#i’ve always liked this approach for both my ships and myself

[twistedappletree]

For the ace intimacy moment prompt: zhuiling ? 💛🩵💛🩵

Jin Ling is having a breakdown (possibly his third for the day because emotional peony is emotional) and Lan Sizhui knows that asking him what’s wrong will just make him cry even more, so instead, he holds him until he stops hyperventilating then cups his face in his hands, wipes his tears away and says, “It’s okay. Talk to me.”

[supermanshield]

@t-oriand said:

i’ve been thinking a lot abt bruce helping clark do some research on his kryptonian features. like does clark need food? or just sun? how long can he go without the sun? thinking a lot of tender moments in the bat cave, and bruce realizing how much clark trusts him,,, that sort of thing. also could be some fun gadgety stuff bruce makes to measure clark’s various skills and fun training montage type stuff with superman running comically fast on a treadmill

I'm really sorry this prompt fill is - checks calendar - 4 months late, but here it finally is. I hope you still enjoy it! I'm trying to get back into things and writing a bit more again.

I love this prompt! I changed it a little bit (hope it's okay) and now we're not in the bat cave anymore, we're only testing one thing, not many gadgets involved, and I went with a pretty smug Clark and Bruce with the biggest crush on him. I hope you like it!

---

The icy blue clouds of Neptune drain the red from Clark's costume, leaving him clad in monotones of navy and black. He reaches up again, extending his arms and straining the fabric of his suit, distracting Bruce once more, and they haven't even started yet. He's only setting up all the equipment they've brought over.

"I want to test my strength again and I need someone on the controls. Do you want to help?" Clark had asked the day before, a welcome break in Bruce's more-boring-than-boring monitor duty.

"Yes," he'd replied too fast and too eager.

A hesitant smile danced around Clark's lips. "Okay... Now you'll have to tell me whether you got so excited because you actually want to see me exert myself or because you want to record the data for the sake of the League."

"Who says it can't be both?" Bruce had dared to say.

And so, now they're setting up equipment from the fortress and the watchtower on Neptune, because Clark didn't want to mess with Earth's gravity. He had said it so casually, but it reminded Bruce how nothing was normal for a man who could push planets. Something as simple as maxing out on squats or shoulder press had to be done at the edge of the solar system.

Even from behind the thick glass shielding and inside the body of inch-thick metal of their ship, Bruce can sense the weight of the equipment Clark is putting in its place, as he goes over his controls and monitors inside the rig one more time.

"Ready?" Clark's voice finally crackles through the comms. Outside he's already holding up one thumb and grinning at Bruce, the question echoed in his eyes. It should not send butterflies to Bruce's belly but it does.

"All set," he replies.

Clark gets into place, and he looks comically small underneath the structure he's about to test the limits of. It should not be possible. It isn't physically possible, and yet there Clark is. It still breaks Bruce's brain a little after all this time. Clark still breaks Bruce's brain a little.

"Batman? Don't tell me you're bored," Clark teases through the comms.

"Right." Quite the opposite, he thinks. He's supposed to initiate the countdown. He scrambles for the controls, pressing the logging button and locking in Neptune's position to be able to monitor that Clark doesn't accidentally move it. Gravity is about 14% higher here, which they've accounted for in their calculations, and should help mitigate the risk of breaking laws of physics.

They start. As Clark is pushing up against the thing, and Bruce incrementally increases the force pushing down on him past what he's ever seen him lift, he's reminded once again that Clark is always holding back, and hopes he never has to see him use all his strength. It seems impossible, but he's afraid he might get scared. Scared of what it all means, scared of what it would do to his perception of the world and to science. Scared of Clark. Scared of what it would do to Clark.

"Superman," Bruce has to break their steady back and forth after a while. "The weight is approaching critical mass. That of the planet you're standing on."

"Hrm." At least Clark sounds like he's actually reaching his limit. His biceps are bulging, his suit pulled taut across his abs and thighs, and still Clark is smiling right at him. Bruce bites his lip to refrain from sighing at the sight.

"No conclusive answer today, I'm sorry." Bruce slowly turns down the dial again. The scientist in him is disappointed, but maybe it's just as well, he thinks on a different level. Because now hope remains that there's always a way

At least now I know what I can lift," Clark says, predictably, too stubborn to admit the test was not satisfactory. Too stubborn to acknowledge that there might be a limit to who he can help, because there's always a way. 

Clark waves at him after he sets down the structure again. “Your heart rate is elevated. Everything okay?”

“Uhh, yes, all good,” Bruce scrambles to say. “So is yours.”

Clark laughs. It's a warm thing, as if Bruce made a joke that only he understands. “I just lifted a planet, Batman.” 

“Which you now still have to bench press, Superman.” Bruce doesn't mean to, but he's smiling. Clark just draws it out of him. 

“Alright, alright.” Outside, Clarks small figure moves around and starts disassembling and reassembling his setup. Bruce wonders how often he uses it in the fortress. As Clark casually displaces a ton of weight over his head, his voice crackles through the comms again. “It's always good watching you lift your weights in the cave. Thought I'd return the favor for once.”

Bruce almost chokes. If he didn't know any better he'd swear Clark was flirting with him. “Ugh, you don't know half the things you do to me,” he mutters under his breath. 

“What was that? The atmosphere is thinner up here. You have to use the communicator, B.” Of course Clark could still hear him. 

“I said I'd spot you but I can't exactly return that favor,” he manages somehow.

“And yet, you're doing literally just that right now.” Clark turns to watch him.

All Bruce is doing is pressing buttons and reading dials, and yet Clark finds a way to bring him to his level. Maybe that's his only power that matters. He smiles, and lets his feelings for Clark wash over him. It's warm. It's good to be in love. Suddenly, Bruce doesn't mind. But Clark doesn't need to know that, yet.

“Hrm. Focus, Superman. There's still a lot to be done.” 

Clark shakes his head. “You're insufferable,” he says, and gets into position again. Out there, in the icy blue clouds of Neptune lifting the weight of the earth for warm up sits the man Bruce is madly in love with. He'll tell him, some day. After all, there's always a way. Bruce just has to find the right time. 

[broadwaybalogna]

I, a Zutara shipper, would have way more fun self inserting on Mai

So why don’t I?

A short essay on self inserting, what it means, my experience, and why it shouldn’t be a problem.

So the ‘problem’ of me self inserting recently arose again with discourse surrounding a post of mine. I’ll spare you the details, but someone, in an attempt to make me look like a bad person (I assume) said that I was a “self insert”. At first, I was confused because I don’t understand why something like that would be used as an insult. Then I remembered the horrible stigmatization that self inserting has had on the atla fandom.

So I’d like to bring light to what it truly means to self insert.

For this short essay, I’ll be using the term “self insertion” as defined by Wikipedia:

“Self-insertion is a literary device in which the author writes themselves into the story under the guise of, or from the perspective of, a fictional character. The character, overtly or otherwise, behaves like, has the personality of, and may even be described as physically resembling the author of the work.”

First, I would like to go over why I would personally prefer self inserting on Mai, since it’s technically the clickbait for this post.

I had a very large emo/goth phase a few years back. I loved wearing black, chokers, being depressed, etc. while I don’t necessarily identify with that version of myself anymore, I still hold high praise to any and all people who are emo/grunge/goth/fall under that kind of category. Now, I’m not saying that Mai is emo, she’s actually the exact opposite as she doesn’t display much of any emotion, but she is a badass female character who has space buns, a fiery personality, and really cool weapons. I actually like the idea of her a bit more than Katara, and it would certainly be easy to self insert onto her since her character was never really fleshed out.

(Look at her… she’s so cool. I can’t decide if I wanna be her or be with her…) this would probably also be a great time to say that I don’t feel here nor there about Mai in fandom spaces. There are many anti Mai people out there, but I honestly don’t care much for her at this point other than what I’ve already established.

I can relate to a good portion of her problems (being the face of her family, holding their reputation, not having many friends etc.) so self inserting on to her would honestly be no problem for me. So why don’t I do it?

Because my characterization as a shipper doesn’t revolve around myself. If it did, I’d totally okay into that sarcastic brooding gf because I think it’s kinda badass.

I ship Zutara not because I personally wanna be with Zuko, but because I want Katara to be with Zuko. Does that mean that I don’t self insert onto Katara? Hell to the no.

Self inserting helps me understand a character to the best of my ability. In order to figure out how a character might act, react, or approach a situation, I have to put myself into their shoes, that’s just how I work. I don’t think this is a mindset that is personal to just me either, there are plenty of other people who self insert onto Katara and Zuko in order to best convey the realism of their stories.

Now, I’ve self inserted onto BOTH Katara and Zuko, (which probably won’t stop the haters any more than before since I am attracted to both men and women) and in each of those times, I am sure to always stay true to the original characters. I am always considering how the characters were brought up, what they have experienced that has shaped their personality and how they have behaved before.

But I can’t just rely on that to help me tell a story. I have to feel the characters. I have to know what they’re feeling and how it affects them.

This may seem weird, but when writing, I’ll often close my eyes and imagine myself in a scenario much like what the people I’m writing about are experiencing.

