#are shipping actual real life authors who might not have liked each other much

[monstersqueen]

i just had the cursed thought that bunngou stray dogs is RPF

[sofoulandfairaday]

Please share all of your Sirius and Bellatrix thoughts ♥️

I have way too many, darling.

The TLDR is it is our choices that show us who we truly are, far more than our abilities. The long version is under the cut.

When reading about them I usually prefer stories where their original 8-9 year gap is preserved (it annoys me to no end when people write the Order and the Death Eaters as entirely made up of people in the same couple of years in Hogwarts —really? Was the conflict exclusively waged by child soldiers? Were Dumbledore and Voldemort just chilling before 1977, when they decided to start recruiting?). With that being said, I can also enjoy fics where - for shipping purposes - their ages are more compatible, to make them share time in Hogwarts or during the First Wizarding War.

I think they are very, very alike personality-wise. The narrative draws some delicious writing parallels between them, both physically and in their expressions, vices and virtues, and choices. Directly between them, might I add. The author underlines the difference between Bella and Narcissa more than once, we're meant to see it, and similarly we're meant to see the similarities between Bella & Sirius.

They are haughty, passionate, powerful, competent, arrogant, bright, much more intelligent than the fandom thinks they are. In general, they suffer from the stigmatization that many characters - but some people in real life do too - that someone who is intense and impulsive cannot possibly be as intelligent as people who are meek, soft-spoken, generally more controlled. Think what the fandom does to Sirius vs Remus and Bella vs her sisters, when every arrow points to the fact that they are actually the cleverest in these pairings.

They are both some shade of mentally ill, and not because of the curse of the Blacks - half the Blacks went mad didn't they? What's the saying? Every time a Black is born the gods flip a coin. god the Targaryen-Black parallels are gold - Sirius is very likely horribly depressed in OOTP, something no one around him seems to understand, infuriatingly. The only one that seems to get it is Harry, who has the literal Dark Lord living in his brain (= bigger problems to deal with). Bella is... I don't know what she is, ask me after my psychiatry module next year, but my money is on PTSD after Azkaban - after all, she didn't have the escape of an Animagus form behind bars. She would also very likely be victim-blamed for these different feelings, which would lend itself to a delicious nobody else in the world understands us but us type of post-Azkaban dark!fic which I would love to read.

They are both skilled at magic, and while they might despise each other for their respective political views, they respect each other because of this. Bella is probably above him in terms of magical power and skill, because she's 9 years older and because of Voldemort's training, but Sirius seemed to be keeping up quite well with her during their fight in the DoM.

Speaking of which, I am sure that Bellatrix's scream of triumph was due to her winning their duel, not because she thought she had killed him and that is probably the single thing I love the most about HBC's interpretation of her in the movies. That look. 10/10.

I am of the opinion that Bella is all bark and no bite when it comes to certain members of her family, especially her sisters. Sure, she might say that she wants to prune her family tree but 30 years later in the beginning of DH, she still calls Andromeda sister. I'm sure she would want nothing more than to put him under lock and key for the rest of his life and never let him escape, not kill him. And, to me, the way Sirius speaks of his family is very interesting. I'm sure he firmly believes that he hates them, but his actual feelings are more complex than that. You can hate someone and still desire their love, their respect. You can hate that they are the only people in the world who understand you - and hate yourself more in turn, for it.

Sirius seems to me like someone haunted by his own darkness. He, much like Harry, would be constantly worried that he's becoming like them. I'm sure it's a weak spot for him and I wish we had heard more bickering, or at least a full interaction between Bella and Sirius (I feel like she would claim him as hers, underline how much he cannot escape his own blood, even just to mock him/unsettle him in battle). But what Dumbledore says to Harry is true: it doesn't matter how alike they are, it's their choices that matter much more. And I feel like this is why the two of them would never reconcile in canon. They stand for different things.

I also think there might be some - and I know Freud is controversial nowadays, but bear with me - penis envy, on her part. Because Sirius was born the heir - something she would have given her left hand to be: to be born and die a Black instead of being expected to marry into another family - and he squandered it all away by consorting with werewolves and mudbloods. But no. He got everything and pissed on it, and it's just not fair. And by choosing not to come back, even in the two years after Regulus' death, he made sure that the Black Family name will die with him- and I think that is just something she can never ever forgive him.

Now. Everybody knows I don't like TCC and my preferred view of Bella is someone with fertility issues, even to the point of being sterile.

[I read an amazing fanfic once and a line from it stuck in my brain - "If I can't be life, then I'll be death"]

But. If we do see it as canon. This is also the reason why - despite being overjoyed at Delphi's birth - I am convinced that she wished for a boy when she was pregnant. If she had a boy with the Dark Lord, who couldn't possibly give them his name, the House of Black would have an heir. This is also the reason why I don't thing she was necessarily opposed to having children with Rodolphus - the "spare" would have been her heir.

Bellatrix would say that Regulus was her favourite cousin, but truth be told, it was really Sirius whom she respected more - at her core, in my opinion, Bellatrix is really only someone who respects power. Sirius is like her that way.

But Bellatrix is clearly a cruel person, which Sirius is not (or at least, he tries not to be: Kreacher and Snape are two very particular cases of people who are mean to him back). Also, Sirius' view of the world is much more egalitarian - If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals. Bellatrix is clearly someone who sees the world in terms of hierarchies, and lives within them (see: how she acts around Voldemort and what is implied of her treatment of house-elves who obey their masters: there is a scale and some serve others, and as long as they do so well they have certain rights; disobey, you get punished).

(Bellatrix is somewhat a feminist character but let's be real- she's not a revolutionary. She went to the Dark Lord and showed him just how powerful she was - aka my wand is bigger than all these male DEs' - and he said "okay, fair, I'll give you the Mark", thereby freeing herself. She is not a "equal representation for women inside terrorist organizations!!" type of girlie)

I also love how her death parallels Sirius'. It's thematically beautiful and it excuses her death coming at the hands of one Molly Weasley (who could never ever in a million years have beaten her on skill alone). She dies because she is arrogant. It's one of her traits. Overconfidence. She was always meant to die like that.

[coincidentally one of the reasons why she would not be a hufflepuff like some suggest: this woman is not humble]

I could go on, but I think I've rambled enough.

P.S. Let's not sleep on the fact that the two of them together would be hot.

[gralunaisland]

I have a question.

Have you ever thought to yourself or any antis thought to themselves that it’s okay to like toxic ships in fiction?

Mashima never said a day in his life that his ships weren’t toxic and were healthy so idk why yall be so upset that people like these things?

Toxic ships in exist in fiction and real life. I love reading toxic relationships in fiction. I eat it up but I understand that’s not okay for real life.

If you truly want to see toxic relationships in fiction read Korean comics. They have some extremely toxic relationships in their stories and I love them all because it’s only fiction. It’s a reason why things like this exist because people like me exist to read it.

Is It Okay to Like Toxic Ships in Fiction?

Oh, this is a fantastic question, Anon.

I have never said that no one is allowed to like toxic ships in fiction. Ever. In fact, I've said the contrary, where, yeah, even I like some toxic ships (excluding things like p*doph*lia etc.) where people clearly aren't good for each other but it's an entertaining ship regardless as long as you know it is immoral in real life. If you know you'd never support certain toxic relationships in real life, but still like certain toxic characters together, there's not much harm to it.

My biggest issue with the Pro gr///via fandom?

It's that seemingly most of them deny that gr///via is a toxic ship in the first place. That, and some of them will attack anyone who says otherwise.

That's part of the reason why I've dedicated this blog to parsing gr///via's toxicity, to show why so many Antis have issues with it and because there are so many people who refuse to believe that gr///via is toxic in any way, shape, or form.

I've actually talked to Pros who acknowledge that gr///via is a toxic ship, but that they just like it for some reason or another, and I totally respect that because they realize it's a toxic ship. While I hate the "it's just fiction" argument because it's a dreadful slippery slope, all in all, gr///via really is just a fictional ship between two people of the same age.

