#HAHA i gotta romance all the characters some time

[absentmoon]

it is so so fucking funny that hals.in goes full bearmode when

[sproutingliliums]

What are some Zutara fanfics you like?

thank you for asking anon! rubbing my hands together and laughing diabolically rn. most of these fics are completed, but i have a few incomplete or ongoing ones listed at the bottom.

The Color of the Stars by bluenebulae this is my zutara bible... i have read this 3 times, and i think it's still my favorite zutara fic. it diverges from canon during the day of black sun. katara and zuko are both captured and thrown into prison and after breaking out together, they become reluctant allies and travel the world in search of the gaang while also trying to warn the other nations about ozai's plans.

they call you refugee by akaiiko

an arranged marriage alternate universe where when zuko is banished, he leaves the fire nation with—actually, the summary does a pretty good job of explaining it: "Zuko goes into exile with a scar, a mission, and a wife." i think i cried the first time i read this.

refraction by caroes3725

this one's my post-war zutara bible. it is maybe the post-war swt ambassador/politician katara slow burn of all time. it is 200k+ words and it's all worth it, i promise! i prommy!!! read it now!!!! <- this along with The Color of the Stars are maybe my favorite zutara longfics. period.

Mending Wounds by FictionIsSocialInquiry

canon divergent fic where katara sees visions of zuko in the foggy swamp. except in these visions he is older, the fire lord, her husband, and he is gentle and loving, and katara feels sick to her stomach! one of my favs!!!!

lost and found by Smediterranea

hakoda discovers a young zuko, injured, and takes him in. beautiful alternate universe fic where zuko grows up in the southern water tribe with sokka and katara.

The Things We Hide by Lykegenia

katara is held in the fire nation as a political prisoner following the southern water tribe's defeat after an assault launched by fire lord ozai during sozin's comet. the swt, however, will not go down with a fight. love, love, love this one! it has painted lady katara, blue spirit zuko, a sweet romance, political intrigue, and betrayal!!! it's a fun time. also i love hama's inclusion in this :)

The Blackfish and the Dragon by ama

during the day of black sun, iroh takes matters into his own hands and becomes fire lord. shortly after, a marriage is arranged between zuko and katara in order to secure the peace. it's a beautiful arranged marriage au where everyone is so perfectly in character. i really think this fic is one of the best zutara fics out there with a natural and rewarding slow burn romance. and azula is there and she's perfect.

Smoke & Mirrors by sansonnets

blutara bible!!!!!!! that's all i got... blutara go CRAZYYY

so i can die where i met you by irridescence

canon compliant. zuko and katara, eighty years later. the fic is centered around major character death(s), so don't read if you can't handle it but i was sobbing like a fucking baby by the end of it. such a beautiful gorgeous fic that will haunt me forever.

if you don't mind incomplete or ongoing fics:

But Who's Counting? by halfhoursonearth

katara thinks zuko's going to need at least 100 healing sessions after the agni kai. lovely prose and characterization and it's so tender and sweet. just read it!!!

so let us melt, and make no noise by LittleLostStar

zuko is sent on a mission to bring back the heart of the last waterbender so he can restore his honor and return home. but when he nearly dies while in the south pole, a healer named katara saves him and nurses him back to health. (the author describes this as a kinda-sorta frozen AU, and i think it's a pretty good description haha). it's an incredible AU with so much mystery and intrigue and tension!

forgetting is a kind of mercy by nerdylizj

"Five years after Katara and Zuko go missing in Ba Sing Se, Kya and Lee are found living peacefully in the Earth Kingdom countryside." finally, i gotta plug liz's silly n goofy dai li brainwashing fic. it's so good. so painfully angsty. it's about the pain of remembering and about making hard choices and identity and parenthood!!!

[salemcantupdate]

Ok

Baldurs Gate shipping and who I am actively in love with

SO, currently romancing Gale because Astarion rejected me, full one said “I don’t wanna have sex with you, UGH, EW, imagine.” But Gale is so cute??? I don’t get whenever I see hate for him, especially cause we had astral projection sex which was absolutely fantastic. Wyll kissed me but I said “haha nah Gale” and I think I accidentally romanced Karlach??? I don’t know. Oh I also hugged the Guardian love him.

Now for shipping

SHADOWHEART AND LAE’ZEL IS SO FUCKING REAL TO ME OH MY GOD THEY GOTTA GET DOWN RIGHT NOW

They ARE rivals to lovers

Wyll and Karlach… they’re best friends. I’m sorry but all the women look like absolutely lesbians to me and I love that for them

But Wyll is so sweet and so cute and I do adore him, he’s so fun, but I built him so badly haha. Anyways, he is a WHORE, he flirts with EVERYONE, SLUT BOY, and he needs a happy ending. Don’t know with who though. And Karlach needs a short woman to peg.

Astarion is 100% asexual and I love him cause he’s just like me frfr which means he needs to be with me and only me. But also genuinely I think Astarion can only be happy with a redeemed Durge??? Like I think that’s the best path for him. Two monsters learning to be good together… GAH ITS SO CUTE. Either way, he’d need to be with someone who isn’t overly horny

Also once again I absolutely adore Gale. Gale is so good and so loving and he also absolutely loves body worship like he is hozier he was on his knees and worshipping his Goddess Mystra, loving her and now HE CHOOSES YOU IN HIS ROMANCE. HE BDKDCJKWHCISJDKWJD. I love him, so who should he be with? He’s more on the basic side overall, easy to get approval from, but also extremely romantic and loving, and autistic just like me frfr. So… actually maybe Wyll??? Wyll has some self worth issues especially after going all devil and Wyll is also a romantic? But ehhh… I dunno, it just doesn’t feel right.

Anyways, Halsin. I love the daddy bear man like YES he is absolutely fantastic and I love him so so so so much I want him carnally. But also I can’t really see him with most people haha. Maybe Gale though, imagine the astral projection scene but then Halsin is a bear, that’d be hilarious. But nah, I honestly like Halsin/Astarion/Reformed Durge Throuple. Essentially, finishing Astarion’s personal quest before initiation with Halsin will ensure that Astarion doesn’t get any self doubt. They are all on different parts of their journey for improvement, both Halsin and Astarion have severe issues with self doubt along with sexual trauma, and all of them have a “beast” inside. Durge with the Urge, Astarion being a vampire, and Halsin with his difficult-to-control wild shape. Plus Halsin to me is one of the most respectful and consent-focused characters, which I think would work well with what Astarion needs.

Ok so I wanna ship Karlach with some cute bard girl or something, someone just as fun and nice as she is. And you know what? Wyll and Gale is starting to grow on me. They’re both characters who try to “woo” Tav before doing anything, Gale with the Weave and Wyll with his dance.

