#my absolute favourite was one which combined those two tropes

[sitp-recs]

hello liv! thank you for your service to the fandom, i spend such an inordinate amount of time sifting through all your reclists! i’ve been seeing drarry authors do their first line/last line posts for patterns and was wondering how that might pan out for reccers, so i had a question for you— what are some of the fics you find yourself reccing most often, across lists? do they speak to your own tastes? does a pattern emerge through them about the kind of asks you get? you always rec a really diverse range of fics but i do see some recurring favourites cropping up and was wondering if you had thoughts on it!

Thank you for your kind words and for the ask, anon! This was a very interesting way to adapt that ask game to my blog and I appreciate you for including me 💜 I had to take a minute and think about this because despite knowing that I’ve recced some fics over and over across lists, I’ve never stopped to analyze it in detail. Taking a quick look, I’ve tried to identify some patterns and I think these examples offer interesting insights:

1) I Am Not Who I Became and A Sword Laid Aside - two long fics I mention a lot (often alongside each other) because they combine some very popular tropes: recluse & powerful Harry, competent Draco, forced proximity, fast smut + slow emotional burn, D/s undertones

2) Clear as Mud and Unfinished Business are two personal faves I don’t see in rec lists often, they’re more like old-ish hidden gems and I love getting the chance to sneakily include them!

3) Take the Moon and Life goes not Backward: two favourites written by my friends! Funnily enough, they’re both kid fics which is a trope I don’t really care for lol. Reccing friends is one of my biggest pleasures in fandom, I’ve seen a lot of criticism/questioning around it which makes absolutely no sense to me - appreciating each other’s work and finding things in common is what brings us together in the first place 🤷🏻‍♀️

The main reason why I include any fic on a list is because I believe it’s a good fit. I always try to get a sense of what the reader is looking for bc it helps me find the right tone, but it can also get challenging if the request is too vague or too specific. Because I publish lists on demand I try to be as trope agnostic as possible, but at the end of the day I can only rec what I’ve read and enjoyed, so this will always be a subjective process (which I love! Imo rec lists are special and unique exactly because they are personal).

Back to the pattern discussion, I think seeing the same works mentioned on a regular basis reflect not only my own preferences but the ways it matches some emerging trends among the readers who follow me. Now the blog’s been around for a while and I don’t rec as much as I used to, it’s fair to assume that those who stick around have found in my blog similar tastes and fandom approach. In the last couple years I’ve noticed more requests around themes such as powerful Harry, competent Draco, bi and gay awakening, or fics where they take care of each other, bond over shared trauma and redeem or heal together. I think those reading trends are largely influenced by writing trends and vice-versa (especially in the Tumblr bubble!) so in a way we’re all collectively setting those trends and de-constructing or giving new meanings to old perspectives. That’s the true transformative power of fandom! Love that for us 🙌

#wow this got a bit too long #sorry for the rambling there #asks #hopefully I was able to answer it? #lovely anons #thank you! 💜

[akai-anna]

Now for my dear DCMK exchange gift giver. I come with some fic recs and a couple of headcanons for our favourite certified lil guy.

A selection of personal fic recs of the platonic/familial/friendship kind (sprinkled with a bit of romance too). Please note that all these fics come back to one thing: Shinichi/Conan is involved, as he tends to be my main focus (also I'm a huge Found Family trope lover, as you might be able to tell from some of these recs). I also decided to forgo my soulmate AU recs, since it seems you likely know those! (Though, if you'd ever like more fic recs... just let me know. And I hope you'll find one or two on this list that you haven't yet read and you'll like!)

warm soup on a frigid night: Detective Boys centric, my heart melted gosh.

Once and For All: another Detective Boys centric fic, I'M SCREAMING thEY ARE SO PRECIOUS.

A Friend In Need: Kaitou KID centric, really love how organic this fic is, both from KID's and Shinichi's POV.

You Have an Hour: Sonoko's POV and an extremely funny and relatable fic.

You're okay, you're safe: oh, my beloved Sakura Trio, also from Sonoko's POV which I adore, and Sonoko's feelings in this... I feel her.

Switched: KID centric, FREAKING BODY SWAP, and so well written too, very fun read.

Guide you home: I love the Guide/Sentinel universe so much, this has romantic KaiAo, Heizuha, ShinRan, and lots of other platonic combinations, this is also a case fic and emotional.

Identity: One of my favourite scenarios, OCCHAN AND RAN BEING AWARE FROM THE BEGINNING, MY HEART-

Code Red: KOGOROU CENTRIC, let him shine!

The Cloning Secret: do you want to read something absolutely heart-wrenching, disturbing, yet absolutely brilliant? Go no further. We warned: this is a work in progress.

Misconceptions, Illusions, and Lies (and Other Forms of Fair Play): I absolutely adore this fic, the idea of Ran and KID working together, also bonus points for different POVs, also a work in progress.

Shenanigans in Beika: one of my ultimate favourite fic series, off all time, the interactions in this are just way too charming and precious and dear. Also a work in progress.

until the flowers bloom again: same author (yes, one of my favourite authors, sue me) as Shenanigans in Beika, involves the Detective Boys and ShinRan, and my heart just... gosh, this fic is so precious.

Hidden Epidemic: I love the first part the most, but this as a whole has a lot of headcanons incorporated into it that I love to bits. Lots of POV changes, and so many characters (Detective Boys, Heiji, Kazuha, KID, Ran and so on)

pet: super short, but also SUPER CUTE, absolutely in love with the idea of Ai having a cat. (one of my favourite authors for the fandom)

(the space between) where you smile and hide: one of the very few and precious Kazuha POV fics, especially her thinking about Shinichi. (also one of my favourite authors, and if you like one Hattori Heiji, I highly rec holly's other fics too)

Observations: my ultimate favourite fic involving Takagi Wataru, part of it is from his POV too, and it has so many great things about it. (VERMOUTH!!! Also Heiji and Satou working together! And most importantly: Takagi finally getting an answer to his Question.)

All Night Gang: I ADORE THIS FIC SO SO SO MUCH, THE FACT THAT KAZUHA AND RAN GET TO FINALLY KNOW. Also the adorable chatting in the first part. All the different POVs later on. And all the FEELINGS AND HEADCANONS AND THE THING THIS FIXES ABOUT CANON FOR ME. I'M so grateful for the existence of this fic.

Nothing To Lose: Detective Boys, PRECIOUS CHILDREN, they just miss their friend, this fic made me so emotional, dammit. SHINICHI YOU FCKIN IDIOT-

Family of the heart: God. This fic. THIS FIC. I LOVE PARENTAL MOURI KOGOROU WITH A PASSION.

never were and not anymore: this series? Damn. The shapeshifter concept in it is MARVELOUS AND MASTERFUL. The way it got merged into the universe, and how it changed events. Also THE RELATIONSHIPS IN THIS KILL ME in the best way.

Scion: I absolutely adore this author, and this is one of my ultimate favourite fics involving Shinichi and KID. The supernatural element is so exquisitely fitting into the universe, and how Shinichi's feelings are so complex, and the teamwork... just. Everything about this fic pulls at my heartstrings.

As for personal headcanons for Shinichi/Conan, here is a few:

Shinichi/Conan is neurodivergent as fck. I personally like to think he is on the autism spectrum, but I'm very flexible on the exact nature. One thing for sure: he is not neurotypical. At. All.

HE'S A CERTIFIED PENCIL BITER YOUR HONOUR!!! (IT'S NOT EVEN A HEADCANON AT THIS POINT- *GETS HIT*)

No one can tell me, No One, that after all these traumatic experiences this child doesn't experience panic attacks or PTSD.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE STOPPED PLAYING SOCCER, HE LOVES SOCCER!! (The kids are totally the reason he got more involved in soccer again, YOU HEAR ME-)

Shinichi keeping gloves on his person for Crime Scene Examination Purposes, At All Times.

Shinichi having his own shorthand, you cannot tell me he doesn't TAKE NOTES, he so totally WOULD. (HE HAS A NOTEBOOK ON HIM!!! AND SOMETHING TO WRITE WITH!!! OFC HE WOULD HAVE AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO TAKE NOTES!!!)

Thank you for your attention, may you have a blessed day, darling!

#la junk talks #detco posting #in a way #and also #manga #detective conan #for that one page #fanfic #bc this includes recs #and since this is related #dcmk exchange #this took longer than expected bc i went overboard again. someone pls tell me how to do casual...

[saintsenara]

What are your guilty pleasure tropes?

thank you for the ask @sarafina-sincerity!

forced proximity of any kind

i've answered specifically about one example of this - marriage law fics - here, but the main trope i'm a slut for is absolutely, one hundred percent, without a doubt anything which requires two people who don't want to have to spend time together having to spend time together. with sexy results.

enemies-to-lovers

let's all be honest, one's emotional investment in one's enemy is often more profound than in one's friend. let's also be honest, people become enemies because they have things in common. combine those similarities with the emotional investment? sexy results.

narrative mirror pairings

unsurprisingly, there's often quite a lot of overlap between this and the above. the harry potter series loves assigning its characters to narrative pairs whose roles in the story are the mirror images of each other, but whose personalities, dreams, desires, experiences, motivations etc. are often very similar. and the narrative mirror pairings which fall under this category are always exceptional: harry potter/tom riddle; draco malfoy/ron weasley (getting slept on because of drarry); sirius black/severus snape and so on... sexy results.

magical worldbuilding which feels magical

a lot of fan-fiction falls into one (or both) of two categories: it deals with considerably darker or drier topics (especially when it comes to thinking about how the wizarding state actually works and/or how it changes after voldemort's death) than the canon series; and it serves as a vehicle for the author to talk about aspects of muggle culture they enjoy (this is particularly the case in marauders fics and it drives me mad - none of those children have heard a single piece of cool music in their lives).

but the canon series feels so magical because the worldbuilding is incredibly whimsical, even in the darker later books. something is lost, i think, when wizarding clothing isn't ostentatious and colourful, or wizarding hobbies aren't exaggerated pastiches of muggle hobbies, or wizarding houses are devoid of eccentric kitchen appliances which talk back to you, or all wizards are immediately familiar with the muggle world. i can't express how much i respect it when authors invent their own radio plays or wizarding bands or children's toys.

and that whimsy can exist with a look at deep topics - indeed, it does frequently in one of my favourite literary genres: golden age detective fiction. in fact, i think it makes the dark themes and how they're being interrogated stand out all the clearer. which brings me to my next point...

allowing the characters to be funny

by this i don't mean crack fics - although crack treated seriously is definitely a trope i adore - but finding space for the fact that almost all of the main characters in the series - all the way along a spectrum from the main trio, to ginny, to sirius, to dumbledore, to snape, to voldemort (he's so camp! lean into it!) - are extremely funny, even when in serious situations or discussing serious things.

unfortunately, it is all too common to find - especially in things dealing with the immediate aftermath of either war - that everyone is in their widow's weeds and speaking like they've swallowed a psychology textbook. but actually, harry and ron aren't going to be sitting down for a deep and meaningful using all sorts of 'i feel' statements. they're going to be chatting shit.

[there's a bit of unsolicited advice here, which can, like all unsolicited advice, of course be ignored: this sort of therapy-speak, every-emotion-is-articulated conversational style is something which immediately gives away an author as american (generally, the sort of emotional openness which, in the usa, indicates authenticity will be read as the opposite in the uk - being very earnest is typically perceived as rude, expressing your emotional reaction to everything as fake). if you're looking for a way to make your writing sound more british, the best thing you can do is read ron, and see - as @whinlatter says in this post about him - that his sense of humour isn't evidence of immaturity or an unwillingness to confront tough topics, but evidence that he's the most emotionally mature of the trio. by quite some distance.]

ron and dumbledore being allowed to be real people

i loathe ron and dumbledore bashing. let my kings live.

and let ron be madly in love with hermione. his final form is wife guy.

redemption

i am a villain enjoyer, and i think there's nothing wrong with liking characters who remain unambiguously, unrepentantly evil.

what i like rather less is the idea that villains don't have traits, emotions, experiences, and motivations which aren't anything other than similar to the good guys.

and what i like least of all is the idea that there are some people who are so divergent from the good guys that they are unworthy of one of the most sincerely magical human abilities: the ability to redeem oneself.

yes, even draco malfoy, even snape, even voldemort. unless all of us are capable of redemption then none of us are. this is an important lesson to learn.

how these people redeem themselves, how redemption is complex and painful, how they atone, how they cope with the unmooring experience of forgiveness, how they take to their second chances, and how they stumble on the way are the topics of some of the best fics i have ever read, and i will never get free of the chokehold.

