#I don't really ship real people - I just enjoy their banter

[ifindus]

ik Larry flirts with absolutely everyone, but I love when he says something that actually has Chilled flustered 😅💖

[gaylactic-fire]

Nah I hate the persistence of "Vidow is toxic" in the FS fandom. ESPECIALLY given the nature of fanon surrounding them.

Like we know. We're aware, within the confines of the manga, that their relationship isn't healthy by any real world standard. It's fucked up. It's messy. But it's also.. really interesting?? I can't speak for everyone who enjoys the ship, but when I see them I see two characters who, at their best, have incredibly fun banter and an appealing dynamic. Two characters who don't want to hurt each other, but due to the circumstances of their time together and clashing morals and priorities, ultimately end up doing so.

And like obviously this is not the universal thought shared by shippers, as I said. But it's clear that many of us feel some similar way. We want to see their dynamic explored more. We wonder what would happen if their circumstances were different, or if they were to meet again, what changes would occur. There's SO MANY lovingly crafted post canon AUs of Shadow coming back, with many actively acknowledging the fucked up past between the two and how it affects their current relationship. It's not always sunshine and rainbows "I forgive you immediately." and then they cry. I've read / seen many pieces with a lot of nuance. There's themes of anger, grief, confusion, but ultimately healing and moving forward, too and it's all FANTASTIC.

So I guess when fans are actively trying to deepen this relationship and push it far beyond the scoope of the original manga, it's always frustrating to see people dig their heals into the ground and insist the ship must be toxic, even in an entirely different context. Nobody's forcing anyone to ship anything, and I certainly don't judge if the manga dynamic was just something you didn't enjoy. But it's a weird hill to die on if you're trying to start beef with "fix it" fanon. Like, you don't want to see these characters grow and move on? Become better? Acknowledge and admit their mistakes? Find love in each other, in spite of everything? Alrighty then. Whatever floats your boat I guess

[actuallyevilgay]

The Apathy (Part 7)

Ascended Astarion x Male Tav

DNI if you are a minor. Dead dove don’t eat. Please read my about before replying. Content: Ascended Astarion x Male tav, this is post epilogue.

Summary: Astarion continues to carefully observe Tav while being a little jealous of Morlock.. Amongst others. Content Warnings: I don't think this one has any notable TWs? If I need to add new tags by the way, please let me know! A/N: heiii it's been a bit. I was GOING AND GOING with this one. Hope you enjoy the banter.

Read on ao3

Nauseous. Ever since the Dharma incident, you can’t help but feel incredibly nauseous. Something’s been nagging at the edge of your skull, as if there’s a physically missing piece. No, really, like there was a hole in your skull itself, rather than a lack of memory.

Perhaps you had a traumatic brain injury before you got yourself to Neverwinter, still not sure why you were here, or why there was this driving desire to hide away.

Jilvy’s tavern definitely fulfilled a portion of that desire, tucked away in a neat corner across a rather busy street, it garnered only a niche attention for most of the time. Jilvy’s efforts weren’t wasted though, and it showed in the diversity of new clientele popping up over time. The busy hours meant Jilvy would spend more time helping in the kitchen and less chatting up the customers. Not that she was complaining about it, she had you walk around as her personal handyman.. With the height difference and all.

Your work routine was so in sync that Jilvy no longer had to ask for things out of reach, you’d just hand them over without much thought.

To your own surprise, it was starting to get easier to just exist among people and be seen by them or looked at. Still, the nervous mannerisms remained. To the common folk, they found it endearing. You slowly came to realise Jilvy may have hired you because people were naturally drawn to you. Interested in mystery perhaps, or.. Your stuttering and overall attitude was entertaining in some way. The charisma was there, even when you’re not trying.

‘’He’s a real looker, isn’t he?’’ The average tavern gossip kept you on your toes, but as time went on it bothered you less.

The presence of the Tiefling adventurer had eased some of the stress, still the colour orange itself would put you on high alert.

Gale hadn’t shown up in a while. You figured he was too busy investigating the mage’s whereabouts. Perhaps he got into trouble, or maybe he had gone back to Waterdeep to handle business. He promised he’d come back after.

On Jilvy’s request, you started to write notes for yourself in a journal to share with Gale later, for your questions.. Ones he surely had answers to. There was a particular memory that would pop up over time, a city on fire.. A flying ship. Some aberrant creature speaking to you as if you were familiar. He was upset, insulted. Someone you had betrayed. Then there was a vision of corpses of creatures similar to him.. 

‘’You look beautiful when you’re lost in that pretty head of yours, boy.’’ The voice of a stoic man interrupted your trail of thoughts. ‘’That, or a mindflayer gobbled on your head-’’

‘’Mind flayer..? Sorry?’’ You blinked, the words pierced your skull. Examining the man before you, you assume he’s an adventurer, a barbarian type. Intimidating, and.. Really bad at flirting.

‘’Ha! Bad joke. I just arrived back home after touring Baldur’s gate, there was a whole thing over there. The Absolute Crisis. But you Neverwinter city folks don’t know anything about that, do you?’’

He cocks his head to the side, winking. You still can’t tell if he’s trying to flirt or insult you.

‘’But I like the dolly-looking guys. They let me talk.’’ No.. Now he’s talking to himself, about you.

Behind him, Morlock stands on his feet, withdrawing from a book he was reading, making eye contact with you.

You think back to the Barbarian’s mumbling for a bit and decide to write down some of the keywords he was talking about before turning your attention to him.

‘’Sir, this is a tavern- Well.. More of a teahouse. People always come here to chat, its an average day.’’ You blow him off, but he doesn’t take the hint.

‘’I was hoping to do more than chat.’’

‘’Okay, I think you’ve misread the sign that says no drunks.’’ Morlock taps the Barbarian’s shoulder. ‘’Leave the bartender be, For someone all talk, you seem to struggle with language a lot.’’ You’d hoped he’d do the mature thing and walk off, but he stands up tall to try and intimidate Morlock, who barely reacts to the attempt.

‘’Hmm. Almost adorable, you do look like a squealer.’’ Morlock mutters to himself.

The man then proceeds to reach forward and try to Grab Morlock’s horn, but he either slips or misses his aim, as Morlock steps sideways and grabs his arm, pulling him forward. He quickly loses balance and falls on a knee, trying to pull himself free. Morlock just squeezes him, digging his nails into the barbarian’s arm, who starts whining. ‘’Bastard!’’

‘’Last warning. Get. Out. If you get violent, I will not hold back.’’ He eyes the clientele. ‘’And I don’t think the good folk here appreciate violence.’’ 

The barbarian eyes you for a moment, almost to see if the conflict interests you. He’s likely looking for an excuse to try and impress you, only to stop at the lack of care in your expression.. You already went back to drying off glasses, listening in on the conversation.

As you turn your head back,There’s a faint glimmer in Morlock’s eyes. The barbarian walks out without another word, and the Tiefling drops a pouch of coins on the counter. 

‘’Did you pickpocket him?’’ You gasp, quietly hiding your admiration for the deed.

‘’A tip for the damages, it’s only fair.’’ Morlock shrugs. He retains eye contact while licking the barbarian’s blood off of his fingertips, noticing you’re starting to drown in his gaze. You shake your head, dizzy. Unsure.

Morlock puts a finger to his lips, grins, and shoves the pouch further in your direction.

‘’If you catch my meaning, darling.’’ He then walks back to his table and continues reading without a care in the world.

You blink, grabbing the pouch and pocketting it. A feeling of playful mischief makes you quietly smirk.. All too familiar. You maybe were a big game thief of sorts before coming here.. It was what you did to keep yourself fed before you started working for Jilvy..  If the weather allowed it, you could go back to the docks and find your hidden stash of stolen goods..

Even if you weren’t exactly aiming to be a criminal, some gut feeling told you it was necessary to have a plan B in case things went awry and living here wasn’t suitable anymore.

Another scribble for the journal.. A question to Gale. Why do you feel drawn to stealing? Would the wizard even have an answer to that? An instinctive need to take things you could take? A kleptomaniac? No.. Nothing in Jilvy’s tavern and living space had called upon that desire to put things in your pocket. So you assume it wasn’t an impulse.

You hadn’t called upon the telekinetic powers you used to grab things for a while, hoping it would lessen the headaches. Out of mild curiosity or just to make sure you still had them, you briefly make the cup you were working on float while no one is looking. ‘’Hmm..’’ Yep. Still got them.

And then it shatters on the ground before you realise you dropped it..

‘’Fuck.’’ Another thing to clean up.. Time to find the broom.

Morlock continues to watch from the corner of your eyes, subtly. You’ve noticed him stare, but figured he was just worried about you. He had been here daily since Jilvy reopened after the Dharma accident. A new book club member nonetheless. One stranger you felt you could trust.

There’s just.. Something about him that puts your guard down.

—

It’s not been too long, just a few days since Astarion started being a subtle bouncer pretending to be a customer, pretending to be a Tiefling called Morlock just so he could be near Tav without upsetting him.

He’d thought about it for quite some time, but simply couldn’t picture Tav wanting to look at the real him, let alone speak to him. Their last real conversation haunts him. Figures.. After his lashing out they sparingly spoke, only focussing on dealing with the netherbrain. Tav was quieter than he had been throughout the entire journey. That quietness remains even now. He only speaks when spoken to, avoiding conflict.

Tav couldn’t even retain eye contact during that last week of prepping for the netherbrain, Astarion recalls the taste of the lingering saltiness that coated his tongue back then. 

At the time, Astarion convinced himself he deserved better; His enlarged ego made him forget the world around him. The struggles of mortals. And Tav, was very much mortal. Warm, but distant. Emotionally he closed himself off entirely, focussing on getting the job done.

Offering the eternal gift would’ve sweetened the deal, right? He had cattle knocking on his doors begging for it when he got busy spreading his influence.

But it’s never been that simple with Tav.. Tav wasn’t as outspoken as he was, just blunt. He never demanded anything outside of the battlefield. He didn’t bark orders without reason, he wouldn’t force anyone to do something they didn’t like unless they were his enemy. Then.. You’d see a different side of him entirely.

Astarion’s glamored eyes linger on the page of his book, but the words escape from his mind’s eye. He visualised the memories he repressed, searching for answers on where things went awry, and why Tav pushed him away. All he could think of was the tadpoles, starting with Nere’s, and then.. In the shadowlands, he only regressed more after Moonrise..

Even now, the scent of illithid and netherese influence lingers on Tav. Astarion can smell it from here.

