#love triangles are out and healthy polyamory is IN

[fandom-space-princess]

weird to reflect on my own preferences in fanfiction (and fiction more broadly). I don't like soulmate au's, except when I do, in much the same way as I don't like stories about love triangles/people being bad at polyamory, except when I do, and in neither case is there a pattern to this which is predictable to me 🤷🙃

[lunar-years]

everyone has different interpretations of scenes, but for real that scene with jamie and roy was just plain sexist. roy seriously said "i don't know if we're getting back together because she's a woman and you never know". like what the absolute fuck was that line? they showed up to her house condescending, completely unapologetic about their behaviour, and treated her like a trophy prize. she deserved to beat them up. jamie and roy have always been troubled characters, but they were never (not even in season one) sexist assholes. the show went out of its way multiple times to establish that even when they made mistakes it was due to personal insecurity and not misogyny.

and whenever it was something misogynistic, it was heavily criticised as such, which, in this episode, it was not. a lot of people did seriously not catch the blatant sexism of it at all and went "that's how these men act" (again, what the fuck?). jamie spent season three being respectful of roy and keeley's breakup and not making a move on her, out of consideration of roy's feelings. roy, who knows how abusive jamie's father is, probably better than any other male character on the show, physically assaulted him. despite the fact that throughout the season roy has been approaching jamie with affection, realizing that's what he needs to feel secure (complete disrespect to 2x08 too, one of the best episodes of the series). and while we're on the topic of violence, roy and jamie were never this violent with each other, even when they hated each other's guts. jamie, who gave keeley a truly heartfelt apology about the leaked video, making a point to not victim-blame or engage in literally ANY other sexist behaviour, just brings it up to upset roy in a dick-measuring contest. and one episode ago, one fucking episode ago, they were all getting along, keeley and roy were obviously trying to get back together, and jamie wasn't one bit bothered by it. they were holding hands on his bed and he saw them and smiled! regardless of whether you think the roykeeley arc was rushed (i do), jamie might have been heartbroken or sad, but he wasn't, not once, established as jealous of them. and this entire season was devoted to roy and jamie becoming friends by slowly growing comfortable around each other and actually trusting each other. every single one of those things was thrown into the trash. and yeah, sure, progress isn't linear and perfection isn't possible for people, but that WAS NOT regression. roy and jamie were never sexist dicks. those were two completely different characters.

ALSO, this scene normalizes the idea that it's perfectly forgivable to revert back to sexism whenever emotionally distressed, even if you are generally not like that in your life. it's not. in reality, you're either sexist or you're not, and doing this in one scenario will absolutely mean that you will be sexist in different scenarios too. nobody in real life will be sexist in some areas of their life and feminist in others. implying that this isn't the case shows a very poor understanding of feminist theory and ted lasso has more or less done a good job at not being sexist. i feel like this really excuses unacceptable behaviour that the show itself tells us, with rupert particularly, has very real consequences that perpetuate violence against women. to me, the light-hearted resolution of that whole scene was terrible and poorly written at best. people in the writers' room typed that scene, read through it, and did not find it weird at all. though it's not the first time in the third season, see: forgiving jamie's dad and far-right bigots (???).

and lastly, when people were asking for a love triangle resolution, they meant something fitting for the year of our lord 2023. healthy communication and conversations, mutual respect and love between the charactets, maybe even polyamory (3x11 had a great ot3 set up, too). nobody meant we wanted something from the fucking 1950s. literally the only worse way this could have played out would have been if keeley ended up with the one that caused the other more damage. legit disgraceful ending for roy and jamie as characters, and for the show as well. considering everything it has stood for so far.

(i'm sorry if this reads like i'm calling people out, i'm not, really, i'm just very mad. and also really sad, because i did not go into the ted lasso finale expecting unaddressed sexism. like that was Really Very Bad. for this show especially).

woahhh there's a lot going on here, anon. For anyone wondering, I'm assuming this is a response to this post of mine. While I don't mind discussion or being called out... this does feel like something that could've very well been your own post or an open response to mine instead of an anon note. Because if you've read my meta, you'll probably already know I'm not going to agree with you on this.

Just gonna drop a few short thoughts because I don't have energy to write a think piece when my broader thoughts are already contained in my original post:

I'm not sure where you think I was trying to excuse their words or pretending they weren't being sexist or like they weren't treating Keeley as a weapon in their own games or a prize to be won. I think there's a difference between excusing someone's actions versus trying to understand where they were coming from for the characters and where they are at now.

"while we're on the topic of violence, roy and jamie were never this violent with each other, even when they hated each other's guts" Roy & Jamie were literally beating each other up in the locker room and brawling right out there on the pitch in season 1, anon.

