#i would be polite and say shipping is not a competition

[skulls-soul]

Are there any fanfics in were Bowser signs a peace treaty because he wanted to date Luigi…

Like imagine Bowser is trying to get Mario’s blessing to date his brother because Kamek told him to (do it right this time you’re impatientNess)

Mario, of course says “ over my dead-a body. Will I allow-a you to date my brother”

It was only once he was talking to peach (he took Luigi and himself to the castle for Luigi’s protection that, and he was worried that the princess was gonna get kidnapped again) when she gave him the idea to give him trials and so throughout the entire afternoon Luigi just sat there, watching Mario and peach and daisy who they called up specifically for this conversation on what kind of things Bowser can do to prove himself

Although, at some point, Daisy mentioned about when exactly did Bowser get feelings for luigi, which intern cause everyone to turn to Luigi to see if he had any answers 

Luigi begrudgingly admitted that him and Bowser  would strike up in conversation during sporting events, party games and racing competitions, growing into being a bit of a “situation ship” ( say thanks to @silly-inky for the “Situationship” they mentioned it in a post of theirs, and I loved it too much, that I couldn’t not implicate it into something of mine)

Anyways flabbergasted, they started questioning Luigi on why he would strike up a conversation with the king Koopa. only for luigi to respond with “ you want me to ignore the koopa King or something? I don’t have a Deathwish!”

 They were shocked to hear that Bowser of all people would start up a conversation with one of the Mario brothers, although, in hindsight, it is just as equally as impossible for Luigi to start a conversation, if not more. Not letting the conversation go they poke around for more information

Luigi, without getting too into detail, tells them that it started off with a simple question. Bowser had asked him what he was doing in the sidelines instead of with the others in which Luigi responded with how he wasn’t as popular as the others, and would only be in the way

Mario and princesses didn’t appreciate this “fact” and was quick to tell him

Peach: you could never be in the way!

Mario: you have fans!

Daisy: yeah, me!

Luigi simply just shook his head in which the others were ready to tell him off once more if it wasn’t for the fact that Luigi spoke, saying how Bowser said something similar

Luigi: “ he said how he couldn’t believe someone who fought him was anything but popular”

 once again, the other three humans are caught off guard by Luigi’s words, or more specifically this time by Bowser’s. each of them having the same thought about how oddly kind that was of him

Luigi decides to forego mentioning about how his face immediately went hot with flustered embarrassment at Bowser’s words and instead mentioned that he intern, asked Bowser why he wasn’t with a Koopalings. After all his mama raised him right, if someone strikes up (somewhat) polite conversation with you then you should recuperate if possible

 Mario nods in response to that, the Brother ‘s were nice to the fault for a reason although it seems Luigis kindness surpasses Mario’s by a hair

Luigi: “ so after that, we just kind of started talking more and more sense we seemed to be on the sideline together a lot”

Luigi refuses to give more details, they don’t need to know about the copious amounts of time that the reptilian caused him to blush

Or about all of the flirty comments and what if scenarios that would slip into their conversation

Anyways, (I got a bit side tract sorry) by the end of the conversation that Bowser should sign a peace treaty with a Mushroom, Kingdom and Sahara desert that would lead Bowser in to doing charity work

Princess, peach and daisy were hoping for a an alliance(tho hopes were low) while Mario was hoping for Bowser to stick with his pride for once, since the Koopa king would never!!! Do charity work

 luigi on the other hand was sweating profusely as he hoped that Bowser would pass this trial that will allow them to be happy and open together 

Soon they will see who gets there wishes

[cantsayidont]

While this ranks relatively low on my overall list of complaints about STAR TREK: DISCOVERY and STRANGE NEW WORLDS, something I find annoying about them is that they've really built up the size and strength of Starfleet to something closer to what it is in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, which contradicts TOS in ways that have far-reaching story effects.

TOS repeatedly indicates that in that period Starfleet has only a handful of ships in the Enterprise's class, presumably because they're resource-intensive to build and operate. As Kirk and John Christopher discuss in "Tomorrow Is Yesterday":

CHRISTOPHER: Must have taken quite a lot to build a ship like this. KIRK: There are only twelve like it in the fleet.

That plainly doesn't mean that Starfleet has no other ships, but ships of what TOS describes as the "Starship" class ("Constitution-class" is a later coinage) are uniquely capable. As Merik, former commander of the SS Beagle, explains in "Bread and Circuses":

MERIK: He commands not just a spaceship, Proconsul, but a starship. A very special vessel and crew. I tried for such a command.

This special status is a central part of the premise of TOS: It's the reason why the Enterprise is assigned such a diverse array of duties, and why what the Enterprise does is so important to the plot. Even into the TOS cast movie era, we're frequently told that the Enterprise is the only ship in the sector capable of responding to a problem or threat, and the crew is rarely in a position to call for reinforcements even where that would be tactically or strategically advisable.

While that makes duty on one of these ships very risky (as evidenced by the number of the Enterprise's sister ships that are lost with all hands in TOS, including Constellation, Defiant, and Exeter), as Merik's remark indicates, it's also a plum assignment, and one for which there's obviously fierce competition. The TOS bible makes much of the fact that Kirk is the youngest person ever to command one of these starships, and he also appears to be one of the lowest-ranking. (Many of the other starship captains we see are fleet captains or commodores, as well as being older than Kirk.) This comes into play at a variety of points: For instance, it's at the root of Ben Finney's animosity toward Kirk in "Court Martial" (and presumably why Kirk's peers are quick to give him the cold shoulder when he's charged with negligence in Finney's apparent death), and it's part of the tension in "The Doomsday Machine," where Kirk and Spock have to maneuver around the fact that Matt Decker outranks Kirk and is clearly the senior officer.

The limited number of starships also provides a useful Watsonian explanation for the dichotomy of a capital warship (which the Enterprise unequivocally is) being used for scientific research and exploration missions. Although TOS is reluctant to say much about civilian life within the Federation, we can probably assume that such costly starships are the subject of a lot of political wrangling, and the different roles the Enterprise plays probably reflect those tensions: The Enterprise's scientific duties may be a concession to those who (like David Marcus in STAR TREK II) are wary of Starfleet's military role, and perhaps an effort to extract a greater civilian return on the Federation's obviously substantial military investment. It might also be a diplomatic ploy, or an attempt to maneuver around arms control treaties with rival powers like the Klingons and Romulans. (Arms-limitation treaties are probably the most plausible explanation for the Enterprise-A being so hastily decommissioned and its entire class apparently being mothballed shortly after STAR TREK VI.)

DISCOVERY and STRANGE NEW WORLDS pay lip service to the specialness of ships of the Enterprise's class while undermining the point by indicating that Starfleet also has hundreds if not thousands of other, slightly smaller starships with 80 or 90 percent of the Enterprise's capabilities, carrying out a similar range of missions. I can see why they've gone that way, and there's obvious precedent for it in the TOS cast movies, which depict several other classes of Starfleet ships, but interposing that into the TOS era inevitably weakens the premise of the original stories, and renders many of the conceits of TOS unintelligible. (If it were up to me, I would attribute the expanded range of ships to changes between TOS and the era of the movies, which are set years later and have different narrative priorities.)

