#I would have loved some rewind time scenes though

[babblingbear09]

I’ve seen a lot of posts talking about how dumb it was that Five didn’t time travel in S3 to either escape the new end of the world or at least reverse time to save his siblings. On a rewatch, I don’t think the issue really is that he didn’t so much as the show didn’t fully explain why he couldn’t.

The Umbrellas arrive in 2019 and the Kugelblitz appears. Almost immediately after, we see Lila attempt to use a briefcase, and it completely fails. She steals another and the same thing happens — kaput. Five even says how astronomically impossible this is. The Commission briefcases have been the most reliable time travel in the show by a wide margin, way more accurate than Five’s powers and able to handle more jumps with more people far easier. Despite that, once the Kugelblitz started, they can no longer function.

Five and Lila do manage to time travel but it takes both of them plus a briefcase to barely get to the Fifties and back and doing so completely fries the commission briefcase. At this point, I don’t think even they together have the power to travel back unassisted without a briefcase. And that’s even before the Kugelblitz really powers up.

The big question here is why, which Five actually explains while they’re in Commission headquarters. The Kugelblitz is the opposite of the Big Bang — the timeline is collapsing in on itself, pretty much creating a giant black hole centered on 2019. This tells me two things:

1. Time, past and future, is literally collapsing into 2019. The Kugelblitz is an unimaginably powerful force that’s destroying the universe and only getting stronger by the second. If time travel is usually hard, I imagine trying to go backward against that force is next to impossible (I’d go with actually impossible once it got stronger). As mentioned, Five + Lila + the briefcase could barely do it. There’s little chance alone.

2. Despite all the destruction we see in the season, 2019 is the center point and the last thing to be destroyed. We see at the end of the show that the only thing left in the universe is the city block with the hotel. I’d imagine the same thing happened with the timelines. Why was every single person in the commission dusted? Because the commission headquarters is in the Fifties. If the timeline is collapsing, it makes sense that things further in the past are collapsing first. The Kugelblitz isn’t just destroying the present, it’s the collapse of the entire timeline with 2019 as the center point. I think by the time Lila and Five time travel, everyone from up to that point in history has been destroyed, not just the commission. Time is rolling up like a carpet with 2019 being the last to go. If they even could time travel, they would have even less time to live their lives or try to save the universe than they did in the Sparrow timeline.

I do think time travel could have worked. If they had known Harlan was the cause before Five and Lila time traveled, I think them with the briefcase could have made it back, killed him (sorry Harlan) and saved the world. But without that knowledge, they couldn’t have investigated and tried to save 7 different women before 1989 was dusted. And once they had the truth, the Kugelblitz was stronger and the briefcases were destroyed.

So yeah, there was literally no time traveling Five could do this season. I think even rewinds would be impossible against the gravitational pull on the timeline that was the end of the universe. For once, Five had to live it out with everyone else and accept fate.

#five hargreeves #the umbrella academy #tua #number five #the umbrella academy season three #tua season 3 #the sparrow academy #lila pitts #the commission #number 5 #tua s3 #tua season three spoilers #I would have loved some rewind time scenes though #if Five gets his powers back #that’s at the top of my list #it’s just so cool and so OP #which is why I’m afraid there will usually be handwavy reasons why it won’t work

[wishuroses]

.⠀ ݁ ⸜⸜ 𓂃 𓇼 oh say it ditto, aonung.

✶ pairings: aonung x sully!reader

✶ warnings: fluff, fighting, reader is awkward, flirty and touchy aonung, spicy tension if u squint hard enough maybe idk fuck around and find out, reader the ultimate brozoner, reader and lo’ak evil twin agenda, not proofread whatsoever, uppercase intended!

✶ word count: 2k

✶ na’vi glossary: kenten – fan lizard, paskalin – honey, skxawng – idiot.

✶ a/n: me vs stealing kpop song lyrics to use as titles LOL i literally had to rewind some scenes like a thousand times to get everything down right hehe.. happy reading! >:-)

After nearly weeks of traveling on your ikrans, your family had finally arrived in Awa’atlu, desperately seeking Uturu to get away from war. You were standing beside your brother, Neteyam, your lanky arms hanging awkwardly in front of you, tense hands clasped together in a poor attempt to ground yourself.

You felt even more awkward when an–admittedly attractive– boy and his friend entered the crowd. Once the two of you made eye contact–his being a thousand times more intense than yours, burning into you like a hundred suns– you immediately brought your hand to your forehead, a sign of respect.

Instead of him doing the same like you thought he would, he flared his nostrils and looked you up and down with a narrowed glare. His stare made a feeling flutter deep in your stomach, like someone alerted a field of colorful kenten.

Oh. He was sizing you up.

With an inaudible inhale, you shuffled closer to Neteyam, his heavy arm immediately coming to wrap around your tense shoulders, thumbing at scarred skin, effectively grounding you. Your big amber eyes never broke away from Aonung’s baby blue ones, furrowing your eyebrows and flicking your ears upward in embarrassment from being blatantly ignored. He would definitely be a problem later.

It was when your dad whispered an “it’s alright, be cool” that you finally broke his gaze, opting to look at the ground beneath you. Your thick braids curtained the sides of your face, beads clicking together harmoniously–the feeling of being watched intensely from a crowd of na’vi made you feel nauseous, dizzy, and even more alienated; your nose twitching as the the saltiness of the air nearly intoxicates you.

The sand felt weird, foreign, incredibly unfamiliar to the dark soil you already missed digging your feet into. The waves crashing against the shore, however, sounded lovely. The wind blows, it passes over, beneath, and between the mangroves, one after another, never to return. Though, it wasn’t enough to fill the void. You hoped that after all this blew over, you and your family would be able to go back home–but the gnawing voice at the back of your head knew that would never happen.

“These children are not even true Na’vi.”

You harshly blinked away the tears that threatened to spill when you felt the Tsahìk rip one of your clasped hands away, only to hold your four-fingered hand up for the scrutinizing crowd to see. Her voice boomed with authority.

“They have demon blood!”

The only thing you could hear were ringing in your ears, your own pulsing heartbeat, and the scared gasps of the na’vi surrounding you.

Welp. This is your life now. Your home.

.⠀ ݁ ⸜⸜ 𓂃 ✿̅

“Hey!” Lo’ak yelled, striding up to Aonung and his crew with you following closely behind, “Back off, fishlips.” Kiri took a few small steps back, looking between the both of you in a slight panic; you nodded towards her and she nodded back with a small, yet obviously forced smile on her face, the look in her eyes gave you just enough to know she was fine.

Aonung’s face quickly morphed into a smirk, his tone criminally sardonic. By Eywa, this boy is evil. “Oooh, more four-fingered freaks!” He cackled wickedly, lightly shoving Lo’ak–almost playful– like he wasn’t tormenting Kiri a few moments ago. Him and his gang started to crowd around your twin, pulling and touching the thin tail that flicked with annoyance.

“Leave us alone!” Kiri chorused, the plea sitting desperately on her tongue.

With an exaggerated sigh, you ran up beside Lo’ak and shoved Aonung with as much strength as your lithe body could muster at the moment, running off of pure adrenaline. The push wasn’t that strong, but strong enough that it made Aonung take a few steps back, admittedly flustering him a little. “Dude, don’t touch him!” You emphasized, your frantic, honeyed eyes as wide as can be, staring back into his.

Time seemed to stop for Aonung as he took in your appearance like he did the first time you two saw each other, yet you were even beautiful up close. His eyes looked between your left eye, your right, and then to your lips. Before his own mind could even register, he wrapped his big hand around your wrist, indulging in how it nearly engulfed your entire hand. Once his thumb caressed your skin, you felt your heart jump.

“Beautiful..” Aonung whispered– his voice low and deep– so that just the two of you would be able to hear it. His tongue swiped at his bottom lip, effectively distracting you from what was really important at the moment.

It seems that he was too caught up in taking you in, narrowly missing the way Neteyam was currently striding up to him with vigor, shoving him with way more force than you ever had, resulting in everyone going quiet and shifting their attention towards him.

“You heard what they said.” Neteyam started, pointing an accusing finger at Aonung. “Leave them alone.”

“Back off, now.”

Aonung raised his hands up in mock surrender, looking off to the side as Neteyam continued to stare holes into his head.

“Smart choice. And from now on I need you to respect my sisters.”

“Let’s go.” Neteyam gathered you, Kiri, and Lo’ak like sheep, ready to walk away and get whatever the hell was happening over with.

“Look at them. They’re all freaks, the whole family.”

Lo’ak sighs deeply at this and makes his way back over to Aonung and his friends.

Watching him with wide eyes, your heart panged as you figured out what would happen as soon as he steps into their vicinity again. “Lo’ak..” You chided, hurriedly looking back towards your twin and the snickering guys behind him.

“I got this, sis.”

Lo’ak, in fact, did not have it. A huge fight broke out between everyone, excluding Kiri of course. What kind of twin would you be if you didn’t jump in?

.⠀ ݁ ⸜⸜ 𓂃 ✿̅

You all were definitely about to get the lecturing of a lifetime–or, you and Lo’ak, at least. Lo’ak had his hand wrapped around his arm, Neteyam rubbing at his bloodied nose, while you had your arms crossed, nails digging into your elbows. All with Jake trailing behind, practically seething with anger.

“What was the one thing I asked? The one thing?”

“Stay out of trouble–” You and Lo’ak chorused, Neteyam looking off to the side.

“Stay out of trouble, right.”

“And you,” Jake started incredulously, turning his stern gaze towards you. He knew you and Lo’ak were alike, down to a T, so maybe he really shouldn’t be surprised, yet he still couldn’t help but feel a semblance of disappointment pang in his chest as he watched the pinkish hue of Aonung’s blood stain the tips of your teeth and the cracks of your bruised lips. “You bit Aonung!”

“I did not–” “Yes, you did! Oh, so now you’re starting to lie to me?” Immediately, your ears cast downward, the loudness of his voice making tears brim your eyes and your bottom lip tremble. He was right, you actually did lie, the taste of iron fresh on your tongue to further prove his point. But how you hated when your father spoke to you like this–the weight of shame and disappointment dripping down your shoulders like hot syrup.

You felt Lo’ak and Neteyam’s stare burn into the side of your head like hot coals, their hearts heavy as they both watched their little sister get scolded for something she didn’t start.

Neteyam pursed his lips before stepping in front of you and Lo’ak, ready to defend. “Sir, it is all my fault–”

“I don’t think so. You gotta stop taking the heat for these two knuckleheads.” Your shoulders were pinched as a tear ran down the slope of your rounded cheek, hand coming up to quickly swipe it away. Neteyam stepped over to place a hand on your back.

“Dad, Aonung was picking on Kiri.. called her a freak.” Lo’ak said softly, as to not make your father raise his voice any more than he already was. Jake’s stern gaze softened at this, looking off to the side. He sighed audibly before looking back to the both of you.

“Go apologize to Aonung.”

“What?” You and Lo’ak said in unison, both of your eyebrows furrowing.

“He is the chief’s son, do you understand? I don’t care how you do it, just make peace. Just go.”

And with that, Lo’ak sighed and shook his head, stray braids swinging with the movement, walking off to go find Aonung with you scurrying behind like a lost, pitiful puppy. You didn’t dare look back when Jake called for Neteyam, only focusing on controlling your own harsh breathing. This had to have been the worst day of your life.

.⠀ ݁ ⸜⸜ 𓂃 ✿̅

“Run that by me again.”

“..Whatever that means.”

“Repeat what you said.”

“I said, if you allow me to court your sister, you will be pardoned.”

“Dude, I am not prostituting my sister. Are you nuts or something?”

“Not prostituting, I just happen to like her.”

Well, you thought, so much for trying to apologize.

