#i mean this is my otp tag for both of them

[jessmalia]

GOSSIP GIRL (2007-2012) // THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (2008-2017)

[balkanlila]

My Brilliant Friend | 3x05 // 4x07

[iwillmissourtalks]

SEARCHING AO3: A (SLIGHTLY) MORE ADVANCED GUIDE

Disclaimer: This is very very geared towards finding fics about a particular character rather than a pairing. My favourite guys tend to be popular-ish women that appear in a lot of fics but only as supporting characters so I’ve had to become v good at combing for things that actually centre them <3

For this guide we’re gonna use my current hyperfixation: Mel Medarda & see what we can find lol

1. Use the tag filter system as your default! It’s superior in every way to the normal search except for the “any field” section which can be pretty useful but unless you’re using it for SPECIFICALLY THAT, don’t bother.

You can access the tag filter by clicking on any common tag (we’re gonna use “Mel Medarda”) and then hitting filters.

This thing is SO useful! Poke about in the dropdown menus; each of them will have the top 10 associated tags for that category. For example the top additional tags for Mel are Angst; Slow Burn and Fluff because,,, well. yk

+ it shows the number of fics with those tags under the “main” tag of Mel Medarda!

2. Keep an eye out for character specific tags! Now that we’re definitely using the tag filtering system we can start actually filtering through those tags <3

Most characters will have common but specific tags that both name them and imply something about their arc in the fic. A frequent example is something like “X character needs a hug”, or more obviously: “X character centric”.

These are my go-to tags for Mel! Most characters will have a variation of this set + some others (“BAMF character name” is also a pretty common one in older fandoms) and any one of these (INDIVIDUALLY, at most filtered in sets of 2) will lead to a few hundred results. It’s not 100% flawless because a lot of authors over-tag, but a solid 80% of the fics under these tags will at least heavily feature the character you’re looking for.

3. Filter by summary!!

At the bottom of the tag filters there’s a section called search within results. This is your Best Friend.

summary: “_”

^ for easy copy/paste

What this script will do is search for whatever you put in the quotation marks and then only give you fics with that thing in the description. I like to use it for character names but it also does a pretty good job filtering for tropes — try using it for vampires lol

Doing this with Mel narrows down her character tag from 7000+ to just under one and a half thousand fics, all of which at the very least include her name in the description.

4. RAREPAIRS ARE YOUR FRIEND! Canon but only semi-popular ships are infinitely more likely to get tagged in the background than say, for example — melvik (nobody is writing background melvik). This tip only works if you’re willing to multiship for more content of your guy but it is very effective.

5. Related to tip 4: Search by otp! If you’re locked in on a particular pairing that’s more popular, you can search for fics that ONLY include that ship.

otp:true

^ for easy copy/paste (again)

This is super useful and also the main reason I don’t tag side pairings in my own fics! Also remember to use this script with ship tag rather than just a character one — otherwise it won’t work.

6. Parent tags exist! This is less of a strategy and requires more trail & error, but lots of tags filter into each other. For another Mel-related example, filtering by the Only Meljay tag would also being up fics tagged with Jayce/Mel Medarda-centric — despite (potentially) not having the original tag you filtered by. This is because Jayce/Mel Medarda-centric is the Parent of the original tag, meaning ao3 has deemed the two tags related enough to appear in each other’s search results.

This is something done manually by ao3 staff so the consistency of parent tags are a little weird sometimes.

More practically, this is an interaction to keep in mind when blocking tags. If for example you were to exclude “Torture” from your search, ao3 would also automatically exclude —

Implied/Referenced Torture

Physiological Torture

Aftermath of Torture

And probably many more.

Even if the broad category of torture isn’t tagged in a fic, the specific referenced type of torture counts — to ao3 — as a tag of torture by itself.

Interestingly, the “sub-categories” of tag don’t feed into each other this way. You can block Physiological Torture and still see fics tagged with Implied/Referenced Torture or Aftermath of Torture.

Knowing this is useful in the sense that the more specific you get with a blocked tag, the less likely you are to accidentally filter out something you would actually be fine with (or inversely blocking a general category you HATE means you don’t have to obsessively filter out every possible iteration of that thing you don’t like).

You can tell tag is a Parent Category by searching for a Sub Category and blocking what you think is the Parent. This will result in 0 results.

Implied/Referenced Torture tag after blocking the Torture tag.

Each of these strategies are things to be done in waves or in combination with one another. Casting a wide net and then narrowing it down is really important, too many tags and you end up with no results.

Ao3 has an INCREDIBLY robust set of archival tools. It’s an amazing site and if a fic exists and you know what you’re doing, you should always be able to find it.

Happy reading <3

[acourtofthought]

I woke up this morning to more hate anons and a few reassuring messages (thank you so much for those ❤️) but I'm not going to be responding to any more about this topic.

I have two younger children with a lot of energy, a needy energetic dog who is always stealing stuff and making you chase him, I'm taking one of my best friends out to brunch this morning to celebrate her birthday and I currently feel like shit because I could not sleep last night. My body was humming with anxiety and I woke up in a panic every hour after finally falling asleep after two hours of listening to sleep meditation videos. Rinse and repeat from 11 pm to 7 am.

