#rewrite the entire series with him being aroace

[pastelnightgale]

Being a shipper, bit in love with an aroace hc drives me insane.

[talonslockau]

howd u decide on mates

By taking canon and punting it into the trash.

But for real, I'll start by saying this: When I first started writing this AU, I kept a lot of my notes in my head. I've written a lot down now, but a lot of the 'whys' and 'hows' are lost to time. So when I write explanations now, they may or may not be my original reasoning. I'm also a 'veteran' of the Warriors series - when I first started reading, Power of Three hadn't yet come out - so I remember back when the family tree didn't include Darkstripe, and Sandstorm's dad was Redtail, and Graystripe's parents were... unfortunate. So for a lot of reasons, I've kind of cherry-picked what is canon from canon and what isn't.

Second, since it's pride month; I'm not beholden to making straight pairings like canon is. You'll probably notice that given that there's only 2 cishet appearing mated pairs so far - Graystripe/Silverstream and Willowbranch/Quickflash. In fact, in terms of 'normal' (my base assumption) for characters, most start in my head as Aromantic/Asexual, like me! This is part of why Fireheart himself is aroace in my story - that, and I have plenty of canon evidence for him being aro, at least in my head. I also wanted to make sure that I gave as much rep as possible for everyone to attach to - there's Lionheart and Whitestorm being big gays (Ravenspirit and Barley will eventually show up there as well), Goldenflower and Frostfur being lovely lesbians (plus another lesbian pairing later I think fans will adore), and there's a few prominent bisexual characters that haven't yet shown their bisexuality off but may eventually. (Tigerclaw probably counts as bi rep too, I suppose, but rest assured he's not the only one.)

Pairings from there generally go off of what I need for the story - which I'll explain in depth below the cut for each pairing ;)

Redtail x Tigerclaw - A long time ago, at least a couple of years, I read a Tumblr post that said something like 'The warriors series is just the result of Redtail and Tigerclaw breaking up' and that stuck with me. Unfortunately, I don't remember who posted it, though I'll gladly credit if anyone finds it. That post ended up being the foundation for my entire rewrite - 'Embrace of the Locked Talons' refers specifically to Redtail and Tigerclaw! I've learned since that there are a few rewrites that use this premise, so it's not necessarily an uncommon one, but there you go.

As for their kits! I chose Sandstorm to be one because, as I said earlier, she was always a Redtail kit to me (though she isn't any longer - sadge). Dustleap was the other because, honestly, I always thought they were siblings with how close they generally were and how they were always referred to as older than the rest. They also have similar names (Sand and Dust). Dustleap is also, if not a Tiger-ally, then Tiger-adjacent, and his similar description to Tigerclaw always made me think they were related. Them being Redtail and Tigerclaw kids made perfect sense to me!

Tigerclaw x Nightwish - I wanted Ravenpaw to still be Dustleap's brother, but it didn't really fit to shove him in with them to be a third of their litter (Sand, Dust, and... Raven?). Plus, even though he's obviously traumatized from watching Redtail die, I think that if any other cat had been deputy and died in front of him he'd still have the same reaction - so it didn't make sense to make him a Redtail kit. I ended up conceptualizing him as a half-brother to Dustleap to explain how they're related but so distant from each other compared to Dustleap and Sandstorm - they're not littermates, and he's only further evidence their parents aren't getting back together.

Still, if he's a Tigerclaw kit, I needed him to have a second parent - Tigerclaw's not the type to be a single parent, really. He'd rather have a mate to throw in his ex's face. Going through the cats of the Clan at that point, I arrived at Nightwish looking similar to him and concluded she'd be a logical mother. Her dying was to explain why there's no one else really able to stand up to Tigerclaw over his son's treatment. Dappleshine does her best, since she ended up raising him, but she doesn't really have a claim to stand up to Tigerclaw - short of if he got physically abusive, at which point she would have absolutely stood up to him, as would most of the other warriors.

Dappleshine x Speckleflight - I'm going to be honest, I don't remember the reason for putting these two together. I had envisioned both as very matronly characters, older nursery queens who looked out for the younger members of the Clan and offered advice to new queens. I suppose at one point I was trying to decide on mates for them and wondered, but what if they kissed? And the rest is history.

Whitestorm x Lionheart - When I first read the books, I always saw Whitestorm and Lionheart as a pair - two strong, wise men that were very close to each other. I'm not entirely sure how I got that off half a book, given Lionheart dies in Into the Wild, but that was always my headcanon. When I got the chance, I leaped to make my headcanon reality.

Frostfur x Goldenflower - This is another one where my brain just smacked two cats together and said they were tied together somehow for life. They're not siblings, obviously, but why can't they be girlfriends in a gay for gay with Whitestorm and Lionheart? I love picturing these two in a giant fluffy cuddle pile, surrounded by their numerous children <3

Willowbranch x Quickflash - I'd already tapped Graystripe to be Willowbranch's son, as per canon, but he needed a new father that wasn't Patchpelt. I went through my list of possible cats around her age that weren't related, and all I could come up with were Longtail, Quickflash, and Mousefur. (And Darkstripe, but Darkstripe being Graystripe's father just didn't compute in my head.) I wanted to leave Longtail and Mousefur available - I hadn't yet decided if they were siblings, mates, or something else - so that just left Quickflash.

