#And it's very tragic and angsty which makes it more interesting

[commandernachos]

Nessporky

Nothing can roast us more than playing MOTHER 3.

[anthurak]

So as a follow-up to my post about Marceline's super tragic and angsty prequel to the Elements Arc hidden in the episode ‘Ketchup’ yesterday, here’s a fun little ‘What-If?’ idea I’ve been thinking about for a while that could branch off from it:

If Marceline really did go all ‘feral, angry vampire girlfriend warpath’ on Patience both for what she did to Bonnie and also to find a way to help Bonnie, what if Marcy went a little… further?

So that when Finn, Jake and BMO later return to what was once the Candy Kingdom in Skyhooks, we see that Marceline, even ‘Marshmaline the Campfire Queen’, is conspicuously absent.

Then later, when Finn, Jake and Ice King are traveling through the new, desolate Ice Kingdom, they start hearing a soulful, sorrowful tune echoing through the otherwise silent wastes. A song sung by a very familiar voice…

And when the trio finally get inside the new Ice Palace, they find not Patience St. Pim, but rather Marceline the Ice Queen.

Basically, what if in her rage at Patience and desperation to find some way of helping Bonnie, Marcy actually devoured Patience’s soul, and thus inadvertently became the NEW Ice Elemental herself?

Now funny enough, I feel like this change wouldn’t actually have much of an effect on the Elements Arc itself. For one, I highly doubt that Marceline would be in any condition/willingness to actually help Finn and Jake. Remember that the effects of Ice Elemental contamination induce overwhelming ennui and depression.

So if that got dumped onto Marceline of all people? In the midst of her losing Bonnie to her own elemental corruption? Yeah, at this point I think our girl isn’t going to have the will to do more than stay cooped up in her new ice tower singing angsty, gay love songs for her lost candy girlfriend/soulmate with her new ice-fox backup choir. Now of course they would certainly be THE ANGSTIEST and GAYEST love songs you ever did hear, but still.

Like the big danger for Finn and Jake isn’t that Marceline tries to keep them there or is otherwise antagonistic, it’s that her music is so sorrowful/angsty it actually carries the depression-inducing elemental contamination that threatens to sap people’s will to go on and making them think of lost loves. Which could lead to some interesting character-moments for Finn: Like Marceline’s song first dredge up his old feelings for Bubblegum and Flame Princess, but Finn is actually able to push through the depression and yearnings because he’s moved on from those feelings and can recognize that the relationships they represented have either ended (Flame Princess) or never existed in the first place (Bubblegum). And when the songs make him think of Huntress Wizard, Finn is able to push through because he has a far more casual relationship with HW and doesn’t have the kind of deep yearnings for her that would easily paralyze him with depression.

Of course the most interesting part of this new version of Winter Light would be the potential meeting and conversation between this new Ice Marceline and Ice King/Simon. From Marceline potentially musing on how she now knows how Simon feels, to Ice King possibly having a weird, distorted heart-to-heart with Marceline where we see just a glimpse of Simon.

Following this, I don’t see this change having much of an effect on the rest of the arc, with perhaps one small but still noteworthy addition: When Finn, Jake and IK flee the new Ice Kingdom, Finn calls out to Marceline something to the effect of if she does miss PB so much, she should go see her. Then later during Hero Heart when Princess Bubblegum candifies Phoebe and the rest of her flame army, Marceline actually DOES show up in a dramatic and very impressive display of power, possibly with her own ice army. Finn at first thinks she’s here to help, but it turns out Marcy isn’t here to fight, but simply to see Bonnie. And when her followers also start getting transformed by PB, Marceline simply accepts the candification herself to become Marshmaline. Simply because now she CAN be with Bonnie.

You know, all to really dial up the ‘All is Lost’ vibe of that episode.

Now this means that Skyhooks II and the end of the arc play out the same as they did originally, with Finn and Ice King managing to hit the LSP-shaped elemental-reset button and undo everyone’s elemental corruption. I mean, maybe Bonnie and Marcy have a Big Damn Kiss a season early after they get de-candied, but I think it’s easy to imagine they probably already had a BDK off-screen in the original XD

Of course I think we can all agree that the real interesting angle to this change is the potential of Marceline being the new Ice Elemental on rest of the series. Admittedly, it is a bit hard to imagine the existing plot-points for the rest of the series being affected much by Marceline now having some ice powers. Aside from her Dark Cloud kaiju form she breaks out in Come Along With Me now likely being a Dark BLIZZARD form.

Instead, the really interesting potential of this change comes in how this might affect Marcy’s dynamic with Simon and how she might go about adapting to her new abilities. I think we can all agree it would be fun to see Marcy and Bonnie trying to figure out their new elemental powers together. Though consider this: If Bonnie was visited by the spirit/past-incarnation-memories of Chatsberry, what if Marceline ends up being visited by the spirt of Urgance Evergreen? You know, the being who made the Ice Crown?

Really makes you think where something like that could lead…

[direwolfrules]

Oh my fairy godmother I am so happy you are post about Ever After High!!! Do you have any fanfic or au ideas involving them? Like, what if one character had another destiny or what if they were in the Star Wars universe?! It’s just interesting to think about!

Hey! Glad to see we share another fandom interest!

So, I have this barebones post for what I would have done as a crossover between g1 Monster High and Ever After High.

As for general fanfic ideas I have a few. I shall now list them in varying levels of detail:

1. A Very Charming Groundhog Day Year:

Basically, the Charming siblings time loop back from a bit after Dragon Games but before Epic Winter to the day before the school year started (the day of the Family Ball in the books). While it would be kinda angsty, the best time loop fics are usually crack fics, and this would be no exception (if I ever wrote any of these things).

So Daring, Dexter, and Darling are all initially in states of panic and anxiety. Daring, he was in the middle of a quarter-life crisis and now has to deal with everyone and their fairy godmother thinking he's Apple's Prince Charming.

"Daring Charming, more like Distressed Charming, am I right?"-- Dexter, who should get to exhibit asshole little brother energy more often, as a treat.

Speaking of Dexter, he's panicking cause of all the awful stuff that's going to happen during the school year and also because now he has to go through the nerve-racking ordeal of asking out the girl he likes all over again.

Darling's in hell because everyone and their fairy godmother expect her to be this perfect little damsel, again, which is just- ugh. There are days she wishes she could carry her sword around with her, and they're most days. Also, she never got to talk to Apple about their True Love's CPR, which is just tragic.

The loops go on for a while, some constants in them include: Darling freeing herself and helping little Good-Enough Charming get one of their grandfather's trophies for the scavenger hunt, Dexter and Darling teaming up to kill the changeling and free cousin Charity (sometimes Daring helps but he's content to let his siblings have fun for once), Darling accidentally on purpose flirting with Apple and Apple experiencing several degrees of gay panic, Dexter fumbling asking out Raven for the first time (he's really such a dork, just a funky dude), and the Charming Siblings teaming up to make Milton Grimm's life a living hell.

In one loop they secretly film him playing with his toy unicorns and his action figure of himself and they hijack Blondie's mirrorcast to play it to the entire school.

After several loops a Monster High crossover happens, and so in every loop after that the Charming sibs, who have grown incredibly gremlin-like after experiencing the insanity of the school several dozen times, make sure to drop monster slang when it's just them and Cupid. Like:

Darling: "Wow, Cupid, that top looks clawsome."

Daring: "Totally, it's freaky fierce."

Cupid: "What?!"

Darling: "That top looks nice on you. Anyway, we gotta run."

Dexter: "Yeah, see you later ghoulfriend!"

I have some other half-baked ideas for this one but it'd probably be it's own post.

2. Murdoch Mysteries-ish AU:

This one makes no sense if you've never watched the hit Canadian Detective Show, Murdoch Mysteries. Or maybe it makes some sense, idk. Instead of a modern AU, we have a 1895 detective AU. It's barely an idea, I have no idea if I'd even keep this in the fantasy setting of (an 1895) Ever After or not.

Dexter is the Detective William Murdoch of this AU, the man with no game and beautiful blue eyes who women keep inexplicably falling in love with. He's observant and a little strange but he's also a brilliant detective. One of the major differences though is Dexter is the disowned son of old money parents.

