#it's YA but honestly YA tends to have way better world building and plot than adult fantasy

[elvhendis]

Micah Bayar from the Seven Realms Series, but I aged him up because I'm choosing to ignore that everyone is only 16 lol. I only just started the second book so this may or may not age well?

Edit: I think I got his eye colour wrong? 😭 I could've sworn it was blue-greyish

#so far I recommend the series #it's YA but honestly YA tends to have way better world building and plot than adult fantasy #i got so sick of all the bad booktok recommendations #seven realms series #the demon king #the demon king series #micah bayar #seven realms #myart #elvhendis

[marinettereadsfics]

Kim Seokjin

Make You Scream  Now, when I say this is a wild ride is because I truly mean it. There is nothing like this out there I assure you. Reese is a mastermind. You won’t regret reading it. [crack, smut, Monsters Inc. AU]

A Lullaby on Canvas  Pure amazing plot and writing. If smut with plot is your thing, you got urself a masterpiece right here. [smut, siren AU, neighbour AU]

Dick n’ Go  It never ceases to surprise me how well thought out their plots are + I laughed at the “five star dick” more than I should have bc I totally see Jinnie pulling that off [smut, crack]

Eight  You may be hesitant to read an octopus hybrid Jin but please, this is so well written its just *chefs kiss* [smut, Hybrid AU]

Folia  I never knew I needed an alien AU until I read this. Do yourself a favour and read it. [smut, Alien AU]

Kiss It Better  A quick but amazing read. Seokjin + crack and f2l?? SIGN ME UP [smut, crack, f2l]

Golden Boy  Love me some amazingly written smut with plot. Because what’s better than Pornstar Kim Seokjin? Neighbour pornstar Kim Seokjin.[smut, Neighbour AU, Pornstar AU]

Better With You  This three part fake dating with kinda chaebol Seokjin is juts *chefs kiss* definitely one of my faves [smut, angst, Fake Dating AU]

Min Yoongi

The Touch of Silk  You know what’s better than vampire Yoongs? Sugar Daddy Vampire Yoongs. Do you even need to know more? [smut, Sugar Daddy AU, Vampire AU]

Talk  One of the most well-written two shots out there. I simply loved it. Most probably read it when I should have been doing homework but hey, Phone Sex operator Yoongi is so worth it. [smut, Phone Sex Operator AU]

Book of The Beasts: From the Ashes  I’m a sucker for anything mythical and this is definitely no exception. It has an amazing plot and build up. 1000/10 [smut, angst, Witch AU, Mythical Shifter AU]

Owner Training  Okay hear me out, I love reading fanfics but I almost never something longer than a one shot bc otherwise I wouldn’t graduate but this. This right here ladies, gentlemen and non binary buddies, is so so worth your time. I’m a sucker for hybrid Yoongi yeah. [crack, fluff, smut, Hybrid AU]

Snake Kisses  If your thing is grumpy Yoongs, mix it a little bit with this amazingly written Hybrid fic and you’ve got: perfection! Danger noodle are my favourite words since I read this. [smut, fluff, Hybrid AU]

Glass  Pure amazing filth by this amazing author. Spare a few minutes and read this masterpiece. Thank You. [smut]

Inheritance  There are a few shots in this one and truth be told you will find yourself reading them all. This one is kinda angsty but it is so so good. Again, grumpy Yoongi hybrid is my fave. [fluff, smut, angst, Hybrid AU]

Demon! Yoongi  I distinctively remember having this one in my to-read list and saying ‘I’ll just read this one and head to bed’ on a school night bc my sleep deprived ass read “2.1 k words” but it really was “22.1k” and so… yeah. It was so amazing I ended up reading it all in one go. Education is important but this Demon Yoongi fic is more important. Don’t quote me on that. [smut, Demon AU] Catharsis  Hello my fellow kinky Yoongi enthusiasts, I bring you an amazing fic full of smut with some amazing plot behind and character development. [smut]

Android!Yoongi Excuse me while I go and weep in a corner. This is a scenario I didn’t know I needed so much. 24k yeah, but it is so so worth it. [smut, angsty, Android AU]

Mighty  I can’t recall details because I tend to read to sleep BUT GRUMPY CAT YOONGI IS A THING. [smut, fluff, Hybrid AU]

Love and Laughter  A quick read, but I’m a sucker for established relationship drabbles. [smut, fluff]

Tonight  If daechwita Yoongs did something to you, spare a few minutes to read this masterpiece. [smut, Historical AU]

Make Me  FRIENDS TO LOVERS + SLEEPOVER. THAT’S IT. [smut]

Bent Will  Heavy kinky stuff ahead. That is about enough. [smut]

Daechwita  The title is pretty self-explanatory. If you haven’t read this masterpiece, I honestly- don’t know where you’ve been. [smut, Historical AU]

Give It To Me  Hello fellow kinky Yoongi enthusiats, again. Shibari is a thing here. Enjoy. [smut]

Want a Taste? 

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it all the time, SMUT WITH PLOT. Yoongi rapper while working in a mall is something I didn’t know I needed. As always, amazing writing and plot. [smut, humour-ish, Mall Worker AU]

Mixtape 

Let me tell ya something, this fic right here has slipped from my fingers more than once, but I just loved it so so much that I’ve spent hours looking for it without remembering the title. A FAVE. Amazing writing and an even more incredible character development. A MUST READ. [smut, fluff, comedy, College AU]

Tsundere 

The pure essence of Yoongi’s life lessons mixed with a tiny bit of bad boy vibe and smut. [angst, smut, College AU]

Tricks of the Trade 

This was such a fun and sexy reading! I LOVED IT SO MUCH. Can you just imagine swapping bodies with your crush okay look no further. Here it is. [smut, humour, fluff, Soulmate AU]

The Singularity Theory 

Three parts of absolutely worthy Min Yoongi smut with plot [smut, comedy, college AU]

Nine Months From Now

SMUT. WITH. PLOT. And a hell of a plot I absolutely love CEO Yoongi [smut, fluff, CEO AU]

To Love an Empress 

Ummm hello? This piece of art is just- idk absolutely brilliant to say the least. I am in love with the writing okay and you know im a sucker for smut with plot.[smut, fluff, Historical AU]

Jung Hoseok

Airplane Pt.2  I’m not saying that I can totally picture Hobi in this scenario but maybe I am. Welcome to the mile high club, everybody. [smut, Sugar Daddy AU]

Fake Love  I’m a cliché lover okay. [smut, fluff, fake dating, enemies to lovers]

Rogue Galaxy  SMUT. WITH. PLOT. May you feel blessed with Kristi’s amazingly written masterpiece. [angst, fluff, smut, alien AU]

Kim Namjoon

Hammer it Home  I started reading this in the middle of my customs and tariffs class and somewhere along the middle I kinda forgot I started reading it BUT MY MY THIS IS *chef’s kiss* one of the most amazing smut with plot I’ve read in a while. [fluff, smut]

The Moment Pleasantly Frightful  Joonie here is a devil, you are an inexpirenced witch [smut]

What Friends are For  Joonie is kinda inexperienced but hey, making sure he gets it is what friends are for. [smut, BFF AU]

Love Bites 

YESSSS VAMPIRE JOONIE [smut, Vampire AU]

Park Jimin

Love Me, Love Me I read this in a sleepy haze for the first time but ever since, I’ve re-read it bc it is just so good! One of my hybrid faves tbh [smut, Hybrid AU]

Book of The Beasts: The Hunt I was so caught up with the story from the beginning, no words, just do yourself a favour and read it. [fluff, smut, angst, Mythical Shifter AU]

A Serpent’s Flower Part 1 and Part 2  You gotta read these if you wanna have a good laugh but still get the sexy writing in it + if you like HP AUs okay. The plot is so rich I loved it.

20 Things (and Counting) I Hades about You  Cocky Jimin makes an appearance in this one as Hades’ embodiment and lemme tell ya I’m here for it. [crack, angst, Greek Gods AU]

Beneath the Water by @jungshookz ExcuSE YOU, this is easily the best mermaid/merman AU I’ve read. It really takes you places, please read it. [fluff, crack, smut, mermaid AU]

The Airport Couple: Park Jimin’s Cock [pit] This was so so fun to read, plus, it is so well written I might cry. The plot is so original is2g. I never knew I needed Jimin as a pilot in my life, but we all do. [fluff, smut, crack, pilot!AU]

Everywhere  One of my werewolf AU faves in this site, this so smutty I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT [smut, Werewolf AU]

Sleeping on the Couch  Hello there cute smutty drabbles. It is so entertaining, just read ahead. [smut, fluff]

Shewolf by @dovechim​

You should know by now this is the author of some AMAZINGLY WRITTEN SMUT so just go ahead please [smut, werewolf AU]

Love Like This  If your thing is soft boyfriend Jiminie, look no further, this will make you feel things for sure. [smut, fluff]

User: Mochibuns95  There is nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for camboy Jimin, now make it a “we kinda know each other but not really” and you got this brilliant plot! Kudos to the author, you are an absolute genius! [smut, Camboy AU]

Lovebug  Gimme some more of this angsty smutty hybrid Jimin slowly learning to love himself YESSS [angst, fluff, smut, Hybrid AU]

Dress Code  If you haven’t thought about CEO Jimin in a nsfw type of way. Stop lying to yourself. Read this. [smut, CEO AU]

So it Goes

A 3 part masterpiece. Once again I kinda cried reading it. It must have been hormonal. Or perhaps the amazing way it is written. [fluff, smut, Alien AU]

Power Play

Okay so I went on a reading spree for Addie but can you even blame me? SHE IS AN AMAZING WRITER PERIODT. FEED ME THAT FILTH WITH AMAZING PLOT. Definitely one of my faves. I can promise you your heart will skip a beat with this one.  [smut, fluff, Pornstar AU]

Watch Me, Watch You 

Listen up, I can’t be the only one that has found a TA attractive as fuck. Now bring Jimin into it? YES PLEASE [smut, college AU]

Kim Taehyung

1-800-music-street

Ahem. Excuse you. This hit hard it is amazing, astounding, I loved every word of it. I’m a sucker for smut with plot and this right here, delivered. Homeless but passionate for music Tae is here to save the day. [fluff, smut]

All That Is Gold  I’ll said it once, I’ll say it until I die, AMAZING PLOTS THAT NEVER FAIL TO DELIVER. Tae is a sugarbaby here. [smut, angst, roommate AU]

Plunge  Hybrid shy Tae is a thing here [smut, angst, Hybrid AU]

Fun & Games  Soft smutty lover Tae is a dream come true in this one [fluff, smut]

By Chance Tae saves your life and things get… heated. An amazing plot, lovely characters as always. [angst, smut, fluff, Mythical AU, Shifter AU]

By Chance Tae saves your life and things get… heated. An amazing plot, lovely characters as always. [angst, smut, fluff, Mythical AU, Shifter AU]

Sehebon Then again, a bless to read Alien AU, Tae here is just a dreamy one. So so lovely writing, smut with plot, you know it. [angst, fluff, smut, Alien AU]

The Talk  I absolutely loved this, pornstar Tae stepping out of his comfort zone is something so so needed in your life [smut, Pornstar AU]

Good Girl  Accidentally sending your coworker nudes can be something less than a nightmare. [smut, Office AU]

Planning Ahead  Sweet baby Jesus. I loved it. [smut, breeding kink]

The Morning After 

I’m sorry I love ex to lovers smut but y’all shouldn’t stay in toxic relationships okay [smut, e2l]

Jeon Jungkook

The Underwear Thief  I found this so so funny to read and I just noticed that it is 10k but it doesn’t feel like it. Plus, Kookie and a cat as a concept is so cute to me. [smut, neighbour AU]

Bandslam  I haven’t read a fic with this much well written plot ever since my 1D phase so I am forever in debt to Laura for delivering such an amazing fic. Enemies to lovers is a cliche, I know but mix it with drummer boy JK and you got this amazing piece of art. [angst, a bit of fluff in there, smut, E2L, Drummer AU]

Caught Me  I read this quite a while back but I can still recall bits and pieces of it. Seokjin is a sneaky bastard in this one + JK is that roommate that is kinda hard to live with.[smut, Roommates AU]

Crybaby  I’m just going to say: this goes hard. Do yourself a favor and read it. [smut]

Dynasty  I was on a historical streak when I read this. It is angsty but trust me, you’ll absolutely love it. [angst, smut, Historical AU]

Black Card  A wonderfully written two shot that gathers a few faves: CEO Jungkookie and a spoiling kink. Honestly, where can I get myself a man like this. [smut, CEO AU]

Periapt  A two shot (? where JK is an incubus. That should be enough of a description. Amazing writting as always by Rha.

Robot!Jungkook  Okay so one of my many not so guilty pleasures is reading android AUs and lemme tell ya, this 5 shot scenario is just *chefs kiss* [angst, fluff, smut, Android AU]

Dumbo  Wanna have a great laugh while still getting the smut content you deserve? This is your fic. Please just read it. It is amazing and will most likely make your day better. [crack, smut]

2! 3!  Fluffy vanilla smut. Sometimes we deserve it. [fluff, smut]

New Beginnings One of the sexiest Werewolf AUs I’ve read if not the sexiest. You know I love my smut with plot on the side and this fic right here: absolutely amazing. [smut, angst, Werewolf AU]

Felicity  NOW THIS FIC TOOK ME PLACES I DIDN’T KNOW I NEEDED TO BE. There are amazing hybrid fics out there but this is on a whole new level. Like seriously, novel-worthy plot. Also, this is off hiatus now apparently and I will most definitely be waiting for it. [angst, smut, hybrid AU]

Out of the Blue  Four-piece that is worth every second you read it. It takes you places, trust me. Plus, you get Namjin on the side. [smut, fluff, Hybrid AU]

Anemia  Hello, a quick read but smutty and quite the ride. Just read it. [smut, True Blood AU]

Fluff and Smut 

Yesssss love me some pinning pornstar au I LIVE FOR IT [smut, Pornstar AU]

[brooklynboysficrecs]

Ria’s Top 10 Shrinkyclinks Fics

I will admit this isn’t my preferred AU -- I won’t immediately jump on a fic just because it’s pre-serum Steve and WS Bucky. I gotta like the plot, or the premise, or be really, really intrigued by the tags, but to be fair, that’s how I am with everything that isn’t Modern Bucky and Cap Steve, so. That being said, I have read some truly fantastic shrinkyclinks stories, and I do very much love Steven “Fight Me” Rogers at his scrappiest. And these fics also tend to feature protective!Bucky which is another personal favorite of mine. Oh, but also: shrinkyclinks generally refers to pre-serum Steve with actual Winter Soldier Bucky, but a lot of people use the tag just to imply body types, and when they say WS Bucky they mean he’s all huge and muscled and sometimes has a metal arm, though that isn’t required. That’s the definition I’m going with as well, so hopefully nothing’s confusing!

