#i've some exploration of their friendship/relationship in fics that made me think and now i can't get it out of my head

[sewermageboy]

Thinking about the relationship between Joker and Kaidan.

How they've both been there since the beginning, how their first scene is them sitting together in the cockpit of the Normandy, teasing each other. How Joker sticks by Shepard's side the entire time while Kaidan doesn't. How Joker judges Kaidan for not coming to fight the Collectors. How Kaidan blames Joker for causing Shepard's first death. How Joker knows Kaidan is right to blame him. How they're both back on the Normandy in the end, saving the galaxy. How they can both lose the person they love (Shepard and EDI) to save everyone else.

[yuri-is-online]

Hello Yuri, inviting myself with a question. AceYuu, JadeYuu, RolloYuu. Favorite Tropes and Why?

Hello Sayo, nice to have you drop on in, have a seat. That's a sort of difficult question ( • - • ) … I think one of the main reason I like these three ships so much is my favorite thing to write is requited unrequited love, and there's a bunch of good chemistry to work that into these three guys. I like exploring the pining and denial stage of love, but there are some differences with each ship I like to explore.

AceYuu is friends to lovers to me. They just exemplify what I want out of a ship like that, there's a genuine friendship underneath everything that's built on mutual respect and affection that just isn't with some other pairings. I like exploring it from Ace's pov especially because I see him as someone who already has a good grasp on what it means to be a good and loyal friend, but is utterly powerless when it comes to genuine romantic love. He's got no idea what to do with himself other than continue to be Yuu's friend, not fully realizing that's the best foundation for a relationship. I like making Yuu a bit more accepting of their own romantic feelings but not of their place in Ace's heart. Jenny Studio Killers ship my beloved.

JadeYuu is Yuu falling first and Jade falling harder. The line I throw around about Jade finding Yuu boring at first isn't something I made up, it's his vingette level up line. "Oh no I don't think that now." He says with a smirk because he doesn't, but he does not really know what he thinks about Yuu so he doesn't give a concrete answer. Fun he supposes, he likes watching you move through the world. It's similar to how Floyd interacted with things at first, but he doesn't really like the idea of comparing you to Floyd... just what is this strange feeling? He thinks he likes it vs Yuu who took one look at Jade and that smile, that damned smile. You were in love from day one and a bit upset that your bad taste in men had followed you to a different world. But while you are busy trying to get over your feelings Jade is starting to realize his and once he does good luck getting away. He's intense, desperate, and so much deeper in love than you ever thought he could be. If you don't get married right this instant he thinks he might actually die, he's that down bad. And super pathetic about it too.

RolloYuu is love at first sight. I like fatal/doomed attraction with them too, just Rollo being in love with Yuu and Yuu being in love with Rollo but the timing is wrong. The circumstances are wrong, Rollo is maybe the one guy who genuinely wishes he was born in your world and would follow you there without hesitation (the original ending to my long fic had him doing just that) but is that really what would be best for him? I like writing him as obsessed with Yuu, and Yuu as knowing it is wrong to be enamored by that but they're just so tired of everything they want to stay with him. It's much more simple than the other two ships I should write for them a bit more... oh I've also found I really like writing them as childhood friends in my ayuus. It's a dynamic that sort of works with that whole doomed love at first sight thing, for me anyway.

[necrotic-nephilim]

in the tags of that one fab five poly post you mentioned that you are a core four enthusiast and I’d love to hear if you have any Kon headcanons or just any yj headcanons in general, I love those little guys

!!! i love Kon so much, he's one of my fave guys. i actually got into the 90s era of comics to read his solo run, YJ(98), and then i just spiralled from there. i've got lots of headcanons about both Kon and YJ

for Kon specifically, i'm really attached to the headcanon of him and Power Girl being friends. i think the idea of them bonding over imposter syndrome over feeling like Kryptonians who don't neatly fit into the Superfam would be very crunchy. it's my Kara Zor-L stan showing, but i've got a lot of fic ideas where they end up close. similarly: i also think a friendship between Kon and Bizarro could be fun, both being clones of Superman made by Lex.

for a YJ headcanon: i hold FIRMLY to the belief that Bart knew TIm's secret identity before YJ even formed he just. never mentioned it bc no one asked him. the way they meet in Robin Plus Impulse, i see no world where Bart doesn't figure it out. i think it makes for a hilarious concept that Tim's identity real is a big deal and he uses the whole fake name Alvin Draper and Bart just blurts out that he's Tim Drake. i know we all love TimKon, but I'm a bit of a TimBart truther and i think it could be a fun little moment for them.

back to Kon: this is less of a headcanon and more of just a thought: but i wish we had more content about the Ravers, Kon's team before YJ. i won't everytime i think about Superboy & the Ravers i have to look it up to convince myself i didn't hallucinate that entire comic. but it was so fun. there was a road trip arc. a canon queer character who's arc was handled shockingly well for the 90s. (and the homophobic character was the one who got the unhappy ending while the gay man got to be happy with a bf?? revolutionary.) i personally believe Hero Cruz was Kon's gay awakening. i won't elaborate on this. anyway i wish we saw more of Kon thinking about this team after YJ formed and maybe missing some of his old party friend losers.

also on the note of Kon, i love any exploration of his canon experiences with being groomed by just about every woman he "dated" in the 90s. i'm such a fan of when a character becomes hypersexual to cope with their trauma that they haven't realized even is trauma. and i think Kon fits that bar perfectly. the first real attention he got outside of being attached to Superman's legacy was sexual attention from women, so of course he would lean into that and not realize how fucked up it was until years later. i love when it shapes his relationships in fanfiction, especially if he doesn't realize it. whether it's Tana Moon or Knockout or just about any other woman, there's a lot of material to explore.

Kon is one of the few characters i will venture out of pre-Flashpoint for because i think his complex over Jon Kent has the potential to be really complex and fun. i think everyone misunderstands Kon and Clark's relationship (i blame the Young Justice cartoon. i've had arguments you wouldn't believe over Kon on TikTok-) as father/son and that Clark is constantly pushing Kon away in favor of Jon, and that's just not true. the issue is that Kon was *forgotten* by the timeline shifting without him bc he was off on Gemworld. and to me, that's more interesting than making Clark some kind of absent father to him. it's an issue of the world he remembers not existing anymore and most of the world not remembering him either, and now there's a new Superboy replacing him. idk man that's fun. i have a lot of thoughts about the feelings Kon would have about Jon, wondering if the timeline shift was meant to "correct" Superboy to make a version of Superboy that was meant to exist and Kon wasn't. this very much ties into my thoughts on how he and Power Girl would have a lot to bond over, feeling displaced in a world that doesn't need them. that's where Kon's identity issues stem from. that said, i always prefer a Kon who actually gets along pretty well with the Superfam, including Clark and Jon. most of his conflict is internal, not external. it's what makes him crunchy.

more YJ headcanon: i think the shift from the Teen Titans to YJ from the perspective of the mentors is fascinating. YJ got a lot more freedom and less supervision, it's like how parents don't try as hard when they have more kids. so i love the headcanon that half the time the League has no damn clue what YJ is up to. they played baseball to save the universe? yeah they never mentioned it to their mentors. no one asked. the lack of supervision, sans a robot, makes them incredibly creative with how they solve problems. they don't approach anything traditionally because no one is properly guiding them. since they're a new generation of sidekicks, most of them holding a mantle that was passed down to them (or at the very least they're a new generation of a superhero family) it holds a bit of imposter syndrome. all of them are internally panicking 90% of the time while trying to appear collected around each other. they're actively a collective disaster because of it.

personally, i view the Core Four as more of a queerplatonic polycule than a romantic one? like i think it's fun to explore polycule dynamics where it's not actually everyone dating everyone, but far more complex of some people dating, some people are familial, some people are fucking, and we don't even know what those two have going on. it's complicated, you know? messy and codependent. i don't see them as a neat polycule whatsoever. it's like an on and off again relationship but with four people that also occasionally includes others. i'm personally a fan of the potential of the Young Justice (2019) team being a polycule except none of them have any clue who's dating who. every single one of them *will* give you a different answer. half of them aren't even aware of the other's sexualities. Jinny has come out as a lesbian like four times to her own polycule. i'm a big fan of this team and i wish there was more fan content for it.

random smaller headcanon: i do think Kon can cook and i think no one believes him when he tells them. bc the issue isn't he can't cook, it's that he never has food in his fridge or pantry to cook with. that boy was raised with Ma and Pa Kent, he can make a *mean* hotdish with whatever he finds. just don't expect him to ever repeat a recipe bc he will never have that exact combination of ingredients in his kitchen again. he is however, horrible at baking bc cooking is an art and baking is a science and you will never catch him following a recipe in his life.

i think Kon regularly uses his TTK to save his teammates during fights and just. never mentions it. like in small ways, such as slightly moving flying debris that's about to hit them, making a villain's punch have more resistance so it doesn't hit as hard, slightly pulling them out of the way. no one knows for like. *years*. i'm very obsessed with pushing TTK to the limits and exploring how it makes Kon hyperaware of his surroundings. it's a literal sixth sense and i think he's passively always aware of everything, even when he's relaxing. no one realizes just how much control he exerts over a fight. which means he's holding himself back most of the time, and in my opinion for the reasons of being afraid of himself, and afraid of the Luthor parts of him. so he just. balances a fight in little, unnoticeable ways.

it's one of my headcanons that if Kon started openly dating Tim Drake, Lex would immediately try to get closer to Kon bc not only would he approve of Kon dating someone from high society, but he'd want to try to use Tim's power within his family's company and Bruce's company as leverage. of course it wouldn't work, but it'd be a fun mind game if Lex vs Tim with Kon just stuck in the middle. i have a vague fanfic idea for this I'll probably never write.

this is a cursed headcanon: but i believe Kon has an incest kink. the number of times he's canonically expressed incestual feelings (both on purpose and on accident) is not on purpose in the text, but the fact it keeps happening means i'm personally just going to run with it. i think KonJayTim is fun bc even if Tim and Jason don't see each other as siblings, Kon would make it a kink anyway. i will leave you on that cursed note.