Imagine, Gale teaching Wyll the secrets of the weave, likely Wyll has never interacted with it properly as his magic comes from a devil. This could help unlock Wyll and on some level separate him from Mizora. Oh wow, both these men have been manipulated and abused by extremely powerful non-humanoid women. They’re both self sacrificing gits who want to be the hero, both sacrificed much for power. I think it would start when Mizora first appears in camp, maybe. Gale would go to comfort Wyll over the transformation, maybe even compliment his horns. During the night of celebration Gale would see Wyll by the beach and offer to show him something magical, aka the Weave scene. They make some jokes and Wyll mentions the dancing, Gale prods, and Wyll says maybe another time.

GAH

I FEEL LIKE A FUCKING GENIUS

Alright, so, summary

Lae’zel and Shadowheart

Karlach and cute girl (if Alfira survived Durge I’d choose her but oh well)

Durge, Astarion, and Halsin

Gale and Wyll

EDIT: This post is no longer accurate to my views or feelings on the matter! I will write another one eventually since I actually know the characters a lot better. This was legit written before I even got to act 2 and I barely did anything in act 1

[hils79]

Hils Watches Lovely Runner - Ep 6

I know this is drama logic and not real life but I thought idols were supposed to deflect any questions about their romantic lives. Gotta maintain the fantasy and pretend the only person you have ever loved is your fans

HAHA! It's like they read my mind!

Psst! It's you!

I love that she keeps headbutting boys

I can't remember what Sunjae's best friend is called but I like him even if he calls Im Sol, says something cryptic, then hangs up without explaining

Love that he was going to punch Taesung until he realised that Im Sol is now single

He's so dramatic I love him so much

Ooh it's been a long while since I watched a drama with a male character who can't handle any amount of alchohol. I do enjoy it as a trope

Aww it's a reversal of when he got the fan out for her when she fell asleep in his room. Love it.

Uh...maybe don't joke about that given that you know what happens in the future

1 second later: OH SHIT WHAT IF HE ACTUALLY IS DEAD I'D BETTER CHECK

Gah they are so cute omg

I love that there has been a romantic umbrella moment in every episode so far

I do enjoy every time she gets reminded of how cringe she was as a teenager

Oh no Taesung came off his bike while avoiding a kid. Now Im Sol is going to feel bad for dumping him I bet

OMG grandma don't give out your address to some random dude who just called you!

I love that she was just stealthily sneaking a glance when she got there and he was asleep. Now he's a awake and she's asleep and he's just 'gonna pull my chair over and just stare at her thanks'

Okay, that was a really good confession speech. 10/10 no notes.

Come on, dude. She just found out her mum has cancer. Give her a hug!

Nooooo! Why?

It's not often I get heavily invested in het romance dramas but these scene is legit devastating I am actually crying

Oh shit are we at the date of the accident already? We're only 6 episodes in I thought this was going to be closer to the end!

NOOOOO! All you had to do was stay inside! You can tell him about your feelings tomorrow! It won't kill him to get a bit wet in the park!

He does look good when he's all damp and sad though

[ace-oreos]

Dar Reads Lady Knight: Ch. 3

Finally back at it! This chapter covers a lot of ground considering it's fairly short, so I will probably have more to say than I did for the first two. As usual, commentary/favorite quotes are below the cut.

Love the Alanna and Neal moment on page 49... the whole "good question, next question" conversation. It would be super cool if we got a little short story of Neal's time as Alanna's squire. I can only imagine what that was like given their personalities.

"He said last night you're a bear for vegetables - Sir Nealan, that is" (pg. 50). Tobe's only been with Kel for a short time and Neal is already teaching him well, haha.

Cleon makes his entrance. I have to be honest, I'm happy with the decision Kel makes re: Cleon. She doesn't feel the same way she once did, and she knows it wouldn't be fair to either of them to try to continue the romance, Cleon's impending marriage aside. I was never a huge fan of Kel/Cleon, but I was glad Kel got to enjoy a healthy relationship while it lasted, considering how some of Alanna's relationships went.

"She didn't want Cleon as a lover now, of that she was sure. There was work to be done. She wanted no lovers until she had settled the Nothing Man's account" (pg 51). Not gonna lie, I really, really like these lines. There is work to be done, and devotion to duty has been the foundation of Kel's philosophy since day one.

I should note that I don't dislike Cleon as a character. He's doing the honorable thing by marrying someone in order to provide for the people he's responsible for as lord of Kennan.

I love the scene when Tobe asks Kel why she's crying, and her explanation: "It's not the war, Tobe. I've been shot at. I can bear it. I'm crying because my friend is unhappy and everything is changing." First of all, relatable. Second, I love the respect that already exists between Tobe and Kel - his first reaction isn't to make fun of her, but to sympathize.

Kel asking Duke Baird how he can still go and do his duty even after seeing the brutality of war firsthand makes me feel things. And his response that all he can do is his best. Ugh. Feels.

Baird asking Kel to keep an eye on Neal if they are assigned to the same post alsdkfj. Kel and Neal friendship 2kforever.

Owen's back! Gotta love Owen. The way he tries to be as formal as Wyldon trained him to be while still being irrepressibly Owen is so funny. What a gremlin.

Poor Kel, being worried that Wyldon doesn't trust her ability as a knight after all. If I were in her position, I'd probably feel the same about the possibility of getting a "safe" assignment. Especially since she knows that people will say she's not cut out to be a knight if she's not out on the front lines.

Kel and Wyldon's dynamic. Amazing. Wyldon has come so far since First Test, and Kel is willing to see that. I think anyone else would hold a grudge against Wyldon for the way he treated Kel if they were in her shoes, but she's willing to see past that.

Kel's going to do her duty if it kills her. This girl. I wish I could properly express what she means to me.

Mistress Fanche makes her entrance when Wyldon is showing Kel the refugees. Considering what she's been through, I don't think it would be fair to dislike her for her attitude.

"[Wyldon]'s happy, she realized, stunned. Training us - that was his duty. But he didn't like it. He's comfortable here, in the dirt and the cold, with people to defend" (pg. 70). I wonder if Kel realizes how similar she and Wyldon are when it comes to duty. She'll do whatever he orders, even if she privately disagrees or dislikes it, but at the end of the day she's happiest when there's hard work to be done.

The Kel and Owen moment at the end of the chapter. Kel's right - Owen is growing up well. They are 100% ride or die, and I am here for it. When Owen says he would do anything to help her, he means it. Kel hasn't had a lot of experience with that so far, what with several of her peers trying to sabotage her during her days as a page, so I imagine Owen's genuine loyalty must mean the world to her.

