#I just think it has such potential for sillyness and you know how much I love that

[somegrumpynerd]

I feel like there's so much fun to be had with Nightmare and Dream being from a time where language had very different meanings, especially with queer stuff.

Like, the word queer used to just mean odd or unusual. Imagine Nightmare and gang visiting an au they're not familiar with and Nightmare points out one of the residents and says "he looks awfully queer" and the gang is like "whoaaa boss you can't say that" and he's so confused.

Girls used to be the word for all children regardless of gender. Just picture Dream off-handedly telling Ink and Blue about how he and Nightmare used to get along so well "back when we were girls" and the other two just wordlessly accept that these two ancient emotion guardians are trans and super casual about it. Bonus if this is also happening in Nightmare's gang and when it all comes out both groups have to explain gender identities to their leader.

Gay meant joyful and carefree. You could go 50 different ways with this. Killer tries to come out like "boss... I'm gay" and Nightmare is like "??? alright... I'm glad you're happy". Dream sighs wistfully and says "I just wish we could all be a bit more gay" and Ink can't decide which joke to make he just has to go lie down. Nightmare rallying his boys before a mission like "my brother believes the entire world should be positive but there must be balance, we cannot all be gay." and they share a worried look like "shit was one of us supposed to be straight??"

[scamanderishredmayniac]

Newt Appreciation Month, day 27: Top five Newt accounts!

Oh my gosh, this one’s going to be really hard. Ok before I start this is asking for Net specific accounts, not Eddie Redmayne ones specifically. However I might throw in just one or two Eddie ones, as I don’t really know many Newt specific ones. I think for me there are probably 4 that I follow and know about? I don’t know but here goes, in no specific order;

@newt-and-salamander we’ve becomes friends, and they’re just so sweet. Every now and then I get a sweet message from them, and that’s not something I get very often. She makes me smile, and we have so much fun being silly. Like Eddie, I value humour and sillyness in my friendships, so how could I not mention this account. One of the best. I’m blessed to have friends like this. Always encouraging me, and has kind words to lift up my confidence as I don’t have very good self esteem. My number 1 supporter.

@occamyeggshells friends! She helps me out, and was kind of helpful in making that prompt grid above. :)

@uefb I like some of her stories, they’re fascinating takes on Newt and his childhood as well as adulthood. And they write really well. I love a bit of Newt fanfic.

@afrenchaugurey well we have interesting conversations, and i like some of their fics too.

And for the last one I’m going to throw in an Eddie centric account, but someone who does post Newt stuff, and supports my blog a lot.

@eddieredmayneargentinablog also a really good, special friend of mine who supports me in everything I do. She has so much faith in me, even when I can’t see my own potential. I have really low self esteem and low confidence, but she is always there to encourage and give me confidence. She supports me in my art, my writing, always liking and reblogging my stuff and leaves me sweet comments sometimes. My number 1 supporter. I really appreciate friendships like this and again value it so much. So basically this one and new-and-salamander both are such encouraging friends who both support my creative works, and things.

There are so many other great Newt centric blogs out there, but I chose to do the ones that are most active and who I interact with currently or have done. Most the other accounts either don’t post much anymore at all, or I’ve never had interactions with. So I chose these as my top five. There are possibly two other accounts that support me and my blog, but they are Eddie centric not Newt centric, and it asks for five so I could only fit out of those to make up numbers. But I promise you, for everyone who interacts with me, and my blog, likes, reblogs my stuff and supports me, I really appreciate what you do. Weather you’re Newt centric or not. You are all appreciated, and even those who just follow me silently without much interaction, are still appreciated too.

[dellinah]

A random (and spoiler free) review of The Bad Guys (2022)

(By a South American that got to see it early)

Living in this hellhole apparently has a few positive sides to it, and one of them is that we get furry movies sooner (as the same happened with Zootopia, for some reason)

And since The bad guys came out today around here, of course I dropped everything to go check it out. Bc who cares about the things I need to do when there's a new furry movie in town. Heck yeah

So...

