#but this person went ALL OUT on picking rarepairs

[rotisseries]

just saw someone on tiktok shipping gareth and will, which is impressive honestly, they're doing crackshipping better than we ever could

[ayyyyysexual]

suggestion as someone who knows the Bare Minimum about slay the princess, hear me out:

gempearl au?

I wrote all this ages ago and it was just sat in my drafts for forever so here y'all go:

Oh my god glow dont make me think about this bc ill actually start going feral.

THE LOOPING COULD BE SO INTERESTING WITH GEM'S CANONICAL DIMENSION HOPPING...

Okay. Okay. In depth thoughtd below the cut but it will be both 1. Spoilery 2. Lowkey incomprehensible if you dont know much about the game LMAO

First off, I think Cleo would be the narrator. Why, you ask? Because its MY au and I get to put my blorbos where i want. But if im being fr then its bc she has i think the perfect combo of exhausted britishness, willingness to manipulate and lie, and overall just the Vibe to fit the narrator. Bonus points if they're a fractured version of time witch cleo from WCSMP.

And then... THE VOICES. THIS IS WHAT I IMMEDIATELY SNAG ON. Would the voices be different people, or potentially just alternate versions of Gem? Also yes ive decided gem is the protag and pearl is the princess but thats bc my original knee jerk reaction was "gem is the princess (esmp2 gem was a fave) and pearl is the hero" but then i thought harder and went waittt i love shapeshifter pearl and dimension hopper gem. I can work with that.

Anyway yeah im thinking different people for the voices, but I'd probably give gem her own internal dialogue alongside it bc it'd be less interesting if she was just the vehicle for the plot in this au. I'll probably have her be both the actual 'hero' character and voice of the hero, for simplicity.

The first ones to come to mind are false as the voice of the paranoid, because she is my #1 paranoia rep i love her, and grian as voice of the contrarian bc he fucking would.

Potentially joel as voice of the cheated, or stubborn? If we do bring wcsmp elements in then prismarina would make a great voice of the cheated too LMAO. So, Joel for voice of the stubborn

Scar is Very voice of the opportunist. And obviously the witch is double life pearl. Which is so perfect?? Like goddamn???? Especially bc i love dl sunflower duo. AND THE INTERNAL DIALOGUE VIBE WOULD BE ALMOST LIKE IF GEM AND SCAR WERE ALLIED AGAINST PEARL AT THE END OF SECRET LIFE

Broken is hard to pick a voice for, maybe mumbo? but the tower would Definitely lean into Santa Perla and the farmer god esmp2 stuff. I could see him being like "oh well it would probably be for the best if we just listen to the giant god lady who could crush us, right?"

Hunted... I was unsure for a while but maybe Shrub? Wolf spirit shrub would be rlly fun for that. And ig the beast would be some form of alien s9 pearl? OR we could lean into the more monstery salmon/siren/merfolk s10 pearl stuff

Cold could be Cub, i dont know much about him but he seems very chill and pragmatic enough for me to push to the extreme here

Skeptic... My mind has gone entirely blank for this one... ETHO MAYBE i can see etho for this. I have no idea what pearl version would work for the prisoner though

Smitten....... maybe shelby? Specifically great witch Shelby. Idk i think her whole vibe around katherine could be translated into what we need here. plus i love giving crumbs to yuri rarepairs- OR i could lean into santa perla again here and have it as sausage kinda worshipping an idealised person of the past pearl he loved (though not romantically, to me at least), which could work for a damsel variant?

anyway i dont wanna get Super into the major spoilers for stp so i wont elaborate much further, but goddd im so normal about this concept

[hils79]

Hey ! So i have been following you for a while and I love everything you post , I'm a fan of daomu biji myself :), I wanted to know what was the first fandom you joined and that quiet didn't leave you ?

OMG Hi! Thank you so much for this ask! If there's one thing I'm always happy to talk about it's fandom.

That's a really good question, actually.

Every fandom I've been in has left some mark on me whether it's the people I met in that fandom, the things I learned (personally and practically) or just the experiences I had. All of it has shaped the person I am today.

I think if I had to pick one fandom that left the biggest mark it would be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That was my first proper online fandom (prior to that I was a fan of things but I didn't really have anyone to talk about them with because it was the pre-internet days and I grew up in a small town).

I think if I hadn't had such a positive experience in the Buffy fandom, and if people hadn't been so kind and welcoming and encouraging I would probably have turned out very differently.

As it was I had a wonderful group of friends who encourage me to write, offered to beta read, didn't judge when I experimented with rarepairs. I went over to the US to meet up with a big group of them which was my first trip abroad by myself. I had an amazing time.

I'm still friends with a lot of my Buffy fandom friends. It's been wonderful to watch them grow up, get married, have kids etc. They feel like family even if we don't talk all the time.

And, just FYI, the reason I feel so strongly about nonsense claims that people of a certain age shouldn't be in fandom is because of these people. I was 17 when I got online and my friends ranged from people my age and younger right through to people in their 50s and 60s. That diversity of knowledge and experience is SO IMPORTANT.

They were there when I was figuring out my sexuality, when I had a small breakdown over turning 30, when I had personal problems, or just wanted to talk about my day.

Sorry, this has ended up being a lot longer than I planned.

Thank you for the ask! Buffy is still my most treasured fandom because it was my first.

[not-poignant]

I remember reading some asks that when you were in Guardians fandom, people were always correcting some stuff too, that they though is wrong or smth. And I feel like especially after so long writing your own universes, those very "smart" anons are really annoying. I just hope that they won't suck any wind from benith your wings and you don't spend much energy on answers to their asks and that you know always know - your writing is your own and we are fucking blessed for reading it <3

Maybe I just have forgotten so that I can mostly remember the good things (haha) but aside from people always having a bone to pick with me calling Pitch's daughter Seraphina, Rise of the Guardians was generally pretty chill!

I think back then there were a lot more 'why are you depicting Bunnymund this way?' or 'Why are you making this choice?' which as open-ended questions I really don't mind answering!! Even when it's obvious that the person who's asking the question doesn't agree with my depiction, then I can explain myself, vs. someone just anonymously coming in to go 'hi you are wrong' when... I'm not O.o

Different fandoms have different feels to them, kind of like visiting different countries! DnD / FR as a fandom seems to have a pocket of vocal people who want to prove they know more than me about DnD / FR to which I'll just say - you all know more than me, you win, here's your trophy, now let me write my fic the way I want thanks and learn how to read tags/author's notes :D That being said, the folks who don't care about that shit and just want to enjoy Astarion being railed / living his best-worst life have been the BEST and I really enjoy how thoughtful they are and how cool their comments are. There's some super engaged folks in this fandom who have really great takes on things, and I enjoy that side of it a lot.

