#otp: beautiful disasters

[wordsmith30]

I am once again fixating on Avatrice’s first scene in season two.

Beatrice tells Ava off for chatting with customers because they were talking about Adriel and what happened at the Vatican. They’re supposed to be keeping a low profile.

If anything, being incognito only makes things all the more stressful for Beatrice. Eternally in Mission Mode, she’s hyperaware of everything going on around her, from the conversation in the bar to Hans coming up the stairs and looking at her and Ava. There’s so much pressure on her.

At least when they were with the OCS, she had the others to rely on, but in Switzerland, she’s responsible for anything that goes wrong, including anything that might happen to Ava. While Ava jokingly calls her “Mother”, it is like being a single parent. She just wants to keep her safe.

And hearing about Adriel’s ever-increasing presence is just a painful reminder of how unsafe they are. How important this mission is.

Beatrice also tends to fidget a lot more this season with anything that’s in her hand (in this case, the pencil). She gestures with it after Hans leaves, asking Ava what that look meant.

��You and Hans shared a glance.”

(Cue back to Lilith’s line in 1×04: “Careful around this one, Camila. She’ll pry into all your business.”)

We can insinuate it as jealousy as she’s become super protective of Ava (or perhaps just the fear that something is going on that she’s not aware of), but in Ava’s mind, Hans is jealous of them. Ava laughs.

“What do you expect? Hans has been here for three years. We’ve been here a month and you already got promoted to manager.”

Beatrice fidgets some more and even straightens her back as she says, “Well ... it’s not my fault that I’m exceptionally well-organized.”

Did I mention how much I love proud Beatrice? It may come across as a bit defensive, but outside of her being a badass in the field, it’s so rare to see her stand tall in her abilities – to take pride in them, in spite of all her self-hatred. She’s good at what she does and she should say it.

And then Ava knocks back with: “Ah, as a matter of fact, it is. Discreet, remember?”

Touché.

Beatrice bows her head and nods. You can see the breath she releases. But before she even has the time to feel awkward or embarrassed, Ava says in that gentle voice, “You don’t have to be so perfect all the time.”

Once again, Ava demonstrates exactly why they work together. While Beatrice often works to keep Ava safe physically, Ava knows just how to keep Bea safe emotionally. Despite all the teasing, she knows how Beatrice worries and steps in to calm her racing mind.

She does it as easily as breathing, head angled to look into Beatrice’s face, eyes soft and posture relaxed. And Beatrice softens with her.

That line hits on some key insights, too: the idea that it’s possible to be too good at something, and that that might actually hinder them while undercover. But more than that, it’s a reminder that they’re not at the convent anymore. Beatrice can drop the tactical habit. She can be unsure, she can make mistakes, she doesn’t have to know what she’s doing all the time. She’s already doing enough.

“You don’t have to be so perfect all the time.”

Ava thinks she’s perfect. Her. Beatrice. Just as she is.

It seems too much for Beatrice to handle. She looks up at Ava and then looks down again. At a loss for how to respond, she changes the subject: “Well, I’m heading back to the apartment.”

It’s Ava’s turn to deflate a little as she nods, but her eyes hang on Beatrice’s face as Bea tells her that she’s going to check in with Camila.

“You don’t stay out too late,” Beatrice says, back in Mission Mode. “We train tomorrow.”

“Yes, Mother.” Ava laughs again, and even Beatrice drops her head in amusement or exasperation, still fiddling with her pencil.

She looks up just in time for Ava to give her a quick peck on the cheek, the Warrior Nun swinging her shoulders like a golden retriever puppy. “I’m just messing with you. See you at home!”

Beatrice can only watch her bounce away and has to take another breath to steady herself. Ava, meanwhile, knew exactly what she was doing and can only hope that the message sticks.

[nightowl-125]

Exactly! You gotta understand that Padme is a huge pile of trauma, co-dependency, and a desperate need to be loved as Padme (as opposed to being loved as Amidala).

This girl was also manipulated and groomed by Palpatine, she was Mayor of a whole ass city at just 13, and was ruler of the whole damn planet during an invasion when she was 14! And then she led her people through the aftermath and clean up! This girl is an emotional disaster!

Padme and Anakin are BOTH disasters. But there tragedy is that they weren’t doomed. If they’d had slightly better support, if their society hadn’t set them up for failure, and if they’d made better choices, they could have grown and healed together. They could have made it work. They could have been a beautiful happy family.

Instead they tumbled to their destruction together.

I will die on the hill that to understand Anidala you have to accept that Padme saw the red flags clear as day and went for it anyway. Why? Because Anakin was honest with her. Because Anakin, for all his idolising and putting her on a pedestal, still saw and treated her as a human being, even argued against her at times without fear or without hiding behind clever words. Because Anakin made her feel the youth that was taken from her at a young age. She was captured by the boyish charm and the awkwardness and the blunt honesty, and so when he came to her with a billion red flags, she went for it anyway. He was a breath of fresh air to her.

To understand Anidala you must understand they are 100% freak4freak. They are both children who grew up too fast and are now in a secret relationship giggling like teenagers in their twenties. This is vital to them. Padme is not a flawless character or an idea of perfection, on the contrary she is a very human character who was put in charge of her people at fourteen, something that had a lasting impact on her, and so she is choosing her childhood joy and a fairytale romance over the red flags her husband is waving. She is the OG ‘I can fix him’ mentality. No one is doing it like her.

‘The red flags are mass murder’ and the point still stands.

[goshen-applecrumbledore]

20 fanfic author questions

tagged by @runawaydr3amerao3 to do this, excited as always to talk about myself, let's gooooooo

1. How many works on AO3?

52 and I can only ballpark how many have been orphaned. probably about 12.

2. Total AO3 word count?

953,146. Jesus christ

3. Top 5 fics by kudos?

all of these are old as hell which is why they're top. they are not all good.

transposition ciphers (9,010) fma, roy/ed

the hang of being alive again (3,600) the raven cycle, adam/ronan

not funny (3,573) check please (eugh), holster/ransom

awful wonderful (3,564) naruto, kakagai

hard reset (3,162) fma, roy/ed

4. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, technically, just spn, the bear, true detective and house md. but fma is never far from my mind. my otp no matter how much time passes...

5. Do you respond to comments?

Up until very recently I never did because it never occurred to me. I wasn't trying to be a dick, I just didn't know I was supposed to. then I went through a period during spn after learning that where I felt bad and replied to everything. Now I reply to comments that ask me a question or are thought-provoking. I want to answer and to applaud. people leave comments that are more beautiful than the actual fic, you people are very smart and insightful.

6. Angstiest ending?

I'm not good at writing sad endings!! I believe in love! but, for this audience, worthless cartography. sam and dean hook up for the first time right before ahbl pt 2 and then sam dies, so dean thinks it's his fault in a divine retribution kind of way, so when sam is alive again, dean rebuffs him. I always meant to write a second part, but without it, it's pretty sad.

7. Fic with the happiest ending?

I was going to say pine sweat but I remembered it takes place in S5 so sam is dead within a fortnight lmao. it's definitely hard reset, an fma roy/ed fic. it's 15 years post-canon and after a lot of yearning and trying to make it work, they make it work. very blue skies everybody wins.

