#queerplatonic here but ship still applies

[quietwings-fics]

the thing with feathers

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Fandom: Supernatural Ship: Gen (Jack & Lucifer & Sam) + Minor Samifer Additional Tags: Wing Grooming, Father-Son Relationship, Sam Winchester is Jack Kline's Parent, Queerplatonic Lucifer/Sam Winchester, because I say so., Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Light Angst, Nephil Jack Kline, Child Jack Kline, Touch-Starved, ALL OF THEM. - Freeform, Forehead Kisses, Hugs, Good Parent Lucifer (Supernatural), Queerplatonic Relationships, Wingfic, Winged Jack Kline, Good Parent Sam Winchester, Lucifer is Jack Kline's Parent Wordcount: 2784 Summary:

Lucifer and Sam take care of Jack's wings.

The problem with raising a child who is half-angel is that Sam does not have access to all the information he would need to do it right. Cas is better equipped than him or Dean, but Jack is still the kid of an archangel, above Cas’s paygrade. In the end, that’s why Lucifer gets visitation rights (which in reality translates to ‘why Lucifer crashes on their couch and is impossible to get rid of.’) He’s the only one left who knows how to wrangle a child whose temper tantrums could easily make people explode.

(It’s not that Jack wants to hurt anyone. It’s that there’s a reason you don’t give toddlers guns, and that’s because they’ll figure out how to shoot long before they figure out why not to.)

Sam is still wary of Lucifer, but that’s a hard feeling to hold onto when he’s comparing the guy who wanted to burn the world to the ground to the guy making a lightshow on the Bunker’s ceiling for Jack to distract him from a nightmare. If there’s only one thing Sam knows, it’s that he’s going to give everyone a second (third, fourth, fifth…) chance. He couldn’t live with himself otherwise, couldn’t face his own reflection knowing he’d been afforded that much and couldn’t extend it to someone else. Maybe Lucifer doesn’t deserve that, or to be in Jack’s life, or even to still be alive after everything he’s done, but Sam’s world has never revolved around fairness. They’re here. Jack exists. Lucifer is trying. That’s what matters.

He knows how Dean looks at him. Like it’s all going to go to Hell again. Sam doesn’t know what Dean would have done if Lucifer hadn’t shown up and claimed parental rights, how Dean would have treated Jack without the threat of an archangel’s wrath hovering in the background, but they’re knee-deep in parenting the antichrist now. A kid isn’t something they get to back out on because he’s gotten inconvenient. If nothing else, Lucifer gets that. Sam thought he wanted some sort of legacy, a final fuck you to his own father, but Lucifer… he really did just want a kid. He wanted someone to raise and protect and watch grow, and to know that he’s turning out alright despite (or even because of) Lucifer’s own influence.

If Sam was wrong to let the devil in, then he’ll pay the price. But he’s not so sure that’s going to happen.

Lucifer and Jack are both early risers. That’s easy to do when you either don’t sleep or only need a few hours every couple of days. Sam is still human, and he can’t function without coffee. He stumbles into the Bunker’s kitchen and the tail-end of a conversation.

“-thought they would take care of themselves,” Jack is saying before he hears Sam and turns to greet him. “Good morning, Sam.”

“Good morning, Sam,” Lucifer echoes. Sam glowers at him because it's early, and he should not have to deal with the devil before eight.

“Morning,” he gives them. He goes straight to the coffee maker. Strangely enough, there’s already a pot waiting for him. It’s fresh, too. Lucifer continues whatever they were talking about.

“They don’t. You don’t expect the human parts of you to take care of themselves. Why would the angelic be any different?” It takes Sam longer than he’d like to admit to sort out that Lucifer’s upset, not angry, which is the first place Sam’s half-asleep brain goes to. He glances at Jack to check, but where Sam tensed up at Lucifer’s firmer tone, Jack is completely relaxed. Why wouldn’t he be? He’s never had a parent who prefaced shouting matches with disappointment. “Your wings are delicate, especially now. You have to preen them, or they’ll start to hurt.”

“What does that mean?” Jack asks. Lucifer frowns.

“This shouldn’t be new information to you. Castiel could have taught you this. Why didn’t he-“ Lucifer stops himself, his gaze flicking towards the darkened doorway that leads to the rest of the Bunker. Castiel has his own room here, now. It seemed a little weird for Lucifer to have one picked out and not him. Lucifer’s expression goes from confusion to realization to concern, and then he quietly says, “I can handle that later.” He turns back to Jack. “Preening is how you keep your wings clean. I can’t teach you to fly without them being in a good state.”

He tosses it out casually, but Jack hones in on it in an instant. If the half-smile on Lucifer’s face is anything to go by, that was intentional. “You promise?” Jack says.

“Cross my heart,” Lucifer responds, and when Jack tilts his head and frowns at the saying, he adds, “I promise.”

“So, how do I do it? Preening?” Jack pouts. “I don’t have to get in the shower, do I?” Jack is not a huge fan of showers. Dean thinks he’s being overdramatic when he says that the water hitting him feels like tiny knives. Sam, who has started paying more attention to the way Jack avoids certain sounds or textures, isn’t so sure.

“No. You should probably be careful manifesting your wings anywhere in here. Except around Sam, of course. He can take it. Dean’s eyeballs might explode.” Sam jolts at hearing his name. He’s been passively absorbing everything up until now.

“What does that mean?” he asks. Lucifer waves a hand.

“No part of me can hurt you to look at,” he says, “and Jack was a part of me, once.” Mercifully, he stops that explanation there because Sam does not feel like they need to explain the birds and bees to Jack this morning. “You could see his wings. You’ve seen mine.” Sam tries not to shudder. He’s seen a lot of Lucifer. None of it was pretty. Lucifer is watching him, and though Sam squashed most of his reaction, enough clearly reached his face that Lucifer catches it. He looks more upset than Sam expected, but as always, it’s brushed off and his focus falls back on Jack. “Technically, you could help, if you wanted to.”

“Help?” Sam and Jack say at the same time.

“It was a bonding exercise in Heaven. Michael used to-“ Lucifer stops, crosses his arms. When he starts again, he’s quieter. “If you had to guess, you’d think Gabriel was the messy one, but he always kept his wings neat and tidy. It was Raphael who had to be made to sit still so that I could comb their feathers back in order.” He takes a breath. Sam knows no version of the archangels except the ones in the aftermath, Gabriel as the trickster, Raphael at war, Michael as the dick he dragged into the Cage with him, but they were Lucifer’s family, once. And now he’s got nothing.

Or, he has Jack. Sometimes, how desperate Lucifer was to be a part of his life makes a lot of sense.

“Angels aren’t made to be alone,” Lucifer says. “We can take care of our own wings for a while, but in isolation, well, speaking from experience…” He shrugs, like this is something that doesn’t matter to him. Sam’s convinced that half the reason Lucifer doesn’t lie is that when he bothers to, he’s terrible at it. “So let’s look after yours and keep them from getting to that state, yeah, kiddo?”

“And Sam will help?” Jack and Lucifer both look to him. Curiosity and a need to help Jack win out over caution, in the end.

“Sure,” he agrees.

Sam’s seen angels manifest their wings in shadow but never as anything tangible before. The closest to that he's ever experienced was back in the Cage, Lucifer's wings cradled around him like there was anything he could do to protect Sam's soul from Hell, and that's a fuzzy memory at best. Now, they all huddle on the floor in Jack's room, his bed (and judging by the amount, Sam's and Lucifer's, too) stripped of blankets and pillows to construct a haphazard nest. Lucifer's and Jack's are softer than Sam knew they could be. Sam's blankets are the outlier, more function than comfort. Sam looks at the walls around them and makes a mental note to buy Jack more things to brighten up the room. Paint. A poster or two. Some glow-in-the-dark stars to stick to his ceiling and walls. He's a child, not a prisoner, and where he sleeps should reflect that.

"Scoot back, Sam," Lucifer says, and Sam moves without thinking, still looking at the walls. When he glances back, Lucifer's settled behind Jack. "Breathe. Try not to hit Sam in the face." Jack laughs. He rolls his shoulders.

His wings don't explode or blind Sam. They softly glow into existence, feather by feather. They're slightly folded at first, but Jack stretches them out. They seem shorter than Castiel or Lucifer's wings, round where theirs were broad. Lucifer catches them at the wrist as they extend, not halting the stretch. They're an off-white color. Jack flaps them a few times. Sam needs a minute to get over the awe of seeing them at all to start noticing the flaws. His feathers are a tangled mess. The wings themselves are mostly clean, but they're also dull, lacking the luster Sam has seen on well-kept birds' wings. Lucifer's hands drift down from the wrist to the tips of Jack's uppermost primaries. Jack's feathers puff up at the contact like hair standing on end, but Lucifer pets them back down, humming soothingly.

"You okay?" Sam asks. Jack's biting his lip. He looks up at Sam, looks down again, and then he says,

"It's... weird. Not bad. Kind of like getting my hair brushed." Lucifer folds Jack's wings back up, checking that it doesn't hurt him to do that. Jack shivers. "But... more."

"You going to help, Sam, or am I going to do all the work myself?" Lucifer asks. Sam moves closer. Jack's wings extend again, waiting for him to touch. Sam reaches out, but he stops, hovering centimeters from the feathers. Lucifer places his hand over Sam's, and when Sam doesn't jerk away from him, he slowly presses Sam's hand down on top of Jack's feathers. Jack gasps. His wing twitches out from under Sam's palm.

"You shocked me!" he says.

"Sorry,” Sam says. Lucifer chuckles, and he guides Sam's hand back down to Jack's wing. This time, it stays steady, though Jack still looks back over his shoulder, trying to see what they're doing.

"Easy," Lucifer murmurs. He's guiding Sam gently, getting both him and Jack used to the contact. "There we go." Jack's feathers are soft and fluffy where they aren't matted down, and even those patches feel like they'll be easy to comb out. Lucifer's hand leaves Sam's, and Sam feels a strange loss at the contact. Lucifer's touch is still calming, after all this time. It's no manipulation or trick. It's just a fact. He slides his fingers between Jack's secondary coverts as Sam watches, very carefully adjusting the feathers. Some, he only runs two fingers over, smoothing out the barbs. He glances at Sam, and Sam nods. He mimics Lucifer's movements with Jack's secondaries. Those feathers are larger, rustling under Sam's fingers. Jack stifles a laugh.

"Hold still," Lucifer chides softly. Jack's wings are moving, quick flicks and shifts that are off-setting Lucifer and Sam's attempts to fix his feathers.

"I'm trying," he protests. "It feels nice."

"It's supposed to." Lucifer moves to the scapulars, the feathers closest to Jack's back.

"No one touches me much unless I'm in danger," Jack says. "I'm not used to it."

And at that, Lucifer and Sam both pause.