[mlobsters]

rewatching dune (1984) which i've seen a handful of times, fallen asleep during the desert scenes more than once, and have a fondness for but also haven't watched it in at least a decade. i want to watch the new movies but wanted to refresh my memory on this movie again first

something very brazil (1985) about this

talking giant brain creature has a vulva mouth, how could i forget

the shields and the slow knife live rent free in my head

let 👏 characters 👏 sweat👏

uh oh paul's gotta fight the spiky dick

paul's dad gave me willem dafoe double take

i think what was so effective for me in this movie was how memeable it was. i read the book and for some reason it was a slog for me, but that plus the movie really drilled these phrases into my daily thoughts. the sleeper must awaken, arrakis dune desert planet, fear is the mind killer, the spice must flow etc.

so i wonder if one of the main issues with this movie that people have is how much it relies on voiceover. i don't know about the complaints, just that it's generally not liked

👄

sweattty

"you are so beautiful, my baron. your skin, love to me. your diseases lovingly cared for, for all eternity." and they say romance is dead

i remember the heart plug pull vividly but the implied sexual assault while he's bleeding out by the baron, not so much. the gays are evil, guys

i feel like jessica and rachael from blade runner (1982) occupy the same place in my brain. another movie that put me to sleep a lot, with that afternoon sun and the smoke. knocks me right out

pulsating, then squirting for spacetime folding, got it 📝

is this not what hentai jizz looks like?

3 squirts and we made it to arrakis, dune, desert planet

i genuinely like how they do the shield effects

i had to go find clips of dean stockwell as al in quantum leap because i was so sure his voice was so much lower in that compared to this. and yes, it is! good job, brain

duke: "damn the spice!" *gasp*

you know, it's been a long ass time since i watched this. and the constant voiceover of characters voicing their thoughts is really getting heavy handed. show not tell, amirite 🤪 maybe it's because i know the story already, but for the most part i feel like the voiceover specifically to the character thoughts wasn't even explaining anything that wasn't already expressed in the scene anyway most of the time

the effects were nice having the sand blowing off, really helped give it scale

and now paul's gotta deal with the itty bitty flying dick of death!

so they make the bad guy fat with visible illness on his face, a murdering gay rapist and he wears nail polish. oh, and red hair. really hitting it out of the park

i think about this poison gas tooth thing on the regular

captain picard shouting "long live duke leto" while holding the pug and rushing into battle, i started cackling

womp womp with the poison tooth fail ;(

jack nance as nefud / bill smitrovich in life goes on (1989-1993)

i keep thinking he's the dad from life goes on

for whatever reason, the thumpers are what always captured my imagination. i think i just like the sounds.

paul: "Remember, walk without rhythm and we won't attract a worm. It will go to the thumper."

anyway, walk without rhythm and it won't attract the worm how did i not realize until this very moment that song was a reference to dune! haha. walk without rhythm is such a strange turn of phrase

tell me of your home world, usul!

also forgot the lusting after his nephew, sting. they really went all out making the harkonnens the most grotesque

baron: "A poison has been introduced into your body, Thufir Hawat. By milking this, this smooth little cat's body, you receive your antidote. It must be done each day."

i think this must be past the point when i usually fell asleep watching this. i know i've seen it all the way through more than once but apparently milking a cat???? didn't leave an impression. also this just never comes up again. but bro made it to the end of the movie so i guess he was successful in milking it

the truly unfortunate green screening is consistently the worst effect, a shame

reverend mother: "There is a place… terrifying to us, to women." paul: "This is the place they cannot look. Traveling without moving."

lol what. silly girls are afraid of teleportation 😔

pacing is all over the place. it was going okay but then paul's making out with chani, his sister is born and is like 8 years old now (heyo baby alicia witt), we gotta zoom through 2 years of war and boop boop now paul's drinking the blue water and going where no woman can go while they all bleed from their face parts

space cigarettes, no problem. but then they gotta go try to make this glowing golden thing and it's terrible

would be remiss to not include the dick shaped harkonnen ships but i ran out of images ;<

this big showdown with the emperor etc i am hanging on by a thread to not fall asleep/close :p truly lost the plot. way too much worm action, way too long of boring repetitive action sequences

using my image last slot for having the baby kill the baron/send him on his way to become a worm snack

LOL the pug is in this big fremen gathering! captain picard managed to survive and keep the dog alive! good god will this ever end. now we're gonna have the world's slowest knife fight with sting

and now it's raining somehow. sure

oh my god. that took forever. ok well, i can see why this movie has put me to sleep more than once and panned. and there's some really memorable and interesting things about it, and i think it goes fairly strong (with some issues like excessive voiceover) for the first 2/3 or so. but oof. i definitely liked it more 20 years ago :p anyway, i'm glad i watched it again so i could take off the rose tinted glasses before watching the new movies

[supercalime]

i heard about the whole jatp drama, and i totally get your worries in that regard 😭 sooo often a show has something great going for itself, just for the creators to fuck up so badly that it's almost unfathomable sksksk (also looking at the umbrella academy season 4 disaster). gotta say that at this point, i think i will leave 911 behind fr if bucktommy aren't together anymore. i am out with one foot simply because i only watch certain storylines while skipping others, some characters haven't interested or excited me in literal years. but i love buck. after so many years of watching him try to find real happiness, and with the show slowly reaching a point where imo it's seriously time to wrap it up very soon, i cannot imagine that they will manage to strike gold the way they did with bucktommy ever again. tommy is the first love interest of buck that they actually tried to integrate into the world and the firefam. tommy got the seal of approval, we see buck seemingly finally reach that point in life he was searching for. making him go through ANOTHER breakup just to introduce ANOTHER love interest, nullifying all that bucktommy has established? there is a limit for how often you can press the reset button, and we have reached it with buck a long time ago. let the man finally have something else to work towards. we need a breath of fresh air in here. i am optimistic about s8, and i will live no matter what happenes, but i think that would be my final straw to disconnect from 911 amd canon buck ngl 🤔 fingers crossed that bucktommy is alive and well because it's got sm potential!! 🙌

Couldn’t agree more bestie!

Tbf my reaction to the jatp bs is on me haha. Everything was more intense in 2020/2021 for obvious reasons so it wasn’t surprising for me to have latched on to a tv show and relying on it for my mental well being. But all that bullshit made me learn to change my mindset and behavior on how to interact with media and fandom, which is to have the bar so low it’s in hell.

Anyway, back to 911. I wouldn’t blame you for stopping to watch the show at any point if it’s not interesting any more. I’m not even a fan of this one. I saw bits and pieces throughout the years as one tends to do with procedurals and didn’t want to have my experience tainted with the fanon ship that shall not be named. In fact, I’ve followed lone star from the beginning and I think I still prefer it over the og.