1. If Wishing Made It So by leveragehunters. Before I get into anything about the actual fic, let me say this: leveragehunters is probably my favorite stucky writer. Like, hands-down, I read almost everything they write, and they’re big into fantasy stories, which is a great bonus for me personally. So, so, so many good shrinkyclinks fics by them (Even Underneath the Waves, a mermaid AU that features equal amounts of pre- and post-serum Steve, and A-mage-ing Grace with mage Steve are two of my other favorites, and they would’ve been on the list, but I try not to put more than one story per author, ya know? And IWMIS kinda wins out above the others for me, so). This story features jinn!Bucky who finds himself in the baffled hands of Steve Rogers, who is perfectly prickly and stubborn and good. Bucky’s got a terrible past with humans in general (and Hydra in particular, what a shocker) that he and Steve have to overcome as their relationship progresses, but that progression is frankly beautiful to watch unfold. I come back to this story time and time again because of how much I love these versions of Steve and Bucky getting to know one another, learning to trust each other, supporting each other through the worst the world has to throw at them. Plus, there’s a few more stories in this series if you get as hooked as I am, which is always great!!

2. Roots Have Grown by AustinB. I remember reading this and just... completely feeling what Bucky is going through. Not everything -- he’s an agoraphobic veteran, and I can’t relate to either of those, really, but he’s so... awkward about his crush on Steve. And that’s -- that’s relatable to me. But it’s precious, really, how he tries to help Steve even though he’s afraid to actually meet him initially; he becomes Steve’s sort of... anonymous benefactor? Guardian angel with money? Like, it’s definitely a sugar daddy type deal originally but I doubt Bucky would describe it like that. I don’t know, it’s cute, though, and I loved seeing Bucky opening up to Steve as they became closer. 

3. Through The Woods by VenusMonstrosa, alby_mangroves. Okay, hear me out: werewolves. I fucking love werewolves in fiction; I mean, not really the romance novels you’ll see in the grocery store, but. Werewolf mythology is one of my favorite things, so seeing it in fanfiction almost always manages to lure me in. And I was so not disappointed with this story! Steve’s living alone in a cabin in the woods, which of course sounds like the opening to a horror movie, but here it leads to love. Werewolf Bucky is both charming and terrifying, to a degree, he’s a wolf, but he and Steve are fantastic together. This is another story that goes in on the trust aspect of their relationship and I for one am a big fan of that. There’s some violence, minor character death and the like, but it’s definitely not undeserved so. If you can handle that (and the sex, because there is sex in this) then I highly recommend this one!

4. The Joy of Little Things by obsessivereader, Sealcat. And so we move from werewolves to dragons. Yup. Dragons. Another of my beloved mythical creatures that I obsessed over when I was kid. Bucky’s capable of shifting into a human in this, but primarily he’s a big ol’ dragon that surprisingly doesn’t want to eat the scrawny sacrifice from the local village. Steve ends up working for Bucky, instead, and from there hilarity ensues. Steve’s obviously wary of Bucky, but Bucky isn’t at all what he’d been expecting, and they grow closer the longer Steve’s staying in Bucky’s caves. There are a couple of stories with Dragon!Bucky, but this is my personal favorite; it’s cute and heart-warming and, well. I just really like it. 

5. I Just Want to Love You in My Own Language by agetwellcard, inediblesushi. So this one has Cap!Bucky (Bucky!Cap?) but again, sometimes it’s more about how Bucky looks rather than his role as the Winter Soldier. Anyway, I remember my biggest take away from this story was how adorable Bucky was in his quest to win the affections of sassy Nurse Steve, who patches him up after missions and is probably playing hard to get. Bucky uses terrible pick-up lines, absolutely awful, and he is completely unashamed of that fact. Which is, as I said, adorable. Steve, initially, does not agree with my assessment, but he gets there eventually. After some requisite drama, of course.

6. Tint & Shade by forestofbabel. Oh, god, this one hurt me, I remember that pretty clearly. Bucky is the Winter Soldier in this, and Steve is a 21st century art therapist who just so happens to resemble his late grandfather, Captain Joseph Rogers, who fought in -- you guessed it -- WWII. Like I said in the intro, if I really like the premise of something I’ll usually read it regardless of the configuration of pre-/post-serum Steve and pre-serum/WS Bucky, and this was definitely one of the fics I got into for that reason. Having actual WS Bucky interact with a modern pre-serum Steve is always interesting, given how much they don’t have in common, generally (there isn’t even really the veteran status that modern Bucky sometimes has in fics), and it’s a journey to see how and why they connect. Having Steve resemble his WWII era grandfather caught my attention, and the fic itself made me grateful that I decided to go for it in the first place. This is another one where is trust is key to their relationship, considering the mental/emotional state Bucky is in at the beginning. Very good story overall!

7. Fourth Floor by dirtybinary, mithborien, picoalloe. So dirtybinary has written some amazing stucky fics, which is why I was so excited when I saw this being posted initially (a few years ago, but still). There’s magic! Mystery! Suspense! Some NatSharon! Looking this over, I’m wondering if I should’ve saved it for the Urban Fantasy list I wanna do (and If Wishing Made It So, if I’m being honest) but I do like it for the shrinkyclinks list. The writing is great, the characterization of Steve and Bucky is great, and like, they live in what is essentially a magical apartment complex, so what’s better than that? 

8. my heart tells me you are lonely, too by FanGirling. Alright, so I read this one as it was being published, and the slow burn about killed me. You know, in a good way, though. Bucky lives in Steve and his mother’s apartment building, trying to figure out where to go with his life now that he’s broken free of Hydra and gotten his autonomy back. He’s obviously wary, skittish, but he takes a liking to Sarah Rogers when she reaches out to befriend him, surprised anyone wants to be near him let alone take the time to get to know him. Steve... is not so easily sold on Bucky. And I’m not gonna spoil anything here, but the shit these two go through is intense, and I cried a lot during this fic, sometimes out of frustration because they’re both ridiculous about their feelings (of course Bucky’s fears are valid, the man has been through literal hell, but also I was internally screaming a little as Bucky continually talked himself out of getting closer to Steve.) I wanted to wrap the both of them in about thirty blankets for pretty much the entire length of the fic. God. They’re just -- they’re so incredibly sweet in this one, once they work past their issues (Bucky and Steve are both more than a little messed up from their respective circumstances, but they make it work). Mind the tags on this one, also, especially because there is a chapter that deals with attempted sexual assault against Steve (obviously not with Bucky!), but Bucky handles the situation before anything truly nasty happens, that I can promise. 

9. Local Raccoon Befriends Angry Chihuahua by charlesdk. This is yet another author I really love; they have a fantastic farmer!Steve/Modern!WS!Bucky story that I love to bits, as well as other great fics. But anyway, this one. The title sold me the second I saw it, honestly, I can’t even pretend that wasn’t the deciding factor in me reading this. I don’t think I can really do any better than the summary in explaining why I recommend it; feisty tiny Steve and lovestruck grumpy Bucky are a winning combination in my book. This one does feature the boys dealing with homophobia and ableism, though I can’t recall how severe it is. So I’d just mind the tags, and if you’re alright with them, thoroughly enjoy this story. 

10. The Road to Hell is Paved with Tony’s Good Intentions by pinlilli. Bucky as a mail-order Russian bride. That’s the detail that pretty much demanded I click on this fic, and oh my god, it was even better than I ever could’ve expected. Tony, in a bid to help Steve get over his awful ex-boyfriend (fuck Brock Rumlow in every universe, honestly), literally orders him a husband -- in the form of beefy James Barnes, who is a fucking gem and I will not hear one bad word against him. He does chores, it’s lovely and adorable, and you will definitely fall just as hard as Steve does. There’s some canon-typical violence in this one that relates to James’ past, but nothing super graphic as far as I remember. Again, Rumlow is a dick and should be treated as such, but he’s hardly the most important part of this fic and I urge everyone to take a look at it if they’re as intrigued by Bucky being a mail-order husband as I was. 

#stucky #stevebucky #steve rogers #bucky barnes #captain america #winter soldier #chris evans #sebastian stan #fic rec #shrinkyclinks #top 10

[thinkingbookthoughts]

Strange the Dreamer, post read thoughts.

I just finished it last night, and hoo boy was it a read. This is the first book I’ve read by Laini Taylor, and it’s got me wanting to read more. I’m starting Muse of Nightmares tonight or tomorrow, and maybe after that the Daughters of Smoke and Bone trilogy. Anyway, [spoilers probably]:

First off, I don’t care for fantasy. I tend to have little patience for made up words (yes, I know all words are made up, you know what I mean) and hyper detailed world building. I enjoy the fantastical, but fantasy as a genre generally bores me to tears. I don’t want to read about fake cultures when I could be learning about real ones. That’s personal taste, whatever. Taylor however, writes it almost exactly the way I want to read it. She dips occasionally into exposition dumps, but I find it nowhere near as tiresome as the typical Tolkienesque approach. Even then, I’m interested. She’s created such a wonderful world that I want to know whatever she’s going to give me, and uncovering some new detail feels like a treat, not a slog. My eyes still glaze over at all the made up words and politics, but everything else makes up for it.

What keeps this book interesting to me is definitely not the plot though. I have no major issues with it, it’s fine, whatever. But it falls into the category of legendary fantasy tale that generally I have no interest in. Hero’s journey and all that. I find it boring. Again, personal taste, whatever. I tend to enjoy character driven more than plot driven anyway, and this book is absolutely character driven. The story itself is so simple I might even go so far as to call it formulaic, but the people who carry it are something else. When their hearts break, so does yours. I won’t lie, she does go for some easy gut punches, but they do still feel earned and in their place. She’s not afraid to let you dislike her heroes. Except maybe Lazlo, I’ll talk more about him later (though I feel like the sequel may challenge him more). Most of the people that we grow to like are complicated. They’ve done terrible things, or harbor toxic beliefs, but they’re also justified to a certain extent. And to what extent that is, is left up to you.

She does kind of beat you over the head with her themes, but I mean, this is technically YA. It’s not terribly clumsy, you just find yourself wanting to go, “OK I get it! Move on!” every once in a while. But that’s a hard line to toe as a writer, and as far as shortcomings go, it’s really not that big of a deal. I’m willing to forgive it, anyway. Sometimes you can feel when the “correct” answer is coming through, usually because Lazlo is taking a hard line moral stance, but it never felt so overwhelming to me that it seemed like right and wrong were being truly dictated. It’s not perfect, and writers are allowed to have opinions, so eh.

In general, I’m a big fan of her writing style. I get the feeling the novelty would wear thin if I read all of her books back to back, so I won’t lmao, but from the one I’ve read I love it. She has issues with repetition to the point where it crosses from emphasis to unnecessary and redundant pretty often, but god I am a simp for flowery prose, so I will forgive it. If I had to describe the way she writes to someone who is deciding whether or not to read it, I’d say that she writes like those verbose, rich paragraphs you find on tumblr. You know, where someone has had a few nice sentences flow into their head, but they aren’t going to expand on it so they post it as is, without the context that might make it anything more than pretty words. (No shade, but... look they’re not exactly high art, ok?) Except that she’s actually written the book. And I find it a very pleasurable experience. Like I said, I am a simp for all things purple. If you’re not, you’ll probably hate it.

It can, at times, absolutely feel indulgent, but in a way the whole book is. I mean the fantastical elements of this story really go hard. She’s not really attempting realism here. Grounded (enough), sure, but definitely not realistic. And it’s fine by me. I’m willing to give a story a lot of passes if I feel like the writer has earned them in other ways. I don’t care if every little detail is what would really happen. Not at all, actually. If I wanted realism I’d go outside. I’m reading a book, not a newspaper.

One example is what I saw described as the “insta-love” between Lazlo and Sarai. Personally, I had no issues with it. It felt earned and in place in the context of the story. It makes sense for the two characters, both of whom are young and have felt painfully isolated for their entire lives. And then in walks someone with a mutual attraction, who can interact with them and appreciate them in a way no one else ever has. Yeah of course they fall in love. Even if the relationship wouldn’t have worked out long term, it makes total sense that one would have started. And as for how quickly it happened, eh. They literally met in a dream, what do you want?

There are plenty of other crimes that I’m sure I would defend, but here’s one I won’t. Thyon Nero. He is so criminally underutilized in this story, I question his place in it at all. Which is a goddamn shame because I love me a petty bitch like Thyon. It feels like he’s all wasted potential. In a sea of interesting, well drawn characters, he’s flat as Saskatchewan. Unforgivable. If it had been another character, fine. But Thyon? Come on! We spend enough time with him that he should feel more interesting, but he just doesn’t. There’s an attempt to give him a tragic backstory and whatever, but it’s so cliche (rich pretty boy with an abusive family behind the scenes controlling him and making him feel like a pawn in their game. Snarky on the outside, hurting on the inside, blah blah you’ve heard it a million times.) that I need more! You can’t just give me a scene of him getting whipped by his shitty dad, toss off a sentence about him wanting to free from his family’s exploitation, and then dust your hands and call it a day. UGH. He honestly serves as little more than an occasionally funny, almost interesting character foil for Lazlo. He exists to show you what a good boy Lazlo is. And that’s it. They aren’t even proper enemies. How much they dislike each other in any given scene is directly inverse to how much the plot needs them to get along in that moment. Before they’ve even reached the city Thyon is little more than a mild inconvenience. So why set him up as this scary antagonist??? I’m really hoping the second expands on him. I need more. You cannot dangle a funny bitch like him in front of my face and then do nothing with him! RUDE.

Ok, now Lazlo, I said I’d talk about him. Here we are. Lazlo Lazlo Lazlo. First of all, hate his name. That’s a nothing issue, I just had to say it. Second, he’s kinda lame, huh? I wouldn’t say that he’s underdeveloped, I feel like I have a much better idea of who he is than I do Thyon, it’s just that his development isn’t that interesting. He very much feels like a protagonistTM. He’s passionate and funny, driven and like... always in the right on moral issues. He’s the immediately accepted outsider who’s also able to bring a new, but more importantly, morally correct perspective on their issues. He’s charming, but humble, shy but not enough to actually impede social interaction. I don’t hate him, I’d probably hang out with him if I was on that journey (assuming I wasn’t following Thyon around like the simp I am). He’s just that kind of perfectly imperfect character. His flaws only make him more likeable, he’s never outright wrong about anything. I’ll say it, Lazlo is a Mary Sue.

Lazlo is a Mary Sue and Thyon was wasted on his basic ass. And that’s that on that.

I will let that (correct) declaration wrap this up. It’s way too long already. Thank god not a single person on earth reads these. Small miracles.

