#but they're my favorite ship without a doubt

[beanghostprincess]

Nirei and Sakura are NOT beating the "unconditionally in love" allegations. In fact, they're just proving to be in love over and over again with each chapter

[stormxpadme]

There's a bit of fanfiction negativity in the tags :(. Looking for something to cheer me up, what's your personal scogan fanfic favorites?

Yeah, I saw that, both in the scogan and scogean tag, with posts even including the character name tags. Like. Not cool, people. Way to make authors feel shitty who have been guarding the ship lighthouse for the last 20 years. Claiming in the most popular tags, there's only like 1 good fic among more than 1500? Wow, okay. So I was very happy to receive your ask. Let's counter that negativity with some awesome scogan reads!

Damaged by scottxlogan

Can't do any scogan rec list without including the leading authority on the subject. @scottxlogan is the author who pulled me into this ship years ago, not to mention they're a great friend, unbelievably talented writer and artist, and they deserve all the love. Damaged is surely one of their most ambitious projects and deserves every single view, kudos and review out there. Set in the DOFP finale verse that is no doubt the author's specialty, the story comes with an alluring, intricated plot that leaves you on the edge of your seat along with all the feels.

Submission by scottxlogan

I'm also including a newer work by the same author in case you just want to get a feel for how wonderfully she writes these guys, not to mention the shameless steamy goodness that are the author's smut scenes. scottxlogan is an expert at reversing common fandom tropes believably, and this will leave you longing for more of these power exchanges easily.

he carries the reminders by Wolfsheart

@mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea is another great friend and author I would trust even with my biggest squicks (not that she writes those anyway :D). She's not only technically brillant and very well-versed in the lore which makes every pairing she writes a great read (check out her Tony/Emma, too!), but she'll also never fail to make you laugh or put those hearts in your eyes. And don't miss all those pop culture references that even put Peter Parker to shame! She also gives us scogan fans exactly what we need with stories like this one, combining our fav hurt/comfort tropes with a healthy dose of canon fix it.

I loved you since I knew you by strangenewwords

@strangenewwords is a fairly new and dearly beloved addition to our group at @scoganbingo events, but she's already made a huge impact with her delicious smut and angst stories that hit you right in the feels. Technically also brillant, the linked story is definitely one you don't want to get spoilered for beforehand because the ending will leave you in absolute awe and tears. The author doesn't shy away from including the darkest sides of Scott's past but handles every subject with the necessary care and respect, and as I said ... You don't want to miss out on all that delicious smut!

The Day Before the Soldiers Came by Cerylid

Cery is offering a much-needed fixit for the team dynamics between the X-Men and Logan before X2 with this story. It comes with a lot of humor but also far more feels than you expect. The texting is hilarious but it's the quiet tones that get to you.

*****

Speaking of fix-its, since that negativity in the tags kinda got to me, too, I might just throw in one of my own works here too since I also got lots of Scogan stuff out there.

My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold

is basically my go-to X3 fix-it. You look for something to make that movie right, you got it all right there. Along with a bit of horror (we are talking about resurrection, after all) comes a dramatic rescue mission in a mental limbo, and you get an Avenger and Emma Frost guest-starring. There's a couple of follow up chapters that explore both scogan and Tony/Emma a bit further, and we even get a Laura version in old movieverse along the line, and of course all the nasty nasty smut you guys are here for.

########

So, that's it from the top of my hat. All these accounts have even more great stories to check out, and there's lots of other scogan authors out there with great stories to enjoy. So don't let anyone tell you, there's no quality scogan stuff on AO3.

[adhdtsukasa]

i love every relationship in wxs, obviously, they're frequently bought together do not separate and i can't imagine looking at them without acknowledging that they were all equally important im each other's development, but if i had to pick my favorite, then it would be emukasa. wihout doubt. there is something special about emukasa that makes me slam my head onto wall everyday

not even in a shipping sense, i don't even quite literally ship them outside of polysho — i just think that their friendship is something so precious, a special thing that needs to be hold gently, or else it makes my heart ache. they care for each other. all of wxs do, and this is a fact. but when i think about how emu and tsukasa do so, it stings even more.

the way they started as a weird girl and a boy who tries his best to not lose his shit (or break his spine, according to the main story animation. yes i still think about it on daily basis) dealing with her — and the way they're best friends now, laughing together, crying together, getting mad togther. the way emu was so scared of tsukasa leaving her in amidst a dream, but still wished to support his dreams, because he matters to her so much. the way they were both crying and making fun of each other for it in our happy ending, so the other wouldn't feel so sad. the way it's tsukasa who invites emu to start a new story together in kirapipi★kirapika, just like she has invited him to their first one, to forming wxs together. all these details and moments in their relationship, revealing the bond that they've created.

yes, there are wxs ships i like better, but none of them just hits the way emukasa does. i don't want them to be kissing. i just want them to hold hands and keep on being best friends together, making me cry over them everday.

idk man i just think that everyone should think about emukasa sometimes

[olderthannetfic]

I just got a comment saying I should have tagged for dom/sub undertones and I'm a little confused. In canon, this guy always bosses his wife around re: doing shit that's healthy for her - napping, drinking water, remembering to eat more than once a day, getting more than 3 hours of sleep - and she lovingly calls him "Boss Man" as a nickname because of it. On some occasions where she's gone more than a day without eating he'll swipe her phone and order her to eat before she gets it back, something she always seems to find endearing. There's a lot of 'I didn't mean to worry you', 'you're worth worrying about, now here's your favorite homemade walnut bread' stuff, all there in canon, just lifted from canon and transplanted into my fic.

