#I’m just like … I don’t actually care if trans women compete tbh

[chaserofstarsandtheabyss]

Mother stop calling me your “biological daughter” challenge and using that to explain why you’re so upset at trans women competing in sports (impossible)

[florrickandassociates]

TGF Thoughts: 4x06-- The Gang Offends Everyone

Thoughts under the cut. 

Another long episode, yay! But it’s a minute shorter than 3x04, so I feel slightly better about it. 

Lucca bought herself a Birkin bag with a portion of her poker winnings. Clearly she knows it’s a status symbol, but the second she realizes people are noticing it, she’s slightly embarrassed. Or maybe I’m reading this wrong. I think she wanted to impress everyone and show off and then started feeling uncomfortable. I am a little shocked she decided to take it to work.

Tbh I don’t think I would notice if someone carried a Birkin bag into my office.

Marissa knows a lot about Birkins, which tracks. As she says, she was raised around rich people. I would bet ELI knows about Birkins and the types of stitching too. 

Landau is back with an absolutely ridiculous idea: Running Adrian for President in 2024. Landau mentions that this year we started with a diverse field of candidates but “no candidate of color went the distance.” I know what he means but could he maybe phrase it in a way that doesn’t make it sound like it’s the candidate's fault? Also, question, what is running Adrian as a candidate early on going to do other than create more noise in the field and prevent people from unifying behind one candidate? 

(And, surely, there are more qualified people to run than Adrian Boseman, but this is TV and I will be quiet about this.)

As far as I can tell, this plot is about forcing Adrian into a new realm where optics matter more than money, thus forcing Adrian/the audience to confront a lot of the choices Adrian tends to make. 

They want him to stay on the stage until Iowa so black voters can “see themselves up there.” So it’s almost like their plan is to pick a moderately convincing candidate they know will lose in order to appease black voters??? What’s the point, to say they care but not enough to find a candidate who could actually win? Maybe I’m being too cynical. Or maybe it’s because it involves a fictional character that I’m so critical.

That said, the way Landau/the DNC have been written on this show? They CLEARLY are not supposed to actually understand black voters.

Just… don’t turn into season 7 of TGW, show. Peter running for president was such a poorly executed idea. 

I can’t tell if this plan would be to run someone in 2024 no matter what (meaning if Biden doesn’t seek a second term or if we have to deal with 4 more years of 45) or if it’s contingent upon 45 being reelected. If the latter, then that means that Adrian, in his own self-interest, would.... Want 45 to get reelected? Odd thought.

Adrian promises he won’t tell anyone and shakes on it. He immediately tells Liz.

I love how Diane’s name is on the letterhead but she is almost never looped into conversations like this. This is more personal than professional so it obviously makes sense that Liz would be the one he confides in, but it happens more generally too. 

Liz kind of mocks the idea of Adrian being the future of the party, and Adrian accuses her of being jealous. “What are your positions?” Liz wants to know. Good question. Adrian jokes that Liz could be his policy adviser, and Liz reminds him she brought the DNC in to begin with, used to work in government, and knows how to pronounce Kamala Harris’ name. All fair points. Adrian is definitely the more charismatic of the two (and he’s been on Cable News-- he went viral in the universe of the show AND in the real world for it!) but charisma is the kind of thing that matters far more than it should in politics. 

“Are you saying former prosecutors are unelectable, or just black female former prosecutors?” Liz attacks. IMO Adrian hasn’t really thought about it and is just parroting what the DNC said. And this is why Liz would be better at the job than Adrian, but it will never matter because no one is ever going to ask someone like Liz when they could ask someone like Adrian. Which is, I think, Liz’s point: she’s not jealous so much as she is incredulous at how this opportunity just appeared out of nowhere for Adrian when he has no experience, no policies, and no stances. Liz has all three (maybe not policies, but I bet she knows where she would stand if she needed to make policies) but no one is asking her to run.

“Would it kill them to recruit a woman every once in a while?” Liz wonders after Adrian’s gone. Precisely. I don’t think Liz wants this for herself-- but when she sees it go to Adrian, she sees how it’s not going to any of the other qualified black women who want it more than Adrian. 

Adrian goes to see his client, a swimmer, and says they’re changing strategies because of the politics. This may very well have been his plan for a while, but putting this scene right after the other two definitely makes it feel like Adrian is doing this for his own image.

I feel like most TGF characters are motivated by some combination of power and stability. Diane and Adrian want to have power, so they compromise on their principles to get ahead or make their position as prestigious as possible. Liz (who is actually a bit like her former rival Alicia in this!) compromises on her principles when it means not getting into fights that aren’t worth it or jeopardizing job security; Lucca is usually the same way and doesn’t wade into controversies. I have lots of thoughts on this I will probably come back to as the episode goes on and we see more from Liz.