8. Do you get hate?

Not much these days, but I used to. mostly for writing roy/ed, with a big age/power gap, and for my novel with the same. for writing hockey rpf ships people didn't like, someone threatened to call my office and tell my bosses I was a pedophile. also when I was 13 I wrote a very OOC house/wilson fic and someone said it sucked and I got so mad I started writing original works out of spite (because nobody could tell me they were ooc)

9. Do you write smut?

Very much so, as a treat/reward/resolution to a story, much like sex is irl, lol. I rarely write smut on its own (blood sacrifice sex magic type of thing would be the closest, or middle name) not because I have anything against it but because in my own work I wanna feel very much like it's THE characters, whoever they are, and plot is the easiest way to do that. if I wanna just crank my hog I can do that on my own time.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nosiree, I'm boring. no crossovers or AUs. barry tells me I will want to write an spn/x files crossover though, and because he's the one that got me into spn I've learned not to tell him he's wrong.

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

Yes actually, someone put huge swaths of one of my yakuza fics into a majima/reader fic. I opened a ticket with AO3 but they said it wasn't clear cut enough. I didn't pursue because I don't care.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, this is my favourite thing!!! such a compliment and a beautiful reminder, in english speaking internet and under the shadow of the US, that there are other folks online. several of my spn fics have been translated into mandarin and 2 of my expanse fics have been translated into russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Once, in hockey fandom, with someone I didn't like very much. she wasn't a good writer and it was a disaster. I don't remember what happened to it. I wouldn't do it again lol.

14. All time favourite ship?

If I'm honest it's gotta be roy/ed from fma. what if this very annoying kid sauntered into your life but then he grows up and he's brilliant and noble and beautiful and haunted and also the specialist boy in the world, but you're a decorated military official in a corrupt dictatorship and the kid hates your guts and you will never be able to forgive yourself for your past war crimes so why should this beautiful genius like you anyway?? anyway. im over that now

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

A wincest john finds out kind of full-house-of-wincest type situation. somebody with a fundraiser fic should email me and tell me to swap their fic to that one. who said that

16. Writing strengths?

Dialogue and canon-complianticity

17. Writing weaknesses?

Nobody tells me what I suck at so I don't FULLY know, but. Speed. Grammar. Flexibility. everything I write sounds like everything else I write and I reuse the same words and idioms, like same song syndrome but for writing. a greatest hits album.

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

Only thing I've done in my fics is kind of a crossed-out written words in an epistolary fic. I've maybe had a few french lines in a fic but I don't think so because it was referencing subtitles. haven't read much either, so, no opinions. but I will say it's shit to do a weird patois in your English language dialogue

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Naruto baybeeeee. when I was 11 my sister found my scanned fan art of naruto and sasuke kissing on deviantart. I didn't even think she was on deviantart. 

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Hangdog, easily, but I think that's only because true detective s1 is remarkably rich and good so I'm really just drafting off marty and rust's coattails. but also probably Matryoshka dolls for spn, because it feels very well considered and tied together and intentional and satisfying, to me. but it deserves merit because as any spn fan knows, you gotta have a rich inner universe in order to truly play in their space. cw gets no credit.

EDIT: or, actually, my venture bros fic, lol. there was something very lovely about writing fic for a show that in no way makes me horny. Just a show I love very much.

No tags because I don't know anyone anymore but tag me if you do it because of me and I'll read it!

[serregon]

Túrin and Niënor for the character breakdown

-@outofangband

How I feel about this character

Túrin: baby boy. baby. evil. most mentally ill man ever. he’s so beautiful and strong and charismatic and he genuinely wants to be a good person. but he’s so so stupid and stubborn <3 we love a bisexual disaster. world’s worst man

Niënor: gorgeous, stunning, but also PAIN. she’s like a combination Juliet-Ophelia figure but she’s 6’3” and has balls of steel for facing down a dragon. love of my life. girl take the mifepristone

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Túrin: Beleg of course. they’re everything to me. they’re a battle couple. they hit that perfect balance of wholesomeness and pain. they die on the same sword! and I like Túrin/Gwindor/Finduilas. Orodreth too, like both a father and daughter want him. poor finny got stepdaughterzoned

Niënor: my favorite ship for her is with Mablung. he spends years searching for her! I want to see more of Niënor in Doriath and the comfier life she had there, establishing what she will lose. I also love ninduilas. chat is it still technically incest if they’re in the same polycule

My non-romantic OTP for this character

with each other, but you could kinda call it a ship if you stretch the definition of ship? I don’t ship them in a “uwu my precious incest babies I’m going to write porn of them” way, but I do ship them in a “the drama and tragedy and parallels make me mentally ill” way

I just want an au where they could be happy together as the normal siblings they were meant to be

My unpopular opinion about this character

Túrin: I guess liking him at all is a bit of an unpopular opinion lol. a lot of people hate him for being a disaster (while also liking characters who got even more people killed on purpose, but I digress). the thing that grinds my gears is that, whenever Dagor Dagorath is brought up, there’s always that guy in the comments going “but why Túrin??? he got people killed!!1! he doesn’t deserve that honor!11” sir you have failed eucatastrophe 101

Niënor: I haven’t seen a lot of bad takes on her, mostly because the fandom just doesn’t really care about her because she doesn’t have pointy ears or a dick. in most of the art I see of her, she’s depicted as a frail waif, either naked or running to her death. and yeah, that is a part of her story. but where’s the art of her wearing elven armor and blending in with the male elves? where’s the art of her staring down Glauring without a hint of fear in her eyes?

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Túrin: I wish we could see more of him in Doriath. he gets there at age 8 then it just timeskips to him at age 20. what was his childhood among elves like? we barely even get to see him with the marchwardens before he leaves

Niënor: the book might as well be called The Son of Húrin since there’s only one chapter about her. tell me more about her jirt! what did the curse look like for her growing up? Morgoth cursed both of them, but we don’t really see how it affects Niënor until the curse sets up her amnesiac meeting with Túrin

[transryanguzman]

none of my otp ships that got me into a fandom have ever been endgame btw and most of them even if they did become canon were a disaster they broke up they got divorced one of them died. pretty much every single one.

you know what it did to my enjoyment of a fandom?

absolutely fucking nothing. because at the end of the day, fanfiction exists. fandom exists. we have the joy and privilege of this beautiful community where we can share our stories with people who want to read about the same things as us. we get to take these characters we love and put them into whatever situations we want.

one half of your otp died? its okay no they didn’t. your otp ended up with different people? nah that was just temporary. sometimes those other love interests didn’t even exist.

fandom is a wonderful place where your favorite couple can fall in love in a million different ways in a million different universes, and that’s beautiful.

[honeycreammilkshake]

Hi.... If you don't mind me asking, can I ask, what are your top 7 favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series) and your top 7 favorite ships (can be canon or non canon) from any media ? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this questions before......

omg i've been wanting to answer a question like this for such a long time, thank you so much for asking! (you can always ask me about anything <3)

it's hard to talk about why i love these without giving a few spoilers, so i hope you don't mind that.

1. Jujutsu Kaisen & Sukuita

I first got into JJK because of Sukuna edits, but I started reading it more seriously when I fell in love with Yuuji (one of the best protagonists ever!) and got really invested in more of the other characters (Nobara, Mai and Maki, Nanami, Shoko, Yuki, Hiromi, and Uraume being my favorites <3) as the story went on.