Lucifer's the first to say something, "No, I..." He can't continue. Jack looks back over his shoulder again, frowning. Guilt wells in Sam's chest. He goes over the past few days, or weeks, and what Jack says is right. Castiel is the one who gives him the most physical affection, and even then, it isn't possibly enough for Jack to live off of. Sam's doesn't usually get or give to anyone more than a near-death hug every few months and occasionally pats on the shoulder or back. The fact that Lucifer doesn't give Jack more surprises Sam. Lucifer used to overwhelm Sam with how often he insisted on touching him, constantly leaning into him or stroking his hair, until Sam snapped at him to stop a few times. It all ended after that. Sam would be lying if he said he didn't miss it. But with Jack? Lucifer's always fluctuating between wanting to be involved in every aspect of his life and restraining himself from getting too close. Even if he wanted to give Jack daily hugs or ruffle his hair, would he even let himself? Even this, preening his wings, was excused by necessity, rather than purely being something Lucifer wanted to do to bond with him.

"I guess we're not used to it either," Sam offers, "but if you ever need that... You can ask."

"That's allowed?" Jack doesn't sound sure, and that alone breaks Sam's heart.

"Of course." He vows to do better, to watch how he interacts with Jack and try not to be so distant. It's not an easy thing to promise himself, but for Jack, he can do it.

He sneaks a peek at Lucifer's expression. He's withdrawn his hand from Jack's wing, and he's tensed up. Before he can think better of it, Sam puts his hand on Lucifer's shoulder. When Lucifer meets his eyes, he looks lost. Sam tilts his head at Jack. "You'll do better," he whispers. He slides his hand down Lucifer's arm to his hand and presses it back into Jack's feathers. Jack's wings flap.

Lucifer works on one wing and Sam works on the other. After a while of correcting feathers and combing them into place, Lucifer shows him how wing oil works. Jack chirps in surprise when Lucifer brushes one of the glands, a weird high-pitched not-quite bird noise. Lucifer chirps back. Both of them make Sam's ears ring a little but not hurt. The oil smells caramel-sweet. It's easy to spread over Jack's feathers. As they go, the wings begin to shine more, the off-white turning to pearl. Where the light catches the freshly-cleaned feathers, they glimmer with gold and pink light. Jack flaps and stretches again.

"So, I get flying lessons now," he says, delighted. Lucifer sighs.

"Fine, but take it easy on your old man. I'm not the best flier anymore." Sam makes sure Jack's coverts are all in order one last time, stroking down the length of the wing. Jack chirps again.

"We should preen yours," he suggests. Lucifer freezes.

"That's not a good id-" Lucifer starts.

"Why not?" Sam says. "Angels can't take care of their wings on their own."

"Sam," Lucifer hisses. It's far from anger. It's almost panic. Sam can't blame him. He keeps them well-hidden, from Jack and from Castiel. Sam might be the only one left on Earth who knows just how terrible Lucifer's wings have gotten, which means he's also the only one Lucifer would be comfortable enough showing them to for grooming.

"No part of you can hurt me, right?" Sam's not going to pretend Lucifer's True Form doesn't scare the shit out of him. He also won't pretend that he doesn't want to help him.

Lucifer won't meet his eyes. He passes his hands over Jack's wings one last time before declaring, "You're finished. Stow those away before you end up accidentally blinding Dean." Jack folds his wings against his back. They disappear with a quiet pop like a bubble, and just like that, he could be a normal kid again. Well, normal as any kid who grew halfway up in a day's time. He twists, still grinning. Sam smiles back. Lucifer reaches forward hesitantly and cups Jack's cheek. Jack looks very small like that. Lucifer leans forward and presses a quick kiss to Jack's forehead. Jack's smile falls, not out of upset but pure surprise. He blinks twice, and then he launches himself forward, knocking Lucifer back. It takes Lucifer a minute to wrap him up in a hug, but when he does, Sam sees Jack shiver and burrow further into the embrace. Sam's not sure how welcome he is until there's a hand tugging on his, and Jack's pulling him closer. Hugging Jack means hugging Lucifer, too. Sam's okay with that.

Jack squirms between them so that he can wrap his arms around Sam next. Lucifer presses his forehead to Sam's before pulling back. Sam has one of their hands in each of his.

More than okay.

(Enjoyed it? Any interaction is welcomed. You can even support me on Ko-Fi <3)

[kainagant]

I've reblogged stuff about like "send more asks!" before and I've decided to be the change I wish to see in the world SO

personally I like sniperhaul as a platonic pairing, not least because i see them both as Gay In The Wrong Direction. like in my mind they're constantly bickering but also refuse to leave each others' sides for more than a day because they both went through the same shit. they don't even dislike each other they're just constantly lowkey fighting for no reason other than habit

Also like. opinions on Bakugo Mitsuki/Tsutsumi Kaina? both in the sense of 'how would these two very different adult women interact' and in the sense of bakugo "i'm gonna be the number 1 hero at all costs" katsuki having tsutsumi "the hero system is fundamentally corrupt and being a hero is shit actually" kaina

(have i sent you an ask before? i think i might have)

hey there! i've never received an ask on this blog before, from you or anyone else, as its only like two weeks old. congrats on being the first 🎉🎉 (if you did send me an ask before, then tunglr ate it)

honestly chisaki kai is one of those characters that i perceive as aroace, which is like fifty percent me projecting and the other fifty is vibes. so whatever pairing i put him in is closer to a queerplatonic relationship than anything else. this is honestly the case for all shipping i do because i'm very aromantic but it's not always on purpose. but i'm also a shameless multishipper and i think that there's no single most correct pairing or even a single correct interpretation of said pairing.

this is all to say i love your take on sniperhaul. i definitely imagine them as the kind of duo who are always being catty with each other. borderline just pure rude if it weren't for the fact that the reason why they can banter freely is because of how well they understand each others' boundaries.

i feel like i have seen kaina/bakugo's mom fics and went. h u h. if you have any recs then i'll definitely read them. i think i was looking for something specific at the time so i scrolled past but now that you bring it up again i'm definitely intrigued. in regards to my first impressions of the pairing though. to be honest there's not a lot of canon information on mitsuki. her personality is assumed to be basically just katsuki but more chill. however i also think that the mothers of feral anime boys deserve to be even more feral because after ren gyokuen from magi something in my brain chemistry was permanently changed. so i'm just going to take liberties here and write mitsuki a personality that's not just "bakugo katsuki's mom".

so its obvious that katsuki takes after her, and she seems to understand that a lot of his mannerisms come from her. so i think she was one hell of a teenager. her quirk basically makes her have flawless skin. mitsuki was the definition of it girl. sorry she can't answer the phone she's at a party. maybe she even hooked up with kaina in college. if you really want to drive the katsuki connection in hard, maybe she was even a bit of a mean girl. though i think she wasn't as problematic as katsuki because she didn't have people feeding her ego constantly in the same way. anyway this is all to say that i think mitsuki mellowed out a lot with age. but she definitely still has something of a youthful spirit leftover from her heyday. her skin can be a metaphor for that.

if mitsuki is a woman who has held onto her youth, kaina is a woman who lost her youth early on. the phrase 'old beyond her years' applies here. she doesn't know how to be a teenager anymore. she forgot. what is it like to not spend every night haunted by the lives she took with her own hands? she doesn't remember.

when they meet then mitsuki takes one look at kaina and tries to ask her out for a drink. it's a small thing, but slowly, kaina is relearning how to be a person and not a weapon. mitsuki is showing her how. and mitsuki can't really understand what makes kaina miserable, what makes kaina wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. but mitsuki can stay awake with her. she can hold her close and say. hey. you're more than whatever you see when you look at your own hands. anyway this got really long. i'm just making stuff up on the fly but yeah they could have that kind of dynamic.

ok ok. cracks knuckles. kaina and katsuki. the thing is that they have surface similarities i think. "so how should i solve this problem i have…" kaina and katsuki both stare at me like im fucking stupid "blow its brains out??" there's a duh here. they're both the kind of person who is smarter than other people assume based off of first impressions. but that's only because they're the straight arrow type. there's no fucking around the point with these two, they're blunt and very goal focused. they tend to hyperfocus on whatever they're currently trying to do, and they don't stop to wonder if it's wrong or just a liiiitle fucked up. cue the rude awakening.

you mentioned bakugo's hero thing vs kaina's hero thing, but i think that they're not as at odds as one might think. bakugo's hero thing was never a "save everyone" shirou emiya style (thats midoriya's patent). he admired all might because all might was always victorious. kaina probably wouldn't have a strong opinion one way or another. he's obviously missing something to make him a "true hero" or whatever. but she's not stain, for goodness sake. the whole idea of there being a perfect hero feels incredibly fake to her. if anything, katsuki's honest "i'm going to win to save people" approach might be more genuine than some fragile idealism that he can't actually back up. actually. to be honest, katsuki would be exactly the kind of hero that kaina wants to see more of. he doesn't mince words or pretend to be more righteous than anyone else. full transparency: he can be kinda a dick. but if society is going to employ heroes than people need to understand that heroes are people too, and yeah. people can be dicks. pardon my french. i'm channeling katsuki.

i don't think kaina would care one way or another that katsuki is striving for number one. the hero rankings were never really a thing to her. kaina's problem with hero society wasn't the same problem as what stain had. i think people assume that it is, because stain kinda had half of a point, except for the culling the fakes thing. but i think kaina would very much disagree with stain. because stain wanted more pure heroes. he wanted to exalt the ideal hero, put them above everyone else. and kaina just wanted heroes to get off their high horse and admit that they aren't perfect. nobody is.

deep breath. so yeah. thanks for the ask. thanks for reading my incoherent rambles too, assuming you got this far. hopefully i actually answered your questions, but if i didn't then sorry, this definitely got away from me. i also followed you back from my mainblog, so cheers to being mutuals. i'll try to send you a bunch of asks too, since 🤝 be the change you want to see in the world.

[ectoamerican]

ABOUT THE MUN ; please repost, do not reblog !! feel free to add to any of your answers! the purpose is to tell your partners about the way you write! for the multiple choice ones, BOLD all that apply and, if you want, italicize if it’s a conditional answer!