"Keeley and Roy were obviously trying to get back together, and Jamie wasn't one bit bothered by it." this is just not true. Roy was trying to get back together with Keeley. Keeley wasn't shown to be reciprocal (beyond sleeping with him, which is a repeated pattern of behavior for her on the show, and something she in fact did with Jamie in season one), and Roy misinterprets it, as Jamie misinterpreted it. In fact, I'd argue Roy deciding it was a good idea to try and make him and Keeley happen right there in Jamie's bedroom with Jamie crying to his mum one room over, shows he wasn't thinking about Jamie, not when it comes to Keeley. Roy wants what Roy wants and he assumed he was going to get it. And Jamie went through a whole journey of expressions when he opened that bedroom door, so I don't think it's fair to say he "wasn't one bit bothered." I think we've established at this point Roy and Jamie both love Keeley and have always been weird and jealous about it with the other.

"this scene normalizes the idea that it's perfectly forgivable to revert back to sexism whenever emotionally distressed" this scene didn't normalize anything, because the show immediately acknowledged that Jamie and Roy were both in the wrong and had Keeley rightfully kick them to the curb for it. The narrative was not that this is okay or acceptable behavior. I definitely didn't see the scene as light-hearted

"nobody in real life will be sexist in some areas of their life and feminist in others." i am a woman who considers herself very much a feminist. That doesn't mean I've never had moments of internalized misogyny or made harmful comments that buy into a patriarchal narrative, despite myself. Well-intentioned people make mistakes. We are all works in prog-mess trying to get through life as the best people we can be. Jamie and Roy, in my opinion, are fictional iterations of the same principle. I don't think this comes even close to destroying their entire characters in the way you are implying.

All the best x

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: Triple Sec by TJ Alexander

4.5/5. Releases 6/4/24.

Vibes: healthy polyamory, front and center genderqueer rep (from a trans nonbinary author), slice of life in the best possible way, BOMB ASS COCKTAILS

Heath Index: 7.5/10.

Ambitious high-end bartender Mel Sorrento has been in a rut since her divorce. Enter the vivacious, brilliant Bebe... who happens to have spouse. Quiet, reserved Kade doesn't have a problem with Mel dating their wife, however--because Kade and Bebe are polyamorous. Mel's never considered the lifestyle, but her instant connection with Bebe makes her willing to give it a shot. But when her dynamic with Kade begins to shift into something entirely new, she must confront what she's actually looking for in a relationship, and how much this new opportunity for love really means to her.

UGH. YES. This is how you do a contemporary romance that, at the end of the day, is a slice of life character piece. Triple Sec is not about shocking you with plot twists and over the top dramatics (and that's not a critique--often, I'd say that I prefer plot twists and over the top dramatics). It's just fucking good writing with great character development and romance. It's also one of the more realistic contemporary romances I've read, which is honestly so refreshing. I truly believed that there were grown-ass adults figuring out their shit.

Quick Takes:

--One thing I love about a triad romance (and while this is the most realistic one I've read (I say having never been in a polycule or a triad more specifically), I do generally enjoy reading about the complexities of both figuring out a three-way relationship and developing the different "segments". While I've read some that begin with love triangle elements, that isn't the case here. Though they aren't without expected hiccups, Kade and Bebe have a very healthy approach to Bebe's beginning relationship with Mel (and later Kade starting things with Mel as well).

I feel like in less capable hands, the degree to which Bebe and Kade communicate and deal with jealousy would seem overly sanitized or boring. Like, they begin the relationship with Kade sitting in on Bebe asking Mel out and everything, just to reassure Mel that there isn't any cheating going on. But like... it's NEVER dull. It never feels expected, or like these people are perfect. (I mean, they aren't--Mel has some struggles and stumbles when beginning her journey into polyamory.)

--Part of what makes that work, I think, is the contrast in the relationships. Kade and Bebe have been together for almost a decade--they know what they're doing, and their lived-in love reverberates off the page, even though the book is entirely from Mel's third-person perspective. (Kade calling Bebe "love" constantly, despite seeming kind of frosty? Swoon.) Bebe and Mel have this immediate chemistry, full of fun and fire. And Kade and Mel sort of like... I felt an automatic sexual tension, but I also think that Mel was a bit too "new" to their dynamic to super sense it. This is probably not going to make sense to anyone but me, but I got this kind of like... Darcy and Lizzie vibe? Kade was never as prickly as Darcy, but I definitely felt like Mel was in that "WHAT. BUT THEY DON'T EVEN LIKE ME???" space.

All of it worked to me. I mean--I won't lie. I was a little partial to Mel and Kade's dynamic, because a) I like it to be a little difficult and b) Kade was my favorite but everything is great.

--Let us expand on Kade being my favorite. I really appreciate a "still waters run deep" character. Kade is that. They seem remote, but they have so much feeling and passion rumbling under the surface, and Alexander throws them into this situation with Mel that is sooooo tropey and fabulous and reading as the feelings spilled out of them was just pitch-perfect.