It's pretty fun, actually. I enjoyed it a lot. More than I thought I would. 7/10.

Keep in mind I might be biased (as is everyone) bc not only it's a furry movie (and I am a shameless furry) but I am also a major Dreamworks fan. Dreamworks movies shaped my childhood even more so than Disney, and I have the fondest memories with a lot of them. So a part of me already liked the movie before watching it, bc it'd been a while since we got a Dreamworks original, and the last time I was actually excited over a release from them was How to train your dragon 3 a few years ago. So yeah, just knowing that this was a Dreamworks original that seemed good and had potential got me hyped!

The thing about Dreamworks that makes them great to me is how they will grab seemingly silly concepts and do them with heart. Kung Fu Panda (esp 1 and 2) and HTTYD (1-3) are comedy movies with crazy premises that end up having incredible characters and story arcs in the end. Same with Shrek. And I love that. I love how a movie about a panda played by Jack Black can be so mature, I love how a boy and a dragon can have such a beautiful relationship, how an ugly ogre can end up being a great tale of true love, how puss in boots suddenly has a mom he doesnt want to let down. That's what they do best, and I love them for it

So where does The Bad Guys fall in that concept and how does it hold up against Dreamworks' greatests?

Well, let me start by what they did right:

THEY DIDN'T TELL EVERYTHING IN THE TRAILERS!!

I think everyone who has seen the trailers has an idea of what the plot is going to be like. But unlike most of the trailers for movies today, TBG's trailers actually don't show all of the story and a great part of it was kept a surprise. So whatever the story you thought of is, let me tell you: there's a bit more to it and it's not played as straight forward as I thought it would. There's a few twists that I didn't see coming and I didn't always know where it was going. It's still somewhat predictable, but you'll be surprised more often than not. That was SUCH a relief

Another thing:

They get the obvious twists out of the way fast

The writers knew which parts of the story would be the most predictable and instead of pretending not to know and treat their audience like dumbasses, it was pretty self aware of its sillyness. So anything too predictable happened in the beginning, or as soon as possible, instead or them waiting till the third act for the obvious twist like nobody had seen it coming. I applaud them for that, honestly. I dont think a story being a bit predictable is bad, but acting like it's a super secret major twist instead is pretty annoying and condescending. So congradz on that

Its fast pace and the animation

Not much to say, it's really good. The animation is cartoony, they move in a very fun way, not always realistic but never being uncanny either. I LOVE the animation, the fur texture, the EXPRESSIONS. The movie is so expressive. Yet they know the scenes that need a slower, quieter tone. Which is good, because...

The movie actually has a few heartfelt scenes that I really liked

Now, this is not HTTYD or Kung Fu Panda levels of heartfelt. But there are a few scenes and concepts that work really well and are really nicely done. Sometimes it's just a character sitting down in silence, and I like that. I like that they don't try to be overdramatic and just let quiet moments be quiet

And... *sigh*. My friends are gonna call me out for this, but I SWEAR I dont mean it only in a furry way. But:

The wolf is easily the best part of the movie, and that is both good and bad (like him)

Mr. Wolf is a fun character. He's layered and he has internal conflicts, and has a personality that works with the other characters. He is the main character of the movie, and you can tell people put a lot of love and care into him and building him up throughout the movie. Honestly, I love him a lot

Unfortunately, this gets me to what I didn't like about the movie

Many of the main characters don't really feel like they got much of a personality other than being Mr Wolf's friends. Especially where conflict was involved, I get the feeling that a lot of what they did was more "we're doing this bc the plot demands we do it" instead of "we're doing this bc we have reflected on it and this is how we feel"

