#Obsessed with XueXiao

[cuentoschinosen1999]

Wang Haoxuan & Song Jiyang interview (or them being so in character I can't stop watching Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen)

[allpiesforourown]

Posting about toxic yaoi but you can't handle junmei or xuexiao? Weak

[starry-eyed-psychopomp]

I'm not a xuexiao shipper (aside from believing in the one-sided obsession on Xue Yang's part) but thinking of them to "Girl With One Eye" by Florence + the Machine?? Damn.

[marshroom580]

Canon so fucked up I'm slurping down fix-it fics like my life depends on it

[mr-trashcanchan]

real talk Xue Yang is a scorpio venus

[adhdo5]

please give me any mdzs fic recs you have on hand....I'm starving here

FUCK OKAY. SO this isn't necessarily comprehensive but it's pretty sizeable, especially since some of these are quite long. Obligatory disclaimers: WATCH THE TAGS on these, some of them are explicit and many have canon-typical violence or worse; there is Something I don't agree with to varying degrees in most if not literally all of these but all of them do Something extremely right which is why they're on the reclist.

In pretty much just the order I remembered they exist in:

How to Decay Gracefully - Qin Su-centric. Only a canon divergence in that she doesn't die all the way post suicide attempt. Absolutely beautiful

Favor - 3zun + NHS Hunger Games AU! Like the one time I'll believe in this kind of self-presentation from JGY explicitly because of the setting change. FANTASTICALLY plotted. The author EXPERTLY does surgery on the plot beats and setting of MDZS to fit them to the arc of the AU to the point that I almost consider it another adaptation. Endlessly clever. It's so fucking good. Obsessed with it. Some of the most lines ever. Beautiful reveal work

Mutual Friends - Xuexiao, mid domesticity arc, have the misfortune to run into Xiyao, and it would be terribly impolite not to catch up. Absolutely impeccably tense and hilarious conversation sparring. Hidden role game of a dinner conversation.

Principles of Your Past - LAN XICHEN CHARACTER STUDY OF ALL TIMEEEE. I keep thinking about this forever. My favorite version of Xiyao first kiss during Sunshot I think

Sandhi - Lanlan postcanon thesis. Absolute masterwork of LXC POV. Another one where there's just lines in here that repeat in my head. It's wonderfully sedate and low octane and also makes me cry every time

I Don't Have the Heart to Match - Postcanon transfem JC chara study. I cry every time I reread this one also.

Here's to Upright Men - Postcanon showcanon but still delightful. ON FUCKING LOCK Huaisang POV.

Welcome to My Table, Bring Your Hunger - Showcanon timeline Xueli. It's a hear me out of a ship but by god you won't regret hearing it out. Scathing JYL POV. Absolutely vicious rumination on violence and normalization thereof that arises when putting these characters together. Fantastic shit

Obligation - 3zun. JGY-centric. There's lines in this one that I will just remember and break my head open on the wall every time about. YOU ARE NOTTTTTTTTTT NORMALLLLLLLLLLL NOBODY THINKS LIKE THIS YOU';RE A BROKEN PERSONNNNNNNN. In my head/the way this was recced to me this is kind of like part of The Canon of insane 3zun works.

Lies You Told, Lies You Didn't - Everyone had something wrong with them; you had Zewu-jun.

The Final Cut - NHS character study. Cry cry about funny Huaisang

The Golden Fox - Meng Yao, who is half fox spirit and really wants to be a cultivator, is constantly getting in some fucking situation in pursuit of the latter, which is aggravated even more by the fact that he is the former much more than he would like to be. Lan Xichen shouldn't worry about it, but also Lan Xichen shouldn't be showing interest in him either, so we're really at an impasse here.

Something to Believe - 3zun fixit casefic that makes and defends the claim "we just need to hold Lan Xichen at gunpoint until Nieyao fix their shit" with brutal, impeccable efficiency. WORK TOGETHER OR DIE!

Still Waters Run Deep - By the same author as above, HEARTRENDING LXC study, many such cases

Red String Wrapped Around Your Throat - Speaking of same author, this is by the same guy as Safety Concern, e.g. the only guy on Archive of Our Own dot gov that doesn't log on exclusively to tell lies about Nie Mingjue. Nieyao timeloop fixit. The desperation is palpable. They are both insane. Do you remember how we used to kill ourselves. WORK TOGETHER OR DIE!