This is how I became well known for some of my writing.

I’ve written monologues for characters to say that reflect my own experiences to help give myself and others peace of mind.

I’ve written relationships based on flaws I’ve had with people in my life.

And I’ve written hate. Because I feel hate, and I know that Katara and Zuko do too.

Self inserting shouldn’t be viewed as something that’s horrible for authors to do, it should be embraced. There shouldn’t be a world where people can’t share their experiences through people they relate to.

If you can’t see yourself agreeing with me, I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’ll ever see eye to eye. This is something that I am passionate about, and I will not be thrown off my stance because of a small insult.

In conclusion, I could very easily self insert onto Mai, you could even say it would be lemon squeezy, but self insertion isn’t the only thing that drives me to ship characters, and it never will be. I am a complex person with complex emotions that have led me to look at Katara and Zuko and envy their relationship. Yeah, I want it, and there shouldn’t be anything wrong with that.

[catohphm]

HPHM Ship Week '24 Day One - Quidditch

The Day before the Match

Special thanks to @autisticarachnid and @eternalchaoschocolaterain.

This is the first of my fic for @hphm-ship-week! I have been writing a trilogy of short fics about my main MC x Canon ship over the summer for this event. It is my MC Cato paired with Penny Haywood, which I like to call Reesewood. I've been long-awaiting for it to come and now it's here. These were so fun to brainstorm and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed creating them!<3

The fic begins after clicking the "keep reading" cut below.

The next day would be the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Cato Reese, one of the Ravenclaw team’s chasers, had been trying his best to focus on transfiguration homework. He was in the courtyard studying with Rowan to complete the assignments. They had just finished for the day when Rowan saw his best friend looking concerned.

“What are you thinking about, Cato? You can say, I won’t assume anything.”

“I’m having a hard time getting my mind off the match tomorrow, Rowan.”

He leaned in closer to Cato “I get uneasy whenever something big comes up too. It’s never stopped us from passing exams or being on time with homework, even the vaults.”

“Well, I’ve been trying to figure out why it’s hard to keep those thoughts to the side. I think it's because every challenge is different, so are the steps.”

Putting up his hand up to his cheek, Rowan commented in a thoughtful tone. “Hmmm, I see where you’re coming from on that. I doubt it is necessarily a problem, though.”

Cato quickly paused and elaborated “I’ve been trying to remind myself of that. It’s hard because there are so many things going on.”

Something clicked in Rowan. “Ravenclaw honors and values big achievements in learning, being intelligent and knowledgeable.”

“Yes, Rowan. It’s the pressure to do well when you’re dealing with the cursed vaults and people who doubt, or depend on you. I’m trying to enjoy my time here, I’m only fighting them out of a sense of duty.”

Cato’s friend nodded. “I wouldn’t worry about letting anyone down. You’ve got us, your friends. I’m confident you’ll best Slytherin in the game.”

“Thank you! I best put the vaults aside for now. They’re missions that take time to complete.”

Penny was walking by. She saw her friends and approached them

“Hi Cato and Rowan! How’s it going?”

Cato spoke first. “Hi Penny. I was a bit worried how well I’d do in the upcoming Quidditch match against Slytherin.”

“He’s been stressed somewhat about everyone expecting highly of him.” added Rowan.

“Ahh, I know how hard it is being popular.” Cato and Rowan encouraged her to join them. The Hufflepuff smiled and sat down with her two Ravenclaw friends. 

She then elaborated “Many of our classmates look up to me because of my beauty and my skills at potions. I really do appreciate it, but they must remember it all comes naturally.”

“That’s a great point!” Rowan exclaimed then frowned. “Sadly people these days tend to take those things for granted.”

In a somewhat exhausted tone, Cato reflected “I only wanted to build my skills in magic and make friends at Hogwarts. Never have I imagined in the first place that I’d have such obligations. Schoolwork is one thing, but all it together with quidditch and the vaults is too much.”

Penny and Rowan rested their hands on Cato's shoulders. He looked at both of them on his sides and felt brighter.

“I wouldn't dwell too much on trying to impress or prove to everybody. I try to pay attention to my own work first.” she said.

Rowan added “We can only do the best we can. All we want from you is to be happy, do well in class and stay in touch with you. We're always by your side regardless of what comes, Cato.”

“Thank you, Penny and Rowan, it does mean a lot.” their friend answered with a warm smile and nod.”

Rowan then got up from the bench. “I need to return this book real fast before the library closes. I'll be back.” Cato and Penny nodded in response as their friend went to drop off the book.

With them having a short moment to themselves, Penny then spoke.

“So, Cato, are you still feeling nervous about this at all?” she asked him.

“Still some, I guess. Worrying about getting knocked off my broom by a bludger keeps me going in the game but it's more a hard thought to shake off more than anything, Penny.”

She smiled. “You can always keep me in your thoughts.”

“Ah, Penny, how so?” he asked in a giggly voice.

“Even if you get knocked off your broom by a bludger, I'll be there with you in the hospital wing.”

She then kissed him on the cheek. It made Cato blush a bit and laugh. “How could I never count on you, Penny? You've always done your best to look out for me ever since the day I first faced Merula in a duel, got in trouble just for standing up for Ben and helped me up, get my things when I fell trying to face Rowan about to be late for Charms. That's some real above and beyond stuff.”

“I've always appreciated that about you, Cato. The prophet and those other students, they treated you harshly for what? Stuff your brother did when you were just at home? I could never see any of that being true in the first place. You've always been there to help people who need it, even when you know it goes against the rules.”

“I still did what was right?”

“Yes!” assured Penny. “It doesn't make anything you did less right, Cato. I wouldn't worry about it. Rest up when the time comes for tomorrow, I have faith you'll make an amazing effort for the team!”n

[hollowed-theory-hall]

so in your fic there's Sirius/Barty Jr ship. i reread your analytics of their character and pretty understand the connection. but i would still like to read opinion about their ship 👀

Glad you enjoy my various writing!

Yeah, okay, so Sirius/Barty Jr is a little rare pair my beta reader and I came up with for a different fic that never really got written, but we liked it so much it made it into my current fic, A Matter of Chance.

I'll note that it's gonna take quite some time in A Matter of Chance until Sirius and Barty actually meet and even longer until they get together in any meaningful way (but also my writing plans are super vague, so I don't really know). So there's some waiting until that tag is gonna be relevant. That being said, why I ship them and my thoughts on the ship:

So, I wrote a bunch about Sirius, and a bit less about Barty, but they have, like, a lot in common:

They're both incredibly loyal.

They both suffered Azkaban.

The way Sirius described Barty's father always struck me as him being familiar with the situation: "should've spent more time at home" and might've been showing the bitterness towards Orion.

They both have reason to hate Crouch Sr for sending them to the dementors.

They both care about Harry (pretty shocking on Barty's part, but it truly seems like he does) and are as involved as they can be.

both of them are hands-on in their approach, of, well, literally anything.

I feel Sirius and Barty would get each other's sense of humor that's a bit on the crueler side too. They won't make the other feel guilty over stupid shit.

They also communicate in a similarly straightforward way. They say what they think pretty damn clearly when they're free to do so.

So, as you can see, they have a surprising amount of things in common. As for Barty being a Death Eater, well, I illustrated in my posts about him that I don't think he was that much of a loyal Death Eater and I don't think he tortured the Longbottoms (it's outright stated in the books he wasn't caught with the Lestranges, but with a different group of Death Eaters that walked free!). I think Barty was a Death Eater more as a teenage rebellion than truly believing in everything (though he likely isn't a fan of Muggles). Like, the way Sirius went all in on Dumbledore and the Order as rebellion, Barty did in the opposite direction.

I don't think Barty really killed and tortured many people, but unlike Draco or Regulus I think he could if he felt he needed to, he isn't as sadistic as Bellatrix (or Sirius, honestly). He's tamer but still colder and more willing to respond with violence than Draco or Lucius.

The main quote I'm basing this ship on is the entire conversation in which Sirius talks about Barty in GoF:

Sirius smiled grimly. “Crouch’s own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters who’d managed to talk their way out of Azkaban. Apparently they were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power.” “Crouch’s son was caught?” gasped Hermione. “Yep,” said Sirius, throwing his chicken bone to Buckbeak, flinging himself back down on the ground beside the loaf of bread, and tearing it in half. “Nasty little shock for old Barty, I’d imagine. Should have spent a bit more time at home with his family, shouldn’t he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while . . . gotten to know his own son.” He began to wolf down large pieces of bread. “Was his son a Death Eater?” said Harry. “No idea,” said Sirius, still stuffing down bread. “I was in Azkaban myself when he was brought in. This is mostly stuff I’ve found out since I got out. The boy was definitely caught in the company of people I’d bet my life were Death Eaters — but he might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like the house-elf.” “Did Crouch try and get his son off?” Hermione whispered. Sirius let out a laugh that was much more like a bark. [...] Crouch’s fatherly affection stretched just far enough to give his son a trial, and by all accounts, it wasn’t much more than an excuse for Crouch to show how much he hated the boy . . . then he sent him straight to Azkaban.” “He gave his own son to the dementors?” asked Harry quietly. “That’s right,” said Sirius, and he didn’t look remotely amused now. “I saw the dementors bringing him in, watched them through the bars in my cell door. He can’t have been more than nineteen. They took him into a cell near mine. He was screaming for his mother by nightfall. He went quiet after a few days, though . . . they all went quiet in the end . . . except when they shrieked in their sleep. . . .” For a moment, the deadened look in Sirius’s eyes became more pronounced than ever, as though shutters had closed behind them. “So he’s still in Azkaban?” Harry said. “No,” said Sirius dully. “No, he’s not in there anymore. He died about a year after they brought him in.” “He died?” “He wasn’t the only one,” said Sirius bitterly. “Most go mad in there, and plenty stop eating in the end. They lose the will to live. You could always tell when a death was coming, because the dementors could sense it, they got excited. That boy looked pretty sickly when he arrived. [...] Wasted away just like the boy. Crouch never came for his son’s body. The dementors buried him outside the fortress; I watched them do it.”