[v3nusxsky]

Say it again 18+

*A/n~ this fic has been going round my head all day. I'm exhausted but I just can't rest until I've written it. I'm going to edit it in the morning tho. Prompt list has been posted for you guys too feel free to request anything I absolutely adore hearing from you all*

Warnings~ dom Larissa sub reader, mommy k!nk, safewords, strap on, f!ngering, praise k!nk, degradaing k!nk, oral & just smutty goodness

Prompt- new to your relationship reader and Larissa start to explore just how far they can take things. (Start will be based off my life tw for abuses -sexual kind and non- )

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Joining Nevermore Academy to teach English language was one of your best decisions yet ranking in the top spot. The school saved you. Going through a rough break up it gave you a safe haven. A new focus that helped get you through. The staff are lovely but one particular lady caught your eye. Just so happens the stunning gorgeous goddess is your boss. How does anyone get any work done around her? It's impossible to focus when she's such a pretty picture in front of you. You formed attentive friendship with your boss. First rule of dating... no coworkers.

Months passed and you and Larissa explored your relationship at a pace that felt good for you both. Your dates were always so thoughtful and planned perfectly, she dotes on you, and listened to your wants and needs. As well as being the exact definition of your ideal women. You couldn't believe you got to call this goddess yours. And you hadn't even slept together so she went out with you because she wanted to not just for sex.

Your relationship with Larissa seas so different from the previous one with Alexis. She wouldn't give a toss about you, never tried to get to know you or anything and the had the audacity to take something from you that you didn't want to give. She didn't care if you consented. She wanted. She got. No matter if you said yes or no or awake or asleep she didn't care. So when you nervously suggested to wait before making love you'd expected Larissa to go mad. Instead she didn't, she wrapped you in her arms and just held you. No matter how badly the older women wanted you she would not take without permission. The thought made her own stomach turn.

So you can imagine the little shocked sound Larissa made as she accidentally choked on her wine. "Can we uh talk about likes and um not likes" you mumbled embarrassed, eyes towards the ground.

"Um yes ? Would you like to start?" She offered and was received with a negative.

(Guys here might get a little sexual abuse tw? It's based on a personal experience the least I'll want to do is trigger anyone with my past. I very much am y/n in this so please if anyone has anything like this reach out. It took me three years but I'm now doing okay and you deserve to be treated right)

"Okay darling so I'll start with some things I like okay? So I prefer being more dominant. I like to focus on you but I'm not against receiving. I would prefer to wear the strap but if you wanted to I'm sure we could sort that out later. I like to give my partner a safe word. So they can use it not only in the bedroom when they want to end the session but this could work in public depending on the word. Um I don't mind toys at all... I think that's all" she explained every bit so clearly.

Can my safe word be dove? " you murmured. The word being a nickname you had been called pretty much all your life. You continued "I haven't...I don't know what I'm doing either. But that's okay because that's how you learn. I um I know there's probably um pain involved?" You questioned the fear seeping through your words.

"Dove.. that works darling. So it's discreet enough you could even use it in public to show me you wish to leave an environment or situation if you wanted to. Whenever I hear that word from you I'll try my best to make you feel comfortable." She promised causing a small smile to grace your lips. She really and truly loves you it's plain to see.  "Baby? What do you mean by pain? " her tone heading caution here.

"I um well dominant people hurt their submissives? That's what she always said. It's normal? And if I say no you can still take whatever because your a dominant person?" You trailed off. You really hated your lack of knowledge here. As a teacher your thirst for knowledge was never quenched, so to have this massive gap was slightly embarrassing. Alexis had been a very rough period of your life, one in which you faced many difficulties and lost everyone in your life. Larissa knew of the relationship but none of the details. Truly isolated. No one knew the true extent of what you went through, partly because you still didn't quite understand the extent of it yourself. But if your loves crestfallen expression was anything to go by then you'd assume Larissa was starting to work everything out.

"Oh y/n. No darling that's not quite right. A dominant still needs consent love. It's a mutual agreement between both parties that have limits. So someone might adore being praised where as the other may prefer to be um put down while having some fun. Some people like to be hurt, others don't. Some like to be restrained and others don't it makes them panicky which then takes the enjoyment from such a special act. Do you understand love?" She gathered your hands in hers seeing the tears threatening to fall from your eyes, "I promise y/n when the time comes I'll never do anything you don't want. I like to check in with my partner. All I'll ever want to do is make you feel good my love" her reassuring words wrapping around you like a blanket.

"What do you like?" You whispered out almost inaudibly. "Me? Hmm well I like myself a lot of praise, I like to praise my partner let them know how good they are for me. I'm also not against using degradation with some limits and this is if and only if they enjoy so. I own some restraints and toys but would never use them unless specifically asked for" she trailed off carefully examining your reaction. So far so good. You didn't look frightened or in need to stop the conversation. "My love is there anything I said you don't want?" She queried. You sat in deep thought, her thumbs caressing the tops of your hands. "Um I don't think so? That all sounds rather enjoyable I think. I would like to try." You mumbled a bright red flush adorning your cheeks at the admission. "Okay my love, is there anything else you want to ask?" In which you shook your head just processing the new information. You moved to settle back against your girlfriend in a comfortable silence.

(End of the tw?)

What Larissa was describing sounded rather enjoyable and nothing like what you were thinking. Actually what you were being told made the whole idea rather desirable? You trusted Larissa explicitly and she would never hurt you intentionally that much was clear. Maybe you could give it a try? After all you'd been together now for a while and maybe just maybe you were ready for the next step? Larissa had promised to wait as long as you needed. And true to her word Larissa never made any advances or made you feel any kind of pressure. "Honey? Can we um I think I god this is rather hard..." your embarrassment causing the words to get lost in your throat. "I can we try?" You managed lamely gaze fixed to the flames of fire dancing in front of you.

"Are you sure y/n? You don't have to just because we had this conversation." She murmured into your hair wanting you to know it was not a requirement. "I want to... I want you and to make you feel good. Show me. Please?" You whimpered out in a response. The words reassuring the older women this was a mutual want. You turned around to see her darkened lust filled eyes in the soft glow from the fire. Absolutely stunning. Her lips sought out yours in a sweet yet desire filled kiss. Hands finding purchase on your cheek and the back of your neck, holding you to her. Your hands slipping round her neck in an attempt to get closer. You shifted so you were now sat on her lap, enjoying the kiss she was gladly offering. Her lips trailed your neck up to your ear nipping the lobe before trailing down to find your pulse point. She nipped there lightly revealing in the little gasp you made only spurring her on to repeat the action a little harder. Again the moan was a bit louder in response to her action. You could feel her lips curling upwards against your skin, she was rather pleased at how responsive you were to her simple acts. "Larissa, please" you whined the desire you felt for her now burning like a raging river. Months of wanting her but not having the confidence to do so hitting you like a freight rain.

"Okay my darling, bedroom?" She murmured against your neck not wanting to stop her assault of kisses there. The sounds you were making, simply too addicting for her to ever want to stop. With a quick nod, you were carried to your lovers room and gently laid on the bed. "Darling? Still okay?" She queried in which you nodded too distracted by the way you were feeling for words. "Words angel" she reminded you. "Please" you whimpered under her gaze. With enough consent Larissa stated to remove your clothing one by one pressing light kisses over the new exposed skin. An act you were not use to but was most certainly not unwelcome. Once fully bare for her you started to squirm under her lustful gaze. The power dynamic of you being exposed while your lover looked full composed still in her clothing, riled you up even more. God you needed her.

An inpatient whine filled the room causing Larissa to smirk. "Aw my poor baby, do you need something darling?" She taunted very carefully here not knowing if you'd respond well. To her relief you rolled your eyes and whined at her, "you know I need you please." God you were sexy when you begged her. Making a mental note to try and achieve more begging later Larissa decided to tell you what she planned to do to you and see what you'd like. Her plan was vague but sounded absolutely delightful so you made no adjustments. Kisses were being trailed over your stomach as her hands palmed your breasts. Everything felt so good. And then her mouth found your aching core. A delicious cry of pure pleasure tore through you when you felt her tongue at your soaked cunt. Her movements slow, maddeningly slow as she explored and savoured every moment. Your moans were now falling freely as you brought your hands to her hair. You needed more. This sensation like no other, your lover certainly knew what she was doing. Your first dance with pleasure was brought on by her sucking and licking at your bundle of nerves. Never really feeling anything like this meant your control of the climax was none existent as you fell from the edge. Moans tearing through you as your thighs tightened around her head instinctively trying to hold her there. Only when you came down panting did Larissa move, your mixture of arousal and cum coating her face.  "Want to taste darling?" She purred causing more arousal to rush straight to your core.

You brought her lips to yours moaning at the unfamiliar taste of yourself mixed with her. The kiss became needy and your hands began tugging at her clothing. "Off" you half growled and half moaned against her lips. She chuckled at the needy mess you now were and complied with the request. "So beautiful" you murmured, unable to tear your gaze from her. "Darling are we still okay?" The consistency of her checking in was so adorable and p you and you loved it. You felt so safe and well she'd given you your first orgasm and you'd be lying if you said you didn't want more. "Yes god please I want more"

Only then did she settle between your thighs once more. This time her fingers trailed ever so lightly on your thighs, creating idle patterns. Never quite reaching where you wanted her. Your hips bucked up on their own accord startling you slightly. "Aw is my good girl needy?" She husked at you sensing the confusion you felt at the action. "Mmm please" begging her seemed to get you what you wanted. And all sense of embarrassment fled your mind. It was just you and your lover.

