#SORRY no thoughts only otps

[everythingwasnormalhere]

guys yall helped me popularize chronic pain kinny can y'all help me popularize redchole now?

[citruscloudsandmoon]

This is so Kaihil and Ulquihime coded 🤭

Happy Valentines day !!! 😁❤️💐

[valentinesparda]

Hey Valentine!! Been thinking about DMC lately and was wondering if you could tell me some stuff about your DMC s/i? :0 perhaps what their relationship with Vergil is like? -[Wayfinderships]

@wayfinderships OH BOY OH BOY IVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT DMC RECENTLY TOO !!!! i miss my half demon husband. it sure has been a whole hot minute since I talked about gabriel in general, and it sure has just hit me that you and most of my current mutuals completely missed my dmc era, so!!

gabriel is my self insert, and they are a collector of demonic goods, a purveyor of powerful artefacts, and they meet vergil shortly before dmc3 is taking place, mostly because their paths cross through happenstance and they offer up information for him. they're around the same age as the twins at this point during the timeline, the two of them are kind of friends and kind of bickering back and forth, and eventually when Vergil Goes To Hell, they kind of dig themself into a hole of work since they're the apprentice to the actual collector they have been working for

um to make a long story short these are bullet points:

find a particular artefact associated to a general of hell named haures, who has his own little plans and manages to take possession of gabriel gradually over time, for the most part they function like they green goblin talking to his own mask

haures corrupts them and essentially demonizes them so they functionally stop aging / age so slowly that it isn't really noticeable

they are also hearing from haures about mundus and sparda and are doing their own little research, maybe in hopes of coming across that one weird white haired dude they met before

their research brings them to fortuna when nero is a little kid !! will expand upon that when i get back around to dmc4

they cross paths with dante a lot!! and he is their friend somewhat

the whole time they're doing all of this they are like actively dying from haures and have to stay in tip-top shape otherwise he will actually kill them!! but no one else can communicate with haures so he's just kind of their intrusive thoughts

badabadaba dmc5 rolls around and v shows up and suddenly it's like they're 20 again and experiencing feelings

anyways gabriel's relationship with vergil was initially a little fling for the short time that they knew each other when they were younger, and tidbits of that are echoed in meeting v. like gabriel wouldn't admit to it and they think they're doing such a good job of hiding it but everyone they know can SEE how they act

and then suddenly vergil is back!! and they are a dam in the process of breaking!! the two of them proceed to bicker like an old married couple and most of vergil's time spent as v winds up being mental anguish and maturity and confronting his own human emotions, so even though they are continuing on that leftover thread from when they were younger and they didn't spend very much time together, it's like they've known eachother forever. like they do care about eachother, clearly, but they're overall very sweet in their own ways and completely awkward in navigating their relationship and feelings. because they are eachothers first love or something. yucky. I'm not approaching the lady in red topic right now because if I do then I have to do mental gymnastics but it's fine, we'll just loophole it

anyways blah blah gabriel and vergil are like. aggressively embarrassed in how they interact with each other, because they're kind of too similar that it's funny, but they do genuinely like eachother. maybe it's just because they were each other's only friend when they were in their teens and were both being manipulated for someone else's gain lol. and after vergil's stay in hell and subsequent Speedrun of the human existence he calms down a little and lets himself learn to love, not just romantically but like, familially. he gets to learn about the people that he left behind again and the one he's never met before (his son), and that is just. so important to me

so gabriel is kind of the only person initially rooting for him, even if they would rather swallow glass than be vulnerable, but they can also have vergil help them control their corruption and possibly use haures to their advantage because i had it set up where he was yeah, a dumbass trying to usurp the throne, but I wanted to plan a whole plot surrounding him and maybe lore connecting him to sparda, specifically

I know i joke about them bickering and being unable to function as real people but i have a very special place in my heart for vergil, not just favourite character wise but also self ship wise. im personally very hardheaded and dragging my real feelings out of me is like literally pulling teeth, so I've hidden a lot of my affections behind jokes and that kind of is also reflected in how I talk about vergil. but i did eventually open up about it and that's where the handfasting ceremony came from. i finally just accepted that i loved him as a character and ive been trying to unlearn my bad behaviors and learn that it's okay to be vulnerable, and not to hold everything in all the time

i like. rambled but its to avoid having to voice how their relationship is in full detail, so all i really have to say is that it's complicated but also plainly simple how they work together, how they love. they do deeply care about the other, and while it takes some time to let the initial feelings go unsaid, they are at their center both very lonely people who have put their trust into someone that they can see themselves in, who know how the other one feels and expresses feelings, with the addition of v functioning as an a-ha moment for vergil while gabriel has had 30 years to think on the guy they first loved - and proceeded to immediately fall back in love with upon seeing again

[singsweetmelodies]

🙄

[gaffney]

I really admire how you're able to ship every duck with Charlie lol

LMAO. look. is it my fault that charlie has chemistry with everyone on the team? no!!! heart of the team etc etc 😌 idk, i just love love. i love the idea of different types of relationships with different types of people, and the possibilities that come with each type of love. i love the idea of finding a 'true love' in different people (platonic or romantic). and i just love exploring different dynamics!!! like, for ex. charlie/jesse is a completely different dynamic from charlie/adam, so it's fun to be able to write that. HOPEFULLY i'll add to my growing charlie/duck collection in the future

[bookshelfdreams]

1) Thank you!