Sirius talks about Crouch Sr and Barty's relationship. He knows a surprising lot about Barty's backstory and childhood for someone who didn't even know for sure if he was a Death Eater and only found these things out after he escaped. Like, where did he learn all this from (sure, he likely read old newspapers, but how much of this information is actually likely to be there?). He also talks about both Bartys with a certain familiarity "ol' Barty". He's dull and bitter over Barty's death, he watched the only "funeral" Barty got, probably the only "attendant" besides the dementors. And he talks about hearing Barty screaming until he died in Azkaban... Yeah, I like that angst, I'm so here for an Azkaban romance (and post-Azkaban romance).

And, like, Barty was in Regulus' year, they probably joined the Death Eaters around the same time, maybe even together. And Sirius probably didn't talk to Barty at all his own when they were in school, he had no reason to, but he knew his little brother hung out with him occasionally. And from the quote above it's clear Sirius felt sorry for him, felt sympathy for someone else he thought might've been innocent. Someone in the same situation as he is that he might've felt protective over, like he could succeded in saving Regulus this time. And Barty has no one, basically, no friends, no family, just haunting memories, a situation Sirius is so familiar with. And Sirius is like a sorta friend, he's basically Regulus if you squint (not at all but at first), they share an experience (and hatred for Crouch Sr) that could feel so isolating when speaking to someone who doesn't know. He's someone Barty could potentially trust since neither of them trusts the ministry, or Voldemort, or Dumbledore. They can be in their own little corner where they have no one (well, Harry is there, but no other adults. Remus has way more faith in Dumbledore than Sirius does)

So, imagine this: Sirius lost everyone, he lost James, he lost his brother, he and Barty are in the same boat. So, like, imagine them talking quietly through the bars, each treating the other as a Regulus stand-in even if their personalities are more similar to each other than to Regulus. This grows into somewhat getting to know each other, something that's almost friendship. A cold comfort in the coldness of Azkaban. Then, Barty seemingly stops talking to Sirius and dies soon after, and Sirius doesn't know what to make of it. After Barry dies, he starts staying in Padfoot form more and more.

And then, post-Azkaban, they gonna meet again and bond over escaping Azkaban and caring about Harry.

There'll be healing. There'll be bad coping mechanisms. There'll be a desperation for any familiar connection and a lot of dark humor. They're on the run from both Voldemort and the ministry. And, like, if anyone thinks Sirius Orion Black won't be willing to help get away from Crouch Sr's body, they don't know Sirius Black.

Like, I think they'd just get each other, but also keep making incorrect assumptions about each other at the same time all the while being desperate for what the other represents — people they lost, time they lost. I think it's a fun concept with angst potential.

They're also both incredibly intelligent and skilled wizards (Barty tricked the Goblet of Fire, which is no easy feat). I think they could see each other, eventually after they get over the initial mess of shared losses, as equals and partners in crime. They just have such a vibe, idk. Like, I imagine them pseudo-parenting Harry together, and all I can come up with would be hilarious, but also, like, surprisingly good for Harry. Harry needs more people in his life who would appreciate him for him, more people that'll raise his ridiculously low self-esteem.

Do you know who's the first character to tell Harry he has talents? Barty Jr.

“Well, I’m not going to tell you,” said Moody gruffly. “I don’t show favoritism, me. I’m just going to give you some good, general advice. And the first bit is — play to your strengths.” “I haven’t got any,” said Harry, before he could stop himself. “Excuse me,” growled Moody, “you’ve got strengths if I say you’ve got them. Think now. What are you best at?”

(GoF, 344)

Basically, I think they'd be messed up, but also make it work under their specific circumstances.

(Can you tell I love trauma bonding ships?)

[rowiewritesstuff]

Hehe matchup time! Can I get a yandere mtmte matchup?

Decepticon matchup please. Any gender for the matchup, I don’t have a preference!

They/them pronouns. I’m also autistic but I understand if that’s too difficult to write

Likes: SPACE(I love the stars and all the different planets), art(anything from poems to sculpting to painting), archery 🏹, nature walks

Dislikes: the dark(stupid but yknow lol-), bullies and close-minded people, liars, thunderstorms and the cold

I’m known as an approachable and kind person by most. I’m pretty easy going and not one to plan ahead. I try to think positively most of the time and act as a mediator in most conflicts.

If I’m not trying to see both points of views then I’m pretty much set one side. It doesn’t happen much but if I think the persons a jerk then I will attack- lmao-

I try not to be bothered most of the time, often keeping most of my issues to myself. It’s pretty common that I bottle all of my problems until I have HUGE breakdowns. But like whatever.

I’ve had someone describe me as a golden retriever before. And tell me that I have a saviour complex so do what you will with that information.

Thank you 🙏 take ur time!

Ima be real, I'm gonna take MTMTE off of my list because I pretty much forgot all about it lol. Sorry I did my best lol

Yandere Deathsaurus X Reader

You adored space, so when you got the opportunity to go to space on an exploration mission you took it. You were so happy it was a solo mission, as socialization is sometimes difficult. Being able to relax and be yourself without the pressure of having to appeal to someone else’s standards was a dream.

Unfortunately, a huge meteor shower caused your ship to crash land into a habitable planet. Thankfully you’re pretty capable at surviving- you quickly make a shelter, find food, and anything else you’d need to survive. 

What you didn’t account for, however, was a crew of decepticons to be on the planet. When you came across a decepticon, you tried to talk your way out of it. After all of that, the decepticon still took you to his “boss”- Deathsaurus. 

Deathsaurus was at first uninterested in someone who seemed insignificant. Soon enough, he was enthralled by your odd mannerisms.The way you looked around, avoiding eye contact, to the way you gently flapped your hands when nervous.

Of course, because of his mild interest, he decided to make let you join his crew. He trusted his crew not to harm you under his orders, and he even gave you a personal room. Yes, it was an old closet, but it’s the perfect size for a tiny being such as yourself. 

As much as you wanted to, there wasn’t really a good way to contact your exploration company. Anytime you thought of a good way to get a message out or even escape while on another planet, you’d get caught. 

Eventually Deathsaurus’ patience wore thin, and he had no choice but to lock you in your room. It wasn’t until the lights went out that he learned your fear.

You banged on your door, begging to be let out. Your cries were loud and Deathsaurus immediately opened the door and scooped you up. “What’s wrong, are you injured?”

The way you clung to his huge hand was adorable to him. You trembled with fear and cried. “Dark” Was the one word you could mutter. From that day, he made sure you always had back up lights.

Soon enough you got used to the crew, even making quite a few friends. It was your unofficial job to break up fights and settle arguments. Since it was a big crew, it felt like a full time job. 

He always found it amusing how such a tiny being could argue with a being fifty times their size without worry. If there was one thing he admired about you, it was how you always stood up for others.

Since you got along well with the crew, Deathsaurus began to fall for you. You being a human didn’t bother him much- your soul was what mattered to him. He’d often carry you around on his shoulders, and grows angry if anyone misgenders you- even if it doesn’t matter that much to you. Anything about you, he will defend to the ends of the universe. Anything you want, you’ll have- you love space? You’ll see all of it. If he could, he’d catch a star and give it to you. 

Since you’re an artist, you’ll have nothing but the best supplies. It doesn’t matter how much, he has plenty of money to spend on your hobbies. Any art you make will be pinned up for everyone to see- how could he not when you made it? 

Anything  you want-clothes, precious gems, books, a whole planet? It’s all yours. It doesn’t matter if it’s “unobtainable”, he’ll find a way.

Just…don’t try and run. He hates it when you do. He can be very forgiving, but if you push him too far he knows your fears. You don’t want to be locked in your room again, do you? He’d hate to have to turn out the lights again. 

One day, he took you to a lovely planet that had a pretty star system. He had you on his thigh, letting you eat from a basket you’d brought. Deathsaurus dropped a necklace into your lap. You gently picked it up, looking at it. It was the solar system you were currently in, carefully crafted into a necklace. 

“Do you like it? I picked it out just for you, little star.”

He’s been so kind to you so far…how can you say no? After all, you’ve always been a people pleaser. 

