#and theres an amazing plot with wonderful characterization

[samarecharm]

i love makoto so much but fanon does her so much better (the good parts of the fandom) because in the game her character is so lack luster. they butchered her confidant it is so borning and not even about her. they made her a cop. A COP. they pushed this "canon waifu" role onto her (before sumire came along and did it Even Worse). and it SUCKS because SHE IS SO MUCH MORE!!! SHE IS SO MUCH BETTER!!!! SHE COULD'VE BEEN SO MUCH BETTER!!! the way i feel about canon makoto is the same way i feel about the canon ryuji events post komoshida where he's horribly mistreated and used purely as comic relief: i ignore them <3 my game now <3 never happened <3 my ocs <3

You are so right. I generally apply this to all characters in p5 bc the game does such a shit job of staying consistent with character arcs and personalities. Theres a desperate need to throw in perverse jokes at the expense of female characters and a need to show that the police (as a whole) are reliable people who are not influenced by things like money and power; only the BAD cops do that. Not to mention this obvious fatphobia and homophobia but i feel likes thats a given.

But back to Makoto. Shes a victim of bad writing just like everyone else. Ryuji during the kamoshida arc was fighting with self loathing and genuine anxiety, and aside from the like. One comment on Panthers outfit in the metaverse, hes more than well behaved. All of that is shelved as soon as Kamoshida is gone and replaced with him being weird comic relief (and the focus of alot of sexual jokes that were nonexistent in the beginning of the game). Anns arc about self love and empowerment is completely dropped as soon as the nasty bad guy is put away (so that its good to be weird about her w the Good Guys). Makoto loses her a chunk of her personality to be the mature waifu which is INSANE to me bc shes like. Not okay or normal at all 😭😭😭 she THINKS shes responsible and so does everyone else on her team, but its an act! She doesnt know shit! And she doesnt know that she doesnt know shit bc shes respectful and adults dont care about anything as long as u respect them!

Its very telling that for literally every single thief (and goro), you can see the exact moment the writers gave up on adding anything of worth to their characters outside of the social links. Its like they didnt know what to even do w the characters at their disposal after their main arcs were complete. No mention of friends hanging out without you, no mention of having group hangouts. Everyone is treated as a core, important member of the friend group DURING their arc, but outside of it, they are acquaintances at best. Theres nothing in the game that convinces you that these guys are legitimately friends who care for each other and do Friend Things. And i describe it like that bc there IS a game that treats them all as friends, and its strikers! Strikers/Scramble genuinely feels like the game p5 wanted to be; a road trip w your team where they stay up at night talking to each other and hanging out and doing things together that dont necessarily include you, the player. Its refreshing and lovely but it sucks that u get that kind of attention to detail in a ‘spinoff’ title

#chattin #i hesitate to use spinoff bc its a pretty big game #and theres an amazing plot with wonderful characterization #and their handling of jails and jail owners is LEAGUES better than the bs they tried to make up w palace users #and all the thieves feel like family. and not in the annoying fandom way; like #were family in the same way a family is forged and tended to. i love you. no one is left behind. no one is made to feel inferior another #its really good and honestly if u want more interactions between everyone i really recommend a playthrough #but yeah #p5 sucks #i love it but i love the version of it i made in my head LMAO #maybe p5r did a better job w the dialogue and some questionable scenes #(i wouldnt know. i didnt play it lol) #so maybe thats what people need to be using as a point of reference #but i only plyed p5 so this is what i have; a group of people who show up for meetings and then go about their life #and that kinda sucks. why make this wholly unique experience in which these teens can only relate to each other #make them bonded over their shared experience w this unbelievable world #and then not only make them NOT interact; but have the end be ‘okay by akira.’ and leave it at that #they just. didnt know what to do w anyone #they needed their girls to be waifubait and the boys to be an afterthought #they needed a buffet of older woman for pathetic men to fuck through their self insert #and they needed a story convoluted enough to keep people stuck trying to figure it out themselves #its bad. its so bad. its so fucking bad. but i have to be here. WE have to be here. #bc who else is going to take these characters out of hell and treat them right ??!!!

[sketching-shark]

Im kinda am getting annoyed how much they r avoiding saying swk actual name. Like whats the point of him having a name if the show is not gonna refer to him with his name besides having moments of characters chastising him using his first name. Ie: just yelling out wukong.

Liek i want to here his various other titles besides monkey king. Its pretty weird how they’re solely just calling him monkey kings when hes just 1 of many monkey kings :/

Sometimes, i wonder if they knew that they could have kept swk w all of complex characteristics without having to downplay any of it so they can uplift mk. (Mk is such a amazing character dont get me wrong i do adore him. But it suck that in a equivalent exchange of a good character we get a frankly a worse vers of sun wukong.

Like not even other versions of swks ever acted(or granted made such repeated mistakes) like how lmk swk do. Like theres no one defending him within the shown(mk doesn’t count bc literally thats his teacher. But even he himself doesn’t realize he’s afraid of becoming like swk.) and as much as lmk writers, producer etc etc. want, they have to actually have to show swk’s side. Bc by the time lmk is over, its going to v hard to give him justice when almost everyone have a right idea of keeping him away bc how much hes a danger to everyone.

I also am a lmk LEMH hater forever. i just think he shouldn’t of have that type of importance to swk when hes just a dude w a pent up superiority/inferiority (he can have both bc yea)complex thats in a parasocial relationship to swk. Like sure he died and all but so did all the other demons in jttw. Hell he didn’t got the vore kill treatment like other demons like azure lion did.

Monkie Kid spoilers below

AWETTHGRFRWETETFGDSD THE VORE KILL TREATMENT THAT'S A PHRASE THAT WILL STICK WITH ME FOREVER ANON.

But YEAH this is a pretty good summary of many things said before anon...in particular it's genuinely disheartening how Qi Xiaotian's experiences have brought him from a state of being excited at the thought he could be like Sun Wukong to now being terrified that he's destined to be like the Monkey King...but then again how could be not be. We're now 4 seasons in and everything just gets worse and worse for the little monkey lego man in large part because of the things his shifu did or failed to do. At this point even with the hints of the torture headband making a significant appearance, trying to defend or even understand SWK's actions in the present kind of seems like a fool's errand, and I genuinely am worried that no backstory Flying Bark gives their version of the Monkey King will provide a satisfactory reason for why he acts the way he does. As it is there's been a pretty consistent flow of popular fan works about the Monkey King getting punched & yelled at & portrayed as completely in the wrong, and well I do not see that ending any time soon given the events of canon material :(

As always I want to note that I'm fully capable of being too negative and pessimistic & forgetting the good sides of SWK's lego show character and that yeah obviously there's a lot of other characters running around with more antagonistic intentions (including perhaps this mysterious person who may be behind Azure Lion being freed as part of some greater scheme). But between this already firmly established characterization of SWK as a liar who's ideas routinely end in nothing but catastrophe for even those he loves and the show itself pretty clearly having little interest in including SWK in the story's adventures outside of an explodey ending or being a problem that needs to be dealt with because of his disastrous decisions (given how much he keeps getting shoved out of the plot), well...you can see why many people think this could easily end with even Qi Xiaotian thinking Sun Wukong is a lost cause.