Raven's the Dr. Julia Ogden, the outspoken, independent, and compassionate coroner helping solve cases and being amazing. Her rich, controlling mother doesn't much approve of her life choices but old Mrs. Queen can suck it. Raven and Detective Charming have a clearly mutual attraction but they're both hesitant to act on it cause what's a romance without a good slow-burn.

Hopper's the Constable George Crabtree of this AU. Listen, the everyday George matches Hopper's human side, and writer George matches Hopper's frog side. I will not elaborate, because I really cannot. Just feel the vibes, cause the words aren't coming.

I'm not 100% sure who'd be the Inspector Brackenreid. Part of me kinda wants to make it Professor Badwolf, and then I could make Milton Grimm the asshole commissioner. Coach Gingerbreadman is the Inspector of Station 5, the rivals of Station 4.

Daring is heir to the Charming family fortune. Golden boy, everyone loves him, wants more than anything to be able to talk to his little brother in public, but their parents would disown him as well if he stepped out of line.

Apple is one of Raven's housemates at Sisters boarding house, run by Bella and Brutta Sister. She was once courted by Daring, it was at the point where people were expecting an engagement announcement any day. That's when they suddenly broke it off, with no explanation (the explanation is Daring's in love with another girl and Apple's in love with his sister). Snow White and her husband barely agreed to let her move into the boarding house, I honestly have no clue how Apple managed to pull that off but good for her.

Idk, Darling's a vigilante. She's got the same deductive genius as Dexter, she just doesn't have the same ability to join the police force. Inspector Badwolf is tired of his cops being outdone by the mysterious White Knight (yeah, yeah, I made Darling into Victorian-era Batman). Couldn't the White Knight patrol Station 5's territory? (The answer is no, because Darling really wants to catch a glimpse of her twin and also because Sisters Boarding house is in Station 4's territory and sometimes she likes to secretly crash with her girlfriend).

3. The Destiny Cycle AU (AKA: Ever After High but the Rebel Movement is an actual Rebellion AU):

What it says on the tin. Raven discovers the book is fake before Legacy Day. Her and Dexter, who in this AU is believed to be Ashlynn's future Prince Charming because someone made a good post about the potential dynamics that could cause and I love it, set out to uncover what other secrets those in charge are hiding.

Basically, in this AU Ever After is a dystopia where the Royal Families tied the survival of their dynasties' rule to their stories. Like, magically tied them. The Fates themselves have been bound by the magic of the Destiny Cycle. Ever After's Destiny-bound citizens are forced to repeat the same stories as their ancestors, all because Happily Ever After doesn't include a revolt or the institution of democracy. All stories are repeated as a precaution against anyone figuring out what the ancestors of the Royal Families did.

Taking some inspiration from the SDCC Raven Queen doll's letter from her mother, the Evil Queen discovered the truth about the Destiny Cycle, said "not my kid you bastards", and proceeded to try to break the Cycle's bonds. Her taking over other stories and cursing Wonderland was an attempt to stretch the probability bonds of the Destiny Cycle's magic to the breaking point.

Stuff's gonna go down and basically these kids know time is running out until there's a war, cause the only way to avoid being offered up as a lamb to the slaughter is to overthrow the whole system.

God, I really gotta make this into it's own post as well now. But here's a basic rundown of some stuff I'd include:

Dexter and Raven being young and in love and just all the secret romance feels

Snow White knows about the Destiny Cycle, but Apple absolutely does not know.

Apple being born blonde is a sign that the Evil Queen's schemes loosened the grip of the Destiny Cycle, at least for a moment.

Ashlynn, Hunter, Dexter, and Raven as secret rebel leaders.

The backgrounders will have actual roles dammit! (Looking at you Lawrence Bonecrusher III, aka Orc Boy).

An exploration of artificial Destiny Cycle "True Love" vs. real True Love, featuring Apple, Daring, and Darling.

C.A. Cupid, sent by her godly family to infiltrate Ever After and cure it of the Destiny Cycle, because it's interfering in the domains of the gods.

A unique Monster High crossover idea that I will elaborate on in another post.

These children absolutely end up having to kill someone and it scars them forever.

As for different destinies AUs or Star Wars AUs, I haven't really given them much thought.

I think, in a Star Wars setting (possibly Old Republic?), Raven would be a Jedi padawan descended from a long line of Sith. Instead of Mirror Prison, her mom is dead and her Force Ghost is bound to a giant, mirrorlike piece of kyber crystal. Uh, not 100% sure who her master would be.

Darling would also be a Jedi padawan, and Maid Marian would be her Master. Maid Marian gets into custody battles over this kid with this old Jedi Watchman known only as The White Knight. She'd still have her time-slowing hair flip, in this AU it's just a unique way of activating the Force Slow ability.

[kookieswan]

Through Dying Stars - Genesis

Alien!BountyHunter!Jimin x DeliveryGirl!Reader

Word Count: 1.2k

Genre: Alien AU, BountyHunter AU, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Nonsexual NSFW/18+, Angsty, Slow Burn.

Warnings: MC gets roughed up a little but nothing too bad/descriptive. Jimin isn’t a nice guy, neither are Bangtan. Use of weapons (guns). Many of the characters are morally gray in this story. Please be warned!

Summary: It takes everything in you not to curse your crew mates to hell as the annoyingly large man smashes you into the wall. You can only begin to guess what you did to get Bangtan on your ass. Fuck.

Notes: SO. A new series is born and I’m very excited about it. I hope you all like it. I’ll be doing a taglist for it I think; all I ask is that you have your age indicated somewhere on your blog. I listened to Rosemary by Deftones while writing this chapter ⭐️

This Part I of the Through Dying Stars series. Find the Masterlist here ⭐️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What the fuck?!”

You’re awoken with a start, body violently tossed out of the plushness of your bed like a sack of potatoes. It takes a minute to grasp the situation, brain still clutching onto sleep like a lifeline after the night you’ve had. It doesn’t matter now though; you’re on the floor and definitely pissed off even if you can barely function. You thought that it had been agreed on that Tae would never man the ship again but apparently people want to play games.

Blinking slowly, the events slowly come back to you, a frown etching itself onto your face. You’re not sure what it’s been lately but Namjoons been taking on some more high profile jobs for Stellar Delivery Co. and it’s been taking its toll. Your body feels heavy, your mind scrambled as you roll to get up. Another day, another delivery you guess.

Standing up from the cold ground, you halt as the ship shakes again and the lights flicker in and out sporadically. Squinting your eyes, you grab for your bedside table, quickly pulling the communicator close to your lips. Something clearly isn’t right here, and as much as you’d rather be sleeping, you have to make sure it’s being taken care of lest you all die in a terrible explosion or something. That would be tragic and a little lame.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Speaking into the communicator gets you absolutely nothing in response, meaning that the ships in autopilot right now most likely. Had the others really managed to sleep through that jolt…? There’s no way. Changing the signal, you decide to call for Joon first since he’ll likely have the most answers.

“Joon…? Joon, come in.” Again, there’s no response, but that doesn’t necessarily worry you. Perhaps he’s actually decided to rest, it’s been days since he last slept if you’re remembering correctly. The man sleeps like a log, you had mistaken him for dead the first time you experienced it which is still traumatic to think about. Grumbling a bit, you try for Tae since Yoongi is likely actually dead to the world if it really is that late.

“Tae…? What the hell is happening right now…” Deciding it’s in your best interest to just go check after more radio silence. You pull on your cargo jacket over the little clothes you’ve worn to bed along with your communicator, feeling intensely wary was the lights continue to struggle to stay on.

Walking over to your door and peeking out of your room, a quick look down the hallway gives no indication of what’s happened. There’s not a soul in sight, your three other crew members apparently absent from the bunk area. Glancing down at your wrist as you rub away the remainder of sleep in your eyes, you note that it’s nearly 4am which makes the terrible feeling in your stomach grow worse. You knew it was late but not that damn late…

Stepping out, you hiss quietly as your bare feet are met with the cool ground of the ship. These assholes are really going to owe you after this; you had mentioned getting carpets but no. Maybe with some whining and pouts Joon will take you back to Ecalaxar for a shopping spree if you save everyone from a terrible fate. The thought makes you smile just barely, and with that, you start down the hall toward the cockpit.