Gently, you felt her long slender finger pushing into your heat. A groan forced its way from your lips. Not registering the volume or really caring. You were absolutely dripping for her. And she added another knowing you could manage if she was carful. Once your body adjusted to the intrusion the pleasure became overwhelming. The need to move almost painful. Sensing your impatience Larissa started to slowly thrust her fingers in and out curling them slightly. God did she have a map of where to touch you? Your second orgasm of the night fast approaching under her skilled hands.  Your moans tangled with her statements of praise and the sounds your slickness filled the room. You desperately began to chase the high. Recognising the feeling from before and wanting it even more. It was the feeling of her talented tongue on your clit that threw you violently over the edge. Your vision blurring as you swore you saw stars. After bringing you back down to earth she crawled up your body once more. You looked absolutely delightful, laid spread, and well and truly fucked and stated.

"You-you never had anything?" You tried to get out and steady your breathing. "I want to please you. Please" you whimpered. "Well darling, what do you think of trying the strap?" She tried cautiously only to be met by a grin on your face as a sparkle in your eyes at the suggestion. "Please" was all she needed to jump into action. Despite this being the first time you'd been touched by your girlfriend, your girlfriend spent many nights with her own hand or her vibrator bringing herself to pleasure with this thought. Taking you with her strap, hearing your delicious moans tumble from you uncontrollably as you took her like a good girl. The thought enough to make her drool.

Soon enough a red strap sat between her strong thighs, your gaze refusing to leave that sight. Commuting it to memory. "Are you sure my darling?" You were transfixed at the sight and she was misinterpreting that for fear. After all she knew this was a new experience for you. "Please Rissa I want to" you reassured her and moved your legs to be more open in a obvious request.

The sensation nothing like anything you could remember. The burning pain at the intrusion nothing like that of her fingers just previous. Tears sprang to your eyes and then you felt her hand clutching yours, her head dropping to your neck peppering kisses there. "You're doing so good darling. I know it hurts, such a good girl for me hmm?" Slowly the pain subsided and an unmatched level of pleasure began to course through you. The sensation eliciting a pleasure filled groan. "Fuck please mommy-" wait? What? Mommy? Did you just call her mommy?

"Oh my darling girl, you want mommy to help you?" She then pulled out gently only to thrust back in setting a steady pace. "Oh fuck god mommy please" starting to become extremely sensitive all you could do is whine and mewl at her thrusts. Both approaching the fall together. And that's how you fell. Together. Screaming out your lovers name as she fell beside you. Only pulling out from your heat once she was sure you had ridden out your pleasure. A slither of pain hit you at the action causing a little pained whimper. "Oh darling I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you okay? Do you need anything? Water? Snacks ? Bath? Cuddles?" Her list seemed to flow endlessly."

"I um what?" You muttered dumbly, your limbs heavy exhaustion quickly creeping over you. "Aftercare darling. Have you never?" She trailed off the question obvious. In which the answer was no. "Cuddles please" you whimpered, your emotions were heightened which caused tears to finally fall. "Oh baby, come here." She gathered you up in her arms and laid back with you snuggled up to her chest. "Mommy has you baby" she murmured into your hair which caused a slight giggle. "You didn't mind that? I didn't even know it escaped." You explained and she chuckled at your reaction. " darling you can call me whatever you wish and it was very hot" she clarified and you mentally settled on mommy, after all it was the first thought that came to you as she was taking care of you. Before sleep claimed you you managed to whisper out "nobody could love me like you do."

Larissa laid there with you snuggled up to her, basking in the after glow of the night. It was an absolute perfect night and she couldn't wait for many more nights with you. After all you were proving to be quite the interesting pretty thing to play with. She wondered how far she could eventually push you. The thought causing her to smirk as sleep claimed her.

Word count~ 3043

*A/n~ I was listening to a song called zero which Inspired y/n's last line the lyrics are

"Do you know there ain't nobody, ain't nobody that make it hot like me."

[hijinks-n-lowjinks]

tell me abt the gasoline jjk wip 🙏

GLADLY.

It all started by listening to Halsey's Badlands album for the umpteenth time and there was just something about Gasoline that suddenly hit different. It gave such distinct apocalyptic vibes that I was instantly inspired and tried to write down as much exposition and plot outlining as I could before I forgot.

And thus the jjk/itafushi vamp au was born!!!

The general premise is that vampires are the ruling class in the modern world. They take blood tithe offerings in order for humans to keep their lives. It's not exactly uncommon for vamps to kill recklessly, but this provides them with some incentive not to kill their main source of food with each feeding.

Megumi's role in this au is... complicated. He works as a poacher, a term used by humans and vampires alike to describe humans that hunt down other humans to feed to vampires. He's enlisted by different vampires and covens to find and capture humans that fit the specific desires of the vamp in question: blood type, gender, age, etc. Think of it as a fucked up comparison to how people have specific foods they prefer.

Now, Megumi isn't playing to role of the good guy in this fic, but he also doesn't want to be doing what he's doing. The only reason he does this is to keep his comatose sister alive and safe, as he's made a deal with coven leader Mahito to keep their hands off of the Fushiguro siblings if he hunts people down when they ask.

The essential plot is that one day Mahito has a specific request for Megumi: capture one boy and Megumi will no longer have to work as a traitor to humanity while still remaining safe from vampires. This boy, Itadori Yuuji, has stolen something from Mahito and he needs it back, but he also needs Yuuji alive so Megumi can't just kill him.

Megumi sees this as his one opportunity to get out of this shithole of a situation and hesitantly accepts the offer. He sets out to find this thief and ends up forming a friendship with him, first to try and gain Yuuji's trust so he can manipulate Yuuji into doing what he wants, but obviously things don't turn out the way he plans.

Yuuji is very much a mystery throughout the story, his background and motives hidden until much later in the story when shit goes down. He and Megumi have a sort of instant chemistry/connection in this fic that throws both of them off, as neither have much experience with forging human relationships. Their dynamic is something I'm so excited to explore!

And that's the basic plot! There's a lot more shit involved that I have and have not written out yet, but I am SO excited to finally get to this one aibtntfi is finished! I've been talking about this fic with @kattythingz forever and she knows how long this shit has been in works lol. The title of this fic has been at war in my head as I can't choose between a simple title like "Gasoline" or if I should go with the good old lyric title "my heart is gold, but my hands are cold", but honestly I'm sort of leaning towards the former? Feels more distinct that way and it's a bit different from my usual fic titles.

[saintsenara]

not the ask’s original sender, but your response re: stonks was so thoughtful and heartwarming, it got me smiling like a fool at some parts! i never considered the ship much, and don’t know if this is controversial but i’m a huge transfem snape enjoyer/truther & your post got me thinking a lot on the potential for queer themes exploration in post-war stonks—for both snape and tonks. i’m always wishing there were more transfem!snape shippy fics and there’s just so much one could do with 1) an snape who survived and, now out of such dire lifelong conditions, finally can have the space for personal self-evaluation of who he is and what he’s accomplished in his personal life, forced to confront his gender identity/expression and sexuality in ways that go beyond what one does behind closed doors, and who can finally set out to investigate and experience who he wants to be after repressing so much of his development for the war effort and self-flagellation; 2) a tonks who’s juggling single parenthood and sexuality and/or gender expression simultaneously in her 20s, and the ways in which they could support e/o even in that department more than any other potential partners. that is to say, you made me realize stonks could go so hard for queer exploration of both characters. (also, snape as teddy’s stepmother vs. godfather harry strikes me as an hilarious follow-up to a stonks rship, from a (platonic) snarry perspective, and there’s a lot of potential here for forgiveness and things coming full circle too, i think. as a snarry girlie i especially love to think about their post-war rekindling esp. platonically and the potential for friendship or even found family there, and teddy being another point of contact would be nice). so... thank you so much for selling me on this ship. i’m fr so into this concept now 👀🕵️‍♀️

ahhh thank you so much, anon! i'm delighted to welcome another person to stonks nation!

and my god yes i am compelled by this whole premise.

i am absolutely obsessed with the insight into snape's relationship with gender we get in canon - especially his association with aspects of gender performance which are often understood as feminine. i love the whole gamut we get to run with this - from snape as a cis man [queer or otherwise] who is figuring out his relationship with his unconventional masculinity, to snape as a trans woman, which is something i am currently writing about.

i am also a queer tonks truther - one of my favourite pieces i've written is about tonks exploring her sexuality and gender identity, and - while the tonks of that piece came to feel that cis and bi were the right terms for her - i like fics which place tonks across the whole, vast spectrum of gender and sexuality. after all, they can literally change bodies on a daily basis - there is so much scope there for the sheer joy of exploring who you are when writing them.

and i think that idea of joy - and of the broader liberation and freedom tonks and snape could experience post-war - is something really valuable. i said in the original stonks manifesto that i like the idea of the two of them initially coming together because of a need to cling to a life-raft in the aftermath of the battle, when they both find themselves adrift and unmoored in a world they didn't expect to live to see, before realising that they have something deeper in common beneath that initial comfort - and i really like that "something deeper" being each of them coming to realise that they finally have the option [and the supportive partner] to sit down and actually think about who they are.

especially because this would allow an author to play with the fact that both snape and tonks would wake up post-battle with the unnerving feeling that the script which was directing their lives is now at an end and that they have no guide on what to do next... i think there's something really revolutionary in saying "fuck it, that chapter's closed" and leaving the snape who was bitten by nagini and the tonks who was attacked by bellatrix - who are understood by harry's narrative perspective as straight and cis [even if that's more ambiguous in canon than harry thinks...] - behind in deathly hallows while the stonks of the post-war world say "yeah, so you guys were mistaken there..."

plus, this would give harry a chance to recognise his own queerness [baby, there's a reason you want to spend so much time talking about how handsome tall, thin, dark-haired men are...], which is always fun. although there's nothing on earth which will stop him and snape beefing constantly over teddy - even if, after a while, this starts to look more good-natured than either is willing to admit.

tonks clocks it though.