#anon answered #'he's getting better!' my dude he's literally trapped in ink hell world for all his monkey crimes #monkey critical

[cocogukkie]

2020 in review: kdramas (the heart fluttering, the disappointing, the saviors of 2020)

it’s december 31st! the new year is quite literally upon us (some of y’all are already in 2021) and my procrastinating self has chosen to upload this today. i’ve always loved these rec lists and I wanted to do one for 2020! this year was a rollercoaster for kdramas with some excellent ones and some not so excellent ones. i watched all of these in 2020 but not all of them were released in 2020.

if you want to use my questions to make your own list please do!! or give your favs in the tags, i’d love to read them. (fair warning, some of these have multiple answers bc i just can’t choose one!!)

drama that made me laugh

When The Camellia Blooms (2019)

i finally got around to watching when the camellia blooms this year and it. was. so. funny. oh my goodness, the comedic timing in so many scenes was pure excellency and im kinda mad at myself that i didn’t watch this last year. this isn’t just a comedy for those who are interested, its a thriller/romance but its also so fucking funny. definitely watch this if you want to laugh (and be touched bc the emotional scenes in this one are beautiful)

drama that made me cry

Sweet Home (2020)

hahah….. um this one is gonna go to sweet home friends. i went into this one with zero expectations and the first couple episodes didn’t really wow me? but i kept watching and holy shit fam. this show really picks up story-wise around ep 4 and makes the viewer love a lot of these initially unlikable characters. all i can say is that the end was devastating for me and i cried quite a bit. (warning, there are a lot of mature themes in this one so make sure you look for trigger warnings or send me an ask and i’ll list them all out for you) 

best OST

Itaewon Class (2020) 

i loved the ost for itaewon class!! the music is just so inspirational and pump up music, its so good. my favorites are ‘you make me back’ by woosung and ‘start’ by gaho.

drama with chemistry royalty (aka the best couple) 

i have three for this one because i just cannot choose one. 

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)

we recognize this one as one of the best things to come out of 2020. go moon young and moon kang tae have some of the best chemistry i have ever seen in a drama couple. i waited on the edge of my seat every single week for the next couple of episode just so i could fawn over these two. they work so well together, lift each other up, and so fucking funny together and support one another. while they’re not the chillest couple (lmao) they’re most certainly one with the most personality. they’re so cute and bicker and they just get each other. who could ask for more.

Flower of Evil (2020)

our badass mom and dad 😭😭. this was another peak drama that came out this year and our married partners-in-crime-but-not-really had amazing chemistry. baek hee sung and cha ji won were so cute as a married couple but they were even more precious later on in the drama after certain things unfolded (no spoilers). they both just get each other and protected one another as well as on the most precious kdrama children this year, their daughter eunha. they were so wholesome, flower of evil is so very worth a watch.

Into The Ring (2020)

this was one of the more underappreciated kdramas of the year but hoo buddy was the main couples chemistry top notch. they were so friggin cute and i just couldn’t. goo se ra is highkey one of the best female characters i’ve ever seen, she’s absolute chaos, lawful chaos, but chaos nonetheless. her other half, seo gong myung is opposite from her as lawful neutral. he’s just along for the ride that is se ra and loves her. they’re both so very fond and protective of each other and back each other up!! very very cute and you’ll definitely replay more than a couple of their scenes together.

most disappointing

Record of Youth (2020)

it’s sad but true… i went into this one with so much hope and excitement (i was riding off that ‘psycho but its okay’ high) and i was vastly disappointed. the plot mostly focused on the male lead, and there wasn’t much characterization for the female lead which i didn’t like. honestly, i only cared about maybe 3-4? characters in the whole drama. the rest were absolutely terrible or plain boring and i ended up skipping eps 14 and 15 and just watched the finale. i would not recommend tbh.

drama you can’t really get through

Crash Landing on You (2019)

this one is absolutely on me, i want so badly to love this one. but i just… can’t seem to get past ep 2? i’ve tried!! i swear, but i just cannot get through it. maybe in 2021, i can try again and i’ll enjoy it more.

drama everyone else liked but was meh

Kairos (2020)

i though kairos was a bit predictable tbh. i know those of us who did end up watching it really liked it but maybe its because i watch so many crime/mystery shows that this one didn’t really do it for me. the writing is quite solid and everything connects well, i would recommend that those who don’t really watch thrillers, to watch this one. (also the friendship between the female lead and her two friends is suuuper cute and worth it alone to watch kairos)

favorite romance

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)

yeah… this one wins again lol. what can i say, i just loved it so much and the main theme of the show is romance (its also a comedy and a mental health/healing drama) all i can say is watch this if you haven’t yet, its definitely worth it!! 

favorite mystery

Memorist (2020)  & Watcher (2019)

i really enjoyed these two mystery dramas. both were super fun to watch and very kinda unique in their own ways. i liked memorist because it was lowkey funny and i liked the relationships between the characters, but most importantly i couldn’t guess the main antagonist by the end! i really thought i knew who it was and then i was completely wrong lmao. watcher was also very good, the main trio had really good chemistry and i really cared about all the characters. (also i’ll never say no to watching seo kang joon) plus the plot twists threw me a bit at the end which is always a feeling i welcome, i love being surprised and wrong (as long as it makes sense)

favorite slice of life

Hospital Playlist (2020)

oh my goodness, i was late to the hospital playlist party and i regret it because this show is so. so. good. its just a slice of life following 5 friends who are doctors and work at the same hospital together but its so much more than that. this is honestly one of the first shows i’ve seen that are optimistic? in the show, every time i thought a plot was going to play out a certain way (usually negatively, as tends to be life unfortunately) it surprised me by taking the more optimistic wholesome route. characters in subplots changed for the better, became more understanding, chose to do the right thing, etc. if you want a feel good drama where the main characters have wonderful platonic chemistry and just care about each other but is also super funny, watch hospital playlist!! (season 2 is coming out early 2021 and im so pumped)

favorite fantasy

The Untamed (2019)

this one is a cdrama but i watched it in 2020, mostly because of how many people on the internet were adamant that the rest of us watch this and ngl they were v right. the untamed was very very good and im really glad i gave it a chance and watched it, its also my first cdrama ever. the chemistry between the male leads is honestly what makes this show and its worth the 50? i think? episodes. to be completely honest the fanfiction for the show are peak and if you do watch this, go straight to ao3 and you will not be disappointed.

dramas that saved 2020

The Uncanny Counter (2020) & Run On (2020)

these two dramas are among those that started airing at the end of the year and will go into the beginning of 2021 and absolutely saved the end of 2020 for me. while neither of these are finished, both have been excellent so far and worth starting. uncanny counter has the best use of the found family trope i have ever seen. i fucking love the four counters and their relationship with each other, how protective they are of one another. they all have amazing chemistry and the actors have amazing chemistry in the making films.

run on has one of the cutest couples that will definitely make my best chemistry list for next year. i didn’t put them on this list bc they actually haven’t gotten together yet but once they do, they’re gonna be freaking adorable, i can already tell. there’s no specific grand events propelling the plot forward, but just following the lives of these unique, interesting and relatable people who have casual yet entertaining conversations with each other. the show is super soft and the main couple are so straightforward and honest (plus theres mutual pining!!)

best dramas of the year

here are my best dramas (and one movie) watched this year, no further explanation given lolol. just watch them and enjoy because these are fucking excellent in the feels department. trust me 💞

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)

Flower of Evil (2020)

Itaewon Class (2020)

Hospital Playlist (2020)

One Spring Night (2019)

Midnight Runners (2017)

Hot Stove League (2019) 

I hope this gives you some fun stuff to watch!! or convince you to start that drama in your watchlists! 

#kdrama #kdrama 2020 #kdrama recs #kdrama recommendations #when the camellia blooms #sweet home #itaewon class #Its okay to not be okay #psycho but it's okay #flower of evil #into the ring #memorials #the ballot #record of youth #kairos #memorist #watcher #hospital playlist #the untamed #the uncanny counter #jtbc run on #run on #one spring night #midnight runners #hot stove league #best of 2020 #ocn watcher #cocogukkie recommends

[samdyke]

Ok so I like SSTS so far (finished up to Ch7) but I don't get why everyone's gone so crazy over it. Is it something I missed? I have trouble concentrating while reading so sometimes I skip over important lines without realizing. I think what I'm asking is like. Spoilers included, what makes you go so insane over the fic?

okay so. im tired so expect this to be a bit rambley but..... (OBVIOUSLY SPOILERS FOR SO SAYS THE SWORD COMING UP)

first of all, i just find the prose to be. beautiful. like, just absolutely breathtaking word choice, sentence structure, voice, flow....the writing itself is SO high quality. the way that the plot of woven intricately through time, paced so spectacularly slowly and weaving between memory and the present and often tying the two together...its amazing to me. the characterization is so incredible; watching through cas’ own eyes as he becomes, little by little, no longer castiel of heaven - the stoic soldier who calls the prisoner he watches over the michael sword - but cas of dean winchester, who aches and feels and says dean’s name like it’s holy in and of itself. its such an incredible thing to witness happen, so slowly that you feel agonized and breathless all at once.