This retroactive Starfleet expansion also exacerbates the increasingly jingoistic militarism of modern STAR TREK, which is uncomfortably pronounced in both the Abrams films (which got money from the Pentagon for it) and in the recent shows (which I suspect are also getting DOD money, although I haven't seen that specifically confirmed). The large-scale fleet maneuvers of the finale of PICARD, for instance, are frankly terrifying, and would be even without the contrivances of the plot. A Federation that celebrates "Frontier Day" with a massive display of military power within the solar system, obviously aimed at awing and intimidating citizen and adversary alike, seems like a pretty harrowing "post-scarcity socialist utopia," even by the standards of a show that's always been about the crews of a spacegoing navy doing interstellar colonialism.

[illuminatedferret]

The Politics of the Heavens

The heavens are kind of a cesspit, right? Lots of big names hanging out together, dressing themselves up as above mortals and pretending like their very lives don't depend on winning a popularity contest. Like, oh, I'm sure no one talks about it, but everyone is fully aware that each and every one of their peers is a competitor in the endurance race that is the life of a god.

So if you're a god, and you don't want to die, what do you do? Well, there are a few strategies we see employed over the course of Tian Guan Ci Fu that seem effective.

1. Make alliances.

Gods making alliances with each other up in the Heavenly Court to weaken their enemies and bolster each other is, like, central to the politics of the heavens. Do I need to say any more? It's the Three Tumors in a nutshell. Pei Ming(and also apparently SWD in the censored version?) drove Jing Wen out so Ling Wen could take his place, Ling Wen at minimum helped Shi Wudu cover up what happened with the Reverend of Empty Words, and who knows what else. Technically, the Shi brothers have an alliance as well- even though it feels very weird to phrase it like that, Shi Qingxuan definitely benefits from his relationship with his brother. Also, y'know... those thirty-three gods that convinced Mu Qing to drive Xie Lian off the mountain so that they could cultivate and ascend, rather than him.

2. Incite passion.

With the prevalence of social media, we all know that if you wanna get big, you have to maintain the interest of your followers. It's because of that that it's really funny to realize that Feng Xin and Mu Qing are probably so well established because they fight so much. Their rivalry and their competitiveness encourage their followers to compete against each other. We see the perfect example of this at the Mid-Autumn Festival! Every year their followers push themselves harder and harder in hopes of just beating out the other side. Having a target to focus their energies on keeps them invested and engaged in their worship. On the flipside, we see what happens when two gods fail to compete against each other when Quan Yizhen eclipses Yin Yu as Martial God of the West(not that QYZ would have ever intentionally pit himself against his shixiong like that- another way they were doomed as peers). It's a very delicate balance for two gods to keep up a relationship like this. This sort of competition can also be seen between Quan Yizhen's followers and Pei Ming/Pei Xiu's followers.

3. Exert influence.

We have two different types of influence demonstrated in the heavens. The first is coercive influence, seen from gods like Shi Wudu. While his actions attacking the ships of merchants who don't pray to him certainly doesn't earn him goodwill, it also ensures mortals are too scared of the consequences to stop praying long enough that he would lose his position. The other type is charismatic influence, which we see from Yushi Huang. I'm not talking about the influence she has as Rain Master, and the impact she would have if she stopped responding to prayers- I mean her ability to convince her followers to listen to her on a personal level. Perhaps it's because they are actions her followers, as farmers, are already inclined to find sensible, but she has both successfully convinced her followers not to offer Blessings Lanterns, and to take back any offerings they give before they go bad. Those sound like simple things, but we also see Xie Lian fail to convince his followers not to kneel in prayer during his first ascension. It takes power to convince people to break from tradition.

[blossombriefs]

OMGGG, I love how you write Frieza's headcanons. I would find it funny if Cooler would give passive-aggressive comments towards Frieza just to annoy him, while King Cold would just look at us and sigh in resignation.

"If Frieza is with you it's for a reason… I guess"

If you don't mind, could you make headcanons of what that meeting would be like? I would love to read it 😭❤️

Thaw This Frozen Heart | A Frieza OneShot

Authors Note: Even better, I'll treat you to a short oneshot <3 Eat up Frieza stans, I know you're all craving content! Summary: The reader and Frieza are in a relationship and Frieza decides to introduce them to his father and brother. Content: SFW, Frieza a smidgen out of character, human reader dating a non human partner, gender neutral reader Word Count: 609 words

Deep in space, where the stars danced in the eternal silence of the galaxy, a spaceship peacefully glided through the cosmos. The same could not be said for their feared emperor, Lord Frieza. Sitting atop his throne in the control room, his mind was secretly racing at the thought of his meeting with his father, King Cold, and his brother, Cooler. You, his human partner, were by his side holding his arm to keep him at ease. You supported your partner through everything, even though his decisions weren't exactly morally correct. There was no denying that you were full of unwavering loyalty.

"Are you nervous for this?" you gently ask him.

"What?! Me?!" Frieza exclaimed. He rolled his eyes and sank his face into his palm. "Maybe... yes..."

Your ship approached the formidable fortress of King Cold and Cooler. You couldn't help but feel a sweep of nerves. Meeting your partner's family was no small matter and that's without considering their ruthless reputation and lust for power in the universe. Once you had landed, the doors of the fortress parted and revealed a grand chamber that was adorned with beautiful icy sculptures and glimmering crystal walls. At the far end of the room, King Cold sat upon his throne, his presence commanded your respect and fear, no matter who you were or what your relationship was. The tension hung thick in the frigid air as Frieza accompanied you towards his father. King Cold had his eyes fixed on you both, letting out a weary sigh, knowing all too well of the dynamic at play between his two sons.

"Frieza, my son." King Cold began his introduction with a hint of exasperation, drawing his attention to you next. "It's good to see you've found someone... unexpected... to have a courtship with."

You offered the king a polite smile while Frieza stood stiff beside you, bristling nervously at his father's tone. Entering the room with a very hearty chuckle was Cooler, the master of passive-aggressive remarks towards his younger brother, as expected making rather joking comments at Frieza's expense, "Yes, unexpected is one way to put it. I must say, Frieza, your taste in companions has always been... unique. Maybe they just love a spoiled little brat."

"Oh come now, Cooler." Frieza snapped in response

Your partner shot his brother a withering glare, but Cooler merely smirked in response as he relished in his brother's discomfort. Raising his hand to the tension, King Cold spoke up, "Enough! Cooler, let us focus on the matter at hand."

You decided to try and lighten the mood, giggling and speaking up as a way of diffusing the harrowing situation between the two brothers, "I must admit, I never imagined finding myself in the company of such illustrious, powerful beings. It's certainly... unexpected... I must say."

The King let out a hearty chuckle at your play on his words, his lip twitched in amusement, while Cooler's cocky smirk softened to a begrudging smile. Even Frieza couldn't help but crack a small smile at your wit.

As the meeting progressed, Cooler couldn't help but make the occasional snide remark at his brother's expense, causing irritation from Frieza and a chuckle from yourself. It felt like a competition between the two. King Cold, meanwhile, watched the proceedings with a mixture of amusement and resignation, knowing that despite their differences, he hadn't seen his sons act this positively in such a long time, they were bound by blood.

With that, you were welcomed into the icy embrace of Frieza's family, ready to prove that your love for him was as unyielding as the frozen depths of space itself.

