to end things and you slowly learn why throughout. it's pretty dark right from the beginning tbh but they balance it with humor that might not be everyone's taste. tbh it just feels real to me, so that part doesn't personally bother me. i do know why it would affect someone else, though. definitely not for people sensitive to the subject matter.

[aashi-heartfilia]

Where can I read "Kusuriya no Hitorigoto" Light Novel?

Since a lot of you have been asking this question lately, here is everything you need to know in brief...

What is a Web Novel (WN) and Light Novel (LN)?

A WN is basically weekly chapters released by the main author on a weekly basis. You can find it on a lot of Japanese sites. Some amazing people also translate them on a regular basis and post those chapters. LN is a compilation of WN chapters. A number of Chapters from the WN are taken, translated, properly rewritten and edited to publish a final LN. It has a few illustrations as well like the one you can see below...

Manga, Light Novel and Anime

Basically, the LN is taken and illustrated by an artist and we call it a manga. And when the manga has reached a certain number of Chapters, and gained a lot of popularity, it is converted into an anime. So that's the flow of things. We have

WN -> LN -> Manga -> Anime

I think that clears up a lot of misunderstandings. Firstly, the WN is published on a weekly basis, some chapters from WN are taken and translated properly to make a LN. The LN is illustrated by an artist to make the manga and the manga is generally adapted to make the anime.

In case of 'Kusuriya no Hitorigoto' or 'The Apothecary Diaries', the anime is doing a great job of adapting the overall story because not only are they properly animating every scene from the manga but also adding their own scenes from the LN.

Where can I read WN, LN and Manga?

WNs are the hardest to find, since they are released on a weekly basis by the Japanese author. They are written in Japanese and a few fans translate them for everyone. You can find it here...

(They have translated chapters of vol 10, 11 and 12)

The LN has reached until vol 9 and vol 10 is scheduled to release in Jan 2024. Currently, there is no source where you can find it for free (not that I know of, because even I have purchased the e book from Amazon) though the first few pages are available to read for free! So you can check them out!

Where did the Anime, Manga left off?

The Manga has reached ch 68. If you want to start reading the light novel from where the manga left off, you can start reading from vol 4, chapter 4.

The Anime has released ep 12 and it has covered manga material till ch 20, if you want to read manga after finishing the anime.

If you have any other questions regarding the LN, WN, Anime or Manga, feel free to ask!

~ Sunshine

[dalishious]

A BioWare Guide on How to Murder a Fanbase

I have been a Dragon Age super-fan for almost fourteen years, now. I have played every game, with every DLC. I have read every novel, lore book, and every comic — yes, even the terrible ones that are better off forgotten. I have seen the anime film, the animated series, and the web mini-series. I have enjoyed all of these pieces of the franchise over and over, more times than I can count. So, make no mistake: the negativity you’re about to hear comes from a place of love for this fantasy world, developed by many creative people over the years. I would love nothing more than to see the resurrection of passion in the Dragon Age fandom again. But the unfortunate truth is, that resurrection is only needed because BioWare took the fandom out back and shot it in the first place.

In December 2018, three years after the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Trespasser epilogue DLC, BioWare first announced the then-untitled next Dragon Age game with a teaser trailer. At this point, most fans were anticipating this would mean within the next couple years, we would see the game. This assumption was based on the fact that Dragon Age: Inquisition was first announced in 2012, and released in 2014, with an extra year of development added last minute.

There have been dribbles of extra content since then, adding to the franchise. This was enough to keep some fans still breathing and interested. 2020’s Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights was a lovely anthology. 2020’s Dragon Age: Blue Wraith and 2021’s Dark Fortress were wonderful comics tying up the story started in Knight Errant. And 2022’s Dragon Age: Absolution was a well-animated series with an interesting cast of characters and story. But all these still left the fandom with a major question: What was going on with the next game? It was untypical of BioWare to be so secretive, in comparison to how they handled sharing information of the past games in the franchise. The only form of updates fans still have to go on is mostly just concept art and short stories, hinting that something must be in production. But why was the wait so long?