#asks answered #asenora on writing

[whxre4hange]

aot characters + bubble tea headcanons :D

eren

i can’t really imagine him liking it

he probably stole a few sips from mikasa

secondhand kisses from straws trope :D

“why are there soggy little balls floating in my drink????”

LMAOOOOO IM NOT GONNA MAKE THAT INTO A DIRTY JOKE I SWEAR

mikasa

brown sugar latte + pearls 

also caramel milk tea with pearls

goes for the classic flavours that everyone likes

is vvv safe with her orders, doesn’t choose anything outlandish :D

shares with eren :D

armin

probably chooses drinks that only older asian parents get

always 25% sugar and 25% ice

healthy icon >:D

i would hazard a guess at taro milk tea with pearls as his favourite flavour :D

doesnt drink it often, its probably like a treat type thing

jean

this lanky manchild chooses the most childlish flavours

mango lemon smoothie with popping pearls please! 

the 5 year old kid with the exact same order: O-O

connie

CONNIE IS IN A COMPETITION WITH JEAN: WHO CAN CHOOSE THE MOST CHILDLISH FLAVOUR? FIND OUT IN ATTACK ON BOBA!

sparkling strawberry yakult smoothie with 5 helpings of grape popping balls

shit that sounds really good tho-

marco

the third competitor in the immature boba tea flavour context

and somehow he wins

you know those tiktoks where people only order toppings and nothing else?

thats him

but he gets those toppings

orders a maccas ice cream (if the machine isnt broken)

and he pours the ice cream into the toppings

….and then adds macdonalds nuggets

NOM NOM CRUNCH CRUNCH BIIITCH

no one can tell if he genuinely likes it or if hes just tryna out-gross the bois

sasha

bro boba is pricy af

sasha ain’t paying for it 

(she steals it off connie and jean and marco)

a boba menace !!!!

^ that was my nickname in high school

kidding

or am i? 

has a whole ass notes page in her phone rating all of the different flavours 

ranks them all in the most chaotic way possible

in the end, she’d much prefer a proper meal to boba

but she won’t say no to boba everrr

levi

sike u thought

u think this man would ever TOUCH something that, in his words, were a ‘blasphemy’ to the art of tea? 

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA

but does he steal hanji’s just for a teensy little taste?

yeah

poor levi…

hanji

speaking of which

hanji has made it her personal mission to taste every single flavour of boba

with every single topping combination there is in mankind

boba is a lifestyle, not a drink - hanji 2021

her two favourites are lychee black tea with sakura (cherry blossom) jelly + plum green tea with rainbow jelly and black pearls

she always asks for extra sugar on top of the maximum sugar level

cue sugar-buzzed hanji :D 

erwin

i am so sorry in advance for this

at first i was gonna say smth like ‘oolong jasmine tea with black pearls’

something classic yknow

but i gave it further thought and just

he’s definitely choosing the most outlandish, childlish flavours thatll make any sane person puke

he’s the black horse in the ‘most immature boba flavour’ competition

may i please present erwin’s ‘trademark’: oreo yakult smoothie crush with orange flavoured popping balls?

im gagging as i write it but honestly it sounds like one of my period cravings so…yeah

edit: added historia + ymir 

@p4latinus for reminding me and for coming up with historia’s signature drink!! :)

historia

okay well she definitely has a sweet tooth

i can see her really enjoying the brown sugar/caramel milk teas

the really rich, sugary flavours that only the bravest can stand *dramatic music plays*

her signature drink (inspired by @p4latinus !!) is brown sugar creme brulee, with extra sugar :D

she lowkey has the hugest sugar high after it

bouncing around the room while ymir runs after her 

ymir

absolutely hates bubble tea

get that shit away from her

roses are read, violets are blue, if you give her boba, you’ll end up in it too*

*unless you’re historia

historia came up to ymir once with her signature brown sugar creme brulee with big puppy dog eyes

“CMON YMIR JUST A SIPPPPP”

[insert ray william johnson singing “JUST THE TIPPP”]

anyways

where was i?

ymir growls and grumbles for a few hours

(the drink be gettin stale)

but finally caves cause she is #weak

and also a raging lesbian for historia

ANYWAYS I DIGRESS

she takes the sip and immediately wants to die

why is there so much fucking SUGAR 

was this made by a fricking toddler or smth?

but when she looks at historia’s excited face she forces herself to finish the drink and smile

“Yeah, it’s great...! :D” 

and historia is so happy that ymir likes it that now she  always orders ymir a drink to match with hers

so now ymir is stuck drinking this sugary ass drink at LEAST twice a week

is she gonna say anything bad tho?

no

#ymir and historia forever                           

     >>hope u enjoyed! comment who u want to see in part 2. as always, likes, reblogs and comments are encouraged and appreciated 💌                              

#armin aot #armin fluff #attack on titan #aot #aot brainrot #aot fluff #hanji fluff #hange zoe #erwin fluff #levi fluff #levi ackerman #jean kirschtein fluff #mikasa #eren aot #snk #sasha braus #connie x y/n #connie springer #marco bodt fluff #marco bott

[oaxleaf]

mag 117 - testament

if i were to rank all the episodes of tma, this would no doubt be in the top ten, maybe top five. i'm the kinda person who tends relistens to my favourite parts of things rather than the whole thing, and i have listened to this a good ten times. thus, expect this to be stupidly long

jon is showing a somewhat uncharacteristic display of spiteful self-destruction here, hoping that elias' plan doesn't work. he definitely has tendency to be spiteful and bitter, and as is pretty clear he doesn't exactly value his own life and safety very highly, but it's not very often those two traits are combined. what is significantly more characteristic, though, is extreme feelings of responsibility (which inevitably leads to guilt)

jon choosing to trust the others is one of my absolute favourite scenes throughout the whole show. there is such an emphasis on how the choices we don't know we make can end up destorying us, a sort of butterfly effect, but this is a total different type of choice. very deliberate, and something that is actually good for him. even before his breakdown he wasn't exactly a trusting person, so, like i have pointed out before in other posts, it's only really this trauma that drives him to this development

basira here has an odd type of self-realization. she finally snaps out of the type of mindless apathy she's been in for so long, the one that makes her bury herself in a book and ignore the world. she is so so close to understanding her flaws and comabtting them, since she does actually take more action from here on forward. yet, she does seem to miss the core of her issues, which is her unwillingness to be in anyway sentimental about or look deeper into things. she'll keep on moving with the same straight focus and practicality, something that will save her in the short hand but holds her back more and more as she is directly faced with more morally complex situations that she can't us logic or rationality to get out of

melanie is, in quite a few ways, pretty similar to tim here. a mixture of anger and depression and slowly giving up that really manages to capture me. i find a lot of relatable things in how she seems so used to things, but that doesn't make her less angry. just because she's been scrabbling and being trampled at the bottom of the ladder her whole life doesn't make things hurt less

she does, however, seem to try and find an identity beyond that. something which is really hard when the whole world seems to be against you. she tries to go beyond her anger and bitterness, and i think that is why she chooses to tell jon about her trip to india. she's not being compelled, after all, and has no actual reason to tell him. i think she just wants to try being vulnerable. at the end though, she retreats back to herself, defensive as always - a pattern she's repeated many times

martin really is on the verge of breaking. just like jon, he is someone who really prefers action to doing nothing, even if that's a trait he represses for a long time. here, for once, he gets to be independent. i think the most interesting parts of this are displayed in the next episode

daisy remains practical and uninterested as ever. even basira indulges jon in the tape recorders, but daisy never becomes all that captured with them. which i think is also part of why she makes such a good companion to him later on, but that's another tangent. simply, she acknowledges it but has zero interest in venting to it

the 'i have a feeling i'm not coming back from this' trope is one i always go feral for. it hurts so much but it's so good. tim has already pretty much given up here and there isn't much more to say about it. it's bitter and painful and we all know the end is near. i think the most interesting part is that, near the end, tim presents jon with a proper, head-on moral dilemma: will he have the guts to do what it takes? a question that sort of becomes meaningless when in the end jon is stuck in the unknowing and tim takes action into his own hands, but an interesting question nontheless. would he be able to do it?

and, finally, to me, jon burning gerry's page reads like a final act of rebellion before jon 'officially' looses his humanity to the eye post-unknowing. i don't think he would have been able to burn that page after waking up from his coma

#tma #a mag a day #mag 117 #jonathan sims #basira hussain #melanie king

[ravenmold]

How do you go about picking which fic to read next?

I've decided I'm going to take this opportunity to rant about my favourite AO3 tags some. And also about how a great summary can absolutely sell a fic.

So I've got two modes, as I'm sure most of us fanfic readers have: reading and rereading. Rereading I do a LOT of, I've got so many comfort fics, and the mood for them strikes when I'm stressed or when I'm having a normal Thursday and suddenly the memory of that one specific moment surges up and I have to go find it again (this is a lie my brain tells me. I will read the whole thing again - granted it's under 150k words).

But for new stuff?? Hmm, here follows a few of my favourite things:

For fic authors I'm not familiar with:

General fic things: A nice name. Bonus points if I find out several chapters in that it connects thematically with the plot! No Archive warnings - I'm not the biggest fan of character death etc. If you know me, this doesn't come as a surprise, I like my fics like I like my pets. Fluffy and exciting and comforting. (I will not expand on this simile any more because I realize now it has some major flaws) A sweet spot for words would be >10k and <80k. Not necessary for it to be finished, but I do tend to check finished fics first.

Tags that would definitely reel me in: mutual pining, temporary amnesia, slow burn, fake/pretend relationship, royalty or historical au, time travel/time loops, identity porn, marriage of convenience, workplace au's for some reason, epistolary, kid fic (DONE RIGHT), cheesy romcom crossovers, future fics/time skips, used to date/exes (this is a big one), space operas/sci fi au's, magic and crossovers with other pairings I like. Yeah I guess I like putting my Guys into Situations, no surprise there. Also zombie or apocalypse fics can be fun, if they're not too heavy on the angst. Unless I write it myself.

Summaries: This is the main thing that catches my eye. Probably also not unique there 😂 I like when they're more than two sentences and actually set up the tone and the inciting incident of the fic pretty well. I love a "quirky" premise, if you're like "so character A got cursed to be forgettable and the entire plot happens because of this" I'd be like Hell Yeah I wanna see how that happens!! 😂 I do also like when summaries, combined with the tags, give me an idea of at least like 80% of the fic. I'm not the biggest fan of when an author considers it spoilers if they drop hints about more than the first two scenes. That's what makes fic different from just picking up a random book, imo, and I like to know what I'm in for. That's why I also expect the focus of the summary to be the focus of the fic's main plot. I only find this out later, of course, but we're talking ideal circumstances here.

For fic authors I know/enjoy:

Honestly, same as above but if you manage to hit any one or two elements I'd be interested. I follow a few authors, but not a ton, as I tend to forget to unsub when they move on to new fandoms and then I just live with the emails on random pairings I get 😅

Overall, how I choose new reading material is usually by seeing if my new hyperfixation has my preferred tropes and tags. And by being intrigued by an interesting summary and setup. Once I've worked through all of those, I'll go through the bookmarks of people who've read and enjoyed my favourite fics, and then I've pretty much never dried up on content so far.