Last of Our Kind - Postcanon Xiyao amnesia in Dongying. I don't believe in this Xiyao sex but I do believe in this neuroticism. I read the whole thing while nervous about my imminent choir concert in December and commented as I went, got interrupted, promised in the last comment I left that I'd comment on the end, and never got around to it. Author of that fic if you're reading this sorry I thought the ending was sweet but how much I can write comments depends on planetary alignment on any given day. The Wangxian B-plot in this one is beautiful also I adore how WWX is written

My Erstwhile Dear - ABSOLUTELY FUCKING IMPECCABLE epistolary postcanon Xiyao. I fucking love it when they yell at each other. They are both SO ANNOYING. It's PERFECT. I CRIED!

You Cut Through All The Noise - Xiyao slop. It's sweet enough to be a reprieve after some of these but it's also deeply repressed as is appropriate. Very very good.

[sleepypanda01]

There's not enough XueXiao content to feed my obsession.

[marley-manson]

getting to know mutuals!

tagged by @nimuetheseawitch, thank you!

what's the origin of your blog title?

Lyric from the song that my URL is also obliquely from, which had the right vibes for a blog about an obsession

otp(s) + shipname(s):

I'm not sure I understand the phrasing of this, why are otps and shipnames separate? But here's a list of some of my current favourite ships, like if I've sought out fic or thought about them much in the last few months:

hawktrap, hawnk, beejhawk, griffguts, Xena/Gabrielle, Dan/Herbert, Fraser/Ray V, Shauna/Melissa, wangxian, xuexiao, xiyao, and Cassie/Aftran because I did read a couple fics and chatted about them recently lol.

favourite colour:

Green!

song stuck in your head:

Drive by Melissa Ferrick lol, idk why, I just woke up with it in my head today

weirdest habit/trait:

Weirdness is in the eye of the beholder, I really don't know what's most weird about me lol. Probably the fact that I write and read fanfic honestly.

hobbies:

Writing, vidding, thinking too much about movies and tv, embroidery

if you work, what's your profession?

Taping, aka interior finishing, a stage of construction

if you could have any job you wish, what would it be?

Cashier but I make $50 an hour

something you're good at:

Analyzing gay subtext.

something you hate:

Mentally throwing a dart at a big list: sanding (as part of my job.) I used to not mind it, but ever since my sinuses started acting up the dust has become a trigger. I wear a mask ofc but even breathing in the little bit left in the air during breaks will fuck me up for a day or two.

something you collect:

Nothing really, I pretty much only buy useful things.

something you forget:

I feel like I generally have a pretty good memory, but forgetting past conversations probably bugs me the most. Like, did I mention this to you or someone else? Have I told this story before? Have I asked you this before? Was there something you mentioned last time we talked that I was going to follow up on and forgot? I try to be an active listener as much as I can but it's inevitable that some things fall through the cracks I guess.

what's your love language:

I'm not a fan of treating it as a psychologically valid sorting hat thing lol, but out of the options my fave is quality time. I like to go out and do things with people, it's a big reason idt I could be in a long distance relationship.

favourite movie/show:

Velvet Goldmine

favourite food:

Turkey dinner. Turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, various sides, etc. But only home cooked.

favourite animal:

Idk, maybe snakes.

what were you like as a child:

Stubborn, argumentative, confident, physical. I played with the boys at recess a lot for the first few years of elementary school, followed a kid I had a crush on around in kindergarten lol, got into arguments about things like girl colours vs boy colours eg, etc. I was awesome as a kid.

favourite subject at school:

English.

least favourite subject:

If we're talking grade school, high school biology. I thought I'd love it but then found myself preferring chemistry and physics, idk. If we're talking uni, fucking Latin and French, both of which I tried for the language requirement and failed >:(

what's your best character trait?

Honestly I like most things about myself, I feel like I have a healthy ego and that's a good character trait itself. But as for something I've had feedback on: according to multiple friends I'm chill and non-judgemental in a way that lets people relax and feel comfortable around me.

what's your worst character trait?

I'm too passive, and therefore bad at pursuing positive life changes and staying in touch with people.

if you could change any detail of your life right now, what would it be?

Living in Vancouver instead of here.

if you could travel in time, who would you like to meet?

No idea, this isn't something I've ever thought about or have any interest in lol, I'm not a history person or someone who wants to talk to famous people.

tagging: @beansterpie @majorbaby @bisexualdawnsummers @hetakiba @ducksoup1933 @pigtailedgirl @professormcguire @caddyxjellyby @shiveringsoldier @captainofthedefiant @the-cinnamontography-is-amazing @windmillcrusader @quordleona03 @coffee-rack @redcheekdays

and anyone else who wants to do it pls do and say I tagged you!