This does happen somewhat later, so you technically spend a lot more time with Bebe and Mel together on the page. However, Kade has a such presence, and they're constantly sort of like... looming in the background. And because of that, the slowly bubbling tension that Mel doesn't even fully register for a while is so HOT. I mean. Kade is also so hot. I was ABOUT them. Again--love Bebe and Mel, together and apart, but WHEW.

--This is completely an aside, but I do think the cocktail competition and the highlighting of the art of making a great cocktail was really cool. It made me both want to learn how to mix drinks (to the extent that I can) and try something new. These types of details make a contemporary romance way richer, and they're appreciated.

--I think it's really important to show books that are both incredibly romantic and sexy and approachable. Again, I've never been in a polyamorous or more generally non-monogamous relationship. I can't attest to have truly realistic this book is. But in general, I loved seeing a romance in which the relationship part started fairly early, showing negotiations, showing boundaries, showing rules. I mean, really, monogamous relationships should also be subject to rules and negotiations and boundaries. We should normalize this in romance. Things change. That HEA does kinda take work in some stories, and that is more reflective of real life.

Speaking of the HEA... I so appreciated that both Kade and Mel had been in very serious, very intense relationships in the past. Kade's openness and honesty about how their past partner did offer them things Bebe couldn't (and Mel can't either) was so refreshing. It's not that they necessarily need someone else to come in and take that space (though the rules do allow room for new partners--we don't see anything happen beyond the triad in this book). It's just a reality. No one person can give you everything, and that doesn't mean that every person needs to be with enough people to comprise "everything". If that's even possible. It's just something to accept, no matter what your relationship preferences.

I also loved that Kade was kind of like--yeah, this could end. How many things are really forever? But we love each other when we love each other and make each other happy and that's good. I mean, I think some people will categorize this book as one with an HFN versus an HEA--personally, I'd kinda disagree with that. But either way, I really loved seeing a romance that validated the idea that like... A relationship ending doesn't mean it wasn't VALUABLE.

The Sex:

HOT HOT HOT. Technically speaking, there are three full sex scenes in this novel. Every single one of those scenes went HARD. We have sex in a public space, we have LICK! IT! UP! (as in cum) the strap is indeed taken out and used to great effect. It's great. I loved it. I also liked and overall agree with Bebe's philosophy regarding sex and how people often tend to switch up their "out of bed" personalities compared to their "in bed" personalities.

(Also. Kade is a dirty talker. What can't they do?)

A super queer, super sexy, super bubbly contemporary romance with a heavy emphasis on character development and love story that really sold me on the "love" part. And on a personal note--I have a trans nonbinary person in my life who is much loved, and I so appreciate them having someone like TJ Alexander to see out there, creating art and leaving a mark.

Would highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[majesticwren]

why is it so difficult to have a good healthy representation of polyamory in modern media?

t/w: rant and spoilers about bg3 and bridgerton s3 ahead

I understand it isn't for everyone and I understand some people don't understand it and I understand we barely got to get decent queer representation so maybe I am the problem? but I'm just tired of seeing stupid attempts being made only to leave me stranded with false hope. I guess I'm exhausted of finding products that promise it only then to find out it was either done wrong/toxic or yet again just another love triangle

I am so disappointed

Id give anything to find another product like sense8 which at the time broke down all of those barriers so effortlessly

take baldur's gate 3 for example I'm not gonna lie the major reason why I've decided to play it was because everyone was praising it to be a game where you could have the freedom of poly relationships and I thought this is fun! Id like to play something like that, except that isn't true with some characters and the game forces a choice at some point

that's the problem

let me know there will be eventually a choice from the beginning let me know I am not allowed to share my eggs in many baskets and I won't hope for it

take bridgerton s3 (I have much to say about the product itself but this is not the place) for about 30 minutes I hoped and I got excited and I was in outer space and just as quickly they ruined it - and the point is that I should have expected it

I'm just so angry at this

don't use/mention/show polyamory to pretend to be groundbreaking only to then take it all back and break someone's heart

[moon-lv3r]

Hii, can I request asano x fem reader x akabane in poly relationship, but like kinda healthy and normal one (I know their quite a characters but as much as you can). I want to know how would they treat reader, how would that even started and how does it look in public (I mean they're in three, there is no way asano would like to show all the school he's with he's "enemy" and the other girl in poly relationship).

🦋 category: one-shot (note format), polyamory, x fem!reader

🦋 characters: karma, asano

🦋 summary: in which reader somehow gets herself into a relationship with both karma and asano and it somehow plays out. don’t ask how, it just does

🦋 warnings: idk man maybe jealousy?