Following that pattern, a few of the themes the movie brings up are a bit surface level as well. While having a solid storyline and pacing, it feels like it never goes deep into the smaller conflicts and concepts it brings up. It's like a more surface level Zootopia. I think it does lack little touches in dialog/world building that would give it that special Dreamworks touch. So while still being a silly premise with a bit of a deeper meaning like Kung Fu Panda, I think it fails to analyze the complexity of some of the things it brings up so that it could explore it fully. Such as the whole "I'm a big bad wolf, and that's all everyone will ever see me as" from the trailer. I wish it was a bit more explored, but for what it was, it still got into it well enough. It's a bit difficult to explain without spoiling it all, but yeah. I feel like it could have gone deeper than it did, but it's not flat either. Somewhere in between

Overall, it's a very fun movie with a solid storyline and small conflicts that I think have a great lesson behind them. While I wish it did a bit more than what it did and it didn't explore the premise as well as other Dreamwork movies did, it's still heartfelt. I enjoyed it a ton, and I will watch it again for sure. Not sure how useful this was, but I have thoughts and will share them

One last thing, THE MOVIE ADDS LITTLE ANIMAL TOUCHES TO THE CHARACTERS AND I LOVE THAT. Growling, tail wagging, ear scratching, molting, etc. Any anthro media that does that has points with me, bc I love it. So yes, shameless bias, shameless furry, I love wolf tails and teeth.

[tyrantisterror]

The ATOM Create a Kaiju Contest 3-D: Entry Roundup

You’ve been patiently waiting for the results of the ATOM Create a Kaiju Contest 3-D, and now... you have to wait a bit longer, but at least you’ve got an entry roundup with lots of sketches and a good bit of feedback for all the entrants!  My goal is to get the finalists illustrated in a week or two, and after that, the grand prize winner will be announced.  But, for now, the official entry roundup!  After the cut:

I should note that while I sketched these in the order they were submitted, my scanner saved the documents with random names, so they’re a bit jumbled.  You know, just in case you’re like me and would get confused noticing that it’s almost in chronological order but with some entries jumbled around.

@bugcthulhu’s Obsideban was designed as a counterpart to Rohobaron - the Black King to Rohobaron’s Red King, if you will.  Or, well, Black Queen in this case, as Obsideban also takes her personality from the “delinquent girl” archetype in Japanese media.  Bug’s designs always ooze personality, and I had a lot of fun translating this big, gnarly retrosaur into my own style.

@toothlessloveshiccup‘s Argonox is the first - but far from the last - monster in this breakdown that brings in a bit of fantasy influence to ATOM’s roster.  A golden-fleeced ram with a vicious streak, this sheep is both treasure and dragon at once.  And while it wasn’t written in the monster’s profile, given the Yamaneon-rich nature of its wool, Argonox might be able to replicate the healing power of the golden fleece too!  A very fun mammalian kaiju and excellent entry.

@highly-radioactive-nerd submitted Gunmetal Jeeves, a robot butler who can gigantomax temporarily create a holographic/hard light version of himself to fight kaiju.  That detail was a late revision added to the entry before the contest’s deadline, made after the creator realized that ATOM allows for some truly ludicrous bullshit, which is something everyone should exploit when making entries for this in my opinion.  Also, this is a robot butler who can size shift.  Revel in its awesome absurdity!

Ultranerd submitted Rajasaurus, a dimetrodon-like synapsid kaiju with electric powers.  His origin specifies that the electric powers are a result of the volatile nature of the Yamaneon deposits he mutated under, which is an interesting idea.  That’s another theme that cropped up a lot in this contest’s entries, actually - people really wanted to play with what Yamaneon can do.

Case in point, @polygonfighter’s Yamaneolith takes the Monolith Monsters homage at the heart of Yamaneon even more apparent.  I like the implication that there is a second mineral-based lifeform at the root of this Yamaneon cluster’s anomalous behavior - a parasite, perhaps?  It brings up some interesting possibilities.

@ariccio50 submitted Kukulkuzana, and damn is this a cool spin on the body plan of my martians.  I made a few changes here and there (splitting its tail into two is probably the biggest one), but tried to keep true to the original design, because holy hell is it gorgeous.  The idea that this is a mountain-dwelling creature is really intriguing to me, as it looks like a sea creature, but at the same time, that flexible and low-slung build WOULD work pretty well in mountains, and it’s just the right mix of plausible weirdness that makes for a fun alien design.