You say Mashima has never said his ships were healthy, but that doesn't matter, and that's never been an argument that I've made, that Mashima said he'd make healthy ships (which of course he didn't). Most authors don't go around explicitly saying that anyway, so that's another reason why that is a straw man argument.

However, another part of my issue with gr///via is that it's a canon ship, one that Mashima pushes heavily, and it is portrayed as something to be desired.

There are plenty of toxic ships people make up on their own, fanon, where the author never intended for it to be a thing, in which case it's the fans' fault for making up such a thing, but the fact that the author of FT makes juvia a complete scumbag but makes it so that she ultimately gets the object of her desires teaches the very wrong lesson. He also tries to make her pass as a "good person", having everyone love her and cheer her on no matter what she does to them.

If you make a character do very toxic things, but also make them appear good to other people in the show and make it so they never face any consequences for their actions (the worst consequence juvia ever gets from her sick behavior is some sweatdrops from other characters, but no one ever stops her and many in fact encourage her), readers/viewers might get the impression that that character really is a good person, and that their actions should be emulated to get their desired results. Mashima has even apparently said in an interview that Gray is somewhat of a self-insert, so the fact that he gave Gray juvia as his love interest says a lot about what Mashima desires or fetishizes.

"If you truly want to see toxic relationships in fiction read Korean comics."

I have, and that has nothing to do with this conversation. "If I truly want to see toxic relationships", all I have to do is watch Fairy Tail and suffer through every gr///via/juvia scene.

Thanks for your ask!

[penultimate-step]

In Defense of Ruby Hoshino

Or: Yes, the Aqua/Ruby interactions from the last couple dozen chapters ARE necessary for characterization and thematic reasons, why do you ask?

The Oshi no Ko fandom has kind of frustrated me over the last few months. It feels like every chapter that comes out and any discussion of it now has people making over the top angry exclamations talking about how much they hate incest, calling it "bait" and irrelevant to the story. Now, while of course anybody is free to have their own preferences and things that bother them, I do think some of this is taken out of proportion, and perhaps blinding them to the actual narrative importance of Ruby's supposed feelings for Aqua. Which, I do think this is a critical, load bearing part of Ruby's character arc, and corresponding the themes of the story as a whole, so it bothers me when I see so many people dismissing it as "brocon fanservice" or shipping nonsense.

I think perhaps out of an instinctive disgust reaction, people have trouble engaging with it. The way people act seems to be that either this is a serious romance plot, and the series will end with them dating, or that it is merely for sexual titillation and shock value on the part of the author, with no greater meaning, but it's pretty clear that it is neither of those things - Aqua/Ruby is not a romance, they will not date, they do not have romantic feelings for each other. However, that doesn't mean that what's going on between them is pointless.

The issues that Ruby has, both in their relationship and just in general, hinge pretty explicitly on Ruby's assumptions about her own feelings in her past life. she cannot develop past those without first confronting them.

And this is not a new thing. The groundwork for how Ruby has been acting in the movie arc was laid down long before, and needs necessary followup. To simply not have her talk about potential feelings for Aqua, as some fans wish, would have meant leaving many threads hanging, and made for a worse story. Almost everything about how they've interacted was something that could have been predicted from chapter 77. In it, Ruby makes it clear that she believes her feelings for Gorou are romantic, and that she intends to try to initiate something in her new life. However, at the same time, the fact that it was never going to happen is also, I feel, fairly clear.

In the past, in the flashback scene, Sarina claimed she was in love with Gorou. He told her he would reciprocate when she turned 16. In my opinion, I do not think either of the feelings the characters expressed in this scene were meant to be believed by the audience at all. Sarina is 12 here, she might have a puppy crush on the doctor but I think true romantic interest was probably beyond her. Meanwhile, Gorou isn't actually a pedophile? His statement was made with both parties knowing that she would die long before then, a way to make his rejection hurt her less, and as a desperate attempt to motivate her to keep living as long as she could. Though it is clear that both are the most important people to one another, and that this is an expression of their real care, I very, very, much doubt there was any actual romance in this scene.

Does this not seem very relevant for a series with the theme of people not understanding love? Back then, Gorou was Sarina's one true bond. Her parents had abandoned her and she had no friends to visit her. This was the one example of real mutual care she had, of course she would call it "love." (I mean, I'd also call it love, but not a romantic love. Familial, if anything, but friends works too - the actual name on it is unclear, what matters is that they cared for each other, but not like that.) Now, in her new life as Ruby, she has many more people who love her and who she loves in return, but having died both painfully young before, she hasn't had the opportunity to really grapple with all the old feelings about the doctor. It's pretty obvious to me whenever we see Ruby thinking of Aqua now. Just look at this page from 126:

In Ruby's own mind, he's drawn in a completely different style, like a manga romance hero. Her feelings about Aqua are fantasies, dreams, and projections, not substantial or tied to reality.

Much has been made of how Aqua, despite being Ai's son, still puts her on the pedestal of an idol, and can not see her flaws and interiority, even as he tries to avenge her death. Part of this movie arc is having characters like Ruby, Kana, and Akane start to see Ai from new angles, and relate to the human part of her. But for Aqua and Ruby to truly develop past their issues, this isn't the only pedestal they need to tackle. Ruby's regard for the doctor is a direct mirror to Aqua's feelings towards Ai. Even with the object of her affections right in front of her, she can't she past her own assumptions.

And of course, while Ruby is slowly coming to understand Ai and still failing to understand Aqua, there's one more person in the room who Ruby needs to come to an understanding about: herself, both as Sarina and now. Her refusal to see Aqua's flaws is tied up in her own feelings about the past - to acknowledge him as imperfect would mean understanding that part of the reason Sarina loved Gorou was tied up in her own desperation to love and be loved. Furthermore, while she has many more ties in her life as Ruby, I don't think its a stretch to say part of her is still stuck in that past state, holding people at arm's length.

While she has friends now, the bonds she thinks of as strongest are the ones from back then - her idolization of Ai, her love for Gorou. When Aqua reveal's Ai's secrets, in 106, Ruby says that despite being siblings, raised together for 17 years now, she didn't think of Aqua as family on his own terms - she felt a bond solely because they were linked through Ai, and does not hesitate to cut him off. She doubles down on this in 122, calling them "strangers who happened to be born in the same place." Similarly, while Ruby has been shown to be friendly with coworkers like Kana and Mem, as well as classmates like Frill, on some level she is keeping them at a distance. Beyond the simple fact that she can't talk to them about her previous life, she's been keeping plenty of emotions held in for a long time - pretty much every Ruby appearance from the Miyazaki Return arc to today has shown her not wanting to acknowledge her own struggles. Her pain from her life as Sarina is easy to keep buried. When nobody else knows Sarina exists, all she has to do is not think about it, not talk about it, not say anything, and it's almost like it never happened. Not til her breakdowns in chapters like 115 and 121 does she speak it aloud, but always either with plausible deniability or when she thinks she's alone.

I don't think her bonds as Ruby are fake - part of what she says to aqua, I think, is a defensive cope - but much like how she says she is in love with Gorou now, that is what Ruby believes. To her, all the friendships and bonds she's made in her new life are transient and fleeting things. She can never feel secure that they are based in real feelings, that they won't simply drop her when she becomes inconvenient, as everyone in her past life did. This perception contributes to her own willingness to reject others. Putting her friends at a distance during her revenge arc, cutting ties with Aqua over the Ai reveal, these are all things she does because she has no faith in the foundations of these bonds, and without understanding them she is willing to throw them away for Sarina's old memories - for the sake of the one person she believes will never let her down.

The only way Ruby is going to solve the story of Oshi no Ko is through coming to an understanding. Of Ai, of Aqua, and of Sarina. Ai didn't understand love until the day she died, and both of her children have in some ways followed in her footsteps, but Ruby has the chance to be the one to break this, to understand what was holding her back before and fully embrace loving her family and friends.(platonically. geez.) Reckoning with her feelings for Gorou (and by extension, Aqua,) was always going to be a key step forward for her. These dominoes have been laid down for 60-70 chapters now, at least, and I am excited to see where it goes.