Although I'm generally not interested in a lot of action manga, I fell hard for JJK because there were just so many good things about it. An anime protagonist that actually cares about saving other people but is still kind of unhinged and comparatively weaker than a lot of his peers? Bodily possession and an ancient god of chaos obsessed with the unworthy brat he's trapped inside of?? Scary monsters and scarier humans who fight them off???

But if I'm being really honest, my main reason for loving JJK is almost completely Sukuita.

These two are my #1 otp and I'm rabidly obsessed with them (almost as much as they're obsessed with each other). I could go on forever about why I adore this ship, but to keep it simple, it's really because they're one of the most dynamic and overlooked protagonist/antagonist relationships I've ever seen.

As a ship, they really have it all: enemies to lovers, hero x villain, bound by fate, bodily possession, virtually soulmates, matching each other's freak, yin and yang, toxic divorced couple/possessive exes energy, incest (if you're into that), and even opposites attract.

I see them as an inseparable matched set that share basically the same soul and see through each other but they'll never fully understand or accept each other, and it's beautifully heartbreaking in every way.

I first started shipping them when I read a lot of different ship fics with Sukuna, but the only one I ever really got invested in was Sukuita. My favorite ship trope of all is enemies to lovers, so I couldn't really resist them, and overtime I just fell deeper and deeper. Now I personally can't ship them with anyone but each other, but there are still so many more amazing ships to be found in this fandom, though a lot of my JJK otps (Nobamai, Makimai, Nanahito, and Gojoken) aren't very popular.

2. BNHA & Togachako

I'm not going to lie... I'm really not very invested in BNHA as a series, but I'm totally devoted to some of the characters, mainly Himiko Toga. I love kawaii yandere villains so much, and Toga is my favorite autistic bi disaster girl. I also love Dabi (one of my very first anime crushes), Ochaco, Bakugo, Deku, Shoto, Mirko, Eri, Overhaul, Mina Ashido, Kuin Hachisuka, Beros, and Twice.

Some of the quirks are really cool so I always love when they explore the different kinds both heroes and villains can have, and I love all the amazing fight scenes where heroes and villains get to go all out using their quirks, but my #1 reason for watching BNHA is for these two.

My top otp in BNHA is Togachako, of course, because I adore doomed yuri, especially the hero x villain kind, and I will never stop crying over how these two deserved so much better.

I shipped them almost as soon as they first interacted. The chemistry between them was beautiful and I love how Toga went all out with her yandere-style flirting with Ochaco, saying she had the same scent as her, that she wanted to be like her, from the very start understanding so much of Ochaco's character, her need to be heroic and save as many lives as she could, like Deku wanted to. Toga sees a lot of similarities between Ochaco and herself, and I love a villain that obsessively connects to the hero they're always at odds with.

I especially went crazy during that scene from season 6 where Toga had Ochaco pinned down and started crying out "What are you going to do to me? Are you going to kill me, too?" There was so much feeling and pain inside of that scene, Toga coming to terms with how heroes kill villains (like they did to Twice) even though they're human too, and knowing she could be next.

Yet later on we see how Ochaco accepted Toga despite all the things Toga had done. Because she understands that Toga is more than just another monster. All her childhood, Toga had been forced to suppress her own nature, but there Ochaco is... loving her not even despite it, but because she finds Toga herself, as the person she is, the cutest girl in the world. Just what Toga always wanted to be to someone, loved for her real self.

That just... really got to me.

My second main BNHA ship is Toyasho, or Dabisho.

They hit all the good tropes: hero x villain, twisted family, reconnecting, and lots and lots of angst. It fascinated me how they went on two different paths after experiencing abuse from their father: Dabi craving vengeance and resenting the world around him while Shoto largely isolated himself from others and tried to be indifferent about things. Dabi indulged in being ruthless, depraved, and even sadistic while Shoto tried to be "frozen" both inside and outside, yet he was learning to slowly open up to others and have hope for forgiveness.

They share a lot in common - being arrogant, getting overly emotional, wanting to do things alone, their way. But overall they have two different perspectives and Shoto considers Dabi to be his "cross to bear" since Dabi is his brother.

They still try to reconnect with each other in their own ways, especially at the end, where Dabi does regret a lot of what he did to Shoto and Shoto forgives him by asking what his favorite food is.

Togachako and Dabisho are my main otps for this fandom, but I also really like Shigadeku, Bakudeku, Meilissa, Saimomo, Togatsuyu, Momokendo, and Miruhawks because they have amazing chemistry as well!

3. The Locked Tomb & Griddlehark + Harryanthe

I first read Gideon the Ninth about a year ago and fell in love with it. The series reminds me of those weird sci-fi fantasy paperbacks that I would find packing the shelves of thrift stores and old book stores, but even better because of all the toxic lesbian angst and unhinged necromantic freaks who are the most unreliable narrators.

I like the writing style, the worldbuilding, the scientific feel to all the different necromantic theorems, the House politics, the beautifully complex characters, and the strange humor.

I love Griddlehark for all the angst, the enemies to lovers, the sad "you're the only friend I ever had so don't forget me, I'll even sacrifice my own life for you" from Gideon's side and the desperate "don't leave me, I'll erase all my memories of you because I can't bear to let you die" from Harrow's side. When we're first introduced to Harrow, from Gideon's POV, we think she's a heartless monster only concerned with herself. But soon we learn Harrow is weighed down heavily by her burden to handle all Ninth House affairs largely on her own and also by the nature of her very birth. Harrow has a deeply romantic and tragic side that Gideon is the first to discover, proving all her previous assumptions about Harrow wrong, and Gideon also proves herself to be more loyal, dedicated, and caring than Harrow thought she was. And even though they started out hating each other, they become each other's first true friends and can never let go of each other.

I also adore Ianthe's (mostly) one-sided obsession with Harrow, the way she acts like she just wants to manipulate Harrow and break her heart but unintentionally caught feelings for her along the way. They can't stand each other but they're forced to rely on one another and it's perfect, especially when Harrow (reluctantly) starts to feel somewhat close to Ianthe overtime. They're opposites in many ways, but they are both driven by their overwhelming sense of ambition and by their deep love/obsession for the people closest to their hearts (Harrow for Gideon and Ianthe for Coronabeth).

Harrow is my favorite, and I love her dynamic with both Gideon and Ianthe, so I can't choose between either ship. They're my ot3 really, since I also enjoy Gideon/Kiriona's interactions with Ianthe and how they sort of warm up to each other because of how they first "connect" over Harrow.

I have a lot more ships in this series too, namely Alectostasia, Pyrrha x Wake, Jarpedon, Augustine/Mercymorn/God, John x Alecto, Halecto, Corona x Judith, and Corona x Ianthe.

4 . The Summer Hikaru Died & Yoshikaru

I am a BIG fan of eldritch monsters developing codependent and destructive relationships with the mortals they become fascinated by, and this manga delivered that amazingly.

I've been following this story obsessively for about a few months but it's quickly becoming one of my most favorite manga ever. The dynamic between "Hikaru" and Yoshiki is perfect — the way Yoshiki can't really reject "Hikaru" because he craves the closeness he used to have with his friend but overtime he starts caring deeply for whatever "Hikaru" actually is.... Everything about them is so beautiful and tragic, it hurts physically but I love it.

The art is gorgeous and fits wonderfully with the summery horror atmosphere, and I like that's it set in the rural country, since I don't see as much of that in manga or anime as I would like to.

