#mmmm most romance ever.

[dialux]

Haleth of the Haladin

Women of the Elves, 5/?

[Written for @finweanladiesweek​, Day 5 (Ladies who married in)]

...

Haleth of the Haladin was the second child and eldest daughter of Chief Haldad. When the Haladin’s dwellings were attacked by orcs and both her twin brother and father were slain, Haleth led the remaining defiance of her people for seven days as the orcs laid siege to the encampment. She and her people survived only by the abrupt arrival of Caranthir, Elf-lord of Thargelion, with elven reinforcements.

Impressed with Haleth’s bravery and sharp tongue, Caranthir offered her land and protection; Haleth, proud and unbending, refused to swear him fealty. But she did make use of the food he offered and ensured his supplies reached her healers. When he offered her lovely silver ribbons that could disguise the ugly scar crossing Haleth’s throat—a wound she suffered by the orcs that had killed her father and brother—Haleth instead braided them into her hair, and announced her pride in her own beauty before both their people in a speech so fiery Caranthir later described it as akin to his father, the famed elf-king Feanor.

She and her people stayed in Thargelion for a year after that, making use of the time to recover from the wounds and learn more of the lords that lived further west. During that time, the initial discomfort and dislike that festered between Haleth and Caranthir faded, replaced first by a mutual regard for each other’s leadership, then a tender affection, and finally a deep and abiding love.

But Haleth refused to let another lead her people; she was of the line of Haldad, and had won great renown among her people for her defiance of the orcs. They had asked Haleth to lead them, and so she would until she could not any longer. She would not abandon her duty. Caranthir railed at her implacable nature—they fought, long and hard, until finally Haleth commanded him to leave her and her people, and led them all away to first Finrod’s lands near Nargothrond, then Thingol’s lands in the Forest of Brethil.

Eventually, Caranthir came to her and begged forgiveness. Haleth, who had never thought to see him again, wedded him that night in the way of his people—she bore twins that spring, and named them Hileth and Hilin, after the holly trees they were conceived beneath. Caranthir was never named their father.

Haleth died in peace, embraced by the nephew she raised herself, the twin daughters she loved so dearly, and the husband she had never named. The Haladin raised a monument to her after her death under her daughter's direction they called the Haudh-en-Arwen, and planted flowers that shone silver under the moonlight. The flowers were the same color as the ribbons that Caranthir had once gifted to her, and the crown she had fashioned of them.

After the death of Haleth’s nephew Haldan, who became chief after her, Haleth’s daughter, Hileth, became chief of the Haladin; her daughter Helcith wedded Halmir, Haldan’s son, and led the Haladin with her husband during the Dagor Bragollach. Haleth’s second daughter, Hilin, led the defence of the Haladin after Sirion fell. Through their valor, the Haladin survived many of the cruelest events of the latter First Age.

[rwby-encrusted-blog]

Ruby: MMmm-MH! Goooood Morning Yang!

Yang: *Brushing Teeth* M'rn Rbs!

Ruby: You're up bright and early. What's up?

Yang: *Spits in sink* Me and Blakey got a whole day planned-*Gargling & Swishing Mouthwash, Spits* We're gonna go for a walk in the park to get some pictures taken and do a little window shopping, then we're meeting up with her parents for lunch!

Ruby: You've got a whole day planned, Huh! Is there something special about to ... day ...

Ruby checks the calender - wednesday, Febuary 14th.

Valentines day

Ruby: Nonono! Not now! I haven't prepared!

Yang: Sorry Rubes! I gotta get dressed, so unless you wanna see me naked again, you should-

Ruby: I'm going, I'm going!

~~~~~

Ruby: Hey Weiss! Blake and Yang are busy-

Weiss: I have Dates planned Ruby! I'm afraid I can't help you.

Ruby: With- I'm sorry did you say 'Dates' as in Dates Plural?

Weiss: Yes I did.

Ruby: Isn't that kind of-

Penny: Salutations Ruby! I am here to see My Valentines for the day!

Ruby: Penny? You're going out with Weiss?

Jaune: I am too! We're going to be switching on and off throughout the day!

Ruby: What.

Penny: Knowing that you identify as 'Asexual' I inquired what romance felt like to Weiss, who was on her way to ask Jaune on a 'date.' Jaune brought up how Polyamorous relationships were uncommon but plausible, so Weiss agreed to spend her time with us both!

Ruby: ... Oh.

Weiss: Yes, and I still need to finish readying up! Please leave so that I may Dress!

~~~~~

Loud Thumping and groaning may be heard behind Ren and Nora's Door, along with slapping sounds.

Ruby: I dunno why I thought they'd be doing anything else.

~~~~~

Oscar: Hey Ruby! What're you up to?

Ruby: Finding you! Everyone else is busy with Valentines, so I figured "hey, Oscar hasn't seemed interested in anyone, and he know what romance is" so I looked for you so we could have a Totally Platonic hangout. Which, for Valentines day would be weird-

Whitley: *Barging in* Hello my Evergreen~ I brought Cinnamon raisin Oatmeal cookies for my most sweet of sweets~

Oscar: Uuuhh ... Sorry Ruby, I'm kinda busy?

Ruby: ￣へ￣

~~~~~

Ruby: *Knocking on Door* HEY UNCLE QROW!

Robyn: *Wrapped in a towel* Sorry kid, He's busy in the Bathroom.

Ruby: ... i though him and Clover-

Clover: I'm here Too!

Qrow: I got a big heart Kid! Now leave and let me bathe with these guys, or I'll tell them about your seventh brithday!

Clover: Now that I wanna hear!

Ruby: You wouldn't!

Robyn: *Holding Qrow's hand* He Would.

Ruby: ... Got it. Have a nice time. Please leave a sock on your handle next time this happens!

~~~~~

Ruby: ...

Emerald: How do they feel now?

Mercury: *Rubbing his legs, crying Slightly* They feel Real. They feel like they're back.

Ruby: Well That's sweet.

Emerald: We're trying. I'd talk more but concentration-

Ruby: And Merc seems like he needs you, have a nice day.

~~~~~

Ruby: Hey Winter-

Winter: ...

Cinder: *On Winter's shoulder* ...

Ruby: ... I'll be going.

~~~~~

Ruby: Hey Miss Schnee-

Willow: *sweaty and Flushed* Hello Dear! I'm afraid I don't have much time-

Kali: Willow~ We have time for one more round before me and Ghira need to see our Kitten~

Ruby: Just go-

Willow: I can take a break if you need-

Ruby: I'll be fine, i get it-

Willow: Seriously, If you need something-

Ruby: Thank you, but I'm good, all good, go have your fun-

~~~~~

TaiYang: Hey! You've reached the Personal Scroll of Taiyang Xiao Long! At the moment I am pounding someone's ass right now, and Can't reach you! PLease leave a message at the Tone!

