#there are so many what ifs in this show it’s perfect for fandom

[rueitae]

Finally got around to binging Tangled the Series. *sigh* is there a discord server for gen content? Or at least mostly gen? Brainstorming fun a plus.

[amber-sekio]

Relationship Headcanons

Fandom: BSD -Bungo Stray Dogs

TW: none? I think? 

DAZAI 

I said it in my Soukoku fic, Dazai wouldn’t know affection if it slapped him in the face ten times 

Like he might realize when someone is showing interest in a sexual kind 

And he would probably notice if someone is crushing on him 

But like, if he likes them back? 

No 

Man is blind 

He’s too busy panicking over read denying his own thoughts and feelings over you to analyze your actions 

He’s busy trying to think of anything but how pretty you are when he sees you -thank you very much 

No joke though, this can be applied to pretty much anyone he cares about 

I mean he practically had a heart attack when Atsushi gave him flowers 

Anyways if he finally admits to himself that he likes you then I could see him trying to push you away if I’m being brutally honest 

He doesn’t want to lose you and he believes that anything he wants that he obtains, will be striped from him sooner or later 

But…, in a perfect world he would eventually work up the courage to ask you out 

He would probably avoid directly asking you but this is Dazai so he could defiantly figure out some round-about way to ask 

As for the relationship? 

He would still be his teasing self 

But he would tone it down 

Not because he doesn’t want to annoy you but more so because he actually lets some of his masks down when alone with you 

He defiantly is very clingy to you 

Man has been touch starved for a long time and he fears attachment too much to be touchy with the ADA members 

But now he has you, who not only tolerates him but has decided to stay with him? 

Of course he’s not going to let this chance slip from his grasp before all this inevitably ends (he’s still in denial) 

He never cared much for holidays like Christmas or Valentines 

But now he wants to experience them, with you 

He’s always thinking, plans and outcomes racing through his mind, what ifs and regrets  

But like, if you ruffle his hair, his brain just stops. 

Like no thoughts, he short circuits 

When his brain returned to him the first time it happened he panicked 

Like, who gave you that amount of control? 

After that first time he continued to try and get you to do it without asking 

He needed his brain to shut up every now and then, and now he has a reliable source 

Anyways, he likes to be a spoiled princess 

No one can change my mind 

For all his predictions he will never be able to predict your love and kindness for him 

CHUUYA 

Someone give this poor man a hug 

Ugh, my heart 

I can‘t imagine him wanting to date a normal citizen, too much of a risk 

So you’d probably have to work in the Mafia 

Even then, dating you would still be placing a huge target on you 

He would actually take you out on dates before asking you out 

Dates with him would be romantic 

Like dinner by candle light vibes 

He’d be strategic on where you guys sit 

No need to be precarious on what you order, it’s all on him 

When he does ask you out he would be slightly flustered but it just makes him adorable 

Say yes, he doesn’t deserve to be hurt any more 

He would spoil you to no end 

If you want it, you can have it 

You’re the only one allowed to call him short 

He might get flustered from PDA in the start but will gradually warm up to it 

Nothing clingy, just hand holding, a hand around your waist, a quick kiss here or there 

But if he sees some guy hitting on you? 

Down right possessive, arm snug around your waist, shoulder to shoulder 

And if he’s drunk? Even worse 

Like he’s pulling you onto his lap just to make sure that asshole knows your taken 

If you do work in the mafia with him, he likes going on easier missions with you 

And while he knows that you can handle yourself just fine, he can’t help but imagine something bad happening to you when he isn’t there to save you 

He’s lost too many people in his life, please, don’t leave him as well 

He loves when you rest your head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat 

And while you do that he’ll run his fingers through your hair 

Chuuya loves to spoil you rotten as I stated, it’s his love language 

So sometimes he’ll just hand you his black card and let you go shopping with friends or something 

In fact, he encourages you to buy what you want 

FYODOR 

Honestly? Where do I start with him? 

Like congratulations if you meet him and make it out alive 

I don’t know if I should congratulate him taking an interest in you though 

I feel like he believe that the interest he had in you was purely innocent curiosity 

But I also don’t think he would try to delude himself for as long as Dazai does 

Eventually he would notice that something was different about his interest for you than usual 

And while he would hesitate to put a name to it so quickly he would eventually give in after realizing there was no stoping this feeling from festering in him 

After coming to terms with his romantic? Feelings and interest in you he would definitely begin to manipulate you into feeling the same way for him 

If you don’t already that is 

If you don’t confess then he’ll definitely do the same thing Dazai did 

And when you agree, he of course knew you would, he makes you move in with him 

He can’t let his dearest other slip from his finger now can he? 

I feel like before ever getting into a relationship, you would have been made aware of his ‘work’  

Please, make sure the man eats 

And takes his iron pill 

Nikolai is getting a little tired of that daily routine despite how much he loves to be around Fyodor 

Anyways, dates aren’t a very common thing in fact, very, very rare 

I mean… what did you expect? 

Man’s a literal terrorist 

That being said, from time to time he’ll leave his ‘lair’ to spend time with you 

If you ask, he’ll gladly play the cello for you 

If he snaps at you for ‘bothering him with pointless things’ when you bring him his iron pill or food just listen 

Don’t bother him with such things 

And then same thing the next day 

And after some 4 or 5 days he’ll stumble from his room 

Staggering as he tries not to collapse or faint from both his lack of energy and his iron deficiency 

And when he walks into the kitchen trying to get the iron pill bottle open? 

Let him stumble his way over to you and ask for help before you finally do as such 

And he realizes just how dependent on you he’s become 

It’ll happen again eventually 

But as of that moment, it’ll at least be awhile before the cycle repeats 

(That last part of Fyodor’s was based upon some fanfic I read for him. I'm not sure who it was by, but I’ll tag it if and when I do find it.) 

A/N: anyways, believe it or not, I love Chuuya just as much as I do Fyodor and Dazai 

I’m just not as confident in his character. Since I’m a lot like Dazai, he comes easy to me and by substitute, Fyodor does as well 

But Chuuya? Despite him being one of my 5 favorites along with Dazai and Fyodor, I just don’t resonate personally enough with him to write him really well

[tsarisfanfiction]

Butterfly Effect

Fandom: Trials of Apollo Rating: Gen Genre: Family/Angst Characters: Apollo, Lee, Michael, Will Being the god of prophecy, Apollo saw many things, including the futures that could never come to pass. TOApril day 18 - In The Next Lifetime, although I misremembered it as In Another Lifetime, so that's actually what I went with. Close enough, right?

The thing with being the god of prophecy was that Apollo saw things.  Many things, many futures, all delicately tangled together and fragile enough to be altered beyond recognition by the smallest, most insignificant-seeming thing.  Mortals called it the Butterfly Effect, the concept that even the simple flutter of a butterfly’s wings could escalate into something so extreme it was unrecognisable from its original form.

The rise of Kronos was infinitely more disruptive than a single butterfly could ever hope to be, and yes, Apollo had seen plenty of futures to do with that, too, possibilities where Kronos had rose and won, where he’d risen and lost, where exactly what had happened had come to pass.  Still, it had been a shift in the Fates’ strings that was easily trackable and even more easily curseable.

Apollo had seen many futures that would never happen, and some of those came with relief, while others he grieved with every molecule of his essence, because they had been good futures, so much better than the way the future had evolved so far.  It hurt to think about them, but he also revelled in them, tearing his heart apart as his perfect recall showed them to him again and again – the what could have beens.  The what should have beens, if Kronos hadn’t risen, if a thousand butterflies hadn’t flapped their wings in those exact spots and collided into a hurricane that attempted to destroy the world.

Just because it had failed in that didn’t mean it hadn’t failed in destroying many, many other things in the process.  Worse futures, yes, but also better ones, and there were times when Apollo couldn’t help but wallow, just for a while.

“No, no, you’re not stupid.”  Lee smiled at the young child sitting the other side of the desk.  His suit jacket fit him perfectly, or would have done if he’d been wearing it, but instead it was thrown carelessly over the back of a chair, and the tie that was supposed to be snug in the hollow of his throat was loose and floating down somewhere near the second button of his shirt.  “It’s the letters that are stupid.  They never stay still for me – do they keep moving for you, too?”

The child – seven or eight years old, perhaps, and looking like they were a single wrong word away from either bursting into tears or storming out of the room in a screaming fit – visibly faltered, looking up at Lee with wide, startled eyes.

“They move for you, too?” they asked, and there was wonder in their voice; they were too young to have worked out how to try and hide their emotions, and Apollo was glad for that, because young children shouldn’t know how to hide emotions.

Nor should older children, but life always collected its dues eventually.

“They do,” Lee confirmed.  “How about we try a few tricks to get them to behave a bit?  It won’t be easy, but I bet you’re more stubborn than the letters are.”

Clearly, those were the magic words, because the rest of the hostility drained away from the child, to be replaced with determination.  Lee had always been good with children, had always known exactly what to say to make them feel like he was with them, that they weren’t stupid for whatever emotions they were feeling at the time.

He made a good teacher.

He would have made a good teacher, if he hadn’t died when butterflies created hurricanes and the result was a giant’s club caving in the skull of Apollo’s son, sending him straight to the Underworld for the rest of his existence.

That was the future-that-had-happened that Apollo didn’t like to dwell on, if he could help it.  Not when there were what-ifs that were so, so much better, for all that they hurt in their impossibility.

“Get back here, you little shit!” a man snarled, stalking towards a slightly run-down, clearly low-funded building.  A preteen, or perhaps a growth-stunted young teenager, darted inside ahead of them, breathing hard with tears running down their face and a stuffed bag on their back.  Probably not homeless, but desperate nonetheless, if they were fleeing towards child services.

The child got in just fine, running straight to a desk and gasping out pleas for help even as they nervously looked back over their shoulder.  Lizzie stood up immediately, ushering them deeper inside the building and sending a single, poisonous look over her shoulder at the angry man that was so clearly a threat.  “You’re not welcome here,” she said.  “Leave.”

“Don’t you know who I am?” the man roared, but Lizzy didn’t give him any more of her attention, completely blanking the intruder as she coaxed the scared child into an office, out of sight.  She didn’t need to.

“We don’t give a shit,” Michael said, initially overlooked in the presence of his taller, more colourful sister but dragging the man’s attention to him with ease.  “You could be the fucking king of England for all I care.  You’re not fucking welcome here.”  Lizzy had been dressed for comfort, oozing vibes of big sister or cool aunt.  Michael was dressed for fighting.

A mortal wouldn’t recognise it, straight away, although if they were paying attention they might have noticed that he was carrying.  He wasn’t dressed like a typical security guard, but despite being barely taller than the child they were protecting, he carried himself with all the confidence of someone who knew who was going to win in a fight – and that it wasn’t their opponent.  To someone familiar with demigods, though, the clothing was clearly an outfit that wouldn’t get in his way if he had to move quickly, or agilely.

The man getting offended at his attitude was predictable.  So was Michael’s escalation, when the man got aggressive and started to storm towards him.

“Fuckers like you make me sick,” he spat, drawing a weapon.  Not a bow – concessions had to be made for the mortal world – but any ranged weapon was putty in the hands of an Apollo kid, and Michael was old enough to know which one was the best in any given situation.  Clearly, it wasn’t a gun situation, but tasers were just as effective at stopping abusers in their tracks.

Maybe if Michael had had a taser on the bridge, he could have one day reached that future, the one where he helped to protect children trying to escape their abusers the same way he’d once needed (and hadn’t got).  Maybe that would have caused another butterfly, and spared his life.  Maybe Lizzy would have survived that night, too, if she’d been closer to her younger siblings, if they’d worked together rather than apart.

Too many what-ifs.  Too many brighter futures where his children were still alive that hadn’t happened, because Kronos had risen and his children had paid the price.  Even the ones that were still alive struggled in ways they wouldn’t have done, in a different lifetime.  Apollo had seen Will sitting calmly in a paediatric ward, changing bandages and applying band-aids with children’s favourite fictional characters to insignificant boo-boos, in another future that would never happen, now.  Not with too much war trauma, too much reliance on his healing powers rather than skills to be able to sit in a mortal hospital.

Will wasn’t dead, not yet – and Apollo hoped he would live for many, many more years, that the futures where he dies a teenager wouldn’t come true – but the wars took from him, too.  He’d never be free of the demigod world, even if Apollo was still partial to the future where Will established himself as a permanent supervisory adult at Camp Half-Blood to help keep the children there alive.

Any future where the children – his, and the other demigods, and all children, actually – survived to adulthood and thrived was a good one, in Apollo’s books.

If only it actually came to pass more often.

[klbwriting]

The Jason Todd Anamoly

Chapter 19 - Why Can You Not Let People Eat Breakfast In Peace?

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Toddxfemale!Reader

Warnings: none

Summary: reunited and ready for what comes next

YN was leaving Marco’s with her things about an hour after her conversation with him, wanting to go back to the loft and see if Jason would talk to her. What if he didn’t want her anymore? The thought kept mulling over in her brain, so many what ifs. What if he asked her to stop being Anomaly? What if he told her she was on her own? What if Tim asked her to come be his sidekick? What if Dick told her to leave the city and never come back? What if Damian was actually nice to her? All insane lines of thought and so all-consuming that she almost didn’t hear the familiar sound of Jason’s bike as it sped by. It was nearly down the blocked before she turned, seeing his form tense and the bike stop. The helmeted head turned back and even though the protective mask covered his face she knew he was looking at her. Neither of them moved for a solid minute. He was coming to get her. She was going back to him. That was the only thought now, that they needed to find each other. Jason took off his helmet, parked the bike right in the middle of the road, and jumped off, running down the street. YN dropped her back on the sidewalk and ran towards him. They collided, arms wrapping around each other, her hands going to his hair, his gripping her hips and they just stared at each other. A full twelve hours was apparently too long to go without the other because YN felt like she could finally breathe again, and Jason thought his heart only started beating when she was in his arms. He looked down at her and kissed her, lips melding to hers the way they always did, the way that felt perfect.

“I love you,” he said as he pulled back. “I didn’t mean it, I mean, I meant that but at the loft, I was so scared. I haven’t felt like that since…” He trailed off and she nodded. Jason Todd, a man back from the dead, who hadn’t worried about his own life since Joker had blown him up, had been terrified that YN would go out there and he wouldn’t save her.