– 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒 – NAME : Spooky ARE YOU OVER 18? : yes / no IS YOUR MUSE? : yes / no ARE YOU SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO YOU WRITE WITH ON THIS BLOG? : no ( anyone ) / semi ( most people ) / yes / highly / private ( mutuals only ) ARE YOU SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO YOU FOLLOW ON THIS BLOG? : no ( anyone ) / semi / yes / highly IF YOUR MUSE IS CANON, HOW MUCH DO YOU ADHERE TO CANON? : not at all / a little / some / mostly / strictly / original character WHAT POST LENGTHS DO YOU WRITE? : one-liners / single - para / multi - para / novella DO YOU USE ICONS AND / OR GIFS? : no / gifs / icons / gif icons DO YOU WRITE ON OTHER PLATFORMS? : no / yes ↠ discord WHAT LEVEL OF PLOTS DO YOU WRITE? : unplotted / open-ended plots / semi - plotted / fully plotted epics HOW QUICKLY DO YOU USUALLY RESPOND TO THREADS? : very slow ( more than a month ) / slow ( 3 - 4 weeks ) / average ( 1 - 2 weeks ) / fast ( less than one week ) / very fast ( less than three days ) WHAT TYPES OF THEMES DO YOU LIKE? : fluff / angst / smut / action / tragedy / domestic / family / conversational / hurt - comfort + more! WHAT GENRES DO YOU LIKE? : high fantasy / supernatural / science fiction / historical / horror / comedy / romantic / drama / action / adventure / espionage / everything ARE THERE ANY THEMES YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE WRITING ON YOUR BLOG? : no / yes DO YOU HAVE ANY TRIGGERS? : no / yes HOW DO YOU REQUEST IT BE TAGGED? : anything labeling animal death in any way (ex. tw blood) – 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 – WHAT TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU OPEN TO? : romantic / platonic / familial / physical / sexual / queerplatonic (///confused by this one and physical tbh ) WHAT TYPES OF PRE - ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU OPEN TO? : romantic / platonic / familial / physical / sexual (///still not understanding the difference between physical and sexual here.) DO YOU HAVE OTPS? : no / chemistry / yes ↠ i ship with chemistry + have a preference for my mains/exclusives DO YOU HAVE NOTPS? : no / yes / i don’t know ↠ don't be a bigot or a pedophile ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WRITING SMUT? : no / selectively / yes HOW EARLY IN A RELATIONSHIP DO YOU SHIP ROMANTICALLY? : autoship / during plotting / after a couple IC interactions / several IC interactions / slow burn / depends on partner & muse ARE YOU OPEN TO TOXIC SHIPS? : no / selectively / yes / never tried it ARE YOU OPEN TO PROBLEMATIC SHIPS? : no / selectively / yes / i don't know ARE YOU OPEN TO POLYSHIPPING? : no / selectively / yes ARE YOU AN EXCLUSIVE SHIPPER? : no / sometimes / yes DOES CRACK SHIPPING EVER HAPPEN? : no / sometimes / yes DOES CROSSOVER SHIPPING EVER HAPPEN? : no / yes / depends

tagged by : @batinstincts tagging : please steal. take it. i am begging.

[kinopio-writes]

FAQ

A/N: Not really frequently asked questions. It’s just some questions I think people would have about this blog. Also, I’m sorry if the answers felt wonky. I think it’s just me, though.

Why do you take so long to answer requests?

Busy.

Even when I’m not busy, I’m usually exhausted, so I don’t get to write much of anything and instead spend time on my main reblogging posts.

Actually, I try to write every day, but most of the time, I just stare at the screen for a couple of minutes, save, and call it a day, thinking I’ve been productive when I didn’t even type in anything.

Why do you suddenly post a lot after being inactive for weeks?

I want everyone to know that I usually get to see your requests in less than a day. When I get one, I write the layout first and draft it. Then I slowly work my way to finish writing it. This applies to every request I get after that.

When writing, I switch back and forth between them because I lose my focus easily. So, if I get one request done, that means the other requests aren’t so far behind as well. And I usually just finish them all because I don’t know when I can get all that motivation to write again.

That’s why, boom, a burst of posts.

And, uh, I don’t wait to post them one at a time because…I just don’t like doing that.

This method isn’t the best, probably. Unfortunately, I’m used to it now and I don’t think I can do writing in any other way.

Why don’t you write oneshots anymore?

It takes such a long time.

Most requests are anonymous, so they might assume I won’t respond to/didn’t write their request and never see them when I actually post it.

It’s also because it’s exhausting.

Every time I write oneshots, the final result is usually so vastly different from the first draft (not even just oneshots. This can apply to headcanons and scenarios sometimes). Consistency can fall apart because of the changes made, which in turn makes my motivation go all wonky when I try to fix it.

So, for the sake of this blog and mine, I’ll just be occasionally writing them. By that I mean I’ll decide when I should or not.

Why do you rather want requests with (insert personality type) readers?

(referring to my How to Request)

I’ll sometimes struggle with how a character would treat you since that depends on how you act around them.

So, uh, yeah, give me personality traits, please. Or situational asks. Or “how they would react to…” asks. This doesn’t mean you can’t request otherwise, though.

Do you answer requests in order?

I try so hard to, but I can’t. Some requests just give me more motivation than others and some just take less time.

Will you ever write smut?

Eh, no. The most I will do are suggestive stuff or inexplicit descriptions of it.

Will you ever write Canon x Canon?

Mm, nah.

I just don’t really care for ships. I might make exceptions in the future, but they’re likely not going to involve any romantic stuff. It would likely just be for exploring dynamics or something.

Will you write for Alastor romantically?

Under certain circumstances, yes. Otherwise, queerplatonic relationship at best.

Specifically, if I get to explore his sexuality through it, then yes. I’ve seen many people argue over his sexuality, saying that it isn’t confirmed that he’s also aromantic.

Regardless, it’s still clear that Alastor is not the type to be interested in romance or sex, nor has he shown any said attraction so far as I’m aware (Mimzy x Alastor is not canon anymore), so I’m depicting him as both aromantic and asexual.

Why are you so semi-formal in text?

(e.g., not using emojis, proper grammar and spelling (hopefully), using commas and periods, no use of abbreviations (except for btw and lol) or the tone indicator things like /pos or /lh)

Uh, no one really cares about this other than the people who request or comment.

I’m going to be honest: I don’t know.

This is just an announcement that, no, I am not annoyed or mad, I just like responding with (hopefully) grammatically correct sentences on here. But there are exceptions sometimes.

———

If you have any questions left unanswered, send them in so I can add them.

[oldtvandcomics]

Fics Rec (written by me)

You know what? Screw it, I feel like this. Top 5 fics I, AO3 user Szarka, have written, according to myself.

1) Uncle John (The Lone Ranger)

I have put so much work into this one! And then nobody read it, because it’s a dead fandom, but still, maybe this is the fic I’m the most proud of. It deals with the adoption of Dan Reid, and him, John and Tonto kind of adjusting to being a family of three now.

2) Land Without Magic (BBC Merlin)

Magic reveal fic. Idk, I just feel like this is one of my better works. Arthur gets to make a wish, it seriously backfires, and as a consequence, all of the magic gets drained from Camelot. As the show itself keeps insisting, magic is a vital part of the land, so this is... Less than ideal. Arthur finds himself in a race against time to discover what is going on and somehow reverse it, before he ends up causing the death of all magic users in the kingdom.

3) The Holmes Family Secret (Sherlock Holmes, some version of him that lives in my head)

Also known as “the one that got me accepted into film school” (I didn’t think I stood a chance so I just went “whatever” and submitted my latest fanfic). Also one I know did some tangible good in the world, based on comments I received. So we both agree that the “Sherlock has a secret sister who is running a world domination gig out of a high security prison”-plot line in BBC’s Sherlock was stupid, but what if it wasn’t? So, Holmes has a secret sister fic, but instead of being a supervillain, she is severely mentally ill and institutionalized. Also make it Victorian because that is  clearly the superior Holmes version.

4) Jack’s Monster (The Incredible Hulk TV show)

Yes, there is such a thing, from the 70′s. It has a shockingly small fandom, despite being one of the best TV shows ever made. This is the other fic where I received some comments making me feel like I did some good in the world. Within the show, Dr. Banner (called David for some reason) is being chased by a newspaper reporter, Jack McGee. THEY ALMOST NEVER MEET AND IT IS THE CRAZIEST TENSION I’VE EVER SEEN ANYWHERE BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE. By the time I got through the first season, I was sitting on needles enough to write a fic about them actually meeting. Also shippy, because of course.

At this point, it becomes a bit of a tie, as there are multiple fics I like on the same level. Special shout-out to Old Ally (MCU crossover with that one really very bad Russian superhero movie), The Kidnapping Ring (Green Hornet Britt and Kato getting-together fic), Outsiders (Luke Skywalker discovers that he is asexual fic), and Two and Two Together (post-canon fic to the second Superman cliffhanger serial). Anyway, I had to pick something, so I’m just taking the most recent one:

5) Some Kind of Loophole (Arthurian Mythology)

Easily the most relaxed writing experience I had from all of my fics. And I maintain that it’s quite good, despite the plot being, well. Not the deepest. After it is revealed that Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot have that affair, King Arthur discovers some weird legal loophole that would make it acceptable, supposing he too starts sleeping with Lancelot. It takes him a while to figure out that Lancelot would actually be into it.

[arodabi]

okay, i’m finally getting around to writing this, and uhh ill say its for aro week too. this is written as an aro person directed at alloromantic people. when i refer to writing, i’m kind of using it as a general term for creative works. Here’s me throwing my hat in on the question:

Can you ship aromantic characters?

and my answer is,,,,, actually a question. Why do you want to ship aromantic characters? 

I want alloros to realize that for a lot of aros, we do not get to see ourselves represented often. I can actually count on like one hand how many popular canon aro characters there are, and on the whole, none of their identities are respected. people constantly try to weasel their way out of actually writing aro characters, or they just ignore or deny their identity outright. fandom spaces (hell creative spaces in general) are at best not welcoming to aros, and at worst actively hostile towards us. So when the first question brought up when a character gets canonically confirmed as aro is “okay cool but can i ship them???” or “that’s nice but how can i still write about my fave ship that involves them??” i want to fucking scream. its a slap to the face and it shows that people really do not give a shit about aros. you say stuff like that and all i hear is “my fictional ship is so much more important than representing your marginalized minority identity” so instead of me just sitting here and saying “yes you can totally ship aro characters, as long as you’re respectful!!!” i’m saying “can you stop and think why you want to shove an aro character into a romantic relationship at the first chance you get?? maybe you have some arophobia you haven’t worked on?? maybe since we live in an amatonormative world, you’re letting that influence your views??” because that question being the first thing out of your mouth when you see a character you like confirmed as aro? that’s already disrespectful towards aros in my book.

So back to my question, Why do you want to ship aromantic characters? is it because you can’t write characters without them being in romantic relationships? or because you think a character without a romantic relationship is boring? Because if so, that’s a bad reason and it sounds like amatonormativity is rotting your brain. 

Is it because you just really like a ship with the aro character? Because you can write two characters with a strong relationship without writing them as a couple. A strong friendship can hold just as much power as a romantic relationship.

Is it because fuck aros, i will write what I wanna write and I don't wanna write this character with their canon identity? because then you’re just an arophobic asshole that needs to work on your shitty opinions. aro representation is just as important as any other lgbtqia+ representation.

Now if you’re reading this and thinking “well i heard aros can be in queerplatonic relationships!” I want you to think for a second. Are you writing a qpr or are you writing a romantic relationship with the serial numbers filed off? Have you talked to aro people or read stuff actually written by us? because, yes, some qprs can look a lot like a romantic relationship from the outside, but that’s just it, you’re looking at it from the outside. qprs are more than just “romantic relationship with extra steps”, and i think it’s really telling how many times i see alloromantic people saying they’re depicting an aro character in a qpr, not a romantic relationship, but then they never ever make any effort to distinguish the qpr from any other romantic relationship they write or draw. It just feels like qprs are getting used by alloros as a gatcha any time an aro person objects to how they depict (or don’t depict) aromanticism. if you want to write a character in a qpr then go for it! but you need to actually do research, talk to aros, get multiple opinions and not just take the first opinion that agrees with you and run with it.