[veliseraptor]

Top five canon ships from your fandoms?

canon ships? what're those. also I mean. how "canon" are we talking, like, explicitly canon, implicitly canon, they-get-together-at-the-end canon, they-at-some-point-were-a-thing canon, plausible-deniability-canon, it's complicated

but okay, to try to take this in the spirit it was probably meant

Hua Cheng/Xie Lian from TGCF. one of the most incredible things about TGCF is that it actually made me wholeheartedly and enthusiastically ship a completely canon and...relatively functional...ship. I mean, they've definitely got their dysfunction (Hua Cheng get some self esteem and maybe pedestalize Xie Lian a little less challenge) but they're weirdo4weirdo and friends in a delightful way that makes me really enjoy how they do it. I'm not saying they invented love, as the saying goes, but they're certainly good at it.

Felix Harrowgate &/ Mildmay from Doctrine of Labyrinths. look, if there's explicit incestuous attraction at at least one point I think it counts. this is one of those ships that straddles the line between & and / for me a lot of the time, because any sexual stuff aside it's so intense and intimate that, like. it might as well be a "classic" ship, just without the sex, and we're agreed that something doesn't have to have sex in it to be a ship, right? and there is the canonical one-sided incestuous attraction, so, like. it's not even completely without the sex.

Vegas Theerapanyakul/Pete Saengtham from Kinnporsche. cannot believe that this is canon thing that actually happened in a show that I watched. made 4 me. incredible. forever grateful to Kinnporsche for giving me this gift.

Caleb Widogast/Essek Thelyss from Critical Role. I feel like it's canon enough? maybe that's controversial but I'm going to stand by it. fascinating dynamic, two fucked up people being fucked up together, atonement arcs that aren't usually my thing but crossed with a wondrous amount of wizard hubris and people who are both kind of bad at being people. I'm into it.

Chu Wanning/Taxian-jun from 2HA. this spot was more of a toss-up but ultimately I settled on these two. I specify Taxian-jun here because while I really enjoy Mo Ran/Chu Wanning other flavor it's truly the Maximum Fucked Up that gets/got me. the hate/love/obsession of it. so good, I'm rolling around in it like a cat in catnip. thank u Meatbun for giving this to me with all its laundry list of associated trigger warnings

I feel like everyone should know how fucking tempted I was to put xuexiao on here. because it was very tempted. they're so close, you guys, I would argue implicitly canon, but, well. probably not what you meant, anon.

a number of what I'd call "plausible deniability canon" ships from mxtx, really. but again, spirit of the question.

[silvysartfulness]

so three questions in one, i would like to know your:

-xuexiao thoughts

-songxiao thoughts

-songxue thoughts

separated from songxuexiao

(if you would also like to provide your songxuexiao thoughts i would love to read that too i just wanna see specifically how you feel and think about each ship individually)

(+bonus: any a-qing ships you do or don't have, why/why not, and/or any sexuality/gender headcanons you might have for her)

Oh wow, that’s a very broad question! Let’s see what we can come up with…

XueXiao was my entry point to the SXX ship. I love their chemistry in CQL (much more than in MDZS) I love how – when all other variables were stripped away – they make each other happy. How they share the same silly, almost childish humour, and love to laugh and tease and joke together.

How Xiao Xingchen’s patience and gentle nature allows Xue Yang to experiment with being a kind of person he’s never been before – just a human being, a bit sharp around the edges, but no longer an attack-dog, a weapon or tool. Just a person, being given affection for free, just for being.

And how Xue Yang makes Xiao Xingchen happy, makes him laugh. He’s helpful – first, no doubt, because he’s learned to make himself useful to stay alive. But later just because he actually enjoys taking care of the people he likes. And Xiao Xingchen relishes in being loved and appreciated – and also getting to be just a human being. No legendary hero or world-saviour. But just a person, loved.

I also have a huge weak spot for the kind of hopeless obsessive devotion Xue Yang expresses after Xiao Xingchen’s death! That getting him back somehow matters more than anything, even his own life. That he never stops trying. That his final moments is remembering Xiao Xingchen’s kindness, smiling as he looks at the candy and finally lets go.

That’s a major reason why I started writing Heaven – to give them a second chance at realizing how much they did and do care about each other, how much the other cares. How much of that was real.

SongXiao is by far the weakest part of the triangle for me, personally. Not as in they’re not close, because they are, but because they don’t interest me much without Xue Yang there to spice things up. They have some issues, certainly, but on their own they’re just a bit too straight-laced and wholesome to be very interesting.

I do find Song Lan’s issues with touch clashing with Xiao Xingchen’s tactile nature interesting, and the Yearning can be good, too.