Ruby: *Hangs up* Safe to assume that's where Raven is.

~~~~~

Ruby: ... Hey? Hey Torchwick!

Roman: *Sitting at a table at a cafe* Little Red, I'm not in the mood for any of our games today.

Ruby: What do you mean?

Roman: Look, Neo's a free spirit, and on today of all days, she's reveling in Warm bodies rather than cold blood, leaving little ol' me out to dry, just cause the way I get down and Dirty is only ever stylish not sexy.

Ruby: ... yeah, I get that. Everyone I can think of is either being horny or romantic. It's annoying.

Roman: Oh-ho-ho! It seems the little nightmare for all the criminals in Vale is and Ace of Spades, huh?

Ruby: Well ... *Unfurling Crescent Rose as she takes a seat* Wrong Farm tool, but yeah, my flags fly white, gray, Green and Purple.

Roman: ... how about truce for today? I get the feeling if we stay out of each other's trouble our friends and family can have a nice day.

Ruby: No assault, theft from Mom and Pop shops, no murders, no trafficking and no destruction of property.

Roman: ... take off destruction of property.

Ruby: Hostile architecture only.

Roman: *Extending his hand* Deal.

Ruby: *shaking his hand* Sweet.

[dangermousie]

I decided to rewatch The King's Woman. MMMM.

A male lead who starts the first episode by putting a bloody head into the bed of his mother and her lover:

Proceeds to preside over a massacre:

And then pulls the sword on and almost kills (but eventually exiles) his own mother:

No current drama with that ML (especially ML not being a fictional person but Qin Shi Huang himself) would ever pass censorship now.

But, more to the point, what I love about this drama is, forget the term "red flag" beloved by the kids nowadays - this man is shown a bona fide ambitious, capable, magnetic monster. No coy flag terms needed. He's totally fit to be a period ruler, but as a romantic choice, oh boy! (His troops also murder FL's grandpa on their conquering rampage, but he's not personally involved, so that is the least of his problems.)

Between that first ep, the historical QSH and the fact that this is a prequel of sorts to Legend of Qin, which follows FL's son and where QSH is the villain (!), everything about this screams "this is a not a man who will mellow and reform due to the love of a good woman." But the drama is so brilliant because it uses the viewers' own yearning for a proper romance narrative, their experience with the default narratives being "ruthless man reforms for love" and the fact that not only does the OTP have great chemistry, but that ZBB, who as ML gives the best performance of his career imo, does portray the ML as someone who is impossibly magnetic and impossibly intense and utterly, completely in love with Dilraba's FL, to lead on the viewers to go "but what if...maybe...maybe?!" Only to then slap you with that infamous ending. (One of my favorite, most logical tragic endings of all time.)

God, this drama is SO GOOD!

ETA: I always thought that ending was both a perfect punishment and a perfect test. Because she knew, KNEW, he would kill her if she came at him with a weapon. But the thing he has to live with is not just the knowledge she merely used him to commit suicide by cop because she flipped the dagger at the last moment making it clear she never planned to hurt him, but the knowledge that it was also a test by her, wasn't it? If he loved her enough to be willing to risk being hurt/killed by her, to trust her, she'd be alive, he'd be unhurt, and I think this would have given them another chance - she'd have known he loved her above himself even when it looked like her love turned to hate, and I think this really would have enabled them to be happy in the future. But, as she knew he would, he failed that test. And he has to live not just with the knowledge that he killed the woman he loved and who never intended to harm him, but with the knowledge that he took his future of happiness away himself.

[dragonagitator]

I started out just wanting to write a "Modern Girl in Faerun" author self-insert fanfic of BG3 in the tradition of all the "Modern Girl in Thedas" fanfics I've enjoyed over the years in the Dragon Age fandom. You know, someone who has played the game gets transported to the world of the game and uses her foreknowledge of events to steer for the best ending and pursue her favorite romance, yadda yadda yadda.

And then I thought, oh, I should also write a sequel from Gale's perspective that runs parallel to the first story that's about him trying to figure out if she's just crazy or what.

I decided that while my MGIF character will be successful in using her foreknowledge of events to achieve the best or even better outcomes for the main events of the game, it would be hilarious if that same foreknowledge of events also led to her inadvertently flubbing every single scripted romance progression scene with Gale so that it ends up being an even slower burn than canon.

Meanwhile, most of the companions (including Gale) don't believe her story about how they're fictional characters in an interactive story she's played as a game because there are so many other plausible in-world explanations for why someone would have her foreknowledge of events. So Gale thinks she's mentally unwell, and he struggles with the ethics of pursuing a romantic relationship with someone whose interest in him is at least partially predicated on (what he believes to be) delusions.

It works out in the end, but Gale's perspective of what the fuck is going on is so divergent from hers that it would be a fundamentally different narrative.

And then as I was researching Forgotten Realms lore for the first set of stories, I realized it would be hilarious if I wrote a post-canon sequel about Gale and the MCIF trying to plan their wedding in Waterdeep while the events of the D&D modules Dragon Heist and Dungeon of the Mad Mage are unfolding in the background.

And then while I was researching stuff for that, I learned that it's Forgotten Realms canon that Elminster knows about Earth, has a portal to Ed Greenwood's house, and regularly visits Ed and few other D&D authors to give them more lore to write about.

So then I realize that while the Elminster we meet during BG3 is actually a Simulacrum and thus wouldn't be privy to anything Elminster didn't think it needed to know for its mission, presumably the real Elminster would show up for Gale's wedding. So if Gale happened to mention his new wife's unfortunate "delusions" to Elminster, Elminster could rock Gale's world by confirming no she's been right all along. Thank you, Elminster, for the best gift a bride could ever receive: the opportunity to say "I TOLD YOU SO!" to her husband. Lol.

And then I thought if Elminster has a portal to Ed's house in Toronto, what if Gale and the MCIF eventually used that portal to flee to Earth for some reason? Either to escape the reach of Mystra, or maybe because their child has a condition that's treatable on Earth but not with Faerun magic/medicine ala Outlander?

Then we could have another story in the series that's a reversal of the first story's trope -- a "Faerun Character in Modern Earth" story of Gale going through culture shock while also losing his connection to the Weave and thus losing all his wizard powers AGAIN. Mmmm angsty.

This is my first time writing fanfic, I've only written a fraction of the first story so far, and I've already come up with at least three sequels I need to write too.

What.

The.

Fuck.

I now fully understand what fanfic authors mean when they cry about "the plot bunnies are multiplying."

[nobibiname]

Ever wondered why the Elucien arguments pulling out Sarah’s 2016 interview and Facebook comment (yeah that one after ACOMAF came out) are SO annoying? 🙄

Ok so I ended up in a TikTok comment section today (yes I know that was my first mistake) and it occurred to me, we are once again not on the same page about some fundamental ideas on writing. The OP argued Sarah hasn’t changed her mind on the next books &elucien and that she said so in an interview after ACOSF.

Ok, but there’s a huge GLARING problem with that.