[amerricanartwork]

More Love for Lilypad

Hi! To be honest, I don’t know why I’m writing this, I guess because reading everything has moved me more than I probably thought.

I don’t know how much text he let me put

I have read the current Lilypad publication and I honestly loved it, otherwise I would be here writing like an excited silly girl.

How do you connect the story of Luna and No Harassment with Sleeping Beauty (From the Disney movie because the original story is horrible, believe me, you wouldn’t want to use it if it were the original), it’s so beautiful that it moved me and connected me more with the ships. how much I love them and lilypad mainly sadly for my part I don’t see much art from them (I think it happens to me with ships that generally are not so popular or so loved, it happens to me with the message of love from SpearmasterXHunter, Godmode SaintXEnot, lilypad and PebblesXSun )

The topic, I loved reading these ideas that come from your ingenious and beautiful imagination, I want to read more of this and that would be all! Nice day/night :3!

PD: As a warning, I don’t know where I had to send this and I’m sorry if I didn’t have to send it here, and I take this opportunity to say that your ArtiXGourmand is simply beautiful and I adore it!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Oh my, @amaerumeru, thank you so much for this submission!!

I’m so glad to see someone enjoy those ideas so much, and to hear my essay has inspired some more love for these two sweethearts! Seeing people sympathize at least with the fairytale stuff is a very pleasant surprise!

Regarding the lack of content, I feel you, I’ve had my fair share of rarepairs across my fandoms too (heck, I’m even considering adopting a super rare RW ship right now...), and not being able to find content of them is always pretty rough! Although for me, the struggle doesn’t always come from lacking any content of the ship, but lacking the specific kind of content I want for it. 

Part of the reason why I began that extension of the Lilypad essay by listing the ship tropes I love and particularly explaining the main two was because, to me, how a ship is depicted is just as important as which ship is depicted. It’s so much so I actually won’t like content of a ship I normally love if I don’t like the way the characters are and act within it, or if I don’t like the ideas being shown through the characters enough. 

Both situations exist with Lilypad, and although I can excuse the lack of content as Rain World generally not having much canon ship potential, the portrayal struggle is one I have faced in basically every fandom I’ve been in, where no one seems to really appreciate those traditional dynamics I love with the ships I enjoy the most. Most of the time I still enjoy the content because it’s pretty cute and romantic, and I don’t dislike anything about it enough to cancel out that cuteness/romance factor, but it’s still not what I love most, tailored to what I identify with the greatest; I’ll eat it, but it’s not my favorite flavor. And with the New Year and self-improvement being a common focus this time of year, I figured I’d finally get the courage to take my classic art approach with these themes now; if I can’t find someone else who’s made the content I want, I’ll make it myself (like this sketch I drew up for this post), and just maybe they’ll find me!

And find someone I have! Once again, I’m so glad someone appreciates these older fairytale tropes, and I really do feel inspired to openly make more content including these ideas! I’ve always had a habit of thinking about not just ships, but fiction in general through the lens of the poetic significance characters, scenes, and plot points do or can have, and recently I’ve developed a habit of linking characters and ships back to songs and previous characters from other cartoons (like I did with Sleeping Beauty here), and trust me, if you want more content of this sort, I could both write similar essays deriving these themes within other ships AND make a lot more Lilypad content like this! I mean, after posting that addition I realized somehow forgot to talk about “Once Upon a Dream” specifically and how it so perfectly fits this ship, so I’m already probably gonna do a post and drawing on that sometime soon — !

And one last thing, thanks for liking the Artimand stuff too! Artimand is probably a better example of my “I like this ship in general, but I really wanna see more of these traditional themes in content for it“ attitude, so it’s nice to see that’s enjoyable to other people on some level too!

 Big thanks for the submission, a reason to ramble even more about Lilypad and my favorite ship tropes, and inspiration to make that drawing, Meru! And hey, I love hearing the deeper reasons why other people ship what they do too, so if you ever wanna ramble about your own ships, I’m all ears!

[panic-at-the-fiction]

This is The Way

Summary: right after the ending season two, din having just removed his helmet. The reader comforts din as he struggles with not knowing how to go on without the child or his creed.

A/N: I just rewatched the show and I just really want to know what happened the second the screen went dark. Did anyone say something. Did he immediately put the helmet back on. Was it an awkward car ride home as they all just set silently like can’t believe we fought to save the kid and now he doesn’t even get to keep it. It’s just wrong man.

I stood watching as Luke disappeared into the elevator carrying the child away with him, leaving nothing, but an awkward silence as the door shut.

Dins shoulders tensed, his back straightened. I didn’t know how to approach him with his helmet removed.

We both knew our goal was to find a Jedi to reunite Grogu with, but we spent so much time just fighting to get him back, neither of us thought we’d have to give him away so quickly. Din continued to just stare off at the door like he wasn’t quite sure this was real.

I looked around at our assembled friends and allies, realizing no one really knew what to say. Everyone seemed to be waiting for some sort of command as to what to do next.

“Can you guys give us a minute?”

Bo Katan nodded. “We’ll make our way back to prepare the ship, you guys can meet us when you're ready. We’ll secure the prisoner while we’re at it.”

I nodded and watched them all leave down the same hall as Luke and Grogu just a moment ago. They were probably already back to his ship at this point and ready to start a new life off somewhere far away. It broke my heart to even think about it presently.

“Din?” I almost whispered, breaking the silence. He twitched, uncomfortable and unsure without his helmet on.

I walked closer and carefully placed my hand on his shoulder. He relaxed into the touch, but he still stayed facing away. “Din, it’s okay, you can look at me.”

“I’ve broken my creed.”

“I know.” I said lightly. It was against the creed to remove his helmet. He had already done it once before, but that was under dire circumstances and was done in hopes of saving a foundling, which Mandalorian deemed more important than almost anything. But this, this he did willingly for the child.

“I just… I wanted him to see me before he left. To really see me before he was gone.”

“I understand Din, it’s okay. I think it was very noble of you. It was a beautiful parting gift.”

“But now I have nothing.”

I felt a slight sting at those words. I had been traveling with the Mandalorian since he stopped on Tatooine with the child for the first time. Back then he was still running from Greef Karga. We weren’t together, but I traveled with him, fought with him. I had saved his life, and he had saved mine in more ways than one. I was his friend, and deep down I’ve always wanted something more.

“I miss him too, but you still have me. I might not be much, but I’m not leaving you, creed or no creed.”

He finally turned around, a slight embarrassment or even shyness in his demeanor. I had never seen Din’s face before. He had kind, warm brown eyes and was handsomer than I’d even imagined.

I couldn't help myself as I reached out and carefully placed my hand on his cheek, something I had done in moments of comfort even when he wore the helmet. “I always wondered what color those eyes were.” I smiled.

He placed his hand over mine. “You’re more than enough.” He paused, sighing before pulling away. “But I still believe in the Mandalorian way, I still believe it to be true.”

“Then put the helmet back on.”

“What?” He sighed, trying to walk away, “I can’t just put the helmet back on, it doesn't work like that.”

I picked it up from where it set off to the side and held it back out to him. “Then we will find the rest of the Mandalorians. You can put the helmet back on until we find them. We will ask for their forgiveness to see if they will redeem you. Whatever it is they want, we can do it. If not, you can take the helmet off and start sulking then.”

His brow furrowed as he looked at me. It was strange to be able to read his expressions. Even with the helmet, Din was always expressive, but seeing his face up close. It was like I was reading his mind, it almost felt too personal.

“We? You would do that for me? Search the galaxy for a dying race, just to help me restore my honor in a culture you don’t even take part in?”

“I mean, isn’t that what I’ve been doing all this time, helping you honor your creed by helping you protect the child?” I laughed slightly at the mention of the kid, the wound of losing him still fresh. Even if he was getting to be with his people again.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yes, we will seek the Mandalorians again. Together.”

I smiled, offering him the helmet back, but I could see in his eyes he was thinking about it before he took it from me.

“First there’s something I need to do.”

He crossed the distance to me, taking his helmet and pushing it off to the side. I opened my mouth to ask what was so important he needed to do it before he put the helmet back on. His gloved hands came up to cup my face as his lips met mine.

Shock set in first, followed by confusion in the first split second before I felt myself completely dissolve into him. My arms coming up around his neck, his hands traveling down to my hips locking me in tightly.

All those months on the razor, pining filled with awkward tense moments interrupted by the child. All those times when the heat in the room was intense, but neither of us saying or doing anything to act on it. Now the Mandalorian was kissing me like I was his dying wish.

When the kiss ended, both of us only pulled away enough to lean our foreheads together.

“I’ve been dying to do that.” He said almost jokingly.

“Oh yeah, what got in the way?” I quipped, getting him to laugh.

I left the warm embrace of his arms and reached over to grab the helmet from where Din had pushed it off to the side. He caught my arm as I did so, pulling me back to face him.

“Before you hand that to me, you need to know I’ve always loved you. Since the first day you stepped foot on my ship and I saw the way you cared for Grogu and me. Since the first time I saw you with a blaster, I have been fighting these feelings, knowing I can’t give you everything you want. If you agree to come with me to find the Mandalorians and I have my honor restored, I can’t remove my helmet again. I can’t offer you everything you deserve.”

