#max is a realist but he's also a little bit of a romantic

[formulaonedirection]

Max on racing: “I don’t know, I definitely want to try and get back into it. It’s a tough thing to get the ball rolling again, if you really know motorsports well. It’s a brutal world. But yeah, I definitely want to do that again because as time goes on I’m definitely missing it more, like for sure. Like the biggest thing adjusting from the racing was having that purpose. Because it was the only thing I ever knew what to do, you know. Like since I was 9 years old, I was racing every month and I felt like that was my purpose in life you know, to race. That was what I did. So like when I stopped it was like a big shock to the system. Okay, I was really happy to not race because it was a really tough year and I was just like “I need to get out of this space for a bit” but now I miss it again.”

#don't mind me i'm just talking to myself but watch the video! #I've literally been chewing on this video for the past week #like it was sad the first time i watched this time but i just thought about it again last week and tracked it down #and it made me sad AGAIN #just thinking about losing that ONE thing you've been doing for decades and you're still young you know you're 21 #but it feels like you've already failed #and then you're 22 and then you're 23 and you're still not racing but you still haven't really found your thing and it- it has to be a lot #and you're back home with your parents and it's lovely because your parents like you SO much and you like them too #and you keep telling yourself that leaving when you did was the best choice. it was the best and bravest thing you could do for yourself #and realistically you know this is true but that's not how insecurity and doubt work #what i'm saying is that I think my boy is immensely brave for making that decision #and putting himself out there still knowing it might not work out #max is a realist but he's also a little bit of a romantic #anyway! #just doing some character study for as yet untitled football au #max fewtrell #*maxvid

[drivestraight]

hi! i am writing a character study right now (for a completely different fandom) but ofc objects in mirror keeps coming to mind because your characterization was so amazing and on point. do you have any advice for character studies specifically? and also, how did you gain the inspo for the plot in objects in mirror? was it a planned out thing or was it more just like a few key bulletpoints and then you went from there? i would love to hear about it and i appreciate you and your writing endlessly!!!

thank you so much! i have a bit of a rambling answer so i'm putting it below the cut:

i guess for characterization, the way i try to approach it, is to just keep them as human as possible in a way? like i don't think anything i do is exceptional or novel at all, but the way i think about it is to think through interactions, and go through the whole "would he do that? would he say that? would any normal person do or say that? what would X's response to Y doing this be? what is X and Y's relationship like and how do i get that across?" and i guess a lot of that is having a grasp of the "source material," so like. all the little videos that give us insight onto what they're like - and obviously that has its limits. like we really only do see glimpses, and a big part of rpf is filling in the blanks in a compelling/reasonably realistic way, and that's all up to you.

like obviously you can't reflect reality but i think it just comes down to portraying the characters so that they don't feel, like, caricatures rather than characters. and since you're doing a character study i'd assume you're writing it in like, a racing setting - in cases like these i do feel like it's more restrictive/difficult to get characterization "right," as opposed to in an au, where the characterization can feel real and compelling despite being pretty different. and this isn't to say that there's one right way - not at all. but like. making it Feel right in in an f1 setting, i'd say, is a little more narrow. it all comes down to just being thoughtful, i guess?

i do get kind of picky lasjf;lsaflaskjdf like sometimes when i feel like people try to give, for example, max or charles nuance, they go so heavy on like self-pity and trauma and inferiority it's like - is this a character who is even at all compelling? if this guy thinks he's so shit at everything like what's the point...😭 (unless he's getting rawed as a solution. that's always okay)

it's that sort of thing i mean like. it doesn't have to be accurate (we have no idea of what that actually means), but like... i do think to some extent it's important that you put thought and care into how you are portraying someone and not go too far into one extreme rather than the other. People have nuance. they can want antithetical things. etc etc. so it's just having that in mind, i'd say.

but like. if i'm being honest. not to like invalidate everything i've said above. i don't really think about it That much?? i kind of like. i pick the person i'm writing in the pov of, and just try to put myself in their head (as much as that's possible lmao), and things kind of just go from there. like i think i think about characterization when i need to, but it's more nowadays wrapped into my writing process as a whole, rather than something i think about in isolation.

and obviously i don't think that my word is gospel. this is just how i try to think about things and if this doesn't gel with you, throw it away lksjfd;lksad i'm just one person on the internet writing rpf

WOW okay i rambled a lot. onto your second question.

objects in mirror was largely unplanned. i think i've explained the story a couple times on here, but i'll just do it again haha.

when i was writing on the limit, i just wanted to write a fic about 2 guys talking. i didn't even think about writing a romantic relationship for them (deep enough in my discord dms is me talking about how i will Never ever ever ship lestappen or any sports rpf ship because i thought it was cringe), nor did i go into it with the intention of having charles go to red bull. i kinda just wanted him and max to have a drink and talk. originally it was supposed to be at the FIA gala but then i changed it, etc etc, and then we got on the limit.

leave no space was also kind of unplanned. by that point i started getting into lestappen as a romantic ship so then i was like. i wanna write something. hmmm. and then i just started writing something lmao. i think about 90% of the fic was unplanned. just vibes. scene after scene depending on what i felt like writing. maybe a bullet point here and there.

all to play for however... like. i was so against writing it at first because i knew it would take a lot of planning and effort. but then as more time passed i caved because i was like - this part of the story needs to be written. so then i literally made this spreadsheet along with plans for each race. dkfja;lkdfjsa. really an endeavor of massive proportions it was like a 2 month writing affair which i rarely ever do...

i guess "sources" of inspiration were like. seb's 2013 campaign, multi-21, spain 2016, etc etc. like past racing incidents were fun to think about/helped give inspiration for some of the incidents and this fic. and i think that one time lewis drove into the wrong pitbox lmao. and i guess also the wikipedia article of alexander the great. and also this one dream i had about someone calling me in the morning that turned out to totally be fake. <3

anyway yeah. i hope i answered at least some of your questions 😭

#asks #writing meta #objects in mirror #fic asks

[kl125]

Why do you ship Mileven?

(This was chilling in my drafts, and I just realized that I never posted it lmfao).

Oh my! Well, that’s quite a question. I guess I can boil it down to this, for my TL;DR folks: I ship mileven because it makes me happy. Let me explain. I’ll try to keep things concise. This is my opinion, and how I read scenes, so please keep all of this in mind. More under the cut!

I find their relationship to be one of the most realistic portrayals I’ve ever seen in media. So many shows and movies get two characters together, show only the happy moments, break them up over a stupid misunderstanding, and then they get back together after a grand gesture, without addressing the reason they broke up in the first place. It’s standard, it’s cute (sometimes), but it’s fairly shallow. It works in things like romantic comedies, when we don’t have a lot of time to really get to know everything about their dynamic, but it leaves me wondering, “Do these characters even work well together?”

With Mike and El, there’s no question about it. We see it from the very start. Mike is compassionate and selfless, albeit a bit closed-off with his feelings, while El is courageous and loyal, but deeply insecure about her self-worth. They both value honesty, and they have a strong need to protect the ones they love through any means necessary. El loves Mike’s nerdy side, while Mike loves El’s boundless curiosity. The few times we see her genuinely laugh are when Mike is being a goofball, and Mike has never made her feel stupid for asking about a common topic.

However, the Duffer Brothers aren’t afraid to show that relationships take work. It’s not all fun and games. One way or another, the “honeymoon phase” will come to an end. When we’ve seen cracks in Mike and El’s relationship, they’ve been real problems. Not some stupid misunderstanding that could be solved with a quick explanation and a little trust between partners.

Mike lies to El (per Hopper’s threatening insistence), so that he can continue dating her, otherwise Hopper will force them to separate permanently. El knows from the start something is off. She’s doesn’t blindly believe him. She trusts him, but she’s afraid something bad is going on. When she finally confronts him outside the mall, you discover it’s not about the lie itself, but why he did it. She wants an explanation of the circumstances that lead up to the lie. He eventually explains, but now this issue has shed light on another, much more pressing concern. They are spending way too much time together, and it’s not helpful for El’s personal growth. This was the original problem that Hopper tried to rectify, but he went about it entirely the wrong way. Max attempts to advise El on solutions, and while it helps her gain confidence, Mike and El both still desire a reconciliation of some sort.

In the end, because Mike and El have a solid foundation built on trust and understanding, only they can fix the cracks and repair the damage. Mike fully apologizes for keeping her sheltered, and he vows to be a better partner. It’s a great way of showing how problems don’t need to be the end of a relationship, as long as both parties love and care enough about each other to recognize their faults and make appropriate changes. It’s not about changing who a person is at their core, but rather knowing how best to treat a partner so that they feel supported and loved beyond a shadow of a doubt. And it’s important that Mike and El are the ones fixing the problem through their words and actions, and not a third party messenger running between them.

It’s also wonderful to see a character like El find another person who loves her unconditionally. El has long since accepted who she is and what she can do, so much of her conflict centers around if she’s worthy of external love and acceptance. She’s spent her whole life searching for it, and the closest she got was her mother. However, because Terry is basically catatonic, there’s no way for El to nurture that bond. In walks Mike Wheeler, and suddenly she feels like a person, not a weapon. He sees her as she is and loves her for it. She doesn’t need to hide any part of herself, good or bad.

As for Mike, he struggles with opening up and expressing his feelings. He’s honest, but only to a point. El challenges his comfort zone and guides him to a more open state of being. “Friends don’t lie” is the driving force behind their relationship. They make each other better, at the end of the day.

I could go on, but I feel like this is long enough already. Let me know if you want me to expand on any of these points.

#my post #stranger things #mileven #mike wheeler #netflix #eleven #jane hopper #el hopper #asks #anon

[mejomonster]

Some of my favorite (recent-ish) Thai bl were:

Bad Buddy: if I'm going to recommend any coming of age romcom college set bl it's this one. The way it uses so many staple tropes in a fresh way, Ohm and Nanon are great actors and really bring a whole other level of energy, the actual conflict in the story is very realistic and heavy and a real topic I think a lot of young adults deal with regarding their families and expectations. So it's mostly romantic comedy, but the heavy moments resonate so that it doesn't really feel unrealistic. It's very high brightness overly kind of fantastical rather than real in presentation and tropes used (quite common in fluff bl like 2gether and My School President and Theory of Love etc), but the chemistry of the leads feels executed very realistically and again the actual delivery of tropes and conflicts feels very grounded in a way. Highly recommended to most peoples tastes tbh (and special mention to My School President, while it was a little Too fluffy for my tastes, it also did a balance of romcom and a grounded heart to the conflicts which I think is part of why it had such big appeal, along with really solid leads that are going to be bringing a lot to any project they work on in the future)

Never Let Me Go: THE action bl as of recently. Gave me everything I could ask, from the leads in The Gifted Graduation bringing their acting game with roles that let them truly show off what they can do, to a high body count of murders and action scenes, mafia sons falling in love with people oh so different from them, a batman esque lead, rich boy falls for poor bodyguard whipping boy trope but also Not quite because the show Really wants to comment on class issues and inequality and makes sure the audience gets the point (a core issue in the relationship is how to be equals given who they are), and a reference to the quote about soulmates that Xena Warrior Princess also uses. It also has Chimon. It's also aesthetically pleasing af. Idk what to tell you, I love when Jojo directs something and this Gave me WAY more than I thought I could get. I'm happy to say that in the post Not Me world we are seeing more action romance bls, not just romcom/fluff ones (though there's always plenty of those too). I personally am eagerly hoping this trend continues and we keep getting at least a few action romance bls a year like this one, Kinnporshe, Manner of Death, Not Me. I've started Laws of Attraction and that's looking similarly promising. (And while I highly recommend Not Me the series, one of my top shows PERIOD... I'm only listing newer shows than that right now).

The Eclipse: this show was exactly what I'd hope it would deliver, and more frankly (because I was hoping for at minimum the Blacklist quality and at max dream hopes The Gifted quality). Well it delivered closer to The Gifted. Politically heavy, really well done in that regard from the overt to the subtle, amazing entire ensemble cast (even the side actors are strong actors that have been in other things), Khaotung and First are both particularly amazing (Khaotung impresses me no matter what role he's given frankly). Aesthetically it's exactly what you'd hope if your hopes like mine were The Gifted but only real evil people no mutants, and explicitly gayer. If you perhaps are willing to have a high school setting, but very much do Not want fluff dominant story and instead a tense mystery with at least half the characters already out and proud queer people (but still some of the cute romance tropes executed a bit less fluffily) then this may be your jam.

Moonlight Chicken: if you'd like multigenerational queer stories, centering on a family slice of life realism piece, this show is <3. The second main pairing is the same actors from My School President and I think they really shine here where the romance relies less on tropes and the dialogue is more realistic so the intensity of scenes really leans on actors. I love their characters in this and they stole the show for me. The first main pairing is messy and adult, with adult problems (like actual ones not just romantic drama: like raising a nephew, running a store, working for a company that's destroying your lovers neighborhood). But also not actually that messy, I'd say in terms of messy it's for the most part wholesome and soft. If you liked 1000 Stars (I did) then this shows realistic slice of life feel will be comfortable and homey, and the amount of skinship in this show is less conservative for even more of a cozy natural feeling.

And the one I'm most anticipating coming out: Only Friends. Khaotung and First lead it, so I'm basically certain the main story will be absolute gold (since I eat up every role they play their acting is just <3 like dude I watched the Shipper for First okay and 5555 Never too Late for Khaotung which was an Amazing show btw). Now.. Only Friends is directed by Jojo (yay for me) and in theory it IS going to be as messy as it looks (and it looks at least as messy as Friendzone). So if Moonlight Chicken is too fluffy and tame for you, then you might want this show on your radar. I think it is slated for August but I'm not sure as I try not to get too hype for things until theyre out so I avoid most news.