Thanks for the ask! This has been really fun to talk about. And I can look back on it in a few and see if my tastes have changed through the years 😊

#fanfic #fandom culture #asks #inkforhumanhands #asks?? in MY inbox?? more likely than you think #ao3fic #ao3

[leyswhumpdump]

Whumpmas in July #1: (Re)introduce Yourself

❤️: I’m Ley and I’m an avid writer and reader of whump. I stole the specific layout of the Whumpmas template from @oddsconvert​!

💛: She/her pronouns

💙 (Favourite season): Early to mid autumn is objectively the best time of year. Not too hot, not too cold, and loads of pretty colours.

❤️ (Average amount of sleep): Currently it’s like 6 hours on a work night. My brain just rolls dice to decide how many I get at the weekend.

💛 (Dream job): Full-time published author.

💙 (Blog established): 23rd April, 2022.

❤️ (Reason for URL): Idk. It’s a place where I dump my whump?

💛 (Favourite whump tropes): Captivity, restrained / muzzled / gagged, unconscious or semi-conscious, minor permanent body modification (I especially love the whumper branding / tattoing their mark on the whumpee), feral / hissy kitten whumpee, a caretaker who’s out of their depth, two or more whumpees, plushie whump, soft comfort, caretaker bathing whumpee. I like it when whumpees and caretakers have very intimate platonic relationships. Non-con tropes have grown on me, but I would prefer to read those rather than write them.

💙 (Projects you’re working on): I’m currently writing a superpowered lab whump series, which I’m hoping to start posting at some point this month or next. And I’ve been working on an offline rewrite to Hidden Ink but it’s seen no progress in ages.

❤️ (Favourite colour): Absolutely depends on context. I think I vibe more with colour combinations than specific colours. Blue and orange, black and pink, that sort of thing. I have a special weakness for bright, blocky primary colours as well. But if I absolutely had to pick just one colour, I’d go with a purplish blue.

💛 (Anything else you’d like to add): I’m always up for saying hi to new people, so feel free to DM or send asks or whatever really. And feel free to give me a poke if you’ve written anything that makes heavy use of the tropes I listed!

#whumpmas in july #whumpmasinjuly #day 1

[erstwhilesparrow]

If you don't mind doing more, can I request 1, 3, 7, & 12 for the fannish asks?

oh reyni, yes, i love to talk, i do not mind doing more at all!!

1: What’s your favourite canonical character dynamic, and why do you like it?

oh god, i have to choose a favourite? i suppose i can narrow it down to fandoms we have in common, in which case it's absolutely suwa and ayame. it's. interesting that it's a good relationship for both of them, but some of the distance between them is also necessary for that benefit to exist in its entirety? like. they don't really know each other that well when we actually see them in the show. they connect on such a visceral level by the end that it kind of bypasses the awkwardness of that, but i think it's good for ayame that she has someone who is willing to and going to care about her but also is going to be extremely insistent about believing the things he believes in without (much) concern for her opinion of it. an entity distinct from her against which she can shape herself. i might be projecting. and it's good for suwa that ayame has been enough of an independent person for long enough separate from him that protecting her doesn't strictly need to be a concern all the time? i get the impression that suwa is comfortable with that slight distance, and with having a positive relationship regardless of that. does that make sense?

3: Have you ever made (or deliberately sought out) a new food after hearing about it in a story?

i haven't! i think it's an unfortunate combination of [not really reading stuff where food is described in such a way that i want to eat it] and [not having much personal interest in trying new foods]. which is kind of funny, considering how much i like the [characters share a meal and it's symbolic of their mutually-caring relationship] trope in fic.

7: Do you have a favourite unfinished fanfic?

ough.... it's gotta be one of the naruto ones. "kakashi gets his shit together in time to realize how much team 7 is both deeply fucked up and also full of potential and then the four of them train stupid hard together, bond, and absolutely wreck shop" is such an oddly specific type of fic but i fucking adore it, i will just eat it up. this does also mean i get the ones i've read confused a lot, lemme check ao3...

okay i'm cheating by picking the third work in a series that already has two completed longfics, but it's gotta be How to Make a Team by Pleasedial123, right? it's just. waugh. every now and then i just have to bury myself in a really good multi-chapter naruto fic for my health, and this is apparently the first of those that i've bookmarked.

12: What’s a piece of media you think is very fun and enjoyable that is critically panned?

okay i'm not allowed to say minecraft youtube series double life i don't think it's actually 'critically panned' whatever that means in this case

i... really don't know. i've been thinking about this for like eight minutes. if i could flip my head upside down like an owl to consider this question from a new angle, i would. oh well, 2 out of 4 for fun answers is not bad :P

#chattering sparrow #i love to talk and specifically i love to talk at you :] #so thank you!!

[tired-beholding-bitch]

Hey! I've been looking for new TMA fics to read and I was wondering if you have any recs? Or even fics that you swear up and down are the best of the best? Angst, fluff, anything works! Thanks!!!

ooof sorry it took me a while to get back to you, this was a Request ahdkddfj

be aware that I’m pretty new here still and have not read as much as most, so mainly my recs are compiled from what other people have sent my way (in case you find them all under the tag “fic rec” if you wanna take a look at those as well!), which means there are quite a few fics in here that you probably already read because like. most people probably already read them y’know. however they’re very much still worth recommending.

and that’s why i divided this into three parts so you can peruse at leisure, after all I’m nothing if not efficient. ✨

(spoiler: this fic rec is actually not efficient in the least it’s kind of a mess 🙃 there are literally so many more fics I love that aren’t here but I tried to mix and match a bit of everything!)

wips

I realised I have exclusively recced completed fics before - probably because I don’t read many wips in general HOWEVER I do like to keep up with fandom comings and goings and since you asked for some new fics, wips seem fitting as well! these are all the ones I’m currently following:

| northwest 6 to gale 8. rain. poor, occasionally good. (by chewsdaychillin) - ~17k (4/?), hand-wavey timeline AU in which Jon isn’t in a coma when Martin’s mother passes and he helps him through it, angsty but so unbelievably sweet. this fic fills me with a tenderness that I cannot put into words, it’s so well-written and so delicately beautiful and yet it does not shy away from the harder parts of grief it’s breathtaking. beware the cws for this one because the themes get kind of heavy but. it’s so worth it.

| Time to spin a web of his own (by merperson1) - ~5k (2/4), a web!Martin fic!!! it’s so lovely!!! I scream about this fic on here every time there’s an update but. let me just do it some more it’s just so genuinely good and the characterisation for them is one of my absolute favourites in general, it’s fantastic.

| And they were sidekicks (oh my god, they were sidekicks) (by arthureameslove) - ~29k, ongoing series, this is a superhero sidekick au that brings me an unordinate amount of happiness with every update. I smile like a fool for two days following every new part it’s so precious and the writing is fantastic as well, super cute, definitely give it a read if you haven’t yet!

| where you’ve been stuck and where you’re going (by confused_android) - ~23k (3/6), a coffeeshop/android!au which. there was not a chance in hell i wouldn’t read this because it combines perfectly two guilty-pleasure tropes of mine and let me tell you I do not regret a thing. this is wonderfully written, the world-building and the premise are super interesting, and it’s so sweet. just. I love this fic with my whole heart.

| One for the Memory (by LadyNikita) - ~46k (7/12), time-travel fix-it fic!!! likewise a fic I scream about every single time there’s an update because GOD the feelings. it’s beautifully written and the concept behind the time-travel dynamics is so cool, this story gives me life even while I suffer

completed longfics

| Knowledge is Power (but Love won’t Hurt) (by SupposedToBeWriting) - ~156k (31/31), this is a No Powers But Yes Leitners AU and it’s the fic you don’t know you need until you get it and it’s everything you wanted and more. Jon has a daughter and works at a library, the writing is DELIGHTFUL, features a healthy dose of Gerry as well, I’m sure it’s unlikely you haven’t read this but. worth re-reading multiple times anyways I sure did.

| Kith and Kin, Hearth and Home (by Ostentenacity) - ~21k (7/7), the premise of this is that after the Great Elopement Proposition of mag 154 Jon decides to blind himself anyways and ends up in another coma so. mind the tags on this one. it is however wonderfully written, and features mostly a ton of Daisy/Martin friendship as they bond over being kind of a mess and caring about one (1) idiot and it’s just. so sweet. so tender. i love this fic so much

| rewind. play. eject. (by boredshyandbi) - ~40k (7/7), time-travel/groundhog day fix-it, I do have a soft spot for time loops but GOD this story is everything. “please give this poor man a break” is a tag and it’s really accurate but it’s. yes. yes just read it if you haven’t trust me. I have so many feelings about it it’s unreal

| Full, Riotous Bloom (by BigTed) - ~67k (13/13), s2-ish Hanahaki AU, do I even need to recommend this? I don’t know but you bet I am, this is the best Hanahaki I have read of anything ever and I’m a simp for it so I’ve read. a lot of it. a Classic, this makes me want to scream no matter how many times I re-read it, the writing is so beautiful as well it’s just. GOD THIS FIC it makes me go feral

| Ninety Feet to Home (by acethetically/judesstfrancis) - ~33k, as it’s been presented to me: the baseball au fic, I said it before and I’ll say it again you won’t expect to get so invested in a sport you know absolutely nothing about but you will, this is such an adorable fic I was losing my shit for the entirety of reading it. excellent 10/10 it’s a safe bet.

completed one-shots/short multichapters

| thing’ll be going my way after today (by Did) - ~5k, completed series, this is a lovely little series with trans!jonmartin and it focuses especially on Martin’s experience and it’s just. incredibly sweet and cute, it’s just an adorable read and a bit more lighthearted than some of the others on this rec!

| let’s get married (i don’t wanna walk alone) (by booksandchocolatecake) - ~4k, Upton House fic that made me cry actual tears, definitely putting it on here because it seems a little lesser known and it’s a PITY alright, this is adorable and bittersweet and just. a lovely read it needs more love

| Homecoming (by BigTed) - ~3k, post-canon, this has been recommended to me as a mend-your-heart kind of fic and I read it for the first time two hours after listening to mag 200 so I’m incredibly emotionally attached to it and I will share it til the day I drop dead, it’s a must-read, absolutely wonderful

| and they keep not letting go (by rainny_days) - ~9k, Scottish Safehouse period series, these are some of my faves safehouse fics!!! love them so much, this series is so sweet and it has some great moments, it was one of the first safehouse ones I read and it really stuck with me!

| creatures of habit (by Ostentenacity) - ~8k, a lovely daemon AU series! since earlier this evening I have in fact been violently reminded I’m obsessed with daemon AUs it seemed fitting to recommend this one because it’s really great, it has some amazing concepts and premises and it’s just all in all a great combo of sweet and angsty

| Inseparable (by voiceless_terror) - ~10k, I read childhood friends AU and I’m gone alright. so this is exactly what happened with this fic and I do not regret anything I keep this so close to my heart, it’s so well-written, the pacing is fantastic and it’s also overall just. the sweetest thing. a bit sad but the sweetest thing nonetheless it makes me so happy.

| hold (by lipsstainedbloodred) - ~1.8k, I cry every time I read this. that’s it that’s my comment for this. cathartic.

it ended up being more of a “tired’s favourites” rec but! hope you’ll enjoy these! <3

#tired answers #tired recs #tma #fic rec #monday recs for the soul #what better than some good fucking fics to start the week am i right #and these are all absolutely WONDERFUL many thanks to everyone featured they give me so much joy #usual disclaimer if you'd like to be mentioned by your tumblr @ just hmu! probably either didn't know it/wasn't sure if you'd like the tag #but yeah it's easily fixed <3 #thanks again for the request i love doing fic recs! #can you tell i find one author i like and proceed to read everything they've ever written #yes it's a lifestyle #god i have so many more in my to-be-read list and just. so many more in general to go through this doesn't even begin to cover it #i tried to limit myself also so. yeah #eventually i'll manage to make proper themed ones so i dont feel quite so much like i'm floundering

[bucky-at-bedtime]

Stucky Fic Recs

So basically I went through all of my ao3 bookmarks and collated a list of some of my favourites (I couldn't fit all of them on this list, so if anyone shows interest there might be a part two).