Rise of the Guardians was incredibly creative. Like, to this day, I know one fanartist who went to work at Dreamworks, one who does official art for Hearthstone and works for Blizzard (her dream - and I still have her fanart of Gwyn in my house!), plenty more who went on to become professional artists, comic writers, writers, animators etc. I think the visual art and style of that show attracted so many people who love art, which was fun. We also had antis, but whatever, I feel like every fandom has those if you're active in the fandom.

Stardew Valley is mostly very mild, because it's intermittently very quiet and there's so many different pairings, and I've always written rarepairs. Generally people who enjoy that game are pretty low-key, and they're some of the nicest folks I've met in like anon asks and in comments! Love SDV peeps and it's been a pleasure to come back to the fandom.

Dragon Age: Inquisition was... lol. Lol. Well, look, I made some amazing friends through that fandom who I still know today. It attracted actually a surprising amount of older fandom folks who brought a lot of knowledge about how to write fic, so the fandom is drenched in really good fic, really good art. There was a ton of fucking drama, and some of the most acephobic rhetoric I've ever seen came out of this fandom, including asexual block-lists where people hunted each other down on Tumblr with things like 'have you blocked this person yet they're asexual' in anon. So like... DAI was a RIDE. The people I met in that fandom as friends I'll treasure. The actual fandom itself was a trash-fire depending on where you were. There were definitely a couple of BNFs in this fandom who made it their job to just hate other people, especially if they were ace and liked writing an ace Dorian Pavus. That was the first time I learned that blocking is good for the soul.

The Beast that Chose Its Own Bridle is a tiny fandom made of people who all love Felix and Mildmay very much :D

Detroit Become Human was a weird experience and it felt like a weird fandom. It was I think Korean or Japanese fanart that actually inspired Eversion, since that's where the first reverse!AU fanart (at least that I saw) began. But the comments could be weird, the anons were sometimes weird (not always, but sometimes! Especially in the beginning - and I just think first impressions really count lol), and I remember joining a Connor/Hank Discord where the most active folks were very quick to tell me how I should write my story, which was like - I like that they liked the story, but I've never had people try to show how much they like something by trying to change it into something they like more in quite that way before? I didn't really feel like staying in the fandom, tbh, it's extremely cliquey, especially all the folks that have like 400 names for the different versions of Connor, and it feels like it has a steep learning curve if you want to join the 'club.'

It was also the story where I had to do the most heavy lifting on BDSM education. Like, this fandom felt very BDSM naive *overall* - there's obviously exceptions, but I had to literally change how I was writing the story to explain more things than I normally would have done in a fic like that, because I was just getting so many 'why would Connor want to be humiliated during sex' anons and comments which was like okay, okay, let's actually do some 101 brochure stuff with this (the chapter where Connor calls Luuk and they talk about Connor liking being humiliated was not meant to be a whole chapter dslkfjas).

In fandoms like Thorki I could assume that the majority of readers would sort of get that even if it was a kink they didn't like - it was still just a kink that people can like and/or help others out with explanations. So it's possible D:BH skewed young and/or just not BDSM experienced! Which is fine! It's just I've noticed it here the most of all the fandoms I've been in. There were folks who knew kink really well who didn't need any explanations there at all, because I tend to over-explain a character's reasoning at the best of times, but yeah.

These are all like... deeply personal experiences influenced by the pairings I'm writing and how deeply I'm going into each fandom! I was tag-tracking in RotG / D:BH / DA:I, so I saw a lot more stuff, I think.

There's other fandoms I've been a part of but not really written for much or at all, like Thorki (love it there) and Sebaciel re: Black Butler (love it there too, but we lose a lot of writers because of antis), and also Murderbot (really weirdly cliquey in a 'oh... I see' kind of way, which might explain why a small pocket of people are writing most of the fics - because they're the only ones allowed in their Discord lol). Murderbot fandom is why I didn't end up writing Murderbot fanfiction sdalkfjdsa

Anyway, fandoms are weird, personal spaces that should be heavily curated! But I can't stop anons coming into my inbox with certain 'flavours' of question per fandom unless I turn off anon and honestly where would be the fun of that :D :D :D

[kellanved-ammanas]

Rarepair Weekend Day 2: Pyro/Medic - Spicy | Savory | Sweet

For @tf2rarepairevents Rarepair mini weekend event!

~

With Pyro’s tendency to get a bit excited about the stove top burners, banning him from using the stove without supervision was probably fair. He did almost burn the kitchen down not long after they’d moved to this base. But he was having one of those ‘wanting to try something new’ moments that were hard to ignore. The something new he wanted to try was cooking and so… sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night it was.

He could do it in the daytime and just have someone watch to make sure he didn’t set the burners too high but… he wasn’t a child. Being supervised like one was annoying even in cases where it was warranted. Also, he wanted to be able to taste it which he had to take the gas mask off for which he couldn’t bring himself to do when just about anyone could walk in without warning. He could handle being in the presence of flames without being overwhelmed by his desire to feed it until it grew into a roaring blaze.

His resolve almost broke as soon as he started the burner. It was so pretty but so small, making it bigger would mean more pretty to look at it. He reached for the dial but… no! More pretty was also more dangerous and bad for cooking. It would burn the food and that would be bad so he had to refrain. He put the skillet over it, reducing temptation by hiding it.

There not being much of interest in the pantry and not knowing much about what he was doing anyway, he went for something simple; eggs and pancakes. His first attempt at scrambled eggs was underdone and then upon being put back on the stove, burnt. His second attempt was a bit better. He seasoned it with all the spices they had in the cupboard. Which probably would’ve been a poor choice if they weren’t so limited in their spice selection out here in the desert. As it was though, it tasted good enough, to him anyway.

Next was pancakes. Except… how did one make pancake batter? There was flower and vanilla, right? Probably baking powder too. Was that it or…

“Huh? Didn’t expect to find you here.”