and the emotions of it all are so incredibly poignant, to me. like, dean’s anger, his despair - the moments he lashes out, when he breaks down and lets his anger at sam out, it’s palpable and its painfully real. the desperation and the fear and the heart pounding selfishness that cas feels.....the agony of michael stripping him of his wings and his grace and his horrible humanity afterwards all feels so very real. the writing made me genuinely FEEL, which was so so wonderful.

and then theres the themes that i cant get enough of - the unreality of the beautiful room and of cas get me. the constant state of is this real, what does real mean? cas’ degree of separation that becomes increasingly thin; the shifting landscape of the single space is so interesting to me. i’m also obsessed with the way that the angels true forms are described and dealt with, both in terms of dean loving cas and the corruption/breaking apart of those forms. and the way that the fic plays with time.....its all essentially a loop. when i realizied that the sparrow dying over and over, the only way to save it being to fix the tree, was where our story was heading....i felt so wild. it was so MUCH, that particular moment. it just felt brilliant, like a revelation.

and the ending......there were so many things besides the sparrow that lead us there. its so very fitting and heartbreaking and hopeful. its such romantic tragedy, to have to destroy the one you love and forget it - their reunion had me in tears, before cas had to destroy dean. and then the full circle to what WE know as lazarus rising......it just felt so insanely bittersweet, so hopeful and lost and crushingly emotional. it was just such a wild emotional journey that was so clearly crafted with extreme thought and care, thats why i love it. dunno if that will make YOU love it (i think its sort of either it hits or it doesnt), but it genuinely touched me and i dont doubt i’ll be thinking about it for a long while

#long post #ssts #yeah. whew. #asks #anons #kora.txt

[blushing-starker]

Hey! Just quickly sneaking in here to tell you you are adorable and wonderful! I know the struggle you are in right now so well!

What goes through your mind? What is your favourite movie? And what's the best (your favourite) starker prompt you ever received, read or asked?

I send you a big hug...

...okay forget that hug, I send you tons of hugs 🥰

🦉

An owl! A pretty owl! I love owls! Ah, I'm blushing, thanks love😘 praise and validation are better than any caffeine.

Oh favorite movie. Definitely Inkheart. I enjoy (adore, worship) Princess Bride but it's too short for what I need. Inception is great yet it's not exactly for any mood. Same with The mummy with Rachel Weisz. they're great movies and I love them! But inkheart is an any day movie, you know. I definitely recommend it. And the book too!

Um, @professional-benaddict 's little Peter are to die for. She fulfils her prompts beautifully. And my god, rafni sure knows how to wreck my heart with the darker fics. The one with mafia boss Stephen and Tony, well the ones with those two and sub or little Peter are heaven.

@starkeristheendgame does such glorious works of art that I always have to take a minute to breathe afterwards. She's one of my go to blogs, actually. The one with god!Tony had me up in the morning and I screamed at her for all of five minutes because of it.

@starkerflowers this angel has such a wonderful understanding of the dynamics between starker both in and out of canon. Every single fic nails it, that characterisation is to die for. And such variety too. But like. Flowers daddy!Tony has me wheezing, ok!

@sinditia listen. Listen. I am so enraged at the fact that her recent series, the rewrite of hc, iw, and endgame, the one I've been reblogging whose name I'm too sleep deprived to remember, I'm so sorry, doesn't have more notes because Jesus Christ, get her a meeting with sony. The plot, the characters and their relationships, the banter, the dialogue, the descriptions, the heartache, the WHUMP. just, do yourself a favor and read it. You'll cry but we can cry together.

@vaguekiwi just. I cant. I won't do any homework if I say how much I love gracie's work. Like, glass ceilings and bedframes (why can't I remember the complete titles, jesus)? and under a violet rain? Excuse me ma'am, you wanna let me breathe? Hold on to your seats, ladies and gentlemen, as we take a ride to whump town. After that, the tour through incredible attention to detail and well planned plot. Around lunch time, symbolism. So much symbolism it hurts to feast on such beauty. Ah, but don't forget, AMAZING GODDAMN DYNAMICS THAT HAVE ME SHRIEKING. Right. The end of the ride stops at. Oh look. It doesn't stop.

@cagestark she could write one paragraph and it would have me sobbing. I mean, the mafia au fics alone are a monument to her skills. I've re-read them five times over. The tone, the atmosphere, the sheer complexity in the story, the hurt and the development of feelings that don't just come out of nowhere, the process of falling in love. It makes me fall in love.

@tonystarkisaslut they ripped out my heart and made me eat it with the divorce fic. Of course, there are like fifty other gorgeous works but. That fic. I needed kleenex. I accent even read it completely because I'm afraid I'll finish all the tissues in the house. The characterization, they were so them and so true to what they thought, and the flashbacks never seen out of place and morgan, and the nicknames, and Peter's hurt and Tony s reaction and the realization that he wouldn't be spending so much time with her. I cant.

@twokinkybeans jar of dirt. The kinktober card fills and the exposition of these characters to new situations they never even dreamed about. But. jar of dirt. Jar of Dirt. JAR OF DIRT. Puppy Peter alone? Had me screaming? The openness of these two characters? Their love for each other? How they always made sure they were safe? Their trust? The fact that they felt safe enough to say this isn't really comfy in any and all moments? How theres aftercare? And pure love that isn't entirely based on sexual aspects? 100000000000/10

I could keep going but I've spent nearly two hours here so saving for next time. The favorite one I received was the Pepper x Peter one, actually. It lead me to Priceless Peter Parker and that in turn gave me the confidence for Pretty little muse, won't you be my lover? I would have never started posting starker on ao3 if it weren't for that prompt. I'm incredibly grateful for it.

I dont think this is what you had in mind, but thank you so much for the ask and the hugs, dear one. I needed them this week😘💓

I almost forgot!

@petersmocha jae has created so many beautiful fics that it's impossible to pinpoint my favorite. All of her works are absolutely mesmerizing and in point with the prompts. (But her little Peter is precious af, I squeal whenever she posts something sweet with him and his kind daddy!tony) (and the text messages! so much talent! so many plot points I didn't expect! When her sub!Peter shyly admits he's into iron daddy! How Tony never makes him feel bad about it! How he's like, babe, I feel the same way! How he disciplines peter! How Peter follows!)

@vanillapeter van does such great moodboards! I love them with all my heart! The penguin one is my fave! Her choice for the pics! The lighting! The quality! The lovely drabbles! How she makes sure the story is clear! How pure and innocent her Peter is! The softness of it! The joy I get when she pops into my dash! Her early bday gift I have as my background! Her understanding of colors!

@starkermoodboards THE PLOT I GET FROM JUST A GLANCE! she's been on a roll and I can't choose my fave! The colors! The back story! How it all fits like a puzzle piece! The delicacy of peter! And then bam! The strength from peter! The banter between starker! I adore!

@heyimstarker JESYS EVERYTHING! From all the fandoms! The angst! The feels! The ache! The burn! The slow slow romance that lights me on fire! THE PROSE AND POETRY! The elegance! The way it can enrapture me! The understanding of the characters!

#Sophie loves her starker fam #👑 #🐇 #i dont have an owl on the keyboard! #Owl darling

[wullu]

I’m fairly certain I have said this before, but Imma say it once again.

One of the things that sets Flower of Evil apart from other dramas (in addition to exploring a romantic relationship thru the lense of serial killers and shadows of the past) is the way the drama is a culmination of many different stories and characters. 

In most kdramas, other than the leads (and sometimes not even the female lead) the remaining cast of characters do not get to be fully fleshed out people. They are often the salad dressing. If you took them out, the story wouldn’t suffer for the lack of them. I mean, even second leads so often are characterized as one-note characters! 

Flower of Evil subverts that by having everyone play an important role and fleshing them out as much as possible with the 16-episode format. Nobody here is salad dressing, tho I could do without Baek Hee Seong, but I suppose every garden of paradise has its serpent and in FOE it’s him and Yeom Sang Chul.