Please read tags and descriptions of the works before reading, some of them are pretty dark or extremely horny so just make sure you check that the fic is for you!!

Please please please send me your favourite fics in return! I am always happy to hear fic recs, headcanons and any other ideas/comments you all have!

Without any further ado, here are a few of my favourite Stucky fics:

‘Not Easily Conquered’ series by dropdeaddream, WhatAreFear

Rating: M, Words: 117,692

https://archiveofourown.org/series/115516

“I told you, you heard me: I told you never to follow me into Hell. Now I’m not vain enough to think that’s why you’re out here now — if there’s any person in what’s left of this God forsaken planet who’s part of a bigger picture, it’d be you. But I’ll keep saying it until it sticks. You got nothing to prove. I’m not worth much, I damn well know that, but I’ll ask you anyway: Stay for me. If you leave me alone in this world I’ll turn into something terrible. I’ll turn into the nasty creature that’s growing inside me. This war, it’ll swallow me whole”

[To me, this fic is like the classic Stucky 101 fanfic – if you're a Stucky fan and you haven't read this, I highly recommend it. The authors explore the Steve/Bucky relationship in such an interesting, tragic, emotive way and I cry every time I read it. I couldn't praise this work enough.]

‘Ain’t No Grave’ series by spitandvinegar

Rating: M-E, Words: 131,789

https://archiveofourown.org/series/426577

"Yeah, he never calls me by my name," Steve says. "It's always champ, ace, hotshot, that kinda thing."

"Man, that is flirting," Sam says. "That nicknames thing, he is flirting with you. He's just working his way up to calling you baby or something."

Steve goes redder than a damn coke can. Sam pumps his fist. "Yes, I am so right, I am wise as hell. He did, didn't he?"

"He called me sweetheart," Steve says grimly, "because he's a drug addict with brain damage."

"Or because he looooooves you," Sam says. Captain America throws a cookie at his head. Sam eats it, because he deserves a treat for being so damn wise.”

[I'm currently re-reading this fic and absolutely loving it. The way spitandvinegar writes Bucky's road towards recovery and Steve's entire characterisation – it's all just so good. It's another one that covers some pretty dark themes, so make sure you're checkin those tags!]

'Einherjar' by thecommodore_squid

Rating: M, Words: 71297

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7157024/chapters/16249814

But Steve was fine.

Sure, he hadn’t seen Bucky in months, and sometimes he was at the punching bag so long that his skin started to peel off to expose the bones of his fingers, and sometimes he couldn’t find the energy to drag himself out of bed, and sometimes he went weeks without sleeping, and sometimes he thought about throwing himself head-first off the nearest tall structure, but he was fine.

He was absolutely, perfectly, one-hundred percent, fucking fine.

AKA In which Steve learns how to deal with his shit, and Bucky learns how to stop leaving.

[basically the definition of a recovery fic, I absolutely adore it. This is tragic and amazing and makes me cry and smile. It’s got a bunch of fantastic cameos and It really just ticks so many of my boxes.]

‘Like real People do’ by 2bestfriends

Rating: E, Words: 67,775

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19887376/chapters/47103217

“"Ask me what?" demands Bucky. "I didn't hear a question."

Steve licks his lips. "Will you stay with me? Will you come back home, Buck?"

"Home," repeats Bucky in a small voice, and then he's crying for real.”

[Basically soft lumberjack!steve and lonely twink!bucky being horny and in love. This is a comfort fic for that’s really just about my favourite boys falling in love.]

‘This City Bleeds it’s Aching Heart’ by anonymous

Rating: E, Words: 34,537

https://archiveofourown.org/works/835829/chapters/1591736

“The one where Steve and Bucky pose as a happily married couple while on a mission for SHIELD, to catch an international arms dealer hiding in a suburban neighbourhood.”

[The plot in this one is just a good time and i think it’s just a really fun take on the fake relationship trope. Also some really great characterisation.]

‘Home is Wherever I’m With You’ by cydonic

Rating: E, Words: 88,570

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18868081/chapters/44783077

“Bucky kisses Steve and Emma goodbye before they leave for school, which is why – partway down the road – Amelia turns to him and asks, “why are you and Daddy kissing?”

Which is definitely a conversation Bucky’s been expecting since Steve just did it, but it still takes him by surprise. Again, he thinks he should wait for Steve, but Amelia’s not the sort of kid to let anything rest. Plus, Bucky’s taking her to school where she will undoubtedly share the story with anyone who’ll listen.

He also stops to think that Steve’s asked him to stay, which means Bucky must be trusted with their happiness and well-being, at least in some small capacity.

Bucky clears his throat and searches for some explanation that will help Amelia make sense of this sudden turn of events. “Because we love each other,” is all he comes up with.”

[Bear with me, this is a House Flipper!Bucky Au. And dad!Steve. I just love a found family trope I’m not gonna lie to you. Another comfort fic that warms my lil heart.]

‘Lucky Seven’ by BetteNoire (WeAreWolves)

Rating: E, Words: 94,364

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7033105/chapters/16002481

“Back from where--?” James says, the sentence ending in a distinctly undignified squawk as Steve sweeps him up in his arms, bridal-style, and starts carrying him upstairs.

James tenses momentarily then relaxes into Steve's arms and throws back his head and starts laughing. The laughter peals out of him, his body shaking, his amusement occasionally broken by little gasps of pain.

“What's so funny?” Steve frowns.

“You are,” James says, still giggling. “You're ridiculous, Steve Rogers.”

“Behave. Or I will drop you,” Steve growls.

[The shrunkyclunks modern AU of my dreams featuring Mechanic!Bucky and cap!Steve and some really beautiful writing.]

'Dishonor On Your Cow' by mandarou

Rating: E, Words: 111695

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10659162/chapters/23589582

“Sergeant Barnes?”

“Oh, hell no, don’t call him that, man,” Sam warned.

“Captain Fuck Off!” Barnes shouted over him. “Fight me!”

Steve didn’t know whether to laugh or just slink away. He managed to combine the two by pacing two steps and snorting instead. Like a bull.

“I’m gonna need you to calm your ass, Barnes,” Sam said as he went limp again, obstructing Barnes’s struggling under him. “This is so undignified. That is Captain goddamn America.”

“Captain goddamn America!” Barnes repeated, louder. And angrier.

Steve cleared his throat again. “I’ve been looking for you,” he told Barnes.

“I hope you brought lube this time!” Barnes shouted.

[I’m not gonna lie it took me a minute to get into this one but by the end I was crying with them, laughing with them, and just really in my feels. Some very insane things happen so here’s a few of my favourite tags: ‘Seargent Barnes is done with your Shit Steve’, ‘blatant disrespect of a man’s motorcycle’, ‘Steve you ding dong’ and ‘PR nightmares in the form of Supersoldiers’.]

Propietary Information by Notlucy

Rating: E, Words: 85141

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11964402/chapters/27054777

“Okay, so Bucky Barnes has a crush on Steve Rogers. The guy's gorgeous, talented and, oh yeah, the Chief Design Officer of the biggest tech company in the world. In other words: he's so far out of Bucky's league that he might as well be in a different stratosphere.”

[We were never gonna get through this list without a Sugar Daddy!AU (I have a weakness). This one is… saucy and sexy and sweet and uh pretty kinky so read the tags and all. I’ve read it a few times, and I love the way the author has written Steve in this one, he just makes my heart go '!!!']

‘Roots Have Grown’ by AustinB

Rating: M, Words: 17280

https://archiveofourown.org/works/6912451/chapters/15767941

“Bucky is a mildly agoraphobic veteran with funds to spare, who becomes enamored with the cute blonde guy in his building.

So when Steve mentions needing a roommate to cut down on rent costs, Bucky decides it would be a good idea to volunteer.”

[Another weakness of mine is Roommate AUs, and this one is phenomenal. I tend to go for post serum!Steve stories more often, but this is a pre-serum Steve that I just adore.]

‘The Cold Never Bothered me Anyway’ by icoulddothisallday

Rating: E, Words:75562

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11728869/chapters/26425530

“Bucky Barnes has spent his whole life in a state of mild hypothermia. Steve Rogers has spent the last 70 years in the ice. The two things aren’t related until, suddenly, they are. Shrunkyclunks soulmate AU (AKA the awkward bb au).”

[I think this is the only soulmate AU in my bookmarks? I would totally be down to read more though! This one is really fun and really enjoy Bucky’s characterisation here!]

'War, Children' by Nonymos

Rating: E, Words: 106615

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5373050/chapters/12409394

“After Bucky was released from the hospital, it only took him a couple of weeks to give up on himself. Difficult to believe in any kind of future when the simple act of staying alive was almost too big an effort.

Out the frosted window, across the street, there was a tiny homeless guy burrowing under an awning.”

[An interesting exploration of Bucky’s PTSD with a trans!Steve which was a cool take on his character too!]

'The Company You Keep' by orbingarrow

Rating: G, Words: 51191

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3468605/chapters/7613072

“Hurt, hungry, and on the run, the Winter Soldier doesn’t have a lot of safe options to go to for help. Figuring that any friend of Captain Steve Rogers is unlikely to be HYDRA, Bucky takes a chance and reaches out to the first Avenger he can find.

It works out better than anyone could have expected. Eventually.”

[hurt/comfort, recovering Bucky, protective Steve, found family and domestic avengers, need I say more? I absolutely loved this one]

#stucky #stucky fics #stucky fic recs #fic rec

[thinkingoutlouddblog]

Harry Fic Recs #3

It has been far too long since I have done one of these posts, especially considering how many amazing fics I have read between now and my last recommendation post. There are definitely fics I will miss and this is a reflection only on my memory and probably how long ago I read them. There is a plethora of truly exceptional works on tumblr, each of them requiring huge amounts of effort to be delivered to us as readers cost free so please please take the time to thank writers for fics you love, and at the very least give them a like (and a reblog, we love those too!).

Without further ado, I present fics that I adore!

First of all, a couple fanfictions from Wattpad because I have finally started reading fics from there for the first time since 2014. If you like me didn’t cross over to wattpad, I recommend you do so for these fics in particular. 

Stall by @/MysteryMixtapes - a lot of people reading this list probably think this is an obvious one but I had honestly never even heard of any wattpad fics until the end of last year so there might be someone else in the same boat as me. This is nice and long, dark but also very fun and humorous at times. It is the best of both worlds in a lot of ways. You get to see dark and gritty mob!H but also some very sweet moments. The writing is outstanding, some of the absolute best that is around in fanfiction anywhere today. I don’t want to give too much away, so just believe me when I say this is a must read.

Aerial by @/peanutboyfriend - this story is simply gorgeous down to its every detail. Set in 60s Malibu, this story follows Harry and an original main character who have been thrown together as aerial performers in the circus. This book throws you into a perfectly crafted world that is simply beautiful. I often found myself wanting to step right in. It is slow burn, full of tension, twists, sickly sweet moments and also angst.

!Kinda spoilers! What these two books have in common is what I believe to be an accurate depiction of navigating a romantic relationship and the ups and downs of trying to create a healthy dynamic, and often having to get things very wrong before you get them right.

Now back to my tumblr fam! I am going to list first the user and then their fics that I recommend in particular, but I honestly recommend everything on these lovely people’s masterlists.

@moonchildstyles

Aster - absolutely stunning tattoo artist!h fic, I could say so much but I don’t want to give too much away. But we start with y/n starting to make her own way in the world when she meets Harry, who is a bit of a dick to her even though she has a crush on him. The main character is so sweet in this, and it is all so beautifully written, I loved every word.