[thevikingwoman]

I wanted to do one of these this year, as I've been really pleased with what I've written this year, especially in the back half.

For November and December I tried writing or working on my writing (outlining, editing) every day, and I was able to do so almost every day. I think it unclogged something, and I'll try to keep going with this in 2024.

This year I tried out a new fandom, FFXIV, it's been an interesting experience. I love what I've written and where it's taking me. I've had fun developing Meryta and getting to know her, it has taken a bit for her to let herself get known to me, and it's still a process! I'm enjoying having something new to dig into. I've also written a few shorts for Wayfarer IF, and my MCs do live rent free in my head - but for now they're mostly biding their time.

I'm looking forward to writing in 2024!

Overview

Fandoms: 2

Fics Published: 10

WIPs (actively working on): 3

WIPs/ideas (back burner): 5

I haven't tracked my words all year, so I can't properly tell. I've split up my in-progress fics as I tend to get ideas and jot down the gist or even write a little and then abandon. Some of them will never see the light, but some of them have more than 2000 words in them and I do want to finish them up.

For me, it's a constant balance of following the new idea or buckle down and finish something. I will work on this, I have things I want out in the world.

Fic List

Reprieve - FFXIV | E | Meryta x Emmanellain | 4206 words

I started this fic as a sweet kiss, and decided later to add the whole encounter and the morning after to the fic in November. I'm glad I did and it's been so fun exploring the sweetness between Meryta and Emmanellain.

Distance - FFXIV | M | Beatin x Gairhard, Meryta & Beatin | 1542 words

I have such a fondness for the DoH quests, and the ARR carpenter ones in particular. This is one of the favorite things I wrote this year, and one of the first.

Wayfarer short trio - View (G), Alone (G), Flirt (T) | 1474 words total

I wrote three short fics for @wayfarer-week, one for each of my MCs. They are all pre-game, and I'm very happy that I got these done, and the moments I choose.

Wrong - FFXIV | G | Meryta & Urianger | 691 words

I wanted to explore how Meryta felt about Urianger after the HW patches, and how this could lead to a beginning friendship

Under Familiar Stars - FFXIV | E | Meryta x Tansui | 2085 words

I so enjoyed Tansui when he showed in MSQ, and by mid Stormblood I had the idea of Meryta having a fling, so I wrote this. I really love how SB was both a homecoming and turning point in her maturity and confidence, and this fic does explore some of this - along with the smut ;). I'm really happy how this turned out.

The Perils of Ishgard Publishing | FFXIV | G | Meryta & Emmanellain | 428 words

A fun note on (fake) wol romance novel became this, and I really love how I was able to write off the cuff - and get to explore Meryta and Emmanellain's friendship after their fling.

Stress Relief | FFXIV | T | Calantha x Hien | 527 words

This was a gift for @galadae, and I'm so happy I got to write Cala and Hien. I love their relationship, and I'm so happy I got to write this, and that my writing has unwound itself enough to write a small gift fic.

Passing Through | FFXIV | E | Meryta x Tansui | 4518 words

By the time November rolled around I'd went off cliff on Meryta and Tansui's relationship, and this fic is my favorite of the year. I'm having so much fun exploring their dynamic, and writing some pretty fun smut. This one made me happy.

End notes

this was the year of FFXIV writing, and it does feel different writing for this fandom than other's I've engaged with. I don't know if I can or will set words on it, but I do look forward to exploring more ffxiv writing and reading next year.

The past two months have been so fun to me, and I've been pouring more words out than the entire year. For next year, my goal is to feel more free, to keep writing what sparks interest, and especially not worry of fitting everything perfectly into a fixed timeline. Not worry about living up to other's or my own expectations or bar for "making this thought a fic", not worry about pairings or topics, and just have fun.

happy writing to us all in 2024!

[inquisimer]

fic recs

On this fanfic writer appreciation day, I'm going to take a moment to be sappy and sentimental. Whether I knew it or not at the time, fanfiction has gotten me through some Shit™. Even when I had no motivation to keep going irl, I could always count on ffn or ao3 to have that next chapter, that beautifully crafted one shot, that comfort fic that would make an awful day worthwhile. And when I say I could count on ffn or ao3, I mean I could count on the humans behind the usernames who were posting little pieces of themselves online for all the world to share in. So thank you - to my favorite writers, to those I have yet to find, to the ones who write long fics and the ones who write one shots. Thank you to the consistent updaters and the ones who've never posted anything at all. Thank you for being here and I hope you keep going, whatever fic writing means to you.

I've been lucky to meet some amazing people through this hobby and it's opened up spaces to me that I didn't even know I needed. Places of support and kindness and sharing and community and I wouldn't trade the friendships I've made there for anything else.

Thank you everyone for helping make that space possible💜

And now some fic recs! Because my sappiness has sources and you should all check these out (or at least mark them for when you have spoons later):

One-Shots:

Things my heart used to know (things it yearns to remember) by NiriKeehan (@nirikeehan)

Dragon Age: Inquisition | Cullen Rutherford/Female Lavellan | Rated: T | 3,647 words Unquestionably one of my favorite pieces, a gift I received as part of the DAFF Discord Server 2023 OC Swap event. NiriKeehan beautifully captured the rocky relationship between my oc Neria Surana Lavellan and Cullen and filled in gaps in their history that I'd been struggling with since her inception. Set after the Inquisition arrives at Skyhold, Neria and Cullen work to find common ground despite their tumultuous past and the insanity of their present. Features: Cullen is good at his job, idiots in love, mage-templar dynamics

Cinnamon by Exalted_Dawn (@exalted-dawn-drabbles)

Dragon Age: Inquisition | Calder Eikmann/Talena Ethera | Rated: M | 2,870 words My go-to fluff piece!! Calder and Talenna snuggle and share a sweet (and spicy) moment of peace. Oh, and Calder implies that Talenna (a Dalish elf who has left her clan) is part of his family and his mom thinks so too (I'm super normal about it). Features: tooth-rotting fluff, elf-human relationships, masterful dialogue, love is stored in the apple cider

Lead Her Through the Darkness by BECandCall (@warpedlegacywrites)

Dragon Age: Inquisition | Gen, Female Lavellan | Rated: T | 3,121 words A beautiful character study of the moment @dreadfutures' Ixchel Lavellan chose her name. BECandCall does an incredible job with the internal monologue of a child and her prose and symbolism are expertly and beautifully crafted. Features: character study, genfic, ancient ruins, Evanuris, descriptive and immersive POV

last man standing (perhaps) by havvke (Wintertree)

Dragon Age: II | Carver Hawke & Charade Amell & Female Hawke | Rated: T | 6,749 words I'm a little insane about Charade Amell and how little we get of her in canon, so this gift I received as part of the 2023 Platonic Ideal Exchange was an absolute treat. It explores Charade's relationship (or lack thereof) with both Carver and Hawke, expands on her role with the Jennies, and packs a punch with the grief that is almost a given in any story about Hawke. Features: Warden Carver, new POV of canon events, canon-compliant exploration, families of choice

the things we carry by patho (ghostsoldier)

Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall | Daud, The Whalers | Rated: T | 4,158 words *shows up ten years late to the Dishonored fandom* *subjects you all to it anyway* so like. I know everyone followed me for Dragon Age. This is a Dragon Age centric blog. But it's my rec post and these Dishonored one shots have been clawing at my heart SO go play the games and then come back and read these fics 😂 This one is just absolutely heart-wrenching angst, as Daud and the Whalers deal with the aftermath of a tragedy. Features: found family, found family but slightly to the left, grief & mourning, betrayal, death, hurt/no comfort

the four times daud summoned a whaler who was totally unprepared for it (and the one time they were) by patho (ghostsoldier)

Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall | Daud, The Whalers | Rated: T | 1,705 words Unlike the other Dishonored fic on this list, this one is just fluff, fluff, and more fluff. I am a huge fan of when writers interpret game mechanics into narrative format and patho does that SO well here, I could literally picture this happening in the game and it was just a joy to read. Features: found family, humor, begrudging father-figure, slice of life

Long Fics:

Dead Pasts and Dread Futures by youworeblue (@dreadfutures)

Dragon Age: Inquisition | Female Lavellan/Solas | Rated: E | Chapters: 170/170 | Complete | CW: depressive & suicidal themes It is flat out impossible for me to articulate a recommendation for this fic, but hell if I'm not going to try anyway. Ixchel Lavellan's story starts with her suicide - and continues with the journey of how she gets better. It is such a rare thing to find a story of recovery that captures the ups and downs, the highs and lows in a way that resonates with reality, but Blue does it. I don't know how, but she does it. Ixchel struggles, she doubts, she despairs, but she always finds a way forward. Despite or in spite of all the world throws at her, she tries to trust and she tries to hope and she keeps fighting. It's a story about choosing hope, even when no one would expect you to. It's a story of platonic love and empathy and morality and theory and lore and minor characters and so much more that I could fill an entire post with this fic alone. This was one of the first DA fics I ever read and it's one I've come back to over and over again. Because it's the kind of message you need to hear that many times and every time I read it I fall in love with Ixchel, her story, and the world and narrative that Blue has crafted a little bit more. If you only have the spoons to invest in one long fic, this is the one💜 It, and the sequel The Brave Guide, are absolutely worth your time.