@akitymh submitted Aramzados, a Venusian monster that’s basically an organic hot rod car.  I like the idea of organic machinery being the gimmick for Venusian kaiju, and Aramzado’s does it subtly enough to not feel like that gimmick is the sole thing going for it.  I especially love this monster’s stange, apparently mouth-less blade-beaked face.

@virovac submitted Rurzar and Zar Rider, a Beyonder kaiju and mecha (respecitvely) that were both modified and repurposed by humans reverse engineering Beyonder technology to make, like, a motorcycle-saurus essentially.  It is a delightfully absurd concept, and a very, very detailed one (13 pages of description).  There’s a dark undercurrent beneath the sillyness, though, as this pair show that humanity might still be following the same path as the Beyonders before them.

@dinosaurana brings us Krangor, a humanoid monstrosity of living kelp!  The goal here was to create a Jack Kirby-esque monster dude, complete with the gibberish name and all.  He’s also made out of kelp, which feels very classic 1950′s monster-y despite me not being able to think of any monsters that were explicitly made of kelp.  I love him.

@kiryuthechimera submitted Genkakurah, a psychic retrosaur with some draconic features.  Though his substantial powerset is probably the biggest distinguishing feature of this kaiju (given that most ATOM kaiju pretty much have the same standard powers), what really draws me to him is that reptilian pseudo-beard.  It’s just a fun detail!

@glarnboudin submits Tiratola, and see, there’s that fantasy influence again!  Even more explicitly dragon-y than Kraydi, Tiratola still manages to toe the line between sci-fi and fantasy enough to fit ATOM as is while still cementing its ties to my own slice of fantasy fiction.  Man it’s good I’m doing a Midgaheim book next, huh?

@dragonzzilla submitted Scuttlebutt/Argonautilus, a hermit crab kaiju who lives in/with a hollowed out mecha.  That’s a twist I can’t recall ever hearing before, and the idea of a kaiju and a mecha having an equal partnership that doesn’t involve one being grafted to the other is really intriguing to me.  A very unique concept!

@evolutionsvoid submitted Fleagor, an enormous flea who has no idea what to do with itself now that there’s no creature large enough for it to parasitize.  I love that concept - it takes the core idea of the giant bug kaiju archetype (i.e. unsettling the audience by showing how terrifying small, “insignificant” creatures would be if our sizes were reversed) and really turns it on its head.  The name also plays on the Universal Monsters, who were a huge part of 1950′s pop culture thanks to their movies being re-released in that era, so all and all this one is very on brand for ATOM!

@skarmorysilver submitted Lilacorn, another entry that plays up that Midgaheim/ATOM connection.  Reinterpreting the mythological unicorn as an Cenozoic wooly rhinoceros-inspired monster gives it a very unique look, both in ATOM and in the general world of unicorns, and she has a bad-girl with a heart of gold personality to boot!

dracosaurus-rex submitted Florasaura, a two-headed plant/retrosaur hybrid monster.  I love me some plant monsters, I love me some retrosaurs, and I love me some rhyming the word “flora” with other words that contain similar vowell sounds, so this one has me written all over it!

@downtofragglerock submitted Sauroguana, a delightfully odd flying retrosaur.  There’s a great deal of charm to the original illustration that this sketch doesn’t quite capture - it’s a deceptively simple design with a lot of personality in it, and with those unique leg-wings it really doesn’t need a whole lot of frills to stand out.

Draxi submitted Brakan, an unimpressive burrowing retrosaur kaiju whose mastery of illusions allows it to convince other kaiju it’s actually a big, super-powerful badass that’s the ultimate fighter in the universe.  It’s a delightful parody of the concept of a fan self-insert god-mode character, with a really fun story built into it to boot!