Is this dom/sub stuff? I'm aroace so I've never been in a relationship, but I assumed "take care of yourself" "I will but I will call you a silly nickname over it" was regular relationship stuff. Or is it that the frequency of it makes it dom/sub stuff, and I'm just not grasping that because my neurodivergency is making me not read the social cues correctly? I was only recently diagnosed but this has been a problem for a long time, the whole line between normal and abnormal behavior, so I thought I'd ask you. You're much more well-read than I am and know a lot more about shipping dynamics and how they're tagged. I feel like you're an expert whose opinion carries a lot of conclusions-informed-by-knowledge and so your take could help me figure this out.

People who are doms or subs or write them, if you have a guide on this stuff, that'd be cool, too. I want to educate myself more so I know if I should tag something. After all, I can't get my story to people who want to read it if it doesn't show up in the tags they're searching for. Readers aren't mindreaders. It's on me to make sure they can get ahold of the things they're looking for. I just need to work around my own ADHD-addled brain to do it.

--

I think this is the usual pattern of demanding silly tags that would only make sense in that reader's own bookmarks.

Yes, caretaking and food control of various kinds can be a part of BDSM. No, your description of canon does not make it sound like this has obvious undertones.

Readers are going to have different interpretations. It's possible that other readers would agree with this one. I have my doubts. I suspect they're projecting. But sure, maybe other people would think there was some of that vibe.

However, if you did not intend the fic to read this way, I would not add the tag. This is not what the fic is about.

--

As for what this kind of thing can look like when it is intended as a dom/sub activity, the movie Secretary has a bunch of examples. She calls him on the phone to tell him what her family's dinner looks like that night; he gives her instructions about which things she can eat how much of. The way she acts while making that phone call makes it clear it's an exciting game to her. Another time, he tells her she's not allowed to cut herself anymore: he will provide what she needs.

Even if the characters are being playful, just nagging someone to do basic self care doesn't really come across as this. It's more charged when it's an intentional power exchange thing.

It's more like... hmm... if you and a friend agreed to LARP as characters for a day. Even if you were acting fairly normal and doing things you'd often do anyway, there would be this added extra vibe to it that someone who knew you well could probably detect.

It's not so much about the specific behaviors: it's about the extra meaning those people ascribe to them. If it doesn't seem like the canon characters think of this caretaking any specific way and you, as the fic author, don't see it that way, then I don't think it will generally read as a dom/sub thing to most readers.

[farshootergotme]

2,4,9,15,16, 26 for Dick Grayson?

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Not being too specific, his kindness. His willingness to help others, his genuine care for the well-being of the people he saves, the way even without the mask he goes out of his way to help others... It's amazing, and one of the main reasons I love his character so much.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

I haven't really thought about that before, but I think I'd want to see him in Harry Potter just to figure out what house he'd be in. I just can't decide.

Oh! It'd also be cool to see him in ATLA. I don't think I've seen an Avatar AU with him in it yet.

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

Well, on one hand he's a great person, responsible and he'd probably be a great roommate. On the other...I really don't want to get blown up.

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

Canon I've gotta say Dickkory, no doubt. They're the perfect match, so good for each other. They have very complementary personalities and are the ones who've helped the other grow, whether DC will accept that or not. They're both also so sweet when they're together, they deserve that. A true pity DC didn't stick with them like they did with Clark and Lois.

Fanon, I'd have to go with Birdflash. Before I really got into DC I already had a liking for the pairing, and now, having learned more about their relationship in the comics, I can say they're a good pair. However, I don't like the ship to be just romantic. I like the ship when you can still tell they're best friends even if they were to date. I guess it'd be more of a queer-platonic thing with them?

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

I have so many ships that could fill this category, but I'll say Sladick. It just makes me uncomfortable to see them together as a pair, not to mention most of the times I've seen them paired it was portrayed as a toxic or abusive relationship. And it gets even more uncomfortable for me when the ship is between TT 03 Robin and Slade.

26. What's something the character has done you can't get over? Be it something funny, bad, good, serious, whatever?

I have three things:

Funny: That one time he licked a weird substance that was on the ground (which turned out to be heroine). Would love to know where he learnt that from, did he learnt it from Bruce or on his own?

Good: The time when he sang to a child as they slept in his arms. I thought it was such a sweet moment, I can't get over that.

Sad: And finally, when he curled up on the ground when Bruce leaves him alone in the cave, after that moment in which he punches and blames Dick for Jason's death. It broke my heart to see him like that.