[yuseirra]

I've been REALLY careful about making assumptions about hikaai before 154 happened you know? I couldn't even phrase what Ai had towards him as "love" with conviction since what happened between them is really serious and it tackles what could happen in real-life. I see many news about domestic violence lately and it makes me SO NERVOUS!!;; I know I have to separate fiction from reality and I get that but there are things I don't really want to misinterpret and depict in a rosy light, it's always better to understand what's going on to get a proper standpoint on things

but if I'm the author, I'd definitely not write the story like this if Hikaru actually IS utterly responsible for what he claims he's done. He can personally repent for his sins and suffer all he wants, but before that, he needs to get held accountable and get proper punishment within the story. (He might later.. but so far, it's been handled pretty lightly compared to the severity of the incident)

but we see Ai actually having wanted to stay in the relationship in that chapter. She goes as far as to say she wanted to live with him, forever, and she was scared she'd hurt him but couldn't give up on their children because she wanted to raise their kids and share HIS burden together, that's very loving of her. I think he'd probably have treated her pretty well for someone like her to open up and wish to care for him that deeply. Ai is loving, but she thought she's full of lies and she doesn't think so highly of herself. She was always a bit distant and held her true self back. However, she actively went out of her way to try and help Hikaru when he was with her, and she's still concerned about him. It's the one relationship she really wanted to keep but couldn't. In that particular chapter we find that everything she did was for his sake, not hers, and I don't think such a relationship could have happened without some sort of mutual affection. And his reaction towards seeing all that? He takes it in, remains speechless, and he vows to do something for her.

That's what's sold this ship for me because if I were the writer of this story, I would not try to frame an abuser/perpetrator/someone who's instigated a crime this way. What's said to have happened shouldn't be dismissed that way but it did; and if I, a mere reader feels so, I feel the author would have put more thought into it while coining the scenes. Something's probably left undiscussed and there could be more to it than catches the eye.

The only thing I can really tell at this point is that they really did love and care about each other, but it didn't really come across while they were both alive and he still loves her?

and with the songs being like :

"Ah, I was finally able to say it These words are definitely not a lie I love you"<I think this is not only directed towards the twins but to Ai's fans AND Hikaru

"If all my desires came true, oh, how I wish I could attain that I want to see you I wish upon the stars"

"Without you, I cannot live anymore I would sacrifice anything for you I can’t get enough of your love What should I use to fill in what’s missing?

Keep your eyes on me, my dearest fatale!"

it's just so intense!!;;

I really want the guy who Ai's chosen to love that much live up to it. It'd make sense if the story's that way because what would the story accomplish by trying to depict a guy who played a active part in her death as someone who's "loved" her? You can't call something that love, it's selfish. But they're both trying to "give away" and make sacrifices for each other. I believe that IS what love is in its essence. Love is all about giving, and the songs for this series does have that sort of spirit(despite it being really desperate and a bit blindly at doing so) And Ai's life was all about loving, forming a true and genuine sort of relationship, it'd feel so wrong if the one she says was the first person she really wanted to love's backstabbed her like that. I have a feeling she'd be able to send her love towards her fans and her lover and get a meaningful type of love as her closure, may it be years after she's gone away, she'll get that eventually. That'd be a nice way to wrap up her story.

So I'm waiting out a little, if Hikaru is really guilty about what's happened to Ai.. then I want the story to revisit and handle that aspect properly because it's something that can really hurt people and it did also for the characters in the story,

If it isn't.. it makes way more sense for me of seeing Ai care so much for this character. That whole sequence is so loving... wouldn't it be kind of cruel on Ai if the writer decided to make her sympathize so dearly with someone who caused her to get murdered like that? It's not a really good example to show, either, what's needed here is not just forgiveness and love but some firmness about wrongdoing. The message HAD to end with her mentioning her wish to help him along with the children she had with him, it didn't HAVE to be there, but the writer put that in as the last bit. That's something that's been lingering in my mind for awhile. It's probably a device.

I can still appreciate the characters and the story, but I would really like it if the writers do end up tackling it in the way I anticipate..

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: Enemies-to-lovers doesn't get more high stakes than a witch and a witch hunter falling in love in bestselling author Kristen Ciccarelli's latest romantic fantasy. On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe - a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution - who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s Heartless Hunter is the thrilling start to The Crimson Moth duology, a romantic fantasy series where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch...is falling in love.

Review:

A witch crusading as a socialite plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with a witch hunter... yet when pretending to woo each other they might find themselves falling for one another, but their romance is doomed from the start and where do the lines between truth and lie begin to blue? Rune is a witch who was forced to turn in her own grandmother to the Blood Guard (humans who were part of purging witches). Rune spends her days pretending to be a vapid socialite but at night she is the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues witches from being purged. Rune knows that she has to agree to a suitor... but she wants one that will help her get intel on the Blood Guard and who better than Gideon Sharpe, the notorious witchhunter himself. Gideon hates the decadence and superficiality Rune represents and he wants nothing more than to capture the Crimson Moth, so when he learns that the Crimson Moth has been using Rune's merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he decides that the best way to find out what her connection is and whether or not she is actually the Crimson Moth is to woo her, albeit faking it..... Yet the more time Rune and Gideon pretend to woo each other and seduce each other the more they actually begin to open up to each other and what started off as pretend is beginning to feel like real love. Though things are only more complicated as Alex ( Gideon's brother and Rune's best friend who has been secretly helping her cause) wants Rune to come away with him and marry him... yet she is falling for Gideon, despite Gideon also wanting to hunt her down. When the truth is finally revealed there will be blood shed and pain, but what awaits these two? First of all , this is a fantastic first book in the duology and keeps you completely gripped until the end!!( and oh boy what an ending that was). There is also something I should mention, TRIGGER WARNINGS: including cutting ( witches used blood and cutting to perform magic), sexual assault ( past mention), and death. This book is truly enemies to lovers with so much cat and mouse (definitely think along the lines of Mr. and Mrs. Smith), but so far it's been enemies to fake lovers to real lovers to enemies again. I can't wait to see how everything plays out in the next book, especially with how this first book sets up everything. The drama, the angst, the romance, and I truly TRULY want the romance to work out for these two so badly after everything.

*Spoier: Rune's grandmother tasked her with finding Seraphine, another witch, to help mentor Rune. Rune's body doesn't have any scars so no one has detected that she is a witch. She's been using her period blood as the blood conduit rather than fresh blood. Alex and Verity are her two best friends who have been helping her. When she fails at rescuing Seraphine, she decides to try and seduce Alex's brother Gideon to get the info since he is higher up in the command at the blood guard. Rune begins actually falling for Gideon. Gideon was the ex lover of Cressida, one of the young queen witches, whom Alex said he had killed but he faked it and let her go saying he hoped that Gideon would heal if he thought she was dead ( puh leeeassseee alex im begging you). Gideon started off as her lover but she became crazy, she murdered his sister, she sexually assaulted and tortured him constantly, she drowned his mother and had his father killed. Gideon protected Alex from her. Gideon thought that Rune was the Crimson Moth so he faked wooing her but fell in love with her instead. They fall for each other and do sleep together. Then Gideon discovers Cressida is still alive after he finds the spell signature that was meant to kill Rune was Cressida ( she had branded him with the same signature). When he goes to Rune's to apologize after she overheard him telling Laila ( his comrade ) that he slept with her to check that she was a witch or not ( he meant all his feelings he was trying to protect her from suspicion) he overhears her talking with Alex about being a witch and her plans. Alex convinces Rune to marry him and go away with him out of the country (she was fresh from her heartbreak with Gideon and she said yes). Alex has always been in love with Rune but she always thought of him as a brother. Both Rune and Gideon were crushing on each other when they were younger but completely misunderstood the other and ended up having a bad first interaction. Rune thinks that Gideon is rude while Gideon thinks that Rune is vapid and rich. Yet when they get to know each other they realize how alike and perfect they are for each other. However Gideon overhears and then when the blood guard comes and figures out that Verity was the one doing magic and then they arrest Rune however Alex confesses to being a Witch sympathizer since he doesn't want rune to die alone. In the prison Cressida gets both Rune and Seraphine out as she has a witch army... aka all the witches that Rune had rescued. Cressida practices Arcana (ancient forbidden blood powerful magic that comes from taking blood from unwilling victims and she has been the one leaving dead bodies around the republic and mutilating people). Cressida practiced this magic by forcing Gideon to be tortured by her. When Cressida wants Gideon to come with her and he refuses she tries to shoot him however Alex takes the bullet instead and dies (he tells Rune to use his blood and escape). Rune ends up going with Cressida as she has nowhere else to go and she asks Seraphine to train her (despite how much Rune is disgusted by Cressida). Gideon vows to hunt down Rune.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[fizzigigsimmer]

It’s early days yet, but I already love the character of Gator Tillman. And what I specifically mean by that is I think the character is well thought out, well developed, well portrayed, challenging, and complex. I love to think about this character. Which inspires me to write stories about them. I’m emotionally invested, which again inspires me creatively. I’m also a kinky bastard so, that’s fun! My love of this character does not condone or support the bad things they do being done in real life, because that would be insane. This should go without saying, but we’re on the internet and I guess it doesn’t hurt to be clear.