  There was a pause in that inner conflict back then when Astarion confessed. Tav defended him from this… Vile drow. Someone he’d rather forget about. The blood merchant.

Astarion’s confession led to their relationship evolving into something more, but before it could develop further, Astarion snapped the bridge they were building in half.

Or, he let it wither when it hadn’t sprouted fully. A waste.

No.. There’s one simple answer. Astarion had made everything about him. The confession, then his scars.. Killing the orthorn, Raphael, the ascension.. That night. Everything was about what he wanted and what he needed. Tav went along with it throughout most of the journey, but did he ever stop to ask what Tav wanted?

He just assumed. He plotted and planned.. Even now, he schemes.

But still, stubbornly so, he feels that he needs to plot and plan ahead. He cannot fail. He cannot let him slip from his grasp again, he just needs to.. Create the right opportunity to apologise. A scheme where he can get the two of them alone. To open his heart to him.

Otherwise.. He just pictures his dearest Tav staring at him blankly and walking off into smoke and dust again. Hiding from him.

Was he truly here to hide from him? Like Jaheira so confidently claimed? Out of all places, Astarion would have never put Neverwinter atop the list.. But, maybe he didn’t know Tav as well as he’d thought.

He mourns the time lost, as Morlock he could make up for it.. Learn a little. Tav deserved better from him.

Was he going about this the wrong way..? Certainly. But he wouldn’t willingly admit that.

As smoothly as this was going.. Astarion did notice the occasional glances from Tav, if he wasn’t glamoured, this would excite him. All he could really think of was that Morlock had game while he didn’t. If Morlock and he were separate people, and not an Elf wearing a disguise to spy on his ex.. He would strangle Morlock then and there for getting this much attention.

The fantasy itself was starting to become a habit. Every Time they exchanged brief eye contact, Tav looked so trusting at the tiefling.

When was the last time Tav looked at Astarion this way..? He can’t recall.

As much as he’d love to ponder more, time was passing and during the later hours of such a cold weekday, one customer is eager to get a warm drink in their body.

A beautiful human man, dark hair and bright blue eyes, walks in. Astarion notices Tav perk up immediately, recognising this person.. What’s this? Familiarity? Is he.. Seeing someone?

To not arouse suspicion, Astarion pulls the book closer to his face and pretends to be bewildered by the writing in utter suspense. What a performance..

He was youthful looking, but physically older than Tav. As for his manners.. There was a brief awkward staredown between the two as he sat down in a seat in front of the counter. ‘’Remember me?’’

‘’Oh- Mint guy.’’ Tav stutters.

‘’..Mint guy? Shit- I didn’t tell you my name.’’ He awkwardly scratches the back of his neck.

Good. Tav wasn’t seeing anyone..

‘’..I’m Tav.’’ Tav initiates small talk now? ‘’Just Tav.’’ A forced smile grows on his lips. He twitches nervously.

Fuck. The human is indeed very attractive..

‘’Well, ‘’Just’’ Tav. I’m Bouke. But you can call me Bo, if that’s easier.’’ He winks at him..

Tav lets out a soft chuckle. ‘’I like your name, it’s.. Unusual.’’

‘’Is it? You think I’m the rare sort? Well.. I’d love to try the rare chrysanthemum tea, with extra sugar please.’’ He points at a named menu item with his finger, then plants the same finger on his chin. He got the body language and lines for basic flirting down unlike the barbarian from earlier.. And Tav isn’t telling him no. 

Tav! Have some standards!

‘’Of course, it’ll take only a moment.’’ A bit of pink coats his cheeks.

Why isn’t he telling him no?! Gods.

He’d rather ‘’Morlock’’ get action than this… ‘’Average’’ good-looking person.

There’s a shift in the atmosphere of the teahouse tavern as Tav serves the man his drink and continues cleaning off dishes, checking on baked goods.. The other patrons have started to huddle together, whispering. The gossip was obviously about the cute bartender and the very good-looking patron getting actual attention from him.

‘’Calm down Astarion.. If you tense up more, it’ll be obvious you want to kill this guy on the spot..’’ He thinks to himself, untensing and turning a page of his book.

As he’s about to eye Tav and Bouke again, another patron approaches his table and points at the book. ‘’Oh, you’re reading this week’s book too?’’ Small talk.. Great. Now he has to multitask chatter too.

‘’Hmm? Yes. I’ve joined a bit late, I’m trying to catch up before the club meeting, if you don’t mind...’’ He replies, hoping that was enough of a sign that he wasn’t up for chatter. Instead.. The patron sits down at the other seat of his table and begins to talk about how happy he is to see a new face.. Something about wanting tieflings to feel more included in public spaces. But Astarion struggled to listen to their blabbering.

Bouke appears to be making conversation with Tav, as uninterested as he is in what the human has to say, Tav seems engaged, nodding and asking more.

He’s jotting down something in a notebook.. Is that an agenda? What is happening??

‘’And that’s why- If you’ve got any tiefling friends or family, don’t be afraid to invite them, this is a welcoming space.’’ The patron continues.

‘’Sorry- What?’’ By this point he can’t focus on holding the book in front of his face anymore.

‘’Oh- I spoke too fast, let me rephrase that..’’

 ‘’I appreciate the gesture, but as I said I was trying to read-’’

‘’..And there’s also this.. Y’know, it’s just not fair? Do tell me if anyone insults you for-’’

‘’Gods. Genuinely, Thank you for your concern, but I am trying to read.’’ 

‘’-My bad, So what do you like about the book? I think the plot takes a while to catch on..’’

He gives up.. At this point it's not his responsibility for this peasant to take a hint, they continue talking not even waiting for an answer.. Enough, back to whatever Bouke is doing-

‘’Hey uhm, Tav. I was wondering- I’ve been thinking about you since I first visited. Have- Uh.. Do you..? Are you.. Interested in me? I mean, to go on a date with me?’’ Bouke DARES. Oh, he is going to die for that if he-

‘’Oh. I-’’ Tav’s little smile starts turning into a frown, he clutches the notebook to his chest as he looks aside. ‘’I don’t know if I should.’’ Good boy. Tell him to fuck off already!

‘’..Why? ..Got your heart broken? You’re so sweet! I promise I won’t push you.’’ Bouke, Bouke, Bouke, Bo? Little Bo. You are digging yourself a grave right now. Don’t.

There’s not a brief silence, it's longer than some, Tav stops responding entirely, thinking.. Processing an answer. He seemed eager earlier, so this rejection has a reason. Astarion swallows, he hears a pin drop somewhere. The entire tavern is in suspense.

‘’I.. Am broken in places, where I shouldn’t be. I can’t. I’m sorry.’’ Throb. Damn, that stung Astarion more than he’d like it to. Deserved. He drops his book, reaching over to pick it up.

Even the annoying patron in front of him has stopped talking.

The entire tavern is quiet. There’s some coughs and awkward huffs. Bouke finishes his drink, not having a comeback to answer with. He seemed confident enough to try another pick-up line at first, but even he knows he can’t fill whatever void Tav appears to be dealing with. He pays and leaves with a simple gesture and a nod.

Tav is extremely dreary, Jilvy hadn’t interfered at first, keeping a watchful eye while she focussed on other chores. ‘’Tav, dear. If you need a break-’’

He withholds a sob. ‘’I’m fine. I want to finish this batch.’’ Then interrupts her, standing his ground. Jilvy sighs. She can boss him around, but it probably won’t help him much here. Then, Jilvy notices Astarion’s staring and just shrugs. He just shrugs back.

The tavern’s energy shifts again as some new folks drop inside for a late evening drink, and everyone forgets about the unfortunate rejection from earlier. Even Astarion’s undead, yet living lungs, release a sigh of relief that the tension has faded. It was so uncomfortable.

Slowly, the numbers of present patrons decrease. Once more, it’s quiet.

Tav walks away from his usual spot to clean up some of the tavern floor, as he paces near Astarion, he finally speaks up. ‘’Darling, I would love for a refill of this one.’’ He points to his cup with an extended finger, tapping it with his nail. A gentle cling sound echoes.

While he refills the cup, his hands tremble, so he stops before he can spill. ‘’..Sorry, I’m a little tired.’’ He managed to get the last bit of boiled water in the cup after taking a breath.

‘’It’s alright.’’

‘’You probably want to ask what that was all about.. There’s this, uh.. Gut feeling.’’

‘’Well, I certainly love prying and sharing gossip, but I don’t think you want me to ask.. Unless?’’ 

‘’Hmmh.’’

‘’Really, dear. You don’t have to share. I am curious to know what's on your mind, though.’’ Astarion, as Morlock, speaks in a gentle tone, his eyes softened.

Tav looks back at the active workload, determining if now is a good time to take a break.. Jilvy looks up and gives him a reassuring smile. Tav sighs with some relief and sits down in the chair in front of ‘’Morlock.’’

‘’I’ve been hurt really badly.’’ Tav opens up. ‘’I can’t say how, where, or why.’’ Vague wording, certainly secretive. Perhaps he’s hiding from everyone after all. Or is he simply wording it that way to keep it private?

‘’..And.. I’m empty.’’ He raises a hand, before clutching it towards his chest, atop his heart. ‘’I don’t know why I’m still here sometimes.. I’m sorry if that’s- Dark, I.. Sorry. You’re just so easy to talk to. I feel like I know you.. But I don’t, right?’’

‘’Don’t apologise. It’s alright.’’ Astarion hesitates, not sure if he should interrupt his venting. What’s there to say? To ask? Think.. You’re better at conversation than this.

‘’It sounds like Bouke did hit a nail on the head, heartbreak, I take it? Don’t hold back, Complain, insult, or vent as much as you’d like.’’

‘’Insult..?’’ Tav stammers. ‘’I’ve nothing bad to say about anyone.’’ He pauses. ‘’Well, perhaps that stoic guy from earlier today.. He.. Yeah.’’ He grins for a bit, lightening up. ‘’You’re really light fingered. I would love to see you do that again without Jilvy noticing.’’ He whispers. 

Astarion smirks, showing some teeth in his wicked smile. ‘’Maybe I just might, if another bad-tempered fool comes along.’’ He winks. ‘’But, then I won’t have enough time for this.. Novel.’’ He eyes the book again. It did have some interesting premise, but the plot.. Dragged on. There was too much thinking and too little happening in the start of it. How frustrating.

‘’Bit of a headache, to be honest.’’

‘’Ah.. I’ve been having nothing but headache since I’ve come to Neverwinter.’’ Oh, Tav is dropping details now? ..No, calm down. Don’t push. Be casual.