Sadly, you don’t manage to get more than three steps down the corridor before you hear him.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” The man’s accented voice is unfamiliar and much too excited. Much too fucking giddy to be normal, and it’s the final red flag the goes off in your head to piece everything together.

Someone’s broken into the damn ship.

Someone got past all the security. Someone got past all three of your crew members. And now, that someone is coming to get you as well.

Thanking the stars that you chose not to wear any shoes, you slip down the hallway away from the voice, your feet barely making a sound as you do. The ship has multiple small closets scattered about for storage, and even if they’re not meant for it they’ll make a wonderful hiding spot. You could fight, sure, but you don’t have your blaster and who knows what this man can do. Maybe, just maybe, it’ll also give you time to figure out a plan.

Sliding your hand against the walls as you walk, you try not to panic as you hear heavy footsteps approaching the bunk area. It takes everything in you not to gasp in relief as you arrive at the closet, turning the handle as slowly as possible. Just as you slip in, the voice calls out again.

“I know you’re around here somewhere, little girl. If you come out, I won’t hurt you too bad. If you keep hiding, well…” It’s gross how it’s strangely soft, almost teasing in nature, but the sinister tone doesn’t escape you. The closet is pitch black, a mind is cute amount of light coming through the cracks from the hallway.

Had the others got away? Had they been captured? Are they alright? Too many questions race through your mind as you hold your breath, the footsteps outside of the door echoing like space storm. You hear doors open and close, the man checking each of your rooms to see if anyone’s around. Maybe being thrown out of your bed was a blessing in disguise.

Blessings don’t last forever though. They never do. No, not for you.

“_____, you need to fucking hide right this very instant, fucking Bangtan of all people are-“ The panicked voice of Yoongi cracks through your communicator and then abruptly cuts off. Bangtan…? Fuck. Fuck. The footsteps have stopped and everything is silent before you burst out of the closet in a sad attempt to save yourself. You can see him out of the corner of your eye, an apparent member of fucking Bangtan, as you sprint out. He’s tall and dressed in black, body covered head to toe in it, gun held easily at his side. A fucking nightmare walking.

“AH, there you are!” The footsteps are thunderous again, loud as he chases you down, your thoughts much too scattered to come up with a solid escape plan. A scream bubbles in your throat just as you try to round the corner at the end of the hall which quickly turns into a choked sound as he slams his body into yours, effectively smooshing you between the wall and himself. You swear you hear something crack and you wouldn’t be surprised if it was one or six of your ribs.

Struggling against him as his hand wraps tightly around your wrists, you whine as he draws in closer, your cheek smashed into the wall. Trying to kick back is futile, his own legs locking your into place as you buck back against him which makes him fucking laugh. It’s only when you feel the cold tip of his gun caress your temple that you finally stop struggling. You’ve been bested. Fuck.

“Caught you.”

[invested-in-your-future]

Its interesting really how much RT seem to be confused by actual terminology and character arcs.

Ironwood has always been authoritarian with a tunnel vision. He was on the side of the good, but He has always felt like a character that will eventually slip and be an antagonist. Them going "HA, he always had potential to be shady" isn't a winning argument they think it is.

He always had a potential to be complicated morally ambiguous villain that highlights the fallible and confusing nature of humanity and blurs the lines of right and wrong.

As pressure between the countries is rising, Ozpin is out of the picture and the world is barreling towards a world war, it just makes sense that Ironwood's desperation would lead him a dangerous path.

I don't think there's an issue with Ironwood walking that path as a story. Its actually pretty strong idea and thematically COULD be great. The idea that one's path can be pretty muddy and unclear and that human nature doesn't always lead to the best decisions and outcomes feels at home in a show about exploring human nature and self-destructivity. An idea of a traumatized soldier who sacrificed everything for his kingdom is a good and tragic backstory for an antagonist and SHOULD by all means cause interesting and angsty moral conflict for the protagonists.

Doesn't change the fact that we never got that in the show. NONE OF THAT.

Instead it feels like suddenly without a moment's notice he got a completely different villain's character arc. While Jacques for some reason is completely sidelined because the showrunners are afraid and uninterested in dealing with the idea of very human and very dangerous and very REAL evil that Jacques represents.

While also the show had the "BRILLIANT" idea of ALSO throwing Salem's big goofy RPG Flying Fortress into the mix as well as Cinder and Neo.

In the end we had an incoherent mess where Cinder and Salem were all smug and the relics nonsense was the focus, while Ironwood was screaming confused in the narrative background, essentially a plot device.

Salem should have never been involved. Relics should have never been involved. Atlas shouldn't have been powered by relics and even it flying feels kind of stupid. Jacques should have played a bigger role as a villain. It should have been JUST the story of human conflict and the characters being stuck in something where there's no clear-cut answer or solution that satisfies everyone.

The show had a PERFECT chance to tell a very human story about human nature and fallibility of human beings - a fall of a Kingdom caused not by monsters and demons, but by humanity's hubris, paranoia and self-destructivity - a story about classism, oppression, power structures, horrors of war and the ultimate horrifying fate of soldiers used and abandoned for it, which also leads well into characterization of the protagonists and Ruby's own crumbling idealism and ideas of what a Huntress is. Atlas was an arc in the making since the very beginning of the show and the show blew it completely.

Because it was more interested in very generic RPG mcguffin chase and the nonsensical two gods subplot.

[ussjellyfish]

Star Trek asks: 🖖, 🌀 and 👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏾

🖖 First Star Trek Media you encountered:

We watched TNG on television when I was a kid (as it was airing the first time!). One of my earliest memories (I was 4) is of Will Riker getting sucked into the big black Armus pool and how freaky that was. I remember the face coming up from the bottom.

And they saved him! he was okay. (Tasha's death did not compute in my very small mind). Will being okay in the end was part of "Star Trek means we're all okay" which is my earliest opinion.

Often this still carries over.

🌀 If the Holodeck was real, what's the first thing you would use it for?

adventure fantasy RPGs. I'd love to be able to play something like Dragon Age. It would be incredible.

I would also use it to test out fic lines and positions and make sure they make sense. I have no sense of inner eye, so that would be helpful. Where do her hands go...

👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏾 Do you ship any characters? Who?

Oh Georgiou.

I don't have any strong preferences about ships in some series. My levels of shipping are:

Ships I find cute on screen. (USS Enterprise-G)

Ships I would read fic. I would probably write fic for an exchange or a challenge. (USS Enterprise-D)

Ships I would write fic for, because I want the fic to bring myself joy and those are much more intense. (USS Voyager) I will land my starship on this planet.

Ships that are platonic for me and I adore them. (USS Protostar)

Ships where I want to read everything that has ever been written about them. I have saved all the artwork. I want to commission more artwork. (USS DIscovery) I will travel through the mycelial network for this ship. This ship is my home.

(under a cut for length)

TOS - no ships. Never really had any. TOS is not foundational for me though, I don't think I've seen the whole thing and probably never will. It's so much men talking.

AOS - I have a soft spot for Spock/Uhura. I really liked Uhura.

TNG - I shipped Deanna/Will so much as a child. They're in my very first fanfic. I liked Beverly/Jean-Luc (historical) later, but not until I was an adult. Deanna/Will I shipped as a very tiny human. I have witten fic for both of these. I also ship Beverly/Deanna, and Beverly/Deanna/Will in a very lighthearted way.

DS9 - Jadzia Dax/Lenara Kahn is gorgeous and tragic and I adore them. Kira/Dax in a very lighthearted way. They're fun. I shipped Jadzia Dax/Worf when the show first came out and probably would if I did a rewatch, but it's a very mild ship (I wouldn't read fic). I am very invested in Jadzia Dax.

VOY - Kathryn Janeway/B'Elanna Torres is fun. I've read some fic. I love how intellectual they would be together. I wrote and read much Janeway/Chakotay (historical) about ten years ago, but I'm not as into him now. (Robert Beltran makes it hard for me). Still love Janeway. I also like Seven/B'Elanna.

ENT - I enjoyed Trip/T'Pol when the show was on. I don't think I've seen all of it. I love T'Pol.

SNW - I have a passing interest in Una/La'An and Una/Pike. I've read some fic but haven't written any. I want nice things for Batel/Pike in canon. (he needs to be a better partner to her though). I ship Amanda/Sarek here simply based on how convince I am that Amanda loves him.