#booksbooksbooks #books #bookblr #booklr #strange the dreamer #good book #liked it a lot more than I thought I would #book thoughts

[gccdnews]

Did you see JOHN MARSTON from RED DEAD REDEMPTION walking around Limbo? The CISMALE looks like SKEET ULRICH, and is FIFTY ONE years old. I’ve heard he can be LOYAL & RESOURCEFUL but also SHORT-SIGHTED & IMPULSIVE. When I think of them I think of FACIAL SCARS, A RELUCTANT GUNSLINGER, AND A WOLF STALKING ITS PREY. They’ve been here WITH their memories as a DETECTIVE at LCPD for THIRTEEN YEARS. I heard they’re still trying to figure out how they ended up in Limbo.

so, a quick rundown for anyone unfamiliar with the character, then a brief summary of that rundown, some stuff about his new life, then some little tidbit bullet points. spoilers for rdr 1&2, in case anyone hasn’t played them yet and wants to.

Born south of Chicago in 1873, his father was blinded in a bar fight when he was a child and died later when he was eight. His mother was a prostitute that died giving birth to him.

John killed a man at 11 years old, though he said it wasn’t his fault. A year later he was caught stealing from homesteaders in southern Illinois and they were going to hang him when a man named Dutch van der Linde intervened and took him in. John joined Dutch’s gang.

It took a long time but eventually when Dutch starts going crazy there’s only a few people who are really looking out for John, one of which is Arthur who sacrifices himself so he can run away with his wife Abigail and their son Jack to hopefully have a good, normal life.

They live on the run for a while until Abigail leaves him and John realizes he needs to settle down, so he takes out a loan with the bank to buy a plot of land and with the help of some friends, builds a house and a ranch to make Abigail come back and show her he’s committed to a peaceful life with her. That’s until Sadie, a friend that was in Dutch’s gang returns with news of finding the man, Micah, who killed Arthur and was responsible for poisoning Dutch’s mind.

After John kills Micah and gets the money from an old job that went sour, that encourages the federal government to resume the search for the remnants of Dutch’s gang, taking Abigail & Jack and forcing John to hunt down the rest of the gang if he ever wants to see them again.

John confronts Bill Williamson, his first target at an old abandoned military fort where Bill shoots him and leaves him to die outside the fort. He’s found by a woman named Bonnie McFarlane and her ranch hand Amos. After she treats his wounds and gives him room and board, he works off his debt to her at her ranch, and resumes his mission to take down Bill Williamson, Javier Esquella, and Dutch van der Linde.

It’s a long road, but eventually after completing his mission, John is reunited with Abigail and Jack, and life seemingly goes back to normal. That is, until the ranch is stormed by countless government agents. Betrayed and lied to, John tries to fight but after seeing a long time friend shot, he realizes it’s pointless and helps his wife and son to the barn so they can get a horse and make a run for it, promising he’ll be right behind them. Then, when it’s only him left, he walks through the barn doors to be relentlessly shot and killed by the dozens of government agents still standing.

if ya don’t wanna read all that, i don’t blame you lol. basically: john was an outlaw in a gang, eventually the group fell apart, his best friend died, mentor betrayed him, and he had a wife and kid to think about and protect so he tried to get out of that life and make an honest living under a false identity. that didn’t last long because federal agents eventually found him, kidnapped his wife and child, and forced him to take down the last living members of the old gang. when he finally completed his task he was supposed to be able to get back to his honest life, but they betrayed him and stormed his house, killing him after a dramatic last stand — or so he thought.

arrived in limbo completely healed up. even the deep scars he had on his face from being attacked by wolves back in the day were only faintly noticeable.

life in limbo was so far removed from anything he ever would have imagined, with all the bright lights, skyscrapers, and technology... it was a brand new world for the old gunslinger, and he was admittedly very slow to adapt.

didn’t make many new friends or have much direction early on, but there was this one woman he befriended that helped him understand the world, but the hardest thing about this new life was not having his son or his wife there with him. it took a long time for him to come to terms with the idea he might never see them again, and during that time he and his new friend had developed mutual feelings for each other. it took years, but she taught him it was okay to love again. until of course, she up and disappeared one day without a trace.

he did what he could to find her but despite some impressive detective work on his part, he never learned what happened to her. he did however, find a new calling. something he was good at. something to pass the time. so he spent the next few years working until he could become a detective --- but this time, on the “right” side of the law. 

his new favorite food is burritos, especially vending machine burritos. that’s mind-blowing to him.

truly amazed by all the technology and the internet. he’s done his best to assimilate but he’s still not very savvy with any of it. trying to video call him is like trying to facetime your grandma.

doesn’t know whether he’s captivated or embarrassed by old westerns. maybe a bit of both.

appreciates yoga pants, crop tops, and the like way more than he’ll admit.

pretty knowledgeable these days, honestly. it was difficult but he did manage to complete his education and even spends a lot of his free time reading books now.

still has all of arthur’s old belongings, and believe it or not, he still wears his hat on occasion, though he doesn’t carry his or arthur’s satchels anymore. he hopes to see arthur again someday and return his stuff to its rightful owner.

he does tend to wear gamblers hats and the like still, but he’s also integrated baseball caps into his wardrobe.

misses horse riding so fucking much.

has gotten much better at illustrating and writing, though he journals much less often these days.

still has his deadeye and has unfortunately had to use it on a few occasions.

took a shotgun blast to the leg a couple years back that completely shattered his bones, so the docs replaced it with a completely titanium leg and hip (under a skin coating of course). good ol’ 2080. he might be in better condition now than he ever was in his old life.

#john marston. #limbchq: intro #john marston ( intro ). #death tw #injury tw

[ashvayr]

10 Questions Tag Game

i was tagged by @montevena! thank you so much i actually can’t wait to answer these <3

rules — answer the 10 questions, ask a different 10, and tag 10 people.

which trope you’re writing is the hardest for you?

i’m actually really bad at identifying tropes in my own writing drtfyghnj this is not to say that i’m not writing them, just that i’m a Fake. but blood and bones, and the entire godswar saga really, has a chosen one trope that's sort of twisted, and because i don’t outline (so many people just screamed, but if you would like me to further explain this, i definitely can in another post!) i found that turning it into an overarching plotline to the whole series was difficult, but i have it pretty much sorted out now!

who are five of your favorite characters from books/tv shows/etc.?

mia corvere from jay kristoff’s nevernight chronicle is probably my favorite character of all time. those books are honestly just masterpieces; murder, sex, revenge, brilliant dialogue, better twists, canon gays. mia epitomizes all of this, of course, and her character i find is very unique especially in the sense that she’s a female assassin in a high fantasy novel, her actions/dialogue are still very natural and clever, which pairs really well with the world. she’s not like other girls, basically, in this essay i will

tyrion lannister from “game of thrones” (the tv show, not the books, i’ve never read the books, i am ashamed) (i am not talking about season 8 though, as i never will) is another favorite of mine. peter dinklange does a great job playing him and i never found myself tiring from him, his story, or his characterization. again, i must use the word ‘clever’.

alex stern from leigh bardugo’s ninth house has actually found herself in my top five. going into the book, i wasn’t sure what to expect, mostly because leigh’s previous stuff had all been ya high fantasy and this was adult low fantasy, but i was pleasantly surprised. alex became addictive almost (darlington too, leigh really knows how to write pretty boys™) and she had a very different kind of smarts to her that she was able to apply to a number of situations, all made very enjoyable by a generally cynical (more pessimistic? there isn’t one word for it i don’t think) personality.

nona grey from mark lawrence’s red sister surprised me, mostly because the story was such a great combination of world and character; it felt as if you were watching a film while reading, there was sort of this bigness to the world around nona, even though the plot was driven by her. also, a majority of the book, nona is not older than 12 and i often find that kids under the age of 15 are portrayed as naive and stupid, so the fact that nona was not (which was partially due to her trauma) was refreshing. her aspirations were also much older than she was, which ultimately strengthened the character/read relationship.

baru cormorant from seth dickenson’s the traitor baru cormorant is another excellent character. first of all if you like politics in fantasy at all i highly, highly recommend these books, dickenson does a brilliant job not only world building but building in complex politics, with themes that deal with colonialism and its effects, something i rarely see in fantasy. you follow baru all through her life and her thought process is left bare for the readers, something that works really well in the book’s favor and aforementioned complex politics. 

who are five of your favorite ocs?

i only really have five ocs and you can read about them here! i’ll also be doing individual character edits soon, hopefully.

what literary devices do you enjoy reading most? are they the same ones you like to write most?

ur kid loves a good juxtaposition.

if you could only have one wip, which would it be? why?

i only have one wip :( this is because i am lazy :( :(

fantasy or contemporary?

fantasy, generally, but i think it depends on the themes of the contemporary. mixing the two can also be very interesting.

romance or bromance?

i’m not a very big fan of most romance, especially in fantasy where it can overpower the need for world building or decent characterization, drowning out the actual plot, but when it's done well, it's done well and i prefer it. 

do you have any pet peeves in writing?

i have so many and yet i can think of none. adverbs are the first to come to mind, i just hate when people don’t use them sparingly. lacking description, or rather, saying instead of telling. on that note, when the author thinks the reader is dumb (this is a bigger problem with newer writers i’ve found, you have to remember that readers are smart and once invested and trusting your story/ability to tell that story, they will want to figure out puzzles and problems. that trust won’t come though if you’re treating them as stupid.) i really don’t like it when flowery writing is used for anything outside of literary fiction, as in genre fiction it tends to distract or make the writing look unprofessional?? again, i think i would need a whole post to explain this rdtfyubnj

if you had to choose one album of some musical artist/band to represent your wip, which would it be?

anything by BANKS is probably the best musical representation of blood and bones just because her songs are all sort of dark and romantic and betrayal-related. shameless plug to my self-made soundtrack for bab and the playlist for the entire series.

do you have any pet peeves on writeblr?

writeblr is pretty much the perfect tumblr community (is that what we are i honestly don’t know), but i do think that creations, whether that be writing or edits, are not reblogged nearly enough, even though they should be!

tagging — @helleruine @astorsa @katabasiss @noloumna @norawritess @gothemark​ @medeaes @paracomas @zielenheil @alknst and anyone else who wants to do this!

my questions —

are there any historical events or people that have inspired the events or people of your wip?

which of your characters are more likely to adapt to their environment and which are more likely to change their environment?

what are the overarching themes (both tangible and philosophical) of your wip?

what is the greatest influence for your magic system? if not applicable: what is the greatest influence for your mc?

do you think that there is a “right” way to write?

do any of your characters possess a tragic flaw that becomes their downfall (not necessarily their death) and if so, who and what?

greatest visual inspiration? audio inspiration?

your favorite writing resource(s)?

a genre you wished you read more of? wrote more of?

a book, graphic novel/webcomic, tv show, or movie that you think needs more attention?

#i wrote Too Much for my favorite characters ftvghbjnkml #i do love them though :'( #plz give those books more attention writeblr they deserve it #ty again for the tag dasy!! #also i remembered halfway through my own questions that not everyone writes high fantasy xdfcghyuijok #also!! if you've already been tagged in this kind of post dont feel like you have to answer ten more questions frghjk

[constantlyunlightening]

Prove It (Part 1)

Fandom : BNHA

Pairing : Pro-hero!Bakugo/F!Reader

Genre : the beginnings of smut, 18

Rated for : unapologetic smut with little plot, a competitive Bakugo, sassy reader with a possible death wish and unhygienic work practice! Really, I'm just thirsty for Bakugo. The next chapter will be even more of that

 Maybe his quirk needed to shoot out of his eyes instead of his hands. Sure, the idea of explosions blasting out of someone's face was unrealistic. Yet, with the look this man was giving her, she was convinced that's where his powers should originate from. She could almost see the sparks flickering in that crimson gaze of his as he locked it onto her with disdain.

"The fuck did you just say to me?"

A growl, as harsh as his glower, seeped into the space between them. This guy was intense - but she knew that already. Everyone who ever heard of Katsuki Bakugo, the hero, knew that. His reputation had succeeded him as being loud, explosive and oh-so-very-intense.

That reputation of his was even more of a reason why she shouldn't be trying to pick a fight with him. But she couldn't help but to return his sharp gaze with an indignant look of her own. But if she was already past the point of no return; may as well stick with it at that, right? "I said Deku is better than you. He's a better fighter, better strategist, and has a better attitude… Just better," she reinstated, her attitude spiking up in the face of the hot head before her. It wasn't until the words were spilling out of her that she even realized what she was saying. "Hey, I bet he's an even better fuck than you are too!"

Did she say it because she needed to release some of her own anger? Or was she was spending too much time around Midnight? Or, maybe, she said it because she was out of her mind and prepared to say anything for the satisfaction of pissing him off. Hell, she could just be sexually frustrated for all she knew or cared at this point. She just needed to get a rise out of him.

Honestly, their argument didn't have a genuine point to it. Trying to search for her reasoning for getting involved wouldn't solve anything. She and Bakugo happened to be paired up for a mission from their agency. And, well, working with Katsuki long enough tended to make a person pretty irritated in the process. There was steam that needed to be blown off. So here they were. The mission was finished. Everyone was safe and sound. And at the end of the day, the two of them were left in the agency's office alone to finish some paperwork. And after such a long day of endless bickering, there was an air of tension suspended around them.

She just had to go and make it worse.

Katsuki didn't waste time with his response. In a heart beat, the male pinned her back against the wall causing a scatter of paperwork, that she had been carrying, flying up into the air in their wake. He had her pinned to the wall, his arm right above her head as he leaned over her. His body naturally portrayed dominance - the only role Katsuki ever learned to play. The scene could have been romantic were it someone else. Maybe even sexy. But that potential was ruined by the scrunched up look on his face; like a demon seeking vengeance. He looked like he had clawed himself up straight from hell with a visage like that. "Where the fuck did that come from, you perv?" He snarled, voice low in pitch but a slowed crescendo in volume as his patience wore thin.

She should have backed out - put her foot where her mouth is - but she didn't. "Just saying." Her response was blunt, without hesitation, as if it were just an obvious fact. "When I said better, I meant it in every way, so that's included too." Why stop anyway? She wasn't in any real danger. Even if Katsuki was a bit over the top, he was still a hero. He wouldn't hurt her- not much, at least. So stepping out of line with him wasn't a grave mistake, even with his tendency for death threats. Besides, who knew? Maybe it'd end up making her feel better if she had the chance to storm and shout a bit.

But it was Katsuki who was yelling first, as usual. His volume snapped up in that moment as his face steeled itself in that angered expression. "Shut up, you brat!" His tone was somehow even harsher now. Oh, maybe she had somehow struck a chord. But it was Katsuki. It wasn't by any means hard to do that, especially when bringing up his rival hero, Deku. "I can beat that damn nerd's ass any day of the week! And at anything, ya hear me?!"

This was the man she worked with. The man who, like it or not, she'd seen in many different situations. She knew he was capable of handling himself, capable of being the best. He had proven he was dependable, even if his words didn't always match. And yet, he was so easy to reduce to a rampaging mess - over a statement so outrageous and pointless, no less! This up close, she could see the conviction flickering in his eyes as he shouted in her face. His body tempature seemed to be rising, based on the sensation of warmth that ghosted over her once he got in even closer. Maybe he was just getting ready to blow her to smithereens.