‘’I’ve come here mostly looking for work, and ways to pass time. The book club isn’t really my thing, I admit. But you ought to try new things sometimes.. I have too much time on my hands, and yet so little fits in a single day.’’ Astarion pauses, ‘’I’m running from one thing to the next. It’s.. Eh, chaotic. But necessary. What’s life without chaos? Plain. Tasteless.’’

‘’Tasteless..’’ Tav whispers, repeating him. ‘’In my.. Experience, chaos makes it hard to focus on taste. There’s too much of it, and you lose track of the little things.’’ He fidgets with his hands. ‘’..Do you ever stop running?’’

Astarion thinks, realising Tav is being indirect with his phrasing. They’re not talking about particulars. They’re expressing feelings. Tav is seeking words for whatever he’s feeling. Relating, but not saying how or why.

‘’I’m not sure if I’ve ever stopped running. There’s always someplace to run to, or from.’’ He responds. Truthfully, that’s how he felt himself.. Vampire ascendant, vampire lord. No longer a slave, but he’s running away from his ongoing plans and running to Tav, scheming.

Tav looks lost in thought, his eyes on the ceiling. He’s distracted by a spider weaving a web somewhere.. Then..

‘’It’s.. So much, and so little at once.’’ He whispers. ‘’But this tavern.. It brings me some peace.’’ He closes his eyes and releases a sigh. ‘’Don’t let me keep you.’’ Stands, and goes back to finishing up his cleaning work. He looks relieved and peaceful, which sets Astarion at ease. Too much stimulation for one day..

The queue for closing hour is there.. Astarion wraps up drinking his tea and leaves for the night, heading back to the building he was renting.

He may have gentle caress for Tav, patience, and obsessive love.. But anyone else is in the way. He is but a man of desire, but he was also a vampire.

And vampires are all about fulfilling desires.

At the first sight of his spawn, who eagerly await an update on the romance drama.. He stands firm while Morlock’s visage disappears and his white curls shine in the fresh moonlight. Next, he grins.

‘’Tyselius, Vandelion. There’s someone I need you to get rid off. Just a little side-character, nothing big. Make him disappear, an accident. Snack on the cattle too, if you wish. Just don’t leave a stain to be found.’’

Precious and annoying little pretty Bouke was never seen again.

—

Tara never took a liking to inns before, but she is relishing in this one.. It seems someone was suddenly opposed to going back home to Waterdeep. The tressym loved the idea of vacation, but travel..? Sometimes, yes. Now.. There’s Neverwinter.. And snow everywhere-

Tara would’ve preferred it warm. Yet, these silks and the fireplace.. It's enough. She can sleep, read, eat, and sleep.. And read.. And nap, and get all the scritches she wants. And not think about anything else now that Gale doesn’t have a bomb in his chest.

‘’Gale, dear.. Stop shifting around.’’

‘’I’m trying to go through my notes, Tara. It’s important.’’ Gale replies with an awkward smile.

‘’Okay.. You’ve been in a mood after your last search. No sign of Dharma, I take it?’’

‘’Concerningly little, which I would’ve preferred.. If she wasn’t a problem.’’ Gale sighs, putting his notes away. ‘’Putting the pieces together, and the people I’ve interviewed.. I think someone may have kidnapped her. But the question… Is who?’’

‘’There’s always something they leave behind. You’ll figure it out. You’re a smart boy.’’ Tara purrs, then her eyes shift. ‘’If only you’d shave-’’

‘’AHA-’’ Gale interrupts Tara’s complaint about his beard and pulls up a drawing from his pile. 

‘’Eureka! It’s.. A doodle. Drawn by a child.’’ Tara rolls her eyes. ‘’Care to explain what I’m missing?’’

‘’It’s not a doodle, it’s a symbol, one left behind by psionic magic. Just poorly transcribed and scribbled by the witness.’’

‘’Psionic..? Doesn’t your friend Tav have psionic abilities?’’ 

‘’Yes, but the source.. Is Illithid. We might be dealing with mind flayers.’’

‘’Why would mind flayers kidnap your deranged student..?’’ Tara licks her paw.

Gale thinks for a moment, biting on the metallic part of his quill. ‘’Hmm, I’ve theorised for a while, but I think Tav might have been leaving some sort of trace, like.. An unconscious signal. One that attracts Illithids and blocks out others. He might be mistaken for a rogue or a lost hivemind member.’’

‘’And why would they grab Dharma if they want Tav?’’

‘’To question her maybe..? Huh.. I think it’s time I ask a professional on the matter.’’ Gale rises from his comfortable sitting position, forcing Tara to jump off with an annoyed huff.

‘’Now where did I leave my sending scrolls..? By Mystra’s watchful eye, This place is starting to look like my tower..’’ 

‘’Careful, don’t put Mystra’s name in your mouth, Gale. She might bat an eye.’’

‘’Oh trust me, I made sure she’d leave me be, I am a thriving single man!’’ Gale puts his hands to his hips while he leans over a crowded desk.

‘’So you say..’’ Tara mumbles, ‘’I still would love some grand-kittens.’’

‘’Oof, and here I was thinking you were proud of me choosing myself. That hurt, Tara.. Ah, there it is!’’ Gale rolls open a scroll, before he puts the quill to the paper itself, he thinks of direct words without wasting the spell..

Hopefully his dear friend, foe of Vlaakith and great warrior, Lae’zel herself, was eager for a little trip to Neverwinter.

[epickiya722]

I just talked with my friend who is a Gojo fan but anti Geto and anti stsg. When I asked her about Satosugu, do you know what she said : "Just because someone loves Gojo it does not mean that they must ship satosugu or they also loves Geto. Unfortunately, I would call gojo/geto as close to canon as a queer ship can get in shounen. But it does not have to always be canon right?" (She loves Gojo/Sukuna and Gojo/Yuji ships, even wrote fanfics about them). I don't know how to answer her, between want to laugh and cry at the same time 🤣😭😆

Well, yeah, no one is forced to ship SatoSugu but how can anyone not?

Their backstory? The banter? How they're designed? How they act around each other? Like, come on! Season 2's first opening and ending are literally SatoSugu songs!

"Unfortunately..." why she had to say it like it's the worst representation ever? 😭

Honestly, pulling the "it doesn't always have to be canon, right" card is like "It's not canon so you shouldn't ship". Both ways, it's just saying "This is a rule that you must follow because it makes me comfortable". It's a tactic, a way of setting a rule because that person feels that it's "their way". Shipping should be something fun. Not something people should dictate, come on.

No offense to your friend, I mean that. But it's just odd to me to be anti-Geto when Sukuna is just as bad... wait, no. Sukuna is a lot worse. Is she a fan of Sukuna?

Now I will say at least your friend being anti-Geto is (probably, I don't know) why she doesn't ship SatoSugu. Which is fair. Some people will like a ship but hate one of the characters and I don't see the point of that. If you don't like the character, then don't feel the need to have a ship for them??? If I hate a character or don't particularly care for them, I wouldn't pay attention to the ships for them. That's just me.

I have seen some shippers of another fandom like this ship of two characters where one is really grumpy and hot blooded and gets a lot of hate and the other is like the typical Shonen protagonist, but he's a side character and those people will only ship that ship because "he can change him" as it's only right that one character has the ability to change and train the other like he's a dog. Honestly, disrespectful to both characters.

Back to SatoSugu!

Okay, back to a previous point. The "it doesn't have to always be canon bit" also applies to shipping Gojo/Sukuna and Gojo/Yuji. Both ships have way less content, especially, in a romantic sense than SatoSugu. Neither is canon and some people would have problems with them.

The first one, I can see why people ship it because you know the whole "enemies to lovers" and the whole fight thing and "I enjoyed fighting you". But those would be problems for people who don't ship them. Some folks don't like enemies being shipped because they usually try to kill each other and that ship is no different. Their whole fight may have been enjoyable for them, but they both still had those intentions to kill each other.

There's also the whole case of Sukuna possessing Yuji and Megumi's bodies, both being minors, so yeah, uncomfortable. (It's why nowadays people who like the ship prefer to ship them when it's OG!Sukuna.)

Speaking of, that's the problem people would have with the latter ship. Not everyone is fond of teacher/student relationships especially when a minor is involved.

That reminds me of how once I said something along the lines of "if SatoSugu had a kid, Yuji is the result". Something like that, something like that. [I'll post the link to that here.]

I don't know whether to cry or laugh either, Anon, I'll be real. Like... there's just so much to unpack here...

[franciskirkland-deleted]

Rating Hetalia Ships - Alfred F. Jones Edition 🇺🇸🦅🗽

just my thoughts on popular america pairings!

RusAme - 10/10 perfection. the classic america ship to me. no real notes or critique. love it healthy or toxic. love when ivan is possessive and obsessed with al. love when they're fluffy. love when they're mutually kicking the shit out of each other. they're bitter exes. they're best mates. they're rivals. they're married til death do they part amen

(RusAme vs AmeRus (i.e. who's taking it in the butt) is so heavily debated and like. i would say i don't have a dog in this fight, i can respect both sides of the coin but i do prefer a very masculine, dominant characterization of ivan, sorry just being real. alfred is more of a bottom to me. except with france. himbo service top superman.)

USFr - another 10/10, tied with RusAme for my fave except the two ships could not be more different. holding myself back from rambling because y'all know i could go on about them for hours. cougar fran. milf-hunter alfred. mommy and her big strong babyboy husband. dumb blonde power couple. they're so pretty and shiny together and so sweet. need i say more??

(next one is controversial and often considered incestuous. my official stance on this is that i have mixed feelings. i understand why some people dislike it + can empathize. in canon they clearly have a familial relationship. but we're allowed to diverge from canon. i'm also not gonna lie and pretend i don't enjoy the ship in AUs where they're not related)

USUK - ehhhh. 2 or soft 3/10 i really do not like bottom england. BUT (haha butt) if anyone can top him it might be alfred (on occasion). they probably switch but to me arthur could never be 'the wife', to use a heteronormative term. they're homosexual your honor.

UKUS - ohhhh yeah baby. 9/10 when done well. don't get me started. the daddy issues. the banter. the sub/dom aspect. the domestic fluffy bits. the big gay. two differing brands of masculinity. i just love both of these characters so the potential is unlimited. they're so malleable and fun to write. OH and i love UK/Nyo!US <333

Ameripan - solid 8/10. humanverse only. nationverse relations are very complicated to say the least and i'd rather not touch on that. anyway. human AU ameripan is cute as fuck. i can see them working great either platonically or romantically. they bring out the best in each other. alfred helps kiku lighten up and have fun, kiku helps alfred get his shit together. they're a very 'opposites attract' kind of couple. (is it crazy that i want to see kiku take alfred to pound town. am i alone in that.)