“But what about headcanoning a character as arospec?” now i will say before i go into this, i am aro, not arospec, so if an arospec person wants to come in and correct me at any part here im happy to listen. but my problem when alloros bring up arospec identities is a very similar problem to how qprs are often depicted. I remember when Peridot Stevenuniverse got confirmed aro (she did, do not argue this with me) people were jumping over themselves to assure everyone that “a character getting confirmed as aro just means they are any arospec identity” which,, uhh,, not true? i mean if an arospec person wants to see a canon aro character as, say, aroflux, i’ve got no problem, aro and arospec people can do what they want really. but, i do have a problem with all the alloro fans who were spreading this. because, do you really see the character as demiromantic? or are you using that identity to deflect criticism from erasing aro identities? are you actually trying to write a good depiction of a demiro person? or are you just writing normal ship stuff and slapping a “uwu ive never felt romantic attraction until i met you! and now i will act exactly like any alloromantic person!” at the beginning? being in fandom spaces, i do see the occasional fic actually depicting an aspec identity (i say aspec her because aro is so rare that most of these examples i’ve seen have been acespec identities rather than arospec) but like 99% of the time, that’s written by someone who actually shares the identity. before you use our terms and identities to cover your ass when you erase us, consider not fucking doing that. consider listening to all aros and getting our thoughts and input. 

And last here is “but what about romance positive aros?” now i think most of what i’ve said previously can be applied here. the only thing i wanna add is, i think its very interesting that almost every time i see non aros depict aros, they always write them as very into romance, very open to be in romantic relationships, and very quiet about their aro identity. despite the character in canon not showing any of these traits. romance positive aros are good and important, but not every aro is romance positive. there’s quite a few of us that are romance repulsed, and alloros only depicting aros as super romance positive no matter what is suspicious to say the least. if an aro character is shown to be open to participating in romantic activities in canon then of course write them that way. but if an aro character is shown to be uninterested in, or even actively against romantic activities then respect that too.

so, to wrap up my thoughts in this ramble: please ask yourself why you want to ship aro characters so bad, because if the only reason is that amatonormativity has brainwashed you into not being able to write, or draw, or do anything with a character without them being in a romantic relationship, then you uhhh need to work on that, that’s honestly a writing/creative flaw imo. if you like the relationship dynamic between an aro character and another character, consider making them friends. friendship is not less powerful than romantic relationships. nobody is ever too old for the power of friendship trope. If you’re erasing an aro character’s identity because fuck aros, then fuck off somewhere far away from me and work on your bullshit. qprs, arospec identities, and romance positive aros are all very real, very important parts of the aro community, but please talk to other aros about them and actually make an effort to understand how these things work, dont just assume. And also don’t use these things as a way to erase aro identities and cover your ass if get called out. its disrespectful towards all aros.

The most important thing to do before writing or creating work with aro characters is to talk to aros, and not just the aros that agree with you. look up what a qpr actually is, learn how aros experience their arospec identities, talk to aros with multiple outlooks on romance. and if you can’t bring yourself to reach out, at least read through our own writings, whether that’s fiction, or informational posts, fuck, look through our memes if u wanna. Just please actually make an effort.

So, Can you ship aro characters? its complicated. look at trends in your fandom, question why you want to, and do research. Be an aro ally, listen to us. That’s really the most important thing.

[missslytherinbitch]

So... I'm a sucker for polyam ships & here's why:

(I'm mostly referring to the Harry Potter Fandom but tbh for me it applies to every fandom I like)

Some characters simply have lots of chemistry with more than one person. Relationships are complex and, much like friendships, romantic and/or sexual connections are often not limited to one person only. And yes, platonic and queerplatonic relationships are valid and very important (and in much need of representation) but polyamory also exists and one doesn't invalidate the other! (nor does it invalidate monogamy altogether) Ex: I think we can all agree that Remus Lupin is the purest creature to ever grace the fandom, right? Doesn't our beloved Moony deserve all the love in the world? All the lovers that he wants? I'm a hardcore Wolfstar stan but guess what? I also love Remadora with all my heart! I think it's not so crazy to think he would/could be polyamorous... (nevermind the fact that I could actually ship him with anyone and it would work for me)

I'm a firm believer that almost every single love triangle (or any shape you like) can easily be resolved with polyamory. Besides, the "you must choose"/"it's them or me" trope is borderline toxic monogamy! In most cases, there is no reason for these love triangles to exist other than create a shitty "conflict" that doesn't even need to exist. Ex: You ship Harry with Ginny but also with Draco? Well, I'm your polyam aunty and I say LET HIM HAVE THEM BOTH! Ginny and Draco as metamours would be soooo much fun to see! Does Hermione really need to choose between Ron and Viktor? Maybe not! Can we explore that, please? Most importantly, can we allow it? I think we can.

Polyam relationships, polycules and metamours make the most interesting dynamics! (ok this is a bit silly but still) With polyamory, there is no one template in terms of amount/type of connections, relationship goals or expectations. This opens up the door for such complex and interesting dynamics and stories that enrich the characters on a different level, in my opinion. Ex: The Marauders are great candidates for this kind of exploration (but not the only ones). The context is just right (in the middle of a war in the 70s). There are a million ways in which that could work, let's see: - Lily and James, and Sirius and Remus as core relationships, Sirius and James of course and Lily and Remus. While James and Remus remain metamours, as do Lily and Sirius. - Lily and James, and then Sirius and Remus and James as a triad, and Lily and Sirius date outside as well. - Lily and James, and Sirius and Remus as core and open relationships. Lily and Remus in the sweetest platonic relationship, and James and Sirius as lovers. And I could go on all day but you get the point(?) Imagine ALL OF THEM RAISING HARRY! So much potential!

This is perhaps my very complicated way of saying I NEED MORE POLYAMOROUS REPRESENTATION IN THIS FANDOM! More fanfics, more fanart, more more more!

[merlinbingo]

We're three months into this round of the bingo, and I could not be prouder of you all! We've had over 100 sign ups and 150 fills already, and we're not even a third of the way through yet!

This month, Merlin/Arthur is well and truly back in the lead when it comes to most featured ship – we got 20 fills this month where you said they were the main ship, and another couple where they were listed as a background pairing too! Second was gen/no ship (eight fills), and in a distant distant third were Merlin/Gwaine, Merlin/Lancelot, Elyan/Gwaine, and Merlin/Gwen/Arthur, all of which received two fills this month!

Fic is again the runaway format winner, with 37 out of 44 fills. That said, I was thrilled to see how many of you took the April bonus badge theme to heart and tried out a new medium – new is scary and change can be a challenge, so you all deserve a massive pat on the back!

Now, enough nattering from me, and on to the main event:

April fills

As per usual, fills are sorted by ship and then by rating. Please pay attention to the rating and any warnings, and practice self-care before clicking on those links.

Gen/no ship

Balinor : Pokemon Trainer by Ice-mint Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: bbc balinor , pokemon, digital art , merlin fanart Summary:

Flowershop!Merlin by feuxx Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Summary:

Holding Onto You by Camelots_Daffodil Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Arthur knows about Merlin’s Magic, sharing a bed, accidental cuddling, comfort, platonic or romantic Summary: Merlin and Arthur arrive at an inn while traveling, after a long ride through a storm. Both of them are exhausted. Things are looking good, when they get a room, but… what if… *gasp* There is only one bed Bet none of you saw that one coming. Includes Merlin comforting Arthur, accidental cuddles, and Arthur's daddy issues

Ikea debacle by Ice-mint Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Meme, ikea, knights Summary:

Little Glow Worm by archaeologist_d Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: canon era, during canon, silly, cracky, leeches have hats Summary: Merlin hated cleaning out the leech tank. So, he used a spell to get the leeches to do it.

Only the brave and the broken by teachinghimpoetry Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Alternate Universe-Canon Divergence; Possibilities; Allies; Friendship Summary: Morgana deserved so much more than what she got. She deserved empathy and care. She deserved someone who was unfailingly honest, who knew about her magic and accepted it; who would value her in her own right, and not as a means to an end. She deserved a friend. What might Camelot have looked like if Will hadn’t died, and he and Morgana had found a connection they hadn’t anticipated, guided by the same moral compass: loyalty, equality and unity.

We're still here by donttouchtheneednoggle Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Whump, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Queerplatonic Relationships, Hopeful Ending Summary: Elyan and Gwaine. Both injured, both recovering, and both helping the other.

ongrats u found that family now u gotta traumatise them with sad movies by donttouchtheneednoggle Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Chaos, Modern Setting, Polyamory, Cuddling & Snuggling, Found Family Summary: Merlin decides the perfect time to show the resurected gang Ice Age is right after Lance has just had an operation. Horrible idea.

Merlin/Morgana

Blurred Lines and Darkened Morals by MerthurAllure Rating: Explicit Warnings: Rape/non-con Major tags: PWP, hate sex, wall sex, sex magic Summary: Merlin finds a weak, nearly dead Morgana alone in the woods. He hides her away below the castle while he decides what to do, and things escalate in a way neither of them saw coming.

Merlin/Freya

Sparks Fly When I'm With You by demitimelord42 Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Summary: Freya thinks on her love for Merlin

Elyan/Morgana

A group of friends for a graduation party and... Elyan? by Laevateinn Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Modern AU, College AU, graduation party, moodboard Summary: When Morgana and her friends celebrate their graduation, Gwen’s older brother arrives and doesn’t leave her indifferent.

Freya/Leon

To Love by demitimelord42 Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: modern au Summary: Leon thinks on his love for Freya

Gwen/Lancelot

For Love by archaeologist_d Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: angst, canon, lancelot is a self-sacrificing idiot, just ask her Summary: Even though each step was an agony, Lancelot walked away from Guinevere, sacrificing himself for her.

Merlin/Gwen/Arthur

take your sleeping heart into the vast fields of light by stanzas Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: AU - Canon Divergent, Dreamsharing, Merlin's Magic Revealed, Spells & Curses, Hurt/Comfort Summary: Camelot is stricken by the news their beloved Queen Guinevere has fallen victim to a malicious curse. Merlin hatches a secret plan to save Gwen without alerting Arthur about the truth behind his abilities.

poetry and other sordid mysteries by stanzas Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Outsider POV, Accidental Voyeurism, Canon Era, Long Suffering Leon Summary: Throughout his life as a knight of Camelot, Sir Leon has caught the king at one point or another in some manner of bizarre or compromising situations, though this one in particular might finally push the unflappable first knight off the end of his very long, patient rope...

Elyan/Mordred

Cuddles by demitimelord42 Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: cuddles, fluff Summary: After Elyan gets injured during patrol, Mordred looks after him.

Balinor/Uther

for the one who stands outside the prison-wall by stanzas Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: AU - Canon Divergence, Pre-Canon, Angst, Unhealthy Relationships Summary: Before he can flee for Ealdor, Balinor is caught escaping from his cell in Camelot. Gaius pays the price for disobedience. Uther is left with a matching set of prisoners; the last dragonlord and his prized dragon. Flowing between the bars of cold iron dividing the king and his dragonlord, there is a storm of old grief and an unending sea of blood running through them.

Merlin/Elyan

First encounters by paintedpigeon Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Pre-slash, Elyan has magic, magic revealed Summary: Merlin, leaving home to avoid conscription in Cenred's army, meets Elyan, who's running away from Camelot.