The plot is centered around Ji Won and Hyun Soo but so many other characters play a role in helping the story move forward. In short, I really love the focus this drama has on the little things. Stories are often made richer by focusing on the little things and allowing characters, be they lead or supporting, to be whole. My understanding of most of the main players in the plot and their fleshed out character profiles are under the cut. Please note, there will be spoilers!

I’m gonna list them out for clarity:

1. Jeong Mi Sook trying to prevent Hyun Soo from making an irreversible decision and trying to explain his side to Ji Won or even deciding, she’s the one who will break out of her cage. Hee Seong has been terrifying her from the start but she asked him to run, because he wasn’t worth being killed by Hyun Soo. He deserved to pay for his crimes instead.

2. Woo Chul deciding that his superiors need to only know this much and feeling terrified at what the new revelations imply for them, but even after he finds out, his priority is making sure his team members are safe. He may not always purchase coffee for everyone. But when push comes to shove, he’s shows what his priorities actually are. His team 😭

3. Eun Ha recognising the danger she is in and locking the door and only opening when her mom came. Eun Ha being a transparently affectionate child and when Hae Soo sees her photos and meets her, it’s like finding some lost vulnerable part of her self. Nothing like the unconditional acceptance of children that can undo you real quick.

4. The Baeks realising that in their quest to protect their son, they became people they never wanted to be. And that they were blinding themselves from the start. Mi Ja wondering if she’s doing the right thing all throughout, Man Woo losing more and more of his patience as he tries to clean up behind Hee Seong and both of them realizing, once you go down a dark path, it’s very hard to return. And also, that the outcome they were hoping to prevent was inevitable any way.

5. Jae Seob knowing something is off and following it up, and wanting to protect Ji Won at all costs. Also him and Woo Chul having an antagonistic but trustworthy relationship and him also mentoring Ho Joon and stating how people find him difficult to like, but that does not stop him from being himself. Jae Seob is a man committed to uncovering things, no matter how uncomfortable they feel or what secrets they reveal. That jokey personality is a layered over a determined and strongly principled character.

6. Ho Joon handling the more difficult aspects of being a cop by learning to take lives if need be, dealing with the aftermath of a crime scene and keeping his cool in the midst of chaos. I mean, at first he seems like such an innocent and well-meaning character who adores both of his Sunbaes and then as the story moves on, you see theres so much more to him than just being the maknae of the team. Whether it is calming down Ji Won after their fast and furious ride or having the foresight to turns on the camera monitor or even deciding to put out the news that Ji Won is dead, Joo Hwan shows himself as such a capable and conscientious person.

7. Hae Soo trying to amend wrongs and dealing with the guilt of her father’s crimes and realizing that it’s very hard to do things by yourself but also bravery is something that does not always happen in front of everyone, rather it’s that moment of iron clad surety you have when you know exact what you want to do, and to go ahead and do it.

8. Moo Jin making the choice to take off the rose tinted glasses and realizes he needs to see things for what they are. And realizing that you can’t just pick up things from where you left there. You have to realise how you behaved and own up to who you really are. Also, you really got to understand how to communicate with the girl you love, instead of just harping on asking her to ditch her brother, once more! 🙄

9. Hee Seong being a stuttering, scared mess once he realizes that he’s at the mercy of Hyun Soo and showing that under all his swagger and bravado, he’s just a cowardly man who enjoys exercising power over others and uses fear to control them, but cannot handle the heat when it is turned on them. He thinks he’s amazing because he’s so powerful and in charge, but all it is takes is one person to stand up to him and he loses composure so quick.

10. Yeom Sang Chul doing his best to save his own ass, and he’s so over taken by greed that it becomes his very undoing. He really has no redeeming qualities and without henchmen or money, he’s pretty much useless. Fitting that he dies without all the trappings of grandeur around him.

11. Even Park Kyung Choon, he’s so far gone with the desperation of looking for his wife but once he’s subdued, and in the hospital, he’s able to have a proper conversation with Hyun Soo. A remorseful, regretful one.

12. The housekeeper, Park Soon Young, she’s seen so much and she’s been thru so much and the Baeks have helped her, but at the same time, she realises she does not want to be a part of this household where so much evil is being perpetuated. She makes the decision to leave and she draws her own conclusions. Nothing is fed to her.

I mean, I could  go on a bit longer but yeah, I hope I made my point. In conclusion, FOE, you done did good. 

#kdrama #tvn flower of evil #flower of evil #lee joon gi #moon chae won #aspects like these are just so satisfying #my commentary #I have a lot of feelings #!!!

[inevitably-johnlocked]

I'm a bit embarrassed to ask this. Have you ever read a fic that, stylistically, it's beautiful, linguistically it's tight, and it's obvious the author poured their whole self into constructing the plot, crafting the world, and nailing down the characterizations, but... You just don't get it? Like, perhaps there's some insight you're missing, and it's almost there, you think maybe you're close to getting what the author is trying to portray, but you just can't make the connection necessary?

(Embarrassed nonny continued) You even reread to make sure you didn’t skip anything, but it’s like it just seems that something missing? Or that you’re the one missing something vital? So you go to the comments to see if anyone else is confused, but all you see are lovely, supportive compliments about how beautiful the story is (and it is), or how heartwrenching it is (usually so). But you seem to be the only one not getting it?

(Embarrassed nonny cont. again) Is it destructive to let the author know that I think a story is beautiful in it’s telling, but that I don’t quite understand it? I don’t want to offend the author, who has clearly worked very hard, and I appreciate them so much. But, I want to understand the story they’re telling, even if I’m the only one not getting it. If that even makes any sense. P.S.- thanks for always taking time to listen to fandom woes and fielding requests. You’re a champion! ❤

Hi Nonny!

First of all, there’s nothing for you to be embarrassed about! Stories are partly about authorial intent, and partly about reader interpretation; no two people will interpret a story the same, and no author SHOULD expect a reader to interpret their story exactly as the author intended. SHERLOCK is a perfect example of this (the writers SAY they meant it to be one thing and literally the ENTIRE FANDOM is divided on what’s actually being shown on screen), or if you want to be more classical, the works of Shakespeare as well.

In fact, Shakespeare is a perfect example of your problem: I love Shakespeare: it’s beautifully written, it sounds lovely to the ear, and it invokes imagery based on how someone interprets it. But I sure as heck have NO idea what I read until someone explained it to me, or how I SHOULD have interpreted it (which, is oxymoronic to my point, I know…). Only after I hear how someone else interpreted the work, I can then RE-READ a work and begin to understand what was meant by it, and then develop my own interpretations. 

I’ve read a few fics by a couple authors in this fandom where I LOVED their writing, but I had NO idea what was happening until I re-read the fics… it’s a reading comprehension thing with me, I’m sure (my brain tends to move a bit quicker than I can read and talk, and in turn it also tends to wander when my eyes aren’t going fast enough, LOL), but a lot of times, if I just read a fic a second time I can then grasp the words my brain omitted the first time and then really enjoy and love the fic. I hate that about me, but that’s how my brain works… Perhaps it may be the same with your brain? If a fic is well written and you enjoyed it but just had some comprehension issues, perhaps a second read-through will help you as it has done with me :)

So, now to answer your question: if after reading a fic, and you don’t understand it, is it okay to ask the authorial intent of the story? Unfortunately, there is no yes-or-no answer to this question, Lovely, as every author is different. Personally – and this is just for me speaking, and what I would do or what I would not mind if I were the author – I think it’s alright, so long as you are respectful to them! Dig around their user pages and you can often find ways to interact with the author outside of their fics, or information about whether or not they want to read criticism etc. on their stories. If an author doesn’t want any interaction, they’ll be very clear about it, but most authors have ways to get in touch with them, so to ME that’s a saying “hey, if you have any questions, here’s how to get a hold of me!”. 