“Jason, stop,” she said, putting a finger to his lips. He took a breath and looked at her. His eyes were a touch wild, and for the first time she could see the pit, the green that the others in the family said showed up when he was losing control. “I’m here, and we’re going to calm down and we’re going to talk, really talk.” He nodded, taking another deep breath. He felt like he couldn’t get enough air. “Now please, before you have a panic attack, calm down.” He nodded again, and focused himself on what was here right now. How she looked, like she hadn’t slept, how she smelled, like vanilla shampoo, how she spoke, the voice that he heard in his dreams, how she tasted, her kiss was minty and maybe chocolate, and how she felt, like home. He wrapped her back into his arms for a moment, feeling home wrap around him at the same time.

“Do you want to talk at the loft?” he asked. She shook her head and pointed to the diner down the street. He smiled a little, they always talked best in that booth in the corner. He finally went back and parked his bike where someone wouldn’t run it over and followed her into the diner, having the waitress clear it out again so they could have privacy.

“Dear Lord Jason why can you not let people eat breakfast in peace?” YN laughed, sitting back in the familiar vinyl seat. He shrugged.

“I’ve never been good with keeping the peace,” he said, and she rolled her eyes. “Do you want to talk first? Or should I?”

“I’ll go first. We’ve talked about my family a lot since we met, but I don’t think I’ve ever told you how much I feel disconnected from them, from any family, since the city shut down. My mom died and then it was just me and my sister and now, she isn’t even speaking to me because she saw some news report about me killing Harley and decided I was just another criminal. She said I’m never allowed to see my nephew again. Since then I’ve been craving to feel a connection again to family and I thought that with you and Tim and Staphanie and Alfred and hell, even Damian, I had found that again. I know you were right about the other night, I should have stayed, let Tim handle himself but I just saw my brother hurt and dying and I couldn’t let that happen,” she said. “I am sorry that I didn’t listen to you, that I pretty much decided I somehow knew better than you, who honestly has been doing this shit way too long. One of the reasons I even fell in love with you was because I trusted you and your judgement, seems stupid to just throw all that experience away because I got upset,” she said. Jason his hand on hers and she looked at him. “I was rambling, wasn’t I?”

“Ya, but I understand, you like everyone but Dick, no one likes him,” he said, a smile pulling at his mouth. YN laughed and nodded.

“Fuck Dick,” she said, making Jason actually smile now. “What do you want to say?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, the words still mostly foreign on his tongue. “I understand why you left, why you had to help Tim. We’ve been doing this for so long we know the signs of when one of us is really in trouble, but you don’t. You saw your brother about to die and wanted to save him. And YN, you are our family, when I said you weren’t one of us that wasn’t about being family, that was about being fucked up, you’re still able to see everything good the world could be, while we’re just trying to keep the city from going to pieces completely. You will always be my family, you’re my everything.” YN smiled, pulling his hand to her lips and kissing it. Then the bell over the door rang and she looked at the new customers.

“O look, its Dick,” she said, unenthused as the man sat down next to Jason. He set down a file on the table.

“The others figured out what the compound was being developed for,” he said, opening the file and sliding them each a page. YN frowned.

“Sleeping agent?” she asked. “What are they going to use this for?”

“The slums, the criminal-run neighborhoods,” Jason said, reading over the report. “This can be added to water and dispersed through the treatment plant. The court has spent a few months maintaining the ones that go to the parts of the city not owned by the GCPD and me, while they’ve been funneling in bottled water and water trucks for the ‘safe’ areas. Fuck me, always want to mess with the water.”

“So what, they put everyone to sleep who's not in a safe area? What then?” YN asked. Jason shrugged.

“Don’t you have a meeting to go to tonight?” Dick asked. Jason nodded. “Find out what they’re planning.”

“Stop playing Batman,” Jason said back, making his brother glare at him. YN shook her head. “I will get whatever intel I can, like I have been for months, you don’t need to remind me you absolute control freak.”

“Thank you, now I’ll be off, I’m probably needed elsewhere,” Dick said, getting out of the booth and leaving. YN frowned and looked at Jason.

“Do you think you’ll still have your good standing after my fuck up?” she asked. He shrugged.

“I’m done playing around with them, I’ll go to the meeting and then I’ll hang out and start doing my own search of the place,” he said. “It's time we end this.”

[narutakijune]

About ATLA Relationship Arcs

So, this is me, finally trying to write some meta after lurking in my little tumblr corner for months! Hi!

Although I’ve tried to tag properly, if you are a Kat*anger and just want to enjoy your favourite couple in peace, this might not be the post for you. I am not trying to bash characters but I do have a lot of critical stuff to say about the writing.

Anyway, you have been warned and here is my story about my personal first Atla experience: I watched the show this year for the first time, and after the end of Book 1 I decided to look up spoilers, because after what happened to Yue, I wanted to make sure that Zuko and Iroh would be ok. So I knew what was going to happen: Kat*ang endgame and absolutely no Zutara at all. Still, by the end of Book 3, I was convinced that I had read wrong - that there would be an epilogue with a different ending or at least that Aang would only get together with Katara post-show- in that Korra series or something - because anything else wouldn’t make sense- right?

….

After I got over my shock and surprise, I went online and found out about that decade-long aggressive passionate ship war and how even the showrunners got involved.

And then I really worried that I might have missed a few points. Apparently ”Aang and Katara were the DNA of the show”, according to the creators themselves, and “Zutara could never have happened”.

Another popular anti-ZK argument I found was: Why do you always go on about Katara and Zuko? Just look at Zuko and Aang! They are the hero/ anti-hero and each other’s foils, their relationship is much more meaningful!”

So I tried to find out what it was that I apparently couldn’t see.

(Another disclaimer: I love analysing stories (like many Zutarians apparently) and this will get long and rambly. If you get bored to tears when people start talking about “narrative structure” you will probably not like this.)

Talking about narrative structure, I do believe that, in order to let your story, your characters and their relationships really shine, a good basic structure is important. There should be a recognizable development and individual parts of the story that build upon each other and lead to consequences and change, until there is a completed arc - because it is all about the journey that takes you to a satisfying ending, right? So that’s what I tried to do, with my personal Kat*ang vs. Zutara take, I tried to look at the structure and development of their relationship arcs.

The argument that threw me off track for a while is that compared to Aang and Zuko, Zuko and Katara’s relationship is not supposed to be that relevant for the plot. After all, Zuko is the foil, the anti-hero, the deuteragonist to Aang, who is the hero protagonist.

This is all true of course. But then why is it that in every finale, Zuko’s main opponent (and later ally) is not Aang but Katara? Why is it that their sun/moon, red/blue, fire/water dichotomy is so obviously highlighted?

I think one reason why Zuko and Katara are paired off so frequently in the story - as opposite elements, as opponents and as allies - is that they BOTH are Aang’s deuteragonists. While Zuko also acts as antagonist and Aang’s foil/mirror, Katara takes over the more traditional deuteragonist role of confidant / best friend/ narrator.

Protagonist Aang is what connects them, although they are on opposite sides: Both need Aang because he represents their hope to save their world. Very simply put, Katara protects him, so he can make the world a safer place again, and Zuko wants to capture him, so he can go home and be safe again. That rivalry between them is already established in the first episode, even before they meet each other: Katara, who hopes that the Avatar will return (as she tells everyone in the intro), and Zuko, who seems to be obsessed with finding him for more sinister reasons.

And just to make sure, I am not talking here about the characters’ feelings and emotions! This is just about the abstract roles they have been assigned within the narrative.

When regarding Zutara’s special connection to Aang and their rivalry with each other, it makes absolute sense to stress their “same but different”ness as well, visually and metaphorically: Red and blue, fire and water, sun and moon, arguably Painted Lady/Blue Spirit, and, when you put into account their story arc, also Oma and Shu.

With this basis, which puts them together and sets them apart simultaneously, their relationship already becomes very dynamic and interesting, even before you consider any romantic potential.

And here’s another thing, Zuko and Katara also have their own story arc within the main plot. Although they don’t have many scenes together before Zuko joins the Gaang, when they do meet there is always a new shift in their relationship and in quite a few cases their interactions are important for the main plot as well. If you just look at their “end fights” at each book’s finale, there is an obvious and consequential build-up, like any decent story arc should have:

Book 1 starts with Zuko as the powered-up enemy and Katara as the weak newbie waterbender. Both are battling over Aang. At the end of Book 1, they are finally established as equally powerful fighters but still fundamentally different (You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun!)

In CoD at the end of Book 2 happens the next step: they realize that they are not different at all! But Aang still doesn’t represent the same for them and they end up on opposing sides of the war again.

In the Book 3 finale, when Zuko has completed his own (anti-) hero's journey and Aang represents the same “hope” for both of them, they do not only join forces: Their “same but different”- traits make them such a uniquely suited match that they are even able to save each other’s lives during their fight with Azula (who in turn happens to be Katara and Zuko’s antagonist/mirror/foil).

And in addition to their own story arc they even get an individual recurring theme, which also appears in every book whenever their relationship status changes: The lost mothers, especially Katara’s mother.

In Book 1, Katara’s necklace (the symbol of Kiya) plays not only a major part in two of Zuko’s capture attempts, it is the reason for their very first one-one one encounter in the story.

Their first friendly connection in COD in Book 2 happens because they start talking about their mothers. And in Book 3, their final reconciliation (sealed with a very cathartic hug) happens after their life-changing trip which is, of course, all about Katara’s mother.

Again, I am not even trying to analyse their characters and motivations within the story - there are many metas that have already done that much better, more detailed and with screenshots. This is just dry structure and tropes and themes. But I think people recognize and connect with a well-structured arc, even subconsciously, which is one of the reasons that makes Zutara such a compelling couple. They complete and contrast each other, their relationship dynamic constantly changes, builds up, falls apart, reconnects. Such a setup is the perfect playground for a lot of creative takes on what-ifs and alternative scenarios and of course, shipping them romantically is extremely tempting - think of all the possibilities! It’s no wonder that the Zutara fandom is still so active decades after the end of the show. And it’s also no wonder that the Zutarians are known for “over-analysing everything”. You can only over-analyse if there is anything that gives you enough food to analyse to begin with. Which brings me to

KAT*ANG

I just go right to the top and take the quote from Br*yke themselves:

Kata*ng was in the DNA of the thing from the start…. [Zutara] was just dark and intriguing.

If you read this quote and then start watching the show, I would (grudgingly) agree that:

Aang and Katara understand and complement each other really well. Aang gives her the chance to have fun and go on adventures and in turn, Katara is his fiercest supporter from the very beginning, something that he really needs after he lost all his people AND has to find out that the world thinks the war is sort of his fault. In turn, the journey to the North Pole is as important to Katara as it is to Aang, because it is her dream to learn waterbending properly. That’s what she literally says when Sokka & Co try to banish Aang: (Sokka: Where do you think you’re going? Katara: To find a waterbender. Aang is taking me to the North Pole.) In that way, they are friends who give and take equally and are equally taken care of. They even have the last Airbender/ last Southern Waterbender status that connects them. The few times they have a fight, Aang does something in the end to redeem himself (perform some heroic feat) and Katara sees that she is right to believe in him.

Aang has this very sweet crush on her and it will be very sweet and wholesome when Katara will return his feelings at the end of their adventure after he has hit puberty. On the other side, there is also some heavy shipbaiting with Zuko: I save you from the pirates. The betrothal necklace. June and her excellent shipping taste. But in the end they are enemies, they barely know each other and, come on, it would be too dark and intriguing! There is no real threat against friends to lovers Kat*ang, the soft heart of the story. It’s very straightforward and there are a lot of simple “the hero saves the day” scenes for Aang but that’s fine! It’s not really my kind of ship but that’s not the point, it works for the story they want to tell.

End of Book 1.

In my - probably harsh- opinion, everything you really need to know about the Kat*ang relationship has been told by this point. If you want to be really mean, already by Book 1, episode 3.

That explains maybe why many (not all! but many) pro-KA arguments sound as if their shippers have not watched Book 2 and 3 at all. The Book 1 synopsis also perfectly sums up Bry*ke’s quote above. But then Book 2 and 3 are still there and I don’t know what happened but it seems as if they somehow decided that the Kat*ang story does not need any new and lasting input. Maybe because they were afraid that too much new development and change would stray too far away from their original Kat*ang vision. But there are still 2 more books and more adventures and Kat*ang somehow has to be kept apart until the finale.

So the tension in their potential romance is based largely on the question whether or not Katara will return Aang’s feelings. In general I don’t have a problem with that will-she-won’t she-technique. It works well in books where the love interest is not a POV or in shows/ movies where the love interest is not one of the main characters. But Katara is not only the female lead but also arguably the narrative voice of the whole story! As a result, this kind of writing makes Katara look as if she doesn’t have any agency in their relationship, which is not surprisingly a very popular anti-KA criticism.

Additionally, since her dream - learning waterbending - has been fulfilled by the end of Book 1, the relationship work becomes a bit one-sided. Of course Aang is the hero and his journey is the heart of the story. But in order to highlight their special connection it would have helped to give Katara another personal agenda, which Aang could have supported in some way. She is still the last Southern Waterbender and he the Last Airbender but this is not really explored in the Kat*ang relationship. And her other personal agenda, her mother, is already reserved for the Zutara arc.

Instead, in Book 2 and 3 the Kat*ang story is somehow all over the place. Of course there is new conflict and a few romantic scenes as well. But obstacles are either introduced too late or just dropped when not needed anymore, conflict is not resolved and their flirty, romantic moments never lead anywhere- and if they do, they lead to more conflict that is not resolved (yes, I am looking at you, EIP Kiss!).

Take for example Katara’s very sudden argument that they cannot be together now because there is a war going on. We hear her saying that for the first time in the very last episode (EIP) before the 4-part finale. That is too late to have any impact! That she has these kinds of thoughts was never even alluded to before. Not once.

Or the pattern Aang runs away/ is flaky - Katara is upset - Aang comes back and does his hero thing - Katara is relieved. In regards to their relationship arc, nothing changes here between Book 1 and the finale, only the stakes for Aang’s heroic performances get higher.

Or Katara being the one who is able to calm Aang down when he cannot control the Avatar state (which, in my personal opinion, is neither romantic nor healthy). This is also connected to the problem with the seventh Chakra, that Aang needs to let go of his attachment for her. I will be angry forever with how they wasted this for a possible relationship development! That Aang has to decide to either do his duty or save his forever girl (because let’s be fair, he did try to let go and only ran when he had the vision of Katara in danger) - that’s a fantastic setup!