[thebiballerina]

Suggestions for More Varied Polyamorous Ship Tournaments

For me, half the fun of fandom-focused brackets is to learn about media that people are passionate about, maybe even ones that you are totally unfamiliar with. While I love Leverage (2008) with all my heart, it has gotten a little repetitive to see Hardison/Parker/Eliot win or place in so many OT3 or polyamory poll tournaments (at least five that I know of—see footnote), when I know there are so many interesting polyamorous ships out there. Since I understand the appeal of the H/P/E OT3 and I know Leverage fans will be dedicated no matter what, I propose that it could be helpful (and fun) to see a wider variety in types of polyamory poll tournaments. After all, there are many different ways that fans might consider a ship to be "best".

Thus I have developed a list of suggestions (thank you @doctorbeverlycrusher and @mary-louise4760 for your assistance here). This includes a mix of aspects that a ship can be ranked as "best" in, and specific ship dynamics. Feel free to ask for clarification or examples of any of the list items, add your own suggestions, and use these as inspiration for poll tournaments. (Some of these might need to be combined/altered to get enough potential contestants.)

Aspects/Dynamics to Rank Polycules By

"Do not separate them.": It is difficult to imagine any relationship within the group without the whole set being involved, whether romantically or queerplatonically. e.g. Many fans say this is why they would favor the Leverage OT3 over other polyamorous ships.

"Please do separate them.": Two or more partners should keep other partners firmly in-between them at all times. Keeping the polycule together is essential to continued civil interaction.

Rejection of canon love triangle/infidelity: Fandom took one look at that plotline and said, "No way. They have two hands." Or whatever the equivalent statement is when one runs out of hands for applicable partners.

Shipping Wars: The best resolution. Fixes many things.

Shipping Wars: The best non-resolution. Fixes nothing, but is good anyway.

Shipping Wars: Worst but technically effective resolution. Fixes the war, but creates new issues.

Shipping Wars: The funniest resolution. May overlap with some of the above three.

In-Universe Wars (or Conflict/Politics): The best resolution. Diplomatic!

In-Universe Wars: The best non-resolution. Undiplomatic!

In-Universe Wars: Worst but technically effective resolution. Diplomatic with respect to this issue, but also creates new ones.

Unexpected package deal: Essentially, the opposite of the identity porn trope where someone has feelings for multiple people that turn out to be a single person.

Seduction plans rapid-pivot: e.g. Sometimes your plans require seducing someone that turns out to be happily in a relationship, so clearly the only choice is to seduce both them and their partner.

Jealousy plot rapid-resolution: Sometimes you think someone will be angry or jealous about you having feelings for or ending up in an encounter with someone they also have feelings for, but they are very much not upset. Maybe even the opposite of upset.

Fake relationship rapid-resolution: Life hack! Turn the fake/arranged partner(s) into additional real partner(s). Often a subset of the above bullet point.

Hands-on instruction: So dedicated to helping their friend with romance/sex that they end up demonstrating. Thoroughly.

Couples (or established polycule) bonding exercise: We can fix them. Or make them worse. Or just seduce them.

Couples (or established polycule) unbonding exercise: Have you ever seen a couple mildly argue about how one of them caught up on a TV show alone when they were supposed to be watching it together? This, but with seduction.

Organization/scheduling proficiency: Have you ever tried to handle finding overlaps between multiple schedules? It's difficult. So I think there should be a competition for polycules that handle that best.

Sneak attack potential: "What's this? It's their third, with the steel chair!"

Heist crew

Band: This one can work for many different sizes of polycules, if you are flexible with the type of music group.

Ship^2: The ship crew. Works for ocean ships, starships, airships, and any other varieties.

Witch coven or assorted magical circle

Supernatural leaders: e.g. vampire colony, fairy council, werewolf pack where the alpha wolf only exists as much as it does in real wolves, etc.

Competition champions: The ideal team. Could be sports. Could be trivia night. Could be that they are just killing it at karaoke.

Competition contestants that somehow make everyone lose

Accidental legal polygamy: They weren't trying to all end up legally intertwined, but untangling that seems more effort than it is worth.

Canon co-parents: A canon plot means a kid has 3+ parents or parental figures. The ship writes itself.

"It takes a village," ("and the village takes each other"): One child (or set of children) takes so much wrangling that the polycule is just efficient.

Most awkward stepparent(s) configuration

Most chaotic potential family gatherings: e.g. In-laws who have to awkwardly try to get along when they hate each other, now with even more in-laws!

Best pet owners: Sometimes joint custody of a pet is a lot of work, and consolidation is ideal.

Using These Suggestions

All are welcome to use these ideas, altered or unaltered, in your own poll tournaments/games. No additional permission is required, though I would appreciate it if you linked this post somewhere on the poll blog, so others can find it. Also, if you let me know you have a tournament along these lines (whether directly inspired by this list or not), I will be happy to give you a shout out in the notes.

Footnote

Here are the poll tournaments I'm referencing when I say Leverage's H/P/E has won or placed in five that I know of.

Champions

@powerpolyculeshowdown (2023-03-09): Won in the final against Yoo Jonghyuk/Han Sooyoung/Kim Dokja from Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.

@polyam-ship-showdown (2023-02-28): Won in the final against Ninth Doctor/Rose Tyler/Jack Harkness from Doctor Who.

@throuple-tournament (2024-04-04): Won in the final against Thanatos/Zagreus/Megaera from Hades and Nathan/Vlad/Ursula from Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites.

Placed

@ot3showdown (2023-05-12): Runner-up, lost in the final 49%-51% to Kirk/McCoy/Spock.

Ongoing

@bestpolyshipbracket: Currently in the final round, so H/P/E will either be in second or first place.

[millionsvash]

Hi! I hope you’re doing well today :) wanted to know if u could do a shameless Modern! Knives X Reader where the reader works In a flower shop and notices Knives popping up more and more frequently and buying random plants? ( sorry its been a while since ive sent a request so hope i worded that right! thank u so much <3 )

[REPOST] I didn't expect to go ham with this but I did...1500 words which for me is...a lot more than usual, at least when it comes to requests. I hope you enjoy this!

Throughout time, flowers have held symbolic meanings that humans associate with feelings or events. As a child, you assisted your mother in the garden every spring. Each time, she would tell you the meaning behind every flower she planted, always having something new to show you every spring.

"Flowers can speak words for those who can’t." She used to say to you, You always thought that was a silly idea. To you, flowers are a complement to spoken words. They set a tone that led to words and actions.

Well, you used to think that until one man changed your perspective.

Since opening your flower shop five years ago, you've gotten used to your customer base being returning guests. It was often older, retired women who would come in and buy batches of your flowers. You were often praised for your care and handling of the delicate flora, which was leagues above your more mass-produced competition.

"Here’s your nasturtium, Mrs. Bryan!" You cheerfully slid a potted container across the counter to the older woman standing on the other side. "I apologize for the delay. It was a hassle to get these shipped from the other side of the country."

"It’s quite alright, dear; I’m thankful you were able to get them in the first place." The woman brings the plot closer to her, her fingers caressing the petals. "You do good work, sweetie. I know whatever person takes you out is going to be a lucky one."

It elicits a laugh from you, and a faint blush spreads over your cheeks. "Oh, Mrs. Bryan! I haven’t even been searching for love. Maybe once I finish all my back orders." You playfully wink, getting a laugh out of the older woman.

The woman scoops the pot into her arms as she turns away. "Take care now, sweetie! Tell your mother I said hello." A bell chime rings out as Mrs. Bryan exits your shop.

You release a pleased sigh as you step from behind the counter, walking to the side shelf of your small shop. You begin to water your flowers, triple-checking that each flower is getting exactly the correct amount. You can’t help but softly coo at them like they are your own children.