PIC - Seven/Raffi are wonderful and I adore them. I love their connection and their dear faces. Agnes/Borg Queen are fun and dark. Laris/Zhaban are fun. I wanted to ship Beverly/Jean-Luc again but they didn't give me much. Shipper brain was not engaged. Deanna/Will were so angsty. Will & Beverly might be my strongest legacy ship in this show. I wish Beverly & Deanna got to talk.

PRODIGY - dammit here I almost ship Janeway/Chakotay again. I ship Janeway/happiness here so much and if finding him will make her happy, okay fine. Gwyndala/Dal are cute and I want them to have nice things. Haven't wanted to read any fic though.

Crossover Trek - Beverly Crusher/Kathryn Janeway has held a special place in my shipper heart for 13 years. I love them so much. I love that they're still going and they show up in exchanges. They would be such a good couple.

Philippa Georgiou/Afsaneh Paris was such a fun thing.

Most trek crossover femslash is fun and I would try it in an exchange.

DSC - Philippa Georgiou (captain)/Katrina Cornwell. They'd be cute. They must have met. Katrina Cornwell/Gabriel Lorca (prime), Katrina sold me on that one. Katrina Cornwell/Philippa Georgiou (emperor), they have a handful of scenes and they would totally work.

Michael Burnham/Cleveland Booker are very cute on screen and I hope they get a nice ending. (I think they will). Hugh Culber/Paul Stamets are adorable and charming. Adira Tal/Gray Tal are so sweet. Saru/T'Rina are the regency couple of Star Trek and they're very cute. They're so happy in season 5, I love it. I think Joann Owosekun/Keyla Detmer are really fun, I hope they get a nod this season. I love how much the actors do with a look. Michael & Tilly are one of my favorite friendships ever and I adore them. Michael Burnham & Philippa Georgiou (emperor) variety is so complex and intense and I love how they evolve and grow together.

Michael Burnham/Laira Rillak are my top tier, own my soul, ship. I will read every fic that is ever published of them and reblog the gifs on repeat forever and memorize every nuance of every conversation they've ever had. They are the shiniest thing in my fannish heart at the moment, and I have watched their scenes together so many times.

For years I was this obsessed with Beverly/Kathryn, but they didn't have scenes together so I couldn't rewatch them.

Micahel/Laira have scenes together! They talk to each other! I have a whole arc that I can watch on repeat!! I have different episodes to watch for different feelings I need for fic!!

They're so niche and I wish I had more people to talk about them with because I love them so much and...it is a very lonely ship. People do write fic and read it and it's tiny and lovely. I am so grateful for all the interactions I ever have about this ship.

I often feel very out of step in my fannish Star Trek spaces because they are not a ship shared by many. I feel seen when someone acknowledges how much I love them.

[shivunin]

Fanfic Writer Questions

Tagged by @greypetrel - thank you so much! 💗

I know this has made the rounds already. If I tag you and you've already done it, please feel free to tag me in the replies or disregard!

Tagging: @nightwardenminthara @vakarians-babe @transprincecaspian @star--nymph @blightbear @inquisimer @dreadfutures @scribbledquillz

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

43

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

688,185

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Published? Just Dragon Age. But I have some unfinished/unpublished Mass Effect and Baldur's Gate stuff as well.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

All of these are Cullavellan fic:

Your Fate for Mine (129,681 Words | E)

More Than Memory (5,214 Words | E)

Search Your Hands (13,581 Words | E)

Unyielding (3,083 Words | M)

The Epaulet Mate (7,303 Words | E)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, though more slowly than I used to!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Ooh. Probably The Scourge of Sundermount, though it wound up less angsty than the original ending (in which Cullen and Lavellan are turned to stone forever)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I'm a sucker for a happy ending, so this is much harder to answer! I am avoiding answering this with the obvious innuendo haha. Maybe In Any Life? I feel like the vibe of that last chapter is so very soft, with a spring breeze blowing through the window in the house Fenris and Maria made together c:

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I've gotten some snarky comments, but never outright hate (thankfully!)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes--not sure what is meant by "kind." M/F and F/F--soft and gentle, hard and fast, mildly kinky, plot-relevant and pwp, etc. A variety of smut, haha.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Not really. Crossovers aren't really my jam, but if I wrote one it would probably be Inquisition characters in Mass Effect (like a genre switch thing, not picked up and dropped into our solar system).

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

When I was like 13 on FF.net, yes. It's why I stopped writing fic until I was 28.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Only in a sense! I have a few pieces sharing an OC with a friend that were largely rp first before I set them down as a narrative c:

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

God. Don't ask me this haha. My first DA ship was Fenris/Hawke and it still lives so closed to my heart, but Cullen/Lavellan got me into the fandom and Zevran/Tabris brought me someone very dear to me. I don't think I could ever judge any of them by the merits of the ship alone at this point!

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Hmmm more than I'd like to admit :/ Probably The Red Crossing Arrangement, which is an arranged marriage/Halamshiral still belongs to the elves AU. It took so much more world building that my ability to write it slowly petered out. The odds are high that it will remain at roughly 80k for the foreseeable future (unless I suddenly want to get back to working out trade routes and governance and commerce, which is what did me in; I'm good at world-building culture on account of the degree and all, but the semantics of daily life don't really interest me as much) (tragically, this means the Adalene and Elandrin fix-it portions of this story may never be published :C and this does honestly make me so sad :C)

16. What are your writing strengths?

Voice and characterization/internal dialogue. I've been told that the canon characters I write feel very similar to canon and that's something I'm really proud of c:

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Physical space. I forget to define the setting very, very frequently. It's the next thing I want to focus on in my writing, actually, when I get back into it!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Eh. I think it can add flavor, especially in fantasy settings where the cultures and worlds are built dissimilarly to the real world. I don't think there's anything especially fun about not being able to discern what's happening in conversation---I think it's most effective when it's a handful of phrases that repeat (hello, I'm sorry, I love you, etc.) or when followed by a translation of some sort. As a lover of Latin, I especially find google translations very unreliable and often incorrect. Better to just italicize it and indicate it's another language, imo.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Code Lyoko

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Oof. It depends on when you ask me this haha. For the moment, I think I'm loving As Two Reflected Stars a little extra right now c: I just love wound-tending and idiots in love and this is definitely both!

Blank version below!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5. Do you respond to comments?

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

16. What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favorite fic you've written?

[not-poignant]

1 & 13 for palmarosa! I'm so hooked on it and it's lovely to immerse myself in such a crunchy, well-written dynamic :3

Oooo less go, Palmarosa time :D (I'm so glad you're enjoying it!!)

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

So, I looked for Astarion fics early on and saw a lot of Astarion/Halsin, Astarion/player and general pairings I wasn't super interested in, or scenarios I wasn't very interested in. I tried a few, didn't bookmark any, and was like 'hmmm, I expected some more angsty fics for Astarion.' At the time - which to be fair was quite some time ago and the fandom has grown since - everything biased towards very fluffy, or very dark, but where Astarion had the power and was the top, and it was just not quite what I was looking for.

I knew I wanted to do something with Astarion, but I didn't ship him with anyone. I don't ship him with Gale, I didn't want to write an Astarion/player fic, I don't ship him with Halsin, etc. (I am playing an Astarion/Gale run now, but mostly because I enjoy their bitchiness and not because I truly ship them). But when we started spending more time with Raphael I started thinking 'hmmMMMM WHAT IF....'

I looked for fics, there was like 3 at the time (literally, mine is the fourth in the rarepair on AO3), and it was like 'well.... ehhh.... we'll see.' At this point I knew what Astarion's endings were - good and bad, according to Larian - and I didn't like either of them. I was kind of salty in advance that some companions get very clear cut happy endings, and others get sort of...shafted either way. And around that time I was like well... if we take Astarion's 'good' ending (according to Larian) and then actually give him the things I wanted him to have at the end (sans my player character, because I don't like player/X fics), then I could do something with that.

I knew I was shipping him with Raphael, but I actually spent a fairly long time thinking about how to solve the sunlight issue, and what Raphael would want in exchange for that, and how much that would actually matter to him, and why he would offer something like that, and what that would mean for a run where he was killed. I made a lot of thorny choices early on, like killing off Hope (she survives in my run) so Raphael could return to the House of Hope, etc.

