#which as i say it i realize is ABSOLUTELY a fanfic trope

[pluckyredhead]

hi! i'm new to comics and i got in through reading your fics and wayne family adventures. i've since started reading more of the mainstream verse and i realized that most comic fans consider wfa to be totally fanon. you're one of the few i saw that disagrees. would you mind elaborating a lil on why? i'm too new to really form an opinion either way but i'd like to know your's!

(also yes i really did stalk your blog back years worth of posts i'm sorry! 😭😭)

Aw I love this! Welcome!

So I think it's really important to be clear on definitions here:

Canon means it's part of an official text. It's literally in a comic (or book or movie or other property) published or licensed by DC.

Fanon means it's made up by fans. That doesn't mean bad or good, it just means that it comes from fandom and is not part of the official text.

Wayne Family Adventures is an official licensed comic by DC, so by definition, it cannot be fanon. That doesn't mean everyone has to like it, but it's not a fan comic. It's an official DC product. It's not fanon.

Now, WFA isn't part of the main DCU canon. It takes place in a separate universe. The Jason in Batman #138 and the Jason in WFA are not the same and they are having very different experiences. (And I'm sure the Jason in WFA would be grateful if he knew.)

But that's no different than a comic that takes place in an alternate universe, like Dark Knights of Steel or DCeased, or a movie like Blue Beetle or a show like My Adventures with Superman. They all take place in their own universes, but all of those universes are canon. None of them are fanon.

What I think most people mean when they say WFA is fanon is that WFA draws on tropes and characterizations that are popular in fandom. Which...yes, absolutely. This is on purpose, and honestly, it pisses me off when people complain about it. (Not you, anon! Your question was lovely, you just triggered my unskippable cut scene of dialogue. Sorry lol.)

Wayne Family Adventures is probably the single best idea DC has had in the 20 years I've been reading comics. (The second best was the kids and YA graphic novel lines.)

I just checked, and WFA has 1.3 MILLION subscribers. That's more than every floppy comic starring Batman sells in a month, combined. It's more than literally any superhero comic has sold in decades - in this century! The combined strips have over A HUNDRED MILLION VIEWS. That is bonkerstown. That is a readership like DC hasn't seen since the 1970s. That is unparalleled success, and it's introducing characters like Kate Kane and Duke Thomas to a whole new audience.

Now, WFA was clearly designed to appeal to Batfans who were active on social media and fanfic sites like AO3 and Wattpad, and Webtoon readers. The readership of Webtoon is mostly young and female. Fandom as a whole is mostly female. The writer of WFA is female.

And maybe I'm not being fair here, but when I see people dismiss WFA as "just fanon," I always catch a whiff of "It's not a real Batman comic. It's a girl comic for girls."

I have spent the past 20 years begging DC (and Marvel, DC is not alone in this) to see women as a viable audience - as their largest potential growth audience! I have watched in dumbfounded frustration as they ignored the juggernaut success of Raina Telgemeier and Ngozi Ukazu and Alice Oseman running rings around the NY Times bestseller list and counted a 50k shipment here and there as a resounding triumph. I have literally seen them throw out survey responses from women because "those women had an agenda." (This is a true story. 2011 was rough, y'all.)

And all of a sudden, they gave us a comic actually catering to women and young people and fandom, and they put it on the most popular, current, modern platform for comics availably - and it's brilliant. It's smart and funny and stunningly drawn and every episode makes clever, inventive use of the scrolling format. They FINALLY gave us a girl comic for girls, and it's a masterpiece.

And yes, it riffs on fanon concepts. It also has its roots firmly in mainstream DCU canon. It references deep cuts. CRC Payne and StarBite know their shit. Jason Todd being a bookworm may be a fanon staple, but he does plenty of reading - including Jane Austen - in the 100% canon mainstream DCU comics.

It's not going to be for everything, because nothing is. It's completely fine if you don't like WFA. No one has to read it or enjoy it. If you're into Batman for the darkness and the crime and the ongoing plotlines and the angst, WFA won't be for you, and that's totally fine!

But to finally, finally be valued as a reader by DC, to have them do something smart and innovative and so, so well executed, and have the exact people they made it for dismiss it out of hand because Bruce has a "World's Okayest Dad" mug or whatever? Yeah, that chafes.

#wayne family adventures #this one's gonna get me in trouble

[tolkienbrained]

when i first heard about yoshiden i was like ok cool ship but it doesn't make much sense but THEN i started thinking about it and found and absolute goldmine.

first off, we all know or at least can tell that one of the main overarching themes in chainsaw man is the subversion of common shonen tropes (which fujimoto does wonderfully, mind you) such as "the perverted main character". denji is a subversion of this trope for many reasons which should be discussed in a different post but how wonderful would it be for the sex-crazed women-obsessed character to realize that, oh, maybe women aren't the only option and end up with a guy? i say bisexual denji rights. although to be fair it's true that so far there hasn't been any indication for this in the manga, i don't think denji is at the point where he has realized exactly WHY he's so obsessed with women (cough mommy issues and touch-deprivation).

linking that last point a bit with the Yoshiden Thesis™ we have the fact that a lot of his affection for makima in the first part was most likely linked to this deprivation of love as he grew up and possibly to his lack of a mother figure while he was growing up. and of course makima herself instigated this affection and knowingly manipulated denji. most women denji has known until now have used him, and hurt him in different ways (or just have been older women that shouldn't be messing with a sixteen-year-old anyway). in fact, the ONLY genuinely positive relationship with a woman denji has in part 1 is with power, and it's completely platonic. and it's not only women who have hurt denji, most people in part 1 (with some notable exceptions (aki and power my beloveds)) were not interested in denji, didn't want denji, just cared about chainsaw man and the chainsaw devil. yoshida is someone tasked with protecting DENJI and making sure DENJI gets to live a peaceful, happy life. he has shown a willingness to put up with denji's ridiculousness and has even seemed amused by it. it's too early in part 2 to honestly tell, but we could even say he cares about denji (or possibly will soon since fujimoto needs more characters to break denji's heart even more, fucker).

once again coming back to the "women-obsessed, sex-crazed" part, denji being deprived of affection made him grow up thinking that was the only way to show affection and love, possibly because of how media and society, in general, are very sexualised. a lot of his arc in part 1 was him realizing this isn't true, as shown in his relationship with power and aki. it would be a nice finishing touch to that arc for him to realize that not only are platonic affective relationships possible and just as important/fulfilling as romantic ones, but how romantic relationships also aren't just limited to women and sex by falling in love with yoshida.

of course all of this is talking from a fandom/fanfic standpoint. these are just the reasons why i personally love the ship and consume content on it, and i'm in no way saying "this is definitely going to be canon!!" lol. i went a bit off the rails here but i'm just obsessed with yoshiden rn.

TL;DR yoshiden FUCKS and would go greatly along denji's arc and the themes in chainsaw man.

EDIT: oh my god i just reread this and i mean fucks as in it's very cool not as in they're fucking each other i'm crying LMAO

EDIT2: seeing the recent chapters all of this is most likely going down the drain but i'm still shipping yoshiden idc

#csm #chainsaw man #yoshiden #meta #csm meta #cloudy musings

[redriotinggg]

You know what I need? Strawhats raising a child, could be shippy or not, but I need them finding a baby and Luffy being like "I WANNA KEEP IT! How hard can it be to raise a child?" (Famous last words) This is less about wanting to be a father and more about thinking about this as another great adventure and experience for Luffy (besides if its a situation like finding a baby in a treasure chest they cant exactly leave it... tho I imagine Nami seeing Luffy with a baby in arms and being like "wtf, where did you get that???" Luffy: "I found it in a treasure chest :)" Nami: "WELL PUT IT BACK ITS NOT YOURS!")

Of course raising a baby in a pirate ship is bound to be dangerous, so most of the crew is like "lets find it a good family in the next island" so maybe it's more of a Tokyo Godfathers situation.

Who are the better parents? Who absolutely suck at parenting but want to help regardless? Are any of them like "I absolutely don't want any part in this" but end up being roped in regardless and end up getting attached to the child? Does the child end up being raised by Strawhats or they get them to a nice family somewhere safe?

If you know of any fanfics that are like this (if they're gen/Nakamaship the better) please reccomend them to me I'm in desperate need to see that, child raised by a village trope my beloved

Pffttt a baby should definitely NOT be aboard the Sunny but if it happened I can imagine that yes, Luffy found a baby in a treasure chest and by the time they realized what happened, they were already on the open water headed to the next island.

However, the first thought that came to my head was that Zoro was sleeping while guarding the ship and someone managed to dump the baby onboard. He wakes up and there’s a baby—just under a year old—sitting across from him, fist in their mouth and a note on their forehead that says, “YOUR PROBLEM NOW”. There’s nothing left for him to do other than wait and pray that the kid doesn't start crying or pooping.

The rest of the crew comes back like Uhhhh Zoro???? When did you give birth????? To which he yells that he didn't, you idiots!