Now that that is done with, onto the fun exercise I like to call “How do you think these two characters you love would bet along?” because I LOVE to think about these kind of impossible scenarios.

If Steve met Gator: Ignoring the doppelgänger situation, I think these characters would be enemies to besties, for the reason that they are the same guy. And I don’t mean because they’re played by Joe. I talked about this a little before on another post, but Steve & Gator share a character type. Actually, Steve, Billy, & Gator are all shades of the same character (which yum, threesome, but STAY ON TARGET) so it’s no big surprise why they’re so similar. What I really love about examining Steve & Gator side by side is all the ways you can realy start to picture how Steve might have been worse in a different setting, with less privilege etc. Anyway I think there would be real friction between them at first because Steve’s more emotionally developed (not to mention progressive lol) and he’s not about Gator’s punk ass. Honestly there would be a similar kind of friction/chemistry that Billy sparked when he burst in acting a fool, and if they could get past that and see how alike they are I think they’d be magnets. Could there be some sexual chemistry? Personally I find it weird when couples look too similar so it will never be my one true ship or anything, but definitely. The studies have been done, and it’s a real thing!

If Billy met Gator: See this one I’m torn on. It’s because they’re kind of a perfect storm. They’d be so competitive and there would be so much fucking posturing lol. The friction would be so thick. They would resent everything about each other, which is ironic because they are strikingly alike. I would say more alike even than Steve & Billy are, because Gator is a darker shade of blue if you catch my drift. Gator is who Steve might be if the Duffers had never created Billy, and I think Gator is what Neil thinks he wants Billy to be - even though we all know Neil’s flavor of toxic abuse doesn’t actually allow for Billy to ever get it right, even if he did try and please Neil the way Gator tries to please Roy. Billy and Gator are both motherless living under controlling and abusive fathers, trying to live up to a toxic standard of manhood in order to prove their worth. They both gravitate to positions of power and admiration that allow them to control the people around them and feel safe from a position of authority. They both ‘make their own law’ and are taking their anger and pain out on their enviorment. They would initially bring out the absolute worst in each other, and whether it was as friends or as enemies it would be ELECTRIC. But for the same reasons they would be an utter shit show, they’d get each other better than anyone ever has before. They’d sizzle.

[runespoor7]

nmj/wwx or jgy/wwx or lxc/wwx

Oh, interesting!

I answered under the cut, all three options and a surprise.

NMJ/WWX

don't ship it

Why don't you ship it?

lack of history in canon, I think. never really thought about it, they both die early without much to do with one another, I don't feel like I see what's going on there. I'm very busy shipping them with their respective it's-complicated.

What would have made you like it?

More history between them would have been a good start.

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything to say about it?

ok see the Draw for me here is that I think the in-universe RPF game for these two was insane. Probably unwarranted! Lots of LWJ or JC stuff being given to NMJ for some reason and some Meng Yao stuff given to WWX. But there was a time it was the big YLLZ-era ship. Righteous Chifeng-zun calling out and going to to war against the fallen Yiling Laozu! Action! Drama! Lots of possible captive scenarios! Some stories have WWX be secretly a spy for the Wens during the war and NMJ being unable to prove it, and realizing only after the war that WWX is trying to set himself up as the new WRH! Some stories have WWX save NMJ during the war, only to be corrupted by his demonic cultivation later on! It's definitely the Hot ship at the time.

It falls off in popularity after NMJ's death - it's taken over by WWX/JC (which had started becoming real popular since JC killed WWX; JC gets a lot of the darker versions of RPF!Chifeng-zun's personality traits in those stories) - but it probably leaves a decent smattering of heirs in non-RPF stories. The most popular romance story in the present is from an author who wrote NMJ/WWX, they're not quite expies but iykyk.

(the YLLZ's actual most common ship is YLLZ/Ghost General, in stories where YLLZ is the villain and not part of the main pair. These stories are overwhelmingly NMJ/JYL after she's been widowed by the YLLZ.)

JGY/WWX

don't ship it!

Why don't you ship it?

I have never seen a protagonist and a "main(?) antagonist" care so little about one another and be so perpendicular to each other's stories. The Venn diagram between WWX and JGY is "WWX's sidekick/boyfriend's brother is JGY's bestie" and "the person who wants JGY destroyed threw ideas at the wall and WWX stuck."

It's very interesting. It kind of makes mdzs into the kind of case fic where the case is less important than the emotions. For me, "the emotions," "the plot," was the mystery question of: "how come wwx died? how did it end up that way?"; I suspect ardent wgxn shippers see "the plot" as "how do wwx and lwj get together". In either case, it's got nothing to do with JGY.

What would have made you like it?

so if they did have interactions/history/something I might be into it, but otoh it's such a fun thing that they're just incidental to one another that it would almost be a shame.

(at this point it may become apparent that my answer to everything is "idk, if they'd been childhood friends and had a falling out?" but what can you do.)

This would have been a cool story: WWX and JGY knew one another as kids. Maybe WWX's parents left him at an inn down the street from the brothel Meng Yao lived in when they left on the night-hunt that would kill them.

Maybe bby Wei Ying boasted about his cultivator parents and gave Meng Yao pointers. Maybe Meng Yao gave WWX food once after bby WWX lost his parents. Maybe they played together/hid together. I see something like at most a few weeks of something that someone older would have called a friendship, and then bby WWX disappearing from Meng Yao's life.

Meng Yao remembers the other boy; WWX doesn't.

Depending on how long they were friends you might need to make up a reason why Meng Yao never learned the other boy's real name; maybe part of a joke during their first meeting that WWX refused to clear up later? fits in with WWX's joke to LQY. Or if they did exchange names, you might need a reason why Meng Yao doesn't try to turn his friendship with WWX into something actionable once he learns WWX is head disciple of YMJ. The reason might be as simple as Meng Yao not knowing what became of Wei Ying until after he tried to reach his father the first time. The rejection, the humiliation, the fear of being a laughing stock and or being rejected again, pride - those might suffice to explain why Meng Yao wouldn't throw himself at the mercy of Wei Ying or the Jiangs. (Especially if their meetings were under the sign of bby WWX bragging about his parents or sth like that.)

Keeping canon otherwise the same, this makes for a starting point for "what if" contemplations I'd be interested in.

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

I'm very into JGY having Opinions on WWX. there are definitely cool AUs to be made about them.

LXC/WWX

don't ship it

Why don't you ship it?

most of my ships need some... thing from canon. LXC/WWX is a complete mystery. I would be interested in making up stories about them, simply because there would be many stories to tell depending on your starting point. But I'm probably not going to want to spend effort or time on it.

LWJ and his feelings are also very much something that I'd need to consider, from LXC's PoV at least. And that's a lot.

What would have made you like it?

Hm, I dunno. A very different canon? One where they have more history, or more scenes together. Possibly one where I'm more invested in LXC as well.

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

Oh yes, it sounds fascinating!