You are pulled out of your babying as you hear the bell gently ring, a gentle breeze entering your shop as the door is opened. You twist on your heels to greet the customer, a look of surprise washing over your face when you see a man with platinum blonde hair enter your store. You rarely get men coming to your store. Sometimes they will come in for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, but your clientele has remained mostly feminine.

"Hello, sir! Welcome in. Is there anything I can help you with today?" You politely welcome him in, approaching him.

The man has what you would describe as a resting bitch face. It makes you feel a little uneasy, but you aren’t one to judge a book by its cover. He places his hands in his pockets before uttering a single word. "Carnation." 

Another hit of surprise comes over you at the man's bluntness. You clear your throat and offer a smile. "Oh, you’re looking for carnations?" I can certainly help with that; follow me." You motion for the man to follow you.

He saunters behind you, his eyes scanning over the many different species of plants you have beautifully displayed around your shop. You lead him outside to your greenhouse, where many specialty plants make their home. In the front corner, you stop at the bed of a patch of soil.

You have beautifully arranged many carnation flowers in precise patterns. Your hands clasp together as you begin to speak. "Here are my carnations! I do apologize, as I only have seven types of carnations on hand. If you’re looking for a specific variation, I’d be more than willing to track it down for you."

The man kneels down in front of the bed of flowers, his hands coming up to gently grasp a particular variation. It was a beautiful light pink with five deeply cut and fringed petals. You like to think they resemble willow trees. "What is this?" He inquired with sternness in his voice.

Finally, a chance to gush! You clear your throat and smile big. "Ah! That is Dianthus superbus. It’s more commonly referred to as fringed pink. It’s a sweetly scented flower that prefers to grow in early to late summer. A lot of people prefer to add its leaves to tea. Some people say it also provides health benefits." 

He listens to your words, his eyes showing a lack of interest. It doesn’t deter you, though. He pulls his hand away from the flowers. "I’ll take them all."

You seem surprised but also excited. "Of course! Because it’s a large order, I’ll need you to add a down payment." Your eyes twinkled. A sale like this was going to bring in enough money to cover all your needs for the month! "It will take me a while to get everything potted and ready for you to take."

You led the man to your register. He pulls out a large sum of cash and slides it towards you without a word. You pick it up gently, your eyes lighting up with surprise as you count through it. "Alright, this should be enough!" You gently place the bills in your register before grabbing a piece of paper. "I’ll just need some information from you so I can let you know when your order is ready to be picked up. Can I get your name?"

"...Nai." He utters. The air he gives off makes you wonder if he’s uncomfortable giving this information out.

"Nai, that’s a lovely name! I’ll just need your phone number then." You warmly smile.

Nai takes the pen and paper, writing his phone number down. He slides it back towards you and turns away, strolling to the door.

You watch with curiosity, but you call out to him. "Thank you for stopping by! "I hope to see you again soon!"

Those words were what you said to everyone who entered your shop, and you truly didn’t expect to see him again. So it was quite a surprise when the man entered your shop again the next day. You assumed he had come to pick up his flowers and were prepared to tell him you needed more time, but were left stunned when he simply began to ask you about specific flowers in your shop.

You were more than happy to give the information out, as talking about flowers was your passion. Your eyes would always light up, and the warmest smile would cross your face as you gave out facts to the blonde. For you two, this started to become a common occurrence.

Even after he had picked up his original order of carnations, he would return to your shop and ask you about the plants. He didn’t speak much, but you didn’t mind. He was a great listener. He made sure to maintain eye contact with you, and his body language suggested he was always fully engaged in everything you were telling him.

You started to look forward to his visits. You’d never met someone who had an interest in what you did. Sometimes he would even bring you seeds he had found online, often species you didn’t even have. You were drawn to him. This silent, blonde man rarely said words to you, yet you could feel a sense of care coming from him.

One afternoon, he strolled into your shop. You were quick to greet him, stepping from behind the counter as you gleefully wiggled your body. "Great to see you again! Anything I can help you with today?" You asked him with a tinge of excitement.

"Roses." He replied in his usual stoic manner. "Red roses." 

As you lead him towards your roses, you can’t help but chime in. "Red roses? Interesting! Roses are beautiful flowers. There’s a reason they are favored as the flower of choice for gifting to friends or loved ones." You both stop in front of the flower bed. The red roses were damp with dew, giving them a little shine from the overhead lights.

You watch as Nai leans down. He pulls a pair of scissors from his back pocket and gently snips a singular rose from its stem. He stood up and held it in his hand, spinning the flower between his fingers as he admired it with no expression.

A single rose was no big deal to you, and you were more than happy to let him have it at no cost. "I don’t mean to overstep, but is this rose for anyone? Red roses often symbolize love."

Nai’s eyes slowly move from the flower to look up at you. With no change in his expression, he speaks again. "Yes, I’d like to gift this to a girl I’ve grown fond of."

Wanting to know all the juicy details, you wiggle your hands. "Ooooh! Tell me who! Who is the lucky lady?"

Nai stepped forward, bringing one hand up to your face. He cups your chin gently as his other hand places the rose behind your ear, resting it beautifully in your hair. He doesn’t let go of your chin as your eyes meet. He leans close in, your lips just inches apart as he speaks in a soft whisper. "Take a guess."

[the-deal-breaker]

Xianle Quad children

Soooo I am a multi shipper and have started to watch/ read Heaven officials blessings.  Don’t ask me how far I am with either. I have attention problems. ANYWAY!

Xianle quartet ship children ideas I've come up with. Yes, all six of the children they would have. I have had this idea since i watched tik tok SOOO. Here they are names and looks!

Fengqing  child - Min Qing (M) Oldest only by a few months 

Min (Quick/ clever)

Qing (affection) 

Apparence: Mostly has Feng Xin’s dark brown hair but for some reason unknown to anyone he has a few strands of silver hair and darker roots. He has dark eyes that in the right light have specks of gold. His skin was born pale however time out training in the sun caused him to turn more sun kissed. Has a scar across the back of his hand.

Personality: Would rather settle a fight with fists rather than words but he does have a sharp tongue when necessary. He’s super protective over all his siblings.

Weapon: Sharpened bow

Hualian Child — Jūn Lian (M) Second oldest

Jūn (Army)

Lian (from pity or mercy)

Appearance:  He was born with Hua Cheng’s red eyes but he had Xie Lian’s smooth skin. His hair is a mix between the two, like a very dark brown. It's basically black with brown highlights. 

Personality: Is really interested in different fighting techniques, he has a resting cold look but tends to be the most polite one of his siblings. Although he has a tendency to tease and tell scary stories to his siblings. 

Weapon: Knife chain

MuLian - Jie Lian (M) second middle child

Jie (Heroic or Outstanding)

Lian (from pity or mercy)

Appearance: Black hair and brown eyes by far has the prettiest face and nicest skin. However he cares very little for his appearance and has the messiest hair. He has the most 'scholarly’ look to him.  

Personality: Sweet face but mean comments. Can be mean but normally is well spoken to a point. Pranks his family 

Weapon: Lance

FengLain - Mei Lian (F) third middle child

Mei (beauty)

Lian (from pity or mercy)

Apparence: Looks like the old queen. Brown hair, gold eyes, slightly more tan than her tho. 