Chiaroscuro - suuuuuuuch an addictive vampire!h fic. My only qualm with this series is that it was not longer because I could honestly read about this little world forever. We start with y/n on the job hunt when she stumbles upon a live in house keeper position. Niall, who is handling the hiring for his friend, is lovely but something doesn’t seem quite right with this beautiful home or its handsome owner. 

@jawllines

Harry hates the other camp counselors and Y/N is very optimistic - this fic was so freaking sweet, a lovely bit of protective!h, squishable reader and just a fun vibe. All of her fics are really nice and long, and build beautiful worlds which you could practically step inside.

Here is her masterlist because all her writing is fabulous, all her stories are so original, well-written and gripping. I could sit her and list ten different stories I could just cut out the middle man and send you straight to her masterlist because you won’t find a single story on there you won’t love.

@sunflowervolvimp3 + @adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy

You’re Someone I Just Want Around - I actually don’t have the vocabulary to express how much I am loving this story. These two lovelies are writing this gorgeous vamp!h fic together. They are serving slow burn, friends with benefits, secretly a vampire Harry with a dark past, who is, of course, in denial of his own feelings. This story is so fun, sexy and sweet, I am loving every moment and can’t wait to see what happens next. 

Both these lovely authors do some of my favourite tropes and aus in their solo writings so I am just going to say check out both of their masterlists (sunflower...) and (adashof...)

@angelisverba

Thinkin’ Bout You - holy fucking shitballs I can’t recommend this enough. This is about Florist!H who is a total freaking sweetie and has a giant crush on one of his new customers. The character creation was gorgeous, and every word painted the prettiest picture of this little world. Simply lovely, from start to finish.

@havethetimeofyourstyles 

Say It - sparks fly in the restaurant when Harry is assigned to show the new waitress the ropes. I adored this fic, it has that perfect blend of angst and freshly blooming romance (and also got a little bit saucy which we all love to see). Gorgeous fic, I cannot recommend it enough.

Pebbles and the Scarecrow - this fic had me absolutely squealing over how cute it was. I love halloween!harry. I love dad!harry. The two together, especially executed so well just melts my brain. This was actually unbearably cute. Co-ordinated costumes. Teacher!harry. Need I say more stop reading me talking about and go read it right now.

@majorharry

Fairies First - the absolute sweetest dad to be!h and pregnant!reader. Super cute and so well written, as is every fic on her masterlist. Read them all but also here are some more of my personal faves

The Thrill of the Chase - I literally read this first thing this morning when I woke up and saw it had been posted and I adore it! We have hunter!harry which is a trope I feel like you never see but based on this fic alone, I am obsessed. It’s a lowkey cottagecore vibe so if that’s what you’re into, you will love it.

@harry-writings​ 

Drive Me Wild - in which harry has trouble expressing emotions and reader talks too much. Okay I was so obsessed with this fic and could read a full length book of this au. Quiet!h and super chatty!yn are the cutest combination and the angst hurts so good my god. But also the fluff warms my soul.

The Mute Series - where Harry doesn’t talk and falls in love with y/n. I think I’ve read this fic at least three times. We have mute!harry, college!harry, and just overall sweet, shy lovely, Harry. This fic is gorgeous, it tugs on your heartstrings so aggressively and I just love it to pieces. 

Once again, these are some of my favourite writers on tumblr, and these are simply some of my favourites of all their works and I recommend going through their whole masterlists. 

#I made this post tipsy #I’m sure I’ve missed heaps so I will do a new one ASAP #but I went on a spiel for everyone so she was getting long #I love all the authors mentioned in this post thank you for your service babes #harry styles imagine #harry styles x reader #harry styles #harry imagine #harry x reader #harry styles fic #one direction imagine #hs #harry fic #recommendation #Harry fic recommendation #fanfic rec #fanfic recommendation #harry fanfic #harry oneshot #harry styles one shot #harry styles fanfiction

[sitp-recs]

HP Rec Fest, Day 18

Happy Monday with new recs for @hprecfest! Today I’ll go with two Drarry fics since I haven’t read any rare pair story that fits the prompt. I had so much fun revisiting these gems for this post, they both deliver my favourite combo of peak humor, sexy times and sweet romance. If you haven’t checked them out this is your pit stop to catch a break and go treat yourself!

Day 18) a fairy-tale inspired fic:

If the Cock Fits by tryslora (Drarry, E, 6k)

It’s like Cinderella, only Draco’s arse is the shoe left behind, and he’s searching for the perfect prick that fits.

tryslora is one of my favourite authors and I’m so happy that I get the chance to rec her stuff! this fic is so much fun, a mix of horny & sweet (my favorite flavor!); I love how it combines a few classic tropes like amnesia, one night stand and healing cock with the hilarious Cinderella twist which is perfectly executed. Draco’s obstinate to find the perfect cock - bless him - without realizing he’s already found the perfect guy 😌 his dynamics of friendship + oblivious mutual pining with Harry are so charming, and the side Ron/Pansy is a special treat for those who love this rare pair like I do. amazing comfort food with a sweet Harry and one of my favourite confession scenes!

The Sleeping Beauty Curse by who_la_hoop (Drarry, E, 152k)

When Draco Malfoy falls into a cursed sleep and can only be woken – at least, according to the Daily Prophet, that impeccable source of truth – by ‘true love’s kiss’, Harry Potter knows there’s no way on earth he’s the answer to this particular riddle. Is he . . .?

an absolute fandom classic by another brilliant author, this is such a surprising and satisfying ride! you might start off skeptical just reading the summary but believe me when I say who_la can actually pull anything off. their storytelling is phenomenal, vivid and gripping, the pacing is everything you want in a long fic and I just can’t praise the characterization enough. get ready to fall in love with Harry’s pov and to experience an intense emotional rollercoaster because this is both extremely fun and extremely touching. both characters are relatable and entertaining, their dynamics funny, sexy and soo romantic it made me warm and fuzzy with feels. I love that their love blooms in an authentic way (keep in mind this is a bonding fic!), and the chaotic bickering and smoking hot smut had me on the floor at multiple times. an epic must read!

#hprecfest2023 #day 18 #fairy tale inspired fic

[drivingsideways]

Into the Ring/Review

If I had one word for Into the Ring: delightful.

I didn’t know anything about the show or have too many expectations when I started watching the series- it was a random pick based on a vague impression that some folks on my tumblr dash liked it, but it had me hooked from the first minute. While watching, I was often struck by how easily its combination of  quirky, screwball comedy and very heartfelt, politically aware storytelling could fall flat on its face, but miraculously doesn’t.  That’s largely because Nana’s uninhibited performance as Goo Se Ra is infectious in its joy;  her comedic timing is spectacular, and I think she made the most of a script that loved her character a lot. 

It’s also one of the few dramas where I found myself (a) believing in the romance and (b) rooting for the couple. Park Sung Hoon underplays the quiet, stubborn and prickly Seo Gong-myeong to just the right degree that his character compliments Goo Se-ra without being buried by her effervescence. These are two people who have different approaches to life, and opposing personalities,  but have a strong sense of morality and interest in making a difference- and it’s lovely to watch them find companionship in each other at just the right time, and embark on a journey together. That line about love being friendship set on fire seems particularly apt for them. I could have done without that childhood friends-meet-as-adults trope, but in the end they utilize that in a way that it’s less about “fated romance”, and more about explaining how these two characters become the adult versions of themselves. 

The two actors have fantastic chemistry with each other. They’re physically comfortable with each other in ways that I don’t often see in kdrama romances- and I don’t mean just their sizzling, and very authentic looking kisses, it’s also that when their eyes meet in a shared joke, you can see that they both absolutely do find it giggle-fit funny, and when they put their arms around each other, it’s with a comfortable familiarity that feels very genuine. I love that Se-ra is confident in her sexuality- none of the simpering or startled deer-in-headlights moments for her-- those are all for him (lol!)--but I also love that they do that in the gentlest and sweetest way possible, without making it either weirdly desexualized or patronizing (which is unfortunately the impression I end up getting in most kdrama romance “scenes”) 

The show also takes care to make the tapestry of their lives as rich as possible. This is generally something I’ve come to expect from kdramas, so I was glad not to be disappointed here. I was especially thrilled to have some great female characters (and their actors) in the supporting cast- especially Yoo Da In as councilwoman and canny politician Yoon Hee-soo. I’ve seen some people refer to her as “second female lead”, which feels a bit dismissive, and not really how that character is written. She’s one of the most interesting characters in the show, and ngl I would watch the spin off about how Yoon Hee-soo gets herself elected to the National Assembly and then becomes PM or something. I love that her ambition and her moral choices are allowed to be questioned without demeaning her in any way. (*cough * stop KES dramas *cough *) ; I love that she gets to be clever, and funny, a bit of a troll, and sad and annoyed, and disappointed, but unbowed. What a great writing choice to make her a foil to Goo Se-ra’s blunt hammer approach to any problem. I am so hoping that if we get a second season of this show, it’ll build on their relationship- there’s so much to mine there. 

One of my favourite parts of this show is truly how it makes space for its female characters: from Goo Se-ra’s irrepressible mom, to her besties squad, to her rivals, to the antagonists, and the people she helps--and even the two ahjummas that she tries to scam into giving her information while playing detective. I also loved, loved, loved to bits that a running theme in this show is putting political power- actual political power- in the hands of women. Sure, it’s a feel-good show, but it’s a show that allows  both the scheming District Chief Won So-Jung and the idealistic independent candidate Son Eun-Shil, whose incredible choice of voluntarily stepping away from hard-won chance at fulfilling a personal ambition sets Goo Se-ra on her own journey navigating the corridors of power . And when Goo Se-ra returns that torch back to her in the end of the series- that feels earned and correct. Se-ra has a lot to learn and maybe needs some time to figure out if this is what she wants to do, but Son Eun-Shil deserves her own chance. 

In general, I thought the show was really clever about its political/ social messaging. It’s wrapped in a lot of goofy shenanigans, and I can see how people may feel it’s not “realistic” unlike for eg, Stranger or Life or the other highly rated dramas that deal with systems of power, but I think, at its core, it treats political apathy or a nihilistic helplessness, so fashionable in certain kinds of storytelling, as the enemy - and it does that with wry humour and a great deal of charm. 

Tl;dr: WATCH IT! 