@quinnred submitted O.N.I.A.C., a mysterious cocooned kaiju whose chrysalis has been turned into an organic computer of sorts by the people studying it, and seems to possess a fairly advanced intelligence for a kaiju.  It’s a really bizarre and ominous idea, with built in intrigue given how vague its nature is.  Is it just a kaijufied butterfly/moth who got stuck mid transformation?  A relative of the Mothmanuds?  Something else, perhaps equally alien?  Good story potential here.

shadyserpent submitted Vespilitor, a bat/retrosaur hybrid made by the nefarious Spooks Organization.  A mercurial prankster whose tendency to stir up trouble never crosses the line into maliciousness, he’s the kind of monster who would make a great foil to a lot of ATOM’s cast.  I’d especially like to see him in a prank off with Ahuul - it’d be like Bugs Bunny fighting Daffy Duck, but on a kaiju scale.

@multiversefan submitted the Yamaneon King, a nomadic kaiju whose refusal to settle down causes problems as he stirs up trouble at kaiju sanctuaries all over the globe by showing up unannounced and stirring up the locals.  He was basically designed to be a monster that the kaiju sanctuary initiative would struggle to deal with, which is a good idea for a post-ATOM Volume 2 story conflict.

Sir K submitted Jadeera, a kirin kaiju that can actually forcibly convert most of its body to Yamaneon to enter a dormant, statue-like state in a loose homage to King Shisa.  Though the fantasy elements are far more present than I usually prefer for ATOM kaiju, I think it should be noted they’re pushed that far for a purpose - a theme in Jadeera’s entry, which continues where its creator left off with their submission to the previous ATOM create a kaiju contest (Yokaigon), is that the world of kaiju is more complicated and challenging than many are willing to accept, which is a theme in ATOM itself.  Yokaigon’s more supernatural/occult powers are based on the ghost parascience of my setting, which ATOM has delved into a bit (Pathogen being the big example), so it’s not as out of left field as some might think.

@cerothenull​ brings us our final entry (unless some got lost thanks to tumblr’s shitty tagging system), the flying spider Naeranti.  She’s a kaiju spider who uses silk to make complicate hot-air balloons, more or less, and that’s just delightful.  ATOM could always use more spider-monsters, and with a really unique gimmick backing up a wonderfully distinct look, Naeranti is sure to stand out among her fellow giant arachnids.

Well, that’s the roundup!  In a week (or two, depending on how much my hand cramps) we’ll have the five finalists, and sometime after that, the grand prize winner!

[maxwell-grant]

May I please ask if you think it would be funnier to read a short comic showing Lois & Margo Lane doing their best to puzzle out whether they actually ARE related while casually acing their own adventure or would it be more entertaining to see them just act like old chums during some Shadow/Superman crossover without ever once explaining how they know each other long before their pet heroes met for the first time?

I think you got it backwards. The latter part is what could work best for a short comic where we just pit the two together briefly and have them bounce off each other without having to be introduced. The former, however? Not only is it funny, it’s also an incredible concept and easily what should be the main plot, or at least the driving subplot, of an actual Shadow/Superman crossover. While I had some ideas on how to connect the two thematically, I actually had little clue on where to even start intersecting The Shadow and Superman narratively, and while I knew the Lane ladies would have to be at the center of it, I didn’t know how to go on about it, until you dropped this great idea on me: Make the connection between these two the puzzle that starts to bring out everything else to the forefront. 

Narratively speaking Margo and Lois do fulfill very similar roles, not so much due to them being “the hero’s girlfriend” (I mentioned before how I don’t think Margo needs to be a love interest to work, and neither does Lois for that matter), so much as they are often the viewpoints through which we interact with these larger-than-life multi-faced caped heroes, and both of these two are not at all content with just accepting their designated roles in these narratives, instead actively going out of their way to get closer and closer to danger and intrigue and the real truths behind them, sometimes to the frustration of said caped heroes.

They are intelligent, driven, fearless, classy and good-natured, and incredibly perceptive to the point they are often among the first or few characters to figure out the true nature of the hero they interact with. They tend to suffer from inconsistent writing and unfortunate stints as damsels-in-distress or reckless liabilities, but their foundation as characters is rock-solid and has allowed them to persist and thrive much more so than many other supporting characters of their franchises. Their incorrigible stubborness and headstrong dedication to their companions often means they are often the only ones who can get through to them and make themselves heard, when they get lost inside their own heads and the worlds they inhabit. 