#the eclipse the series #never let me go #moonlight chicken #bad buddy #rant #rec list

[scenetocause]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers 💫

i got tagged by @verycoolwearsleather and now i have to pretend i have a writing process haha

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

it says 52 but there's actually a lot more due to orphaning/anon-ing things.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

345,519 but again i'm not sure how much tha's counting

3. What fandoms do you write for?

gross f1 twinks

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

just telling it like it is (lando/maxv)

pretty sure this is just cus it's the oldest fic i have since the account reboot because it absolutely does not merit being anywhere near the top 10 lol it's just a 5+1 about other mando being obvious (it's anon'd cus i got bored of a load of my fics and didn't want them as part of the emptyhalf canon anymore)

every colour illuminates (george/lando)

for something i started writing offhand cus some of my friends were saying there should be more trans men in f1 fic, this one sure grew legs. i'm still insanely moved by the comments it gets and the way it seemed to resonate with people. i'm not sure i can really convey how dumb i actually am in a way that'd make people believe me but i really did just write this on vibes and it's one of the things i can say i'm genuinely glad i did. idk, it's just queer porn really but maybe we need more of that.

(i) just wanna get a little bit closer (mando)

you know i don't even think this is close to my best mando fic (personal choice is no plans of staying on) so there's no accounting for taste and you absolutely should practice death of the author or whatever. anyway, it's mando cohabitation era boundary breakdown stuff where they fuck and then go on a date about it.

shoreline i see when i'm off course (loscar, mando)

people rly are thirsty for a/b/o huh. how'd this little fic get into the top five so quickly?

the usual, upside down (alex/george/lando)

literally THEE most head empty omegaverse threesome fic in history y'all are horny as fuck. it literally only got written bc george did some dumb insta post where he called lando and alex his mates and also then was walking around looking horny af in the black fireproofs and mask when he stood in for lewis. there is NO nutritional content here even by the fast food standards of emptyhalf fic.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i uh. i should. i would like to but my brain is quite severely broken. i do read them all and i bookmark a lot in open tabs to come back to and reply to because they mean a lot but then i have 6000 tabs open and no executive function.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

we don't do that here. i guess maybe if you dig into the far distant past then it was probably i'm not just a fuck up, i'm the fuck up you love which is 18k words of jev not really getting over daniel that ends on a sort of optimistically blasted-open note.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

most of them are happy but probably actually pick me up, no headlights where george and max end up with their weird little family worked out and the kids are doing well, y'know

8. Do you get hate on fics?

no i don't think enough people read them to beef me lol

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

hahahaha oh yea. i like to think i write something along the lines of realistic queer sex, with the way that means it's mostly kind of funny and sometimes awakward and isn't elegant or arch or even particularly romantic except that you're getting to do it with the person you do it with. writing lando and oscar being straight with each other, even if it's in a cringe fail way, made me realise i really do not write straight people and i feel a bit like one of those painfully hetero actors who does a gay kissing scene and talks about how they had to get themselves in the mindset by watching the l word or whatever haha. what do straight people do? who are they?

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

i was gonna say no but then i remembered i wrote logan and oscar going ghosthunting and being kinda pass-agg horny about it because. idk? logan gave me ryan bergara vibes.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i think someone reposted some of mine awhile ago and it got dealt with before i really knew anything about it idk

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

i don't know tbh. someone made a podfic of one of my fics a way back.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

yeah i used to do that quite a lot but now. i am a lone wolf. (too perverse for other people's minds)

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

jenson/lewis but society has never been ready for this

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i don't. i don't wanna let doubt enter into it but my daniel goes to fe fic is up against a number of the dark souls boss level demons in my own brain 😔

16. What are your writing strengths?

uh. i uh. i can write on my phone? i have a relaxed attitude to whether what i write is any good at all? i don't actually think i really have any.

people quite often say i have a lot of emotional intelligence in my fics which is very funny to me because i am a deeply unemotionally intelligent person so idk how that's happened really.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

look we could be here all day.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i guess it has never bothered me so long as the reader could be reasonably expected to work out the meaning from the context.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

cardcaptor sakura (i was 14)

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

hmmm. in terms of thinking it's like, good or whatever it's probably don't say no or you'll have to go, the fucked up valtteri/george mutual seat envy/horror of being compared to lewis hamilton thing. or really, it's an old spy au fic called ten seconds before sunrise that i deleted ages ago so: sorry about that.

but favourite is probably some dumb mando shit or i have extreme recency bias so maybe logan and oscar go ghosthunting or whatever. oh wait, no, it's genders maxy the how-to-find-your-identity-post-racing-in-your-pussy treatise that was born of crack but ended up. no, it's still crack. anyway, classic emptyhalf shit tbh.

[malepresentingleg]

A little late after the episode but I do have some (over 1k worth) thoughts on BMF and how they handled the whole sex thing that I need to let out before I even go into the tag.

I'll say this show has been very pleasantly surprising the last few episodes, and I was quite impressed with how they handled and addressed very real queer experiences - if it's Pisaeng's beautiful journey with the gay bar, his mom's "acceptance", and the beautiful beautiful rally with the wonderful speakers discussing queer struggles and more.

That's why I had a tiny bit of hope for an asexual Kawi following his comments about sex (can two people who date never have sex? YEAH!), but I wasn't holding on to it very much because I'm a realistic not delusional leg :') So as much as I LOVE this idea and think it could have been very interesting and important and a great opportunity to explore asexuality and relationships - I will write here under the assumption that Kawi is allo and is meant to be sexually attracted to Pisaeng.

One of my least favorite tropes in bl is "the blushing maiden"- where one character really pushes the other into intimacy and the other is avoiding it. If two characters are in a relationship- let them both be interested in each other!!! (uwma and between us are two of my least favorite bls from those I watched bc of that. Bad Buddy is probably my favorite because they show the mutuality of the relationship very well). Some examples for it being done well are MSP - they're BOTH shy and both do want it, they're just kids. When Tinn asks for kisses Gun is flustered and Tinn does it in a teasing way, and very much respects Gun's wishes. Not to mention, he ends up being even more shy.

I think the most similar to what BMF seems to be trying to show would be The Eclipse. Akk is extremely repressed. He's full of self-loathing and internalized homophobia and every time Aye pushes it's to help him be able to do what he wants without needing to admit it. Credit is definitely due to First's superb acting skills because he's effortlessly able to show the audience how much he's torn inside, how much he's very much into Aye, how he WANTS to touch him and be intimate with him, but he's scared and has a lot holding him back. Of course it's not perfect but it didn't give me the ick as much as uwma did, and not as much as BMF did too.

Which brings me to Kawi and Pisaeng.

Pisaeng made this beautiful journey for self-acceptance and embracing his queerness. We as the audience also know how easily things could have turned different and he would marry Pear without even coming out! So we know how much of a struggle it was, and it's reasonable to think- still is, for him to accept his attraction to men. I think that is part of what makes this dynamic between them so jarring - I want to celebrate Pisaeng's confidence, he's being sweet and romantic and giving his bf positive attention in an unapologetic queer way - but then the way Kawi reacts to it makes me also wants to hate it, to feel like Pisaeng is pressuring him and being predatory, demanding without consent.

But it's not what happens. Because of everything I mentioned about Pisaeng, and because he's charming and cute and has been through all that, I find myself "rooting for him" (why are there sides to be rooting for???) and thinking man Kawi is annoying! Didn't he say he's into Pisaeng?? Why can't he show it too, make him feel loved and wanted like he deserves? But that's a mindset I don't want to fall into.

But what I'm missing to feel more sympathetic towards Kawi is what I found in MSP and in The Eclipse - show me he does want it but he's scared, he's not ready, he's shy, anything! But now what I'm getting from him is that he doesn't actually like Pisaeng at all, and all that changed was their official status.

I was very excited for the chat he had with Max (a little bit because he really did sound like an asexual there and I had hope), because up until now he had very good advice and gave great queer insight.

I loved how he talked about his experiences, and said that yes, sex is an essential part of his relationships but - I was so sure he was gonna say it's different for everyone, that Kawi shouldn't do anything he's not ready for and that he should talk to Pisaeng about it.

Instead, when Kawi said he doesn't find sex to be that important in a relationship (ace Kawi! ace Kawi!!), Max kinda shamed him with "well you're a virgin so you don't know", and basically told him "you're gonna do it eventually so might as well now, you're lucky it's with someone you love". Which is kind of a horrible advice IMO. Another approach they could take is tackle why it is that Kawi is so reluctant, discuss his internalized homophobia that still makes him perceive gay sex as wrong and how he can get over it and embrace this part of himself. But the reasoning for him to do it being "just do it" ugh. No thanks.

Another direction I thought it might take and I would have been happy with is Pisaeng maybe apologizing for pushing and expressing hid sadness that Kawi doesn't want him or isn't into him or something like that, and Kawi would then explain and express how much he DOES want him but he's just not ready. ANYTHING. to make me believe Kawi is into Pisaeng and not just forcing himself because he's told he needs to.

The amusement park analogy was a bit on the nose - if you don't try the rollercoaster it's like you haven't really been here = if we don't have sex our relationship doesn't count. Which, ouch. But yeah "it's ok if you're scared, I'll be with you and hold your hand the whole time".

I was a bit surprised they ended up not going, and then again at the car with the roof, but after further thought I realized it was - Kawi saw Pisaeng respects his wishes and doesn't actually cross his boundaries and so he trusts him enough by the end of the episode. Still, the fact they had sex felt... wrong. After Kawi spent the whole episode being scandalized by anything touch related, his conversation with Max, him being scared shitless to find lube, the theme park and then the dinner - the transition to having sex felt lacking. Them just having sex without any sort of discussion about Kawi's reluctance, talking about how it's actually both of their first times (I assume? at least with a man), how it's ok to take it slow.. Idk, Kawi couldn't bear KISSING Pisaeng up until this point, so now they're having sex? It made it feels like he's forcing himself which is the last thing I want for their relationship. I want to see them both wanting each other :')

There were some great highlights like Kawi staring at Pisaeng in bed or calling his mom but for me it wasn't enough to make me feel like their relationship is built on mutual attraction.

#ooof ok this is one hell of a rant I'm sorry #be my favorite #bmf #bmf ep 10 #be my favorite the series #pisaeng x kawi #leg is ranting #my school president #msp #the eclipse #just bc they're mentioned #thai bl #ik it sounds very bad but ahh i mean i still like the series!! and there were some things i loved a lot this episode! #like pear with not (and kwan) and with her father #I enjoyed pisaeng's conversation with his mom at first but then i felt like the resolution was way too easy and unrealistic but it's ok

[f0point5]

okay first: this smau is AMAZING the level of detail and effort you put in is honestly beyond me but thank you so much🧎

now for the thoughts:

i feel like elliot is just super into this woman he doesn’t know super well (probably partially because he doesn’t know her super well and is just assuming the best, maybe partially bc he likes the idea of her??) and she’s not super into him back and he just wants to force it. like i feel that sometimes you have two people who from the get go are just completely vibing and super into each other and elliot seems like that’s what he wants but usually dating is just getting to know people!! and it seems like maybe he’s wanting something a bit less casual/more rushed than yn, which is fine on both ends (slightly sad for him but also like you’re an adult pls act like it) just makes the process of getting to know each other a little unbalanced. whether they will overcome the imbalance only time (and you) will tell

also, i lowkey feel like max actually does not have a master plan? like his strat is just race the best i can w the car i have and the car he has currently is yn as a friend/roommate so he just wants to have the best relationship w her in that way. i think in contrast to elliot, he knows yn inside and out and most likely is aware of her deep seated fear of commitment/(unhappy) marriage and doesn’t feel the need to push her into something she is not ready for. that’s also why i think he’s dating around/on raya bc realistically he prob “knows” (knows in quotes bc it’s his interpretation even though it might not be objectively true) that yn might never be ready for a relationship or to get married and he doesn’t want to put their friendship at risk or do anything to push yn away, even if he does have feelings (which also he might not be super aware of? idk what your thoughts are but i think perhaps max just really really cares for her and is focused on what he does have and not what he could have so he’s not thinking ab whether or not he has romantic feelings for her?)

some ppl also commenting on yn’s social media presence and how elliot has to be seeing that stuff and yeah sure but i mean if she thinks it’s like a casual dating thing then it’s nbd if she posts what she posts, it’s not like they’re married/bf gf or even hooking up they’re literally just getting to know each other. i also think prob max meeting elliot is a big deal but also kinda normal?? like obviously as the audience we know it will most likely be a shit show but it also from her perspective it seems like not a massive deal judging from what we’ve seen of her. like if she were to change her entire race weekend to babysit elliot and make the weekend about him then yeah maybe that’s a huge deal but she has already shown she’s unwilling to change hotels so she prob views it as her having a normal weekend w an added person and doesn’t plan on making any huge moves to cater to elliot. i also think it’s less of a big deal bc of how much money he has and just a completely different lifestyle so it’s not as huge of an undertaking. idk though!! you are of course the mastermind so i might be wayyy off (also sorry i just realized how long this was oml)

I think you described it so well about Y/N and Elliot. I know it looks one sided because we see so much of her life and how Elliot is on the fringes but we do only see half the story. And really, this is so normal when you’re seeing someone, being in different places or catching feelings at different rates. Sometimes you get on the same path and sometimes you don’t. No harm no foul. Y/N doesn’t really have the experience of instant click. She doesn’t really date long term, she hasn’t dated at all in nearly 2 years. And even then, she clearly hasn’t had that instant connection, nor is she necessarily looking for it. She’s not writing Elliot off but she definitely hasn’t been swept off her feet. And some people never are. Doesn’t mean the relationship isn’t valid.