Sorry for ending this on a sad note, but thank you for the ask!

[hymnism]

release the list

(i feel like i should mention these are all games ive personally played so if any of these make you go "why isn't [GAME] on here it's probably cuz i haven't played it. anyway)

(obligatory mention to hades/disco elysium/omori since they're some of my favorite games but im sure everyone already knows about them. they are lovely games and you should play them 👍)

darkest dungeon ($25) - turn based roguelike where you recruit mercenaries and send them on dungeon explorations and make sure they don't die of stress or starvation alongside the regular monster attacks. notoriously difficult. imagine bloodborne but turn based

ftl: faster than light ($10)- real time roguelike where you control a small crew and pilot a spaceship on the run from a rebel fleet. manage power and weapons on your own ship while targeting critical systems on the enemy

loop hero ($15)- a roguelike where your character will automatically walk in a loop while you use cards to add terrain with different effects such as spawning monsters to give you loot or increasing your healing. very unique with a beautiful pixel artstyle and banger soundtrack

moonlighter ($20)- a roguelike rpg where you go dungeon diving and try to bring back as much loot as you can so that you can sell it in your shop

shadows of doubt ($20)- early access. a first person sandbox detective simulator where each case is procedurally generated. randomly generates a town with npcs that all have names and addresses and relationships. put together clues from a crime scene and try to catch a killer before they strike again. work odd jobs between cases to keep yourself fed and housed

ultrakill ($25) fast paced first person shooter with a style system ala devil may cry. you play as a robot fighting through the layers of hell. mankind is dead. blood is fuel. hell is full

crypt of the necrodancer ($15)- a rhythm based roguelike dungeon crawler where you and your enemies are only allowed to move on beat. banger soundtrack goes without saying

everhood ($10)- a rhythm based rpg where you play as a red doll who had their arm stolen and is trying to get it back. battles involve moving between 5 lanes to avoid enemy attacks. if you like undertale you'll like this

spiritfarer ($30)- management and adventure game where you play as a spiritfarer who needs to care for spirits on her boat before leading them into the afterlife. incredibly charming and touching game. you will cry

let's school ($20)- management sim where you build and manage a school and help students graduate by setting up different courses. addicting and has a very cute artstyle

let's build a zoo ($20)- management sim where you. well where you build a zoo. a very silly game that includes a morality system where you can choose to be eco friendly and help repopulate endangered species or you can exploit your animals for their meat and produce. also has an animal splicing mechanic. haven't you ever wanted to make a giraffe with a duck head

the wandering village ($25)- early access. a city builder with the twist that you live on the back of a giant wandering beast named onbu. you help care for onbu as he wanders though different biomes that force you to adjust your resource production as some things become unavailable (such as water in a desert)

frostpunk ($30) a survival city builder where you build around a central core and try to prevent everyone from freezing to death in progressively colder temperatures

monster sanctuary ($20)- a metroidvania style creature collector with a unique combo meter that will continue to build and increase your damage based on the number of "hits" you can perform (healing buffs and shields also count as hits) and each monster has different skill trees that you can upgrade and customize

coral island ($30)- farming life sim with a unique underwater area where you can live and farm and raise aquatic plants and animals. you work to help restore the island after and oil spill ruined the surrounding ocean. i should mention that although this game is technically not in early access it is still unfinished and missing large chunks of gameplay/interactions/story. however there is still a healthy amount of content and is still a fun game as it is

apico ($20)- a beekeeping sim where you keep bees to make and sell honey while also breeding and releasing them to help restore their numbers in the wild

spirittea ($20)- a management and life sim where you manage a bathhouse for ghosts and help the townsfolk who think they're haunted (they're right). basically a cross between stardew valley and spirited away

cloud meadow ($20)- early access. this is a porn game ⚠️ a farming sim where instead of regular animals you have anthro characters and you can breed them either yourself or with each other and have them help in combat or on your farm. very cute artstyle and amazing animation work

[theonceandfuturequeenoftarts]

20 Questions (for fanfic writers)

Thank you for the tags, @cindle-writes and @izharmilgram! I'm procrastinating on other responsibilities, so let's have some fun~

Tagging @i-dream-of-libraries, @chaos-bear, @floatingdandelionseeds, @pitzer, @riverxsong-ao3, @tommarvoloriddlesdiary, @thefangirlibrarian, @hikarimeroperiddle and @blackseatwenty (no pressure, only if you want to! ♡♡♡) and anyone else who wants to talk about their fics -- consider this your tag! ♡

how many works do you have on ao3? 47

what's your total ao3 word count? 226,795

what fandoms do you write for? Harry Potter, Yuri!!! On Ice

top five fics by kudos: A long, hard road; Gone bananas; thrown into the nest; refuge from the miseries of life; unfailingly ingenious at having a good time (surprised the cat!Harry fics are so high tbh) Edit: I can't read... (:‚‹」∠) Top five fics by kudos are as follows: Gone bananas; A long, hard road; thrown into the nest; refuge from the miseries of life; and Coriander (not a big change, but it does explain why the cat!Harry sequel was so high...)