This is one of the more case heavy TGF episodes, and it’s one of the more interesting, layered cases they’ve done. An aspiring Olympic swimmer has just missed the mark for going to the Olympics. As far as I can tell the underlying issue is that the meet was rescheduled from 2019 (normal timeline) to 2020 to let another swimmer have more time to prepare. I can’t tell if the timing ceases to matter once they switch strategies (right now they’re arguing it’s racial descrimination) or if it’s just forgotten as the episode progresses. Seems to me like that’s where their case is the best-- if they moved the date to advantage one swimmer, for any reason, that’s a pretty bad look.

How is it possible that this dude who played Bree’s sex addict boyfriend on Desperate Housewives and was on The Americans and a few other NYC filmed shows is only just now showing up on TGW/F!?!? 

Memo 618 leads Diane and Julius to compare what they know. Julius explains what spooked him; Diane explains the Visitor. In the middle of all this, Marissa interrupts to share the news of Lucca’s new bag-- heh. 

I assume the middle 3 numbers of Visitor’s phone number are blank because the writers wanted to use the fact they couldn’t print an actual number to add MYSTERY! Citing the bible, Julius decides to call Visitor to get more information.

Marissa brings Liz around to see the Birkin. Something weird about the name partner coming in to admire something one of her employees owns, no? Lucca’s hidden the bag but shows it off. Liz is mesmerized by the bag (my guess is even if she had the money she’d never consider buying one-- she says it’s a good investment but idk how much she means that) and Lucca’s really embarrassed to keep explaining why she spent 20k on a bag.

Marissa wonders if Bianca bought it for Lucca. “Jesus, you are a one woman surveillance state,” Lucca says to Marissa after Marissa confesses she’s looked up the price of the bag. She is a natural investigator, yes.

Lucca explains she bought it with the poker winnings, and Marissa calculates that Lucca must have won a lot if she was willing to spend 20k on something inessential. Marissa starts her guess low-- 200k. She finally gets the number out of Lucca (or at least the range it’s in) and tells Lucca she needs to talk to David Lee about taxes and accounting. 

On the one hand, very glad to see Marissa is knowledgeable about this. On the other hand, Lucca and David Lee are both family law department heads, so the implication that David Lee knows the ins and outs of gambling laws as pertain to St. Lucia while Lucca doesn’t know that winnings are taxable. I’m fine with David Lee being better at this than Lucca-- he’s a slimeball and has more experience-- but Lucca shouldn’t have to be told this. And this is the second time this season we’ve seen something similar happen.

(Another reason I’m fine with David Lee being better at the job than Lucca in general: we have seen time and time again that DLee isn’t just good, he is worth compromising the mission of your firm to have on board. So as great as Lucca is, not sure we’ve seen any evidence she is THAT good at this point in her career!)

The racism angle doesn’t work in court because the opposition brings in the argument Adrian was going to go with originally: the swimmer who beat Adrian’s client’s time is trans. Now if he wants to represent his client, Adrian has to be on record saying someone trans shouldn’t be able to compete as the gender they identify with. 

This is one of the more interesting approaches TGF could’ve taken to deal with trans rights, so it’s also one of the more interesting cases they’ve done in a while. This is one of very very few places where there could be a compelling case to look at sex assigned at birth instead of identity. So the writers focus on that, all the while acknowledging that even raising this question is pretty fraught. 

“Okay. From race to trans. Let’s go,” the judge says as we head into the credits. P sure that is not the right language to use but also VERY certain this judge has not fully wrapped his head around the concept of people being trans yet. 

Awww, using a Fountains of Wayne song over the credits is a really nice Adam Schlesinger tribute.The song doesn’t go super well with the credits but this is such a nice gesture I don’t care. 

Something else I like about this tribute is that it dates this episode. The reference might not be as easy to get in a few years, but since the characters can’t address COVID-19 (since all this was filmed pre-pandemic), this is going to be one of the only in-show ways to contextualize these episodes. (I would not be surprised if there is some sort of reference next week, and I am holding out hope for some sort of animated video or epilogue song (like the end of BrainDead))

This episode was written and directed by women! 

Adrian for some reason demands Liz-- and not any of the other black female lawyers at his firm-- join his case. This makes sense if we assume that the default state of RBL name partners is “doing what they please when they please because actual work is for associates and bigger cases are for STRL”. Otherwise it seems like a huge waste of resources. 