I mean…Max isn’t really a master plan sort of guy. He can have a plan but I feel like he’s not a mastermind lol. I also feel like I’m this case Max knows what he wants, or he has this vague idea of what his blue sky scenario looks like, but for a variety of reasons he’s not necessarily moving towards it.

I can’t say too much about what Austin will bring…

Re the social media, I agree. They’re not a whole married couple, and even if they were, I feel like Y/N is just continuing to live her life the way she always has, Elliot or no Elliot, which is what she would do at any stage of their relationship. I don’t think whether Elliot sees the things she posts is of concern to her. Other people’s posts…different story

[ferrstappen]

I can’t believe Lando tried to play it off like him talking to that other woman didn’t mean anything, he didn’t have feelings for her and that he wasn’t cheating on reader 😒

Even if it wasn’t physical he was definitely having an emotional affair (which in my opinion is crueler to your partner than just sex) other wise he wouldn’t have brought the sidechick to his parents how after such a short time period

I wanted to throttle him when I noticed the time line. He expects people to believe that he got over the break up with reader, fell for this other woman, got romantically involved with her, started dating her and that their relationship got serious enough that he’s bringing her over to his parents house all in the span of only two months? That’s such bullshit! The only way that this realistically works is if he did start dating her while he was still in a relationship with reader and he only rejected her publicly because Max and Kelly were watching

Why else would he be dating the woman that was the catalyst of his relationship ending? If he wasn’t having an (emotional) affair with her he should’ve been super angry with her for crossing boundaries like that knowing he was in an exclusive committed relationship with reader

Sorry for ranting but this guy makes me so mad! Why can’t he just treat reader with at least a little bit of respect?

AAAAAGH HE JUST MAKES ME SO MAD! I WANT TO BITE HIM AND NOT IN A CUTE WAY

I hope Max and all their other mutual friends cut off Lando instead of welcome his homewrecker girlfriend into their friend group because that would be to awful for reader

I think it would only be possible for Lando and reader to reconcile either platonically or romantically if he isn’t actually dating this other woman and her being on his yacht and at his parents house is just some strange convoluted misunderstanding because at this point his actions are completely unforgivably selfish and cruel.

Sorry for rambling I’m having emotions about this

Hello my love! First of all I am so deeply incredibly sorry for taking so long to answer because this is the best best best feedback I've ever received and actually had to red it so many times to fully grasp you gave the story so much thought so thank you so much, you make my heart all soft and fluttery <3

and yes, I'm 100% with you with emotional affairs being worse than physical, especially in these cases where something IS going on, you are exchanging messages, you are creating a bond, and after the relationship is over and you're alone with your thoughts (in this case the reader) the feeling of being a burden, an impediment for Lando and the other girl being together is such a heavy and horrible feeling, especially when he brings her home after such a short period of time, it only makes getting over the heartbreak even harder.

When I think about it and the reader's place in this I feel so so bad, because her feelings are constantly contradicting each other; hating Lando for being a shitty boyfriend, for being selfish, putting her through this, breaking he heart and her trust, but at the same time mourning the loss of her lover, her partner, the loving and goofy Lando she loves and coming to terms of this dual feelings, in my opinion, are one of the most difficult thing to overcome because her head and heart are a mess, but at the same time in these situations everyone has an opinion (mostly "he's an asshole he is not worth it"), and that may be true but that doesn't just erase the feelings.

AND ALL OF THIS, you know getting over Lando and what he did, at the same she's going through a massive change of scenery because she turned her life upside down to accommodate Lando and make the relationship work, which also leaves her with something of an identity crisis I think? and we don't have to forget that when a third person is involved you feel the ugliest mix of feelings, just lie she tells Lando, she feels worthless. there's so many things going on inside her head.

And about the relationship between Lando and the friends... it's an interesting thing when the group is friends with both parties, they know both sides of the story and maybe they want things to remain the same but we all know it's not gonna happen so in my mind Max reprimands Lando 100% but doesn't leave his side and reader kind of becomes a forbidden subject, and he ends up having a good relationship with Lando's new girlfriend because he's the best friend.

I already started writing the last part and I hope it'll be up soon, even if im still not a hundred percent sure of the ending, hopefully I'll get inspired <3

thank you so much honey for your message <3 I love you sososososos much <3 x

#Lando Norris ask

[jjuzoir]

Azami, Taichi, Masumi and Juza with a clingy and affectionate S/O

request: “hi! can i request hcs of azami, taichi, masumi, and juza with a s/o that is clingy and affectionate?” from anon

a/n: hi anon^^ this request was so cute, i really enjoyed working on it;; thank you sm for requesting! since it’s so long and over 1k Taichi, Masumi nd Juza are below the “read more”!!

Word Count: 2125

— Azami

- With him... he’s okay with you being emotionally affectionate; he actually finds it kind of cute. Seeing the person he likes fuss over him and get excited, it’s one of the few times you’ll see his guard almost completely down.

- While he might deny it if outright stated, Azami is affection-starved and he didn’t really know it until you two started dating. He unknowingly sponges up all the love you give him and he doesn’t even realize the effect you have had on him until Shifuto calls him out on it, he’ll get flustered and deny it but the next time you’re together and he sees how you’re with him and processes how you make him feel and how nice it is... he can’t help the soft blush that tints his cheeks.

- He may find it embarrassing though, especially if you’re super blunt about it too - it always catches him off guard and it may lead to some teasing if you’re both alone. Don’t get him wrong though, he grows to love it a lot. He’s just not used to it and his response might be kind of stiff or may come off as him scolding you or joking, but the look of shyness and appreciation in his eyes gives him away.

- In the clingy aspect, at first he might find it bothersome, I won’t lie, but eventually your presence kind of becomes reassuring to him. It’s something he’ll need a lot of warming up to but eventually he does come to appreciate it, though it is in his nature to want to be alone every once in a while - so he might need you to step back every so often.

- The one thing he might get weirded out by is physical touch, he’d been taught that it’s something only married couples do (like: hand holding, hugging, k-kissing and stuff!) so if you’re more of a physical lover he’ll probably oppose many things at first, sorry!

- Eventually, with some time and coordination (and tons of patience) he might warm up to holding hands, mainly pinkies, and hugs. Kissing is still too much for him, and even a little peck to his hand has him blushing and stuttering, calling you a perv but he can’t hide the small smile that crawls onto his features when he looks over the area you kissed later that night. I will warn you that this stage will need a lot of work from both you and him, a lot of reassurance and understanding from your part, to get to - and he still might be kind of reserved. And depending on how much your physical affection matters, it could even put a strain in your relationship.

- Overall, Azami kind of grows fond of how clingy and affectionate you might be, especially since he often felt extremely lonely when he was younger, he’s still highly aware of what is and isn’t in his comfort zone and he isn’t afraid to let you know, don’t expect him to be very affectionate or touchy either, - but as more time goes on, he becomes more open to more types of affection.

- To him, though, he probably enjoys being able to have you around him, you’re special to him and while it is new he isn’t completely against adapting.

–– Taichi

- Oh god, he’s exactly like you! He was always kind of worried he was going to be a bit much in a relationship but after he realizes your love languages are kind of similar he’s ecstatic!

- Nano himself can be clingy, so you being clingy too really isn’t a problem at all. In his case, he’s always wanted a S/O who could make him feel cool and who he could be cool for, like he wanted someone he could protect and be there with, you know? And having you be so affectionate with him really makes him feel cool and appreciated.

- He’d been afraid that maybe his attitude might’ve been to much, he’d been told he was always so extra and loud with him emotions he was afraid it might end up creating an uncomfortable situation, Taichi is the type of person who doesn’t really like keeping his feelings bottled up (unless he deems that it may end up worsening or badly affecting the situation), and he wants to be honest with his S/O.

- So you being clingy really couldn’t be better, in a way Taichi wants to be wanted, he’d been ignored for so long that the idea that the person he likes doesn’t only like him back (to the point you’re actually in a relationship with him, something he might struggle understanding sometimes) but also enjoys his company so much they go out of their way to be with him? He might tear up a bit as he realizes you care about him so much.

- So he really doesn’t mind, if anything I can see it actively benefiting the relationship!

- Much like Azami, he absolutely absorbs all the affection you give him - it’s almost like an energy boost to him. Things like little cheek kisses or simple words of encouragement really get him pumped up, his favorite energizer would be you calling him cool.

- If you’re a physical lover, Taichi would probably short circuit, honestly, your touch - no matter how small - really ends up flustering him; he loves it, don’t get him wrong, but it’s the sort of thing he won’t get used to it no matter what or how long you’ve been together.

- Since you’re so similar in expressing yourselves, you’d actually kind of be reassuring Taichi things were going well. He really values and needs reassurance often, and it may sound annoying on paper but keep in mind he’s been ignored and pushed aside most of his life while all he wanted was to be likes, so having you be so clear - making your feelings known to him like that, in a way he really can’t deny their existence really makes him feel safe and loves. And really, that’s all he’s ever wanted. Not that he wouldn’t feel safe if you weren’t, but this type of approach is the one that Taichi is more responsive to. He can’t bring himself to doubt you knowing how upfront you are about your feelings, there’s always been a small voice in his head telling him he’s not good enough and being with you leaves him with no choice but to understand you actually love him and you won’t leave him behind.

- You really won’t ever catch him not smiling when it comes to you, just your presence alone makes him smile, especially when he knows you enjoy it too!

- Overall, he really won’t mind - it’s actually the sort of attitude that would make him feel safe and loved in a relationship. Nano really couldn’t realistically want more in a relationship.

— Masumi

- He’s naturally always melting like ice cream every time you’re near, but with how affectionate you are? He’s always a little puddle of mush on the floor.

- Much like the other two, Masumi is affection starved to the absolute max; with his parents always abroad and his grandma only being able to do so much, he can’t help but swallow every piece of attention and love thrown his way.

- It’s kind of sad, in a way, how dependent Masumi becomes of you. Your behavior is everything he ever wanted in his life, and knowing that you of all people are the one who’s supplementing the affection he so desperately wants makes him oddly emotional.

- It really wouldn’t be uncommon for him to

- He couldn’t be happier that you’re clingy, as he himself is nothing short of it either, having you around keeps Masumi energized and determined to do better. While he naturally strives to become better, knowing you’re there makes that desire tenfold. If it was up to him, you’d probably be joined by the hip forever.

- Masumi is really reliant on you when he’s feeling down, he might not show it much (and when he does it often sounds silly and people tend to laugh it off) but he’s a highly emotional kid, more often than not he finds himself feeling alone and scared, and it’s during these moments he’s grown to need you the most.

- Even simple things mean the world to him. He remembers everything, even small actions like holding your hand while walking down the street or you telling him you love him while you’re watching a movie together, you might not even realize how much all of that means to him and honestly, he couldn’t be happier if he tried.

- He’s absolutely whipped, he’d be more than happy to have you there with him forever.  There really is no way to win against him, though, no matter how clingy you think you are he always finds a way to be clingier.

- He’s a natural romantic too, so even if you don’t really expect it, get ready for him to outdo you with his gestures; they might be ridiculous even for your standards but just know he’s doing his best and this is genuinely how he thinks things work.

- You’d be the couple that’s always holding hands and hugging, it’s so cheesy everyone is jealous of how in love you two are (Tsuzuru might have written a couple of romance scripts based on you two that got called out for being too cheesy by Masumi himself and no one had the heart to tell him it was literally based on him and you).

- Overall, he couldn’t be happier - Masumi loves you and the way you express yourself in the relationship and he is so, so thankful for everything, even the small things, he can’t think of anything he’d want more in the world than be with you.

— Juza

- He gets so shy, oh my god… he can’t help but ask you if you’re sure you want to be so lovey dovey with him.

- For a very long time he won’t understand why you’d want to be so openly affectionate with him, aren’t you afraid of being seen with him and someone getting the wrong impression?

- Keep in mind this is probably also Juza’s first relationship so please be patient with him, though, while he definitely loves it he needs time to get used to it (he doesn’t take as long as Azami but he isn’t as natural with it as Taichi).

- He’s very shy and kind of insecure when it comes to your relationship, but eventually he’ll get used to the fact you do love him and you do want to be with him and that you don’t intend on leaving him; Please assure him he’s not some sort of scary guy.

- While he does enjoy having you cling to him, something he often finds cute and endearing (which leads to Banri making fun of him and the two fighting) he’s a total goner for sweet words and actions.

- Especially things like holding his pinkie or tracing patterns on his hand he melts, he’s gone - you’re too sweet even for him.

- Juza isn’t used to affection or touch, so having someone like you is a very big change from what he’s used to.

- He’s totally stiff at first but he’d also like, hold your hand a bit tighter if you tried pulling away. He enjoys it but he doesn’t know what to do about it, to many people’s amusement.

- So while he might be kind of awkward at first about it, he genuinely enjoys having someone caring like you around. Makes him feel loved and nice, you know?

- He’ll also try to return your affection in his own way, which mostly translates as him trying to take care of you via protecting you from harm/people (Banri) or giving you sweets or food that reminds him of you.

- It’s very cute to see though, how such a scary looking guy seems to turn into a puddle of mush and love whenever you come and hug him; it’s a sight for sore eyes, really.