It has some elements of mystery, some of horror, lots of the paranormal, and plenty of chemistry between the mcs, all of which makes it so interesting and unique.

Yoshikaru is my main otp but I also love Asako/Yuuki, because they're so cute together.

5. Alien Stage & Mizisua

This series ruins me. The music, the story, the emotion. All of it makes me feel way too much.

The character designs for the humans are so good but I particularly like the aliens because I want to know more about their cultures and how they ended up imprisoning humanity.

One of the most central themes of this story is longing: the longing for freedom, the longing for love and friendship, the longing for something to put all your faith in even during the darkest times. And for Mizi and Sua, they put all that longing, that faith and hope, into each other.

Despite the fact that they know only one of them can survive that first round, they still sing almost every verse together because they refuse to give the other one the edge. They want each other to survive, even if it comes at the loss of their own life, but they were also hopeful that both of them could have tied. But Sua understood that this was unlikely and she chose to sacrifice herself to keep Mizi alive.

During the song Mizi narrates how humanity has forgotten gods and religion, but Mizi still believes in something that transcends all her suffering and longing, and that is Sua — her god, her universe. Even in the final moments of their round, as their fates are being sealed, Mizi looks over to Sua and smiles at her, because despite everything she's still happy to be with Sua, to sing with her and not against her, to find comfort even at the end. But she's still shocked and horrified when Sua dies, especially because of the fact Sua died to protect her.

And Mizi was never able to get over Sua's death. It's why she lost composure during her round with Luka, who relentlessly used her undying feelings for Sua against her by singing far too romantically.

Mizisua is my main otp in this fandom but I also love Ivantill, Hyuluka, and Hyunamizi.

6. Kakegurui & Yumedari

Even though it's arguably not as intelligent or coherent in its matches as I first thought it would be, I love pretty much everything else about this series, both the live action and the anime. The craziness, the color schemes, the focus on exaggerated body movements, even how thrilling the gambling scenes can be. Not to mention so many amazing characters and shipping possibilities, and my personal favorite ship of this series is Yumeko and Midari.

They get a lot of hate for being a toxic ship, which they are, but what exactly in Kakegurui is safe or sane in any way?? These two have such an interesting and compelling dynamic and from the start Midari is impressed and obsessed with Yumeko. And despite Yumeko's intolerance for Midari, they have a lot in common.

They're both compulsive gamblers who don't care about winning money or social status when they play. They're both addicted to the thrill, really skilled, impulsive, and quite smart too.

What made me start shipping them was, of course, their match during episode 7. The way Yumeko so expertly predicts Midari's moves to prevent an outcome where either of them are actually shot, how Midari comes to understand more of who Yumeko is through their game, the fact that Yumeko knew that Midari wanted her to win and was angry enough about it to deny the other girl that outcome. Yumeko despises cheating to "win" instead of fully indulging in the thrill of the uncertainty, which is what she lives for, and if Midari had maybe not resorted to cheating, I think Yumeko would have more respect and even enjoyment for playing with Midari.

What also really interests me is how polar Yumeko's actions are with Midari. She screams that she hates Midari, she finds her pathetic, she can't stand to be around her. Yet she has this almost soft moment with Midari before they begin playing, if only to keep the other girl from harming Ryota.

Yumeko also grows more tolerant of Midari as the show goes on, but it's by no means warm or loving in any way. And I think that's what I like about them. They're so alike but will never fully "fit together" because of it. It will always end up with either Midari wanting Yumeko to be the one to cause her pain or death, while Yumeko hates any kind of predictable outcome or rigging of the game.

I also have a lot of other ships in this fandom, mainly Yumary, Kirisaya, Meariri, Ayadari, Riridari, Naodari, Ririsaya, and Yumemika.

7. Monster & Tenjoh

I don't even know where to start on this one, really.

I've known about the existence of this series for a while and even tried to start it, but all I could could get into initially was edits of Johan Liebert. I kept meaning to pick it up eventually, since I'd heard that it was one of the most popular seinen manga and that Johan was also one of the best manga/anime villains.

But only recently I have I started watching this series, and I don't know why I didn't sooner.

I cannot describe everything I love about this series without writing a whole other post, but to put it simply - it's extremely well-done and very thought-provoking. And as someone deeply interested in psychology and criminology, I found this to be a brilliant exploration of both. The characters are so well-developed, especially the twins and Tenma (who is honestly one of the most underrated protagonists I have seen) and though I was first off-put by the older animation style, I have actually come to like it a lot since it's very unique and suits the setting and atmosphere perfectly.

There are so many different layers and themes that I will never tire of trying to analyze them all, and there's especially a certain thrill to watching how all the pieces of the puzzle connect together, especially when we get an understanding of how Johan perfectly manipulates others so that they essentially follow the designs of their own downfall.

But one of the very few people to resist Johan's plots and to even come close to destroying him is Tenma.

Tenjoh is so fascinating, both as a ship and only as their canon interaction, because of how deeply personal and complex their relationship is.

Tenma saved Johan's life years ago, a choice that essentially ended his career for him and led to his life being significantly altered. When Johan returns, revealing himself to be the person responsible for so many deaths, Tenma feels guilty for "creating" the monster that Johan became. However, even though Johan kills everyone who knows about him, he spares Tenma as both a sign of respect for the doctor saving his life and because he wants to drive Tenma to kill him, therefore proving Tenma's ideals that every life has value wrong.

Not only is there something darkly poetic in Johan wanting the doctor who brought him back from the brink of death to be the one to kill him, it's also just as suiting that Tenma at first wants to be the one to kill Johan, feeling it was his burden to end the monster he'd "revived." But despite many opportunities given to him, even by Johan himself, to kill the evil mastermind, Tenma still couldn't do it.

I have so many thoughts on them and would love to write a meta about it someday, but all I can really say for now is they're quickly becoming one of my top ships ever.

[boundwithpurple]

Dean for the character ask

How I feel about this character

dean winchester is like my real close personal friend…i love him! a lot to say but i think the core of what i love about dean is revealed by the persistent emphasis on his empathy for children - he believes them, he takes children’s terror seriously and is moved by it.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

sam. i also really liked dean/bela.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

him and jo were cute…i mean i wouldn’t object to them fucking as with any little sibling substitute for dean but it’s not the dominant feeling.

My unpopular opinion about this character

i’ve shared a lot of these…as with any insanely divisive fandom, any opinion is going to be unpopular with somebody so these are always targeting specific corners. no shade to any mutuals that feel this way but i strongly feel reading dean as anything but bisexual is off-base! that is my polite, agree to disagree opinion. but i am not entirely rationally irritated by it, for reasons i will share. you have two varieties of this.

first, destiels who read dean as gay. i have developed an irrevocable personal beef for these kinds of reads, whether it’s dean or alicent hightower, where the primary issue - trauma from child abuse - is transmuted into a secondary issue subordinate to internalized homophobia. the two of course can be deeply connected and that’s fine to explore, but it’s the specific fandom spaces that flip out in horrified disgust if you want to stay with the canonical or strongly subtextual child sexual abuse instead of watching chappell roan edits or making endless unfunny jokes about disaster lesbians or needing the strap. (for supernatural, this shows up as revulsion should you mention the csa subtext at all; for alicent, since it can’t be effaced, the fact that alicent is rhaenyra’s stepmother and what that means has to be minimized as much as possible and anyone who doesn’t is spoiling the fun). it triggers kill bill sirens for me that are i am sure not fair to full breadth of people who subscribe to sexuality headcanons strongly.