Liz immediately understands the optics are important in the case but also to the DNC. 

Adrian goes to talk to Charlotte about the DNC, and his timing is awkward… she wants to move in with him! (I didn’t realize his secret gf was that serious!) But Adrian is worried that since Charlotte is corrupt, she’ll be an issue for his campaign. Here is a thought: don’t take an opportunity that will invite scrutiny into your life but ultimately not lead to any type of lasting success unless literally all you care about is power? Adrian can say no! Of course, if he doesn’t want to say no… there’s his answer to all the dilemmas.

Charlotte understands this better than Adrian does. He promises her “issues” won’t impact his campaign, but he’s gotta know that’s complete bullshit, right? Her issues would absolutely disqualify him. He swears there will be no impact but… LOL. I don’t think he gets to be the one to swear there will be no impact. 

Lucca and David Lee’s meeting, in which David Lee is the right mix of professional and scheming, reminds me so heavily of the great scenes where he handles Alicia’s inquiries about divorce. David Lee was overused in late season TGW but this is reminiscent of him at his best. I’m glad that TGF is using him appropriately.

Here’s something stupid: Lucca spent $20k of the money BEFORE SHE HAD THE MONEY IN HER POSESSION. David Lee realizes the problem immediately. Lucca, astonishingly, doesn’t. Lucca is not an idiot. 

Adrian successfully gets Liz to join him on the case. Case stuff happens.

Julius and Visitor have lunch. Visitor tries to get Julius to play along. Julius continues to resist, then Diane appears. Visitor isn’t scared and threatens Julius and Diane. How else was this going to go? 

Marissa and Jay tail Visitor (this is slightly less ridiculous than the 5x10 Kalinda car chase, but only slightly) and lose him… but find Rachel Dratch, who was also trailing Visitor! Interesting.

Adrian asks Landau about his relationship with Charlotte, without any specifics. Landau gives the obvious response: “Get rid of her. Do it now.” Adrian is like, why? And Landau says “You said there was corruption there.” Yes. This is pretty damn obvious. Also this ends one of two ways: Adrian dumps her and the DNC thing proceeds, or he doesn’t dump her and then the DNC dumps him the second they do some investigative research. 

Alicia is in Lucca’s phone contacts!!!!!! (Maia’s ex, Amy, and Barbara Kolstad are too BUT LET ME HAVE THIS AND PRETEND IT’S SPECIAL.). 

Bianca calls, or maybe Lucca calls (this makes no sense because Lucca says hello first and it says incoming call from Bianca, but we see Lucca scroll through her contacts and Bianca asks what’s up). Bianca wants to do a celebration dinner, on Lucca. Lucca, knowing the power differential, can’t say no. 

Case stuff happens! Liz hates being on the wrong side and refuses to do a redirect!

Ugh the judge misgenders the swimmer. Ugh. 

A bunch of associates present Adrian and Liz with a petition to drop the case because they are on the wrong side. Good for them! 

Adrian says they’re not being hateful, it’s just a strategy. Sure. A strategy that, if successful, will set dangerous precedents. 

Adrian explains he’s actually just defending their client. As always, I don’t find this excuse satisfactory. Do you really need the business of this one swimmer? Is it worth being the one to essentially fight against trans rights? I feel like the answer to that is pretty clear. 

This case may be one of the more interesting ways to discuss if/when sex assigned at birth matters, but when it comes to whether or not Adrian/Liz have to be the ones fighting to count a trans woman as a man… that answer is way, way more clear cut. They absolutely do not need to take part in this. 

I appreciate that Liz is unhappy with this strategy and wants no part of it and admits that the associates/assistants are right. Liz also understands that this is generational and Adrian is like “Liz, I’ve won awards from covering every one of the letters LGBT” in his condescending tone. Liz, correctly, calls him out on basically trotting out the equivalent of “I have a black friend”.

Liz suggests reframing the case and leaving out the “anti-trans tone”. Adrian says “Not if we lose, Liz. Now this is not about politics. This is about rules. Are the Olympic rules fair, or are they not? That’s all.” Man, his tone is so insufferable sometimes. He always seems like he’s belittling whoever he’s talking to. He is also completely wrong here. And, as Liz points out, that’s never all.

Lucca and Bianca have dinner and Lucca still says nothing and still gets stuck with the $3,000 bill. I feel like the firm could probably pay for that as client maintenance? 