Prumerica - platonically 10/10. maybe fwb, but in my opinion they're too similar to work out long term romantically. 6/10. like, the idea is cute, i don't dislike it, but nah. plot twist they're both fran's service top puppy boy guard dog cringefail loser gamer BFs. that could work.

AmeChu - hmm. 4/10. not a lot of strong feelings either way. very much an older/younger ship. i can't imagine yao would have the patience to deal with alfred for very long, plus the age gap is a bit much. i like age gaps but yao is so ancient. i can see al having a crush on him tho. again not a fave but certainly not bad.

Romerica - with nyo!america yes! 8/10. but alfred and lovi i can't really see together bc of their personalities (lovino's temper. he's like arthur but worse) sexy in theory but disastrous in practice. 3/10.

AmeCan - to me they're brothers 99% of the time and i'm not a fan of overt/sibling incest. i'm not gonna hate on it, i just can't really objectively rate something that doesn't have romantic potential. even if they're not biologically related they're platonic to me. 0 ??/10.

AmeLiet - ?? no hate i just don't really know why this is a ship. like i know they interact in the later seasons but i don't get it?? umm 2/10. it would be interesting to see him have a threeway with lietpol.

GerAme - no opinion. not here to hate i just don't see it whatsoever.

did i forget anything?

[ren-rambles-often]

'Tale of Winter and Spring' another goyuu arranged marriage fic that might just become a fave despite some reservations of mine!!! Let me explain!!! (Rec Review and thoughts)

This review was so sweetly requested by the actual author and lovely mutual of mine @star2112 (really love their name for some reason). So with that context and their permission I'll be going a bit more in depth, and letting them know where I feel they could improve upon. I do keep in mind that many ao3 authors aren't from the pro writing background so I'll be super gentle.

But before we get to that I will give you a quick summary and listing out the fic's strong points (and there are a lot (✿ ♡‿♡)

CW for review and the story itself: there will be spoilers in this rev so if you want to read it before hearing my thoughts go ahead and follow the link in the title. The story involves mpreg, omegaverse and dub con.)

Tale of Winter and Spring is set in historical Japan as all good fics should be, where Yuuji is given away to Gojo by his older brother Sukuna. Thing is Yuuji is in love with next heir of the Zenin clan, Megumi and he's very, very, very unhappy with what's happening. Nevertheless he goes through it all with some very un-Yuuji like gloom )don't worry, we'll get to that). Its an ongoing fic so we don't know the end or which direction the plot itself is taking but for now there's a whole lot of intrigue and hints of Geto coming into the picture to ruin (or maybe not ruin) everything happening.

There's a handful of things that made this story a bit challenging to read but one of the many things I have to give props to is the development of the FushIta relationship side of Yuuji's story. I don't hate FushIta but it's one of many jjk ships that makes me grit my my teeth when it's not a side story in a goyuu ntr fic. So reading the development of their bond here… actually made me kick my feet a bit, is the author a FushIta shipper in disguise??? We'll never know ig ¯_(ツ)_/¯

There's the flashback scene where they're talking about books they read and after some banter Yuuji's like,

"hey megumi… in the future, let's go North, and see if those demons are real or not."

And I felt that, especially since Yuuji does end up going North (Gojo's Clan location if I remember correctly) but Megumi isn't there with him and it's much colder and lonely for him since he can't relate to Satoru at all.

Genuinely almost sobbed ಥ‿ಥ

Another thing I did enjoy was Sukuna's backstory and part of me really wanted more of it and him. It's said he got his hands dirty but I'd love to know what exactly this entails as it would really add more depth to the evilness of his character which is mostly told but not shown. It's easy to so say oh this character does evil things and imply that constantly but harder to display those evil things and show them doing the tragedies that solidify them in the reader's mind like 'yeah, this dude is the worst'. Example, Sukuna throughout the entirety of jjk lollll.

And there was an opportunity for the story to show one of such things which I'll get to in the critique part of this review.

I also really love the characterization which is very important you're making and alternate world. You don't always have to put characters in roles they'll fit but one thing I do like is when a they reflect that role with their canon personalities. And I know someone's already going "well fanon doesn't care about canon" which is fine and true but realistically many fanfic readers, myself included aren't into ooc content. What counts as ooc does vary from person to person tho, especially bc different people interpret characters differently.

Despite the various interpretations there is a common way a character is viewed and enjoyed, which is why, despite how much I enjoyed reading, there was something about Yuuji that constantly…called out to me.

I'm getting into the critique section now to talk about that. Where the writing shines in dialogue and interesting world building, it's kind of falls back in consistency.

Somewhere at the start, in the wedding scene, Utahime says they all have high expectations of Yuuji putting Gojo in his place with kind of indicates a firey kind of attitude but up until this point Yuuji has being quiet and avoidant and kind of continues to be until some of the later chapters. So it's weird she puts this responsibility on him when his character hasn't shown any signs of it. It's not one of more glaring instances but it's one that precedes a few others.

There's another part where Yuuji apologizes for speaking angrily, but Gojo says he doesn't have to because he knows he's the problem. Yuuji's internal thoughts proceed to view that as his apology being discarded which don't exactly make sense to me and ends up feeling like he's looking for reasons to be nitpicky at this point.

Character building isn't a huge problem but it's always the little things that manage add to the overall picture. There's a scene where Sukuna wants to take Yuuji to the Zenin clan and Wasuke doesn't want him to bc everyone thinks Sukuna wants to sell him off. Thing is Sukuna says he's not depraved enough to use an omega child like that but in my opinion it would have done his story and Yuuji's a greater service for him openly consider it and hold that over Yuuji's head for good behavior. He's evil, even if he'd actually never do it, evil people say evil shit.

With all this talk about characters it's time I finally expand on what really got to me and that would be Yuuji. My baby boy is literally all over the place. Yuuji canonically is a very social characters, eager to please and more ready than usual to give other's the benefit of a doubt. Here he's very quick to judge and overly guarded to me.

Now, I'm not saying has to overly friendly either but there's a balance that could struck with him not insulting or assuming things of Gojo constantly, and yeah the white haired bastard doesn't make it especially easy but one of Yuuji's admirable traits is his fortitude and patience with those around him.

Nevertheless, a part of me does think this was a stylistic choice to convey the disparity of Yuuji's behavior with his two love interests; Yuuji is only truly his best self with Megumi and the worst with Gojo. And understanding this, I was able to look past his behavior with the hope and interest of seeing both him and Gojo warm up to each other.

Also, did I mention it's still a mystery why Gojo asked for Yuuji's hand in marriage. Either that or it was mentioned that it's bc of his scent and I forgot (I've been through a lot this week forgive me (〒﹏〒)

My final critique is the writing structure and grammar. Grammar and writing are like 80% of a fic for me. If I don't vibe, no matter how interesting the concept I just might not read.

Thing is, I do vibe with Star2112's writing a lot, it simple yet beautiful in the way in which it conveys the emotions and moods of the story and characters. I enjoyed reading the scene where Yuuji freaks out cuz Gojo didn't spend the wedding night with him and now it may harm his reputation and Sukuna's. I enjoyed every FushIta interaction and I most definitely enjoyed when towards the ending of chapter 8, Yuuji allows Gojo to touch his belly and feel the baby while the Alpha spoke it (also Gojo wants to be a girl dad and that made me throw my phone across the room screaming cuz cuuuute (●♡∀♡)!!!!)

What I didn't enjoy was the structure of the sentences.

"Sentences work like this," Ren says. ✅

" Not like this, " They add. ❌

Figuring out how dialogue and quotations work are a big step for every author's writing journey, it's common not to know if you end with commas of full stops but for the most part, that doesn't really matter. Leave no spaces between the quoted sentence and the quotations marks and always start a new statement with a capital, doesn't matter if it was a continuation of what they were saying in a previous sentence.

Capital.

Grammar-wise, there were a lot of frequent errors but none to glaring and they could all be fixed with a more thorough read through. It can be pretty hard without a beta reader bestie but I believe you, there's so much talent for you not to give the best reading experience you're able to.

Overall, this is definitely a fic I would recommend to avid arranged marriage goyuu fans that love the DRAMA (and if you're like me who likes to read Megumi getting cucked, tho it's not exactly cheating here we'll manage ( ꈍᴗꈍ)💕

At the end of the day, a lot of this advice is partly objective, all authors are free to take what they feel they want to work on and leave the rest. Or leave it all because what matters about writing and fanfiction is that you enjoy what you do. Other's enjoying it is just a bonus/by product.

And to Star2112, you're doing so good, keep it up, I'm subbed and ready to see more, especially if I'll get to read goyuu raising their kid or kids, I'm a sucker for 'oop it's twins'. I'd also encourage you to read more books outside fanfic if you don't if you're still interested in dialogue and sentence structure. You have a strong voice and I think working on your weak points will really amplify that. I'm honored you came to me and hope I was able to help.

If anyone else wants to request, recommendations and reviews are kinda two different things. If you Recommend me a fic and I may or may not talk about it, depends. If you request I Review (for analysis and advice) a fic it has to be yours and you'll have to prove it to me. Depending on what you want I'll either write a post or just let you know my thoughts privately. DMs open so don't be shy.

Thanks for sticking to the end, go check out Star's work to get in on that action and happy Easter my precious freaks!!!

Ps: will edit this later, my brain is literally on fire, bye lovelies (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤

[aihoshiino]

I’m curious as to what your opinions are on the ships in ONK. I’m guessing you’re not an Aquaruby fan (neither am I) but what do you think of Aquakana? Or any other ships in ONK! Personally my favorite is Ai x Happiness :)

AI X HAPPINESS IS THE ONLY OSHI NO OTP THAT MATTERS YOU'RE SOOOO RIGHT ANON

Out of the "official" OnK ships tho, you're right in that I don't really care for AquRuby, at least as presented in the text. It was never going to be a ship I was on board with since I'm just too exhausted with anime being the way it is about sibling incest to even pretend to take it seriously but the manga itself also seems to have the same attitude. Since 123, Ruby's feelings for Aqua have mainly been treated as a joke that relies on having Ruby act out a caricature of an archetype that was ALREADY shallow and dated in the 2010s lmao. I think Ruby -> Aqua would at least be interesting to read about if the story was actually willing to take her seriously and properly examine her feelings in a way that feels consistent with her character and to actually dig into the reality of a person developing incestuous feelings in a society that condemns incest rather than using her as a gag prop. I care less about it being incest and more about it being badly written incest basically LOL

AquAka I think it's interesting on paper and there's a lot of elements to it I think are really neat to chew on in discussions and character analysis but as a ship, it doesn't really work for me in execution. Part of it is that I don't really like how Aka handled most of Akane's stuff post TB and most of it is just that the majority of their "real" relationship happens like... offscreen, in a time skip? So there was no real time to get attached to their dynamic as a real couple and I'm the kind of person who mostly gets invested in ships based on the strength of their moment to moment banter and rapport. AquAka have a lot of big, dramatic moments but I didn't feel like they quite had the necessary downtime rapport to serve as the connecting tissue that would've made it land.