- He’s not a very talkative guy but if you stick to him enough he’ll definitely start opening up faster, think of it as speedrunning that aspect of your relationship if you will.

- He might not say it often because he’s scared he’ll sound creepy but he genuinely loves the way you are so much, it makes him feel small in a weird way but also loved. You definitely become a calming, almost down to earth presence in Juza’s life.

- While he may not be too vocal about his fondness, he quickly grows to love how much love you seem to have for him, with you becoming a rock for him to settle on when he’s feeling down. Juza really, really just loves the way you are a lot.

#a3! #a3 #act addict actors #act! addict! actors! #a3! x reader #a3 x reader #Masumi Usui #Juza Hyodo #taichi nanao #azami izumida #a3 masumi #a3 juza #a3 taichi #a3 azami #masumi x reader #Masumi Usui x reader #juza hyodo x reader #juza x reader #taichi nanao x reader #taichi x reader #Azami Izumida x reader #azami x reader #a3 fanfiction #a3 imagines #—✒️ sora’s scripts #—🎀 a3!

[akkpipitphattana]

SKU Directory

Hello there! If you've been following @sonderthroughthestreets, @alexdrijzermans, or my Tumblr the last couple days, you may have noticed us talking about this AU that the three of us created that originally sprang from this post Dani made back in July, which was then followed by a bunch of headcanons and a short fic that Tasfia made.

Within the last couple days, the posts have resurged and we have come up with an entire universe around this idea, which we've affectionately nicknamed the SKU - Sobbe's Kids Universe. And so we figured it might be a good idea to make a place to keep track of all of these new characters, hence what this post is for. So, without further ado, I introduce to you the wtFOCK next gen created by myself, Dani, and Tasfia.

Sobbe's Kids

Alright, so first up we obviously have the two kids that brought this whole universe to life in the first place. At some point in the future, Robbe and Sander decide to adopt two wonderful children, two years apart in age. The two siblings love each other a great deal and though neither will admit it, they are each other's best friends at heart.

Alexander Driesen-IJzermans (or Drijzermans) - Born July 30th, 2032. The oldest. Adopted as a baby. Originally born Alexandra. Prefers to go by Alex. Came out as trans at the age of 13. Pansexual. White. Dark brown hair (similar to Robbe's). Grey-green eyes. Unfortunately has never liked David Bowie, much to Sander's disappointment, and he is VERY dramatic about it. Quiet and not very outgoing. Tends to prefer to keep to himself. Patient. Swears like sailor when angered. Skateboarder, loves rap music. A lot like Robbe.

Mia Driesen-IJzermans (or Drijzermans) - Born April 19th, 2034. The youngest. Adopted at two years old. Lesbian. White. Blonde curly hair (though she occasionally dyes it). Brown eyes. Very much the opposite of her brother, extremely outgoing and talkative. Inherited Sander's love of mischief and his charm, but also Robbe's doe eyes that give her the perfect innocent look. Constantly getting into trouble and charming her way out of it. Bowie-lover to the max. Major romantic. Has depression. Very artsy, specifically an affinity for music, guitar and piano are her main instruments. A lot like Sander.

Youmina's Kids

Robbe and Sander stay very close to Yasmina and Younes as they get older, so close in fact that their kids think of them as their aunt and uncle and Yasmina and Younes's kids as their cousins. While Younes wanted six kids, he compromises with Yasmina and they end up having four, one in Alex's grade, one in Mia's, and two that are a bit younger.

Léon El Amrani - Born September 5th, 2032. The oldest. Gay. Dark, extremely curly hair. Dark brown eyes. Quiet and reserved, but very easy-going. Kind and observant. Loves to read and write. Majors in journalism. He and Alex are close growing up, share a lot of classes. Study together a lot. A lot like Younes.

Aisha El Amrani - Born February 28th, 2034. Second oldest. Bisexual. Often wears colorful hijabs. Light brown eyes. Named in honor of Aïcha, who remained close to her parents. Sarcastic and a realist. Extremely loyal and a big softie despite coming off a little intimidating. Wants to be a lawyer. Close friends with Mia and apart of her friend group. A lot like Yasmina.

Nadia El Amrani - Born August 1st, 2037. Second youngest. Tends to prefer neutral-colored hijabs. Medium brown eyes. Optimistic and cheerful. Always looking out for others. Has never met a stranger. Incredibly intelligent, has an affinity for science.

Ilyas El Amrani - Born January 7th, 2039. The youngest. Dark, curly hair. Dark brown eyes. Named in honor of his Uncle Elias. Tends to be standoffish, doesn't like meeting new people. Not the best at talking, would prefer to sit in silence with the people he loves. Loves learning, especially about history.

Alex's Gang

Though Alex is not very big on making friends himself, he tends to have them made for him, whether it be someone picking him out in a crowd and deciding he's theirs or because Mia introduces him to them. The group goes through a range of names, Double A when it's just Austin and Alex, ACA when Camille joins them, and a range of others after she leaves and Jamie joins, though "Gender Destroyers" is one they all unironically love.

Austin Danes - Born February 11th, 2032. AMAB non-binary. Uses all pronouns. White. Constantly dyes their hair, but it's naturally brown. Green eyes. Youngest of five, three older sisters and one older brother with brother being the middle child. Pretty self-sufficient and the one her parents have to worry about the least, so he doesn't get a lot of attention at home. Energetic and outgoing, constantly bouncing off the walls. Met Alex in primary school through Mia and became fast friends, the two have been inseparable ever since. Alex calms Austin down and Austin brings Alex out of his shell.

Camille Mertens - Born December 1st, 2032. Dark-skinned. Red hair. Hazel eyes. Independent and outgoing. Raised by her grandmother because her mother died young and her father was never in the picture. Introduced to Austin and Alex through Mia late into high school, and while her and Alex start as friends, they start dating a few weeks into their friendship. Unfortunately doesn't last because Camille ends up going to college in America, her and Alex lose touch. Double majors in psychology and creative writing. Moves back home because her grandmother falls ill and dies. Her and Alex eventually run into each other and spend two years as "just friends" before eventually getting back together.

Jamie Lecomte-Etienne - Born March 30th, 2032. Bisexual. Cis, but gender non-conforming. Japanese and white. Black hair. Dark brown eyes. Loud and talkative. Super bubbly and kind to everyone she meets. Unfortunately a business major ("it's your only flaw" as Austin says). Originally born and grew up in France, went to Belgium for college. Met Austin and Alex in university. Hits it off right away. Eventually finds out that one of her moms and one of Alex's dads were friends once upon a time and helps them get back in touch. Her and Austin end up together.

Mia's Gang

Affectionately coined "de Familie," Mia has a close-knit group of friends that are like a second family to her. Queer kids with mostly shitty home lives, the group instead finds a home in each other. Sander and Robbe's house is seen as a safe place for them to hang out and they take great pride in this.

Jia Shen - Born May 8th, 2034. Lesbian. Chinese and Muslim. Middle child, has an older sister and a younger brother. Always wearing colorful hijabs. Light brown eyes. Ironically goes to the same mosque as Yasmina, Younes, and their kids and that's how her and Mia met. Jia tagged along one time with the El Amranis to the Driesen-IJzermans and her and Mia hit it off immediately. Her parents are very loving and accepting. Her and Mia have very similar personalities, and that combined with their names being so similar means they are often teased for it. "Same person, different font" is often tossed around.

Raya Raza - Born December 12th, 2034. Trans girl. Bisexual. Pakistani. Long, dark hair. Dark brown eyes. Prefers to go by Ray. Oldest of two, has a younger sister. Quiet, bookish. Aims to be a doctor (50% because her parents want her to be one, 50% because she wants to be one). Her parents are very strict and have high expectations, they are the reason she chooses not to come out until college. They do end up doing their best to accept her, though they take a long time to use her correct name and pronouns. She meets Mia midway through high school. Only her friends know her identity until she comes out in college and starts transitioning.

Kaden Bakker - Born October 13th, 2034. Token straight, but ace. White. Light brown hair. Blue eyes. Extremely sweet and down to Earth. Tall and wide, making him look way more intimidating than he is. Parents put a lot of pressure on him and don't approve of his friends, but he views them as his family. Meets Mia, Aisha, Jia, and Ray not long after Ray joins the group and hits it off with all of them almost instantly.

Max Visser - Born August 27th, 2034. AMAB non-binary. Uses they/he pronouns. Identifies as gay. Black, dark-skinned. Dark brown hair. Brown eyes. Guarded and constantly on alert. Grew up jumping around foster homes before landing in the one that placed him at the others's school their senior year. Took a long time to open up to them. Ray and them become close and she is actually the one that gets them to open up more and eventually he opens up to the rest of the group as well. Unfortunately they end up aging out of the system, but they have a family in the friend group anyway, so they don't mind.

Angelica Nang - Born June 4th, 2034. Pansexual. Korean. Brown hair with some natural red, typically worn in long braids down her back. Brown eyes. Perfectionist and soft-spoken. Classic pianist. Youngest of two, has an older brother. A lot of pressure put on her because her brother did not meet their expectations, they wanted him to be an architect, but he moved to Australia and joined a rock band. Her parents also want her to be a lawyer, but she pursues music instead and she has to be perfect at it, to the point she starts to forget why she pursued it in the first place. Meets Mia in college and they hit it off right away and start dating. Mia writes her song after song and eventually helps her to realize why she started playing in the first place.

#yall have... no idea how much time and thought went into this sdjfhsh #literally spent so much of last night and most of today working on this #can you believe fourteen characters came out of a single joke post from dani JHFDKJFHD #god we're insane.... anyways sdfhs #also we do not take criticism what the three of us say is law <3 #sku #wtfock #sobbe #youmina #<- tagging those to keep it off people w/blocked tags dashes but also bc i figure some fandom members might enjoy sdjhfsd #long post

[jonsa101]

Helen Sharpe: A Deep Dive Into Her Wants and Needs What it Means For Sharpwin in Season 3

I feel like in more ways than one this week’s episode revealed so much about where Helen is at mentally after the worse of the pandemic but also solidifies where Sharpwin is heading this season. We finally got a first look at Helen and Cassian’s relationship and also learned a little bit more about her family. I’m so glad they incorporated Freema’s Iranian heritage in the show and I can’t wait until we get an introduction to her Ghanian side as well. Helen having a Ghanian mom is literally chef’s kiss and as a fellow Nigerian, I know west african mama’s don’t play so I hope we get to see her on screen. As for Cassian and Helen I loved the fact that he was able to truly support her in her time of need but the chemistry is severely lacking for me. I usually don’t mind seeing HeIen with someone else because it’s usually fun and entertaining and I obviously know who her endgame is. Panthaki and Helen where hot and fun to watch. I just feel like the showrunners hyped Cassian up to be this edgy, “bad boy,” arrogant type who’s supposed to give Max a run for his money but I’m not seeing that at all! The chemistry is just flat y’all. It’s just not giving what they said it was supposed to give... 

Anyway, despite the lack of chemistry, Cassian is playing a role that we honestly haven’t seen from Max yet. He’s truly being there for her and doing his part to support her in her time of need. In Max and Helen’s relationship it has always been the other way around with Helen supporting him. He has never truly stepped up to meet or even think about her needs. Not really anyway. Furthermore, in the midst of her vulnerability, Helen revealed that she feels like “she keeps running out of time.” These two aspects of this episode are so important because it tells me two things.

1. Helen is clearly at a breaking point and desperately wants to make her relationship work with Cassian because she feels like she’s “running out of time” in every area of her life.

2. Max has too and unequivocally will meet Helen’s needs in more ways than one this season.

From everything we know so far about Helen this is how I would summarize her. Helen is a beautiful and incredibly talented doctor who cares deeply about her patients and wants to be respected for more than just being a “celebrity doctor.” She was previously engaged and lost her finance suddenly to a brain aneurysm. She desperately wants a child and is considered “geriatric” because she’s over the age of 35 and in the midst of her fertility journey she realizes that she doesn’t want to raise a child on her own. Ultimately she actually wants love and a family. Being vulnerable has never come easy to her in any of her relationships, romantic or otherwise and there are so many things about her life that we still don’t know yet. 

So based off what we know, when Helen says she feels like “she keeps running out of time” there’s depth to that statement and we have to assume that when she said that she was referring to EVERY aspect of her life. In a sense she ran out of time with her fiancé Mohammad when he passed unexpectedly and though she isn’t “old” Helen no doubt also feels like she’s running out of time to have a baby and a family of her own. These are two things that Helen wants more than anything else in the world and the fact that it hasn’t happened yet is clearly getting to her. Professionally, I feel like Helen is at a place in her life where she’s content and is learning how to balance putting her patients first while also upholding her press commitments. In her personal life it’s a whole different story and I definitely think Helen is spiraling. The ripple of effects of the pandemic are definitely still affecting her and in a sense Cassian is more like a means to an end to help her feel like her personal life is “on track.” Even Helen herself said that “I don’t want to make excuses anymore about you” to Cassian which clearly indicates that she has her doubts about him and the relationship  but she’s going to jump in anyway because she doesn’t want to waste/run out of time!

I know a lot of people think that Sharpwin probably won’t come into fruition until season 4 or season 5 but I could not disagree more. To me, Helen’s fear of things running out of time in her life and or feeling like she’s had missed windows of opportunities is the BIGGEST INDICATOR that Sharpwin is about to come to fruition RAPIDLY! The writing is on the wall! She is not trying to wait for anything or anybody. She’s seen the worst of the pandemic, she knows first hand how life is so fleeting and how quickly things can change and she’s had ample amount of time to reflect on what she wants and needs in her life. She hasn’t truly dealt with her trauma but she is jumping all in for her sanity. 