2) I'd like to add on these by @benjaminkaela (because they were in response to mine)

#in my eyes part of the reason why he fell into despair so quick is that he’s done this before#because yeah he knows he can make it out#but he also knows what it’s going to TAKE#his momentum has been broken#and he knows getting free won’t make him safe#that hell will come for him over and over and over#and he’s too deep in it to realise that Charles can break that cycle#until the molotov comes out

YES EXACTLY I love this moment (this whole sequence) - it so beautifully illustrates how Charles and Edwin complete each other.

Edwin knows he will get out eventually. He knows what it will cost, and he knows he can bear it, even if it takes another 70 years. He prepared for this! He meticulously mapped out Hell, and then kept that map with him at all times! But, of course, the moment he actually gets back there, he doesn't have anything to work with. He's stripped of every one of his assets, he's defenseless, and he's aware of it. Sure, he didn't have books or potions the last time either and he still got out. But if Charles is down there with him, he can't afford the escape to take another 70 years, can he? He can't have Charles go through whatever horrors Hell has in store to keep damned souls from slipping out.

And he doesn't have to. Edwin does not have to escape, he is being rescued. Charles brings his own perspective to Edwin's personal Hell, and sees the solution Edwin doesn't.

Rather than clever tricks or rules-lawyering, brute force defeats monsters. Edwin kept the map with him, not weapons; he wouldn't have thought of just throwing a grenade at the doll spider. But Charles does! Never thinks twice about just chucking explosives at the thing until it catches fire, and this is why it works! Edwin may not be able to defeat his demons on his own - they are tailored to his weaknesses, after all - but he doesn't have to. This time, someone came for him, to fight the battles he can't.

It actually mirrors ep3 a little bit, when Charles is trapped in a hell tailored to him. Over and over, he has to try to prevent the massacre of the Devlin women - has to fail, and watch it happen. When Charles' strength fails him, it's Edwin with his clever tricks and knowledge of the arcane who saves him.

Because that's the thing, isn't it? Neither of them has to face their demons alone. Both always have someone at their side who will defeat their foes for them.

Charles Rowland & Edwin Payne | Dead Boy Detectives 1.07

[novelbear]

introvert x extrovert things for your otp 🧸

a prompt list by @novelbear ᵔᴥᵔ

extrovert knowing all the cool places to eat/have fun in town and loves showing introvert everything on dates

^ in turn, introvert loves to show extrovert all the best movies, books, or other cute little hobbies (like bracelet making, baking)

introvert listening to extrovert ramble about literally anything with the biggest smile on their face

"why don't we go out for lunch?" "we went out this morning.." "to check the mail??"

extrovert coming home to find introvert all bundled up in blankets on the couch and can't help but attack them with kisses

introvert introducing extrovert into the world of journaling

"how could you keep up with so many groupchats?" "i'm only in three." "only?"

extrovert watching introvert get closer with their friend circle and feeling so proud/happy

extrovert buying the introvert a set of headphones so they can zone out when needed

^ "oh my god no, why are you crying? i thought this would help, i'm sorry." "i love you. so much."

introvert going to an event with extrovert and ending up having more fun than they do

^ "i told you that you'd have a great time." [playfully] "shut up."

extrovert taking on certain responsibilities that introvert might dread more often (like the grocery shopping for example)

"didn't you order fries with that?" "yeah, but it's fine." "i can say something-" "don't you dare."

extrovert secretly reading a book/watching a movie that they know introvert has been obsessed with so that they can engage in a meaningful conversation about it later

[boyfrillish]

In case anyone cares to know, my progress status in Sword is I just got my 4th badge last night and am about to head off to Ballonlea next time I play. Those who are around my twitter may have seen me crying about Hop a lot these past couple of days 😹 among other yellings. I mean it when I say the game’s on my mind 24/7. The itch to write is strong. So is the wish to look for fanart (and rt it all but I’m nervous about rting ppl’s old(er) art lol) but I’m trying to at least finish the story first 😅

Also Hop and Victor have received THE highest honour: they’re assigned Speed of Love. aka THE song. I think that pretty much says it all...

[sturnioz]

about the one where fratboy!chris doesn't let shy!reader meet his family I THOUGHT ABT SOMETHING

sooo imagine chris's mom otp while he's with reader then reader gets her hopes up thinking chris would somehow mention who he's with right now but he doesn't and it ends up into reader with hurt feelings and chris just being an asshole like it's no big deal

i lowkey wanna be hurt rn GIMME ANGST

you're staring wide eyed at chris, completely captivated at the voice he uses to talk to marylou on the phone — his tone soft and gentle, almost childlike, and he grins at the words she speaks, his eyes twinkling with warmth, causing a smile to creep across your lips.

it's a side of him you've never seen before, and you can't help but feel a flutter of admiration in your chest.

as he walks around his room, his phone cradled in one hand and a pile of clothes in the other, you're stuck watching how tenderly he engages with his mother. his expression constantly shifts between playful to genuine care and adoration.