Yes, to those who continue throwing this in my face, I do defend Elain's character on some anti takes who constantly use the Elucien and Elain tags. When doing so, you are forcing Elain stans to witness your hatred of her, you are filling their feed with negativity and you should then not be surprised if people decide to comment. But you're also kidding yourself if you think I am constantly bombarding others because responding to the Anti Elain takes would tie up Eluciens for the entirety of their day. Clearly, you have absolutely no room to talk when you couldn't even handle someone having a headcanon that put Elain's story before Gwyn's on the timeline all while only using Elain, Lucien, and Elucien tags. It wasn't even Gwyn slander, it was literally "I know Gwyn is going to be an important part of the IC / Nyx someday as Az's mate but I'd really like to see Elain interacting with them from her POV first". Apparently, THAT was the cause for the downfall of the Elucien / Gwynriel friendship. Apparently THAT was the reason for the discord between us. It couldn't possibly have been all the hate some Gwynriels have for Elain or the statements that "Az's book is definitely next and Eluciens are just going to have to accept it" or "Gwyn will get a Pegasus from Helion first." or "We'll learn about Az and Gwyn's heritage before Lucien discovers his". If you're allowed to have those headcanons then why can't we have ours? And if the only way for Eluciens and Gwynriels to be friends is for us to put Az and Gwyn first at all times, to not try to point out why Elucien might be set up more than Gwynriel (just like you do for Gwynriel over Elucien / Elriel) while acknowledging that we could still be wrong then I guess we can't be friends. Disagreeing is not a crime. Putting our OTP first is not a crime. Saying "I think our pairing is ready first" is not a crime, especially when most of it is in response to the takes we're regularly forced to bear witness to. It's not antagonistic either. You know what is antagonistic? Saying "Az's book is definitely next and Eluciens are just going to have to wait longer". Saying "anyone who thinks Elain's book is next is delusional". Saying, "Elain is so boring and underdeveloped and that's our right to think so but you're a bad friend if you have anything negative to say about Az or Gwyn's character." "Elain is boring but Gwyn does not need more development, they're so wrong for saying that". Saying "we can have our headcanons but if you have yours then you're creating discord." Saying "Elucien's should be happy if Gwynriel is next because they still win, it still confirms their ship". Sending hate anons, gaslighting and spreading lies is the exact same bully behavior you claim to hate about E/riels yet some are turning around and doing it to "mutuals".

I'm an Elucien blog first and foremost. I love both Elain and Lucien. I see the potential of Gwynriel but am allowed to be a little salty at Az for the way he acts towards Lucien. I am allowed to want to see more for Gwyn's character outside of just being Nesta's best friend before feeling like I truly know all her layers. Saying that does not mean I hate her or am slandering her. Elain has been around since book 1, Gwyn was only around for SF, it is not abnormal for someone to feel more drawn to a character who they've been reading about for multiple books. I have many mutuals who comment under my posts and say "I see things differently" and we have healthy exchanges even with a difference of opinions, clearly I don't need every single person to agree with me. If you can't handle that and instead need to resort to telling lies about my posts and sending hate anons than you are the problem, you are the bully.

Wanting to claim Elucien's as friends just so you feel you have a bigger army against elriels while shitting on Elain then expecting us to show nothing but respect for your favorites? That's not a friendship we need.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Do you have a list of tags for alternative universe with their meanings? (ex. angst, bittersweet, drama, etc).

Examples of AU Tags

Angst - In writing: when an author focuses on the anxieties, fear, and sense of dread of their characters, typically at the expense of the character’s hopes and wishes. You’ll find many main characters carry a sense of angst about their existence.

Apocalypse - An apocalypse AU story is often set during or after some sort of apocalypse, or end of the world.

Bittersweet - Or bittersweet ending; if the characters are better off (or at least status quo is preserved), but the story still ends on a melancholy note, it's a Bittersweet Ending. Another way to think of it is if the story's main conflict is resolved in favor of the protagonists, but at great sacrifice.

Coffee Shop - In most cases, one half of the main pairing is the barista and the other is or becomes their favorite customer; in some stories the whole cast works at a coffee shop.

Comedy/Humor - Shows the humor of characters, typically when they try to solve social, personal, or religious problems; meant to illicit laughter from the readers.

Crack - Crack fics are basically humorous stories that don’t have an ounce of coherency to them.

Cute/Fluff - Cute, low-conflict fanfiction, often romantic.

Drama - Contains conflict of characters.

Hurt/Comfort - Fanfiction in which a character suffers and is then comforted and/or helped to recover by other characters. You might also see a fic described as hurt, no comfort if there’s no recovery aspect.

Identity/Self-Discovery - Understanding oneself, personal transformation, and self-acceptance.

Magic - Magic AUs are alternate universe fanworks that incorporate magic in fandoms where there is no magic present in canon.

Mythology - Mythology AUs often involve re-imagining a character or characters as a mythological figure, usually a God or Goddess. Creators usually take their inspiration from Greek or Roman Mythology, but works building on Norse myths, Celtic mythology and folklore, and lesser known mythologies also appear.

Noir Detective - Stories in fanfic are usually either realized as complete AUs, in which the characters are put in a typical '40s-'50s film noir environment; or as a homage towards the style, in which the characters are still their canon selves, but plot or aesthetics are given a noir slant.

Nostalgia - Longing for the past, sentimental memories, and how looking back can be both comforting and painful.

OTP - Short for one true pairing. Used to mean ‘this is my favourite ship for this canon’ or occasionally ‘I can’t envision the characters in this ship with anyone else’.

Power/Corruption - The abuse of power, political corruption, and its impact.

Revenge - The pursuit of justice, vengeance, and its consequences.

Royal - A Royalty AU is a fanwork set in an alternate universe where one or more characters (who canonically aren't) are members of a royal family.

Smut - Smut fics are characterised by raunchy activities and sexual content. Fics that fall into this realm tends to focus more on the sexual part of a relationship between characters, often putting this fic into M18 territory.

Steampunk - A type of story which features anachronistic technology, usually futuristic adaptions of modern creations into Victorian or Wild West era steam-powered technology. Is a common subgenre of the Science Fiction & Fantasy world, both in and out of fandom.

Survival - Overcoming obstacles, resilience, and the fight for existence.

Time Travel - Character(s) travel backwards (or possibly forwards, though that is rarer) in time to either relive or rewrite history. Is a form of AU that sticks close to canon, but still allows for change due to the Alternate Timeline. Time Travel itself may be achieved through magic or science, or even completed unexplained reasoning.

Tragedy - Downfall, loss, suffering, and the inevitability of fate, often leading to catharsis for the audience.

Victorian - The most commonly used term for fanworks that take characters from a modern or future-set fandom and relocate them to a stereotypical Victorian romanticism era setting. It is a form of historical AU.

Whump - Fanfiction in which a character suffers gratuitously. It’s worth noting that the sufferer is often the author’s favourite character; whump isn’t usually written as an expression of dislike. Fanfiction about the gratuitous suffering of a character the author dislikes, which tends to be more mean-spirited in tone, is usually called character bashing instead.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ⚜ More: Notes ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

You can find more information and examples in the sources. Hope this helps with your writing!

[my-castles-crumbling]

Does being a multishipper mean I have to like every ship for every character?

Like, I love almost all the the Marauder's ships, but like...