But still... Without Xue Yang there, I don’t connect much to these two on their own. I virtually never read fic for just the two of them (and not only because a lot of SongXiao fics sadly often spring fun surprise “fix-it”s that just boil down to “kill Xue Yang and everything’s fine!” on you without even warning for it.) They’re just a bit eh.

SongXue is delicious. It’s hurty and crunchy with a lot of fun chemistry to poke at. They both start from a place of loathing everything the other is, and then take a fascinating further detour through destroying the most precious things the other has. For that to turn into any kind of working relationship… It takes a lot of work. And that work, the dealing with and overcoming past trauma, forced cooperation, realizing the things they have in common, the world’s most grudging respect and appreciation slowly growing between them... That’s my catnip. I love it. I’m not interested in canon divergent stories where they just rush past all that to forgiveness and love. I want to see the work.

When I first started writing Heaven, my outlook was to fit in some angry hatesex at best, and really struggled with imagining a way for them to actually grow to love each other. And it did take a lot of work! Some 350k of it! And a lot of hurt, and compromise, and dogged determination from the both of them! But now they’ve finally gotten there and it feels solid. It feels earned.

No forgiveness for the unforgivable hurt of the past, but an unspoken mutual agreement to look to the future. Love that for them.

Finally, the SongXueXiao triangle as a whole – I love how well they all balance each other when together.

Xiao Xingchen can be overly idealistic, but paired with Song Lan’s pragmatism it turns into more concrete things to actually do, and Xue Yang’s irreverent habit of pointing out the weakest links in their reasoning to tear down their arguments also identifies what really needs working on… It’s a good way of making progress!

I like how Song Lan’s stubborn patience and stern sense of justice can temper Xue Yang’s worst and most violent impulses, and how Xue Yang can push Song Lan out of his comfort zone and force him to consider greyscales and not just neat blacks and whites.

I love how Xue Yang grows when he’s feeling loved, and how much he loves taking care of his loved ones, though he wouldn’t realize himself that that’s what he’s actually doing. He just likes pampering them, when given the chance! It does piss him off to no end, sometimes, the way they try to "change" him and "hold him back" - but once he’s calmed down a bit, he can usually see when it’s merited and for his own good, and even when not… the compromises are an acceptable trade-off to get to have the good parts of the relationship.

They’re good for each other, a mix of supporting the best in each other, and helping temper and guide their weaknesses into better habits and more nuanced understanding.

This is a set, do not separate. ♥

As for a-Qing… I love her as a character! Especially her weird aggro-sibling relationship with Xue Yang. But I don’t have any very strong feelings about her aside from that – I’ll happily read fics where she stays single all her life, or ends up in a happily married polycule, or settles down with husband and kids, or dates around as she pleases. She can be ace or lesbian or pan or anything. You do you, Queen!

In Deep Blue Sea, she had a friends with benefits situationship with Wen Qing. In Under The Wheel it wasn’t stated outright, but the way she kept wandering with the other three, she never settled down with any one partner, but had the occasional flings and a number of more or less casual bedmates along the journey.

The only real notp I’d have for her would probably be Xiao Xingchen or Song Lan, who are more gege/parent-coded to her in my mind. If, in some version of events, she would be interested in exploring sex with the mysterious (canonically designated handsome) stranger who lived with them in Yi City, though? Sure, why not. I don’t know if Xue Yang would go for it, and it’s not a ship I would seek out, but that I can imagine enjoying if handled just right.

Other than that, as I said, pretty much anything goes. She’s not a character I would seek out fic for, but I very much like her as part of the whole Yi City mess. She should get to have fun and get good things! She certainly deserves it every bit as much as the other three disasters.

[askew-d]

Hello...Have you watched Haikyuu movies? It's great....And we got lots of Kuroken moments and "that"one Kagehina moment.... So, as Kagehina shipper, have you ever ship Hinata or Kageyama with other character? For me, I have read Kageyama with Oikawa fic (I enjoy it but not really into that ship, all the time thinking of Iwaoi) and Hinata with Atsumu fic (one of my friend love that ship, wrote a fic and asked me to read them). And as much as they're all good, my otp will always be Kagehina. Like they were made for each other and it has to be them...

Do you also have other ships that you love from MDZS and TGCF? Sorry, if you asked me this, I have at least 8 ships in total from those two series, all of them are non canon (Xuexiao, Xiyao, Zhuiling, Beafleaf, Fengqing, Quanyin, Peihuang, Xuyue)....