I smiled, almost feeling tears coming to my eyes. “I love you, Din Djarin and I love you with or without that helmet. I’ll be happy to take any piece of you as long I get to be with you. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, as long as I know you love me, that will be enough. I know how much that creed means to you, how much your people mean to you, and I will never ask you to give it up when there’s still hope you can have your honor restored.” I picked the helmet back up and extended back to him. “This is the way.”

He nodded, taking the helmet and finally placing it back on his head, completing his armor once more. “This is the way.”

[nights-at-crystarium]

Fragments - episodes 15-18 author notes

Shall we sit back and go over the recent episodes together? C:

You can find similar breakdown posts on older episodes in my pinned!

Obligatory ShB spoiler warning.

Any theme song enjoyers? I associate this song with this moment, and generally with Exarch’s longing and excitement that can’t be shown. “And in my usual voice, I say, there you are”.

Go away grandpa, you crashed an otherwise perfect party :’>

Had this followed the msq more closely, i.e. had Feo Ul not been the first to find Vivi, or had it happened in an environment more familiar to him, he might've asked Exarch if he's shy, or just ugly. Kinda like if you’re a bully in your school, you might still wanna keep a low profile in a new school.

Vivi treads lightly in a new world, at least tries to. He doesn't yet know how thick or thin is the ice under his feet.

Exarch doesn’t know about the tree since he was busy waiting for Vivi in the Ocular, having just finished the summoning spell, tense and giddy, hood up and all. Minutes passed, nothing happened, then Exarch started getting antsy and finally turned on his tv to find Vivi in Lakeland.

“Hey it could’ve been your spine” I hope is clear: as in Vivi could’ve landed on Lyna instead of the aforementioned tree, not a threat to snap her spine in a fight. He knows better than taunting random people.. Moreover, people stronger than him x’D

Artist achievement unlocked: managed to make a hooded person look expressive. IN THE BACK VIEW.

SPROUT?!

He’s more cute than he deserves to be here and you’ll perceive him.

Being at the end of the episode, ��we’re friends, yes” is the first and only line almost nonchalantly tossed to Vivi! Exarch wanted to buy time and observe him, how he’s changed, how’s best to approach him now.

..And Vivi needs rest and new clothes, he spent AN ENTIRE DAY in one outfit. We've seen him around several people so far, and, while he's always genuine, he's the most himself with Exarch, even at this early stage.

But yeah, he’s jaded, regrets many choices in his life and wants his money back.

Vivi's tailored for this ship. Before I even knew that I wanted to write a comic of this size, I asked myself, what condition does he need to be in at the beginning of ShB for the chemistry to happen? The answer was, well, "terrible". I’ve got the juicy deets, but you’d have to be patient and keep an eye out for more flashbacks sprinkled in throughout the story.

What matters now is that, finally, both of them are sufficiently tired to start noticing something else than gremlins in each other.

Have fun living with the knowledge that there’s no face where it’s supposed to be :>

Exarch has a way with the fae: don't flinch, offer them something nice. He offers rest to Vivi without hesitation, as soon as he sees his emotionally battered state. And, oh, he’s still an archer, landing that perfect shot first try. This here is a genuine spark of interest, surprise and gratitude in Vivi’s eyes.

I went balls deep with the visual subtext here. Despite being shown up close, Vivi’s broody face takes on a secondary role as his mind literally closes in on Exarch in that moment, on the mystery man that’s suddenly so unlike the rest. Even if he’s yet another quest-giver, even if shit’s on fire, he allows Vivi to go? Rest? Have some time for himself???? Exarch is, or is about to become, his only light in the darkness :3c

Exarch’s stiff posture is also intended here. He must’ve rehearsed this scene sooooooooo many times, he was prepared for hostility, interrogation, tantrums, but this Warrior’s indifferent and just wants to leave?

Magical boy de-transformation! Headcanon time, two of them even.

Firstly, the Tower can register living presence in its vicinity, a passive ability which Exarch can casually tap into. Being aware of an entire city’s population is, mildly put, overwhelming, thus he’s learned to shrink the “radar” area down to his Ocular, or wherever he’s at the moment and whenever he actually needs it. He feels that Vivi’s indeed left, therefore he can safely remove the hood.

Secondly, the hood shadow’s magicked. The panel above demonstrates how it’d look naturally, if it were a normal shadow. But he casts a pitch black glamour that also extends to his hair.

Just a cool crystal flare that I feel like showing off :>

None of you would believe me now if I said this isn't a horny scene? Although this looks lewd, for someone who’d spent a century clinging to memories and tales the lingering scent is just another confirmation that all of this's real. He can't even touch the WoL (or so he thinks), the scent could be the most he ever gets. Bearing in mind the stress of the day, I genuinely don’t think that he’s in the mood here. But no worries, he’ll get plenty of horny opportunities later on :>

The subtle characterization in the way he opens a door to a supposedly empty, still unknown room.

An unironically normal reaction to the Light, and shadowbringing \o/

This. This goes into my personal collection of the best vivifaces I’ve drawn.

He’s quick to react to a threat (?) popping out of nowhere in a supposedly safe room.

GOMU GOMU NOOOOOOO-

I know the arm’s too long, but I like to incorporate some animation princliples :>

The Champion of Eorzea uses a stick to cure a 100 years old depression, ca. 2023, colorized.

Vivi didn't mean to pierce him, actually. While the space's more than enough for living, it's still cramped for fighting as a dragoon, and he simply misjudged the distance while spinning around and lunging at the source of that eerie voice. There’s also an ooc explanation: I couldn’t quite align all of this in one frame, and thought hey, Ardbert’s a ghost, it’s okay to pierce him!

Both are quick to handwave the fact, and let’s be honest, self-defense of that sort must be a mundane thing for a WoL.There’s more important stuff to discuss. Both are desperate to vent to someone they could trust. They may disagree on things, but generally they vibe pretty well with Ardbert.

A lil shoutout to @agent-jaselin​ for commenting this under the respective episode. I almost forgot to point it out while making this post. Vivi tries to see if he can relate to another WoL, if his struggles are valid, or if he’s overreacting to a typical hero life. Ardbert had a whole friend group adventuring alongside him, the Scions don’t measure up unfortunately, on top of that Vivi (emotionally) stays the fuck away from anyone post-ARR for their own protection (and his own if he ends up losing someone else), so it’s not quite the same experience for him.

One of the few redeeming qualities: Vivi keeps his word. This's gonna be relevant in like 2025 :'>

He baby, THAT’S his problem.

From pointing his spear at him to comfortably undressing and falling asleep in his vicinity. Ardbert's possibly the first man to be asked to stay and not get laid by Vivi :’>

While the Crystarium and its people seem nice, it’s still Vivi’s first day (one loooooong day since the beginning of chapter 2) in a brand new world, and Ardbert’s the only somewhat familiar person here. A ghost? Even better. The supernatural’s easier to deal with and is less likely to backstab you.

The sweet-voiced hooded guy says that it’s okay, that he’s safe here.... Yeah that on itself is a flag for our mr doubter. He’s grown reasonably paranoid since ARR, (almost) everything he does has a nice cynical-flavored logic to it.

While this’s a wolgraha comic, it’d be bland without support characters. Ardbert doesn’t play a massive role in this particular story, still you’ll keep seeing him here and there.

The next several episodes focus on the main two and Feo Ul, they’ll claw their way in even if they were left out x’D

[kicharges]

🐉 18+ Only Dragon Ball Multimuse, as told by Mami

🐉 Tracks the tag, kicharges

🐉 Crossover friendly, multi ship friendly, OC friendly

🐉 Semi-selective

NOTE: I enjoy TFS as much as the next person, but I won’t be making any of the TFS HC’s a part of my roleplays anytime soon. Truth be told, I think people who take TFS at face value are kind of annoying. If you have a problem with me giving Piccolo a dick, then please don’t spam me with “but Namekians don’t have dicks.” Remember—this is RP and anything is possible. If Mami says Piccolo fucks, then he damn well will.

WIP: I am also currently playing through Xenoverse 2 and am halfway done with completing FighterZ. Anime wise, I am re-watching Dragon Ball Z and will continue on through the other iterations of the series. (GT, Super, etc.)

Please don’t ask me to write the following ships with you: Piccolo x Pan, Piccolo x Gohan, Goku x Pan, Trunks x Mai, Android 17 x 18, Android 17 x 16 or 18, Cell x Android 18 or 17. Basically, if it’s a ship that involves incest or literal adults x children, then keep it to yourselves…? 🙏🏽 PROSHIPPERS DNI!

Please don’t talk to me about real life events/politics: For the most sort, I simply don’t care. I do care about the genocide happening in Palestine however and that’s as much as I’m saying on the topic, but I prefer to keep my political opinions and worldviews to myself. And I’d rather avoid bad blood between me and anyone else, I’m here to have fun, not make enemies.

This page is 18+ only, as the mun has a preference for writing with older muns. This is in no way made to offend anyone, I just prefer writing with others around my own age group.