Now onto buck and his relationships. I completely agree with what you said about hitting the reset button over and over. Procedurals tend to stall instead of committing to a solid change unless they get repetitive and/or write themselves into a corner (which both apply to buck here). So yeah, it would be a disservice to bucks character if he yet again goes through another breakup and the cycle keeps going, specially since tommy was pretty well received as his LI unlike all the other ones that weren’t meant to last from the beginning (Abby, Ali), were the wrong person for him (Taylor) or were forced down our throats (Natalia - there was so much telling and not showing how “right” their relationship was, it’s embarrassing).

So, unless there’s outside factors preventing tommy to come back and stay for good (contracts, conflicting schedules, etc), it makes no sense for bucktommy to not continue on the path they are going.

I want bucktommy to thrive, but I won’t hold my breath waiting just yet. If they are broken up or eventually will break up (which I must emphasize I do not want cause I ship them with all my heart) I might quit the show as well. Buck and Tommy were a breath of fresh air and I would love to see what could happen to them if we are lucky enough to see their romance continue

[pike-the-monstah]

okay re: the "deconstruction" post i just reblogged, gotta say, the absolute most boring way to "deconstruct" the romance genre is usually "what if....the characters....didn't get together at the end :O" unless you've put a lot of work into exploring why they want to be together but ultimately don't work for each other, and found some other nonromantic interesting payoff for all the time spent setting up the two characters' bond. but most of the time i see it done it's just a gotcha sUbVeRtInG eXpEcTaTiOnS twist like "haha the characters don't end up together! aren't you so surprised! isn't this such a deep message about how life doesn't have a happily ever after!" and it's like no, it's fucking lazy, you literally just took the most obvious path for deconstructing romance and didn't put any more thought into it

[macfrog]

I’m a new reader and I have a few thoughts and questions!

Are we gonna find out why Joel continues his relationship with Vanessa throughout your pregnancy? Because if I were Vanessa I would’ve left the moment I found out, and if I were Joel I wouldn’t have strung someone along like that. He doesn’t seem all that invested in her! And what’s in it for her? You’d think after 8 years and no ring, something would change, but let’s be real if he wouldn’t commit after that much time together… it ain’t gonna happen! Haha!

Idk. Maybe I’m just very against rekindling old romances. If it didn’t work out, it didn’t work out, but I’m not a character here so this is all fascinating to me! And I’d LOVE to hear what Tommy and Maria REALLY think of this whole dynamic, and whose team they’re on. God.

I can’t wait for the next chapter. You’re a very immersive writer and I love how you depict their inner thoughts. 🤍

hi, new reader! thank you for such a fun message. i'm thrilled you're enjoying so much 💕

there will be a lot uncovered in the final part, worry not, but you make some very good points! there's always the possibility that vanessa and joel just didn't want to get married, mutually - you never know. but it's obvious that joel's head is completely elsewhere right now, and that's something he's gotta address.

i think i'm the same as you, what with old flames and going back. personally you wouldn't catch me dead going back to my ex lmao, but different strokes for different folks, i guess. i think this has been my favorite story to write in terms of how imperfect i think the characters are, and it has been fun (and a liiiiiittle challenging) to write them that way, handling things different to how i would.

i can't wait for you to read more! thank you for the lovely words ❤️ big love xx

[tastescomics]

Heyo! This might be long but I wanted to share my appreciation for the comics and characters you've made😁 I stumbled upon a couple of your characters a while ago and I found their kinky situations cute and interesting. I finally had enough free time this past weekend to sit down and finally get all caught up on the series and wow that was very fun! Your art style was very appealing throughout. You can really make your guys cute/handsome with unique personalities to boot! I had a great time reading it all.

I have to say, I really liked Cole, especially as the relationship between him and Token escalated. And yes, I know, *wags finger* "naughty cole. Toxic boy" but sometimes those characters are just so interesting to see and I really wasn't expecting to like him as much as I did😅 I can't wait to hear/see more of him if he makes a return. Alongside that, I really loved Token's character design. I don't know how you managed to capture his big personality so well in his appearance but you did it and I just loved reading every chapter he was in! Sebastian's punishment is what made me blush and drew me in in the first place and now I'm extremely interested in how this turns out for the big guy. We got to see a lot of him in stolen tastes but I feel that's just the surface and I'm looking forward to chapter 2 of Dristrict 96! Finally, I really enjoyed the different relationships you explored throughout. It's very nice to see loving ones right next to the toxic ones. I certainly like reading me some toxic kinky relationships but as a fat woman myself, it's really nice to also read respectful, wholesome stories between two people.

Haha, hope that wasn't too much but I wanted to share while it was fresh on my mind. You've put in so much hard work into this series and it really shines through! Thanks so much for sharing this with everyone. It certainly improved my days and I look forward to any art in the future!🥰

Hey, hey, I love Cole too. In a 'I hate you so fucking much I never wanna meet you IRL you warped man' kinda way lol. He's really hard to get my head into so the challenge is fun >:0 (And yes, he will be returning~)

Yes with Seb as well. His story along with those in it was pretty surface level stuff. I can't wait to explore him more x)

You gotta have that balance though, comforting love, toxic 'romance', deep friendships, the rivals- I need all the flavors >:0 !!

Stick around and find out what I've got planned, thank you for all your kind words and thoughts! I'm not stopping anytime soon c:<

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

Writerly Question Tag

Stealing this one from @leahnardo-da-veggie but leaving it under a cut because it's really long :D

I'm tagging @starlit-hopes-and-dreams @pleasestaywithmedarling @writingphoenix and @sarandipitywrites if you feel like doing it (there's a lot of questions :D) and also an open tag.

About You

When did you start writing?

I probably "wrote" before, but I remember wanting to write some huge fantasy epic when I was around 12-14. Spoiler: I did not, in fact, write a huge fantasy epic.

Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write?

I read more things than I like to write. I only write romance-adjacent darkish fantasy (is it slice of life if the char gets sliced), but I love reading murder mysteries, some more mainstream romance, and lots of YA and fantasy that are heavier on the plot than what I do.

Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you’re often compared?

I don't actively try to emulate anyone, but I sure keep picking up things left and right. But even when I read something great and think "wow, I wish I could write like this" it often would not fit "my" style, whatever that may be. The one time I actively tried to soak up things was from my dearest @alittlewhump <3

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)?

There really is just once space, which is my desk, because I do not have a laptop and I will not write on my phone. Also, I never leave the house, so. (It's a mess, and with the exception of several character prints on the loft bed in front of the desk, the decoration is gaming oriented.)

What’s your most effective way to muster up some muse?