do you respond to comments? uhh... occasionally. Social anxiety kicks my ass and so I put my energy into writing fic instead. I love every single comment I get and reread them any time I need a pick-me-up, but I am a bad author who doesn't reply...

what is the fic your wrote with the angstiest ending? hmm... probably pyrrhic victory, but Capsized is also a contender

what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? considering I write mostly fluff and crack, this is a surprisingly difficult question to answer... I'm gonna go with either if you like it, then... or thrown into the nest. Or maybe don't blame the stork? (Some lovely reader out there is shouting at their screen, "Flaky, you goof, it's obviously ____!!" and they're correct.)

do you get hate on fics? Nope, not really! Some readers express that they wish I'd done certain things differently, and a couple have said I ended a fic badly, but I don't think I've received anything I'd consider hateful.

do you write smut? uhhhh... sometimes. When it's the best way to tell the story I have in my head, then I'll write smut. But it's still a bit uncomfortable to do. I'd like to think I'm getting better at it?

craziest crossover? I'm not sure I've actually written anything that could really be considered a crossover, but A real voyage of discovery is kind of a mash-up of Harry Potter characters in a Star Trek-y world? And it has alien!mort, and I think he's nifty.

have you ever had a fic stolen? A couple of my fics have appeared on Wattpad without my permission, but other than that, no.

have you ever had a fic translated? Yep, a few! (ㅅ´ ˘ `)

have you ever co-written a fic before? Not yet -- I don't really know how it'd work, and I'm afraid to try (¬_¬") Intensely private about my writing before it's ready to post unless you're Jenny. But! I'm counting the Telephone and the Corpse (coming soon) because they're collaborative (in a way) and have been such a major part of my fandom experience!

all-time favorite ship? tomarrymort~ (honourable mentions to sefikura, madohomu, and viktuuri)

what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Fingers crossed I'm not breaking anyone's heart with this, but probably Let's Talk About Sex, Baby. I have some more written for it, but it's been a while since I've returned to it and other projects interest me more. I have every intention of finishing my WIPs, but... there are only so many hours in a day and my energy is, sadly, finite (´•︵•`)

what are your writing strengths? whimsical finger guns! Poignant fluff? Emotions. silliness, and dialogue, probably.

what are your writing weaknesses? Worldbuilding, continuous narratives (as opposed to short scenes without much context), plot-heavy narratives, description, writing the main characters in true opposition to each other, fleshing ideas out rather than keeping it (overly) brief... I'm sure I'll think of a bunch of other things as soon as I post this.

thoughts on dialogue in another language? I'd like to! I speak French reasonably well, and I'm lucky enough to have some fandom friends who speak other languages, so I'm sure I could beg their assistance.

favorite fic you've written? Hhhhhhh, why must I choose? I'll go with naïve melody, because it still gives me the warm fuzzies. I'm just so proud of the tone, and I really like how that Voldemort comes across.

[ineffabildaddy]

20 Questions for Fic Writers ‼️

so @seven-stars-in-his-palm initially tagged me in this 51 days ago and i still haven't done it!! i've also been tagged by @thescholarlystrumpet @voluptatiscausa @gingiekittycat @ineffable-rohese <3 thank u all!! i have to go back and read thru all urs toooo

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 22!

2. What's your total word count? 177,224 minus about 20k to account for @foolishlovers's chapters of just up the stairs!!

3. What fandoms do you write for? just good omens atm:-)

4. Top 5 fics by kudos:

I'm Beginning to See the Light (848)

Despite Knowing Better... (474)

in your own time (429)

Many Different Ways to Eat an Oyster (396)

Just Up the Stairs (376)

5. Do you respond to comments? i am about 600 comments behind (fuck) but eventually, yes!!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? i don't write angsty endings. they always fuck and they're always happy about it<3

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? this is tough bc again i just give aziraphale and crowley everything they want every time dkljfkgjdl. just up the stairs has a very wholesome and sweet ending that i'm very happy with tho so i'll say that one<3

8. Do you get hate on fics? i haven't got hate explicitly but i have had a few commenters who just.... clearly Don't Get my work or what i'm trying to say with it. which is totally okay:-)

9. Do you write smut? yesss

10. Craziest crossover? i haven't written any crossover before but i'd love to do a bbc ghosts and good omens crossover!! i also have a far from the madding crowd and good omens crossover planned for the distant future purely bc boldwood and crowley need to fuck imo

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not as far as i'm aware!!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? in your own time is currently being translated into russian!!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? just up the stairs with @foolishlovers!! can't wait to write with them again. also plan to eventually collab with @voluptatiscausa so watch this spaceee

14. All-time favorite ship? aziraphale and crowley ofc<3

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? oysters, honestly!! atm it's just..... Not coming to me

16. What are your writing strengths? i find this so difficult to answer!! feel free to suggest some if ur reading thisss

17. What are your writing weaknesses? brevity! that's number one. i think writing side characters is something i need to work on too - giving them full lives in and of themselves so they really jump off the page (or screen)

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? if it makes sense, do it!! just hasn't come up for me yet:-)