Charlotte lists out all the things she’s received as payouts. Some are small-- tickets to the bulls after an endorsement, a friends and family discount at Neiman Marcus after a zoning issue (seems pretty illegal), a speaking engagement for a judge after a favorable ruling… got a Mercedes with no money down… and she fucking bought shares in a tech stock before the IPO was announced. Well those last two seem like trouble. Any of these are potential problems, something involving stock and tech and IPOs? ANYTHING involving her getting nice things like Neiman Marcus discounts and a Mercedes? Those may be smaller scale but people would LOVE to hate on that. So she’s corrupt as fuck. No way out of this. OH ALSO SHE WAS TIPPED OFF ON WHEN TO SELL THE STOCK. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. And this is just what she admits to Adrian.

I wonder if this would trouble Adrian if he weren’t in the running for the presidency.

Adrian asks about 618. Charlotte says it won’t be a problem “because it’s the solution”. ?????? 

I have never understood this relationship and I continue to not understand this relationship.

Case stuff happens.

I’m not sure how Liz’s new strategy is any less anti-trans. She isn’t either, so she gives up mid sentence and sits down, telling Adrian “You want this, you do it.” That’s kind of like taking a stand? I know Liz isn’t going to rock the boat that much, not in the middle of court, but like, how much does standing up for what you believe in matter if all you’re doing is saying you won’t personally do something without fighting further? Liz gets as much of a say here as Adrian and the third person who would get a say is Diane (well, and STRL but shhh) and Diane would 100% take Liz’s side. So how much credit can I really give Liz? 

Does anyone really think someone would just decide to be trans to get a competitive advantage?!?!?! Jesus. That’s wild. 

Diane goes to talk to Rachel Dratch (Linda, here). Even though Jay and Marissa found Linda’s address they didn’t bother to look at her occupation?? She’s a court stenographer and she recognizes Diane.

She knows all about Memo 618 and shares her knowledge with Diane. 

Who is behind it? The Office of Legal Counsel.

How does she know this? Well, there’s a handy TGF short (YAY!!!!!!) to explain.

I love the little joke about how they won’t ever mention censorship in China in the song. Haaaaah.

The Secret Law in the song is so friggin’ cute. I love it. 

The explainer songs that explain largely unfamiliar, complicated topics are the best. And it’s perfect to deploy one here, since this is one of the most crucial concepts of the season and something that most viewers are going to WANT an explanation of. Like, I don’t need an explanation of Downton Abbey or whatever some of the lesser songs of last year were-- but I do want answers about Memo 618.

Is there a good article about some of the real cases of this happening? I assume in most cases Memo 618 is just a stand-in for whatever legal-sounding bullshit was in real memos that secretly shaped the US, but I’d be curious to read more about how this works. 

Linda gives Diane a few examples, like one about FDR and the Japanese internment camps (I did find an article from The Atlantic about an OLC memo from the same time, but not sure if it’s the one being referenced.) I am just going to assume that “M. 618” close up they show is faked. As I said, Memo 618 is more about putting a name to the idea that powerful people can author documents that shape the world but go unquestioned. I don’t think the point is that it was literally this same memo… just the same sort of bullshit.

The “Torture Memos” are another example. I appreciate the show telling me where to look for more information. There’s a ton of info around this.

I don’t believe this lip reader stuff but also don’t care.

And finally this circles back to the claim in 2019 that a president can’t be indicted. Is it a law? Nope, a memo from 1973. This is real and fascinating. 

I think the show’s approach is REALLY working here. It trusts that I can separate fiction (the lip reading, Memo 618) from fact (the spirit of Memo 618, what it means to have an entity that can make its own rules without oversight) and gives me the reference points I need if I want to dig further. It’s a satisfying way to pay off their mystery, and very much in keeping with the spirit of the show.

Linda basically explains Memo 618 as a placeholder for a law. Justify now, create the law later. Yikes.

Case stuff happens! There is a very odd last minute twist here in which the RBL client loses (yay!) but then another teammate is intersex so they try to disqualify her instead??? Wtf? Did we need this?

David Lee has sushi with Bianca and pushes Bianca to get Lucca her money. Bianca had no idea her friends never paid up (did Bianca not pay her share?) and Bianca, who CAN hassle her friends about this, gets on the phone immediately. There’s a funny montage of David Lee being confused by sushi while Bianca gets Lucca her money. 

Bianca asks Lucca why she didn’t tell her she hadn’t been paid! I’m glad to see Bianca cares, but I totally get Lucca’s hesitation. She explains she’s uncomfortable talking about her own money because it feels wrong. Huh, wasn’t she literally always talking about money on TGW? 

Lucca says she’s not sure she can get over this and be friends with Bianca. Because it’s not just money to people who don’t have it. I fully understand this discomfort. I haven’t ever befriended a billionaire, but I get it. I do want Lucca to have a friend though! I think if they’re just candid about this and don’t always do expensive things (and they sever the fact that Lucca is an employee…) they could still be friends! 