"yeah, ma. everythin' is good," chris hums softly, placing his phone on the desk and pressing the speaker icon, allowing his mother's voice to fill the room. "classes are good too."

"and how is nick? has he been over recently?"

"y'know nick would rather die than come into the frat house—"

"oh, chris, you know i don't like you saying things like that to me. don't say that."

"sorry, ma," chris apologises sincerely, and you're taken aback by the softness in his tone. it's a complete contrast to the condescending way he usually speaks to you, often laced with sarcasm and mockery. the apology feels so genuine that it makes your heart flutter once more. "he doesn't like it here. prefers to meet up some place else."

"as long as you're seeing each other, that's all that matters," marylou says softly. "'cos your dad and i were worried that you wouldn't spend much time with him with your new living arrangements and all."

"no, no. we're good, we see each other a lot," chris reassures her as he pulls his jeans up his legs, threading his belt through the loops. "you don't need to worry, ma. i promise. we're actually goin' to get dinner tonight. nate's comin' along too."

you knew about the dinner tonight — though you weren't invited of course, you were all too aware of the plans.

"oh, nate," marylou coos softly at the mention of him. "and how is—"

her words are cut off when the book resting in your lap slips from your grasp and falls to the ground with a loud thud, causing chris' head to snap in your direction, momentarily pausing mid-motion.

he then grabs his plain white t-shirt, glaring at you as your lips form a tight-lipped, apologetic smile as you reach down to retrieve the book, your neck and cheeks burning with embarrassment. chris shakes his head at you with a quiet scoff, clearly unimpressed.

"is anyone there with you?" marylou asks curiously, her tone riddled with warmth and inviting.

your heart races as your head shoots up, a mix of nerves and excitement bubbling up inside you. you take a deep breath, ready to introduce yourself properly, hoping to make a good first impression.

"no. just some dumb frat kid next door makin' noise." chris immediately shuts it down, his tone dismissive, and your smile immediately drops from your face, a wave of discomfort twisting in your stomach and chest.

the disappointment stings more than you expected, and you can't help but feel small under his words. you tune out chris and marylou's conversation now, the warmth you felt just moments ago fading into an ache deep within you. mindlessly, you flip through the pages of you book, the words blurring together as your interest in that simmers too.

you don't even realise chris is saying goodbye to his mom, using a sweet tone that would have definitely made you swoon if you were paying attention. you completely miss the heartfelt 'i miss yous' and 'i love yous' shared between them too.

it's only when you feel the bed dip that your attention snaps back to reality, and you raise your gaze to see chris sitting on the edge, pulling on a pair of white socks before reaching for his black converse.

"m'gonna get matt to take you back to your place," chris announces nonchalantly, as if his earlier words hadn't left an impact. "gotta go that way t'get nick anyways."

"'kay." you reply, trying to keep your tone light.

chris twists his head to peer over his shoulder at you, his fingers busy tying his laces. his brows furrow in confusion as he stares at you. "what?"

you murmur back, "what?"

"whats the matter with you?" he asks, annoyance creeping into his voice. "actin' all weird on me. quieter than usual—"

"why didn't you tell your mom i was with you?" the question slips out before you can even think to stop it, a mix of hurt and vulnerability lacing your words.

chris gives you a look that makes you feel foolish, as if you've just asked the most ridiculous question. "why would i?"

his bluntness stings again, and you feel a flush of embarrassment wash over you. it's not just the question that bothers you; it's the slow realisation that he doesn't see how much you wish to be acknowledged, to be part of his world in a way that feels meaningful — more than a casual hook-up, maybe even as a friend.

you swallow hard, trying to gather your thoughts. "i just thought... maybe it would be nice, is all."

chris shrugs, turning back to his shoes. "s'not a big deal, kid."

"it is to me." the words slip out before you can hold them back again, a somewhat desperate plea for an understanding.

"why?" he asks immediately, looking back at you once more. "it shouldn't mean shit to you."

"you know my mom," you state. "you... you've spoken to my mom before, and—"

"'cos that was your choice, kid. yeah? 'n this is my choice," he points to his chest to emphasis his words, the intensity in his eyes making your heart race. "y'want me to tell my mom that i've got some girl in my room? have her question shit? nah... i keep my family life separate to what i do here."

his words hit hard. you understand his need for boundaries, but it hurts to feel so easily dismissed, and the ache in your chest deepens. you want to argue back, to make him see your side, but the words catch in your throat and you fall silent,

[tossawary]

Thinking about a comedic "Star Wars" fic premise that could be either DinLuke or BobaLuke, not as an "OTP happily ever after" thing for either pairing, more as a series of ill-conceived hook-ups that everyone involved wishes were a little less emotionally complicated, actually.