Hahahahhaaha. *sobs* Sometimes ridiculous deadlines and pressure work.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

Absolutely. For example, I have never had real contact to anyone in my family outside parents/siblings/grandparents (and the latter are long dead), so I tend to forget that families can be bigger and most of my chars have exactly one sibling XD Also sorry y'all (nonspecific) are fed up with the generic western european fantasy world with deciduous forests, snowy winters, and castles, but *looks around* yeah.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

Loneliness. Looking for a place to belong. Never being enough. Trying to figure out wtf love is. Haha. I am super surprised.

Your Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character? (Current WIP, past WIP, never used, etc.)

We all know it's Damien, don't we? 😔 I can't just write like 300k words about a guy going through hell and back without loving him. He's perfect. Traumatic backstory. Lowkey morally gray even though he has such a good heart. He gets the pain, and the asexuality, and the self-hate, and the cool sparkly magic. For my active projects, there's Riordan, my aro-allo, ridiculously positive mercenary guy who has no manners - I really, really want to make him despair and cry for once. And there are Ross and Irina, and it's impossible to have one without the other, but I can't even say much about them yet, because they're still developing (we gotta get them out of the torture dungeon so they can have a personality.)

Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life?

Probably Merridy. I wish I could show her video games. It's a fantasy story and you can play it yourself? Sign her up. It would be hard not to be friends with Riordan, though.

Which characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

Except for all the bad guys, I think Lily would be too exhausting for me. Not so much dislike, just please get your early bird extroverted energy over there while I remain over here.

Tell me about the process of coming up with your characters?

I have a vibe, and that vibe grows arms and legs. Sometimes even a regular amount. By the time I put the char on (digital) paper for the first time, I know very little about them other than a few bullet points. They develop together with the story.

Do you notice any reoccurring themes/traits in your characters?

Asexuality. I have to force myself to write an allo char, and even then ... XD I also probably need a guide on how to write neurotypical chars, sometimes I look at one and am like... "oh no, not you, too." And almost all of them like books :D

How do you picture your characters?

I do not. (Aphantasia gang rise up.) I create portraits for them in the game I play, which works ok-ish. It doesn't have great options, but I'm stuck with it, because I have most of them as characters I play.

Your Writing

What’s your reason for writing?

I have to. There's things in my head. They need to leave.

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

To be frank, I write about things that will alienate a lot of "normal" readers, be it the violence, the queerness, or disabilities. It means a lot to me if something like that resonates with someone, because if I don't reach that audience the only one that's left is the one that asks "but why would you include X, ew :/"

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work?

While I wish my work to be perceived, I do not wish to be perceived myself.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

I uh. Write. By which I mean, I don't need anything to start. No outline, no moodboard, nothing but 3 vibes in a trenchcoat and some random thought I had a few months ago. Sometimes I get stuck and lose interest, but I have a couple of finished works, so I'll keep going like that for now.

What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others?

I have no idea, but it's not prepositions.

How do you feel about your own writing?

It's good enough. (Except for the prepositions.)

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

Probably. I mean, I hate writing by hand, so depends on how long electricity is running without any other humans around, but that's not the question, is it. I'm not sure it would take the same shape as it does now, if I never publish, I don't need to stress myself with the deadline of edits, but I would still have to put it all down, because I HATE when I forget my daydreams 😭

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy?

I mostly write what I want to read myself, but I would be lying if I didn't admit that I have added things multiple times in the past thinking "oh, I know who would like that". To be clear, that's not talking about an "audience", that's my dearest friends who could go for a little impalement or medieval execution :) Sometimes it's also "you know what we need more of?" posts, but let's be honest, none of those people will ever read it. I just happen to agree with them. On the other hand, I have censored myself in the past because I was afraid what others will say. It's great sitting on every single fucking squick list out there. Lastly, there's also that issue where sometimes, I want to write something, but the story develops in a way that it doesn't end up fitting, and while I am sad, I will bow to the will of the story.

[incandescentia]

SHIPPING INFO.

answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

What’s your OTP for your Muse(s)?

Most of my muses are OCs so whatever ship is there, it is my OTP. However, I do have a select few exceptions like Megohime, as she will be defaulted to ship with her historical spouse, Date Masamune. As for my canon muses, I am only on board with the idea of Oichi being shipped with Azai Nagamasa (her canon husband both in this interpretation and in the history), while others are still a fair game as long as chemistry and prior discussion are involved. I do like Kenshin and Kasuga together, but honestly I don't see Kenshin returning her (a good emphasis on romantic and sexual) affection because I see him/them as celibate, so...

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

I'm so heavily inspired by shoujo/josei manga as well as Korean dramas when it comes to shippy ideas/dynamics so it might not be too off from tropes that are present in those medias. However, I do have several turnoffs (apart from the usual squick/no-nos like incest, pedophilia, etc) like the typical cliche trope of a (usually male) bully crushing on their (usually female) victim (which was popularized by H.ana Y.ori D.ango back in the days haha), extreme Stockholm syndrome, persistent third wheelers (god I actually really hate this trope fjfhdkdj) questionable age gaps and with minor muses. Toxic, obsessive or unhinged are fine, but we gotta discuss it further to make it actually work as it would have to depend on which muse that are going to be involved in it and not cross boundaries that we might have for comfort.

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

Between mortal characters, anything between minors and adults are a big no, but at the very maximum... maybe 20-30 years? Idk. Immortals are completely different story, of course, and as long as they are both at the same level of mental maturity, it's a fair game.

Are you selective when shipping?

To be fair, very much so. I love ships but they don't exactly define my writing or is the main purpose of why I write on the first place as it has been more of a lore and personal character development focused purpose (though ships may facilitate the latter). Some characters are rather reserved about who they want to pursue a romance with (e.g: Killian). Even some characters are not available for shipping yet as I write them to be pretty much aroace, like Jinluo. Mun's personal taste also factors in as well occasionally... Mutual interests between both parties must be present and a good, healthy amount of communication as well.

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

It honestly really depends on the muse and the ship itself...? Some of my muses are inexperienced or simply asexual, some of them are simply repressed, some of them are experienced yet still reserved about sexual encounters, and some are straight out shameless. Most of the time I keep NSFW content to a minimum because not all muses would want to cooperate with that, but certain muses have no problem to be on board with it (namely Tsuyuko) and wouldn't even mind to do one night stands.

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

Points @ my mutuals. You, you, you you!! You know who you are!

Does one have to ask to ship with you?

Yes, but I honestly don't bite. I would do the same favor to others and see where it goes there. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't.

How often do you like to ship?