OOOH this Piper Vega looks familiar bc her sister is Alexandra Daddario. They have the same eyes.

The RBL client gets to go to the Olympics. Yay? Why did we get this instead of follow-up on the associates’ petition.

Lucca thanks David Lee and he reminds her that he gets money for managing her money. Fair point. But I think he’s got more of a soft spot for her than he cares to admit. Is managing a million and a half really going to help him that much? I imagine he deals with far bigger fortunes on a daily basis. 

Adrian says he took care of his issue, which hopefully means he broke up with Charlotte? He’s all in on the DNC.

Like, I want Adrian to be happy but Charlotte has seemed like a corrupt sexy plot device in every episode??? She makes me actively uncomfortable bc she comes across as a sex object AND ALSO a bad person?? So if they break up… good? 

Lucca arrives home to find a gift on her bed… lots of money. Is this how this arc ends or is there more (/was there going to be more without a pandemic?)

I do NOT like the zoomed out shot of Lucca that ends the episode. She is in such an awkward position on the bed???? It looks like a crime scene??? 

Season finale is up next. I’m sure it’s gonna be weird. And what a title it has.

[thatsnotbeautiful]

chocbox ex 2017 signup

hi! thanks so much for making me a thing, i’m so excited to see what you come up with!

i tend to be pretty long-winded with my Dear Gifter letters, but please know that all of these are intended as suggestions or as jumping-off points for you to brainstorm ideas, if that sort of thing helps you. i’d say the only thing you “have” to read are my general dislikes, i.e. things i definitely do not want to see in a fic/art.

some of my ideas are nsfw, but definitely don’t feel like you have to include nsfw if you’d rather not.

likes

i really love fics that focus closely on characters, the relationships they have with each other, and the dynamics of those relationships. e.g.s: a character overcoming an obstacle, a character learning something important about themself, slow burn/relationship development, fluff and domesticity, rivals with benefits, complicated dysfunctional relationships - i could go on. (perhaps by extension, i also really like polyamory.) looking at characters and how they fit together is probably one of my favorite things in fanwork tbh.

i like canon-compliant works as much as AUs; i’d enjoy a “deleted scene” as much as a future fic or rock star or space opera AU. cute slice of life is great, but if doing an AU is something you’d be interested in, i particularly love anything involving scifi/advanced technology or magic.

dislikes

please none of the following: incest, non-con/dub-con, abuse/bullying, angst/unhappy endings (i’m fine with hurt/comfort or characters being sad or suffering as long as it’s resolved somehow?), pregnancy/kids/parenting, big age gaps, ageing characters down, gore/torture/graphic violence, character death, infidelity.

~ REQUEST 1: YURI!!! ON ICE ~

some things i love in YOI that i’d like to see more of in a piece of fanwork are: - characters using and keeping up with each other via social media - long-distance friendships/relationships and running into each other all over the globe - how most of the skaters seem to be friends with each other and sincerely cheer each other on while also compete with each other and want to achieve the best result they possibly can - characters developing their figure skating career - some of the costumes are so beautiful?? i’d love to see more stuff involving pretty clothes in other contexts, too (maybe even lingerie if you want to go nsfw, idk)

onto the ships:

--otayuri--

HELLO, WELCOME TO MY YOI OTP. i love both of these characters and their relationship in canon so much

laundry list of ideas:  - i like thinking that they provide a form of respite for each other, that they feel comfortable opening up to each other in ways they don’t with other people, that they can really be themselves around each other. (i’m thinking about when they’re having tea with each other and just chatting with those easy smiles.) some kind of scene like that would be lovely - i also like thinking about how both of them go so hard with skating and how hanging out with each other could be a kind of break from that specifically? so: spending time just doing fun things together, introducing each other to things they like, goofing off and being teenagers - teaching each other how to do things, e.g. Otabek teaching Yurio how to ride a motorbike or Yurio teaching Otabek how to cook pirozhki  - soft domesticity: sharing a bed, cuddling on the couch while watching a movie, just general taking care of each other - Yurio introducing Otabek to his cat or taking care of a pet together  - relationship development! slow burn, friends -> lovers, snapshots of how their relationship develops over time, UST!! bonus points if one or both of them don’t realize their growing feelings for each other right off the bat - rivalry! Otabek challenging Yurio for the gold and how that effects their friendship (if it even does at all)! - getting into a fight or one of them Honestly pissing the other off and then making up again - literally Anything w Yurio acting catlike  - rule 63 or any kind of trans hcs  - fantasy (actual fairy+hero?) AU - kemonomimi AU