🦋 notes: i tried my best for this 😭 but thanks for the request anon, this was kinda fun to work on :) wrote this at 3am for a few days straight. this was harder than passing math 😍🤘 I AM SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG BC I WAS CRAZY BUSY

how did it even begin?

you were in class 3-A, the second best student in school

it only started out between you and karma as a little ploy to try and get asano down from his top spot. you and karma studied hard together

didn’t help with the fact that you often hung around asano, trying to figure out his studying secrets and invited him to study with you

and so you made the mistake of meeting both asano and karma at the same place at the same time and everything snowballed from there

competitors showing each other respect by helping each other? unheard of from karma and asano but they somehow did it

it started out as admiration which developed into feelings

rivals to lovers but polyamory

it somehow just happened. all three of you just getting impressed by each other’s brains

for the first month, dates were never ever in public. either your house or karma’s house, asano was embarrassed (can you blame him?)

asano always asked himself how did he get himself into this situation

however, karma figured that it would be fun to tease him in school. he kept cracking inside jokes between the three of you. “isn’t js nice to be dating the enemy? i wouldn’t know how that feel, right gakushuu?”

asano looked like he was ready to murder karma, what’s romance without murderous intentions?

3-E thought that it was normal rivalry

they could feel the tension between karma and asano, which heightened when all three of you began dating

even irina sensed that something was up and assumed it to be a love triangle

karasuma isn’t bright enough in romance to know what was going on

koro sensei knew though, traveling at mach 20 invading privacy must be nice

“karma is really trying to get under asano’s skin, they might as well be dating at this point” ~ nagisa (AS A JOKE HE DOESN’T KNOW ANYTHING)

3-A girls def got jealous at the fact that suddenly asano pays a bit more attention to you

asano def gets jealous at how karma has your attention most of the time (asano doesn’t even do anything to get it pfft)

there’s def a competition between those two for your attention

they’d do simple things like stroking your hair, helping you with your school work etc

asano gets sulky when he doesn’t have your attention but he would never show it for his own pride (pls give him attention)

karma acts like he isn’t bothered when you show asano more attention sometimes but let’s face it, karma is a huge attention whore, he NEEDS it

in public, you act more like a couple with karma more. not too much hand holding since asano doesn’t like pda, tbh asano would look more like a third wheeler that isn’t willing to be there

he would just look so tired and done the entire time. the most uninterested person EVER

there was one time where karma put asano in a costume when all three of you were out on a date. it was the only time asano would stand close to the both of you since he wouldn’t be recognised. it was also the closest karma has ever came to dying

it would take ages for asano to open up

he hates the thought of being seen together so he always stood a distance away, hence why he’s always so aloof in public

karma and asano treats you differently

karma always teases you, every second

karma can’t live without making fun of you at least once

asano tries to act nonchalant but he secretly wish that he could treat you like a normal partner but there’s just something stopping him (he has issues like come on his dad is… yeah)

there has been dates where it was just you and asano, it’s the only time he’d be willing to show a bit of affection. it would be small, yes but he is trying, let him be

it would be small things like helping you with stuff, occasionally insulting compliments like “why are you actually smart?” “so that pretty face really isn’t for nothing.” he would never compliment you like a normal person

asano would never go out in public with karma alone, they would only be at karma’s house, there’s no way asano would let himself be seen with karma in public

to everyone, it looked like asano was a third wheel whenever you and karma are together when asano is just awkward and has too much pride. he doesn’t stand too far away though, close enough to have a normal conversation without shouting

tbh everyone knows you and karma are dating. they don’t know what’s asano’s deal though

after all of you graduated, asano starts being more open and physically closer to you and karma

he has nothing much to hide anymore, his father started to become more accepting

he still tries his best to not be overly affectionate but he isn’t as aloof as he used to be

[aitadjcrazytimes]

hey it's writer anon :)

basically i was trying to figure out the dynamic i wanted for this long-established side romance in my wip. my initial idea was to have them be healthy but then i realised 1. that's too similar to the main romance and 2. that's boring.

so the story of absolute toxicity (you included <3) followed by "they're married now" absolutely gave me the idea of what i wanted for these characters. also a baller love "triangle" (???) where they're all dating but not everyone knows it. kinda like solving a love triangle with polyamory but with a major asterisk being that it's not *ethical* non-monogamy (i'm assuming, based on another ask). so yeah the vibes are immaculate (in fiction i would never even dream of replicating this). the whole "these people are super unhealthy but they deserve each other also it's entertaining" dynamic is something i like looking at from a comedic perspective and would like to see more of in my media, so i'll write it myself.

in conclusion, thanks, because now i actually know what i'm doing with these characters and how their relationship fits into the story beyond what their personalities and history are. sets up some comedy. 10/10.

cha cha cha

take it back now y'all one hop this time

[verdemoun]

this is entirely self indulgent but id love to hear your imput if you dont mind. my oc, sean, and karen had a love triangle in VLG times. mainly sean being in a situationship with both oc and karen. if oc came back do you think they could make a polyamorous relationship work, hinge or throuple? this is karens boyfriend sean and seans boyfriend oc /ref also if you dont think so thats ok too i like drama.