If they have a Tumblr with asks turned on, you can even do it like you have done for me here; write exactly what you mentioned, just tweak a few things: Mention how much you love their prose and their storytelling, and you can really feel how much love they put into the story. You found it interesting, though you’re unclear on a few parts. Ask them kindly how they intended for an audience to read it. Many creators appreciate honesty when talking about their works, so just be honest and say that you didn’t understand something and wouldn’t mind a bit of clarification about something. They can’t fault you for not understanding something, and if they do, well… I find that rather ableist, in my opinion: That’s like telling someone with dyslexia to just stop mixing up letters, or someone who’s native language isn’t English to just learn one of the most complex languages in the world with so many structure rules that make no sense half the time…. *shrugs* It’s harsh of me to say, I am sorry about that, writers, but reading comprehension doesn’t come easily for everyone.

ANYWAY, back to my point: An author, so long as you are respectful (and maybe peppering in some compliments and praise never hurts either… a lot of us creative-types have praise kinks) and don’t throw a backhanded compliment (like don’t say: “Your work is so amazing! Though I think you should make it easier for people to understand it, your words are too complex”), they will be more than happy to write out their intent for the story. Let them know it’s YOU who’s not understanding (so, “I have trouble understanding this part” as opposed to “you should make this work easier to read for everyone”… make the onus on YOU). DON’T be demanding (like, don’t say something that can be interpreted as “it’s YOUR responsibility to cater to MY need to understand”), and be patient for a reply.

You can see why this isn’t an easy yes-or-no answer, LOL. 

Essentially, kindness begets kindness, and respect begets respect. And –  this isn’t an attack on you personally with regards to this ask, because I know my audience are adorably shy beans – it might be a show of good faith and intentions to stay off anon when you ask your question; it shows the author that you aren’t being malicious, just simply a smol bean who loves stories and want to learn more about theirs. BUT, it IS okay to stay on-anon if you are shy / worried about not the author but other people interpreting it the wrong way, just make sure you tailor your question to the author in a respectful way that it comes across as respect. Perhaps something like this:

Hi, [author]! I really love your story, [story title]! It’s well-written and I can really tell how much you love this story and how much soul you put into it. I just had a question for you with regards to [name concern here]. [state question here]. I have trouble sometimes with [reading comprehension, English/language, dyslexia, etc.], and I would love to know what your ideas and thought process was for [character, plot point, situation, etc.]. Understanding what the author intended really helps me enjoy the stories even more than I already did, and your thoughts would be really helpful for when I re-read your story! Thank you so much for your time, and thank you for blessing us with this beautiful story!

Or something like that, LOL. And if you genuinely aren’t a native-language speaker, let them know that it’s not your first language so you’re just honestly not grasping a colloquialism that’s common in English but not in, say, German. It’s more common than you think! I’ve had people ask me in private before about a phrase I’ve written or about how they should interpret a meta of mine; I’ve never taken insult upon it, and in fact I love helping people understand my work so that they can enjoy other peoples’ content in the future. 

As an additional thought I just had, I think a good example of fandom-understanding-authors is, actually, the @johnlockficclub; every couple months or so we read new stories, and then at the end of the story, we ask authors our questions about their intent of the stories, and in turn the author gets an interesting (I hope) insight into how various people interpreted their stories. Even during the live-chats leading up to the author q-and-a, we all see how we each interpreted certain sections of the chapters we read that week, and see various viewpoints we never considered. So I think that is a wonderful way to see authorial intent vs. reader interpretation, and as far as I know, all the authors we’ve “interviewed” loved just getting that kind of feedback for their stories. You should join in on at least the author interviews just to see how they go and give you some ideas on how an author will take feedback. It’s so fascinating to me!

Just a fun little anecdote that oftentimes, it is a positive experience for an author because most of them love to talk about their stories – their stories are their children, and they care deeply for them, because it’s a part of them, and it’s an expression of their love. They WANT you to understand and enjoy their work. It’s a cyclical thing: if you understand their children so you can love them too, then they will love their fanbase and will want to continue to write since they received feedback that was validating to them that they produce work that people enjoy and want to know more about. 

Finally, I’d love for some authors to weigh in on their thoughts about this; would you be offended if someone loved your story but would want your clarification on some things, or want to know how you intended for the audience to perceive it? Please let us know!

Sorry this answer was so long, but I hope it helps!

P.S. Aww, you’re far too kind, Nonny! me. XD

#steph replies #my advice #fan fiction #authorial intent vs reader interpretation #my thoughts #Anonymous

[comprosedreviews-blog]

Scythe: Spoiler Free Review

Rating 5/5

Has an ending ever ripped your heart out? I hope it has, because if it hasn’t I’m certain you are missing out.

Scythe ripped out my heart. The very last line, having just been read to me (audiobooks are a blessing to college students) is still playing again and again in my head. It was powerful, it was perfect, and it brought the story full circle.

It’s easy to forget what good storytelling is. I feel like, we know about stories we enjoy and we tell ourselves that this is good storytelling… even when it isn’t. I’m going to get crap for saying that, but I genuinely believe it’s true. I’m kind of riding on this Scythe high right now that has reminded me about good storytelling.

Because Scythe is good storytelling.

If I could bottle up the feeling that this ending has left me with and share it with all of you, I would. But I can’t. So instead you’re just going to have to venture off to a bookstore and purchase this book for yourself. Do yourself that favor and be happy about it because I promise you, it is worth it. Or go to a library and request it. Just somehow get your hands on this book.

In case you weren’t aware, this book, written by Neal Shusterman, is a utopian set in a world where mankind has conquered death. We’ve basically waived bye-bye to the inconvenience of mortality and are free to fear pretty much nothing—at least nothing death related. You get what I’m putting down. However, we still have limited resources and people repopulate… so there’s a little caveat to our immortality plan. Rather than limit the amount of people allowed to be created, the people of this world have created a group called scythes who meet yearly killing quotas in order to ensure that humanity is able to have enough resources to continue on. But Scythes aren’t hated for what they do, they are respected. Everyone understands the way the world must be and they accept it. Enter our two scythe recruits and their struggle to not only come to grips with the possibility of being professional gleaners (because the term killing is frowned upon), but also must struggle with a growing corruption capable of changing the world they live in forever.

DUN DUN DUNNNNN.

I’ll be the first to admit that the term “utopian” turned me away from the book. I loved The Giver as much as the next person, but after the dystopian craze that was my early highschool years, I’ve been a little burned out by the whole “futuristic worlds with a little chaos” thing. So let me tell you, if you are at all skeptical like I was, I get it. But, and this is a big but, MY JUDGEMENT WAS WRONG AND I SHOULD HAVE READ THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY.

This ending has left me SHOOK. It was one of the most masterful endings I have read in a long time AND if I didn’t want to read the next book (which I totally DO) then I could walk away right here and now and be totally satisfied.

There were a bunch of threads in this stories. Little things that folded in on themselves and were mentioned in tiny snippets that I had to dismiss because SO MUCH was going on. And at the end, all of those little snippets were tied into the most amazing braid and I can’t help but just feel completely and utterly awed by it all.

How, HOW do you do that? How does a writer just… do that?

I’ve read other books like this, that have left me with the same awed, inspired, and frankly distraught feeling that comes with leaving a book behind. I, think we all have. But unfortunately these books are few and far between.

This book was dark, introspective, and inspiring. It was also quick. I had it completed in less than a day because I couldn’t not listen to it. I feel as though the characters are real people in my life—because they were so real—and like some of these issues are real—because in some ways they are.

Most of all I just feeeeeeeel. Beautiful, terrible, frightening and powerful feelings.

FEELNGS I CAN’T TALK ABOUT BECAUSE YOU HAVEN’T PICKED UP THE BOOK YET.

So let me tell you the three things I think were so impressive, entertaining, and wonderful about this book.

1.       That ending though.

2.       The world building (which goes in hand with that ending though)

3.       The characters (which go hand in hand with the world building)

I’ve talked about that ending, so lets talk about the world. It was full. It was beautiful. It was horrible.

It was everything I needed it to be to be immersed in the book. Frankly, it wasn’t too different from our own in some ways. Yeah, technology is better, and yeah people are more bored because humanity has reached this sort of plateau for improvement, but the caveats and intricacies of the world are where the plot begins to develop—which yeah is like every other book you’re going to read BUT WAIT THERES MORE. This world was a character in its own right. It was a unifying force and a force that pushed characters apart. AND UHHH I’M GETTING INTO SPOILERY TERRITORY, but know that this fully developed and familiar yet foreign world is EXACTLY what was missing in a lot of the dystopian craze of a few years ago.