Pyro jumped, snapping around to face the kitchen entryway where Medic stood. He wore his pajamas, indicating he’d gone to bed but was now up again and probably looking for coffee. But of all people to catch Pyro here, he was the best option because he already knew what Pyro’s face looked like. And he’d be a hypocrite for caring about anyone else breaking the kitchen rules when just last week he’d done so himself via putting another experiment in the fridge because his personal one in his lab was too full.

“I’m banned from using the burners so I gotta use them at night. I’ve been good though, promise.” Especially now that burners were off while he tried to figure out this pancake batter thing. “I’m not gonna burn the kitchen down… probably.”

Medic gave a tired hum of acknowledgment before walking over to counter where Pyro had left the plate of eggs for now. He picked up the fork next to it and tried a bite. Whether he liked it or not as impossible to guess as his expression didn’t change. But as long as he was here and awake…

“Do you know how to make pancakes?”

“It’s been a long time but I think so. Why?”

“I wanna make some but I’m not sure how to make the batter. Could you write it down for me? I’ll give you some if they turn out good.”

Medic thought about it for a few seconds, still holding the fork. “I’m up anyway so I could just show you if you want.”

“Oh, okay, sure!” That would be even better and a fun time besides.

[draculas-secret-blog]

Pick my next fic

Hey! Decided I’d write some fics for the borderlands fanbase, figured I would let you guys choose what comes first! (They’ll have short little blurbs with more info under the cut if you want some!)

Rhysothy- I have a tftbl alternate au where news doesn’t get out that Jack is dead and that the Hyperion board has decided it would cause less issues for the company to bring in a body double. When Rhys gets the promotion he deserves and ends up working right under ‘jack’ he starts to notice that some things are different about the guy.. for one he’s absolute trash at programming and hey wait.. when did his eyes switch colors?

TLDR: Timothy is a shitty jack double

Gaigel- finding out that Angels mom was likely a Jakobs thanks to borderlands 3 i have cooked up a sweet au to go along with my living!angel one. They’ve been off planet for a tiny bit, Angel just needing to get as far away from pandora and euridium as humanly possible. They loop back for their annual check in with the crimson raiders and suprise! They get a wedding invite.. a little bit late and a little bit blood stained. Wait, huh? Why is it adressed ‘my dear niece Angel’? And why does the rsvp have the Jakobs gun manufacturer emblem?

TLDR: Gaige never asked her girlfriend her last name, whoopsie

Moxxi/Tannis- I think they should make out and that it would be totally cool and stuff.. just saying. Maybe it can even be a pre sequel fic as a treat with some canon divergence and a dash of ‘I have two kids and my crazy ex boyfriend and my family are trying to kill me. We should raise these kids together’

TLDR: Milf Moxxi and her Antisocial nerd girlfriend, yippie!

Mordibrick- Tina had her fake wedding, hammerlock and Jakobs had their real one.. Maybe it’s time that Mordecai and Brick get married too. I mean, they are dating, right? They established that clearly, right? They haven’t just been coparenting for years on accident while everyone just assumed they were gay. Totally not. And this wedding was totally not a surprise to them at all.. totally not.

TLDR: the game of gay chicken went too far in this one

Axton/Salvador: have not played their DLC yet, don’t kill me, BUT they give me old married energy when they call my echo. Like they’re trying to invite me over to have dinner with them or something. Anyways they flirt and narrate their shitty little death race and then light stuff on fire and flirt some more. Maybe claptrap gets bullied a little (a lot), we’ll see what happens. maybe a surprise Gaige cameo

TLDR: those two old guys kiss, the end.

Axton/Zed: this is the most original thought I think I have ever had personally. This au is inspired by two things: 1, my loyalty and parasocial friendship I had with Zed during my Gaige playthrough and 2, that one au here on tumblr of Axton being Gaiges adopted dad. I think Gaige trying to set Axton and Zed up together and Zed using his medical malpractice and four braincells to flirt would be great

TLDR: someone kiss that dilf with the silly little gun robot!

[squid-ink-symphony]

hey i saw a post where you were talking about ships.. Uh.

callie x agent 3.

discuss.

please..

we need all the exposure we can get there are 5 of us.

we are very lonely.

NO BUT LIKE I LOVE THIS SHIP

ALONG WITH 4 X MARIE

LIKE IVE SEEN CALLIE AND AGENT 3 ART BEFORE AND ITS LITERALLY SO GOOD

i didnt wanna mention idol x agent ships in my post cuz sometimes ppl get all defensive about it like "erm well actually the agent is canonically a child and-" shut up. shut. up. they are whatever age you want them to be. they are literally a self insert for the player. plenty of ppl have agent ocs who are adults. it just varies from person to person and their headcanons.

but then i got an ask (that i already deleted) accusing me of being a proshipper bcuz apparently 3 x neo 3 is problematic bcuz its "power imbalance?" and like.. ig yeah that could be an issue irl w ur boss taking advantage of u. but like..... thats.... clearly not what im talking about???

so may as well discuss idol x agent ships as well lol

3 x callie is like. top tier. its so good. like you just know 3 and callie would goof around together. especially the splat 1 version of 3??? like their dynamic would be top tier. and i just know 3 would whisper stuff to callie and they would giggle about it and refuse to tell anyone else what they are laughing about. and i am always a rarepair enjoyer. like. its so good. (i ship callie x marina x pearl so you know im masochistic when it comes to my ships)

AND 4 X MARIE??? i know this one is a bit more well known but i love it. i dont know if i would ship my main agent 4 with my main interpretation of marie, but like another version of them? yes. it works so well. marie is literally in love w 4.

BUT OK ANOTHER RAREPAIR: 4 x callie. i know everyone loves 3 x 8 cuz blah blah 8 beat up mind controlled 3. but ??? 4 beat up mind controlled callie and we got NOTHING from the fandom. im mostly a 4 x 8 shipper at heart but this is another one i rlly like. i just know 4 would try to show off by picking smth heavy up or doing some cool trick only to fail miserably. and callie would be able to do it first try.

and i have even more opinions on different idol ships and combos but uhh thats for another day when someone wants to listen to my ramblings lol

anyway in conclusion i love rarepairs and pretty much every splat ship so yeah feel free to talk to me about them any time. i love figuring out character dynamics and all that. also everyone has such good designs everyone looks good together. also just like. non romantic pairs as well. like ppl who have sibling dynamics. ppl who are clearly in a qpr. ppl who are besties. apprentice and mentor dynamics. i just think every splat character is so interesting on their own that pretty much every combination is top tier. and like. things dont have to mutually exclusive when it comes to relationships. im a multipshipper.

and i think the same goes for other dynamics. like in my mind one version of neo 3 and 3, 3 sees neo like a younger sibling and spoils them and doent want what happened to 3 to happen to neo. in another version 3 sees neo like a younger version of them and tries to toughen them up and neo sees it as unfair and there is angst while 3 has to confront everything they went thru and if it was even fair for them to have gone thru it. cuz in their mind ofc its ok to do this to neo, its what 3 did to become the way they are. in another version they are just besties. in another version they are dating. in another version they have a competitive love/hate relationship and argue a lot about whos better.