Because the basic (been done before, I'm sure) premise of "I fucked a 19yo in Mos Eisley's only gay bar, that's kind of embarassing for me..." -> "I hate it when a past hook-up becomes a- MULTI-MILLION CREDIT bounty??? What the hell??? He killed HOW MANY people???" -> "Oh, fuck me, he's DARTH VADER'S SON!!!" works for either Boba or Din.

The flavor of the fic is of course extremely different for each pairing. Boba Fett is much more of an asshole, especially at this point in time, but he also has a lot of really interesting connections to Luke's past / family (Boba is SWEATING during his later meetings with Darth Vader). (He fucked a Jedi??? He fucked ANAKIN SKYWALKER'S kid??? Darth Vader is Skywalker??? Shit.) So, that has the potential to go to angstier places. DinLuke is just more likely to happen in the first place and also keep happening, because Din is less of a bastard and, you know, not canonically working for Jabba the Hutt or Darth fucking Vader.

(They're both 10+ years older than Luke, so you can make terrible helmeted daddy issues jokes about this silly situation either way.)

Because I enjoy fic premises based on how funny they are to me personally, I settled on both of these pairings. It's too funny to imagine Boba ("I'm too fucking old for this shit") Fett and Din ("The helmet has to stay ON during sex") Djarin having a "WAIT, HIM TOO???" moment in the middle of a firefight between Luke's little rebel friends and a bunch of other bounty hunters sent after them by Luke's shitty Sith Lord dad.

And Luke's friends, in between shooting at all of these competing bounty hunters, are like, "How do you already have TWO bounty hunter EXES out for your ass??? I thought you were only 20? 21?? And that you never even left Tatooine before you joined the Rebellion???" And Luke can only be like, "I lived near a spaceport, okay??? I'm SORRY that the only good club was in a wretched hive of scum and villainy called MOS EISLEY!"

Han Solo, pressed up against some crates for cover: "Look, kid, the criminal underworld doesn't have a lot of hard rules, but some things are just common sense... Don't fuck bounty hunters!!!"

Luke, sitting beside him: "Do we really have to do this now?"

Leia, on Luke's other side, leaning in as she pulls out a thermal detonator: "Who RAISED you??? Didn't anyone ever tell you never to sleep with Mandalorians???"

Luke: "Why would your parents even think to warn you about that?"

[killerlookz]

50/ 46/ 62 <3

thank you for the ask <33 | if you'd like to participate in the heartbeat! au OTP ask game, the full prompt is here

46. what is their favorite intimately sexual thing to do to their partner? 50. what is their favorite position with their partner? 62. who likes to walk around the house naked and who tells the other to put some clothes on?

pairing: heartbeat! reader x heartbeat! joost content: 18+ MDNI, smut, oral (f! receiving), penetrative sex, angst mentions, not proofread

explicit RPF below! please do not interact if that makes you uncomfortable !!! 18+ MDNI

46. what is their favorite intimately sexual thing to do to their partner?

Joost's favorite thing to do is eat you out, hands down. You're stressed? He'll eat you out so you can relax. You're mad at him? Let him eat you out to show how sorry he is. You can't sleep? He'll eat you out to put you in that perfect blissful state so you can just fall right to sleep. He's just got back from tour? He's eating you out because he missed how you taste.

Truthfully, you hadn't expected him to be so into giving you head, and you much more expected for him to prefer it the other way around. When you first met- with his fluffy hair, ill fitted skinny jeans, and Supreme shirt you thought you had figured out his type, hype beast, fuck boy, who idolized american soundcloud rappers, thinking he was hot shit in his fake designer belts and unnecessarily expensive sneakers. The type of guy who fucked for his pleasure, and his pleasure alone.

How completely and utterly wrong you were. Joost had charmed you enough to let him take you out on a first date, so charming in fact, you'd end up "giving it up" on that first date. You hadn't expected to, but you couldn't resist him. You'd gone back to his place for some after dinner drinks, one thing led to another and you found yourself in his lap, lips pressed together, hungry. Until that point you had never had a make out session so intense, hands roaming each other wildly, unable to get enough of one another. Without a doubt, Joost had noticed the way you pressed your hips into his, with your skirt bunched up around your thighs, all that separated you from Joost were your panties, which had been, embarrassingly soaked for having only been making out. You were barely cognizant of the way you begged for friction against the seam of Joost's jeans, the fabric growing stiff under Joost's own rising arousal. Both of you were desperate for more, and Joost was ready to make the first move.

Joost pulled back from the kiss, lips shiny and swollen, lightly ghosting over yours as he speaks,

"Will you let me eat your pussy, schatje?" So forward. His voice is just barely above a whisper, but it's enough to hear the pure yearning he speaks with.

"Huh?" You hadn't dated around too much before Joost, but never had a man asked to eat you out on the first date, needless to say you were a little taken back.

"You can say no but-"

"Please." You cut him off ready to fully give into him.

Very soon after that Joost had been on his knees on the hardwood in front of you, head between your thighs, with your legs wrapped around his shoulders as you sit half off the couch. One hand is at your waist and with the other he uses his fingers to spread apart your folds as he laps at your cunt.