The main differences between the two, I’d argue, ultimately have more to do with the worlds they inhabit, their special skills and the roles they play on them. Lois is a journalist and reporter, Margo is a socialite and a secret agent. They both tend to act as spies who observe and report details on their targets, but Lois does so usually as part of her job and to expose their misdeeds publicly, where as Margo’s affairs are anything but public and usually don’t have endings as “clean” as those she spies on being sent to jail. Lois is defined by being an idealist, where as Margo is often more cynical (the biggest idealist among the agents being Harry). Lois is respected by her peers at work and has battled fiercely to get there, while Margo exploits the objectification, dismissal or disdain of men towards her to her advantage. 

Lois has stayed largely consistent in job, physical appearence and skillset over the years, where as Margo changes these on the fly depending on the story. Lois’s origin and family life are a defining aspect of her personality. Margo’s backstory and family life change almost literally every time it gets touched on, usually with some form of tragedy in it. No matter what she encounters or how she deals with it, Lois is always firmly defined by the human perspective she brings to Superman and how she is “one of us”. Margo, even when she’s set up to play more grounded roles, still has degrees of separation from the average person and Shadow agent that makes it she is less “one of us”, and more “one of him”.  And then of course there’s the whole question regarding whether or not the two are related, and how.

We have the above excerpts taken from the letters page of Superman Family #188, which states that the two share a common ancestor in Lazarus Lane.  There’s been several Wold Newton fan pages establishing family trees for the Lanes that usually put Margo and Lois together, I recall one of which even establishes a line connecting Margo to Dr Jekyll, which is par the course for WNU sillyness but definitely an idea I think has potential. 

The degree to which they are related or may interact may come down to how exactly does time factor into this hypothetical crossover. Is it set in the 30s, or in modern times? Are Margo and Lois the same age somehow, or is it Lois finding a Granny Margo and going on an adventure with her? In whose world is this story set in, or is it part of something bigger? What about the rest of the Lane family? Where are The Shadow and Superman during this? What’s causing time and space to bring these 4 together?

The premise of this being “they are related, but they don’t know how, and they are going on an adventure to discover what exactly is the connection between them while mysteries wrap up them as well as their heroes” is something that invites a lot of questions, which is great. 

You really handed me the key to making this work with your ask.

[space-kitten-606]

Agreed agreed! And his self-sacrificing tendencies-? Nuh-uh, buddy, nobody's dying here >:(

Aaaa imagine like, taking a day to just completely make it all about him. He might protest at first, but the decision is already made-- he's getting extra pampered the whole friggin day ùwú!

Also i agree on the kids thing- not the biggest fan myself, but i would possibly do it for him. He would make the best father; he would be so cute n silly n fun!! Aaaa lots of hurt/comfort potential there too, with him being all nervous cos he doesnt have a good personal example of how to be a proper parent 🥺

He would also totally be that Overprotective Dad type when they got older hahaha. So cute <3

(But he also spoils them a lil; he cant help it hehe)

[417]

Making a day just all about him? Hecc yea. I'd be so excited organizing that day lmao Plus he'd be easy to convince to bear with it just by telling him "Pleeeaaaseee?" (do not forget the puppy eyes, he can never resist his Mc's puppy eyes).

I really have no doubt in my heart that he'd ace being a father. Not only because he has a very good example of what NOT to do, but also because I feel like he'd instinctively treat the children just right? As you said his sillyness will work right for them, but he also has a good idea what children are capeable of?

And ooh yea he'd so be a worryward lmao As much as he knows his children will be able to do everything they set their minds to, he knows how dangerous the world can be and how bad it can be to trust the wrong person at the wrong time. I can see his children just rolling their eyes when he goes on another tangent about how careful they have to be. Let's hope they don't give him a reason to be more worried than he already is. Especially considering his tendencies in that direction. Good thing Mc is there to calm him down a little bit.