Sorry for this random and long ask, hope you don't mind....

hello, anon!! sorry i am late for this, hope you understand. life has been crazy, haha. anyway, let us go: i did watch the haikyuu films and recently in was at the cinema with a friend watching the dumpster battle, let me tell you i was OVERJOYED!!! heavens, i could not control my anxiety. though my friend also likes the anime, she isnt as obsessed as me and didnt even finish the last season when we talked about watching the brand new release, so i had the OUTSTANDING experience of rewatching it with her so we could buy the tickets after!! i lost count of how many times i watched it and how many times i made other friends try it out (at some point, i recommended it to even one of my students during a totally unrelated discourse, hahahaha, hope he shares his opinions once this winter break finishes).

since i watched haikyuu about... five years ago? i must have rewatched some seasons more than ten times. its my comfort show! love every film also. about the ships, kagehina is my endgame, but i definitely love kuroken, iwaoi, bokuaka and sakuatsu (though i consume kagehina content much more). of course every ship is valid, i cannot judge anyone, however, i personally cant see hinata or kageyama with anyone else and do not read stories too focused on other relationships :) i can comprehend why fans see something with oikawa and kageyama, or even oikawa and hinata (considering their interaction in rio), but i do not settle with it in my heart. its just profiles and options, anyway! dont mind, dont mind.

i agree with you. for me, they are soulmates through and through. perfect for each other. one is the promise, the other is the anchor. they might be one of the couples i have seen anywhere that matches each other's vibe the best.

about mxtxt works, my favorite side ships are moshang and beefleaf. i can see the appeals in each one you mentioned, but i just never quite got interested to the point of reading about it, sorry!! some of them maybe its because they did not have a finale extra shot, or at least they were not as spoken/seen together as they were individually. for fengqing, though i like them as a side couple in hualian fanfics, i never quite got engaged in their story together, many times they just annoyed me (god, im scared of saying that and people coming at me, but there you go). but i know they have their values and some interactions i could almost forget my light, petty resentment for their actions and laugh along. beefleaf though? mobei-jun and his creator shang qinghua? heavens, i wanted to see more of them.

so, this is it! do not worry about asking whatever and whenever you want to ask. i love coming here to answer them when i have the time. thank you!! hope you can spot a nice sunset and take a relaxing shower today.

[jgydidnothingwrong]

Fic Writer Q&A

Tagged by @cryptidafter

How many wips do you have currently?

1. songxue hanahaki au. This one has priority and that’s the only thing I will say. 

2. bingyao. Basically, Luo Bingge jumping universes to found that nice shizun, getting trapped in the mdzs universe, meeting Meng Yao and offering him sex to he could develop a proper core. The Meng Yao getting cured with magical dick fic, basically. 

3. dinohiba, the usual bullshit about them being no in love lol (Dino thinking about what’s worse or best? Having sex with an illegal teenager because he’s in love? Or is the love an excuse and he’s only a pervert?) (based on “Baby said”, so Kyoya is there, like “shut up, let’s fuck lol) (I basically don’t care about the underage, but is funny to torture Dino from time to time)

4. xiyao idol!Meng Yao au. Based (lightly) on My Beautiful Man. Lan XiChen in this is a person justifying his obsession with “the fans online say this is normal, actually”. 

5. Third chapter of the alien au!! The xuexiao one!! I’ve finally decided Song Lan role in the story (he’s sadly dead). Another chapter in my very personal au based on Bloodchild, about humans accepting being used as host to aliens babies in exchange for living a comfortable life in another world. I love this fic, is my very special baby. This chapter is gonna fit the “love” from the title (Is “Greed, Horror, Love”). An love is violence. Love is violent in it’s nature and is Xue Yang’s love for his own life, and Xiao XingChen’s love for Song Lan who lead her to use Xue Yang because she will lose what’s left from Song Lan (in this universe, the female aliens are the ones who do the trade with humans, males are too savage, and maybe not developed enough, is not clear, but that’s how I will play it. Males die early and females store the sperm until they’re ready. That’s also not into the original story, but I need to invent some things).

6. Fierce corpse Meng Shi. So, basically Meng Shi died and turned into one for whatever reason and Jin GuangYao discovered when he moved her corpse to the temple, she’s been quiet because of the prayer and all that. My problem with this is, I can’t decide if I want a happy ending, like, Meng Shi saving Jin GuangYao, or if I want to turn it into a little horror, in the form of Meng Shi taking her son back because he was safe when he was inside of her body… and that’s why is still not finished. 