Joost was beside himself, musing with gentle mumbles about how good you tasted, about how he'd never be able to get enough of this-enough of you, his low voice sending vibrations right through your sensitive nerves.

And Joost was right, he would never get enough of you.

Post breakup, Joost doesn't eat you out as much as he'd like to, he worries its to intimate and it is.

But there are always those nights between you where it hits you just how profound your emotions towards each other are, how deeply and utterly in love you still are- and those nights Joost will find himself with his head between your thighs again.

50. what is their favorite position with their partner?

Without a DOUBT it's missionary. Call it boring, call it vanilla whatever. You two love fucking in missionary.

At first it's loving, neither of you wanting to take your eyes off each other. Joost will carry you to the bedroom, carefully placing you on the bed, hovering over you as the two of you make every soft and love felt move towards getting it on. The position allows for you to be so close to each other, Joost usually opting to fold over as much as he can, so his chest is nearly pressed against yours, his breath hot on your face and neck. Occasionally he'll pull back, watching you under him, the way your face writhes with pleasure, and you desperately grip the sheets below you. And - well, he loves watching the way your tits bounce while he fucks into you.

As your relationship progresses and tensions rise, and eventually you two break up- missionary becomes a way for you to get in one another's face while you inevitably end up "hate fucking" during an argument. Angry sex includes a lot of mocking and taunting, looking each other in the eyes, face to face as jaws clench between harsh words spat at one another. Neither of you relenting or willing to admit you're wrong. You try to remember whatever it is you're arguing about while Joost slams into you at a near brutal pace, your fingers ripping into his shoulders, sure to leave some marks for the next few days.

One of you will end up shutting the other one up with a fierce kiss, unable to stand the sound of their voice nagging and bickering any longer, wanting nothing more than to just reach your orgasm. And you will. Joost collapsing on top of you, a thick tension still lingering in the air. Aftercare is non-existent on some of those nights, the persistent anger having been unresolved by sex, leading to you wanting nothing to do with each other.

Other times, Joost will gently pull out of you, wordlessly making his way to the bathroom to get a warm washcloth before coming back to clean you up. You'll only share a few words for the rest of the night, maybe a quiet "I'm sorry" if you're lucky- but nobody needs to say it, you can feel it, the regret that fills the room, its almost suffocating. After he cleans you up Joost will join you back on the bed, pulling you to his chest, your naked bodies intertwine. He'll press a few kisses to your forehead, and you'll mumble your "I love you's" before falling asleep, hoping for a better day tomorrow.

62. who likes to walk around the house naked and who tells the other to put some clothes on?

Reader. But truthfully neither of you wear much clothes while you're together. It's not uncommon for the two of you to spend the entire day together at home only in your underwear, being skin to skin just feels better anyways.

But in terms of actual nudity, yes, reader. Joost prefers to not be completely naked, sometimes even during sex, occasionally opting to just pull his underwear down to his thighs instead of taking them off entirely.

If you've fallen asleep after having sex, and find yourself still naked in the morning, you won't bother to find something to put on before getting up to go run and grab a cup of water in the kitchen.

Or after a shower when you don't feel like getting ready right away you'll lounge around on your phone in bed, sometimes only in your towel, sometimes in nothing at all.

Joost will jokingly chastise you for constantly being naked or minimally clothed while the two of you are together, but he never actually means it. Obviously. He's obsessed with the way you look, clothed, or unclothed, and I mean- completely enamored. And he won't ever try to hide in, shamelessly staring at you, wherever and whenever he pleases, unable to fathom you're his.

Or post break up... deeply deeply regretting you're no longer his. Sometimes he'll remember that Michael has seen you like this too, filling his body with a hot pang of jealousy. He wishes he could be the only one to witness you in such a state, but he know's he's fucked that chance up.

[burr-ell]

Ppl are so fucking weird about narrative meta and it's solely bc it doesn't cater to ships. The ship isn't the center of the narrative and therefore when we talk abt the story in broad strokes they take any neutral writing observation and treat it like bitter screeing and crazy hate even though frankly speaking I don't think pointing out patterns is emotionally charged

So this ask is almost a year old and I am VERY sorry to the anon who sent it, but it's also interesting to me to consider how things have changed in that time. I got this a couple weeks after Imogen/Laudna became canon and I had been subject to some stan harassment because I disliked it, and after a bit of conversation about the whole thing I just shrugged and moved on. And yet for a not-insignificant portion of the ship's fandom, it feels as though everything that has happened between Imogen and Laudna since then has been just...quietly ignored. (I distinctly recall one of the hateful anons I received lecturing me about how "Im*dna is the heart of the campaign", and uh...how you doin these days, bud?)

Like, I've very recently blocked the majority of loud stan voices on Twitter, but it's telling to me that so many people proclaim to be these deranged fanatics about the ship and yet hardly acknowledge anything that's happened. And it could be that it's because prior to episode 89 nothing interesting had happened, but they still had moments; they had that dance on the pirate ship and the lap pillow and the comforting after the shard incident. But you'd hardly even know those moments happened—everyone's pfp is still a screenshot of Laura from episode 65, the bios all still read #IMOGENTEMULT: "can i kiss you?", and all the fanart is generic hugs or kisses and the occasional buff cowboy Imogen with damsel Laudna. So many emoji combinations include the ring when it's been referenced more often out of game than in it!