Basically, a writer makes promises in the text. I’m paraphrasing Sanderson here (I watch his lectures for fun, even tho I don’t write cuz I’m a dork) so he was talking about the first chapter and prologue of a book, or movie… but if you’re writing a multi-book epic, then you’re probably going to make promises about plots and characters of your future books, right?

So what are these promises? Basically what kind of book it is, plot&trope hints, the tone, goals, journeys and obstacles.

Ok back to SJM: why is the argument that “she said Elucien and hasn’t changed her mind infuriating? Because she made different promises in the books. And that is what Elriels mean when we say “set up”.

I mean just from the amount of interactions, Elriel have more than Elucien.. not to mention the warmth, positivity and thoughtfulness she put into their interactions over seriously 4 books. The promises are crystal clear: there is a romance that started as friendship==plot, but she has a bond w/someone else==obstacle, and Rhys forbade it in a moment resulting in her thinking he rejected her, but he didn’t == twist.

These promises need to be addressed, resolved, fulfilled. Is there something even CLOSE to this kind of story promise existing for Elucien?

I have seriously seen people claim that Elucien are both “friends to lovers” AND “enemies to lovers”…. These cannot both be true, like come on… you’re not even sure what kind of story they promise to be? You’re not sure what kinds of promises Sarah made about Elucien?

Why are you not sure? Because it’s not in the text. My personal view is that Elucien is neither… if they happen it’s kind of worse than either trope, they’re certainly not friends, they are at best indifferent to each other and at worst resentful. Mmmm … delicious “indifferent to lovers” 🫠

On a serious note, I don’t “hate” Elucien, but SJM hasn’t made a single promise in the text that I can quote in here that would make me excited about them. He gave her gifts that she didn’t throw away…. ?? Really?… she made a half step toward him… once… no, just no! And that’s how I feel, regardless if “Lulu deserves love”… sure he does, then write a love interest that brings out flirty firey fox boy from book1 and I’m on board 🫡 ….and don’t try to convince me after 4 books of a tepid nothing that all along it was Elain. Because. I. Don’t. Buy. It.

And my last point (I swear!) why did I get my panties all up in a twist… basically this: a writer makes promises IN THE TEXT, and if what you are saying in interviews directly CONTRADICTS your actual text, then you kinda have a problem. … at that point either you’re a bad writer, or you can’t blindly trust an interview from 7 years ago, it’s outdated!

The great GRRM himself said how often his “gardening style” of writing led to character arcs and romantic pairings changing… so why don’t we start treating Sarah as an adult author, and trust the text, and not an old interview?

It also comes down to trust. You don’t wanna be left feeling like “hmmm this doesn’t feel real, I don’t buy it” it takes you out of the text, and it happens when an author messes up promise-delivery . When an author foreshadows well, and sets up the story with their promises, still manages to surprise us while keeping the promises… well I trust THAT PERSON to tell me the most satisfying story.

[lord-squiggletits]

For the Salty Asks (forgive us for the avalanche, if it's too many you can pick your top three): 2, 9, 10, 11, 13 (Optimus), 20, 25 (IDW1), 26

uhhh honestly I feel a bit like a hermit who's out of the loop on what's popular/unpopular so some of these might be completely off the mark but here we go

2. Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?

Mmmm I think most of my brotp's aren't shipped as OTPs to start with, so I dunno if I have any that fit this question.

Guess the closest example for me would be OPli/ta. I don't actively platonically ship them but I think platonic is way more interesting than romantic. I don't like the fandom's interpretation of romantic O/Plita at all + I feel like as one of the original "token woman" Autobots, I'd like to see Elita unshackled from Optimus as a love interest, esp because any official interpretation of them is probably gonna be written extremely heteronormatively/token romance between an action hero and The Girl. And the fanon version of them that's Strong Independent Girlboss Elita with whipped simp husbnad Optimus is just as boring and gross.

I just don't like the vibes and would rather them have some sort of friendly or regular relationship together.

9. Most disliked character(s)? Why?

IDW1 Slide, who I've gone into detail about my hatred of in several posts, but the TLDR is that she comes off as some kind of mouthpiece character? Not a mouthpiece as in for the author's beliefs, but it literally feels like she only exists to shit on Optimus and call him a piece of shit. Her dialogue is so cheesily written ("literally fascism" is an actual thing she says) and her bitching/lack of cultural comprehension about Cybertronian history is so prevalent, that for a long time during my IDW1 reading I was genuinely confused as to whether she was supposed to be some sort of parody/strawman/mockery of someone IRL (her character comes off almost EXACTLY like an anti-SJW stereotype of a screeching harpy calling everyone she dislikes a fascist, and it's only Barber's very obviously left-leaning writing in other parts of the story that told me that definitely wasn't the intent). So then I was wondering "okay is she gonna like, randomly become evil and turn against the good guys because she's just that petty? I mean she spends all of her time bitching about how Optimus/the Autobots/Cybertronians in general are the worst ever and she also hates humans too so I mean maybe? Half of this story already doesn't make sense so I can see it happening."

Thankfully that didn't happen, but like. Slide is so goddamn annoying and ignorant and gets way too much page time dedicated to her angry monologuing (in Unicron aka the finale of IDW1 there's literally a whole half page panel of her bitching about how Optimus is an evil tyrant while Trypticon is dying behind her and it comes off as a poorly timed, bad taste joke). The narrative treats her like she's some important individual whose feelings are important and valid, but she's fucking annoying. Any sympathy she was meant to garner is canceled out by badly written dialogue and the fact that she's a Literal Nobody of a character who seemingly only exists to bash the decades old, beloved legacy characters. For the sake of, idk, talking about how fucked up Cybertronians are that they just shrug and move on when people die? Bc apparently it's some sort of sin to be numb after 4 million years of war (and war that's literally still ongoing while Slide is bitching) and just soldier on trying to get through it? God forbid that a military hierarchy fighting to keep neo-Decepticons and various other alien threats from colonizing Earth be run like a military in which orders have to be followed, people die, but you still have to keep fighting anyways? Idefk man I just hate Slide so much she's basically the embodiment of all of the bad aspects of Barber's writing personified.

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

Mutineers arc in MTMTE/LL. I feel like (whether due to early cancellation and/or JRO wasting time on too many side plots to give it its full depth), I dislike how the mutineers were basically boiled down to pure evil morons who are the most disgusting, despicable evil ever and the only reason the mutiny had Good Guys (TM) in it was because they were horribly misled and not because, you know, the mutiny was 100% a valid thing to have happened as retaliation against Rodimus and Megatron's captaincy.

Like, I'm not opposed to the idea of Getaway and his cronies being assholes (I personally thought Getaway was a GREAT slow-burn, puppet master villain/anti-hero), I just dislike how the quality of their writing degraded from MTMTE to LL. Felt like they (Getaway in particular) got passed the Idiot Ball and then the actual reasons behind the mutiny were never addressed, it was kind of just "oh Getaway died horribly so we're all friends now and we forgive each other and Rodimus/Megatron will just go back to being captains now."