But no, it doesn’t have any real consequences for Kat*ang at all. Instead there were only half-baked attempts – Aang does lie about his failed practice with Guru Pathik but the ultimate reason why his chakra is blocked is Azula, not his decision to run. Aang does try to let go of Katara for a little bit but then Azula shoots him. Nothing in Book 3 shows any change in his feelings that could have been a result of his instant let-it-go. If anything, he gets weirdly obsessive - which could have been used as a side effect of his blocked chakra but – again, no, nothing happens.

I suspect the whole thing was just introduced to create temporary drama for poor Aang, but it is never explained why Katara holds him back, what aspect of the attachment is blocking him or what would happen if he did let her go. Maybe they tried to make a statement about how love is more important than Avatar rules – which would have been fine but it’s also never properly explored. Instead, as soon as that plot point becomes inconvenient it’s simply dropped like a random rock™.

Compare all that to the Zutara arc, where both characters’ feelings about each other are always very much in the open, and where every interaction causes lasting effects in their relationship. Yes, it is unfair to compare that to Kat*ang, because up to the end of Book 3, Zuko and Katara almost never meet, while Aang and Katara spend almost every episode together – of course they cannot do meaningful things all the time. But on the other side, with Kat*ang, there would have been a great chance to show a subtle, gradual build-up instead.

It also doesn’t help that the Zutara arc seems hellbent on sabotaging every romantic moment Aang is allowed to enjoy:

There is Kat*angs first maybe-kiss in the dark before the background of the Oma and Shu legend. But it does not lead anywhere. Instead, Zuko and Katara almost reenact the legend itself in the Book 2 finale as two real enemies to almost-friends, including a glowy rocks-backdrop and the right costume colours, just so nobody misses the message.

In Footloose The Headband, Aang and Katara have a really sweet dance together, and everybody can see how they almost intuitively know each other's moves. This could be a great hint on how well they will fight together in the finale. But is it plot-relevant? No, because the final tag team is Katara and Zuko! While Aang gets paired off with random rock™.

Then there is Aang’s riding off to battle- kiss in DotBS, which Katara is not even allowed to enjoy, because keeping her feelings vague is apparently more important than character development at this point. It is the only romantic moment that gets mentioned again, but in a way that sinks the former cute and wholesome ship into the deep ocean, and the reason is - Aang is jealous of Zuko!

If all of this was only done for the sake of shipbaiting, then it really went out of control at some point.

In the end, the showrunners still had their reasons to choose Kat*ang, maybe because that corresponded more to their own vision, and there are still enough people out there who agree with them. Which is absolutely fine! In the end, what matters most is how you personally connect to the characters and nobody needs to defend their personal taste. But the typical anti-ZK claim, that all the Zutarians with their crazy analysis and rambling meta essays are reaching and delusional and that they desperately try to construct something that isn’t there, is not only a very lazy argument but simply not true.

And I’d claim that in spite of the canon choice, Zutara is technically the better written relationship. By far.

[my-robot-heart]

@fictober-event 2021 | Fandom: the blacklist - lizzington

Day 3: "I've waited for this." | Rating: T | Warnings: none

Late at night, Lizzie thought about him.

When she couldn't fall asleep, she would let her mind replay over and over the interactions they'd had. The ones where he'd slung an arm just casually enough so as to remain inauspicious across the back of a seat they'd both shared. Or when he'd lingered just seconds too long when clasping her hand, or placing a guiding hand on her back. The ones where he'd said things like, we're gonna make a great team, or just pretend you're my girlfriend from Ann Arbor.

The scenes would replay in her mind, and she'd let herself imagine them playing out differently: stopping his hand before it could leave hers, or leaning back into the arm that was slung across the back of the seat. Replying yes, sure, that sounds like fun to his challenge, and showing him that she, too, knew how to be mischievous.

Late at night, she thought about these things, and wished things were different. And knew that, if they ever were to be, it was up to her to do something. Anything.

But when the sun rose, and brought with it a new day, full of possibility, Lizzie found herself unable to conceive of what she would do if something went wrong. If she reached out to him, and he refused. In that case, she was better to just let things remain status quo; at least then she could be certain of their friendship. At least then, she knew she wouldn't have to face the what ifs.

Their next assignment was supposed to be easy. Posing as a couple on an undercover mission at a museum gala, while waiting to pounce on their Blacklister: a Renaissance art thief.

It was supposed to be easy, but from the moment she stepped out her door and into the waiting car, accepting Red's proffered hand lightly as she did so, Lizzie knew it would be anything but.

Red slid into the backseat beside her, waving to Dembe to start driving, and as he buckled his seatbelt he gave her a look that warmed her even more than the sunlight coming in through the window and playing on her skin.

"Lizzie."

"Red."

"You look... dazzling," he said, and before she could react he finished with, "the perfect foil for our plan tonight. All eyes will be on you rather than me, which means we shouldn't have to worry about my being recognized."

Typical, she thought. Undo her with a compliment and then follow it with business talk. It was maddening, because it meant she was never quite sure whether she was interpreting him correctly, or just reading into things. That they were business associates was a fact, but whether there was the possibility for something more...? Perplexing.

"You look very dapper as well," she returned. "As expected."

"Agents Mojtabai and Navabi should be there already," he commented, fiddling with one of his shirt cuffs. "We'll tap into their communication system as soon as we arrive."

Lizzie glanced over at what he was doing with his cuffs, noticing that a button had come undone and he was attempting to refasten it with his non-dominant hand. And failing quite badly, she saw.

Reaching over, she gently took his arm and made quick work of the button, tucking his cuff back into the tuxedo jacket as she did so.

Was it her imagination, or did he let out a quiet huff of breath when she let go of his arm? It was almost as if he'd been holding his breath while she fixed his cuff. She watched his expression for a sign that he was unsteady in some way, and found none.

Nevermind, Liz, she told herself sternly. Just focus on the task at hand. But, as usual in cases that involved working closely with Raymond Reddington, just focusing on the task at hand was never as easy as that.

This situation in particular: pretending to be a couple, this was going to be tough. Because it's what she was doing, what she had been doing, wasn't it? But now, now she had to both pretend to be his girlfriend and pretend that she hadn't thought about that very situation over and over until it became as familiar to her as her real life. That was the real challenge.

They arrived at the museum, and Red came around to give Lizzie a hand out of the car, easefully letting his arm slide round her waist when she stood beside him.

We're a couple. She reminded herself. He's doing this as part of the job.

Giving him a smile she hoped was bright and not wary, she walked with him into the gala.

They were immediately handed glasses of champagne. Lizzie sipped hers quickly, hoping for some fortification.

Red, maddeningly, appeared perfectly at home. The nerve of him, being able to fall into character like that every damn time.

They found themselves standing near a large triptych, and Lizzie decided they should at least appear to show interest in the artwork, so she leaned in to take a closer look.

Red leaned in as well, keeping an arm around her waist. This proved so distracting that when she noticed he had asked her a question, it was already too late, and she had to ask him to repeat himself, embarrassedly.

"I said, are you a Renaissance art fan, Lizzie?"

"It's Caroline," she whispered back, giving him the alias she was supposed to be using tonight. Just then she heard a crackling from her earpiece. Aram was listening.

"Hello Aram," she said in a low voice, wriggling free from Red's arm for a moment.

"Yes, we're in place. Okay. I'll keep watching for our guy."

"So sorry, Caroline," Red said. "Are you a Renaissance art fan, then."

"No, not really. Are you?"

"I prefer the Surrealist period, myself," he replied.

Of course he would.

The evening passed uneventfully and with no sign of their Blacklister. Lizzie was beginning to wonder if the entire thing would turn out to be a bust, when she heard Aram in her ear again.

"On your right, two o'clock."

She turned slowly, hopefully inconspicuously, in that direction. A tall man was eyeing one of the paintings. That was their guy.

She tried to nudge Red, but he was deep in conversation with another couple, regaling them with some story of his own invention.

"Ahem." She tried clearing her throat. He didn't notice.

Damn it, she would have to interrupt.

Walking right up to his side, she took Red's outstretched arm and gave him a pointed look.

"So sorry to interrupt, but-"

"Ah! Perfect timing, Caroline. May I introduce you to my enchanting girlfriend, Caroline. She's the light of my life," he announced proudly, causing Lizzie to raise an eyebrow in surprise before falling into character as best she could.

"What a pleasure to meet you all," she said with a smile. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak to you, alone."

Red caught the emphasis and smiled at his new friends before excusing himself. He followed Lizzie to a secluded corner.

"It's our guy. Over there by the da Vinci sketches." Her eyes flicked towards him.

Red nodded.

"Yes, I know."

"You know? What do you mean, you know. We're here to apprehend him, aren't we?"

"Apprehend? Oh heavens no. We're just here to have a quick chat. And while you were grabbing a refill on your champagne, I did exactly that."

A beat passed.

"Exactly what."

"Had a quick chat. Made my negotiations, as it were. So, we're free to either leave, or spend the rest of the evening here, in pleasant company and with wonderful food. The choice is yours, Lizzie."

She stared at him.

"Alright. Let's stay."

To her delight, he looked surprised.

"What?"

"You said we can leave, or spend the rest of the evening here. And I said, let's stay. The food is good, I've drank a few glasses of very nice champagne, and the night is young." She grabbed her earpiece and threw it into a nearby potted plant. "Let's stay."

It was a challenge, and he knew it.

Giving her an appreciative glance, he tilted his head in agreement.

"Alright."

He led her away from the secluded corner, and, with a very charming look, suggested that they dance.

"Dance?"

"Yes. Everyone's doing it," he noted, gesturing to the many couples who had filled the centre of the room.

"Okay," she agreed, wondering if it was the champagne, or if her lightheadedness was due to some other reason.

One hand taking hers, Red placed his other hand on the small of her back and pulled her what felt like very close, but was in fact a perfectly normal distance away.

They started moving slowly with the music, and soon Lizzie felt her cheek gently come to rest on his lapel. It felt easy, and she wasn't going to question it if he didn't.

"I've waited for this," she heard him say, or did she? That seemed oddly out of character. Pulling away from his jacket slightly so that she could see his eyes, she couldn't find anything in them to confirm either way.

"What did you say?" she asked, figuring if he'd said something else at least she should know what it was.

"I said, I've been waiting for this, Lizzie," he repeated, and she felt her cheeks warm once again.

"Waiting for what?" her voice was a whisper. He couldn't possibly mean what she was thinking.

Momentarily, he stopped dancing and looked her in the eyes.

"This. All of it. With you."

She definitely felt lightheaded now, and it wasn't just the champagne.

"All of-?" she repeated, and he cut her off, his mouth covering hers and reminding her that, although they were in full view of everyone in the room, they were anonymous here, and so the kiss could take place without any implications, or complications that came from their regular lives.

Leaning into the kiss, she returned it with the pent up energy from months of thinking about just this moment.

"Oh," she exclaimed when they finally broke apart. There didn't seem to be any words for what had just happened.

Red was looking at her with concern, perhaps wondering if she'd gone mad for a moment and suddenly regained her faculty of thought.

"Are you..." he began, but this time she cut him off with another kiss.

In a minute, she managed to pull away long enough to whisper, "I've waited for this, too, you know."

The look of realization in his face was enough to confirm for her then that she hadn't been the only one wanting this to happen.

As they continued to dance, Lizzie knew that the circumstances would immediately change as soon as this evening was over, and they had to return to their lives. But for now, at least, they had this chance. And they were both eager to seize it.

[kaziiwrites]

Saiouma/oumasai fandom reminds me of the early days of bakudeku before Bnha blew up in popularity. Before masses of people crowded behind the ship to defend it. Danganronpa is not THAT popular, nor do I ever want it to be. But the ship, between Shuichi Sahara and Kokichi Ouma is considered, sometimes, the black sheep of the herd; targeted by others for being difficult and different. I like saiouma because it portrays the perfect image of taking something imperfect and making it better. Delving into psychology and what ifs between two different characters, creating stories that start from some of our most devastating human traits into true character development.

No one is perfect and that's why I love these ships. It shows how imperfect something is and how even someone who's done wrong still has a chance at growth (be that personal or romantic). By learning and growing, you watch a character who is (probably) disliked among many, into a relatable and (maybe) tolerable human being.

Which can also be crafted into relationships. Because relationships, like people, grow and change overtime. By learning and doing. By cutting off chances to explore things like that, it leaves you with just the happy go lucky, perfect couples. (which are still good in their own right). But (sometimes) it lacks flavor, aka good development.

So now, I see people targeting one of my favorite ships and I can't help but feel, just a little nostalgic. Not in a good way, either. It's funny, you can change fandoms, but you will always see the same toxic traits in every community. It's kind of sad, when you think about it. But that's human nature, I suppose.

[masterthespianduchovny]

I may have made a post about this before, but I truly struggle with Scully/Other stories, which is why I tend to stay away from them.

I always have to spoil myself because usually it follows the logic that Mulder should be lucky Scully choose him in the end. Which, to be honest, is viewer logic and not Scully logic.

Typically these S/O have Scully "empower" herself and "take back her life." She sees how much she gave up and Mulder needs to earn her or not fuck up and risk losing her.

And it's like...Scully wouldn't view any potential relationship with Mulder that way, IMO, even if she broke up with someone to be with Mulder. Her relationship and feelings for Mulder are so special and sacred to her. Scully knows he messes up and can be an ass at times, but his heart is there.

Although Scully can stand her ground with Mulder, when it comes to her feelings she'd definitely be vulnerable no matter how much she improved her life. Being with Mulder is a big step and I can't imagine her viewing him like that: Don't fuck up, Mulder, or I'll leave you in a second flat.

She'd definitely have her boundaries and express her expectations with Mulder, however, this "you better be lucky I chose you, Mulder" Scully that many writers have Scully believe, totally takes me out of the story.

It also doesn't mean I want to read about Scully dating assholes either. I guess some people in the fandom want to prove that Scully can have it all and the perfect guy, so her being with Mulder is a choice and not her only option. But it gives, "I can do better, but I choose you, Mulder; be lucky I didn't stay with the other guy."