19. First fandom you ever wrote in? supernatural:-)

20. Favorite fic you ever wrote? definitely just up the stairs, the experience of writing that was so joyous and fun and engaging. also in your own time just bc i'm rly proud of it and it's cosy and it's the only fic i wrote entirely myself that i can go back and look at without having anything i would do differently<3

no pressure tags: @foolishlovers @crowleys-bentley-and-plants @sabotage-on-mercury @brenna @adverbian <3

[salty-an-disco]

Hi!! The Prisoner for the send me a character game?? I can't recall if you were already asked about her, but I'll try anyway

(oops. the sudden fatigue from routine changing kept me from answering this one for a while……)

ask game link

• First impression

Like I said in another one of these, RTGame's gameplay was my first time seeing this game in full, and Prisoner was the first princess him (and, by extension, I) met!! And if I were to play the game blind, I feel like I'd make very similar choices to him and end up getting Prisoner too. It just feels like the most natural route? You're unsure of everything, not quite trusting the Narrator, but he's also your only source of info, so might as well go in with the benefit of the doubt.

Prisoner, herself, also looks like the most natural progression to the Harsh princess. She's not too different in how she's drawn, how she acts… she's colder and more quiet than before, but it doesn't feel like such a drastic change.

I was enamored by her. Her flat face, her monotone and straightforward speech, I'm a sucker for this archetype, so she already had me by the heart.

• Impression now

I LOVE HER SO MUCH. Among one of my fave princesses, she's just oakskskskskkssmkd

The flat effect autism swag is everything to me, I love it when a non-expressive character is just let be and isn't treated like there's something wrong with them/like they need to be fixed.

Her quiet trust, the way she's hopeful despite her doubts and skepticism, how deep her hurt goes if you leave her to rot aaaaaaaaaahhhhh. She's everything to me.

• Favorite moment

When you chain yourself besides her.

Something about like.. how despite you two being trapped, your curious and inquisitive nature still brings about entropy, and because of that, you manage to get yourself free without any bloodshed. Also, smth smth, stagnancy while change happens around you.

Urgh. This is a love story, y'all.

• Idea for a story

I am. so excited for when Pris appears in Heathens, I have so many ideas for her kamskdmddmmx

For something non-Heathens related tho, I really like the idea of Prisoner in the outside world just going on a thrift shop and completely embracing goth fashion, just. going all out, she deserves it.

• Unpopular opnion

Already talked about my thoughts on the 'leave head behind' lead-up, and that's prolly about it, tbh, don't really have much 'unpopular opnions' on her. Uuuuuhhhh, kinda understated opnion tho, is how she's prolly one of the most trusting and hopeful of the vessels. Just because it manifests as a quiet understanding and not a bubbly and unwavering faith doesn't mean it isn't there.

• Favorite relationship

Whatever she has going on with Skeptic is everything to me, despite not shipping it romantically, and I just. love how on the same wavelength they are, and how much faith they put in each other.

Also really interested in a potential Pris&Cold dynamic, since they're also pretty similar and have the same kinda 'flat effect autism' going on, which is why I put them together in my Swap AU that I still gotta properly go into here on Tumblr and post about lol

• Favorite headcanon

Genderfluid Pris my beloved <3

[maddooo]

I was reading a Farscape fic, and the characters had to move from tier 9 to tier 10. And I don't know why it never occurred to me before but with all the running around Moya that the crew does, we never see any stairs. They're running through a hallway, and they say "I'll meet you on tier x", and then they meet up there without any stairs in between. Of course in the real world they just didn't build that type of set, but it's more fun to imagine the in universe implications.

Maybe Moya does have stairs that we just never see. She is a huge ship after all, and even with all the running around I doubt we've seen everything. Maybe our crew runs through the hallway, comm each other when they're about to reach the stairs, and the other person replies when they run down the stairs. Or maybe since she's a living ship and they grow according to the needs of the passengers, she grows stairs at convenient times then reabsorbs them.

There are ladders that span 2 tiers, usually so the crew can unplug cables or plug new cables in. They usually are short ladders, so they definitely don't reach very many tiers. Maybe all the running around is to get to the rooms that have ladders in them so they can quickly get down then head to the next ladder room. I imagine someone who grew up on the leviathan would know the whole ladder system intuitively, while most people might have some common routes memorized.

A lot of the material is kept in crates, and pushed around like in Crackers Don't Matter. Ladders alone would be incredibly inefficient, so perhaps there's a series of ramps, and when we see characters running they are on a slight slope. I think given the curve of the hallways these ramps could be in the front of the ship, with some more on the side. They probably spiral in on themselves, and you have to keep turning back on yourself to get up and down.

My favorite idea is a combo of ramps and ladders, where if they are near a ladder they will use it, otherwise they'll use the ramps because it is very easy to get lost in the corridors. The growing stairs idea is fun too, but if something went wrong with Moya, as it often does, it would make it really difficult to get around. It would be very fun to play hide and seek on a Leviathan.