It also doesn't help that I feel like, a lot of what *I* think is interesting about AquAka is really not what the fandom sees in it LOL So it's really hard to discuss the elements I like without people getting Genuinely Angry At Me for daring to say the relationship is unhealthy or that both Aqua AND Akane completely fucked up and that's why it didn't pan out. That conflict and tension and the simmering undercurrent of codependence and toxicity that both of them unintentionally brought to the relationship is sooooooo fascinating but I feel like so many people actively talking about AquAka just kind of ignore that and treat it as an entirely wholesome, uncomplicatedly good relationship and Akane as completely flawless within its context. I think that's both unfair to Akane and kind of boring but I've also really drifted away from the question here, huh...

Anyway! AquKana is the 'canon' OnK ship I like the most by far! I wouldn't say I'm like Actively Shipping It in the sense that I go out of my way to seek out fanworks about it, but I think they're cute together and I like them, especially in the anime - I've said before it was the adaptation that made me actively a fan of Kana and that goes for AquKana, too. Like I said up there, a couple's moment to moment banter and dynamic is really important to me and that's a big part of the AquKana appeal to me. I really like the way they bounce off each other and I particularly enjoy the way Kana encourages Aqua to be a better version of himself - not necessarily in an "I can fix him" way but in that his friendship with Kana encourages him to be better out of respect and fondness for her. Kana serves as a sort of window into life as a normal boy for Aqua, with no revenge or ulterior motives, and in that space a lot of Aqua's worst traits that are exacerbated by trauma get softened and filtered through a kinder lens. I also really love the ways Aqua's support helps to uplift and encourage Kana to do her best - she was such a lonely person for so long, seeing the way she glows once she has someone to shine for is so sweet.

I definitely don't feel as strongly about it now as I did coming right off the anime because it's been pretty out of focus for a while... Honestly, come to think of it, I think that's part of why AquAka didn't really hook me at all. It's hard to get invested in something that's making a character you already liked more feel so bad LOL

Circling back to Ai, though... Ougghh it really does kill me there's no straightforwardly lovey dovey ships for her in OnK. I'm a lifeform that draws sustenance from seeing my faves getting loved and doted on, especially when they're someone as starved for love as Ai... don't get me wrong, I love KamiAi and AiNino because yandere love is pure love but sometimes I just want to see nice things happen to her...!!!

Anyway this is the part where I pull out my License To Be Cringe And Free and admit that I do have a whole bunch of crosscanon OTPs for Ai that I've written with friends LOL Honestly I do feel very spoiled with how many I've gotten to write and how good they've been... I've even commissioned some art here and there. So if you're ever on an internet walk and stumble across a piece of art that makes you go "hold on, why is Ai holding hands with Rinne Amagi from EnStars" or something, you have this bitch to thank!!!

[azk-rajie-tdix3]

Raj what do you think about the whole Mkulia thing?

Also how is things going with Bowie? Is everthing alright?

What is your favorite hobby?

Also if you can tell Bowie that I like him a lot he is really cool

(Ps: you are also really cool :D)

Whoo, straight to the point, ey?

Well, the whole 'mkulia' thing? It's hard to point my finger at.. At one hand, they're super close! Which is great, I don't think they have many friends, ey? Not the nicest.. But it feels weird to say I 'ship' real people! I've seen a lot of guys do it on social media, so I don't wanna do it to them!

Talking about bowie, I'd say everything is going great! A lot of people got worried about the whole banter thing at the end of season 2, which is where in guessing the: "Is everything alright?", question came from, but it's just all fun! Is it really love if you can't tease each other? We did go on that dancing date.. The things you do for love.. [I am NOT a dancer!]

My favorite hobby? EASY! HOCKEY! Buut, WHEN me and Wayne make it as pro players, it'd be our job.. Soo.. Outside of hockey, I really enjoy writing! Especially poetry! I'm not the best or anything, but I can do much better now that I'm not concussed ey?

AND I WILL!!! TY FOR THE ASK ANON YOU'RE SUPER DUPER COOL TOO!! 🦉

[charkyzombicorn]

One piece shipping meme because i can only mentally consume the sillies :( blank template and justification below the cut

lusopp - my favorite guys! I love the theme of devotion in ships between strawhats but I also love that effort they had to put into it. They don't always understand eachother but they are constantly trying to and I love them I could make a whole seperate post abt it

zolu - the devotion? There. The complete interdependence? There. The full faith in eathother? There. Literally the only problem with them is that any conflict with them has to be them vs the world instead of inter-relationship because they are so symbiotic

zosopp - I'm soooo normal about them. Usopp is everything Zoro is not, but all they see is the benefits of that. Usopp confuses Zoro in a good way

sanlu - the subtext between a captain and a cook got to me, man. Also the devotion still gets to me, and I think those two would make for very cute old people

frobin - genuinely forget this one isn't canon sometimes. Autism x Autism. They make eachother happy. I don't know what more to say

navi - listen. I know a lot of the ship is based on fanon because Yuri is hard to come by in a show that doesn't pass the bechdel test within the first 500 episodes. But I don't care. Let me enjoy my lesbian Aladin in peace. Nami being a cutpurse mad at the world for what it did to her and Vivi being a princess desperately trying to control the world just to keep it safe. I love them

roboa - yes I know it's a rarepair yes I know they haven't interacted but. The potential???? Firstly, Robin could fix her. Secondly, Boa could make her worse. Thirdly, they would be able to understand eachother on a very deep level. Fourthly, undercover assassin scenario ✨ yes I'm delusional leave me be

lawlu - lots of great fics, lots of potential, lots of Dressrosa arc. I like them

zolaw - jock x nerd type ship. Not a bad thing. All the content I see of them is gold

lunami - been obsessed since I read Arlong Park in grade 4 at my school library. I'm very specific about them, though, because a lot of the content is two-dimensional guy-girl tropes that don't fit them.

branky/brobin - strawhat old people polycule real. If Jimbe was in the circle he would be here too

usosan - I get it

acesan - they're funny to me

usonami - most normal couple i think

ronami - depends on the content & context

sannami - drum island ot3 real, but without Luffy it's kinda meh

lawsopp - I've seen some good content, but I don't think they would fit well

zosan - they kinda just act like my brother and I? They're kinda that sore spot between witty banter and actual enemies-to-lovers. Some of the content is good, though

luboa - pretty sure it's canonical boa is only Like That because she doesn't have a lot of good sources that men aren't all dogshit

sabolu/acelu/saboace - doesn't really do anything for any of their characters, kinda pointless unless they're ooc and seems more like a kink thing than anything

sanrobin - don't really see it

lushanks - don't really get it

Nothing is in black because saying something people enjoy that doesn't hurt anyone shouldn't exist seems mean to me, I don't really believe in that.

[daylander1000]

Hi, I just wanted to say I really love your fic. Aemond/Rhaena dynamics is so well written and I enjoyed their dialogues. There is a lot of shared grief, misunderstandings, compassion and banter between the two and I've actually always thought that their show versions could've functioned well as a couple because they are so different and yet so similar at the same time.

Also, I'm glad you didn't make Rhaena and Baela another Rhaenyra's worshippers like in the show because that doesn't make much sense and it baffles me that Baela in her deleted scene with Rhaenys sees Rhaenyra as "her queen" and supports her unconditionally. I mean, Rhaenyra is a woman who replaced her mother so soon, she is also their father's niece and a woman whose sons will inherit not just the Iron Throne but also Driftmark, even though they have no Velaryon blood. Moreover, Baela didn't spend much time with her on Dragonstone because she was Rhaenys' ward on Driftmark, learning there what Luke should have been learning. And somehow, we are still supposed to believe that Baela and Rhaena are perfectly content with their situation? They are not just happy to be betrothed to Jace and Luke but also, they are not upset at all after they saw how (and why) Vaemond was killed? It's hard to believe this.

Another thing that bothered me in the show is this forced hostility between Rhaena, Baela and Aemond, but even more the instant friendship and closeness with Jace and Luke. Baela and Rhaena met Aemond and Rhaenyra's sons for the first time at Laena's funeral and, according to the show, they just decided they hated Aemond for no reason at all? "It's him" sounded too hostile and while I understand Rhaena's anger and grief at that specific moment, it sounded like the girls already hated Aemond's guts before the incident with Vhagar which is ridiculous. Furthermore, why would Baela and Rhaena enter Jace's room and ask for his help ? Not their father's help, their grandparents' or even one of the guards', but the boy's they met that same day. It seems to me that the writers just didn't want or didn't have time to bother with deeper analysis and needed to make all the children from TB super close and supportive of one another, so that was apparently reason enough to gang up on Aemond. Idk, I just don't buy the instant unconditional friendship between the Strong boys and Laena's daughters, nor the hostility toward Aemond. That's why I'm glad you are exploring their dynamics realistically.

I'm so sorry if this was too long. Once again, love SWHHW and I'm looking forward to the next chapters, especially Aemond/Rhaena scenes. Oh, and Alicent and Criston too, you write them so well.

Too long? 😅 This is where I come to hyperfixate on all things fictional. Too long???

(this is gonna be long af)

First, thank you for reading. Rhaemond is so much fun. At first, all I had was hate for this series, but tumblr forced me to open my heart a little and let this ship in.

It's fun to try to be a little realistic about it. I love when people deconstruct tropes. Like The Boys taking a look at how someone raised in a lab with Superman's powers might actually turn out to be a nightmare. But it doesn't always have to grimdark stuff. We can do some shipping.

We had Sky High about how a boy from a superpowered family would feel if he had no powers. Why can't we explore life for a dragonless girl raised in a Dragon-Makes-Right family? And why not ship her with the only other person in her who can relate to growing up dragonless in a Dragon-Makes-Right family?. This is what fanfiction is for. 😅

I can't help but think about it.