(the second is wincesties who read dean as a heterosexual he-man with a brother exception because he can turn his brother’s asshole into a pussy. this is wrong because that is actually sam’s deal. and it’s beautiful…but even dean’s women top. EVEN HIS WOMEN!)

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon

young jeffrey dean morgan time traveling to play young john in the time travel episodes. this would be something that happened to dean. you understand.

[avalonbards]

and then the one and only, arthur!

gonna answer this one first because i'm having arthur feels and i'm so happy you've given me a chance to talk about my boy, dear~

favorite thing about them: i mean, he's king arthur, what isn't there to love about him? haha but i think it's just how he keeps going no matter what, always pushing forward following what he believes is right and good. i know that's not exactly unique to the arthuriana, but something about how arthur does it has stuck with me the most. maybe it was the burden of kingship being forced on him from a fairly young age? i can sympathize with feeling like suddenly everyone has unrealistic expectations on you because of something out of your control. plus he wants to be good. he wants to be a good king, to show he's not just a ruler because of a magic weapon in a magic rock and some fuckhead wizard said so. arthur wants to be what his people need him to be.

least favorite thing about them: he's too willing to be the nice uncle when he should actually discipline his nephews when they need it. had he actually stepped in, stepped up and not let gawain get away without any consequences with his very obvious murder of pellinore, so much later grief could have been avoided. but arthur is too desperate to please his family, so he would turn a blind eye and at most just, weakly, said that all of pellinore's bloodline were under his protection. which uhhh didn't exactly work out now did it arthur?

favorite line: this bit from vulgate lancelot part 1 is so funny to me and i can't explain it. bisexual disaster arthur confirmed.

brOTP: is there really any choice besides with his own foster brother cai/kay? well, i guess also i really like arthur and guinevere being friends honestly. and naturally arthur and all his family members are one big brotp technically! i even like him and morgan to have a bond, however strained it may become.

OTP: unsurprisingly to anyone who follows me, it's bedivere/bedwyr x arthur. the beauty of the most loyal knight being in love with his king who loves him in turn but it must all be kept private? in a way it's kind of a mirror of guinevere x lancelot but i have a preference for arthur and bedi's relationship being one guinevere approved of and encouraged.

nOTP: any form of incest, i don't care which of his family members it's with i don't want it keep it away. aside from that? lancelot x arthur if it's not done as lancelot being a pining loser with one-sided feelings.

random headcanon: arthur looks almost exactly like his mother, even down to having a similar height as her, igraine was fairly tall for a woman in my writings but still this makes arthur pretty slight in comparison to most men his age. still, he's got a definite beauty to where only a few traits similar to uther show, the freckles across his cheeks when he's been in the sun for a while, the shape of his eyes, and his nose being the main features.

unpopular opinion: while i like the vulgate i dislike the way it opened a path for arthur being "villainous" or basically just there to be hated on by readers in later narratives. i prefer arthur to be a flawed but ultimately noble and good man who cares deeply about his kingdom and people and especially his friends and family.

song i associate with them: god okay so technically it's two songs so the first is "the moon will sing" by the crane wives (specifically this cover by annapantsu) because "Tell me once again / I could have been anyone, anyone else / Before you made the choice for me" is so arthur with his quiet resentment towards myrddin and even britain itself despite how much he loves britain and its people, which matches the rest of the lyrics. the other song is "flowers" by hana hope because of the lyrics "What else shall we let go / To live our lives the only way we knew / The birds are soaring in the sky / So high above us all, we who cannot fly" really suit him i would think.

favorite picture of them: these little doodles i did of my arthur! i'm actually working on another picture of him but for as much as i love him i don't draw him much kjfdnhb

[dangermousie]

@mj220991 who, along with @mercipourleslivres and @aysekira is my non-danmei novel guru, has informed me that Wishing You Eternal Happiness by Peng Lai Ke is getting an adaptation.

I am both excited and terrified because except for Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir, it’s my favorite non-danmei novel and so it would be glorious to see it on screen if it’s done right, like Shen Li or Ever Night 1 or Lost You Forever 1, but so often adaptations are disasters (see Dreamer, actually.)

Anyway, I was thinking of who my ideal cast for the OTP would be and here is mine:

Lu Yuxiao as the beautiful Zhen Jiafu, a quiet period woman desperately trying to escape her horrifying fate:

She can do the beauty, elegance, quiet and manipulativeness.

As the depressed, intellectual, kind Pei Youan my choice is Deng Wei:

His playing Tushan Jing totally showed him capable of playing a gentle and intense man.

Anyway, this is such a perfect introvert x introvert, kind x kind, quietly desperate x quietly desperate romance and I hope the drama adaptation does it justice.

[emeraldhypothesis]

For the YGO ask meme - Yusei!

Yusei! My little crab bro!

Why I like them/why I don’t

I have a real soft spot for characters who are naturally very quiet and stoic but are also just so kind to the people around them. Yusei has suffered a lot in his life, but he refuses to let it break him and turn him into a cynic, he's always willing to help people and it's portrayed as both a genuinely good thing and also bad in how self-destructive he can be. Yusei in retrospect absolutely formed a lot of my tastes on protagonists with that mixture of self-destructive kindness and a tough facade that hides a softie.

What I like about their appearance

His usage of blue has always stood out to me as an interesting middle ground between the royal shades of black and purple of Yugi and Judai's blazing red. It fits him as he's more cool and composed, and makes the dashes of yellow in his design like his hair streak and his Mark pop!

Do I prefer their dub names or original names?

Same in both languages, so I'll also use this as a way to give preference on the VAs. I think Abbey and Miyashita both play him perfectly, but I have a real soft spot for Miyashita because he gives Yusei such a wide and beautiful emotional range and gets to really deliver a solid performance during Ark Cradle.

OTP

I'm torn between two for Yusei between Faithshipping (redemptive powers) and Toolshipping (generational defining levels of doomed yaoi). I also have a real soft spot for Judai/Yusei because Yusei picking up moody goths and fixing them with the power of love and Synchro Summoning is so funny and cute. I like a lot of Yusei ships (Treasonshipping is like a sleeper agent phrase for me!) but those would be the big three.

NOTP

Besides the obvious ones of shipping him with the kids? Nothing really. I guess Trudge? Does anyone even ship Yusei and Trudge?

OT3

I don't think I have one for Yusei, but the idea of him and Sherry both making Aki a bisexual disaster without even trying is very funny to me.

(Joke answer is that all Yusei OTP's are OT3's because you're not getting rid of the motorcycle)

Favourite card they use

The Stardusts are all easy picks, but honestly I think I'll pick THE TUNER MONSTER JUNK SYNCHRON. I love his silly hat and his scarf.

Favourite moment they were in

My nostalgia brain is torn between Bonds Beyond Time and the first ACCEL SYNCHRO, but he has so many- his repeated attempts to save Aki, his duels with Antinomy and Z-One, his speech to Rudger about his self-loathing over Zero Reverse, he's just got so many.

Least favourite moment

Even putting aside Faithshipping biases, I really don't think Yusei would react as passively as he did to Aki's crash during the Team Catastrophe arc. That felt a bit like a "He Would Not Fucking Say That" moment. I'm also a bit cooler in general on his writing post-Dark Signers as I think his flaws are a bit downplayed to make him an overall more conventional protagonist.