A Fool's Death and a Hard Choice by RosellaWrites (@rosella-writes)

Dragon Age: Inquisition | Loghain Mac Tir/Morrigan | Rated: M | Chapters: 12/12 | Complete A masterful exploration of what the reunion between Loghain and Morrigan who completed the Dark Ritual during Origins would look like. RosellaWrites has the biggest brain ideas about characters that most people gloss over or vilify - including me! I was such a Loghain hater before they started me chewing on his character and this fic is no exception. They interpret Loghain's harshness and Morrigan's aloofness into the multifaceted, heart-breaking characters that they are. This fic will win you over and break your heart exactly when you expect it (and again when you don't). Features: Warden Loghain, Kieran, Morrigan is a good mother, appearances by Hawke, Merrill, Zevran, and Mahariel, character study, beautiful descriptive prose

Boundless by Exalted_Dawn (@exalted-dawn-drabbles)

Dragon Age: Inquisition | Calder Eikmann/Talenna Ethera | Rated: E | Chapters: 7/? | Ongoing We get so sparingly little of regular life inside the Circle of Magi, I'm a slut for fics that explore that environment. In this one, Ed explores what is "normal" for a circle mage and how Talenna, as a Dalish elf forced into the Circle, experiences, handles, and fights back against that. Talenna is a spitfire and she plays off the other characters that Ed created in a tantalizingly intense narrative. A must read for circle mage, Templar, and Dalish lovers alike! Features: day-to-day life in a Circle tower, mage-templar dynamics, hurt/comfort, star-crossed lovers, fluff and angst

Letters to the Dead by Demarogue (@demawrites)

Dragon Age: Inquisition | Female Lavellan/Cullen Rutherford | Rated: E | Chapters: 7/? | Ongoing This one is for the ones like me, who broke up with Solas and ran off to see if you could romance Cullen afterward - you can! It's great! And also super heartbreaking if you think about it. And Demarogue has clearly thought about it. Told through a narrative in the present and letters that Niva Lavellan writes to an absent Solas, she weaves a tale of loss, grief, mourning, and (ultimately) recovery, with enough humor to break the tension along the way. Features: solavellan breakup, post-Corypheus battle Inquisition, unresolved tension of all kinds, beautiful exploration of how Cullen would feel about being Lavellan's rebound, idiots to lovers, friends to lovers

Keeping Secrets by ElvenSemi (@elvensemi)

Dragon Age: Inquisition | Original Female Character/Solas | Rated: E | Chapters: 114/? | Ongoing Another one of my comfort fics, no question. This fic is heavy on the plot in all of the best ways - ElvenSemi's OC Emma is the linguist that the Inquisition hires to translate the dragon tome for Frederic of Serault. I love when authors fill in the gaps of canon or bend the canon details to fit their own ideas like that and it works SO well here. Emma is smooth and awkward and clever - she's well thought out and full of surprises and ElvenSemi writes with a strong voice that's a joy to read. It's the Inquisition behind the scenes, from the perspective of one of the people they're sheltering, rather than the higher ups who are running things (although there's certainly some of that too). Features: Skyhold lore and meta, lore and meta in general, the slowest burn Solas arc, lots of Bull/Chargers content, a very well done Sera subplot, so many minor characters in the most interesting ways, sad Tabris content, literally the Worst™ Inquisitor and Hawke ever (affectionate. kind of.), scary Leliana & Cassandra, bestie Dorian & bestie Varric, bards! so much barding, angst and hurt/comfort to the MAX

Temperance and Templars by NiriKeehan (@nirikeehan)

Dragon Age: Inquisition | Female Trevelyan/Cullen Rutherford | Rated: M | Chapters: 4/? | Ongoing A Jane Austen-inspired AU where Cullen is a private Templar hired by the Trevelyans to keep their mage daughter under control without taking her to the Circle. Cullen has other orders from his superiors, of course. I love a canon-adjacent AU (where the characters could be like this, even if they aren't actually) and this is no exception. It's a light and fluffy story for the most part, and explores what Cullen and the Inquisitor's dynamic might have been like if they were a bit younger (and not responsible for saving the world from multiple crises). Features: mage-templar dynamics, nobility, protector/protectee dynamics, lyrium addiction, political intrigue, Cullen has PTSD

From the Depths of the Void by kawakaeguri

Dragon Age: Inquisition | Cullen Rutherford/Original Female Character, Cullen Rutherford/Female Trevelyan | Rated: M | Chapters: 94/? | Ongoing Another one that's heavy on the plot in a very well done way! It also does one of my favorite things, which is weave together a character's arc across multiple games, namely DA2 & DAI. Liviana is a slave in Tevinter until she escapes and makes her way to Kirkwall. This fic tells the story of her stumbling, failing, learning, and growing, from where she enters during DA2 through Inquisition. It expands on the gaps between games and kawakaeguri's ideas about how that might of looked are clever and inspired and keep you on the edge of your seat while you read. Liviana as an OC has an incredibly well done backstory, that is both fleshed out and consistent throughout the story and will have you falling in love with her as I did. Features: well-developed platonic relationships galore, DA2 crew so well written, Liviana and Fenris bonding over Tevinter Slave Experiences™, a brief Liviana/Sebastian fling that explores learning what love is (and what it isn't), well-developed friendship that predates the romantic relationship, tie in of events from the comics, narratively satisfying reworking of canon backstory, character growth in so many ways for so many characters, well-structured subplots

[calamari-inari]

Playing this game (without the likes) 🫶

1. enemies to lovers, best friends to lovers, lord and their knight ❤️

2. Not sure if these are tropes, but yandere lover (just not a very big fan of yandere), obsessive love (treating their partner as a possession), misogynistic attitudes or abusive power in a relationship (basically a partner defining what their partner, whether it be a woman or man, should do or behave, and the victimized partner finds it hot???)

3. Gradual mutual understanding for one another! I also learn more about the characters' personalities this way!

4. One or both partners experience withdrawal when they're being separated from each other lol. True feelings often emerge from such situations and it's adorable...

5. Multiship! So far, the only ships I really think about now are from FE3H and a few from Engage and TGAA. Here's a list of several multiships I enjoy!

FE3H (Apparently Dimitri is very shippable to me LOL)

Hubert x Ferdinand

Hubert x Edelgard

Sylvain x Felix

Sylvain x Ferdinand

Dimitri x Ferdinand

Dimitri x Felix

Dimitri x Dedue

Dimitri x Claude

Byleth x any lord

Engage

Alear x Alfred

Alear x Diamant

Diamant x Ivy

TGAA

Kazuma x Ryuunosuke

Barok x Kazuma

Barok x Herlock

6. I like both rarepairs and mainstream! Most of the rarepairs I like don't have any canon interaction, so I like to explore the "what could've been" situations.

7. Monogamy. Not much to explain here. It's just my preference lol

8. Using my favorite pair ferdibert, they are reversible, but I have a really strong preference for dom Hubert and sub Ferdinand. However!! I'm not a big fan of where Ferdinand is written or drawn very femininely. This applies to any MxM pair. I'm not against the concept of femininity in males, but when used in a stereotypical fashion, it rubs me the wrong way. Just a subtle depiction of their relationship dynamic is perfect to me! I'm alright with seeing SFW artwork of the reverse and reading said fics, but NSFW is where I draw the line

9. Thinking about the games I've played, I can think of at least one pair I like to see romantically, so yes 😂

10. Not at all important! After all, my favorite is romantic fluff 🥺 Depending on the intensity of my liking for a ship, the NSFW aspect becomes more bareable since I'm still personally embarrassed consuming such content lol. I am vanilla. Ferdibert is highkey the only one I consume NSFW for

11. A lot of my MxF and FxF pairs are platonic to me! This is likely due to my aegosexuality, which is the closest explanation I can identify with. Not everything needs to be romantic. I find close friendships very heartwarming too 🥺

12. My top favorites right now are ferdibert 🖤🧡, sylvix ❤️💙, and diminand 💙🧡!

13. My favorite pairs from fandoms that I'm not really engaging in now are:

Madeleine Cookie x Espresso Cookie (Cookie Run Kingdom)

Victor x Yuuri (Yuri on Ice)

Link x Zelda (Skyward Sword version)

Reyn x Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles 1)

Chrom x M!Robin (Fire Emblem Awakening)

14. Domestic fluff is really cute, but the official legal bonding of two partners isn't on my "must have" list for any romantic pairing. I really love seeing creations of my favorite pairs marrying though! Gives me the tingles every time and I just feel so happy 😍

15. As someone that made OC fan kids in the past, yes that is totally fine and I love seeing other people's interpretations for the same pair (if they don't have canon children). I've even made some for ferdibert before but I never fully flushed them out lol

[elephant-in-the-pride-parade]

Fic Author Questions

@curator-on-ao3 thank you for tagging me in this new set of fic author questions! I had a lot of fun answering. ❤️

1. Why do you write fanfic?

I guess I stuck with it and stayed inspired largely because ive found really wonderful communities in fanfiction, whether its coming together to share in one beautiful AU story or different iterations of canon or just experiencing the joy of writing together. and having those communities has sustained me through some very isolated years and have been overall a positive experience in my life. ive made really wonderful friends through fanfic.

But I can't deny that I got into fanfic because my brain just fixated on one story and i had the overwhelming urge to put it on paper and so a smaller motivation is that there continue to be stories like that that motivate me to keep writing fic.