Like, there are a lot of series/movies that are underwritten in the way that you get out of the cinema and then you think something like, "Well, no. The stock market would freeze financial transactions if a supervillain went after Bruce Wayne's holdings." But HotD is underwritten in the sense that you're watching it in real time and thinking "Okay, don't stop there. Finish that sentence in a way that makes sense." And then they finish it with something bizarre like for instance "history remembers names" as if Westeros isn't the country that invented special names for bastards because they take that shit seriously.

The insta-friendship with Jace/Luke, the insta-beef with Aemond... It's just so weirdly done. They took the time to write the scene where Rhaenyra tells Jace, "Hey, your cousins are sad, their mother just died," and he's like, "Yeah, well, I'm sad too. Remember Harwin?" And then he grudgingly goes over, and Baela just sort of latches on to his hand... It's too one-sided for me.

They took the time to let you know that he wasn't in a friend-making mood. And it makes sense, because we know that Rhaenyra is planning to go after Daemon and she's like, "They're gonna be stepsiblings by tomorrow," but Jace doesn't know that. Both sets of children there are grieving a parent. They're strangers. Who makes friends at a funeral? It's not the time or place.

And I know the goal is to make Jace look like the self-suffering type of chivalrous gentleman who befriends pitiful women in need, but it's just too overtly disingenuous to me. The whole friendship. It's just not organic imo. It's this contrived thing the writers just pulled out of their ass like a trump card because "they were friends in the book," failing to realize how incoherent their adaptation was turning out.

I mean, let's pretend Baela and Rhaena are fleshed out 3d characters instead of plot devices. At this point, pre-wedding, they have no reason to think that they're never going back home to Pentos or never seeing their actual friends again.

Are there children in this world who go to their mother's funeral who come out of it thinking "The important thing is the friends we made." ??? Are they really looking to be recruited into Jace's beef with Aemond? Are they invested in that?

Cause it's not even really the "green v black" drama if you think about it, because Jace gets along well enough with Aegon and apparently Helaena, so at this point pre-maiming, it's really just a general "this kid doesn't have the latest toy" type bullying of Aemond for not having a dragon.

After Harwin dies, is Jace really just seething over Aemond? Does he dislike Aemond to the point that he can't wait for new blood in his gang? Is he really taking Rhaena and Baela aside to pitch them on the benefit of making an alliance for the few days they're in town?

How does Jace even explain that they've been laughing at Aemond for not having a dragon? How does he do that in a way that makes Rhaena (who also doesn't have a dragon) want to join in? Is he just like "If Aemond comes bothering you, don't go to your father or grandfather, come to me and I'll handle him. See, I'm the sheriff in these here parts. I don't take kindly to dragon-rustlers, and mark my words, that boy Aemond is a rustler if I ever saw one."

It's him, who?

They never give us a single conversation between the children to show why Baela and Rhaena pledged allegiance to Jace and Luke and decided that Jace and Luke's enemies were theirs, now and forever.

The word "bastard" is clearly Jace's berserk button, so we also know he didn't pitch them like "So I'm a bastard, but we've all agreed to pretend I'm not, except for the queen who's a real bitch who's like 'bastards shouldn't inherit over trueborn sons,' or whatever. Anyway, Aemond is the nastiest skank bitch you'll ever meet. Don't trust him. He's a dragon-stealing fugly slut."

But anyway, let's say that Baela and Rhaena spent their mother's funeral drinking the Kool Kidz of King's Landing Kool-Aid™. And let's say they have zero post-maiming regrets about the 4-on-1 attack on Aemond even though we clearly see them stop taking part in the violence after Jace pulls a blade. Doesn't that change after the wedding?

There's no way you're fine with someone claiming your mother's husband if one day earlier you were pissed as shit about someone claiming your mother's dragon.

And then on top of that Baela gets sent away. All Rhaenyra's children stay huddled and cuddled while Rhaena and Baela get split up. For years.

Baela's been on Driftmark with Rhaenys for years. They go out of their way to present the situation as hostile. Rhaenyra and Daemon have one granddaughter, Rhaenys has the other one. Rhaenyra thinks Rhaenys is fully going to throw her under the bus and is desperately asking her to accept a betrothal as a compromise, so we can assume that Baela and Jace haven't been flying back and forth, hanging out and chilling, growing up together, etc.

And Baela definitely hasn't been flying over every weekend either saying "Hey, my grandmother is super cool with what you guys did to Laenor, come visit for Thanksgiving. It's all bygones! We started using the fireplace again for marshmallows and it's like she doesn't even remember her son burning to death in there. It's totally fine!"

And Rhaenys hasn't seen Rhaena in years so she's not going over to visit either. And yet, so many years later, Baela wants to go do another team-up beatdown with Jace because Aemond said the b-word again? Why?

Are she and Jace star-crossed lovers kept apart by her grandmother's sensless standoff against Rhaenyra for no real reason (aside from her murdered son)? She's been trying to talk Rhaenys into accepting Rhaenyra as their rightful queen? Trying to get Rhaenys to swear allegiance to her son's killers?

But okay, even if in some scenario we say that Baela's been flying over to Dragonstone to visit her sister and the others and she's good friends with all of them.

Why is it still so one-sided? That's the crux of it for me. She's giving up her claim on Driftmark out of her friendship withJace, and Luke and Jace are doing what exactly? What is Baela getting out of the friendship?

Rhaenys got shot down but we're supposed to believe that she's been raising Baela to think that Rhaenyra is beyond a doubt going to be queen and that "King Jace" is a sure thing, so "yeah, even though his mother killed my son, keep that friendship strong and hopefully he marries you. Fingers crossed. And hopefully he's a good husband. His mother and your father left my son to burn in a fireplace until he was unrecognizable just so they could get married but aside from that, I'm sure they'll be excellent rulers. You'd be lucky to marry Jace. Marriage is the best. Look how glorious my life's been as Corlys's wife. Don't you want this exact same life that I have, where I ask my husband to do things and he's like no? My children are dead because of his poor decision-making and my lack of a say in anything, but it's more fun than it looks. I am loving life. So glad I wasn't queen myself because it doesn't get any better than this, granddaughter. You should be this lucky."

I mean, it is totally possible that the showrunners went to all the actresses and writers and said that all the female characters should be treated like "women for trump".

Rhea—Big dyke energy from you. You die first cause you're not fuckable.

Laena—you're a nag and you have failed at childbirth. That is your one purpose in life. This is so embarrassing; you should just kill yourself.

Rhaenyra—were you groomed or were you into it? Domestic abuse isn't actually all that bad, it's a little light choking. You're into it. Women need to stop emasculating their men in the name of feminism. Upgrading wives 3 or 4 times is normal, he might have treated the ones before you like shit, but you're special. Maybe.

Alicent—You are a church lady. Be good and listen to your husband and your father, and just, you know, be obedient like it says in the bible. You don't do any plotting at all. Yeah, just turn that cheek. Keep turning it. Serve your husband. Marital rape isn't even a thing, so you know, take care of him like a good wife.

Rhaenys—well, you're the hypothetical postmenopausal crazy bitch who should not be trusted with nuclear codes because you'll kill a bunch of people due to hormones and mean girl catfighting, etc.

Helaena—*checks notes* are dreamers the same as manic pixie dream girls? you get to speak in riddles constantly. Like women do... Jace will dance with you and that'll sort of define you. We just need you to give birth really, so...

Rhaena—Your role is Dangerous Urban Youth, but you grow up and learn your place. Less is more. Remember: seen, not heard.

Baela—We let women inherit but only certain women, so you're essentially the Black Best Friend. You know. No purpose outside of defending the white main chracters in your life who you would gladly die for. You're the type of Good Woman™ who hands over her entire paycheck to her man because she knows he really needs it, mixed in with some Cool Girl™. You're cool with anything and everything he does. No opinions on nothing, sort of like your sister, but Cool.

What is this show and how does it exist in 2023 on HBO?

[fyodcrs]

My turn! Fyozai for the ask game 👀

001 | send me a ship and I will tell you:

when I started shipping it if I did:

From the first time I watched Dead Apple, lmao.

"Every city has its rats."

"Meow."

And in that moment, I knew. 😂

my thoughts:

This post is a little outdated now but still pretty well sums up my thoughts about them. I love how they parallel each other, how they're two sides of the same coin. How they're so evenly matched. How they don't complement each other but cancel each other out, essentially - how they constantly find themselves at a stalemate.

I used to think that it was particularly interesting because neither of them are your traditional "hero" and "villain" characters. The way Dazai was the amoral one who didn't believe in justice (not in the sense someone like Kunikida does, anyway) and Fyodor was, actually, the one driven by morals and a sense of justice. Now Fyodor is being written more like a typical villain and Dazai's character has lost some of the complex layers that made him interesting in the first place, so that's kind of out the window, but I still enjoy the way they mirror each other, how they're the same but opposite in so many ways. It's made for a really interesting dynamic. Unfortunately, I don't think the story is going to explore that dynamic much more from here on out, but hey, I can always hope.

What makes me happy about them:

I WILL NEVER BE OVER THEM PLAYING MENTAL CHESS TOGETHER. And the fact they have their own secret language??? And the fact that Fyodor said neither of them has ever been able to have real conversations with other people except each other, because of their intellects?? Bruv.

What makes me sad about them:

The way the writing for both their characters has gone down the toilet in this arc 😞

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

Everybody makes Fyodor top. Where is my bottom Fyodor??? I know Dazai accused Fyodor of being a control freak but as if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black sdfggfghj

Tbh, so many of the fics under the fyozai tag are just SKK fics that dump on Fyodor, and it really annoys me. And a lot of the actual fyozai fics either portray Fyodor or Dazai in a way I don't like or don't vibe with or use religious imagery in a way I find...er...uncomfortable, lol. I haven't looked for fyozai fics in ages because of it.

things I look for in fanfic:

Like I said, I haven't looked for fanfics of them in a long time, but I like some good smutty content and some witty banter. I do like a bit of character study when I agree with it, lol.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: 

Oh man, I have lots of ships for the both of them, haha. For Fyodor, number one is Sigma. Fyosig has such a special place in my heart. 💖💖 But there's also Fukuchi, Nikolai, Yosano...

For Dazai, mainly Atsushi. Dazatsu has such a special place in my heart, too. 💖

My happily ever after for them:

They make a deal to end the battle between them and move in together, becoming the undefeatable team they should be.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Dazai is big spoon, Fyodor is little spoon 🥰

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

Chess, obviously. But chess is also inherently sexual for them ASDFGDFG

Thank you, Rosa!! (´꒳`)♡

[meddowflowers]

💘 🙈 and 🎞️ for the ask game!! (@candyheartedchy)

these answers got so long omg. hope everyone brought their reading glasses!!