I like my Scully's conflicted not because she has the perfect guy, but because as much as she enjoys this man, there is something about Mulder she can't shake. Something about Mulder that she has to see through. I like her considering staying because she's scared of what her and Mulder can be.

Sure there are other interpretations of Scully and I'm not saying my opinion is the right opinion, I'm just always miffed when I read "Mulder better be lucky" interpretations, especially because that's not the Scully we saw.

This is where Scully taking back control of her life comes in, however, Scully taking back control of her life would also likely be her being forward and honest with Mulder about her feelings. Nervously telling Mulder how she feels and saying, "Well...I believe you feel the same. I want to be with you, Mulder. I think we've waited long enough."

Scully doesn't have to say to Mulder she could be happy with another man because it's unnecessary and Mulder likely already believes that. This is not about what she left behind or hypotheticals with other men, this moment, her revealing her feelings to Mulder, is about what they can have and finally putting their cards on the table.

I know people want Scully to have an option (all while loathing the same for Mulder, which is honestly weird because he's more isolated than her), but I don't mind it because Scully didn't want options, she wanted Mulder. However, I don't think she pined over Mulder, I believe Scully was in a place where she wasn't interested in actively dating and she didn't understand the full scope and complexities of her feelings for Mulder. Their relationship was intense, confusing, and unconventional. It takes time and perspective to understand those types of relationships.

We see Scully put her career and Mulder first when she declines another date with Rob to go listen to a professor talk about paranormal shit on her off time. Scully dated, but she wanted to be challenged by her career, which top priority. At the same time, she was so intrigued by Mulder, she allowed him to seep into the crevices of her personal life and career ambitions. She wanted him to trust and invest in her and exposed herself to him, which in turn made them become entangled and lost in each other.

Scully finding out she had cancer understandably sent in her in a tailspin. Mulder had consumed so much of her life, personal and professional, that he cannot differentiate where his ends and hers begins. This is when Scully becomes annoyed and uncomfortable about the lack of concrete boundaries. How dare he make assumptions on her life? But most importantly, she starts thinking about her legacy and the mark she left not on the world, but in Mulder's life. He says she's important to him, but she doesn't even have a desk. He bosses her around (their power dynamic is more complicated than that because they operate as partners and implicitly hand over the reigns when necessary).

She got too comfortable and let her guard down and needs to rebel to assert her power. Mulder instantly went from the bad boy to an authority/father figure when Scully realized how smart, capable, and sane he was. She placed a title on him that he didn't ask for, which is why he's confused by her rebellion. This isn't to argue that Scully was wrong, it's to say Scully projected things on Mulder than he never saw himself as and largely didn't treat her the way she viewed.

So she rebels with Ed. She likes doing something out of character and not expected. Scully is doing what she wants and not what's expected. What's fascinating to me are the people who believed that Ed deserved a second chance. Scully and Ed had no real shot of ever being more than that one night. For starters, Scully was rebelling and Ed was the right person to act out with. When Scully centered herself again, even if Ed hadn't attacked her, she would've ended things and that's assuming she allowed the encounter to be more than her Philadelphia trip. They were doomed from the beginning because Scully wasn't herself and she needed an outlet. His temperament, pre poison, wasn't compatible with her normal temperament.

After Scully reveals her cancer diagnosis to Mulder, things return back to normal. She's accepted that she has cancer and wants things to go back to normal. That's how she can control her fate even though she isn't long for the world.

Scully's journey after cancer is first accepting her life as is, and then understanding this was where she was meant to be. She was happy, but caught up in "what ifs." She was concerned about why she didn't want the life other women her age wanted and had. Like, yeah, she wanted kids, but she had no desire for a stereotypical life.

I'm not against Scully having (female) friends, however many fanfic writers try to have her have a roaring social life when they go down the "taking back control over my life" narrative. Some people have very full lives with one or two friends and being homebodies. With the life Scully lived, I can imagine her being content being in the house and occasionally socializing with the outside world

As I've said months ago, Scully asking Mulder to get out of the car wasn't abut wanting a normal life, but wanting moments of normalcy with Mulder. She's asking a man obsessed with work to slow down and enjoy life, but really, she's unknowingly asking him to slow down and enjoy life with her. Because why is she in the car on her off day? She could be doing anything else. Mulder didn't make her get in the car.

Just like in HTGSC, why did she show up to a haunted house on Christmas Eve? Admittedly, Mulder did steal her keys, but the point is: she showed up. Then later admitted that she was there because she wanted to be there.

Scully lived a life that it's hard to regularly hang out with people who don't "get it."

Again, I'm all for Scully having friends and I even don't have an issue with reading S/O to MSR, but some people's interpretations just don't gel with how I see Scully and how she navigates the world.

[they-call-me-megs]

Let It Be Me - MLQC - Gavin x MC

Well....hello there.  I’m new to Tumblr (or, new to being back--I was here for a while but fairly quite and then left for a bit, only to return once I realized I still was regularly checking some of my favorite pages/writers!).  I’ve been reading fan fiction for a looonnnggggg time, but have only ever been and enjoyer and not a contributor.  I don’t know if I will ever be a regular writer, but decided to give it a shot.  I saw some writing prompts posted by a writer I really enjoy, and as I was thinking through a request I would like to make and stories I would like to see, I got the bug to just give one a try myself!  So here we are.  I’d like to shout out @hifftn​ for taking the time to read my rough draft and give me some suggestions--this was my first time reaching out to her and she was so kind and amazing and I have been following her page for a good while now, so thank you! I love the MLQC and Voltage fandoms and I’m excited to actually be active now and to give kudos to some of my favorites writers where they are due (because I am convinced that some of the best writers out there are housed here!). 

So here’s my very first stab at writing.  I don’t expect it to be read by many (or maybe any) but I think it’s good for me to try new things every once in a while.  If you do happen to read it and want to give some tips/suggestions/encouragement/anything I’d love to have it!  Here’s hoping the format isn’t crazy--thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Warnings: some language. No smut...yet ;) 

_______________ 

Gavin.

The boy who everyone seemed to fear when you were growing up—including you. 

Gavin.

The now man who took his job seriously to protect those around him…and as he regularly stated--to protect you.

Gavin.

The one who, after time, had been such a confidant and the one you could always rely on. Through job stresses, and heartbreak and messy break ups and all the ups and downs of life. A firm and steady rock when you felt like the waves—constantly raging. Constantly changing.

Gavin.

The one who you viewed as just a friend until more time went on. And the more you got to see who he truly is—the Gavin that only you seemed to get to see, the more you wondered “what if”.

But you.

You were too afraid of losing the person that meant the most to you, afraid he may not see you that way.  So you decided to keep those “what ifs” at bay and push them out of sight and out of mind, satisfied knowing that he really did mean it, that he would protect you and be there for you forever. There wasn’t a doubt in your mind that his words were true. And you were stuck chasing the wrong person and after the wrong person hoping maybe someday someone squash the “what ifs” away.

_______________ 

After a great finish on your latest project, Willow, Kiki, and Anna insisted on a night of drinks and dancing. You weren’t one to typically go for that, but you’d been working so hard and sometimes it really was nice to let loose with your friends. You agreed to at least one stop and you’d take it from there.  The four of you walked into a crowded bar with live music and found a small table towards the back as your home base for the evening. A couple of rounds in, you could feel yourself loosen up and were ready to see where the night would take you. 

“Next round is on me! I’m getting us shots!” you told the girls as you headed to the bar. 

You had been waiting at the bar for a couple of minutes when you “ahem” and a deep voice that exuded confidence. 

“My, my. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before and I know that I’d remember your face if I’d ever seen it. I’m Michael—and you would be?” 

You rolled your eyes as you turned his way, only to be pleasantly surprised.  The man talking to you had reason to have confidence in his voice.  He had dark hair that was just long enough to slick back with a small piece that hung just above his eye.  He was well-dressed--maroon slacks and a button-up shirt that had obviously been tailor to perfectly show that he was fit underneath it all. 

“MC”, you tried shouting back over the music and the crowd noise.

He slid right next to you and leaned in closer to your ear—a bit closer than you expected from a stranger you had never met, but you didn’t immediately blow him off. 

“I didn’t quite hear you, and I want to make sure I don’t miss the name of the most beautiful girl in the room”.

“I said my name is MC, and while I appreciate the compliment and you’re not too bad on the eyes yourself, I’ve really got to get going. I’m here with my friends—have a nice night”.

You gave him a wink and turned to walk away, but he grabbed your hand right before you were out of reach.

“At least consider saving a dance for me before the night is over. I’ll make it worth your time,” he said winking right back at you after pulling you closer.  

You couldn’t help but smirk—there was no lying to yourself. He was an extremely attractive guy with a smile that was dripping with charm. Not wanting to commit to anything while fully knowing you’d end up dancing, you left him with a flirty: “Maybe, if you’re lucky,” and turned to go back to your table.

“Who was that? He was cute.” Kiki couldn’t help herself--she had a radar for attractive men and she was always in favor when you considered chatting one up.

“His name was Michael—he very much so wants to dance with me tonight—I don’t know. He’s cute, I guess. I think he thinks he’s a real smooth talker…maybe a bit pushy, though.”

“Maybe pushy could be a good thing! You’ll get to find out if you actually go dance with him, if you know what I mean. He’s still got his eye on you”, Kiki said smiling at you and nudging your side with her elbow. 

She wasn’t wrong. He was looking your way. And his look seemed to follow your every move.

“He seems a little creepy to me,'' Anna said. “I’d steer clear”. It was from her expression that she was not Team New Guy.

“I’m with Anna,” Willow said. “Besides, I still don’t understand why you even give some of these guys you talk to the time of day when you have the perfect person for you right under your nose”.

They all saw the way you were around Gavin. You tried to play cool but every once in a while, there was a crack in your façade and your friends could recognize the change in your eyes and the way your shoulders seemed to relax in a way they normally didn’t when he was around.  You always got flustered when they brought Gavin in any way that involved you being more than friends--it was easy to push down any budding feelings when it wasn’t brought to your attention. 

“You guys need to give it up. I care about my friendship with Gavin way too much to risk it. And besides—if he was interested in being more than friends with me, he’s had a lot of opportunities to take a shot. He hasn’t, and that’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it. And I’ve also come to terms with the fact that one dance with Mister Following Eyes won’t hurt anyone”. You downed another shot and marched back to the bar to find Michael, confidence coming from you to rival the confidence he had earlier.  You insisted he’d buy you a drink before taking his hand, leading him to the dance floor.

And you danced. You closed your eyes and let his hands wander on your hips and you let your imagination wander into the idea that it was actually Gavin dancing with you, because no matter how many times you said you had come to terms with it, you really hadn’t and you wanted nothing more than for him to be the one touching you. 

 What you didn’t know was that Willow had called Gavin to come out and celebrate your success with you all. And that while you were grinding up on Mr. Smooth Talker, Gavin was walking in the door.

After losing yourself in the music and dancing, you finally “came to” when the house band took a break and lighter music began to play over the speaker. You started to turn back around towards Michael when you caught a sight of Gavin out of the corner of your eye. You didn’t know he was going to be here and you didn’t know how long he’d been there—or what he had seen. Gavin was always the one to let you cry on his shoulder when you’d go out with some guy you met at a bar or on Tinder after he’d stand you up or finally show you his true ugly and awful colors. And he was never critical. And he was always gentle. But that didn’t mean that you wanted him to see you dancing with someone else when you just wanted it to be him.

Michael pulled you out of your head when he grabbed your hand and pulled you back closer to him, this time face to face, moving in closer to whisper.  You could feel his breath on your ear.

“If you move like that with your clothes on, I can’t wait to see how good it is once they’re gone.”

That’s when you knew your time with this guy was over.  You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. Why must men always do this? You knew why—because an MC a few more drinks in would entertain the thought of it and might just go home with him. But you were a few shots short and had one set too many eyes on you to agree.  The freedom and fun you were feeling was put back in it’s box to make sure this guy knew you were serious.

“I think you might be moving a bit too fast pal. Thanks for the dance, but I think I’m going to go back to my friends now.”

You tried to push him away so you could leave when he decided to double down and grab your hips a bit tighter, this time in a way that caused the exact opposite of pleasure.

“Come on, MC. We’re just getting to know each other, and I’m not ready for the fun to be over” he said.  He tried nipping at your ear and you felt sick to your stomach.  You just wanted to get away from him.

“Stop it, Michael. You’re hurting me. I don’t know you and you obviously don’t know me if you think aggression is the way into my pants. So if you could kindly back the fuck up, I’d appreciate it,” you said, pushing him harder to get him off of you.  You were all for having a good time and had had your fair share of one night stands--but they were on your own terms and they didn’t start with a guy trying to suffocate you with a handful of red flags to get you to cave.

“Stop being such a bitch—I buy you a drink and show you a good time and this is how you repay me?”

A clearing of a throat came from behind you and you saw Michael’s face change as you felt a familiar hand on your shoulder.

“MC—is this guy bothering you?”

The sound of Gavin’s voice and the anger in his eyes was the encouragement Michael needed to finally ease us his grip on you.  Thank God he was stepping in to help you. But also, oh shit—because Gavin did not act kindly to asshole dudes who wouldn’t leave you alone.

“Hey buddy—why don’t fuck right off and mind your own damn business?” Michael said, annoyance clear in his voice and on his face.  He had no idea who he was talking to.

And then came the crack. And a howl. And an asshole falling to the ground after Gavin decked him for not giving up when you asked him to. Gavin grabbed your hand and started walking towards the door. Anna, Willow, and Kiki met you there.

“MC, are you okay?” Kiki asked.  She was worried about you, and you could tell she felt bad about encouraging you to talk to Michael after the initial introduction.

“I knew that guy was a creep,” Anna said with crossed arms. She always seemed to be right about these things.

“How about we all go outside and I’ll call us an Uber,” Willow said, pulling out her phone.

“You guys take care of getting yourselves home,” Gavin said, handing them some cash. “I’ll take care of her—my apartment isn’t far from here”.

You felt awful--what was supposed to be a night of fun had turned into a nightmare. “Sorry for ruining the night guys. Maybe next time I’ll learn to just dance with you guys,” you said with your head downcast, taking the helmet Gavin handed you before patting the back seat of Sparky. You knew the drill. You hopped on and wrapped your arms around Gavin’s waist as he told you to hold on tight.