Personality: Polite and charming at times. Tends to be the more competitive of her siblings. Her and Jie Lian tend to work together on pranks 

Weapon: bow

Huaqing - Hao Qing (M) fourth middle

Hao (prosperous)

Qing (affection) 

Appearance: black hair and eyes. Almost sickly pale skin has a moon shaped birthmark over the side of one of his eyes reaching to his eyebrow, he uses his hair to cover the eye and the birthmark

Personality: the most judging, he normally has a blank face and tends to just say thing out right without care of people's feelings 

Weapon: swords

FengCheng - Xiá Cheng (F) youngest

Xiá (Mist or rosy clouds)

Cheng (city)

Appearance: She is the most recently born and as of in my head is a toddler. She's got black wavy hair, and her skin is the same as Hua Cheng. Her eyes are mostly gold except one that had red spots in one eye. 

Personality: right now she doesn't have much right now but she copies whoever is holding her facial expressions. 

When she is older she's the most protective of her siblings. She has the cold shoulder to those she doesn't know. 

Weapon: throwing knives

Also the ages i have in my mind for them are as followed 

First born - 17-20

Second born - 17-20 (A few months younger)

Third born - 16 

Fourth born 16 (literally like a day apart)

Fifth born - 6-11

Sixed born - 1-3

[mcdonaldsspritedispenser]

new au idea!

did a royalty concept … kinda happy with the results.

note: shipping isn’t canon in this au but for non canon it can be!

i’ll provide some information about each character as i go further.

edward golden

- 6’2”, tallest out of them all

- fair complexion, hes a white man (but its okay)

- his posture is OK … not as good as matts but not as bad as toms.

- chubby, but with mass. he’s strong. not as strong as tord though 😞

- his posture is slightly tilted due to the fact that he draws, he’s lucky his parents indulge in his interest for creativity

- he likes to paint alot! more often than not, his hands are smudged with paint smears

- he’s kind of messy, not as much as matt is but there are a few cans of cola strewn in his chambers here and there

- the most (genuinely) polite out of all of them

- still gets a little violent when it comes to bacon and cola but who doesnt honestly

- he’s confident, not narcissistic as matt but he can get competitive

- a self proclaimed leader, he’s usually seen doing most of the planning and diplomatic work like a real cool dude

- he’s not a *serious* leader by any means, though he’s loved and well received, he’s not ruthless or exactly violent, opting to be more peaceful unless he’s forced into violence

- likes to wander about in the town and say hello to passerbys. you can see him in stores buying cans of cola here and there

- he’s OK with fancy clothes. he doesn’t mind them but would prefer comfortable outfits that are still fashionable in taste

matthew henderson

6’1”, second tallest

PALE complexion. the whitest out of the guys in skin tone

body type is lithe but strong, he has done fencing and horseback riding so obviously he’ll have some muscle around his legs, but he can fight … not a fist fight though 🙏

very narcissistic, any compliment he gives to other people will always backtrack about HIM. you’re lucky if he even gives you a single “you look good” or something of that sort.

because of his narcissism, it correlates with how he looks. that man is groomed to PERFECTION. he’s the best looking out of the four men.

upright posture, it’s perfect and makes him look broad and tall, which is what he likes

whenever he flirts, it’s usually meaningless. don’t get your hopes up.

unless you’re JUST (which is impossible, honestly) as beautiful as him or caters to his every need, he won’t consider you much. if you’re on his mind, good job frl …

he loves to wear outfits that go all out. purple is obviously his favorite color and he can’t go with an outfit that doesn’t have a dash of royal purple

used to be an adventurer, he had gotten bit by a vampire which led him to turn into a vampire as well … he was okay with it *until* he realized he couldn’t look in the mirror. with that, he begged and begged to find an antidote.

he still as vampiric traits, like sharp front teeth and ears, but he doesn’t have a thirst for blood, per-say.

his eyes were originally blue until he was bit. for some reason, the antidote had left him with both blue *and* red eyes.

thomas radcliffe

5’8”

tan skin for some reason

he doesn’t like to dress up a lot so he wears basic clothes that pass him off as looking royal

he sneaks out the kingdom often with a cloak just to see what life is like beyond the castle walls

he’s enamored with music, he wants to get into the groove of it so he had some of his funds and purchased an electric guitar

whenever he’s upset, he’ll play the guitar he officially named ‘Susan’

his posture is okay, not as good as Matts

because of how sneaky he is, and how much he refuses to go out often, sightings of tom tend to spook people with his non existent eyes

with that, a rumor started up saying that tom is extremely scary and intimidating, people are often frightened and fear mentioning his name

when tom caught wind of those rumors, he was obviously upset

he’s definitely insecure about his eyes, leaving him to be cynical and pessimistic

tord lauritz

5’9”, fair skin

LOVES to fight

he argues often with tom in a diplomatic manner

grew up with being rowdy, he’s especially strong and fast

has muscle thats apparent under tight clothing

he doesn’t appreciate frilly clothes but he’ll wear them under specific situations

like tom, he also sneaks out, but he doesn’t hide himself

often times he’ll be out and about ogling at women for fun (im sorry)

he lounges around at edds castle whenever he’s pissed off at his family members

he was edds first friend, they’re still close friends

has apparent anger issues, he definitely has a room where he destroys things to take out his frustration

second most confident in himself and his body. he knows he could pull people in, but …

he can’t, for obvious reasons. he has to show restraint, unless someone changes that for him.

[softguarnere]

Fic Writer Interview

Thank you for the tag @mercurygray!

How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently 6, but hopefully that number will go up over spring break

What's your total AO3 word count?

119,136

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Like A Girl (Like A Man) - Band of Brothers

Just A Kid - The Outsiders

Bear The Burden Alone - The Chronicles of Narnia

For Whatever We Lose - Band of Brothers

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, absolutely! I share my writing because it allows me to connect with people who share my interests. If I'm not posting replies, it feels more like a one sided conversation, imo. Also, it seems the polite thing to do

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

It's about to be Like A Girl (Like A Man)! You'll see why soon >:)

What the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

On AO3, it's probably Bear The Burden Alone, but I try to keep the fics that I post here on Tumblr kinda upbeat with hopeful -- albeit open-ended -- endings.

Do you write crossovers?

Yeah! For Whatever We Lose is actually a crossover with The Pacific, and I'd love to do more crossovers in the future

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yep! I've deleted the comments, but some people were VERY ANGRY about the background Babe/Roe content in LAGLAM -- you know, despite the fact that the plot of the fic is driven by a queer woman's decision to cross-dress. Guess they had to draw the line somewhere, but the hypocrisy of it all makes me chuckle

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Kinda? I deleted most of it from the original LAGLAM drafts and instead just alluded to it, but things are going to be different in FWWL. Get ready for crappy ocean metaphors and religious imagery, babes!

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I hope not :( That would stink

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not to my knowledge

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I think it would be fun!

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Everlark! (said while frothing at the mouth because they make me go insane) I've been obsessed with them since I first read The Hunger Games at age 9. I could write you a whole novel about why I think they're perfect together, but I'll spare you the ramble (unless anyone wants it?)

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Tears in my eyes when I tell you that it's probably the requests in my inbox. I keep telling myself that I'll get to them, but I've just felt unmotivated with all the stuff I've had going on in my personal life/at school. I really really do hope to get to them someday, though, because some of them will be really fun to write

What are your writing strengths?

I have no clue, lol. I tend to get compliments about how I describe settings, so I'm gonna say that!

What are your writing weaknesses?