11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

You mean besides IDW Optimus because anyone who's been on my blog for like 5 seconds knows he's my biggest problematic fave skldfjskd

Uhhh I guess in the spirit of the previous question, Getaway. I feel like the fandom's hatred for him is overblown mainly bc it's a combination of Tailgate/Cyga/te fans going "HE GOT IN THE WAY OF C/YGA/TE AND ALMOST KILLED THAT PRECIOUS CINNAMON ROLL" and Rodimus or Megatron stans going "Getaway hates my fave?? But my fave is a good captain and deserves the world HE'S EVIL MY FAVORITE IS BEYOND CRITICISM OR REPROACH GETAWAY IS THE EMBODIMENT OF EVIL."

Like to me it seems as if the hate for Getaway isn't normal dislike or even people hating him because he's a well written villain. It feels weirdly like ppl really take Getaway's actions personally and hate him with the kind of passion you normally see reserved for actual real life horrible people. Or they like, see Getaway as an obstacle to [favorite character]'s happiness and not as an individual who, before the quality of his writing tanked, was actually an interesting character who maybe even had good points? It just feels like people mainly hate Getaway because he's the antagonist to more popular characters/ships and so they project their defense of their faves into virulently hating him.

13. Unpopular opinion about (Optimus)?

Honestly 90% or more of the fan content I see for Optimus is really boring/uncompelling to me, or really just comes off as out of character. It's either Optimus being reduced to an accessory to be shipped with someone (usually turned into some sort of moe cutesy uke type) or him being turned into.... idk some permutation of "feral irresponsible gremlin" or "One Of The Good Ones (TM)" or "anxiety-ridden damsel who needs to be rescued by his lover" or, in some circles, "character I project my issues with authority onto and try to frame as evil for things that aren't even evil."

Idk how to specifically describe it, it's just... a vibe? Most of the Optimus content I see doesn't actually feel like him at all. It feels like it's Optimus/Orion in name only, who got so separated from canon and distorted by fanon/flanderization/shipping/porn stereotypes that he now only vaguely resembles the character he's supposed to be.

20. What is the purest ship in the fandom?

Ahahaha I don't really go into the realm of pure ships honestly, plus this is the war criminal fandom where pretty much every character has killed people or committed crimes or is just generally scarred by war so uhhh

Idk I think Thundercracker/Melissa is a pretty hinged ship? They get along and cope surprisingly well with all the shit that happens. There's no angst or betrayals or misunderstandings or enemies, they're just very respectfully together. Sdfklsajfksd

25. How would you end (IDW1)/Would you change the ending of (IDW1)?

Honestly, I'm pretty satisfied with the ending of IDW1 on both sides of the story. On Barber's side I would've preferred if every single planet including Cybertron didn't get fucking eaten leaving them all stuck on Earth together, and I would've also kept Trypticon alive while... minimizing Slide's role, to say the least. I don't have a problem with Optimus' ending bc I actually think that Optimus' arc in Unicron is like, one of the few 1000% good things Barber wrote for him it's just. It's pure Optimus in his best form.

On JRO's side I would've cut out the last panel with the alternate Lost Light and left it ambiguous as to whether the quantum jump successfully copied the ship or not. I dislike the vibes of the canon ending that implied that everyone moving on with their lives (almost universally to new and exciting and happier places) was the "sad" ending and going on a permanent road trip is the "true, happy" ending. In the author's notes I think JRO said that he wanted to give the readers an ending that would allow them to imagine their faves continuing to go on adventures, but I think compromising a good ending to a story to appease fans is fucking stupid + fandom has never needed permission or approval from the author to write alternate, happy endings. So why ruin a poignant, melancholy ending about how endings come with new beginnings and sadness/nostalgia can be mixed with hope and happiness by going "sike lol they're all living happily ever after on their space cruise."

Also I wouldn't have randomly killed off Ratchet for no reason because like. What was that even supposed to accomplish. I'm no stranger to writing major character deaths but like. He just fucking died of disease off-screen and that was that??? Why, like what was the narrative/symbolic purpose of that besides just making the ending more sad? Maybe to emphasize how going back to Cybertron was the "bad ending" and the quantum Lost Light is the "good ending" since on the LL Ratchet is still alive? But see the paragraph above for why I don't like that.

26. Most shippable character?

The most shippable character to me is whichever character I think is the sexiest, because if I think they're sexy it makes me want to ship them with everyone. "Guards, fuck that man for me" etc etc. Lmao

[thedeafprophet]

random Jamie questions! what genre(s) do they write in? :0 or like, what's their favorite genres? do they have favorite tropes to write, or tropes they're particularly known for? do they ever write (in one way or another) about their. uhhhh. love life? or do they ever incorporate things that have happened to them in the Neath into their stories?

my main Rowen is also an author and they're like, a sell-out, they write about whatever trends and in whatever genres are popular month-to-month. they wouldn't dare publish any of their work that's too personal to their actual life and feelings (Rowen would rather die than risk being Seen and Known lol). so I'm interested in what other author characters write about! :)

Well... typicallly...

Jamie is most often a gothic romance writer, or just gothic or romance in general, though they will often dive into adventure stories, or fairytale like stories too. They've writen a lot of poetry in the past too.

But the romance is def a major theme - in part their way of exploring the concept of 'romance' from their unknowing aro-spec perspective - which is a bit of A Thing, given that 'respectable' folks don't usually publically speak on ready anything potentially raunchy.

They tend to lean into explorations of power dynamics, fear, and mystery wrapped all into together. Something compelling, like a train crash you just can't look away from. (...similar, in part, to the things im writing about with them lmao). they like to explore on a thematic level of what its like to get lost - in a place, in a person, in what it means to be yourself.

I def think theres some bleed through between their experiences and their writing. Especially if they;ve been particularly annoyed by someone - you may find an annoying antagonists in their next short story with oftly familiar description. Nothing that could ever be directly proven, mind you, but most certainly some potential influences...

...and, well. I don't think they write about Princesses and Knights as much anymore. Some types of fairytales just no longer work for them, and the stories they would want to tell would be far too personal, and would never make it past the censors anyways.

mmmm that tracks! While I wouldnt call Jamie a sellout specifically, they are absolutely molded by the publics expectations, and often dont write neccesarily what they want to write. And thats before getting into the fact that the ministry of public decency has a particular bone to pick with Jamie, oof. Getting their stuff published at all was a struggle for a bit.

And their role as poet laureate came with expectations and tasks as well, along with dragging them further into the demands of high society. So suffice to say, theres a significant heavy hand from various sources influencing what Jamie actually gets around to writing.

[heretherebedork]

Mmmm, Shu in the doorway as he finally approaches his own feelings through Shin who has never shied away from love or standing up for his relationship.