nsfw-ish ideas: (some of the prompts make more sense if they’re older and presumably have more experience) - first times - size difference (Otabek picking Yurio up and carrying him around; Yurio growing taller than Otabek as he gets older seems to be a popular hc, but i actually like him staying shorter/smaller/slighter ;;)  - Yurio wearing Otabek’s clothes and Otabek getting flustered at the sight (or vice versa) - Yurio being really bendy and just, casually stretching around Otabek and Otabek getting super Flustered  - i love... D/s... i think either role could work wonderfully for either of them. i love Yurio being a bratty, fighty bottom who wants to be pushed around and put in his place, and Otabek being an unyielding top who is so soft and doting during aftercare (pain kink, “punishment”, humiliation, choking, overstimulation, bondage, gags, collars, petplay are all fair game here); but likewise i also love Otabek quietly yet very desperately wanting Yurio to step on him  - presentation play e.g. wearing heels, lingerie, other pretty clothes - not used as a humiliation thing or source of embarrassment, though, it is only a good and awesome thing - again, rule 63 or trans hcs are A-OK --Yurio friendships w/women--

Yurio is so, so important to me. so are literally all the female characters in the show, they're all so great and different despite being minor characters. it goes without saying, then, that Yurio and his relationships to femininity, to women in general, and to specific female characters are all very important to me, too. 

when i say "Yurio and femininity" i don't just mean in terms of presentation, although that's definitely part of it: i love Yurio's brashness when we first meet him contrasted with the delicate hand-flick right in Yuuri's face; i love that he's nicknamed both the "Russian punk" as well as the "Russian fairy"; i love that his hair and outfits for his routines are pretty feminine and he is totally okay with that. 

i love that so much of his strength as a skater ("eyes like a soldier") comes through ballet, which is typically regarded as being very feminine and delicate (despite being one of the most hardcore and brutal types of dance ever)

Yurio & ballet - i'd love to see something about his development over time, either pre- or post-canon, or something about how he feels about ballet and his training in general. something just showing him practicing would be great too

Yurio & women  - i have a lot of feelings about how he doesn't really have any female figures in his life family-wise, but ends up having a female role-model/coach in the form of Lilia, and friends in the form of Yuko and Mila. i like the idea of him looking up to them (esp Lilia and Yuko) and deriving strength from them.  - with any of the three, i'd really like to see their relationships developing as Yurio grows up 

Yurio & Lilia - i love Lilia so much, she's such a no-nonsense hardass and demands so much from Yurio but also gives him such fond, proud looks whenever he's skating. - anything with Yurio trying his hardest to meet Lilia's expectations - them interacting outside of the skating/ballet context (i mean, he lives in her house for a while???) - seeing the post-canon aftermath of Yurio winning gold and breaking Viktor's record

Yurio & Yuko - i love that Yuko was one of the only people who was truly, outright "nice" to him when he came to Hasetsu, i love that she cheered him on before the Hot Springs on Ice exhibition when he seemed to really need it, i love that they still keep in touch. - Yurio visiting her in Hasetsu when he's older or Yuko going to watch him skate - Yurio interacting with her family as a whole (the triplets!!)  - Yuko acting as a source of emotional support for Yurio

Yurio & Mila - anything featuring their bickering-sibling-like friendship (but also supporting and maybe even doing nice things for each other through all the teasing!!) - if you like otayuri, i really like the idea of Mila realizing Yurio has a crush on Otabek, and consequently teasing him about it or using it to mess with him. i love Kubo saying that Mila is "into Otabek"; i really like the idea of her being flirty at Otabek or telling Yurio that she wants to be, again, just to mess with Yurio or maybe spur him into making a move but also because, hey, Otabek is pretty damn cute, and flirting with cute people is fun. 

--Phichit ships--

i will straight up admit it right now: i love Phichit Chulanont with my whole entire heart, hence i mostly requested these ships with him at the forefront of my mind. 

(that said, i do like all the other characters as well, i wouldn't have requested them if i didn't, haha. i'd be more than happy to read fic focusing more on them instead, if that's what you're more comfortable with. any shippy content with Phichit in it is automatically good content, even if he might not be the POV character or main focus.)