But yeah! Basically a very classic 'once more fandom wasn't delivering a weird specific niche thing I wanted in any pairing, so I found a weird rarepair that almost no one was writing, and decided to do what I wanted in that little corner' scenario + 'I love BG3 as a game but fuck what they did with Astarion's character right at the end, I'm going to make a third ending just for me.'

...I'm both really stubborn and pretty weird actually when it comes to writing fanfiction *hangs head*

I'm just kind of obsessed with Astarion, he's a very specific kind of character 'type' for me (he gives me Felix Harrowgate from Doctrine of Labyrinths vibes and frankly I wrote a similar-ish fic about him too at least in spirit). Raphael I find fascinating. Because we get so much less information about him, I can put more of my own needs for the fanfiction into him, and develop his back story in a more robust manner in a way that suits the pairing. Him being a cambion, being able to add monster fucker elements, being really certain mentally that he's like... that he doesn't have a very 'classically' human way of thinking, makes him extremely interesting to me as a love interest to write!

(Not gonna lie, part of me actively resents how fluffy fandom is getting, and I wanted to put more rape and dubcon into AO3 overall for Astarion in particular. Like, I want more angst and hurt/comfort etc. I get that his back story is tragic, but I also wanted to push that in a different direction, and I really love writing a character that's been through so much awfulness they become almost expectant of it? That's also a Felix Harrowgate vibe. It's fun kind of...guiding those characters specifically to a better place internally, and not just externally).

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

The Palmarosa playlist! I put it on every time I write for this story. Some songs I listen to more than others, Trench and Menace generally accompany me during the more sexual scenes for example. And I have put on the instrumentals for I Want To Live from the official BG3 soundtrack (by Borislav Slavov) on repeat for sections as well. I still am expanding the Palmarosa soundtrack but I have enough kind of music to also be comfortable writing the story as well. :D

--

From this fanfiction meme!

[horsetailcurlers2]

addison montgomery fanfiction recs by pairing

(although i am *relatively* new to the greys fandom, once i finished season three i immediately obsessively scoured the internet for any addison montgomery centric fanfiction i could get my hands on. here are just a few of my favorite ones for each of my addison ships (of which there are many). this is by no means an exhaustive list. my qualifications for this are that i’m cool and have good taste and spend way too much time thinking about fictional people)

ADDEK:

-“The Climbing Way” by winter machine (this is actually probably one of my favorite fanfictions of all time, period. this author is just absolutely brilliant at capturing their dynamic and all of its complexities. the entire thing is actually from derek’s POV which i was surprised how much i enjoyed considering i can sometimes be a derek hater lol but it provides some really good insight into his character without being as forgiving as canon or as bash-y as some fics (if that makes any sort of sense?). it also combines two of my favorite addek tropes: “sad baby backstory” and “traumatic event forces them to actually confront their issues”. it is also a very captivating portrait of derek and mark’s realtionship and has lots and lots of flashbacks. big angst warning especially for the early chapters.)

-“Some Bright Morning” by winter machine (i just can’t get enough of this author. i love any addek fic that heavily features savvy and weiss bc i think they should have made more appearances in canon. or savvy should’ve at least lmao. weiss was kind of a dick. but i like him in this fic! this is a very very interesting AU because it takes place largely outiside of canon settings and features a lot of OCs. it also takes place around early season one so the mark wound is still very fresh. its set entirely on a small island in georgia during savvy’s mother’s funeral so there’s plenty of forced proximity and bed sharing. the original setting and cast of characters are really fleshed out and completely captivating. like, i would read a whole separate story just about this island and its inhabitants. also features lots of background on savvy and addison’s friendship. and plenty of angst of course. you may be sending a pattern with these recommendations)

-“do you think i have forgotten (about you)” by crime_wives (this one legitimately made me sob. like, my body produced actual tears. angsty one shot. not happy-addek. a perfect snapshot of their tragic ending)

- “Unhinged (AddisonandDerekandMark)” by RulerOfAllThatIsEvilChiFlowers (very dark. very twisty. somewhat non linear.)

- “This Hurt Can Teach Us Both” by darlingwrecks (oh my lord this one is so so addek- bittersweet, sexy, nostalgic, painful and delightful all at once. my favorite thing about this writer is the way they write backstory, especially for the Med School Trio. this is also kind of fun because we never got to see how these two dealt with their post divorce logistics. derek was just kind of like “take all the property and fuck off” which is not at all how these things work lol)

MEDDISON:

- “lately she’s undressing for revenge” by emilyprentits (only read this if you want to be driven to tear your own hair out by the emotions this will make you feel. this is one of the fics that fully convinced me to ship meddison. so so so good and it’s like it was written from inside of meredith’s actual brain)

-“i’ll show you every version of yourself tonight” by withpeopleinperson (two words: stripper addison. read it. be forewarned it’s only one chapter and has not been updated in a few years but it’s a GREAT chapter regardless)

-“the seven stages of intoxication” by theprincessdiarist (meredith grey doling out meredith grey levels of emotional dysfunction. featuring loads and loads of delightfully frustrating mutual pining)

-“Sex and Caring in Seattle” by Bluefall (meredith once again having totally normal and regular feeling about her ex boyfriend’s wife. i love this one because they are both just kind of bisexual disasters and derek is just Also There. i love the way this author perfectly captures meredith’s perpetual inability to navigate her own emotions)

*EDIT: i also realized i forgot to add that these last two were recommended to me by @crime-wives !!!

-“open the floodgates up” by SugarsweetRomantic (this has EVERYTHING you could want in a meddison fic: mutual hurt/comfort, bed sharing, friends to lovers, these two being absolute dumbasses about each other. had me crying and also kicking my feet. genuinely)

MADDISON:

-“Make This Go On Forever” by darlingwrecks (i am so in love with this universe. i usually don’t gravitate toward kid/family centric fics but this one is so so much more than that. it’s maddison, if those two had made a real go of things, stayed in new york, and kept the pregnancy. there’s even some background merder eventually (which is not usually my jam but i like in this context). very very fluffy at times, a bit angsty at others, super in character but iirc i think this was written pretty early on in the show so addison and mark’s backgrounds may be a smidge different than in canon. this is the link to the rewritten version (i think?) on ao3. the author had the original up on live journal back in the day and i could have SWORN i read a sequel that i found a link to in the depths of their LJ but i cannot find it anywhere rn)

-“When I Grow Up” by winter machine (another maddison-if-they’d-stayed-in-new-york-and-addison-kept-the-pregnancy, but with a twist that brings them to seattle to see derek, who they haven’t spoken to in seven years. a fantastic plot but also sort of just a brilliant exploration of how mark and addison would be as parents given their own childhoods and how they have pretty much been cut off from the one healthy(ish) family dynamic that either of them have experienced. there’s also background merder in this one and it actually kind of made me like merder which is a major feat)

-“Celery” by winter machine (a fun little one shot featuring Derek Being An Idiot, Drunk Addison, and Mark Crossing Boundaries. a little bit sad and a little bit funny. again, everything by this author is just great)

JADDISON:

- “A Certain Slant of Light” by darlingwrecks (this is for those of us that were weirded out by addison’s convo with amelia in season 18. a more fleshed out exploration of addison’s mental health during the pandemic. it’s a very raw and honest portrayal of depression and anxiety and how someone like addison would navigate it while being a doctor in a global pandemic and raising an 8 year old. it’s not nearly as bleak as it sounds though. lots of fluff, a little smut. also touches on how addison might’ve grieved mark and derek. and archer makes some appearances which i loved (i know he’s an asshole but i really like addison’s brother lol))

-“Diamonds in the Sky” by Ziaaaaa_sdc (there’s so few jaddison fics out there, probably because of how compressed their relationship timeline was as they tried to wrap up the show, but this writer has several and they’re all so good. there definitely aren’t enough fun AUs for them so i was really excited when i first found this. its Ballet School Jaddison and there’s actually only three chapters atm. no idea if it will be updated ever again but it’s still more than worth a read. a smidge angsty so far. also seems to be setting up a little enemies to lovers arc)

CADDISON:

-“Help Me (With The Butterflies)” by BlackRoseMatron (a very sweet one shot. this author is single-handedly keeping the caddison shippers fed and i love it. they also have some really great meddison stuff)

[celinou]

Thanks @lenorelovesmax for tagging me 🤍

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 2, currently. Well, more like one and a half baked scene that has no context, to be more accurate.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 194.036 words.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? I have like the one fic, the other thing has 2 kudos. So... - A Walk in Chiaroscuro (354)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes, absolutely. It's pretty rare when I don't. I like to tell people that I appreciate their support and comments or to answer questions they might have about the story or the choice I made.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I don't do angsty endings. I'm too old and too jaded by life to appreciate them anymore. I'm at a point in my life where I need to know there's hope and happiness at the end of the line.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I'm guessing there will be some kind of repetition since I've only published Awic... Soooo, it's a Walk in Chiaroscuro! ...but if you want to know about the ones that I keep in my drawer never to see the light of AO3, the happiest ending goes to Let's Write a Love Story (it's a Homestuck fanfic)

8. Do you get hate on fics? No. I'm writing in a mostly dead fandom so far and for kind of a rare pair so, people have been starved of content. They were so nice and sweet to me in the comments.