2. Which of your posted stories do you think about the most, even though the story is “finished”?

I guess just by virtue of planning the sequel at the moment, I think about and reread Unbroken alot

I have also had the Universe to Mend in my mind since last year and keep coming back to the two versions of Janeway i explored in that and where I left the two of them. and thinking about the other characters too: Mortal Q and Captain Chakotay and Stadi/Tuvok and where they might wind up next.  I have a few ideas for what might come next so I suspect there's at least one sequel on the horizon somewhere.

3. If you could give yourself fic advice from when you first started writing fic, what would that advice be?

Deadlines help you set goals and motivate yourself, but you don't owe them to your readers.

4. What’s your relationship to fic stats?

So, and this has been a very good thing for my self esteem and general mental health, working with data all day has made me really ambivalent about my story stats. They're interesting and useful when I have a specific question I want to answer with them but the rest of the time I no longer pay much attention to them.

The stats that I do focus on are all things I measure - timeframe to chapter/story completion, average words per chapter, total word count. Those help me set realistic expectations for myself and help me work on my goals of having healthy writing habits and writing more concise stories.

5. Is there a pairing or scenario or friendship you miss writing? If so, why? If not, why not?

I miss writing Threshold AU!!!!

I want to again and will again, but having had like... negative amounts of writing time this summer and being fixated on a new long story, lots of others have taken a backseat. i really miss the cameraderie of writing threshold au stories and the freedom and joy I get from working with that really original fresh premise - it frees me to experiment and be a bit more imaginative. im sad i havent had time for it in a while.

6. What motivates you to write?

A story takes up residence in my head and its beautiful and tempting and I cannot rest until I have delved in and explored it. Thoroughly.

7. Why do you write for the fandom(s) that you write for?

communities and friendships do a lot to help keep me inspired, both while continuing old longstanding stories and developing new ideas. and ive found this with Sailor Moon and Star Trek. I doubt i would be as prolific in either fandom without those communities.

8. If you’re stuck writing a WIP, what do you do?

I shove it in the back somewhere and work on other things until ive figured out what I dont like about it thats got me stuck. sometimes it works out that I just need a better idea of where the story is going. and then the story gets finished. and sometimes i find myself realizing the premise is a good one but the execution isnt.  and then if ive already started posting it, i put it in my "Under Review" collection (an unrevealed AO3 collection only I can see) and figure out if i can rework the story from the ground up or if it isnt going to get finished. I've got 3 in there right now.

9. What do you wish people knew about comments?

That it is actually a huge boost in inspiration to get a nice one. and that it's okay to leave short ones.

10. Maybe there’s a question you wish had been on here. What’s that question (and answer)?

My write in question: Do you create or want to try other types of fanworks?

Just for me i make playlists for characters to help inspire me for fics. sometimes i dabble in fanart. drawing is always really relaxing.

im also facinated by bookbinding. it looks like a really fun physical craft to build even if it looks complicated. i'd love to learn more about how it works.

A lot of my people i usually tag are tagged already so If you want to respond with your own please do!

[markcampbells]

002 | Give me a character & I will tell you: Spock

I also got this from an anon so I'm assuming everyone's like we know how she feels about McKirk, what about Spock?? 😂

How I feel about this character: Okay, so… it is not the character, it is the fanbase. Spock is awesome! All three actors do an absolutely fantastic job! But the fanbase is kind of… too much for me. I'm not speaking so much about the intense love for him as I am talking about projecting things onto him that have very little to do with the writers' initial intent and then getting angry when canonical portrayals don't match up. Like, people will absolutely INSIST that Spock is gay and then get angry when he's paired with women in new incarnations, despite the fact that (a) bisexual+ people exist, so him being with a woman does not automatically make him straight, and (b) Spock was never intended to be anything but heterosexual anyway. I won't deny that SNW in particular has made some choices where I understand the frustration--I absolutely understand why Jewish fans are upset by the bacon scene--but I think the preciousness over Spock and his fanon is what puts people like me off him a bit. He's a great character, excellently portrayed, but I could really do without the people who can't recognize where their fanon ends and canon begins.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: I understand the love for Spirk! But of the triumvirate and its satellite ships, it's kind of the least interesting to me. I like how Spock/Uhura works as a companion ship to McKirk! And I think SNW is doing really cool stuff with Spock/Christine and the idea that a young Spock would explore emotionality that way (especially after seeing his parents' marriage).

My non-romantic OTP for this character: The triumvirate, of course! Particularly in Star Trek V, I love the warmth and camaraderie of the camping scenes. I also really love his familial dynamics with Amanda and Michael (Sarek is… complicated…), and when it comes to Pike, the SNW S1 finale actually made me cry with how it portrayed their relationship and its impact on both of them.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I kinda accidentally got into that earlier, didn't I. Oops. I think something that strikes me about Spock and how I relate to fanon is I actually see him more as aro/ace, but I understand how complicated that gets as a headcanon because it might imply that aro/ace people are unemotional, etc. I sort of see him as a keen observer of relationship dynamics (in McKirk fics, I always appreciate a Spock who understands they're romantically involved but keeps quiet out of discretion), but someone who doesn't necessarily desire a romantic relationship for himself.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I totally understand why the subsequent AOS movies past the first one used him sparingly--having him in the first movie at all is a base to bridge the universes on--but I would find more knowledge of what Spock did to rebuild Vulcan society and how he adjusted to a new universe fascinating!

my OTP: Secondary to McKirk, I really do see the appeal of Spones! I think they're an awesome ship and I want to write more for their dynamic (thus far I've written a friendship fic I'm still really proud of). I love both the silly memes people make about them as well as the serious meta people do about why these characters work as a pairing and their relationship to each other.

my cross over ship: I don't think about crossover ships that much! Although now that I'm thinking about it, I would find him having some sort of relationship with Garak fascinating. Garak lies and eludes constantly, and Spock is held to not lie but actually does, and I think they could play off each other in an interesting way. Plus Garak is so lively and jovial whereas Spock is more serious but also has a dry wit I think Garak would love.

a headcanon fact: In my fic I linked above, I tried to build more on the idea of Spock having a dyslexia-like condition that Discovery established. I thought it was pretty cool that Discovery gave a character who's well-known for his intellect a learning disability! I like the idea that it gives him a lot of empathy for those in similar situations and that he's able to use his past struggles to help those on ship crews or in academic settings who need it.

[sevarix-blogs]

Hiya! I'm asexual/aromantic myself, and recently I've been learning that platonic love is just as important as romantic love and that romance shouldn't be considered this holy grail of relationships, but I still have trouble describing the difference between the two without still having this feeling that romance is "special" or "above" friendship 😔I was wondering how you'd describe it if that's okay to ask?

well, i think it can just be as simple as like, knowing that kissing/romantic gestures/etc aren't the highest form of intimacy. some people don't even like intimacy at all! friendship is also very special, and just as important as romance. a high-five or a hug can be just as fulfilling to someone as a romantic kiss can be. the platonic love someone has for a dog can be more powerful than the love a married couple can have for each other.

amatonormativity tells us that everyone should have 1 romantic partner, and that that romantic partner is the most important person in their life. that their friends are now lesser once they get into that romantic relationship. that's simply untrue!

sometimes platonic love is mixed in with romantic love. sometimes friendships are still satisfying without any platonic aspect at all. platonic and romantic are not a binary! they are simply two different concepts that can describe a relationship (and not the only two types of relationships!)

i think what is sometimes appealing, especially in fiction, about romantic relationships is the 'specialness' of having That One Person whom you trust and devote your life to. but could this not also be the case with friendship? could you not also have two characters who trust each other more than anyone else without being romantic about it? two people can understand and trust each other deeply without even a hint of romance. to me, that is what makes platonic relationships interesting in fiction. it is what makes me want to write about deep friendships in my fics. sure, they might not kiss or anything like that, but there are other ways of showing affection, perhaps even ways that are unique to the characters that make that kind of intimacy special without needing romance to portray it.

and also, i will throw in a few caveats. some relationships are neither platonic, nor romantic! aplatonic aros exist as well, and the way they interact and feel about others is also just as valid. some people don't experience love at all, not even platonic love, and they can also have friendships that are special and important even though they don't experience love.

i encourage you to explore these ideas! maybe take a fictional ship you like, and think about them in a platonic sense. for example, i love yurileth. but if someone made them besties instead of spouses, i would still be delighted! bc in my mind, that is just as special and meaningful as being romantic partners. if you take a romantic ship you really like and make it purely platonic... does it make you upset? does it make you feel like the 'specialness' has gone away? if so, ask yourself why. that might help you uncover what's holding you back from seeing platonic as lesser than romantic.

in fact, i encourage everyone to try this exercise. take your otp, make it platonic. do you feel like it's now lesser? not as special? ask yourself why. think about amatonormativity, and whether or not that might be clouding your judgement. i'm not saying you have to prefer platonic over romantic! we all have preferences of course. but non-romantic shouldn't feel lesser in your mind to romantic.

anyway, sorry this got a little long. hopefully that helps, anon! you're welcome to ask followup questions as well!