But!!! That also made me think how much worse he would be if something actually happened to Mc. He'd be extra worried about his children if that was the case, probably even to a straight up toxic / obsessive degree. But I don't want to get too angsty, this man had enought angst in his life to last three lifetimes.

[norcumii]

I was tagged by @aces-to-apples​

Copy/paste and bold your fic preferences because why not, gotta choose one (near impossible, but go with your first gut instinct), and tag someone because, again, why not.

-

slow burn or love at first sight (I’m ace. My brain always tries to go “you’re in infatuation, not love, NOW GET TO KNOW THEM DAMMIT.” Which IS basically slow burn. Also, ALL THE PINING.)

fake dating or secret dating (Hiding shit is so stressful. I mean, yes, in these scenarios folks are hiding things either way, but part vs almost all of it and meanwhile my common canons have lots of secret dating already. So something different is interesting.)

enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers (This is by a bare margin, and mostly comes down to being uncomfortable with the presumption that friends must become lovers. Also, hatesex can be hot, especially as it gets softer and the participants emotionally connect in spite of themselves. *nudges future Wake of the Force stuff under the sofa*)

oh no there’s only one bed or long-distance with correspondence (Unrequited FEELS and unintentional cuddling, vs. ALL THE PINING why are you making me pick just one???)

hurt/comfort or amnesia (At a certain point, I just can’t handle more of ALL THE WHUMP. Meanwhile the mortifying ordeal of being known meets the equally mortifying ordeal of getting to be known while the reader has the absolute delight of knowing one’s favorites have chosen each other already, and now they get to do it all over again.)

fantasy au or modern au (Well, I guess I do write an awful lot of the modern one, so...sure?)

mutual pining or domestic bliss (A little bit of “yay we did the thing and now get to stay home and just BE” is good, but the joys of folks spending AGES going “I adore them but they cannot possibly adore me THIS CANNOT BE but I shall suffer the feels ANYWAYS” – unf. Yes please! (ESPECIALLY when it’s Circumstances keeping them apart, rather than Yet Another Tragic Misunderstanding, because those can get boring or squicky.))

smut or fluff (Sometimes, the sex-aversion kicks in hard, and I don’t even want to read about the mildest hints of sexytimes. But fluff? Cuddles and warm moments? Those are always in season.)

canon compliant or fix-it fic (I’m just gonna copy Apple’s GLORIOUS comment because it is too perfect: The Author Is Dead And So Help Me God I Am Getting My Inheritance)

alternate universe or future fic (ALL THE AUS! A L L  O F  T H E M. Also, I don’t think I could stop Dogmatix finding those if I tried – not that I’d want to.)

one-shot or multi-chapter (This will always depend on my mood and what Brick Space limitations will allow. I’m not fussy about this at all.)

kid fic or roadtrip fic (I find more things entertaining about folks being stuck in a small vehicle with breaks for Magnificent Vistas than the adorable awkwardness of having to deal with small humans (or equivalent))

reincarnation or character death (I’d rather the death be a temporary thing most of the time, is all.)

arranged marriage or accidental marriage (There’s just this consent issue that’s a huge potential squick to accidental marriage stuff. Also, with arranged marriages we’re back to mutual pining and possibly only one bed tropes.)

high school romance or middle aged romance (There is not ever enough middle-aged romance. People comfortable with their lives and settled with themselves and then bringing someone else into that life – YES PLEASE.)

time travel or isolated together (I ADORE picking apart the nuances of knock on effects from time travel shenanigans. SO MUCH FUN!)

neighbors or roommates (There’s something amazing about people negotiating how to share a living space and opening up to each other that can be just lovely.)

sci-fi au or magic au (...look, my primary fandoms are Star Wars – which is Fantasy Sci-Fi – and Gargoyles, which is ALSO already both. So....yes?)

bodyswap or genderbend (Because 1, I have seen too many genderbends become all about “LOOKIT I HAS BOOBIES!” and not much more, and 2, personal issues.)

angst or crack (Look, if you do it right, you can do both. I know: we manage that all the time. Meanwhile, an utterly angsty story is just...so much a downer. I want my angst modulated with sillyness.)

apocalyptic or mundane (Things suck enough as it is. Let’s make awesome stuff out of the ordinary instead of wondering how things will go down if the shit REALLY hits the fan.)