For Max and Helen, this is a make it or break it season for them where they decide if they want to be together or not. The will they won’t they stage has long passed because it no longer make sense in the storyline for either of them to still be confused about what they want especially after the worst of the pandemic. They clearly have feelings for each other and are in love. It was indicated in season 1 and damn near established in season 2. After a year in a pandemic where they saw thousands of people die a day and so many people have had time to reflect on their lives, for them to come out of that still dragging their feet and being indecisive about who they love and what they want is not a realistic storyline. It could have worked if the pandemic never happened but it did and the pandemic changed everything for everyone. 

So with that said this brings me to Max. Cassian is here for one purpose and that is to ignite Max into action. Helen last season has practically already put her feelings on the line with her declaration of “Everything I’ve done I’ve done for you” and a year later Max hasn’t done shit about it. For the past two seasons she has been his support system and this season he needs to step up and be hers. This is the season where Max needs to go above and beyond for her like she has done for him countless times in the past. Time is clearly of the essence, especially for Helen and he needs to get his shit together quickly. I personally feel like he’s going to supersede her expectations and then some and his actions to me just scream that he’s preparing for a new chapter. He’s already told her he’s trying to build something better for her and Luna, he’s moved out Georgia’s things and at Helen’s encouragement, brought Luna home. The only thing left that he needs is a partner and clearly Helen is his partner!

Also there’s a level of emotional support that we haven’t seen Max give to Helen and I think we saw this play out as well with Georgia. Max has a tendency to be caught up in his own world a lot of the time and sometimes he’s not really present with the people he cares about. I think this season Max is going to become more self aware of that and actually be there for Helen when she needs him the most.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts what I see for Sharpwin this season! Here’s to hoping these things actually come to past. Let me know what you think is in store for Sharpwin in season 3!

#new amsterdam #helen sharpe #sharpwin #max goodwin #max x helen

[wolfhowlingdragonflyingsirensong]

spoilers

Since I recently played Life is Strange, which whoah, is totally an experience that I recommend to everyone, I’ve come to appreciate how well the game handles choices. It’s interesting how choices can seem meaningless good acts, like helping Alyssa avoid being hit, translates to her trusting Max enough for Max to save her. But, the game also points out how we can’t control consequences, since good deeds are done with nothing but good intentions can have fatal consequences, such as warning Victoria (and her believing you) leads to her murder, or the biggest good deed of them all, saving Chloe, leads to a storm that (can) kill lots of people. And ultimately, what’s cool is that every choice is canon, since Max it’s not a blank slate, meaning every choice the player makes is something Max considered. What do I mean with Max not being a blank slate? I mean regardless of your choices, Max likes waffles AND bacon and eggs. This is a minor example, but it serves for many things. Max can comfort Victoria or not, and later when they talk at the party regardless of your choice, Max at first is pretty angry, so she’s completely capable of standing up for herself and others. Max loves Chloe regardless of the player's feelings towards her. Max can be pretty uncaring or a literal angel, by Kate. And all of this is canon because even nice people contemplate not being nice all the time, even if it’s only a thought. This brings me to the ships topics. First of all, I’m glad that this game has non-ambiguous, non-sexualized, soft wlw romance (actually two counting BTS!) without the canon protagonist being turned evil or something, and I think that’s incredibly important. If the game had only Chloe as a love interest, I would totally get it and have no problem,  because the game is pretty much focused on their bond. Not that it matters to those who do, I personally don't ship it because I self-project (and I totally recognize it) on friendships I had in my youth that were a bit like Chloe and Max's friendship in the first episodes, and they were toxic. Don't get me wrong, I loved my friends and they were (are) good people. I like Chloe a lot, and there's no denying that there are strong feelings on Max's part for Chloe that are romantic, and it's up to the player to determine if Max is going to pursue Chloe. Denying it means that is both not reading Max's diary and erasing her sexuality. I write this because I don't want to seem like I don't ship them because I like Grahamfield, it's not that, I could very well be into both, and I think Chloe develops so much at the end of episode 5 that, while before I thought she was only in love with Rachel, at that point is totally understandable for me. If you ship Pricefield then that's awesome! You have all the canon content to back you up and a beautiful story of love with the childhood friends-to-lovers trope, can't get much better. Plus, the whole game is about their bond. It's incredibly well developed at the end mostly when you see Chloe growing out of her initial angry phase, and maturing in a beautiful way. So, shipping Grahamfield in this fandom sometimes feels like hey, you are a giant dick. I don't like hate on any ship or character (especially dunking on Chloe, because she's a representation of how trauma is not nice while actually being cool and kind, as well as being one of the few wlw canon protagonists), because both choices are completely canon, it's entirely up to the player. Again, if Chloe was the only canon love interest then that would be totally cool. Buuuut Max can choose to go on a date with Warren, write on his slate that he is cute, raise his grade (which can be done as a friendship thing only), help him in his experiment, kiss him, and if she does, she writes in his diary "I wanted one kiss from a boy I cared about", that to me, reads as having a canon interest in him too. And since Max is bisexual from what I understand, erasing that part doesn't sit well with me. Both Chloe and Warren have flaws, which hey is what happens with characters. Can you imagine having perfect characters? That would be so boring. He is a realistic 16-year-old boy to Max's 18 and Chloe's 19 years. He is extremely awkward, dorky, a little cringy, a boy with a harmless boy with a crush and that's normal at that age. He's helpful almost to a fault, and while some argue that's because he feels entitled, let me tell you, no niceGuy I've ever met has been so helpful if you don't give in, they don't back out after someone lets them down nicely, and he states his interest in Max clearly, and niceGuys don't tend to do that because they like to pine away and be angry that a girl didn't read his mind and magically fell in love with him. He believes Max from the get-go and helps her all the time, regardless of his feelings, which is like, basic decency, so if you want to call him a piece of shit I think that's going a little too far. If you want to take the words of others, Kate says he's a smart and silly cutie-pie with a good heart, suggests they take him with them to their tea-shop tour of Portland after everything and supports their date (besides them being friends, he brings her homework and is shown worried about her). I don't remember that part well, but I think Alyssa and Dana also support Grahamfield (and Brooke is very jealous!) so I think if he was an asshole they wouldn't be so supportive and Brooke wouldn't be into him, or Stella in another reality. My only point is that hey if you don't like him that's fine, but to call him a pervert or entitled or assholery is kinda uncalled for, to be honest, and using the nightmare sequence, in which EVERYONE is out of character (except Jeffershit) and shown being assholes, as a canon that he is bad seems to me like going out of your way. It's a nightmare for a reason, do you really think Kate would have said those things to Max if you save her? She's incredibly grateful. Or do you think Chloe would have done those things??? She would NEVER. Then why is Warren being treated as someone who would do those things for a nightmare? I don't get it. There are two myths regarding him: that he spies on Max and that he photoshopped a photo with them. First one, you can verify with mods that he can't see SHIT, he is merely waiting for her outside. Second, the photo is developed, not photoshopped, Max doesn't say hey we never took that photo, she merely is surprised he kept it. Now, he's a bit pushy when it comes to the drive-in (he acknowledges he's a pain in the booty), says like a stupid joke (a 16-year-old making stupid jokes, what a crime), and has that photo, which for some is crossing boundaries, and hey, that's fine. I, personally, just think a 16-year-old having a photo with his friend and crush is not creepy or bad. So, now that I'm over the ship discourse, which I hate but had to write to explain, I'm so glad this game brought so many interesting characters. My only complaint is that it felt a little too short when it came to other characters, I guess it's because the literal theme of the game is about abandoning youth and growing up as well, so that's because it's very focused on Chloe and Max's relationship, besides the romance. I adore Kate! I’m so happy we were able to save her, it was seriously one of the best moments I’ve ever seen in a game, I would have liked to see her future children’s book with Max’s photos, their tea sessions, and her coming back to school. I would love to have seen more of Stella, (a POC I think) that according to her words, faced an abusive home and poverty to end up studying in a prestigious school like Blackwell, busting her ass to work and yet being super cool and kind! I would have loved to see more of Daniel, how he faced bullying, how his home life is, his budding romance with Brooke, his future drawings. I would have loved to see more of Dana! How she dealt with abortion, a heavy topic, and yet she's super happy, nice, and in a loving relationship apparently. I would have liked to see more of Juliet's reporting skills, I feel like she could have been more important to the plot, or at least more exposés on bullying and the Prescotts. I would have loved to see more of Alyssa, what she likes, her relationships, etc. I would have loved to see more of Taylor! How her mom was doing, what steps was she going to take in not falling with the Vortex Club bullshit, her love for fashion, like Courtney. We didn't get to know Courtney at all I feel and I would have liked to! I would have liked to see more of Victoria, her insecurities, her relationship with her parents, her inner thoughts (she's totally bi too I bet), even her friendship with Nathan seemed deeper. I would have liked to see more of cool hipster Evan, or good skater boy Luke. In short, I would have LOVED to have them all hanging more with Max. The ending, oh man, what an ending. It's incredibly hard, and I hate that saving Arcadia Bay seems to go into "bury your gays" trope, because if there was a way to save them both I would. The writing is very powerful, ending the way it began. This leads me to my initial topic, choices. I love that the game gives us choices, and considering there are other alternative realities, maybe both choices are canon in different universes. If I was in Chloe's shoes I couldn't choose to sacrifice my mom, and Joyce dies if Chloe is saved, as well as many other innocents, so I can't choose that ending, I just can't (and I understand that's totally personal for everyone). A really tough choice, at least for me, and hey, if it wasn't specified that practically everyone died, I would have saved Chloe no questions asked. I do love, however, how Chloe matures so much in the course of 5 days and her bond with Max. She sacrifices for Arcadia Bay, and a lot of it is because of Max, because she doesn't want her to make that choice. So now if you excuse me, I'm still playing the funeral scene in my mind and the bathroom scene (totally broken) and had to write this as cathartic, so feel free to disagree with me or whatever you prefer, each one of us experiences a different game because of our different experiences in life. Next step: BTS and LIS2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9uy4V8SvPk

#Life is Strange #Max Caulfield #Chloe Price #Warren Graham #Kate Marsh #Stella Hill #Daniel DaCosta #Dana Ward #Juliet Watson #Evan Harris #Luke Parker #Taylor Christensen #Victoria Chase

[beneaththetangles]

Reader’s Corner: Bofuri, The Catlords’ Manservant, and Chasing After Aoi Koshiba

Love Me, Love Me Not, Vol. 8

Love Me, Love Me Not is a simple story. The characters are basic, and though they have their struggles—as do all teenagers—theirs are not overly complicated. The obstacles they face are moderate, and growth feels attainable and realistic. I think that’s part of what makes this series special—it doesn’t overreach in any category. Io Sakisaka has settled into a comfortable, appealing tale where 95% of the focus is on the four major characters, and it plays out well for most of the volumes, this one included, as Christmas nears and Rio and Yuna start their relationship together, while Inui and Akari remain somehow both connected and distant. With the former couple now dating, the spotlight is on the latter, and Sakisaka lovingly and patiently develops their story with an authenticity that is marked by the best chapters in this series, while using a Christmas setting, the stress of arguing parents, and the expectations and dreams of impending adulthood to create both romance and nuance in the characters’ growth, particularly for Inui, who after eight volumes receives the fuller development he deserves and is a mystery no more—just in time, perhaps, to receive the love of a girl who’s become more mature and ready to give love than she even realizes. ~ Twwk

Love Me, Love Me Not is published by Viz.*

Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense, Vol. 1

I loved the Bofuri anime that aired last year, so I was eager to try the light novel. It is…exactly what you’d expect if you’ve seen the series. Maple’s friend talked her into buying a new VRMMORPG, but then the friend gets grounded and Maple winds up starting the game on her own. Through a series of stupid and/or brilliant choices, she ends up creating an insanely OP character. Silliness and adventure ensue. In contrast to the many stories that put a dark spin on the concept of the VRMMORPG, Bofuri is a lighthearted romp through the game’s fantasy world. The light novel does explain a few things better than the anime does, but in return, you lose the visuals, which I tend to find especially beneficial for a highly comedic story like this one. Of course, the greatest flaw of this book is that it doesn’t include the unfathomably adorable flying turtle, Syrup. I can only hope Syrup shows up in volume two! If you’re only going to do one—either watch the anime or read the light novel—I’d recommend the anime. But since I loved the series, and the novel is giving me details I missed there, I think I’ll happily continue with the next volume. ~ JeskaiAngel

Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense is published by Yen Press.*

I’m the Catlords’ Manservant, Vol. 1

Different than I expected in that it felt more like a slice-of-life but in a SCHOOL setting, volume one of I’m the Catlords’ Manservant was an interesting read! It follows the indigent Yukihara as he’s given room and board by shape-shifting cats in return for being their servant. With that setup, I also expected more shenanigans at the house, and while I felt a little disappointed in that regard, this is still a captivating starting volume. The mangaka does an excellent job of introducing readers to each of the cats and making their personalities shine (Susumu is by my favorite and would say Miyako would be a close second, while Akira has something fishy about him, especially given things that happen near the volume’s end). I was fairly surprised at how loving Yukihara is towards everyone given the circumstances, but I think that is probably why he is a hero you find yourself drawn to because despite NOT being happy about his circumstances—I felt bad for him more than once—he still wants everyone to be happy. I was unsure if I would want to continue this series, but I feel this is a good one to continue now that everyone has been introduced. The ending is a chilly cliffhanger that also had me glued to the page and wishing volume two was already available. ~ Laura A. Grace