[beanghostprincess]

I need your brain to help pick apart a thought that I had in mind. What would happen if Shuggy was raised with the Whitebeard pirates? Idk what their rules are about carrying around kids in the seas but let's say they don't get docked onto the nearest island (i mean marco is in there too so)

Would Buggy be different? I think a big part of why he's insecure and why he's a "coward" is because he's standing on the shoulders of giants, he's part of the best crews of the seas and yet they expect him to be a monster like everyone else is in that ship, but in reality what if he just wants to go on adventures and get treasures without the need to sacrifice his limb and life for it? I love the Rogers pirates, and would love to believe in my heart of hearts that Buggy is as equally loved as Shanks but man, thinking about their flashback and seeing how Shanks gets the hat, and Shanks is praised by Roger and Crew, I don't think they completely understood the emotional side of how to raise children.

Which leads me to believe that Whitebeard probably knew better than Rogers and Rayleigh in that regard, he's got like so many found family kids and they're all willing to go to bat and die for their dad, and with Whitebeard wanting a family and calling his children his treasure, I think he'd be more sensitive about the feelings of his children. I think Whitebeard would help buggy understand how he differs from Shanks, but that does not make him inferior. He would probably encourage Buggy with all his inventions and bombs and slight of hand tricks.

Would Buggy also feel less alone because he sees other people in the crew who are also Whitebeard's children, and therefore he has brothers? Would he consider them family?

I haven't thought ahead with how much Shanks would change under Whitebeard, but I doubt it would change. Shanks is still star-pupil shanks, but this time instead of the crew praising him like Uncles to a nephew, it's adopted big brothers to a prodigy (also I brainrot buggy more but I think there can't be buggy without shanks and vice-versa, so they are a Do Not Separate pair)

Maybe it's just me desperately wanting buggy to have a father figure who loves him. My heart wants to believe Rogers and Rayleigh was that for him, but the manga chapters really doesn't show much about them giving him that attention, so I naturally drifted to the Dad Pirate of the Series, Whitebeard.

Thoughts?

You have a point, actually! I mean, imo, I've always thought (or liked to think) that Roger and Rayleigh loved Shanks and Buggy equally. They just treated them differently because they do have different personalities, after all. As somebody who understands Buggy's POV a lot, I think we shouldn't have to take it as the only, pure reality of all. We basically just have his POV on this situation and of course, for him, Shanks is going to be the favorite and he is going to be treated unfairly. I think most of that perception comes from his inferiority complex toward Shanks. Because yes, he was obviously the star-pupil and did get the hat and it's understandable that Buggy feels inferior. But that is not the whole truth and I don't think everything is Roger and Rayleigh's fault because of their way of raising them. I think that no matter the crew, Buggy would have still felt at least a bit of resentment and jealousy when it comes to Shanks. Shanks is just that type of person.

HOWEVER! You do have a point and it is that the Whitebeard pirates are way more family-focused and they seem to want to get the best of everybody individually. The reason why Whitebeard is so loved by his crew isn't really because of his power but because he gives them a place to belong and grow up. Roger's crew is a family too but as you said, they're giants and of course, Buggy is going to feel like a little bug in comparison if they expect him to be the same and praise Shanks for just existing when Buggy has to actually work to be seen that way.

I think these two being in that crew would've changed their personalities a bit. Buggy being more confident in himself and being raised with positive reinforcement and an environment that is actually a family would've been good for him and his self-esteem. His personality would clash with Shanks' a lot still, but you know, that's just how they are. Also, Shanks I think would be the same except that his need to please/save people would not be that strong since he doesn't have the responsibility of the world on his shoulders and no hat to deal with.

Don't get me wrong, maybe the break up would still happen. It would certainly happen, actually. Of course Roger's death wouldn't be the same for them in this context because originally he is basically their dad, and they don't have a crew to go back to and that fact adds more layers to their fight, but Buggy would still be ambitious and want to go for the One Piece, and Shanks would want to wait. And I think that no matter the context they're both stubborn and emotional and refuse to talk things out. Although maybe being with Whitebeard would help them in that context but, you know, I think Shanks and Buggy are the type of duo that NEED to break up for them to work later on in the story.

This whole AU has a lot of unsolved questions like-- Buggy's fruit and whether they'd like to leave the crew or not etc etc. But. I think the point here is more about their dynamic, right? I think they'd be more emotionally stable after all. Maybe they're more open about their issues too, and Buggy probably wouldn't have the "he made me eat the fruit and lost my map" excuse to hate Shanks. I think the big change here would be Buggy actually being dangerous and using his full potential instead of holding back. That is... Worrying. I love him.