And finally the characters. Both main characters (YES I AM ONCE AGAIN READING A DUAL NARRATIVE LEAVE ME ALONE) were phenomenal to read. They were two different sides of a coin, but like a good coin. A shiny collectable coin. And they were connected in ways that just made me have the feels. SO MANY FEELS. Yet they weren’t connected in ways that also made me have the feels. (GOSH DARNED SPOILERS). The author played so well with this delicate balance that it really made that ending feel so much more gripping. It made everything feel so much more… important. And it made me empathetic to people whose soul job is killing others. I CANNOT DESCRIBE TO YOU HOW WELL CHARACTERIZATION IN THIS NOVEL WAS, if I could we wouldn’t have needed the novel.  

So please, do it because it will make you a better person (in my eyes and maybe in actuality). Do it because you are intrigued by the topic and about how well-received the book is. DO IT BECAUSE YOU WISH TO APPEASE ME.

I frankly don’t care why you do it, just do it. Read the book. REAAADDDDD IT.

Until Next Time,

At which time you have hopefully read this,

Monica

#scythe #utopia #book review #books #book #comprosedreviews #ya

[eludum-a]

(scheduled to post this around noon on thursday my time.)

as we head into this (american) thanksgiving, a lot of us are gonna be dealing with some Grade A Bullshit: retail work, bigoted relatives, etc. i wasn’t actually gonna do this originally, but then i realized what holiday was coming up right around the time of my blogiversary and i was like... welp. alright. guess we’re doing this then. things lined up too perfectly NOT to, and things can be kinda shitty for people around this time of year, so let’s put a little positivity back into the community! or something like that.

(yes i realize some of the people here are not american. no reason to deny my love tho.)

anyway, onto the callouts!

@ultimatetalentless have i talked about how much i love sin’s hinut lately? his and nanami’s friendship/rivalry (and his and chibot’s unresolved romantic tension) is so much fun to write and it’s so great having an Angst Partner to shoot terrible ideas at. on top of that i love talking to sin out of character and sharing some of the things we come across that remind each other of our muses. 

@mideoku​ julie followed me and the following day, snakes started manifesting physically in my house. i get no peace from them. they follow me home every day and beat me down with a two by four while yelling down with cis. but if we’re being real here julie’s shitposting lights up my dashboard every day for better or worse and theyre actually a really cool person. we’ll fight in pokemon when u catch up to me binch

@steinways​ sarah’s one of my oldest mutuals from all the way back when she just had her mahiru and i?? love sarah?? she’s such a sweetheart and all of her characterizations are so absolutely stellar. 10/10 would sarah again and also she made my theme so. yknow. amazing all around

@ongakuvoices rio’s a special brilliant soul w so much love for their muses and it shows in everything they write... i adore both their ibuki and their nagisa to pieces!! i know theyre gonna go places in life and ill be over here cheering them on from the sidelines, probably holding up some signs with memes on them

@jrco-disd actually i hate seth. nevermind. i’m not doing this

@nullverum​ boss was like one of the first ndrv3 blogs i interacted with long before the game had its official english release. i remember i made a post a while before saying that i thought ouma/nami would be a strange but cute brotp and hell! i was absolutely right in every way. its even funnier upon finding out ou/ma kind of plays the na/nami role just as much as the ko/maeda role in actuality (he’s gotta do both since a CERTAIN SOMEONE gets fridged at the beginning), so they’re surprisingly good (bad, actually) for each other. 

@ayatsurii sparkle’s peko is great ok? best sword girlfriend, would shower her in love and affection and cute things. nanami apparently has a thing for taller, stoic individuals with red eyes who could kick her ass one-handed. (don’t we all tho??) ahem. anyway. would recommend sparkle’s pekpek.

@kibouzuru i know we were mutuals for a while before i got involved with truth syndicate stuff? i feel silly not having interacted with u before because i rly should have. im really glad i got a chance to bc u and ur egg are cool (well, naegi’s a total dork) and now i can have nanami tease leggy and eggy about their relationship. she’s gotta get back at hinata for all those years of short jokes somehow, too bad naegi’s just collateral

@hikaup i remember i was on the lookout for pokemon blogs a while back and i stumbled across ur blog and was like... what the heck, this hikari seems way too cool... and wow!! i was totally right!! i love ur portrayal so much it’s such good shit and chiaki and hikari already have such a good dynamic. i hope chiaki gets to do Spooky Shit with hikari someday (and maybe even hold hands???? lets not get ahead of ourselves here) btw i get whiplash from how often u put out amazing themes

@kibcu

and yes, im gonna be at your basketball game tomorrow. stop telling me about it

@cantalazarus u know how i feel about u. ur smart and funny and talented and ur take on ur muses is So Good and 

@malchancevilain​ watchy is another one of my oldest mutuals and its always great to see their togami on my dash! we’ve been in a few group verses together now and i love seeing how he handles different situations (always with a great degree of salt) and just hanging out ooc! also: greg grimaldis wherever you are you better believe im getting those fifteen dollars back *mic drop*

@seineijashu​ oh.

hey nerd. we havent rly spoken much in a while but im still out here 100% in ur corner and i love everything u do. i know i dont know like anything about Boruto’s Dad like i said (im more a hunter x hunter guy myself,,,) but even if roleplaying opportunities are scarce im still totally down to talk like any time. now if only our time zones would line up. ps theres a secret message hidden here did you see it

@hopefromtheordinary​ it’s so great to see you back in the dr rpc! i loved your komaeda and your kamukura way back when. i love the twin shenanigans you and sin get up to (serious or crack) and i really can’t wait to get more chibot/kamukura stuff going! im excited i hope ur excited too

@gamblingqueen ANOTHER person i’m so glad to see back over here!! u were one of the first people to rly plot with me to any extent ooc and i am very excited to get right back into it! chiaki and celes are such an odd pair, but it’s wonderful to see them interact after they’ve both been brought so low. im over here rubbing my hands together at the speed of light in anticipation

@mxssias if naegi tries to get nanami to watch sword art online with him one more time shes gonna kill him and hide the body in the reserve course grounds. ahem. anyway. alex you’re such a little shit but you’re funny and i love your egg boy even if he’s constantly getting himself into trouble and sacrificing himself like he doesnt have anything better to do. get that boy a better hobby? thanks

and sorry if i forgot anybody! doing these is kind of exhausting for me and i might have gotten a little lazy, but i tried to hit most of the people i’ve been in contact with ooc at least a bit (who have been active within the past week or so).

...

...

.........................

@jrco-disd ok fine fuck you. seth was one of the first people in the fandom to reach out to me and even if he’s often belligerent at me for no good reason (ok, fine, maybe i deserve it) i still really appreciate his friendship and am glad that we can exchange shitty sonic memes with each other. the day we get that sonic forces monster factory is the day we both can die happy, probably after strangling each other

#jnfbhjng i hate how in some of these i talk abt them like theyre not the ones reading this #and in others i address them directly #but im not rewriting this now!! take it or leave it!! #[welcome to my christian minecraft server // ooc] #follow forever

[iwaoiyoonminphan]

JJP Fic Rec

hi! i love jaebum, jinyoung, and most importantly jjp so here’s a fic rec for the ship of the life 

this is hardly a fraction of the quality jjp on ao3, but these are honestly my favourites and the ones i recommend the most! enjoy and join me in jjp hell

sfw (no smut)

1. (why dont you) speak it out loud  by sevencm 

complete/ post college au/ fluff/ 9k

“Imagine that A and B are dating, but person B doesn't voice their feelings much. One day person B is cursed/drinks a truth serum and has to say everything they think about out loud. Person B starts saying 'I love you' and other super cheesy shit to person A every five minutes. Person A enjoys it very much.” 

thoughts: actually the cutest fic to ever exist! the characterization in this fic is so good and i reread it all the time^^

2. Falsettos, Stains, and Drama   by jaenly 

complete/ high school au/ fluff/ 9k 

“It all starts when Jinyoung becomes Juliet Capulet.”

thoughts: ok so like jjp are both in drama club and they end up as romeo and Juliet. actually the cutest ever jaebum was so shy n bashful ///////// n jinyoung was dense as fuck, the ending made me smile so much!    