You were currently hiding behind a nearby tree, ears alert as you listened in on their conversation. Lo’ak told you to stay put, that he’d go apologize to the dude himself since you didn’t have anything to do with it; technically you did bite him, and his friend.. and two more of his friends. But that was because you had teeth, so why not use them for what they’re made for?

By the time Aonung blinked, you were already at your twin’s side, amber eyes glancing into amber eyes before peeking into his blue ones. “I am very sorry, Aonung, but I don’t think Kiri is interested in you. Like, at all.” You said with a tilt of your head, beads thudding almost mockingly.

After an awkward beat of silence, Aonung cleared his throat. “No, I’m not talking about Kiri..? I’m talking about you, (Y/N).”

Lo’ak gawked at him as if he had grown fifteen heads, eyebrows raised incredulously. “Bro–” “I accept your offer.” Now Lo’ak was staring at you as if you were crazier for even accepting, mouth open cartoonishly wide. Aonung, however, looked extremely pleased at your response, glancing at Lo’ak in a way that screamed ‘she said it, not me’.

“Whatever. Let me know if you need me to beat him up, okay? And you, bring my baby sister back before eclipse.” Lo’ak huffed before turning to set off along the shore, shaking his head in the procress.

“Not a baby, Lo’ak, we were born five minutes apart!” You complained in English, making Aonung’s ears perk up at the foreign language that spilled from your mouth.

Lo’ak turned to you, flipping you off with both hands raised in the air–even with his thumbs out. Disrespectful. “Girl, bye!”

You watched your brother walk further and further, his silhouette getting smaller and smaller. Blinking, you turned to Aonung, only to find out he’s already staring you down intensely. Acknowledging him with a nod of your head, you felt your cheeks flush at his attention, a fluttering feeling took over the pit of your stomach.

Aonung crowded you, tucking his fingers under your chin to make you look up at him. “Just so you know, I would have courted you even without your brother’s permission, sweet girl.” His eyes were even prettier up close, a striking narrowed blue boring into your honey ones. You felt your heart violently palpate at the name, and with a nervous exhale, you shied away from his hand.

“Come.” You quipped sweetly, skipping ahead with Aonung following close behind, his eyes trailing down your form, stopping at the pretty woven bow that sat right at the base of your tail. His gaze snapped back to your face when he saw you face him in his peripheral, heart thudding against his ribcage. “Do you call everyone ‘sweet girl’?”

“No, only you. You are very pretty, by the way.”

“Thanks bro.” He internally cringed at the choice of label, it was a habit, obviously, but Aonung didn’t seem to mind it very much; he knew it would change over the course of time. “You think the same about Lo’ak?”

“By Eywa, no, he doesn’t look half as good as you, paskalin.”

“He is my twin, skxawng. We look the same.”

Aonung went silent for a few moments, scanning your features before responding. “.. Not necessarily. The shape of the hair over your eyes are both the same, though. I will give you that much.”

Your laugh fluctuated throughout the air, singing harmoniously with the crashing waves. You desperately trying to ignore the way your entire body felt like it was lit up in flames when he placed his hand on the small of your waist, thumbing at the skin, you were sure he could hear your heartbeat threatening to jump out of your chest.

Looking up at him, you noticed the small multitude of bite marks along his shoulders and arms, your ears lowering in guilt when the phantom taste of iron filled your mouth, remembering what your dad told you.

“Also–uhm– sorry for biting you.. so many times.”

“It’s okay, I liked it, sorry for calling you a freak.”

“No hard feelings. I’ve said worse about you with Lo’ak.” Aonung decided he would ignore that last part, while you decided to ignore the first part of his statement, feeling your face flush for the thousandth time today.

“I really did like it, by the way, you biting me. Do it again next time.”

“.. Jesus christ.”

“Who?”

You didn’t really like it here at first, but since the Olo’eyktan’s son currently had his hand digging into the skin of your waist with full intent on courting you, you guess you could make it work.

#aonung #avatar the way of water #atwow x reader #atwow aonung #ao’nung #ao'nung #aonung x reader #ao’nung x reader #ao’nung x y/n #ao'nung x y/n #ao'nung x reader #ao'nung x you #aonung x y/n #aonung x you #ao’nung x you #aonung x sully!reader #ao’nung x sully!reader #avatar x reader #atwow x y/n #atwow x you #avatar x you #avatar x y/n #avatar #atwow #na'vi x reader #na'vi x y/n #fanfic #na’vi x reader #navi x reader #x reader

[becauseimanicequeen]

Don't Ask Me for QL Recommendations Because My Taste is BAD

Bad as in TRASHY.

For your own good, don't ask me for recommendations.

I'm writing this because I've gotten some asks lately for QL recommendations and I wanted to spare you the pain.

If you still don't trust me (because to be fair, why would you? I'm just a random weirdo on the internet), let me tell you how bad my taste is so you'll know why I'm doing you a great favor by sparing you the pain.

(I also watch, and rewatch, series/films for ridiculous reasons, yet another reason not to listen to me. I’ll come back to this in a minute.)

Let's start with a brief rewind to a couple of decades ago (because it matters in this context).

The first queer content of any kind I can remember watching was Xena: The Warrior Princess in the late 90s and early 00s (I was a child/pre-teen at the time). It was such a pivotal point for me, which is why I remember it vividly. Not only was Lucy Lawless (the actress playing Xena) the most beautiful human being I had ever seen at that point, Xena was also queer and I loved her.

The series, though? It’s bad.

It’s over-the-top, contains ridiculous humor, face-palm-worthy fight scenes, etc., etc. (But, it was also the 90s, so it was quality television at the time, no matter what anyone else says.) It was so bad that it was ridiculously entertaining. I would watch it today (if I could find it anywhere…). That’s how bad my taste is (or how attached I am to bad shit).

That’s when the groundwork for my bad taste was laid. I blame THANK Xena: The Warrior Princess for it.

Then there was a huge skip until July last year when I found the Asian QL world, because I had no idea it even existed (I’m from Europe, btw).

(My personal story is that I fell into the queer/gay film world before the QL world, and the queer films I could find were made and released very sporadically. But ever since I found the treasure trove of Asian QL series in July 2023, I’ve watched 291 series/films as of right now.)

The reason I fell into the Asian QL world was thanks to a Short on YouTube with the main characters from Roommates of Poongduck 304 kissing. (Want to know what convinced me to watch it? One of them was wearing blue and the other pink, two of my favorite colors. Yep, that’s the reason. Told you it would be ridiculous.)

Since then, I’ve been exploring this rabbit hole and loving every second of all the bad shit that’s out there (there’s some great shit too, and some great things that aren’t shit at all, but they’re not really my taste because my taste is trashy, remember?).

I quickly noticed what my taste was pulling me towards and, in some cases, the trashier it was, the more I liked it.

(I’m talking about fiction here. I’m mature enough to be able to separate fiction from reality. Just because I enjoy watching a series/film that depicts a problematic topic, and sometimes do it in a problematic way, doesn’t mean I condone it in real life. I’m just putting this here as a disclaimer because people on the internet are easily offended nowadays. And I honestly don’t have time to respond to people who are venting their anger after purposefully misinterpreting what I’ve said, unless there’s a very valid reason, which there usually isn’t.)

So, what are some of my favorites that I absolutely do not recommend you watch?

Unless you want to watch trash, then, have at it. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

(Btw, if you like any of these, I apologize for calling your taste bad and trashy. But, if you like any of these, I think you already know your taste is bad. Also, if you like any of these, hey, bestie!)

Let’s start with the less extreme ones so I don’t scare you away from the start. After that, they’re in no particular order.

(With the issues/TW section for each series/film I include possible trigger warnings, taboo topics, what viewers/commenters have brought up as problematic, my possible issues with the writing, etc. I won’t list everything (because some of them would have looong lists) but I’m including some of the major ones.)

Kiseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, age gap, “adoptive” brothers becoming lovers, etc.

Both couples in this series have their own set of issues. Ai Di and Chen Yi are the “adoptive” brothers who become lovers while Ze Rui and Zong Yi have an age gap (I can’t remember how big of an age gap but I think it was close to 10-ish years).

(Before I move on there’s one thing you should know about me… I was born into a family with a varying degree of age gaps within marriages, from 2 to 23 years. Even though we’ve talked about the bigger age gaps occasionally, it’s never been an issue. I don’t mind age gaps as long as they’re legal. Does that mean I would hook up with someone in their late teens or early twenties? No. I would rather hook up with someone who has a fully developed brain, which science suggests doesn’t happen until somewhere in the mid-to-late-twenties. But it does mean that age gaps (as long as they’re legal) aren’t something I’ll be bothered by or judgemental of.)

Kiseki: Dear to Me is one of my favorite series because:

It’s from Taiwan, and the Taiwanese QLs are generally great at dealing with more difficult and taboo topics.

Ai Di is the feistiest, most colorful, and pettiest bitch and I love him with my entire ice-cold heart.

Chen Yi looks amazing in black.

The neon lights (because I’m a slut for that).

Also, the kissing (from both couples) is great.

You know, I did say that these would be series/films I absolutely do not recommend you watch. But I’ll actually recommend this one. Watch it. It’s great.

Unknown (Taiwan)

Issues/TW: Age gap, “adoptive” brothers becoming lovers, etc.

This is another one I’ll actually recommend you watch because it’s great.

The main couple (Qian and Yuan) are the “adoptive” brothers becoming lovers while the age gap is most prominent between San Pang (Qian’s business partner) and Lili (Qian’s younger sister). There’s also the fact that San Pang is part of their chosen family and has seen Lili grow up and stuff. So, if that bothers you, then don’t watch it.

The biggest reasons I would personally recommend it to those I know aren’t particularly bothered by taboo topics are because:

The yearning is palpable (and I love shit like that).

Qian would move heaven and earth for his family.

The great story.

The even more amazing acting.

Some moments made me bawl (and since I'm an ice queen, I get obsessed with shit that shatters my ice and makes me cry).

I know I said my taste is trashy… but I would actually give myself a gold star for loving this one.

Now, back to the real trash…

Love in the Air (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, SA, rape, MAME, etc.

Everyone and their aunt (or however the saying goes in English) seem to have an issue with MAME (the original creator of LITA and several other trashy BLs) and for good reason. (I would say that she improved a lot with Wedding Plan, which is the least problematic thing I’ve watched from her and it’s the latest series of hers, as of right now.) If she’s grown, remains to be seen. But it doesn’t change the fact that LITA has some issues.

Honestly, I just watch this for the visuals, as in the motorcycles and the neon lights. That’s it. That’s the reason.

I mean, if you look at the whole first sex scene between Sky and Prapai, you get what I mean with the neon lights. It’s divine. (I recently rewatched LITA for this very reason. A waste of time, you say? Not when you’re a slut for neon lights.)

Don’t watch this though! Just enjoy this gif instead…

I just saved you 13-ish hours of your life. You’re welcome.

TharnType and TharnType 2: 7 Years of Love (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, homophobia, domestic violence, MAME, etc.

Don’t watch this. This is bad. As in, really bad. And all the issues are in the main couple’s relationship.

But, since my taste is really bad, I rewatched this recently for horny reasons (it’s Mew, after all, and he’s got me in a chokehold for some reason). It’s still as bad as I remembered it, but I would still rewatch it for Mew’s sake (and because Techno is ridiculous throughout both seasons, which means I love him).

To be fair there are other, a lot spicier, series that I watch more often for horny reasons (yes, some of them are in this post because they’re trashy too), but none of them include Mew. And since I have to get my dose of Mew from time to time, I return to TharnType (especially the second season).

Big Dragon (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, blackmail, etc.

This isn’t that problematic in my opinion, but there is definitely a drug-induced sexcapade that’s taped and used for blackmail for a while. And that's how the series starts.