This contrasting with the way that Minato has separated them due to Shin's jealousy and want to be out about their relationship is very interesting because Shin has never doubted his love while Shu is just starting to realize that he might feel something more for Asuka.

We're making the transition from a queerplatonic relationship that was not fulfilling what Asuka needed but was what Shu thought he wanted into a romantic relationship that they both want as this love is realized.

I am not implying or saying that a queerplatonic relationship is less than romance. By no means. But It is different and these characters trying to face their differences and to face what's changed and what's different and what it means is truly interesting.

Because Asuka has always approached this as a romantic relationship but tried to temper his own love with the knowledge that Shu simply didn't feel that way... while Shu has just been coasting along on Asuka's affection and love because it fulfilled what he needed from their relationship... until it didn't because he saw Asuka supposedly cheating and started to realize that he wanted more.

... This doorway just means a lot to me, okay? Shu is taking the first steps into a change in his identity, realizing he's in love and what that means for him and for his relationship and how it affects him and it's beautiful. Because he is the student to Shin's expertise. We see him through the same doorway, sitting at a desk, Shin in a position of authority.

Again and again we see Shu not using his words because he doesn't know what to say or how to say it or assumes that people will understand him without his spoken participation. Shu always makes the very base assumption that people know what he needs and what he means without having to actually say it.

That's part of why his relationship with Asuka is under so much stress. He only says about half of what he needs to express his feelings and affection and he says even less sometimes because he doesn't know what he's feeling himself.

Third time for this exact trope of someone thinking that the physical manifestation of love is a physical malady with their heart. I love them all.

But also this just explains so much. Even when Shu was showing Asuka affection, it wasn't from a place of romantic love. At least not yet. He hadn't realized that what he felt was love, that he felt more than he'd thought.

Shu came into this expecting a queerplatonic non-romantic relationship on his part and to simply be who he could be to Asuka and assumed that Asuka loving him was just... enough. And now he's realizing that he fell in love and he think that Asuka might have fallen out of love because he thinks he was cheating on him.

My beloved this absolute emotional idiot. I love Shu so much because he doesn't recognize his own emotions. He has no idea and no connection to the idea that he loves Asuka and that's why his heart hurts. He really doesn't know. This is entirely foreign to him.

Shin is so done with everyone else's relationship. His struggles in his own have left him with just nothing. He's so frustrated with these older men who don't seem to know their own feelings.

We need so many more straightforward boys like Shin, y'all.

Oh, Shin, we all love you. The most audacious boy to ever BL. The best beansprout. The boy who loved and loved and loved and never stopped for anything.

Shin getting to express his frustration with the way his relationship with Minato is good here. It's important to know that he loves Minato but he's also hurt by the way Minato acts and treats him sometimes, that for all his love doesn't end he isn't always happy about it. It's just nice how many people Shin has to talk to about his feelings.

Unlike Minato and Asuka.

(That is a whole thing I could talk about, how Shu and Shin both have other people to confide in and manage to communicate with each other while Asuka and Minato tend to end up very trapped in their own heads. They can't even give each other advice because they're caught in their own thoughts. Asuka does have Shin to have some extent but their communication is also rough.)

Shu literally getting smacked with the realization that he loves Asuka. That he absolutely, fully, completely loves him. You know. His boyfriend.

Well, again, I think Shu considered them to be queerplatonic and to realize that you're feeling romantic love when you never considered yourself capable of romantic love is a terrifying concept. To be faced with feelings you never thought you'd have and for someone that you think might have stopped feeling that for you... terrifying.

Shin continues to be a genius and Shu's realization takes a lot for him. I mean, it is in fact huge. I can't be upset with him.

But also I think that this explains a lot of why people struggle with their relationship. @italianpersonwithashippersheart's has left all the best comments in my tags about their struggles with their pairing and I get it (also, omfg, those tags make my day EVERY TIME just FYI). And I think this is a huge component of it. Realizing that Shu didn't know he loved Asuka has colored all his actions in this entire show so far. Shu has genuinely been acting on affection and care but not on romantic love. Because he didn't recognize it as a feeling and because he doesn't even know what it means.

It's a struggle because there is a difference between how you care for someone and how you stay in a relationship with someone when you care for them versus when you romantically love them.

This is also about Shu coming to the realization of what's been happening in their relationship. Of what their relationship is and what it means to him.

This is the perfect halfway mark for the series because the rest has to be about settling with the cheating and the communication and what romantic love means to both of them. We know Asuka has been feeling neglected and lonely in this relationship and now it's Shu's turn to try to act on what he's feeling.

May Shin's direct communication be a blessing to these two. Because Shu and Asuka need to actually talk at some point. Desperately. They need communication. But Asuka is afraid of losing Shu and Shu didn't realize what he felt until it was threatened.

I am already dying for next. Absolutely lost. Absolutely gone. Asuka is so terrified of losing Shu that he can't do anything or act on anything or speak up because he's terrified of losing even the tiniest hints of what he has. And what is Shu going to do? Who's he going to talk to!? I doubt it's Asuka, honestly. But I cannot wait. I love this show so much, y'all.

(Also, the chup chup has been a Thai joke about kissing so many times that I'm a bit surprised to see it in Japan but I love it.)

[quetzalpapalotl]

Arcee is like, one of the most mature and grounded characters by the end of the story. She has has a lot of time to self-reflect and her isolation led her to a place where she had to think for herself what she wants and how to achieve it in a way that's completely internaly motivated.

That being said, her status at the end puts her in sutuations that she's not used to. Her most meaningful relationship before this point was with Galvatron and that relied in the intimacy of growing up together and Just Being There and even that fell apart. She's never been in a situation where she had to regularly and constantly maintain a relationship with someone else, so I think she would stumble.

And I kinda want to write an aircee fic where Arcee experiences jealousy. She's being starved of affection her whole life and now that she has it losing it is all the more terrifying, by her own admission. And she can try to fight a world-ending threat but what could she do if Aileron just... didn't want her anymore.

And is not like she doesn't trust Aileron, but again this is all new for her, and she's used to people she thought she had a connection with dropping off. And there's probably some asymmetry in that we do see that Arcee is making more connections by the end but Aileron is a friendly girl and her social circle and the number of people that can cater to her emotional needs would be far bigger while Arcee would be more dependent on Aileron only.