Now they don't know what to do because they can't bring a baby on the seas in the New World, but the island they're docked at wasn't very welcoming and likely wouldn't care about an orphaned child.

Luffy makes the decision easily--they'll bring the baby with them and they'll be an honourary Straw Hat! If they get their adventure started now, the baby will be at a huge advantage when they become a pirate when they grow up. Raising a baby must be easy if so many people do it! But it doesn't take long for the others to convince him that keeping a baby abroad for an extended period isn't a good idea, so they decide to keep the baby until they can find them a good home.

Luffy is not so surprisingly great with the kid, although he's not allowed to be left alone with them. The crew freaked out when they found him and the baby asleep on the head of the Sunny. It would've been a sweet scene if they both weren't at risk of falling and drowning to death. If the baby starts crying and Luffy can't get them to stop in 2 seconds, he dumps them off to the nearest crewmate--he usually deals with crying kids by beating them up, but the baby's too young for that. Plus, the noise really hurts his ears!

Nami canonically loves kids and babies!! She doesn’t mind taking care of the baby until they can find somewhere safe for them. Except this baby is getting on her damn nerves because, for some reason, they don’t like Nami. At all. Every time she tries to hold them, they cry bloody murder. To add insult to injury, the baby absolutely loves Zoro, who still wants nothing to do with the baby. But she is nothing if not stubborn, and eventually, she and the baby are thick as thieves.

The baby loves Usopp because he’s so silly! He makes the baby laugh by playing peekaboo and he even whips up little toys for them to play with. He flails dramatically when the baby grabs his nose or pulls his hair, both of them laughing without a care in the world.

The baby is too young to be scared of Brook, so they just laugh as he dances and sings nursery rhymes from all over the four seas. His lullabies are very effective in calming the baby's crying fits or getting them to sleep.

Sanji prefers dealing with children when they’re old enough to speak, but he’s not immune to the effects of an adorable baby. If it’s a girl she gets the absolute princess treatment, complete with baby talk and compliments of how cute she is. A boy baby gets his hair gently ruffled. Either way, Sanji happily admires Robin sitting with a baby in her lap before he’s off to puree some fruits and veggies.

Chopper loves babies and thinks this one is so cute!! But he’s embarrassed by how jealous he is of all the attention the baby is getting. He can’t help it! He’s used to being the one taking naps in Zoro’s lap and being fawned over by Robin. He’s happy to have the baby with them, but he wishes he got some more attention, too.

Jimbei and Franky don’t dislike babies per se, but they’re just so small and fragile compared to them. They mostly watch the other crewmates interact with the baby from the sidelines.

Franky’s nerves aren’t helped as Robin keeps coming up to him while holding the baby and talking about how cute they are and how parenthood is such a privilege, don't you think, Franky? She manages to convince Franky to hold the baby and when he does, he bursts into tears. Overwhelmed, he passes the baby off to the closest person, who happens to be Jimbei, whose eyes also fill with happy tears when the baby snuggles up to him. Both of them stop keeping their distance after that.

Robin reads the baby bedtime stories! But the crew have also walked by and overheard her reading books about death, disease, and war. She speaks to the baby in all of the languages she knows and tells them all the secrets she's learned. It's too bad the baby is too young to retain all that knowledge, but she's more than happy to share anyway.

Zoro doesn't like kids in general, but kids love him, including this baby. The rest of the crew find it hilarious how awkward he is with the baby. You'd think he'd be used to holding a small being considering how often he carries Chopper around, but no, he's hopeless. Zoro is teased relentlessly for the way he talks to the baby. He talks to them like a grown adult and it's both endearing and ridiculous.

Absolutely nobody wants to change dirty diapers. There are physical altercations, manipulation tactics, and an abundance of tricks used as each Straw Hat tries to avoid diaper duty. (Usopp uses dirty diapers as canon fodder and ammo when they run into trouble on the water.)

Most, if not all, of the Straw Hats have mommy and/or daddy issues, so raising this baby gives them all a chance to heal, whether they realize it or not. It also gives the crew an excuse for group cuddles, not that they ever needed it.

The crew have all grown very attached to the baby by the time they reach a safe place with people they trust to raise them. A few crewmates (Usopp, Nami, Robin, Brook) want to keep the baby around--it's too cruel to leave them, now! But Luffy has made his decision. It's too dangerous for the baby out on the seas of the New World. But once they've found the One Piece they'll be back to visit.

Usopp made the baby a teddy bear and dressed it as Luffy, complete with a straw hat. Sewn to the red fabric of the hat is a note written by the crew, a photo of them all, and a piece of Luffy's vivre card. If the baby grows up and ever wants to come sailing with them, all they have to do is ask.

--

AAAHHH this was so fun omg!! I love babies sm and there'd be so many antics if a baby was on the Sunny. I doubt I'd ever write a fic myself though, but I'd be happy to think up more hcs in another ask :)

I don't know of any nakamaship fics like this, so if anyone does please link it in the comments. But! KazimaKuwabara has this FANTASTIC fic feat. the Straw Hats taking care of their de-aged nakama. I've read it so many times, it's great.

Thank you for the ask! Keep em coming y'all, I live for this.

#one piece #strawhats #monkey d luffy #roronoa zoro #cat burglar nami #god usopp #black leg sanji #nico robin #cyborg franky #soul king brook #jimbei #tony tony chopper #one piece au #red's asks #red's writing #nakamaship

[aeor-is-for-reccing]

5+1: A Shadowgast Rec List

This week, we've got ten (five times two, if you will) recs that follow the 5+1 format, and one that's been recced twice! Check under the cut for some sweet fics, some funny, and some that are pretty damn sexy.

A Family Affair, or The Arrival of Verin Thelyss and All That It Entails by Dragonslaeyr (21471, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Five times Caleb encountered Verin Thelyss, and one time he did not. Caleb meets Verin, without knowing who exactly he is, and makes some incorrect assumptions.

Reccer says: It's got peak sibling behavior and a wonderful version of the misunderstanding trope!

Bei Mir Bist Du Schön by Defiler_Wyrm (1956, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Copied from AO3: Caleb has a habit of slipping back into Zemnian when his guard is down. Or: Five times Essek didn’t understand, and one time he absolutely did, the little shit.

Reccer says: I liked it!

where I go, will you still follow? by allmadeofstardust (4330, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

5 times Essek didn't kiss Caleb, and 1 time when Caleb realized it didn't even matter.

Reccer says: It's incredibly sweet, with some lovely pining

I Lean In and Kiss Him [Right Here] by Chanse (SpottedEnchants) (11000, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Five times Caleb kisses Essek and one time Essek kisses him back.

Reccer says: I love touch-averse Essek and how Chanse writes their relationship!

Dynamic tension by glittergarbage (7051, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

In which Caleb finds himself being appreciated for something he isn't, usually. OR: Five times Essek is horny on main and one time Caleb is too

Reccer says: The tension between them is amazing, but I love the way that Caleb has to interrogate his own masculinity - that he sees himself as rather scrawny and unremarkable, but Essek sees him as large and muscular - and the sexual dynamic where the cis male is the smaller one wearing lingerie and the trans guy is allowed to top is delicious.

Kryn Dynasty Skincare 101 by soot_and_salt (3571, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Here are 5 times Essek buys some Xhorhasian skincare and one time he doesn't have to.

Reccer says: It's cute and funny, and Essek's high maintenance skin care compared to the Nein's adventuring-friendly routines is a great source of comedy.

Altered State of Mind by Defiler_Wyrm (6835, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Five times Caleb used polymorph to escape his problems, and one time he used it to solve them

Reccer says: I love the explorations of different times he would use it in emotional situations, and the ending has me laughing every time

I do, five times over, I do by TormentaPrudii (12896, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Five times Caleb and Essek get married to other people and the one time they get married to each other, kinda.

Reccer says: It's got great pinings and misunderstandings - a gorgeous fic with gorgeous art!

(we share this) space and time by SaltCore (4155, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Five times Essek takes a long moment and a bit of dunamancy to appreciate Caleb, and one time he gets caught.

Reccer says: I liked it!

And then two recs for this last one!

we never do go over (we always gotta go through) by Chrome (17169, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Set after the last fight with the Tombtakers, five times Essek woke up with level(s) of exhaustion and one time he didn't.

Reccer 1 says: I love how Essek is getting cared for by the M9 and the soft beginning of his and Caleb’s relationship, while getting out of Aeor. Reccer 2 says: There's so much care in the interactions

Aeor is for Lovers is an 18+ Shadowgast Discord server. The above fanfic recommendations were pulled from our community for this weekly event. All fics, unless otherwise specified, will primarily feature Shadowgast. Have any questions about what this is? Check out the FAQ! Next week, we’ll be back with fics featuring them cohabitating/moving in together!