I recently did a rewatch of this and it was still bad (in a good way) and I loved every second of it.

What I love about this series are:

The visuals. The set designs are beautiful (especially Yai’s home and the bar, before he demolishes it). As a visual artist, this is speaking to my soul.

The chemistry between Yai and Mangkorn.

Pong and Park. Two idiots I love with my whole ice-cold heart.

And the title track because it’s addictive as hell to listen to.

Also, the sex (which my horny ass needs). Let's not forget the sex. Those scenes were also visually stunning, which made me love them even more.

Honestly, I'll kneel and bow down to this shit because it's that great.

Don’t trust my judgment, though, because my taste is trashy.

Only Friends (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Manipulation, stalking, promiscuity, etc.

This series is messy in terms of intrigue (especially from Boston and then Boeing’s part). The ending had some issues. The sex isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, either. I, on the other hand, would drink a whole pot of this.

Overall, I loved this trash. Mainly because of:

How visually stunning it is.

Sand. He’s a hardworking, good person. He’s also a proud bi!

How they depicted and handled Ray’s addiction and recovery. (I know some watchers were upset that the focus of the series landed on Sand and Ray towards the end while neglecting the other characters, which is a valid point. However, setting that aside, the way they portrayed Ray’s addiction and then his road to recovery in the last couple of episodes was realistic, and I loved it.)

The promiscuity, because I loved it and the mess it created.

Boston being a slutty asshole. The more of a slutty asshole he was, the more I loved him. (I know, it’s a me-problem.)

Boeing coming in and kissing (almost) everyone.

It’s trashy, it’s messy, and I love it!

But, I don’t recommend it to anyone.

My Beautiful Man 1, 2, and 3 Eternal (Japan)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, obsession, bullying, lack of (or no real) communication, etc.

I love this series (2 seasons + 1 film), but I honestly don’t see it as particularly problematic. But I know others will disagree with me, so here it is on my list of trashy QLs.

I don’t mind Hira’s obsession because I know Kiyoi is just as whipped for Hira (even though he doesn’t know how to communicate it to Hira at first, especially in a way that Hira understands). Would I be okay with someone’s obsession and stalking in real life? Of course not. But, as I mentioned before, I’m mature enough to separate fiction from reality.

Also, I love miscommunicating characters, especially when the misunderstandings they create bring out all the emotions (angst, hurt, anger, sadness, embarrassment, etc.) and even the flight response. I especially love miscommunicating characters when they learn to communicate throughout the series/film. And this series is especially delicious on the miscommunicating part.

But, it’s also problematic, apparently. So, don’t watch it.

The End of the World With You (Japan)

Issues/TW: Blackmail, biphobia, cheating, etc.

I’ll be honest and say that I’ve only watched this series three times. And that’s because the biphobia is fucking annoying. In this series, the bi character is depicted as a cheater (which is common in QLs, btw). It’s an exasperating stereotype. Cheating has nothing to do with your sexuality and everything to do with who you are as a person.

(I mean, you can be a proud bi like Payu in LITA or Sand in OF. They have eyes only for one person as soon as they’re pursuing or dating someone. Give me more bi characters like this, please.)

We could discuss how cheating can be used as characterization in certain stories. But not in this one. Here, they’re basically using Ritsu’s bisexuality as the reason he’s cheating (since he’s sleeping with Masumi while having a thing going on with a girl, and then sleeping with a girl when he has a thing with Masumi), which is why it’s bothering me in this series.

If I’m going to tell you why I like this series, however, it’s for 2 reasons:

It’s about getting a second chance, a topic I love.

The sex (laser-focused horny Ritsu is my favorite Ritsu).

Check Out (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Biphobia, cheating, lazy writing, etc.

(It should be mentioned that I’ve read some comments about some issues involving the company behind this series. I haven’t dug deeper into this so I don’t really know if there’s any substance to the comments I’ve read (like official statements from the company or the other people involved, etc.). But I’m putting this out there in case this might be a potential issue for you (even though I’ve already told you that I don’t recommend you watch any of these because they’re all trashy).)

When I first checked this out at the beginning of this year, this series seemed to have created a storm of bad comments and reviews on MDL since it first came out. So, obviously, I needed to watch it because my taste is trashy.

And, you know what? I loved it!

Besides having the bi character depicted as a cheater (again, the use of this biphobic stereotype is so fucking annoying) and the sporadic clunky and stale scenes, I loved this series because:

It’s about second chances. As I mentioned before, I love that topic.

Best (the actor playing Daonuea) is the best in this series. There’s just something about him that grabs my attention every time. He has me in a similarly tight chokehold as Mew.

There’s sex (and my horny ass needs it).

But, it’s also trash, so don’t watch it.

Pit Babe (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Domestic violence, non-consensual, SA, age gap, etc.

This became popular. Really popular. I saw people comment about it everywhere. And usually, when stuff becomes popular, it’s more than likely reduced to trash quality by the general public. So, obviously, I had to watch it.

Did I end up loving it? Yes.

Honestly, the biggest issue this series had for me was the whole omegaverse thing (this was a new thing for me because I don’t come from an erotic fiction background, my head was rather stuck in fantasy fiction). And, from my limited understanding of this, they didn’t seem to fully commit to the omegaverse thing in Pit Babe, which was unfortunate.

The racing was also so-so for me, which hurt my soul because I usually love racing (cars, mcs, boats, etc.).

What I did like, however, was:

The chemistry between Pete and Kenta (and I’m so sad I only got crumbs of this).

Pavel (the actor playing Babe). I would watch and listen to him recite product placement scripts for toothpaste all day long.

The sex, especially the scene with Babe and Charlie in ep. 9 (even though it was mixed with clips from the racing) and Jeff and Alan’s scene in ep. 13 (because it was sensual, if we ignore the music).

The neon lights (have I mentioned that I’m a slut for neon lights?). I mean, just look at this:

I can watch that pinkish light all day long, even though Babe and Charlie are trying to distract me. (Especially Pavel!)

Dead Friend Forever (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Grooming, bullying, suicide & suicide attempts, etc.

Besides the issues listed above, this also suffered from lazy writing at the end. BUT, I fucking loved DFF anyway.

I never expected to love this series because it’s just a bunch of teenagers stuck at a house in the woods. How interesting could that be? Turns out, very.

DFF wasn’t perfect (perfection doesn’t exist anyway), but what I loved about it was:

The morally ambiguous characters.

The revenge plot.

The poetic justice.

The questioning of what was real vs hallucination.

The visually stunning shots.

The mask!

And Tan’s mask!

The beheading scene.

I could go on, but you get the point. I just love this piece of trash.

But, please, don’t watch it. You will suffer from brain rot. Trust me.

I, however, am currently rewatching this because I choose the brain rot. And my taste is trashy, remember? Or, perhaps I just love watching chaos unfold…

HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count (Taiwan)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, age gap, tragic ending, etc.

Everyone and their aunt and even their dog have an issue with the ending of this one. And it’s understandable.

I don’t necessarily like or dislike the ending. Obviously, the bury your gays trope is tragic in itself, and, tragically, it’s still being used. That’s why I couldn’t find myself liking the ending, even though I don’t mind tragic endings. (Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorite classics, which people tend to forget is a tragedy and not a romance, btw, but I digress…)

At the same time, though, this series made me cry for a whole episode before tragedy struck because I could feel it. And you have no idea how obsessed I get about shit that makes me cry (since I’m an ice queen).

(Another side note: one of my favorite BLs is Once Again, which made me bawl throughout the whole series. It’s not on this list because it’s neither trashy nor bad, but it’s still one of my favorites because it broke me in the best ways. But, anyway…)

The best part of this series from beginning to end was the other couple, at least for me. This couple is the one with the age gap (which, again, doesn’t bother me) and I fucking love them! One, because Wilson Liu (the actor playing Bo Xiang) is such a gem. Second, because their first time was such a spur-of-the-moment thing fueled by a desire that went from 0-100kph in less time than a Ferrari would. And I loved it (just as much as the squeezing of boobs from behind, which, for some reason, appeals to me).

Also, the twins are so pretty it’s annoying.

Do I recommend it, though? No, because I don’t have time to respond to the clap back I’ll get when you come to the end.

HIStory 4: Close to You (Taiwan)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, SA, obsession, age gap, stepbrothers becoming lovers, etc.

This one has some problems (especially the relationship between Yong Jie and Xing Si), but I love both the series and its problems (yes, I’m trash). You could say that I’m as obsessed with this series as Yong Jie is with Xing Si. Would I get this series drunk and fuck the living daylights out of it? No. But I would watch it once every 3 months or so. Oh, wait… I already do that. Because I’m trash.

What do I love so much about this series (other than what I mentioned above):

It’s from Taiwan.

Li Cheng is ridiculous, which is exactly why I love him.

Every time I rewatch it, it gets funnier.

The chemistry between Li Cheng and Teng Teng is amazing.

As well as the chemistry between Yong Jie and Xing Si.

The kissing is just as amazing.

The main fujoshi girl, Mei Fang, is so cute I can’t handle her.

And the bathroom scene! In that lighting! It’s iconic!

I don’t care what anyone else says. This is fucking gold to me. But, then again, my taste is trash. So, don’t listen to me.

KinnPorsche (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, SA, torture, Stockholm syndrome-ish, etc.

This is some next-level trash, and I fucking love it.

Two of the major relationships in this series (Kinn & Porsche and Vegas & Pete) are problematic at some point. Especially Vegas and Pete who have this whole captor/captive, torture, BDSM-ish type relationship. Of course, I love Vegas and Pete because my taste is super trashy (yes, it’s a me-problem, but I don’t force my taste on other people, so, for the love of all that is holy, don’t watch this!).

Other reasons I love this series and rewatch it from time to time:

It’s visually stunning! The cinematography is amazing. As I mentioned before, I’m a visual artist, so this is a very valid reason for me to watch it again and again. And again.

The neon lights.

The whole mafia thing.

The sex (because my horny ass needs it).

Playboyy (Thailand)

Issues/TW: SA, homophobia, suicide, etc.

I was debating whether or not to add this to my list solely based on the ending. However, up until that point, I really liked it.

The fact that every episode starts with a whole ass list of trigger warnings tells me this is my shit. And it was.

At times, it was so bad that it was good (until the ending, which was just so bad it was bad). The things I liked were:

The mystery.

Win (who played Nuth). His acting was great.

The chemistry between Nuth and Phop.

The tattooed daddy that’s Aob and his chemistry with Puen (there’s also an age gap here, btw, but as I’ve mentioned before, it’s fine by me as long as it’s legal).

The weird ass sex scenes (and the underwear).

And the not so weird ass sex scenes (like the ones between Aob and Puen and the ones between Nuth and Phop).

But, this series is trashy. Keep as far away from it as possible. If you still decide to dip in, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Red Wine in the Dark Night (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Obsession, blood, human blood bags, etc.

This is a queer film that’s BL-ish with some dark themes. Mainly, it’s about how far Wine would go to help the person he’s fallen for (or become attached to).

What I loved about this film was:

Fluke (who plays Wine). He’s such a great actor and I love him in everything he does.

Wine who is so desperate to love someone and be loved that he ends up doing some weird shit.

The darker and sadder vibe, which I love.

Irresistible Love 1 and Irresistible Love 2 (China)

(This is also called Uncontrolled Love.) 

Issues/TW: Obsession, homophobia, codependency, adoptive brothers becoming lovers, etc.

This is another queer film (in two parts) that is more BL-ish than the films I’m getting into below.

This depicts a weird relationship dynamic between Xie Yan and Shu Nian where Shu Nian was basically adopted into the family to become Xie Yan’s friend/babysitter/lackey. This is some weird ass shit, and I love weird ass shit so I really enjoyed this rare, uncensored, gem from China.