#Into the Ring #kdrama #kdrama recs #i'm a queue for you

[sanstropfremir]

episode 9 baby!!! dear lord that was a lot!!

frankly, i'm still in shock that i full on manifested an opera stage, AND it was a rock opera stage at that! plus i got a jazz stage AND a taemin stage??? if they’re pulling out all my favourites now then what on earth are they gonna do in the finale??? this was a very overwhelming crop of stages, i thought i was going to be prepared, but oh no i was not prepared. i'm just going to get right into it because this one is gonna be long and i have many words. i'll discuss in airing order first, and then put my personal rankings for this round at the end.

btob

costume

changsub, you absolute king. spectacular. stunning. incredible. zoot suit riot playing in my brain on repeat. will i finally get the zoot suit revival of my fucking dreams instead of this current drab ill-fitting suit trend? for those who are wondering why in the fuck changsub is dressed like that and what on earth i’m talking about, the specific cut of suit that he’s wearing is called a zoot suit, which were popular in mexican, black and italian american communities in the 30s and 40s, until they were outlawed by the united states war production board as a fabric rationing method as part of the war effort in 1942. there was a huge amount of mob violence surrrounding the wearing of them (there were actual zoot suit riots) as they were direct counter culture fashion to the predominant drab trends of white americans at the time. i'm actually very impressed they got a proper (modernized) cut of zoot suit instead of just putting him in an oversized one; there are actually specific structural differences. the pegged trouser legs, large should pads, and knee length single breasted jacket are key features, and they were often in much more flashy fabrics than a pinstripe, but they get points for effort. i wish they had put all of them in zoot suits but he’s playing the ‘lead’ actor so i will begrudgingly forgive them.

eunkwang those are the stupidest sleeve garters ive ever seen i love them never take them off. they’re like someone decided to repurpose a suspender in the worst way. excellent. i do love that they’ve got three of them in oxford saddle shoes, another great touch.

love the three piece and the fedora* on peniel. it's also in a relatively close period cut; waistcoasts (vests) were generally cut much higher in the neck pre-war, we only start seeing the neckline slide down in the 60s (i think? i don’t remember when exactly). also love to see a proper sleeve and jacket length, it's good practice to have at least a finger’s width of sleeve cuff visible ahead of the jacket sleeve when hanging at rest. also looks like there’s french cuffs on everyone, which is also great.

minhyuk in his slutty lowneck shirt....thank you. in addition to the zoot suit revival i would also like a revival of those ultra low necklines on mens’ shirts from like 2010-2011. i don’t think those are the same boots from the backdoor stage but those are some beautifully cut boots. i also loved the little details of his crewmember look, especially the chunky watch and the string bracelets; those are super realistic, i know so many crew with them and i had several for many years. and who doesn’t love a visible button fly?

none of any of the other costumes are period in any way shape or form but i’m forgiving it because there’s several layers of meta in this stage, and they explicitly based it on la la land, even though we don’t respect la la land in this house. do i wish they had gone more strictly period with at least the jazz club ‘actors’ a little more? absolutely, but i'm not mad about it.

set

again we’ve got a good delineation of the two different ‘stages,’ there’s the club itself in the smaller stage and the soundstage set in the larger space. you can pretty clearly see all the ‘pieces’ of the set on the soundstage, especially the obvious set painting techniques on false prosc frame and the window facade from that first little scene. also the you can see the castors (wheels) on all the setpieces too, which is another nice little versimilitudinous** (triple word score!) touch, as old hollywood movies were made still using theatre stagecraft techniques.

i love how the visual shorthand for ‘this is a set wink wonk’ is just...leaving a ladder on stage. i see it all the time and it's so funny. it doesn’t always make sense because as soon as there’s actors on set the ladders are the first thing cleared because actors cannot be trusted, but yes there are always ladders, so. also psa ladder safety is no joke, please be careful on ladders.

nice streamline of the mnet deco into the club. i’m consistently surprised at how well the designers have been able to mask it or use it to their advantage, because in the normal kingdom stage lighting it is SO obvious and stylistic that it always sticks out.

i'm going to ignore the fact that they implied changsub and miyeon were drinking wine out of martini glasses.

lighting

no complaints, it does its job. everything is visible and super clear. love that the ‘scene’ changes are made through the lighting, it's a really simple and effective device to change atmosphere. purple/blue/amber are the most flattering colours on human skin and that’s why you see it so commonly in stage lighting. also blue/lavendar is the best way to show nighttime/moonlight.

really nice and subtle projection work, especially with the billboard bit and the blue moon sign in the club. despite being obviously meta/’world breaking’ it’s actually very seamless and fits well into the flow of the stage.

sound

i love love love the big band feel in the intro, combined with the piano lead. very duke ellington, as all things should be.

no complaints. i love big band. i love eunkwang’s voice. i have nothing else to say.

staging

i LOVE this movie within a movie within a performance meta nonsense! it's such a fun concept and it is exactly what i wanted ikon’s first round stage to be! i also love to see btob consistently coming up with concepts that are inventive and fun and allow them to showcase their technical performance skills without the aerobics the younger groups are putting themselves through. it provides a really lovely variety and it just goes to show that you can make impressive, dramatic stages without having to be serious or ‘dark.’

i do wish they had leaned into the band director/lead singer with eunkwang a bit more; this could have been a really excellent place for a tap number a la the nicholas brothers or an homage to cab calloway. i know i know this was meant to be la la land themed but la la land is a cheap and whitewashed version of jazz and look me right in the eyes and tell me this isn’t the greatest tap routine of all time. i know i’ve typed this out somewhere before but la la land is just a conglomeration of old hollywood tropes and so stylistically cheap that this would have such a better visual core if they had actually looked back at the real old hollywood musicals like stormy weather. even singing in the rain and an american in paris have such phenomenal visuals and are really beautiful examples of the scope you can pull off with a limited technical capacity and sticking to these old techniques.

now that i'm thinking about it, oh my GOD i would DIE for a lindy hop routine in kpop PLEASE. i know it would never happen because kpop doesn’t like partner dancing and not a single kpop boy has the chops but oh you think fourth gen has too many acrobatics?

this got off track but i think you see my point.

---

ateez

costume

these are really sharply cut suits. and the detail work on the beading??? so beautiful. i'm disappointed that they gave me a rock opera stage without the true ridiculousness of rock opera costuming, because they could have pushed this a lot farther if they really wanted. a tragic lack of gay little outfits, seonghwa’s lace choker is just not enough! two favourite suits: hongjoong’s and yunho’s.

that being said i do actually really like these. this stage is actually very modern opera with a kpop twist and i'm a little surprised by that? i continue to be impressed by the ateez team who are clearly doing their research.

i'm absolutely not going back through their stages to check all the choreography but i wonder if you can track all the ‘wound’ placements to places they’ve been ‘hit.’ i wouldn’t put it past them to have put that thought in but also i’m not expecting that much either.

who is this white grim reaper bdsm executioner chain arm man. where did he come from. i have no idea and i love it.

why is honjoong blindfolded. it was such a fast beat, if youre gonna blindfold someone give it a little longer and some more obvious narrative weight!

seonghwa does that quickchange, runs across that massive stage to the smaller set, and gets into places in like 45 seconds. it's not the hardest quickchange in the world but still, under a minute is fast for any quickchange, especially when there’s travel time involved. i think the fastest, most complex quickchange i ever did was in university which was a 50s cocktail dress into a flannel and culottes with a shoe, hair, and jewelry change in 35 seconds. and that took three dressers. quickchanges are always impressive. the added bonus of this review being later is that i can specifically reference that you can see him book it the fuck off stage in the full cam!

cute moment with the backup dancers dressed in costumes from the previous stages. i'm assuming this is a time travel reference? i'll get more into my thoughts on this in the staging section. regardless, love to see that iconic seonghwa moment again.

set

this is such a restricted space! they really pared down their dancing space with those staircases and ....arms? honestly i have NO clue what these are supposed to be. the only thing i can maybe think of is flying buttresses??? but why?? i mean, i'm 90% sure theyre just there for drama and i agree but i do still have questions.

there’s a lot of moving parts in this set? the buttresses, and the upstage centre staircase. i don’t think the staircase is totally automated because i spotted some dancers securing it in place, but it’s still a moving part. i do really like that we get that expanding upwards energy, because it's really tough to get functional level movement in this kind of a performance, mostly because of its length and because it moves so quickly. so seeing the downward vertical movement and then the upward movement was actually a really nice visual contrast that made use of how tall those fucking ceilings are, and the fact that they had less horizontal space. in sort of similar way to sf9’s jealousy stage, using long, narrow vertical lines really makes it feel like a castle space. the interiors of castles, especially the really old ones, are a lot smaller than you think they would be.

i’ve actually seen that type of small house/tent/thing several times in various types of performances before, but i think this is the first time i’ve seen it used as a time travel device (other than in the say my name mv). aesthetically it's a bit incongruent but i dont really mind because i'm used to watching rock operas that look a lot weirder than this.

lighting

there is so much happening. i have NO clue what the projections are doing. i dont hate it though, so that’s a plus? there’s a clear-ish colour arc even if it does get a bit funky in the middle, which is why the projections dont feel as insanely distracting as some of the other stages we’ve seen.

the climax is a perfect example of how to light a busy stage with primarily red but still maintain clarity on the performers. a little bit of red goes a long way; the spark stage from last week would have looked so much better if they had done what the ateez designers did here.

sound

i know it's only ode to joy, but answer already gets my motor running and then i get so gassed by the guitars and then by the time those vocals come in i'm inconsolable. i don’t know why i wasn’t expecting a rock opera stage but i'm so glad i got that surprise because i genuinely love rock operas so much. it's two of the most dramatic genres in music, what more could you possibly want?

staging

the choreo for answer is so goofy that I'm kinda glad this was mostly terrible mnet boom shots. i love it, but you can't deny that it's goofy. i spotted a couple of moves from their other choreos as well?

choreographing dance fights is just as difficult as choreographing real fights and i think they did a fairly good job here. i think it was a solid mix of dance and conflict that erred on the side of dramatic rather than accurate and i prefer that over trying to be ‘realistic.’ i’ve only ever seen one truly realistic fight scene on stage and that was for a deeply naturalist play (boring and a waste of the medium), but the best fight scene i’ve ever seen was in the prague national ballet’s adaptation of kafka’s the trial where three ballet dancers beat the absolute snot out of the main character with the most beautiful leg extensions. that whole show was probably one of the best pieces of dance i’ve ever seen, holy fuck it was so good.

despite how insane the music and the visuals were going, i actually really liked how sedate this was, on the part of ateez’s performance. there was a really sophisticated and resigned energy from them that is very different from what we’ve previously seen and i think that was a pretty admirable risk to take. reaching the top and then throwing away the crown? especially in a competition where every other stage has involved stealing crowns or royalty and there’s a group competing that got here through that very concept? that shows a real maturity, peace of mind, and foresight that i did not at all expect from a bunch of 22 year olds.

here we come to a very interesting comparison. both ateez and tbz are very heavily leaning on previously established group lore. we all know my thoughts on why it isn’t working for tbz, but here’s why i think it is working for ateez: it's because it doesn’t matter to the audience’s understanding of the stage. i had absolutely no fucking clue what was going on the first time i watched this, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the music and all the weird shit they were doing. i totally believed that they understood what was going on. there’s a loose enough established conflict right at the beginning that draws us in, and really it doesn’t matter who they're fighting because they win in the end. the key here is that they’re so earnest. they believe 100% in every move they make on that stage. there’s no winks to camera, there’s not a drop of irony. they really deeply care about the ridiculousness of it all and that’s what makes it work. i sure as fuck dont know what’s going on, but i can see that they do, and i trust that. this is what i meant when i talked about convincing the audience you belong on stage in my stage presence post. i’ve never once believed that juyeon was anything other than an idol. he’s talented and very beautiful and he may occasionally stand on that stage like he owns it but it's always as juyeon. as an idol. but when hongjoong flaps around in that gigantic fur coat i 100% believe he’s a pirate captain. I believe he’s a punk rebel leader. i believe him a resigned king. there’s always a level of irony you have to fight as a performer because we all start from a place of disbelief. acting is not just lying to the audience, it's lying to yourself too. and if you succeed in convincing yourself? well, you’re already halfway to convincing us.

i checked it out because i wanted to see if they did the blindfold how i expected them to and was genuinely surprised by hongjoong’s fancam. the boy is EMOTING even when he knew the camera wasn’t on him; that’s a real dedication to craft.

ok i'm finished talking about this stage, this is over two pages in my document, there’s so many things i have not covered here but that’s fine, i'm quite sure any further thoughts will end up out there at some point.

---

sf9

costume

let’s get it out of the way......crop top. crop top? crop top. crop top.

ok, besides the crop top, i think i might actually like the backup dancer outfits more...? i find mannequin adjacent looks really fascinating and i thought there was a lot more they could have done here in connecting the two thematically. i actually think a change of costume on the boys would have been very interesting, especially because there was a lot of inference and direct reference to changes of colour.

ALL the backup dancers are wearing the same wig and i LOVE that.

special mention zuho’s.....jacket? the right idea but it absolutely should have been one of those extreme french cut bodysuits, you COWARDS. don’t come at me with this ‘male version of venus’ if you don’t have your whole torso out! come on!

set

not sure if this is meant to be a department store, a factory, or a white cube gallery. honestly you could make the case that they’re all the same place anyways. more on this later.

i loved the movator and wish they had used it more! that sequence was so good and they could have done some more interesting repetition sequences to further highlight the ‘sameness’/the breaking of that sameness.

i feel like the set could have been used more as a whole? i would have loved to see some mannequin interactions with those boxes, because all they did was dump colour everywhere.