no pressure to respond. i love your timewarp AU im rotating it in my brain constantly.

so funny sean macguire is literally the only character in any fandom i have ever been in where i love all the ships involving him so much i need them to happen simultaneously so sean is literally already in a polyamorous relationship in timewarp au but find your oc hypotheticals below

ignoring that - i actually think sean would be really conflicted about loving multiple people at once because it wasn't something he would've seen in his life or grown up hearing about. having sex with multiple people of course but the idea of being romantically in love with multiple people at the same time and calling that a relationship (the term polyamory was literally first used in 1990s) would be completely foreign. when he loves people he is absolute puppy energy head over heels in love with them, i think he would feel like he's betraying one person feeling that for someone else. it would literally take his partners being the ones to talk through how the dynamic would work and assuring him that they were okay and honestly happy with the situation regardless of if it was hinge or throuple.

and i think a hinge would work better because sean would be very paranoid about the amazing people he loves falling in love with each other and out of love with him and it would make him too sad unless your oc had a really healthy dynamic of recognizing what makes sean and karen work as a couple and supports that. sean would also only be okay with a throuple only if oc cared about karen as much as he did otherwise it would have to be a hinge. he would resort to violence protecting karen from someone trying to manipulate/be otherwise unsupportive of her. literally their thing is they have had to safeguard and look out for themselves their entire lives and so much of their relationship is 'no i'll protect you now' and recognizing that vulnerability in one another. i don't think loving someone would be enough to stop sean from throwing hands if he saw them as a threat to karen physically or emotionally

[honeyviscera]

i do NOT like the love triangle trope honestly i'm pretty tired of it.... there's a couple ways it often goes and all of them are like. equally frustrating.

way #1: for the first part of the story, character A and character B are shown to be slowly developing feelings for each other. their relationship is developing well, and so far their story is compelling. then one day, character C is introduced as a love rival for A's heart. C often doesn't have very much depth, and is often obnoxious, petty, or mean, and exists only to create tension with B. C doesn't really add anything meaningful to the story, and is often meant to "test" A's loyalty to B. this often goes hand in hand with misunderstandings, where B thinks A is going to date C, due to A for some reason being nice to/affectionate with C, and B gets jealous/angry/hurt, and that creates tension between B and A, often damaging their relationship with each other for like A WHILE. eventually of course, C gets rejected and A and B are endgame, but C created a lot more unnecessary drama and dragged the story out for longer than it needed to be, and damaged A&B's trust with each other, and C didn't develop as a character at all, and it just made A look disloyal. i find this trope to be very frustrating and unnecessary. there are so many other ways tension can be created rather than throwing some catty jealous rando in there for no reason at all, and making B and the audience question A's affection for B.

way #2: A, B, and C are all introduced from the start, and B & C are shown to be constantly competing for A. it goes back and forth, and ohhh~ we totally don't know who A is going to choose! will it be B, or will it be C? A is shown to not really be "loyal" to one or the other, and B & C often fight, or are mean to each other, and often try and sabotage the other in the name of making themselves look better to A. i find this really frustrating and it gets very old very fast, and i just end up not really rooting for one or the other, when B & C are both shown to stoop low to boost their own favour, and A is shown to be wishy-washy and noncomittal. overall not compelling to me, and doesn't make me want to ship any of them. just really offputting.

way #3: A and B are childhood friends, but one day C arrives! C is like. meaner or more of a "bad boy" type and B is kind and caring. guess who A chooses, despite it being objectively a bad decision? you know this one, of course it's C. "nice guys finish last" trope. i really hate this one. it's just so frustrating, and often A doesn't really pick C for any other reason that "theyre sooo hot 😏🤤🥵😳😩i want this objectively shitty person to fuck me rawww~~~~" and there's often no depth or development given to their relationship. i get that this is often used as like wish fulfilment or self insert? but yall need to get better fantasies. im so tired.

ET CETERA. i just think there's so many better ways to write relationships without making some third character be "competition". it's just frustrating and it gets so old to me. I HATE LOVE TRIANGLES. please give me better written romances, or if you're really set on more than 1 love interest, write healthy polyamory instead. im so tired of this competition bullshit LMFAO

[risu442]

🌄 🎇👀 ..... hopefully got it right this time 🤣😅

Hey! Sorry for the super late answer but... yeah. 😮‍💨 But here I am and I am really glad you asked! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

👀 what do you think about about love triangles in BLs?

Hmm, so-so. But as I see it mostly represents lust and not real love. Or one is suffering because the main let them hangin' and not turning them off once and for all. And oc many times after the oh-so-big love they can stay easily friends. I don't see that as too realistic. If the love was true and was able to cause so much harm, saying friends is not easy. Because the feelings stay just as strong as they were - but if they can't live them, it turns into hate. The bittersweet taste of unrequited love will stay.