In 2015, the first version of the next Dragon Age began with a clear vision, clear scope of practice, and a reportedly happy developer team. Most gloriously in my book, there was no multi-player… but this did not align with the Electronic Arts typical money-mad schemes. EA’s push for “games as a service” meant they wanted to monetize all their games as much as possible, and therefore, they wanted them to be a live service — as Anthem demonstrated, that meant sacrificing things that are staples of good RPGs, like narrative and character choice. So in 2017, version one of the next Dragon Age was scrapped and replaced. This new version would have, in total or to at least some degree, an online portion of play.

There is one part of Schreier’s article, “The Past and Present of Dragon Age 4,” that really sticks out to me, regarding this:

“One person close to the game told me this week that Morrison’s critical path, or main story, would be designed for single-player and that goal of the multiplayer elements would be to keep people engaged so that they would actually stick with post-launch content.”

The idea of splitting up components of a game into single-player and multi-player is a terrible idea, because it means that there would be a large bulk of content only accessible through online gaming; something many fans, like myself, are repulsed by. Even if I did enjoy it, I spent most of my life growing up with either no internet or shoddy internet incapable of playing online games. I know many rural people who are still in that position, losing more and more of their favourite gaming pastimes because they are locked out of the ability to play them. It is a disservice to hide content behind a wall like this, especially in a world that is so lore-heavy like Dragon Age. The news of multi-player in Dragon Age understandably upset many, and this is when I first noticed a large drop off in excitement over the next game.

However, in 2021, the failure of Anthem (multi-player) and success of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (single-player) led the executives at EA to bend to the wishes of BioWare leadership and allow them to go back to the drawing board yet again on the next Dragon Age. This meant removing all multi-player content!

While I am very happy that there will reportedly be no multi-player in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, I can’t help but feel bitter and a little disgusted over the ridiculous development time spent on something no one but EA wanted in the first place. If it weren’t for this foolishness, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf would be in our hands right now. Instead, it’s been in development hell for nearly nine years and counting. Nine years is a long time to expect fans to carry a torch for you through radio silence, but it’s no wonder BioWare has shared barely anything about the next game; it’s been in flux for so long, they likely haven’t had anything concrete to show.

BioWare hurt its reputation even more when the news broke that the studio very suddenly laid off 50 people who were working on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. This is pretty damning on its own, but BioWare took it a step further. Former developer Jon Renish shared a statement revealing that the studio was only willing to offer laid-off employees two weeks of severance per year of service, and denied health benefits. The denial of health benefits in particular is a pretty wild move for a studio with a reputation for “stress casualties”. The latest news on this is that BioWare has still so far refused to negotiate better severance packages, leading to a lawsuit. The lawsuit originally had 15 former employees, but this dropped due to the fear of not being able to afford to pay their bills. So now, while EA sits on $400 million net income, the laid-off employees are struggling to buy holiday presents for their children. These horrid business practices are not to be ignored when accounting for a lack of faith in a studio. What kind of monsters reward workers who make your games special with vaguely reasoned lay-offs?

The latest news on the Dragon Age: Dreadwolf front from BioWare came early this month, December 2023, with a trailer… announcing a trailer that will come next summer… that will announce the release of the game. Supposedly. Maybe. We’ll see. But by this time, BioWare is something of a laughing stock of their own fandom. Reactions to the video released with a pretty map graphic and a few rendered locations were, from what I personally observed, mostly sardonic in nature. People have commented on the vapourware nature of the game, and like all vapourware, that leads to disintegrating trust.

Despite all this, people like Mary Kirby, (one of the veteran Dragon Age writers who was a victim of the layoffs,) said, “it’s bittersweet that Dreadwolf is my last DA game, but I still hope you all love it as much as I do,” encouraging fans to still support the game when it eventually is released. But after every misstep BioWare has taken, that’s a tough sell now. Fans are finicky, RPG fans more so than others, one could argue. We have our favourites, and many of us stick to those favourites for life over our appreciation for the artistry — but that relationship between studio and fan should go both ways. EA and BioWare has betrayed that relationship, and it will take a hell of a lot to build it back up again, now.

[This piece is also available on Medium!]