_______________ 

“You’re soaked,” Gavin said. “Go hop in the shower before you catch a cold. I’ll never forgive myself if you get sick because I chose to drive Sparky instead of my car. I really didn’t know it would start raining. I’m sorry MC.”

“Why are you sorry?! You saved my ass back there when that guy wouldn’t leave me alone. You’re always saving my ass. I don’t mind waiting—you can go first.” 

“No—I insist. I’ll be fine. My hair will dry fast anyway. You can use the bathroom in my room. Feel free to use anything that you need. Once you’re in the bathroom I’ll just come in to grab something from my drawers and I’ll be out so you can have some space.” He spoke to you with gentleness and care in his voice. You could see from his face how concerned he was for you, even though he was the one that just punched a guy.  That was so typical Gavin. Always putting himself last. Always taking care of you first. Never showing any sign of frustration or anger at you.

A quick 5-minute shower to clear your head of the evening’s events and you were done.

“Shit—I thought I had some clothes in here.”

This wasn’t your first time at Gavin’s place—you had become a regular here for movie nights and after it led to you falling asleep on the couch a few times, Gavin suggested you just leave a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt at his house so you could always feel comfortable there. Apparently, you forgot to change out of them the last time and brought them home with you, leaving you scrambling for something to wear. You panicked for a moment before looking through his closet and found the biggest t-shirt you could find and threw it on before heading back into the living room.

Gavin was in the kitchen making you a hot tea (your favorite) when he heard you come out of his room.

“Listen, MC. I don’t want you to ever feel like I’m trying to tell you what to do or how to live your life…I’m just trying to understand what it is about some of these guys that you find…”

It was at that moment that he walked out of the kitchen and saw you standing there looking through his movie collection, reaching to grab a DVD from the top shelf, causing the shirt to ride high enough to hit just shy of your ass. His shirt practically cradling your ass.

“Ah...are you wearing my shirt?” There was a bit of hesitation in his question that made you give him a soft laugh. 

“Ha...yeah—I’m sorry. I thought I still had clothes here, but I guess I brought them home, so I had to borrow some of yours again. Just another thing you’re having to do for me. Clothe me. Pick me up at any hour of the day when I need it. Scare off the sleazy guys I always end up getting mixed up with. You’re the one thing I can always count on to be the same for me.”

“But what if I don’t want to stay the same?”

The hesitation he just had disappeared and he looked at you with a resolve in his eyes that he’s never seen before and you thought you saw his eyes go black for a moment. You wanted to think maybe he was messing with you, but Gavin wasn’t much of a joker and there was only seriousness in the way he was keeping eye contact with you.

“What?” You felt your breath catch in your throat. What was he trying to say? Was this moment where he had really had enough and didn’t want to deal with you anymore? You stood frozen and just looked at him as he slowly walked up to you…not quite touching but closer than he normally got outside of your rides on Sparky together. He reached out and lightly ran his thumb and his index finger across the hem of his shirt—the one you were wearing.

He kept his eyes down, watching his fingers on the shirt and you felt his grip on it tighten, pulling the shirt flush to your chest. 

“What if I don’t want to stay the same with you? What if I don’t want to be the guy that scares off the sleazy guys you dance with? What if I want to be the one dancing on you. The one touching you.  What if I don’t want to be the guy that just loans you clothes anymore when you come over? What if I want to be the one that takes them off of you?”

There was a moment of silence between the two of you. The only thing that could be heard was the rain falling on the window and low music playing from Gavin’s record player he must have turned on while you were in the shower. You saw his Adam’s apple move as he silently gulped, still too nervous to look up, continuously moving the hem of the shirt between his index finger and his thumb.  You couldn’t believe what you were hearing--you wished that you could stop time to give you a moment to process what was happening.  This was what you had wanted to happen for so long, resigning yourself to your wants believing it would never happen.  But it was. And it felt real. And you made the decision to not hesitate or ask questions or wonder what might happen next because you would be damned to do anything that might make him change his mind.

“Then do it.”

He finally looked up at you with his beautiful amber eyes that were full of wonder and surprise and a fiery lust that was thirsty to get out when you broke the silence. His gaze refused to leave yours when he opened his mouth to speak again.

“What did you say?”

You grabbed his free hand and guided it to the bottom of your shirt to join his other. Locking eyes with him and bringing your face as close as you could without touching, you slowly lifted your arms above your head.

“I said, if you want to be the one that takes my clothes off, then do it.”

[ashilrak]

Tips for Commenting on Fics

Hello! Have you ever read a fic and really wanted to leave a comment but had no idea what to say? Maybe you’re anxious about what the writer is going to think, maybe you’re trying to comment on more of the fics you’re reading and have no idea where to start. Well, it is I, your friendly neighborhood fic writer here to help!

Disclaimer: This is entirely based on my own experiences and opinions and I speak only for myself.

Brief Introduction: I’ve been kicking it in the fanfic community for over ten years now, starting back in the days of ff.net. For most of the time I’ve been a lurker, maybe posting a few one-shots here or there. For some of the time, I was incredibly involved in fandom, posting regularly and hosting fic exchanges and the like. I’ve been in many and have written everything from explicit one-shots to full-length aus to chat-fics. 

If you take anything away from this, I want you to know that comments are the most meaningful form of feedback on a fic. Writers have lives outside of fanfic and write fanfic for free. They’re doing it in their free time and put a lot of time and effort into their work, and who doesn’t want to see their work appreciated? Anything you have to say will be appreciated. So, let’s get started.

Ashilrak’s Tips for Commenting on Fanfiction

Commenting 101: Introduction to Commenting

Maybe you’re new to the whole commenting thing, maybe you just know you really liked a fic but don’t really have anything specific coming to mind and it feels like a kudos just isn’t cutting it. A comment doesn’t need to be a novel! 

Maybe start with something like:

I really loved this!

This was great, I can’t wait to see what happens next!

In general, I would recommend avoiding leaving comments such as:

Please update soon!!

When are you going to update?

I really wish you’d update more often.

You’re a terrible writer.

These characters are really ooc.

Is that it?

That doesn’t make any sense.

Writers put a lot of time and effort into their fics. Sometimes, for me personally, there’s nothing more disheartening than posting a chapter and immediately getting asked about updates. I personally recommend a “I can’t wait to see what happens next” to a “please update soon” as it gets a similar message across. 

And obviously, no one wants to be insulted. Some authors do ask for criticism! And that’s okay! But if they’re not asking for it, I wouldn’t go out of your way to insult the work. 

Commenting 201: Reacting to the Fic

You just read a fic, you’ve left your kudos and you’re ready to comment. But this time, this fic made you feel a certain type of way. Maybe you have questions, maybe a specific scene stuck out to you! 

Comment examples:

Oh my god, I loved that. I can’t imagine that A is going to let B get away with that so easily. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Oh wow this was amazing. I hadn’t realized it was something I needed, but wow did you do a great job handling that scene. You really captured the thought process I imagine A was going through and it was handled really well.

Your characterization is perfect, I can literally hear the character’s voices  in my head while reading their lines. And the conversation really highlighted the differences between them.

“What did that Master bit mean? Otherwise this was an interesting and entertaining fic. I had wondered how B was going to show up and it was neat to see how he did. I am a bit surprised A forgot about C knowing B. I wondered how she explained herself out of that mess. Also, I can't believe how quick they were to murder him. Good ending. Thank you for the story.”

“Woooooow. This story is amazing! I loved seeing the original  characters, but I also enjoyed seeing others, especially A. His personality traits and actions kept me laughing as I was reading. While I was a little sad to see how B and C's relationship turned out, I am really happy with and adore how the story ended. It doesn't get any cuter than this. I'll be reading the sequel for sure!!“

“I think your A is very in character! Even if you don't feel like you're good at writing him or it doesn't feel as natural, you're doing a great job off making him work. There's a lot of work for this ship that involves them getting together, but not a lot that follows the past that too deal with the day to day off being a famous couple, and I really like your take on that. I'm looking forward to reading more from you!“

As you can see, these comments are a bit more personalized to the fic you’re reading. An “I loved this!” let’s the author know you liked the fic, but an “I loved this because you really captured the tension in a way that didn’t feel fake” lets them know why you loved the fic. 

These comments don’t have to be more than  a sentence, but they’re super fun to write and a lot of authors will respond to questions and it’s a fun way to engage and potentially even influence the direction of the fic or spawn a one-shot.

Examples of things you might want to point out while reading:

A particular line that stuck out to you, maybe it feels quotable.

A scene you’re really looking forward to seeing in the future.

Characterization

A scene you’ve been waiting for that finally happened, maybe the first kiss in a slow burn

Maybe the author is making a particular trope of ship that you’ve never liked before work in the context of the fic.

You’re re-reading a fic because you love it so much.

This is honestly what most of the comments I make on other fics resemble. 

Commenting 401: Engaging with the Fic

Time for some advanced commenting. Now these are the comments I love best, and I feel that most writers would agree. This is where you dig into the weeds of the fic and potentially start a really good conversation with the author. This is where you go into the what-ifs and how you view a character. These are the comments that have writers squealing. 

But, they’re not the easiest comments to make. I’ve left them and I’ve received them and they’re a rare treasure. These are Reviews. 

Maybe you’re starting to get a taste for the metaplot of a fic. Maybe you’ve reread this fic over and over and over again and it’s inspired scenarios that play over and over again in your head before you fall asleep. Maybe you have so many questions about a character’s motivations. Maybe you wrote a fanfic for the fic, did fanart, or want to write a translation.

Examples:

“Oh my god. That was just wow. It was so good. I haven't read anything as satisfying as this in a long time.

I especially appreciate not only the writing style, but how literally every mentioned character, every small scene had a deeper meaning to it and or referenced to something. Everything is thought through so carefully. I can't imagine how much research it must have taken you to make this so authentic. I also liked the humor a lot - it was much needed and placed just at the right places. Thank you for this piece of art! And, while I was able to predict many things that happened, I pictured the end in many different ways, but not like this. Simply amazing.“

“Oh shit. I was wondering if B caught feelings for A too, considering that one time A said an off hand comment about their relationship meaning nothing and B frowned. But the addition of this scene, with B locking away a bunch of emotions. Oh boi. Plus, the moment where he was coming to a decision. I'll bet B had been the one to knock in C's door and they were discussing something and they both went over to ask D something. Probably about the aforementioned book. Which would be what thud could have been. C dropping it upon hearing B ask if C knew A fucks D as well. Which also makes me question if B had talked to C about this whole ordeal, even, perhaps, going as far as to admit his own relationship with A. That seems like a bit of a stretch though. Either way. This fic is absolutely amazing and I love it with a passion. I check every day for an update. You're amazing. Thank you for putting so much dedication into this work.“

These are so personal and so meaningful and these are the ones I keep in my inbox and read over and over and over. 

Anyway, I know this is a lot, but I hope you found it helpful!

[daisylincs]

WIP Folder Game

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and interests you and I’ll post a little snippet of it or tell you something about it!  ← part of my trick or treat now :D

Thank you so much for the tag, @eowima​​! You know, I think we should officially update you to the role of clairvoyant or something, lmao, because you won’t believe how well this fits into my ~master plan.~ (I’ll explain in a second, lol.) 

But before I start, um... letmeapologiseinadvancefortheshitshowthatisabouttofollow. My WIPs folder is, er, simply put, a mess. Chaos. A nightmare. 

I have an explanation!! I’ve always loved fanfiction and fandoms, and I’ve spent many happy years reading other people’s things - but I’ve never actually been inspired to create something myself. I don’t know, I always had tremendous respect for the creators who were already out there, but I never felt the inclination to join them, you know? 

Then I started watching AoS this lockdown, and... well, let’s just say that everything changed. For the first time ever, I woke up in the middle of the night and I had a fic idea, one that was demanding to be written down if I ever wanted to sleep a wink again.

And the more I got into the fandom, the more the fic ideas kept coming, until there was a point where I couldn’t read or watch anything without thinking, “ooh, AoS AU!!” So... into the WIPs folder it went. And as you can well imagine, there’s a lot there now. Like, a lot. 

Fitzsimmons was the ship that gave me my first fic idea, so of course there’s stuff for them. Then Huntingbird is the ship that actually pulled me completely and wholeheartedly into the fic verse. And then, of course, Staticquake, the ship that actually got me past my but I’m not good enough fears and, er, got me completely obsessed. I am still not over that.

And last but definitely not least - and, actually, you’re to thank for this, Océane, because it’s your fic that got me hooked on these two awkwardorable idiots - my brain decided that, you know what, if I’m going to write now anyway, I want to do Spideychelle.

So that’s the (long) story of me and my chaotic WIPs folder, and now with no further ado, I’m going to jump right in and give you a list of titles. *coughs* I am, however, going to put a cut here, because... well, you’ll see why. *cringes*

Key: 

💜 - Staticquake

💖 - Huntingbird

💚 - Fitzsimmons

🍋 - Dekesy

💗 - Pipsy

🤍 - Dousy

💕 - Skimmons

🧡 - Quakerider

💞 - Simmorse

🤎 - Mackelena

💙 - Platonic/Family Centric

❤️ - Spideychelle 

💘 - Clintasha

* - a series

(Ones with two or more hearts mean that all these ships feature prominently.) 