It was probably time to get some distance. It was that desicion that had her more casually trying to brush him off, making an attempt to duck away from his grasp. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Katsuki-"

"You don't get to walk away from me!" It was a warning; one she wasn't sure what the follow-through would be, but a warning all the same. He blocked her with his other hand, pounding against the wall to trap her in, his body now a cage. "You don't get to look down on me."

Was she imagining it or was his tone getting even more intense? She assumed he was mostly always at his peak emotion levels - albeit that emotion mainly just being rage - but somehow he seemed to be building up more and more. He was like a snowball racing down a hill in the winter getting bigger and faster; an extremely explosive snowball.

Unless she apologized right this instant and backed down, she was fairly sure he wasn't about to calm down for anything. And even an apology wasn't a for sure strategy. But she wasn't about to say sorry to the hero who had been yelling at her practically all day. Even if she was being just as unreasonable as he was. "… For someone so sure of himself, you sure are getting defensive over this, huh?"

"That's it!" He gave more of a grunt this time around, words laced with pure aggression as his hand came off the wall and he instead was using it to clank the metal of his buckle off in a sudden burst of motion. What the hell…. "Take off your clothes!"

Her shouting had been random but somehow his was worse. Katsuki really was never one to be outdone, huh? She stared a solid ten seconds, eyes widening and mouth slightly agape, watching him tug at his own clothes before she could even think about possibly responding to his odd request. But he was far too impatient for her to figure out her words and instead, he gave her a prompt this time. Pausing his stripping for a moment, belt now undone and hanging loose around his waist, he held his palm out to display just a brief bit of sparks - enough to intimidate. "Take your fucking clothes off or I'm going to blast them off of you."

"You're kidding," she flat lined, finally finding her vocabulary admist his spontanous demand. The look of disbelief remained as she stayed caught in the trap his body had formed and all she got in response was a snort followed by another crackle of the power in his hand. "Why on earth would I take off my clothes? We're in the middle of the agency! And it's you!"

"The hell is that supposed to mean?!" His tongue made a loud click as he leaned in even closer, getting right up in her face. No way to even try and ignore him now. He was demanding full attention and he damn well was going to get it. "Listen, if you're going to talk shit you better be damn well prepared for me to make you eat your words. I'll prove I'm better. I'm the better fighter, I'm the smarter one and I'll fuck your brains out until you can't even say the name Deku if that's what it takes to get you to shut the hell up."

His voice had once again dropped down to that dangerous octave, his body tensing as he hovered over her. Suddenly she was having trouble breathing properly under his imposing presence. Crap. She had worked with him for how long? She had handled her fair share of his absolute bullshit and now, somehow, she was having trouble trying to find her words against him? She just hadn't expected him to threaten to 'fuck her brains out', no matter how vulgar he usually was. How on Earth was she supposed to react to that? She opened her mouth, ready to speak, protest, something. But before she could utter more than a syllable or two, her words were lost. Not of her own volition, but of his.

Her sentence was trapped in the confines of his lips as they melded against hers - taking advantage of the open mouthed position her attempt at speech had left her in. His tongue flicked out, darting to explore her mouth and take sole control of the kiss. He was a black hole in her space, stealing away her voice, her thoughts and her very breath in his vaccum.

It wasn't until he pulled back that she realized his hand had snuck its way into the hair at the base of her neck, tugging and twisting on the strands to force her eyes even further upwords. He may have broken the kiss but he was still only a hair's breadth away. Any slight motion from him would have her trapped by his will again, especially with the anchored hold he had on her. "Shut. Up." Her urge to fight was quelled with two simple words in tandem with a kiss. It was almost staggering how a such a simple action could so easily ignite such a burning sensation within her. While her argumentive spirit had been doused, a new flame had lit inside her heart - a different sort of passion. With one little kiss, the atmosphere changed. It was instantaneous how the world melted away around them. It was just him and her in this big open space. Despite them being coworkers, despite them being in their work place and despite him getting on every single one of her nerves in the past twenty four hours, whatever moral restrictions that kept her back were suddenly gone. "I'm going to make you take it back. If you don't want me too, than back off and don't go spouting off stupid shit anymore."

He was giving her the chance to escape. No matter how aggressive he was, he clearly wasn't about to force anything on her. As long as she shut her trap and backed away now, she'd be fine. Common sense dictated that was the right answer. But she wasn't using her common sense as her main source of judgement right now. Her actual response was very different.

"… Fine. Prove it." The conviction in her answer surprised even her. It didn't match up with the frantic rush of emotions whirling inside her and yet, she couldn't have sounded anymore absolute about the desicion. And with the addition of her hand moving up to tug down the zipper at the back of her suit, she seemed pretty damn sure of herself too.

Katsuki took advantage.

Usually, he was the one to make the first move in a fight and this wasn't an exception, either. The words 'prove it' kicked that fighting spirit of his into high gear. It was the slight loosening of the fabric at her shoulders that signaled him in, his hand snaking around her and tugging on the zipper himself. She wasn't moving fast enough for his liking. He yanked, causing a moment of worry for her about the suit itself ripping with his excessive force. But before she could contemplate too long or voice her concern, his lips had crashed right back down on hers in another heated kiss. He was either really into this or he just didn't want her talking again.

He didn't give her the option to get upset about it. His movements were sweeping her thoughts up a bit too much too quickly for her to make any proper protests. But she was pretty sure she wouldn't have even if she got the chance. His kiss was a devastating blow to her composure and it sent a wave of heat crashing over her. And while she was loosing herself in his overwhelming force, he used his hands to tug her suit down and off her body in rough motions, tossing off any hero accessories that just so happened to be in his way. Pretty expensive equipment to be tossing around the office, but Bakugo clearly didn't care. His one and only priority was being the best. If her clothes and accessories were damaged in the process - well, that was simply collateral.

It didn't take her long to be stripped bare - free of any type of clothing. The cool air grazed over her bare flesh and started to kick a more logical part of her brain into action. This was too vulnerable. He may have undone his pants - the waist starting to dip down his hips - but other than that and his gauntlets having been discarded once the paperwork started - he was still dressed and in his hero costume, no less. Something in her mind screamed weakness and as Bakugo's hands began to taper off and explore her new state, her hands rushed to even the playing field, trying to bare the man before her.

And he was having absolutely none of that.

The second her hands tried to tug at his outfit, his hands bolted off her waist and instead he had her wrists up and over her head, holding her against the wall. If she thought being caged in place by his body was intimidating, this position was now a whole lot worse, causing her cheeks to flare up. "What the hell? Are you backing out?"

Indignation flashed in those crimson eyes - the usual. But there was something off from his normal heated gaze. This look he was giving her was more than just competitive, more than just fired up. It was absolutely primal. The heat had shifted. While usually he was more reminiscent of a volcano during an eruption, now he seemed to be the moments before - it was a slow heat. Dangerous. Even while the lava paced itself, it consumed anything daring enough to try and near it. She wasn't about to explode being near Bakugo. Right now, he was about to burn her all the way from the outside in. She was feeling feverish as his hands tightened around her wrists to the point where a whimper unwittingly left her lips from the strength. "You want me to prove it? Then we're doing this all on my terms. Your dumbass isn't messing this up."

She could have retorted. She had a split second to come back with a comeback, but the low growl of his voice had her own voice hitched, unable to find words. And taking her lack of speech as a sign of submission, his grasp shifted, using one large hand now to hold both of her wrists up and above her while his other hand dropped down in a flash. Her little motion to try to even the playing field not only failed, but also backfired as now he seemed to have skipped the exploration of her body. Instead, he was apparently taking a more direct approach. "Open up," he growled as instead of that one hand now holding her, two digits were right at her lips and after a beat, she obliged. His fingers slipped right into her mouth, taking advantage of the obedience.

His fingers pumped in and out, slicking themselves in her saliva. His palm pushed back on her chin, forcing her head in place against the wall so she had no control over the tempo or the depth of how his fingers moved. She was compliant in the action, a bit too dazed over the way he was melting her to be much of a driving force. But if Bakugo knew how to do one thing, it was trash talk and that usually had a certain way to get people going. "Come on. Suck like you mean it. This is weak." His fingers accented his words with a particularly harsh pump, driving down deeper towards her throat to cause a muffled little squeak out of her as that smirk formed back on his lips. "Maybe you're the one who doesn't know how to fuck, huh? Need some motivation to get going?" He didnt need an answer, instead, his knee pressed against the wall and pushed right up against the juncture of her legs, forcing her to slide right down against the fabric over his leg as he used to force to prop her onto her toes. Her body had a nice stretch in this position, hands way above her head to keep her still even as she struggled for balance on her tip toes. But it was hard to focus on the stretch with the way he was rubbing his leg against her bare skin. It wasn't the touch she was finding herself craving but it worked to knock her back into listening as she suctioned her lips on his fingers just as he picked up the speed in which his fingers fucked her pretty little mouth.

His fingers only came out with a little pop when he was satisfied with how wet they were and then they found a new place to toy with. He replaced his leg with his hand, letting his now damp fingers target her folds, rubbing the slit of her body to rile her up. And damn, was it working. Not releasing her wrists from his grasp, his other hand found her clit in a matter of seconds and that first glide over it caused her body to jolt a bit in his grasp. Her muscles strained against his hold but it wasn't by any means enough to break it. She was strong, she had the power and wits to fight him off at least a little if she really wanted to but she was too worked up and she wanted to see the kind of explosions this man was about to give her. And honestly, right now, Bakugo clearly had the upper hand anyway.

"Better prepare yourself, ya little shit. I'm going to make sure you fall to your hands and knees begging for forgiveness when I'm done with you."

18 years of age or older! If you're under, do not read or interact.

#Bakugo Katsuki #BNHA #Bakugo x Reader #Fanfic #My writing #this is completely self indulgent but read it anyway #I love validation so plz

[welcometomy20s]

March 8th, 2020

Persona 5

Review

A fun rollicking adventure.

Okay, for a such a loved installment of a loved franchise, I shouldn’t end the review like this, but I really do think the above sums it up pretty well.

I mean, just everything about this game screams ‘a fun rollicking adventure’, from the music, to the design, to the mechanics (sort of)... the game invites you to let down your worries and just hangout with pretty fun characters.

You know I don’t care much about mechanics as much as the narrative and themes, so let’s get down to the nitty-grity of the plot... well, not really.

The story of Persona 5 is a start-up story. You know what it is, The Social Network, Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs, even Citizen Kane can be described as a start-up story. What makes a start-up story as compared of coming-of-age or coming-of-life is that it’s about the development of a brand, not a being.

And so the overarching story is bunch of high schoolers trying to build a brand for themselves. There’s... not much else to it. Since the overall story is not that complicated, the intricacies comes from the character and the specific plots.

I don’t want to make this a really long analysis of everything, so I think I’m going to consult a tarot and go through the confidants and list them one by one. 

Again, there’s not much I would tell you without spoiling the game, although actually there’s not much I will talk even with spoiling. Let’s just say if you like fun rollicking adventures and if you are not sick of JRPG mechanics, this is fine.

Now for the list of confidants.

(Akira Kurusa) as The Fool - Of course, the confidant is Igor, but it makes more sense that he’s the Fool. The Fool represents basically creativity, with the free spirit and the madness that it presents. As with the fool’s journey, Fool is usually the protagonist, and so it is here. The Joker here is snarky and insightful, there’s a bit of character here than in other games. Why is he the leader? I think it’s because he’s a decisive person. He can sense the rhythm of the world within.

Morgana as the Magician - In the Fool’s Journey, he’s the initiator and fittingly Morgana initiates things. Morgana tries to find the drive in things, perhaps the reason he’s so enamored in treasure. But this drive present the creature as a child, which he is, I suppose. As with character of this type, he’s annoying, but since the characters get crowded, he has less lines and so that’s good.

Makoto Niijima as The High Priestess - Represents hidden powers and patience and here it’s portrayed the Student Council President, who basically gets roped into the team. There’s violence in her, which is atypical, but she has the smarts to back it up, and also she’s very strict to herself. Having her as the Priestess indicate the violence inherent in this game. They are thieves after all. 

Haru Okumura as The Empress - Kind of an Ascended Fangirl? She supposed to be the motherly character, but I don’t know about that. She seems forced to be in that role, her intrafamilial knowledge seem to mainly come from her background and her gardening feels more used for separation than nurturing. Yes, she is ‘aloof’ but it’s also one of childish aloofness, in order to sanctify herself as a Phantom Thief. I don’t know, she’s fine, but it’s a bad fit...

Yusuke Kitagawa as The Emperor - Rude assistant turned bumbling aspiring artist. The character that gets lighter as he moves away from the target, and therefore becomes more likable to many. This is great, I always like seemingly mean person that turns out to be a doofus. One of my favorite tropes.

Sojiro Sakura as The Hierophant - The Authority figure, he probably is not the best authority figure, but he has good in his heart, even through his troubles. Or even perhaps because of his troubles. I think he’s one of the more well-written characters and I think it really adds a good mellow taste in this game.

Ann Takamaki as The Lovers - The main lover of the story. Ann is an active lover, one with ambition and heart, maybe too much of both. Having a model character is pretty interesting, and her storyline is... more hilarious than lovely.

Ryuji Sakamoto as The Chariot - Represents willpower and determination, but one who is headstrong as such. Ryuji fits this to a T, but he’s not more than that. But he doesn’t need to be more than that. He’s a good friend and why not?

Goro Akechi as The Justice - We’re looking at Lawful evil here, although he gets better, apparently. Akechi is one with promise, which apparently carries in the prequel, midquel and the sequels that this thing is surrounded by. 

Futaba Sakura as The Hermit - Well, she’s a likable character. So likable, she gets a lot of ship despite her age and frailty. I don’t know if I want more of her, or would that spoil her broth? Anyway, gives a good balance to the team.

Chihaya Mifune as The Wheel of Fortune - And we move away from the actual team, to this little needed character. She’s fun, but she’s an interesting addition to the game overall. Her story routinely follow the ruin of past theme here.

Caroline and Justine as The Strength - Really interesting couple, or are they a couple? Anyway, I really don’t care for the supernatural plotline so... PASS!

Munehisa Iwai as The Hanged Man - I know he kind of has to be a confidant, but man why would he take The Joker? His plotline is dark and wistful, which make sense given the character, but man, does it not fit with the overall story at all.

Tae Takemi as Death - The Doctor of the story, who is little bit mad, little bit sentimental and overall a fun character to be with. I don’t know how she exist though, her storyline is pretty out there, although this is a Persona game.

Sadayo Kawakami as Temperance - Homeroom teacher... is a maid? Strangely her love line felt okay, because I always felt she was child stuck as an adult. She has a instinctive need to be pretty and respectful and perhaps caring, but in a child way, forceful and not really wise. This is an interesting character for sure.

Ichiko Ohya as The Devil - Very bizarre devil, certainly. Character tend to be obsessive and she is obsessive with... I mean, what? She’s a mess, I tell ya, least Kawakami can clean up, she just stuck in the gutter and that’s a pity.