#shadowgast #caleb widogast #essek thelyss #cr fic recs #critical role #fan fiction rec list #critical role fan fiction #cr fic

[jadejedi]

Fantasy Book Review: A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

JJ's rating: 5/5

How feral did it make me: 5/5

My book reviews

I’ve been reading (or listening) to a lot more books this year than normal, and I have realized that I need an outlet to talk about them. I considered making a goodreads account, but hey I already have this! So I will be reviewing the books I’ve read this year, and depending on how long it takes me, I might just start reviewing all my favorite reads. I'm probably going to add links to my blog to make them easier to find.

Let’s get into it. This book is so good. SO GOOD. I listened to it on audiobook, which normally means while I’m at work, driving, or at home doing chores, but I literally listened to the last 2 hours of this book at home doing absolutely nothing, just on the edge of my damn seat! 

Here’s a quick summary: the very anxious Prince Kadou accidentally causes a serious incident that leaves multiple of his personal guards dead or injured. In the aftermath, he is assigned a new guard by the sultan who is known for being an uptight rule follower. As their personalities clash, they have to solve a mystery and learn to work together…

I want to preface this review by saying that this is definitely a romance novel with a fantasy setting. The world building, especially for the main country this novel takes place in, is great and extremely vivid without unnecessary info dumps. The main plot of the story is perfectly serviceable, if a tad predictable, but it 1000% does what it needs to do for the romance. 

But, the romance. THE ROMANCE. This book was advertised as an ���enemies to lovers slow burn romance” and it 100% delivers on both. Now, when some people think “enemies to lovers” or (even better imo) “enemies to friends to lovers”, they imagine that at least one of the parties involved is a horrible villain and the relationship is probably abusive in some way. I’m sure there are plenty of books out there where that is absolutely the case, but Rowland gets what makes that trope so good. It’s about two characters who are both good people, but initially clash. It’s the mutual hatred born out of a fundamental misunderstanding of the other’s character, it’s the eventual begrudging respect, it’s THE YEARNING. THE PINING. 

Both of these characters are so wonderful. We get both POV’s throughout: Kadou’s anxious desire to do what’s best for his country and not fuck anything up, and Evemere’s steadfast, noble determination to understand what makes the prince the way he is. 

I don’t want to give too much more away, but this book is filled with ALL the delightful romance tropes you could ever desire. 

Can we talk about pacing?? Pacing is so, so important, especially when writing a slow burn romance, and this author GETS. IT. Sometimes if the romance is resolved too early, all the tension goes out of the story, because if it’s a romance novel, we’re here for the romance, not the plot. But in this story the whole novel is centered around the romance, and the pacing just works so, so well. 

Also, the way that queerness is written into this story is wonderful. Third gender pronouns abound and  same sex attraction is fully accepted, and it’s really refreshing. Also, there are multiple female characters who play significant roles in the story who are fleshed out characters, which I feel is sometimes lacking in M/M romances. 

I have not been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it like four days ago. I listened to the audio book, which had an excellent narrator, but have also ordered the paperback with my favorite version of the cover. Please, do yourself the favor and read this one. Also, if you do read it, the author published a 10,000 word fanfic epilogue on AO3. It’s called What spring does with the cherry trees, and it’s a goddamn delight. 

#a taste of gold and iron #book review #fantasy book review #mlm #slowww burn #meet ugly #romantasy

[foiazoli]

Going absolutely insane realizing that Anne McAffrey and Dragonriders of Pern got completely left out of the "origins of omegaverse" conversation even though it totally fits. So okay, omegaverse specifically is attributed to the supernatral fandom and the omegaverse wikipedia page claims the first fanfics with the trope pop up around 2010-2011 ish. The "History" section of the wikipedia page also attributes the laying the ground for this trope to appear for Star Trek's Pon Farr and Ursula Le Guin's kemmer, both of which appear in the late 1960's. You know what else appears in the late 1960's? The first Dragonriders of Pern book. For those unfamiliar with the series, let me lay out a few details that are a bit omegaverse-y.

When a dragon is ready to mate with another dragon, their rider also gets extremely horny, and will fuck the rider of whichever dragon mates with theirs, their actual feelings towards the other human involved be damned. (Is this extremely non-con-y? Yes. Is it adressed in text?... kinda? sorta? Not to the standards of the modern day reader, but it might have been enough at the time, I really don't know). Heats are frequently the central focus of omegaverse fic when the author is going for porn rather than complex exploration of gender roles.

The color of the Dragon acts as a sort of secondary gender, in that the color of the dragon applies certain social statuses to the rider, dictating what they can or can't do, who is or is not bullied, etc. This comes from the fact that the dragon's color is linked to it's gender, so Green and Gold are Female, Blue, Brown, and Bronze are male. The gender of dragon and rider usually matched in the beginning of the concept of dragon riders, but has diverged over time. As not all male green dragon riders (a common type of dragonrider) are gay, and no in-text dragons are gay, this leads to problems. And stereotypes. And problems. Sometimes of the rape variety. Frequently of the "well your dragon wants it so you do too" variety. non-dragonrider society (the majority of Pern) is overtly and violently homophobic, so you can see how this leads to many large problems, similar to how in omegaverse fic male omegas are frequently ostracized/looked down on

As mentioned in the points above, only the female dragons go into heat. They do this cyclically and predictably, so riders will frequently arrange to have their favorite partner nearby when the heat starts so that they will be taken care of. Another favorite of omegaverse smut writers.

Basically what I'm saying is if you're an omegaverse lover who is also interested in fantasy you have an extensive book series to add to your TBR list. And I can't believe nobody has pointed this out in a way that has stuck before, considering how well it lines up. Actually I can, I just remembered that Anne McAffrey was one of those authors who thought fanfic was evil and going to steal her sales and so fic of her books barely exists. From what I can find, it seems like fans instead turned to rp'ing on forums instead of writing fanfic, and a lot of those forums have been eaten by the changing of the internet and not archived anywhere. :(

#omegaverse #dragonriders of pern #anne mcaffrey #abo #a/b/o #They're such interesting books too. Omegaverse similarities aside #you can't tell me Pern's worldbuilding isn't batshit wild #the government is one part feudal lords one part dragonriders and one part bards #the bards are also the academics of the world but its still wild #its also the robots are the past dragons are the future scifi/fantasy mashup everyone claims to want #also the dragons teleport #and do timetravel #very fun

[anncanta]

We are adults. ‘Lucifer’ and ‘Dracula’

Once in the chat, discussing Dracula, I said that it would be nice to write a fanfic about Dracula running a nightclub in London. To which one of the participants answered me, ‘Darling, such a story already exists, it`s Lucifer.’ I shrugged my shoulders and forgot about it. And a few weeks ago I decided to watch the series finally.

I absolutely loved the first three seasons, it`s brilliant. Smart, funny, dramatic, elegant. Tom Ellis is very good. He and his play are my discovery of the year. But the most interesting thing about the series, for me, is what follows from its similarities and differences with Dracula.

The similarity of motives, plot, and even to some extent – genre is obvious. But the differences are more difficult. Although they lie on the surface, making you realize at some point why the series Lucifer had problems and why it was closed after the third season.

Why do I love Dracula? For many reasons, but one of the main ones is that this is a film for adults. And not only because the heroes are over forty and have problems, consistent with their age but also because it was written and played at an adult level. You see, the main female character of Lucifer at the beginning of the film is thirty-five years old, and Lucifer himself, by human standards, looks forty-something, but at the same time, they have teenage problems and relationships.

Well, a grown-up woman can`t, giggling, bat her eyes and say to a grown-up man, ‘This is a date, right? Oh, I don’t know…’ or at every hint of sexual or emotional intimacy, wave her hands and say that that`s not what she meant. When characters do this, it inevitably involves teenage context and – of course – teen romance clichés. I saw reviews that said, ‘How is it that Chloe doesn`t react to Lucifer`s power? What is this, teenage fan fiction?’ Yes. With such a heroine, this can only be a teenage fanfic. And combined with her age, it looks terrible.

This approach to the heroine logically gives rise to another teenage cliche: the ideal girl and the bad guy.

That`s why I love Dracula and the relationship between Dracula and Agatha so much. Agatha was never a good girl and never considered herself one. Her monastic habit in this sense is a mockery of herself (in the text) and a reminder to the authors that ‘not everyone is a monk who wears a hood.’ After all, when Agatha says Johnathan about priests who always survive, she speaks not only about one particular priest but about all of them. Including that priestess who sits in front of Harker.

Not only is Agatha not perfect, she`s clear from the start that she`s interested in dark forces, and she clearly has a checkered past. She enjoys communicating with Dracula and does not hide it. She does not purse her lips and does not pretend that she is unpleasant about one or another of his actions – if she is unpleasant, then she is unpleasant, and she speaks about it openly. Agatha does not try to behave ‘decently’. She doesn`t care about decorum.

Agatha lies to herself, but this is the lie of an adult who has been burned many times by her own ugly truth.

And what about Chloe? Nothing. Sweet, smart, right, with a hairstyle that makes her eyes pop out of her head, she walks back and forth with a gun and, living in Los Angeles and being a police officer and a former actress who starred in a movie with nude scenes, she is horrified that... the nightclub owner picked up the cigarette at the crime scene?