9. Do you write smut? I wish! I don't have the chops for it but I so wish I could write good smut! Honestly it's something I really want to push myself into exploring. Unfortunately your girl is a bit too vanilla in her taste which makes for poor reading. I don't fear being bad... I fear being boring, you know?

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've ever written? I've never done that, no. But who knows what future will lead me to write.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? No. I don't have enough reach to be the target of theft.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope. And tbh I don't have the patience to translate it myself in my native language.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Could have... but no. There was an attempt at a joined project for Dragon Age but, unfortunately, it didn't work out in the end. I'm not abandoning the idea of writing for Dragon Age but I'll probably go in a very different direction since it would be a solo project.

14. What's your all time favorite ship? I... don't have one... Yeah, I'm not much of a shipper at the core. I mean I did write for Caulscott but I practically ship Max with everybody in LIS so... I was more interested by Nathan's potential as a love interest more than the ship itself. Outside of LIS... I can't think of any ship rn, I'm afraid.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? Tough question. If I abandoned a project I don't consider it a WIP. It's a dropped thing that goes in the reusable idea bin... and if I'm still working on it, I don't go into thinking I won't finish it. So, it's hard to say really. To not leave you with such a vague answer, I'll give you this: the fic I planned to write about the Hidden Object Games series Dark Parable, that never took off and never will (for I have better/much more attractive projects to work on). It's a dropped thing. But now you can see I have weird and obscure taste.

As for original projects: I have a Horror RPG project that probably won't ever see the light of day, called: The Clockmaker. (because I realized I'm shit at pixel art, tragic)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? Hum... No. I don't mind people doing it but I tried it myself in my pirate epic and, let me tell you, I'm not that good a multilingual as to be witty in more than 2 languages. I found what I wrote cringe af when I read back my text in the editing phase and scrapped it all out.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Homestuck. I started writing fics very late in my life. (I wrote original stuff before that)

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? A Walk in Chiaroscuro. Because it's the only fic I went into unafraid to write what I wanted without thinking about who might read it. And to this day it's the truer work I've put out. Not the most personal by any stretch but the one I indulged in the most. And I'm so proud of it. Flaws and all.

I tag @sourrind and @momochizoey if you feel like doing it. And everybody who'd want to as well, consider yourself tagged, friend!

[theclearblue]

Can I ask your top 5 favorite moments each from Dungeon Meshi and Blue Lock? And your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from each series? Thanks 🌷

For Dungeon Meshi I am just currently watching the anime (which I do love very very much) but idk if there's enough content yet to elaborate on top five moments :( If I had to choose a favorite character, it would be Marcille (second place to Laios) and my favorite moments so far have been the fight against the living armor, Laios mimicking a siren song (lmao), and of course Falin's resurrection! I can elaborate a little bit more on Blue Lock though (under the cut)!

Favorite Characters (no order really)

Honorable mentions: Oliver Aiku, Nagi Seishiro, Hyoma Chigiri, Rensuke Kunigami, Michael Kaiser (he's probably the most likely to move into the top 5 in the future tbh)

Yoichi Isagi

Big thing for me in every series is to make sure that the main character is someone I want to follow, and Isagi is one of the strongest characters in Blue Lock. I think it's fun to see his two sides where he's so sweet and genuinely kind to the people around him, but he also doesn't let people walk all over him, especially when it does come to soccer. Barou, Kaiser, Rin, even with the very first conflict with the kid that he entered Blue Lock with (forgot his name, the guy that gets eliminated first lol), people consistently underestimate him, and that usually follows with him crushing them lmao. Both of those sides are real and genuine, and I like how they don't really conflict with each other too, there is a time and place for kindness, but also a time for him to achieve his own goals and feed his own ego. Never disappointed with any screen time he gets.

2. Meguru Bachira

Probably the character that stood out to me first, and one that I'm really happy with how he's developed, I'm obsessed with insane energy. In a sea of really angsty and serious characters (which, I'll talk about some of those later too lol) Bachira just comes off as such a breath of fresh air in every panel with his demeanor and friendliness, and it's genuinely fun every time to see him play, whether as a friend or enemy (love when characters have unique dribbling). And I think the reason 2nd selection remains such a consistently strong arc is in large part thanks to Bachira and his character arc there, where he's grappling with actually playing with people and not just "the monster" and in turn, also dealing with the loneliness he experienced growing up. Another thing being that even after his big character arc, he's still being developed after in the Neo Egoist League (Rip Chigiri you deserved the same treatment) where he's learning to incorporate the monster back in, and the new dribbling he's developed. He's just such a fun character to watch.

3. Rin Itoshi

Yeah it was so over for me when they introduced the tragic siblings, especially when Rin is the younger brother. I wasn't super into him when he was introduced, I'm not usually a big fan of really stoic characters, but he won me over big time in the U-20 match. To see how much he looked up to Sae and was so excited to see him come back home just for Sae to try and crush his dreams, ohhhh that got me good, I felt so bad for him and everything made sense with his character. And then him going absolutely feral in the U-20 match, playing at his very best, just to get hit with this?

This is...maybe still the saddest moment for me in the whole manga, my jaw dropped when I read this. I haven't seen much of him since this match, but I'm excited to see him show up in the Neo Egoist League eventually, I think his rematch against Isagi will really really interesting!

4. Reo Mikage

If you asked me a few weeks ago, Nagi probably would have been in this spot instead, but I think Reo inched him out of that spot in the Manshine City match for me. He's an incredibly messy and flawed character throughout the series, but undoubtedly the most human out of everyone. On the surface level, I like the development of the chameleon play style he has, everyone is such a specialist but I really like the jack of all trades master of none style he has, and think it fits his character perfectly. His character development has been a little bit more in the background, but I really like how he has developed his relationship and his complicated feelings towards Nagi. He is kind of an asshole in the beginning and so codependent with Nagi, that he lashes out at everyone, but a big part of him wanting to play football is to play it with Nagi! He needed to grow separate from Nagi, and when they finally were in a place to work together again in the Manshine City match, it was REALLY satisfying. It feels earned and Reo working through both his bitter feelings but also his want to play with his boyfriend. I like how human of a character he is (especially in comparison to most of these characters lmao) and he's always an interesting player to watch.

5. Yukimiya Kenyu

Yeah you knew this one was coming if you've seen my blog in the last week lmao. The thing is out of the new characters introduced in third selection, he intrigued me the most. Declaring he's a pacifist while having one of the most aggressive play styles lmao. But then he kind of fades into the background, the only one in the top five not to score a goal...until the match against Manshine City. His backstory just added so much depth to his character and all the moments we saw before, his introduction, his polite nature, him being upset at Isagi after the last match, him praying to God, it all just clicks and it's really tragic to me how he has this timer on his dream. And then him getting that goal, despite how irrational it seemed, despite him getting into a fight with Isagi about his assist in the last game...God it's maybe my favorite goal in the series so far (well, tied with Isagi's goal at the end of the U-20 match actually). Maybe a little recency bias with him but I'm utterly obsessed with this guy, I think he's got so many layers that you can just pick at for forever.

I kind of talked about a lot of my favorite moments throughout this lmao, so I'll show you some of my favorite panels so far!

[ohmeadows]

[20 Question Fic Writer Tag]

i wasn't tagged, i just wanted to do it 😌

How many works do you have on AO3? 10 currently. if we’re counting all past accounts and orphaned works… easily 50-60.