I just can't imagine Remus without Sirius. I was scrolling through the moonwater tag earlier and I can lowkey see it, but it just didn't hit me the same way, and I feel guilty for not being able/wanting to imagine or write it.

No, I don't think you have to like EVERY ship! I think it just means enjoying multiple pairings that contradict, if that makes sense? Like enjoying both Bartylus and Rosekiller (liking Barty with two different people) or Jegulus and Jily and Jarty and Prongsfoot (James with four different people) for example.

I'm not really a multishipper...like I'm here to hype up any ship you want me to because I don't believe in shaming people for who they ship...but I have my OTPs and I usually stick to them. I think whatever you like is valid, as long as you don't shame others for it!

[somekindofadeviant]

I'm so tired. Is it so much to ask for to want to see people showing love to Spike without shitting on Angel? To show love to Angel without shitting on Spike?

I'm sick of scrolling through my dash and coming across a debunking of the usual fanon bollocks and starting out like 'Yes! You tell them! Yeah that common fanon IS reading Angel and his relationships in incredibly bad faith! Yeah, break down why it's bad faith and cherry picking! Heck yeah! Exactly! We absolutely should not moralise over fictional ships and use therapyspeak to justify shitting on a blorbo we don't like! You tell em!'

Only to get to 2/3 through and it turns to the inevitable 'Now here's why Spike's a nasty twat and people who like him and his relationships are delusional abuse apologists'

Or vice versa. Because I love both those boys. And another thing I'm tired of seeing is 'Nobody ever says nasty things about [reformed mass murderer vampire 1] and their fans. It's only [reformed mass murderer vampire 2] and their fans who get the harrassment and bad faith hot takes about them'

NO! BOTH BLOODY SIDES ARE ON THE RECEIVING END! ALL THE BLOODY TIME!

The Angel fans get it more often, at present, because the Spike fans are more numerous right now. But both sides get it. And I'm so so very tired of it. I'm so tired of the reaction to it NOT being 'I'm going to be different, be kinder than those arseholes, and treat fans with respect no matter who they ship' but instead being 'a minority of fans who don't like my blorbo/ship are mean so I'll retreat into my corner, assume everyone who isn't an OTP purist of my ship is an arsehole, and be mean in return'

I need to really block a bunch of #anti blorbo/ship tags. Not everyone uses them, though. What I really ought to do is what @bigbad1880 suggested. Write a hundred words of fic whenever I see some ship war bollocks on my dash. I'm not even firmly on either team, this isn't my bloody ship war. I'm here for Spangel, for the Fanged Four. Forget Team Angel vs Team Spike, I'm Team There Could Be Some Kind Of Oil Involved.

It's just been a tough week, maybe what I really need is a nice cup of tea and some buttered toasted tsoureki.

Yeah, that sounds pretty good.

[svt-kiki]

( 💍 ) 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍　　⌅ .

◜ 💍　────　𝗋𝗈𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖺𝗎 .　

my fellow constellations, welcome ! to the introduction of romance au in kiki-verse ★ in this au, we will explore the romance that could have happend in kiki’s life — in another universe.

　...　what is it about ?　

as i’ve said before ( and confused everyone unfortunately ) kiki has three major love interests, which is jeon wonwoo, choi seungcheol and lee soohyuk. as i considered carefully for months, i decided to follow my heat. in other words, i would create three storyline where she ends up with each of them, rather than pick just one man ( and i think no one can blame me for it, just look at those fine men ! ).

i apologize everyone in beforehand, because i do understand just choose one love interest and make it as her endgame in canon timeline would be much more simple and easy to understand. however, i run this blog for fun, and i should try how far i can go for this version. if it didn’t go well, then — i’ll just cross that bridge.

　how to get the lore ?

you can just imagine that her endgame is *your favorite* among three of them. or all at the same time because this is multi verse idea ( not poly fic ). if you are capable to watch doctor strange : multi verse of madness and think “oh so this is another version of the same character,” then you are ready to go !

or, you can also think all three of them are just alternative possibility and see her as young, rich and single woman who could care less about romance and men ( tbh this one feels natural for her when i think about the personality and beliefs... but i also enjoy those ships a lot, too ).

besides the scenario series, i would post other contents such as them as couple in award shows, youtube compilations or people being obsessed with them in social media. ill leave the banner as each posts’ beginning so you can know which ship i am talking about ( or, avoid it if you want only specific otp ! ).

◜ 💍　────　𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾 .　

to avoid the further confusion, the each timelines are explained in below :

　kinwoo au

‘20 · START DATING

‘23 dec · ENGAGED

‘24 sep · TIE THE KNOT

　kicheol au

‘24 · START DATING

‘25 mar · TIE THE KNOT

　kihyuk au

... ABOUT TO HAPPEN

which means, some of her past romances and one night flings from main timeline wouldn’t be happen in here, if it was supposed to be after kiki got together with someone in romance au.

for example, kiki romantically connected with someone in 2023 & hooked up with another one in feb 2024, but both hadn’t happened in kinwoo au, because kiki and wonwoo are already together in 2020. however, it stil can be a thing if kicheol and kihyuk were not together yet at that time.

( gosh this is complicated, sorry... ) anyway ! don’t think too much, just enjoy <3　

© SVT-KIKI　/　2025 .　

( tag list )　@smh-anon @jennwonwoo @angie-x3 @scarlet789 @cheeksung

[kedreeva]

just to offer another perspective re: the ot3 poll from someone who is a fan creator - i fully interpreted that poll to be about tagging your own creations

To give a specific example of my interpretation - if you ship an ot3 and draw two of the characters together, do you/should you tag the ot3 when the 3rd isn’t present?

And in that above example (which i think is a completely valid interpretation of the question tbh) it would be my opinion that it’s at minimum a fandom faux pas to tag a ship that is not (entirely) present As The Op, because that fan creation will end up in the main tumblr tag

(Just like it’s frowned upon to tag ships As The Op on a post that’s not about them, in an attempt to get “reach”)

I’m saying this because i usually find you to be someone whose fandom opinions align closely with mine, and thought your response was a massive overreaction, until I came to the conclusion that you and i (and, i would guess, you and the person you were in direct response to) were looking at tagging from 2 different perspectives

I think it’s fair to say spam tagging/reach tagging As An Op on tumblr is rude behaviour (and frowned upon) AND that any reblog tags added after the fact are fair game as they do not effect the post’s reach in fandom tags + are largely for organisational reasons

(Caveat being there are few ot3 ships with greater reach and popularity than any pairings within, but i know if i was scrolling through the Parker/Hardison/Elliot tag and seeing only Parker/Hardison fanworks I would find that disappointing and even irritating yk?)