3. look at me for a sec (don’t be too awkward) by turbrolence(shortiest) 

complete/ hogwarts au/ fluff/ 10k 

“in which a bludger shatters jinyoung's shoulder and jaebum ends up volunteering to feed him breakfast.“

thoughts: so cute!!!!!!!!!! jinyoung is dense as a brick and i loved his interactions with the side characters too, jaebum was s o chivalrous but also dorky and SO ENDEARING this fic makes me want to spontaneously combust honestly 

4. Of douchebags and pretty boys  by schoetheisrealaf 

complete/ asshole au sorta/ fluff and humour/ 7k 

“’Dear Dog Biscuit, Since you seem unable to understand the sign that clearly indicates that this parking space is to be exclusively used by the staff of this facility, I’ll kindly explain it to you again: Until you’re an employee of the state who works his ass off for society only to get shit wages and the worst working hours you CAN’T USE THIS PARKING LOT, SO FUCK OFF! Apart from that, have a nice day. PS.: I hope you don’t have sex for a year. :)’

OR

You steal my parking spot all the time and I was just heading out to leave a strongly worded note under your windshield wiper but oh no you're hot AU Starring Jinyoung the kindergarten teacher and Jaebum the (arrogant yet dorky) business man“ 

thoughts: ok ok so this is so funny n also soft? jinyoung and kids makes me really happy and why is jaebum like this??? hilarious and also so cute rereading this is always fun! 

 5. opportunity cost  by symmetrophic 

 complete/ corporate au/ fluff and humour/ 4k 

“kim yugyeom, 25, is PA to park jinyoung, 29, feared ceo of park powers (this sounds marginally less ridiculous in korean). a lot more intellectually insulting and ghei than it sounds.”

thoughts: this fic is kind of yugyeom centric but its so funny and cute i just couldnt resist ukno!! jinyoung depends on yugyeom so much its cute and also jinyoung screaming over jaebum? the BEST 

6. Always By My Side by bb_bambam 

complete/ soulmates au/ fluff and angst/ 21k 

“Soulmates!AU where after you meet your soulmate, you experience physical pain when you’re apart for more than 12 hours until you both acknowledge that you’re soulmates.Essentially, it takes Jinyoung and Jaebum way longer than it should have to figure out that they’re soulmates.“

thoughts: the softest soulmate au ever! i especially loved how it was set in canonverse bc the emotions were so real n pure! the au setting was very clear and jaebum made me ssso sad 

7. Your Smile Is Sweeter Than (Hot) Chocolate  by bb_bambam 

complete/ coffee shop au/ fluff/ 12k 

“Jaebum brings Youngjae to a coffee shop for some hot chocolate, and they end up getting Jinyoung instead.Basically, the jjp coffeeshop/kidfic mashup au no one asked for.“ 

thoughts: another one from the goddess herself! jinyoung is the best barista and single dad jaebum is so sweet n whipped i loved it so much its just tooth rotting fluff tbh and kid! youngjae im really about to SCRE AM 

8. Topaz by setaxis 

complete/ idol verse/ angst/ 6k 

“Mark loves much the way he does everything else, quietly, unthinkingly. He doesn't know when he fell in love with Jackson. He doesn't think it matters much.

xxx

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz, or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off. I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul.” 

thoughts: ok this is the only main markson side jjp but i included it in this list bc jjp is pretty important here too and the angst hurts so much jaebum is so stupid and jinyoung hurts prepare to cry 

nsfw (w/ smut)

1. Disappear Here by foxxing(gayfantasticfour) 

complete/ detective au/ angst and mystery/ 70k 

“Homicide detective Im Jaebum's career has been steady and his personal life mostly uneventful, until the morning officer Choi Youngjae wakes him up at 3am and he finds out his childhood best friend and ex-partner has been murdered. He takes the case only to watch everything he's ever known slip through his fingers like sand and to finally figure out that sometimes life is all about finding forgiveness.” 

thoughts: this one was an emotional roller coaster! the plot was really intriguing and i cried so hard at the end. the writing was amazing too, as expected of the queen of jjp fanfiction 

2. read you like a magazine by dollyeo 

complete/ college au/ enemies to friends to lovers (!!)/ 42k 

“Ever since Jaebum passed auditions and he didn't, Jinyoung's been hell-bent on hating the guy. Now that they're in uni together, it's like destiny is screwing up all of his plans.”

thoughts: theres no actual smut in this but theres other nsfw-ish content so read at your own risk! this fic has the perfect amount of angst and fluff and ENEMIES TO FRIENDS TO LOVERS AAAAAAA jinyoungs character development was super fascinating n jaebum was so whipped in this i love him 

3. Citation by KingJackson 

complete/ college au/ enemies to lovers/ 115k 

“When the one book he needs for an important term paper has to remain in the campus library, Jinyoung catches the eye of Jaebum, a library assistant.”

thoughts: a fandom classic honestly! jinyoung is such a bitch but soft perfect jaebum loves him anyway its so angsty but also the best gghhhhhh check out the sequel renewal its also SO GOOD 

4. A Certain Romance by foxxing(gayfantasticfour) 

complete/ escort au?/ fluff/ 17k 

“By day, he's a top-rated babysitter. By weekends he's an x-rated escort. These things are generally kept separate, until the day his weekend regular gets his phone number by recommendation and calls for an emergency babysitter. The problem is that Jaebum doesn't know that Junior the escort is also Jinyoung the babysitter.In which Jaebum and Jinyoung know each other in the biblical sense but maybe want to get to know each other, too.“ 

thoughts: also by the queen! jinyoung with kids is the bane of my existence tbh and kid! yugyeom gives me so much feelings bOI jaebum is kind of awkward in this but jinyoung still likes him hehehe i loved this SO MUCH 

5. Compass Calling by sugarbowl 

ongoing/ pirate au/ action and angst and fluff/ 65k rn 

“Prince Jinyoung is destined for a lifetime of luxury, until he's shoved in a trunk and accidentally abducted. Im Jaebum clawed his way out of poverty to captain a pirate ship and... not much else, actually. Jinyoung could be his first real treasure, if Jaebum could just figure out how holding someone for ransom actually works.“

thoughts: cant believe this is the only fic on this list by god (actually just read sugarbowl’s entire ao3) this fic is so beautiful jaebum is kind of dorky and also really cool this fic had me at the edge of my seat all the time AMAZING 

6. The Tiger & The Duke by foxxing(gayfantasticfour) 

ongoing/ sugar daddy au/ angst/ 160k rn 

“Im Jaebum is the richest man in the country under forty, content to mess around and skirt the headlines as a cutthroat businessman and casual playboy. Park Jinyoung is a graduated English Literature major, content with (in Jackson's words) his boring life working at a restaurant and writing poetry. When their worlds collide over a spilled cup of coffee, Jinyoung learns there's a lot more to life than the secrets of his past and the safety of library books.“

thoughts: another one... but this is so good ok at first i was kinda wary bc the ten year age gap but its not very important in the plot and nothing illegal happens lol jinyoung makes me want to PROTECT and jaebum is trying his best ok hes sO anyway its good and ill cry when it ends 

7. muses by comingbackhometoyou

complete/ star trek au/ enemies to lovers/ 120k

“Your dad gave his life for-”

“Yeah, yeah I know,” Jaebum interrupts, voice ringing through the empty bar. “My dad gave his life for Starfleet and died with honors. I’ve heard this story a thousand times before. No offense, but why should it matter to me? Why are you here telling me what I’ve known since I was five years old?”

Jaebum has been running for 16 years when his past finally catches up with him.”

thoughts: this one doesnt have much smut i think just ALMOST smut but anyway i dont even like star trek but this made me so sad jjp love each other so much its beautiful and i love jinyoungs no-nonsense character its so funny and also heart wrenching i dont know this fic just hurts me its wonderful 

i hope you liked my recommendations and enjoyed the fics as much as i did! the jjp fandom is honestly blessed by so many good writers so i hope you find more good work in the tags!! 