But oc it can happen like this in real life. Maybe I would like to just enjoy a media that represents the power of clear and healthy communication.

(I wouldn't mind TRUE polyamory either IF it was about LOVE and not LUST.)

🎇 favorite ending

It is a tough one! Because tbh I don't like most BL's endings, so I had to scroll through the ones I watched and tried to remember their endings and how I felt. And I decided next to A Tale of Thousand Stars! It was heartwarming, and even the story could surprise me. It was a very pleasant surprise! 💕🙏

🌄 your favorite scene of any BL show

Okay, I dunno if this scene is in The Untamed series (because I never saw it just with jumps to see how much it follows the novel - and erhm, no comment), BUT! I adore LWJ and WWX's first-not-first kiss! It happened in the past when they were still young, if I remember right 17 years old, maybe. WWX the way he is, went for a hunt on a mountain, blindfolded.

Yes, LWJ "attacked" him with a passionate kiss - and I understand why people find it unpleasant - but God, what it implies! The longing for what is behind it! The way Wangji had to hide it while his mark was on WWX's lips! And when it finally turns out that it was Wangji who stole WWX's first kiss... It is just an amazing storyline built for that scene. I loved it. (Plus blind folding here or there, the chemistry worked there, too, even if it caused more harm at the moment).

[tryan-a-bex]

@writing-for-life tagged me in the Fanfic tropes game! I’m going to try it, even though it feels a bit like I might have too many questions about the questions (it’s an autism thing for me).

Rules: How much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic?

10: very enticed

0: don’t care either way

-10: very dissuaded

nope -> if it's a hard no and you'd never click on a fic with that tag or or you even have the tag blocked or you'd insta click out of the fic if it wasn't tagged.

Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it's conditional.

Age gap: 0 It has to be healthy with awareness of power imbalance, if it’s abusive I’m out.

Codependency: 0 there’s the abusive addictive codependency which is a nope, and then there’s the cute older couple who’ve lived together so long they don’t know how to function without each other and that’s a different story.

Enemies to lovers: 0 has to be well done

Enemies with benefits: -5 usually annoying

Fake dating/relationship: 5 can be okay but I don’t seek them out

Found family: 10 yes I love found family

Friends to lovers: 8 often good but I don’t look for it specifically

Friends with benefits: 3 okay but where does it go from there?

Hurt/comfort: 5 often okay unless the angst outweighs the comfort by a large margin

Love triangle: nope. pick one or make it work polyamorously, this one is utterly annoying.

Mistaken/hidden identity: 3 can be okay can also be awful

Monster fu…relationship: 7 often okay, I’ll generally give it a chance

Obsession/possessiveness: 0 can be abusive in which case it’s a nope. Can also be really sweet if it’s mutual I guess, so then it’s okay?

Opposites (eg grumpy/sunshine): 8 often good

Polyamory: 10 I love this and it’s not common yet so I’ll take it

Pregnancy: -8 still traumatized by my last pregnancy so it better be really good

Second chance: 0 again. Can be used to excuse abuse or to show redemption.

Sex to feelings: 3 okay if it’s well done

Slow burn: 0 100k words of slow burn will put me off. Just talk already, my god!!!

Soulmates: -3 such an awful concept, that only one person will fit and you’ll be sad forever if it gets messed up. Can be okay in fic if well done. Occasionally.

Tagging: @two-hands-toward-the-sun @aetheltrythh @best-wishes @teejaystumbles because I beta read for you all this week, it’s been a great week!!! About half these tropes showed up! Anyone else who wants is welcome to play too!

[sewerdraws]

people you'd like to know better tag game !

i was tagged by @tripleyeeet tysm !!

three ships :

Gortash x Durge/Tav (bg3) is the top one lately, you just know i'm a sucker for edgy violent romances and any fictional man with eyebags has an instant chokehold on me.

Akemi x Mizu x Taigen (blue eye samurai) oh my GOD i so hope the writers have set this whole thing to be a somewhat functional throuple and not an annoying love triangle with conflicts and miscommunication because all three of them are interested in each other and would be perfect for polyamory. Clearly it's not gonna be a healthy wholesome situation with how broken they are but i hope they just acknowledge at some point that they'd be okay with it

Michael x Trevor (gta5) i'm usually a fantasy person but man those characters and their storylines... gtav hit me like no other game (until bg3). Rockstar just wrote an incredible friendship dynamic that happens to also make for an incredible romantic dynamic and their extensive canon lore has potential for everything from angst, to wholesomeness, to 18+ content of everyone's taste

last film :

I almost never watch movies so i can't remember the exact last one, but there's a pretty good chance it was Summer Wars by Mamoru Hosoda because i watch it three times a year. Please watch Summer Wars. Please. It will rip your heart apart and then make you feel like it's all gonna be okay. There is no way to still be sad after finishing that movie. The visuals also fuck heavy.