[theblueeyedfirebender]

20 questions for writers

Tagging myself into this because I’m a giant loser and I think it’ll be fun!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Twelve!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

34,421

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Of my twelve fics, there are eleven for Fullmetal Alchemist and one for Avatar: The Last Airbender. And I am strongly considering dipping my toes into the world of Spy x Family as well (just as soon as I finish Code White).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Uncle Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zutara)

2. The Counteroffer (Fullmetal Alchemist, Royai)

3. The Art of Living On (Fullmetal Alchemist, Royai)

4. The Flame Alchemist's Daughter (Fullmetal Alchemist, Royai)

5. Checkmate (Fullmetal Alchemist, Royai)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! When people take the time to share their thoughts on my work, it means the world to me.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm, it's a tie between As You Were and The Flame Alchemist's Daughter.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably Death and Taxes, in spite of its bleak title!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully, no.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Nah. I can’t even write a smooch scene without blushing and looking over my shoulder.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I haven't, but I'm not opposed to the idea if the right concept were to come to me. Closest thing I have to a crossover now is my latest fic, Mrs. Mustang, which is inspired by a scene from Pride and Prejudice.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of. There's a special place in fandom hell for people who do that shit.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but that would be cool!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Also no, also would be cool!

14. What is your all-time favorite ship?

Ah man, I have to say Zutara (Zuko x Katara, Avatar: The Last Airbender). I've shipped them since I was a kid watching Sozin's Comet in my parent's basement in 2008. They're the ship that got me into writing fanfiction. Even though they aren't canon (*sob*) and I don't write them much anymore, they'll always be my OTP.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Ahhhh don't kill me but The Bookshelf has been giving me trouble. I have a lot of Part 2 written but it just doesn't feel right, yaknow?

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm clear and concise. I think I'm pretty good at tension, particularly romantic tension, and angst. I pay very close attention to characterization, and pride myself in accurate portrayals of the characters in my fanfics.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm slow. My word counts tend to be low - side effect of being concise. I gloss over descriptions that I should probably spend more time on. I'm good at writing romantic tension, but when that tension culminates, I feel like it just gets awkward and then I cut things short when I really should draw them out. Humor and true fluff pieces do not come naturally to me, though I'm trying to stretch myself by writing more of those.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I have never done this, so no thoughts except for it sounds difficult!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Avatar: The Last Airbender

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

This is hard, but has to be The Counteroffer, my first and most-loved Fullmetal Alchemist piece. In a creative sense, writing this story opened the gateway (lol) to so much more for me, and I'm eternally thankful that my little debut to this fandom (and return to writing overall) was so well received.

Death and Taxes and Hourglass are also close to my heart.

Tagging in @starwritingbri, @they-lived, @musing-and-music, @fullmetalscullyy, @writing-royza, and YOU if you want to join in!

[tellmegoodbye]

7x06 is officially one of my favorite episodes ever and it's not just because it made me cry, but it's also because this episode represents everything Madney has had to fight through in order for this moment to be possible.

From the very start of the show, Chimney has always been someone who fights for everyone except himself. Most notably in season 5, he did everything he could to make sure Maddie was safe, and he would have let her go in the end if that was what she wanted. Part of what makes Madney The Ship of All Time is that they always fight to get back to each other, and I absolutely loved the fact that Maddie was the one to ultimately propose, because Chimney needed that. It was also important for Maddie, choosing to do something that didn't end well the first time because she knows she finally found the person she's meant to be with.

In this episode, we see Chimney desperate to get back to Maddie even if he can't even remember her name, and we see him reliving everything traumatic that has happened to him. Bringing Doug back for this was genuis because he represents that trauma, as well as something that is standing between him and Maddie. Whether it be Doug himself, or depression, or in this case, amnesia, Maddie and Chimney not only have had to learn to fight for each other, but they had to learn to fight for themselves. Enter Kevin, and we see Chimney letting go of his guilt and fighting for himself, fighting to get home. Because Chimney is worthy of love and he knows without a doubt that Maddie loves him, despite everything hallucination Doug tried to tell him.

Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a sweet wedding episode where nothing goes wrong, but I think that this episode was perfect for Madney. After everything they've gone through both individually and as a couple, this was a great way to bring it all back and say "Hey, they survived all of this, not only because they love each other but also beacuse they've learned to love themselves." and I think that is beautiful.

I've seen some people say they feel Madney didn't have enough screentime and that's completely fair, but to me personally it's not about screentime, it's about the story they're trying to tell. I think they've told a damn good one!

[snarky-magpie]

20 Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ꜰɪᴄ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇʀꜱ

Thanks for the tag, @fiendishfyre! 1. How many works do you have on A03? 16 published, 9 hidden.

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 673,850. I don't have a problem. No sir.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Harry Potter atm, original, and Voltron (formerly, lol).

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? 1. PS. I Hate You. 2. Many Happy Halloweens 3. Catching Crows 4. Call Me By My Name 5. Stealing The Seeker (my first HP fic, yay)

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes, to every single one unless they're rude (they usually aren't). I spend way too much time online and love to talk about my stories.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? None, really. I mostly write HEA. I am planning an MCD fic, but I don't know if I'll find the strength to actually write it.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Definitely PS. I Hate You. The epilogue will give you diabetes.