#got7 fic rec #fic rec #my fic recs #jjp fic rec #jjp #jj project #park jinyoung #jinyoung #im jaebum #jb #jaebum #got7

[pelagaios-a]

things you should all know about the lightning thief musical and why it was amazing:

they stayed true to the books ( some people may ask me why I say this, well... the movies are nothing like the books )

lots and lots of Luke. like, seriously. Luke was very much present in the musical and it was such a nice change of pace cause these days so many people forget Luke and his story and why he’s so important to the pjo storyline

the characterizations were pretty accurate !!! ( I’m gonna do a writeup on this later ) and not only did we get Annabeth / Percy / Grover but we saw Katie, Silena, and Clarisse as well

for those who couldn’t see it, the musical had little dialogue / plot drive outside song !!! so look forward to that CD coming out since the songs themselves are absolutely amazing and pretty spot on

they reference the other books. at one point theres a joke about “you don’t see a son of Hades or a daughter of Zeus running around now do you?” and the dam jokes are, indeed, present --- among others! ( plenty of humor for adults to which good shit )

there’s this really great song that takes place around the campfire which basically summarizes to “fuck the gods” cause everyone complains about their parent, including our favorite horse man

while the storyline moved very fast, it was also very fluid

theres a song about Thalia and the way they had it acted out honestly made me tear up and Percy’s reply to it was “wait I’m not the only one” which broke my heart because Grover just went “she died”

when Percy first sees Annabeth after he fully wakes up he yells “THATS MY DREAM GIRL !!!” at her then realizes what he said and proceeds to half trip over himself

have I mentioned Luke ??? well, in the end he basically hijacks the tune to Good Kid ( which does have a reprise in Hades ) to tell Percy he’s basically useless then literally stabs him in the back I’m not crying you’re crying

Percy: why does he hate me what did I do? // Mr. D: you were born

[ Luke voice ] protip, if you’re a son of Poseidon and you want to be alone, don’t sit by the lake.

Percy straight up called Grover a furry

the song with Charon actually killed me I want it on repeat for the rest of my life

[ Hades voice ] one does not simply walk out of Hades actual quote

YOU GET !!! BACKSTORIES !!! AAAAH !!!

if that wasn’t Bianca I’ll eat a shoe

Annabeths song ??? literal wonder I am so happy it happened and it really gave something to grab onto for her which I didn’t expect and totally approve of. it also strongly spoke of how she wants to build something permanent without straight up coming out and saying it so tbh really well done

right after the show the twitter dropped a news bomb that suggests a second musical next summer and I screamed ( they also came back on stage after the performance ) 

#reblogs okay #the lightning thief musical #tlt musical #♆ ╱ ❛ ooc. #anyway i can elaborate more but this is all important shit #me: remember when percy was passive aggressively drinking blue gatorade ??? #me to #percy: dejectedly eats a blue marshmallow // me: my son #sally spraying fabreze as gabe walks by like me to #poseidon voice: zeus should have been god of drama // me: snor t s

[eddycurrents]

BPRD: 1946 - Chapter Five & “Bishop Olek’s Devil”

Story: Mike Mignola & Joshua Dysart | Art: Paul Azaceta | Colours: Nick Filardi | Letters: Clem Robins

Originally published by Dark Horse in BPRD: 1946 #5 | May 2008

“Bishop Olek’s Devil” - Originally published by Dark Horse in Hellboy: Free Comic Book Day 2008 | April 2008

Collected in BPRD - Volume 9: 1946 | BPRD: 1946 - 1948

Plot Summary:

The combined Russian and American forces storm Herman von Klempt’s bunker to face his kriegaffen and attempt to stop him from unleashing Hitler’s vampire army back-up plan on America.

In “Bishop Olek’s Devil”, we get the first case and team-up between Bruttenholm and Dr. Eaton, trying to find the whereabouts of legendary grimoire. Wacky hijinks and Lovecraftian nightmares ensue.

Reading Notes:

(Note: Pagination is in reference to the chapter itself and is not indicative of anything found in the issue or collections.)

pg. 1 - The soldiers don’t seem to be doing so great against the kriegaffen. It’s interesting how this story has done an almost complete genre turn into weird war tales with mad science and trying to shoot everything in the face. It’s a testament to the entire creative team that they can make this change.

pg. 2 - That’s a scary amount of vampire tubes.

pg. 3 - Bruttenholm chasing Von Klempt and finding a monkey surprise is funny. And he’s saying, “Master! Master! The intruder!”

pg. 4 - It appears even back then Von Klempt was insane. And the monkey: “Your wish is my command.”

pg. 5 - Varvara certainly acts like a petulant child. Or maybe we’re meant to believe that petulant children act like demons. Also it’s hilarious that she loves the chaos the kriegaffe is causing.

pg. 6 - I love the incredulous look Azaceta gives PFC Clark. The kriegaffe just crushed a Russian soldier and his flamethrower, burst into flames, and is still attacking them.

pg. 8 - It’s always interesting to see Von Klempt, a head in a jar, tout himself as superior to...well anyone.

pg. 10 - Great plan by Clark leading the kriegaffe through the complex to destroy it.

pg. 11 - Nice parallel between the two scenes to spotlight the power outage and the death of the kriegaffe.

pg. 13 - I’m surprised the Sergeant didn’t crack sooner. Also it goes to show you how the average person deals with all of the madness in the Hellboy universe.

Also the monkey is saying: “I will not allow you to ruin my master’s plan!”

pg. 14 - These are definitely a different breed of vampire from the likes of Giurescu and Konig. More bestial, feral. I love the tone of red Nick Filardi gives them to reaffirm their nature.

pg. 16 - Love this page to spotlight the whole predicament that Bruttenholm, and the world, is in. And just how bloody loony Von Klempt is, again.

pg. 18 - It’s interesting to see the selflessness displayed by the Sergeant again. It’s consistent with his characterization earlier and is nice to see him taking responsibility for what happened. 

Also, you’ve got to think that even if the rocket explodes here, there’d be some sort of residual infestation wherever it comes down in Europe. That was exactly what Von Klempt was counting on in America.

pg. 19-21 - Wonderful action, and, despite the explosion, an ambiguous end to everyone remaining on that rocket.

pg. 22 - Varvara’s dolly singed is a nice touch. I think everyone in the bunker was reduced to a crispy critter. Her masquerading as Bruttenholm’s daughter is hilarious.

pg. 23 - Kind of a heavy revelation that Bruttenholm knew about Rasputin as such as early as 1946. It’s a shame that he died in ‘94 before being able to actually share any of this information with Hellboy. You’ve also kind of got to wonder why he didn’t.

pg. 24 - I’m not sure I’d want to be a demon’s favourite human.

pg. 26 - Love the narration and the establishment of a book for them to find. There’s the Ars Goetia as part of the Solomonic magick canon, but this “Dialogus Goetia” is a seeming invention of Mignola or Dysart that serves a similar purpose.

pg. 28 - The current owner of the book definitely seems mad.

pg. 29 - And he seems intent on passing on the cursed aspect of the book’s possession.

pg. 30 - I love these shadowy panels. Azaceta and Filardi do an incredible job to convey the atmosphere of creepiness to the story.

pg. 31 - This starfish thing it terrifying.

pg. 33 - The curious aid of Petrov’s butler and being transported to the seemingly lost crypt of the Bishop is interesting.

Final Thoughts:

Once again in a Hellboy universe tale, and technically several times just within this series, we get a twist in the tale as the story jumps to another genre and yet it doesn’t feel awkward, forced, or unnatural at all. It’s amazing the elasticity of Mike Mignola’s world that it can shift in so many different ways and still come out in an entertaining and compelling way.

Also, I love the straight horror short story to cap off this volume. This kind of Victorian style narration is uncommon amongst Hellboy tales, but it too is a welcome change of pace. It really evokes that style of story well.

d. emerson eddy is not a red vampire.

#Give 'em Hellboy #Hellboy #BPRD #1946 #Mike Mignola #Joshua Dysart #Paul Azaceta #RaisingHellboy #92