Yes, I am the same one who runs @mamismulti and @theultimateandroid both of which will still function, you can go give those a follow at your own leisure. My time on here won’t always be consistent, so if you need me, you can find me on either one of these pages.

Mun doesn’t equal muse, and yes this also applies to my Dragon Ball Xenoverse OC. (Coming soon)

This is a no drama zone, I’ve put up with so much drama already with old friends, please don’t pull me in on any ongoing drama please? And whatever you do, don’t ask me to take your side. Learned my lesson about taking sides in drama before, plus your drama is really none of my business.

No god modding unless we’ve discussed things before hand, and no power playing either unless we’ve also discussed things. Either than that, I would like to be informed before you decide to go and suddenly take away my muses abilities or decide to weaken or handicap them.

OC’s are welcome, as well as OC x Canon and OC x OC. I’ll ask you to send me your muses bio if you don’t have one readily available on your page for me to access.

This page is crossover and multi ship friendly, so don’t be shy to approach me on any ideas you may have. 😊

Remember, role play isn’t just about fun, but it’s also about communication and letting each other know where our boundaries lie. For example, I won’t write themes involving incest, cheating, child exploitation, or threads featuring the exploitation of animals. (Ie. animal or child 🍇)

Dark themes such as racism, genocide and overall violence will be present on this page. And yes, these subjects will be tagged for your black listing pleasures. (But also be aware that I don’t excuse or stand for what my villainous muses do or say)

No, I will not be discussing power levels with you or getting into arguments over whether or not Pinkie Pie could blast a hole through Gohan or Beerus. My honest opinion is: I don’t really care enough about it, so if you think Pinkie Pie could solo the entire DBZ Universe, then live your truth.

I don’t usually like to utilize the block function but I will if you’re giving me grief or if you’re displaying any problematic behaviour. I’m just a fellow human passing through, I just wanna have a good time and don’t wanna bother with difficult to get along with people. Not my cup of tea.

Think we may have an issue? Then please come to me and speak with me about it, I’ve had to deal with old friends vague posting in the past and chickening out when I approach them on it, so, simple solution is to just tell me out right. Unlike Kami, I’m not a mind reader so please don’t tip-toe around the subject or try hinting at things I may be unaware of.

Does your muse have a pre-established relationship with one of my muses? Let me know and I’ll gladly work with what I’m given. The only exception with this rule is that I won’t magically change my character interpretation, I like to keep them as close to canon as I can.

I won’t dull down any of my villain portrayals. If you’re uncomfortable with violence, death, violence against your muse, death threats/murder attempts, your muse being subjected to torment, etc. then try another muse.

I won’t kill or grievously injure your muse unless you give me the green light to do so, considering that this is the Dragon Ball Universe we’re playing with, it’s not entirely impossible for your muse to survive an attack from one of my muses or be brought back to life with the Dragon Balls, etc. Honestly this is roleplay, so creative liberty is always at our disposal.

Smut or any other violence or distressing content will be placed under a read more line, I don’t expect you to turn around and do the same because I don’t run your page, so do whatever the heck you feel like. But for myself, I’ll always prefer to keep my smut or triggering content under a read more for the sake of my mutuals comfort.

I do head canon most of my muses to be pansexual, so gays, they’s and them’s, feel free to flirt with any of my characters. However, not everyone will be as reciprocating, so don’t be surprised if your muses attempts fall flat on their faces. And if your muse persists with their advances, then don’t be surprised if they’re removed with force. (Ex. Punched, thrown, ki-blasted, kicked, etc.) This will usually only happen if they’ve been continuously warned.

You can feel free to mention me in posts such as: dash comms. tag games, etc. but please be sure to forward me any dash comms. you might’ve mentioned me in as I may not see them. I follow a lot of blogs already and there’s a slim chance I might actually see a dash comm. which was intended for me. (I would rather avoid making anyone feel as if I’m ignoring them on purpose)

[ RULES LAST UPDATED JUNE 11th, 2024 ]

SELECT YOUR FIGHTER

Cell (all forms included)

Chichi (adult Chichi only)

Pilaf

Shu

Korin

Mrs. Brief/Bulma’s mom

Princess Snake

Gohan

Raditz

Turles

Future Trunks

Vegito

Gogeta (be sure to specify if it’s Gogeta Blue or SSJ4)

Janemba

Launch/Lunch

Tien

Yamcha

Mercenary Tao

Android 17

Super Android 17

Android 18

Android 21

Piccolo

Nail

Cooler

King Cold

Ginyu Force: Ginyu, Jeice, Burter, Recoome, Dodoria, and Guldo

Cheelai

Broly (preferably from DBS)

Lord Beerus

Whis

[ MUSE LIST, LAST UPDATED JUNE 7th, 2024 ]

[russilton]

Shoutout to you for the way you treat Alex and George’s relationship when you talk about George in context of gewis. So many people in cases like this with less popular ships turn vitriolic towards anyone who they think could pose a threat to their ship and just… don’t. Your approach of they’re besties your honor is great and sparks a ton of joy

Wow, thank you!

I have to say this message surprised me a bit because it’s something I’ve really had to work on, to the point I used to get some very angry anons about the way I generally ignored or forgot about Alex. Basically the opposite of this one hahaha! but I’ve also started to warm more to Alex this year than I did last year, though I still wouldn’t call myself a real fan, it’s nice when he does well.

I have… a complicated relationship with Alex as a driver and person. On one hand, he’s George’s best friend, I couldn’t change that even if I wanted to, and it’s a truly sibling like relationship I suspect George needed given how much older his actual siblings were. They support each other and that’s a thing they both need.

On the other, I’ve been watching since 2020, and Alex WAS a Red Bull driver, and he spent the entire first year of when I was watching the sport, getting into incidents with my favourite driver while being generally being very… accusatory. His role in RB during 2021 didn’t help either, and it just generally left me very mistrustful of the guy, probably unfairly, but with 20 drivers to focus on you don’t tend to get past first impressions unless you really stick about.

When he moved to Williams it was all under the fan fair of Horner crying that Toto didn’t approve of the move because he thought Alex was going to spy for them, and at the time it was hard not to sit there and go “well… are you?” Because post AD Redbull had more than proven they were willing to do anything to win, even if it was George’s influence that got Alex the Williams seat. It now truly delights me to see how that has in fact backfired on Christian as he lost a genuinely talented young driver to another team who will better respect his skill if he’s willing to be patient, though you won’t catch me calling for Alex to Merc…ever, or at least, any time soon.

I also struggled with the way he did talk about George a lot! It’s banter between brothers but it often felt like at the time the only way I saw Alex referring to their relationship was to poke or complain about George- especially showing off his body. Every single post George made showing even a little skin- the comments would be full of people waiting for Alex to show up and say something mean, and slowly the content from George dropped off, a coincidence probably given the ramp up with his duties at Merc, but it was hard not to link those things y’know, especially with my OWN, not Alex’s problem, views on body image.

So yeah, it was a tough grind, NONE of it helped by the prevalence of Galex as a popular ship and the tendency of popular ships to get very… expectant, of you to like them. I had the exact same issue with Sewis, though I will always adore Sebastian, because for a while it really did feel like it was being shoved in my face every which way and I couldn’t escape them, and no one enjoys having to wade through things they don’t like. Lots of posts with a general vibe of “what do you MEAN you like gewis when galex exists and clearly has more evidence” that just didn’t sit right for what I felt or what I was seeing. There was also the fic that will not be named that gave me a slightly… traumatic response to Galex and Sewis in relation to Gewis, and I all but stopped mentioning Alex at all if I could avoid it. Which as mentioned at the start… some anons sure took issue with!

I spose what changed my relationship with Alex was reframing his relationship to George (and by proxy redbull), when then things he started saying became less about George’s body and more about what a pain in the ass best friend he was. That’s a relationship I understand, the best friend who you love beyond all belief, would defend from wolves, would kill for, but if you had to date you’d kill each other in a couple days. A psuedo sibling bond I have with a lot of my own friends, people I would say I love you too knowing I have 0 intention on dating them.

Then it became easier to see all the ship stuff because I could go, cool I get it, but to me that’s his brother, that’s the guy who watches George pine and makes faux gagging noises, but would also go behind George’s back to tell Lewis how George felt if he thought it would make George happy. That’s the guy who George complains to when he’s struggling with balancing his feelings with his job as a teammate, and who hugs him when he’s feeling lost.

I have to credit Niamh for saying it one of her fics- but Alex is George’s Valtteri. The guy who has his back even when they’re fighting, and who’s bond goes a little deeper than skin, different to romance but no less strong.

So yeah, I will still always probably grit my teeth when it comes to getting galex shoved in my face, (no I haven’t forgotten synths poll, so many of you were v annoying to me ((this is a JOKE)), I’ve certainly started to completely detach that from Alex as a driver, and short of a nuclear melt down, I hope that relationship just slowly improves. Not that any of that matters to him of course. But this is the blog where I talk about myself.

Sorry for the ramble! That was useful to get off my chest I think hahah, cheers for the offload, now I can move on from it.