I'd already tapped Quickflash for the deputy job, as someone no one would care about when he died. Obviously, with him being Graystripe's father, that last part changed, but I think that was for the better. Given the only bits of him we get in canon are 'Not terribly good with children' and 'Young', and that first part wouldn't apply if he had children, I ended up completely rewriting his character to suit my needs. I like how it turned out, in the end - He'll certainly be missed, but his death ended up complicating the plot in all the right ways.

I won't address the ones that remain from canon, like Graystripe x Silverstream, but in general I didn't mess with characters whose relationship was already important to the original plot - things like Yellowfang and Raggedstar, for example, or Speckleflight and Snowkit. There are certainly changes I made to make relationships important to the plot - things like Brokentail's son, Quickflash being Graystripe's father - and I obviously changed details that were important to later plots (like Thistleclaw being Snowstorm's mate) - but the original plot's original relationships remain intact.

Lastly, I'd like to comment on our aro reps! It's important to me to have characters that don't have mates, and that they're considered just as valuable and respected warriors as those that do have mates and kits. You might notice some omissions from this list that don't currently have mates, or may never get mates, and that's intentional! Not every mateless cat is aro rep, though you can certainly imagine them to be that if it pleases you.

Patchpelt - In my head, he's an old, grumpy war veteran that has never liked children, which ends up showing when he mentors Dewpaw. None of the mollies or toms in the Clan have ever interested him - certainly, he gets along fine with them, but he's never found any cat that interested him in becoming a mate. He's happy with where he is in the elders' den, chatting his days away with his old friends and being waited on by little upstarts.

Spottedleaf - She may be beautiful, if not young, but while Spottedleaf has drawn the gaze of many cats she's never been interested in taking a mate - which is part of why she became a healer. Spottedleaf doesn't need companionship when she has her beautiful self, after all.

Longtail - Longtail is a devoted warrior, and he believes in Tigerclaw, Bluestar, and Thunderclan with his whole heart. He may not like certain members (like Fireheart) but he respects their contributions to the Clan. He follows the code to the letter - knows it inside and out, better than any cat in all the Clans. With all that dedication, it doesn't seem as if he has time for a mate - though the same could have been said for his brother Quickflash, and he and Willowbranch ended up quite happily together. Regardless, even if Longtail can be a little grouchy, he's happy with his current lot in life, and he doesn't need a cat alongside him to change that.

Mistspring - We don't see much of Mistspring outside of her role in mentoring Cinderspark. Needless to say, even though both her sisters settled down with a mate fairly early, she was never interested in the nursery. She loves the Clan, and her friends within it, but she has no need to fill her life with a mate or kits when the world around her is so filled with wonder to explore.

Dewpaw - Dewpaw's never quite understood the desire other cats have to find a mate. Kits are a different story - being able to watch them grow and help nurture them fascinates her - but needing to have someone alongside you for every pawstep in life seems like a hassle. Luckily, her love of knowledge and herbs, as well as her aversion to fighting, lead her to a life as a healer. Now she helps the Clan grow and thrive, and she couldn't be happier.

Fireheart - Simply put, Fireheart doesn't understand love. At all. How could it possibly drive Graystripe to abandon the family he loves and ignore all rational sense that something, eventually, will lead to him getting caught? Why would it lead Redtail to ignore the danger Tigerclaw poses to Thunderclan until it was too late? He understands anger very well, and grief (even if he's never personally experienced it), but love? It just doesn't make any sense.

As always, thank you for the question, anon. Sorry if you weren't expecting something so thorough, but it *is* pride month and I felt like celebrating :)

[scrapcheese]

MY PERSONAL HEADCANON OF THE DRAGON MAID CAST’S IDENTITIES

For context, Dragon maid is the first show i saw that has a same-sex couple in it as the main characters, so i have an emotional attachment to it. However, it is definitely filled with dubious stuff and things that make me uncomfortable!! (thanks coolkyoushinja (sarcastic))

Which is why i have created a version of dragon maid in my head that basically rewrites the series by taking out all the bits of canon that I don’t like and replacing it with my own interpretations! And that’s the version that all these headcanons exist in. 

also i'm sorry that i made like almost all of these characters sort of aroace im projecting!!!