LIKE THINGS DONT HAVE TO JUST BE ONE WAY!! i like exploring different stuff and seeing everyones takes on them!!!!!

so yeah come talk to me about splat characters im very normal i swear :)))

[providing-leverage]

Fic in Review 2023

This looks fun, thanks to @writer-and-thrasher for the tag

Total Number of Completed Stories: 16, which is great because my goal was 12 (one a month, which didn't happen, but oh well)

Total Word Count: 77,440! Again, I had a goal and surpassed it (getting to 300k on my account) and it feels really good.

Fandoms Written In: So much Ted Lasso, which I discovered after Sunflowers came out and was trending. I saw canon gay characters and went sign me up even if I don't normally like comedy stuff. I'm super glad I did because I've not written so much for a fandom so fast since my Shadowhunters hyperfixation years ago. Other than those 12, I did some PJO, Supernatural, and Batman, and Teen Wolf.

Looking back did you expect to write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expect: so much less! Ted Lasso brainworms truly won this year

What’s your own favorite story of the year, personally?: I'm super proud of myself for finishing Past and Present Now Embrace, one of my few non Ted Lasso fics. Bianca was a very interesting character and the Percy Jackson universe it a great sandbox to play in.

Did you take any writing risks this year?: I think my trend towards gen stuff, because obviously romantic stuff gets more hits a lot of the time so I've trained myself to sprinkle it in even when it doesn't really need to be there. But with Ted Lasso I really felt like I could embrace the platonic stuff and when I did write romance it was because I wanted to.

Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year?: I want to write a multichapter, and I'm hoping that multichapter will be either Stranger Ranger or Guard Your Heart. I've also been watching to rework the second and third parts of SSA Sam Singer.

Best story of the year: personally I'm really proud of the Fundamentals of Love and Lying, which is so self indulgent

Most popular story of the year: Get It Off Your Chest for sure, and I think that's all to do with the blurb I used in the summary

Most personal story of the year: Oh for sure it's a rather touching notion which is also probably the one I wrote the quickest. An aroace character figuring out who they are, feeling outside of so many social interactions because they lack romantic and sexual attraction? Pure projection. Also The A Team because yay autism.

Funniest story of the year: While the summary for Get it Off Your Chest is funny, Colin's reasons for picking up lesbians is deeply sad so I can't really say that. Eliza's exasperation with Jamie in Flowers for Dani is pretty funny though.

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Fundamentals took a lot of work but it's also a rarepair I invented the tag for and narrated by a character that is basically an OC, so I understand why it's not everyone's cup of tea.

Most fun story to write: Holy Novelty Socks Batman is pure fluffy crack and made me smile a lot

Story with the sexiest moment: none of them really. Fundamentals and some of the other TL fics have some sex allusion though.

Sweetest story of the year: I'll say Shake It Out, a teen wolf fic from early this year that I'd completely forgotten about. What's sweeter than breaking into your school at night for a date?

“Holy crap that’s wrong even for you!” story: dito on not doing scandalous, but for angst then maybe this fic where I give Dani my caffeine sickness

Hardest story to write: Past and Present Now Embrace, for sure took the longest, with me working on it for over a year. I wanted to get it up before the Sun and the Star came out but that didn't happen.

Biggest disappointment: Not any published fic in particular but I have a lot of drafts I wish had been able to see the light of day this year

Biggest surprise: the community I feel like I've found this year, especially within Ted Lasso. Doing these tag games, trading asks and ideas with other writers, is something I've never gotten to do before and I feel so lucky and grateful for my mutuals.

Speaking of... @orbitalpirate @mearpsdyke @manwholovescabins sorry if any of you have already been tagged

[heretolurkandnothingmore]

⛵️ Five Fandoms, Five Ships ⛵

Get to know the blogger, via five different ships from five different fandoms!

I've been tagged by four beloved mutuals (@willameena @kingdomvel @fem-anakin-skywalker @cottonraincoat). Thank you all, and sorry for lagging behind on tag games lately. This year marks the twelfth anniversary of me reading my first slash fic and getting involved in fandom. Doesn't sound like too long, but that's one half of my existence on this planet. So, the answer will be long. It's tough to choose just five out of what feels like dozens (and is probably more). Let's get to it!

Johnlock (John Watson\Sherlock Holmes, both Sherlock BBC and the original ACD stories) Surprised at this first pick? Me too. I haven't really interacted with the Sherlock fandom in the years since season 4. Even longer, really. But this was the first ship I talked to another human being about, the first flame war I participated in, the first fandom I saw grow and flourish (and then crash and burn). Little Hertie's shipping goggles were just growing in at that point, but there was plenty to see through them! That time between seasons 2 and 3 was magical. I remember being oh so excited about how The Adventure of the Empty House would get adapted to screen - and bitterly, horribly disappointed when it was. Nothing compares in my mind to the rabid times of season 4, either. Not that I believed in any conspiracies, but... Hey. My first long-lost tumblr blog existed pretty much exclusively to let me watch that trainwreck. Still, nowadays, every time I get depressed and morose, there's a Johnlock fic or two saved in my library to cheer me up. And of course, there's still a friend or two in my orbit who came into my life through that shipping group.