Don`t get me wrong. I love the beauty and the beast trope. I don`t like it being turned into a straight-A student/bad-boy relationship. Moreover, if the student has not read anything except the textbook and is mainly concerned with ensuring that no one thinks that she likes the bad guy. It`s disgusting.

I don`t know how they planned to build the plot in Lucifer and who came up with the love line itself. But this is clearly its weak point. Everything else in the first three seasons is just great. All the characters, without exception, are good. The way they communicate and work together is amazing. The way the divine beings settle down on earth and try to find themselves is brilliant. The world of the series itself, its internal state, atmosphere, are beautiful. Everything in it is in its place and everything is where it should be. Except Chloe. And that`s the problem.

I don`t know why this happened. I assume that because the authors could not decide on the genre and audience of the series. On the one hand, the theme and genre seem to be teenage – a comic book about the devil who ‘lights up’ Los Angeles. On the other hand, a story about a hero who goes on a journey in search of himself (and this is what lies at the heart of the plot) is not a teenage one. Teenagers are not searching for themselves. Teenagers trying to fit in. These are different things. And the discord is completed by the choice of actors for the main roles and the age category of most of the characters – over forty. If all this happened, roughly speaking, with heroes Bella Swan`s age and in a high school setting, then everything would be fine. And Chloe`s mental turmoil would not look idiotic, but consistent with the age and psychological norm.

It hurts. Really. Because there are several moments in the series that are incredibly beautiful and valuable regardless of everything else. The main character`s journey to himself, his sad and funny attempts to get rid of his father and his unwillingness to see how much he loves his father and depends on him and his opinion of himself, his devotion to his friends, their connection that exists despite everything and radiates light. The way the hero reveals his face is one of the most intimate scenes I have ever seen, and also that how he protects his beloved. This is wonderful.

But at the same time, the story, after dozens and dozens of episodes, came down to whether the heroes would sleep together. That`s not how it`s done. Perhaps I don`t understand something and perhaps my opinion will change over time, but now everything in me is protesting. I want an adult story to remain an adult story. Do I want too much?

Or maybe Steven Moffat just spoiled me.

#dracula bbc #bbc dracula #dracula 2020 #count dracula #agatha van helsing #dragatha #lucifer #lucifer netflix #lucifer morningstar #chloe decker #lucifer series

[dmwrites]

By the third time Joe flew back to spawn, having just saved Oli’s things again, he was mildly annoyed. And stressed. Mostly annoyed, though.

“Oh! My sweet savior, hello king!” Oli was kind of flailing about at spawn, waving to Joe.

“Okay, here are your things. Again.” Joe said with a deep sigh, rubbing his temples.

“Oh, thank you so much, Joe! You know, you’re like a father to me, always here to save me!”

“Absolutely not.” Joe replied after a stunned moment of silence.

“Okay, well, my mother then. You’re like my mamma bird, and I’m your wrinkly baby with its mouth open like ‘feed me my diamond armor’!” Oli persisted, following Joe as he began walking away. “Oh, come on, haven’t you ever wanted to be part of a found family trope fanfic?”

“Wha- I don’t know what any of that is, and I frankly don’t have the time to learn. I am a very busy man.” Joe wished he could shake Oli, but the bard seemed content to follow him with some kind of janky walking dance. “I have a kid, I do not need another.”

“But you’ve given me money and saved me from all the baddies. You’re my papa now!” Oli cried dramatically, wrapping his arms around Joe’s shoulders and dragging his feet so Joe was forced to stop.

“You know, okay, I have to go pick up my kid, my real kid, from school soon. So I can’t stay and keep an eye on you. Come with me, and I’ll leave you with a babysitter.”

“Yay!” Oli exclaimed, jumping up and doing a little dance. “Oh, what a day to be alive with my new papa! I knew you’d come around!”

“I wish I wasn’t a pg YouTube channel right now.” Joe muttered under his breath.

“What was that, king?” Oli asked.

“Nothing, nothing. Okay, here we are.” Joe gestured to his starter haunted house. “This is my old house, and I’m gonna leave you with a babysitter that’s smarter then you, so you can’t get into trouble.”

“Well they must be pretty smart, because I am so smart as well!” Oli followed Joe into the house and up the ladder.

“Alright, here we are. You sit here.” Joe pulled out a stool and sat Oli on it.

“Where’s my babysitter?” Oli asked, looking around.

“Well, right here, of course.” Joe smirked, and pointed to a glass case against the wall. There was a loud, guttural spitting sound, and Oli realized that there was a live shulker in the glass case, which peered at him suspiciously.

“Right. Now, you be good, or I will set Mimic on you.” Joe said, grinning wildly.

“Wait- are you saying that I’m less intelligent then a shulker?” Oli asked with a hurt gasp.

“That’s a puzzle for you to figure out.” Joe replied. “Now. Stay here, don’t get yourself killed. Oh, and the house is haunted, and there are Wordles in the basement. Byeee!” And he vanished into thin air, leaving Oli baffled, but still for once.

#December 8 2022 #fic #hc x empires #joe hills #theorionsound #long post #inspired by joes stream today

[sweetkpopmusings]

jeongin coworker headcanons <3

a/n: i thought of this the other night when i couldn't sleep, and it made me laugh, so here we are. this is platonic but let me know if you want to read some coworkers to lovers content because i love a good fanfic trope <3 pics not mine :-)

content: fluff, nonidol!au | wc: 0.9k | warnings: none really! brief mentions of eating | pairing: coworker!jeongin x gn!reader | requests: open

an absolute menace

but in a sweet/goofy way

when he realizes he likes your presence/vibe, he shows his interest in befriending you by teasing you

like he'll just walk by your desk and casually roast you

"i saw you go for the light roast coffee this morning. what were you doing, staying up late taking online quizzes?"

and you're just sitting there, holding your cup of coffee, looking at him like 1) mind your business <3 2) yes i was up late taking quizzes, what about it?

he will ask you which quizzes you took so he can take them too because he doesn't want to fill out the spreadsheet he has to submit by the end of the day

after he does his drive-by teasing for a while, you start doing it too. and jeongin is eating it up!!!!

this goes on for a couple weeks until, one day, you happen to take your lunches at the same time

he saunters on over and greets you with teasing comment and a sly grin

somehow he's charming enough to convince you to offer him the seat across from you

and, because weeks of jokes broke the ice, you're talking with each other as though you already were acquaintances

y'all start eating lunch together almost every day

it's no big affair, but you just find your lunch break to be way more enjoyable spent in each other's company

after you get to know each other more, you start this lil tradition of bringing snacks to share during your meals

every friday is special snack day and sometimes there's a theme you two use and other times it's a surprise

but it's always a good time! even if the snacks are bad because your reactions to the bad snacks make jeongin laugh and imitate you which makes you laugh

alongside snacks, you two always always always share workplace gossip

somehow jeongin knows the tea on absolutely everybody

whenever you ask how he knows, he just shrugs and says "people tell me things"

you won't question it because you live for the insider information

there will definitely be lunches when you're just sitting across from each other doing your own thing

if jeongin is on his phone watching tiktoks, he won't show you anything because he wants to send them to you while you're working to distract you <3

if he's bored during the workday, he'll walk over to your desk to ask you for stuff

paperclips? he just so happens to desperately need one at 10:17 am. gum? he's got a real craving for it at 2:02 pm. a blue ink gel pen? that's right! if he doesn't get his hands on one of those by 4:46 pm he is going to lose. his. mind.

every time you're like ... jeongin you're not sly. and he's like ??? um what are you talking about? i am simply an employee asking my coworker for basic office supplies. and you're like are you sure you're not just doing this to talk to me?

he smiles and says no <3

he's actually the king of distractions yet he always completes his work on time??

he's not rude though. if you have a lot of work, he leaves you alone so you can focus

on particularly stressful days, he'll come check on you by saying "you look like death" and shit like that and maybe give you encouraging messages if he's in the right mood

if either of you have finished a big project or have to suffer through a long meeting/training session, he will show up with drinks from your favorite nearby coffee shop

you thank him and he says he only did it so you don't fall asleep and snore at your desk because that would be embarrassing. he also claims you owe him $50 for his services

if you have to stay late and do some overtime, he'll walk you to your car/bus stop/etc

he explains that "if you go missing i'll have no one to talk to except our HR rep pete" is his reason for walking you there and waves goodbye once you're safely on your way home

he's also glued to you during any company party/event

because it's so fun to hang out with you for more than a few minutes at a time!!

and you two can whisper comments and jokes to each other about your coworkers' behavior without risking anyone overhearing it

plus, if the event is no fun, you'll go off and do your own thing

whether that's sitting at one of your desks and watching netflix

or going to the back corner of the event venue to play some stupid game like paper football or cootie catchers

while stealing as many free drinks/snacks as possible because it is a company event after all and jeongin is a firm believer in getting your money's worth

you never thought you'd look forward to work parties but with jeongin around you know you're set for a good time

after a while, everyone in the office just associates you two with each other because whenever they look up you two are joking around, hanging out, or laughing at messages you send each other while you sit at your own desks. it's iconic and all your coworkers are jealous <3

jeongin will really just tease and bug you on the regular but little do you know that on his worst days, even the ones when he is millimeters away from quitting, knowing he can see you 5 days a week is enough for him to stay :,-)

#stray kids #stray kids headcanons #skz #skz headcanons #coworker!straykids #coworker!skz #non idol au #jeongin #stray kids jeongin #skz jeongin #yang jeongin #stray kids fluff #skz fluff #stray kids x reader #skz x reader #stray kids au #skz au #jeongin x reader #in x reader #stray kids in #skz in

[crazykuroneko]

Hannigram Fanfiction Recommendations

So, I caved in, and this is a list of Hannigram fanfictions that I really like that I still remember the main plot after years. A lot of them are very long and very good to get lost in, because that's the best feeling ever when reading fanfics really.