I don't think Arcee would even realize what she's feeling at first because it makes no sense. She just randomly gets in a sour mood. She trusts Aileron, Aileron is not like other people. She has no reason to feel this way. It would take her some to be able to name the feeling and then some more to be not be ashamed of feeling like this.

Given that Camiens are all expected to have amicas and amicas are all potential conjuxes, I don't think this is a culture that would encourage romantic jealousy. Like of you're the jealous type you're going to have a bad time and probably be looked down for wanting to deprive your sparkmate of such important relationships. So this kind of thing is probably not something Ailerom ever expected having to reassure someome of.

I would like to write something with this because the world needs more aircee, but it's such a fluffy ship and I'm not compelled to write fluff so this could be a way to get around it. Not that I would want to make it too messy or angsty. It is very important in the context of the story that Arcee and Aileron's romance has very little friction so as much as I love pain I don't think this is a ship that would be improved by introducing needless angst. Mmmm....

[faye-writes-stuff]

Bench trio with big sister reader

(Don’t question the ferret)

EEEEEEEEEE LYSSSSS YOUR 19!!! YOU CAN DO ILLEGAL SHIT! In the uk

WOOOOHHHHOOOOO

Okok, I know you really like Wilbur, but I’m rewriting this and don’t have the right motivation to write for him :(

BUT I am doing a little bench trio thing!! :] I hope you enjoy!

Character: bench trio

Requested: no

TOF: oneshot/drabble

P!cc!bench trio x reader

———————————————————————————————————

Tommy-

The literal embodiment of chaos

He’s the annoying little brother who asks you to take him places

Doesn’t matter what your doing, you could be streaming and he would be like

“Y/n, Y/n, Y/n, Y/N!”

“What do you want Tommy?”

“Will you take me to Mcdonald’s?”

And you’d be like

“Bruh”

If you said no he would babyrage

He calls you big f/l, or small f/l depending on your hight 😌

When you make fun of him for being a child, he would make fun of you for being old

Normally he would be an ass to you, but when he is soft, you embrace it

He gives good hugs, prove me wrong

When he turned 18, he made you do a drinking stream with him

Absolute chaos, but you would do your best to stop him

You ended up throwing uncle Nasty, he was pissed off, but he pissed you off first, so it’s ok

He would probably be really sweet off stream, but if you ever brought it up on stream all hell would break loose

Would deffo send you ‘good morning!’ Or ‘come join the call and hang out!’ Messages if your having a bad day

Kinda like he does with Wilbur

Would lightheartedly make fun of you, and if he ever took a joke to far he would immediately appologize

You would be known as siblings duo and I take no criticism 😌

Tubbo

He’s the cool little brother

The one you would hang out with the most

He can’t drive, so your obligated to drive him places

It’s cool tho, he pays for food

You guys will go on little road trips for the weekend (in this hc you live in the UK)

I feel like you guys would go to the mall together and pick out matching outfits

He seems like a matching sweater kinda guy

bee buddies

Bee Buddies

BEE BUDDIES

Whenever you guys would stream together, it would be chaos

Not like Tommy’s though, he would be like

“That’s a bad decision, let’s do it!”

“Yeahhh!!!! Let’s do it!”

Or like

“mmmm, maybe don’t, TOS yk?”

You would have a Minecraft server devoted to critters

Bees, cows, axolotls, you name it, they have it

Meetups are pretty frequent

Not even for content the majority of the time

Just two bros hanging out

You guys would watch bad romance movies together and laugh at them

He’s great at comforting you when you’ve had a bad day<3

You guys are called Critterduo/beekeeperduo

Ranboo

The favorite little brother

You guys would just hang out and talk about anything

Late night streams with him would hit different

The fandom would cry whenever you do lore together

So, so much angst

You enjoy their pain 😌

You two would have a lot of irl streams, and would feed of eachothers energy

One of your favorite bits is making certain voices at the other

Other people would get so confused at it

Like, they would join a vc and would hear you making fun of your character

“Man, I really hope I don’t forget!” (In sonic voice)

“Oh, I’ll help you remember, it’s all gonna be ok, I totally won’t die!”

You guys would be anxiety buddies

Whenever he would be out in public with you (or just walking around in general), you would hold onto his sleeve

Would have matching rings

He would get you fidget toys to help you focus

Matching rings 100%

You buy eachother stim toys :]

Would be called Loreduo 100%

Bench trio

YLYL streams, at least once a month

You would attempt to control the chaos, key word, attempt

You’d be a mod in each of their chats

Same with them for you

There would be a little competition to see how many weirdos they can ban

And would pop in to say hi whenever you could

Meetups would break twitter

Napping cuddle pile

Hang outs without vlogging or streaming are the best ones

Would deffo become cannon on the dsmp that you were a safe space for all people who need help

Would bully authority figures together /hj

All of your friends fear when you meet up together

Fans get so exited when they get 4/4 content

You, Ranboo, and Tubbo are called the paintrio, because lore

You, Tubbo and Tommy are called littlesiblingstrio

You, Tommy and Ranboo are called talltrio, bcuz in this you are tall 😌

You guys would be called chaos quartet

And I stand by that

——————————————————

A/n: Happy birthday Lyss!

My requests are open atm so don’t be afraid to send a request of chat!

[mermaidsirennikita]

Need more updates on Knockout!!

It's so so good. May beat out Heartbreaker for my favorite Hell's Belles? Not sure yet, but it's very much on that level, and I loooooved Heartbreaker.

--Tommy Peck once again proves my point that though not all historical romance heroes have Adam Driver Face, a lot of them (a lot of the best ones) have Adam Driver Body. Adam Driver's general physical giantness and Bulky Man Who Carries Baby Sheep on a Mountain muscles are what these "oh he's so biiiiig" romance heroes are supposed to look like, Tommy Peck has Adam Driver body (though not Adam Driver Face) and I don't make the rules, I just tell the truth.

--This book may have my favorite plus size rep... ever? Because a) it's really not this thing where Imogen is bemoaning it, even though she clear is, and b) Tommy WANTS IT. He's not registering anything like "oh she's bigger and I like it, surprise" he just sees like. She's got BODY. And he is about it.

But where the emotional touchpoint comes in for me especially is in how Imogen feels bad about her "muchness" and how she's "too much". And while a lot of this is very much related to her personality, I also think that, whether you are bigger and have a big personality (which I identify with on both levels myself, lol) or are simply bigger in general, this idea of being too much is really poignant? And idk, I very much relate to this idea of wanting someone who will both meet you at your level and make you, despite your "muchness" make you feel fragile in the sense that you are something to be handled with care and taken care of.

--All that being said, I love so much that there is this emphasis on his muscles and him toting her around like a sack of potatoes.

--This is the book where I've felt the Belles the most. Not that I didn't buy their friendship in the other books, but Sesily had this other group of women I associated her with (her sisters) and Adelaide was really off with Clayborn for much of Heartbreaker. Here, I really love how fond the Belles seem with one another (and the Duchess seems more human, which is IMPORTANT obviously, as her book is next and she's gonna be a hot mess, I can tell).

I also love Clayborn and Caleb being these very sort of like... hapless husbands lol. Like, they're very alarmed by all that's happening, but they know they can't stop these women, so they're just like "SESILY! ADELAIDE! PLEASE NO!" and presumably are being soothed in bed later. As is the way of MacLean heroes. Anxiety monsters when it comes to the their heroines.