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Tagging anyone who wants to play!

[autisticblueteam]

001. mainewash

001 | send me a ship and I will tell you:

when I started shipping it if I did: show wise, the season 9 trailer pretty much goddamn stole my soul once i actually saw it and then just season 9 and 10′s tiny details continued to seal the deal. though i won’t lie they didn’t become the massive OTP they are for me now until i made this blog and started writing? 

my thoughts:i feel like everyone knows my general thoughts on these two now i love them more than anything and they’ve basically consumed my writing. there’s so much potential in their relationship and god i wish the show did more with even just their friendship! yes i’m still bitter they made the trailer non-canon

What makes me happy about them:everything. no but serious answer… the fact that Wash clearly understood Maine, better than the others did, which show wise implied he made the effort to understand them and communicate with them the way that they communicated. the way Maine is comfortable being sorta silly with Wash on missions, they pose with a weapon for him like?? c’mon. the fact that Wash knew about Maine’s headaches, even if that… went on to play out less happily.and beyond the stuff from canon, i love how easily they mesh together. i love them being partners in the field and otherwise, who always have each other’s backs. i love them being all about casual affection and support. i love them both finding someone at the project that feels like home, and the friend groups that spiral out from their relationship. they were important to each other, no one can tell me otherwise.also i’ll never get over Wash having Maine’s pod’s beacon. (“so who do we give the beacon for maine’s drop pod to” “wash” “yeah, wash” “wash duh” “who do you fucking think”)

What makes me sad about them:do i need to answer this because i feel like this is obvious. everything that happened after Sigma started to fuck shit up. the fact that Maine probably grew distant to protect people like wash, because of sigma. i mean that’s not canon but i can’t accept that Wash didn’t try to help, he knew about the headaches i just think that… it wasn’t enough, and at some point Maine wouldn’t let him get close enough to try because of Sigma. seasons 7 and 8 are rough for me because. well. obvious reasons.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:can we have more than angst pls and thank. there’s also a tendency to like make maine hyper-masculine that can bother me. if i had a quid for every time i read a fic where maine’s emotions basically ran from 'angry’ to ‘horny’ to ‘silent brooding’ it’s like… please humanise maine stop this. stop. they’re more than just the “scariest mute in the galaxy” ffs

things I look for in fanfic:man it’s really hard to sum up because i write most of what i love with them but… sillyness and fluff, mostly. and a maine that’s written with emotions and depth instead of just… what i described above. the use of ASL is also always good, but just any way they communicate well. non-verbal communication of all kinds kills me. like hell slip in head-bumps and you have me i’m soldi just want them to be dorks and love each other, hurt/comfort, fluff, all that stuff. there’s enough angst in the show as is for me. it has its place in fics but… still.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:okay i’m partial to mainelina and washct or mainect (ctmainewash ctmainewash (+ southct too look, look)), and ofc there’s also like, caboosington! so, those, probably. 

My happily ever after for them:domestic AU is literally my happily every after for them. let them get out of PFL after their trauma, alive, and settle down in a shitty little house that needs some TLC and learn how to be civilians again. learn how to help each other. learn how to stop wash forgetting who he is, help maine with their intrusive thoughts, settle and heal and just be with each other and their friends. and adopt loads of cats and a little girl

who is the big spoon/little spoon: my maine’s nearly two foot taller than wash so, they’re big spoon like 90% of the time. wash has tried. he has.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:reading, relaxing. going to the viewing platform on the MOI to look out at the stars. cuddling a lot. just spending time together, sometimes just doing their own thing? stuff like that.