What is your AO3 word count? currently 149,834. if we account for the grand total, well. more. ha.

What fandoms do you write for? i’ve been in quite a few, mostly video game ones, but right now it’s mostly only honkai star rail on my mind though i have the odd rhaenicent idea rattling around.

What are your top five fics by kudos? you and me are a twisted fantasy (kafhime enemies to milkies), i’m on a leash called you (kafhime with dom himeko), da capo al fine (kafhime time loops), the dew of dying stars (ruanliu mara body horrors and cannibalism), and spark (kafxuan horny).

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? yes, i try to most of the time! i had a lapse this fall where i just didn’t have enough energy to do it for months on end, but i cleared my inbox of that backlog on january 1st. i’m trying to be more consistent going forward.

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? none i can link bc orphaned or on old accounts, but i do love a good angsty ending if it makes sense for the way the story has been going. kinda aching to write one again i won’t lie.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? most of them are quite happy in terms of endings! i know people doomed so hard about da capo was going to have a sad tragic ending but that was… never in the cards for me. i already have it written and i’m very excited about getting there.

Do you get hate on fics? sort of. i wish people would offer up critiques instead of just leaving comments like “ew this is unhygienic”, “disgusting”, “can’t believe i read 8 chapters just for BOTTOM KAFKA” or whatever else pointless stuff i’ve deleted.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? mostly, yes. i think 99% of my writing stems from a very clear and vivid image of a sex scene, and then me building backwards to root that sex in a way that feels natural and consistent to both characters. and i'm always looking for some new angle in smut, or else it'll bore me, so that means exploring new kinks or dynamics each time.

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? no, i frankly hate crossovers and it’s one of my blocked tags on ao3.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? oh yeah lol. sucks! what can you do! it always amuses me because if these people just bothered to talk to me in the way of “hey, i love x idea, i want to do my own take of it, can i discuss some ideas with you?” i’d be 100% down to help nurture that. i reblogged a post about it the other day but i definitely feel that fandom community has turned into a fandom clout competition which feeds into this, too many of us looking for a quick boost in some imaginary clout chasing.

Have you ever had a fic translated? several, yes. for a while i had a bunch of old fics translated into russian. it always flatters me that people would go through that effort with my works.

Have you ever cowritten a fic before? yes, i’ve written a ton of unpublished wips with others and enjoyed the process, and then one i co-wrote with junie and published in an old fandom. i’d love to do it again, tbh, it’s incredibly energizing and fun, but wrangling two people’s creativity together over an extended period of time is always a lot of work and agreements, as well as being able to actually produce. you both need to trust each other and deliver.

What's your all-time favourite ship? uhm. i don’t know. i really don’t. ships by themselves don’t make me feel that excited, weirdly enough, but rather what people make exist in them. i have absolutely lost interest in compelling ships because the fandom de-fanged them, pulled their punches or morphed every single aspect about them into “uwu soft healing together”. (i could go into a long rant about how healing tends to be kinda… ugly…. in interpersonal dynamics. but that’s for another time.)

What's a WIP you'd like to finish but doubt you ever will? most of my unfinished wips i’m completely at ease with leaving behind in the dust. most. i do spend a lot of time thinking about a dorothea/rhea court drama au.

What are your writing strengths? visuals, i think. i have a very vivid inner eye when writing and the scenes play out like a movie for me, so i pay a lot of attention to the choreography and details of the scenes, where everyone’s hands are, and so on, to try and translate my inner vision to text. i can be a very harsh editor which means i’m always looking at what effect each scene is striving for — does it make sense for it to meander, or does it need to be snappier, sharper?

What are your writing weaknesses? i feel like my vocabulary could do with enrichment. i spend a lot of time looking up synonyms because they never stick in my head, and most of my reading books is spent noting down words in a notepad i’d like to use. sometimes i leave too much to be fixed in editing instead of putting it all down in the first draft. i don’t like involving too many characters so sometimes i think fics can get a bit too narrow — and sometimes i can play that for good effect, i guess.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? if you know it, sure, if you want; or at the very least use a beta who knows the language. i tried reading some fics that made use of my mother tongue and my god was it jarringly obvious google translate as well as irrelevant. i think it is worth asking twice what effect it will have for the reader and if it will come off as jarring.

First fandom you wrote for? lord of the rings! man i loved my mary sue silly era.

Favourite fic you've ever written? completed: spark. the amount of research i poured into it, as well as dedicating myself to convoluting fu xuan’s internal voice and outlook on things was some real hard work, but satisfying in the end. incomplete: the dew of dying stars. this one pushed me to research more, think harder about what i wanted to convey, and make them be worse. it’s been a very fun shift in how much i allow myself to dig deep, and relaxing and trusting the audience more. truly a new level of sicko weirdo fic for me.

[pom0dorini]

spamano fic recs

some time ago i posted about wanting to make a list of spamano fic recommendations and quite a few people seemed interested, so here it is! these are some fics that i personally really liked, i also added a brief comment for every fic as well as eventual warnings. enjoy and support the authors!

Morning Glory by AroAceMess

Ludwig has something very important to ask Romano, if only he remembered that not everyone woke at the ass crack of dawn like him

He batts around blindly at the bedside table while Antonio continues to grumble into his ear, when he finds the screaming device he squints at the screen in disgust before answering it and bringing it too his ear. The too bright display had read 5:30 am and assured him that it definitely wasn’t someone he liked enough to warrant this disturbance of the peace.

chapters: 1/1 

if you’re in the mood for something fluffy and domestic this is the fic for you. it manages to be sweet and funny while still dealing with more angsty themes, and the feeling of domestic warmth is portrayed perfectly

Captain’s Log by LadyLisa

After months at sea, Antonio finally returns home to Romano.

chapters: 1/1

the writing and descriptions are simply wonderful. i feel like rather than the plot, the most enjoyable part of this fic is the way it perfectly captures romano’s feelings and the sense of yearning. definitely worth checking out (just like every single one of this author’s works)

Humors

chapters: 3/3 (bloodplay, underage, dubcon)

one of my all time favorites. the spain in this fic is absolutely unhinged, which is something i’m a huge fan of, and this side of his character is handled extremely well, although it may not be everyone’s cup of tea 

and maybe next time we can hold hands by lillialyce

“Their mouths move with desperation, but they are somehow elegant, a tragic dance before an impending, horrible end." Nations are forbidden from having relationships.

chapters: 1/1 (sexual content)

this is an angsty one but i really love the concept of nations’ actions directly affecting their country and how that translates to not being able to love each other 

Twisted With You 

chapters: 4/4 (smut)

i usually don’t love fics written in 2nd person pov, but this one stuck with me. there’s just something so sweet and intimate about it and i love the trope used here

Age Quod Agis 

Teacher!Romano x Student!Spain

chapters: 3/3 (smut)

spamano with bottom!spain is one of my guilty pleasures and i just love how cocky spain is in this one 

Door to Door by Canadino

Do not open the door. It could be a zombie, an unwanted boyfriend of your brother's, or a persistant salesman by the name Antonio Carriedo.

chapters: 1/1 

short but very funny, i often come back to this one

The only light in this darkness by SheenaWilde

Lovino, unwilling heir of a rich noble family, is forced to attend his grandfather’s every ball. But this night, a mysterious stranger captures his interest.

chapters: 1/1

i’m extremely weak for vampire!spain. this fic may be a bit on the “twilight” side but it’s worth a read if you enjoy stereotypical vampire romances (and i sure do)

Scars by The Cilantro Family

One year ago Lovino Vargas killed himself. Now, by some strange turn of events, he's returned

chapters: 1/1 (self harm) 

i don’t know what it is with this fic, but everytime i read it it leaves me with a lingering sense of desolation. it’s still really good and i personally think its themes are portrayed well 

Fever by Romanoma 

Romano discovers the electricity and excitement of World Cup 2010 causes all kinds of interesting reactions…

chapters: 1/1 (smut)

don’t have much to say aside from “great smut and writing” and “sweaty football player spain is a blessing” (every work by this author is worth checking out)

Spirito Di Punto by starshards

After Romano's driving skills send another car to super-car heaven, his boss decides that it's time for him to have something much more modest. Luckily for Romano, Spain's there to help him learn how to appreciate it.

chapters: 1/1 (smut)

i just really love everything about this one. hilarious, great smut and bottom!spain, what more could you ask for?