Shinya Oda as The Tower - Sudden change is the name of the game, so why choose a child game prodigy? Tower feels old and reserved, Shinya is the opposite of that. Although he certainly grew up fast. I don’t know about this.

Hifumi Togo as The Star - I mean she should be the Tower, seeing her fall was quite mighty and her perseverance adds to the perseverance of the ruins. But she’s a Star, she wants to endure, and that’s good. Man, Hifumi does not get a wind in her story. She’s like Candy, she is only focused on one thing, but that’s the point of the Arcana... so there’s that. She seems fine, otherwise.

Yuuki Mishima as The Moon - If Yusuke became more likable, Mishima is the opposite, he is the empathetic victim in the first arc and then slowly get worse and worse as the story progresses, which adds to the bitterness of the game. 

Toranosuke Yoshisa as The Sun - One of favorite minor confidants. Why do we have a politician in the story, I don’t know, but he’s great and gives great hope at a time I need hope in politics. He just has a great story arc, honestly.

Sae Niijima as Judgement - She’s pretty great, even if she’s a bit underutilized. Like I want to see her more, just doing cool prosecutor stuff? I don’t know...

And finally The World, which I’m going to interpret as... the World. Tokyo in Persona 5 is a good one. Tokyo feels like a dizzying metropolis most of the time, but here it feels like... a lived place. And that’s what makes this game so great. Being in a lived city makes one just let themselves go and enjoy your life.

That’s it. Go home.

#persona 5 #review #video games #page break

[ravenvsfox]

ok bitch: 4, 6, 8, 15, 18, 41, & 48 for the fic writers ask meme

oh SHIT look at you go!! thanks babe ✨

4) What is your favourite genre to write for?

man I wish I could say I’m strong and multi-faceted but I actually gotta pass on fantasy and sci-fi

who has the time to build a world?? from scratch?? what the fuck

my wheelhouse tends to be drama and horror, plus the kind of magical realism that lends itself to fanciful description. I have lots of ideas for images and almost no ideas for plot, so I write kind of sad, wistful, circular stories lmao

6) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

ah ew 

I have a buried fanfiction.net account that is FULL of completely humiliating fic that I would actively chew up and swallow just to be rid of it

My whole hard drive is full of fic so self indulgent and terrible that it never saw the light of day, thank CHRIST

we’re talking criminal minds self insert fic and glee crossovers, man

(also my first couple of prompts for aftg were like mediocre smut that can..... go)

8) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Like I read a lot a lot a lot, if I’m not reading novels for a few months I genuinely read hundreds of thousands of words of fanfiction

and I often find that I read a phrase in a story or poem and I’m like oh dope!! how can I steal that in a way that makes it totally different and also mine

Sometimes my mind is blank and I try to snap my fingers and make a metaphor, and what comes to me is the last thing I studied in class. So maybe I was reading about Actaeon, ripped apart by his own wolves. And that’s such rich territory to talk about like self doubt or betrayal. Or I learned about the naming system in ancient Rome -- I could talk about how sad it is to be a contortion of your father. 

I was recently listening to the audio book of I’ll give you the sun and I was like ohhh yah this book majorly inspired my style, and so did stief, and so did the way my brother talks, and so did griffin mcelroy, etc, etc

You inhale your culture and you exhale a story that’s how it goes, homie

15) If you write OC’s, how do you decide on their names?

keeping in mind that I’m the worst titler in the world lol

Honestly I usually just wrack my brain for the name that seems to fit the character outline and then I change it like 18 times when they inevitably sound too ebony darkness dementia ravenway

I had this wip where there was a fire-starter named simon, and then he became enzo like lorenzo (which is off the walls), and then I started calling him ren in my head a la footloose

and then sometimes I’m like okay this character is a leader and she’s from japan siri search japanese baby names meaning strong lol

18) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

Yeah dawg im tired

I was writing a doctor/patient au that I scrapped bc I got swept away in so many prompts

I started writing a oneshot where the feds arrest neil for the murder of his mother bc someone digs up her bones and they find his dna everywhere but I was like..... this is not that exciting a premise, so I left it for a rainy day ya know

I also wrote the first few chapters of a webcomic that eventually fizzled when the artist and I got busy, so yeah I feel like it’s usually more of a lack of time than a lack of passion.

41) What’s you favourite minor character you’ve written?

um idk if anyone remembers the shopkeeper that I wrote into my story about the twins?? A convenience store employee mistakes Aaron for Andrew and I liked that she was a sort of homely no nonsense person who liked drew better than aaron. like. what a character she would have to be for that to be true

I’ve written lots of tiny OCs that I probably like more, but this was one of my few fanfic characters that I was like. yeah. I could write 50 late night interactions between her and andrew

48) What’s your favourite trope to write?

I really like writing like... drift compatibility?? or its equivalent??? soulmates maybe? I love when two characters are very very in sync, and fiercely protective over one another to the point of self sacrifice

I also dig love confessions it’s my dirty secret as an andreil writer lmaooo I love tender helpless vocal love 

Fanfiction Writer Asks

#thank you for these rad ass questions sam I'm sorry it took me forever to respond #ask meme #long post #philosophium #ask

[lintheotaku]

Watched Anime Genre

Watched List: Isekai 2016-Present 

Anime:  The Rising of the Shield Hero 

Plot:  Naofumi Iwatani is an otaku that is summoned through a book as 1 of 4 heroes to the world of Melromarc, to stop the Waves from destroying the world. Betrayal and ruined reputation causes Naofumi to be shunned by the people of Melromarc as well as the other heroes, forcing him to fight the Waves in his own way, all because he bares the shield. Pros: One of the more unique isekai animes out there. Instead of just one hero, there are four heroes, each from different versions of Japan. Instead of having a quirk or completely overpowered from the beginning, the main is instead knocked down to his lowest, resulting his not so heroic approach to situations. Gradually he begins to trust those closest to him and out of the bunch, he is the most grounded person and grasps reality far better than his fellow heroes. Cons: Pacing can feel a bit slow in the anime since there is a lot of small things building up before you get to the next big thing.(omg I want to knock some sense into the other heroes) And the anime tends to throw in a tad more details to make it feel as those Naofumi has a harem than it really is. (the one filler moment actually contradicts a detail the following canon scene) Personal Rating:  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  ♡ [4.5/5] Comments: With the pacing, it’s perhaps better to be reading the manga. And since this is originally a Light Novel, I HIGHLY recommend watching AniNews’s youtube channel on Rising of the Shield Hero: Skipped Content as it helps fill in gaps not placed in the manga and/or anime. 

Andddd I really can’t wait for the Scythe Hero to appear in ep 22<3

Anime: KonoSuba: God's Blessing On This Wonderful World! Plot: “When high schooler Kazuma Satou dies, his given the choice to be reincarnated in a fantasy world much like a video game and be granted one item or ability. But can a dimwitted Goddess, explosion craze crimson demon,  masochist crusader, and a lucky/unlucky adventurer to defeat the Devil King?” Pros: A very clever and humorous adventure with a group of misfits. Cons: There were a few points that felt a bit much or overly done. *cough*Aqua*cough* but luckily goes back into genuinely funny scenes. Too easily can turn into perverted moments for a non harlem type series. Personal Rating:  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  ♡ [4/5] Personal Thoughts: Honestly can’t help comparing Megumin’s ability to another light novel character. Agnis, from Adventures of Duan Surk, a fire sorceress that can only use high level fire magic and passes out after each use.  Except in Megumin’s case it’s Explosion magic. Besides that, and the quite troublemaking goddess- this series is unique enough as a comedy of misfits trying to live in a fantasy RPG world.

Anime: Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World Plot:  “ With the biggest crisis of his life being summoned to another world and no sign of the one who summoned him, things become worse when he is attacked. However, when he is saved by a mysterious silver-haired girl with a fairy cat, Subaru cooperates with the girl to return the favor.” Pros: A series with mix of carefree moments as well as suspenseful.  Cons: Subaru can have some very unlikable moments, other times you can feel your heart being torn to shreds to the point you wonder how would you fair in his shoes. Personal Rating:  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  ♡ [4/5] Comments: Seriously Sabaru- Forget Emilia and go for waifu-Rem! TTATT

Anime: Saga Of Tanya The Evil Plot:  “An unnamed atheist Japanese salaryman, in the moment of being murdered by a disgruntled subordinate who he had fired due to poor performance at work, is confronted by a entity that could stop time which he refers to as "Being X" or god, who condemns the man for not having 'faith'. He is sentenced to be reborn in a world that is similar to World War I Europe, mixed with early aspects of World War II and magic, in an empire torn apart by countless wars with all nearby countries.”  Pros: Seeing the main getting bested and even frighten by “Being X” in an endless mind game while in a world in middle of war. Cons: ... uh what else is there to this series? Like how is the plot still moving? Personal Rating:  ♥ ♥ ♥  ♡  ♡ [3/5] Comments:  I’m not much into war types but this was alright I suppose. Not terrible, not a fave, and not memorable.

Anime: Overlord Plot: “When the shut-down time arrives, Momonga finds that the game hasn't vanished. Instead it appears as if Yggdrasil has been recreated as its own reality along with its various NPCs having been brought to life while Momonga has been trapped in the form of his game avatar, leaving him unable to use the normal player functions, such as General Message, or even to log out. With no other option, Momonga sets out to learn if anyone from the real world is also in this new world with him.” Pros: Curiously await what the future holds in Ainz’s adventure in this fantasy world and his NPCs seeking control of the world in his name. Cons: Albedo needs to dial back just a smidge. Personal Rating:  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  ♡ [4.5/5] Comments: Don’t get attached to anyone outside the Great Tomb of Nazarick . 

Anime: Isekai Quartet Plot: 12 minute comedic episodes of characters (Overlord, KonoSoba, Re:Zero, and Saga of Tanya the Evil) are sent to another world to survive ‘school life’. Pros: Ever wonder what it would be like to have different series come together and temporarily work together at school? Wanna see what character would get along and their reactions? Yep, this would be the show for ya.  Cons: Episodes are too short! Once you finally get somewhere interesting, it gets cut to the next episode. Personal Rating:  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  ♡ [4.5/5] Comments: Best way to watch this series is to binge tbh. It’s actually a lot of fun seeing the mains becoming friends and understanding their strengths and weaknesses. 

Anime: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Plot:  “Satoru Mikami, an average 37 year old office worker from Tokyo with no girlfriend, is stabbed to death by a passing robber. After making some requests during his death, he is reincarnated in another world as a slime with the ability known as predator (which can devour other creatures and obtain their abilities)” Pros: Unique concept of an overpowered little slime Cons: Personal Rating:  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  ♡ [4/5] Comments: I really need to watch the rest of this series TTwTT

Anime: The Wise Man’s Grandson/Grandchild Plot: “A young salaryman dead in an accident was reborn in another world filled with magic and demons. As a baby, he was picked up by the patriot hero "Sage" Merlin Wolford and was given the name Shin. He was raised as a grandson and soaked up Merlin's teachings, earning him some irresistible powers. However, when Shin became 15, Merlin realized, "I forgot to teach him common practice!"” Pros: comical moments and fun action scenes. Interesting uses of knowledge from past life. Cons: Um... when/why did this become a gakuen life show? Why should we care about the very generic classmates that add little to nothing to the plot besides the crown prince? .... and you call that romance? Personal Rating:  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  ♡ [4/5] Comments: Has a very strong start and I REALLY WANNA LIKE it but I’m starting to lose interest whenever Shin isn’t using his magic in a battle as everything tends to be ‘oh noes we can’t let the world know of Shin’s gifts’ to ‘Look what Shin did for us!’ in the next instant.... everything looks pretty at least.

Anime: How NOT To Summon a Demon Lord Plot:  “Takuma Sakamoto is a hikikomori gamer who is mysteriously transported to the world of his favourite MMORPG, Cross Reverie, with the appearance of his own character in the game, the Demon Lord Diablo. The two young girls who summoned him, the pantherian Rem and the elf Shera, attempt to use a spell to make Takuma their servant, but due to his passive "Magic Reflection" ability, the spell rebounds, and both end up with magic collars stuck on their necks, thus becoming his slaves instead. With a serious case of social anxiety, Takuma decides to act like his character while interacting with others, and makes use of his high stats and vast knowledge of Cross Reverie's lore to survive in his new environment, traveling along with Rem and Shera to look for a way to remove their slave collars while helping them with their own, personal issues that led them to summon him in the first place.” Pros: The comedy and Diablo’s battles are satisfying to watch. Cons: The not so subtle ecchi moments, in particular one ritual scene that was... a bit much personally. Personal Rating:  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  ♡ [4.5/5] Comments: If you don’t mind watching ecchi stuff, you’ll have a fun time with the story and overpowering battle moments.

Anime: Death March To The Parallel World Rhapsody Plot: “Ichiro Suzuki is a 29-year old gaming programmer who was tasked with fixing several bugs in two MMORPGs his company is preparing for publication. After taking a nap, he mysteriously wakes up in a parallel world that resembles some of the fantasy RPG worlds he had worked on, as a 15-year old named Satou Pendragon. However, before he could grasp his current situation, an army of lizardmen ambush him and launches an all-out attack on him. In desperation, he uses all three of his special 'Meteor Rain' attack options (a quick fix he added to the game for new players which kills all enemies in the vicinity) at once and wipes them all out.” Pros: A very casual journey of a character with too much exp points and money. Cons: Everything always works out in the end. Is a harlem REALLY needed here? Personal Rating:  ♥ ♥ ♥  ♡  ♡ [3/5] Comments: It’s a nice laid back Isekai series. I just wish the Elf arch had more of challenge and thrill, and the very cliche harlem girl gimmicks doesn’t make the relaxing scenes all that pleasant. Guess I was really hoping more to the story? I mean it has potential just doesn’t go there quick enough.

Anime: In Another World With My Smartphone Plot:  “ Fifteen-year-old Touya Mochizuki is accidentally killed by God. As an apology, God allows him to be resurrected, but since he cannot send him back to his old world, he instead reincarnates him into a fantasy world along with a single special request. Touya uses his request in order to bring his smartphone into the new world with him, which God modifies so that the phone will function in the new world. God also greatly amplifies Touya's physical, magical, and cognitive abilities to a certain degree as a further apology for the inconvenience of killing him. Taking full advantage of his second chance at life, Touya befriends many different people, mainly females and high-ranking people in the new world. He begins to travel from country to country, solving political disputes, minor quests, and nonchalantly enjoying himself with his newfound allies.” Pros: Visuals are pretty Cons: What was meant to be ‘basics’ in magic turns out to be the over power ability of knowing all affinities, thus you’re the strongest being in the world. There’s little to no consequences for his actions... everything always works out because of his op ability and the number of girls grow.  Personal Rating:  ♥ ♥ ♥  ♡  ♡ [3/5] Comments:  This is straight up a LITERAL harem anime.  I’m having to stop watching after episode 12 as it reveals he’ll wind up with 9 wives by the end of the series. Given how everything is hunky-dory and the girls are just being unreasonable- yeah- lost interest.