....why did they feel the need to include the rain bit? i know it's likely because it's in the mv and at the 2018 dream concert taemin does perform move in the rain, but with the standing still and the box walls with the words it just looks like a department store ad. which i...dont think is what they were intending?

lighting

nothing really to say here. it has a similar feel to the mayfly rap stage, which is fine because the lighting for that was good. i could tell what was going on all the time and that’s the most important part. notable standouts are the lips sequence, that's fun use of pop iconography and very effective, and the scanning lasers at the beginning.

the repeating sequence in the edm dance break is actually done pretty simply, it's just what happens when you point a camera that’s livestreaming to a monitor directly at that monitor. it's a very cool effect and it was neat to see it used intentionally, especially with the handheld leds.

actually i also really liked the lightbox tables, those were cool.

sound

the remix was fine for the most part, it was about what i expected it to sound like. i did however greatly dislike that unnecessary edm break in the middle. what was the point of that? it didn’t add anything to the overall sound or arc of the stage because it was SO out of place. there was no connective tissue around it.

oh i was also not a fan of the effect on zuho’s mic. no one else had a discernible vocal effect so it felt a little out of place. also for some reason his cadence and tone right at the end made me think of some of the voices that bo burnam uses for his vocal masque sketches/songs, especially repeat stuff, weirdly? took me right the fuck out of it. i listened to it again after i slept and i’m still getting it, so maybe i’m just going insane so best ignore this part.

staging

loved the mannequin tree, not a clue why it was there.

do actually think this is a successful cover because it does what i was hoping it would, which is take move completely out of the taemin context and put it into an entirely new one. however, i’m really struggling to figure out what exactly that new context is? and what theyre trying to say with it?

obviously they went for a ‘show your own colours/individuality’ vibe, like i said in the set section, where exactly is this supposed to be? from the start i get factory/mechanized environment, which is fine and grand because mannequins and making repetitive motions and products and all that, makes sense. but then there’s stacked shelving type units happening and curtains and that combined with the mannequins give me pretty big department store vibes, which is also fine, because that’s still a comment on commercialization and the mass production of product. but then we get to the movator and the repetitive movements of the dancers say pretty clearly factory, but the lighting and projections are very pop art referential, plus combining that with the white set, just makes me think of an art gallery. so now is this a comment on the commercialization and commidification of contemporary art? are they making a statement about being ‘real’ artists among the others who have lost the critical understanding of why pop art was even a thing in the first place? and then the rain bit at the end literally looks like a department store ad, so are they then making another statement that they still are that packaged product? maybe the episode has more clarity in it but i’m genuinely a bit baffled by what the underlying statement is here.

i suspect it is not as deep as i'm making it, but i did say that i was likely to be hyper critical of this stage AND i am a grad student, so here we are.

---

tbz

costume

ok of all the ‘fourth gen’ style costumes we’ve seen, i actually like these ones more than most. i'm not entirely clear on the theme but i'm assuming it's meant to be post apocalyptic, and i'll take that.

backup dancers in black!!! we’re beyond this!!!

this will be a running theme with this stage, but i’m disappointed these don’t have more depth.

set

compared to every other stage, the set here seems especially plain. there’s so little set dec that it's disappointing. i do like the movement of the pieces themselves combined with the blocking; that first slide underneath the arches was slick and i would have liked to have seen more of that.

yea ok the big snake was cool and also a fairly complex build, but the transitions around it were a bit awkward for my tastes. especially the turn around, why did they even show that at all? you have control over what the audience sees, you can totally not show scenic transitions. skz were super smart about hiding theirs in last week’s episode.

also if you have a bigass puppet like that, i wanna see some more movement from it! it doesn’t have to be complex, we literally just saw a kraken balloon arm wave around aimlessly, but at least there was movement! that snake had a long ass body, why didn’t they at least take a pseudo dragon dance movement with it, that would have been such fun to watch with the iridescent scales. there was a lot of opportunity here!

lighting

i don’t hate it but also.... not a lot to say about it on the whole.

there were two really smart ideas here, the first being the front projection section, which i was SO glad to see! i explained in a previous review, but the projections in kingdom are not actually projections per se, because they’re actually massive led screens. there are two common types of projections in performance, rear projection and front projection. rear projection is when the projector is behind the screen, and front projection is ‘normal’ projection. rear projection can produce a crisper image because you have full control of the light values, because the projector is in a separate room from the performance space. but the downsides are that the projector has to be in a separate room from the performance space. so if you’re short on real estate, it's not ideal. front projection is much more common, because the tech is a lot cheaper and easier to access, especially now, and it requires less real estate because you can ceiling mount about the audience (you can move a projector wherever, this is just the most common spot in commercial theatres). but! in order to get an actually crisp image, you have to be really careful with your light bounce. it’s exactly the same principle as how you kinda can't see a projected screen when you have all the lights turned on, but when you turn them off it's a lot clearer. front projection works best in pitch dark, so when you use it in a theatre you gotta be smart about it. i use front projection a lot in my personal art practice as a singular light source, and that’s what tbz did here in that traveling/snake intro sequence. it’s a really fun technique that they used as a good gimmick because it’s not something we’ve seen before, and you get some great shadow effects because the projector is throwing light directionally at the performers (they have it set up close to the floor, it’s probably on a wheeled cart of some kind). however i did not like the snake intro. a bit too cheesy and out of place, especially because the asset quality didn’t match the rest of landscapes that we have been seeing.

the second smart idea, which is partially also a set and blocking thing but whatever, was that final image of the eclipse within the circle architecture with all the members standing in front of it. it was a great shot and a great ending pose, but it felt like a concept photo. like someone had that image as the idea that they then built the stage around, instead of a narrative first and then imagery after.

sound

this remix had SO much promise! those first two minutes were SO GOOD. i love that dirty discordant strings bit, it's gross and right up my alley. but it really fell off in the back half and i'm sad about that.

staging

i'm sorry tbz but.....what did you actually do differently than exo here? with the exception of the continual game of thrones references? nothing here felt transcendentally different from the original monster. and especially coming RIGHT after sf9’s move, which did go beyond its original context. this feels more like an awards show stage cover than a stage at the level of the others we’ve seen just this episode.

again like with the skz stage, there’s no conflict here. no tension. yes they do a great job covering the dance but it just isn’t enough! this is obviously personal preference and i'm sure lots of people liked the fact that it was uncomplicated, but even just a hint of narrative tension could have pushed this into more engaging territory. and if they didn’t want to do that, i would have loved to see them make up for that with extra visual spectacle. this is the no limits round! ikon is putting a full jungle on stage and these are grey cubes!

i think this is a perfect example of what i talked about at the end of my tbz section in my episode four review; this is a good performance, there are good elements at play and good ideas at their genesis, but the core of the issue is that nothing about this is transformative. all of the ideas here are just exaggerations of the original song. fuck, the snake was even IN the mv! and they didn’t even include the best part which is the lip chains! ive said before and i'll say it again; being a good artist has two steps, the first is understanding the material and its context, and the second is elevating the material from that context and synthesizing something new. tbz are really good at the first step, but terrible at the second.

---

ranking

btob - the cleanest and the most fun of the round. everything i wanted.

sf9 - fun and a good cover, despite being conceptually baffling.

ateez - very extra dramatic nonsense with an unexpected dose of sincerity. and it’s rock opera, of course i love it.

skz - fun, with some good thematic devices but generally lacking in arc. also australian accents, that’s an automatic ding.

tbz - honestly the first two minutes of the remix and the costume are holding this above 6th. it just wasn’t fully formed.

ikon - aesthetically this is a great set design and although i do love the opening and closing moments, everything else scrapes me the wrong way. super personal preference here, i’m not expecting anyone else to agree with me.

i feel like my rankings were probably pretty easy to guess if you’ve been around reading the reviews for long enough. i do have very specific tastes after all. i know sf9 ranked first in the episode but i have no idea what the other slots are. i’ll find out when i watch the episode in a couple of days, but i think yea a first for sf9 is fair. i do think its mostly because it’s a taemin song and you have to do something horrendous in order to fuck up a taemin song, but there is a lot of thought and work that went into that stage.

ok i'm done now, sorry this was later than usual, but i was busier and there were four stages that i had to review. also technical difficulties because tumblr is a garbage platform and nothing works properly. comments/questions/opinions always welcome, i know i didn't expand on a couple of points that i could have so hopefully y'all have some thoughts too!

* the type of hat that ~society~ has told you is a fedora is actually a trilby. what peniel is wearing is a real fedora, i felt the need to correct this unjust hat malignment.

** meaning ‘the appearance of being true or real.’ you do sometimes hear it used by normal people, but it’s more commonly used as a descriptor in film and theatre. it’s also one of the five rules of neoclassical theatre, which are: versimilitude, purity of form, five act structure, decorum, and purpose. the most prominent playwrights from that era are moliere and racine if youre interested in what those look like in an actual text.

#kingdom #kingdom review #btob #ateez #stray kids #the boyz #sf9 #tumblr is so broken it would NOT let me save this as a draft #does my constant hyperlinking make you angry tumblr? too bad im gonna keep doing it #i played in a jazz band in school for seven years #which is another indicator as to why i am like this #one of the first songs i remember learning was zoot suit riot #i have very strong memories of yelling RIOT during performances #i will however forever question the logic of our band teacher making us learn a song written by 'the cherry poppin daddies' #christ on a bicycle this is TEN pages #and it took a full eight hours last night and then i did like two hours of editing after i woke up #maybe i should go back to bed #ah i forgot to tag ikon again lmao #ikon #kpop analysis #text #if there are any spelling errrors do not tell me im tired of reading this #im pretty sure this is my longest review so far i decided to hate myself and did a wordcount #its 5.2K you're welcome you better get a snack for this one #i hope this is an interesting read for people ive lost all objectivity at this point #pls enjoy my semi-comprehensible word vomit!

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

I just want to say how much I love your work. Thank you so much for sharing it! I noticed that your story Leading Suspect, my favourite which made me laugh out loud by the way, was inspired by Jed Had to Die by Tara Sivec so I read that too and enjoyed it so much. I would love to see it as a movie. I was wondering if you could recommend any other stories or authors that have inspired your love of writing? I'm always on the lookout for literary recommendations to consume.

Hey Anon,

Thanks for your patience waiting for me to answer this. Combination of life being... well, life, and the utter panic I feel whenever I get asks like this kept me from answering sooner. "What if they don't like anything I recommend?!?!?!" Welp, that's just life too. My likes may not be your likes at all, especially since you've picked Leading Suspects as your favorite of my fics. That's really the only fic of mine where I can draw a direct line from book as inspiration to fanfic (other than the actual Hunger Games series lol), and I always feel the need to disclaim that particular fic as not being mine at all since I did lean so heavily on the book in order to write it quickly. If you've read the book, then you know just how closely they parallel in a lot of ways. Yes, I made changes, but I've never believed myself capable of that level of humor on my own... which will become readily apparent when I start listing some of my own personal faves/inspirations. I've even read some of Tara Sivec's other books and none of them stuck with me quite the way Jed Had to Die did. There was a cute little series that started with one called The Stockings Were Hung, and I read through those three books, but by the end I was kind of... tired? of the over the top shenanigans. I'd become numb to the humor lol, but you might enjoy those from her. There's also the problem that I tend to prefer historical romances over contemporary ones, although that is not always the case.

Anyways, now that I've disclaimered the crap out of my answer, here's a few books & writers that I've read voraciously, reread some of them quite often, and a few that give me writer's envy. A lot of these are romance books and some of them earn me side eyes and people yelling at me or never asking me for book recommendations ever again. I'll leave anything that's considered a "classic" that might be featured in a lit class somewhere off this list. If you really want those, just ask. Also I'm assuming you want adult titles but a few of these are YA. Also also, a lot of these books on the list are things that I've read or re-read recently, within the past two years, although not all of them are.