Liar by starshards

Spain cannot resist Romano, even though he hates himself for it.

chapters: 1/1 (smut)

i'm putting another work from this author simply because this one is up in my top spamano fics. this isn’t something i would recommend to anyone, but if you enjoy a darker take on spamano’s relationship it's a must

How to Care for Your Spain by AlexOfCoffee

A guide written and published by Romano Italia.

chapters: 1/1

highly recommended if you want something short and extremely fluffy/domestic

Esp by Soe_Mame

Il momento arriverà.

Continua ad aspettare, continua ad aspettare che arrivi.

Continua a sperare, continua a sperare che arrivi.

[1649-1738: È bastato meno di un secolo per cambiare tante cose tra il Sud Italia e la Spagna.]

chapters: 9/9 

i left the best for last. i can’t even begin to describe how much i love this fic. it’s in italian but if you have a way to translate it do yourself a favor and read it. the historical details, the characterisations, the tension, every single thing about it is amazing and it’s surely not my favorite spamano fic for nothing. 

[i-never-even-wanted-to-be-here]

Ons gets more absurd each chapter and I don't know what to think about it. So here are some points I'd like to discuss just to get it out of my head.

Beware, this is a lot of negativity. And despite all my criticism I will keep reading it because I still enjoy the story for the most part. For all I know, the things I don't like rn might lead to cooler plot points in the future.

Kagami is still trying to redeem Guren, which I'm tired of. Yes, I'm back on my hating Guren shit. "Guren is trustworthy", said Mika, after having found out that Guren played a part in the killing of their family just so he could then make the kids dependent on him to take advantage of them. If anyone, then Mika should understand that this is complete bs, since he's not attached to him. Guren the tragic hero. Idc idc, if you killed the people who mean most to me to manipulate me for whatever reason, even if it was to save the world, I'd still be pissed and never forgive you. Just let Guren be the bad guy and leave it at that. I like villains, I would like him. Just let him be unapologetically abusive and let the children taste the betrayal of their superior lieutenant. That would actually add so much delicious tension to the story. But it feels like the narrative wants me to love Guren for what he's done when in reality I just wanna call CPS on him for doing this to my children.

Shinoa's writing got worse and we all know it. She had so much potential but now she's just the potential love interest. Her personality is having a crush. Whenever she could have character development it gets reversed again. Also weird how she's a metaphor for desire. That's such a stereotypical female anime character trope. Not to mention that Mitsuba is barely even present. But what do I expect from a shonen manga written by a dude?

All the kids are forced by the narrative to always consider Yuu first because he's the main character. Why would they have their own wants and needs anyways, amirite? They initially went against him to get their families back, which wasn't the smartest approach but I blame that on Guren again because he immediately told them to raise their weapons, which was unreasonable, but then they started crying and apologizing to calm Yuu down and saying "oh we're so sorry for wanting our families back, even though you like Mika". The whole situation is laughable.

Yuu was teased to become villainous and selfish. He wanted to protect Mika. He wanted to save Mika and he had a plan. So much so that he devoured Ashera and what not. Now he wants to save everyone, which is another stereotypical shonen trope, so I'm not mad. But a little disappointed. Because it was predictable and I feel like this arc could've been so much more intense, exciting and angsty. About betrayal and learning to put yourself first. And Yuu being less of the happy go lucky, stupid protagonist. Like he was in the very beginning of the story, where he was like "I don't need family". He could've turned back into that! The angst!!

Basically, none of the characters have good development. Yuu and Mika started something because they had opposite development in the first arc, that happened in a flash. But then they stuck to that and never changed anything anymore.

Again, sorry for being so negative. I'm not trying to say I could do it better and I'm not gonna go off and write a canon divergent fanfic either. I'm just fed up rn.

[pluckyredhead]

as someone looking to get into the Supergirl comics, what titles/runs would you recommend? I started reading Tom King's Woman of Tomorrow and didn't think it was that bad (though I never finished it) but seeing people's anger about it makes me think that my enjoyment might be because I'm not familiar with her character before this and thus don't get why it's a bad take on her like what I've seen.

Well, first I should disclaimer that my very loud opinions on Woman of Tomorrow are opinions, lol. I firmly believe that I'm right but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it! You're allowed!

But here are my recs for comics to get into Supergirl that feel...more in keeping with the spirit of the character, imo.

In Continuity:

Supergirl (2005) #34-59: After dying in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Kara came back to the post-Crisis DCU in 2004. For the next four years, she was treated very badly by DCU, who positioned her as a jailbait sexpot "bad girl" who was maybe evil but also totally wanted to date you, 45-year-old cis guy in the audience! Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle's run changed all that, letting Kara be three dimensional and human (well, Kryptonian, but you know what I mean) and not miserable softcore porn 24/7. (They put bike shorts under her skirt and it was wildly controversial.) She gets to smile and be friends with women! It was a breath of fresh fucking air, I tell you what.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes: During those years DC was treating Kara like shit, we could at least escape to the future, where Mark Waid and Barry Kitson let her be her best self. This is an ensemble book so it's not totally focused on her, but the whole ensemble is pretty great.

Supergirl (2011): Honestly, I thought the New 52 run was pretty solid. Or maybe it's just less bad than every other New 52 comic I've ever read? Either way, it's an easy jumping-on point. And there are actually female writers and artists involved!!! AMAZING! (In the interest of full disclosure, the 2005 series had a couple of female creators towards the very end - Kelly Sue DeConnick and Amy Reeder each got a couple of issues - but they sadly didn't have a lot of time to do much with the character.)

Supergirl (2016): Cute! Cheery! Too good for this world! This takes a lot of inspiration from the TV show, which was on the air at the time.

Kids Comics/AUs/Elseworlds:

Adventures of Supergirl: This is a tie-in comic to the TV show, but you don't need to be super familiar with the show to read it. And Sterling Gates is back!

Supergirl: Being Super: This is a standalone graphic novel in which Kara, who doesn't know about Clark or that she's an alien, discovers her powers after her friend dies in a tragic accident. It's definitely on the angsty side but in a way that feels relatable and compassionate to me, rather than gratuitous. And it's by Mariko Tamaki and Joelle Jones, so it's fucking stunning, of course.

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade: This is for kids but it is SO STINKIN' CUTE. Highly recommended.

Superman Family Adventures: Also for kids and I cry happy tears at how precious it is every day.

Not Actually Kara:

Supergirl (1996): So after Kara died in 1985 and before she came back in 2004, there was a completely different Supergirl named Linda Danvers. She wasn't from Krypton, she was a mortal girl merged with a protoplasmic being from an alternate dimension who was also an angel. YES, IT'S BONKERS, AND IT'S GREAT. This series is 80 issues long and it's the best Supergirl comic ever published. I know it's not Kara, but if you only read one Supergirl comic, make it this one.

[macawritesupdates]

Hello! I was thinking of a Sentinel and Guide AU where Yuji is the Sentinel and Sukuna is the Guide simply because I think it would provide an interesting dynamic, but whatever is easier to write or inspires you more! Some smut would be a plus, I usually prefer Sukuna as a bottom, but smut isn't necessarily needed. If you think this is not something you would be interested in writing, I also think a Hanahaki AU would be pretty cool! For some ideas: It could be really angsty where either Sukuna or Yuji are dying from their love for the other, and (in the case of Sukuna) the subject of their affections is trying desperately to love them back but is physically unable to love, which ends in the tragic demise of whoever had the ailment. If Yuji is the subject of Sukuna's affection then he could simply be unable to feel love for Sukuna period because of everything he has done despite being one of the most forgiving and loving people ever, which would make it even more ironic and tragic. Or it could have a happy ending, after a healthy amount of pining of course! Really there are many ways a Hanahaki AU can be interpreted so don't feel limited to what I wrote, they were just some ideas. Anything you write I am sure will be wonderful, and I would be very pleased if you do decide to take on either of these AU prompts. Thank you!

Not sure what you meant by a Sentinel and Guide sort of thing ; w ; so went with the second suggestion as I'm more familiar with Hanahaki-esque AUs just a bit more! Wrote something short and sweet for this one and hope it scratches the itch! >>Chapter Eight: Fever<<