Again, they are all complete. All of them featuring killer!Hannibal no matter how AU it is. All of them has a bunch of important tags you should read before reading it. For my complete Hannigram bookmarks, they are here.

Paragon by BloodyWar2411

When Hannibal met Will Graham (the man who had, three years prior, been mistaken for the Chesapeake Ripper), he expected amusement. What he got was his first taste of obsession. Dark and bitter in the back of his throat but achingly sweet on the tongue. He knew at once that this feeling, this Man, would consume him. And Hannibal would consume Will right back

This fic is so delicious; it's so dark and kinky. I think it has any kinks you wish for in it. Basically a found family trope, but what if all of us are serial killers. This fic says fuck to power imbalance hater and turns it into a game. God knows how many Hannibal fics I've read, and this has the best Abigail. Anyway, 🤌 through and through.

One, Two, Three by Severus_divides_into_H

An excellent Hunger Games AU. I love how Hannigram are slowly coming together. The ending is unexpected yet made me went aww.

Five Times Hannibal Visits Will and One Time He's Already Home (or: Coffee Cake) by bones_2_be

When Will tells Hannibal to leave at the end of Digestivo, he goes. And then, a few years later, he shows back up. They have long conversations, drink a lot of wine, at the end of it all they find something that works.

This is very intimate with stuck-in-a-cabin feel to it. I remember how I love reading it at night, it's fitting.

Through The Aftermath by heartandthehead

Following their descent down the precipice, Will is more than eager to explore his newly realized capacity for righteous violence. So when he catches a whiff of a string of seemingly unrelated homicides, he and Hannibal have no choice but to follow through the hunt.

An adventurous fic where Will is trying to embrace his newfound blood lust by hunting bad men. Featuring a team work with Freddy Lounds, which I think should happen more 😌

54609 by claritylore

In a world where criminals are reconditioned with painful electrical and surgical therapies and then put into service catching other criminals. A convicted murderer from the Baltimore State Home for the Reformed Criminal Element is sent to the FBI to assist on the Minnesota Shrike case. Stripped of any knowledge of his former life, without so much as a name, 54609 has little choice but to use his unique empathy skills to help the FBI crack the case.

Along the way, he encounters the FBI consultant psychiatrist who got him brought in on the case, and slowly he comes to realise that Dr Hannibal Lecter's interest in him goes far beyond a professional curiosity. Can he find his lost memories and discover who he once was and, more importantly, who Dr Lecter really is?

A clever dystopian-ish AU with a great twist 🤌

Losing You Terrifies Me by A_David

Basically Will got amnesia after the fall and he keeps trying to kill Hannibal when he relapses. The story matches the title very well; it's so heartbreaking and frustrating. Featuring Morgan (Alana and Margot's son) and Wally (Molly's son) bonding with each other. They're supporting characters but are written so well. The sequel has just started, but the first one is complete enough to read.

The Chesapeake Bay by HigherMagic

Aka thee classic Hannigram reality TV AU. So, they put Hannibal cast in isolated house where each of them is hiding something. Love love this. A lot of murders. It has classic thriller movies feel to it.

Held in the Highest Regard by (again) HigherMagic

What happens when a group of serial killers pick the absolute worst targets? A The Strangers (2008) AU with hints of comedy because Hannigram being the most dramatic couple of the century.

Dread and Hunger by LiaS0

Where Will Graham is a lot greener, still a university student, and keeps getting poetry from the most famous serial killer. A lot of stalking, gaslighting, and age difference 🤌

Hitchhiker's Guide to Murder by bokunojinsei

LOVE this series. So, Will is a serial killer who poses as hitchhiker to find his victims but one day Hannibal gave him a ride. They're basically falling in love watching the other killing others. The second story is set during Mardi Gras where they ofc try to kill more people.

The Estate by (again) bokunojinsei

Or: What if Hannibal hadn't tried to eat Will after he drugged him in Florence? What if he'd decided to run away with him instead?

In contrast with the previous title, this one is very calm, very therapeutic, a character study, with a mind game ofc.

Mark me not a Savage by KatherineKrawl

An iconic a/b/o fic (no mpreg) where Hannigram do mind games with other casts to get out of the prison. I remember there's a scene between Hannibal and Molly I love so much. The author also played a lot with what being true mates mean.

The Sacrificial Lamb by princesskay

Five years after Hannibal and Will disappeared, they are located in Spain, where all evidence points to Hannibal holding Will as his prisoner. Circumstantial evidence isn't enough to prove whether or not Will was complicit in Hannibal's crimes. It's up to Alana and Jack to figure out if Will is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome or if his attachment to his accused abuser is true love. It's up to Hannibal to once more find a way out of the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

An icon and a must-read tbqh. The prose is so beautiful and it really brings you into a journey.

Pioneer to the Falls by eonism

Another icon. The ultimate Lecter-Graham child fic (not mpreg). The second title, Child of Wolf, is one of the best Silence of the Lambs adaptation ever. And as always, fuck Jack Crawford

The Mongoose and the Mouse by Hiding Now (HidingNow)

What if Hannibal suggested Will to go to Disney Land (with him ofc lol) as part of his therapy? It's cute, it's fluffy, Hannibal is still serial killer. Serious research on DisneyLand attractions. Best crack treated seriously ever.

their beaks not yet turned red by chaparral_crown

Will stares at the bird. The bird stares back. In its beak, a very finely embroidered cloth, and in that, the tiniest of soft fists pushing forward from a folded corner.

“Don’t you dare,” Will says, crouching, hand that is not currently cradling an overly large pour of whiskey pointed at the bird to ward it off.

After Hannibal is arrested and the trial dates are set, the stork visits Will Graham. With it, it brings a baby, a legally binding birth certificate, and a hope chest full of gifts for her. Nobody except Will thinks this is weird.

this is my last fic before I was caught by IWTV. it's so funny, the magical realism is amusing.

#hannibal #hannigram #hannibal lecter #will graham #my fic recs #fic recs #nbc hannibal

[seven-stars-in-his-palm]

okay but hold me like you scared to sounds so good already (they all sound so good tbh but this one piqued my interest lol) what's it about? and for the fanfic questions 32, 50 and J :))

@frappe-the-peppermint WE GOT ONE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 ahem oh wow who said that. anyway ill do the questions first then get into fic discussion…

32) Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you?

i listen to SO MUCH MUSIC!!!!! it depends on what im wrting tbh but i just queue up a bunch of songs in my liked playlist and write and write until it ends or im no longer on that flow. and well my music taste is an absolute mess so there isnt any one definitive band or genre that does it for me (i only pay attention Sometimes) but i suppose artists like mitski and queen would be a decent summary of my taste 😅

50) How did you get into reading and/or writing fanfiction?

gravity falls, no stop. the first one that ever piqued my interest was versability (originally on ff.net me thinks) and god damn it HOOKED ME!!!! gravity falls was already getting me up but wow that just got me SO MUCH HIGHER. i have a few authors i started binge reading like thesnadger and pinesinthewoods, i started extracting fics from reccs from tumblr artists, soon discovered ao3, and never looked back. and as for writing fic,,,,, well frankly it was the search for the cure’s original form that got me GOING!!!! it originally had crappy ocs as the forefronters but i soon changed that lmao (im definitely not saying theyre bad in general, just those… no) and i wrote So Much For It on my notes app. i didnt realize i culd actually show people until way later, in which i did, and realized that it could actually be better. thats why i reversed back to part one, made the story a part two, scapped the ocs, and…now we’re here. i still love it and gravity falls, i dont really show it here anymore. i really should, man. i need to write for them again!!!! it still excites me!!!! and the prose that im weaving now,,,, id DEMOLISH THE GAME!!!!!!! :)

J) what your favorite fanfic trope? have you written it?

honestly i think just showing you my favorted ao3 tags will paint a very detailed picture. here:

though i suppose if i had to pick one here…god its between time loop and presumed dead (and grief/moruning but idk if thats a trope so much as it is a theme). MMMMMMMM. mmmmm. just YES. the psychological affects of both being a time loop and thinking someone you love is dead but they arent actually are DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!! they are a MUST HAVE. i daydream constantly, but i havent written time loop yet because while i love it, i havent hadthe motive to write such a thing myself. reading is chill ✊ and presumed dead well i try to throw it is as much as i can, the most recent ive used being a west end town and my favorite being that one kid from jersey ! i need to do more of these fr. its just so GOOD!!!!!!