But, it’s also trashy. So, don’t watch it.

The next couple of films I’ll mention are (obviously) trashy, but also complex and deep (which is why I love them).

One Summer Night (South Korea)

Issues/TW: Obsession, dependency, oppression, etc.

This is a low-budget film from 2016 (so, production-wise, it’s definitely nothing like the usual stuff from South Korea you can watch on Netflix), but I love it.

It’s gritty, it’s raw, it’s explicit (an emphasis on explicit because you’ll see dicks), it deals with being a North Korean defector but ending up in an impoverished situation in South Korea, and it ends with a dubious ending you can interpret in different ways.

This is definitely not for the general QL viewers who watch QLs for the cutesy stuff.

And it's trashy. So, don’t watch it.

Dangerous Drugs of Sex (Japan)

Issues/TW: All the trigger warnings! Seriously. I feel like it’s better to say that so you’ll look up the TWs for yourself (if you choose to watch this, which I'm asking you not to) rather than me mentioning a few and forgetting others.

With this film, what others see are all the trigger warnings (and, yes, I see them too, they’re fucking obvious). However, I can see beyond that and watch it for what it is at the core: Two characters dealing with incredible grief.

Grief is a topic that often affects me and I can relate to it because I’ve had to deal with a lot of grief in my relatively short life. Watching a film like this where grief pushes the characters to their very limits will (often) get a special place in my heart, especially if done well. And it’s done very well in this film.

Do I condone the characters’ behaviors? No (especially not Yoden Ryoji’s). But I do understand that grief can send you over the edge (and in some cases throw you off the edge) because I’ve experienced it. I do understand that grief can cause you to make horrible decisions because I’ve done it (though, not this extreme). I do understand that grief can be self-destructive because I’ve been there. This film shows it all. That’s why I love it so much.

Do I recommend you watch this, tough? No. Don’t do it. This is not for everyone. It’s definitely not for those who watch QLs for the cutesy stuff.

But it is for me because I love trash. Especially good trash. And this is the best trash I’ve ever seen when it comes to gay films.

Anything by Scud Cheng

Lastly, I want to mention any film by Scud Cheng because…

And I’m an artist so art means everything to me.

Cheng is a screenwriter and director from Hong Kong. His films, the ones I’ve seen, are gritty, nude, and real. They are more on the art side than the others I’ve listed above, which is why they have a special place in my heart.

They’re also deep and explore themes like introspection (are we doing things because we believe they’re the right thing to do, or because external forces have “brainwashed” us to believe they’re the normal thing to do?), the porn industry and how it exploits young and queer men, death, politics, and love, to name a few.

These are not for the average QL watcher. They’re not for the faint of heart. They’re not for those who want an entertaining watch.

These films require multiple viewings. I’ve watched some once, some twice, and some more times, and I still find new themes and meanings woven into the stories. So, they’re complex and deep.

But, don’t watch them because I know you’ll come at me later. So, to spare us both the time and energy it would take to argue about this shit, just don’t watch any of it.

Now, if you still want to ask me for recommendations after all that, don't tell me I didn't warn you!

#kiseki: dear to me #unknown #unknown the series #love in the air the series #tharntype #big dragon the series #only friends the series #the end of the world with you #my beautiful man #utsukushii kare #check out the series #pit babe the series #dead friend forever #dead friend forever the series #dff #kinnporsche #kinnporsche the series #history 3: make our days count #history 3: modc #history 4: close to you #playboyy the series #red wine in the dark night #irresistible love #uncontrolled love #one summer night #dangerous drugs of sex #taiwanese ql #taiwanese bl #taiwanese series #thai ql

[starryalpacasstuff]

Last Twilight Ep 8; Thoughts

We're at the 2/3 mark of the show, and the episode honestly felt surreal. Last Twilight is continuing to parallel iconic moments of Bad Buddy, this time with running away and scenes on the beach. However, it never feels like it's boring or repetitive, because while the parallels are clear, the shows are also distinct. It's clear that the characters in the two shows are pushed by different things.

I was yelling at the screen when I realized Mhok and Day were going off on their own, because ditching Night = recipe for disater (he'd obviously call Day's mom!?!)

But then this happened, and I had to pause and take a moment, now that my fears had been resolved. We know so little about Night, and yet so much. Understanding his character requires a lot of reading in between the lines, and until we know what happened between the brothers, the picture won't be complete. I did, in fact, breathe a huge sigh of relief when I realized that Night was in on it, because while Mhok and Day are capable of handling themselves, if Day's mother found out, we all know that it wouldn't make for a pretty situation.

Which calls in something else I'm curious about. Is Day really naive enough to believe that they can ditch Night with no consequences? Or is there some trust left in Day, that Night will let them go. Has he figured that Night is likely in on it, and is choosing to remain quiet?

There's a number of possibilities, and I'm curious to see how it plays out. It's highly likely that his anxiousness to get away from Night, and trust in Mhok meant that the though simply hasn't crossed his mind too.

On that topic, if we rewind to the beginning of the ep

I just love how much Day trusts Mhok. It's obvious, but I felt it was worth pointing out. Mhok tells Day that there's no one there, and Day accepts. Mhok having played the caregiver role for Day for so long is definitely the main reason for this, and it's beautiful to watch.

Speaking of transparency in their relationship, can I take a moment to talk about just how much I loved this scene? Mhok was upset about the prank, and Day wasn't taking it seriously. Mhok could have clammed up, creating tension between the two. It would even be expected, given his role as Day's caretaker and the 'put Day first' mentality that we've seen so far. But he doesn't, and oh my god, this calls for aplause. He calls Day out on it, and gives Day a taste of his own medicine. And, this is something that perfectly shows that things are not the same now that they're boyfriends. Mhok gets more agency, more say, because he's one half of the relationship. I've said thia before about the subversion of faen fatale, and I'll say it again; Last Twilight has a very strong identity as a show, and a very strong grasp on what it's doing. Time and time again, it has shown us opportunities that it could have taken to create drama, and veered in the opposite direction entirely. The subversion is intentional, and clearly so.

While we're talking about characters standing up for their feelings..

I feel like someone should create a masterpost of everything we know about Night, and we can add on every bit of new info we get and compare it to the rest, because everything tells us so little yet so much. It seems that Night is still willing to push against Day's hatred. But of course, he's more willing to allow Day to live happily, as we see him letting the two go off on their own. It seems that every time Night does something for Day, he prefers to do it anonymously, such as showing up to the race. We've seen that he's accepted the villain image. Is this why he seems keen on upholding that villain image in front of Day, while helping him behind his back? P'Aof isn't one to write conflict for small or petty reason, so I'm starting to be more and more convinced that Night genuinely did something wrong to Day. He regrets it, but he also knows he can't take it back or heal their bond, so he's simply keeping the status quo, helping his brother behind his back, while only allowing himself to be selfish on occasion, like this one. I'm so intrigued by Night and his mannerisms, his actions.

Back tracking a bit again, (this is a mess)

This scene was a pivotal moment. I've previously mentioned that Day was living in a fantasy, and I've also briefly touched on Day's sence of normalcy in a post, how he was relying on things to go back to 'normal' and how he's been able to build a new normal with Mhok. He'd get the transplant eventually, and things would go back to 'normal'. Mhok helped Day redefine his 'normal', but the hope that his sight would return one day was still present. Here, it's shattered. Up till now, Day was living his life as if he were biding his time till he got his eyesight back. Now he's going to be living as if he has to wrap up a lifetime of memories in three months. He's feeling as though time is running out.

I think this is one of the first times I've seen Day talk back to his mom, which is fair, because it's ingrained in asian kids to not talk back to your elders. Day is, in the end, a rich kid. On top of that, he has a single mom. 1+1=2, Day didn't get to see much of his mom growing up. @waitmyturtles talked about this a bit in a post, mentioning how Day's mom's career always came first. She didn't have time to attend a game because she had an event, she couldn't come to school for something because she had a meeting, etc etc. (I don't know how much of an age gap there is between Day and Night, but anyone thinking that Night had to fill in on occasion..?) He's making a jab at his mom, that she's far to busy to be there with him for stuff, and she's far too overprotective to let another be there with him for it. Again, typical rich family dysfunction. Day and his mother's dynamic will be an interesting thing to watch as the episodes progress, that's for sure.

Alright, onto the last one

When I'm not sure if there's a deeper meaning behind a scene, music is always a great clue that there is something greater behind it. As episodes progress, we've seen Day slowly reassimilate himself in society. This is such an important theme, because being a part of and engaging with society is a huge part of asian culture. I view this dance as a sort of culmination of the progress that Day has made over time with Mhok. Would the Day at the beginning of the series have danced with a stranger at a party while having worse eyesight that before? No way in hell. Also, paying respect and interactling with older people is, again, a HUGE part of asian culture, so this was essentially the perfect way to depict this culmination. When the first episode had aired, @twig-tea had first introduced in a post the theme of liminality in Last Twilight. One of the definitions given was "of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition : IN-BETWEEN, TRANSITIONAL". Since Mhok entered Day's life, he's been in a liminal (transitional) state, as he moves closer to rejoing society. In this scene, we see what I'd like to say is the end of this liminal state. Of course, this isn't to say that Day is no longer in a state of liminality. Liminality presents itself in various ways throughout the show. This is simply a culmination of Day and Mhok's efforts to reintegrate Day into society. While the battle is far from over; disable people often find themselves outcasted and removed from society; it's a sign of hope, a sign of growth, a sign that their efforts have a result.

#every week these posts keep getting longer #and i dont know what to do about it #this show is brilliant #last twilight #last twilight the series #last twilight meta

[retronator]

I never played Karateka in the 80s, but as a big fan of Prince of Persia and Jordan Mechner's journals, I was stoked to hear that an interactive documentary about Jordan's prototypical cinematic platformer was in the works by Digital Eclipse.

Released this week, The Making of Karateka on the surface looks like any other game you buy through Steam ($20, Windows-only), GOG, or whichever favorite store or console you prefer (available also for Xbox, PS4/5, Switch). Once the thing loads though, you really get 3 things: a documentary, the original Karateka, and a new remaster.

The documentary part is an audio-visual slideshow retelling Jordan's development story starting with his teenage years pitching his earlier title Deathbounce to the publishing house Brøderbund. It's an interesting look into the iterative process, seen through correspondence letters, journal entries, and many playable builds at various stages of completion. After we reach the eventual rejection of that title, Jordan comes back with a prototype of a visual-narrative experience unseen on home computers. We get to follow Karateka's full life cycle from pre- to post-production, ending with the conception of its sequel (which eventually turned into Prince of Persia). It's a real treasure trove! Fellow pixel artists will appreciate the many graph-paper sketches and interactive overlays of final game sprites compared to rotoscoped outlines and filmed footage. There are also video segments, from a comprehensive breakdown of the music to interviews with other developers reflecting on the impact Jordan's games had on their careers. You'll even encounter a fan letter signed by the one and only "John Romero, Disciple of the Great Jordan and worshipper of the Magnificent Mechner!" (I kid you not, you can't make this stuff up).

Perhaps just as crucial for an interactive documentary like this, you can launch any of the floppy disks in the emulator, trying out various iterations and ports of Karateka.

The emulation is fantastic and lets you fiddle with display settings (monochrome or color display, scanlines, pixel perfect or zoomed) as well as enhance the frame rate. You can even rewind the many deaths you will face if you've never played the game before (like me). If you spend some more time obsessing over the weird artifacts of the Apple II hi-res graphics, you might even go down the rabbit hole of realizing that on the Apple II you didn't really paint colors as much as you used different monochrome dithering patterns that the graphics display would then turn into 4 different hues. A fascinating learning experience if you include some of your own research online!