Would I fuck, marry or kill them

You know I'm putting a ring on the guy with steady employment, good job prospects, and the ability to repair our appliances if something's wrong.

[spicywarl0ck]

🥰 Happy Friday! I was too late to announce my own participation today but I can still send prompts! :D Either "I would give anything to see you smile" or "Have I ever lied to you?" - "Are you really asking me that?" for mHawke/Fenris, our mutual all-time-otp, of course <3 Whichever takes your fancy! 🥰

Thank you so much for this prompt x3 I had so much fun writing this for @dadrunkwriting beware, it turned a bit lemony (but also not really, no details) but they are unfortunately interrupted before they can do anything naughty. Pairing: male Hawke/Fenris Length: 864 Rating: M

“A ball?” Fenris arched one dark eyebrow at him, his green eyes glaring dangerously. “Don’t tell me you are serious about this Hawke.” the elf added in clear distaste, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he leaned against the wall, close to the balcony. It was hard for Hawke not to get sidetracked by the beautiful view of soft orangy light painting Fenris's white hair in the colours of the setting dawn. He’d probably never get used to his handsome husband. “The Inquisitor invited us. It would look bad not to go. Plus, I am certain it will be fun.”

“Fun? What about me gives the impression that I’ll have fun at a social gathering in Orlais?” Fenris sighed. “If I might remind you, we have been to Orlais before, it has been a disaster. You’ve been imprisoned even.”

“Only briefly!” Hawke countered. “And I still think it was fun. I certainly had fun,” he added. 

“You were the only one.” Fenris's eyes darted to the side as he took in the mountain view of Skyhold for a heartbeat. “And we are speaking about the Winter Palace Hawke. The Empress herself will be there. Do you truly think she’d allow you to bring me in?”

“Why shouldn’t she? Because you are an elf? Pfft, the Inquisitor is elven himself and brings a Tevinter Altus as his company. I think we’ll be fine.” Hawke paused a moment before he added: “Aw, come on. I am sure it’ll be fun. Have I ever lied to you?” 

“Are you really asking me that?” Fenris scoffed, his green eyes narrowing at the man with the shit-eating grin. 

“It was hypothetical.” Garret sighed. “Nevertheless, I would love to attend and walk in with you.” He closed into his grumpy husband, one arm softly wrapping around the slender elf’s waist to pull him closer.

“And I would love if you’d do me the honour to dance with me,” Hawke added softly.

“An honour yes?” Fenris chuckled as one of his hands stretched over Garret’s tunic. It was astounding how the elf still managed to make his heart beat faster with one gesture after all these years.

“Of course.” Hawke leaned in, almost close enough to kiss the man who made him the luckiest man in Thedas

But even though he initiated, Fenris closed the gap between them, his hands wrapping around Hawke’s neck to pull him closer. He deepened the kiss with a grunt before he got pinned against the wall, both lips moving against each other feverishly.

It had been a while since they shared the pleasures of intimacy and Hawke had trouble keeping his hands to himself.

He didn’t hesitate to lift Fenris within his arms, the elf’s fingers twitching where they rummaged through his black hair, tugging ever so slightly to demand more while a tongue was all too eager to pry his lips open.

Fenris was quick to invade his mouth with a feverish hunger, a sound close to a moan swallowed by each other’s mouths.

He felt every movement of Fenris's tongue as it pushed against him, every tug the elf’s fingers made against his eat and every grunt breaking loose from his lover’s lips as their hips ground against each other already.

“Bed.” Fenris broke the kiss impatiently, his voice close to a growl and demanding.

Hawke was all too happy to follow the order and set it into motion quickly as he carried his lover over to the bed, dropping him onto the soft pillows without a thought before his hands started to unbuckle his belt as he watched his lover undoing his tunic swiftly.

There was nothing that could have prevented him from ravaging Fenris right here and then, except for the knock on the door.

“I am sorry for the interruption Serah.” The ambassador's voice was muffled as it broke through the door before it creaked as she opened it. “I wanted to discuss the matters of the Ball with you…” she added before her eyes widened at the sight of two flustered and dishevelled men.

“Uh, my apologies. I am…” Josephine brushed one of her dark locks behind her ears, clearly staring at the champion whose pants slowly dropped down.

“I will wait for you in my office,” she concluded, yet it took another heartbeat before she pried her eyes away, the door closing behind her. Yet, only to open one more time with a whispered: “I am sorry.” before it fell shut again, unmoving.

“I think we should get dressed.” Fenris sounded unpleased, his fingers already moving to close his tunic.

“Or…we could continue.” Hawke offered instead. “It’s not like she’s expecting me anytime soon,” he added but admitted defeat when he saw Fenris’s expression. He didn’t stand any chance.

“And make it even more awkward?” Fenris shook his head as he stood up. “No, You should go,” he added as his hands clung firmly onto Hawke’s tunic, their lips so very close to touching again. “I will be here when you return and then…” The elf paused as he stretched onto his tippy toes, his lips brushing against Hawke’s ear.

“We can lock the door.”

[quinloki]

For the Self-Ship/OTP asks: 32, 33, 35, 42, & 57

Honestly, I'd say just pick any one or combo of blorbos you want. I don't think I have anyone in mind for these asks, I'm just curious across the board.

Oh my friend! <3 I love these questions and I love the ability just kind of pick and choose as I go through it <3 This is just what I think I needed today (I got more bad news T-T can you believe it? I didn't even get a full month I swear. I'm so tired of this year.)

32. Who’s the better story teller?

Marco - we’re pretty well matched, I think, but I also feel like he just enjoys listening to me talk. So he tends to prompt me to tell stories more than offer his own.

Kid - I think he’s taking notes so he can be a better story teller, but I definitely have him beat currently. XD he does make little metal characters based off my stories though, I almost want to give him the win just from that.

Sabo - he has practice regaling Luffy from their younger days, but the fact that Luffy and Ace were his primary audience shows xD lots of sudden monster appearances and epic battles.

Sir Crocodile- not one for story telling, but he’ll let me ramble about my ideas and daydreams. If I wanted to write professionally Ivan see him pulling out all the stops to support that.

Thatch - tends to build stories with me. He’s not the best on his own, but he always makes my stories better so I think he deserves the win on this one.

33. Who’s the better cook?

All of them have me beat. I might outdo Sabo by sheer luck, but we’re both barred from cooking after the last time 😅

35. Who’s more artistic?

Thatch is way more artistic than me. Especially in the kitchen, but base cooking skill aside his icing work is beautiful.

I’m more artistic than Crocodile, but I don’t think he cares to draw or paint. He might say he has artistry in the way he marks me >.>

I think Kid is an exceptionally detailed artist, but only if he’s doing schematics. I think he gets too caught up in his head to draw just to draw and apply those precision skills to portraits, but he’s definitely doing better than Sabo.

I don’t think Sabo can draw stick figures. ^^; I do think he has amazing color theory skills though - so if you can lay down line work for him he can bring it to life.

Marco I think is super artistic, but aside from doing detailed miniature paintings on bar coasters, he doesn’t do anything else. And he doesn’t really share/show off the coasters.

42. What’s their favorite type of weather to enjoy together? (getting snowed in together, watching thunderstorms, etc.)

Everyone of them appreciates a nice blizzard and the “need” to stay cozied up so that no one gets too cold.