The List:

💜.  A Hero’s Reward

💜.  and i risk it all for this life we share

💜.  Angsty Post-Hive Recovery Fic

💜. barefoot on the grass, listening to our favourite song

💜. Best Friends But She’s In A Bad Relationship AU

💜. Bittersweet What-If Fic

💜. Blow Us All Away*

💜. Childhood Friends Fic

💜. darling just dive right in

💜. darling just kiss me slow

💜. don’t ask me where i’ve been, or what i’m gonna do (just know that i’m here with you) 

💜. every day in between

💜. Fairytale (Sleeping Beauty) AU

💜. Fake Dating Partyfic

💜. Flower Shop AU

💜. good old shake ‘n bake

💜. Grieving Fic

💜. High School AU Idea

💜. Hive Toilet Fic

💜. Hospital Fluff & Flirting AU

💜. Hotel Room AU

💜. i live for you (soulmates AU)

💜. i never knew you were the someone waiting for me

💜.  i’ll find my way through night and day

💜. just let your heart be free (you’ve got a friend in me)

💜. lights will guide you home

💜. Mission/Partners Fic

💜. Modern Royalty Fic

💜. Musical (West Side Story) AU

💜. Not That Girl Anymore

💜. PDA

💜. Pitch Perfect AU

💜. Post-Hive Pregnancy Fic

💜. put that body on me

💜. Rain Fic

💜. Red Thread

💜. Regency AU: Marriage of Convenience

💜. Regency AU: Arranged Marriage

💜. remember that with every piece of you

💜. Rom-Com AU

💜. Royalty Shenanigans Fic

💜. S3 AU - Daisy, Inhuman Leader

💜. S3 AU - Lincoln With SHIELD All Along

💜. Shake ‘n Bake: A YouTube Romance

💜. Skaters AU

💜. Sky’s the Limit*

💜. Snowed In Fic

💜. so baby i’m alright, with just a kiss goodnight

💜. some dreams do come true

💜. Soul Realm

💜. Soulmark AU

💜. Stardust AU

💜. Stranded-Somewhere-Cold Ficlet

💜. The Daughter of Thunder and Lightning

💜. the earth shook and the sky flashed

💜. took my heart upon a one-way trip

💜. TV Show AU

💜. Ward-Confrontation AU

💜. Watching Hamilton AU

💜. What-Ifs*

💜. you’d be the one i was meant to find

💜💙. Lincoln & The Team Bonding Fic

💜💙. MayLincoln Friendship Fic

💜💙. The Secret Warriors

💚. Academy Era Rom-Com

💚. Ah Crap My Ex Just Walked In AU

💚. Alya Fluff and First Words Fic

💚. Angsty Hair ficlet 

💚. Cute Family Zoo Prompt

💚. lunch break

💚. Second Child Fluff and First Words Fic

💚. Soulmate AU

💚. The Perfect Fairytale*

💚. The Team Ships It

💚💜. Fluffy Best Friends Idea

💚💜. ooh, la la la*

💚💙.  AoS Frozen AU

💚💙. FitzsimmonsSparks Fic 

💚💙. Us Against The World

💚💜💙. AoS Harry Potter AU

💖. Al Birthday Fic 

💖. always the same pattern, love

💖. blonde

💖. meet me half-way

💖. rollercoaster

💖. Soulmate AU

💖. The Blue Door (Notting Hill AU)

💖. the ride

💖. when did it all fall to pieces (can’t we build it back)

💚💖. Best Friends’ Wedding AU

💚💖. The Holiday AU 

💚💜💖💙. No Hive AU

💚💜💖💙. Post-3x10 Who Owes Who Fic

🍋. Angst/Introspection Fic

🍋. Beach Fic

🍋. Coffee Shop AU

🍋. Concert Canon Divergence Fic

🍋. Drunk Kiss Fic

🍋. Mission Kiss Canon Divergence Fic

🍋. Singers AU

💚🍋. Fluff and Teasing Fic

💚🍋. (Not A) Double Date

💗. ’cause you’re out of this world

💗. Coffee Shop/Baristas AU

💗. High School AU/Sleepover Fic

💗. Walls Come Down Fic

🤍. Affectionate Arguments/Take Care Of Yourself Fic

🤍. Danny Boy & Quake*

🤍. getting to know you, getting to know all about you

🤍. T Birthday Fic

🤍💚. Teasing/Introspection Fic    

💞. Birdie Birthday Fic

💞. Bodyguard AU

💞. Roommates/Best Friends AU

💞. you’re just my cup of tea

🧡. Abby Birthday Fic

🧡. it’s a better place since you came along

🧡. Reluctantly Perfect

🧡. Scarlet Birthday Fic

🧡💚. well that works    

💕. Coming Out Fic

💕. S1 Crush Fic

💕. you’ll be my lady

🤎. Childhood Best Friends AU

🤎. Church Camp AU

🤎. Giorgia Birthday Fic

🤎. Soulmates AU

🤎. then through the shadows, your light appears

💚💜💖🤎. Shippy Team Mistletoe Fic

💚💜💖🤎. Shippy Team Snowfic

💚💜💖🤎💙. Soft Family Fic from Chloe Interview

❤️. Ah Crap My Ex Just Walked In AU

❤️. Arranged Marriage AU

❤️. cute clueless moron

❤️. Cute, Dorky Friendship Idea

❤️. Fake Dating Friends to Lovers

❤️. Media Nonsense Fic

❤️. Michelle Jones, Agent of SHIELD

❤️. Michelle Jones, Inhuman

❤️. Océane Birthday Fic

❤️. oh, when you kiss me

❤️. Secret Santa Fic

❤️. Secret Santa Thank-You Ficlet

❤️. Spideychelle Week Day 5 - Roommates AU

❤️. Spideychelle Week Day 6 - Enemies to Lovers

❤️. Spideychelle Week Day 7 - Only One Bed

❤️. Teach Me To Fight, Parker

❤️💚. heads on a science apart

💘. Bobbi Birthday Fic

💘. 5 Times The Avengers Played Matchmaker, and 1 Time It Worked (Sort Of)

💘. Jade Arrow

💘. Natalia

💘. Roommates AU

💙. all the stars in the skye

💙. blue-eyed

💙. FitzDaisy Recovery Fic

💙. Happy Family Holiday Fic

💙. JemmaDaisy Friendship Fic

💙. see the line where the skye meets the sea

💙. Soft-Fluffy Philindaisy Tickle Fic

💙.untitled angst war fic

💜🤍💗🍋🧡💕💙. day’s eye      

(and that’s not even it. I haven’t even made documents for all the birthday fics. *crawls into a hole to die*)

So yeah, I’m completely insane and I’m probably going to be here for the next ten years trying to write all this lot and also I tag @ohwriteiforgot​​, @aleksandrachaev​​, @everythingirl44​​, @que-mint-tea, @anxiouslynumbme, @springmagpies​, @besidemethewholedamntime​, @infinitestarsintheskye​, @libbyweasley​, @a-biochemist-not-a-bird​, @nazezdha321​, @sadtunes​ and @here-for-huntingbird​, if any of you guys want to do this!

[jonny-versace]

Hey! I kinda stumbled into your post about The Magicians and, as someone who a) is also interested in fandom culture and b) was an active member of The Magicians fandom during its highest (and lowest) points, I thought I'd share some of the context revolving around the shipping controversy.

So, during the first two seasons, the central m/f ship clearly seems like endgame, with no big hints about the main character being anything but straight. Sure, because the protagonist's best friend is a queer man who has a crush on him, and there are the usual queerbaty lines here and there, they were a big ship among the fandom, but nothing more. Until season 3 came along, and had something of a bottle episode, where the two get stranded in the past together and are explicitly in a romantic relationship. After they return, both kinda acknowledge the fact, but The Plot comes knocking. Shippers became more numerous, and some people started speculating that they could be a viable ship, but most of the fandom took it as a nod from the writers and a self-contained story that wouldn't come back.

All the while, the show's social media accounts hyped up this pairing more than any other, and made frequent remarks suggesting more canon recognition. Virtually every week you'd find a tweet, a poster, and so on, that egged people on. And by this point, the showrunners had the audience's trust due to their handling of other topics. There were more POC than usual for TV, the main character's chronic depression was an ongoing struggle, things like addiction and trauma were handled in believable ways. By having a self-described "depressed supernerd", who is comfortable with being bi/ pan, and storylines that catered to a queer neurodivergent audience, during three years they grew and grew in popularity and as a safe space for exactly these groups. I was one of those: I'm a historian, and pretty used to consuming media critically; I wasn't a teenager who's never seen herself represented, but an adult who got used to looking for good representation when I want to find it, or just watching things with no expectations for the fun of it, and at most dissecting the "what ifs". This show stroke me as the former, and became the relaxing and understanding queer space I ran into after a very long week. And there were A LOT of people in a similar situation.

Then came Season 4, and that's when things got tricky. Because you see, for three years they told us this show was clever, and it turned out to actually be; that this was a subversive and complex story being told in an absurdist way, and all that came to fruition. So when, with this season, there was both a flashback confirming that the main character wanted to persue a romantic relationship with his best friend, like in the past, but got turned down, and a very final break up between him and the girl who seemed like endgame for the first seasons, shipping went from "cool but unlikely pairing" to "damn, that's a great subversion of queerbaiting!". And their social media, trailers, released images and so on confirmed that to the audience (the tweet I recall better had the main m/f pairing, with a closed book, and was captioned with something on the lines of "a chapter ends so that another can begin"). The protagonist spent the entire season trying to rescue the guy he'd confessed feelings for. In a moment where they'd have to establish his identity, the frase said by said guy was the same reference used to talk about the bottle episode multiple times before. The nature of their relationship having changed is acknowledged by another character. At the end of the day, it seemed like a clearly confirmed fact.

And that's when the protagonist dies. There's a lot more ugliness around his death and how it was handled by the script, or how the showrunners pat themselves in the back. But it suffices to say that when an audience is mostly composed of "queer depressed supernerds", killing off the person who represented how someone like this could not only survive, but thrive, is more than a little traumatic. And doing so without ever giving the oh-so-central amd hyped up m/m relationship any ending, good or bad, makes it all seem both pointless and mean spirited.

Sorry about the gigantic text; this was such a unique fandom response and situation that I'm still quite fascinated by it (something like the near perfect creation and corruption of a vulnerable community's safe space). I don't know if you care about it, but just in case this interests you as well, now you have a summary.

hi hello! first, thanks for the extremely thoughtful post, it was interesting (I don't explicitly remember what I said in my post but I very much do remember being fascinated by the fall out of what the show did at the time) (I swear I'll finish pick it from S2 one day, though I'll admit I personally found season one a bit of a slog).

I remember reading enough posts from people on here and articles on sites like io9 to agree that what they did re killing off the bipolar I believe? lead and framing it as a noble sacrifice or something was in extremely poor taste, and I sympathise(d) with all the people who could relate to him and their grief coz like you said, even from my outsider perspective it seemed very ugly on the part of the show.

as far as the ship part of the conversation goes, I'm still largely ignorant of that from a first hand experience pov. but generally speaking, for me, I was and still am fascinated by what these (often lower budget, American CW/syfy etc) shows do to kinda stoke or fan fandom expectations/wants vs what fandoms do to themselves to set themselves up for a fall (canon vs fanon basically). in other words, how much a show queerbaits its audience vs how much the audience queerbaits itself, if that makes sense. not at all saying that's what happened in your fandom, again I haven't yet seen enough of the show to form an opinion on the ship aspect, but really just generally with those kind of shows (Supernatural being the big one recently, that Roswell show, even Teen Wolf going way back).

I usually find myself coming to the conclusion that like most things it's not a black and white issue, and that there's a certain amount of "blame" for lack of a better word on both sides. but again that's usually an observation from me as like a satellite to these shows and fandoms, not really valid in many senses, just something that eases the itchy part of my brain that's super intrigued when these fandom dramas explode as they're prone to do.

but no, I deffo do care in a larger sense so thanks so much! I'll deffo save this in case I ever get around to finishing the show for myself

[izumisays]

dear yuletide author

Thank you so much for reading this and taking part in this wonderful annual conspiracy!


First of all, I hope you have a lovely time! If any of the fandoms below pique your interest, I’m delighted already, and ready to hear all the stories you want to tell.

Fandoms:  Chihayafuru, Nirvana in Fire, Thunderbolt Fantasy

As for reading preferences, I’m happy with a wide variety of tones and genres, of any rating, ranging anywhere from lighthearted antics to dramatic casefics. But the core of all the stories I love has always been character interaction and interplay of their competences.

How the characters play off each other and bring out their best/worst, how they’d react to a divergence of events, how true they’d stay to themselves in a different setting – I love fanfiction for allowing us to reconnect with our favourite stories time and again by asking these questions. And there are so many ways to do it! To name a few favourites, I’m always game for POV hijinks, a missing scene, a casefic, canon expansion, backstories and what-ifs.

You may notice that quite a few of my requests lean towards shipfic – those, too, are welcome in a variety of tones – but I also tried to include openings for gen ideas if that’s your jam. Additionally, while it is not usually my top interest, I don’t have anything against AUs if there is something that you are itching to explore: I tend to enjoy them for a new aesthetic that fleshes out the favoured character dynamics in a new light, or a fusion that redefines the playing ground to allow the characters to exhibit their core competences in new and exciting ways.

I would be very grateful if you could avoid a/b/o and similar kinktropes, played-straight soulmate fic, and character interpretation that runs contrary to their core values. If in doubt, please reach out to me on anon - the askbox is open!

CHIHAYAFURU: Mashima Taichi, Wataya Arata, Suou Hisashi

You don’t have to include all three characters, but I’d love to see a fic that explores the connections between them better. I’m up to date with all manga scanlations.

Wataya Arata/ Mashima Taichi

In the immortal words of Henjin Meijin, Arata is that person for Taichi whose opinion makes or breaks him. (His wording may have been different, but if I go rummaging into the chapter archive to find the exact quote, I’ll end up binge-rereading year three into the night again, and then where would my Yule sign-up be?) (On that note, what kind of a MASSIVE LOSER waxes poetics about Taichi’s boyfriend problems to Taichi’s MOTHER, whom he JUST met? Suou Hisashi, that’s who.) Needless to say, that paramount opinion was not always great, and neither was Taichi’s general wellbeing.

Good news is, Arata is confident in his manliness, and he has no problem acknowledging Taichi’s ridiculously pretty and not too bad at karuta these days, and he’s also moving to Tokyo. Taichi’s definitely pretty and has an apartment in Tokyo, where a country bumpkin of paramount importance may possibly stay over until things are sorted out… eventually. Hint hint.

Jokes aside, I pine for the dynamics between the two of them. I nearly lost it, reading the Meijin semifinals — and if you can show me a person who saw them bawl as they crawled into each other’s laps on Japanese national television and didn’t bawl in response, well, that person is sure not me.

I’d like to see a story that lets them build and explore that connect. I do not object to eventual OT3, but I think Chihaya is on a quest to find her own footing and pursue other goals at the moment, and I’d really like it if she was allowed to do this (join forces with Shinobu to drag karuta into a professional league, girl!). I’d like to think that in that space, different bonds and relationships can develop and strengthen, starting with Arata and Taichi.