7. The xiyao fucking by mistake. Basically, Meng Yao tired of his life and watching JZX having a freaking amazing party while he gets nothing, so for one day, he wants to said “fuck it” to all. But he doesn’t believe in relationships, so he hires a scort. And Lan XiChen, by mistake, comes to his room. 

I have more but I’m tired haha

Which one are you finding the hardest to finish?

THE ALIEN AU!!!

Every chapter takes me a year from the moment I start, because I like this one very much, and I don’t want to feel like I’m insulting Octavia Butler, so I try to make it good. 

What does it usually look like when inspiration strikes for you?

It doesn’t. I don’t wait for the inspiration anymore. But sometimes, in a good day, my brain feels alive, so I write. But I also write when my braid is dying. I write and expect for that spark to shine.

Do you curate playlists for each fic or is your process different?

No, unless I decided for a song before, it doesn't matter, I don’t bother myself with it. Usually, the D18 have songs. Like, the one I’m writing is “Baby Said”, the last xiyao was “El Hombre Pájaro” and the epilogue for Silk Cage exists because of “Luz de día” but I don’t stress myself with thinking songs. 

Do you go balls to the wall and write as you go or are you more organized?

Balls to the wall, I never organize anything lol.

Tagging: @mostlikelytofangirl @unfortunatelycake

And whoever wants to do it

[thatlittlemouse]

Shipper tag game

tagged by @lunanoc 🫶@tatchling 🫶@tiesanjiaoshenanigans🫶

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

First of all, I got into fandom in my 20s, so anything I was into in my teens was not at obsession level

Which ship would you consider your first one?

???????????????????????????? sudden flash of being really excited about the pink haired girl and that bad guy in tokyo mew mew. deep seated memories of being into takeru/hikari in digimon adventure 2. gambit/rogue from the xmen cartoon oh my god

Your first fanfic was about which couple?

I don't write so read: idk if doujinshi counts here, but the first ship I really started consuming fan content for was ginhiji (gintama)

Do you remember the first couple you saw fanart of?

There's no way I remember that..... scrolling deviantart or whatever, who knows what I saw 😭

Have you ever gotten into ship discourse?

I try to avoid discourse, so no. I get mad at people with bad takes, block, move on

Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?

There was this one niche yukio (ao no exorcist) ship that bothered me a lot, but I'm not in that fandom anymore and even if I saw it I wouldn't be as bothered. Otherwise, none currently. I just have meh-TPs

Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read?

heihua ✨✨✨

Currently, do you have any OTPs?

From dmbj I'm actively into heihua, less actively into pingxie, neither of them really at the highest brainrot levels. I think fondly of some of my other ships every once in a while

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

uhhhh nothing comes to mind. No wait, queliot (the magicians) lmao

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

🤔🤔 I don't think so, I either get the vibe right away or I don't. I can get a better understanding of why people ship them, but that won't make me ship them

Do you have any ship that, in the past, would've been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

uuuhhh yukishura maybe? even years back people were pointing out the age difference and I know, I know, but their dynamic is still nice even if I probably don't ship them like that anymore. xuexiao isn't from "the past" and it's been cancel worthy from the start lmao

What is your favorite crack ship?

I don't have crack ships, I'm too canon obsessed

What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?

Might be louis/lestat, I only read the books a few years ago and I had to do so much archeology for them!

What do most of your ships usually have in common?

Time to call myself out 💁‍♀️ I like more than one type of dynamic, but there are some elements that a lot of my ships have in common if I put them side by side: it's the "whatever souls are made of, yours and mine are the same (sometimes derogatory)" type of dynamic. I love characters that are complicated and think they're unlovable until they find someone that's Kind Of Like Them. It's even better when on the surface they seem very different, but they can tell they're the same. And the reaction of the two might be to be wary of each other, to antagonize each other, to clown each other, to take refuge in each other. Could be the premise of good enemies to lovers ships, but I usually like lower stakes. ginhiji (gintaka also), buckynat, wenzhou, heihua etc different flavors but I think they have this common thread

I haven't found something clear in common about ships that don't fit the above

What you absolutely hate in a ship?