Obikin (Obi-Wan Kenobi\Anakin Skywalker, Star Wars) I mean, of course. We're in the Obikin Central here) I've loved Star Wars ever since being shown The Phantom Menace at age 10 at a sanatorium for kids with back problems. The back problems persist to this day, but at least I got something out of it)) At some next re-watch, years later, I went to check what people were writing on AO3 - might be the first fandom I braved in English instead of my native language. There was plenty to find, of course, and I went about my usual process of reading lots of fic, saving the best for later and then moving on to the next obsession. How'd I come to be here, then? Simple. Last year, I went for a visit to my hometown, and promptly got sick. And I mean delirious with fever. So the next few days I had plenty of time to re-watch the prequels, and for the first time get acquainted with Clone Wars 2003 and TCW. That burned a hole straight through my heart, of course, and I started drawing fanart for the first time in my life. Maybe it was finally time to let go of the fear that governed my quiet lurker's existence on the internet ever since an unfortunate incident involving a fic translation and boning skeletons? I suppose it was. Ever since I've been filling a newfound personal-life-related insomnia with drawing fanart, and, on occasion, writing. So here I am, and here all of you are. The SW fandom has been the most welcoming space full of the most brilliant people, and I'm honored every day by being allowed into it.

William Carter/Wilson P. Higgsbury (Don't Starve) This is a rarepair of all rarepairs, possibly only with some timey-wimey fic logic and a slither of faith. The reason I'm putting it on the list is simple - this ship was included in the one big fan project I've finished and am still proud of: a translation (from my native language) of a 14-Chapter fic. This one. No story before or since has gripped my imagination quite so strongly, and the desire to share it with the English-speaking world propelled me through sleepless nights and many hours of editing. It follows, in a way, an amnesiac's journey to regaining his memories, as well as a man's journey to madness, all rolled up into one unreliable narration. Oh, and pre-slash of the kind that gets you stealthily and then never lets go. It's here to represent what I think the best parts of shipping are to me: a creative drive that burns like nothing else, and a way to connect to other people's outlook on the world.

Illya Kuryakin/Napoleon Solo (The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - the 2015 movie) Even stranger picks on the list tonight! This movie, let me tell you, it took my breath away. Watched in in cinema with a friend, then dragged another friend to see it again, joined social media groups, went to a shippers' meetup, had a crush on a girl there, turns out she was already dating someone - let's just say, it was the whole nine yards. An emotional rollercoaster. I wake up sometimes having dreamed of a world where things are different - for example, the movie had several sequels, there was no reason to permanently move from my hometown, I'm out there at more shipper's meetups having infatuations, life's beautiful... Well. At least I have re-watches of this movie, and good fics to read about this ship.

Honorable mentions (Couldn't pick just one, sorry) Now, there could be many honorable mentions for ships I've loved and love to this day. - Ones like Aziraphale/Crowley, Merthur and Spirk, that illicit obsession every time I touch upon their respective fandoms (Good Omens, Merlin and Star Trek). Maybe one day I'll have the bravery to put out the snippets I've written about them. All three have made me cry, and burn with fury, and smile like nothing else. - Or ones like Rinch (hello there Person of Interest people! I'm not sure any of you read this far), which were and still are like flame to the heart, but I've been asked for five, and that story is not yet finished for me.

There are yet others I have no time to mention, too rare or too controversial. But maybe there will be time someday. After all, it's been twelve years - here's to twelve more!

[pikapeppa]

Fashav/Vanasha (post-Burning Shores AU): Always

This is a companion piece I wrote for Here Come The Dreams of You and Me (my Aloy/Kotallo post-Burning Shores fic)! Thank you to the ELA Rare Pair Round-Up event for planting the rarepair seed in my head 🥰❤

~10k words. Only an excerpt is here; read the whole thing on AO3 instead.

******************

It was late evening. The sun had set hours ago, leaving the sky a velvet-smooth canvas sprinkled with stars, and Vanasha was wandering slowly around her suite after her bath, rubbing on some lotion as she hummed idly to herself.

She went out onto the balcony and gazed at the city below for a bit. It was a very nice night: humid as usual, but not too much so, and cool enough that she was comfortable in her silk dressing gown, but not so cold that she couldn’t sleep naked if the occasion called for it.

She smirked to herself, then went into her bedroom. She dabbed on some of his favourite orange-blossom perfume, then went to straighten out the bed linen. She smoothed her palms over the already-smooth and neatly-tucked duvet, then patted her perfectly-plumped pillows.

Then she huffed and sat on the bed. Calm down, girl, she told herself. There’s no reason to be as fluttery as an unhusked consort. But it was one thing to remind herself that she logically had no reason to be nervous, and another thing to ignore the hummingbird-buzzing feeling in her belly: a feeling she hadn’t experienced in years — a whole decade, now that she thought about it.

Her Focus trilled. Her breath caught in surprise, and she exhaled a little laugh before tapping it to answer the call. “Hello?”

“It’s me,” Fashav said. “Are you decent?”

“Never. But you’re welcome to come over anyway.”

“Good,” he said, with a curl of humour in his voice. “Because I’m just outside your door.”

She grinned, then ended the Focus call and went to open the door. “Why didn’t you just knock?” she said.

“I’m practicing with this new little weapon,” he said, and he pointed to his Focus.

“Weapon?” She stepped back to let him in.

“Yes. Apparently when you scan machines with it, it breaks the machine down into weak points and harvestable resources, then marks those points so you can target them more easily.” He arched a brow as he kicked off his slippers. “Almost sounds to me like it makes machine hunting too easy. I can see why Aloy and her squad want to be careful about who they give access to these things. Imagine if the Hunter’s Lodge were all equipped with such things?” He clicked his tongue. “The arguing that would arise. It would be like going into an Oseram tavern five minutes before last call.”

She laughed as she led him into the sitting room. “Oh, worse than that. Hunter’s Lodge egos being thrown into chaos by a trinket that lets any old person off the street pick out weak points on a machine? I imagine we’d have another Sun-Ring-level debacle on our hands.”

Fashav barked out a laugh. “You did not just say that.”

She made a little face. “Too soon? Ugh, I know. That was distasteful. Pretend you didn’t even hear it.”

He chuckled and sat on the couch, and she sashayed over to her small dining table. “Would you care for some wine?”

“I would. Is it dry?”

She laughed. “Fashav—”

“I know, I know, I’m a philistine who knows nothing about wine,” he said drolly. “I’ll take whatever you have, thanks.”

She chuckled as she poured two glasses of wine, then set one glass on the coffee table for him before settling across from him on the chaise-lounge. “This one is a sweeter wine. Just so you know.”

He swirled the wine and peered at the glass. “Oh, yes. I can see the legs.”