okay. its finally time for the brainwashing discussing of the fic ! i can tell you alllll about that story and it will be my pleasure sonny 🫡 its a very long story. but short verison in case you dont want to go on: its a Titanic epic . april 1912. iceberg. ive read a few that are AMAZING, but i wanted to write one that catered it allll to Me. it has lesbians, heaven sucking ass, flood parallels, and a king of the world AND draw me like one of your french girls scene. very nice 🔥

okay now its time for the long story. so a super super long time ago for a post i cant even remember (i really wanna find it 😭😭) i for someone reason went on a tangent about the titanic. i had just read this fic called sinking into the sea which was tbh VERY GOOD (and i would read it again fr fr ) but at the time, i was kinda bummed that aziraphale and crowley never actually Interacted when i had expected. aziraphale didnt even know crowley was there!!! it left me feeling melancholy, and realizing that all of the titanic fics ive ate up to that point didnt HIT hit the spot (i didnt find this after this realization, but again, theyre not even on the boat 🤧) so i was feeling a bit incomplete. i started ranting and ranting it was a wholeee wall of a text of what I would do with a titanic story and i realized oh wait i can Do Something with this because i haev free will and actual (somewhat) coherent skill. pepper jumped on the wagon, REALLY REALLY encouraged which i cant thank enough for, and….we’re here. its brewing. i had a very large interest in the titanic for a long time before this tbh, so being able to insert it into The Interest just JUMPSTARTED my brain and it still does to this day. now for the plot….

its 2020, a year after the apocalypse (no pandemic). anathema, newt, brian, crowley, and aziraphale have been assigned to plan adam’s 12th birthday party—they shenanigan, as you do. on the day of the party (adam’s birthday) anathema and newt find a chest in jasmine cottage’s attic full of titanic relics, including a pack of polaroid photos (handheld cameras did indeed exist in 1912, i checked !) which kinda might sort of have a photo of aziraphale and crowley!?!?! it was sent to them about six months before. but after the whole Second Volume fiasco, anathema just sort of wrote it off in that way and Hid It. but newt was curious, he found it, and god it was writtent his way wasnt it. (well, not by the nutter they were thinking of actually). anathema confronts them about itsoon after, and they all sit down to hear the story of the titanic in a sort of rose dawson beat. then its 1912—50ish years since the holy water incident and almost a century since the resurrectionists disaster. aziraphale has been assigned to take this trip to new york for Some Reason (we found out why later) and happened to invite crowley to come along to attempt to make amends after Allat (he really does feel bad, but he will NOT do the holy water thing yet </3) shit occurs, but history atlarge will not be rewritten. it does change their story, though. adding a sprinkle of interest in the device family line. agnes prophec(y)(ies), dancing on deck under the stars, playing cards with humans and winning by a Lot, aziraphale’s artistic skills are put to use at one point—ughghgufhits just so DEAR TO ME!!!!! and of course the conflict will come later, especially considering the religious connections to the titanic sinking—“not even God can sink this ship” type conversation 🥰 aziraphale can and will be made uncomfortable. its for the character development dont worry about it. i even have a playlist for this fic (it sorted by the way the tone shifts thru the story, some songs are silly but they had to stay). pep has also made some song covers to some of the songs that ive heavily connected to the fic and I REALLY FUCKING LIKED. LIKE A LOT. THEYRE AMAZING YOU SHOULD LISTEN IF YOU WANT TO!!!!

the point of all this is that i like titanic fics and im trying to throw my hat in the ring even if its just for me and my friend 🔥🔥 because while others have fed me, i havent seen ones that have documented like Every Single Day on the titanic that aziraphale and crowley would theoretically have as well as developing aziraphale and crowley’s relationship while taking into account whats happened before (insert the story into a part of the timeline seamlessly i think thats how i’d describe) AS WELL AS connecting the reason why the titanic was such a freak tragedy and how the world is not fucking fair instead of just “oh whoops the thing sank 😞” i want NITTY GRITTY DETAIL!!!!!! I WANT GUILT!!!!!!! I WANT CHAOS!!!!!!!! I WANT TALKING ABOUT GOD!!!!!!! I WANT AZIRAPHALE IN A MENTAL CRISIS!!!!! I WANT CROWLEY JUST WANTING TO FUCKING LIVE FUCKING PEACEFULLY!!!!!!! I WANT LESBIANS!!!!!! i need to get on this,,,, so much to do. i love it all and TY FOR THE ASK!!!!

#ask game #iceburg adventures #hath are perceived

[andypantsx3]

if u have energy and time for it i would love to hear more of your input on the kindle publishing and quantity over quality discussion of how those authors tend to intersect fandom genres/cliches (omegaverse, alien romance, hockey romanct, etc.) with more mainstream routes (publishing on kindle universe, booktok advertising, etc.).

like, I am the demographic who do read/write fanfic AND read a lot of the 'self published romance trash' on kindle universe and while i hate that a lot of people have that feeling about it, because i have managed to find quite a few gems that i KNOW would have flopped via traditional publishing routes and are only available via self publishing on such a large marketplace, i know from experience that a lot of the stuff out there is like...bad. Unfortunately, that means i have also experienced the pitfalls of authors who have managed to publish their first book, their first passion project, that is amazing and thoughtful and truly a work of love realizing that it's a quantity over quality market and adapting their writing to suit (dragging out stories and/or putting out multiple books with subpar quality writing).

genuinely, it's a space that both baffles me and gives me a bit of hope for some odd reason. is it annoying that everyone is jumping the romance train and we are getting a dozen poorly written books for 'this months hot trope' in order to make money off of romance- for sure, but i'm also reading books with plots and romances that would never get published elsewhere because what publishing house is gonna publish a book about a woman falling in love with an ant monster alien and having weird ant monster babies?????

-> This is the post being referenced, for those who have not seen it.

Strei my beloved!!!! Yeah of course, this is such an interesting topic to me!! Especially as someone who is also the biggest consumer of romance in any of my friend circles, and as a secret fanfic author who loves trends and used to churn out like a 20-30k fic every week in the early days of the pandemic. Apologies that I'm still brain-fried from fever and my work week but here are my additional thoughts.

Firstly I wanna say that critiquing the culture that puts pressure on authors to pump out content so quickly is absolutely not to say that there aren't gems out there. That is also not to say that anything that is trope-y, trendy, or self-produced/published is garbage either (and it would be wild for a fic author to say so when we have all read like, some omegaverse fic that has changed everything we think we know about love and life LOL).

I think self-publishing as an industry is also extremely interesting and a necessary obverse to traditional publishing houses, especially when it comes to allowing authors the freedom to publish stories that the industry may devalue. Though self-publishing does factor into the equation as the easiest mechanism by which people can pump out trendy content quickly without any of the checks tradpubbing might have, it's not really at the root of the issue here.

To me, that post was specifically critiquing not trends themselves, nor self-publishers for engaging in them, but rather the pressure on (or inversely the reward for) authors to consistently sacrifice quality in terms of outputting massive quantity in service of chasing those trends.

Quality itself is hard to define as well because tastes are so subjective and what might be "low quality" to some people on here I could mention who will know I am talking about them if they read this, is "high quality" and enjoyable to me! I draw the line of quality in my subjective experience; characters and plots that are unmemorable or that failed to make me feel anything. Things I hated or will have forgotten I've read in two weeks' time. Novels that are just like every other one exploring that trope/trend, not for the elements they share but for the ways they failed to bring anything new to that trope.

I'm not sure what the solution is really. I don't think you can or should ask people not to enjoy trends (I'm not gonna stop LOL). I don't think you can ask self-pub authors not to try to make the money they probably need to live. I think it's probably a tall, impossible order to ask the culture at large to change, to grow more conscientious about what they engage with and how, especially when probably all of us are brain-fried from gazillion hour work weeks and just want something light and fun to enjoy.

But I think this is a growing complaint across a lot of mediums. Marvel is making the same movie over and over again, Disney is remaking every single one of their animated franchises in soulless cash grabs, recycled content runs rampant on TikTok and YouTube, and for every excellent book out there, there are 30 garbage copycats. It's clear to me that there is some kind of discomfort growing among us about how nothing is original or interesting anymore.

Fic-wise, I think this pressure to consume and create content so quickly also results in some of the things we regret most about fandom; plagiarizers unwilling to think of or write their own fics, fics abandoned when the hype dies down around a trend, loose characterization that defies even the most generous of interpretations lol.

But at least on the fandom side, I think there are small things we can do to combat this pressure because it costs us nothing to do so, except in some cases a little self-restraint, self-forgiveness, and patience. (At least in small pockets of the community, you're not gonna be able to change everybody.)