Taichi the overanalyzer, the hardworker and the looker, the golden boy who at some point surely hit that red button, meme-style: you will be perfect at everything, you will have everything, except the one thing that you want above all. Arata appears to be his perfect foil: steady and serene where Taichi’s scrambling and flawed, adorably awkward and disarmingly sincere where Taichi’s groomed, smooth and miserable about his own deceptions. But they don’t see it like that! And they keep tripping each other up so beautifully!

I’d love to read your take on them growing closer and hopefully smooshing their faces together. Roommates in Tokyo? Long-distance friends? Figuring out how to tell your flatmate you’ve been in love with him since you were 12? Established relationship while hijinks happen? AWKWARD THIRDWHEELING WITH SUOU?!

On that note:

Suou Hisashi & (or / - wejustdon’tknow.gif) Mashima Taichi

I cannot believe that ridiculous man. Did you see a grown ass adult swoon because his unrequited disciple I mean not-friend I mean Taichi just up and went to meet his relatives??? To  help reconnect them?? One can do things like this?? What next, being able to make phonecalls like an adult??

Does not compute.

I was there, Gandalf. I was there when the story first indicated that we might be getting an unlikely team-up of the world’s weirdest Meijin and Tokyo’s most miserable overachiever. But even in my wildest dreams I did not dare hope to see them sprawled on the carpet on a humid summer afternoon, Taichi comfortable in his own skin and Suou, erm, probably not very comfortable with his fascination :D He did not sign up for this. He, a grown ass man in what must be his early twenties, is too old for this youthful seishun sakura bullshit. And yet it is he who mournfully accosts Taichi’s mom to talk about how this other boy is paramount in Taichi’s universe. He who gets offended because Taichi knowing how to adult and work the social ropes is too sexy and competent. He who finds something compelling in the painful struggle of genius and skill.

Arata - Taichi - Suou

For maximum indulgence of yours truly, bring those into one place. Arata coming to Tokyo and finding Suou a fixture in Taichi’s life how?! Suou being infinitely pissy at the Fukuyi upstart and yet dragging himself to socialize with the boys regardless like a totally-not-pathetic adult with a social life of his own? Arata being mildly puzzled about the antagonism, but in there for the sweet snacks?

You tell me! I delight in my anticipation.

NIRVANA IN FIRE: Mei Changsu, Xiao Jingyan

Is this a complex, narratively inevitable historic tapestry strangling people with its treads, full of delicious politicking and identity porn? Yes, it is.

Is my burning – nay, primal – desire so simple as to smoosh two faces together and watch them kiss? Yes, it is :’)

I mean, I will obviously not say no if the kissing is giftwrapped in the said tapestry of beautiful, politicky plot, but the fever I can’t get out of my system is this: LET THEM KISS, GODDAMMIT. LET THEM BE HAPPY. I welcome canon divergences, alternative endings, fix-its, insert eps and codas where it looks like they would have kissed (erm, or at least confronted each other in a way that would inevitably end with them making out) if only Mei Changsu wasn’t so caught up in self-loathing and fluffy foxfur coats, and Jingyan didn’t talk too loudly about his so dead, so very dead beautiful ex to hear Mei Changsu weep stoically into his beautiful white furs.

I adore Prince Jing. He is 90% cheekbones and 20% heartbroken pouting over his so very dead friends, and all of it noble and awkward and stubborn and deserving of happiness. Mei Changsu is ridiculous, and capable, and twisted into pretzels of his own creation: not above gloating over his enemies while daintily dipping cookies into his tea, he gets too caught up in weaving the tapestry to notice he is a part of it.  Pull him off his high horse, Jing! Render him helpless by being yourself! Do something about being hopelessly charmed with each other, through resentment, loss, bitter pining, and narrative inevitability! JUSTKISSALREADY.gif!!

THUNDERBOLT FANTASY: Rin Setsua; Sho Fukan

I LOVE THIS SELF INDULGENT WUXIA NONSENSE AND I CANNOT LIE!

Sanfan is a mixture UTTER GLEE and deep fondness for the genre staples, self-aware and masterful playthrough of all the wuxia tropes in the book, and one goddamn well-constructed story. It plays the tropes straight, calls them out with a knowing wink, walks the tightrope between the two with panache, and just as you are relaxed and enjoying this trapeze show, it grins cheekily at you, sets the discoball on fire and pulls a bunny out of a hat.  It’s DELIGHTFUL and fun and lovingly crafted, just like a good passion project should be.

I want anything that capitalizes on the absolutely hilarious dynamics between Rin Setsua and Sho Fukan (and while personally I end up using the Japanese versions of their names more often, please feel free to go with the Chinese names if you prefer). Sho Fukan does not want any of those heroic quests, he’s the human equivalent of been there, done that mood, and he just wants to REST and hopefully dump a bunch of magical murderswords someplace safe. Rin Setsua is a Totally Respectable and Non-Villainous Member of Society, of which he will inform you firsthand in the most high spoken and verbose way possible, and maybe even produce paperwork that has definitely not been tampered with. He harbours no ulterior motives, ever, and does not trail behind Sho Fukan for any reason beyond the pleasure of his company, and his mission to personally victimize and cockblock every morally derelict villain in two countries, by no-one’s request.

Whether you go shipfic (yiss!) or canon levels teamup circus (also yiss!), don’t hold back your horses. Everything about this is Extra, and should continue to be so <3

I am okay with both expanding the canon and playing with AUs/crossovers/fusions for this one, provided they retain the character dynamics. I love the extended cast as well: any characters including the Seiyou gang (and on that note, if you want to write the Seiyou backstory for Shou’s gang that has no Rin in it, you’re welcome as well), reappearance of the familiar faces from Touri (read: Rin’s victim list, past, future and present), original characters lined up and waiting to be screwed over (guaranteed) and rescued (the administration does not bear any responsibility etc etc).

Thank you for taking the time to read the letter, and I’m greatly looking forward to reading your story — and hopefully, getting to chat about these ridiculous and wonderful characters post-reveals :)

[laughingpinecone]

Yuletide letter

I am laughingpineapple on AO3  

Hello dear author! I hope you’ll have fun with our match. Feel free to draw from general or fandom-specific likes, past letters, and/or follow your heart.

Likes: worldbuilding, slice of life (especially if the event the fic focuses on is made up but canon-specific), missing moments, 5+1 and similar formats, bonding and emotional support/intimacy, physical intimacy, lingering touches, loyalty, casefic, surrealism, magical realism, established relationships, future fic (when in doubt, tell me what’s happening to them five, ten, twenty years in the future!), hurt/comfort, throwing characters into non-canon environments, banter, functional relationships between dysfunctional individuals, unexplained mysteries, bittersweet moods, journal/epistolary fic, dreams and memories and identities, tropey plots that are already close enough to characters/canon, outsider POV, UST, resolved UST, exploring the ~deep lore, leaning on the uniqueness of the canon setting/mood, found families, characters reuniting after a long and/or harrowing time, friends-to-lovers, road trips, maps, mutual pining, cuddling, wintry moods, the feeling of flannel and other fabrics, ridiculous concepts played entirely straight, sensory details, places being haunted, people being haunted, the mystery of the woods, small hopes in bleak worlds, electricity, places that don’t quite add up, mismatched memories, caves and deep places, distant city lights at night, emphasis on non-human traits of non-human characters (gen-wise, but also a hearty yes xeno for applicable ships), emphasis on inhuman traits of characters who were human once and have sort of shed it all behind

Cool with: any tense, any pov, any rating, plotty, not plotty, IF, unrequested characters popping up.

DNW: non-canonical rape, non-canonical children, focus on children, unrequested ships (background established canon couples are okay, mentions of parents are okay!), canon retellings, consent issues, actual covid (fantasy plagues are okay)

Les Cités Obscures: any

This is a very general “please, anything in the style of canon, just maybe with less thoughtless sexism” request. I want to lose myself in these cities again, and in the strange lands that connect them. I’d be happy to follow any of the known characters and/or OCs, or eschew characters altogether and write about the cities themselves. What caught your imagination in Brüsel, Xhystos, Taxandria, Alaxis...? The history of some cool building that was only marginally featured in one of the stories? Or an OC city! If you’ve got a favourite European city that doesn’t already have its obscure counterpart, please tell me all about it! Go big, go wild! What strange and classically surrealist happenings take place within its walls? Or even... outside Europe... Nerding out about architecture is of course very welcome. I would also love to read a story based on any Schuiten illustration, contextualizing it as if it were part of this ‘verse. Here’s a bunch of them, for example!

Ghost Trick: Cabanela

You know.. him. Dazzlingly OTT, untiring, rock-solid self-esteem, loyal to a fault, following a rhythm of his own, flawless intuition until it fails and it all burns down… him. I just want to see more of him doing stuff! The way he’s chill and open toward new people (like Sissel and Missile in ch15) makes him perfect to throw at most other characters and see how they react to the sparkles… I’d love some focus on how ridiculous his aesthetic is, half Saturday Night Fever half hardboiled detective half bubbly preteen (for a total of 150%) and yet he makes it work. Or how ruthless he can be, possibly for the sake of the people he cares for. The quote “The intimacy of big parties”. Him and Alma in the new timeline bonding over knowing (once Jowd has spilled the beans) but not remembering that terrible timeline. Some tropey scenario on the job. Snark-offs with Pigeon Man, by which I mean PM snarks and it bounces off him like water off a spotless white goose’s back.

Ship-wise it’s only Cabanela/Jowd whenever it’s not infidelity, Cabanela/Alma in what-ifs also if it’s not infidelity and Cabanela/Alma/Jowd for me (and Lynne/Memry and Yomiel/fianSissel on the side). There are a bunch of shippy prompts in all my past letters - I would however reiterate here that Jowd. is. the worst tease. always. Like, just saying, but assume he’s pining big time and Jowd and Alma figure it out - they’d make a national sport out of excruciatingly protracted teasing.

Conversely, Cabanela/Lynne and Cabanela/Yomiel are NOTPs especially from Cabanela’s side. So while I appreciate the thick tension of a good Yomiel VS Cabanela confrontation like everyone and their cat, and also really appreciate a roughed-up Cabanela, and I do love Yomiel in his own right… I don’t want Cabanela being into it. Adrenaline junkie he may be but this hurts and his coat’s a mess and there’s no perfect winning scenario so he hates every second of it. (JOWD being super into Cabanela being roughed up is another matter altogether and he should probably mind his own business. ...incompatible kinks, truly tragic. they’ll have to find some other common ground. they’re smart, resourceful, playful fellows, I’m sure they’ll manage)

Kentucky Route Zero: Donald kentuckyroutezero

I love everyone in the cast, all acts and interludes, and I am extremely into all the themes this incredible work of art ended up exploring. Agreeing with the overall doom and gloom up to Act IV, I was blown away by Act V’s strong affirmation of the importance of the arts and of the bonds we make and of carving up spaces for ourselves in capitalism’s wake. Donald was, indeed, not a part of any of that. Even the final interlude updates us on Lula and mentions Joseph, but the big guy is nowhere to be seen. So, you know, there’s fanfiction! He’s so static, defeated. I am fascinated by the chain of metaphysical spaces that goes surface -> Zero -> Echo -> Dogwood and even within that framework, the hall of the mountain king is like a hopeless dead end. Dude’s terminally stuck. So - once again, in the spirit of transformative works, how could he get... you know... unstuck? Did Lula’s momentous appearance in Act III shake him? Having a functioning Xanadu again, perhaps? How could he interrogate that oracle, what recursive wonders would it show him? If he decides to leave, what does it feel to be on the surface again after so long, or on the river perhaps? Maybe he is forced to leave by the flood, if not this one, the next... Having him meet any other character would be amazing. Past or future time spent with Weaver... seeing Conway again, changed... programmer guy chatting up musician androids... did he know Carrington from his college days or was Carrington only a friend of Lula’s?

As for Lula herself and Joseph too: “Flipping through the pages, Conway is able to gather that it’s a story about three characters: Joseph, Donald, and Lula. It’s something like a tragic love triangle, but much more complex. Some kind of tangled, painfully concave love polygon.” 😔 I ship them as a full triad, if you can nudge them in that direction, good. But I’m very open to non-romantic resolutions as well, going past their messy feelings to find each other as friends after so many years maybe. Or... a start. idk.

I’d be interested in fic that leans on the game’s adjacent genres: wanna go full-on American Gothic? Dip into surrealism? Take a leaf from Twin Peaks with tulpa / split narratives to explore the characters’ issues? I’m also open to AUs, real or through Xanadu. This also feels like a good place to stress that I really, really like caves.

And now for something completely different: FAQ:  The “Snake Fight” Portion of Your Thesis Defense is in the tagset this year. I’d say that the crossover with the snake portion of Here and there along the Echo writes itself, but it would not be correct, as in fact I would like you to write it for me. Feel free to not feature Donald if you focus on this crossover instead!

Uru would be a fun crossover too, for Donald specifically. He’s very DRC-shaped in how he tilts at doomed projects which just so happen to be deep underground.

Pyre: Volfred Sandalwood

This is a Volfred solo, Volfred&literally anyone or Volfred/Tariq, /Oralech or /Tariq/Oralech request. I adore everyone in that Blackwagon+Dalbert+Celeste, so if you want to add a Nightwing or two to any prompt, please do! I also love all the Scribes and find Erisa a compelling tragic figure, while out of the other triumvirates, I’m “love to hate them” for Manley, Brighton, Udmildhe and Deluge and would not like to see them featured in sympathetic roles. fwiw I also enjoy Jodi/Celeste and Bertrude/Pamitha a lot!

I feel deeply for all of Pyre’s main themes - literacy, degrees of freedom, the fragile time that is the end of a historical cycle, nobodies rising up to the occasion, building a better society, and of course found family, “distance cannot separate our spirits” and all that jazz, and Volfred is squarely rooted at the center of all of them. I really really love everything he stands for, even if he’s overbearingly smug in standing for it. Just please tell me things about my fave. His relationship to the Scribes (as a historian, a some kind of vision, via *ae or once he’s a star himself)? A ‘forced vacay’ Downside ending where he looks at the Union from afar and keeps living in this strange transformational place? Life in a cramped Blackwagon that was meant for like 5 people tops and is currently eight Nightwings, a herald and an orb? Since he picked him for the job to begin with, does he respect and cherish Hedwyn as he dang well should? What does it feel like to try and Read a herald? Was he ever in danger, in the Commonwealth or in the Downside? What daring act of resistance did he and Bertrude pull off at some point in their past? It’d be cool if one of his old pamphlets came up at some point. Does he puff up as prime minister because he’s nervous, and who can see past his hyper-professionalism and lend a hand? Please roast him big time about the votes he assigns to the various Nightwings in his planner? What’s his attitude toward the flame’s purification (what with being a tree but mostly like, as a general concept. He did nothing wrong!) (well he definitely said some things wrong and sometimes oftentimes the ego jumps out, but his intentions did nothing wrong)? When did his calculating approach fail him? Something with Pamitha along the lines of that edit that goes “Can we talk, one ten to another?“/"I am an eleven, my girl, but continue”? Dude could easily be voted sexiest voice in the Downside - how much is he aware of it? Does he sing? I love how he bears his ‘reader’ brand proudly. And speaking of scars, I have to wonder, looking at Manley for comparison, if the shape of his head, with that massive crack, isn’t also due to injuries.