Elyan/Gwaine

Trans Day Of Visibility by donttouchtheneednoggle Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Summary:

a song and dance of subduing self by stanzas Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Post-Episode: Herald of the New Age, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares Summary: The servants sometimes shared little secrets behind closed doors, in the kitchens, whispering with heads pressed together and giggling together as they mused on their noble houses they served.

Merlin/Gwaine

If I Start a Commotion by peach Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: angst, Gwaine knows about Merlin's magic, established relationship, possibly unrequited love Summary: Falling in love is, Gwaine thinks, really not as fun as the minstrels make it sound.

The Equals We Found in Jokes and Fists by royal_spud Rating: Teen Warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Major tags: Gwaine and Merlin platonic, Bets and challenges, Powerful duo, Friendship Summary: After Gwaine corners Merlin in the back of the armory one day and reveals his knowledge of his magic, Merlin is compelled to show himself fully to the knight he so begrudgingly admired. And they find their even ground that day, taking sight of their mutuality, through jests and fist fights— managing to give the rest of the knights and the prince, a relative heart attack in the process.

Merlin/Lancelot

Abas ocus bithe duthectad bithlane by twosidesofthesameidiot Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Hurt/Comfort; Angst with Hurt/Comfort; There is sort of fluff as well Summary: “Please, please wake up,” Merlin pressed his forehead to Lancelot’s, “don’t leave me.” He traced the curve of Lancelot’s cheekbone, the path left behind, cleared of soot and blood, revealed a new scar and Merlin felt anger churning in his gut. Lancelot had done nothing wrong, he had done nothing wrong, yet here they were, scorned by King and country, Lancelot on the brink of death.

do it again so I don't miss it this time by kairennart Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Canon Era, Fluff, Humor, Magic Revealed, Summary: Merlin and Lancelot made a habit of cheating on their tasks with magic. One day, reports arrive of wyverns attacking villages' livestock. (Or: 4 times they were not exactly productive when hunting out in the forest + 1 time a hunt went much better than expected.)

Merlin/Arthur

Ditmas | Mumford & Sons by atlantablack Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: merthur, canon compliant Summary: And so I cry // As I hold you for the last time in this life

my fingers on your sleeping hand by Saurus Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Soft Arthur Pendragon, Fluff, Sleeping near each other for warmth Summary: Arthur keeps brushing his fingers against Merlin's. One night it changes.

What If You're Someone I Just Want Around by queerofthedagger Rating: Teen Warnings: Major character death Major tags: Canon Compliant, Arthur Returns, Secrets, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary: Sometimes, you love despite, not because. Sometimes, finding out does not change anything.

Knights of the Faceoff Circle by kirani Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Modern AU, NHL AU, friends to lovers, getting together, mutual pining Summary: Arthur Pendragon's first year in the NHL is exhilarating but he misses his teammate and long-time friend from the minors, Merlin. A wizard between the pipes and Arthur's best friend, everything changes when Merlin gets called up to play with him.

Horizons Over Battlegrounds by Zaharya Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: BAMF Merlin, Pranks, Baby Aithusa, Angst with a Happy Ending, Protective Arthur Pendragon Summary: Teasing and banter have always been part of Merlin's friendship with the knights. But when a prank hits a sore spot for Merlin, the fallout is fiercer than anybody imagined.

something I can breathe in by kirani Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Arthur Pendragon Returns, misunderstandings, humour, getting together Summary: He was trying very hard to fit in and watching Merlin when the older woman behind him leaned towards him over her trolly and asked with a mischievous glint in her eye, “You two are together, right?” Arthur looked at her for a moment, confused. Yes, he and Merlin were at the store together, he didn’t know why it mattered, though. They were stocking up on groceries for the week. He nodded. “I thought so,” she said with a grin. “It’s a game I like to play with myself in stores, you see.” --- Or: Arthur and Merlin get assumed gay couple by a stranger at a Tesco

Love of Mine by kirani Rating: Teen Warnings: Major character death Major tags: Magic reveal, temporary character death, hurt/comfort, poisoning Summary: Arthur found out about his magic, it's all out in the open. Now Arthur is angry and refusing to speak to Merlin. That won't prevent Merlin from continuing to protect his king, with his very life if he must.

5 Times Someone Else Flirted with Merlin and 1 Time Arthur Did by kirani Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: 5+1 Things, flirting, everyone loves merlin, jealous arthur Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin: 5 times someone else flirted with Merlin and 1 time Arthur did. Or tried to, at least.

Mirrors by archaeologist_d Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: AU, canon era, role-playing, romance Summary: Sometimes role-playing was just a game and sometimes it was not.

To Fight or to fall; In the name of Destiny by royal_spud Rating: Mature Warnings: Major character death, Graphic depictions of violence Major tags: Battle of Camlann(Merlin), Fatal injuries, manipulating destiny, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Last kiss Summary: When the king rides out to war without his weapon; calling a distressed, secretive Merlin a coward- Merlin seems to be presented with a choice of limited options, one of the king's certain death... the other with nothing but a single chance. There's no guarantee of success, and destiny mocks him as it strips him bare of power, of chances, and with each passing moment... of time. But there was never a choice. Because for a chance to see the man he loved breathe another day, Merlin would give up his dignity, his safety and everything in between without a bat of an eye. For his desire to see the love of his life alive stretches beyond what destiny can ever comprehend. Even if his love would never be heard, nor reciprocated... nor even spoken out loud; leaving him to love him from afar for the rest of eternity.

And Tell by archaeologist_d Rating: Mature Warnings: Major character death, suicide Major tags: agnst, major character death, canonical character death, AU Summary: Merlin would have done anything to save Arthur. But it was already too late.

Milestone by archaeologistD Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: fluff, modern au, established relationship Summary: Merlin’s a fanfic writer and just reached a milestone of words. Arthur’s less than pleased.

Death is but the next great adventure by Just_another_shipper Rating: Mature Warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Major tags: Post-Battle of Camlann, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic, Arthur Pendragon Has Magic, Harry Potter Elements, Arthur Pendragon Returns (Merlin) Summary: The last thing Arthur remembered was Merlin whispering something he didn’t quite understand, then darkness enveloped him. Arthur assumed that was the end of his story. He was wrong. Or Before Arthur can rise again, Albion needs him to go on a very peculiar quest.

The Dark Heart of the Matter by teachinghimpoetry Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Reincarnation; Modern AU with magic; Friends to Enemies to Lovers; Astronomy; Smart Arthur Pendragon Summary: Merlin and Arthur get off on the wrong foot when they first meet, but they soon realise there are much bigger things to focus on. They put their differences aside to save the world, and realise their joint destiny is written in the stars. Or: In which Merlin really does teach Arthur some poetry.

Bad Choice of Words in My Alibi by queerofthedagger Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Accidental Soul Bond, Magic Revealed, Emrys Reveal, Quests, Mutual Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary: One hot summer day and an ill-advised kiss leave Arthur with an incomplete soul bond, panic about all his secrets coming to light, and the question of why Merlin is so afraid of Uther. Actually, scratch that—why is Merlin afraid of him?

Lampblack Consequences by The_Alternate_Menu Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: PWP, Dom/Sub, Bondage, Orgasm Control, Anal Sex Summary: Of all the ways he’s tried to punish Merlin, this seems to be the only one that gets him to know his place.

Uncharted by follow_your_fire Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Bottom!Arthur, Top!Merlin, Porn with feelings, Fluff and Smut Summary: Arthur's dreamed of shooting a video with Merlin even since he'd first seen him in action. It would seem that some dreams come true. Except for one teeny tiny detail. Arthur doesn't bottom.

A Matter of Trust by kirani Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Magic BDSM, kink negotiation, established relationship Summary: They had not been terribly adventurous in bed yet, but the other night when Merlin had gathered Arthur’s wrists together and pressed them into the pillow as he’d fucked him, it had excited Arthur in a way he’d never felt before. He wanted more.

Desperate To Be Filled With You by MerthurAllure Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics, PWP, Knotting Summary: It’s inappropriate for an omega to flash their scent, but Merlin has tried everything else to get Arthur’s attention. He comes up with one last desperate plan.

Excalibur marks the spot by teachinghimpoetry Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Modern AU with Magic; Idiots in love; Mutual pining; fluff and smut; cocks and cocktails Summary: Arthur Pendragon, Associate Director of Pendragon & Son, is overworked, stressed and fed up. The cure for this is a dark-haired blue-eyed barman whose cocktails are just magic, and whose cock is even more so.

[aro-and-tired]

Aromantic Experiences in Fandom: Survey Results

PART 1 - PART 2 - ANALYSIS: TIME IN FANDOM - ANALYSIS: AROALLO VS AROACE

This is the last of posts I am planning to make when it comes to the results to this survey, and in this one I want to focus on any differences between the opinions of the allosexual respondents versus the asexual ones. I suggest having looked over at Part 1 and Part 2 of the survey results, and/or keeping them open in another tab to easily confront the results.

Aroace respondents (including oriented and angled aroaces) were 558. Aroallo respondents were 154. The sample size for aroallos is, clearly, quite a bit smaller, and thus more likely to be inaccurate, still it is hopefully big enough to adequately represent the opinions of aroallo fans. People who identified as non-SAM aros, or who said that they were questioning or otherwise not identified with the given options are not being included in this discussion.

Not all questions of the survey will be discussed again in this post, in particular those questions were the aroace and aroallo respondents answered in a very similar way will not be discussed here.

As usual, summary is at the bottom of the post.

General Fandom Questions

Out of the entire samples, 543 aroaces stated that they are currently involved in fandom spaces, as well as 145 aroallos. The survey has a section for people who were not involved in fandom, however, this section will not be discussed here because the sample size for people not involved in fandom is too small to be considered accurate. Instead, there will be some focus on the questions aimed at aros currently involved in fandom.

In general, would you say fandom spaces are aro-friendly?

Aroallos were more likely than average to answer no to this question (47.6%), while aroaces answered no less often than average (40.6%). Aroallos answered yes way less often (4.1%), while aroaces were more in line with the average results (11.8%).

Do you think it's easy to find aromantic specific content in fandom? 

Aroallos were more likely to say no (90.3%) than aroaces (85.8%). Aroaces were more likely to say yes (6.7%) than aroallos (4.1%).

Do you think alloromantic (non-aromantic) fans are in general respectful of aromantic interpretations of characters/media? 

Aroallos were more likely to answer no (61.4%) than aroaces (55.0%). While the amount of people who were unsure varied, the two groups were about equally likely to say yes.

Content Creators Questions

418 aroaces stated that they have created fancontent. 116 aroallos stated that they have created fancontent.

If you have created aro content, would you say it got more or less attention than your non aro content? 

Aroallos were more likely to say that their aro content got less attention (77.8%) compared to aroaces (63.8%). Also, some aroaces said that their aro content got more attention (3.4%), but no aroallos answered this way, saying that at most it got the same amount of attention.

Have you ever felt discouraged by your fandom when it comes to making aro content?