Again, I really enjoy shipping when it's done right and I love writing up unique possible relationship dynamics that happen between the involved characters (like old married couple Masamune/Megohime or any master/servant or lord/warrior dynamics), but also: I'm selective and shipping itself is not the main focus of my writing, though it may sometimes facilitate the said focus.

Are you multiship?

Most of the time yes, but even then it's kept to a manageable amount. Some characters are singleship due to personal plot limitations though, and it's unnegotiable.

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

I'm generally the latter but if I have a specific ship/dynamic I really like, you can tell when I'm obsessed as I actively throw you my ideas/memes/etc.

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

Points at the first point's answer above

Finally, how does one ship with you?

I might be a little reserved myself when it comes to shipping but honestly the best way to ship with me is to rp with me to test the waters and communicate to me about it, then we'll see where it's going from there. As we know, first meetings are usually not the thing I'm going for as well since it's often cliche - so you are more than welcome to offer me ideas for a possible existing dynamics!

Tl;dr shipping is not my main writing focus and it usually takes time for me to fully go on board with the idea but with the right amount of chemistry and investment, we can try to make it work together. <3

[baifengxis]

What are some of your fave cdramas that you would highly rec? I’m looking for something to watch and I would be grateful if you can share some. Thank you!!

Oh, thanks so much for this question, I love recommending cdramas haha!

LEGEND OF FEI [2020] Gotta start with the obvious, because I'll recommend this drama forever even to everyone who has started and can't get into it, I'll always be like, please try again lol It's feminist, fun, feel-good but with very nicely done heavy moments every few episodes, important messages about life and about becoming who you want to be, it has my, at this point, favorite cdrama ship ever, yunfei my beloved!! relationship goals! friendships, funny dynamics, siblings, AMAZING characters and...so much more, I won't continue because I'll never stop lmao

UNEXPECTED [2018] Such an underrated Drama! I don't know why it's so underrated, especially because it's made by the same writer as a very popular drama (The Romance of Tiger and Rose) and the stories are very similar, which I know can be boring but they also have differences that make each drama unique, there's just the same premise of a writer traveling into their own story.

I'VE FALLEN FOR YOU [2020] The perfect rom-com historical drama, with a very fun plot and with plot twists you don't expect, such good characters and two amazing ships! Comfort drama for sure!

THE LOVE BY HYPNOTIC [2019] If you love palace romance, arranged marriage turned true love, a few crazy (but very entertaining) villains and a love story for the ages! Even though it has some very heavy moments, it's one of my comfort dramas as well, because it also includes some VERY FUNNY moments, like I just love dramas that can somehow balance comedy, romance and serious moments so well!

THE QUEEN OF ATTACK [2021] There's so many short dramas nowadays and 80% of them have the same plot of someone traveling into a story lol and yes, this is one of them BUT it's such a good drama like it's insane, I'll wish forever it was a normal length one, but it's still so good, the episodes are 9-10 mins each but there are two seasons, and the episodes have been combined, so eventually it's like having a normal drama with 12 normal length episodes (6 for s1 and 6 for s2). It's so worth it and the two actors are so talented and have such good chemistry, plus the story is unique too, yes this premise has been done many times but I think they still made it so unique and different from others.

THE STARRY LOVE [2023] A recent drama and quite popular, but I'll still recommend it always. Other than the last episode that was a bit disappointing and rushed (still a happy-ish ending though), it's my favorite Xianxia and it was just so good, the story, the cinematography, THE OST, the actors, the ships, the friendships, the sisters, ALL THE WOMEN, youqin literally making all other MLs take notes from him on how to be the best ml out there, so many reasons to watch this drama, just ignore the last part and pretend we saw what they forgot to show us lol

LOVE LIKE THE GALAXY [2022] Where do I even begin??? (This is the first Zhao Lusi drama i recommend in this list, but I just wanna mention, I recommend almost all of them.) Anyway, LLTG is by far my favorite political drama, and non wuxia/xianxia historical cdrama. It's so different and unique, there's literally nothing like it. It's a slow paced drama, with very long scenes (you might only have 3-4 scenes in one episode for example) and it's the reason why It got me a while to get to it, but now I'M SO IN LOVE WITH IT!!! There is not an episode I don't enjoy, it's pure art. Cheng Shao Shang is one of my favorite girls ever and her and Ling Buyi???? I'D DIE FOR THEIR LOVE. Their chemistry is so so so good, now Zhao Lusi can have chemistry with a tree, it's true but still, one of the best cdrama ships out there. Even though I never truly watched classic cdramas like Nirvana on Fire and those "older" ones, I think LLTG somehow is the closest to those except it also loves its characters and focuses on romance more than any older political cdrama did but it works so so well.

LIGHTER AND PRINCESS [2022] Favorite modern drama! I gotta be honest I'm not verrrryyyy into modern cdramas, I like a few, even love some, but generally it's hard to find a modern cdrama I'll go crazy over...but L&P changed that. Or well, it's still hard, maybe even harder now, to find something that tops it, but L&P is just so so good. Again, a quite popular drama, maybe it doesn't need the recommendation, but I have to mention it anyway 'cause it's my baby and I just cannot make a favorite cdramas list without it! Some reasons to watch: One of the best love stories out there, with such good angst and just everything you need on a ship, two main characters so unique that you'll definitely relate to (at least in some aspects), one of the best OSTS ever, perfect cinematography, directing and writing and one of my favorite endings on any show ever!

Some more dramas I recommend but I won't dig deeper (I talked a lot already):

Couple of Mirrors [2021]

Who Rules The World [2022]

Love Between Fairy and Devil [2022]

Young Blood [2019 - S2 starts tomorrow!]

Wait, My Youth [2019]

Zhaoyao/The Legends [2019]

Arsenal Military Academy [2019]

There's probably more but I think that's good for now, I hope I helped you find something to watch and I'm always here for more recs if you want :P <3

[aranarumei]

your fairy tail posts got me into it, so I gotta ask: favorite ships?

um. my condolences? well i'm joking—despite my critiques of it i still love the thing dearly and am extremely fond of a lot of the characters. I hope you’ve had fun with it too! as for ships... my tastes have changed over the years while also not? i've become really into like. friendships lately, yknow, or things where the dynamic between the two is more important than it being strictly platonic of romantic. so I would say i'm open to a lot of them. as for the ones i tend to go for, they tend to be like. super conventional. whatever i was into years ago, but now i just have a lot of extra headcanons about it. the thing for me is that a lot of the "big" fairy tail ships have like. really good setup, and shoddy execution. also this got long bc I rambled. sorry

i like natsu & lucy because i want them to be best friends and sometimes being best friends is a romance as well... and that starts out really strong in canon until it gets dragged on into just. bad fanservice. like i dont need natsu to see lucy when she's naked. i want them to have an emotional conversation or just work together as a team.