I'd agree, if you're the one creating the art in the first place, and it's exclusively for the pair and NOT the OT3, and you have no intention of it being even a part of the OT3, then that's mistagging, and mistagging is a problem.

On the other hand, if you ship the OT3 and your pairing fanwork is made with the OT3 in mind even if you've only done part of it (like, you've drawn spock and bones BUT your drawing is specifically of them while they're part of mcspirk in your head, and the third person just happens to not be currently present), then you're still within your rights to tag it as such (especially because you're still posting the creation to your blog and filing).

Poly relationships don't stop being poly just because only two people are in the room, y'know? As someone who has both written poly relationships and been in them in real life, when I was physically with just one partner it's not like suddenly I was somehow exclusively dating that person because the other person wasn't with us at the time. We were still a trio. And if/when I choose to write about an OT3 (or if I could draw, when I would choose to draw them), if I tag my own work with the OT3, because it is intended to be artwork of a part of the OT3 as a part of the OT3, even if I don't mention the third person (ie, the third person is 'not in the room') then "rude" should not be a descriptor used.

So sure, it may be annoying to you if someone makes art with only two of the OT3 and tags it with the OT3 (in general), but unless you're sure that they're purposefully mistagging it for "reach" and not just making art (including writing etc) for part of their OT3, calling it blanket rude is still not a great way to approach it, and possibly says some stuff about how one views poly relationships in general. And the poll specifically stated "if you ship an OT3" which I take to mean the art (including writing etc) is for the OT3 but only 2 of them are currently present, not "the OTP is the intention and OT3 is tagged for reach." I could be wrong, of course!

[vellichorvibes]

literally 1-20 for dallyboy for the game 😭

Oh wow you asked for it! 1-20 under the cut!!!

…about my absolute favorite of their scenes and why I love it so much.

…"I was in the bedroom." He suddenly stared at me. "Glory, but your ears can get red, Ponyboy." I was remembering what usually went on in the bedrooms at Buck's parties. Then Dally grinned in amused realization. "It wasn't anything like that, kid.”...

This scene is so cute to me because Dallas notices Pony blushing, realizes why, and then assures him it’s not what he thinks. Liiike why does he need to clear things up for this sopping wet 14 year old interrupting his sleep? He’s sparing Pony from nothing but his own internal embarrassment and that’s a type of cute consideration that I sustain on

2…why I do or don’t ship them.

I definitely have a thing for sunshine/sunshine protector ships and I think these 2 match that pretty dang well!

3…if there’s a scene involving them that makes me uncomfortable.

Mmmmm no, all their interactions seem like they’ve got to happen to establish their characterizations and relationship. Even Dallas being gross with Cherry and Ponyboy being too afraid to say anything is a big part of their dynamic early on

4…how many other characters in my opinion see the chemistry of this couple before the couple itself does.

Everyone but Steve because he’s blind and Darry because he’s in denial

5…the three most perfect OTP tags that I can come up with for them.

Terrible awful flirting, idiots in love, dally’s love language is weeds

6…what kind of AU fics I’m obsessed with reading about them (or would be if I could find one).

I love a soulmate AU!! I haven’t seen ANY for them, but I’m actually working on one (and a million other things)

7…the scene that I like to point to as proof that they’re perfect for each other.

See #1

8…if I’m most interested in fics about them that focus on fluff, angst, humor, smut or actual plot?

I would just like more fics of them in general! It feels like such a small fandom to begin with and especially for this pairing. I’ll take anything!!!

9…what my ideal endgame for them is.

I mean the game ended back in the 60s…BUT IN A PERFECT WORLD I think Dal would go anywhere pony wanted. Follow that boy to college, be the most supportive hood boyfriend anyone's ever seen!

10…rate the level of stupid they reach in their pining.

I think Dallas would actually get his life together pretty quick, he can’t be out here yearning with no reciprocation. He’d ask Pony out almost before he gave it any real thought: 3/10. Meanwhile Pony would just be pining in poorly kept secret for months before someone stepped in: 567/10 .

11…how quickly I started shipping them when I got into the fandom.

As soon as I put the book down my phone was in my hand opening AO3. Instant

12…about three of the scenes that make me have feelings and (if available) find the gifs that underline my points.

Dallas visiting in the church - he's SO amused by Pony's hair and it's like "Sir, PLEASE, there's been a murder! Stop teasing your boyfriend!

Dallas talking to Pony after the rumble - he's having a full on meltdown at this point and rambling to ponyboy who is barely conscious because he's just so devastated with how things have gone

Pony watching Dallas die - Pony is begging to not lose Dallas, the kid he said deserved everything he got and worse just a few days ago. now he literally faints when he sees the boy who'd gone above and beyond to help him get gunned down "because Dally Winston wanted to be dead" 😭

13…if I can watch them in relationships with other characters without feeling gutted.

I’m currently reading a story where they both started out with other people (Curly/Pony, Dallas/Sylvia) and then over time found their way to each other and it actually wasn’t bad! It felt earned! What I have a hard time reading is either of them being with Johnny and then he dies and they bring that grief into their relationship. It’s too sad! 

14…which tropes I think describe them the best.

Friends to lovers, opposites attract, first love (for pony), grump and sunshine, bad at feelings (for dallas)

15…how I wish their story would go/would have gone.

See #9

16…three of my fic recs for this ship. And (in the event that I’ve written something for them) one of my fics involving them that I’m most proud of.

Holy SHIT any and everything by @richieshepard (sixties) but especially "fire in the sky" and a land flowing with blood and honey. And then “Hello Darlin’” by vangogh_hoe, just a cute little one-shot with some conway twitty

I have so many fics that i’m working on for dalpony, but of the 3 i’ve posted i like daytona sand best because i loved writing dallas’ POV 

17…three of my favorite fanvids for this ship. And (in the event that I’ve created something for them) one of my videos involving them that I’m most proud of.