I liked what OP said in the last passage:

Maybe that means giving up useless number-chasing if communities can't survive past a certain scale. We could choose to focus on the slow work of developing relationships and trust, creating smaller but more sustainable groups of people who can support one another. Even now, within the hostile infrastructure of the modern internet, I think these things are still just barely possible.

I think as writers, we can be more forgiving of ourselves if writing a fic takes time, even a short one! Anything made with care usually takes time, and that includes breaks because you gotta let things marinate, plus we all have a ton of shit going on personally and culturally and we have to participate in that. We can (if we want to) read widely and try to learn more about the craft, honing our techniques and our ideas.

As community members we can prioritize making friends instead of followers. We can brainstorm with one another, help beta when we have the brainpower. We can gas each other up!! (To be clear I think this corner of tumblr is already excellent at these things, thankfully).

As readers we can choose to engage more often with ongoing fic instead of finished fic (I know the risks LOL), we can slow down and read more carefully and engage thoughtfully. We can let ourselves wait longer between updates. If we have the time and the patience we can seek out and read more niche fic authors and pairings!!

I think some of these we already do so well in this community, which is why I'm so grateful to be a part of this side of tumblr specifically lol. So some of this is just a thought exercise. And I'm sure there are more suggestions smarter people than I will have.

But I do see how capitalist pressures have invaded even this traditionally anticapitalist space and even in small measures, I wanna fight it back lol.

#a zillion words to not even really answer your question strei i'm sorry lol #but i do not think tropes + trends + self-publishing is the issue; it's the cultural values!! #ask andie

[hearts4robs]

Hello~!

I've never done a match up event before! But knew I had to try once I saw it was open cause your writing is absolutely precious!

For Fandom, I guess DC! Love Batfam family chaos! Makes me want to curl up with a blanket and watch them bicker and roughhouse until Alfred comes in with a feather duster, looking equal parts disappointed and amused.

I'm a 5'3 18 year old asexual panromatic. (Yes, im just a baby, though i have been told-more like my therapist often told me that i dont act my age, saying i act like Im 30. Still trying to figure out if I should be offended by that.) With long hair that's completely grown out red box dye like little mermaid red, my roots being somehow not quite brown not quite ginger and just not blonde enough to be strawberry blonde. My appearance is fairly round and cute even if my expression is often RB. My eyes are a green that appears to be more of a dark grey.

To sum up my personality in one word would be cat like. Sometimes I'm docile and actually a bit of a doormat. In new environments, I tend to shadow some I know and can't find myself able to stand up for myself. This is probably ties into my selective mutism and social anxiety. Sometimes, when I'm in a familiar environment, I tend to be more aggressive for better or for worse. I love a good argument and debate, standing firm in my decision even if I'm wrong. That stubbornness has gotten me in trouble quite a few times. Though cause of it, I've thought of becoming a lawyer. When I'm not arguing I'm drawing, or painting on my walls which I've done far too many times now.

I'm very much a homebody who rather stay in pjs but perfect date wise would probably be a bit of a classic nerd/bookworm date of going to a cute book store and getting lost in the deep wooden bookshelves flicking through various of books catching my eye. Maybe debating on what book is better or whatever trope is more interesting in a detective novel. (I love murder mystery, horror, thrillers, romances of all types, and absolutely despise shakespeare. I was told Romeo and Juliet was a tragic romance. Liars they all are all I can see is the making of a really creepy stalker movie. I can't watch horror movies funny little contradiction, right?) Personally I'd probably write something after the date. I always get inspired by going out and always find myself hunched over my laptop writing whatever inspired me have it be the moment or a movie. I don't know how many times I've watched a movie and got inspired just to spend hours writing whatever fanfic about it. Which can be either amazing or terrible cause I'm an okay writer with a preference for angst due to my dark humor.

I never realized how hard it was to pick an ideal type until just now lol. I guess my type is someone who would enjoy talking/debating/discussing with me, someone fun who loves to do new activities as ive never really do much and is willing to listen to me ramble about whatever hyperfixation. Bucket list kind of things or be able to stay in and talk about their day while I cook some food. (One of my love languages is food. I want to be full and content.) I'm a homebody who has more of a traditional mindset due to my upbringing. So staying home and activities at home would probably be more common. Oh! A bit more open minded or at leasr able to deal with my curiosity, I love discussing religions and culture practices (im unfortunately like the whitest of whites. My dad's side is a bit of a classic white racist). I'm a pagan with some more Wiccan practices, yes crystals and candles. We put holly near our front door and hang cinnamon brooms throughout the house to bring good fortune.

Trope is also a hard pick. I like a good enemies to lovers or a revenge story but romance wise probably a childhood friends (or friends to lovers) idea. Just the idea of your partner being someone who was your friend since you were a tot and chasing butterflies, picking dandelions to blow them into the wind. Someone who has looked at you like your the center of their world while you pull them through the park. Even though they have no idea what lo6ge is truly is. Just kind of melts my heart, and will probably give me cavities from the fluff.

Ahh hopefully I did this right! Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Hope you have a blessed day, and something amazing happens to you soon <3

𝐓𝐢𝐦 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐤𝐞: 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞-𝐨𝐮𝐭

“I’m back!” Tim exclaims out into the open hallway as he pushes the door closed with his foot. There were multiple white, thin plastic bags in Tim’s hands, his keys dangling from one of his fingers.

You raise your head from the book in your lap, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of your boyfriend as he shimmied his way out of his shoes.

“Hi, honey.” You smile at him as he walks to the coffee table in front of you, setting down the bags of different take-out.

“Alright.” Tim sighs with a grin, his chest heaving a bit quicker, like he was a bit out of breath.

“What’s all this?” You ask, reaching over and pulling some of the thin plastic away from the food. “Smells amazing, no doubt but-“

“Well, you said you wanted to taste the world.” Tim says, a giddy smile on his lips as he plops down onto the couch beside you with a sigh. “So I brought it to you.”

You smile at him before snorting out a chuckle.

“Fuck you.” You say, and Tim simply smiles before grabbing a small box of thai food, handing it to you, giving you a chance to get the first bite.

“You’re welcome.” He says, nuzzling a small kiss to the softness of your cheek.

Headcanons:

Tim and you have annual movie nights. Every Friday night. Very simple, very easy. You have a joint letterbox account where you leave brutally honest reviews and you both analyse that shit like your life depends on it.

When you guys moved into your shared apartment, Tim dedicated one of the walls of your living room for you to paint and draw on. Needed more space? He’ll paint it over with whatever background colour you need.

You guys have a small chalk board on your fridge. It was used as a small shopping list at first, like writing up stuff like ‘ran outta eggs and cucumber’, but it quickly ended up in Tim leaving you cute notes and reminders for when he was gone on patrol.

Tim doesn’t always understand your asexuality, and he struggled to figure out how to relieve himself, but he figured out a solution and tries to turn the topic whenever someone discusses it to the point it makes you uncomfortable.

I hope you like this </3 it’s a bit late and honestly a little rushed but I’m trying😭🙏this also ISN’T proof-read so I’m so, so sorry if there’s mistakes☝️☹️

#★ robins match up event! ★ #★ robins events ★ #I’m just tapping atp #dc #dc x reader #sfw #tim drake x reader #Tim Drake x reader sfw #red Robin x reader #red robin dc

[inknopewetrust]

Fanfiction recommendations!

Below is just a small list of my recent favorite fanfics that I’ve read over the past few weeks. I encourage you all to check these wonderful authors out and take the time to show them some love.

I have so much more to read, catch up on, and publish myself, but if there is anyone who would like to promote their own works, let me know and I’ll add them to my list!

Poker // @aniqua // 18+ minors DNI

~ this whole series. wow. just wow. Aniqua has been writing on here for some time now and it’s an absolute honor to call her a mutual of mine. Poker is a fantastic series that melds dark themes with smut and captured the characters in such an interesting and unique light. I love the dynamics between Steven x Reader x Marc and how the strain of deep, intimate feelings can create ridges between people. Aniqua, you absolute QUEEN! There has never been a fic I’ve disliked, you knock it out of the park every time.

Sting // @laters-gators // 18+ minors DNI

~ maybe one of the best, if not the best, stand-alone marc spector x reader fics out there. I see so much praise for it and there is nothing more to say except: so so so well deserved. Sting is spicy, juicy (no pun intended), full of everything I freaking love about smutty fanfics and just so well written. Bravo Jas, you splendid peanut, bravo.

It's Worth It, It's Divine // @the-archxr // 18+ DNI

Holy. Shit. There are few fics that take my breath away (in a great, smutty way) and this is certainly one of them. This is not only brillantly written, but it's full of passion and you can really, really tell how much effort faith put into establishing a reader who has substance and a complicated connection to Marc through being an avatar herself. It may be highly niche in your perspective girl, but let me tell you, those of us who have indulged just. want. more! Marc Spector x Fem!Reader

The Truth is Rarely Kind // @starks-hero // View Warnings

This is a part 2 of Ali's other fic Smoke and Mirrors and I just love them both to bits. Angsty fics are my absolute favorites and the dynamic between Marc x Reader x Steven is great. I think there are a handful of people who write on here that have it down, the dynamic, and this fic is definitely one of them. It's so freaking good and heartbreaking and beautifully written. Well done, Ali.