There are romance tropes I dislike, fandom tropes I dislike, maybe I'm too tired to think of things that annoy me right now even though there are many

tagging @bahrmp3 @middayfiddler @verycharismaticdragon @adamantineheart if it sounds like something fun to you

[babischlong-six]

Shipper Tag Game

Thank you for tagging me darling @the-marron !! I haven't even really thought about some of these questions so this was super fun <3

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

Looking back, probably any of my favorite ships from Rurouni Kenshin (for obvious reasons). I distinctly remember being very obsessed with Aoshi/Misao and Saitou/Sanosuke

Other than that, my many favorite ships from teen-ager-times still have a place in my heart, and if I'm struggling for something to read, I'll still peek in on their ao3 pages :)

2. Which ship would you consider your first one?

Something from InuYasha probably. Sango/Miroku? Sango/Kagome? Sesshomaru/Rin? Or maybe something from Pirates of the Caribbean like Norrington/Elizabeth or Jack/Will. The thing about "shipping" is that I would absolutely love fictional relationships, but never really "fandomized" about them until I was a teenager, so I can't really say what my first real ship was, just because there were always movies and books I was reading and thinking "Wow! I wish I could see more of these two!" (Athos and D'Artagnan for instance, or Legolas and Gimli) but I was so young that romance didn't really exist for me, it was more about the dynamics

3. Your first fanfic was about which couple?

The first fanfic I ever wrote? No idea. I would be writing all sorts of horribly grammatically incorrect little scenarios in my first (very ancient) computer's notes program - and I can't even remember which of them I published on ff.net. But it was probably something InuYasha - probably just the canon pairings.

The first fanfic I ever read was SasuNaru: it was published on DeviantArt of all places, written like a filler beach episode and I remember thinking it sounded really nice to be eating watermelon on the beach together.

4. Do you remember the first couple you saw fanart of?

Not even the foggiest idea.

5. Have you ever gotten into ship discourse?

Maybe? I advocate for the "ship and let ship" lifestyle and I've had people getting annoyed with me for that, complaining that what I was shipping was not canon or disrespectful to the author (once in the discord FOR lovers of that ship, mind you!)

6. Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?

My rule is never say never. There are some pairings I've never seen well done, but if I do see something good, I'll be converted.

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

Fitzier 🫣

8. Currently, do you have any OTPs?

See, as a multi-shipper, it's hard for me to have an OTP at all. Like ever. If I like a character, I'm interested in their dynamic with lots of different characters. And even with crack pairs, if I see a beautiful fanart or a well-written fic, or even someone explaining the pair in a way that clicks for me, I'm down.

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

Not really. Canon is canon, fandom is fandom. There are a few that I've thought it would be nice if they got together onscreen/on the page but never got angry if they didn't.

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

Among many, I would say probably XueXiao. I was absolutely shocked that they got shipped at all - but then I re-read the novel and was like: "Oh. No, yeah, I get it now." Like, I'm not obsessed or anything, but I am compelled by it.

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

Everything I have ever shipped in the history of ever, you mean? I love a good age-gap, or an enemies-to-lovers, or some power dynamic play, or even some angsty incest stories, or vicious hatefucking, or dub-con, or---

...You get the idea.

12. What is your favorite crack ship?

Unfortunately, I can't answer the question due to at least half of my ships being crackships. They are from completely different media? Check. They are from the same media but have never once interacted? Check. They have excellent chemistry and a fantastic dynamic but are very unpopular in fandom for whatever reason? Check.

13. What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?

It comes in waves. Sometimes I'm in a sci-fi alien romance mood so I'll head over the Star Trek and B5 route (and read the same G'Kar/Londo fics or Kirk/Spock fics over and over again and cry myself to sleep.) Sometimes my friend writes something for a pairing I've completely forgotten about and I suddenly have to re-read everything they've ever written. Sometimes, I get into a piece of media and have to trawl ao3 for EVERYTHING (within certain parameters) of a certain pair that caught my eye.

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

Chemistry. Some kind of ability to constantly bounce off of one another - a constant give and take of meaning and expression.

Unless they can talk with/at each other for hours until they run out of breath and pass out, I'm not as interested. There needs to be banter, no matter if light-hearted or with deeper undertones. They just need to be able to talk to each other, even if most of the conversation is clever obfuscation of what they really mean.

15. What you absolutely hate in a ship?

Anything boring tbh. Oh, they're high-schoolers who are childhood friends and now they're holding hands and blushing? I don't care. Oh, they're planning a seaside wedding and nothing bad has ever happened, ever, and they love one another peacefully? YAWN. Oh, they're sitting down and having a talk about their feelings that sounds like it's come out of a the most recent therapy how-to booklet? Kill me immediately.

Give me adventure! Conflict! Chaos! Even just petty issues! PLEASE! I need these people to be doing something!

This has been very fun!

I'm tagging @elemental-queen-writes @polkadotcravat @bobafvcks @themurdochmemesteries AND anyone who wants to do this!

[rejectedfables]

B, D, L, W :)

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

Current obsessions are Ranwan and XueXiao. Usually I have more than this bouncing around my brain, but at the moment? Nope. Just ranwan and xuexiao

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t.