======================

My personal hc for Fafnir and Takiya’s identities are that they are both somewhere on the aroace spectrum but care about each other a lot, so my interpretation of their relationship is mostly platonic but also can be read as romantic because i toe the line between platonic and romantic interactions really closely lmao. Basically they don’t do much PDA, and the closest thing to “romantic” that they do regularly is cuddle with each other. I say cuddle, but its more like they sit really near each other and like... pile. idk how to explain it but you get the idea

Fafnir is aroace and also agender (He doesn’t really think about it until he meets Takiya, but he does deeply care for this human and would not mind being in a “relationship” with him, whatever that is. Also he typically presents in a masculine way but i really think he would not care if he was something else. Gender just isn’t a thing that matters in his mind)

Takiya is asexual and bi but in the most arospec way you can imagine. I don’t think he would label it but it's probably closest to bi-grayromantic and asexual (he’s very sex-neutral and also has a preference for men) Also he definitely still looks at things and think “oh that's pretty” and like fangirls over anime characters because otaku, but doesn’t really feel anything much other than that Also personally I like to think that he’s trans and has been ever since he was in like primary because I can and he’s just like me frfr

“They’re just friends, why can’t people be normal about it” well because i really like their relationship with each other and its really domestic and i think it can be read as more than just a basic “they are bros, pals, buddies”

“Why so many specific labels, just do asexual or bisexual or something” Because this is my headcanon and I get to be as specific as i want.

Kobayashi is demiromantic lesbian because i feel like she definitely knows she is attracted to women but when it comes to forming a romantic bond? would take some time with her actually getting used to and opening up to people (I mean that’s how she expresses her love for Tohru in the manga as well, took her a while to reciprocate and that’s only after she gets closer to Tohru!!) Also we’re ignoring anything that happens in canon. I like transfem kobayashi headcanon as well!! Her and takiya are both mlm wlw and ftm mtf solidarity i don’t make the rules

Tohru gives me unlabeled but really really likes women for sure, also she’s probably polyamorous. 

Personally, I like to think Lucoa is aromantic and also on the ace spectrum (This one is entirely headcanon (as in no canon input); she’d still have a pretty flirty personality, i just think she really likes trolling)

Elma is full on demiromantic and demisexual with a touch of pan, also she is definitely polyamorous! Did you see her marriage arc in the manga (ch 106-111)?? She’s absolutely poly and personally her conversation with tohru in ch 111 really makes me read her as arospec teehee

Kanna and Saikawa are both children so i won’t speculate on their identities too much, but they are definitely not straight, especially Saikawa

Same reasoning with Shouta, but I think he is straight for now.

[ao3feed-snape]

Through the Quiet Emerald Fortress (Prisoner of Azkaban)

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/2urQuM4

by alwayslily22, Des98

The third book of Through the Quiet Emerald. Peter Pettigrew escapes Azkaban. Hermione has a time-turner and *may* bend the rules just a little because she’s Hermione. She can also shapeshift now. Honestly if you’re not scared of Hermione you’re a dumb bitch. Also Harry is precious and smol and Ron is the greatest friend in the world. Severus continually manages not to strangle Sirius Black, so that’s character development right there.

Words: 3325, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of Through the Quiet Emerald, Part 3 of Through the Quiet Emerald

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

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

Characters: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Tracey Davis, Millicent Bullstrode, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Daphne Greengrass, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, just all the characters okay, don’t feel like listing them, oh! - Character, except Cedric diggory, gonna list him by name because he is my smol sunshine son, who won’t die, don’t fight me on this - Character, or i will take you DOWN!

Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Severus Snape/Aromantic Asexuality, and also his ego a little bit, because he might not suck now but he’s still Severus snape, Draco Malfoy/Jealous confused feelings, Harry Potter/being a smol adorable bisexual lil bean, Albus Dumbledore/the concept of stupidity, and also grindlewald but that was a long time ago and not really relevent, Theodore Nott/Science, I don’t know yet ppl are just gay okay?!, Molly Weasley/Arthur Weasley, well all know she’s the top don’t even fool yourself, Seamus Finnegan/explosions, and also dean but not yet bc they are smol, Petter Pettigrew/the entire concept of being a terrible human being

Additional Tags: Deaf Harry Potter, Slytherin Harry Potter, Slytherin Ron Weasley, Slytherin Hermione Granger, Ron is an amazing human being, and the bestest friend, don’t ron bash or I’ll bash your face in, jk, no i’m Not i’m Dead serious, creature magic, Fire power, Shapeshifting, Ravenclaw Ginny Weasley, Harry is Smol, Abusive Dursleys (mentioned), aftermath of abuse, Crookshanks, Crookshanks is the only pussy I wanna grab, I’m sorry that was vulgar, and I’m a lesbian so it was also a lie, but goddamn I love that cat, BSL, Severus Snape has his shit together, For the most part, wolfstar, severus is aroace, wolfstar and sev actually get along for the most part, for harry’s Sake, they’re coparenting, which is interesting, Prisoner of Azkaban rewrite, fuck of jk rowling, you can’t have nice things anymore, the fandom belongs to us, honestly you don’t even write that great, you just had a good idea, which you then largely butchered, and you let the movies ruin my smol ron, which, fuck you for that, ron Weasley is getting the appreciation he deserves, in a slytherin harry fic, and also he is an awesome slytherin himself, IF YOU GOTTA PROBLEM WITH RON, you can fight me, YA BITCH!, Okay this concludes my tag talk, thank you for coming, Enjoy the story

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2urQuM4