Are we talking about WWX/LXC post-canon, with wgxn either a thing or having been a thing? How do they navigate LWJ's feelings for WWX? Are they going behind his back? Is it sad, or sordid, is it an unexpected friendship that goes deeper than any of them expected?

Or did LWJ die from his punishment while WWX was dead? Is LXC/WWX the relationship in this story because LXC has been mourning for his brother ever since; how resentful of WWX is he? Did LWJ try to get him to promise not to resent WWX? Does LXC try to understand WWX (for LWJ) anyway, does he try to meet him halfway? Does he end up seeing good things in WWX as well? Or it is a destructive urge that drives them together? (There would certainly be a parallel between LXC and JC in a story where LWJ died for WWX. Is WWX projecting? What kind of relationship do LXC and JC have?)

WWX/NMJ/LXC/JGY

I don't ship it but I think if given the opportunity WWX might joke about performing a 3zun hat trick a lot.

And then possibly commit to the bit, the only sort of commitment he's at ease with. (/cheap shot)

Or panic and not do it, given that he's hugely sentimental deep down, but he would love the joke!!!!

[lurking-latinist]

reviving a meme I previously got from @swinging-stars-from-satellites

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

158 (one currently unrevealed).

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

103,185. I cracked 100k recently!

3. How many fandoms have you written for?

All the Doctors Who + Gallifrey + Iris Wildthyme + The Time Travellers + GoR etc.; Ancient Greek Religion & Lore; WtOVPIC; Blake’s 7; Dracula; Discworld; Windrose Chronicles & Sun-Cross series also by Barbara Hambly (one crossover); All Creatures Great and Small; Lost at Christmas, heaven help me. That makes nine as I count it. Most only for one small thing or crossover.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

Skipping kudos bot victims:

Ms Smith (13 and Sarah, fun with fake names)

don’t worry, he’s with me (Ten and Donna five-times-fic)

Vicarious (Six & Martha drabble)

Time Flies Like an Arrow (witches fly on a broomstick) (Discworld, Lancre Witches, having a philosophical conversation about time) (I have come to detest this title but I’m glad people enjoyed the fic)

to all our nights and days to come (Seven/Romana Time War AU)

It’s helpful to include extremely popular, well-known characters in your fics. Or, apparently, to write a slightly darker twist on your rarepair OTP and happen to plug it one day on a relevant popular post.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

I do, because I love getting comments and I am always genuinely grateful to hear that someone has enjoyed my work!

6. A fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Wow, last time I did this meme I said it was That Which We Call. That’s changed. It might actually be to all our nights and days to come, or else one of the Six-post-Trial ones.

7. Do you write crossovers?

Apparently! But not much, and not well.

8. Ever received hate on a fic?

Nope, touch wood.

9, Do you write smut?

Not my thing.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

11. Ever had a fic translated?

Yes!! @sci-firenegade translated Making History into Portuguese! It is so cool.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Sort of, with Moki! We more tend to write sequels to each other’s stuff, but we also have listed ourselves as co-authors on a couple of things.

13. All time fav ship?

Seven/Romana.

14. WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Never say die! Probably the Eight/Charley babyfic AU, though. If I go back to it it’ll be as a very different writer and I’ll probably want to rework what exists and it’ll be technically a different fic.

15. Writing strengths?

Character voices & dialogue. Also, focalization. I always know what A thinks of B and what B notices about A, which is hilarious as I absolutely do not know any of this in real life.

16. Writing weaknesses?

Used to be length; I’m still very brief but I feel like I have more control over the length of a fic now. Like it comes out more or less the length I expect it to; I can tell what size something’s gonna be. Probably now I would just say plot. I’m not great at Things Occurring. And like everybody else I get hung up on how to describe basic actions like walking across a room.

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

Don’t do it if you can’t get the other language right (as well as how code-switching actually tends to work). Also, translation convention exists for a reason. Probably don’t pull an ‘opening lines of War and Peace’ unless you are in fact Tolstoy, in which case you don’t need my writing advice. Nothing inherently wrong with it though.

18. First fandom you wrote for?

Officially, DW. Unofficially, probably something as a kid before I knew fandom existed. Redwall or something.

19. What’s your fav fic you’ve written so far?

to all our nights and days to come, probably.

Not tagging anyone, but memes are for stealing!

[figmentof]

(fyi this contains spoilers from s2 that I use to speculate upon)

This show builds upon itself and has so much detail (just by the amount of meta fandom has written and continues to write about s1 9 months after the s1 finale) that really, everything has meaning and is relevant to what might happen in s2.

We know that Stede Bonnet is effectively “dead”, thus his name and the Gentleman Pirate name died with him. Naturally, he would need a new name, one that historically did exist as the real Stede itched to get back to the sea under an alias, and picked the neutral name of Captain Thomas Edwards. Except our Stede is a romantic at heart. Much like Ed flying his flag of heartbreak, on his journey to find Ed, Stede chooses to allow Ed to lay claim to him by saying he is “Edward’s” (and he sure is.)

A person named Ricky shows up in what I'm assuming earlier on in the season while Stede is still looking for Ed, who recognizes Stede as the Gentleman Pirate. Now we don’t know exactly how crucial this character is to Stede, but with both Badmintons gone, Stede’s not facing much interpersonal conflict outside of his current attempt to find Ed again. So what if Ricky is the new roadblock that further hinders Stede’s search? From the bit of dialogue we’re shown, it seems Ricky has his own idealized version of who Stede is, a myth of a man that doesn’t actually exist. What if this idolization is what makes Stede start to (though merely on a surface level because he doesn’t fully know Ed’s intent to want to retire Blackbeard) understand the weight of carrying a legend on his back when there’s no possible way he could ever live up to it nor does he want to because what, WHO he truly wants, is Ed. Ricky’s story of him being inspired by Stede and that he also comes from money could be true, as we’ve seen Stede’s peers express how they wish they had the guts to do what he did. But making up a story isn’t that difficult when news about Stede’s beginnings was already widespread back in s1.

What if Ricky is actually Richard Worley, a newbie pirate who for his first raid, had burglarized a ship that local authorities mistakened as Blackbeard, and Stede followed this misinformation, which was why they were able to meet? News of Stede and Blackbeard traveling together is also public information too, and what is Ricky if not someone who maybe idolizes too deeply, who believes in legends and perhaps also wants to meet the infamous Blackbeard, and thinks that maybe Stede is the perfect person to lead them to him. Now Stede has someone around him who has ulterior motives, who is maybe expecting something “great” from Stede, and effectively becomes Stede’s own Izzy (toxic masculinity/unrealistic expectations).

Ed and Stede’s story have always run parallel to each other. In s1, Stede seeked out Ed’s life as a notorious pirate that everyone feared, while Ed, deep down, wanted Stede’s life of stability and comfort. But we saw what had happened in s1 when they were running in opposite directions from each other despite seeming to connect on such intimate levels and yet never truly understood each other because they didn’t fully communicate. In order for their relationship to truly thrive, they have to be on the same page, as they almost were on the beach with standard issue clothes and Ed bearing his heart out to Stede when Stede wasn’t hearing him. This time to be on common ground however, they have to both be “dead”. Blackbeard as a persona needs to be shed by Ed in order for him to truly move on with Stede, while Stede has to learn that opening himself up and being vulnerable around Ed is the last piece of the puzzle in making their love work.

Blackbeard is, and forever will be a part of Ed, that is undeniable. Stede doesn’t love Ed any less despite him being Blackbeard and he’s not about to start. Still, Ed has to rid himself of that weight.

Which brings us back to Ed’s initial pitch to Izzy about swapping identities with Stede back in 1x04. I personally believe that Ed was saying that to placate Izzy, and I feel like 1x06 is as solid proof as any that Ed never really intended to follow through with that plan, and was once again, pressured into violence. We know that Ed has never killed anyone outside of his father, and couldn’t, and still won’t going forward.