Tessa Dare. Start with Goddess of the Hunt it is my absolute favorite of hers, and you will actually see one or two scenes that were reborn in my fic Unmasked. Just a few. If I could've figured out how to work in her losing her earring in hot chocolate while she's trying to flirt and failing miserably, I would have. Now, I am aware that Dare's books are not always historically accurate, in terms of feminist ideas they can be a little too heavy handed and progressive for the time they are set in, (and yet they also have some elements that make me want to throw something at the hero's heads and one of my least favorite tropes in historicals of the heroine striking the hero, although Dare doesn't use that one as often as some writers). Don't expect literary virtuosity out of her, but several of her books are in my pile of comfort reads. Also one of my absolute favorite things about her books is that, usually, there are rich female friendships for the heroine. It's not something I really noticed until I read a bunch that I didn't like then came back to reread Dare's work and realized that I love the scenes with just two women being friends as much as I do the romances...

Rebellion by Nora Roberts. Okay so I am not a big Nora Roberts fan... I've read all of the MacGregor books she wrote for which Rebellion is technically a prequel. Like two centuries prior to the series prequel, and I didn't really care that much for them, and I haven't been able to get into any of her other extremely numerous novels, but Rebellion was one of the earliest bosom heaving bodice ripping romance novels I read at like fifteen years old whilst hiding under the covers of my bed and hoping my dad wouldn't snore loud enough to wake himself up and find me up reading past midnight again... so yeah, it owns part of my heart still to this day. Anyhow. I'm usually not a big enemies to lovers fan either, but this one is *chef's kiss* in my humble opinion. Fair warning, the opening scene is extremely unsettling (i.e. Serena basically witnesses her mother being raped unsettling), although it's not shown graphically, it's really easy to figure out what happened.

Julie Garwood... I don't like everything she's written. I tend towards the historical romances from her, but a few that rank in my faves are: Honor's Splendour, Ransom, The Bride, Guardian Angel, and For the Roses.

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams. This one is far from perfect. Personally, I felt like the guy carried more of the burden of their relationship than the lady did, and I really had my hopes up once I realized this wasn't just intended to be a book about a guy groveling to get his wife back, although there is some grovelling...just a bit... and also I still have yet to read the third book in the series, but the first two have both made me laugh out loud and feel things so I'm looking forward to the next two books.

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa. Recommended for the laughter and second hand embarrassment.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. I actually only recently read this one and it took me something like five tries to get into it, but that was the Bipolar causing problems, not the book, because once I got into it, I felt like literary potato afterwards and now I've got the rest of his books in the queue to read one of these days. Funny enough, this was actually recommended to me by a friend lol.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. I read this on a road trip and we had to stop to get more tissues... Read it, I beg of you.

Jennifer Weiner. I am way way waaaaaay behind on reading her stuff, but the ones that I have read, I devoured. Good in Bed and In Her Shoes. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. Everyone always goes for Wicked out of his, and while I absolutely loved Wicked (other than what I felt was a rushed and unexplained ending then again I haven't yet read the rest of the quartet...), for some reason, Stepsister is the one that still kinda haunts me.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. It'll make you cringe, a lot, but I couldn't put it down.

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci. This one is actually a graphic novel but it is choice.

We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist. Much crying and laughing simultaneously.

The Bride Stripped Bare by Nikki Gemmell. I have no excuses for this one except you asked for things that inspired my love of writing and when I read this, I hadn't read anything quite as brutal as it before, especially not something written by a woman. And I freaking loved it, as twisted as it is. It's been ages though and I haven't reread it because I'm concerned it won't hold up to my expectations...

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Just to give you some whiplash from the last recommendation bwahahahaha.

Isabel Allende. Although just like Jennifer Weiner, I am way way waaaaaay behind on reading her newer releases.

Feeding the Ghosts by Fred D'Aguiar. Not a happy read at all, but holy damn wow.

Normal People by Sally Rooney. Read it because of the TV show, never got around to watching the show... yet. But this was the first of Rooney's books I read and I really liked it, although the ending made me want to throw things. In a good way... And I've got more of her works in my list to read.

Educated by Tara Westover. It's nonfiction but it read like a novel. I've also heard from library patrons that the audio book is very well done if that's your jam.

And for fun, here are the last two things I read and gave high star ratings to:

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

The New Kid by Jerry Craft

Currently reading: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga and not too certain how I feel about it yet... and I'm halfway through. Anyone got thoughts on this one?

Now for the real question, Anon... do you have any recommendations for me to read???? ;) I too am always looking to make my To Be Read list just that much longer.

#kdnfb reads #or attempts to #and makes questionable recommendations #anonymous #look at that ask

[raisindeatre]

Hi 💙 I was wondering if you might share your thoughts on Zoya as a character in general? I've read the Grisha trilogy and Six of Crows duology, and I'd like to read King of Scars/Rule of Wolves to complete the series, but while I found Zoya to be quite interesting she's never been a favourite of mine or a character I found myself connecting to, so I've been worried I might not enjoy the next two books as much because of that, so I wondered if some insight from someone who seems to like her and her relationship with Nikolai might help me understand her character a little more, or do you think reading those next two books is what really connects you to her character? Thank you! 💙

Thank you so much for this question, anon! I think it's completely understandable that you don't connect much to Zoya in the original trilogy because in those books Bardugo doesn't really give us much to connect with, imo. I've said before that her prose has improved by staggering leaps and bounds since TGT, but her characterization has too - she sketches the characters in the SoC duology, especially, in ways that are so much richer and compelling than in the first trilogy. Combined with the fact that TGT is told through Alina's perspective, and we get a Zoya who's not just thinly sketched but is also pretty unlikeable for a good part of the series (I suspect that Bardugo meant to do an inversion of the Bitchy Girl™ trope, but it didn't quite land for me). I truly believe that a lot of my fondness for Zoya stems from the fact that I read a lot of fantastic fic back when the original trilogy had just wrapped up, and I think reading so much of other people's thoughts and analysis on Zoya made her a deeper and more interesting character to me, because the Zoya in canon is not all that compelling imo. So, like, I get it.

All that said though!! I was always fond of Zoya, even in canon, and I think I was pretty predisposed to love her even before KoS/RoW primarily because the idea of Zoya has always been such a fascinating one to me. (I just needed that idea to be filled out a little more, and the duology definitely did that for me, so I really do think I love her more for that). The original trilogy tends to centre the notion that Alina and the Darkling are each other's counterparts, each other's parallels, and that's where a lot of fan analysis stops as well. Light and Dark! Sun and Shadow! It's not subtle.

But the thing is - Zoya is the real mirror to the Darkling. They share so many similarities - they're both powerful, ambitious, proud, with the potential to be absolutely ruthless. They share the same common goal - the protection of all Grisha. Alina wants to be powerful, but she doesn't really have the appetite to really rule, to sit on a throne and govern. Zoya and the Darkling do. Alina doesn't want anyone to get hurt, but I think it's fair to say she doesn't feel the same intense self-preservation and loyalty to the Grisha that Zoya and the Darkling do. Much of their experiences are the same: while Alina came into her power at a pretty advanced age, Zoya and the Darkling know what it's like to be powerful even as children, and to be feared and hated for it. And much of what I think are Zoya's best qualities (her fierce protectiveness of her people, her courage, her determination, her sense of self-preservation) are all qualities the Darkling shares. It's why when people fall over themselves for the Darkling, but profess to hating Zoya in the same breath, it does tend to make me raise an eyebrow.

And I just think theirs is such a fascinating dynamic, much more so than Alina and the Darkling. Because the moment the Darkling loses sight of his original goal and goes too far - when the man who professes to want to safeguard the Grisha murders dozens of them - that's when Zoya turns against him and goes to stand with Alina. Alina is understandably horrified by the massacre, but I've always thought that the depth of Zoya's rage and grief and betrayal must have been much more intense. Unlike Alina, these Grisha were her family. Unlike Alina, she has admired the Darkling her whole life. Alina has moments of fearing that she will turn out to be like the Darkling, but I never really understood that - I think that Zoya's fear of the same, given the history and similarities she shares with the Darkling, is much more realistically grounded.

And I think at the end of the trilogy, when the dust has settled and Alina has settled into obscurity, when Zoya and Nikolai are faced with the almost unthinkable notion of rebuilding Ravka, it's very present on Zoya's mind that the ruthlessness required to defend Ravka and protect the Grisha might be what led the Darkling down that road in the first place. She needs to reckon with what is required of her and how far she can go, without becoming him. Gaze long into the abyss, but take care it does not gaze back. So in that sense, the idea of Zoya has always been something I've loved.

I also really loved the idea of her as a general, as someone so intrinsically involved in the rebuilding of Ravka. I was an IR major in uni - I adore anything to do with political machinations, the intricacies and brutality of peace treaties and trade negotiations, the ever-shifting dynamics between countries. I was super excited to see so much of that in KoS/RoW, and I think it's immensely rewarding to see Zoya grappling with so many of the issues that the original trilogy (with its very YA-ish focus on A Great Battle for the Fate of the World) doesn't consider: will there ever be a future where Grisha aren't forced to be soldiers? What would that even look like? How would we get there? What will I have to do to secure it? How far will I go?

Finally, all ideas of Zoya aside and looking at her actual characterization: my wife is a bitch and I like her so much! Your mileage may vary, but I really do find the fact that Zoya is written to be so unlikeable extremely refreshing. Bardugo doesn't really have any off-putting characters, especially female - Alina is pretty likeable, Nina is bold and endearing, Genya is clever and a character to root for, Inej quietly stakes her place in people's affections - and I think it's so great to have a woman who's so prickly and unfriendly and easily annoyed. In KoS/RoW we do learn more about Zoya and her backstory, and I guess it does go some way to explaining why she is the way she is, but I am also a fan of just letting female characters being bitchy sometimes!!! Her abrasiveness doesn't mean that she doesn't have so much love and courage and selflessness in her - almost more than she can bear, and watching her journey to realizing that love is not something to run from but to embrace is so good - and I just. I just think she's neat!

I won't go too much into her relationship with Nikolai because this is already horrendously long, and I will probably talk about them in another post, because they drive me crazy, but I just think they spark off each other in ways they don't with other people. Nikolai needs someone who loves Ravka as much as he does, someone who is really willing to march into war or sit in meeting rooms for hours and just give everything, everything she has to this greedy, broken country which will give her nothing back. Alina is not that person. Very few people are that person. But Zoya is. It's probably also that by the time KoS/RoW rolls around, they have been working together for a few years, while the original trilogy is much shorter in time, but Zoya and Nikolai in this duology really give off a sense of familiarity and trust in each other that is just SO!!! She always calls him out on his shit. They butt heads. They push each other to be better.

I will close by saying: in RoW there's a part where Nikolai thinks of Zoya, "There she was. Bitter and bracing as strong drink", and I just love this observation an outsize amount. I love that Zoya is not for everyone, that she has a real kick to her. I love the implication that she braces Nikolai; that she keeps him awake and on his toes. It's all very Ingmar Bergman's "We make each other alive. Does it matter if it hurts?" I think they are just more alive around each other than around anyone else, that they are better together than apart. They keep each other going.

#god this is long!!! but i hope this helped anon #imo there are a lot of other reasons why KoS/RoW might disappoint you as they disappointed me #just extremely weird pacing! KoS was a saggy morass whereas RoW had way too much going on #i think i've outgrown fanservice so bringing back characters for the sake of bringing them back is something i hate!!! #there were some really weird plots that went nowhere!!! #but i'm still glad i read them. i hope you are too; should you decide to do so #zoya nazyalensky #the grisha trilogy #king of scars #rule of wolves #long post #asks #anonymous