You know i’ve actually never seen any? Would love to, but I’m still pretty new to the fandom

18…three of my favorite fanart or edits for this ship. And (in the event that I’ve created something for them) one of my art or edits involving them that I’m most proud of.

All the edits I’ve seen for these 2 have been by @sodomhipped and they’re great. Would love to see more!

19…if this is a ship that’s likely to take up room in my heart for years and decades to come or if they’re the summer romance that will probably fade into the past with a fond memory.

Hard to say! I read the outsiders on a sort of coming for age kick. It was the body, the outsiders, the warriors, that was then this is now, and rumble fish all within like a week back in march. but the outsiders and dalpony is the only one of those that i’m currently working on 13 different stories for so…i think they’re here for a while!

20…how and when they should get/should have gotten together.

After the church but before losing johnny. They’d already gone through enough together to know they were solid and didn’t need grief driving them into it. The care and consideration was there and i think if ponyboy had gotten the chance to tell dallas theres still lots of good in the world, dally would have let pony be part of it for him 😭😭😭!

Thank you SO MUCH for the ask!!!

[quichequill069]

Analytical Essay/Thoughts of an Amateur Writer Incoming - Guess Who Watched Inside Out 2 and Started Shipping The Personfailures Together (STAY TUNED ANXIFEAR SHIPPERS)

...

. . .

. . . :sighs:

yeah, they got me too-

not just got me either...

... they got me BAD

LIKE I KNEW ME GETTING A NEW TOP TIER, TOP RANK OTP IS NORMAL FOR ME EVERY MONTH OR SO

BUT WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE A PIXAR MOVIE ABOUT PERSONIFICATIONS OF EMOTIONS INSIDE A TEENAGE GIRL'S HEAD????/nm

WDYM YOU GOT THE USUAL PERSONFAILURE OF THE OG FIVE EMOTIONS OPENLY SWOONING ON A GAL WITH EQUAL SPAZ AND PARANOIA ON THE FIRST DAY SHE MATERIALIZES??

WDYM YOU INTRODUCE A POTENTIAL PAIRING BETWEEN TWO WELL-MEANING PERSONFAILURES THAT ARE BOTH THEMATICALLY SIMILAR YET COMPLIMENTARY TO EACH OTHER IF THEY WERE TO BE A THING?????

im being deadass rn- after watching the movie and laughing my ass off from the now iconic "I Can Fix Her" line, i finally had the chance to actually process it over and finalize what i think about it-

and guess what

i went from "haha, bro is a simp, this is hilarious"

TO

"oh... oh shit, i actually LOVE them together and i have reasonings as to why that i need to polish"

in honor of this, i would like to offer a future essay-

An Essay That Both Analyzes Their Pre-Existing Content and Speculates On How They Can Work Together (Spoiler: They Lowkey Can Work REALLY WELL JUST HEAR ME OUT MAN)

I CANT DRAW SO THIS IS MY CONTRIBUTION, I HOPE YALL WILL LIKE IT WHENEVER IT DROPS

pst pst, if you want to be tagged when it finally drops, feel free to say so in the comments HIHI i need iot 2 moots that ship them too QwQ

let me end the post by saying this: they definitely became the biggest ship to come out of the movie for a reason- i just want to attempt explaining how much potential they could have if anyone wants to fully bring it to their best version possible (COUGH COUGH ME WHEN I LEARN TO WRITE FANFICS COUGH)

[lutethebodies]

OTP Vibes Game: “Our Days Are Numbered”

Belatedly answering a tag by @mogruith (one of my most dangerously reliable enablers, whose post about Coranzan and Minthara is here). "Belated" for reasons both substantial (IRL work hit me this week) and silly (I'm not embarrassed to say I had to look up what "OTP" means). I tried to follow my asker's moodboard/vibes idea, but I totally failed, so this one’s a bit long below the cut. 

However I do list links to where I've yapped even more extensively about my OTP for anyone who isn't sick of them after over a year. I'll also follow my asker's no-tagging example to keep my cringe relatively contained, but whomever wants to pick this up from me is welcome to; please tag me if you do.

Rules: Post some pictures of your OTP and their vibes, some info, and a song or songs that fit their vibe. That's it. Edit as you please.

As always, mash that readmore for choice goodies:

Pictures and Vibes

I tend to recycle my same fave images of these two, and since those are in their tag and the links below, I staged some Cannor x Minthara non-cutscene snaps in Photo Mode for (slightly) better poses/image quality: their view from Wyrm's Lookout (scroll down here for original), a nice day in the park becomes an unexpected impasse (original), hecklers beware (original), and a conference at the map table (original). Have another "second scene" closeup too, why not.

This couple's vibe is a balanced combination of "culture shock" with "home and purpose," a resolutely solid shell protecting a soft, devoted center. It’s them against the world, but tactful, covert, intentional. The glue is their maturity, which helps them endure both the unique circumstantial crisis that mashed them together (the BG3 worm-brain plot) and (for however long it lasts) their post-game relationship. Wish them luck, because they're gonna need it.

As a musical lute-and-lyre duo, they’ve taken on the band name “Lute the Bodies” (I think they’re established enough on here to carry the blog’s name), but their true name is “Our Days Are Numbered” (which may not be substantial enough for a fic, but could be for a song), because they’re grown-up enough to be realistic about appreciating each day together as it comes.

Info and Songs

If you have the patience for a middle-aged man going cringe-long about his headcanons and pixel dolls, here's a selection of links related to them both: 

Cannor x Minthara Culture Shock (their relationship rundown)

The Lost Singer, Part 1 and Part 2 (Cannor background)

OC Questions, Revealing OC Asks, and Your Character as a Feeling (Cannor vibes) 

The Misunderstood Blunt Instrument (Minthara headcanons)

Escape and Endurance (more Minthara headcanons)

As for songs (by other people, at least, because Cannor has 7 of his own and Minthy's covering an 8th), how about I pull five faves from my resolutely middle-aged “Nightwarden After Hours” playlist, which loosely tracks their romance:

The Desperate Kingdom of Love - PJ Harvey

Outro (AKA I’m a Fool to Want You) - M. Ward

This Lullaby - Queens of the Stone Age

Night Light - Sleater-Kinney

Take Me With You - Morphine

Pictures (Part 2: Photo Mode Yearbook)

“Yearbook” in that they’re softer/sillier/cheesier but no less valid, as any airbrushed teen knows.