Add to this the Commodore 64 and the Atari 8-bit versions to compare how the graphics got adapted across the earlier ports and you have a nice way to relieve the mid-80s with a bit of help from modern emulation (I did beat the C64 version without rewinding though!). I'd love to see more art from the other remakes, especially the 16-bit Atari ST port, but I understand their decision to omit playable versions of those due to the lower quality on the gameplay side of the translations.

This brings us to the final part of the package, the modern remaster. Unlike the 2012 complete reimagining of the game (with 3D graphics and all), Digital Eclipse approached the remake as the ultimate port of the original to an imaginary system along the lines of a 90s VGA PC.

It's well done. Some of the fully-redrawn scenes are a bit overpainted for my taste (I'd prefer a pixel art rendition of the castle than a blurry photographic collage, although there were many games in the 90s that did take this approach), but the in-game graphics are really in style, including the smooth animations that are like one would imagine granted a beefier CPU. It's also a sort of director's cut with previously unseen scenes added, in particular, the battle with the leopard as a clever action-puzzle in the middle. The AI is unfortunately even less challenging than Jordan's implementation. As great as the 6-move fighting system could have been, you yet again resort to simply kicking away opponents as they tirelessly crawl into your range. There isn't even the nuance from the original where you were the one who had to approach some enemies with skilled timing. On the other hand, you now have optional goals and achievements that make the repetitive/easy combat work in your favor (stringing various combos, beating opponents or the level under a time limit …). As the Digital Eclipse president Mike Mika admits at the end of the welcome commentary mode, they didn't manage to achieve their perfect port, but they did come close.

In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed playing both the original as well as the remake and while the combat system lacks any sort of depth beneath its stunning animations, Karateka is instead a monumental experience for its presentation. Big characters with personality and realistic motion are displayed through cinematic camera cuts and story vignettes (3 years before Ron Gilbert came up with the word "cutscene"). There are details like animating the unfortunate falling off the cliff at the start of the game, or respectfully bowing to the first guard as they bow in return. Jordan's creative work is precious and worth the attention this release gifts it.

I highly recommend The Making of Karateka to all retro gamers and/or game developers for its immersive documentation which provides an experience that goes beyond the usual video documentaries. It's interactive—just like the subject it's talking about—something I want to see more in the future. And if the $20 by any chance seems high to you, consider that the original retailed at $35 (and that was in 1984 dollars).

#Feature #Gaming #Pixel Art #Digital Eclipse #Jordan Mechner #Platformer #Documentary #cover2 #title3

[crazykuroneko]

Rewind the Tape – IWTV S102

I'm catching up with @iwtvfanevents now with Episode 2. Repeating my FYI from before: this is my first time rewatching the show (excluding indirect watch through YouTube reactions), and it's purpose for me to refresh my mind and noticing things. So, I won't dwell on certain theories, but I'll take notes about it for myself.

Feel free to reply if you want to discuss. *crack knuckles* Let's go!

• Marius' painting. A clue that Rashid is Armand. But now, IF Justin Kirk is really Marius, it's also a clue that Marius also lives in that apartment building 💡Does that mean there's a real possibility of "Akasha is the groan" theory to be true? Or "sleeping Lestat is the groan"? Because no way these good writers features the groan without meaning even though the groan is indeed a phenomenon that happens to tall buildings. Saving this for later.

• "Is it only work or you (are his fuckboy basically)?" Your prejudice (and lowkey envy, maybe) is showing, Daniel

• "I apologize for my outburst earlier" You're just crying Louis. It's okay. Fuck this discipline life you're doing 😭

• Idc I headcanon Armand bought Louis that top because it looks so great for Ied Fitr. Like, I already have the visual in my head.

• The music turns out to be a diagetic music as well is so witty and memorable. Love that

• The farm. Hmmm. Saving that for later

• "Two vampires walked into the church". The error in this statement is interesting. Does he feel like it's inevitable the moment he walked into that church?

• Blood of the deceased will suck you into death. Okay, noted.

• That priest is still alive???? What?

• The spark shot is beautiful. Iirc, Alan said that's kinda tricky to achieve.

• I don't know, I just love this shot:

• "Are you hungry, Louis?" "Huh-huh" PLEASE HE IS SO CUTE AND PALM-SIZED

• That paw of a hand directing Louis' head. Icu

• Lestat still could talk to Louis telepathically here. Because he hasn't had his first meal?

• "Just to be clear, we're here to talk about tractors" 🏳️‍🌈🤔❓I mean, what this poor soul is assuming to begin with 😭

• Lestat's instruction being an innuendo for oral sex is so 😭. I love these writers

• "You're going to find that difficult". That's "after-the-fact scene" number 2. Yeah, I will call it that. It means that scene doesn't necessarily happen as a fact in the past because it's impossible for Louis to know (he's being super focused on his family, no way he heard that). But it's formed based on an information Louis learnt after the fact, which over the years eventually attached to the memory of that day. Memory does evolve that way; no intervention or intent needed for that to happen. The after the fact information this time is that it's indeed hard, and Lestat must have warned him (see: post almost killing nephew scene), so over the years it evolved to "oh Lestat must find it ridiculous I tried to go back to my family that first day". I LOVE that the writers are doing this. It means they're treating memory in the show as real memory; it's not static, it evolves over the years, formed based on a lot of influences etc etc.

• Love the burning special effects. That's a great way to show it off.

• I can't believe they had their first time with Louis smelling like milk and burnt 😂😭

• Daniel is SO desperate to put some distance and not sympathize with Louis. Though he kinda fails by the end of the episode thanks to Alice

• The fact they gave Lestat's preaching lines from the book to Louis (the having hand in divine plan bits) really tells you that Louis is posturing here. Idk I feel like he's trying to gauge how far Daniel could tolerate. And Daniel is indeed afraid, judging from his face and how he becomes more bitey.

• After-the-fact scene number 3, with Lestat staring as Louis' sex worker's breast. The after-the-fact information is obviously Lestat staring at Antoinette in the next episode which led to his affair. Of course, Louis would questioning when Lestat started to be unfaithful, when his eyes started straying; a very common question for people who are cheated. Is it really from the beginning? (Fenwick's arm hasn't healed yet since Paul's funeral; Google tells me it can take six weeks)

• "It's not cheating if it's with a woman" oh hey best cameo of the year lol

• Lestat's face when he explained about no telepathy is like he just had a war flashback

• I need more Florence vs Lestat cat fight seriously

• "Haven't heard a knock on my door. It's a half-mile both ways" SPEAK IT LOUDER LOUIS. Like, I understand you're grieving and blaming your son, but no call whatsoever from everyone for 3 months after your son just suddenly moved out?? Insanity. (But also not surprising seeing my own big family responding to silent treatment 💀) The homophobia jumps out as well. Paul is Louis' real tie to the family.

• Jacob's expressions during the racist lawyer scene muah

• "If you hide from me this long again, I'll hunt you down..." again, his family knows where he lives 🤷‍♀️

• Grace pointing out the "extra" cash and the fact he lives nicely in the Quarter now 👀👀

• "What can i do to make it up to you?" This whole scene shows Lestat's method in deescalating a situation. He obviously doesn't understand the point of the problem is yet he doesn't try to understand. Louis is giving him a silent treatment (which means he's my bestie, cos silent treatment is my flaw as well lol), but idk instead of showing a good intention by asking Louis to explain to him or something, he asks for a shortcut instead. He needs Louis to verbalize the solution for them. We're fast forwarding, but iirc this is similar approach he has with Antoinette as well. Here, Louis is still willing to verbalize the solution.

• The way Louis' neck moves when Lestat says "How can i stop you?" oh he loves being pampered

• Louis doesn't put "sir" after Tom's name when signing the purchase 😎✊

• The body double throws me out I'm so sorry 😭

• 1912-1917

• This whole thing with Benny feels like a thriller movie. Kudos for the director

• Of course he came to his family bringing money for Grace. It seems it's past bed time. Florence is in her bedroom.

• "It's still Lestat" There's passive aggressiveness into it idk. Like, she expects them to have broken up already

• The last victim in 2000. noting that down.

• Louis really wants Daniel to highlight he's different from the other girls. I mean, the other vampires.

• Daniel's face over the slurping 😭

• He put Benny on the floor so he wouldn't roll down from the sofa 🥺

• "If you love your family, spare them the pain" I believe Lestat is being genuine here. He basically goes I've been there done that, and look at me now it ended so badly.

• "I'm your family, Louis" 😭

• Then he basically makes a perfect summary of Louis aww

• "Maybe there's deaf, blind porter and kill when we get to the hotel." Louis, you're not so different from the other girls (vampires) 😭

• That long ass overture just for two tickets to the opera. Lestat, please.

• The whole "there was present a kind of worship on my part" 🤌 *insert that gif of pen on fire while writing*

• You can see the exact moment when it dawns on Lestat he has fucked up with bringing Louis to a racist opera house. God, what a loser (affectionately). It's never come into his mind how bad it would ruin Louis' mood. Like, he understands racism is bad as a concept, but he doesn't understand how it affects one's self. He thinks that would be a minor convenience to Louis that Louis could just brush off.

• Lestat 🤝 Me, accidentally become manipulative when we're in a pinch. (re: the loneliness speech)

• Louis is so down bad, unfortunately ❤️

• "And this woman sang for us, it seemed, articulating the difficult love we often had troubles exptessing ourselves" So beautiful.

• Misophonia girlies (gn) unite! I will always enjoy Lestat killing Ernesto I'm so sorry lol. Saw a reaction from someone who does classical music and they're ouching as well. So, GO FOR IT SON KILL HIM

• Lestat slowly killing Ernesto while Louis watching his memories to feel the "charge" of connecting to humanity. Oh, they are made for each other.

• The story with Alice, that she felt not good enough for him so she always died his eyebrow brown, but Daniel actually liked it when she didn't do it. Aww Daniel is trying to cheer him up.

• About the question for this week, does Louis really need to maintain the thread and why? Idk, i feel like Louis feels he needs to do it. Maybe to maintain some resemblance of humanity inside him, afraid it will go away over time. But to me, it doesn't really work.

Summary: Okay, if the first episode is about establishing Louis' internal conflicts, about the seduction/hunt and turning, this episode is about what Louis lost and not lost to vampirism. We also see the seed of Loustat's conflicts and how ineffective their method to solve them. And it's about vampirism, it's also the episode where we get the vampire lore the most. Of course over the months after season 1 aired I have kept several theories up about where the Dubai timeline is set based on the books. And the teasers of season 2 have debunked some of them. But this rewatch gives me another theory which I will keep to myself. All I can say though, instead on certain period of time of book canon, I think they're taking elements from different era of the books for Dubai. Can't wait to see the answer in S2 ❤️

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #vampterview #rewind the tape #moi.txt #louis de pointe du lac

[keulixeutin]

Snapshot 1: Movie Night (Bakugou)

 a/n: i’ve got some scenes in my head that don’t fit anywhere or can’t be made into a long or standalone thing, so i thought why not throw them all together into a little booklet?

summary: snapshot series. a snapshot of you and bakugou watching a movie on the couch. bakugou x gn!reader.

cw: fluff, swearing, cute little roughhousing at the end. gn!reader, no pronouns used.

word count: 1,275.

You reach into the bag of chips sitting between you and Bakugou, eyes glued to the television as Jacob Black shifts into his wolf form on screen.

“Wow,” you remark, “the CGI isn’t that bad.”

Bakugou glances up, but the effects and the moment aren’t strong enough to hold his interest.  “Looks like ass,” he grunts.  He drops his gaze back down to his phone where he’s scrolling on his Twitter feed.

“Considering the time, the wolves look pretty cool,” you argue.

“Ass.”

“Whatever.”  