She laughed again, and he looked up. “What? Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re right. That’s why I’m laughing.”

He smirked as he brought the glass to his lips. “I should hope I’m right. I learned that stuff about the legs from you.”

She grinned, then idly swirled her glass as she watched him drinking his wine. Fashav didn’t gulp his drinks like a slob, but he had always been more of a large-and-unpretentious-sip type of man with his wine. Vanasha found it as charming now as she had twelve years ago, back when she and Fashav used to meet each other in the city during her ‘errands’ for Marad and Fashav’s spare evenings during his military training.

He set his glass on the coffee table and met her eye, then lifted a quizzical brow as he settled back on the couch. “What’s on your mind?”

“I was just thinking about our meet-ups in the city, back when you were still just a captain.”

He smiled. “Ah, yes. Back when you were still doing double-duty as a dancer and a novice spy.”

She sighed mock-wistfully. “Oh, my days of being ridiculously busy and only sleeping four hours a night.”

“You never looked like you were lacking sleep. Fresh as a sun-dewed blossom no matter the hour.”

She treated him to a slow smile. “You wicked man, with your golden tongue.”

He smirked, then folded his arms. “Remind me again, what was it that I caught you doing that first time we met in the marketplace?”

She scoffed. “What you caught me doing? Nice try! I spotted you giving some poor little urchins a hard time, and I distracted you to get them off the hook.”

He snapped his fingers. “That’s right. They had stolen some shards from a merchant’s stall.”

“Yes, from that nasty carpet-seller who used to run his stall where Cantarah’s booth is now,” she said archly. “You remember, the one that Marad and I took down for running an underground slave-trading ring?”

“I do remember,” he said. “That was how you stole my heart.”

Her heart flipped, and she grinned. “Excuse me?”

He gestured at her. “A woman who walks as though she’s dancing and smells of orange flowers, who managed to steal the knife from my boot before we’d said a single word to each other? And it later came out that that same woman helped the royal spymaster to eliminate a slave-trading ring in her spare time? Of course you stole my heart.”

The hummingbird in her belly rose up toward her ribcage. Meanwhile, Fashav was still talking as he picked up his wine glass. “I would like to point out, in my defense, that I wasn’t trying to give those children a hard time. I was just following up on a claim of theft.”

“I remember, Fashav,” she said playfully. “And you saw reason enough to give up the chase in the end. Even if I had to threaten you with your own knife for you to see it.”

He chuckled and set his glass on the table, then sat back and stretched his arms along the back of the couch, and Vanasha eyed him appreciatively. He was wearing a belted sleeveless tunic and silk pants with embossed leather wrist cuffs: a casual outfit, but one that was clearly bespoke, and which showed off the intricate pattern of Tenakth tattoos that covered his left arm from shoulder to wrist. His legs were spread comfortably wide in that typical man-at-ease way, and as Vanasha admired him, a long-dormant but familiar interest started to simmer in her belly.

There was no point denying it: Fashav was a delicious specimen of a man. She had always thought so, even before they’d made their official acquaintance during that memorable first encounter in Meridian’s marketplace. During her dance performances with the royal academy, then later when Marad took her under his wing, she had often seen Fashav around the palace, both as a member of the royal family and as the celebrated-soldier son of a high-ranking military official. Even during those quick glimpses around the palace, Fashav had always stood out to her as being a uniquely handsome man: not only in the conventional sense, with his broad shoulders and his hard soldier’s physique, but because of how boyishly sweet he looked when he smiled, as though a sunnier and more carefree side was glittering through that neutral-faced military mask that he usually wore.

As she and Fashav got to know each other more, her attraction to him only grew stronger. By the time she retired from the dance academy to work full-time as a ‘lady-in-waiting’ — and as an assassin-spy for Marad, to very few people’s knowledge — Fashav had risen through the ranks from captain to commander, their colourful first acquaintance had grown into a close friendship that defied his nobility and her merchant-class upbringing, and she was so painfully attracted to him that her body would start heating up like an Oseram forge whenever she and Fashav were in the same room.

This wasn’t to say her attraction was a one-sided thing, however. She had always had an uncanny intuition for sniffing out sexual and romantic threads between people, and she had always been aware that Fashav was as drawn to her as she was to him. But the key thing was this: he never acted on it. Oh, they flirted, certainly, and shamelessly so. But Fashav never made the sort of bluntly lecherous offers or remarks that Vanasha had become accustomed to deflecting by the time she was fifteen years old. Fashav was a charmer and a flirt, but not a lewd or pushy one, and during the first almost-three years of their friendship, he never once crossed the line. He bantered with her and teased her and flattered her, and he always insisted on paying for their meals and drinks when they met up. But he never propositioned her during those first few years of friendship — and this fact set him apart from other men to a stunning degree. Fashav was safe in that way, safe in a way that few other men had ever been — and ironically, the fact that Fashav had never tried to fuck her made her want to fuck him all the more.

Then, finally, when Vanasha was twenty-one and Fashav twenty-seven, their years of mutual desire and friendship had culminated in the best night of her young life. The treasured memory flickered across her mind, polished jewel-bright from being recalled over the years: a seemingly-innocuous little daytrip to Brightmarket, the innkeeper’s surprise when she boldly requested a room with a single bed, Fashav’s warm and knowing gaze — What now, Van? — and this feeling, the very same feeling she was having now: this hummingbird-buzz of anticipation in her belly that made her blood feel like it was growing warmer in her veins…

By the Sun, she was making herself horny by thinking about this. She forced her gaze to her wine glass as she took a little sip, then set the glass on the floor beside the chaise-lounge and gave him an appraising look.

He tilted his head. “A shard for your thoughts?”

“You just said I stole your heart.”

His smile softened a bit. “Yes.”

“You’ve never said that to me before.”

“I know. But…” He sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I felt that way, Van. I know you did, too.”

Of course she knew. She had always known that what she and Fashav shared was more than friendship and more than sex. But she had never said so, and neither had he. Strangely enough, for all the things they talked about during their intense conversations that lasted into the depths of night, for all the things they shared, the true nature of their feelings for each other was the only thing that had always remained unspoken — unspoken, but not unfelt, not by any means.

She gave him a frank look. “What were you going to say earlier today? Before I kissed you?”

“I was going to say that I want to be with you.”

Her heart stuttered. She had hoped he was going to say this — by the Sun, she had hoped — but it was still a shock to the system to hear him saying it.