And meanwhile, the people who were vocally critical of the ship—many of whom, I think it bears observing, are queer women, women of color, neurodivergent women, or some combination thereof—have been having the time of our lives ever since 3x89 and especially 3x95. We've been asking for conflict the whole time and finally got it and surprise! We're enjoying ourselves! I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone in this corner who's turned into a classic OTP-type shipper, but we're engaging with this narrative and are interested in where it goes because it finally gave us something to do. We're also focused on everything else in the campaign, because it has an intriguing plot, an engaging villain, fun worldbuilding, and five other interesting protagonists.

If you got into the campaign because you wanted to watch a good story, you may have had trouble in the beginning, but if you stuck it out you're probably having a good time vibing with the moon. But if you got into this campaign because you thought the most important thing in the world was making sure Imogen and Laudna end up in their skinnyass white girl cottage baking cookies and shopping for Zhudanna and exchanging the uwu softest of kisses and handholds? You'd probably like very much for the campaign to have ended in July 2023. But it hasn't, and I think the campaign rather forcefully demonstrating once again that it is out of the audience's control is a disquieting thought in those circles. And if you're the type of person who felt Imogen and Laudna's constant fawning and inability to have uncomfortable conversations was not only romantic but aspirational, you're not likely to want to sit with disquieting thoughts.

[nerdygeekypastrychef]

Haven’t really had writing time lately but OH I’ve wanted it. Started a 30 day OTP challenge for Steddie, hopefully I can post in October. But, thought I’d give a sample of day 1 to see if there’s interest.

01 - Holding hands

Steve didn’t realize that he was a touchy person until Nancy pointed it out to him.

“I guess I don’t really mind but we don’t have to touch all the time, you know? Sometimes you hang off me.” She’d pulled him to a side hallway to talk to him, at least. No one else around to hear him get embarrassed.

“Gee, sorry Nance. I’ll just try and keep my hands to myself.” He’d pointedly shoved his hands into his pockets before they walked back into the main hallway. For years afterwards, he heard her slightly condescending words in his head telling him to keep his hands to himself.

Robin didn’t like to be touched in general but she didn’t fuss when they sat shoulder to shoulder on the couch watching movies. It certainly helped his need for contact but it only went so far. He still couldn’t help wanting more.

Eddie joining their little trauma-bonded family was a blessing in a lot of ways but for Steve he was everything. Eddie spent the entire time that he was healing at Steve’s house and they were in constant contact. At first it was because Eddie needed him; when he was first released from the hospital Eddie couldn’t do anything on his own except hold a glass of water to drink.

Slowly but surely, Eddie’s body healed but he never took the touching away from Steve. Pats on the back. Sitting hip to hip on the couch, arm casually thrown over someone’s shoulders. Feet knocking together under the table at breakfast. Steve was thriving. Steve was falling in love.

It was movie night and Steve was pressed up against Eddie in the oversized recliner while every other surface was taken up by their friends. Steve was sitting stiffly in the chair, trying to hold himself apart from Eddie because someone told him that they were being weird.

Eddie noticed. He reached over and grabbed Steve’s hand, pulling it into his own, threading their fingers together and squeezing tight before turning back to the movie. Steve’s heart was fluttering, feeling Eddie’s palm against his own; feeling Eddie’s long musician’s fingers curled with his. Eddie turned away from the tv, caught his eye in the flickering light and winked before squeezing comfortingly again.

[sweet-s0rr0w]

day 7 of @hprecfest - the best of your OTP

What We Pretend We Can't See, by gyzym - M, 131k, 2017

Summary: Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

Excerpt:

“It’s only,” Ron says, and takes a long swig of his wine, clearly to brace himself. “You — well. You know how you can get, Harry. About Malfoy.”

“What?” Harry says, staring at both of them. “Sorry, what ? No, I don’t know how I can get about Malfoy, what are you even talking about?”

“Oh, Harry,” says Hermione, sounding very pitying.

“Mate,” Ron says, in the same tone. “C’mon. This is a safe space.”

“Also, we were there,” adds Hermione, with a heavy sigh. “Remember in sixth year? When you were so obsessed with him that we weren’t allowed to talk about anything else?”

“He was doing evil,” Harry protests, outraged. “And I was doing my best to thwart evil! That’s not obsessive, that’s — that’s — civic-minded!”

“Civic-minded, was it, to sit up all night watching his name move around the Slytherin common room on the Marauder’s Map?” Ron does not sound convinced. Also, he sounds like maybe he thinks Harry has suffered some sort of traumatic brain injury in the last ten minutes; it’s not a combination Harry enjoys. “I swear, one night we were down in the common room and I said, ‘You coming to bed, Harry?’ and you said — ”

“Oh god, I remember this,” Hermione interrupts, and groans. “You said ‘I won’t rest until Malfoy does!’ Then you threw a paperweight at the wall, and it exploded.”