You roll your eyes and eat another chip piece, returning back to the screen.  Bakugou opens his camera app and sends a picture of the movie to his group chat; intensive texting follows it, most likely of him complaining.

When you realize that you are the only one eating the chips, and when you feel the aching in your back and your side, you shift positions, laying back against a pillow and the couch armrest, the bag of chips tucked against your arm.  You rest your legs in his lap and feel an immediate relief in your body at the new arrangement, though you notice Bakugou’s irritated glance.  He accommodates the presence and weight of your legs without complaint, though you know it’s not the position that annoys him but the distance.

“Your muscles hurt,” you say.

He narrows his eyes at his phone, fingers pausing mid-text, but he doesn’t look your way.  “Are you whining that I have muscles?”

“No, I’m saying that you like to lean against me and dig your big, dumb, muscular arm into my side, asshole.”

“Fuckin’ unbelievable...” he grumbles.

“I’m just saying that you could stand to be a little more aware of your position,” you remark.

“Why don’t we make it easy?” he snorts.  “I just won’t fucking touch you anymore.”  He says it, but he doesn’t make any move to push your legs off.  You learned early on that he is a softie: his growling and snarling is only big talk and heated air, and he’d bite only if you asked.  You turn back to the screen, a smile playing on your lips.  

You sit up, and you can see that he suddenly begins to shift imperceptibly, as if preparing for you to come back to his side, but you rearrange the pillow to be more comfortable against your back and lay back down.  Bakugou’s jaw clenches and unclenches.  You look at the screen, pretending that you’re smiling at something a character says and not laughing at him internally.

“Everyone wants to do lunch tomorrow,” Bakugou announces.

“Can’t,” you respond, bringing another chip to your lips.  “We have lunch with Midoriya and Todoroki, remember?  At that new, fancy Japanese-French restaurant that just opened?”

Bakugou scowls.  “Cancel.  Place sounds shitty anyways.”

“It’s been on the calendar for two weeks, Katsuki.”

“Push it back another two weeks.”

“No.”

“Tch.”

You nudge him playfully with your foot.  “We’re literally about to see Kirishima  and them for game night in two days!  You’re so clingy!”

“They’re the ones fucking asking.”

“You’re the one talking about rescheduling a double date that’s been on the calendar for half a month.”

“Whatever, fine, we’ll go eat with the nerds,” he mutters.

“Katsuki, you’re making me miss the movie.”  You sigh dramatically, sitting up again to grab the remote and rewind the scene, one where Bella is comparing her two love interests.  You get a curious thought then, and you look back to your boyfriend, trying to decipher which species he would fall under: shapeshifter/werewolf or vampire?  Decisions, decisions…

“What?” he snaps, sense your staring.

You grin, settling back down.  “Yeah, you’d be one of the werewolves.”

That catches his attention.  He looks up from his phone.  “What?” 

“I was trying to figure out if you’d be a werewolf or a vampire if you were in the Twilight world,” you explain, “and you’d definitely be one of the werewolves.”

He looks offended, his brows scrunching and his scowl deepening in that way that makes him look like he takes the world too seriously (in that way that makes you laugh with your entire chest).

“I’m not a fucking dog,” he says.

“They’re wolves,” you correct.  You throw a chip at him—it misses wildly and lands on the floor on the other side of the couch.

“You’re picking that shit up later,” Bakugou remarks, but you both know that he’ll do it for you.

You continue with your thoughts; a habit that you’ve developed during your relationship is grabbing onto threads of annoyances and pulling until you get a reaction, and you think this thread in particular is a good one.

“Okay, so I think you’re way too freakin’ hot-headed to be a vampire—”

“What the hell does that have to do with anything?  And I’m not fucking—”

“—And the wolves have to, like, strip, or their clothes rip when they transform, which is funny because you just love walking around butt-ass naked with the blinds up for all the neighbors to see—”

“Neighbors shouldn’t be looking into other people’s windows anyways, nosy ass extras.”

“—Plus, I would argue that, sometimes, you know, your bitching sounds a lot like barking, or howling, or—”

“What the fuck did you just—”

“—And the Twilight vampires are pretty, and elegant, and suave, and you’re”—you make pointed eye contact with him—“you.”

A few seconds go by while you withhold a grin, waiting for his reaction.  Rather than yell, though, he is calm—much calmer than you expect him to be.  He sets his phone down on the coffee table and holds his hand out to you.

You reach out to grasp his hand, but he immediately smacks it away.

“The chip bag, idiot,” he retorts.  “Give it to me.”

“I’m still eating them.”

“Give it.”

You narrow your eyes at him, but give him the bag of chips.  He takes it gently, sets it down on the floor with slow and smooth movements.  What is he up to, you think suspiciously, and while you try to figure out his angle, he takes advantage of that moment and his speed to suddenly jump on top of you without warning, faster than your eyes can follow.  His hands are immediately at your sides, tickling you, making you writhe and squirm and shout.

“So you think I’m a fuckin’ dog, huh, [Name]?  You think I’m an ugly, stupid-ass, dumb mutt?”

“Wait,” you gasped in between laughter, “I literally didn’t say any of that!”

“I know what you were fuckin’ tryin’ to say!”

Bakugou grabs your wrists and pins them down against the couch cushion, a smug smirk on his face.  These fights always end the same way, even as you use every wily trick you know—using your legs to keep your bodies separated, twisting your hands to force his grip to open—but, in the end, Bakugou always ends up on top, snug between your legs as he uses his strength and weight to keep you trapped beneath him.

When he finally has you where he wants—your feeble struggling doing nothing for either of you—he buries his face into your neck to playfully bite at the sensitive spot that meets your shoulder.  You scream and laugh, stammering out apologies to try and appease him, but he tightly holds both your wrists in one large hand; the other snakes around your waist, pulling you even closer.  Bakugou attempts a terrible impression of Count Dracula against your skin, and your burst of bright laughter grows louder, overtaking the soundtrack of the movie as he pretends to feast on your neck.

#╰【 TAGGED AS … 】❖ ━━━━━ ❛ fandom「 bnha 」 #╰【 TAGGED AS … 】❖ ━━━━━ ❛ character「 bakugou 」 #╰【 FILED UNDER … 】❖ ━━━━━ ❛ novae writes 」 #╰【 TAGGED AS … 】❖ ━━━━━ ❛ titled「 snapshot series 」 #╰【 TAGGED AS … 】❖ ━━━━━ ❛ reader「 no pronouns used 」 #bnha x reader #bakugou x reader #bnha fluff #bakugou fluff #gn!reader #bakugou x gn!reader #mha x reader #bakugou katsuki x reader #bnha fanfic #mha fanfic

[sasukimimochi]

ok but

i came up with what i think is an incredibly cute idea for a mdzs au and i really might add it to my project list cuz it tickles my fancy.

i'm dying thinking about it so let me give as small of a summary as i can here lmao

*the big change here is LWJ. LWJ is essentially a lot less restrictive, but...mainly with WWX! Think of this slightly like a sober-drunk LWJ.

-WWX meets LWJ at Cloud Ressesses, as per usual. he's still strict, but something about him seems softer around WWX than with other people, and others notice it immediately while WWX has no fucking clue. (this doesn't mean he's not aware, this just means it's too early for him to understand there's a difference).

-LWJ intentionally catches WWX every time he does something against the rules, and is secretly the happiest guy ever bc he now gets to sit with WWX every day for hours. this will help it still be a surprise for WWX when LWJ starts opening up to him bc why does strict lan suddenly wanna friend me??

-it does not take long before LWJ is actually seeming to open up even if not in the way WWX expected. (at least a month so after his punishment) as a result, WWX stops doing as much bad things to get LWJ's attention, and simply hangs out with him a ton. (Jc is a bit jealous bc he always wants the two to hang alone. He doesn't think about it too much though cuz wwx is always outgoing so he thinks he's probably overthinking it- not that he thinks they're in a relationship at this point)

-WWX starts behaving a bit, just because he wants to hang around longer, but still ends up punching Jin Zixuan. As a result, LWJ convinces uncle to let him go to Lotus pier as both an escort and to study there since he's already a great lan student! (aka he just wants to stick around WWX) and after a great battle with the of eyes he is allowed to go.

-Thus starts the little adventures of our young couple doing whatever the hell they want for a while.

maybe i'll touch more on this later but

i decided to nickname the au "He's Definitely Sober" for now. if i change it i change it lol

i mean...think about it, just imagine this scene but with a sober lwj. i would literally die. it's like, some of my favorite things. I have always wished there was more of this lmao

scenario for fun-

LWJ: Wei Ying. WWX: Lan Zhan?

LWJ: I love Wei Ying. WWX: You what

LWJ: I want to court you. WWX: YOU WHAT

LWJ: i'll ask uncle in the morning. WWX: ////////???? REWIND.

LWJ: *shoves armful of gentian flowers in his arms* please. WWX, lost, flustered, and who knows what else: o...okay.

...and thus an awkward convo with jc the next day:

WWX, holding his flowers: so...

JC: *squints* WWX: i might have gotten asked about being courted...

JC: ...you're a man! WWX: i said that too but...

JC: but?? WWX: we're both guys so its hard to argue against

JC: *freezes, looking seconds from qi deviation*

somewhere in the Yashi Lan Qiren is also looking pretty similar.

#sasu speaks #because apparently im allergic to focusing i have to come up with an entirely new au instead #mdzs #jc #wwx #lwj #lqr #He's Definitely Sober #HDS #mdzs brain rot

[ceilingfan5]

For the writing prompts could I please request 3. every mall is haunted, obviously with Taakitz please and please and please?

"Every mall is haunted, obviously," Taako says with the kind of confidence one might use to declare that war is over, or that the sun would burn your tongue if you licked it, or that Ms. Frizzle is a lesbian. 

"Sure," Kravitz agrees automatically, because he's been seeing hearts where important visual information oughta go for like, months now. And then, "Hang on, rewind. You believe in ghosts?" 

"No," Taako spits back, cockily feeding quarters into the breaking room vending machine. "But ghosts don't need to be believed in for spook'emup horseshit. Are you really eating a Lean Cuisine again? I swear to God, I'm going to invite myself over and-"

"No no, don't deflect, you- fucking can't–Taako you say this shit and words have  meanings, you're aware of this, right?" 

"-Like that's not even a joke, or a bastardization, that's culture you're devaluing with those three hundred forty calories, you know that, right? If it were a currency, the bank would be on fire." 

"Taako," Kravitz, exasperated. 

"Kravitz," Taako, cartoonish. He slams the button just liked the taped notice on the thing says to not to, and a Dr. Pepper falls out for the fiftieth consecutive time. "What am I supposed to blame, capitalism? Nah, this is fuckin ghosts, and you know it." 

"I guess if any place in the mall was haunted, it would be the Burlington Coat Factory," Kravitz concedes. 

"Burlington GHOST factory!"

"Uh huh." Kravitz can't be in love with him. He can't. Surely he just has some kind of disease instead. He isn't going to go to the doctor though, so the world may never know. "What spooky thing happened, then, chef?" 

He twirls his path-ketti and takes a Big Happy Bite and does Not gag, no one can claim otherwise. 

"All the fuckin' mannequins were in the grand hallway when we opened! Posed like- I don't wanna hurt your delicate sensibilities–"

"I'm not allergic to dirt, Taako."

"They weren't even fucking! Like, obviously if they were dolly-dallying and Barbie Bussin' it open, pause for applause," 

"Applause," Kravitz says dryly, because Taako won't go on if he doesn't get some acknowledgement, and again, this guy? This one? He's having romantic dreams about this fool? Christ alive and back again for one final tour, get tickets now on KVX9, at 8:30, 12:30, 4:30–

"They were all gruesome murder scenes." 

"Oh. Maybe the prankster just isn't horny."