Thanks again to my asker! I'm always down for this stuff.

[thegreatobsesso]

oc tag meme

Tagged by @space-writes, KNEW I had to draw something new, got carried away, and now we have this, for what it is worth, wow

Basic Info

Name: Octavius Hasaan Sinclair

Background: His dad was British and his mum was Persian. They both died when he was young and he lived with relatives in America until he was old enough to move back to London on his own and join up with the British mafia.

Gender: cis dude

Sexuality: In his own words, "gayer than Christmas morning"

Pronouns: he/him

Other

Family: Other than the dead parents, there's an aunt and uncle and cousins in America. But his parents' best friend Leo became his mentor when he came back to London and discovered the exciting world of organized crime, and he'd say Leo was the closest thing he has to a relative, even though they're not related.

Birthplace: London

Job: Ostensibly a CEO. Of a lot of companies that do,, things. Completely legitimate things!

Phobias: Hospitals. Germs. Cheap fabric.

Guilty Pleasures: Much like my tag predecessor @space-writes's OC, Octavius doesn't feel guilty about anything that brings him pleasure. Not saying that after a boatload of character development, Milo catches him in the wee hours of early morning snatching pizza bites. Definitely not.

Hobbies: Fencing, golfing, poker, violence, and domming cute boys.

Morals

Alignment: I always struggle with that grid, so I'll say this about Octavius: he genuinely believes if he weren't doing the horrible things he does, someone else would be, and the only difference is he wouldn't be rich. I mean, he's an absolute asshole. I love him tho 🥲

Sins: I mean if we're going 7 deadly here.... lust, wrath, greed. I think that pretty much covers it. I'm not saying sloth because he's incredibly industrious, or greed, because he's really not obsessed with acquiring more than he has. He's pretty happy with his life. Until, you know, I ruin it.

Virtues: He's terribly charming, generally joyful, and despite his faults he can love quite well.

This or That

Introvert/Ambivert/Extrovert

Organized/Disorganized

Close-minded/Open-minded

Calm/Anxious/Restless

Disagreeable/In-between/Agreeable

Patient/In-between/Impatient

Outspoken/In-between/Reserved

Leader/Follower/Flexible

Empathetic/In-between/Apathetic

Optimist/Realist/Pessimist

Traditional/In-between/Modern

Hard-working/Lazy

Relationships

OTP: Octavius x Milo forever. We all know this.

Acceptable ships: You know, he has a best frenemy named Khadijah who I have not figured out how to fit into the story yet but haven't forgotten, and if people wanted to ship them, they could go nuts and I wouldn't be sick.

OT3: Man, I can't think of one. But I'm usually not one to come down with OT3 brain worms, so that's nothing surprising.

BroTP: Octavius x Milo's sister Meg. All the way. That's one place I'm working really hard to get to.

NoTP: Octavius x Aster. No no no no no. Never. As much of a whore I am for sexual tension between the protagonist and the antagonist, there's not meant to be any of that here.

--

Tagging @winterandwords, @andthebubbles, @asher-writes and @oh-no-another-idea if they would like to play! (If y'all haven't yet... if you have, just point me there. I've been all over the place lately and am totally out of sync, it sucks!)

Template beneath the cut!

Blank Template

Basic Info

Name:

Class/Subclass:

Background:

Gender:

Sexuality:

Pronouns:

Other

Family:

Birthplace:

Job:

Phobias:

Guilty Pleasures:

Hobbies:

Morals

Alignment:

Sins:

Virtues:

This or That

Introvert/Ambivert/Extrovert

Organized/Disorganized

Close-minded/Open-minded

Calm/Anxious/Restless

Disagreeable/In-between/Agreeable

Patient/In-between/Impatient

Outspoken/In-between/Reserved

Leader/Follower/Flexible

Empathetic/In-between/Apathetic

Optimist/Realist/Pessimist

Traditional/In-between/Modern

Hard-working/Lazy

Relationships

OTP:

Acceptable ships:

OT3:

BroTP:

NoTP:

[hannibalbabygirlifier]

Getting to know mutuals!

Thanks @emthought for the tag yay I get to be chatty!

What’s the origin of your blog title?

Honestly I didn’t even have one for ages and then I saw a will graham meme with it and I was like damn girl you and me both. Sure, this represents me.

Otp (s) + shipname (s):

I literally have soooo many but recently most focused on radarhawk (mash-quelle suprise there) and hannigram because it’s 2015 again. BUT some of my other OGs that i return to over and over again for years are iorveth/Roche (Witcher) maxAnne and charles/Jack (black sails-ranger crew my belovedddddd) tommy/Alfie (peaky blinders) charmac (iasip) Thomas/jimmy (downton abbey) god the list just goes on… I think the OLDEST that I’ve been invested in over a decade are hannigram and iorveth/Roche though.

Favourite colour:

Toss up between pink and green depending on the day!

Song stuck in your head:

Lonesome love mistski for niche blorbo reasons- the person responsible knows who they are!!!

Weirdest habit/trait:

I will eat things by hand you didn’t know a person could… I have weird sensory stuff about cutlery esp metal forks so I just. Avoid them lol.

Hobbies:

Painting, singing badly, getting really into movies, cooking, I don’t know if it counts but I do have fun doing theatrical makeup and such.

If you work, what’s your profession?:

Hairstylist! Though I do 70% men’s cuts so I’m not sure if barber is more accurate…wotever

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be?

I was really interested in marine biology! I really love fish and aquatic stuff. I also was interested at one point in working with snakes and other reptiles but that is a significant amount of education for the fact that there is extremely little employment there soooo… but a fun idea!

Something you’re good at:

I’m really good at small talk and first impressions/interviews to a degree people have described as somewhat freaky-unfortunately this means I set a really high expectation that I can’t necessarily live up to. My fiancées old roommate has joked that after a month of knowing me he started to be like “ohhhh you are human after all! Okay cool!”. I just have really good scripts for certain interactions lol.

Something you hate:

Things not going to plan/last minute changes. Also bell peppers and matcha.