We’re linked to a wiki about Robert Maynard by a man who definitely isn’t David Jenkins. Maynard, who historically was the naval captain who put an end to the Blackbeard’s reign with an ambush at Ocracoke Island. We know Ed is a master at fuckery. His brilliant mind can and will find a way out of any situation, and if this naval captain is after Blackbeard, then he’ll give him Blackbeard. No one on the Revenge crew is expendable, so none of them would take his place, nor would Ed want them to. But there’s two people that could: Ricky who was already mistaken for Blackbeard with his first stint, this random new guy on the scene that lucked out; and Izzy, who so desperately clings to that legend that he’s betrayed Ed and threatened his life for not adhering to that very image he might as well BE Blackbeard himself.

Regardless of Ed’s choice, (I personally prefer the latter option for obvious reasons) he will be free of Blackbeard. Whatever and whoever tries to come between in his attempt to once again build his life with Stede, is simply collateral damage. (ship go boom?)

Stede dies in season 1. Ed dies in season 2. They’re finally free, together, in season 3.

[ireallyamabear]

Bear this is a bout the ask game and about that guy you are obsessed with -seen. So questions 9, 15 and 18 I think?

i am cry-laughing, the man's name is sKeen ... do i have to post more about him. because i will!! this is a threat :3

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

actually I am a horrible roommate, but this might work out. Skeen seems like someone who works nights and doesnt use the kitchen much. We could hang out on the balcony and not talk for a while. He would probably like 70s rock music. I think we'd have some good times.

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

Nemik/Skeen of course. There's something between them in all the scenes they share, they really have spend a lot of time together and gotten to know each other too well, probably. The scene where Skeen gives Nemik a piece of food? What's that ABOUT? i think about this all the tine. They made the two characters as two foils for Cassian in a way, the two sides on the rebel spectrum, and they do fit together exceptionally well. Also, getting personal here, I actually identify a lot with both of them, like two directions in my own life. I also wouldn't mind a bit more Cassian/Skeen. They should fuck.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

I am intrigued with the relationship with Vel! Skeen does respect her authority, but then also probably stretches her commands a bit for his own gain (like when he searches Cassian's stuff). It all comes down to Skeen's ulterior motives, doesn't it? Did he join up just to steal the money from the start - then of course he would follow her lead and not make waves. But we see him sitting by the side, being rude and kind of obnoxious on the team briefing as well. There's a real dynamic for me, there, not only something fake. I think Skeen is a natural follower, and Vel does make it easy for him to follow, even if she doesnt get everything right the first time. Much to think about.

[mdhwrites]

I think Dana explained the betas though, it was the characters in a much different, heavier and darker story, that probably would have leaned more into the idea of witches and… well hell. Since Hieronymus Bosch drew lots of purgatory images. But you cant really do that for Disney. Plus to be fair, you’re meant to be able to throw ideas at a wall (even if they are very unlikely to work) for concept art and then be willing to immediately dump stuff and try new ideas without getting attached.

 Side note, while the big selling point for the Betas is that they are edgy or can be used to explore darker subjects, people sometimes just make them borderline evil, or just… actual evil, did you know its very easy to find beta fics tagged with non con and/or underage? Yea. They make Willow actively hateful and sadistic or make the Lumity ship a copy paste of Catradora, aka have them beat the life out of each other but then say uwu owo its not toxic, they love each other.

(seriously i cannot take ship discourse in fandoms seriously, they'll say one ship is toxic or problematic and turn around and ship the same thing but worse.)

For the first point... You're absolutely right. I should not judge for someone exploring different possibilities in concept art because I have no idea when in production that art was made or what the idea for the show was at the time. A LOT of things go through a half a dozen rewrites before the public ever sees them. Frozen apparently came down to the wire for its final plot and it's a miracle we got what we did at all. And even then, I think that movie is still a bit of a mess at times.

Also, fun fact, I have considered an Owl House AU where Luz went to hell instead. In that, Eda would be a demon looking for redemption and her only real ally, but also the only one trying to be real with her so Luz keeps thinking the demons who want to manipulate her are the ones to trust. Amity would have also been an angel undercover and supposed to be giving reports to god about the comatose child who's soul went to hell for some reason when the worst she deserves is Limbo. I could do a concept pitch blog for it but *shrug*

So I think it's personally wrong to conflate canon material with fan material and what is being criticized. Fanworks and the like are one of the safest places to explore different topics or express pain and the like you've had. It also only commonly has one or two eyes on it to say something might be toxic while media on tv usually has a few dozen and the fact that no one catches the red flags is... questionable. Especially why those red flags exist.

(As a note: I can't weigh in on if Catradora is toxic or not because I have watched only one episode of that show. Not even the first. I really ought to though since it seems up my alley.)

WITH THAT SAID, fanfiction authors aren't exactly going to always be respectful about such topics and the like and it took the majority of a year for anyone to tell me people used the Betas for more than murderous, drug addicted psycopaths. Even those people praised a story for having the two get into random fist fights with strangers in a Denny's parking lot so... Yeah. I'm not going to say the characterization of the Betas in the fandom is the best, or their use for that matter.

With all that said, I feel like the nicer Amity has become, and the more the two have come closer and closer to their Beta designs, the less I see of the Betas. Even now, I see lot less blood smears and sadistic grins and a lot more "It's just a normal Lumity picture except a different design." These aren't criticisms really but more just me ruminating on the fact that I think the fandom lost a lot of people who liked the edgier possibilities because of how poorly the show handled its own edge.

As for me as a content creator, have I ever considered using the Betas? I mean, I have for a one off or two, notably a one off where Luz is a dragon and Amity the willing sacrifice to her, but a one off can be hard to capture anything really interesting about them. I'd say I've only had one idea where I maybe wanted to use the Betas and that idea is a Noir Mystery? (It's complicated) story where Amity is a brothel owner in part to make her mom mad, Boscha is both bouncer and stripper for said brothel and dating Amity and Luz is a detective but not super gritty or the like. More Columbo (from what I hear, haven't seen it myself) than normal pulpy fiction Noir types. Also her detective style would lean a lot more into reading people and connections than forensics.

Another story I could do a concept pitch blog for since god only knows when or if I'll ever get to it. That idea is WAY more fleshed out than the going to hell one though.

But yeah, the betas are fine in my opinion to exist and mostly fine in how the fandom uses them because... I mean, if you don't like what they're being used for, just don't consume it. It's not necessary AT ALL to be a part of the fandom and I think a lot of fandoms really need to learn to chill about content creators creating content they don't like.

I don't think people realize the sorts of spaces they're creating within their own fandom because of that or the damage to their show's popularity either. It's a complicated topic and one I've had to give a lot of thought as, well... Ex-erotica writer, remember? And I've still done one erotic story for TOH too, even if it's aged up.

[discet]

Workshopping another Amphibia AU in another show's world, how about one involving Anne, Sasha, and Marcy in Mewni and getting involved in the Butterfly family and other magic hijinks (either in the roles of the Star characters or interacting with them)?

Okay so to start, might not be the best for authoring this one, I liked star for seasons 1 and 2 and fell off after that. From what I heard it got a liiitle contrived. So with that pinch salt out of the way. I think this would be an AU where Amphibia characters supplant some of the ones from Star.

So in spite of how much Marcy would have a blast being the princess, I don't think she's a good fit for it cause I don't think she'd be in need of intervention like star was at the beginning of her series. Whatever shortcomings as a princess she might have would probably not be severe enough to require reform school.

Instead we're going to slot Sasha in as our rebel princess with a fun twist. The Waybrights (which honestly works as a mewmin name as is) are planning to send Sasha St. Olga's right off the bat (for reasons I think would be self evident) and Sasha just jacks one of the dimensional scissors and decides to go on the run rather than go to reform school.

She ends up hiding out on Earth. Blending in as a human. Marcy and Anne are still childhood friends in this AU. They probably have a lot healthier friendship, but a much much worse school life. Anne probably stepped up as the protector figure, but has trouble standing up against non-physical bullying.

They meet when Sasha is trying to duck some palace guards led by her old swordsmanship instructor, Grime. She joins the two of them at lunch at school and after fending off a monster attack, Marcy is absolutely fangirling over Sasha having a magic wand, and Anne is grateful when Sasha absolutely shuts down some bullies who try to come after Anne and Marcy.