Imagine Your S/I Was Canon Ask Game !!

🙈: Why would your ship be thought of as cute/fluffy? Why would your ship be considered problematic?

wildflowers is THE cute and fluffy ship!!!! the first act of the game is entirely made up of these two lovebirds chatting and gabbing and making jokes about the environment... of course there's serious bits, but it is a lot of low-stakes stuff in the beginning. i think people would get soooo attached to the banter and such!! :)c

i think it could be considered "problematic" for a few reasons, but they're like... reasons a 13yo who's really into internet discourse would come up with, y'know?

"6 year age gap..? ew..." and it's two women who met at 37 and 43 like i don't think that matters anymore!! stuff like that, where it could be an issue under certain circumstances but just isn't at all a problem here.

🎞️: What ‘canon’ scenes would the fandom point to as evidence for the validity of your ship?

i answered this before but lucky for you wildflowers is Basically Canon so there's a MILLION scenes to talk about

i think after the Extremely Obvious Flirting, people would point to any number of scenes where one of us mentions meeting at the end of the summer (as all of the game takes place over walkie-talkies!!), particularly the scene where she suggests we "just burn it all to the ground and run away!!"

i dunno if that scene would be the most SOLID of ship evidence considering the context (without spoiling it: they just learned some pretty alarming and jarring news that makes them question their safety on the job) but it would definitely be one of those "OH MY GODDDDD" moments i think!!

💘: Why would people love your ship? Why would people dislike your ship? How might it start debates?

answered this once before too!! BUT this gives me a chance to talk about something i wanna talk about :)c

i put this last & with a read more because it got LONG. i have so many thoughts about junie

i think a point of debate in the fandom would very much be "does delilah actually like heather back". obviously there would be plenty of people insisting it's friendship (as you often see with wlw relationships in media- especially ones like wildflowers, where they don't make out on screen and loudly proclaim WE ARE DATING ROMANTICALLY!!!!) but there's a deeper aspect to it too.

i've mentioned it before but deedee is very guarded when it comes to actual emotions in my opinion- she's very happy to tell you a million anecdotes about herself and chat chat chat if it doesn't mean anything. she'll never see you again after all! so it doesn't matter what she says or what you know, right?

but when it comes to REAL emotions, REAL, LASTING relationships, she puts up a bunch of walls. she even says in the game something to the effect of "i personally try not to keep anyone around who might miss me, but that's just me." she's not one to be missed or wanted, just someone enjoyed in the moment and then moved on from. she sees herself as a side character in everyone's life.

so, honestly? pretty reasonable debate to have! it can be hard to tell the difference between "we'll never see each other again so who cares what i tell you" and "i want you to know this about me", especially with junie. and that's not even mentioning "i'm closing you off because i'm scared of intimacy" versus "i'm shutting you out because i don't like you" !!

she DOES like heather back, for the record, she just has issues that make it difficult to tell unless you're really diving into what she says and does. i think there would be a lot of discussion about it!!

i also think a lot of angst fics would spawn from it. ohhhh unrequited love... you'd have a choke hold on firewatch if i was there...

[acacia-may]

Hi Acacia!

I'm so happy to see you back here 💕

Anyway for the ship ask game I'd like to ask about Zora x Nebra and Finral x Vanessa. 😉

Hi Lola! Thank you so much for your ask and the welcome back. It's nice to be back, and I'm very excited to answer your ask. Thanks for sending it in and for playing! 💖

Zora x Nebra I honestly never thought about or would have thought about if not for the fandom. I'm not sure I can really imagine my personal perceptions of Zora and Nebra really getting along with each other seeing as they are so different as people and have such wildly different priorities and values, but if they did manage to come to appreciate, respect, and even admire their differences (as they do in some of the great fics I've had the pleasure to read about them 😊), then I could definitely support the ship. I can also see how the banter they might have would be fun and entertaining. I just personally don't have much of an opinion on it or any clear ideas on how it would happen or what their interactions with each other would be like, so I'd say I'm pretty neutral on this one personally, but I do see the appeal. ^^

Finral x Vanessa is a favorite pairing of mine for sure, though I also love them in a purely platonic sense as well. I did the big write up about them here, but to summarize, the Finral and Vanessa dynamic whether romantic or platonic has always been one of my favorite things in all of Black Clover. They just know each other so well, are so good for each other, and just care for each other so much and so deeply as friends. They're basically platonic soulmates in my opinion. For that reason, there is definitely a part of me that doesn't want to change the dynamic at all and doesn't want it to go to a romantic place. It is so beautiful and so healthy just as friendship and the world needs more examples of healthy, deep, and platonic relationships (and male-female friendships especially!), but... on the other hand, I'll admit imagining their friendship taking a more romantic turn someday is a huge guilty pleasure for me.

I'm usually not much into romance in fiction or in real life, but best friends to lovers (when it's done well) can really get to me, and in this particular case, I think, after everything Vanessa and Finral have both been through and suffered in their lives, it's just nice to imagine that they get to have a happy future and a relationship that's comfortable and easy with someone who really understands them—someone who is genuinely supportive and who truly sees them for who they are: both the good and the bad and who chooses to loves them anyway. 🩷💚

And I don't think it is completely impossible for them for find it with each other (even if it's definitely unlikely, especially now that Finral's history with Finesse has been established). While I do believe they are genuinely best friends (and not in any sort of "mutual pining" situation or something like that), the idea of them as a ship does make sense to me because I can imagine their relationship taking a more romantic turn under certain, specific circumstances (that take place way, way in the future after Finral does some serious soul-searching: learns to love himself, kicks that incessant flirting habit, builds confidence, and sorts out what it is that he actually wants, just to name a few things), and I can imagine a world where they could end up romantically interested in each other and happy together in that way, in a relationship that develops healthily and naturally by just building on that strong friendship foundation they already have kind of like the ‘icing on the cake’ of their already amazing bond. It's not impossible, I think, and I'll admit it is something I really enjoy thinking about and sometimes exploring in my fics.

They are definitely in the "guilty pleasure ship" category, but I do think it makes sense (to an extent) and it's extremely compelling for me and one of my favorite canon character x canon character pairings in Black Clover.

[dearweirdme]

https://www.tumblr.com/dearweirdme/732092785254154240/jikookers-have-lost-again-and-again-this-year-as?source=share

I'd really like some logical justification and explanation from those shippers as to how Jimin treats JK any more differently than he does Taehyung?

Like literally everything Jimin does to and with JK he does or has done with Tae. He's so tactile with Taehyung, he babies Tae, dotes on Taehyung as though he's Tae's hyung and the age difference between them is actually bigger than it is, he's protective of Taehyung in the same way, he praises Tae in the same way and gushes over his talent, his appearance etc, he hypes him, he sometimes pushes boundaries with Tae in ways that could come across as flirty or at least overtly touchy.

Like I'm gonna need these shippers to watch some VMIN complications or something because the way Jimin treats JK and Tae is really similar. He might hammer the big bro act home a little more with JK due to there actually being a bigger age difference between them but he also plays 'big bro' to Tae in a really similar way.

Like, for real, with all the reasons they have for shipping J!kook, why are they not shipping VMIN too?

Hi anon!

No no, don't call them here, I'm quite enjoying not having as much jkkrs in my asks 😂.

So the difference here is Tae, because while Jimin does the same things with Jk and Tae and also with others at times (Hobi for instance), Tae reacts differently. We talk about things they (maknae line) specifically do with each other and not with others at times, and I feel very strongly that Tae does not react or interact as close with anyone as he does with Jk. People say Taejin and Vmin and Taegi at times, but all of those are very different to how Tae and Jk are. Tae does not get affected by anyone else. He might go along with the action and find it either funny or comforting or allright, or he might engage in fanservice with someone, but there's no one who actually gets to him the way Jk does. So while Jimin might do the same things with Tae as he does with Jk, it looks different, because Tae's reaction is different. It's also how Tae and Wooga are obviously very close and have less physical boundaries, but it's still not the way it looks like as when he's with Jk. The dynamic is just different. I'd describe the connection between Tae and Jimin as caring, trusting and they have a deep understanding of each other's lives and feelings. Tae and Jimin do not however have an automatic understanding of each other the way I feel Tae and Jk have. I think Tae and Jimin came to this understanding by talking a lot. Tae and Jimin do not have that pull to always be together. They love being together, but they do not need to be together.

The reason why Jkkrs think there's more between Jk and Jimin is that their dynamic is indeed somewhat different from other pairings in BTS. Their characters together make for a banterous, playfull dynamic. It's very physical in nature, since Jimin is a physical guy and Jk enjoys a bit of banter. Jk is also a cuddly guy at times, we see him hug everyone when he feels like it. That's why there's so many grand moment's Jkkrs like to build their believes around. Jkkrs are right in seeing physical interactions, but they are not right in assigning romantic reasons to those interations. Men/boys/guys do interact physically close without wanting to actually pursue something sexual or romantic. We talk about Jkkrs focus on the sexual, and that is because those physical moments (that are actually banter or comfort) are the things that they have.. there's little else to point at a relationship. Jimin and Jk are do not get jealous about each other, they don't show the need to be together, they are indifferent about the other at times. Jk and Jimin have not got the deep knowledge about each other and each other's lives that Tae and Jk have. They also don't have the automatic understanding Tae and Jk share. The physical responses are also different, with it being more unexpected and not learned behavior like Tae and Jk.

The reason why we don't see this repeated between Jimin and anyone else is because the other hyungs are less physical types. Hobi and Jimin have some real flirty moments as well, but the focus has never been on Jimin and Hobi as a pair as much as it has been on Jimin and Jk. A dynamic between two persons is a result of two characters combining. All members have different characters, which is why all pairings have a different dynamic.

I wouldn't say Jimin's reaction's to Tae and Jk are part of my main reason's for believing they are together, but he (and the other hyungs) is part of what has strengthend my believes. His reactions to them speak of endearment, of amusement at times, of him being afraid for their discovery at times. I think Jimin has been tremendously important for both Jk and Tae and he has probably been some sort of anchor for both of them at times.

[twig-tea]

SHIPPER TAG GAME

Tagged by @lurkingshan and @stuffnonsenseandotherthings to dig into the vault. Friends, I have been Perpetually Online since 1995, when that meant I had to haunt my school library computer at lunchtime, so this is going to be for the fellow Olds. Sorry in advance for the HP mentions.