8. Do you get hate on fics? No, I'm not famous enough for hate. Most people in the fandom have been lovely. I've only got hate from prongsfoot shippers for saying there's a way to enjoy both jegulus and prongsfoot without hating on the other (ironically). Soured me on the whole ship pretty fast, though.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes, but mostly for Voltron. I only have one smutty HP fic. I do love writing it, though, and I've got an explicit jegulus story in the works.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Tried Voltron x Wednesday, and it was a really cool experience, but I gave up due to a lack of readership.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Tried to, with one of my betas. Got as far as two chapters.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Jegulus jegulus jegulus jegulus jegulus (I'm normal about them)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Of Bluebells and Deception. Don't look for it, it's one of the hidden ones.

16. What are your writing strengths? Insert the meme 'you people have strengths?' Dunno. Based on what people say, I'm funny? Yeah, it comes as a shock to me too.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Timeline consistency. Please, if you love me, never check if the dates, years, and ages of the characters align. Also, descriptions, and I tend to overdo it with internal monologues.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I write everything in another language since my first language is Czech. It's tough and gives me permanent impostor syndrome.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Voltron: Legendary Defender

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? Ironically, my least popular one (by a long shot). Moorland Skies. Tagging: @courfee @thebibutterflyao3 @howmanyfrecklesdoyousee @starlightvld (No pressure, of course!) And whoever else wants to play.

[olderthannetfic]

My favorite thing about those "filed off serial number" Reylo fanfics coming into trad publishing is that they don't even try to pretend to not be Reylo fics.

They all look the same. If people keep them as two white characters, it's almost mandatory that they blatantly look like their movie counterparts. There's no doubt that you're looking at A Driver and D Ridley ripoff for the cover, and all the descriptions.

It's a bit harder to figure out visually from the cover if it's a poc story. But honestly, the moment you open one of those you get the exact same punch to the face of REEEEEEYLLOOOOOOO like if you opened the "white" Reylo book without noticing the cover.

It's like people just really want you to remember that you're just reading a slightly edited Reylo fic.

--

I think this is particularly common when the target paying audience is basically the prior fic audience. There have been other juggernaut ships like this.

If the author just had a fic or a fic idea for something not so popular, they often do more to hide the origin and/or people just don't guess because they're not familiar with that fandom. But the Reylo type stuff is being sold to people who also like Reylo.

[tvsoftboi]

Goldrush Rambles (try #2)

Wanna try rehashing my thoughts on Goldrush (Kel x Mikhael) again, since I feel like I didn't do a great job the first time. It's gonna be mostly headcanon stuff, since there isn't that much about Mikhael in game, so I hope that's okay, hehe! Before we get into things, I wanna say why I like this ship, since it kinda leads into my thoughts on the two. My favorite ships in Omori so far are this one, Sunflower (Sunny x Basil), and whatever the name for Kim and Aubrey's ship is, because, in my mind, all three can have vibes of healing through each other/healing together. I could go on a entirely separate tangent about this, but I don't want this post to get too cluttered, heh. (text wall under the cut)

So, my thoughts on Kel and Mikhael and why I think their ship is neat. In my mind, they have equal but opposite family issues. Kel's is easier to describe, I think he would suffer from being a middle sibling. He's not the "successful" older brother going off to college. He's not the brand new little sister. (Though I feel like even before Sally was born, Kel probably wasn't the focus of attention.) I'm not trying to say I think Kel's parents are outright neglectful, I just think he'd find himself/his achievements put off to the side when compared to his siblings. On the other hand, where I think Kel wouldn't get much attention from family, one of the things we know about Mikhael is that he does. His parents hope he'll stick with tradition and stay with the family bakery. His sibligns too, who also seem to enjoy pestering him (though I doubt this is malicious). And so in turn, Mikhael has sworn off the bakery and familial expectations, he tries to be his unique and cool and special to stand out as his own person. The Maverick.

But The Maverick is just a facade. A front. And this is where I like the idea of their shipping dynamic! Because it's clear Mikhael is jealous of Kel. He's cool, athletic, sociable and friendly. Mikhael has probably put Kel on a pedestal of what he wishes he was, and that's why he claims they're rivals. So, for their ship dynamic, I really like the idea of them being able to fill the other's need. Mikhael could provide the attention and hype that Kel isn't getting. And Kel could be the one to see Mikhael for who he really is as a person, and support him accordingly. It doesn't necessarily need to be a romantic ship, but that's what I deal in so shhh. I really do like the idea of the two boys growing closer over time. Like, the thought of Mikhael getting to a point where he feels comfortable without needing the wig or persona around Kel specifically, progressing to him eventually being comfortable being himself around others because of Kel's support and encouragement? And in return, Kel has a goofy, clingy, sorta obnoxious (endearingly), secretly nerdy person to spend time around, an in to a new friend group (and maybe some reconciliation with Aubrey, because the real world segments of the game felt rushed >:/) because I'm worried about just how lonely Kel must've been during the years Sunny was gone/his old friend group fell apart.

Also, only sorta related to their dynamic but: short Mikhael (at the very least shorter than Kel). I really adore the idea of Mikhael having to practically climb his dumb, beanpole of a boyfriend just to give him a kiss, where Kel could just lean down a little to kiss him on the top of his head. Mikhael would be absolutely infuriated by this. You understand my vision, yes?