Phichit things i'd love to see in any capacity for any of these ships: - Phichit's 5GB external hard drive of blackmail material that he's Too Nice to actually use - Phichit's Internet Thirst; or: ANYTHING involving taking selfies, or photos, or video. getting other characters into SNS or helping them with it. soliciting help from them to get the Perfect Lighting. general communicating via social media (and yes this includes nsfw stuff: sending nudes, taking sex videos and voice recordings, etc) - Phichit attending this year's GPF banquet with everyone - Phichit being That Friend who is always in on all the gossip in spite of it happening, like, on another continent - Phichit who isn't looking for a serious relationship but who really enjoys casual FWB setups, who gets propositioned by other figure skaters on the regular, who loves making out and who considers smooching his friends p much a form of greeting

more ship-specific ideas:

Phichit / or & Yuuri - i am absolutely here for former boyfriends or former FWBs. i do like it happier rather than angsty, though? they dated or messed around in Detroit and amicably parted ways, and by the time we reach canon Phichit is sincerely happy for viktuuri - i also like it purely platonically. their friendship is so important to me. Yuuri calling Phichit at whatever hour in the day, Phichit including Yuuri in his dream of reaching the GPF final, both of them respecting each other a lot as skaters and hoping for the best for each other - i love the idea of them experimenting and experiencing first times together - first kisses, trying out sexual things with each other. even better if it involves a lot of laughter and even awkwardness that results in more laughter - Yuuri telling Phichit Everything regarding him and Viktor, even back when it was just him fawning over the posters of Viktor he had in his room - Yuuri talking to Phichit about his sex life with Viktor in exhaustive detail or asking his advice/opinion on certain things; Phichit doing the same w his various escapades with various other people - you know how there are those fan theories like “the pole dancing moves Yuri was doing at the GPF banquet weren’t easy, he must’ve taken pole dancing classes at some point before” - Phichit taking those pole dancing classes with Yuuri is 100% canon to me. so anything involving that (and potential makeouts after class while still wearing their pole dance gear) - taking sexy pictures together/Yuuri helping Phichit take The Perfect Nude - just keeping up with each other and their daily lives over time and distance after their training in Detroit comes to an end - visiting each other’s homes in Japan/Thailand!!

Phichit/Leo/Guang-hong or Phichit/Guang-hong - all three of them being super into SNS together - for Phichit/Guang-hong, Guang-hong seems so soft and sweet, i really like the idea of Phichit Dragging him into shenanigans and generally being a “bad” influence - Guang-hong having a hidden spicy/mischievous side is also good though - one thing i really like that’s applicable to these three is two people already being in a relationship flirting/pursuing the third person, coming to terms w the fact that they’re both crushing on someone else, enjoying the fact that their s.o. has a crush bc wow it’s hella cute. the flip side is also good: the third person crushing on both members of a couple at once and deciding what to do about that (here it’d be Leo/Guang-hong as the established couple and Phichit as the third) - Leo/Guang-hong is honestly super cute, i love how they were watching the streams while chatting with each other and i love how much Guang-hong outright admires Leo

Phichit/Chris - i'm actually pretty fond of Chris? he seems like a good friend and his over-the-top ice fuckiness is both awesome and hilarious - i like Phichit/Chris because they occupy similar "good friend" roles for the show's protagonists (Yuuri and Viktor), they're also both fun and outgoing people, i think they'd have a lot of fun together - Phichit Loves being in on the Drama and taking incriminating photos of his friends; Chris is basically a walking incriminating photo - viktuuri wedding planning and/or best man shenanigans - POLE DANCING TOGETHER - Phichit taking photo/video of one of Chris's routines (either bc Chris asked him to for reference or bc he just wants to idk) and things get Spicy

~ REQUEST #2: HAIKYUU!! ~  ushishira - (mutual) pining - Shirabu being jealous/possessive - i have been pretty darn fixated on the “will you use me mercilessly in any situation” line from S3 so, uh, anything riffing on that  - JUST D/s AND BOTTOM USHIJIMA IN GENERAL - Shirabu who’s dealt w having a debilitating crush on Ushijima for So Long (that he perceived was unrequited) that when he actually starts dating Ushijima he doesn’t know what to do w himself for a good while - ushishira from the POV of a third party, esp get-together fic; other teammates making comments @ either of them about their crush(es)/developing relationship - anything involving devotion, including AUs (retainer/lord, priest/god, etc) - mind-share, mental links, fusion (Steven Universe-style), bodyswap  - FAKE DATING!!  tenshira - one of the things i love most about these two are their vastly differing approach to volleyball - Shirabu, though irreverent, is also deliberate and conscientious, while Tendou works best when running with his gut and doing things that are considered out of the ordinary by most players. i can see that translating to their approach to dating? e.g. Shirabu doing things Properly and Tendou just swinging in and sweeping Shirabu off his feet  - Shirabu clearly finds Tendou Annoying and he’d probably continue finding him annoying even while crushing on him. Tendou probably enjoys bothering Shirabu a little too much. - frenemies -> lovers - both of them bonding over having unrequited feelings for someone else (Ushijima?) and ending up getting with each other instead along the way  goshiten - my favorite goshiten dynamic is Tendou enjoying messing with people and Goshiki being perhaps a little too gullible than is good for him. just how much can Tendou get Tsutomu to do. (nothing outright malicious though plz) - Goshiki’s Praise Kink. anything with Goshiki being eager to please or Tendou finding him so cute and being very free and abundant with his compliments - date fic! especially Goshiki being like i am going to take you out on a DATE and aiming to impress and Tendou enjoying every minute of it regardless of whether Goshiki messes anything up (as he inevitably does)