Aroaces were more likely to answer no to this question (37.8%) than aroallos (31.0%). Out of those who did feel discourages, aroallos were more likely than aroaces to say that it was out of fear for receiving hate for it (42.3% vs 35.5%).

Shipping Questions

Aroallos were more likely to be into shipping than aroaces (92.2% vs 87.5%). There were 142 aroallo shippers, and 514 aroace ones. The questions aimed at non-shippers will also not be discussed, as once again the sample size was too small to make comparisons. Instead, there will be focus on the questions aimed at shippers.

Do you consider non-romantic shipping (shipping characters as queerplatonic partners, friends with benefits, etc.) to be a valid form of shipping, or do you think shipping only refers to romantic situations? 

Aroallos were more likely than average to answer yes (78.2%), aroaces were less likely than averages (69.2%). Aroallos were also much more likely to state that shipping only applies to romantic situations (14.8%) than aroaces (6.6%).  Instead, aroaces were more likely to answer that only some forms of non-romantic shipping count as shipping (23.6%), while aroallos were strongly less likely to answer this way (7.0%). 

When it comes to your ships, do you prefer content that focuses more on the romantic or sexual aspect of the relationship? 

The differences in the way the two groups answered this question were very significant. Aroaces were most likely to answer that they like romantic content and dislike sexual content (43.4%), which is also the option that appeared as the most chosen in the general results. However, this was the absolutely least chosen option by aroallos (5.6%).

Aroaces were also fairly likely to say that they prefer romantic content, while also enjoying sexual content (25.2%). However, aroallos were less likely than average to chose this option (13.4%).

When it comes to the option for liking both equally, aroallos were far more likely to pick it than aroaces (46.5% vs 26.2%).

Many aroallos said that they prefer sexual content, while also enjoying romantic content (26.8%). This option was far less chosen by aroaces (4.7%).

Lastly, some aroallos said that they prefer sexual content and dislike romantic content (7.7%). Very few aroaces picked this option (0.6%).

Here I will give you a list of tropes commonly found in shipping fan content. I ask that you pick 5 that you consider your favorites. You can pick less than 5 if there aren't enough tropes that you like, but please try not to pick more.

When it came to aroace fans, the most popular tropes picked align fairly well with the general results. The five most popular are Domestic Fluff (51.7%), Slow Burn (49.8%), Mutual Pining (49.0%), Friends to Lovers (41.4%) and Enemies to Lovers (39.8%). There are the exact same five tropes that resulted most popular from the general results, although in slightly different order. The rest of the tropes still roughly follows the same pattern as what was in the general results (described in Part 2) with minor differences.

Things are, however, fairly different when it comes to aroallo responses. Here the five most popular tropes are PWP (47.1%), Mutual Pining (45.1%), Enemies to Lovers (40.8%), Friends with Benefits (38.0%) and Domestic Fluff (32.4%). Slow Burn and Friends to Lovers are here kicked out of the top five, replaced by PWP and Friends with Benefits, both tropes with a heavy sexual side to them.

Because the rest of the tropes were also somewhat out of order, I’ll report which ones aroallos picked in order of most to least popular: Slow Burn, Established Relationships, Porn with Feelings, Friends to Lovers, Unhealthy Relationships, Fake Dating, Hate Sex, Getting Together and Soulmate AU, Unrequited Love, Jealousy/Possessiveness, Friends with Benefits to Lovers and Hanahaki Disease and Telepathic Bonds, Arranged Marriage, Break Ups, First Dates, Love at First Sight.

Porn with Feelings is far higher on the list (seventh most popular here vs eleventh most popular in the general results). Hate Sex is also much higher (eleventh here vs seventeenth in the general results). Friends with Benefits to Lovers is the only “sexual” trope that didn’t make a significant jump. On the other hand, Friends to Lovers was much less popular among aroallos, as well as Soulmate AU.

Here I give you the same list of tropes, but this time I ask that you pick the 5 tropes you dislike the most. Again, you can pick less than 5, but please try not to pick more

Once again, for aroaces the top five most disliked trope are the same as the overall most disliked tropes. In order Jealousy/Possessiveness (54.5%), Unhealthy Relationships (52.3%), Hate Sex (50.2%), Love at First Sight (39.7%), and Hanahaki Disease (38.7%). The order is a little different, with Hate Sex being higher in the list compared to the general results, but the tropes are the same. The rest is, once again, very similar to the general list of most disliked tropes, with the most significant difference being that the sixth most disliked trope here was PWP, who was not as unpopular in the general results.

For aroallos, the top five is Love at First Sight (52.1%), then Soulmate AU and Hanahaki Disease and Jealousy/Possessiveness (47.9% for all three), and Unhealthy Relationships (36.6%). Aroallos were a lot more likely to dislike Soulmate AUs compared to aroaces. On the other hand, Hate Sex is much less unpopular for aroallos, being only the tenth most disliked trope.

Other sexual tropes such as PWP and Porn with Feelings were in the same position, as second least disliked tropes. Friends with Benefits was the least disliked trope, with only one person picking it.

Summary

Aroallos reported finding fandom somewhat less aro-friendly than aroaces, as well as apparently finding aromantic content harder to find. Aroallo creators reported that their aromantic specific content received less attention, and that they more often felt discouraged by fandom when it comes to making said content than aroace respondents. Given the smaller sample size of aroallos, it’s a little hard to say whether this was a statistical fluke or if fandom is indeed less friendly to aroallos than to aroaces. Once could say that perhaps the aro content that aroallo want is less likely to be made and less likely to be well received, but unfortunately there weren’t questions asking details regarding the kind of content either group wants or makes.

When it comes to shipping, most aroaces prefer romantic content, often disliking sexual content, and very few of them prefer sexual content. On the other hand, most aroallos enjoy sexual content, with the majority of aroallos either enjoying both romantic and sexual content equally or having a preference for sexual content. This is also reflected in the tropes either group prefers, with aroallos showing a lot of interest in tropes such as PWP and Friends with Benefits, compared to aroaces who as a general rule are not fans of these tropes. Aroallos also care less for Friends to Lovers, and tend to dislike Soulmate AUs more than aroaces do.

Thank you for having read through this post, even more if you read through all the previous ones as well. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.

[ranboo5]

whats 'the clip' and knifetrick?

Augh. Under the cut for shipping discourse and p/dophilia ment (nothing graphic or specific). Gets long bc I discuss my thoughts on DSMP shipping in general. You are setting me up fr anon

Some quick vocab -

intimacy here is used to refer to. Well. Any kind of intimacy between characters, of any sort, as an umbrella term /r, /p, and /qp here are used as shorteners to denote "romantic," "platonic," and "queerplatonic," both as adjectives And as verbs ("to /r" = "to portray romantically") shipping here is used to refer to any focused examination of intimacy between characters

And some clarity that Should follow from the essay next but may not - """anti-antis"""" and RPF writers delete forever

The Clip is from one of if not the? most recent Discord stage(s) Mr Live has done (which I missed when it was live RIP) wherein he issues a hard ban on shipping him ("do not ship me, in any way, with anyone!") which would less influence c!beeduo (which has been portrayed/stated to be romantic AND nonromantic both conflictingly for a while until being confirmed unconfirmed several months ago, that being the last was heard) without its direct invocation if he hadn't also cited for the reason as being underage ("'Cause, one, it's straight up pedophilia") which is! a) immediately applicable to At Least his DSMP character, Partially and b) while not Strictly True (should b obvious that portraying a relationship within the bounds of what it is in canon and in a nonsexual way is not That, and /r-ing c!beeduo etc was possible to do Appropriately again by remaining w/in the bounds of canon) is Clearly Indicative of the fact that baggage-wise it IS associated with people being fucking creeps

This Really complicates things bc like okay the apparent solution is "lol just don't /r it" but it's really like. A Worse issue than that bc like.

Okay the reason shipping in terms of fictional characters is a Different Bar is bc it's an examination of Intimacy and certain lines exist in certain dynamics of intimacy that Isn't Shown (which is the whole Within The Bounds Of Canon thing) which is important in a medium like DSMP because of the smaller gap + more personal relationship b/w character and streamer. Examining intimacy beyond th bounds of the consent that has been established in that regard is Weird at best and Violating And Creepy more often and, As Mentioned In Ranb's Stage, Literally Evil at worst

Which is why writing abt like. QPR or platonically intimate Techno and Philza (characters) is smth that is fine because that's smth that has been shown and repeatedly stated onscreen; it's in the bounds of canon n thus within th bounds of what the streamers've consented 2 be done with their characters. But writing T3chza making out or whatever is fucked up because it's smth that's beyond those consent barriers

And the thing is right

Slapping a /p on T3chza makeout doesn't. Make it less violating

Like what you CALL romantic is not the measure or whether it's past those barriers yk? And if it's indistinguishable, if it's in extrapolative territory that is Past The Bounds, it Does Not Matter how much you /p it EVEN IF IT IS TECHNICALLY PLATONIC y feel? Like at the end of the day placing a moratorium on some/all forms of shipping is placing a moratorium on certain examinings of intimacy

And okay 2 go back to Mr Live and his character. What it implies taken in context w/ older portrayals of c!beeduo and said by invoking smth that both evokes Really fucked up baggage (that does unfortunately exist btw I'm sorry if you didn't know that but People Really Do B Fucked Up Abt Beeduo) AND applies to his character is a revocation of consent to examining deep intimacies:tm: with his character, which is gonna apply regardless of the nature of that intimacy (even if nonromantic)

Like I don't /r c!beeduo myself, do not, never have, but I talk to people who have and have consumed content where they r background /r; I also don't think it matters. Like I don't Actively /r it and I don't Actively Not /r it because imho w/ the intimacy regarding c!beeduo that is plot relevant and character important whether that intimacy is /p /qp or /r doesn't really matter. I don't consider myself Less of a c!beeduo shipper than someone who /rs them because that would be dumb as hell and while none of the content I've made* is Intrinsically or Intentionally /r it certainly can be read tht way as much as it can be read /qp or /p. It's be dumb and hypocritical of me to like, dunk on ppl for /r-ing c!beeduo when I'm also invested in these two and my tonetags r not gonna suddenly Delete the picking apart I've done of the dynamic @ hand

Which Has Been. Within Bounds Of Canon. It's been what's been shown (sometimes to my great distress. There is a reason that the :canon_beeduo: emote looks the way it does) Directly Onscreen and in general keeping with the tone n intensity/directions of what they've Done With The Characters

HOWEVER

As mentioned up there. Revocation of consent

It makes. Full sense 2 me that Mr Live wants to place a moratorium or fullon ban on shipping his characters perhaps where he wouldn't have before because of the Unfortunately Very Extant trends of people being Fucking Weird about shipping his characters AND of using them as a Thinly Veiled Excuse to ship HIM, which. I should not have to explain why shipping real people is fucking abhorrent

THIS creates a problem which is a. Bit of a vacuum in interacting with what is a facet of c!Ranboo's arc, decision making, and character. Like you CAN have c!Ranboo w/o cbeeduo but you Can't Really have his plotline without examining c!beeduo. And as I mentioned earlier: even if your examination of c!beeduo is fully platonic, the significance of it To the plotline means that any examination of it and its relevance to the plotline and characters IS gonna be an examination of intimacy, which. Regardless of it's platonic, Is Still Shipping

Unless some HARD retconning happens it leaves this like. Hole in an aspect of c!Ranboo's arc and decisionmaking and it's very. Uncertain? God. Fucking months ago I was already kind of :huh. Does he know what the fuck he's doing: irt c!beeduo and desperately wishing for things to be cleared up and now it's only That Much Stronger

NOW. KNIFETRICK, FINALLY

Knifetrick (or, as it’s actually listed, Bishop’s Knife Trick) is a fic about "Ran and Jackie from The Pit TFTSMP" in a "canon-typical ambiguously romantic relationship." As you can tell from the scare quotes, especially if you've seen me vague, both of these are, to put it politely, Doubtful. I've read the fic; I will not be sharing my opinions because that would be neither productive nor responsible (I will just say I can't recommend it and leave it at that) but I WILL say the following that Is relevant to the conversation:

Ran's and Jackie's characterizations respectively have very little to do with characterizations from The Pit, and bear a dollar-store-version resemblance to tropes and personality motifs found in ESPECIALLY fanon c!beeduo, especially later in the fic. I would not go so far as to say they are Intentionally Literally Ranboo and Tubbo but they are transparent expies and were clearly written at LEAST unintentionally w/ c!beeduo in mind (esp since. Ran and Jackie barely interacted in The Pit), and for a readerbase that, as far as I can tell, is HUGELY dominated by /r c!beeduo shippers. Like. Sorry. This is off-brand c!beeduo.