My abuse of commas and italics.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Personally, I love doing it. Especially in a fic like LAGLAM, where even though most people don't speak the language I'm using (Cherokee), I feel like they can still see the importance to the characters and to the story. And I like tricking people into caring about Indigenous language preservation. My teachers told me that anything can be a vessel for carrying language on, and by God, I took that to heart

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Oh boy. I was in the fifth grade. I had won many writing competitions. Two classmates approached me and told me that they wished The Hunger Games had more post-Mockingjay Everlark content, and that since I was a good writer, they wanted me to write it. I was traded many cosmic brownies and other such snacks throughout the year for my services in providing my classmates with Everlark fics on pages of notebook paper that are probably crumpled up in a landfill by now. At the time, I had no idea I was writing fanfiction, but it was the start of my favorite hobby. Look at me now, baby!

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

I've always wanted to write for TURN: Washington's Spies but have never had the courage haha

What's your favorite fic you've written?

I have a couple of one-shots that I'm pretty pleased with, but currently I'm going to say LAGLAM because it's been so special to me <3

Tagging (but no pressure!): @almost-a-class-act @latibvles @footprintsinthesxnd @liebgotts-lovergirl

[covenofthearticulate]

4. What they do on date night

15. What they would change about each other

For Louis/Armand for the ask game :)

Send a Ship!

4. Answered here but I also want to add that I think Louis and Armand love playing games with each other and get so stupidly competitive about it LOL like the chess games are unparalleled!!! Even like poker

15. GOD this is so hard because realistically I think what they both need to change with one another is their communication issues LMAO like they understand each other so deeply but there are still so many wounds between them that neither one are willing to address?? Like, I don't think Louis and Armand are prone to fighting very often, but I do think there is still quite a bit of leftover resentment that can sometimes bubble up and lead to some Unsavory Sleights between them.

But if you asked Louis what he would want to change about Armand, I think he would be inclined to say something about Armand's incredibly territorial nature. He's a natural coven leader and Louis understands that, but I can see him getting frustrated with how obsessive Armand can get about defending his turf and his loved ones. Louis just wants to keep to himself, he doesn't like to stir the pot or get involved in vampire politics, so he never fully acknowledges or accepts Armand and his crusades to wipe out the younger vampires or do whatever else it takes to stake their claim over a city. Post-Merrick, I think Louis is working through a lot of issues about where he fits in the world, and while Armand gives him purpose and joy and peace, Louis does not like to feel owned or pitied.

If you asked Armand what he'd want to change about Louis, I think he'd most likely make some sassy comment about Louis' love for Lestat, but deep down I think he does genuinely feel frustrated from time to time about Louis' inability to defend himself. Even after his power upgrade, obviously Louis is unable to hold his own against more powerful vampires, and as a result I think Armand really worries about him. Their relationship feels more even-footed than most other relationships in the series, but I think when it comes down to it, Armand will always see himself as the protector over those he loves, and at times it's empowering, but I can also see him occasionally feeling resentful of it as well.

[torchickentacos]

gonna be controversial. drew x brianna 👀

LMAOOO OH WHAT A FASCINATING CHOICE IRA KSDJSKDJ /positive (for the ship ask game)

So, uh, I don't think my opinion of it lies within 'i do/don't ship it' tbh! I DO ship it but in a 'let's watch this unfold like a car wreck' way and not a 'i want them to live happily ever after' way. But it's NOT a hateship thing. I REALLY DON'T HATE IT! I just think they're very "I can make them worse". I'll try to take this ask really seriously, as much as i know we meme about it in server shenanigans. Under cut bc I am a wordy individual.

Ok, so i'll just answer every part of the ask for this. side note that i get PERSONALLY icked out by shipping canon ten year olds at ten, so this is answering like, for ten years in the future. None of my opinions here are for the canon pokeani timeline because, uh, not my thing. I do not care to know what ten year olds are doing with their romantic lives. Love pokeani as a foundation for ship stuff but i don't work within the canon timeline for shipping. They're ten. they should be learning about photosynthesis or george washington or some shit.

Ship It

What made you ship it?

Again. It's the watching a car wreck in progress thing. I appreciate drama and mess and chaos and I FULLY think these two would bring that. It's kind of giving 'coordinating pr relationship' honestly. Don't think it would be that but the energy is there. I like ships that give me interesting stuff to work with, and with these two you've got two of the most interesting/messy personalities in Hoenn to mix like a live wire in a puddle of water, or kerosene and a faulty lighter. It's just INTERESTING and has a lot of potential to explore things like jealousy, longing, feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, settling, something doomed from the start, etc. again, not in a hate way. I do not say this because I prefer contest- not at ALL. I genuinely think, separately of any other biases, that they're just perfect to explore in a more messy context, especially if we want to factor in coordinating fame bullshit.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

Chaos aside, I do think they'd bring out different sides of each other that we don't see much of. They're both very... two-sided, not in a bad way, whereas characters like May tend to be pretty May no matter what. May's just herself all the time kind of, but Drew and Brianna act differently around different people.

Brianna, super soft and anxious and reverent around Drew as opposed to her insane competitive streak and go-getter mentality with May. Drew, kind of quiet and, uh, shockingly normal and polite around Brianna. It's genuinely interesting to contrast and mess with those sides of them and how they shift.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I think entertaining this ship in any capacity counts as an unpopular opinion tbh DNKsfjhkjHKJDFHJ

Don’t Ship It

Why don’t you ship it?

They would make each other and everyone around them SO much worse /positive. I ship and do not ship it for the exact same reason. I ship it the way one would ship hazardous materials. My contest bias plays very little into this tbh, I just cannot see them making it long term at all. It's giving 'summer fling but in a flinging themselves into therapy' way.

What would have made you like it?

Answering this one really genuinely- I think if Brianna had decided to become Drew's direct rival instead of May's, opting to get involved that way. It would have made more sense. Since in canon Brianna knows Drew likes May, I don't see how beating May would make Drew like Brianna more? I don't see her logic there honestly. But if Brianna saw that Drew had a thing for his rival and decided she could be his rival, too, that could have been more interesting than 'let me beat up this chick he likes' if nothing else.

I think it would have been super interesting to see Drew with another rival (Harley counts but like, not in this context). We could have compared and contrasted the dynamics in the rivalries more instead of it just being this:

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

Answering this one as intended as well. I think, assuming I had to look at it in a traditional happy ship way, I like the subversion of it. I think it would be great to give Brianna more of a focus in general. She's a FUN character with two very opposite sides to her and I'd have loved to see that personality shine more, minus the Spontaneous Combusken of it all /affectionate. Love that episode. It's a fucking mess. But yeah- I like it because it would give us more Brianna. She's FUN. Unhinged, absolutely, but fun.

TWO FINAL NOTES:

1.) Kind of way fucking funnier if Drew/Brianna/May goes the mako/korrasami route though, ngl lmfao.

2.) My opinion on them regarding the sims (iykyk) is that I need to kill that sentient wishing well. by the way.