Hmm. I like 3zun a bit, but I wish I liked it more. Also I wish I liked Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan on their OWN more, but currently I only like them if Xue Yang is included. Wish I didn't have a rage response to most Lan Xichen/Jiang Cheng, because it's unavoidable.

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves. (Characters you’re neutral about are fair game, as are characters you merely dislike. Characters that you absolutely loathe with the fire of ten thousand suns are exempt, as there is no point in giving yourself an aneurysm over a character that you hate.)

Huaisang was right not to use one of those cursed ass sabers, and it takes chutzpah to refuse family pressure even (especially) when your family is fuckin wrong

W - A trope which you are virtually certain to hate in any fandom.

Modern AUs that strip the characters of their context.

(Here's the ask meme if anybody else wants to send more)

[fieri-sentio-et-excrucior]

@deathbyoctopi thanks for playing the ask game with me! You asked quite a few questions, so this is quite long, so I've put it under the cut :)

Favorite place to write.

I seem to do most of my writing on the train to/from work… But I dream of going on holiday and having an apartment by the beach with a balcony where I could sit and write at leisure as I look out over the sea 😉

6. Favorite character you ever created (even if its not OC, all characters are fun to write)

I’ve not written many OCs, but I would say A-Feng from my XueXiao The Prisoner of Jinlintai series. His love story started out awkward and shy, developed into passion and then ended in heartbreak and deadly revenge, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing all of that for him :D

8. Favorite trope to write.

Smut… :D

9. Least favorite trope to write.

I have never and would never want to write a permanent break up of my main pairings, or a coffee shop AU.

23. Single or multi POV, and why?

I think I often naturally write multi POV. Maybe because it’s interesting to see the same situation through different eyes and show the different interpretations and misunderstandings?

30. Favorite line you’ve ever written.

Quite a hard question as I’ve forgotten a lot of my older fics! But looking at the ones I’ve written for The Untamed, which I remember best, I think it’s a toss up between the following two:

‘The candy wobbled slightly from the impact, but he didn’t lose it from his grasp; as Xue Yang lay, unmoving, it soon became still.’ – from Liberation, the first fic I ever wrote for The Untamed / XueXiao. I was drowning in emotions when I wrote that fic, I’d not written anything for any fandom for ages and suddenly got hit by the desperate need to pour the angsty emotions Yi City aroused in me into fic. I like this line as it just feels so sad to me – it’s Xue Yang’s last moment, he’s held onto this candy from Xiao Xingchen for so long that it’s become inedible, and yet it’s so important he can’t let it go even as he’s dying, can’t tear his eyes away from it, it's the last thing he ever sees; and as he dies, the candy stills too, all movement, all life gone forever…

The other line I like a lot is this simple one, ‘Jin Guangyao had known not to accept tea from him. Xiao Xingchen did not.’ – from Waste Not, Want Not. It’s a short fic which has never had many readers tbh (prob the cannibalism tag puts them off!), but I think it’s one of my faves – it was so fun and so easy to write, and it felt good writing something a bit dark-themed while staying light-hearted. I think some of my other fics make Xue Yang a bit soppy (in a passionate, obsessed way), which I personally enjoy, but this fic felt a bit more true to him. And this line, I think, was a bit ominous and expressed the cannibalism theme of the story without needing to go into grisly detail!

35. Tell some backstory details about Xue Yang (the omega) in your story Two Heads are Better than One.

Hmm, I’m not sure I have a lot of backstory to share… But just a few thoughts about Xue Yang... that he has always been disgusted by the fact that he’s an omega since he presented, and that disgust is based on fear. He fears losing control – that his biology will drive him to do crazy things that he’d never want to do outside of his heat and end up dooming himself; and that there are so many alphas out there who want to take control away from him and keep him under their (knot) thumb. It’s just another reason to hate society too, the way that alphas have all the power and omegas are trapped at home to breed.

So he has been taking heat suppressants his whole life. They are one of the most important things in his life, at least as important as Jiangzai, since both offer him vital protection in a dangerous society that would use him for all he can give, even against his will.

At the very least, he’s determined to eke a bitter pleasure out of his situation by being as un-omega-like as he possibly can, shocking everyone he meets with his uncouth brashness, violence, disrespect, and general unruliness. Only something truly out of the ordinary, like the exhilaration of finally wreaking vengeance on his bitterest enemy, could cause him to forget to take his heat suppressants…

54. Any writing advice you want to share?

Not v original but just, write whatever you find fun and interesting, and keep going!