>.>

<.<

But MY favorite weather is a nice rolling thunderstorm. I’m bringing Marco and Crocodile around on it - especially if it gets incorporated into sexy times. Marco likes to use the thunder to cover the sounds of moans so that I can be louder without alerting the whole ship, and Crocodile likes the way the lightning dances against the jewels he likes to leave me in.

57. Whose the serious one when grocery shopping and who likes to toss random things in the cart?

Sabo and I are a disaster when it comes to shopping. It’s all mad science and impulse buys. Koala provides a list and we don’t miss anything on it >.>

Marco “lets” me push the cart so he can fill it. … without my help ^^; (I mean, I can say “hey I wanna try this” it’s not like I get no say >.> )

Kid and I had an argument about tomatoes and are banned from several area grocers. Killer is better suited for it anyway, since he’s taking care of that stuff for the crew.

Thatch controls things for the most part, but he won’t stop me from putting whatever in the cart. It’s fun because I can pull him into my mad science and he helps keep it from being a complete disaster xD

Crocodile does not grocery shop. I’ve almost forgotten what a grocery store looks like with him in my life 😅

[thegreymoon]

The Story of Minglan

I've been fighting off a monster of a headache all day with copious amounts of coffee but that could only go so far and I had to take painkillers in the end, so I am now in a drug-induced happy haze, very ready to bask in happy feels and root for the OTP 🖤

***

I love how he sees the real her.

Qi Heng only ever saw her public face, Liang Han also never realised her true character and thought she was obedient and boring. I think He Hongwen came the closest to understanding her, but he is nowhere close to being her intellectual equal. She would have run circles around him and though her life might have been peaceful at his side (though with that family of his, even this is doubtful), it would never have been as fulfilling as it will be with a man who can match her.

***

LMAO 🤣🤣

***

LMAO, if he keeps this up, she really will smack him 🤣🤣

He's just lucky he's so cute.

***

LOL, deserved 💪💪

I still maintain he should have approached her directly.

***

LMFAO

WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU EXPECT??

YOU GOT MARRIED, YOU LOSER. WHAT WAS SHE SUPPOSED TO DO, PINE FOR YOU FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE?

(With that said, as much as I despise Qi Heng, this actor is crazy beautiful and he is really tempting me to watch Guardian at long last 😭😭)

***

LOL, it is not fate.

It is your shitty classism, ego and garbage behaviour.

***

My guy, YOU MARRIED ANOTHER WOMAN.

***

Oh, shut up.

I am still mad about him suggesting that brain-dead plan to kidnap the princess and get all their families executed for it.

Also, he is a liar.

He revealed just now that he had decided to marry Minglan after she gave him advice on Rongjie. That was after he saved her from the pirates. It was before the whole Prince Yan disaster. This either means that this storyline is inconsistent or that he never actually intended to follow through with what he was offering. He expected Qi Heng to turn him down just so that he could go, "BuT i tRiEd tO HeLp yOu!" and absolve himself of guilt for backstabbing a peer because even then he knew that he would be going after Minglan himself. Honestly, I actually like this interpretation better than him being genuine in his offer, but it is still unnecessary. Qi Heng renounced all claim to Minglan when he married another woman. Gu Tingye owed and still owes him nothing.

Minglan is a whole-ass human person with her own agency, thoughts and feelings. She is not a leftover piece of pizza you can call dibs on. Qi Heng had his chance, the best chance of all her suitors because she actually liked him, and he blew it. Minglan wouldn't take him now if he was the last man on Earth.

***

LMAO, yes, tear him a new one, Tingye!

Yes, Qi Heng, either shit or get off the pot.

The nerve of him.

The self-serving selfishness.

Both he and his evil mother need to be taken down several pegs.

***

It is called having 🌟self-respect🌟

I love Minglan, she has a spine of steel and a very long memory. She neither forgets nor forgives her grudges.

***

LMAO, end him, queen 😂😂

I love Xiaotao 💙

***

Perfect 🤗

[consistentsquash]

2023 HP Fic Recs

HP Fics written and completed in 2023 which I read and loved. My recs are based on my reading + taste.

Snarry

OTP!

For I Have Found Salvation by @lumosatnight

Severus is a priest, and Harry is the parishioner who may just make him break his vows of celibacy.

Enough said. Hot, wrong, dirty. So totally Snarry!!! Also with a twist you don't see coming! Rated E. 7100 words. From Snarry AUctober Fest 2023 collection.

  Snake Charmer by @perverse-idyll

Sometimes all Severus had to do was turn thirty-plus years of repressed hunger upon him, and Harry would start shaking.

They are total disaster failmarriage hotness! Feel really sorry for everybody around them. Like a lot! The opening line is giving one really bad vampire in Hunger so much for me :D :D It's like a snippet/draft from WARM my beloved! <3 3200 words. Rated T.

  Devotion by @danpuff-ao3

Is there anything more undignified than needing someone so much?

26000 words. Rated E. Maximum hotness. Maximum wrongness. Maximum dirty bad delicious Snarry. This is the longest HP fic I read this year and 100% worth it!!! I am a big fan of Danni's Snarry and this fic is one of my all time fav Snarries. From Snarry-a-thon 2023 collection.

  In His Bed by @givereadersahug

Jealousy flooded Harry at their familiarity with each other's bodies. Resentment at their ease in getting each other off — the passion, the eagerness, the joy. All so different from his relationship with Severus.

Harry is super Slytherin here! Using the memories in order to learn what makes Snape tick! I really loved the dirtybadhotness of this fic! 450 words. Rated E. HP Kinktober collection.

  Coda to "Soft Touch" by @perverse-idyll

He'd thrown the bait. Would Snape catch it? Yes, he would, and throw it back.

Soft Touch is the Most ethical Massage Therapy fic ever :D Dirty, bad, hot, wrong. So it's incredible to get this really sweet and wholesome coda. You can see the undercurrents of the more complicated themes but also really sweet. 3300 words. Rated T. This is as fluffy as PI Snarry gets :D :D

  Femslash

Nymphadora, Nymphet by @thistlecatfics

Could this woman be a relative of her mother’s?

Bellatrix/Tonks, Bellatrix/Andromeda. 20200 words. Rated E. From Women of the House of Black fest 2023 collection. Really hot, dirty, wrong on literally every single level :D Obviously I love it! The femslash Lolita fic HP fandom really really needed :D

  Candles Lit Against the Dark by @perverse-idyll

Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank/Minerva McGonagall. 13600 words. Rated G. My favorite fic of 2023. From Snapecase 2023 fest collection. Beautiful, beautiful fic which is kind of my personal epilogue for the books at this point. Lost count of rereads. It's packed with beautiful friendships, people focusing on the sweet instead of the bitter, people moving on together, people forgiving each other. It's an incredible fic with perfect execution on some classic tropes like matchmaking and friends who are going to help you whether or not you asked for it. Also some not so classic tropes like celebrating a female character's life/happiness/love being the center of a rich fic. Ultimately this is Minerva McGonagall's fic and I am so here for it.

  Once of Eden by eldritcher.

Lily/Eileen. 2000 words. Rated M. Poignant and super sharp character study of Lily. Lots of storms inside her head about her family/war/Petunia/Snape. This is right before her marriage but she has this feeling she doesn't fit into that life and she doesn't want to let go of her past. Like a lot of us, she's also seeing her past/childhood through these nostalgic glasses but at the same time she's also noticing adults in her life and has this bittersweet feeling that she's an adult now/making adult choices now. Serious Catcher in the Rye vibes. This fic has the Lily for me. Really like Harry, really Gryffindor. It's a really beautiful, sensitive, unique, powerfully human fic.