They're Not the Only Ones // @maximoff-pan // Part I of III

~ Gia has written and absolutely perfect pining pic of Benny B and Reader being absolutely oblivious to their love for each other. I love the intentional involvement of moments from each season thus far, including a hypothetical scene between Pen and Colin where Reader and Benedict have the chance but miss it every time. The end is so cute and fluffy, which is often hard to write but this author does it flawlessly.

Forgive Me // @benedictscanvas // View Warnings

~ Ciara said this is her first Bridgerton fic and tbh, you'd never realize it. Holy smokes was this good! And by good I mean absolutely amazing, amazing, amazing! Friends to lovers is such an iconic trope and so tempting to read every single one but this fic, this fic has such wonderful qualities to it that makes it hard to 1. find a fic that compares and 2. not be sad when its over. READ THIS everyone who loves Benedict as much as I do. READ IT! (Benedict Bridgerton x Reader)

Nine // @foxilayde // 18+ DNI

This one… this is maybe my favorite fic of all? I know it seems superficial to say it but I just love the way this is written. It's long (which is perfect imo), smutty, romantic, filled with a billion human emotions that it's so nice to see in a reader and Poe. The reward of smut with all the world and relationship building is so unbelievably fantasic and it's incredibly witty which is so, so hard to write. There is nothing more to say other than 1. Danny, beautiful job and keep writing and 2. GO FREAKING READ IT! I cannot stress either of those two points enough. (Poe Dameron x Fem!Reader)

Starfish // @cinewhore // 18+ DNI

I read this months ago and go back and re-read it for fun. It's such a good little fic about a show that has a lot of potential and a small, but growing base. Also, I never found Jake Johnson attractive until I watched Minx and now… welp… here we are. Tish does a wonderful job weaving angst, fluff, and smut with a reader character that has her own motivations and wants, not simply a one-dimensional product of the position she finds herself it. I just love this fic so much and I will be re-reading it until the end of time. (Doug Renetti x Fem!Adult Reader)

Also, Sympathies of a Wife??? Bloody amazing. I truly hope there are more coming one day (I know how hard it is to write so no pressure) but it's literally amazing and deserves its own spot. (Nathan Bateman x Fem!Reader)

Masterlist of Oscar Characters // @writefightandflightclub // View Warnings For Each

This entire masterlist, actually, their entire collection of writings, are perfection. I adore them all! I have been a fan of that man's characters for a literal decade so reading fics on Nathan Bateman, Llewyn Davis, Abel Morales, and some of his more popular ones like Duke Leto and Santiago Garcia is the best feeling in the world–especially when they're so incredibly well done. There is not a fic on the masterlist that I dislike, rather, freaking love them all. Each are crafted with such exquisite writing and the variety in types is awesome. Luna I love them all. I re-read them all the time and to be a follower of your writing is an honor.

#x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #fanfiction rec list #fanfiction recommendation #oscar isaac #marc spector x reader #steven grant x reader #jake lockely x reader #benedict bridgerton x reader #poe dameron x reader #Nathan Bateman x reader #Doug renetti x reader #bridgerton #x female reader #benedict bridgerton #minx hbo #Poe dameron #ex Machina #duke leto x reader

[kazoosandfannypacks]

🌞💖❌

For the fanfic writing ask game thingy, please. 🙏

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

I usually get most of my writing done in the afternoon, but ideally, I'd be writing all day!

💖 What made you start writing?

Middle school english class. My curriculum was a stupid yellow book of a bunch of stupid writing assignments that I absolutely hated and thought I'd never end up using in life ever. I even wrote a persuasive essay about how it was horrible to force a child to write. Looking back, that somehow kickstarted my joy of writing, and in college I learned how much I loathe maximum word counts. Years later, I'd begin writing the most passive aggressive first draft of a novel to ever exist, followed years later by my other original work, which was absolutely not originally an idea I had for a fanfic.

The first fanfic I ever attempted to write was a Star Wars fic set on Hoth a little before Empire Strikes Back, which I never ended up finishing. A few years later, while playing Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens with my little brother, there was a sidequest in the game about a TIE Fighter pilot who crashed on the Resistance base and went undercover as an X-Wing pilot, and I thought it was such an interesting concept that I ended up writing an entire story about her. I'll admit, she was definitely, in many ways, a self-insert, but I had a lot of fun incorporating her and my teenage crush on poe dameron into the Star Wars sequel trilogy (or, at that time just a duology I suppose!)

The first fanfiction I posted though was, again, inspired by Lego, and this time by my weird teenage obsession with Lego Nexo Knights, posted a few years after I wrote it. I later started writing fics fueled by my weird college student obsession with Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, then eventually started writing fics based on my perfectly normal obsession with Once Upon a Time, and later my bizzare obsession with a bestselling 1907 novel nobody's ever heard of, and now as well some drabbles that spread across many fandoms.

But I'd say what really started my love of writing was keeping a journal as a teenager. My emotions were always noisy and chaotic, like a dense fog I couldn't see through, but when I converted that fog into ink and let it flow onto paper, it all made sense. I found that if I didn't unwind my thoughts and lay them out on paper each night, they'd get all tangled up in my brain, and I along with them, but it was so much easier to quiet my mind to go to sleep if I emptied it into my journal first.

From there, I realized how much I love writing, and getting my thoughts out into the world. A lot of my writing comes from saying "this is the story I want to read, but it does not exist yet. I must write it, so we all can read it." Most of my fanfics are born of saying "hey, this is a tiny detail they could've explored but didn't," or "hey, wouldn't it be interesting if this happened?" and realizing that I can make it happen.

For me, writing comes as naturally as thinking, and it's truly one of my favorite pastimes.

❌ What's a trope you will never write?

This is not a surprise to literally anyone who reads my fics, but I will never write smut. That's not a trope as much as it is a genre, but it's the first thing that comes to mind.

fanfic emoji ask game! (besties please ask me more of these I will literally answer all of them)

#kazzy writes #kazzy answers asks #kazzy's kazootuals #shipmates in crime #kazzy writes fanfic #introducing kazzy #kazzy saves for later

[swaps55]

I was going to wait until I finished it to message you, but I'm so antsy!! I finally got around to rereading and finishing Cantata after starting it over a year ago (such an engaging and thoughtful work, I adore it), and ofc had to dive into the rest of Opus immediately after. I spent half of Opus white knuckled, HAD to know when sam and kaidan were finally going to let go, until it hit me like a truck that you werent going to let them have it until right before Alchera (you absolute DEVIL)

I'm always in it for the pining, its my favorite trope, and while I love the eventual admittance/happy ending, fics always lose me after the characters have their big romantic moment. But with the end of Sonata, you had me absolutely hooked!! Liara's account of the collector attack in Fugue is an absolute masterpiece. I was frozen, or on the verge of tears. Her realization that Kaidan would have sacrificed her and everyone on deck to save Sam was a lightning bolt. And watching Kaidan forced to leave Sam behind was HEARTBREAKING

All that to say I am so impressed in your ability to use your readers' knowledge of narrative events to build suspense. I haven't been able to put this story down. Can't wait to dive into ch4 later and watch Kaidan implode :')

(and If Horizon isnt addressed in Fugue, Ill be back later to beg you to write it)

What an amazing comment to get. Thank you. <3

I've often called Sonata the happiest sad story I've ever written, because the story itself is a blind source of joy until you pull your gaze back and realize where it sits in the timeline.

One of the really fascinating things about fanfic to me being able to depend on the reader already knowing what's going to happen and use it as a tool. Stories like Cantata, Sonata, and Fugue all scribble outside the canon lines, but part of what makes them work is that looming knowledge of what lurks around the next corner.

Which is why eight seconds after I contemplated whether Cantata was the kind of story you could file the serial numbers off off and publish, I decided it wasn't. Cantata depends on the reader knowing who Shepard becomes. The role he eventually plays. Without it, the foreshadowing falls flat and the story loses a lot of depth. Sonata becomes a completely different story when you realize how close it sits to Alchera. And the countdown clock on the second chapter of Fugue is like a slowly tightening noose because you know that happiness is about to come crashing down, and it's more awful because the characters have no idea.

I love, love, love that people are DYING to get to Horizon. Because you know it's coming. You know it's going to happen. It's fanfic, and you know how the canon story goes. Horizon is coming.

I can tell you this. It's going to be awful. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong. Everyone does the best they can with what they have, but everyone has different pieces, or the wrong pieces.

It's a clash of the inevitable, and no one is to blame, but that means there's nowhere to direct the anger, so it goes places it shouldn't, because it has to go somewhere.

It's awful. And I can't wait.

#swaps replies #katskip #opus!verse #i am tapping my own watch and looking at myself expectantly over horizon #i'm getting there