currently watching :

The walking dead. I restarted it and i'm at season 6 and i forgot how incredible the writing was and so far they always manage to renew themselves with surprising situations. I also forgot how fucking brutal it is especially towards children like holy shit

Also Jujutsu Kaisen (but it's worth mentioning the absurd schedules the overworked animators are put under)

currently reading :

i don'g fucking know how to read ? but seriously i'd say Kill Six Billion Demons when the updates come out, it's a webcomic by artist and author Abbadon that i recommend to everyone that likes action-packed, fantasy comics with lengthy attack names, angelic beams and badass female characters by the dozens

currently consuming :

bg3

fable!!!!!!

lots and lots of streaming content, both french and english-speaking

currently craving :

2 bucks pizza from Lidl my beloved............

no pressure whatsoever if you decide to ignore this but i'm tagging @sun-marie @draugrfiend and @ladysantos !

[anonymous-harpy]

Got this from Twitter, and I added personal notes:

how much do i like these tropes?

✨enemies/lovers 10/10 (Thin line between love and hate since they're equally strong emotion)

✨fake dating 4/10 (the drama is so juicy, though I haven't read)

✨friends/lovers 10/10 (my heart goes out to sweet and healthy romance!)

✨age gap 4/10 (depends on how concerning the gap is)

✨found family 10/10

✨grumpy×sunshine 10/10 (Cooler and Geliaden and they can go back and forth between being those emotions)

✨pregnancy 3/10

✨slowburn 10/10 (I will die for these romances)

✨love triangle 6/10 (only if this one ends in healthy polyamory)

✨soulmates 7/10

✨Hurt/comfort is 10/10 (I'm an angsty bitch. It hits the feels and soothes)

✨Time travel 0/10 (Haven't read, don't really have an option)

[just-cosmere-fan]

Trope Game

Thank you @orionsangel86 for tagging me!

Rules: How much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic?

-10 -> very dissuaded

0 - don't care either way

10 -> very enticed

nope -> if it's a hard no and you'd never click on a fic with that tag or or you ever have the tag blocked or you'd insta click out of the fic if it wasn't tagged

Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it's conditional.

Age Gap: -4

as long as the characters involved are two immortals, or an immortal and an adult human it's fine, otherwise a hard pass

Codependency: -1

I prefer my ships to be healthy

Enemies to lovers: 8

really love this trope, nothing else to add

Enemies with benefits: 7

Fuck yeah, hate fucking

Fake dating/relationship: 4

it can be pretty good when written well but if it involves miscommunication it just gets annoying

Found family: 7

I especially love it when it's a running theme

Friends to lovers: 5

depends on the context

Friends with benefits: 0

I'm indifferent unless the people involved start developing feelings towards each other

Hurt/comfort: 10

hell yes shatter my heart and then piece it back together

Love triangle: -7

hit it til it dies

Mistaken/hidden identity: 0

no strong feelings about it

Monster fu... relationship: 7

👀👀 . Moorishflower's Wine-dark Sea is entirely to be blamed for this

Obsession, possesiveness, etc.: -3

again, I prefer healthy relationships

Opposites (lke grumpy x sunshine, etc): 9

yes, definitely, absolutely

Poly: -2

nothing against polyamory, I just don't like to share

Pregnancy: -1

as long as it's well-written and in-character it's fine

Second chance: 3

meh

Sex to feelings: 4

can be fun, def better than friends with benefits

Slowburn: 7

only if the pacing is good, but some of my favorite ships involve this trope

Soulmates: -3

not my cup of tea unless I'm in the right mood, though I've read some pretty good fics with it

Tagging: @windsweptinred @shayberri789 @academicblorbo @painter-akane @trevoristhemandarin @virgo-dream @astralcurses no pressure, just ignore it if you don't want to participate!

[kitkatt0430]

Westhallen for the ship bingo, please and thank you?

Like many on screen love triangles, the answer to Barry/Iris and Eddie/Iris in S1 should have been polyamory. Why make Iris choose? She has two hands. Barry and Eddie had chemistry. More cuddles for everyone right?

But instead they went the kill the hypotenuse route to clear the way for Barry. And we lost such an adorable character as a result.

Eddie was a sweetheart and while he clearly loved Iris enough to marry her, his attachment to Barry was strong too. He got close enough that they both felt comfortable with him calling Barry 'Bar' which only Henry, Joe, and Iris really called Barry. And Eddie had so much fun with Barry during the brief time he was in the know about Barry being the Flash before Eobard decided to be a big mean ruiner.

And Barry clearly longed for Eddie's admiration and respect, given the part Eddie played in Barry's imagine spot at the start of S2. Barry wanted Eddie alive and well and part of Team Flash, happy and healthy and safe. And gazing at Barry with heart eyes.