"Couldn't be it!" Taako does a great big HMMM. "Maybe we should do a stakeout." 

"Why?" Kravitz blinks slowly at him. "The mall can be haunted. It's fine. Ghosts are above my paygrade." 

"Damn," Taako says, sighing and dramatically flopping on the table, and then turning to give him the biggest puppy dog eyes Kravitz has ever seen. "I was hoping you 'n me could bang it out together." 

Kravitz chokes on his heart leaping into his throat, and Taako lounges and languishes as he waits for Kravitz to spit up The Spaghetti Satan Would Deny. 

"Yeah?" He finally manages. 

"Mhm. This." 

"Not like. A movie?" 

"Chaboi can't sit through movies, I don't know why this shocks you." 

"Fair," Kravitz croaks. He shakes his head. There is one true path. He is cursed to fucking Candyland. His fate was set, predestination, there is no Fuck Nah option. "I…guess?" he says, regretting and anticipating in equal measure immediately.

"Fuck yeah!" Taako pops up like a wacky inflatable tube salesman. "I gotta make some snacks!!!"

#taz #taakitz #tazb #the adventure zone #the adventure zone balance #fan5fics #taz balance #taakitz fic #thank you!!

[what-fandom-again]

Gravity falls theory

When I was younger, I entered the gravity falls fandom and I made up some stupid theory and I would like it to be considered.

Something that always bothered me in gravity falls was something near the finale episodes. It is when Bill Cipher used Blenden as a skin suit to trick Mabel into giving him the rift. What bothered me is why Blenden was chosen at all? Granted, his alibis was believable for what Bill had in store, but I didn't really think about that and dived into making my own theory. So brave yourselves for 12 year old me and her theory of this show that I love.

The theory is....

What if Bill and Blenden were secretly partners?

Hear me out and rewind back to "Blendens game", where the theory winds from. The first few scenes show Blenden escaping from prison. The Gaurds mention that no one has ever escaped from it before. In true gravity falls fashion, this is never explained. All we know is that Blenden escaped, and no one ever really brought it up again.

Also it's canon that Bill and Time Baby know each other. This most likely means that Bill has definitely added some trouble with the time police once, though never caught.

I believe that Bill may have made a deal with Blenden to help him escape in return for a favor.

This is also proved in the credits of "the last mablecorn" where Bill is watching ford and Dipped set up the unicorn hair border and mentions that he needs to use one of his puppets from the outside of the mystery shack.

And a line during Bills interrogation with Ford during Weirdmeggedon 2.

"you know the rules cipher! You can't enter my brain unless I shake your hand and let you in!"

That's pretty much all I have, and I believe it's all I need. Keep in mind it's been a while since I watched the show, so let me know if you have any contradicting evidence

#gravity falls #gravity falls theory #bill cipher #bill cipher theory

[sparkagrace]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by the brilliant @voylitscope, @thisonesatellite, @dontcallmebree and @dharmasharks. Thank you all 💞

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

39

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

791,311 words (yikes!)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Primarily MCU, but I've written for Chicago PD and figure skating rpf in the past. Old fandoms (non-ao3) included Alias, One Tree Hill and Angel.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

coffee stains [steve/bucky]

lane lines [steve/bucky]

off the record [steve/bucky]

be kind, rewind [steve/bucky]

love languages [virtue/moir]

If we're keeping it all stucky, then treading water is #6

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

I try to respond to them all. I'm better at them when they're one-shots or during a WIP, but I do try my best to respond to every comment if I can.

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

nobody else has the angstiest ending esp because it includes the unrequited love trope.

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

I would say most of my fics end fluffy, but the fluffiest overall fic is probably flower girl.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really. A few times I've had some crit but I guess it is understandable when the character is doing some things you don't agree with.

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

I have tried and I'm bad at it, so it's M at most for me.

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

Not really. If anything, they would be AUs. I find it easier to translate characters over into a different world than mashing up two worlds together.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so and I hope I never do!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I've refused a couple of offers to do so. I'm just not in a space where I'd want them translated.

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

Yes, like two decades ago my friend and I were writing a fic together but we never finished it. I'm currently writing a fic with @teenytabris though!

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

It'll probably be stucky as I'm so embedded in that fandom.

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

There's one I worked on just before lane lines which is half written and fully outlined, but I'm just not in the same headspace as I was back then so I have no idea if I'll ever manage to finish it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think plot and dialogue is a strength. I find that outlining a fic comes pretty easily to me, and I usually write dialogue first before anything else.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I struggle with description. I really have to work hard at it. Also smut. I just can't write it without it sounding awful.

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

I tend to use the "dialogue in italics" method. I find it the easiest to do especially as I don't really speak other languages fluently. I will translate the odd word or basic sentences, but I think if it was a scene with at least four lines of dialogue, the italics work best for me as a writer and a reader.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I'm pretty sure it was Angel but I also remember writing a Power Rangers fic when I was 11 before I knew what fanfic was.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Hands down, love languages. I love it from top to bottom and I'm so glad that I finished it.

-

No pressure tags to @greenwichmeanlime @dreamsinthewitchouse @cable-knit-sweater @xoxobuckybarnes @bittersweet-in-boston @between-a-ship-and-a-hard-place and @buckyismybicycle (and anyone else who wants to do it!)

#tag games #my fic

[perplexingluciddreams]

I love Amelia Shepherd. She is my favourite I think. And still love Jo Wilson.

I still only got through Season 1 of Private Practice so I know I have to watch more of that to get more backstory on Amelia. (But I already gave myself many spoilers because that is what I do).

I am at Season 13 of Grey's Anatomy now. I barely noticed going from Season 12 to 13!

I think this is a show I am going to be able to rewatch over and over, it is so easy for me to watch. Comfortable and simple and straightforward and easy.

I would like to be able to watch it with more actual looking at the screen, though... that is something I really struggle with when watching things in general. Making my eyes look where I want, and processing what I see, is always a struggle, for everything.

I still do my thing of rewinding sections or scenes, until I process it. Or until I manage to pause at the right time to read subtitles. Or until I can pause at the right time to take in the "set up" of the scene and how many people and who - because I can't do that when everything moves so much. (Or until I am satisfied hearing a single line over and over because I like the inflection of the person's voice).

Anyway, I hope I get to piece together what is happening with Jo. I already know some parts and seen some scenes (I give myself spoilers), but I don't know the order or exactly how it fits together.

And the same with Amelia's brain tumour situation - I know about it and seen some scenes, but I want to see the linear story progression.

Grey's Anatomy is so much fun!

(Even if it causes intense hyperfocus and inability to think about anything else... and subsequently have less brain capacity for basic tasks and body signals and interact at all with other people, etc. etc. ... Buuuut that is just my brain and happens with everything I ever hyperfocus on! And hyperfocus is a state my brain defaults to very often. I try not to blame myself for something I can't control but still feel bad about it...).

But still so much fun!!

#ezra watch #greys anatomy #amelia shepherd #jo wilson #private practice #visual processing disorder #hyperfocus #hyperfixation

[becauseimanicequeen]

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Unknown ep. 11

I’m just going into this episode wanting Qian and Yuan’s first kiss. That’s it. That’s all. Now, hit me with it!

Qian grabbed Yuan’s wrist. It was all the confirmation Yuan needed. I have a feeling that he will be even bolder now than what we’ve seen so far. And I love it.

Well, damn! That went from 0-100kph really fast. Yuan was starving, and I don’t blame him. He’s been starving for a loooong time. Even dreaming about it at night, it seems.

I love that Qian took the first step with the kiss. Yuan was straightforward and honest about his feelings and what he wanted (to be more than a brother, to be someone Qian could rely on, to be with Qian for the rest of his life, etc.). But Qian took the first step with the kiss. He’s finally “in his feelings” rather than trying to think it through or analyze it.

One thing I have to say I didn’t quite like about this scene, though, was the editing. I don’t mind the flashbacks (as in the flashbacks of some of their past moments) because it shows their story and adds emotional weight to the whole scene. I love that. But the buildup wasn’t there since the sequence of Yuan making his feelings clear and the kiss was chopped up and strewn here and there. For me, it would’ve been much more effective if it happened in chronological order (or if the confrontation from the previous scene had been in the same episode). The editing here fell a bit flat for me and it’s such a shame considering the potential it had of being an incredible climax of the whole series, that they were finally together. Ahhh, I don’t want to feel disappointed…

Look at them being cozy in bed! It’s Yuan’s neck kisses that do it for me…

Btw, this is probably the first time Qian has smiled when anyone has mentioned Lili and San Pang in the same sentence.

The way Yuan sneaked into his own room… lmfao!

The way I CACKLED because of Lili’s bonkers story.

A dating game? I’m getting Our Dating Sim flashbacks.

Here’s Qian, in the middle of a meeting at work, getting flashbacks of his night having sex with Yuan. 1. Absolutely understandable. 2. He’s completely whipped. So, again, understandable. 3. There’s no doubt he wants to have sex with Yuan again. And again. And again. So, once again, understandable.

The way he hit that figure and caught it before it hit the floor… Qian was clearly rattled by his daydream. And who can blame him? My legs would be shaking. (But this is not about me…)

So… The Doc and Le are fucking, right?

You know, Le is damn fine… when he doesn't look like a crazy person. Eh, who am I kidding? He’s sexy as hell when he looks like a crazy person. (I know, it’s a me-problem…)

OMG! Their date. The way I fucking laughed through the whole scene. Yuan accusing Qian of not being romantic, Qian proving the opposite, Qian’s reaction after the kiss, Long being funny as hell with the candle. Every moment was fucking golden! Excuse me as I rewind that a handful of times.

Of course, Qian’s trauma would come back up again at some point. It’s not like he’s dealt with it or been magically “healed”. I’m honestly wondering how the series will deal with his trauma (both the trauma around his childhood and his head trauma) considering there’s only half of this episode plus the next one left.

It doesn’t surprise me one bit that Qian went to the hospital by himself. I get that he doesn’t want to worry Yuan. But he isn’t even giving Yuan the chance to choose for himself.

Hitting yourself on the head won’t help…

It’s come to a point now that Qian has to tell Lili about his health. I mean, surgery seems to be the only option to get better, but the risks are too big to keep it secret.

Qian is talking as if he’s already set on dying. This is so unlike the fighter and survivor he used to be. And, of course, Yuan notices that something’s off.

Seriously, hasn’t Qian learned his lesson about not keeping something like this from Yuan?

I usually love miscommunicating (or non-communicating) characters because of the misunderstandings and drama it usually stirs up. And I love the misunderstandings and drama (in fiction, not real life, btw). BUT! This is riling me up. This is about Qian’s life. His health is in serious danger. Is it in line with his character? Yes, to a certain point. But how many times has he shown how important his family is to him? MANY! Practically the whole series so far. Why would he not want to prepare them for the possibility that he might not be around much longer? This isn’t the time to stay silent. This isn’t the time to avoid the topic. Come on, Qian. Don’t do this to Yuan. Or Lili.

Did you hear that, Qian? The Doc said to discuss it with your family.

The stress Qian is under has made him hide in an ally and start smoking again… If that blood clot in his head doesn’t kill him, the stress surely will.

Excuse me as I weep for a minute or two…

I only have one thing to say about that moment in the alley… Qian is so fucking lucky to have Yuan in his life. We’ve often talked about how lucky Yuan was that Qian found him (which is more than valid because he most likely wouldn’t have survived without Qian). But Qian is just as lucky to have Yuan in his life. Yuan single-handedly reignited the spark in Qian and brought the fighter in him back to life. And Qian needed that. He needed it to at least have a possibility to survive this.

I know I said I only wanted to mention one thing about that scene. But I have to mention Yuan biting Quan’s wrist as well, for the reason that I loved that detail. And because biting is my kind of kink. Not that this was kinky. But it does show that biting can prove a point at times.