Something you collect:

Anything mouse themed! Also trinkets in general, little figurines, royal doulton China, perfume, I’m a magpie with pretty things. Oh hello kitty things too! If hello kitty has 1000 fans I am one if hello kitty has 1 fan I am that fan etc…

Something you forget:

Where I left my phone when I had it a minute ago and I haven’t left the house.

What’s your love language?:

It’s hard to say because of course they all play in but probably words of affirmation? I’m someone that needs a LOT of reassurance so it helps a lot with feeling loved, and I tend to be fairly heart on my sleeve about communicating it back. I think gifts is a big one for me too just because I’ve grown up being shown love through that rather than being told outright so it’s my learned way of recognizing/showing love-not so much fancy gifts as much as getting my fiancée nice coffee beans while I’m out or them bringing me home knickknacks from work, it’s just that you thought of them and wanted to brighten their day.

Favourite movie/show:

I have a lot but moonrise kingdom and aliens are probably my top favourite movies of all time, and my top shows are mash and iasip for comedies and hannibal and black sails for serious shows. Oh I also love over the garden wall ! Whatever that counts as!

Favourite food:

Anything lobster or homemade French onion soup if I’m being bougie, grilled cheese if we’re going comfort food.

Favourite animal:

So many but if I have to pick I will say. The humble mouse.

What were you like as a child:

Really quite strange if we’re being honest. I dressed in historical clothing and was really into the historical reenactment museum near me. Read quite a lot too! Much more than I do now. Generally had a lot of playing pretend and elaborate fantasy worlds and mythologies. I was obsessed with Japan and Egypt for a stretch as most children are, had a hamster named hamtaro, and had the devastating experience of trying sushi and not liking it. Funnily enough I love it now! But it was a big disappointment at the time. Oh I also was in a pretty formal children’s choir so that was a big chunk of my time.

Favourite subject at school:

Depended on the teacher! Probably English though-I would have liked art but I was locked in a four year conflict with my art teacher. I’m sure he hasn’t forgotten me.

Least favourite subject:

Gym. Wretched class.

What’s your best character trait?:

I think I’m relatively high in terms of empathy so I try to go out of my way for people if it’ll improve their day or make a big difference for them, or extend patience when people are difficult or unkind- it’s funny how if you go out of your way to be kind when someone is clearly picking a fight often they come back later to apologize and open up about something going on in their personal life and it really turned their day around that you helped them as much as you did, and that means a lot sometimes.

What’s your worst character trait?:

I’m one of the most sensitive people you’ll ever meet which is hard because I get so easily upset at everything. I think it would be a lot easier for me if I had a thicker skin but we are who we are so we make the best of it.

If you could change any detail of your life right now, what would it be?:

Honestly having a lot of money would solve like most possible problems lol

If you could travel in time, who would you like to meet?

On a personal close to me level, my grandfather on my fathers side just because I never met him but everything I learn about him is crazy. Genuinely fascinating life. Bigger historical figure, any of the Romanov children because I have weird historical fixations. And I do have questions about Rasputin.

Tagging:

@3asystreets but also anyone else who would like to!

[acourtofthought]

I think what bothers Gwynriel is that you have to call Gwyn underdeveloped just to justify Elain’s underdeveloped character. Of course Gwyn isn’t fully developed she’s only appeared in one book, while Elain has been around in all of them. Calling gwyn one-dimensional out of nowhere feels petty, especially when not just some Gwynriel but many people in this fandom struggle to define Elain’s personality beyond being kind and just there. Also it’s weird that you assume all your anons are Gwynriels and talk about Gwyn that way as a result, when it’s probably not even them.Just people who find it odd that you said Nyx should interact with Elain before Gwyn as if Elain automatically has a claim to his interactions just because she lives with him and was present at his birth and related by blood. I am not a Gwynriel. I love Lucien which is why I see your posts all the time. But this time you fumbled hard by talking like that in your post and replies to those anons—tearing down a female character just to make Elain seem better. You keep saying that this is your post and youre entitled to your opinion, yet you also usually go around commenting on other people’s posts about their opinions on Elain, explaining why you think they’re wrong. Tit for tat and all that dont you think.

So when you guys call Elain underdeveloped and say she isn't ready for a book, it's alright and we should all just sit down and shut our mouths. But if I merely point out the hypocrisy in that statement, how other characters are equally developed or underdeveloped depending on how you want to look at it, it's petty and out of nowhere.

Also, to rephrase, Gwyn isn't necessarily underdeveloped. I just don't think we've seen all her layers. And that means she's no better off than Elain right now because we need a pov for both to fully understand them.

And you're damn right. I am absolutely allowed to say I'd like to see Nyx interactions from an Elain pov before anyone else. Just like you love to claim Gwyn will ride a pegusus before Lucien though they belong to his father or she'll discover her Autumn heritage before he reunites with his mother.

Clearly we all have our headcanons but when you use the wrong tags, when the Elain and Lucien tag is filled with anti rhetoric or "they're just going to have to accept waiting until after Gwynriel" you should expect push back. I did not use any Gwynriel tags on the posts that caused such uproar so I'm not sure what else I could have done when sharing my own headcanon or thoughts on Elucien. I guess you'd prefer Elucien's just never say a single thing outside their own ship while you seem to have no issues with others saying whatever they want outside their OTP.

You should probably just stop with the anons because all you do is continue proving how guilty you are of double standards.

Again, there are many amazing Gwynriels in this fandom but your behavior is not it. You are acting like the bullies you claim to hate from the e/riel side of things.

[spnfanficpond]

New Member Spotlight for April 2025

The Pond is always growing and we want to make our new members feel welcome! Here’s a list of recent additions to our fishy family and a little info about them!

Guppies, Jellies, and Mutuals, oh, my!

Eli - he/him, GMT time zone, @kissmyassbutt67

Other SM names? - KissMyAssbutt67 & DevilsDontFlyButJustYouWatchMeTry on AO3, Eli (ElijahS#8595) on Discord

OTP? - Destiel

Other fandoms? - Hazbin Hotel, True Blood

Looking for in the Pond? - Looking to get back into the community after a ten year break! :)

Pairings you read? - Everything

Genres you read? - Angst and smut

What do you like to write? - Yandere, Angst, Smut

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? - I'm currently working on rewriting the show with an omegaverse lens so I'm open to any advice I might receive from the community 😊

Crypt - he/him, GMT +2 time zone, @crypt-exe

Other SM names? - crypt_exe on both AO3 and Discord

OTP? - Destiel, but of course.