As a refrain from my general likes: emphatically yes xeno to both shippy interactions at all ratings and to gen explorations of what a Sap is like… I’d love to read all your headcanons.

Ship-wise, I enjoy him with Tariq as this kind of esoteric connection of minds, guarded words full of secret meanings, long contemplative walks together (is any external pov watching...?), Volfred’s Reader powers brushing against Tariq’s mind and getting weak in the knees at the starlit expanse he finds there, so unlike mortal thoughts. Tariq finds his individuality learning from him; Volfred presumably gets a transcendent glimpse of the Scribes. And I enjoy him with Oralech as pretty much the opposite of that, Oralech is so very mortal compared to him, such a precious, fleeting, burning life especially after his fall. Oralech’s idealism is very dear to me, it was their plan, their shared revolutionary spirit, I find it deeply moving. And I am very interested in seeing them rebuild their connection now that Oralech is back, changed, and in some ways he can learn to let go of his misconceptions and slowly open himself to Volfred’s love again, but in other ways that’s who he is now, with this deep-set anger, and what does it even feel to realize that you’re the symbol of the end of an era (the end of the Rites, the fading of the Scribes). I’m interested in both topside and downside endings for all of them, as long as they end up on the same side, the revolution was peaceful and they don’t angst too much about the side they ended in. Tariq can ‘find his way home’ in the near post-canon somehow or even be summoned again, as a different aspect of the same ‘moonlit vision’ that once inspired Soliam Murr.

Strandbeest: any

https://www.strandbeest.com/

I would just like words to go with these, please and thank you so very much. Worldbuild to your heart’s content! Specifically: I’m fascinated by the premise that the strandbeest are living creatures that evolve and adapt to their ecosystem. A world where life is just wind stomachs and sandy joints, and the tide that can catch you unaware. I would like a story that feels distinctly inorganic. The wonder that is the existence of these creatures. Their unique struggles. Weird and experimental if you like. With a mechanical focus, maybe?

I nominated four critters as a selection of the different cool things they can do - Percipiere Excelsus is huge and has the hammer mechanism, Suspendisse’s tail senses the hardness of the sand, Uminami is my fave caterpillar and the caterpillars overall feel like a new paradigm after a mass extinction event, Ader straight-up flies... but they’re all wonderful. If you want to focus on different strandbeest, please do!

Twin Peaks: Lucy Moran

Case fic but they don’t find out jack shit, someone disappears, David Bowie was there, it’s complicated. Fragmented, shifted, mirrored identities. New Lodge spaces. The risks of staring into the void for too long. Gentle illusions. Transcendence. The moon. Static buzzing. Any title from the s3 ethereal whooshing compilation used as a prompt, actually. Whatever goes on on Blue Pine mountain or the even more mysterious things that go on on White Tail mountain where exactly zero canon locations are found. Twin Peaks is all about the mystery to me, the awe of mystery and unknowability and the human drive to look beyond and the risks of getting a peek, and about shared consciousness and trauma taking physical form in an uncaring world. Go wild with the ethereal whooshing! But I also love the human warmth at the heart of it all, and sometimes it’s enough to anchor these characters and let them have a nice day. A fic entirely focused on some instance of coziness against the cold chaotic background of canon would be great too.

For Lucy specifically, a big draw for me is how canon (...s2 need not apply) empathizes with her way of processing the world. Not just Peaks, but On the Air’s protag who is basically a Lucy expy also gets the narrative completely on her side and that’s great. And I love how in s3, her focus on the small things around her is always echoed by bigger, climactic events beyond her horizon (bunnies / Jack Rabbit’s palace, chair order / Garland’s chair, her first scene talking about the two sheriffs / doubles everywhere...). It feels to me like some kind of off-kilter mindfulness and I love it. She’s also got a loving husband and an amazing son, which, in this economy and also this canon? Damn. The one functional family, imagine that. I am not interested in focus on family dynamics, but singularly, either Lucy/Andy or Lucy&Wally are great - in particular, I’m interested in how strange they are and yet they make it work. With the ruthless critique of traditional family structure that’s all over canon, maybe they make it work specifically because they’re not doing any of that. A bit like the Addams family... but... not goth...? Anyway. I’d love to see Lucy interact with and maybe strike a friendship with any character she’s never shared a scene with in canon! In the tagset, there’s Diane for some secretaries bonding, Audrey because??? why not?, Albert because it’d be an epic enemies to friends slowburn, some version of Laura in the future, if we’re feeling really daring maybe even some version of Coop in the future, still fragmented... or anyone you want! Outside the tagset I’d be curious about Hawk, Margaret and maybe Doris in particular, I think, and Phil, and Nadine and the Invitation to Love fandom in general (Frost says it still airs - did it get as weird as TP s3 did?), but if you have an idea with someone else, absolutely go for it!

Canon-specific DNWs: any singular Dreamer being the ‘source’ of canon, BOB (let alone Judy) being forever defeated in the finale, Judy being an active malevolent presence in the characters’ lives, clear explanations for canonical ambiguities, ‘Odessaverse’ being the reality layer, the Fireman’s House by the Sea being the White Lodge, whatever Twin Perfect’s on about, Cooper/Audrey, Cooper/Laura

[frimushroom]

Being kind with art [Part 2]

Trigger warnings- anxiety, depression - I am very aware that the way I talk about myself adds to my own narrative that I’m trying to change AND can reinforce this thinking in others who have similar thought patterns.

Lessons Learned

Ok, so here is the bit that’s the reason I’m writing this whole thing up. I don’t know if you knew this but artists are notoriously critical of their own work (in my experience). Or, maybe mental health issues aren't talked about enough and are just easier to “see” in the creative arts. 

Throughout this entire process I could really hear my inner narrator tearing me down. Everything from it being fanart, to a collab with an artist I admire, to being a mixed-media piece out of my element, to the fact working on this was really just me procrastinating on finishing other projects.

After finishing the first part of the piece my anxiety had me worrying for a YEAR that if i drove it to the places to take the pictures I wanted that the window paint would melt or something equally ridiculous. I know I was also worried that if I did it after work, i’d have to bring the work in progress into my job and oh man, that social interaction is a big trigger for my art related anxiety.

Mostly I was worried I wouldn’t be able to make the finish product look good. I don’t finish a lot of pieces to my own satisfaction and I wanted to do justice to the original content. What ifs I didn’t figure out how to make the photo effect work? So many what ifs.

Negative Spirals

(before anyone else can think anything about it Here I go, protecting myself with negative expectations listing some things I think about when I look or think about my process making this piece:

The window paint isn’t perfect. There are areas I smudged, squeezed to hard, didn’t make light enough ect. I don’t have enough endurance.

The trace over of the original isn’t even perfect. I don’t know that the archway physically makes sense, as I lifted the general design from a pedestrian arch at my alma mater. Poorly thought out.

I didn’t take my time to reink the sketch, and even the sketch I really played the scale of the buildings by ear. The paper wasn’t suited for so many layers of acrylic. Rushing.

I didn’t nail the glamour effect I was going for. I wanted the asphalt to shimmer into an older dirt road to show that that the landscape behind the gate was hidden from the normals. At the end I really thought about adding a few gems, or glitter, maybe add a “light” from the lamp.

What happened to the great lawn? I lost the depth. The stone walls, egh look at that masonry. The hills are so boring.

The blur effect was ok overall but the campus doesn’t look good. It’s missing something (practice for one thing). Should I have added more detail back in? Was I just not mixing the paints enough to get better color range?

I probably skimped on the finishing touches cause I just wanted to get it done. It’s so easy to ruin it right at the end. I could’ve added Watford school colors, some more life to the image, a gold plaque on the brick columns, highlights on the ironwork. Heck checked the shadows. Where is my light source??

Posting my art makes me feel uncomfortable. On 3 platforms? Doesn’t matter if it’s 5 or 50 people with positive thing to say or likes, why am I even checking my phone every couple minutes. Does this piece even add to the fandom? Is it ok to have just an ok piece?

I suck

Deep Breaths. Man brains suck and feelings are weird. Let’s try this again.

Positive Reinforcement

The window paint has been fun to play around with. Now that I've used it more I can feel better going back to my other project some time soon. I even have more supplies for that other project. It’s not a forgiving medium, but also it looks like it’s better suited to a bigger scale piece. Leading is thicker and harder to handle. Thankfully once set it’s pretty easy to trim the sides with a knife. It added a cool texture and layer. Go me :)  The window paint isn’t perfect. There are areas I smudged, squeezed to hard, didn’t make light enough ect. I don’t have enough endurance.

She liked it. She thought the arch was a good add. Also setting your piece apart a bit from the original is a good thing. So what if the archway might not be feasible it reminds you of your college years and well magic (that’s not a copout here). The trace over of the original isn’t even perfect. I don’t know that the archway is physically makes sense, as I lifted the general design from a pedestrian arch at my alma mater. Poorly thought out.

So I’ve actually gotten much better with this for my last few pieces. It’s ok to not always pre-plan and over-prep. This is a personal piece not something i’m trying to sell. I don’t have to have everything be a masterwork. It’s ok to be an amateur. Now I know that paper isn’t the best for acrylic and- honestly it wasn't that bad with it either. I didn’t take my time to reink the sketch, and even the sketch I really played the scale of the buildings by ear. The paper wasn’t suited for so many layers of acrylic. Rushing.

Details. You slept on it. You see that when you look at it, it’s what you add when you look at it. I didn’t nail the glamour effect I was going for. I wanted the asphalt to shimmer into an older dirt road to show that that the landscape behind the gate was hidden from the normals. At the end I really thought about adding a few gems, or glitter, maybe add a “light” from the lamp.

So. Ok girl, there is room for improvement. That’s how practice works. But in the end the gate take the focus so no one is looking at all of that but you. You’ve never tried this effect. Good on you for taking a risk. That’s what matters. What happened to the great lawn? I lost the depth. The stone walls, egh look at that masonry. The hills are so boring.

See above. The gate takes center stage, more details might have changed that so less is more. Next time just try something different and see what happens.The blur effect was ok overall but the campus doesn’t look good. It’s missing something (practice for one thing). Should I have added more detail back in? Was I just not mixing the paints enough to get better color range?

SO WHAT. Stop nitpicking at it. It’s ok as is. It has to be done at some point. There will always be more you COULD have done and you know that. I probably skimped on the finishing touches cause I just wanted to get it done. It’s so easy to ruin it right at the end. I could of added Watford school colors, some more life to the image, a gold plaque on the brick columns, highlights on the ironwork. Heck checked the shadows. Where is my light source?? Also light source for the rainy English countryside, psssh

This is part of the process. You’ve had problems with sharing your art and accepting praise since like, middle school. It’s not going to suddenly go away. You have to normalize posting your work, and over time it’ll be easier. Be kinder to yourself. And it’s ok to call yourself an artist. You fit in the group. Reminder this is that impostor syndrome thing Posting my art makes me feel uncomfortable. On 3 platforms? Doesn’t matter if it’s 5 or 50 people with positive thing to say or likes, why am I even checking my phone every couple minutes. Does this piece even add to the fandom? Is it ok to have just an ok piece?

I’m proud of myself for doing my therapy homework and letting out my anxieties so I can start to let go of them

I don’t need this piece will help anyone but me, but if it does that is a bonus. Everything is ok.

Back to [Part 1]          

Final piece HERE

[bytheangell]

Hi Elle!! How are you after last night? I'm surprisingly happy- I absolutely loved the finale, the humor, the surprises and malec ofc!! I'm super sad that it's over, but I don't feel too sad because it endend on a high note. I l-o-v-e-d that they went full circle with malec having drinks and clace at the alley (and probably more scenes that I'm missing). Tell me your thoughts!! Did you cry too much at the wedding? (Prompt Anon 💗)

Hello friend!

But as far as the episode goes? Yes, I agree. I think that bringing back all those references to how it all began, all these little moments that were nods to the fans and things they knew we’d pick up on, were all done so well. And for the amount of plot they had to cover and wrap up in such a short time? I think this was honestly the best we could’ve hoped for, and I’m actually really satisfied with it. Almost everyone got a little moment, from Raphael’s future to what Robert and Max were up to, even a bit of Helen and Aline when they could’ve easily skipped over those characters with smaller roles to play in the grand scheme of things. And to leave that open ended question, even with the time-skip, of what happened during that year? What’s happening now? What’s about to happen with Clary kind of sort of on the verge of remembering? I think I like that they gave it that sort of finale rather than wrapping everything up with a bow. I love the endless ‘what ifs’ we get to imagine now, rather than ‘well that’s that, then.’ But perhaps that’s just the writer in me xD 

I think my favorite thing about it was the amount of humor they put into the finale. It could’ve been nothing but angst and driving plot and sadness, but instead we got a lot of really great, hilarious moments, and some fun interactions. Underhill and Lorenzo? THAT TERRIBLE PICK-UP LINE, ANDREW PLEASE. The entire Jace and Meliorn scenario with Jace not being able to lie? THE TRAINING BOOPS BETWEEN JACE AND SIMON? I’m glad that there were a lot of those moments throughout the episode to remind us to laugh, to enjoy the ride along the way. 

I definitely cried at the wedding. I told myself I wasn’t going to but I’d already been emotional and teary a few moments before that, and the wedding set me over the edge completely. I was a mess and I never recovered from that point on. The song choice, the setting, MARYSE WALKING MAGNUS DOWN THE AISLE?! The entire thing was perfection and I’m so glad we got the opportunity to witness it. 

I’m glad you enjoyed the finale just as much!!