Lili is so fucking sweet. And that hug at the end, between all three of them…

I really liked this episode, even though I felt disappointed with the editing at the beginning. But, they’re finally together and Qian has gotten his fighting spirit back.

Now there’s only one episode left and it feels bittersweet. I really don’t want this series to end…

#qots random thoughts #unknown #unknown the series #taiwanese ql #taiwanese bl #taiwanese series #my shit

[pwnyta]

Its impressive... Horikoshi really made little miss Deus Ex Machina even LESS narratively satisfying then I could have ever imagined. Both with Mirio AND now Deku....

TBF Its on me thinking it was kinda interesting that Deku lost his arms in Shiga-world and that for some reason translating to it happening outside too, I was curious how the fuck that happened but luckily we didnt have to dwell on that because Eri comes in and rips her horn off for some reason...

Wasnt the Quirk destroying bullets made from her blood... It says on the wiki it was her 'biological material' so maybe I assumed it was her blood... but like?? Why she have to rip her horn off? Aizawa (great to see you again btw im sorry Hori didnt think spending some more time with you would be beneficial for some reason but GREAT TO SEE YA BUD) BUT WTF DID YOU TELL ERI TO MAKE HER RIP HER HORN OFF!? Also lmao Ectoplam being put on babysitting duty is fucking NUTS. What do YOU MEAN?! Also he helped a little girl chop her horn off.... work. IDK if he was the best choice for this for various reasons....

ANYWAYS... Eri being like 'My horn is part of me and since you told me how my Quirk works... this should help' So like... you have hair ya know... A lot of it. You probably coulda/shoulda started with that... especially since it woulda been like... a callback to Deku eating All Mights hair to start the series off ya know?

BUT WHATEVER

CUZ IT WOULDA RUINED THE TENSION AIZAWA-SAN PLEASE.

For at least All Might... but Bakugo was dead for like a straight up year IRL... and honestly I would have accepted Eris quirk more than the actual hilarious nonsensical bullshit that happened. Which to remind everyone...

[An origami ninja folded himself up so small and wrapped/sewed himself around Bakugos ripped apart heart while a man who creates denim threads sewed it back together... neither of these men are surgeons but its fine because all that didnt save Bakugo he actually used his explosive Quirk to restart his OWN heart somehow...

Am I getting all that right? Its been a hot minute.

A hot ridiculous minute....]

All Might coulda been interesting though. And Hori somehow rarely disappoints when All Might is involved (accept AFO randomly having a quirk that completely undoes Stains Quirks ability. That was bullshit. He had a Quirk for that but not one for the rewind? OK... W/E. AFO is so disappointing.)

Hori letting Bakugo be dead for an IRL year completely killing the tension of the scene then reviving him in the most bull-shittest way I never could have imagined 🤝 Deku losing his arms in a somewhat interesting way only to get them back like a chapter later via some bullshit way via Eris horn I never could have imagined.

Also I didnt say it before but Ojiro, Sato, and Sero being shoved into this is so fucking funny. Hori really said 'Oh shit I forgot about these three... gotta pretend theyre useful somehow'

Love that.

Love my boys. Good for them LMAO.

#BNHA ranting.

[maleyanderecafe]

Hello! If you’re up for it, could you suggest some non-smut media? Could be games, manga, anime, anything! I really don’t mind ^^

I’m asexual and don’t really enjoy having to sit through sex scenes, even if it’s from something I ended up to really like. :/ It’d be amazing if there were more sfw yanderes but I guess that’s not really a popular demographic hhhh

Yeah, of course! I think honestly I personally prefer ones that don't have smut as well unless it's in very specific circumstances (but to each their own). It's not its own community like r18 yandere vns are, but it's possible that it might grow into its own in the future. Most otome isekais tend to be more focused on romance though and don't have smut (unless explicitly stated), so looking into that would be probably good if you're not looking for smut.

Webcomics/Manga

God is Telling Me to Fall in Love - this one is like deep in my drafts and Cherry really likes it- it's about a girl who is able to see the affection points of guys and is able to form relationships with them, but when they get to the end, she's forced to go back in time and has to chase another person. It's pretty good and I have an ask on it. Future Recommendation

Caught by the Villain - an isekai about a girl who is trying to avoid her fate of death(and her brothers) by pretending to be him and enlisting into the army.

Never-Ending Darling- very good thriller sci-fi series about a girl who is cloned constantly by her fiance. Very good push and pull on both sides and you're always on the edge of your seat.

Kimi no Koe - Cherry likes this one too, but the premise is very good, about a guy who can read people's thoughts and a girl whom he can't read and is mute. Very fluffy. The yandere appears near the tail end of it though so he's not in it a lot.

The S Class that I Raised - this mostly depends on if you believe in platonic yanderes or not, but the series as a whole is very good about a guy who rewinds time to save his brother (who is an S class) and gains powers to tame beasts. The yandere is mostly comedic though.

Fluctuations of the Hit Man S -extremely cute and a bit comedic, about a hitman that falls in love with a yakuza daughter and becomes her bodyguard. The artwork is a bit nonstandard for a manga, but it really is a fun read.

To Your Eternity - extremely good and pretty long, the yandere appears somewhere in the middle, about and immortal and his battle with beings that are trying to take over the world. Extremely heart wrenching and something you should read for the plot, not just the yandere himself.

He Was My Brother - very good psychological one about a girl who wants to get with her deceased brother's lover, despite how it sounds, it's pretty horror based and honestly makes you wonder what exactly is going on.

Ripe When the Flowers Bloom - this one is a shonen ai, but I like the pacing and idea on it. It's about a guy who works at a flower shop and a being that can only eat flowers. I think they do sleep together but it's not shown (since it's a shonen ai)

Kiss the Abyss - I think I really just like killing games, but this shonen ai is also really good. Basically about a game developer who gets trapped into his own mobile game that was a killing game. Very fun.

I have a lot more on my masterlist, though you'd have to sort it out yourself. Usually I give warning if it has smut/r18 content in it.

Games

Cemetery Mary - very good mysteresque visual novel about a girl named Mary who loves Cemeteries (shocking) and is trying to live in a new place while being worried about her kidnapped parents. I'm still going through this one and there are some other games in the same universe. Future Recommendation.

Dead Wishes - r18 but more on the themes and gore side, there is at least one male yandere in there and his route is a doozy. Very good though, and the characters are all pretty interesting in their own right, though it can get pretty messed up sometimes.

Love, Sam - this one is actually a bit old and not a visual novel, but it is very cool and very fun. The way the story unravels is really interesting and it makes you question on what's actually going on. Future Recommendation.

Froot Basket Valentine/Froot Basket Dark Chocolate - Dark Chocolate is a prequel to Valentine, but it's about the main character (Jordan) who loses their memories and has to try to figure out who they were trying to give chocolates too. Dark Chocolate is from the yandere's point of view.

Sweetest Valentine - good game with a twist, Cherry and I really liked it. About a girl who is going to confess to one of two guys and there's actually like a huge hidden thing under all of that. It was a fun game and I hope the creator makes more yandere games.

Mushroom Oasis - this one is actually really cute, about the player going to find their cat in the forest and instead stumbling upon someone who seems to have hypnotic powers. Future Recommendation.

The Science of Staying Awake - this one is a bit trippy, about not sleeping and seeing a strange creature in your room, with them extremely desperate to touch you, but it ends up causing your sanity to go down instead. The concept of it is super cool.

Colorful Mirai: Spooky Edition - spinoff of the Colorful Mirai series about Lauren going to a haunted house and being greeted by a bunch of guys. They don't do a whole ton because it's a oneshot spinoff, but it's still well made and fun to play.

If you look under my Video Game Recommendation under Indie Visual Novels, all of those don't have smut (from my recollection) as well as any of the mobile games. I think most of the sfw yandere vns don't actually advertise themselves as yandere vns so they end up being harder to find as a result.

I don't know that much anime offhand with a male yandere- maybe like Akudama Drive, Tokyo Mewmew, Kill of Love, Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion? I probably should watch more anime, but it's a lot of things I have to go through. Maybe one day.

There is quite a lot of sfw male yandere stuff, but you do have to dig for them- that's probably just true for any male yandere stuff though. Hopefully, that will help you find some good ones. I'll also do some reblogs today that have sfw yanderes that you can look through.

#now im wondering if im really some sort of ace as well considering my reactions to things #well thats a topic for another time #male yandere #yandere #yandere boy #recommendations #asks #lists

[dekaydk]

Oh No! Here Comes Trouble ep 12

Completely satisfied with this show and definitely expect to watch it again.

Okay, spoilers for the series follow so don't read if you haven't watched the whole thing.

The good

Script, story, characters, acting, comedy, direction, cinematography. Basically everything.

Unclear/didn't understand

I didn't get the bit with the security guard and his accuser. I thought it was setting up another obsession but it just happened, then they went back to it with a repeat of the action. Will rewatch to see if I missed something (was interrupted several times (grumble) so this very well could just be me).

Could've been better

CGI was pretty good in general though the closeup paper bits landing were a little, oh, procedural vs. natural. The big plane crash (the full scene) wasn't quite as convincing as I would have liked but I get that budget isn't infinite and this kind of work is expensive. (Heck, big budget movies often have less convincing CGI than this series.)

Subtitles often were a bit fleeting (the English ones) especially when there was a short line. Dear subtitle team: love your work but please remember that we are switching between watching the action and reading so we have to spend time on both; it's not the same as listening to dialog and watching simultaneously. I had to rewind quite a few times because I wasnn't sure what had been said because I took my eyes off the titles for a moment and missed something.

Things I loved

The writing was terrific. Not one of the obsessions played out like you might have expected. Twists every time!

Every. single. one. of the actors were good. Every one of the minor roles was done well. The actor playing the OLD WOMAN was brilliant, made more effective by a great costume, hair, the smoking (lighting a wet butt was a genius touch). Traffic boulder man was perfectly menacing.

Guang Yan's reaction to being pulled away from Yi Yong by Li Song was devastating and perfect; Cian You nailed it.

The scene where Yi Yong and Bao Sheng are talking in the hospital after Yi Yong wakes up was economically written and acted. Scenes like this are often overloaded with exposition or overdone by the actors/directors. They didn't even say that Ren Xiu had died; the acting did it all. Cheryl Yang seemed effortless in all her parts, whether doing comedy or badassery.

Another example of beautiful spareness in writing and directing was when Yi Yong went to the (graveyard? mausoleum?). We don't know where he's going in the taxi, the taxi driver just gets out (sensitive!) and Yi Yong's sobbing is perhaps all the more heartbreaking because it was shot from outside the taxi.

The first balcony scene with Ren Xiu and Yi Yong was another example of terrific writing. We got introduced to Ren Xiu's character and the real nature of his relationship with his son in such a short time, yet you learned enough to care about him. The second balcony scene was beautifully acted by both men, and the necessary tonal shifts were slow and delicate enough to keep the viewer in the moment.

Loved the ending. Wake up, hear yet another plea for help, roll eyes, roll credits. That said, Yi Yong losing another couple of years to a coma? UNFAIR.

Side notes

Jing Hua actually spent time to learn calligraphy in more depth. I assume (as someone who doesn't read it) that he had to be convincing enough to make Chinese viewers believe in his expertise. Role reversal: in one of the behind the scenes videos, Cian You gives Jing Hua a cartoon of him that he said that he had drawn.

Conclusion: 🎖️ Absolutely recommended. Run, do not walk to your preferred IQIYI access.

Going to re-watch and think about this some more.

#oh no! here comes trouble #不良執念清除師 #taiwanese drama #twdrama #lin kuan hui #tseng jing hua #vivian sung #peng cian you #cheryl yang