Other fandoms? - An array of anime fandoms, predominantly My Hero Academia and Haikyuu. I'm also in the 9-1-1 fandom, Formula One, and trying to get more into SuperWhoLock as a whole.

Looking for in the Pond? - I'm looking for community and to better the craft that I love.

Pairings you read? - I'm not the biggest fan of reader inserts. So, I read ships and I also like poly fics every now and again

Genres you read? - Angst. Hurt/Comfort. Hurt/No Comfort. If it's good, I would venture into crack.

Favorite writer(s)? - @sysiumblue - on AO3 and Tumblr. Although I might be biased because I'm his beta and have an inside track of everything he creates ^.^ (And, he's my husband. But, I legitimately love his writing at the core of it)

What do you like to write? - MCD. Hurt/Comfort. Hurt/No comfort. Dead dove fics. I like darkfic, and I love writing it. But my works range from Teen to Explicit (AO3 tagging)

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? - Definitely longer fics. And by that, I mean, 80-100k+. I would also like to have an inside track on how to actually develop stories for that length. I'm good at the 20-50k range. But, that's mostly in the anime fandom. And what I've found is that the approach to writing is severely different. (This is an example that I saw on Tumblr), but like. Taking a trope like 1890s lumberjack and developing a story. Or. I think that's part of what I struggle with, because I'm creative and there are story ideas. It just feels rudimentary a lot of times and I want more than that. And, I guess I have tried before. I just, never get it right.

Syon - he/him, North Carolina, @sysiumblue

Other SM names? - sysiumblue on both AO3 and Discord

OTP? - Destiel, Sam x Lucifer

Other fandoms? - Arcane, MHA, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Star Trek, Haikyuu,

Looking for in the Pond? - like minded people, events, writing and beta opportunities, a positive creative atmosphere

Pairings you read? - Destiel, Sam x Lucifer, Sam x Gabriel, I am also open to poly fics

Genres you read? - angst, hurt/comfort, soulmate AUs, smut, fluff, slow burns. I love college days AUs, mysteries, romantic lil fluff pieces. Angst that hits right, enemies to lovers, firemen AUs

Favorite writer(s)? - Crypt_exe on ao3. And @crypt-exe on tumblr. He hasn't posted anything on AO3 yet on this account, because he wanted a fresh start with me when I came online. But, he's truly a writer that inspires me every day.

What do you like to write? - Angst, hurt/comfort. Lots of hurt/comfort, Happy ending but someone is an idiot first, enemies to lovers.

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? - I really do wanna try longer fics. Like. 100k + words. I'm good at the 10-20k range. I do a lot of sprint oneshots.

Trench - she/they, UK, @teeparadigm67

Other SM names? - Trenchcoat_Paradigm on AO3, teeparadigm67 on Discord, teeparadigm67 on Twitter, Bluesky and tiktok, GeekSheekDraws on Insta

OTP? - Destiel

Other fandoms? - 9-1-1 / WWE

Looking for in the Pond? - I'm looking for guidance in my work to help maybe boost my fic views, give me pointers if where I'm going wrong and mostly to make fandom friends with similar interests

Something to signal boost? - my redbubble shop

Pairings you read? - Ships

Genres you read? - I'll read just about anything tbf

Favorite writer(s)? - I really like @northern-sparrow. big fan of their work :)

What do you like to write? - I love writing canon divergent fics.

Masterlist!

Most underappreciated fic? - When Tomorrow Comes - I had so much fun writing this one! Painstakingly rewatched season 15 over and over to get the scenes just right, and I just felt like it didn't get the same love back.

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? - The only thing I would love to try is posting more often with a regular weekly posting schedule. I have so many fic ideas I want to write down, but I only ever post for Big Bangs (or small one-shots) because my ADHD just won't let me stick to a consistent writing schedule

Charlee - she/her, Pacific US, @sabriel4evah

Other SM names? - Drarry24 on AO3, charlee1199 on Discord

OTP? - Sabriel

Other fandoms? - Harry Potter, Shadowhunters, The Boys (New fandom for me), Good Omens

Looking for in the Pond? - Help with writing and staying motivated, to meet more people who have similar interests as me

Pairings you read? - I'm down to read most things. But preferably no reader inserts or wincest.

Genres you read? - I love it all so I'm down to read any genre and trope.

What do you like to write? - I haven't written much but most of my ideas are some sort of au and an occasional case fic

Masterlist!

Most underappreciated fic? - Life Without You Is Meaningless

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? - I have many things I want to try writing but haven't purely because I havent had the time or motivation

BipolarApostate - he/him, Northern Europe, @bipolarapostate

Other SM names? - bipolar_apostate on AO3, bipolarapostate on Discord and Tiktok

OTP? - Dean & Sam (Gen).

Other fandoms? - Have been in many, but right now, mostly Supernatural & Arcane.

Looking for in the Pond? - I'm an old-school fan who was very active in the Supernatural fandom during the early days of the show (2005-2010-ish). I was mostly active on Livejournal, but lost access (or deliberately removed) most of my works when I left it behind and the site got broken. I'm looking to reconnect with the fandom after a long break, and hoping that a more interactive medium like Discord might be a good place for it.

Something to signal boost? - Not really. I've been mostly active on Tiktok, largely posting analysis of the show.

Pairings you read? - I'm not big on reader inserts, but other than that, I'm open to reading any pairing if it's well written and interesting enough. I prefer Sam-centric ships, though.

Genres you read? - Angst, Character studies, Episode fix-its/Codas, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/No Comfort, Smut/Porn.

Favorite writer(s)? - I have many I enjoy, but one I've returned to again recently is Mentholpixie on Livejournal.

What do you like to write? - Angst, Character studies & porn.

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? - Maybe longer fics? I've never really written anything longer than about 20K.

That’s all for this month, folks! (If we’re missing anyone, let us know and we’ll add them to next month’s list!) Make sure to say hi to the newbies and make them feel welcome! Thanks to all from @mrswhozeewhatsis, @mariekoukie6661, @thoughtslikeaminefield, @heavenssexiestangel, @spn-fanfic-reblog-writes, and @manawhaat!