  Leather by @saintsenara

Tonks/Fleur, Tonks/Charlie, Tonks/Remus, Tonks/OFC. 2900 words. Legit character studies of bi characters are super rare in our fandom. I don't really go for self-discovery type fics but this one is whoa! Love, love, love and highly recommend this one. It's out and proud and amazing. <3 From Ladies of HP Fest Collection.

  Rare slash

Rare as in the only fic on AO3 for the pairing :D

The Ice Cream Man and the Potions Master by @squibstress

Florean Fortescue/Snape. 9000 words. Rated G. From Hoggywartyxmas 2022 fest collection. This is definitely my fav slash fic of the year <3 I feel like a lot of times especially with OTPs the preslash part is kind of assumed to happen in the background. This fic does an incredibly amazing job of setting up the preslash and it's just ultra convincing. New Snape ship dropped <3

Gen

Yeah, I read gen! Tbh I don't except when a character study fic or an author's writing style really grabs me :D

October by @ashesandhackles

Insanely amazing character studies. Rated G. The Barty Crouch Jr. character study, Disappointing Fathers, is probably my all time fav genfic with him. I came out of this super sympathetic for Barty which is something that never happened to me before. So well written and brilliantly characterized.

  Womb by eldritcher

3000 words. Rated M. Phineas Nigellus Black character study with a beautiful friendship with Snape. Dark and intense but the fic has my fav Snape resurrection of all time <3 From Snapecase 2023 fest collection.

  Birds of Paradise by eldritcher

2700 words. Rated G. Fawkes character study with a beautiful friendship with Albus Dumbledore. Really beautiful, ethereal fic. eldritcher can write non-human characters with their own "type" of emotional connect. Normally they use this superpower for writing interspecies :D But this is a beautiful gen fic. From Pandemic, my most beloved. Obviously each and every eldritcher fic has a really special place in my heart but Pandemic is just insanely generous giving something special at the right time when it was needed and it made a huge difference for me personally. Love and anarchy, always!

  The Octaves and the Circumsion of Our Lord by eldritcher

The Dark Lord is circumcised. Nobody knows how everybody knows, but everybody knows.

2300 words. Rated M. Regulus Black character study with a beautiful friendship with Kreacher. Dark and intense fic about Regulus getting radicalized but also showing how he actually buys into those beliefs. Normally I avoid Regulus fics because the characterizations just don't work for me. This is exactly how I imagine Canon Regulus.

  Al Najid by eldritcher

She has come here to make an example of this woman for the son to find. Snape should know that betrayal comes with consequences.

2800 words. Rated M. Bellatrix Black character study set just before she tortures the Longbottoms. A complicated situationship with Eileen. Dark and hot mess Black family fic.

Het

Oof. Literally zero reason to trust my hetfic recs but you got to trust me :D These fics are amazing!

Ariadne by @ashesandhackles

Surrealistic, beautiful character study of Cho. It's got Harry/Cho, Cedric/Cho for pairings but this is 100% her fic. 1100 words. Rated G.

Exploring Cho's feelings for Harry in wake of her grief for Cedric's death, with symbolism from myth of Ariadne, Theseus and the Minotaur

  Four Christmases Pomona Sprout Loved and One She Hated by @kellychambliss.

Aberforth/Pomona. 6800 words. Rated T. This fic keeps it real. I really felt her pain because when you are an adult making new friends is super hard! The BEST Aberforth Dumbledore Snarkiest!!!! <3 I am a big fan of how this author writes The Abe D! Actually I am a big fan of this author. FAVE! <3 A lot of times rarepairs can feel kind of hard to believe because the characters don't have canon time together. You are totally going to be convinced. ALSO BANTER. I love relationship progression with banter. Things get bittersweet because of the war but it's got a really beautiful earned happy ending <3 My fav het fic of the year. Best fic to end this list :D

[lyragoth]

for the ask game thingy i would love to see you takes on maglor and feanir

Thanks for the ask, now I gotta talk about these babies!! Maglor

How I feel about this character: I love him deeply and greatly respect him for many reasons. He’s the greatest musician among the Elves, and once held the title of king, managing to keep all his younger brothers in line, which says everything about his quiet strength and wisdom. I love the brotherly bond he shares with Maedhros, and I especially admire that, in the end, he chose to do better, raising Elrond and Elros with care and gentleness. There’s a serene, humble side to him, yet he’s still a Fëanorian — so I know there’s haughtiness beneath the surface too.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: His wife (I have some hcs about her), Daeron, Finrod.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Maedhros.

My unpopular opinion about this character: Maybe not entirely “unpopular,” since it’s not canon-related, but I believe his fate is one of the saddest in the legendarium. I imagine him fading slowly, like the fairies in Icelandic folklore: small, invisible, only appearing to children. Or like the Pied Piper of Hamelin — tragic, ghostly, wandering. He’s deeply gothic in spirit, and I love him for that.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: That he built his own ship and sailed to Valinor... the last to do so. I imagine his family waiting for him on the shores with tears in their eyes. That thought alone makes me emotional.

Fëanor

How I feel about this character: Fëanor is the father of all unhinged Elves — the head of the Fëanorian mafia. He’s the Vito Corleone of the First Age, or the Thomas Shelby of the Noldor, if you like. The most brilliantly insane Elf to ever exist. He gave the name to the best Tolkien book, but most importantly, he fathered Curufin, so that Curufin could father Celebrimbor. For that alone, I feel the feels. Fëanor is legend, fire, madness, and charisma all wrapped into one glorious disaster of a being lol

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Nerdanel, of course. Melkor (yes, I said it). Sauron because in my fully unhinged AU where nobody dies, Sauron is madly obsessed with Celebrimbor, and both Fëanor and Curufin resemble him so strongly that he gets flustered watching the Curufinwës just… existing and being dramatic Elves.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Fingolfin, there's something endlessly compelling in that rivalry, that ache between brothers.

My unpopular opinion about this character: Fëanor absolutely knows how attractive and charismatic he is, and he uses it like a weapon. He flirts, manipulates, and sways others not just with words or ideas, but with his beauty. He’s the kind of person you follow off a cliff and only realize you're falling when it's too late.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: That the Valar had given him a chance, just like they did with Melkor, twice. Fëanor never committed anything on Melkor’s scale. He was rash, consumed by grief, and driven by revenge and bitterness.

These are my thoughts about them!!

[waydownatthebottomofnovember]

For the love your fandom ask game

2, 5 and 9 😊

Thank you <3

thank you! <3

2. a headcanon you weren't sure about at first but have come to like!

i think initially i glossed over the 'Mike and Alison are bisexual disasters' headcanon a bit but now i'm like YES actually that is so valid

5. something you see in fics a lot and love

handwaving away clothing reset rules in canon fics! canon is a beautiful sandpit to play in and i for one am so happy for the rules to be broken so that we can have lots of wonderful wonderful smut to enjoy

9. a ship that isn't your OTP but that you enjoy

there are so many good ships in Ghosts. one of my favourite things about The Woodworm Men is that as well as being a Patcap shipper's dream it's also such a good chess husbands episode! when they're cuddled together in the alcove 🥺