I’m the Catlords’ Manservant, vol. 1, is published by Yen Press.*

The Indignation of Haruhi Suzumiya (Haruhi Suzumiya, Vol. 8)

Not all Haruhi Suzumiya novels are created equal—some are more meaningful, some are more complicated, some are funnier, and some are more plain, that last of which unfortunately applies to The Indignation of Haruhi Suzumiya. With a first half ensconced in a daily life / school club story, with the student council finally cracking down on the SOS Brigade and the group coming together to avoid losing the literary club classroom by putting together a publication, everything seems to come to a standstill, including, unfortunately, character growth and the story at large. There are some interesting bits here, though, including the unusual and perhaps troubling piece that Nagator writes and Kyon’s cute “love story,” but the better portion of the novel is the second-half investigation of a frightened dog caused by perhaps the next supernatural entity in the universe—a ghost. More “classic” in how it involves mystery and sci-fi, continuing to propel the franchise forward, it helps balance out the more soporific first half, though regardless, Haruhi fans will enjoy reading more about their favorite club from the narrative voice of Kyon, who brings life to even the more tepid stories in the franchise. ~ Twwk

The Indignation of Haruhi Suzumiya is published by Yen Press.*

And Yet, You Are So Sweet, Vol. 1

While I felt slightly frustrated in the beginning due to desiring a little more depth to Kisaragi (I also didn’t like how she kept calling herself ugly), I found that I really enjoyed volume one of And Yet, You Are So Sweet, which was, well, very sweet! I’m a huge fan of the trope where popular boy becomes friends with said unpopular girl and a romance begins to unfold. The manga introduces this in a unique way; I wouldn’t say I find reading the same trope boring (it’s my favorite for a reason), it felt creative and had me especially engaged in this volume. It probably didn’t help that Chigira is one of my favorite kind of male heroes: quiet, sort of “out of it,” athletic, and a kind person once you get to know him. I was bummed when the manga ended because it was fairly fast-paced and found myself getting caught up in these characters lives. It seems like there are quite a few after school activities, and I enjoyed them as settings for a variety of situations (especially the library!). I LOVED the ending, too, but that cliffhanger had me groaning. I’ll just have to wait to see what happens next, and am excited to read more! ~ Laura A. Grace

And Yet, You Are So Sweet, vol. 1, is published by Kodansha.*

Golden Japanesque: A Splendid Yokohama Romance, Vol. 1

An absolutely fantastic volume, I did indeed felt “swept away” in this unfolding Yokohama romance! Maria, a young woman who dislikes her appearance, is instantly a character my heart went out to. And while I don’t think the potential object of her romance, Rintarou, is a bully, I do think he’s a major tease. On top of his teasing, Maria’s mother is the WORST (The last time I reallyyyyy disliked a parent in a manga was Kazehaya’s father in Kimi ni Todoke)! She is harsh and cruel, using words that bring her daughter down and which don’t show any kind of love towards her. I strongly dislike her and am thankful that Rintarou (and Maria’s grandmother!) is there to spread some love into Maria’s heart. While I wouldn’t say I was expecting a “fluffy” read when I first started, I was fairly surprised at some of the topics that are presented, including prejudice (even within family), lack of self-confidence, loneliness, and a near-assault (Thankfully someone intervened on that last one!). I think as a result, these more consequential events made Golden Japanesque: A Splendid Yokohama Romance a very heart-stirring and relatable story and helped lead to a very strong first volume. I’m super eager to keep reading this series and hope there are wonderful things in store for Maria! ~ Laura A. Grace

Golden Japanesque: A Splendid Yokohama Romance is published by Yen Press.*

Chasing After Aoi Koshiba, Vol. 1

The intrigue at the center of Chasing After Aoi Koshiba is why don’t the two main characters—the beautiful and popular Sahoko and the athletic, confident, titular Aoi, get together? The initial chapter shows Sahoko and others after several years have passed, establishing that she and Aoi have lost touch, before diving into their high school days when earlier, desperate to maintain a high level of popularity after being a “side character” during middle school, falls quick and hard for the latter, whom she admires for displaying the authenticity she lacks. Shown from Sahoko’s perspective, the early chapters of this yuri romance are at once funny and romantic, capturing well the awkwardness and energy of youth, and feature a protagonist whose inner monologue is quite captivating. Sahoko’s desperation for Instagram likes and passing comments about her beauty could become annoying, but instead she comes across as both self-aware and sweet, the type of character whom the audience is excited to see as she matures, while the archetype tomboy Aoi is fleshed out with surprising energy. The two are joined by an intriguing group of supporting characters, and all are drawn in a sharp and beautiful style—as pretty as any series I’ve seen. The artwork by FLY is stunning. And altogether, that leads to an exciting opening volume of what could be a special, special series. ~ Twwk

Chasing After Aoi Koshiba, is published by Kodansha.*

Your Lie in April, Vol. 11

I have finished my reread of Your Lie in April! The final volume hit me like an emotional truck. It deals with Kaori’s surgery, the aftermath, and the finale of Kosei’s amazing musical performance. I’ll mostly avoid spoilers for those who haven’t read it, but I’ll also note a few things. First, this manga is gorgeous and facilitated the wonderful journey as I reread it. Second, the emotions it evokes with the art, characters, and story are top notch. Third, the language used in the manga by the characters feels more like actual angsty teenagers than in the anime, which upped it a little bit, making it closer to a Dawson’s Creek level of pretentiousness. And finally, the concluding volume puts some lovely touches on characterization, with Kosei seeing Kaori’s flaws, but loving her anyway, and with this volume also showing all the people touched by both characters throughout the story (and their lives). This series isn’t perfect, but it is wonderful for exactly what it is—an emotional series following Kosei’s musical journey to work through his own grief. You are intended to feel these emotions as you read this series, and on that front, it succeeds brilliantly. Sorry…I think it just got dusty in here while I’m writing this conclusion… ~ MDMRN

Your Lie in April is published by Kodansha.

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Reader’s Corner is our way of embracing the wonderful world of manga, light novels, and visual novels, creative works intimately related to anime but with a magic all their own. Each week, our writers provide their thoughts on the works their reading—both those recently released as we keep you informed of newly published works and older titles that you might find as magical (or in some cases, reprehensible) as we do.

#Manga #Love Me Love Me Not #Omoi Omoware Furi Furare #BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt so I'll Max Out My Defense. #Itai no wa Iya nano de Bougyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu. #Light Novels #I'm the Catlords' Manservant #Boku wa Oneko sama no Geboku desu. #Haruhi Suzumiya #Suzumiya Haruhi #And Yet You Are So Sweet #Nanoni Chigira kun ga Amasugiru. #Golden Japanesque: A Splendid Yokohama Romance #Golden Japanesque: Yokohama Karentan #Chasing After Aoi Koshiba #Kyou Koshiba Aoi ni Aetara. #Your Lie in April #Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso #Reader's Corner #Author: TWWK #Author: Laura A. Grace #Author: Jeskai Angel #Author: MDMRN

[fillingthescrapbook]

On Series Finales, Shenanigans, and Sabotage

In this post, I talk about the end of Superstore and WandaVision, the finale of Call Me Kat, the shenanigans of RuPaul's Drag Race, and what feels like sabotage to Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.

Let's start with the good;

WandaVision delivered a great opening for Marvel's "Phase 4." While it was an amazing exploration of what it means to grieve, the series was also a great essay on what the medium of television means for so many of us who watch: an escape, and a way to process our real-life problems through characters who can have happy endings.

Of course, the show wasn't perfect. While the first half of the series took its time to set the milieu, the characters and their goals, and the tension of things not being what they seem--an impressive juggling act up until the fifth episode--the second half felt a little rushed with no room to let the supporting characters react and breathe. Which, sure, I get that the show called WandaVision would focus on characters named Wanda and Vision, but I felt like they could've given the others more to do?

Like when Wanda was fighting [redacted] and Vision tried to help out, [redacted] was just standing there. Watching. Like, [redacted] had powers too. And they didn't even attempt to do something? Really?

And that's not to mention set-ups for plots that were eventually dropped.

Although, according to interviews, the blame for some of this this falls on the pandemic. In their original timeline, the show would've finished filming and would have been editing the finale before the show premiered. In reality, by the time they started cutting the finale episode, they had already aired four episodes. Which meant they've already planted and aired a few scenes for a certain character to pay off in later episodes. Pay-off that they then decided to cut out because it ultimately felt like filler. Had the pandemic not happened, they might have had time to cut out the foreshadowing from the earlier episodes too.

But even with the faults, and the lack of accountability for certain actions done, WandaVision was ultimately a good show. One that was clearly made with love.

And speaking of shows made with love, let's talk about Superstore and its final act.

I've seen a lot of online feedback that Superstore wasn't as good with Amy gone. I don't agree. Amy (and actress America Ferrera) was the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae--or the sprinkles. She's a great part of a whole, but the product was still great without her. But I have to say: seeing her back in the last two episodes? It made the ending all the more bittersweet.

I will miss this show. I will miss its laughs, its hi-jinx, its resilience...and most of all, its heart. I've said before that if a show could survive without a proper wrap-up it would be Superstore; because it's such a perfect snapshot of real life for many of us. But I'm glad that the people behind the camera, the current show runners Jonathan Green and Gabe Miller, show creator Justin Spitzer, and returning director Ruben Fleischer, came together and gave the shows' fans a bow-tied finale that was full of hope and happiness.

I loved every single thing about the finale except the part that it was the last episode. Because even though I was satisfied with what they gave us? I still wanted more time with the staff of Cloud 9.

Now, let's move on to Call Me Kat.

I was a little iffy about the show when it started. It had some good bits, but it was also peppered with so many not-so-great ones. The pros: Mayim Bialik really made the character her own even in scenes lifted from the show it was based on; Kyla Pratt became a more and more engaging presence as the show went on; episodes that were original to Call Me Kat were both very fun and heartwarming; and it was a show that was unapologetically camp.

As the season went on, I started forgiving the show for things I didn't like (the closing goodbyes, and the imagined Brigitte) and even looked forward to new episodes. But then the season finale happened. And the show brought back one of the things I really didn't like in the first few episodes: the Kat-Max romance.

I do not have a problem with Cheyenne Jackson's acting nor his character. I think Max is great. But only as a friend. Because I just do not see any romantic chemistry between him and Mayim Bialik's Kat. I was happy that the show introduced a new love interest for Kat because I really didn't want her pining for Max the whole series. Sadly, the show switched gears and made Max pine for Kat instead.

It's still not working for me. And I really hate how it came back. Because the first time Max started to see Kat in a different way was when she started dating the new love interest, Oscar. It came off like he was threatened that his back-up plan is now desirable to someone else. And then he doubled down on his "love" for ex-girlfriend Brigitte. Which was initially played earnestly and then became a cover for Max fighting his feelings for Kat. And then the obvious deus-ex-machina in the finale where Kat had no choice but to entertain her crush on Max again.

If Call Me Kat gets a second season--which I hope it does--I hope the show runners realize that Kat and Max don't have to end up together. That they can remain friends and still have that fun dynamic with each other. Because not every friendship need to evolve into romance. (That goes for Kyla Pratt's Randi and Julian Gant's Carter too.)

Now, since we're already on the topic of plot lines being forced into being, let's talk about RuPaul's Drag Race. I started watching this show in its 8th season. It was a reality competition that was fun, funny, colorful, entertaining, and revolves around art. I got hooked. I then watched the two seasons that came after, lost interest in Season 11, and then came back for the twelfth season because of the pandemic and found it a little fun again. And then Season 13 happened. And I can't believe the show I started watching because I enjoyed the laughs became a show I now hate-watch.

I don't know what happened behind the scenes after Season 9, but there is something terribly off with how RuPaul's Drag Race has been produced since then. There's more emphasis on drama that isn't really dealt with properly, there's obvious favoritism, and there's a great disconnect between what the judges are seeing and what is being presented to television viewers. And yet I continue to watch.

Let's just say: I'm hoping either Symone or Rosé wins. But let's be honest: the producers of RuPaul's Drag Race is setting Gottmik up for the win as the first transman to compete. Which I feel is unfair. Because while Gottmik is great, Rosé has more nerve and talent while Symone has the charisma and uniqueness.

And finally: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and the sabotage, self-inflicted and otherwise, that's ringing the death knell for the show.

The first season was lightning in a bottle. While it was by no means perfect, it had so much heart that it didn't matter. We wanted to root for Zoey even when we knew that she couldn't realistically have it all. The core of the show was that Zoey cared. Too much as some characters would say. But because she cared, we cared. In comparison, Season two Zoey feels like a completely different person when her plot line has nothing to do with her father.

I can't help but feel that the show sabotaged itself by splitting the show into two: the one that's about Zoey, and the other one that's about Mo and Max's business venture. Zoey's plot lines, while not all stellar, still felt like it had the DNA of the first season. Mo and Max's feels like a completely different show that's airing simultaneously with Zoey's--with the occasional crossover when Zoey needs to talk with either one of them.

It didn't feel that way when it started though. But episode by episode, the business venture just started to separate more and more. And instead of drawing Mo and Max back to Zoey's show, the writers just kept pushing Zoey to visit their world instead.