“I loved that paperweight,” Ron says mournfully. “It died too young.”

&

Modern Love, by @tackytigerfic - E, 61k, 2020

Summary: Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.

And it really doesn’t seem fair that Draco Malfoy is back in Harry’s life, all of a sudden, and even though he’s wandless, and living with Muggles, and making his mother cry with his lifestyle choices, he’s happy. So what's he doing right, that Harry isn’t?

Because things don’t really change, do they? And if Harry can’t be happy, he’ll settle for a good night’s sleep, some posh antiques, and the opportunity to find out what Malfoy has been up to for all these years.

And that’s what starts it all.

Excerpt:

"This is exactly what I'm talking about, Potter. You think I'm happy without magic. I'm happy despite not having magic, you twat. Sometimes it itches under my skin until I think I'm going to go mad. And you show up like this—" he gestures wildly at Harry's Wizengamot robes "—and you Apparated here, didn't you? I could smell it off you when I opened the door, Potter." He sways closer to Harry, and he looks angry again all of a sudden. "You reek of magic, Potter, and you don't even know it. And it's so hard sometimes, being around that. It's just as well you didn't take me up on the offer of a fuck, I suppose. I’d probably have been able to feel your magic when you were inside me. Pretty hard to go back from that."

Harry, having never been in love properly, wonders if this is what it’s always like—feeling simultaneously pissed off and turned on and, through it all, endlessly fond—but suspects it might be just down to it being him, and Draco, and how they are together.

There are loads of fics I could have picked for this prompt. I considered Heal Thyself by astolat, and of That Old Black Magic, by bixgirl, for example, which are both all-time favourites of mine. I've been trying to rec less popular fics, because to me that's part of the fun and the challenge of recfest, and because I think we're so blessed to be in a fandom with such a wealth of talent going back twenty-odd years. But these fics were the very first two to pop into my mind when I heard the prompt, and I kept on coming back to them both, and it feels only right to rec them - and to rec them together - because I do see them both as the very best of Drarry. Both authors' words feel so truly full of love for the characters, and the world, and the ship, and both authors write Draco and Harry so convincingly and unequivocally as two parts of a whole. WWPWCS, of course, so witty and clever, has the amazing scene above so early on, where Harry's just appalled to learn that anyone might have thought he was at any stage obsessed with Draco Malfoy - and then he proceeds to demonstrate how completely and utterly obsessed he is with Draco Malfoy throughout the entirety of the fic. And then there's ML, such a brilliant, complex, emotional piece, with its Harry who begins to find unexpected joy in the little things as he spends more and more time around this fascinating, self-sufficient Draco. Of course, both fics then have their own excellent OH FUCK moment, the moment the dam bursts and Harry realises what we've known for ages - that he's so completely in love with Draco that there's no way back, and what the hell's he going to do about it now?

Neither fic's a quick read, but both are spectacularly written, with such delicious denouements that they are SO COMPLETELY WORTH IT, and if you're getting to read either of them for the first time - god, I envy you!

If you read them, and if especially you love them, please do let me know! And as always, please do take the time to leave the author a kudos/comment <3

day 1 - first fic you remember reading

day 2 - a fic rated G

day 3 - a fic not on ao3

day 4 - a comfort fic

day 5 - a romantic fic

day 6 - a fic for a ship you don’t normally read

[nalyra-dreaming]

I know Rolin's a bit of a troll (affectionate) but do you think it was kinda mean of him to promise Loumand fans a tender, old-timey Hollywood romance in Paris when that doesn't (in my opinion) describe what we got at all?? I mean, Jacob's "80-year rebound" comment was a little savage, but not exactly a lie! I'm partly kidding here, but I do feel a bit bad for genuine Loumand enjoyers who wanted to see them become mutually infatuated and entranced with each other as they did in the book. For my part, I think what they've done with Loumand is far more fascinating than that, and a 100% book-accurate portrayal wouldn't have worked as well thematically or dramatically. Loustat are the heart of the show (you could argue they were the heart of the VC too, it just took Anne a while to realise it!) so it made absolute sense for Lestat to permeate the story even as Louis "moves on". It'll affect the way Lestat's other romances are framed in future seasons too, assuming any of them (bar Nicki) are included at all. So even though I'm personally on board with the show's choices, if Loumand were my OTP I think I'd feel a tad cheated! Thoughts?

I know of Loumand fans who saw it just like that, namely tender and wholesome, and who got quite aggravated at me pointing out stuff, so it's definitely a perception thing :)

The thing is, and I said it before - it IS tender.

And "old Hollywood"... well. They did hint at "Gaslight" back then with the posters. And the tunnels echoed "The Last Man". And so on. They definitely went there, just not in the way some were expecting, I guess.

I... am not so sure the book actually gives us that wholesome romance though. I have seen that sentiment before, but... is that what is happening there? Really??

Because Armand canonically lies to Louis, woos him while he has Lestat locked up, woos him while whispering to Claudia to kill herself. Woos him while influencing his mind. Makes him turn Madeleine.

To only note a few things.