I never thought they'd go that route, because Barry/Iris was the endgame from the start. But it would have worked so well to have gone the Barry/Iris/Eddie route instead.

(Let's not forget the bonus of how upset Eobard would have been over Barry Allen making out with his ancestor. Eobard torn between jealousy because he has his own big crush on Barry that he doesn't know how to express in a healthy or appropriate manner. But Eobard also wants to beat Barry off with a stick because that's Eobard's ancestor and Barry is not allowed to kiss him, that's just... such an 'ewww' thing for Eobard. Like, bad enough Eddie dates Iris West, at least that's funny to Eobard because it upsets Barry. But then it's both of them, those mean West-Allens seducing his ancestor away. Eddie's never gonna start the line that leads to Eobard at this rate. *cue pouting supervillain*)

[candycane-hockeymom]

Dear Author of the Hockey Holidays 2022 fic exhange

Thank you for participating and yay for writing for me! I’ve always been super excited about every gift fic I have received, and I’m looking forward to the privilege of receiving the fic that you want to write.

That said, some guidelines on my preferences as a reader and some reasons why I chose the pairings in my request below.

Likes: good writing. Characters with dubious morals but maybe sort of a good heart. I love good characterization and character dynamics, be it romance, porn or a gen fic studying personal development of an athlete in his sports career or group dynamics of a sports team.

As themes/tropes I like friends to lovers, fuckbuddies to lovers, and any kind of scheming, pwp, Locker room gang bangs, Winner’s room. I love equal partners, but I also find status imbalances & age and size differences HOT.

Dislikes: a/b/o, mpreg, tentacles, body horror, gore, rule 63, suicide/self harm. Not very much into BDSM AU either but I do like kinky elements in smut. I don’t want to see any mentions of Alexander Ovechkin. No slander of irl SO's or writing them as villains, but I’m OK with them existing in the story, even if it involves cheating. I'm not a fan of hockey fights.

About AU:s: I’m more into mundane, realistic AU:s than fantasy / magical / etc but have read some great fics with magical realism so if supernatural elements make you tick as a writer and make this the fic you want to write, I’ll be looking forward to the result.

A plot heavy thriller or action story would also be exciting to read, so if you have some ideas for a crime AU fic in a film noir atmosphere, go ahead! Soldiers, secret agents, spies, cops, mobsters, detectives...

In general, Sebastian Aho is my favorite player and the favorite character to read about. I’d love to see the confident, at times even cocky, sassy, pushy and dominant, leader that the 25-year old has grown into, in fic form. If you want to, you can add in or refer to other Sepe pairings if that fits your fic idea: I like polyamory, open relationships and slutty characters sleeping around. The only pairing I’m not into  is Sepe/Seth Jarvis (yes there’s some great fic for them but Jarvy doesn’t attract me at all and I don’t ship them)

I’m very attracted to Brent Burns at the moment; the way he moves and carries his big body looks so effortlessly strong, and his personality seems great.

Prompts for requested pairings:

Sebastian Aho/Teuvo Teravainen: my hockey otp. I like them both as friends and as lovers; new teammates to ride-and-die friends to lovers embodies it all. I love their bond. I love love, friendship and mutual appreciation. They're besties! They're boyfriends! They’re the Finnish Connection! They're husband and his little housewife who have grown into a bosslady/laid back skill dude power couple!

Brad Lambert/Blake Wheeler:  Wheeler lost his C, Lambert wasn't drafted higher than 30th after rumours of attitude and ego problems in Finland. Both may hold a grudge for life itself and be willing to take it out on someone who just happens to be there. Dubious consent? Problematic abuse of power dynamics? Not a problem. But, if you prefer to write a healthy, healing gen fic, it's just as welcome as unhealthy darkfic.

Sebastian Aho/Brent Burns. Two hot bodies. Two star players. Age and size difference. Brent’s tattooed thighs. 

Sebastian Aho (b. 1997)/Justin Williams Sebastian loves his role model ok?

Sebastian Aho (b. 1997)/Rod Brind'Amour/Justin Williams: Sebastian loves his role models.

Sebastian Aho (b. 1997)/Rod Brind'Amour: Do I have to repeat myself?

Brent Burns/Carolina Hurricanes ensemble: Gen fic about getting settled in a new team (sports or AU) or a welcome bang of some sort, your choice. Or getting settled with the team and having a budding romance with one of the players, that’s fine too! Or even a love triangle, player 1 is interested in Burnzie but he has hots for player 2...

All of this is just to give you ideas, not to limit your creativity! Have fun writing and take care of yourself, Happy Hockey Holidays!

This is my hidden side Tumblr. The actual ones are @caixxa (main) and @badhockeymom (hockey).

If you have more questions, anon ask on any of these blogs works.

[vampatty]

i wish all poly ship supremacists a very excellent taste