He went on. “To be totally honest, what I was going to say in the marketplace is that I want what we had when we were younger. But I had the afternoon to think about it — thank you for giving me that time, by the way—”

She shot him a quick grin. “You’re very welcome.”

He smiled too, but his expression quickly became serious again. “I don’t want what we had when we were younger. I don’t want to just… meet in secret. All that sneaking around so my father wouldn’t find out.”

“Well, we don’t have to worry about him anymore, at least,” she said wryly. “The Sun bless his spirit.”

“You know what I mean,” he said. “This isn’t just about sex. Not that it was ever just about sex. But I don’t want to put up a front anymore. I don’t want to pretend that what we have is less than it is. The reasons that we… that we kept things casual before? They don’t hold up anymore. And not just because my father is dead.”

She gave him an apologetic look. “I know, Fashav. I am sorry for saying that — it was insensitive.”

He waved her off. “It was blunt, but true. He was the main reason we never…” He clicked his tongue and shook his head. “It seems ludicrous now. To base so much of our lives around something so petty as the family we’re born into?”

“You know that wasn’t all of it,” she reminded him. “The politics were complicated. He was loyal to Jiran, and with you being a general of Jiran’s army and me being a double-agent—”

He interrupted her. “I still wanted you. Even after we agreed to end things.”

“I know,” she said gently. “And you know that I’ve never blamed you for… our decision to end that side of things. It’s just the world we live in. Even now with Jiran dead, even with all of the reforms that Avad is pushing through, class divisions are still what this society is built on.”

“Fuck that.”

She grinned. “Well, hello to you too, Tenakth-Fashav.”

He didn’t smile. “You can laugh, but the Tenakth have it right when it comes to this. They don’t restrict who can partner up with whom. There are no merchant-class and noble-class boarshit barriers out there in the west. I saw what it can be like when people are free to be with the ones they love, and it’s — that’s how I want to live now, with you. I refuse to hide the way I feel about you just because of this nobility-must-marry-nobility boarshit.”

Sun and shadow, her heart was racing. She took a deep breath to try and ease her pulse, then spoke in the calmest tone she could manage. “What about your mother? She’s not going to like seeing you traipsing around with a merchant’s daughter on your arm.”

“I don’t care.”

“Are you sure about that?” she pressed.

“Yes,” he said. “I’m sure. Her opinion about this doesn’t matter anymore. The only person whose opinion matters here is yours.”

His gaze was steady and his tone was very firm, and Vanasha believed him. Really, she did believe him. But everything he was saying was so… perfect, really, that she almost couldn’t trust it. It was so close to what she’d secretly wanted when they were younger, so very uncannily close to the tightly-guarded fantasies she would play through her mind after he snuck out of her quarters in the middle of the night, and she needed to be absolutely sure that he was sure about this before she gave herself to him completely.

“Are you sure you’re not rushing into this?” she said seriously. “If it was Aloy and Kotallo’s shenanigans that got you thinking about this, then maybe you—”

He interrupted her. “It’s not their shenanigans that got me thinking about this. Their whole… carry-on brought it to the front of my mind, but I’ve been thinking about this for years.”

That was unexpected. “Years? Even while you were away?”

His expression softened and became chiding at the same time. “When Hekarro told me he was sending me back to the Sundom, seeing you again was the first thing on my mind.”

No fucking way. It was like he had read her mind. She would never forget the dizzying surge of excitement when she’d heard he was coming home from the Forbidden West. Then there was the absolute gut-wrenching fear when she’d heard he was close to death. Then, when he’d finally been transported home to the palace, he was so weak and delirious at first that he kept calling Avad ‘Kadaman’ — but even so, despite the weeks of delirium and the pain, he had always recognized her.

Van? Baby, are you crying? Don’t cry. Her throat thickened at the memories, and she sipped her wine so she could take a second to collect herself. Then she gave him a coy look. “You flatterer. You know just what to say to get a girl’s panties melting off.”

A quick grin flashed across his face. “Don’t go talking about your panties, now. That’s dirty tactics when I’m trying to be serious.”

She laughed, and he smiled at her before becoming serious again. “I’ve been going on here about what I want. But what do you want? From me, I mean, or from this?” He gestured between himself and her. “I know you never wanted to get married, and I’ll tell you up-front that I will never ask that of you if it’s not what you want. But I do want—” He broke off with a scoff. “By the Ten. I keep talking about what I want. You should talk now.”

“Are you sure?” she teased. “You seemed like you were getting on a roll there. Don’t let me stop you.”

He smirked. “Come on, Van. Tell me what you think of all this.”

She sobered. “Well, first off, you’re right about marriage. I don’t want anything to do with the trappings that come along with being someone’s wife. But…” She gazed affectionately into his hazel eyes: eyes that she’d known and trusted for a dozen years. “I want to be with you, too.”

His shoulders loosened with obvious relief. “You do?”

“I do. And not just for the sex.” She cocked her head playfully. “Though the sex had better still be on the table.”

He quirked a brow. “Figuratively or literally?”

“Both, if you’re offering.”

“I think I can manage to offer that.”

She grinned, then sipped her wine before speaking again. “So what are you proposing, exactly? Since it’s not marriage we’re looking for here.”

“I’m proposing that we be together, openly committed, like Varl and Zo or Aloy and Kotallo,” he said. “No politics, no pleasing-society shit, nothing to do with legacy or family lines. I want…” He exhaled hard and ran a hand over his hair, then fixed her with another intense but warm-eyed stare. “For once in my fucking life, I want to be selfish. I want this for real. And I don’t want anyone making the mistake of thinking that my feelings for you are less than what they are.”

Sun and fucking shadow, her heart really was thrumming like a hummingbird’s tiny wings. She kept her voice as even as she could as she replied. “And what are your feelings, exactly?”

His expression softened. “I love you, Vanasha. I’ve always loved you. But you know that already.”

Read the rest on AO3!

[chainslobber]

You mentioned no one sends you asks in the tags of that poll, so here's one from me: I've seen Dabihaul and Eraserdabi art from you, but what are your thoughts on Chisaki/Aizawa? On a different note, how much do Chronostasis, Mimic, and the Eight (basically all of the non-Chisaki Hassaikai characters) interest you?

Big ask under the cut!