#anime genre #current watch

[justalittlelitnerd]

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

You deserve to be here. You deserve to exist. You deserve to take up space in this world of men

Also:  Felicity Montague, you are a cactus.

This book is the feminist anthem you didn’t know you needed. Actually, no, scratch that it’s the human rights (and sometime even animal rights) anthem you didn’t know you needed. It tackles race, religion, sexuality, gender, and probably any other slightly controversial topic under the sun. 

It is unabashed and recognizes flaws within arguments and defenses and it doesn’t try to say one way of life or being is better than another but they all simply deserve to exist.

If that isn’t enough to compel you maybe the fact that it is set in England (actually all over Europe really) back in the olden days (honest to God can’t remember what time period but the aforementioned petticoats probably gives you a clue) with pirates and sea dragons (it’s not as mystical as it sounds but still slightly magical) will be enough to compel you to pick up this book. Because you should. Like right now. 

It’s hard to be raised in a world where you’re taught to always believe what men say without doubting yourself at every step.

So I loved the first book in this series (The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue) and was super excited when I heard there would be one focusing on Felicity because I wanted more from her character. However, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t apprehensive because all too often the sequel is not as good as the original.

I’m pleased to report that, in my opinion, is not the case here. The Lady’s Guide is every bit as funny and poignant and socially relevant as The Gentleman’s Guide, in fact, it felt even more relevant to me as a woman who could identify strongly with Felicity’s character. But don’t worry there’s still plenty of Monty and Percy present in the story. 

I have learned that men respond best to nonthreatening women whose presence and space in the world does not somehow imperil their manhood, and so, as much as it pains me, I put on a smile so big it hurts my face and try to think like Monty, which is infuriating.

My favorite part of this novel is that Lee resists the urge to submit Felicity to the standard YA Romance storyline. That may have been what gave me the most apprehensive since the first novel implied that she was asexual, or at the very least more interested in her career than a marriage, and I was worried that having a story strictly about her would make Lee feel pressured to give her a romance. I will admit at times it felt like it was going to fall into that trap, but then it would turn around to show how it was just Felicity feeling the pressures of society.

When stripped of the illegalities and the Biblical condemnation, their [Monty and Percy’s] attraction is no stranger to me than anyone’s attraction to anyone.

The Lady’s Guide picks up about a year after the end of The Gentleman’s Guide with Felicity in Edinburgh working at a bakery trying to appeal to various hospitals and school to allow her entrance to no avail.

A year of men telling me I am incapable of this work only gives my pride a more savage edge, and I feel, for the first time in so many long, cold, discouraging months, that I am as clever and capable and fit for the medical profession as any of the men who have denied me a place in it.

The tipping point is when the man at the bakery who has helped her for the last year decides it is time to propose. This sends Felicity into a sort of tailspin because she’s not willing to give up on her dream yet but everyone around her is telling her she should settle down and be married and she’s starting to wonder if they are right. 

Which gave him the idea that men often get in their heads when a woman pays some kind of attention to them: that it was a sign I want him to smash his mouth -- and possibly other body parts -- against mine. Which I do not.

She makes the impulsive decision to travel to London to see Monty and Percy and appeal to medical boards there to grant her admission. However, once again she is denied and practically laughed out of the room for her ideas of becoming a doctor.

“You’re so determined to become a lady doctor then,” he says. “No, sir,” I reply, “I’m determined to become a doctor. The matter of my sex I would prefer to be incidental rather than an amendment.”

Their exclusionary policies rest entirely on the fragility of their own masculinity, but it doesn’t matter because they’re men and I’m a woman so it’s not even going to be a fight and it was never going to be a fight.

But this time one of the doctors recommends she reach out to Doctor Alexander Platt for mentorship which through a series of events leads her to befriending a Black Muslim Hijabi pirate named Sim and going off on a new adventure. Along the way, she encounters an old friend which brings to the forefront the intricacies of feminism. Because really that is what this book is all about in the end. Three women all fighting for their place in this world of men who try to tell them their only place is in the household.   

He has me apologizing for asking for the minimum that is granted to most men.

It turns out that Platt is set to wed Felicity’s childhood friend, Johanna, which she decides to use to get a meeting with him. However, it’s revealed that Felicity and Johanna had a falling out over their differing views on femininity and what it means to be a strong woman. 

You stopped taking me seriously when I stopped being the kind of woman you thought I had to be to be considered intelligent and strong. All those things you say make men take women less seriously -- I don’t think it’s men; it’s you. You’re not better than any other woman because you like philosophy better than parties and don’t give a fig about the company of gentlemen, or because you wear boots instead of heels and don’t set your hair in curls.

Johanna is still strong and intelligent and independent and she likes wearing dresses and makeup and heels and flirting with boys and those things are not incompatible, but a lot of times it’s a sticking point in feminism. Somewhere along the way there became this belief (which Felicity believes) that to be a feminist, to be strong woman standing up to men, you couldn’t also be traditionally feminine. It takes almost the whole novel for Felicity to realize that Johanna is not any less strong and intelligent because she subscribes to traditional gender roles/beauty standards and it takes her even longer to be willing to admit she is wrong.

I have spent so long building up my fortress and learning to tend it alone, because if I didn’t feel I needed anyone, then I wouldn’t miss them if they weren’t there. I couldn’t be neglected if I  was everything to myself. But now, those fortifications suddenly feel like prison walls, high and barbed and impossible to cross.

To be honest the relationships formed between and the battles waged by Sim, Felicity, and Johanna are more than enough reason to read this novel. But Lee decides to make it even better by throwing in scientific discoveries, men stealing women’s credit, danger, and a fight on the open seas reminiscent of any pirate movie. 

It’s not hopelessness, it’s just pure stubbornness. Not even so much a will to live as a refusal to die. Not yet, not now, not here, not when we have so much left to do. There isn’t a goddamned chance I’m dying on this rig.

It turns out that before she died, Johanna’s mom discovered a new species with Platt that honestly sound like sea monsters, something half dragon half snake like? And that the scales of these sea dragons can be used as drugs (both medicinally and recreationally). Platt wants to exploit the dragons while Sim’s family has sworn to protect them at all costs. The women band together to plot against both Platt’s exploitations and Sim’s father’s stubbornness against progression.

Everyone has heard stories of women like us -- cautionary tales, morality plays, warnings of what will befall you if you are a girl too wild for the world, a girl who asks too many questions or wants too much. If you set off into the world alone. Everyone has heard stories of women like us, and now we will make more of them.

Of course, they succeed in both tasks and along the way decide maybe they should get their own ship and go on their own research voyages including exploring more about the sea dragons. 

I am filled suddenly by that wanting, to know things, to understand the world, to feel myself in it.

In the company of women like this -- sharp-edged as raw diamonds but with soft hands and hearts, not strong in spite of anything but powerful because of everything -- I feel invincible. Every chink and rut and battering wind has made us tough and brave and impossible to strike down. We are mountains -- or perhaps temples, with foundations that could outlast time itself.

I know this was a long review filled with an overabundance of quotes, but I hope that just shows how good this book is. I read it a month ago and am just now writing this and still find myself remembering it vividly despite the fact that I’ve read maybe 5 books since then. So do me, and yourself, a favor and go out to read this book (I’m even okay if you skip the first one though I promise you’ll regret it if you do). 

You are Felicity Montague, I tell myself, and the darkness, and my heartbeat, in an attempt to rein it in. You have climbed through catacombs darker than this, you escaped from a second-story window with only your bedsheets, and you should not be frightened of the darkness, but instead be sure that the most frightening thing in it is you.

Bonus:

- The chairman tosses his cloak over his shoulders and gives me a smile that he likely thinks is kind, but is, in fact the smirk of a man about to explain something to a woman that she already knows.

- Humans have instincts specifically for situations like this. Everything in me is saying there is danger lurking in this forest, eyes bright and hungry through the dark.

-  Below is an unhelpful drop to the street -- no footholds, ledges, or loose bricks promised by every fiction book I have ever read. Not even a convenient hedge to drop into.

-  Charming is not a word I’d use -- or ever want used -- to describe me, but the way she says it prickles me. It’s the sort of thing I feel entitled to say disparagingly about myself, but from someone else, it feels blunt and unkind.

- Zounds, does this fool actually think he’s saving me? Another storybook hero to swoop in and rescue a girl from a dragon or a monster or herself -- they’re all the same. A woman must be protected, must be sheltered, must be kept from the winds that would batter her into the earth.

- I can do more than memorize maps of vessels and arteries and bones; I can solve the puzzle of what to do when those pieces come apart. I can write my own treaties. I am a girl of steady hands, stout heart, and every book I have ever read.

#read Jan 24 2019 #the lady's guide to petticoats and piracy #mackenzi lee #the gentleman's guide to vice and virtue #books #booklr #book blog #book quotes #monty and percy #felicity montague #feminism #strong female leads #strong female characters #fight against the patriarchy #then and now #felicity montague you are a cactus

[magic-magpie]

Brilliant

I’m here with another fic! Well, a drabble, really. To me, calling a person ‘brilliant’ is the best thing you could call them. It implies intelligence, a shining personality, and an incredible amount of talent. It implies that to you, they shine like a star against the night sky. I wanted to use the word for a fic, so here we are! It’s UsUk. ^^ Also, happy new year to you all! I wanted to write a New Year’s fic, but I never got round to it. I hope your 2018 goes well for you!

Word count - 1,303 words

“Hey,” Alfred said, sitting next to Arthur on the bench as they waited for the train, “if you had to choose one word to describe me, what would it be?”

Arthur didn’t even have to think about that one. He’d known the answer for ages.

Alfred F. Jones was brilliant.

Alfred was brilliant in every sense of the word. He was as intelligent as they came, amazing Arthur with the completely random facts he came out with (consequently, Arthur was now rather knowledgeable about quantum physics and archaeology) and scoring incredibly high on each exam. Ever since Year Seven when he was the only student who came out with a better test result than Arthur, he’d known that Alfred was something else. Top of the class in half the subjects, second after Arthur in the others, and joint in a few. Now they were in college and although they weren’t in the same classes anymore, Alfred was still the best in his. Honestly, he could solve complicated equations in his head and recite important dates better than he could recite his own phone number. The boy was a genius, and the chances of him not getting into the world’s most prestigious university were incredibly, incredibly minimal.

His intelligence was not the only thing which knew no bounds; Alfred had an imagination to rival his own. It wasn’t uncommon for him to assist Arthur in world-building for his stories, collaborating with him to draft plots and sketch maps and doodle concept art. But although the ideas he came up with for Arthur’s stories were rather sound and down-to-earth, his other ideas were a completely different ball game. They were outrageous. Messing around with people’s cells to prevent the body from aging? Modifying DNA to create a ‘superhero’ in order to stop global warming? They were insane, and Arthur made it his job to show him just how insane they were. But – and this was the unbelievable part – his stupid ideas made sense. Highly illogical, impractical, and probably illegal as they may be, they still made sense, in a weird sort of way. These ideas were simply testament to how much of a genius he was.

Aside from being a genius, the boy was also incredibly talented. Not in the art department, nor the musical area (he could sing decently, but his voice tended to be a little on the squeaky side), but in the sports department. It was as if he was made for sport. He’d been on practically all the sports teams in secondary school, usually being the Captain and star player, too. In college he was only on the football one due to time management issues, and lo and behold, he’d been elected Captain. Arthur remembered their P.E. lessons and how he’d hoped to God he’d be put on the same team as Alfred, because he was as bad as Alfred was good. They’d sometimes play football by themselves at lunchtime, and Alfred would double over laughing at Arthur’s attempts to kick the damn ball into the net. The best (or worst) attempt in both of their opinions was when Arthur had kicked the ball high and far, and instead of going the way he’d wanted it to, it had smashed through one of the windows right onto the headteacher’s head. After that fiasco, they’d agreed that they’d play far away from buildings. Arthur never did get better at the game, but he was fine with that. He was content with watching Alfred’s games, watching Alfred gleefully jump about when he scored the winning goal, taking his picture when he held up that trophy proudly, grinning for all he was worth.

Speaking of grinning, Alfred was brilliant also in the sense that he was the personification of shining optimism. He complemented Arthur’s pessimism perfectly; whenever Arthur had a negative thought about a situation Alfred would swoop in with a wide smile and shine his optimistic light – the resultant view would be not pessimistic, not optimistic, but realistic. Arthur liked Alfred’s optimism. It meant the boy was happier, and whenever he was happy it was as if he exuded light and joy. His loud, obnoxious laugh was infectious, and so was his smile. Honestly, his smile was dazzling, and Arthur wanted to be the one to make it be there all the time. Whenever Alfred smiled because of him it sent the butterflies in his stomach into overdrive, fluttering with everything they had. Arthur figured it was because of this that he’d inadvertently become wrapped around Alfred’s little finger. He’d never admit it, but he’d do anything for him. Alfred wanted to eat at McDonalds? They were going to McDonalds. Alfred wanted this new comic book but he didn’t have enough money? Arthur was already taking out his wallet, not caring that Alfred insisted it wasn’t important. Alfred wanted to go to Comic-Con? You could bet your arse that Arthur had already bought the tickets. All to see that perfect smile.

Along with that smile came an inexhaustible amount of hyperactivity. Honestly, he never seemed to be tired. Even just before he fell asleep he didn’t act tired, he just dropped off to sleep. The only way Arthur would ever see him tired was if he’d been doing an incredible amount of work, in which case he was very much exhausted (Arthur had to pretend not to like these moments, because Alfred almost always ended up resting his head on Arthur’s shoulder or lap, and Arthur had to resist stroking his soft blond hair) – otherwise, he was as energetic as a child. Running about, twirling, skipping, he’d do it all as Arthur would look on with a fond smile, wondering how he’d managed to be so lucky as to get Alfred for a friend.

Alfred was energetic and would get excited over the simplest thing, but he would be startlingly mature when the situation called for it. Alfred was a huge dork who liked superheroes too much and was a complete idiot, but at the same time, he was anything but an idiot. Ever since Arthur had first met him, he'd shone out against everybody else, a star against the night sky.

If Arthur had to pick one word to describe him, he’d choose ‘brilliant’.

But Arthur couldn’t tell Alfred that, and risk revealing what he felt for him. So instead, he gave a little laugh.

“I think I’d choose... ‘idiotic’,” he answered, smirking when Alfred shoved him and stuck his tongue out, blue eyes behind silver-framed glasses sparkling playfully.

“Yeah, well I’d choose ‘sarcastic little shit’ for you!” Alfred retorted, smirking himself.

“That’s three words, idiot.”

“...Shit, it is.”

The train pulled up, and the two of them stood up and manoeuvred their way to the front of the crowd. It was busier than normal, meaning that Arthur had to grab hold of Alfred’s jacket to stand a chance of staying together.