Which is why Tommy is ideal here, lol. He is a clear anxiety monster with Imogen. He cannot HANDLE it.

Also, the scene that gets interrupted? Where they're like "mmmm let's just get it out of our systems". So. So. GOOD.

[mischiiefs]

GET  TO  KNOW  THE  MUN.

WHAT  MADE  YOU  PICK  UP  THE  MUSE  YOU  HAVE  ?   It's so funny actually because when I first started Teen Wolf... Stiles was not my favorite character. I was a Stydia shipper for sure but I did not. I did not like him!!! But I don't know what happened, one day I was like No I'm A Fool and thought I could try writing him??? Just to pick apart his brain??? And he just... became so much fun.

ALSO FUN FACT: My first ever tumblr muse was Liam so the Teen Wolf rpc has always kind of been there for me???

IS  THERE  ANYTHING  YOU  DON'T  LIKE  TO  WRITE  ?  Obvi like... illegal stuff and anything that shits on a certain idea / people etc etc.

IS  THERE  ANYTHING  YOU  REALLY  ENJOY  WRITING  ?   I'm an angst hoe its true. I love writing angst and just darker things? I'm really just open to everything, I like writing silly things, fluff, etc etc but angst monster angst monster-

HOW  DO  YOU  COME  UP  WITH  YOUR  HEADCANONS  ?   I don't. They come to me through possession. The voice of Stiles takes over me and says some ancient nerdom shit and I have to decipher it thank you

DO  YOU  WRITE  IN  SILENCE  OR  LISTEN  TO  MUSIC  ?   DEPENDS. Most of the time I listen to music, just whatever shuffles on my spotify liked songs or I just have. I need it to be dead quiet at times or I'll get totally thrown off track so yeah!!

DO  YOU  PLAN  YOUR  REPLIES  OR  WING  THEM  ?   Obviously if it was plotted then I'll go off that but I took several acting classes in high school, I'm an improv shithead at heart even if the idea being planned out is.... much.... much easier.

DO  YOU  ENJOY  SHIPPING  ?   I do!! I don't write just for romance however, I'd like a wide array of ships: platonic, enemies, allies etc etc! Keeps it fresh and exciting <3

WHAT'S  YOUR  ALIAS/NAME  ?   I used to just go by my full name of Makenzie but that quickly dissolved into people always saying Mak so that stuck so hard and I think like two or so years ago I really adopted Kai as well?? So Mak / Kai works, Makai if you wanna smoosh it together but I don't care which one you choose! Just don't call me late for dinner-

AGE  ?   Almost 24!

BIRTHDAY  ?  June 12! Gemini power.

FAVORITE  COLOR  ?   I'm a fan of the blues, greens, purples mainly.

FAVORITE  SONG  ?   Don't ask me that question dONT ASK ME THAT QUESTIOON

LAST  MOVIE  YOU  WATCHED  ?   ???? Probably the FNAF movie-

LAST  SHOW  YOU  WATCHED  ?   For an ACTUAL show, I think it was Shogun but if podcasts count, I've been binging The Magnus Archives-

LAST  SONG  YOU  LISTENED  TO  ?  Achilles Come Down which is literally on shuffle right now LMAO

FAVORITE  SEASON  ?   Mmmm autumn.

DO  YOU  HAVE  A  TUMBLR  BEST  FRIEND  ?   God I I don't like this question LMAO So many idec

tagged by: @selfregard @kindofuneven gucci gang gucci gang gucci gang tagging: @fablewrote @bravevolunteer @unknownths @angerdriven @hcpebled

[agerefandom]

For the ask game: 5, 8, and 9 :3

Thank you anon!! Love to you!! (agere writing game)

5. Have you ever made a self insert?

Yeah! I actually have a whole self-insert blog! I'm a bit nervous about linking it here 'cause I do post some nsft content and discourse over there and I don't want that to be synonymous with this blog, but safe to say that I have like twenty self-inserts floating around in my head at all times.

8. What tropes do you write the most?

*squints at my AO3 page* Probably agere reveals, it's a convenient way to enter into a new dynamic. Even when I was writing romance fics, I usually wrote about new relationships and coming out stories, I just like new situations.

9. What tropes do you tend to avoid?

Mmmm, good question! I don't like classification AUs (where you're labelled as a regressor or caregiver by a test at a certain age and the whole society is built around it), and I try to avoid tropes that I associate with k/nk dynamics (like excessive embarrassment that could tip into humiliation).

[myckicade]

This is my response to an ongoing conversation. ( @motleystitches and @tikxy have some fabulous insights! ). I'm posting this portion on its own, as well, because... Well, why not, indeed?

To quote the beginning of @motleystitches' response:

This is incredibly interesting, because it leads me to thinking that perhaps Lestat never intended to be in this deep with Louis at all. He didn’t realise what he was getting into when he started the whole hunt-for-a-companion. He knew the “play” of romance, so that’s what he did with his grand gestures etc, but it all comes back to bite him, so to speak and he didn’t like it at all.

Mmmm, precisely. He intended to play the game, and fell head-first into, "Oh, shit." Louis feels like the biggest slap of reality that (I suspect) Lestat has had in a long time, a reminder of that which he can't control. He can kill. He can seduce. But love? Oh, no. No, love can not be kept on such a tether, not when it is him being choked by the reigns. Being Louis' maker, there is likely a pretty serious expectation of adoration from his fledgling, of love, certainly, and not necessarily with the intention of making it a two-way street (beyond those grand gestures).

The truly amusing part is that Lestat is really overthinking the problem. To use an old favourite, he's set up for a game of checkers, while Louis is ready to play chess.

I love your description of Louis as "the most human-ish vampire ever", because that is absolutely spot-on. Louis wants to be seen, to be understood. We wants something real. He isn't taken in by the superficial, and that comes across as the only card Lestat knows how to play. He can wine and dine, he can show off his wealth and status, he can be the mysterious man about town. When that fails to be what Louis needs to be happy, and it makes Louis confused and uncomfortable, there's this sense of, "...-Huh?!" Sure, Lestat eventually says he enjoys the challenge of Louis, but the novelty is quick to wear off. He's faced with it so many times, the resulting struggle to recalibrate leaves him with mental and emotional whiplash.

At some points, it really looks like he doesn't know whether he's coming or going. The argument in which Lestat screams, "This isn't a life!" strikes me, again and again. That he, Lestat, stubborn, headstrong, ever-powerful creature of the night, has been brought to tears over a situation he could have left. He's scared and hurt, stuck in the middle of a situation he doesn't seem to have encountered before, that he put himself in, and he's looking to Louis to fix it. Goodness knows he's tried and tried (and failed and failed) to make Louis happy, and Louis is the only one with the answer of how to make it work. The only one with the power to change it. He's helpless in the face of Louis' depression, and doesn't have a clue what else to try. Nights out don't work. Sex doesn't work. It's an easy thing to take personally. Unfortunately, he turns to that age-old defense: Victim Blaming. I do believe that he genuinely wants Louis to feel better, but that ego response of "Why am I not the answer?!" really, really gets in his way.

And he still has the balls to laugh in Louis' face, when Loius voices the same concern over their relationship. What a dick.

Anyway.

Lestat clearly loves Louis enough to stand beside him, and swirl down the drain with him, but he lacks the capacity for... understanding? Empathy? Patience? To continue on in silence. To some degree, I would argue that he shouldn't have to, either. Argument, within limitation, can be healthy toward working through feelings, and making one's self heard. Getting to the bottom of things, and figuring it all out. On the other side of the argument, Louis does not have to magically be better to fix the problem. I'm just being a broken record about fucking communicating.