Other thoughts on the AU

-Sasha ends up staying with the Boonchuy's under the lie that she's an exchange student whose host family backed out last minute.

-Probably episode 2 is the three of them breaking into the school records office to make that little lie into a technical truth.

-Without a childhood friendship to bind them, Anne is a lot less tolerant of Sasha's more toxic entitled tendencies (which she has cause, you know, princess). So they kind of butt heads in episodes where Sasha gets them into some dangerous situation. Through each other Anne learns to stand up for herself more and Sasha learns to be more considerate.

-Marcy is probably the biggest proponent of going on adventures and seeing the multiverse, which Sasha is happy to oblige with.

-Since its star we need some kind of ship mess going on. So I think its a full love triangle. Anne has a long held crush on Marcy that she's kept a secret. Sasha ends up with a crush on Anne after seeing her fight (Anne still knows Muay Thai and I think). Marcy is totally oblivious to Anne's crush and develops a kind of star struck shallow crush on Sasha what with her being a magical girll; these feelings only deepen as all three of them bond closer

-Marcy one hundred percent starts looking to the occult as it becomes clear thats actually a real thing you can do.

-Andrias is probably head of the monster/amphibian faction who are closer to equals to Mewmins in this AU. This part I would probably need to work on. Mostly I want him to be a threat on the level Toffee was from the get go. Probably need to think more on this.

-Grime is his kind of man on the ground who more often than not ends up fighting the girls

-I think monsters as a whole are just replaced by Amphibians maybe? Dunno, would have to think on it. Having them be a fractured ununited front against the Mewmins could be interesting.

-Sasha absolutely styles herself as a new Solaria and has an arc rocognizing that oh, maybe she wasn't the best role model to look up to.

I think that's all I got for now

[skrillien]

10 + 11?

10. Top three favourite fic tropes.

hard one, definitely... in terms of MCR fic- i love fics that take gerard's onstage characters (the cheerleader, the nurse, the priest) and work it into his actual personality or the RPF interpretation of them (bexless did a really great job of this, i think it's why unholyverse is so popular, honestly.)

i love yandere tropes in or out of fic (my favorite interpretation of the trope is by far gasai yuno of mirai nikki)- i just think it has to do with how i relate, but you can do really interesting interpretations of characters who are just insane.

and... i'm not sure it counts as a trope, but i really have a soft spot for the kind of zany and unstructured fanfics you'll usually find written by kids on wattpad, the kind where the smut uses absurd euphemisms and anatomical inaccuracies, everyone's out of character or flanderized, and where the author made a one-shot and then just kept updating it without a clear sense of direction, just a series of events strung together... it would feel mean to call them badfics, but i'm absolutely in love with that clumsy style of writing.

11. Three tropes that are fine but overrated.

feel like i might piss a few people off here... i don't really like enemies to lovers much at all. i want them to either stay homoerotic rivals and never, ever have a proper conversation with each other (PG-verse gerardmau5. they're kismeses) or just stay enemies and never resolve their differences (i blame this on being a scorpio, i can hold a grudge forever.)

i also despise "pair the spares." ray/mikey is pretty much my NOTP for this reason. they're okay as a pairing, but if someone ships ray/mikey, it's probably just because they're a diehard frank/gerard shipper. you never really see standalone fics about them, they're always in the background while frerard is happening. i put off reading unholyverse for a long time just because i knew ray/mikey was second-place endgame. i hate shipping WAGs for the same reason- lindsey and jamia just... have no reason to be together, you just want them out of the way of frerard! where's the drama?!

aand... i don't know if this counts as a trope, but i hate when people write party poison with a vagina! i get wanting to relate to a character and stuff, but there are nonbinary people who are intersex or have penises, you know?! i don't want to shame anyone who does write them that way, but something about it rubs me the wrong way. (i'm not a fan of transmasc frank, either, but i think that has more to do with people saying he looks transmasc in real life. i met someone once who did genuinely believe he was transmasc. it bothers me and i'm not even sure why.)

[asachuu]

(3/10)

Part 2: what exactly is Rimlaine?

[List of all parts]

[Part 1]

I’m counting on the fact that some people reading this might not be too familiar with this ship, or perhaps they’re wondering why it gained some noteworthy popularity after Stormbringer’s release to a point I would find this an important essay to write, just in case. For this part, I will try to explain the very basic concept of it, where it seemed to originate and why I think it appeals to others. While detailed recollections of light novel events only come after this section, I must also give a fair warning that from this point onwards, I do expect people to have read both 15/SB novels, at least to understand the vague context of what I will be talking about, or to simply not mind spoilers.

Rimlaine, for those who aren’t that aware, is a ship between Arthur Rimbaud/Randou and Paul Verlaine from BSD. It had a fairly small, niche audience since the release of Fifteen, but has gained quite a fair share of liking compared to its early days since Stormbringer came out. Granted, it’s absolutely nowhere near the levels of ships such as Soukoku or Shin Soukoku, but it certainly is more noticeable nowadays due to SB practically introducing Paul to the story properly, especially if you enter spaces centered around these two light novels or the two characters involved.

Now, what makes this ship appealing to people? In a certain way, I don’t quite know myself. I have never even considered it might be taken this way by the fandom back when I read the first light novel and I wasn’t able to change my mind down the line, either. However, I am somewhat familiar with the “concepts” it seems to portray and have seen some similar, much more beloved equivalents to it in other pieces of media, and I’ve also heard it be discussed many times to a degree I believe I have gained some possible understanding of the community, and thus will try to assess it this way without looking at it through my own lens. A far more detailed assessment will only be in further parts, though.

From the beginning, at the time of Fifteen being the only novel featuring Arthur and a cameo of Paul at the very end in it, the main thing I noticed was that it being so close to an actual, canonical relationship made a handful of people simply accept it as such, which became quite a prevalent talking point in this topic back then. As is obvious from the start, Bungou Stray Dogs is a series with characters based on actual authors, and many noticeably take up more traits after their real-world counterparts than simply sharing a name or their abilities being referred to by titles of their books. In the case of Arthur and Paul, one of these traits could have been the real-life poets’ actual relationship, but this was never confirmed in the story itself, nor even truly mentioned to begin with besides the pair having been “partners” at one point in time. This, unsurprisingly, caught some people’s attention– a few of those simply took it as a fact regarding the BSD characters despite no actual evidence of it, all while another few have not done so explicitly, but still began thinking of it this way due to the implications it had, no matter what the story itself stated and how the characters referred to each other, even back then. Either way, from my personal experience, the vast majority of people interested in the ship at the time always brought this up in one way or another.

I should also mention that a much smaller number have unfortunately seemed to blur the lines of reality and fiction in this area to almost unsettling extents, which I will talk about in a part entirely dedicated to the pair’s real-life counterparts, as it comes hand-in-hand with this topic.

So then, if the real people were in a relationship, isn’t it only natural to assume their namesakes would be too? At least, that’s what I think some of you might be asking now. To that I say yes, but even this has its nuances. I will elaborate on it a bit further later, but the real relationship was nothing short of a toxic, abusive mess, and had the fandom at the time wanted to see something depicting precisely what it was, that would be mostly understandable and not something I would fight against, given what the BSD series is about and how it creates its characters, but I presume many people simply saw the words “were in a relationship” and thought no further of it, especially that it was a queer relationship— a thing I’ve seen a lot of folks wish for in their respective fandoms for a sense of comfort, happiness or visibility. Still, that changes absolutely nothing about how destructive it truly was, and there is nothing wrong with wishing to see the true time it was supposedly based off of, even just to some degree that would have also fit in with the actual plot of the media itself, yet it seemed to me that this was the opposite of the case. The instances I saw someone genuinely not sugarcoat anything or erase whatever information was available to everyone back then regarding both the real and fictional worlds were so rare, I could count them on one of my hands alone.