The dynamic between the two is pretty unambiguously romantic, also; despite what the fic's white knights claim, romantic tropes and implications/motifs/imagery from at LEAST chapter two, and is very much explicitly romantic by the most recent chapter.

FROM CH1:

"And now, with raised eyebrows and a pursed lip, the newly named General Jackie observes Ran in such a way that makes the enderman’s skin crawl. Ran reminds himself that this kid, as short and harmless as he may look, is trained to kill. [...] Jackie narrows his eyes and tilts his head a little, as if he’s trying to read in between every one of Ran’s imperfect scales."

FROM CH2:

"It makes Ran’s skin itch with discomfort. [...] 'That actually doesn’t explain much of anything at all,' complains Jackie, and he pops a few croutons into his mouth with one hand. 'Tell me what you’re thinking, pretty-boy.'

"Ran feels his face flush, no doubt mildly glowing green.

"Yes, that was the other thing. The unnecessary compliments to his physical appearance.

"They don’t happen very often, and don’t seem to have very much meaning or intention behind them— Jackie often speaks like an unthinking kid— but when they do happen… they’re embarrassing. [...] It’s annoying how the rug is pulled out from under his feet in these moments when he’s 'embarrassed'. Like the conversation see-saw has temporarily shifted weight in the general’s favor."

I am not going to include excerpts from Chapter 6 because it's just the entire chapter.

I WILL SAY, HOWEVER, STEPPING ON THIS SCORPION BEFORE IT STINGS: they are not written in an RPFy manner and I don't think there's any grounds, including Vibes, of accusing Knifetrick of being like. Closet truthing or whatever. Also, while I think there's certainly Some Weirdness ESPECIALLY around the reaction, the romance itself is Not written in any way I'd call weird or problematic pre-clip; it's nothing inappropriate or like Weirdly Fetishy or whatever. Knifetrick is not #problematic or anything and I don't have beef with like the concept of liking it intrinsically; if I thought it was like. Abhorrent I wouldn't be sharing excerpts lmao dhjfnhdsbvdnfjh. Hence: if anyone uses this post or anyth like it to send harassment or bad faith ANYTHING to anyone involved with Knifetrick I will hunt you down in the fucking night even if it WAS #problematic that'd be the LITERAL OPPOSITE of productive and as it stands it's Literally Not. Essentially: Knifetrick is a (questionably-written /mean) fic using Ran and Jackie from The Pit as a vessel for a large chunk of the dynamics and headcanons of fanon /r c!beeduo in particular

And again, I would not call it problematic in any way (aside from the disingenuity of the insistence that it's TOTALLY UNRELATED TO BEEDUO and TOOOTALLY WASN'T INTENDED TO BE ROMANTIC GUYS like own your shit please)... IF it weren't for the advent of The Clip, which is calling in2 question the Entirety of the problem of /r-ing any variant of c!beeduo or any of Ranboo's characters at all

I really do not have an answer for this tbh. I genuinely wanna hear from the streamer on this more specifically because I like,,, I got no clue where 2 go from here? Do I just consider an arc retconned? Was it an issue of speaking abt a troubling subject kneejerk wise and I'm reading too much in2 it?

I just. I dunno

Tl;dr (AT LONG LAST)

- The Clip is a clip of a Discord stage where Ranboo (streamer) loudly explicitly decried shipping in a way that implicitly applies to characters he plays - This would be all well and good but is rendered complicated by the plot relevance of c!beeduo, which does not stop being shipping if it's /p'd due to it still necessarily being an examination of a particular intimacy in a way that is in canon hard to distinguish the /p, /qp, or /r nature of - Bishop's Knife Trick is an AO3 fic centered around using TFTSMP characters as /r c!beeduo expies which is not a bad thing in and of itself unless it also is covered under this moratorium - Things remain unclear until and unless we get clearer word from streamer, but considering Mr Live seems to be allergic to clarifying anything abt c!beeduo this is doubtful

*very little if any of the content I personally have made 4 c!beeduo has been posted publicly, for related reasons. You May have seen it if you're in servers w/ me, depending on Which Ones

[qpp-kallura-zine]

🍓Mod Applications STILL OPEN!

🍓Remember that mod applications for Strawberry Seeds, a queerplatonic Kallura zine set in a modern/college au, are still open until January 21! 

We still very much need more mod applicants for most of our mod positions, especially our finance mod and shipping mod positions! If you have any experience for any of our position-types, please consider applying so we can have our full mod team!

Below you can find what duties we are expecting from our mods:

🍓Graphic Design:

Create graphics unique to the zine

Keep a consistent aesthetic and color palette among the graphics as a whole

Help out the formatting mod with any graphic design related tasks in the formatting of the final zine

🍓Finance:

Work with shipping mod and formatting mod to create zine specs

Set the budget and stretch goals for the zine

Determine which merch can/should be produced

Set up the store for preorders

🍓Formatting:

Work with finance and shipping mod to create zine specs

Determine which readable font and text formatting to use for the zine

Format the art and writing pieces into a booklet

Maintain an aesthetic and color palette consistent to that used by the graphic design mod

🍓Shipping:

Work with finance and formatting mod to create zine specs

Order physical copies of the zine content

Label and ship out physical copies of the zine content

Manage and observe any tracking of zine packages

🍓Beta:

Monitor the grammar and word count progress on all written pieces

Go through written pieces and make (constructively) critical comments

🍓All mods must be 16 years of age or older and finance and shipping mods specifically must be 18 years of age or older!

🍓APPLY AS A MOD HERE!

[stephen9260]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, The Mandalorian (TV), Star Wars Legends - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker, Luke Skywalker/Han Solo, Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker/Han Solo, Din Djarin/Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker Characters: Din Djarin, Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade, Han Solo, Leia Organa, Grogu | Baby Yoda Additional Tags: this work is really only focused on Din and Luke but the others are mentioned, Queerplatonic Relationships, Queerplatonic Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker, Aromantic Asexual Din Djarin, Asexual Luke Skywalker, Greyromantic Luke Skywalker, Biromantic Luke Skywalker, Discussion of feelings, Love Confessions, this fic is basically the honorable ones but dinluke, I mean it did do wonders on kalluzeb so, I use some not-very-canon-typical language here and there but please indulge me, also canon is my bitch and timelines don’t matter, I just didn’t want to wrap my head around the mess that is legends, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, the main divergence is that the razon crest is still in one piece, Luke and Din are two sided of the same coin and I can’t say this enough, Keldabe Kiss, Light Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, I suppose, no beta we die like unnamed characters, Polyamory Summary:

Luke and Din are on a mission when their ship breaks, so Luke takes the opportunity to get something out of his chest…

Here I am with a new fic and back with my infamous Luke hc!

[btsandvmin]

Sorry, it's a long one. What do you think of the ARMY who doesn't recognize Vmin as a ship? I haven't seen that happen with english speakers, but I've seen it a LOT in spanish. As a spanish speaker, I commented this on a Facebook group and someone told me that Vmin are getting more attention because of their intimate interactions by other fandoms too. You think that's true? I mean, I respect their ships and all but... Vmin has a lot of important moments that doesn't seem like brotherly love.

Hi @litmusevidence and thank you for this ask. :) First of all I don’t think this was a long ask at all... and I am sorry for not answering sooner, as you sent this probably somewhere around when BV4 was being aired. Also, I don’t know how the spanish community might be different but I’ll just talk about my own views regarding shipping in general. (All of this can be applied to any fandom, not just with BTS.)

I think that people often seem to misunderstand what shipping is to begin with... I’ve talked about that before in my post  Shipping vs Believing.

I mean Vmin is a ship... Shipping doesn’t even have to have anything to do with reality. Then if others don’t recognize Vmin as beyond being platonic that’s their full right. They still can’t deny Vmin as a ship though.

I don’t mind ARMY who doesn’t ship Vmin at all as everyone is free to do what they want. I don’t appriciate it when they go after shippers in their own spaces though. I mean, using “shipping” was to begin with a way to separate shippers from general fans so we wouldn’t bother those not interested in romantic or sexual interpretations of those in the ship... But yeah, times have changed.

As for my own feelings I mostly don’t bother with other shippers or what general fans think about a ship as long as they aren’t aggressive or harmful in some way. But I do get a bit annoyed with shippers that say another ship can’t be shipped for whatever reason. I mean, I would never say “how can you ship ji/kook when they are just brothers”, because shipping is a fantasy and something you enjoy on your own premise. 

When a shipper says you can’t ship something else, they have missed the point of shipping if you ask me. Mixing fiction with reality when speaking about real people and using arguments for why you shouldn’t ship something while they ship something themselves is just being hypocritical. Mind you I am only talking about shipping here, taking it further with beliveing a ship is real is a whole other level. (In fact those that say “you shouldn’t ship x but rather y” are probably pretty close to believing in their ship as they see rival ships as “lesser” even in real life and not just as their own preference.)

Anyone is allowed to like and enjoy whatever ship they want. In fictional shipping communities there are “crack ships” that people enjoy despite the two characters perhaps never even having met. I personally see more fun in shipping things with potential to happen or where I get interactions I can enjoy, but really everyone has their own preference and reasons to ship. So basically let everyone ship whatever they want.

The way I interpret Vmin or any other ship will always be different to others, and even amongst Vminies we might not think or feel the same. Because there is no universal truth when it comes to interpretations. You and I think Vmin has moments that seems to go beyond brotherly love or being platonic friends. But, as every other shipper in the BTS fandom, we still don’t know. I think Vmin at the very least can be talked about as queerplatonic to some level, but honestly there is a lot that seems to go beyond that as well, in particular when looking at some of Taehyung’s gestures and actions towards Jimin.