[amazingmsme]

i mean there’s always the chance that we’ll see polites again when odysseus goes to the underworld, right? though that might just make it hurt even more </3

dhfjdhjfdj odysseus teases him in a way that catches him off guard and polites is like “who are you and where is my best friend” /hj since eurylochus is constantly being roped into their shenanigans (willingly or not) odysseus and polites are always snitching on each other to give him pointers, like what spot to go for to get a certain reaction or what to say that’ll make them extra flustered, so he’s just learning all the best ways to get to them and he doesn’t even have to try. they’re lucky he’s more merciful and less likely to use that information for evil. mostly. - fluffvoid

You best believe my first thought upon realizing they go to the underworld was “more Polites? 🥺” I’m already thinking about a fic where he followed them out of the underworld & now he haunts the ship but he’s the chillest ghost ever & still likes to play pranks. Or some magic bullshit happens & he’s able to come back like what would’ve happened to Eurydice if she made it out

They’re such huge dorks I love them so much! They practically turn it into a competition to try & see who can rat the other out the most. It would be even funnier if they were doing it to see who he gets first as a way to “prove” who’s his “favorite”

Eurylochus has the patience of a saint & waits for an opportunity to present itself, whereas they make the opportunity. But once he sees his chance, he strikes in the blink of an eye. They’re SO lucky he chooses to be passive

[naffeclipse]

I feel like I might have had the wrong reaction to “The Lost Episode” because the whole time, I was just like:

(But also my heart ripped out at the realization that y/n won’t ever see the sun again ;; at least they still have their Sun)

I owe you so many comments on your fics, and I’m so sorry for taking this long to get to them 😭 Maybe I should make my New Year’s resolution leaving comments on all the fics I haven’t gotten to. I promise I will get to loving on each of them eventually! 💜 It’ll give me a good excuse to binge read new fic and reread some other fics hehe

Also, I have a bit of a research question for SJ for reasons 👀 I might have missed it while reading the series, but is there a time estimate for how long it took Moon and Sun to join the police academy after they left the daycare and Eclipse began running around with gangs? And when would you say Eclipse rose to power and became a mob boss? Were Sun and Moon detectives by that point or still a lower rank?

Typing that out just made me curious about how Eclipse did become a mob boss and how he got a gang, and I’m restraining myself from sending you a bunch of lore questions. So I’ll just imagine him sending out fliers with his face printed on them and a caption that promises a competitive base salary. Just ignore the super fine small print that says there are no health benefits with this job

Hope you had a nice holiday as well, Naff! You’re a freaking powerhouse with all the writing you’ve been getting done, so I hope you’re taking care of yourself and resting too! Much love <3

PFFFT LUMI!!! Nah, I love all reactions, it fuels me and I'm glad you enjoyed hehe ♥

No, don't apologize!! I get it! I'm behind on reading/commenting on fics, too ;-; but ahhh, I do look forward to when you do comment!! You always leave such nice ones ♥

Oh ho! Research you, say? I am gazing directly at you, Lumi!

Okay, I'm really bad with timelines and dates so I'll try my best to keep this coherent and hopefully non-contradictory with the main storyline!

15 years after the boys left the daycare, Sun and Moon were finally able to join the police academy while Eclipse was digging deeper into gang activity. Now mind you, Sun and Moon were attempting to join the academy much earlier, but due to politics and human-animatronic relations still being tense despite animatronics being legally recognized as individuals with rights, they were discriminatorily barred from joining the program. It took Eclipse calling in favors, owing a favor or two himself, and offering a lot of bribes to those in charge of the program to get Sun and Moon in. At that current time, Eclipse was climbing the ranks. He was gaining a reputation and a name for himself, but he was still a thug working under someone else's command.

Eclipse didn't control his own gang until after Sun and Moon were detectives and after the Afton Family's fall, but by then, the brothers weren't in contact with each other. Learning that big brother was a crime lord was something the detectives discovered in their work. It was disappointing, but not surprising—just a lot to think about piled on top of everything else.

Fun fact! Eclipse killed his gang leader and took the man's gang for himself. It happened after he learned the crime lord was conspiring against him (funny enough, this was due to others looking towards and being loyal to Eclipse due to his ruthlessness and efficiency, which spooked the gang leader so he thought it would be wise to act preemptively, but ah, Eclipse was not amused to see his loyalty repaid with betrayal.) Eclipse had no qualms with reigning in control and very little resisted his takeover. Eclipse did take care of those who stay loyal to him, but he ran a tight ship. Great risk, great reward.

Wow, sorry, I just went on a ramble there, but I hope that helps answer your questions! But you're absolutely right, there are no health benefits in Eclipse's gang. *Shrek voice* They don't even have dental.

Thank you, I hope you had a nice holiday as well! Ahhh, thank you so much! I've been taking breaks, don't worry, babe! ♥ Much love *smooch ya on the head*

[historia-vitae-magistras]

I was going to ask this on the old blog but alas :( I’m very sorry to hear about it, that must be tough

Buuuut a hc ? for you: do you think that Arthur’s siblings have a favorite out of his brood? Ik that they all have different relationships/histories with each of them but do you think they each individually have one that they look at and say “yeah, that’s the one”

So this is actually a fascinating question I have thought about so much it's not even funny. Arthur's sons have slightly different relationships with their aunt and uncles than Zee does. Also, I'm sorry if this gets kind of boring before I get to the interesting part I was an anthropology major for a long time and this shit fascinates me.

So when I look for how to write characters, I look at history. What peoples were where, when, and what language they spoke all play a significant role. But I'm also looking for tension. Scotland was a major player in the competition for Canada, and the Irish played an outsized role in American and Australian politics. Rewind a millennium or two before they were hatched and zoom into Celtic Europe; uncle-nephew mentorship was extremely common. Nephews were often sent to live with their uncles, and in ancient and medieval Europe, the mother's brother was usually far kinder to the sister's son than the father's brothers with their brother's sons. Amongst brothers, it could be something of a hostage situation. Don't do anything stupid; I have your heir. And I can see how that history would have affected what access to his children Arthur permitted his siblings. Historians cant see remnants of those relationships in Scottish culture until about the mid-18th century.

Rhys and Alfred. Elizabeth I was his godmother, but Rhys was his godfather. It's not a relationship that is as strong now, but Alfred's childhood was much defined by Rhys. Rhys is very much to Arthur what Matt will be to a grown Alfred. Thus, when Arthur was a new parent with all the paranoia of one, he really only trusted Rhys. Rhys has always had a more nurturing relationship with Arthur, which continues with his son. When Arthur is the type of father that's the equivalent of the young mother who got knocked up before she finished college and is drinking, partying and looting Spanish ships, Rhys was babysitting. Alfred resembled him immensely as a baby when he was all round and soft. Rhys also had to knock Arthur out of bed after an Elizabethan pegging session to see Alfred's little chonklet self take his first steps. But it was his second set of 'first steps.' The first were all his, and he's never told a soul. He also occasionally had to exorcise, kill, bribe, cajole or otherwise rid the nursery and house of all the mystical creatures attracted to the bizarre new power source in the tungsten cube baby. Due to this, Alfred picked the name Jones when he came to manhood. Rhys will always have a soft spot for Alfred and his more playful tendencies than anyone else will. Also, I think the most significant ethnicity of Quakers in the US were Welsh, and they were the only sane religion in the US, so I'm willing to credit Rhys with a lot of the reasons Alfred sort of turns out okay.

Matthew and Alasdair. This relationship started before the British Conquest with Francis inviting Alasdair to be Matthew's godfather more as a fuck you to Arthur than out of the existing affection towards Alasdair, but it didn't matter to Alasdair. He wanted that baby. The Kirk brothers hijacked the colony in 1629, and Alasdair returned the baby. He eventually had to give him back, but he's been a fixture ever since, slowly learning to be affectionate but always so gentle with him. Matt still felt neglected a lot because Alasdair and Arthur had this strange thing where they walked in circles around raising him. There was some cultural competition where the father competed with his brothers for influence over his sons. Add in Arthur's general insecurity about the children, and you get a situation where Arthur would withdraw when Alasdair did too much with Matt. This, in turn, had Alasdair withdraw so the boy wouldn't be without his father. So Matt just existed as no man's land. But Alasdair cares so, so much about him and what messy hands-on parts of parenting Matt got largely came from him.