[alagaesia-headcanons]

When shipping Orrin/Murtagh, do you ever feel the need to just... give in to their alcohol abuse tendencies? I wanted to do a drabble with them but halfway their communication problem turned into retreating, moping and drinking :(

Oooh that idea has a lot of interesting possibilities within it. Of course, it’s perfect for angst, and I think there’s great potential to develop it into a meaningful resolution.

I definitely encourage you to keep going! I don’t feel like the characters relapsing into alcoholism to some degree has to halt the progress of your story, especially when writing Murtagh and Orrin. After all, the ways that both of them made mistakes with alcohol in the past is one of the many interesting overlaps between them. The way their communication issue led them back to drinking is an interesting concept in itself. It’d be a cool approach to illustrate what emotions they’re most vulnerable to and what makes Murtagh feel the need to drink versus what makes Orrin feel it. What parts of their relationship are most affected by these struggles? Do they try to keep it hidden? Do they ever drink together?

That has a lot of potential to shift the situation and explore their dynamic from an entirely new angle. Would Orrin first suggest it, or would Murtagh? How exactly would they interact in that kind of state and how would they feel about it afterwards? That could lead them to reveal or confess things they were avoiding and kickstart proper communication. Or on the other hand, if their drunken distress feeds into each other and makes their pain and misunderstanding even worse, it could make them realize afterwards that they need to deal with things directly before they break something that can’t be fixed.

Alternatively, maybe one or both of them realize what the other is doing without ever seeing them drink. Since they both had past experiences with alcohol abuse, they could be particularly conscious of the signs. Maybe Orrin notices the glint of a flask tucked surreptitiously in Murtagh’s pocket even though he’d never seen him carry one before, or he sees tiny drops of red staining the sleeve of his shirt. Maybe Murtagh notices the smell of Orrin’s breath through the heavy perfume trying to disguise it, or catches him bringing his goblet away with him when dinner is finished.

Realizing that the other is also struggling can spark deep empathy and concern. Perhaps that earnest care and desire to help can overpower the feelings that caused the communication issue to begin with. Or the worry and urge to help make it clear that their own drinking habits are harmful and need to be addressed. It could provide a lot of motivation to open up and work through hard things together once they see how much they’re both hurt by such miscommunications. And breaking their habits and recovering together could ease so much shame and fear and show Murtagh and Orrin the value of support that they’ve never had quite like this.

So much potential! I really hope that was helpful or inspiring in some way, and I hope it wasn’t overbearing or anything. I just adore chatting about ideas for the two of them. If you do finish the fic, please please PLEASE send me a link, I’d fucking LOVE to read it!!!!!!

(If it’s of interest- I haven’t really felt drawn to show them falling back to their alcoholism during their relationship, but it’s more because I don’t tend to emphasize substance abuse in my own writing. On an individual level, I find it somewhat uncomfortable to write in depth, and I’m not fully confident in my ability to depict it well. It’s a very interesting theme and I’ve enjoyed plenty of stories that deal with it, but writing it myself is a different beast I’m not always up for.

Within my own story, I work through the alcohol abuse they demonstrate during canon in the first part and bring it to a resolution before they meet. Orrin overcomes his brief but brutal descent into alcoholism during the first few months after the end of the war as part of his journey to properly process his grief for the loved ones he lost. In my headcanons, Murtagh’s drunkenness was more isolated and extreme incidents, also very unhealthy, but not consistent in a way that led to dependency. That makes it easier for him to overcome, facilitated by the fact that he simply has no alcohol to drink in his isolation. By the time they meet, they both have a resolve to not drink if they can avoid it.

For the most part, they’re pretty good for each other in that way. They want to support the other’s resolve to stay sober and don’t want to undermine that with any temptation, and that tends to keep them from initiating drinking together. (Though that doesn’t always keep them away from other unhealthy behaviors...) I’ve written a conversation between them where they first talk about that part of their past. In a certain way, it helps alleviate some of their shame and fear of judgment to know that they’ve both made similar mistakes. They empathize with that struggle and would never condemn the other for it.

Although, all this has made me consider some ways having struggles with alcohol come back up might play a meaningful role in the story, so I definitely want to give that more thought!)

[daraemory]

tl;dr I’m really struggling to find my place in the pro-wrestling fandom.

(disclaimer: I’ve been taking a break from twitter and tumblr for the past couple of months so I don’t know anything about any recent iwc drama, what’s been going on in the dirt sheets or even the more legitimate wrestling news sources. i’ve been on tiktok some but unless it’s a ship or thirst edit, i hardly watch any posts on wrestle-tok.)

i feel like all i ever see in the wrestling fandom is people talking about how everything sucks. how terrible the product is. don’t get me wrong, people should be free to criticize pop-culture no matter the genre or medium. there is absolutely a LOT of problematic things in the industry that should be called out publicly.

it’s just, that seems to be all there is. wrestling makes me happy. i want to be in a community with other fans who are made happy by it too.

maybe it’s because i’m too used to the typical tv/movie/book fandoms. while i will jump at the chance to tell anyone who will listen how there is no greater performance art than wrestling, that is more “real” than marvel or star wars (which i both love) or any other popular franchise, that no “method actor” in hollywood comes close to what pro wrestlers do year round… but at it’s core it’s still about stories and characters and that’s the way i tend to approach it.

i want to have thoughtful discussions about current storylines like how luchasaurus is showing signs that he is breaking free from christian’s influence, theorize the possible motivations he had for choosing christian over jungleboy to begin with. i want to talk about how dalton castle is spiraling under the weight he’s put on his own shoulders to save ring of honor. i want to talk about the new version of warhorse and what led him to feel he had to change everything about who he was. my shipper heart wants to explore why jay white mentioned his “destino” only days before naito finally main evented wrestle kingdom. i want to read pages of meta about past arcs like the corruption of brandon cutler from his time with peter avalon where he refused to cheat to his becoming the “stooge” for the young bucks.

i am tired of “booking” and “pushes” and “ratings.” yes, i am aware that that is just as much a part of wrestling as the characters and the storylines. it’s just, for right now at least, i want wrestling to be a place where i can escape and lose myself in kayfabe just like i would in any other fictional world.

there’s just so much real life awfulness going on in both the world at large and in my own personal life, i want to be able to stay away from negativity in the things that bring me joy. and while it has been refreshing to just watch wrestling on tv without knowing about any of the back stage bullshit, i am longing for a community to discuss the things i love about it. i have a handful of wonderful non-wrestling friends who are always happy to let me word-vomit about what’s happening in kayfabe, but it isn’t the same as being able to have conversations with people who have the same knowledge and enthusiasm for the stories and characters as i do.

i just wonder if there is such a place in this fandom for me. or if that’s just not how wrestling fandom works. or if that’s how all fandoms are these days. admittedly, i’m a fandom old. i started out in fandom reading fics from yahoo mailing lists i accessed on dial-up internet.

anyways, i just needed to get this out. if anyone has any advice or thoughts about this, i welcome them, but please be patient if i don’t reply right away as i’m still not ready to be back on tumblr regularly.

[omegaremix]

May 28, 2022.

The opportunity to attend Sacred Bones’ 15th anniversary presented itself pretty quickly. Tickets were released for sale four weeks before the show and I grabbed them right away. I missed out on both Sacred Bones’ 10th shows because of nine months of stay-at-home recovery and now their 15th was a chance to redeem myself.

The build-up was getting heavier as the show drew closer. I had anxiety like never before waiting to attend a New York City show. The 28th came and it started on a dim, greyscale note. Long Island had a string of wet days with Saturday no exception. Rain arrived at the Central Islip station before I had with no telling when it’d stop - if it did. Halfway from my home station to Woodside did the storm subside to nothing.

By the time I transferred from the 7 line to the Q39 bus had the clouds open up to welcome in the blinding basking sun and matching sweltering humidity. The Q39 raced, whipped, and turned wide all throughout Sunnyside and ultimately Maspeth to drop me off in a dense neighborhood of hazy, white 75*F temperatures. I’m in the middle of an unfamiliar yet dense neighborhood. I walk a few blocks into a suspiciously silent area of shackled-up factories, closed warehouses, and shipping centers closed for the weekend; all by myself not knowing or worrying about any rogues waiting in the wings to start trouble. I drew closer to the new activity of open businesses, moving vehicles, and the pedestrians walking through the gauntlet to the Knockdown Center.

Nothing that I could ever imagine would conjure up a would-be dream-state that would become a magical reality.

I was in New York City (Queens) associated with preferably some of the best people in attendance. Surreal dreams I’ve always had now become a reality. The way showgoers sat outside the Knockout Center felt like I was on another college campus. People sitting on the floor silently observing Constant Smiles play as the rays peeked through during sundown. A hypnotized crowd witnessing Anika and Spellling’s mesmerizing performances. A super-colorful closing set by Black Marble, and a sit-down lecture about time - at a music festival? Whether Sacred Bones gamed it themselves or by sheer coincidence, this event had some unusual moments that made for a truly unforgettable experience.