i like gray & juvia a lot, which i know is contentious, but i think they have a genuinely great setup (juvia's someone who's got wild ideas about love, and immediately falls for this guy, who's not into her at all but is also just a better person than any romantic attachments she's had before, and then she's figuring out herself and her place in fairy tail over time. the first two big juvia moments the show has after her fight is when she does a unison raid with lucy and when she refuses to fight cana. her initial feelings towards gray are also... quite shy? like she definitely does follow him around a bit but i think half of that is bc she wants to join fairy tail) and then it just doesn’t resolve well (over time she gets more pushy in a way that reads as jokey but is also uncomfortable, and her character kind of stops being about anything but gray) I’d love to see a version of gray & juvia where gray’s non-interest in her is actually beneficial for her, because she’s not rushing into something with high, perhaps fragile emotions, and she gets to grow as someone outside of gray, and juvia’s protectiveness of gray is done in a way where she’s not pushing him to like her, but rather protecting him just because that’s what someone who loves him would do. this is great for juvia, and also great for gray, who probably could use having someone to check in on him every once in a while. bring them into being seriously friends without pushing romance, and then we could maybe try a romance. it would be slow burn as hell. it would be delightful and entirely to my taste. I have so many wips abt this.

related to that, I like juvia a lot so gajeel & juvia’s relationship as well as lucy & juvia’s relationship is really fun to me. gajeel and juvia especially I would loveeee to dive into their friendship. I think they have a shared experience in phantom lord but also weren’t friends at the time and had a lot of different things going on, so it’s neat that they are still like. looking out for each other because of that past.

jellal & erza have great setup, it’s amazing drama and I think it just. works. completely. after the 7-year timeskip I think it loses some steam, and then it never really recovers in terms of having a sense of weight and depth. I am nonetheless fond of it.

what else… I am really into sting/rogue, I’ve got a fic for that one, and I like freed/laxus a lot, too. I’ll be the first to admit that in canon, freed & laxus don’t have that many meaningful interactions (freed is obsessed with him in a sort of like. comical unrequited crush way bc haha, gay people) and laxus cares for everyone in the raijinshuu pretty equally it feels. However. the initial arc? the fantasia arc? I think the raijinshuu are at their best there, and I wish they had gotten developed into smthing more interesting. once again I have a lot of headcanons.

i think gajeel & levy probably has the smoothest execution of any relationship, but kind of wish levy's character had a bit... More to her? like she's very smart but lucy also tends to do a lot of the smart stuff, and she knows runes but freed is clearly the runes guy, and i just wish we could've gotten more than that? I’ve been messing around with headcanons relating to her recently…

that’s the thing with a lot of fairy tail ships. I think a lot of the character relationships have really interesting ways of looking at them bc there’s just so many characters I like. like I think gray & erza’s relationship is really neat. I wish we’d gotten to see more of gray & cana as friends… it’s so cool that gray & loke are friends to the point that he’s the guy he picks for S-class trials… I like lucy & loke’s relationship a lot (like, the fact he joins gray for those trials is a display of how free he is even while she has his key, and also the loke mini-arc is one of my all time favs). I love the deal with the whole strauss siblings and would’ve been interested in seeing freed & mira interact some more. I don’t really care about it in canon but I think elfman & evergreen is actually a really interesting setup, since they’ve both got this sense of… vanity about them? (evergreen wants to be titania, queen of the fairies, and elfman valorizes manliness. there’s interesting places to take that!). raijinshuu friendship, I’m really into that, like, laxus feels like such a Solo guy and yet he willingly carts around a team with him, and also everyone in that team have kind of freaky eye powers, as far as I can tell. what’s that about. did u upturn your nose at fairy tail’s misfit guild while hanging with a misfit crew? it's a team that characterizes laxus well… I know he’s technically not Part of the raijinshuu team but Cmon he literally is.

all that to say. you could probably sell me on a lot of ships. but natsu/lucy, gray/juvia, sting/rogue, and freed/laxus are probablyyyy the ones I think about most and actively write for (and don’t publish LOL. I need to actually finish one of these things, but the issue is I’ve built so many headcanons I feel weird abt it sometimes. I would loveeee to talk abt them sometime tho)

but even saying that, a lot of the stuff I write reads very ambiguously platonic, so like. if I got sold on something, I’d probably get into it.

anyways anon ty for the question! i love chatting

[freyafrida]

20 Questions for Writers

tagged by @librarylexicon!! ty ty ❤️

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

nineteen

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

154,262

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently Anne of Green Gables and Midnighters. i've also dabbled in some other fandoms but haven't written for them in a while, or i feel like i've written all i want to for them, so i don't count them.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Come Back Home, by faaaar (252). following that, How Certain the Journey (160), Arco Iris (144), but i don't know who you are (105), there's another, not a sister (73). all aogg fics!

just for fun, top non-aogg fic by kudos is you're my unforeseen, a kenzi/hale fic from back when i watched lost girl. (also canadian content......sensing a theme here.)

5. Do you respond to comments?

i try to! i always really appreciate them and ofc if there's a thoughtful comment i do want to respond in kind. (kind of funny, i think i'm better at replying to comments than i used to be solely bc i have an email job now so i'm always like "ah yes gotta turn around a reply to this in 24-48 business hours.")

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

hmm...i don't usually end on an angsty note! i like to leave things hopeful or peaceful, at the very least, if not outright happy. i guess it would be leave me the way i was before, which ends on an ambiguous note -- even though the characters come to an understanding and no longer hate/blame each other, they know they can't stay together and help each other heal.

(oh yeah i just re-scrolled through my fics and i guess but i don't know who you are is kind of a downer, bc walter realizes he loves una but he's already in the trenches and the ending implies it's too late oops. i was counting it as a happy one since hey, at least he realized it! lmao)

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

Come Back Home, pretty obviously -- canon ends with walter dead and una forever alone, so having walter live and return her feelings and both of them finding some peace/their place in the world after WWI is pretty happy i think!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

never gotten full-on hate, fortunately! wayyy back in the day on FFN, when i wrote a rarepair or unpopular character, i'd often get 1-2 passive-aggressive comments like "uhhh your writing is ok i guess but i don't think you understand canon because OBVIOUSLY you wouldn't have written this if you did", but those seem less common/acceptable now thankfully.

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

occasionally, yeah. i've never written anything super explicit, but there's a...middling amount of detail? lol. i like writing romance and intimacy and vulnerability and simping and i've gotten more comfortable with portraying/exploring those themes via sex scenes.