[msmargaretmurry]

hi! for the game, 'blue sun' and any combination of matthew, leon, connor

"blue sun" as a title has very edmonton in winter vibes, doesn't it? or maybe that's just me, but having experienced edmonton in winter i feel qualified to make that call. (also, i do not recommend experiencing edmonton in the winter.) anyway i feel like this is a fic about how connor mcdavid needs a hug.

okay so, i'm not against connor/leon — i totally see the dynamic duo appeal — but i have always had some trouble coming up with a narrative for them that i would find compelling enough to write, so i kind of challenged myself here to come up with a story that feels like something i would want to write for them. as usual, it got long! really long! sorry! i wanted to talk myself all the way through it and there was just a lot happening!

let's set this in the 2019–20 season, because a) peak season for shoehorning some matthew content in there and b) what a grim time to be connor mcdavid. his fifth season in the league and other than that one brief shining season in 2016–17, it doesn't matter how well he plays, the team has been dogshit. the oilers are a joke. they have made the playoffs one (1) time in the past 13 years even with four entire first-overall draft picks at their disposal. they have traded away almost the entire core they thought they would rebuild around in the early 2010s. their poor management has basically run multiple promising prospects out of the organization. and you are the mcjesus who is supposed to be saving them. it's year five; you've collected some trophies; you've gotten used to the prairie winters. it's not that much colder than toronto or erie, really, and you spend most of your time inside anyway. sometimes, the frigid fresh air is refreshing after hours in the artificial cold of the rink, even though it burns your throat and chaps your skin.

besides, this season is going to be different. it already is different. it's still early days, but the team it winning more than it's losing, and connor has decided: this season is different.

i feel like around this time is also when we really saw the transition from young connor to adult connor. he was such a shy, awkward, anxious kid (they named him captain at least a season too early for real) and i think this fic would explore that as well — him becoming more self-assured, or at least better at faking it; becoming more confident in his leadership skills; learning to trust his relationships with his teammates more instead of feeling like he has to do it alone — but at the same time, taking on even more of that pressure to succeed, feeling the patience of the organization and the city and the hockey world at large already starting to wear thin.

so what of the leon of it all? obviously they're good friends now, but i've always felt that the friendship was a little bit manufactured in the beginning — the oilers did not expect leon to be as good as he is, they did not expect to have a two-headed monster, but how serendipitous that they found one. only natural to stick them together as much as possible for marketing purposes. connor, though, is a soft, stubborn heart wrapped in a perfectly bland public persona; he's something of an island, and leon's closest friends on the team in the earlier years are guys he can be way more fucking normal with. so this is also a story about them coming together in private instead of just in public.

connor doesn't want to be an island. he just feels like he has to be. he has, after all, been told constantly and consistently that there is no one else quite like him. he was happier in erie, where he was half of a whole, but that relationship started crumbling as soon as he left for alberta to pursue his destiny. it was an excruciating falling apart over long distance, and the loss left a hole inside him that would still ache if it wasn't so obscured with scar tissue. anyway, he's pretty sure it was his own fault, and it's not really the being in love part he misses — being in love was as much nauseous anxiety as it was joy and comfort — it's the having a teammate so completely on his side that he could let his guard down and just be connor instead of Connor McDavid.

he likes leon. he wishes they were better friends. not that they're not friends, because they are, but connor knows he's everyone's first choice on the ice only. but, again: this season is different. they're winning again. he knows people find him much easier to like when they're winning, so maybe that can be different this season, too. it already feels different, like he and leon are clicking better as people this year, although connor can't tell if that's due to the extra effort he's making or just because they've been stuck together for years now so there's an inherent comfort level there. but it's nice. connor likes it a lot. he's afraid of liking it too much, but the more space leon allows for him, the more of leon's space he takes up. he can't seem to help himself.

(sorry to leon for sticking him in yet another scenario with an anxiety-ridden weirdo who can't seem to see that the people close to him really do just like him. from his side here, i feel like he wasn't really sure what to think of connor or how to get close to him for a while, and is equally quietly pleased about this coming-together. he knows to the rest of the world he'll always be in connor's shadow, but he also knows that every great hockey team in recent memory has had a duo at its emotional core. he thinks they could be that.)

anyway so we've got this slow burn thing happening where connor and leon are getting closer, becoming each other's confidantes, starting to really feel like they are building this thing together, and also at the same time the battle of alberta is at a fever pitch and they keep losing to the fucking flames.

off the ice connor likes matthew tkachuk just fine. they've trained together in the off-season, and he's actually an incredibly nice guy. as an opponent on the ice, though — woof, he really is annoying. leon finds him particularly irksome, and while it gets tedious listening to him go through the same laundry list of complaints every time the guy comes up, connor likes being the person leon complains to. besides, connor thinks leon is secretly having fun — he always comes out of those scrums grinning — although when connor says this, leon rolls his eyes and scoffs.

then comes the all-star game, the "i'd get off the ice" of it all, the silly little media storm around all that. connor can't tell if leon actually meant it in the moment or if he was trying to be funny, but he's selfishly a teeny bit glad it means less attention on him. they're in the same division with matthew but matthew has his own people at the game, so they don't interact much beyond exchanging pleasantries. connor chats with him a bit during the skills comp while leon huffs in the periphery, but later connor catches a glimpse of them across the ice talking for a moment without a chaperone. tkachuk is grinning, and leon is rolling his eyes, so it all seems very normal.

but then they run into him AGAIN out in the city that night, matthew with his friends, them with theirs, everyone varying levels of inebriated. matthew greets connor with a one-armed hug that catches connor off-guard, but with leon, he tugs on the front of his shirt and leans in to say, "remember, i'm gonna sauce you the sickest pass you've ever seen tomorrow, you better be ready."

leon laughs and tells him to fuck off, but as the tkachuk crew melts back into the club, leon watches him go, grinning to himself, and connor says with a sinking stomach, "you like him."

"what? i do not," leon lies.

"yeah, you do," connor says.

"eh, fuck off," leon says, but he scans the crowd again, and connor is so, so jealous. he's so jealous, and he hates that. he tries to be a good sport, but his night is pretty much ruined, and he dips out early, feeling every bit the stick-in-the-mud he got teased for being when he was younger.

the all-star game the next day goes fine. they win, which is nice. matthew does indeed set leon up for a nice goal, which leon pretends he's not grinning about for several minutes. he's not acting bothered at all about what connor said last night, and connor isn't going to bring it up again. he would rather not think about it, except for of course how he thinks about it constantly for the next few days, all the way through their first game back, which is against the flames, and is a huge tkachuk-centric shitshow that they lose in the shootout. connor is in a shitty mood about it, and leon is also in a shitty mood about it, but he tries to say something conciliatory when he drops into his stall next to connor anyway, and connor hisses back something mean and uncharitable about leon's crush, because he wants to throw a temper tantrum so bad, but he's not allowed to, because he's the captain and the savior and, as always, he is in this alone.

leon is not a person who takes kindly to people being a dick to him, so he kinda cold shoulders connor for a couple of days. then they play the fucking flames again, and it is once again a shitshow, but they finally get the win. leon gets four points and snipes at connor when no one else can hear, "you think he'll suck my dick now?"

connor, who is good at nursing his anger but bad at confrontation, totally deflates.

"sorry," he mumbles, and goes about his business. the team was great tonight, and he needs to put on a mood that reflects that. he does an okay job of it, he thinks — the mood in the room helps, and the fact that leon doesn't feel quite so icy next to him helps, but he's still got this awful hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach that he's never going to get what he wants. but he knows that's not true, because he's spent his whole life deciding what he wants and taking it. so maybe he'll decide what he wants and take it.

he and leon walk out to their cars together, and when they get there, he opens the door to his backseat and nods for leon to get in. leon gives him a puzzled look; connor says, "well someone should suck your dick."

so they do that. it doesn't leave connor feeling exactly how he wants to feel, but it's satisfying in its own way.

he goes home and spends the whole night wondering if he just made everything worse or if things are going to be unbearably awkward now, but leon shows up the next morning with coffee and breakfast sandwiches like, we should talk, so they do talk, about a lot of things — about how this season feels different, feels good; about the winning tradition they want to build here, where they've already put in so much work; about what they need to be to each other to make that happen. connor apologizes for kind of jumping leon in the parking lot, and leon laughs and says don't apologize, it was fun. they talk around the question of being together or commitment to each other, couching everything in terms of being in edmonton, commitment to the team, but leon squeezes connor's hand when he says these things, and connor is filled with nauseous anxiety and dangerous hope.

and i feel like that would be like 50k worth of fic. it would end there and everyone would be very mad at me, and then 2–3 business years later i would drop a sequel titled "pink moon" where they actually get together during the 2022–23 season. i'm so sorry about me.

[blackjackkent]

4, 24, 36, 48 :)

(Fanfiction Writing Asks)

4. How do you choose which fics to write?

Vibes? Haha. Most of my fics are definitely focused around missing scenes within the existing story framework, expanding on character relationships and adding detail to events. So I look for places where it feels like something could be expanded upon or where there's missing detail or emotional implications. (My liveblogging adventures have been very good for helping me notice where these points are I think.)

Plus requests when I am lucky enough to have some in the backlog. :D Which I do at the moment yay!

24. How do you choose whose POV to write in?

I was actually just thinking about this the other day as I was working on "Broken Little Puppets"; I'm much more practiced/familiar with Karlach's POV so I was a bit surprised that I ended up writing from Astarion's. "Open Your Eyes" was also originally going to be a Rasaad POV except I just randomly started writing it from Jaheira's instead (and this was before I really went down my current Jaheira fan rabbit hole XD ). A number of little liveblogging ficlets in Hector's run (this one and this one come to mind) were about his emotional turmoil but all ended up being from Karlach's perspective watching how that turmoil manifested outwardly.

Ultimately I'm not entirely sure I ever actively CHOOSE if that makes sense? I just sort of start writing and see which perspective starts centering itself, and I often surprise myself. XD

36. What fic are you proudest of?

Ahh, the dreaded self-compliment, my greatest struggle. XD

I think probably "The Two Sides of the Coin" is at the top of the heap right now. It's the deepest I've gone so far into exploring Karlach and Jaheira's friendship, it's one of the more emotionally intense things I've written, and I made a lot of strides forward in my writing and editing while working on it.