Still, others not shipping Vmin or not understanding why we ship Vmin might be annoying depending on how they say it, but it doesn’t really matter. In fact if a ship is real not having a lot of shippers might even be a good thing in some ways. As long as people agree Vmin are soulmates and love each other and can be nice about people shipping something they don’t ship that’s what matters most. :)

So.

1. Let’s enjoy our ships in peace and let everyone think whatever they want.

2. If someone says “how can you ship x” while also shipping a ship themselves they are either a hypocrite or have misunderstood what shipping is.

3. Vmin having a lot or few shippers doesn’t change Vmin in any way and we can all keep enjoying them however we want as long as we stay respectful.

4. Vmin still makes the most sense to me if any ship in BTS would be real in some sense, but in the end that’s just my opinion and others will have clashing opinions and that’s totally ok.

Vmin are getting more attention as a ship for sure... Which makes sense when you sing about being soulmates and everything else they have done the last few years. I can tell you the Vmin community here on tumblr is very different and since BTS have grown so much I would say basically all BTS ships are big at this point. But yeah, Vmin has certainly gained more attention for many reasons, I just hope we can try to hold ourselves back and remain as peaceful as possible in the Vmin community even as we grow. :)

I hope my answers made sense to you, and would overall just suggest that you keep shipping Vmin and enjoy them with people who wants to enjoy them with you. :) Thanks again for the ask and I hope I understood your question correctly. <3

[alphascorpiixx]

.

The Gift Basket Metaphor for Love

I’m a lovequeer aro, and I tried to come up with a metaphor on how (Western) society views love and relationships. (This could be applied to loveless and/or allosexual aros, but I’m neither of those, so I apologize if I’ve overstepped and this isn’t accurate.)

Things that make up healthy relationships (like trust, commitment, communication, etc) are gifts given to people. “Love” is simply the basket these gifts are placed inside. It can be something super fancy and decorative or a simple handmade one, but the important thing is that society expects feelings and actions associated with relationships to be given in a basket.

For aros who form strong relationships (be it platonic, familial, queerplatonic, etc), they might not use a basket. They give the gifts of trust and commitment and communication without calling it “love” but alloros will look at it and wonder “Where’s the basket?” “Why do you not call this love?” They don’t consider the importance of the actual gifts, only that it’s not conforming to their view on how the gifts should be given.

Taking this metaphor further, some people (aro or allo) give gifts in a box or a bag instead of a basket, but other people will still comment on why it’s not a basket. “What’s wrong with you, why can’t you use a basket like everyone else?” Polyamorous people give baskets to multiple partners, and nonamorous people give none. Both are seen as “wrong.” Alloaros who form sexual relationships without baskets will also be shamed. “You have sex without giving gift baskets? That’s unhealthy!” (The fact that the people in the relationship have already agreed that they don’t want baskets isn’t considered. And not judging other people’s relationships and personal lives you have no business commenting on is also not considered.)

Some aros like the aesthetics of the baskets, others don’t like how baskets are incredibly commercialized and impossible to ignore. 

Some aros (like myself) enjoy making these baskets as big or fancy as possible for fictional characters, but people will assume we’re not “really aro.” “You like fictional ships, so obviously you must want romance in real life!” No!

And then there’s the so often repeated saying: “The basket doesn’t have to only be romantic relationships! You can make them platonic or familial!” But why do baskets matter at all? Don’t my feelings and my gifts to others have worth on their own? 

I’m not interested in a romantic relationship right now, but I’m afraid that if I ever am, they’ll wonder why I don’t express love in the “right” way. “Where’s the basket?” “You couldn’t be bothered to get a basket?” “Someone who’s actually serious about this would show it with a basket.”

(Also, I’d be really uncomfortable if someone told me they had a crush on me and wanted to give me a basket. I didn’t ask for this basket, what do you expect me to do with this?)

I find the queer motto “Love is Love” kind of aggravating because of this. “A Basket is a Basket.” I don’t use baskets, and I don’t want to be expected to! Many other aros don’t want to either! (It sure is lonely being ignored in a marginalized community.)

I should stop before I get too rambly. So, here's my metaphor. It’s based on my personal feelings and views on love and relationships, so adapt or ignore it as you wish.

[ao3feed-bnha-girls]

You and Me Both

You and Me Both by AllegraBanner

“I wouldn't trade her for anything.”

Kouda nods immediately. “Me too.”

Smile wide, Momo leans back to lie down on the floor. “I'm totally done for,” she laments, but there's no real force behind it.

Kouda lies down next to her, and they stare up at the ceiling for a few minutes, side by side in their bodies and in their emotions, until he speaks. “You and me both.” - In which Kouda and Yaoyorozu are in love with Jirou, but that's not the point.

Words: 14378, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi

Characters: Yaoyorozu Momo, Kouda Kouji, Jirou Kyouka, Tokoyami Fumikage, Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shouto, Shouji Mezou, Ashido Mina, Bakugou Katsuki, Kaminari Denki, Sero Hanta, Asui Tsuyu, Uraraka Ochako, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead

Relationships: Kouda Kouji & Yaoyorozu Momo, Jirou Kyouka/Yaoyorozu Momo, Jirou Kyouka/Kouda Kouji, Todoroki Shouto & Yaoyorozu Momo, Tokoyami Fumikage & Yaoyorozu Momo, Jirou Kyouka & Kouda Kouji, Jirou Kyouka & Yaoyorozu Momo, Jirou Kyouka & Yaoyorozu Momo & Kouda Kouji, Midoriya Izuku & Yaoyorozu Momo, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Iida Tenya/Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Class 1-A Girls & Yaoyorozu Momo, Kouda Kouji & Shouji Mezou & Tokoyami Fumikage, Kouda Kouji & Shouji Mezou, Kouda Kouji & Tokoyami Fumikage

Additional Tags: Post-Kamino Ward Arc, other than that the timeline is a bit iffy, LGBTQ Themes, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Lesbian Yaoyorozu Momo, Bisexual Jirou Kyouka, Aspec Midoriya Izuku, Alterous Midoriya Izuku, not outright stated but that's what applies to him in this fic, Yaoyorozu Momo is a Good Friend, Selectively Mute Kouda Kouji, I really hope I handled that one ok, Kouda Kouji-centric, Yaoyorozu Momo-centric, POV Alternating, between Momo and Kouji, Todoroki Shouto is a Dork, ive never had the chance to write todoroki before, mainly because my only todoroki-centric fic focuses on the fact that he is dead, so i hope he's in character, Misunderstandings, but they don't go on for very long cuz I can't stand that shit, i love momo so much, we don't talk about mineta in this fic, is he expelled? did shinsou replace him? is he dead? who knows, Love Triangles, BUT ALSO FRIENDS, Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Male-Female Friendship, who needs a love rival when you can have a FRIEND, Queerplatonic Relationships, probably, you thought this was a love story? SIKE it's a friend story with a romantic subplot, rated t for bakugou and bakugou alone, wait no jirou too, characters are listed in order of importance / how much they say, aizawa only shows up to glare people into silence, people being ashido, C A P E S, also: plot relevant costume redesign for momo yesss, todoiideku is my favourite bnha ship, koudajirou is a close second, and i just love momo, have i mentioned that i love momo?, well i love her, longest one shot ive ever written let's goooooo, One Shot, Cute, Jirou Kyouka is a Good Friend, Kouda Kouji is a Ray of Sunshine, Kouda Kouji is a Good Friend, Coming Out, Self Confidence Issues, nothing too in depth but still, Rabbits, Fish, I swear that will make sense, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Attempt at Humor, cuz all ive ever written and posted for this fandom is either angst as all hell, or introspective and kinda sad

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32443621

[ao3feed-bnha-rarepair]

You and Me Both

You and Me Both by AllegraBanner

“I wouldn't trade her for anything.”

Kouda nods immediately. “Me too.”

Smile wide, Momo leans back to lie down on the floor. “I'm totally done for,” she laments, but there's no real force behind it.

Kouda lies down next to her, and they stare up at the ceiling for a few minutes, side by side in their bodies and in their emotions, until he speaks. “You and me both.” - In which Kouda and Yaoyorozu are in love with Jirou, but that's not the point.

Words: 14378, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi

Characters: Yaoyorozu Momo, Kouda Kouji, Jirou Kyouka, Tokoyami Fumikage, Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shouto, Shouji Mezou, Ashido Mina, Bakugou Katsuki, Kaminari Denki, Sero Hanta, Asui Tsuyu, Uraraka Ochako, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead

Relationships: Kouda Kouji & Yaoyorozu Momo, Jirou Kyouka/Yaoyorozu Momo, Jirou Kyouka/Kouda Kouji, Todoroki Shouto & Yaoyorozu Momo, Tokoyami Fumikage & Yaoyorozu Momo, Jirou Kyouka & Kouda Kouji, Jirou Kyouka & Yaoyorozu Momo, Jirou Kyouka & Yaoyorozu Momo & Kouda Kouji, Midoriya Izuku & Yaoyorozu Momo, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Iida Tenya/Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Class 1-A Girls & Yaoyorozu Momo, Kouda Kouji & Shouji Mezou & Tokoyami Fumikage, Kouda Kouji & Shouji Mezou, Kouda Kouji & Tokoyami Fumikage

Additional Tags: Post-Kamino Ward Arc, other than that the timeline is a bit iffy, LGBTQ Themes, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Lesbian Yaoyorozu Momo, Bisexual Jirou Kyouka, Aspec Midoriya Izuku, Alterous Midoriya Izuku, not outright stated but that's what applies to him in this fic, Yaoyorozu Momo is a Good Friend, Selectively Mute Kouda Kouji, I really hope I handled that one ok, Kouda Kouji-centric, Yaoyorozu Momo-centric, POV Alternating, between Momo and Kouji, Todoroki Shouto is a Dork, ive never had the chance to write todoroki before, mainly because my only todoroki-centric fic focuses on the fact that he is dead, so i hope he's in character, Misunderstandings, but they don't go on for very long cuz I can't stand that shit, i love momo so much, we don't talk about mineta in this fic, is he expelled? did shinsou replace him? is he dead? who knows, Love Triangles, BUT ALSO FRIENDS, Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Male-Female Friendship, who needs a love rival when you can have a FRIEND, Queerplatonic Relationships, probably, you thought this was a love story? SIKE it's a friend story with a romantic subplot, rated t for bakugou and bakugou alone, wait no jirou too, characters are listed in order of importance / how much they say, aizawa only shows up to glare people into silence, people being ashido, C A P E S, also: plot relevant costume redesign for momo yesss, todoiideku is my favourite bnha ship, koudajirou is a close second, and i just love momo, have i mentioned that i love momo?, well i love her, longest one shot ive ever written let's goooooo, One Shot, Cute, Jirou Kyouka is a Good Friend, Kouda Kouji is a Ray of Sunshine, Kouda Kouji is a Good Friend, Coming Out, Self Confidence Issues, nothing too in depth but still, Rabbits, Fish, I swear that will make sense, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Attempt at Humor, cuz all ive ever written and posted for this fandom is either angst as all hell, or introspective and kinda sad

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32443621