Jack and Brighid. He is Brighid's bouncing baby boy. Her own little study in contrasts. She'd interacted with Alfred, weaving the charms into his cradle's iron with her brothers, but this tiny crackhead tumbleweed that rolls into her lap one day blurts out "Mama!" and she's a fucken goner. He imprinted on her like a baby duck, okay. And as he grew and became more and less like her with every passing day, that never faded. Irish politicians gained office in Australia before anywhere else in the anglosphere. Irishmen shook the labour paradigm in the British empire by leading strikes and taking direct action after direct action for increased rights in Australia. He got his father's temper but Brighid's grit and sense of outrage. I'm not sure if he speaks Irish, but he can sing in it, and he's been memorizing her songs his entire life. Whether it was as a toddler who didn't understand why he existed, a boy who didn't know why he would never be entirely British or enough to fit in at any school or a man standing over the grave of the child he used to be in 1916, it was her hands on his shoulders and her assurances in his ear and her influence having its say in shaping his life.

[starry-eyed-fag]

Would unironically love to see a writeup about the anti-rpf movement and how it connects to ableism. Homophobia I can kind of see, people seem to take way more issue with m/m rpf than of f/m from what i've seen, especially in classic rock. But ableism? (Genuine curiosity btw! )

-a curious rpf lover

so i normally don't get into shipcourse, but this is something I actually feel passionate about. RPF writers and readers are attacked for a lot of reasons, some of them fair and a matter of personal opinion, a lot of them very obviously bigoted. (also I will be reblogging this on my discourse blog @political-faggotry, if you want to send me asks in response to this post send them there!)

People take way more issue with m/m and f/f RPF than m/f RPF, as you said. This is because fanfiction and other forms of "shitty literature" have always been associated with queer people. This has been the case since at least the 1960s, when queer authors were forced to write shitty tragic stories that can't really be classified as love stories in order to have their stories told at all. A lot of queer-coded media was like this too, and cishet people caught on.

My informed opinion is that modern-day RPF was created because of an intersection of neurodivergence and queerness. Basically, ND queer people who felt out of place in society came together and formed fandoms around bands, actors, celebs, etc. Due to the increasing popularity of fanfiction in the 2000s, it was only natural that this would eventually bleed into fandoms of bands.

I think that the reason that M/M RPF fic was/is so popular is because of the trans eggs in fandom that 1) liked to project onto male characters and 2) viewed women as competition. Back when I was an egg, this was definitely what drew me to RPF. I did not like reading about Pete Wentz with his actual girlfriend, or with some female OC, I liked reading about him with a man I could project onto and who didn't feel like competition.

Anti-RPF "movements" during the 2000s was very obviously homophobic, misogynistic, and transphobic. Readers & writers would regularly get called homophobic slurs, get misogynist and transandrophobic comments, and otherwise be attacked for being queer and/or perceived female.

In the late 2010s was when the rise of calling things "problematic" because cringe culture died truly happened. Instead of saying "I don't like what you write because you're a faggot", people would say "actually you're problematic for writing that". It was literally the same shit we would get told in the 2000s, replacing words like "faggot" and the r-slur with "problematic".

I'm not saying that all people who call media problematic are like this - far from it. I call some media problematic too! However, media perceived as queer was targeted with accusations of being problematic far more than media without queerness attached, and many people who were already homophobic used this as an excuse to be homophobic while still being seen as "progressive".

I have an entire other rant about how non-MLM "progressives" can be and are homophobic sometimes, but I don't really have the spoons to write all that out right now - I will do it later though!

It would be misleading of me to not also talk about how TEHMs played a big part in the homophobia and transphobia that was directed at the (queer) RPF community. For those unaware, TEHM stands for Trans Exclusionary Homosexual Male. They are basically the TERF lesbians of the MLM gay community. They believe that gay trans men, especially nonbinary trans men and autistic trans men, are straight female fetishizers trying to invade the gay community.

TEHMs often come after transmasculine fans of yaoi anime, queer fanfiction, and yes, RPF. TEHMs will claim that the fact that transmasculine people tend to be in fandoms with a lot of M/M ships somehow "proves" that we are just fetishizing. So. Fucking. Many. Of the most common anti-RPF arguments use TEHM talking points, either intentionally or unintentionally.

TEHMs make use of dogwhistles to spread their messages even to people who are often trans-inclusionary. Claims of fetishizing MLM relationships are more often than not TEHM dogwhistles. A very common claim that I see among people who are VERY anti-RPF (not as in "i do not think RPF is good, but i don't really care all that much", but more as in "if you have ever read RPF in your life you should die") is that RPF is basically sexual assault.

Why would you accuse an entire fandom of young, queer, transmasculine people of sexually assaulting people who are usually 20+ years older than them? This is TEHM rhetoric.

I also want to touch on the ableism a little. Many RPF writers are neurodivergent, as one might expect. The majority of the ones I've interacted with are. The internet loves to get mad at neurodivergent people for having "problematic" interests, and with RPF it is no different.

We are singled out and our interests are seen as inherently disordered, immoral, etc. Those who are very strongly against RPF either do not know this, or they know this and are fine with harassing neurodivergent people over what amounts to a non-issue.

Now, that's the end of my point, but I have a few things to clarify. I am not trying to say that if you personally don't like RPF that you are actually transphobic, homophobic, and/or ableist. You are allowed to dislike anything for any reason and I don't care. My problem is with the people who hate RPF so much that they believe that reading it is a moral failing, or that it is okay to harass those that like it.

It is incredibly important to have boundaries writing RPF, which means not doing it anywhere that it is likely the people you are writing about will see. It is also okay to believe that RPF is inherently breaking a boundary; I disagree, but I see where your (not at anon) opinion is coming from and I respect it. It is not at all bigoted to dislike a thing for those reasons, as they are valid reasons to dislike something.

There is also a larger discussion to be had about the commodification of humans themselves in the music industry, but that is beyond the scope of this post.

I really only have a problem with the people who believe that it is a moral failing, or literal sexual assault, to be in a mostly harmless community that has been historically associated with queerness. That is all.

Please don't bring proship/anti discourse to this post.

[furryprovocateur]

the thing that i think a lot of ppl who jump on my political posts don't understand is that once upon a time i used to be just like them. i used to be a "we gotta harm-reduction vote!" type who would go "okay but it's still important to vote for the lesser evil" any time that one post with the nyerere quote about american politics came up. in 2016 i was that insufferable "YOU GOTTA VOTE" type to people explicitly saying they didn't wanna vote. so like i get it on some level. at the same time, i have lived through my vote not mattering as early as gore v. bush, the trump win despite losing the popular vote, and now biden running ship essentially the same as a republican presidency would've. none of it matters. it's all pomp and circumstance. america has one party, they've just fooled you into thinking it's a competition. no matter who wins, the small guy always gets fucked, the large guy always wins, and our money always gets sent to kill people overseas. nothing will ever change from voting. you can vote if you want, i truly dgaf, but you have to realize that voting and participation in the system as expected will literally never change it.