The situation with Claudia is a repeat of the same theme, sparking the pattern I had previously mentioned. They wrap the wound (turn Claudia), forgive and forget, and move on. But, eventually, Louis' focus goes to Claudia, a stand-in (though loved) for the family he's already lost. He's once again distracted by something that isn't Lestat. He nit-picks at Lestat for his parenting choices, which, I grant you, don't look great on the surface. But, Lestat is the experienced vampire. I say again, Lestat is the experienced vampire. He knows what it will take for this girl, this fledgling of theirs to survive in the world. Every time he tries, Louis takes issue, because Louis is trying to protect Claudia from what she is. From what they made her. As with his own self-care as a vampire, he's trying to do it in halves. I think it scares him that Claudia is a killer, that she is not like him. That she will grow to resent them for what they have done to her, as opposed to for her. (And, as we've seen... Ta-da...).

But, I digress. Here's Louis, once again throwing criticism at Lestat. Resentment. Just when he thinks he's finally found the answer. After he's helped Louis to attain what he wants. After they have been doing so much better. After he's given more than he had ever intended to the man, and he's still not enough. He isn't enough to make Louis stay without Claudia. He isn't enough to make Louis happy without Claudia. Either he doesn't understand what Louis is going through, or he doesn't give a shit (which I find a little more difficult to believe), and it leaves him with a sense of inadequacy. And he looks at Claudia, and Claudia apparently holds every fucking answer that he has now spent decades trying to find. He's failed, and to a child, and part of him just seems to... give up.

Which brings me to Antoinette. Part of me thinks that, sure, Lestat runs back over to Antoinette, at whatever point, to fill the void of what he wants, but isn't getting from Louis. Someone he can please, and likely with so much ease, I can hear his ego purring from here. Someone who makes him feel wanted, and desirable, and (I'm sure) the complete opposite of helpless. The rest of me, though, also sees this affair as Lestat giving up. Said affair has gone on for all these years, and Louis obviously hasn't moved for a physical separation. The cry for attention has gone unanswered. He's tired of hunting. As you say, he recognizes himself as being in the wrong for it, because he still doesn't want to lose what they have, fucked up as it may be. It reads to me as, "Yes, I've done it. Now, are you going to fight for me? For us?"

Then, re-enter Claudia, and her attempts to take Louis away. No matter what they've been through until this point, no matter how many times Louis has threatened to end things, they are still together. They've weathered it all, for better or worse. If there has been a roadblock? Lestat has destroyed it. Quite literally, he has killed it. But, Claudia? She's a roadblock he can't go through. He can't kill Claudia. For one thing, I do believe he cares about her, much as - again - he claims he doesn't. For another, if he harms her, he will surely lose Louis for good. And, he cares about that. This isn't something he can piss on and walk away from. Louis means everything to him. Claudia is going to win, Louis is going to leave him, and Lestat has no tricks left to try. No amount of recalibration is going to fix it. He's lost, and he can't have that.

If he's going to lose anyway, he might as well become the monster he was always expected to be.

[whatudowhennooneseesyou]

Hi ruby just a fun question-what's your favourite romance trope to read and which trope would you like to experience in real life?🤭😁

Oh, I love fun questions like these!

Please send in more fun questions!!!

My fave romance tropes...mmmm, that's a bit tricky because I tend to be more attracted to 'themes' of fics rather than tropes.

But I would say some of my fave tropes are:

Experienced bf x inexperienced gf (duhh, half of my fics are this trope) and this is a trope I am hoping *fingers crossed* to experience in real life.

Why? Because my receiving corruption kink is SIMPING but also realistically, at my age. There's going to be a higher chance of my next partner going to be more experienced than I am so I love reading it because it's more relatable.

My fave works that incorporate that trope have been so far are:

'Lovely and Sweet' by @tasteleeknow because I love soft!dom Lee Know and I can just feel Lee Know's gentleness when I read that piece.

'Ready' by @hardstraykidshours because i genuinely cried while reading that fic because of how much I related to the reader and this feeling of 'what's wrong with me?' that you sometimes feel when you've experienced rejection in the past.

And it's a Bang Chan piece and I honestly do feel that if your first partner has a similar personality to Chan, you're going to be fine because of how considerate they would be.

The quote 'You're literally the most beautiful person I've ever seen, so I hope you know that I'm still going to think that when you're naked underneath me'.

Just *WHEWW*

Clutches my pearls every time.

There's a few more but I would say that's one of my favourite tropes to read.

What are your fave tropes to read?

[bijoumikhawal]

For the ask game: 1, 12, 13, 49 :)

1. Top 3 favorite female characters?

Mmmm. Keiko and Kira are up there, definitely. Also I find Nurse Jabara very conceptually fascinating just because she's the nurse who we know helps Julian handle Garak- I think it's probable they just use her name a lot, because shes usually the nurse named in scenes, but there's implications there! Is she the head nurse? Do the two of them just work well together? Etc. I liked how Everything is Fine by Arati_Mhevet looked into her and a lot of other characters

(Lwaxana is not here because I am not especially familiar with TNG)

12. Top 3 NOTPs?

I've mentioned I don't like j*les because I find the fans annoying and I think their relationship is not like. One I actually think most fans can write well as it is in Canon, much less in a romantic context (because to me, underlying everything is that Miles is a white guy and a space racist, and his fixation on Julian being better at racquetball than him in that one episode made me feel very uneasy, as well as the Jem'hadar episode), and I don't like how people treat Keiko there (like, they're really just pushing her out of the way even if they're going "yayyyy polyamory", and wishing Keiko was more like a man is kind of homoerotic, but in context it was. Definitely meant to be misogynistic.).

Another strong ick for me is Kira/Dukat. I don't think Kira would even hate fuck him, they dont have that kind of relationship or chemistry, and I think Dukat should be court ordered to stay 50 feet away from any Bajoran ever, especially women. It could be interesting if Kira had a different way of interacting with Dukat (I have, after all, read Sloan/Bashir fic) but she simply doesn't. Their relationship mostly consists of Dukat chasing around the daughter of a woman he kidnapped and raped, who has no consideration for him unless he's making problems for her.

Also like. Garak/Ziyal, which does not need. Explanation.

13. A ship you wish had been canon and why?

Funnily enough, I don't know if I wish garashir was Canon lmao- at least not during DS9's original run. I trust Andy and Siddig, but they would not be the ones writing scripts for that- it would be the actual writing team, and 1) I think Star Trek specifically isn't very good at writing Canon romances, and often writes stuff thats lackluster or creepy, 2) the TV problem of finally paying off years of tension and writing a relationship so bad you wanna punch the screen, and 3) the added fact that this would be Gay Shit in the 90s with a straight writing team and Berman on high... you know one or both of them would die or something

49. A favorite ST fic?

What, just one? There's so many though! Interpersonal studies by @johannestevans, @ofhouseadama's debut work, Stubborn Mouths: Humans in Translation by Hannah, a bunch of stuff from @wanderingwriter87, @irresistible-revolution's work... and that's only a few!