Now, our lack of canonical information changes vastly in Stormbringer, a novel following Fifteen, released three years afterwards. In it, we get an actual look into Arthur and Paul’s backstory, as well as their time spent together. Personally, this novel only furthered my own views even more, but there are now some points– or rather, fictional tropes– people are relating this ship to. In some way, they do serve as a fair summary of it. I’ve heard it be described as tropes related to a character hating the whole world, yet only loving a single person in it, or two characters who ran out of time and missed their opportunities, even a very skewed “enemies to lovers”, and so on. I suppose I can see some of them too, except only as a mere recollection of the events, nothing else. All these outlines and some more I haven’t mentioned can absolutely be done right, even in the context of romantic ships, this is not to imply something is inherently wrong with them– unfortunately, however, Rimlaine doesn’t strike me as an example of that whatsoever. For some of these, there really is a thin line to be walked between making a tragic, yet healthy friendship/romance/etc., and making something which should not be put on a pedestal in any way. I’m not quite sure where the intentions lay with this pairing as I am not the author of the BSD novels themselves, if there even were such intentions in the first place as I believe it was meant to follow its real-life inspirations, but I’d say they must have been far closer to the latter category, to which they ended up falling entirely either way.

I will add a minor side note here, one I’m continuing from the previous part, I am placing no fault on the creator of BSD nor on anyone else who happens to create this type of content, no matter what it is, as that is a thing I and many others have also done ourselves. Creating a story is one thing, and whether we like it or not, these stories do exist in real life as well and shouldn’t be a secret, taboo topic, but actively taking that story and romanticizing it yourself is another matter, that of which is the part I do not condone.

Nevertheless, following this novel, Rimlaine gained its fair share of popularity, no longer being the ship with fans so far underground one would have to actively dig to find a lot of them. Since we got their canonical interactions, at least to some degree, people could see the way they talked together, worked together and so on. For me, that’d be a major thing I’d closely assess even just thinking about it if this was a pairing that I was already uncertain about, but I don’t think that was the case for many others. I believe, or rather, wish to believe the actual point of interest from there on came from the used tropes themselves and the tragedy it all was destined to be from the very beginning, not so much from the true dynamic between the two. Now, I certainly am not opposed to reading, watching or playing things which are intended to cause nothing but sorrow and I can also see where this appeal comes from, too, but that still doesn’t quite clear everything up. It was intended to be a tragedy, and that’s about it— whether it’s “beautiful” or “lovely”, as some have called it, is solely up to the reader’s personal tastes and opinions, however I absolutely do not believe there’s anything about it to be romanticized, which is what seems to be happening instead of mere appreciation of the story or proper acknowledgement of what occurred to give inspiration to it.

With that said, all the context for my statements, if necessary for the reader, will be provided in the next section in detail. Now, let me begin talking about the novels themselves.

[Part 3, 3.1, 3.2]

[we-all-have-magic-inside-us]

Hi, this is very random but I'm actually writing a dissertation on Harry Potter Fanfiction and I'm looking for the 'big' fics, i.e. fics that lots of people in the fandom read - the most popular/famous ones that might even have their own sub-fandom (All The Young Dudes for example). Do you know of any Drarry ones like this? Thanks in advance!

What a wonderful topic for a dissertation @realistic-but-optimistic - I would LOVE to read it if you ever publish/want to share. And I definitely have some recs for fics that have their own mini fandom and/or are ‘The Drarry Classics’

What We Pretend We Can't See by @gyzym [131k words]

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought

This is THE fandom classic almost everyone has read and talks about. It features a redeemed, slightly obsessive, charming Draco. Grimmauld Place plays a huge role in the fic and Ron/Hermione are wonderful. Overall 10/10.

Running on Air by @tinyhistory [75k]

Draco Malfoy has been missing for three years. Harry is assigned the cold case and finds himself slowly falling in love with the memories he collects.

I genuinely do not know if any fic rec can do justice to this masterpiece. It’s so beautiful and poignant and somehow nostalgic. The language, the plot, the pining and the mystery are all breathtaking. You have to read this one yourself to believe me. This is definitely a major fandom classic.

Tea and No Sympathy [70k] by who_la_hoop

It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always. At first, though, the time loop seems liberating. For the first time in his life, he can do anything, say anything, be anything, without consequence. But the more Draco repeats the day, the more he realises the uncomfortable truth: he's falling head over heels for the speccy git. And suddenly, the time loop feels like a trap. For how can he ever get Harry to love him back when time is, quite literally, against him?

If you like Groundhog Day style fics, this is the winner! It has over 32k kudos on AO3 which is INSANE! It’s super well written and keeps you hooked until the very end. And it’s not just this one, every fic by this author is a classic in its own right. Especially ‘written on the heart.’

Right Hand Red [73k] by @lqtraintracks​

Harry felt Malfoy's breath on his lips as they came together over the bottle, hands firmly planted on the floor as though they each needed their familiar soil, refusing to cross into enemy territory.

Except that Malfoy no longer felt like his enemy.

Malfoy felt inevitable.

No rec list can be complete without an eighth year fic. The fandom is FULL of eighth year fics and they’re perfect for anyone craving a Harry Potter continuation but with Drarry. This is one of my absolute favourite ones. It features a lot of party games and it’s really nice to see Harry and Draco have a chance at a normal school year for once, something they’ve been robbed of for so many years. There’s a lot of pining and healing in this one and I felt all the feels when I read it. 

Away Childish Things [151k] by @letteredlettered

Harry gets de-aged. Malfoy has to help him.

This one. This one. THERE ARE NO WORDS BUT I WILL VALIANTLY ATTEMPT. I love it. It explores Harry’s childhood in a way very few fics have managed to and it really really tugs at the heartstrings. It’s gorgeously written and evokes so many emotions. Please read this one.

Stop All the Clocks (This Is the Last Time I’m Leaving Without You) [44k] by @firethesound

Living with Draco was difficult; living without him is unbearable. But if there’s one thing Harry learned from the war, it’s that even when one life ends, the rest of the world goes right on living.

Full disclosure- I haven’t read this and I don’t know if I ever can. It features MCD (main character death) and I really struggle with reading fics that don’t have a happy ending. Having said that, it is a fandom classic and everyone who has read it, RAVES about it. They say it’s gorgeous and beautiful and devastating. What I can confirm is that firethesound is an amazing author and I have read several other fics by them which could also be considered fandom classics. Especially ‘All Our Secrets Laid Bare’ which is the ultimate Auror partners fic and ‘A Convenient Impracticality’ which is the ultimate fake dating/friends-with-benefits fic. 

Dwelling [83k] by aideomai

Curses, James and Lily Potter ride again, several Ministry balls, a teenage Summer of Love, a grim young adult dystopian winter, a few different Draco Malfoys, secrets and the problems re: not having any, alternate lives, impossible lives, real lives, allusions to Dirty Dancing, and just because it's not called the Mirror of Erised doesn't mean you shouldn't know better.

Oh my goodness, this fic ruined me. In the best possible way. If you want a glimpse into how Harry’s life could have been if his parents had been alive and if Harry and Draco had been friends from the start, this is the one. There's a huge twist which makes the fic EVEN better. I don’t want to spoil too much but this one is worth a read. Another fic by the same author, ‘Far From The Tree’ is also gorgeous. It’s a newer fic so I wouldn’t say it’s a classic yet but the plot is SO unique. It features Harry’s grown up kids coming back into the past and how that could affect Harry/Draco’s relationship. All the characters are super well written and it’s one of my personal favourites!

Other notes:

I made a Drarry rec list when I first got into the fandom. I would say almost all the fics on this list are also classics/very well liked. 

Another great way to find classics are through this link. They are Drarry fics on Ao3 (30k+ words) sorted by the number of kudos they’ve received. I would say all fics on the first five pages can be considered classics. 

Here are three other SUPER adored authors in the Ao3 fandom: Bixgirl, Saras_Girl and GallaPlacidia

All works by Bix and Saras_Girl are considered classics. GallaPlacidia started writing for the fandom only a couple of years back but she has such a knack for writing both these boys, it’s absolutely insane. I’m 100% confident her fics will be considered classics in a few years! Especially ‘The Bucket List’ and ‘Ship of Theseus.’

Enjoy and hope this helps!!