The recent episode, where Zoey wanted to recapture the feeling she had when watching a celestial event with her dad, was the first time the show felt anything remotely like the one I watched last year. We see Zoey caring about other people, we see her struggling to balance her own needs with others--and we see her actually trying to process her emotions again. And it just had to happen in the first episode on a new time slot that's barely been promoted.

So after Zoey’s self-sabotaged, now it's their network's turn to sabotage the show by putting it in a time slot with stronger competition--while not bothering to promote the heck out of the move. This feels like the network has already made a decision not to renew the show for a third season, and the episodes left to air are the last ones we're getting. And that Zoey's not gonna get a second chance to go back to the show that it once was.

I can't even feel sad though. Because I feel like I already saw the show I loved last year slowly die right in front of my eyes.

#my thoughts #TV rant #Superstore #WandaVision #Call Me Kat #RuPaul's Drag Race #Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

[fromzerotoeuphoria]

my feelings on rinharu & makoharu

So as I said in my last post, I wanted to make a separate post adding my own commentary on this response thread made by @melancholycheer​ @chensim​ and @thenakedbloger​ to an anon who had bashed melancholycheer for shipping RinHaru. They end up saying (almost) exactly how I feel about both RinHaru and MakoHaru, and I was just applauding them along as I was reading their post!

Their reasons for not shipping MakoHaru are pretty much mine as well, and their viewpoint on how both friendships are valid are the same as mine, too. Yes, OP hates MakoHaru as a ship, but OP also respects and cares for ALL three characters, and they also respect how others may have a different ship than they do, and that’s pretty much how I view it, too (even if the ship doesn’t make sense to me) (as long as people are respectful back).

I wanted to share this convo because so many of the points made are exactly how I feel, from why RinHaru is such a dynamic ship to how I only can see MakoHaru as best friends/brothers. The things said are just 💯.

MakoHaru isn’t canon. Neither is RinHaru. Fighting about it, or acting like your ship is superior, is not only rude, but also pointless.

EXACTLY. Neither ship is canon romantically. You know what is canon? The special friendship Haru has with his best friend Makoto and the uniquely special friendship Haru has with Rin. Does he love and care for both of his friends? YES HE FREAKIN DOES.

The directors and writers purposefully give service to each pairing to attract and keep viewers and customers.

Hate to tell ya, but MakoHaru isn’t canon and it never will be. They’ve already invested too much into both ships; if they set one in stone they’d lose a lot of fans. They won’t do that. 

People need to think—there's no way the creators are going to have an entire show based on the relationship between two characters who are driven by each other and are specially connected to one another, then boldly push fan service between them just to suddenly cut off a huge portion of their fandom by officially, "canonly" pairing one side of that relationship (Haru) with a totally different character (Makoto). Same goes for the fanservice they've been pushing between the Main Character (Haru) and his best friend (Makoto)—they wouldn't do the reverse (RinHaru) and cut off the other huge portion of the fandom like that, either (at least, not while the show is still has future seasons and is profitable).

Though I believe RinHaru is the closest Haru-ship to canon, KyoAni hasn’t made any romantic ship canon yet, and as this isn’t a BL anime, I doubt they ever will.

I don’t like MakoHaru. I have tried, tbh. I’ve read essays supporting makoharu and gone into the tag and looked at fanart and it all felt so weird. I can’t see them as more than friends. They have such a precious, special friendship and making them into anything more just cheapens it for me personally. It just feels…gross. i don’t mean that in an offensive way; i just can’t ship it… I can’t see them as more than friends. I just can’t.

...but honestly just watching the series, Makoto and Haru were just friends, in my opinion. Yeah, they got fan service, but even that seemed like just what it was: fan service. It seemed out of place to me. And more than that, even the fan service didn’t convince me that there was something between them. I’m not saying there’s not; don’t get mad lol, I’m just saying that for me personally I don’t see anything.

Literally exactly how I feel about Makoto and Haru's friendship. Yes, FRIENDSHIP. Makoto cares so much about Haru in a deeply loving way—it's obvious to everyone just how much Haru means to Makoto. And those who know Haru enough can also tell that Makoto means so much to Haru (S02E11 alone is proof). Makoto is such a sweet, soft-hearted, caring guy and the friendship between him and Haru is truly something special.

But okay, in all honestly and as much as Makoto is my big-lil squish, MakoHaru seems just a bit...unbalanced, like Makoto is more concerned for Haru than Haru is concerned for him. Not that Haru doesn't care deeply for Makoto because he does—it just seems like Makoto cares more because he's very demonstrative about it while Haru's personality doesn't show his emotions or feelings often. I'm very fair with that; it doesn't mean that their friendship is in any way one-sided. They just have different personalities. But in all honestly it rather comes across like Makoto has a one-sided crush on Haru (while Haru has a reciprocated crush on Rin)—that’s where the “imbalance” comes in.

That’s a huge reason why I just don't see their relationship as anything other than a close friendship (with Makoto more than likely having a crush on Haru...OR his super caring Type 2 personality could misconstrue his rock-solid love and support for his friend as a crush. That’s very possible, too). Like honestly, there’s nothing remotely passionate about their friendship with one another, nothing that would suggest they both have deeper feelings than brotherhood for one another (again, Makoto does suggest this because boy cares so strongly, ngl it be borderline smothering—but then again he does just have a soft boi personality—but Haru definitely doesn’t suggest this, not with Makoto. With Rin, however...👀).

I mean, even Will and Jem from The Infernal Devices had a more emo-dynamic-passionate brotherhood/friendship than Makoto and Haru do, and Will and Jem were in love with the same girl, not with each other. So people trying to convince others that MakoHaru is a legitimate, canon romantic OTP endgame are just...I just cannot fathom that realistically happening.

RinHaru, on the other hand, has so much passion and rawness and depth. [...] And I know some people feel that way about MakoHaru, and that’s fine, but personally, Makoto and Haruka are just best friends, but when it comes to Rin and Haru’s relationship, there’s something more urgent and pressing and desperate.

THIS! Omg thisssss x10000. URGENT. PRESSING. DESPERATE. You feel this from not only Rin, but from Haru as well. This is HUGE: here you have a kid who’s disinterested in almost everything aside from swimming, a kid who rarely expresses his emotions and runs away from things he finds “troublesome.” He relies on Makoto to handle things for him when he doesn’t feel like bothering, and at the beginning of the anime, he couldn’t wait for time to hurry up and pass so he could become “ordinary.” And I hate to point this out, but that was Haru with Makoto in his life (again, no hate towards Makoto, it doesn’t say anything about Makoto as a character, just about Haru’s feelings towards Makoto). Yet when Rin enters into Haru’s life, the apathetic, rarely-expresses-emotions kid becomes urgent, pressing, desperate to have Rin back into his life no matter how little it is.

(this got longer than I anticipated—I could talk about Haru x Rin ‘til the stars died out, for real—so I’ll put the rest under a cut)

“Well, of course you’d say that, you bias Rin!!” you may say. But see, here's the thing: I wasn't even a big fan of Rin when I was first watching the series (except for shota!Rin because I fell in love with him instantly lol). High school-Rin annoyed me with how unnecessarily rude he was to Haru and the others, and I was Team Iwatobi for a good part of Season 1. If anything, I wanted to see Rin get all emotional about and care for the other guys. I wanted to see this red-haired jerk show emotions I knew he had deep down for my guys. But then, the more I saw the dynamics between Rina and Haru play out, the more the rawness between them and that fire when they interacted with each other drew me in. I came to care about Rin the more Haru was confronted with the feelings he had towards Rin. And when Haru bolted to find Rin after Rin failed his race in S01E12, that desperation emanating from Haru—and this is HARU we're talking about, the guy who rarely shows any emotion—made me just as desperate as Haru was for him to find Rin, to make sure Rin was okay.

The dynamic between Rin and Haru is just something totally different. It's just as one of the OPs said: urgent and pressing and desperate.

Another thing about Rin is that he was barely even in Haru's life and yet he left SUCH a huge impact on it. Rin probably spent half a semester of elementary school with Haru and the boys, yet in those few months he managed to touch something so deep in Haru that our independent, aloof and inexpressive Haru...

1) started running home from swim practice because Rin did

2) went against his own policy of only swimming free because Rin got him to

3) became so saddened that Rin moved overseas that everyone around him noticed (and it was one of the first things Kisumi mentioned when he ran into Haru in high school after all those years)

4) would fall apart when swimming freestyle in a team relay because Rin wasn't part of the team,

5) had Rin always lingering in his mind all throughout middle school,

6) said that he wanted "to swim like you too, Rin" after reading Rin's letter from Australia,

7) quit competitive swimming altogether because he thought he had hurt Rin by winning the race against him that one winter break,

8) was so rattled when Rin said that he never was going to swim with him again after Rin beat him in the freestyle race at one of the tournaments that he went into a trance-like state,

9) basically collapsed after hearing Rin say that he was quitting swimming,

10) was actually on the verge of CRYING after hearing Rin say that because Haru was heartbroken at the thought that he wouldn't ever swim with Rin again

11) said that all he wanted to do was to swim with Rin when Rei asked him what he wanted

and lots more. AND THAT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF A BOY WHO WAS IN HIS LIFE FOR LIKE THREE MONTHS MAX IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

There's no way anyone can tell me RinHaru isn't a powerful, uniquely special relationship that legitimately dances in the realm of the non-platonic. No other relationship in Free! compares to the dynamic of their friendship, to the complexity of their relationship.† They're not the closest friends—Makoto is Haru's best friend and Sousuke is Rin's—but they need each other. Are driven by each other. Are lowkey consumed by one another.

If you read my initial reaction to watching Free!, you’ll know that I knew nothing of this anime before going into it. I also actually thought I wouldn’t fall for the characters (I was too hung up on my Haikyuu!! babies), nor would even really be into it. I went into this whole thing so unbiased and knowing absolutely nothing of the anime or the characters or the ships or that there was even a fandom. I knew NOTHING, so everything I experienced was on my own and for myself. I didn't care for Rin in the beginning, but Haru's complex relationship with Rin sucked me in and was the very reason why I even binged the last 9 episodes in one night; I was so enthralled by RinHaru, and I didn't even realize it until ep12 when Haru ran after Rin like that. There's just something so special and intense about the relationship between RinHaru that it will forever be my ult OTP in the Free! universe.

I actually read a comment on a forum that touched on how Rin was in Haru's life for a fleeting moment yet left such a huge and deep mark in his life and psyche, and I was so happy someone else noticed that. I saved it somewhere, and I'll paste it below because it too sums up so well my thoughts on the dynamic relationship that is RinHaru:

RinHaru 100%...They have such a deep and real chemistry I don't even know where to begin. I could talk for hours about them, but lets keep this short and sweet. Haruka and Rin met in the last year of elementary school (roughly 12) for only (about) the last 3 months of the school year. In those 3 months they managed to create a bond so strong that Haruka never forgot about the red-haired shark-toothed boy in all the years to pass. Rin had such a strong pull on Haruka that when they met in middle school and raced against each other, Haruka quit swimming competitively just because he thought he hurt Rin. Now in high school, Haruka still wants to remember the sight Rin had showed him, and still cares about him just as deeply as his other friends. With Rin he had only been with him for a mere 3 months and managed to create such a deep bond with him, whereas with Makoto he was with him for basically his whole life. While I am in no way discrediting MH, Rinharu managed to create still as strong a bond as they did in such a short period of time. The way they admire each other and strive to be better because of each other just... // too perfect to describe. It's a beautiful dynamic, not abusive in any way as some haters call them. Their relationship focuses on growth, passion, and inspiration, always being able to light a fire in each other, always the person to spur them on and make them go just a little farther. A truly spectacular dynamic, Rinharu will always be my second favorite ship.

Modified by Baki-san, Feb 28, 2018 11:23 AM

With that being said, I honestly don’t care who you ship. Yeah, there are ships I utterly hate (*cough* Rintori *cough*), but in the end the beauty of shipping is that anyone can ship anyone. What frustrates me and pisses me off is when RinHaru—the Haru ship that’s closest to canon because their feelings for each other are actually reciprocated—is not only attempted to be discredited, but Rin is accused of all sorts of heinous things (like being abusive) just so people can fluff up their own ship. But that’s a different post; for now, this is why I ship RinHaru and they’ll forever be my Free! OTP <3

† this post was written for my original blog on July 27, 2020 before I’d watched Season 3. So, pre-drama-with-Ikuya and Hiyori’s-obsession-with-Ikuya. Those are some pretty complex relationships, too

#why i ship rinharu #i can talk about my otp for forever #would this be considered meta? #free! meta #rinharu #harurin #rin matsuoka #haruka nanase #why my otp #otp #anti makoharu #i love makoto but not shipped with Haru #free! iwatobi swim club #sharkbait

[justforbooks]

The 100 best novels written in English: the full list

After two years of careful consideration, Robert McCrum has reached a verdict on his selection of the 100 greatest novels written in English. Take a look at his list.

1. The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan (1678)

A story of a man in search of truth told with the simple clarity and beauty of Bunyan’s prose make this the ultimate English classic.

2. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1719)

By the end of the 19th century, no book in English literary history had enjoyed more editions, spin-offs and translations. Crusoe’s world-famous novel is a complex literary confection, and it’s irresistible.

3. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726)

A satirical masterpiece that’s never been out of print, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels comes third in our list of the best novels written in English

4. Clarissa by Samuel Richardson (1748)

Clarissa is a tragic heroine, pressured by her unscrupulous nouveau-riche family to marry a wealthy man she detests, in the book that Samuel Johnson described as “the first book in the world for the knowledge it displays of the human heart.”

5. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding (1749)

Tom Jones is a classic English novel that captures the spirit of its age and whose famous characters have come to represent Augustan society in all its loquacious, turbulent, comic variety.

6. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne (1759)

Laurence Sterne’s vivid novel caused delight and consternation when it first appeared and has lost little of its original bite.

7. Emma by Jane Austen (1816)

Jane Austen’s Emma is her masterpiece, mixing the sparkle of her early books with a deep sensibility.

8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)

Mary Shelley’s first novel has been hailed as a masterpiece of horror and the macabre.

9. Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock (1818)

The great pleasure of Nightmare Abbey, which was inspired by Thomas Love Peacock’s friendship with Shelley, lies in the delight the author takes in poking fun at the romantic movement.

10. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe (1838)

Edgar Allan Poe’s only novel – a classic adventure story with supernatural elements – has fascinated and influenced generations of writers.

11. Sybil by Benjamin Disraeli (1845)

The future prime minister displayed flashes of brilliance that equalled the greatest Victorian novelists.

12. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847)

Charlotte Brontë’s erotic, gothic masterpiece became the sensation of Victorian England. Its great breakthrough was its intimate dialogue with the reader.

13. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (1847)

Emily Brontë’s windswept masterpiece is notable not just for its wild beauty but for its daring reinvention of the novel form itself.

14. Vanity Fair by William Thackeray (1848)

William Thackeray’s masterpiece, set in Regency England, is a bravura performance by a writer at the top of his game.

15. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (1850)

David Copperfield marked the point at which Dickens became the great entertainer and also laid the foundations for his later, darker masterpieces.

16. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1850)

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s astounding book is full of intense symbolism and as haunting as anything by Edgar Allan Poe.

17. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (1851)

Wise, funny and gripping, Melville’s epic work continues to cast a long shadow over American literature.

18. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865)

Lewis Carroll’s brilliant nonsense tale is one of the most influential and best loved in the English canon.

19. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (1868)

Wilkie Collins’s masterpiece, hailed by many as the greatest English detective novel, is a brilliant marriage of the sensational and the realistic.

20. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868-9)

Louisa May Alcott’s highly original tale aimed at a young female market has iconic status in America and never been out of print.

21. Middlemarch by George Eliot (1871-2)

This cathedral of words stands today as perhaps the greatest of the great Victorian fictions.

22. The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope (1875)

Inspired by the author’s fury at the corrupt state of England, and dismissed by critics at the time, The Way We Live Now is recognised as Trollope’s masterpiece.

23. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1884/5)

Mark Twain’s tale of a rebel boy and a runaway slave seeking liberation upon the waters of the Mississippi remains a defining classic of American literature.

24. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)

A thrilling adventure story, gripping history and fascinating study of the Scottish character, Kidnapped has lost none of its power.

25. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome (1889)

Jerome K Jerome’s accidental classic about messing about on the Thames remains a comic gem.

26. The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle (1890)

Sherlock Holmes’s second outing sees Conan Doyle’s brilliant sleuth – and his bluff sidekick Watson – come into their own.

27. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1891)

Wilde’s brilliantly allusive moral tale of youth, beauty and corruption was greeted with howls of protest on publication.

28. New Grub Street by George Gissing (1891)

George Gissing’s portrayal of the hard facts of a literary life remains as relevant today as it was in the late 19th century.

29. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (1895)

Hardy exposed his deepest feelings in this bleak, angry novel and, stung by the hostile response, he never wrote another.

30. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (1895)

Stephen Crane’s account of a young man’s passage to manhood through soldiery is a blueprint for the great American war novel.

31. Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)

Bram Stoker’s classic vampire story was very much of its time but still resonates more than a century later.

32. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1899)

Joseph Conrad’s masterpiece about a life-changing journey in search of Mr Kurtz has the simplicity of great myth.

33. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (1900)

Theodore Dreiser was no stylist, but there’s a terrific momentum to his unflinching novel about a country girl’s American dream.

34. Kim by Rudyard Kipling (1901)

In Kipling’s classic boy’s own spy story, an orphan in British India must make a choice between east and west.

35. The Call of the Wild by Jack London (1903)

Jack London’s vivid adventures of a pet dog that goes back to nature reveal an extraordinary style and consummate storytelling.

36. The Golden Bowl by Henry James (1904)

American literature contains nothing else quite like Henry James’s amazing, labyrinthine and claustrophobic novel.

37. Hadrian the Seventh by Frederick Rolfe (1904)

This entertaining if contrived story of a hack writer and priest who becomes pope sheds vivid light on its eccentric author – described by DH Lawrence as a “man-demon”.

38. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (1908)

The evergreen tale from the riverbank and a powerful contribution to the mythology of Edwardian England.

39. The History of Mr Polly by HG Wells (1910)

The choice is great, but Wells’s ironic portrait of a man very like himself is the novel that stands out.

40. Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm (1911)

The passage of time has conferred a dark power upon Beerbohm’s ostensibly light and witty Edwardian satire.

41. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford (1915)

Ford’s masterpiece is a searing study of moral dissolution behind the facade of an English gentleman – and its stylistic influence lingers to this day.

42. The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (1915)

John Buchan’s espionage thriller, with its sparse, contemporary prose, is hard to put down.

43. The Rainbow by DH Lawrence (1915)

The Rainbow is perhaps DH Lawrence’s finest work, showing him for the radical, protean, thoroughly modern writer he was.

44. Of Human Bondage by W Somerset Maugham (1915)

Somerset Maugham’s semi-autobiographical novel shows the author’s savage honesty and gift for storytelling at their best.

45. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (1920)

The story of a blighted New York marriage stands as a fierce indictment of a society estranged from culture.

46. Ulysses by James Joyce (1922)

This portrait of a day in the lives of three Dubliners remains a towering work, in its word play surpassing even Shakespeare.

47. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis (1922)

What it lacks in structure and guile, this enthralling take on 20s America makes up for in vivid satire and characterisation.

48. A Passage to India by EM Forster (1924)

EM Forster’s most successful work is eerily prescient on the subject of empire.

49. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos (1925)

A guilty pleasure it may be, but it is impossible to overlook the enduring influence of a tale that helped to define the jazz age.

50. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (1925)

Woolf’s great novel makes a day of party preparations the canvas for themes of lost love, life choices and mental illness.

51. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (1925)

Fitzgerald’s jazz age masterpiece has become a tantalising metaphor for the eternal mystery of art.

52. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner (1926)

A young woman escapes convention by becoming a witch in this original satire about England after the first world war.

53. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (1926)

Hemingway’s first and best novel makes an escape to 1920s Spain to explore courage, cowardice and manly authenticity.

54. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1929)

Dashiell Hammett’s crime thriller and its hard-boiled hero Sam Spade influenced everyone from Chandler to Le Carré.

55. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (1930)

The influence of William Faulkner’s immersive tale of raw Mississippi rural life can be felt to this day.

56. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932)

Aldous Huxley’s vision of a future human race controlled by global capitalism is every bit as prescient as Orwell’s more famous dystopia.

57. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (1932)

The book for which Gibbons is best remembered was a satire of late-Victorian pastoral fiction but went on to influence many subsequent generations.

58. Nineteen Nineteen by John Dos Passos (1932)

The middle volume of John Dos Passos’s USA trilogy is revolutionary in its intent, techniques and lasting impact.

59. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller (1934)

The US novelist’s debut revelled in a Paris underworld of seedy sex and changed the course of the novel – though not without a fight with the censors.

60. Scoop by Evelyn Waugh (1938)

Evelyn Waugh’s Fleet Street satire remains sharp, pertinent and memorable.

61. Murphy by Samuel Beckett (1938)

Samuel Beckett’s first published novel is an absurdist masterpiece, a showcase for his uniquely comic voice.

62. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (1939)

Raymond Chandler’s hardboiled debut brings to life the seedy LA underworld – and Philip Marlowe, the archetypal fictional detective.

63. Party Going by Henry Green (1939)

Set on the eve of war, this neglected modernist masterpiece centres on a group of bright young revellers delayed by fog.

64. At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O’Brien (1939)

Labyrinthine and multilayered, Flann O’Brien’s humorous debut is both a reflection on, and an exemplar of, the Irish novel.

65. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)

One of the greatest of great American novels, this study of a family torn apart by poverty and desperation in the Great Depression shocked US society.

66. Joy in the Morning by PG Wodehouse (1946)

PG Wodehouse’s elegiac Jeeves novel, written during his disastrous years in wartime Germany, remains his masterpiece.

67. All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren (1946)

A compelling story of personal and political corruption, set in the 1930s in the American south.

68. Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry (1947)

Malcolm Lowry’s masterpiece about the last hours of an alcoholic ex-diplomat in Mexico is set to the drumbeat of coming conflict.

69. The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen (1948)

Elizabeth Bowen’s 1948 novel perfectly captures the atmosphere of London during the blitz while providing brilliant insights into the human heart.

70. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949)

George Orwell’s dystopian classic cost its author dear but is arguably the best-known novel in English of the 20th century.

71. The End of the Affair by Graham Greene (1951)

Graham Greene’s moving tale of adultery and its aftermath ties together several vital strands in his work.

72. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger (1951)

JD Salinger’s study of teenage rebellion remains one of the most controversial and best-loved American novels of the 20th century.

73. The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow (1953)

In the long-running hunt to identify the great American novel, Saul Bellow’s picaresque third book frequently hits the mark.

74. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954)

Dismissed at first as “rubbish & dull”, Golding’s brilliantly observed dystopian desert island tale has since become a classic.

75. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955)

Nabokov’s tragicomic tour de force crosses the boundaries of good taste with glee.

76. On the Road by Jack Kerouac (1957)

The creative history of Kerouac’s beat-generation classic, fuelled by pea soup and benzedrine, has become as famous as the novel itself.

77. Voss by Patrick White (1957)

A love story set against the disappearance of an explorer in the outback, Voss paved the way for a generation of Australian writers to shrug off the colonial past.

78. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960)

Her second novel finally arrived this summer, but Harper Lee’s first did enough alone to secure her lasting fame, and remains a truly popular classic.

79. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (1960)

Short and bittersweet, Muriel Spark’s tale of the downfall of a Scottish schoolmistress is a masterpiece of narrative fiction.

80. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1961)

This acerbic anti-war novel was slow to fire the public imagination, but is rightly regarded as a groundbreaking critique of military madness.

81. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (1962)

Hailed as one of the key texts of the women’s movement of the 1960s, this study of a divorced single mother’s search for personal and political identity remains a defiant, ambitious tour de force.

82. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962)

Anthony Burgess’s dystopian classic still continues to startle and provoke, refusing to be outshone by Stanley Kubrick’s brilliant film adaptation.

83. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (1964)

Christopher Isherwood’s story of a gay Englishman struggling with bereavement in LA is a work of compressed brilliance.

84. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (1966)

Truman Capote’s non-fiction novel, a true story of bloody murder in rural Kansas, opens a window on the dark underbelly of postwar America.

85. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1966)

Sylvia Plath’s painfully graphic roman à clef, in which a woman struggles with her identity in the face of social pressure, is a key text of Anglo-American feminism.

86. Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth (1969)

This wickedly funny novel about a young Jewish American’s obsession with masturbation caused outrage on publication, but remains his most dazzling work.

87. Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor (1971)

Elizabeth Taylor’s exquisitely drawn character study of eccentricity in old age is a sharp and witty portrait of genteel postwar English life facing the changes taking shape in the 60s.

88. Rabbit Redux by John Updike (1971)

Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, Updike’s lovably mediocre alter ego, is one of America’s great literary protoganists, up there with Huck Finn and Jay Gatsby.

89. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (1977)

The novel with which the Nobel prize-winning author established her name is a kaleidoscopic evocation of the African-American experience in the 20th century.

90. A Bend in the River by VS Naipaul (1979)

VS Naipaul’s hellish vision of an African nation’s path to independence saw him accused of racism, but remains his masterpiece.

91. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie (1981)

The personal and the historical merge in Salman Rushdie’s dazzling, game-changing Indian English novel of a young man born at the very moment of Indian independence.

92. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (1981)

Marilynne Robinson’s tale of orphaned sisters and their oddball aunt in a remote Idaho town is admired by everyone from Barack Obama to Bret Easton Ellis.

93. Money: A Suicide Note by Martin Amis (1984)

Martin Amis’s era-defining ode to excess unleashed one of literature’s greatest modern monsters in self-destructive antihero John Self.

94. An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (1986)

Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel about a retired artist in postwar Japan, reflecting on his career during the country’s dark years, is a tour de force of unreliable narration.

95. The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (1988)

Fitzgerald’s story, set in Russia just before the Bolshevik revolution, is her masterpiece: a brilliant miniature whose peculiar magic almost defies analysis.

96. Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler (1988)

Anne Tyler’s portrayal of a middle-aged, mid-American marriage displays her narrative clarity, comic timing and ear for American speech to perfection.

97. Amongst Women by John McGahern (1990)

This modern Irish masterpiece is both a study of the faultlines of Irish patriarchy and an elegy for a lost world.

98. Underworld by Don DeLillo (1997)

A writer of “frightening perception”, Don DeLillo guides the reader in an epic journey through America’s history and popular culture.

99. Disgrace by JM Coetzee (1999)

In his Booker-winning masterpiece, Coetzee’s intensely human vision infuses a fictional world that both invites and confounds political interpretation.

100. True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey (2000)

Peter Carey rounds off our list of literary milestones with a Booker prize-winning tour-de-force examining the life and times of Australia’s infamous antihero, Ned Kelly.

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