1. What ship were you completely obsessed with when you were a teenager, but now you don't care anymore?

Have I let any ships go? Hmm. I'll go with Mulder/Scully from X-Files. Watching now, they should definitely not end up together lol

2. Which ship would you consider your first one?

Sailor Mercury/Sailor Jupiter from Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. I. Was. Obsessed. This ship hit me like a ton of bricks in I want to say 6th or 7th grade.

I watched the show as it aired with English dubs, found out the episodes we got were censored, immediately fell into my completionist ways, went to the Asian mall (it was literally pan-Asian with stuff from Japan, China, Taiwain, Korea, etc.) and got definitely not official VCDs with Mandarin subtitles, and would sit with friends who spoke Mandarin and had them translate the subs to English for me (I say this like I forced them, but they offered because they were my friends and they also felt passionately about people seeing the uncensored show). I then learned how to Internet and would trawl for fanpages of the manga (it would take 20 minutes to load an image at the time, so rather than full scanlations I'd get walls of text describing what happened with maybe a single panel illustration). Uranus and Neptune were fantastic, but I already had Ami and Makoto aka Mercury and Jupiter long before I got to the Uranus/Neptune episodes (or the Sailor Stars manga arc).

3. Your first fanfic belonged to which couple?

Definitely Sailor Moon fanfic was the first fic I read. It was an easy step from finding fan summaries of the chapters not yet out in English > finding fan sites with fanfic on them, back before we had archives or even decent search engines and you had to just find the sites you needed through links from other sites. It was like a whole new world of possibilities opening up. The first real fanfic community I was in was Harry Potter.

In terms of first fic I wrote, I am not a writer; I've only ever written a small handful of not worth mentioning ficlets featuring the Kirk/Spock ship (Star Trek TOS).

4. Do you remember the first couple you saw a fanart over?

Oh it was likely Serena/Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon and it was in person, because I had friends who got me into anime and manga early and they were artists who drew a lot of fanart.

5. Did you ever get into ship discourse?

Friends, I had a Livejournal. It was impossible not to get into ship discourse.

6. Did you used to have any no-otp or have it currently?

I am going to echo @stuffnonsenseandotherthings and @lurkingshan and say I was dead-set against Hermione as a ship with any of the men in Harry Potter (Hermione/Luna or Hermione/Ginny, though, we could talk), and I also really disliked Draco/Ron. I also am not here for Spock/McCoy (Star Trek), and I don't really enjoy Stucky (as in Captain America/Winter Soldier or Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes from Marvel).

OH and can I be a hater on main for a second? The first couple that I remember hating as a thing was probably Jo and Professor Bhaer from Little Women; I was SO MAD they married in the end. I felt very validated years later when I read that the author Lousia May Alcott was forced by her publisher to marry Jo off and made up the couple out of spite.

7. Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read?

The last fic I read was a Word of Honour modern AU pairing Wen Ke Xing/Zhou Zishu in which they rescued stray kittens.

SInce I started this, I've also read a One Piece Luffy/Zoro fic (and that's not even my favourite ship--I've been a Zoro/Sanji girlie since the early 2000s! I'm weak for banter.)

8. Currently, do you have any OTPs?

I have so many. SO many. Truly. I don't even know where to start with this question! I follow several AO3 tags and fanfic writers that I get regular fic updates from. Most of my OTPs are either canon (from queer/BL/GL media) or the most popular ship (I feel very lucky that my taste is so basic). There is no one couple I love the most. Just going to throw a dart at the board: From BL, the one I come back to a lot is Hira/Kiyoi in Utsukushii Kare, because their dynamic is so intense.

9. Is there any couple that, to this day, you are extremely mad about not getting together?

Hmm. That's what fandom is for, so not really? I usually get more annoyed when people do get together that I wish had stayed platonic (never forgiving Pacific Rim for that kiss, it was so unnecessary). And I'm extremely mad about censorship, i.e. couples that DID get together but we didn't get to see it for whatever reason (see e.g. Uranus and Neptune from Sailor Moon Sailor Stars; Chinese danmei novel live-action adaptations). Otherwise there are lots of these but I just read the fanfic and recover. I'll say I'm still annoyed Buffy didn't get to have with Faith what she had with Spike though. Their chemistry was off the charts.

10. Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they are kind of interesting?

This is such a hard question. I came around a little on Lan Xichen/Jiang Cheng from MDZS/the Untamed, though it's still not my fave (it's a soft no not a hard no). I'll also give you an oldie: Andie McPhee and Pacey from Dawson's Creek. I hated Andie's character back in the day but now I like her character but really dislike how she was used in the show, which isn't the same thing. And I actually really liked how she and Pacey worked together.

I'll also give you a BL one: Kurosawa and Haruta in Ossan's Love. Ossan's Love s1 & 3 it was clear they were not OTP so that's a bit irrelevant anyway, but it's much less clear in s2 (the AU season) and the first time I watched it I wasn't sure how I felt about the way that season ended as much as I loved the season as a whole. I like it more every time I rewatch.

11. Do you have any ship that, in the past, was considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

LOL I am with everyone else on the Brian/Justin train but since that's been said twice I'll go with something else. I was a big Harry/Draco shipper back in the day, which would now probably get me cancelled for shipping someone with his bully (though a significant part of the fun of that ship was about how Draco was such an ineffectual bully...but I digress), in addition to of course how the author's transphobia ruined the whole thing for all of us (fanfic doesn't make her any money, so I don't have a problem continuing to read it in theory, but it's left a sour note over my experience and makes any engagement in that fandom less fun).

12. What was your favorite crack ship?

I was one of those foolish people obsessed with Hawkeye/Coulson before we'd even seen them face-to-face or knew almost anything about MCU Clint Barton. I still read fanfic of that ship even though it's been fully jossed and makes no sense at all anymore. Ok one more, I really love the very small Breakfast Club fandom shipping Brian/John and Claire/Allison. I've read the few fics on AO3 for the queer pair ghost ships in that show multiple times.

13. Who is the couple you read more fanfics of?

Of all time, I've probably read the most Kirk/Spock fanfic. But that's due to the length of time I've been into the ship, the amount of time it's existed, and its popularity. I still read Kirk/Spock regularly.

14. What most of your ships usually have in common?

Honestly most can be boiled down to grumpy/sunshine pairs in which both are very competent in specific ways and both are hiding crippling self esteem issues behind their grumpy or sunshine-ness, and have strong but differing moral codes that they each respect in one another (and is usually where the feelings start). Banter is a must. I am admittedly also here for height difference in my ships. Double-plus bonus for terrible communicators who learn to understand one another's particular communication quirks.

Perfect encapsulation of this dynamic is Danny/Steve from Hawaii Five-0 (listen that show was copaganda trash but the fanfic was fun as hell).

15. What do you absolutely hate in a ship?

Power dynamics that remain unaddressed as part of the story. Hate to love that isn't earned over time. When the relationship makes each other worse rather than better. When they never learn to trust one another. When one of them is in it as part of a savior complex and that doesn't get challenged or worked through. When only one of them has a personality. There's very little that I'd say is a hard no in terms of dynamics or setup for me, but it has to be handled well, and sometimes I don't have the energy to give something the benefit of the doubt.

tagging: @respectthepetty @wen-kexing-apologist @so-much-yet-to-learn @ginnymoonbeam @bengiyo with as always no pressure, plus anyone who sees this who wants to fill it out, consider yourself tagged and let me know so I can see it!

[tame-a-messenger]

I could see them not wanting to feed the shippers if this was the protocol with people that are shipped but that's literally not how they deal with things at all. like you said courtney and shayne have been in the thumbnails of almost every video they are together (and there was a point when things got really out of hand with the shippers, with stalking and stuff), ian and anthony are so shipped and all they do is embrace that, have fun with it without making fun of the fandom, amanda and angela also have quite the fan base and their videos together are always going up in quantity. their way of handling things never felt like "let's separate these people to not feed the shippers". most of the time it's the contrary, they lean into because they know that putting these people together, making jokes like the "my boyfriend" tag on ian in the who's slapped me with anthony, putting the shipps into thumbnails and more will get them views, will get engagement, will get people talking.

I feel like the fandom of smosh in general forget they are a whole ass company, a corporation. they goal is always to spread their content to the maximum amount of people they can get. and shipps do that perfectly. the fandom gets what they want and they get what they want, which is people watching it.

and also it's not like we are at the top of the fandoms in smosh. we are a small percentage here on tumblr for example. and we are not at all going as hard as others parts of the fandom go with their shipps. hell I don't even know if we can call ourselves shippers because we know they are not dating (some of us can feel some sparkles like myself but we are really good at being grounded in reality) what I feel like all of us that love them truly enjoy and connect it's their dynamic, the way they have such a specific relationship that we don't see between other cast members.

we are literally not asking or demanding them to date each other or to even hang out outside of work, we know they are closer with other people in the cast, we are literally just begging at this point to see them on videos together. that's all. we just want them playing games and bantering and having a gran old time with each other.

if and it's a big if, very unlikely I feel like, they are keeping them apart for shipping reasons then they really chose a very weird pairing to do that (now for some reason??) because we are not even a blimp in the ocean of all the "shipps" on smosh. and we are 100% definitely not the loudest ones.

I feel like we are a small group that reunites to talk quietly with their leader (you in this case)

you know that audio on tiktok that is a bunch of people talking loudly to each other and then there this one voice that says "it's entirely possible" in the middles of the chaos? that's us I feel like.

I think you made a LOT of really great points Anon. Some aren't totally true? I don't believe Smosh is a corporation? it says on their wiki they are an independent entity and a corporation is something bigger(?) I believe. (I don't totally know for sure though)

I would say that Smosh social team WOULD be and probably IS trying to push content to as many people as possible, but if we're being real, they suck ass at building hype and keeping the bit going. They get cold feet. There's SO MANY bits they kept going that weren't even good/not popular in the community.

True that they push shipping but we have to remember that Angela is a freelancer. if she felt uncomfortable (see the "I know Damien's" incident of 23') and asked not to push shipping for her and Damien I'm sure she could veto it, And obviously if Damien felt uncomfortable he'd get the same curtesy.

I really appreciated the long ask! I think a lot of it IS very pertinent to what's going on and how to think about it in reality, not get too in our heads about it and all that! so thank you!

For closing statements, (lol)

I think we've just been in a dry spell and that it'll clear up soon, and that I just am always going to be disappointed with the Smosh social team lol.

"I feel like we are a small group that reunites to talk quietly with their leader (you in this case)"

I shall not lead you astray my dears <3 (you guys are all awesome <3)