10. Do you write crossovers?

no, never have -- "characters from X and Y fandoms meet" isn't my cup of tea, although i do like "AU of characters from X fandom in Y fandom's plot/setting", provided, you know, i find the latter interesting haha.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

uhhhh...🫣 not outright stolen, but i did once stumble upon a fic that seemed to have lifted a scene from one of mine. the fic was already abandoned by the time i read it and the author seemed pretty young, so i didn't want to like call them out, but...welp. hopefully they quietly learned their lesson. also yeah pretty much all my fic has been scraped and reposted to random knockoff sites.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yeah!! my rebelde way fic, Comfort Zones, was very kindly translated into russian by Alice_Bolognini.

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

nope! i don't think i ever will; seemingly like a lot of my mutuals, i am kind of a control freak over my fics lol. i also am a super-slow writer so i imagine a co-writer would get really fed up with me after a while!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

i...guess walter/una? haha that's really hard to pick, i love romance and have a ton of fave ships and i like them all in their own special ways! but walter/una has had me in a chokehold for almost the longest* and i think maybe has the most ~scope for imagination~ for me -- i still get ideas for what i want to write for them and bits of their characters that i think are interesting and how it would affect the dynamic between them. (tangent, i think the fact that anne's kids have several gaps in the narration of their lives is what makes me so interested in them, versus anne herself? like i never feel the need to write anne/gilbert fic, and i very rarely get the urge to read it, because their canon story is so complete and perfect to me. anyway.)

*honestly, in terms of pure "years i have spent thinking about them" numbers, it would probably be...david/shay from uglies. or james/sarah from liberty's kids lmao lmao /o\

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

no such thing, i am determined to finish everything i post! (see also: coming back to How Certain the Journey after 9 years). the WIP that will probably take me the longest is the clocks are black, a Midnighters fix-it fic that i ran out of steam for a few years ago. i still tinker with it and plan to finish it, but it's unfortunately slow coming.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i think characterization and language (word choice, sentence flow) in general -- at least, those are the things people point out the most, so i'm rolling with it! the latter is probably what i pay attention to most while writing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i am not great at writing action scenes for sure. also i'm not great at coming up with zingers, so writing witty/snappy dialogue is rough for me (not that i write very many snappy characters...i probably am subconsciously avoiding them for this reason lmao).

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

full on lines of dialogue, no -- it feels unnecessary; at that point i'd rather write it in english and indicate elsewhere in the text that they're speaking another language (or write "so-and-so said something in [language]", if the POV character wouldn't understand it.) i don't mind using an occasional word/phrase when necessary, though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

a series of unfortunate events! in the dark depths of fanfiction.net, under a different username, you can find a ton of my klaus/isadora fics with evanescence lyrics for titles. good times.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Come Back Home is the fic i'm proudest of. it's the fullest and most complete thing i've ever written, in terms of being the longest and having the most plot (not that it has a lot, still) and actually being completed. that does make it my favorite in some ways -- it's still the only longfic i've ever finished and i'm still just like. eternally pleased that i managed to write all my wish-fulfilly walter/una thoughts into something coherent and give myself something to reread when i want to ignore canon. buuut it's also 11(!!!) years old and there are parts i think i could write better now (although i wouldn't touch it either, too many war flashbacks to authors taking down completed fic to rewrite it, and then never completing the new version ;_;)

my actual favorite fic at the moment is the more that you say, the less i know, which is a david/shay fic i wrote a few years ago! i just always had a lot of feelings about shay's story arc in uglies and how she was treated by the narration/other characters, and i feel pretty happy with how it was all distilled and portrayed in the fic. it's also recent enough that i'm not embarrassed by the writing yet. also i wanted to keep it fairly concise and not write 20+ chapters for it, so i'm happy i managed to keep it to 4 haha. it still took me a whole year to edit chapter 3 tho

tagging @jomiddlemarch @gogandmagog @noneedtoamputate! ofc feel free to not do it, and anyone else who wants to do it can consider themselves tagged :D

[foxgloveinspace]

this is hella random but-

if you ever want to info dump about the call of duty guys (ghost and soap i think? are those call names? soap is weird lol) please do! that ship has started popping up more and more in my feeds and now i am thoroughly intrigued. mostly because yes give me more ships with everyone suffering ptsd, but also i had no idea call of duty had any sort of plot line or recognizable characters?

i’ve played it only a handful of times and it always just seemed to me like a “create a character then join a server and shoot people” kind of game i didn’t think it had any story lol

but yeah. pls fill me in if you so desire :) i am so curious

I’m the wrong person to ask, cause I haven’t played the games yet😔🤣.

I own a couple of them, but I haven’t played yet just cause… last year I was in a weird place with video games really, is the only explanation I have. The campaigns (the plot parts) are not too long if you wanna watch them on YouTube (I also haven’t done that,,,,,, I should do that if I’m not gonna play the 2020s games, just cause I know that people where Not Happy with the last game, but I should freaking play the ogs cause they are RIGHT up my alley oof).

There’s a couple things you gotta know, if you wanna get into to it: There’s two different series of Modern Warfare, the og, which came out 07, 09, and 11. And then the remakes (which is what got the fandom So Big), which is from 2019, 22, and 23. They are, the same story told differently, and they are Very Different. The characters have very different personalities depending on the series.

(This is why I tag things as ghostsoap, or 09 soapghost so I can keep track of the different characters lol).

Ghost and Soap are their callsigns, yeah. It makes the ship names fun though! (Ghosts first name is Simon, Soap’s is John (Ghost calls him Johnny, so the fandom runs with calling him that lmao)).

Ghost wears a mask, and doesn’t have a canonical face clam! Which is really cool to me, cause we get so many different versions of Simon from the fandom🖤 and also, masked characters make brain go brrrrrr.

I am mostly in it for the fic, and there’s tones of good fanart. Not to say I don’t know anything at all, cause I have read the fandom wikis/synopsis of the games (though I’m a little rusty on my knowledge,,,, again I do want to play the games, I just.. wasn’t in a video game mood all last year). I’m just… sometimes info dumping is hard.

But yeah. The fic is freaking good. Like, I was looking for military themed romance novels the other day and I legit couldn’t bring myself to start any cause I’m worried it won’t live up to ghostsoap🤣🤣🤣.

I was gonna give some recommendations, but I uhhh…. I have realized I mostly bookmark the good smut, and only have a couple fics that aren’t smut, but they are SO ANGSTY🤣🤣🤣. And then one long fic, but it’s ghostroachsoap (roach is a player character from the first mw2).

Gosh. What can I say about ghostsoap…… they are black and red coded characters??? (Not Actually, but in the fandom way. Ghost is black, Soap is red. I don’t know if that’s even still a fandom thing lmao).

I…. I don’t know what else to say, haha.