I'm not sure I call that "mutually infatuated" or "infatuated with each other". Louis was, no doubt. Armand... Armand was obsessed and did everything to get what he wanted.

So while I get that some Loumand fans might feel cheated... well. Personally I think that the show dug into the text quite precisely, sorry. And they never tried to promote it as the big love story. AMC never even promoted the pairing either.

And as per Lestat and Nicki... well. We have seen what they did for the darker parts of Loumand and Loustat. I am quite sure they will do that for Nickistat as well.

[devilsnakeart]

Of all the mk ships you could have chosen why Raiden and Cassie?

Hi, thank u for this question!

I also love CageBlade, but they’re canon, and Raicass are not, so I doing content with my OTP. I’m the only one now 😁

Who, if not me?

I must say: sorry if u find mistakes, I’m not good enough in english

ϟWhy Raiden and Cassie?ϟ

I can’t shipping characters who don’t talk or interact during the storyline. I also shipping only those characters, who have a healthy love and it doesn’t matter if it’s friendship or relationship. Addiction and passion, which many people pass off as «love» is not for me. As well as characters, who hate each other or dislike each other according to the canon.

So…

♡Well, I love Raicass interaction, dynamic and chemistry in mk11 — they’re spent a lot of time together and talk a lot during the whole storyline.

What Dark Raiden doing here? It’s so strange, that creators put him here…

Did he realize that he was wrong about Cassie’s mother and came to apologize to Cassie? I like to think about it :D

They always spend time together in the frame.

I like how Raiden looks at Cassie, and how she at him. Yeah, it’s just 3d models, but I really love how they interact.

I love the way she worries about him:

And how he about her:

And also I love this gesture:

And I love this, Cassie looks so damn good in her lord’s costume 😏

♡So, I thought about Raiden and Cassie after I played in MK11: Raiden was my favourite character and Cassie in MK11 too, cause her design and character has become really better, she grew from MKX and she became serious young woman.

♡And I've always liked a complicated, forbidden love, when something prevents characters from being together. Raiden is immortal god, Cassie is mortal young woman…

Well, it’s really good obstacle!

Raiden is seriously and strict, he not like Fujin: yeah, Raiden feels affection for mortals, but he lost so many people, his warriors are dead so many times — it was his fault, and he just tired of losing someone he’s cares about… That why Raiden distanced and cold, maybe. His task defend earthrealm — and thunder god does his duty.

And Cassandra… She is young mortal woman, she is full of life. Cassie sees her duty to follow in the footsteps of her parents and defend earthrealm. It’s hard, but she tries. She kicks shinnok’s ass and she really strong young warrior.

♡I think Cassandra be a light for Raiden, she will show the tired god how mortal life is beautiful. She can breathe new life into him, new bright colors in his gray days.

I have a headcanon, that Raiden could leave his immortality for Cassie and live with her an ordinary mortal life. Well, why not, he became a mortal in mk11, so 🤷🏼‍♀️

♡Raiden can give Cassandra a safe relationship, because he is a serious and adult man — god, after all! And Cassie will definitely be looking for a man similar to her daddy — a man, who can will love her as much as her father loved her mother.

After all, father is always very important in the life of a daughter.

♡Well, of course, problems will be in the relationship between Raiden and Cassandra, because Raiden is a complex, proud character and he is not the one, who will allow himself to fall in love and accept it so easily — he will rather deny feelings and reject them in order to eventually accept them.

I’m also a little upset, that this pairing is really rare, but I’m more sad that this ship misunderstood by stupid people — sorry, but it’s true.

I didn't look for certain screenshots, but some people, who will read this — will understand that it's about them.

Well, u know, when ship compared to ped0 file, when Cassie is in mkx — 20, and in mk11 — 22 🚬🗿

Cassie appears before us, players, an adult in MKX. SHE’S 20 YEARS OLD, damn it, she’s an adult mare!

U may NOT like Raicass pairing — especially given the current agenda... so... it’s absolutely normal not to like or even hate someone’s ships, but to blame the ship for being somehow connected with ped0 file, when it’s not… Well, u know, it’s very stupid.

It’s quite funny that people writing about OC x Raiden (or any other character) never indicate the age of OC))))) After all, everyone can imagine a woman 50 years old or an 18 years old girl. Although, judging by the behavior of the oc, there’re all inexperienced 18 year olds, no more. SO... No one judging authors, who write such texts in the vastness of the tumblr or somewhere else... Double standards, don’t u think?

Okay, u’re say that Cassie is only 20-22, and Raiden is too old for her.

It’s funny, cause all young girls-fans of Raiden fetishize on him like an old man, lol.

And I’ll tell u, that any woman next to Raiden will be MUCH younger than him, cause he’s a fucking immortal god of thunder! And I’ll tell u, that the age difference is NOT A PROBLEM.

It’s not about sex or passion, or desire to own someone…

♡ Forbidden love, a huge age difference, the difference in cultures and characters, but at the same time a common goal, duty, etc.

That’s the whole point.

I think everyone decides for himself what attracts him in this pairing.

And I just ship Raicass until I get bored or die :D

Thank u for reading! I hope u’re enjoyed it.