"Prayers and Hellfire" (nsfw) also pushed me way outside my comfort zone and I think turned out really well so I'm pretty proud of that too.

And if we wanna do a big throwback to my Mass Effect fic days many years ago, "Huerta Memorial" was the only longfic I've ever actually completed (hopefully "Open Your Eyes" and the as-yet-unnamed Nine-Fingers fic will join it eventually) and I'm still pretty proud of it.

48. Who is your favorite character to write for? Has this changed since you’ve started writing for that fandom?

It should surprise no one to learn that my answer for this is Karlach and Jaheira. XD

One thing that I've noticed about the fanfic community that I find kind of fun is that even within the niche of writing about a particular fandom, different authors seem to carve out their own little niches within that fandom, and I think Karlach content and Jaheira content have definitely become my particular niche corner.

This is fun partly because it's nice having a little area that I am comfortable exploring in great depth, and also because it makes trying other things (like my recent Astarion experiments - Astariments?) feel like a fun challenge/change of pace. :)

[snarky-wallflower]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

@amethystunarmed tagged me for this!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I've currently got 25 works on there.

2. What’s your total word count?

161, 391! which...wow, that number hits me every time I look at it. I can’t believe I’ve written a whole novel’s length of fanfic this year.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Hatchetfield and Deltarune, but especially Hatchetfield. The silly little horror-comedy musicals (especially the LiB and Paul) have grabbed me and won’t let go. To the detriment of my WIPs in other fandoms. Oh, and I’ve also written a decent amount of fic for Spiderverse and Dracula! (Our good friend Jonathan Harker, after all.)

4. Top 5 fics by kudos

pas de masque - a pre-canon Spiderverse fic focusing on Gwen's terrible experiences in the Spider-Society, and just what it's like to learn you're doomed in every other universe, and that no one will let you stop it.

The Show Must Go On - a fun little theatre AU for Deltarune, where Susie's been arrested, and the only way for her to not be arrested is to join a club. She chooses theatre, which Noelle is coincidentally the director of. Romance, friendship, and theatre chaos ensues. (also, I LOVE writing Kris in this fic.) It's the fic I've been working on the longest.

what is a god? - my exploration of the Lords in Black, and how they think and treat Hatchetfield and their puppets, written at 12 am after finishing Nerdy Prudes Must Die. Despite that, I’m still pretty proud of it!

used to think about you (everywhere i go) - a post-canon Nimona (movie-verse) fic, in which Nimona gets to work out her complex feelings about Gloreth by standing at her grave. Sometimes therapy is yelling at your ex-bestie's grave, more at 11.

one hell of a normal abnormality - a fic where I wrote Pete actually seeming to care that Ruth and Richie weren't there at Homecoming, with a decent exploration of grief and feeling guilty. Also, I think I was the first one to use the green-hair-after-being-touched-by-Wiggly headcanon.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, of course! I love comments - you read my whole chapter/fic, and you liked it enough to post your reaction! Amazing, I love you, I would literally die for some commentors.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh, this is hard. Most of the fic I write is angst, so tough to pick. I'd say the real competition is between life underground (it's over now) and always be my favourite ghost. But if I had to choose, it would be the first one, because that ends with Chara literally ripping up their adoption certificate, and thinking they’ll never be a part of the Dreemurr family. And we all know what happens next. :(

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh, this one’s pretty easy. like real people do. It’s a short, canon divergent one shot I wrote for a podcast, Monstrous Agonies that I was super into - even submitted a couple of letters to the podcast I was pretty proud of. It ends with the characters sort-of rekindling their relationship, after accidentally broadcasting them kissing through the radio. It actually managed to predict a decent amount of the actual finale, too!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully, I haven't gotten any yet. Hoping that that streak continues.

9. Do you write smut?

Ha! No. And it's probably not going to happen for a long time, if ever. I'm apparently a bit of a nerdy prude myself. I have written at least one fic that's only plot was two characters kissing, though.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I haven’t yet! Maybe someday.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Also, no. Benefits of being a smaller fic writer, I guess.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! But if that ever happens to me, I'm gonna scream

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not yet! I was thinking of co-writing a Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes fic with a friend in real life, though. It was a really good movie, but I haven't made a lot of progress on it.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

You know, I'm really not sure? I mostly read gen fic, but for shipping? I'd have to say probably Noelle/Susie, or Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins? It really depends on the day - I'll read a lot of ships.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

None so far! My WIPs currently are probably going to take a long time, but I plan to finish all of them. Outlines may be bad, but I am determined!

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm really good at internal monologues. And along with that, characterization! I get a lot of really sweet comments about it, and I do like writing character-focused pieces! Which is kind of ironic, given that worrying about writing characters wrong was a pretty big reason I didn’t start writing again until this year.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue. Oh my god, every time I try to write snappy dialogue, I have new appreciation for comedians and dialogue-heavy writers. Those people are so talented. Sometimes I act out dialogue I’ve written and I want to throw myself into the sun.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

Look. I took French for five years. But every time I try to speak French, one of my best friends looks like she wants to fight me. I am not great at languages other than English. I am positive that if I tried to write dialogue by myself, I would just resort to DeepL, or Google Translate, and nobody wants that. If I have to write in another language, I'm going to try and get a translator.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Are we counting works posted to ao3, or first fic ever? Because the first fic I ever posted to ao3 was for a podcast, Spirit Box Radio, that I should really relisten to at some point. But my first fandom I ever wrote for was Gravity Falls - the fic's still posted to Quotev, and I have reread it recently. It was a next-generation fic.

...At least younger me was having fun?

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

How dare you ask me to pick? But seriously, probably pas de masque. I know it's cliche to say my most kudos'd fic, but I am super proud of my characterization of Gwen there, and getting to play with pre-canon Spider-Society and what it's like for someone to know they're doomed by the narrative in every other universe.

Okay, who do I know? @acaciapines, @nonbinarycollector, @sherbetflowers, @littlesilentrebel, @am-i-lie, @lilacthebooklover, @noelle-holi-gay, @marvelmaniac715! Please don't feel pressured to respond if you don't want to!

[broomsticks]

you tackled that tonks/lily post so gently, so elegantly, I am in awe. (also I wrote tonks / lily for efficiency sake but I do think it would be an interesting ship to explore!). for me - my priority in HP is sibling relationships tbh and FRIENDS. like I wrote a romance and 80% of it was about platonic relationships. also - I dislike how people are like 'mlm is for straight women!' and erase the fact that so many women writing mlm are queer (that was in a reply re: wolfstar), as shown by statistics (which you probably have, you are so clever!)

ahhh thank you that means a lot! glad my hard-earned wisdom from my (one year's 😂) long experience shipping both remadora and wolfstar is coming in handy LMAO. but seriously - fandom Means Something to so many people and that's wonderful, that shared passion and excitement and joy and connection and vulnerability, but the flip side of that, when it means different things to different people, the "why don't you see this the way i do?" / "how can you not care about this as much as i do?" / "why does this not mean the same thing to you as it does to me?" hits so much harder. i get it, it's a horrid feeling!

but i've realized that what often comes across as remadora bashing/ erasure from some wolfstar folks is really them trying to say, in maybe not so many words, that canon acknowledgement / a happy ending for wolfstar would really have meant a lot to me, and therefore i am creating in fic what i would have wanted to see on the shelf/on the screen, just these small ordinary happinesses that's been denied same-sex couples over and over and over and over, in mainstream media and in real life.

and conversely, often what remadora shippers are trying to say is that remus and tonks, individually and together, mean a lot to me too, and so it hurts to see tonks' character sidelined/ assassinated even more than it already was in the books, it hurts to see it repeatedly insinuated that just because it's het m/f makes it automatically less queer, less 'cool,' less valid, less worthy of thoughtful consideration and affirmation and celebration, especially now that canon is long dead and buried and the fandom has really become its own thing.

(i don't know the jegulus and jily fandoms well enough to say, but.. you get the idea)

are gay people and same-sex relationships discriminated against? absolutely. are women a marginalized group? for sure. what about bi people, especially bi folk in m/f relationships? oh gosh don't get me started.

but. one side claims misogyny, the other claims homophobia, something something 'protecting male friendships,' something something biphobia, … it's tiring. it's the oppression olympics and i'm not about that (especially in this fandom! this fandom!!! of all places!). i'm tired. everyone has scars and hurts and is just trying to have a nice relaxing self-indulgent time. i would love for more people to read/write femslash, fic about the actually unlikable or morally complicated characters, and dark fic, but more than that i want people to enjoy themselves and be happy in fandom! ship and let ship. write whatever you want. don't want to read it? don't read it. fandom is for joy and silliness and fun. and for writing and gifting me james/lily/peter fic, obviously 😊

OKAY WOW SOAPBOX. i have feelings about ship wars, especially of the political moralizing and activism sort.

-#-

anyway yes gen fic is another area that's so hard to find a community for. AO3 already does better than most in having the & tag (the platonic 'regulus & sirius' made it into the top 10 tags of fics written last year! amazing) but it's inconsistently tagged: this first war longfic i'm currently reading, Power the Dark Lord Knows Not, is far more sirius & james and sirius & regulus, heck even remus & peter and sirius & peter, than it is wolfstar, but the slash ship is the only one tagged -- this is a delightfully chaotic minerva & peeves oneshot that's not tagged -- and ... even if it IS tagged, who really goes looking for remus & professor binns fanfiction? i'm a little sad that genuary never really came back after that first year too. ah well.

-#-

also hahahaha yes the stats you want are here. these stats are from 2013. 2013. imagine how different they probably look now, and in this defiantly queer section of the HP fandom at that.