The next day’s opening shift was in the back of my mind; more apparent as midnight approached. Regrettably, I leave the Knockdown Center a little earlier than desired and hitched a ride to Woodmere’s train home and guarantee six hours of sleep. I’m stunned. Bedazzled. My mind is processing the last five hours of what just happened. I’m organizing and interpreting the swirl of feelings, the sights, the colors, the sounds, the crowd, and the happenstance of everything that unfolded as I wait for the rail’s arrival. I take a seat facing direction to the Jamaica stop where I had only one minute to race and take the double-decker train’s upper-lever seat for the rest of the way home.

Spring is over. Summer has officially started.

Offset, The: Spectacles: “Colour”

Smile, The: “You Will…”

Aeges: “Who Are You”

Black Dresses: “Angel Hair”

Iguana Moonlight: “V”

Antonio Sanchez feat. Nine Inch Nails: “I Think We’re Past That Now”

Better Living: “Kid”

Ritualz: “Reintegration”

Feels Fine: “Washed Out Blue”

Doc Hammer: “Commanche”

Kaputt!: “Highlight!”

Grimes: “Shimigami Eyes”

Muslimgauze: “Qom” (edit)

Jade Hairpins: “Mary Magazine”

Totally Unicorn: “Filmed Before A Dead Audience”

Dead When I Found Her: “Dry Bed”

Beauty Pill: “At A Loss”

Savak: No Blues…”

Kaputt!: “Parsonage Square”

JK Flesh: “Urge”

Luca: “Undertow…”

Pink Siifu: “Wayans Brothers”

Alchemist: “Broken Bottles”

Henry Mancini: “Men’s Room Rock”

Principe Valiente: …

Smirk: “Irrelevant Man”

A Number Of Names: “Sharevari”

Daniel Johnston: “In A Lifetime”

100 Proof: Aged In Soul…

Kaputt!: “Accordion”

Kae Tempest: “Salt…”

[circusgoth-dotcom]

A Man And His Woes

Ship: Gabriel Conifer x Professor Henry Higgins

Word Count: 912

Summary: An introduction to Gabriel and Higgins' dynamic, in which the two discuss Higgins plans for Eliza Doolittle, a young woman of low income whom he wishes to pass off as someone of higher status just because he believes he can. CWs for classism, alcohol consumption.

Tag List: @canongf @futurewife @rexscanonwife @dudefrommywesterns

Gabriel was just about to let himself into Higgins’ study when Mrs. Pearce’s arm suddenly blocked him.

“I wouldn’t go in there now, dearie,” she warned, “Mr. Higgins is in a bit of a mood.”

He frowned. “How so?”

She sighed. “He’s taken on a… project, shall we say. Brought in a lass with the thickest accent I ever did hear, wants to make a duchess of her, and you know how he is… needless to say, they don’t like each other very much.”

“Why ever did this girl agree to work with him if they can’t stand each other?”

“She’s a poor one, you see. He offers her a room, warm meals, new clothes, and in return he thinks he gets to treat and teach her however he likes.”

It was Gabriel’s turn to sigh. “Why am I not surprised? His head’s too big for his own good.”

Mrs. Pearce nodded in agreement. “Now that I think about it, maybe you ought to go in. Soothe him. He could never be frustrated with you and you never seem to get exhausted with him. It’s an admirable feat if I do say so myself.”

He gave her a small smile as she stepped aside. “Well, I was going to tell him that the laundry’s done, but I suppose I’ll play shrink with him instead,” he quipped lightly.

“Good luck.”

Upon entering, he found Higgins sprawled out on a loveseat, pinching his brow in annoyance. “What is it now, Mrs. Pearce?”

Gabriel cleared his throat. “I hear we’ve another guest, besides Colonel Pickering.”

Higgins sat up, quickly looking over his shoulder. “Oh, Conifer, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was you. Yes, but I’d rather not talk about her. I presume you’ve just done the laundry for Pickering’s stay?”

Gabriel nodded. “Is there anything of the girl’s I’m to clean, then?”

Higgins stood and walked over to his desk, waving his hand dismissively. “Heavens no, I��ve ordered Mrs. Pearce to burn her clothes. Wretched things, they were more dirt than cloth, I’d say.”

Gabriel’s eyes widened. “Surely those were not the only things to her name?”

“Why should I care? I’m providing her with plenty of new, clean things. Ladies things.” He began pouring two glasses of brandy as Gabriel approached him.

“It’s not that that’s not a gesture of goodwill, sir, but think… she may’ve had a certain attachment to them, coming from a place of low worth… appreciate what you have and so on.” He took one of the glasses, eying Higgins tentatively. They paused as he drank, stalling for time.

“We're doing the exact opposite of what I wanted… how is it that you always get me to do that?”

“Whatever do you mean?” Gabriel smiled behind his glass of alcohol. “Now, don't try to change the subject, Mr. Higgins. Who is she?”

He huffed. “An Eliza Doolittle, and a pain in my eardrums to boot, listen to this.” Higgins quickly slipped over to his phonograph and turned it on. A harsh Cockney accent repeating vowel sounds shortly poured out of it. “Tell me, what kind of sound is that? ‘Owww,’ she sounds like an alley cat. She may as well have manners in common with one.”

Gabriel swallowed his drink. “It’s certainly kind of you to help her… though, if it is my place to say, may I suggest exercising some gentler language? Especially when she’s around. It might make things easier for both of you.”

“Of course it’s kind of me to help her. Who else would?” Higgins gazed at Gabriel for a long moment, completely breezing past his suggestion of speaking more pleasantly about Eliza and her “predicament.” “You’re so easy to talk to, Conifer.”

He finished his drink and set the glass aside. “I’m glad to hear, Mr. Higgins. But you’re changing the subject again. What’s the desired result here? Mrs. Pearce said you want to make a duchess of her.”

Higgins bit back a reluctant sound and briefly began to pace. “Yes. I want to pass her off as a lady at the upcoming Embassy Ball.”

“Six months,” Gabriel mused softly.

“Precisely.”

“But why her? Are you doing it just to prove it can be done?”

“Why else?”

Gabriel folded his arms. “You know I hate to criticise, but it all seems a bit selfish if you ask me.”

Higgins whipped around, appearing alarmed. “Selfish?! It’s selfish of me to give her everything she doesn’t have, and all I ask for in return is her cooperation?!”

“It’s selfish because you’re doing it for your own benefit, Mr. Higgins. Just so you can get a kick out of making a silk purse of a sow’s ear. What happens to her when you’re done?”

“She lives a long, happy life in the upper class! Preferably far from mine.” He set to pour himself another drink, but Gabriel put a hand on his arm.

“And if she's found out?”

“It's none of my business.” Higgins stiffly shook him off and poured more brandy.

“It's all of your business,” Gabriel muttered under his breath, turning away. “Very well, sir. I won't question you further.” With that, Gabriel left Professor Higgins to his alcohol and his headaches, waiting to be assigned another chore in the meantime.

“So, how was your day?” Higgins spoke, long after the door had closed and he had downed his second drink. He looked around, realized he was alone, and buried his face in his hands.

[findroleplay]

    hello! my names lucifer (nineteen & any pronouns) and i am currently looking for a roleplay partner - it’s been a good long while since i’ve been on the scene, but i’ve always loved writing with another person more than writing by myself. i believe i’m considered a semi-lit to lit writer, i always strive to match my partners length, however my average is at least three paragraphs. my timezone is aest (australian eastern standard time) and while i’m active during the day, i usually reply during the night. i have no real triggers/squicks to mention, but i will respect yours. i don’t have very much experience doubling up, but i am very much willing. i love going all out on headcanons and plotting ahead, i would love a partner who matches that energy.

    as for what i’m looking for, i am open to any gender pairings, however i am only able to write nsfw between male characters. i prefer fade-to-black scenarios for other instances and am open to that if you are uncomfortable with nsfw themes as well. important to note is that i don’t bother with forms for original characters - i like making it up as i go, so if you’re not into that sort of more casual approach, an original character roleplay with me may not be for you. i’m fine with any sort of plot and au’s are dependent on the fandom and type of au. moving right along, i’m currently interested in the following fandoms:

— house m.d.

    - up to: season five and counting.

    - open to: original x canon, canon x canon.

    - ships: gregory house x james wilson. robert chase x gregory house.

    - love interests: robert chase (m/m) or gregory house (m/f).

— banshee

    - up to: season one and counting.

    - open to: original x original, original x canon.

    - love interests: lucas hood (m/f or m) or your original character (any).

— supernatural

    - up to: completed, watched multiple times, the leading cause of my depression.

    - open to: original x original, original x canon, canon x canon.

    - ships: too many to list, biggest is deanifer atm. sabriel is a no-go.

    - love interests: belphegor (m/m) or your original character (m/f).

— the boys

    - up to: season three. haven’t seen gen v.

    - open to: original x original, original x canon.

    - love interests: the homelander (m/f or m), soldier boy (m/nb or f) or your original character (m/any).

— resident evil

   - up to: completed all games (incl. code v and both revelations) except six.

   - open to: original x original, original x canon, canon x canon.

   - ships: ethan winters x chris redfield. leon kennedy x luis sera 

   - love interests: albert wesker (m/f), karl heisenberg (m/m) or your original character (any).

— (tentatively) open to fandomless

    please shoot me a dm here on tumblr if you’re interested and we can work out the details. thank you! ✨

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