“Here-” Alfred held out his hand-“hold my hand, it’ll be easier. Don’t want to lose ya.” He punctuated his words with a playful wink. Arthur merely rolled his eyes but took his hand anyway, heart beating faster as he willed himself not to blush.

The doors opened, and Alfred got on and quickly pulled Arthur up. The pair were soon squashed up next to the opposite door, holding onto each other for stabilisation as the train started moving.

“At least we’re together,” Arthur said, his hold on Alfred momentarily tightening as he felt himself about to fall.

“And whose brilliant idea ensured that?” Alfred said with a grin.

“Honestly, you only held out your hand.”

“Yeah, but it got us together, didn’t it?” He grinned. “I’m brilliant, you just don’t want to admit it.”

Arthur simply rolled his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. That you are, Alfred.

#UsUk #aph usuk #APH England #APH America #arthur kirkland #alfred f. jones #Fluff #I think? #my fanfic #Fanfiction #Hetalia #APH #Gakuen Hetalia #Kinda #I mean they are in college #Drabble #My fanfiction #Okay tags are honestly hard #Can you believe I wrote this in like an hour or two #Or maybe three #But still #It usually takes me at least a day or two to write a fic #I suppose 1303 words isn't much #And I stole the template and some phrases from something I'd written ages ago

[sassyhazelowl]

Lists:

LGBT+ Fiction LGBT+ Anime Yuri Manga LGBT+ Film & Comics

Part 2 of LGBT+ Fiction because I’ve had some free time to finish a few more books. Under the cut for length, and for this batch, it is mostly bi or lesbian fiction. Enjoy.

Titles/Author: Tides/ Betsy Cornwall Genre: YA, [urban] fantasy, romance Relationship(s): f/f The Good: likable characters, solid plot, quick and easy read The Bad: villain was a bit wimpy Extra Notes: selkies! how can you go wrong with that? also grandma lesbians. Warning: eating disorder mention. Personal Rating: 8/10 Recommend: Yes

Titles/Author: Summer Prince/ Alaya Dawn Johnson Genre: YA, romance, dystopian Relationship(s): m/m/f, m/m The Good: lively and fast moving plot, interesting world building, good characters and motivations, character development, writing style is easy and pleasant to read The Bad: unnecessary sex scenes, tension falls flat, okay ending, world building holes Extra Notes: unlike coda I feel this one is enjoyable regardless of whether you like the genre or not but I’d be hesitant to recommend to readers under 16 due to inappropriateness. also, it is based on brazilian culture (I believe), which could be problematic, but I don’t know enough about it to know myself. A reviewer said it was “so tumblr” and I have to agree it has that vibe to it in some ways. Personal Rating: 8.5/10 Recommend: Maybe, see notes

Titles/Author: Serpentine/ Cindy Lo Genre: YA, romance, fantasy Relationship(s): f/f The Good: easy read, fast paced, solid plot, emphasis on sister-sister bond as the main relationship The Bad: not necessarily bad but the book felt mediocre for the genre in pretty much all aspects, not a huge fan of the male lead Extra Notes: the sequel sounds more exciting tbh Personal Rating: 7/10 Recommend: Yes

Titles/Author: Santa Olivia/ Jacqueline Carey Genre: adult fiction, dystopian, paranormal Relationship(s): f/f The Good: unique writing style, diverse support cast, likable protagonist, subversion of genre tropes, romance had conflict The Bad: beginning dragged and threw off the pacing, ending was good enough to be satisfactory but could’ve been better with a tenser climax Extra Notes: liked the book a lot but have no interest in reading the sequel Personal Rating: 8/10 Recommend: Yes

Titles/Author: Fingersmith/ Sarah Waters Genre: historical fiction, crime, psychological thriller Relationship(s): f/f The Good: fairly true to the setting and time period, characters are very realistic and a bit gritty, plot and narrative have a unique twist, ending was satisfactory The Bad: big drag in the beginning of part two where it basically is a re-telling of the end of part one, gruesome and graphic in places, hard to get into at the beginning even though the set-up is extremely important to the plot, language is a bit difficult until you get the hang of it Extra Notes: I watched the movie The Handmaiden first, so I had a good idea what was coming at me. Fortunately, it is not as gruesome and disturbing as the movie is, but unfortunately it is still full of potential triggers and uncomfortable topics. It is also an extremely long book (600 pages). Sex scenes, allusions of rape, mentions of torture, etc. I enjoyed it and rammed through it in two days but I just can’t imagine the general populace wants to read this book without an interest in the dark and macabre. Personal Rating: 8/10 Recommend: No

Titles/Author: Iron & Velvet/ Alexis Hall Genre: paranormal, detective Relationship(s): f/f, background m/m The Good: fits genre expectations, quick read, lots of action and excitement The Bad: it is a little over the top with some of the supernatural stuff, side characters aren’t that great Extra Notes: This book was gaudy as all get out but a ton of fun and lots of witty lines. I don’t really think it is the kind anyone will re-read but it is a fun book for entertainment value alone. Sex scenes, lots of casual mentions of sex and wanting to have sex. It reminded me of fanfiction circa 2010. Personal Rating: 7.5/10 Recommend: No, unless you like the genre or fanfiction circa 2010

Titles/Author: Star-Crossed/ Barbara Dee Genre: YA romance Relationship(s): f/f The Good: completely age appropriate, addresses real life topics frankly, super cute, likable characters The Bad: predictable (for an adult or well-read children would probably be fine for most kids), Shakespeare is overused and that seemed to make it more cliche than it actually was Extra Notes: This is one I was looking forward to and it didn’t disappoint. It’s really rare to find a young adult written for younger teens and this was written perfectly to suit the age group. It is super cute and very positive without washing things over with rainbows and sunshine. Real-life problems are addressed, acknowledge and dealt with, which I always appreciate in a story.  Personal Rating: 9/10 Recommend: Yes, if you’re 12-14 or a parent or a childrens’ librarian or just want a cute read

Titles/Author: River of Teeth/ Sarah Gailey Genre: alternative history; bio sci fi Relationship(s): hard to qualify but there is a gender fluid, gender binary and 2 bi characters along with bi x nb relationship vibes The Good: Interesting premise, fast paced, distinctive characters, lots of tension, subtle but not non-existent romance The Bad: It’s a novella, so it’s short. Some of the action at the end, while well-written, was still confusing to visualize mentally. A few editorial bloopers. The characters aren’t as fleshed out as I’d like but it is a novella, so yeah, expected. Extra Notes: I read this while waiting for my stupid computer to update. It is a novella not a novel, so it is short. But it is extremely well paced and the balance between action and dialogue is well done. There is death and there is knife play and people having unfortunately accidents with hippos. There is a sequel, which was also good, but for completely different reasons (much heavier on the romance). Personal Rating: 9/10 Recommend: Yes, unless you are afraid of hippos

Titles/Author: A Place to Rest/ Erin Dutton Genre: romance Relationship(s): f/f, background m/m The Good: A light, quick read with a realistic flavor that doesn’t get too heavy. Very cute premise and heavily character-centric with nice arcs. Obligatory hot cocoa scene. The Bad: The pacing dragged a bit, the side characters were pretty stock. There were some repetitive elements that came off clunky in execution. Nothing terrible just seemed like the author is a bit inexperienced in a few areas. Extra Notes: This, to me, read like a slow burn coffee shop AU fanfiction, so if you like that sort of thing, you’ll really enjoy this book. I, personally, enjoyed the fact that there was family-centric tension that wasn’t omg you’re gay! and instead focused on normal sibling problems. Also, I liked that the protag was in her 30s because a good chunk of recommended reads for queer books are YA and at some point its nice not to read about teenagers. Sex scenes. Personal Rating: 8/10 Recommend: Yes

Titles/Author: Letters Never Sent/ Sandra Moran Genre: romance, historical fiction Relationship(s): f/f The Good: Well constructed and interesting plot, realistic premise, suitable twists, lots of pertinent and salient issues, queer history in the US midwest The Bad: Not a lot. There are 2 main characters, a mother and daughter, so it does waffle between the past and present time, which isn’t balanced perfectly and could have stagnant spots. Extra Notes: Honestly, I’d like to find a lot more adult books like this one. It hit my radar as a Must Read, and I don’t always care of Must Reads, they tend to be hyped from a small pool of mediocre. This one was worth it but... on to the warnings: sex scenes, homophobia, internalized homophobia, rape, abortion and murder. Nothing was gritty, in fact, the story itself is serious but not overly important about it.  Personal Rating: 9.5/10 Recommend: Yes

#queer fiction #lesbian fiction #reading recommendations #mine #queery the media

[earthnashes]

I know that you probably didn't palled that far, but at the moment, how do you think the events of the guardian AU is gonna unfurl?

If you’re talking about in general the events, then very roughly like this.

Please keep in mind though that this is not actually a set-in-stone plot, because I don’t have one that I follow. The AUs I make have basic overarching plots but I don’t focus on that, I focus on the worldbuilding and the characters themselves and not how a potential fleshed-out story would go from beginning, middle, and end. You’re more than free to keep this plot-thingy below in mind for the Guardian!AU OR you’re more than free to ignore it and imagine how different events unfold based on the worldbuilding I’ve done thus far. 

Up to you.

THAT SAID, here ya go:

———————————————————————————————————–

-Beginning

-Rarity and Twilight meet Applejack

-AJ, Twi, and Rarity escape the Haven (The Haven is the huge building they keep their Orphans in)

-The squad retreats to AJ’s Mistral hideout in the Slums; they escape Mistral through a carrier that connects to the sea below (I’ll draw examples of this like I’ve been dying to show it; here’s hoping I can capture what’s in my head)

-wELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD (the squad makes it to ground-dwelling Equestria)

-They’re far from Sanctuary (as in the actual town) so ADVENTUREEEEEE

-They meet up with Dash and Scootaloo on the way (either AJ already got them out or Rainbow Dash flew away with Scootaloo before Rarity escaped I dunno). Maybe they’re being attacked by crazed ground-dwelling Guardians and they help? Anyway FRENZ then MOAR ADVENTURE

-Rarity gets hurt from an attack by Mistral Shepherds oh noes! Gotta find shelter! Luckily AJ knows a mare ‘round these parts…. good ol’ Pinkie Pie!

-They chill with Pinks and Shy for a while. More frenz. Rarity gets better. Everyone sets off for Sanctuary foR MORE ADVENTUREEEEE.

-More runins with Shepherds but they either beat them or evade them, but this is bad Celestia’s getting impatient and is still on their tracks. :C

-They make it to Sanctuary! It’s moderate in size and self-sufficient and has all the charm a knit-tight community has. Their leader Shining Armor is who AJ takes them to

-DRAAAAAAMAAAAAAA. Rarity and Twilight learn about their pasts, Rainbow Dash contemplates takin’ Scoots and leaving (Rarity ur gr8 and all but ur also being followed and that’s not cool bro, gotta protect the squirt), other good drama stoof

-Somewhere in there they meet Cadance and Luna; perhaps Rarity goes off alone with AJ to find them ‘cuz the have planz on taking down Mistral once and for all

-All that good stuff happens then finally The Big Moment™. Maybe Mistral tracks them down and steals Rarity back by using Discord, Twi gets rekt, poor Sanctuary suffers a bunch of destruction, at this point Rainbow, Pinks, and Shy are all probably gone after deciding they were no longer needed/didn’t want to deal with exactly this.

-Twilight, half dead, immediately goes after them. She’s at first held back to at least tend to her injuries but she is then joined by Applejack, Cadance, Luna, and a few others who had always planned to take Mistral down (and they figure now’s the time to move more than anything). Que EPIC RESCUE. Oh and Rainbow, Shy and Pinks show back up ‘cause friendship and good stuff like that.

-EPIC SHOWDOWN AT MISTRALLLLLL. They’re nice enough to sound the evacuation horns though so the citizens can escape all of the destruction. Final Boss Battle with Discord and a alicorn-crazed Celly (who nearly killed Rarity with the way they’re forcing alicorn from her body). It’s terrible and it’s difficult and jesus how the hell are they gonna survive this?

-Luckily they do and they finally defeat the pair. Luna shares a rather bittersweet moment with her dying sister (for all she’s ever done to Luna, Luna still has a small part of her that cares for her long-gone sister), Rarity is rescued, Mistral goes down with minimum casualties, horrah!

-The Ending after it and honestly I dunno how this would go… maybe since a bunch of the escaped folks from Mistral also include the Addicts and some of the scientists who caused this bullshit in the first place, in the future there could be a growing problem of alicorn addition suddenly popping up again? 

DLC 1:  The gang here about Scorpan and Tirek: this is awesome ‘cause Scorpan has actually developed a Tonic that will safely remove the Tantabus from a Host’s body, allowing them to recover from it and reverting Orphans back into normal children! Awesome stuff. The suit part for Guardians? Well…. he’s still workin’ on it. But regardless he’s the key for ridding the Tantabus within Rarity, Spike, and Scoots and the possible solution to finally removing Twi and Rainbow from their suits so off to the ends of Equestria they goooooooooooo

DLC 2: There’s been strange activity in the north and it’s worth investigating. The gang travel to the long-forgotten ruins of the Crystal Empire to discover its secrets and its history, and along the way they encounter Sombra, a seemingly good-willed unicorn trying to get to the bottom of the Crystal Empire mystery…

#Guardian!AU #au #anon asks

[daemon-knight]

Allen’s Rambling: Amazing Person Award

✨💛 This is the Amazing Person Award! Once you are given this award you are supposed to paste it in the ask of eight different people, who, in your opinion, deserve it. If you break the chain nothing will happen, but it is sweet to know someone thinks you're amazing inside and out 💛

So... I got this message from Aster awhile ago, and after (more or less) surviving the blunt of some scheduling issues at work I finally have some time to do this little chain letter. Of course, me being me, I figured instead of sending these out to people I’d make a Rambling out of it. Consider this a promo in a way, I feel it’s better to publicly let these people know how I feel than just send a chain letter. 

Now, I didn’t have eight people to tag since... well, I’m a picky little bastard and all when it comes to who I write with, but yeah, let’s get started Allen’s Amazing Person Award/People Your Should Follow List... thing.

@waywcrdsouls

So I gotta’ start with the one that gave me the message in the first place, Aster. I have a lot of fun RPing with them. I’ll be honest, I was raising my eye at first when I first followed them since Alien OC blogs were real big at the time, but I’m impressed by not only how faithful they’ve stayed with their world and characters, but make them so enjoyable to both write with and read. I’m honestly surprised by the amount of thought Aster puts into developing Syn’s world, background, powers, and character development. I have no idea how they do it. I’m attempting to do world-building stuff in two stories I’m writing and it’s a pain for me to think up certain things. Aster has a talent for that sort of thing that I don’t possess. 

And Syn’s a fun character to both interact with and read. We decided to make them rivals as a pre-established relationship thing and I’m so glad we did. It’s not everyday your greatest rival/crush is an alien from a far off galaxy. And they play a decent Reimu too. While I personally doubt I’ll go back to the Touhou RPC for personal reasons, I wouldn’t mind being Sanae back just to interact with Aster’s Reimu.