akakuro - they’re both very caring in their ways, and spend a lot of time looking out for other people on their team. i think they’d definitely recognize that quality in each other. - in a lot of my Akaashi ships, i think of Akaashi as a good shoulder to lean on for the other character, but i think Kuroo is one person who wouldn’t need to depend on Akaashi as much, and who Akaashi could let himself relax around? - showing appreciation for each other, spoiling each other, relaxing together. - UST is great. Kuroo being very smitten and sweet and romantic about Akaashi is great. - Akaashi teasing/dragging Kuroo and Kuroo lowkey enjoying every minute of it - flirting, enjoying that in-between period of both parties knowing they like each other but not having actually gotten together or clearly acted on it yet  - Akaashi wearing beautiful clothes 

~ REQUEST #3: FIRE EMBLEM: FATES ~

Hinata/Oboro/Takumi and Hinata/Takumi - i am so, so weak for lord/retainer stuff and both of them are so clearly devoted to him, holy shit, they even purposefully dress like him and compete over who is better to him, in Conquest route they freaking die for him. and i love how Takumi clearly has soft spots for them and feels more comfortable around them, e.g. doing nice things for them both, being noticeably less prickly around them  - devotion stuff aside, though, i’m also really interested in them navigating that space between retainer and friends/lovers. Hoshido seems to have pretty clear shoulds and should-nots when it comes to how a retainer should act yet these three easily seem to bend these (e.g. Hisame commenting that Hinata acts Overly Familiar with Takumi) - if you go the OT3 route - please involve both Oboro and Hinata equally; i’d love to see either a V-relationship with both of them dating Takumi and being close friends with each other, or all three of them dating - if you go the Hinata/Takumi route - i am so tickled by the fact that they’re overly familiar to the point that Hisame notices it and thinks it’s inappropriate, and i love that Hinata’s supports are about him putting on show fights for Takumi to cheer him up - anything expounding on either of those things would be great - any of them doing something super nice for the others - surprising them with a gift or taking them on a nice trip - bathing together, sleeping together - helping Takumi unwind - brushing Takumi’s hair - helping Takumi deal w his nightmares - h/c (bonus points if someone cries) - comfort sex or stress-relief sex - altered states, sex pollen, marathon sex

Mitama/Rhajat - GOD, i love my weird trouble girls, they’re probably my F/F OTP??? their supports are so great, i love how they’re both odd in different ways and kind of alienate other people, i love that they end on this BFF/”us against the world” note - anything extrapolating off of them teaching each other stuff, maybe Mitama even teaching Rhajat about poetry and Rhajat teaching Mitama about summoning the undead - anything focusing on (their different brands of) magic, i love magic - future fic showing them living their lives together, traveling the world together - all of the above sounds like it could easily be platonic but i definitely don’t want it platonic. i want them to kiss and to be so very Overwhelmed by gay feelings (especially Rhajat) - expressing love and affection in ways that look fucking strange to outsiders. Rhajat being her creepy self (like when she has feelings for MyUnit in-game) but Mitama finding that so utterly charming

Scarlet/female!Corrin - oh my god... i’m so frustrated by how this plays out in the game like their supports are pretty much The Most Romantic thing ever but then you can’t marry her if you’re playing female Corrin, and even if you marry her as male Corrin she gets killed off in like 2/3rds of the game routes fjdskhg - post-game fic (but with Scarlet surviving, somehow). how they live out their days at court. they’re both pretty unfamiliar with court life? Scarlet is, well, a rebel, and Corrin has been sequestered away throughout most of her life, it would be interesting to see them figure their new lives out together. - getting dressed up together and going to fancy events like banquets etc - CONVERSELY: Corrin running away w Scarlet on Adventures - get-together fic, date fic, anything involving lots of cute flirting and those first fuzzy blushes of romantic feelings - anything playing with Corrin’s ability to transform into a dragon