Oh, but fair warning before following Aster, they like spinach as a pizza topping. Yes, that is disgusting, but if you can get over their OBVIOUSLY INCORRECT preference of pizza toppings, then give this guy a follow.

@uncorruptedchampion

If you were to ask me which my favorite character relationship between all the people Claudia has interacted with was, I’d say Rei’s Nero without a second thought. I love the fact that Claudia actually has a mortal enemy she hates and I’m so thankful to Rei for giving me the dynamic of demon knight and holy woman I’ve wanted. Real talk, I love writing conflict and dramatic encounters, and Nero guarantees that. Claudia might hate Nero with a blinding passion, but I love it when these two cross each other. It really let’s me play up the demon part of Claudia’s moniker. Nero’s probably the only person Claudia will cuss out without a second thought and I can’t get enough of it. Maybe Allen’s a masochist or something?

Also, out of curiosity, I did try my hand at Corruption of Champions a few months back to see what it was about and get an idea of the world Nero came from, and... Lord... 

Oh Dear Lord...

Oh Dear Lord Almighty in Heaven Above, that is a GAME right there. 

Oh Sugar Honey Ice Tea, that’s a +18 game if I’ve ever played one. How the hell Nero kept her virginity in that world I’ll never know, nor do I want to. Yeah, Rei wasn’t kidding when they said that was a NSFW game. That... that was a new experience right there. I’ve been tempted to give Fallen London a peek too, but... C of C has kind of made me wary now. Rei, how you finished that game I will never know...

@kyushukishin

I honestly wish I knew Vick in real life, I really do. I think we could drink cola together in a soda bar somewhere on the countryside and probably have heavy discussions about writing and whatnot. While I’m not as vocal as they is, we do share a lot of opinions in terms of how RPing is done on tumblr. One of these days I’m gonna’ have to really pick their brain about a few things in terms of RPing and writing just to see how our thoughts align and differ. 

And Hanako, man. Vick put in research I wish I put into my Japanese-esque characters back when I was RPing them. Seriously, this guy makes me wish I kept Amber as Kohaku and just bucked up and did my research on Japanese stuff. Honestly makes me want to redo my old Rambling on ethnicity. Admittedly, I know Vick more from my interactions with my delinquent character than Clauds here, but I recommend them all the same.

@soulwitch

You’d think given my hate-boner for OP characters and general bitching about power levels I’d hate writing with a character that was essential a universe-destroying witch. Well... I don’t blame you all for thinking such, but Jeanne is probably the one exception I’ll make, and maybe the only one too. I can’t really explain it myself, I just like how entertaining she is as a character. The charisma, the arrogance, it’s all good stuff to me. Taking an ‘all powerful airhead’ approach to an intimidating character isn’t knew, but it really works for Jeanne. 

Admittedly, I haven’t RPed enough with Jeanne-mun for any real plot or conflict to happen, but I’m looking forward to plotting something. Maybe bringing back Titty War for real this time? Who knows, only time will tell.

@verfolgxr

YOOOOSHIIIIIII!!!!

Man, Chaser, it was a blast from the goddamn past seeing you on my dash again. When Aster gave that promo and I saw you’re blog I HAD to see how things were going. Haven’t seen you since I left the Falcon Knights blog. 

Ah, but old partners aside, Chaser is probably one of the few people to actually intimidate me as a writer. Okay, intimidate isn’t the right word. Chaser makes me... question how I portray my characters, as since how seriously I take them. I make it no secret that I don’t tend to take my own (RP) characters too seriously. This is usually because I save the seriousness for when I do actual story-writing, and to keep myself from getting obsessively attach to my characters. 

And... well, Allen is a shounen-obsessed action whore, so... y’know.

But anyway, with Chaser and reading some of their stuff for Yoshi, I... feel like I disrespecting their approach with my own. The thought put into Yoshi and all Chaser’s characters is something I can really feel the heart in, as dark as some of those developments get sometimes. Back when I was still active on the Falcon Knight blog I felt so bad for how serious Yoshi took her relationship with FK while the two members she was closest to didn’t act the same way. It was in character, but it honestly torn me up on the inside a little.

My misgivings aside, Chaser’s a great RPer and recommend all you guys follow them.

@solemnspear

I... honestly have nothing in depth to say about Imu-mun. While I’m personally not familiar with Legend of Mana, seeing Imu’s character makes me wanna’ try the game out somehow. 

I think Imu and Claudia have a good dynamic, both warriors of high skill, both favoring a spear, both lesbians. I think Imu’s more abrasive and blunt nature would balance out Claudia’s friendly and polite nature... when she’s not in Demon Knight Mode anyway. And... y’know, another lesbian spear warrior is always welcomed. Allen’s also a yuri fanboy trash after all.

@cyansurvivor

Anyone willing to do this shit with me is a person that needs to be cherished, loved, and followed. That is all.

@lyccris

And last, but definitely not least, Glyph. Like with Chaser, I feel a bit intimidated by Glyph the same way I do with Chaser... well there’s a bit of a difference. While the heart behind Chaser’s writing intimidates me, the power behind Glyph way of writing Anima honestly makes me hesitate to plot with, despite having a whole AU based around their relationship of knight and empress...

Wait, calm down folks, Allen ain’t gonna’ bitch about power levels here, honest!

Jokes aside though, I specifically mean Anima’s position of power compared to Claudia’s intimidates me. Glyph’s writing aside, my intimidation here is for more mechanical reasons that just Allen being a shy guy. I researched a good deal about knights a few years ago, but I didn’t get much information on their direct interaction with royalty like Anima, so keeping Clauds in character around her is a bit of a challenge. Now I can obviously just do the research now, but... well, work’s been sucking my life away at the moment and poking as Aster, Rei, and Imu-mun with Claudia’s big spear is a bit easier than poking Glyph. 

Anyway, I enjoy reading a lot of what Anima does, and seeing someone competently write someone of power always interests and impresses me. Go give this one a follow!

I know I’m technically missing one more person, but again, I’m picky with who I interact with, so... I’m a little high and dry in that regard. And... I have to admit, calling you all by your mun names feels really weird. Like, now I know why we use to call people [Muse]-mun a few years back. This feels like I’m being way too casually, and I’m the guy that’s purposely using Allen as an alias.

Anyway, give these lovely people a follow and tell ‘em Allen X sent ya’!

#.ramblings #sorry aster i cheated #also yes i'm still bitter about the spinach on pizza thing #i will one day actually for real fight you irl over this

[valamerys]

I really enjoy your blog so is it okay if I ask you top 10 pet peeves in novels? It can be tropes or even a niche moment in a particular book. I like writing myself and would appreciate the help.

hmmMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM sure, I can come up with some things! bear in mind I read almost exclusively fantasy, and mostly “low” ie not game of thrones fantasy at that, including a loooot of YA, so my items will reflect that.

Top (YA, Fantasy) Fiction Pet Peeves:

1) Unnecessary post-apocalyptic setting  WHY THE FUCK. DO PEOPLE KEEP DOING THIS. WHAT DOES THIS GAIN ANYONE. WHAT IS THE POINT. Red Queen, The Selection, The Queen of the Tearling, and that weird TV show The Shanarananaharahahananaaa Chronicles all do this. It’s, frankly, a cheap-ass bid for Dark and Gritty points, and also an excuse to set things in America But Fantasy, and it’s always bad and awkward. This isn’t planet of the apes, just make your damn fantasy world; you don’t have to try to make it more ~realistic~ by putting the ruins of the statue of liberty in the background. That’s stupid and you’re stupid.

2) One-note characters  Mostly present via The Bitch or The Bully stereotype, but also seen in The Bratty Brother, The Sweet Sister, The Spacey DGAF Parent, and the Eccentric Wise Elder. I get that there’s not time to flesh out every single person your protagonist comes into contact with, but certain archetypes are so fucking boring and done to death that I tune out immediately. It’s not 2004 anymore. The game has evolved. We can do better. We can be more interesting.

Related to the sweet sister trope, I’d like to bring up this text post from my other blog:

3) When the protagonists’ actions/ choices do not affect the plot  Alright, this one isn’t even a pet peeve, it’s basic narrative construction. Your story is supposed to be about your protagonist (or your two or three protagonists, in a multi-pov story, but for simplicity’s sake we’ll talk about one) and their arc, how they change and grow. a) If their actions never have consequences, how the fuck do they, like, learn things? and b) if their actions have no bearing on the climax of the story, how the fuck does the story demonstrate that they’ve changed, or come to a meaningful conclusion that’s related to that? Sure there’s weird literary exceptions, and certainly some fantasy in particular is more plot than character driven, but if your character is honestly never proactive, particularly through the ending of the book, uh, i have a major problem and so should you.

4) The Mandatory Feminism Stuff  we should all know these by now. “Not Like Other Girls” is bad. Hating on corsets and other femme paraphernalia is bad (and moreover i personally resent it because I love corsets). A book with a female protagonist and no other important female characters (or only evil female characters) is bad. A high fantasy series that builds its worldbuilding on a raging patriarchy for the purpose of elevating a few specific women into positions of power for superficial RAH RAH FEMINISM points while not addressing systematic oppression is really, really bad. Defining female empowerment as only one thing (IE picking up a sword and Proving Yourself just as badass as all those scoffing men!!!) is bad. I’m very tired and I want to read about women-- different kinds of women, with different moral alignments and interests and abilities and ethnic backgrounds and ages and sexualities and beliefs-- helping each other and being forces in the world and in each others’ lives. That’s it. That’s all I want. I have no clue why that’s so elusive.

5) Characters being flippant to the point of stupidity because........ that’s cool, i guess?  Homygod, I am so sick to my teeth of characters who would get their asses kicked IRL for being obnoxious and overly glib be appraised with “wow, you’ve really got some nerve! I like you, kid!” or some variation therof. Mouthing off to superiors/ royalty? Charging into a fight on a stray heroic impulse despite everyone with a brain and their mom telling you you’re going to die because you just picked up swordfighting on tuesday? flagrantly and thoughtlessly disregarding engrained cultural things because they don’t align with your conveniently 2017 sense of social justice despite you living in an analogue-medieval world? Not cute. It will get you fucking killed. If your character doesn’t seem to grasp that, I’m going to think they’re a dumbshit, and if the book rewards rather than punishes that, I’m not going to take it very seriously. (obviously there are exceptions to this, particularly if your world doesn’t take itself very seriously, but if you expect to instill a real sense of danger in day-to-day life, your protagonist doesn’t get to be exempt from that because they’re hot and witty.)

6) Also, characters being stubborn. This goes with my last point, because it’s another trait people seem to think is like cool, or something? That stubborn people are stubborn because they’re Strong? that it’s a flaw but it’s actually a Cool Flaw, like in job interviews when they ask your weakness and you say “i’m just TOO hard of a worker, ha ha ha”? U see this a lot in female characters written by people who are uncomfortable writing female characters, i think because, again, it mistakenly reads as Strength on some really superficial level, and because the banter and petty conflict that arises from it temporarily distracts from weak overall characterization. If you’re going to write a character being stubborn, that’s great! But understand that a) it’s a real flaw that can genuinely blind them to good ideas and cause unnecessary friction that shouldn’t be treated as endearing, b) it’s not a replacement for other elements of characterization!! and c) it’s the flipside of being assertive, which is a good thing: no trait is only a flaw or a strength, and so any trait a character possess in abundance should both help and hinder them at different times, with maturity level tempering the bad, to a degree. stubbornness is no different.

7) Sexual assault (or the threat of it) all over the fucking place. Do i have to explain this one? Of course ownvoices books about sexual assault survivors are good and necessary but we are all sick to death of "fun” fantasy worlds where the female characters exist under the constant and unending threat of rape, where sexual assault is common as window dressing and the love interests are Super Special Feminist Snowflakes for being so revolutionary as to take consent into account. fuck that. that should be the bare fucking minimum. i am so tired.

8) The Six-Pack Sex Appeal Golem  Honestly, I am not here to hate on love triangles, because I am ALL ABOUT the romance and the more the merrier. But what i do really, really loathe is the incredibly narrow parameters that have come to exist for male love interests, to the point where they all tend to feel like the same guy in need of anger management: a little broody, smart, serious, jealous and protective to a fault, if we get his POV we get real creepy sexual thoughts out of nowhere while he acts vaguely standoffish and probably a little patronizing to a woman whose Attitude gives him a boner. This man does not experience emotions that can’t be interpreted as darkly sexual, or possibly A Little Bit Vulnerable, just for that one scene of mandatory backstory reveal. I recently reviewed a real bad romance novel and described the hero as “a barely-consistent golem of toxic masculine ideals” and that’s what I’m talking about here. MAKE YOUR LOVE INTERESTS WELL-ROUNDED AND UNIQUE CHARACTERS LIKE ALL YOUR OTHER CHARACTERS. Forget what’s “sexy,” I wanna see the male love interests be Soft and Weird and cry in an unattractive way. For further reading/ a great case study of the Masculine Golem, please just read this article about how abysmal the romance in ROAR is. (For what it’s worth, I actually think SJM manages to avoid this in the ACOTAR series. Rhys and Tamlin suck but they are still mostly consistent characters, not just shells inhabited by the spirit of heterosexuality. your mileage may vary, though.)

9) Secret Superpower/ She Was The Missing Princess/ Queen All Along  I think this is a trend that’s slowly but surely passing from YA, but for a while you couldn’t throw a rock in a bookstore without hitting a trilogy where a long-lost missing princess was established in chapter 1 and you spent the whole fucking first book knowing the orphaned heroine with a murky past was gonna turn out to be the princess and you were always right. Queens are also a huge fucking thing right now, although they don’t tend to follow that exact formula. See also the character’s discovery of a superpower catapulting them into a new exciting life-- basically any discovery of a Cool Sexy birthright as a catalyst for a plot is kind of played out and boring, at this point in time? This ties into my earlier point about wanting characters’ choices to shape the plot; it’s so much easier to have them reacting to external forces, especially dramatic, aesthetic ones, i get that, but you’ll get a more original and interesting story the more you resist that urge. And everyone is fucking tired of secret princesses and can spot them a mile away, y’all.

10) OMG magic is outlawed!!! BUT WAIT THE PROTAGONIST HAS SECRET MAGIC! CAN SHE RISE ABOVE PERSECUTION AND HER PROBABLE ROMANCE WITH THE PRINCE OF THIS POORLY-THOUGHT-OUT TOTALITARIAN REGIME TO LEAD ALL MAGIC-HAVERS TO FREEDOM AND ACCEPTANCE???? If you do this i’m going to come to your house and pour a cup of soda on your head. This is dumb and I can’t believe I’ve seen it multiple times. I’m not even explaining this it should be obvious.

Honorable mentions go to: Excessive mentions/ descriptions of eye color, really tired ways of describing kissing, elemental magic is super fucking overdone, instalove, and Training Montages