The funniest part of this whole ask is that I LOVE Dabihaul--but Kaizawa hits a personal, delicious gooey center for me. Whenever I discuss my Plague AU fic, it's actually about the two of them. I could go off for hours about them. My only issue is that they're SUCH a rarepair, there's only, last I checked, 21 fics--and 19 of those I couldn't read due to non-con and the fact they weren't even a pairing.

I think the main aspect that interests me is that you have two people who just generally don't work well with kids but both got thrust into a situation where they had to deal with them. We know from Vigilantes that Aizawa was so-so about teaching but ultimately relented, and while we know he'll protect the kids and has a soft spot for him, I also highly dislike the 'dadzawa' headcanons. A caretaker is not the same as a parent.

Likewise, we always see people argue that Kai was a horrible uncle to Eri, and while that's objectively true on one hand, on the other hand, he sent his goons out to buy her gifts as a way to probably placate her. If he didn't care, he wouldn't have done that, didn't NEED to do that. Maybe it's out of obligation to Pops being her grandfather, but whatever the case is, there was some sort of care given to her.

In a similar vein, we have Aizawa who's been hunted since he was a child for his Quirk--literally the 'my Quirk is you have no Quirk' mem--and I know that Aizawa probably has some reservations about his own abilities. He cut off his own leg just for the chance to keep it, and yet we know that it'll never work the same way again. And for someone like Kai, who wants to help heal the world by getting rid of Quirks and making everyone normal, I feel like if he knew about Aizawa prior, then Eri presumably wouldn't need to be in the picture. Maybe she'd have learned how to use her Quirk trying to heal his wounds or replenish his blood, but I think Aizawa would've been a willing candidate if the story went a different way.

AND on that note, I do also have a Dabi/Chisaki?Aizawa fic in the making about after the war as a one-shot but I keep picking at it and then hating it so it might never see the light of day.

Anyways, I really like them and I always get 'divorced parent vibes' from them. Kai getting visitation rights for the weekend or something, Aizawa keeping guardianship, but once they have to do the dropoff, there's quiet words and touches in the dark quietness of either of their homes while she rests on whoever parent's turn it is to watch her's chest.

As for the bullets, Rappa's actually my favorite. I love him IMMENSELY and I miss him dearly. I do enjoy all of the Bullets, I think they all have interesting Quirks and it's neat to see the limits of their devotions, where we have someone like Kurono who's very clearly in good graces with Kai versus someone like Mimic who's just a gremlin but still obedient. I wish we got more information on them.

And on that note, why is Kurono and Rappa both B-tier villains? How is CHISAKI a B-tier? Makes me scratch my head ngl.

[dreaminghour]

bottom line qui-gon would’ve fucked anakin had he not been killed in tpm

I mean that's the conclusion I came to when I wrote Lavender Haze (links to smut) for Anakin Rarepair Week this year... I fully blame that event for giving me brain rot for those two.

I believe you might be the anon who has sent me all caps love so I thought I'd offer you a teaser of the AOTC fix-it I'm working on. It's a sequel to Lavender Haze and follows the fallout of Qui-Gon and Anakin not being able to untangle themselves from each other after hooking up on Naboo.

Basically, like your ask says: if Qui-Gon had survived, I'd like to imagine he and Anakin fucked. XD Here's the consequences of that.

If you aren't the same quiani-loving-anon (omg there's more than one of you??), I hope you'll enjoy this snippet anyway.

~500 words (no smut) beneath the cut:

So it was early afternoon, too near lunch to have many people in the dusty sparring pavilion, where Anakin was drilling with the tireless droids he'd reprogrammed to mimic the army he'd seen on Geonosis. It was ruthless, and his heart felt like a fragile thing as he stood with shaking limbs waiting for the droid to reset. "Had enough?" Anakin's head whipped around, his thin braid hitting him in the shoulder — it would be gone soon enough, but for now it was a stinging reminder of his rank. "Master Qui-Gon," called Anakin in greeting, smiling. He straightened, rolled his wrists. "Come to see my Djem So in person?" "If you think you can keep up with an old man," Qui-Gon said lightly. Butterflies swooped through Anakin's stomach. He'd been trying to exhaust himself, trying to stop running roughshod over thoughts going what if what if what if, trying to stop thinking about whether he'd ever again have a moment alone with Qui-Gon. A scent of ozone wafted from the master's cloak where he hung it, he went barefoot like Anakin, putting away his lightsaber and picking up the training weapon. "Don't be afraid to call 'solah' when you need to," Anakin said, his heart still pounding despite his breath coming more evenly. How had it been weeks since he'd seen Qui-Gon? How had years and ancient memories been subsumed by two nights and an endless day? All he could think of was the fullness, the satisfaction of being held. Yet he couldn't shake the fear and pain as he'd lost his hand, as he'd watched disciple and master approach the lost Jedi Dooku… He hadn't seen Qui-Gon at Dooku's funeral, nor when he'd come out of surgery with a new arm. He tried not to let his disappointment show. "Show me how well you can use that new hand of yours," Qui-Gon said with a gleam that Anakin promised himself meant something more, meant that they weren't done yet. For now, there was this: the advancement across the mats, Djem So's brute force against the speed and refinement of Ataru, Anakin feeling the Force coming to Qui-Gon's aid, but letting it pass him by. Anakin was tired already, but he pushed back whenever Qui-Gon tried to corner him, his body shook as he felt the Force battering against him, and ultimately… he lost the bout. Knocking Anakin's saber from his mechno-hand, kicking his legs out from under him, Qui-Gon straddled Anakin's stomach, a hand grasping his ribs, the other holding the training weapon to his throat. "Now who says solah?" Qui-Gon was grinning with an open mouth, panting, hair still tightly bound but looking wild nonetheless. Anakin propped himself up so he could whisper, "I yield to you."

End scene :)

[whysamwhy123]

for the ask game, 14, 18 and 27!

14) If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

Ooh, this is an interesting one! I'd be cheating if I said the first thing that came to mind (because it's an AU I haven't actually written, just thought about a lot, and I think it would probably work better as a comic or movie or something) so instead I'll say Voice in the Dark. I don't think you could call those fics particularly 'cinematic', but I think it'd be fun to see them in live action, preferably by a director who knows how to make dialogue-heavy scenes visually appealing.

18) What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

Tough one, I don't think I'm particularly good at killer lines. For some reason, I'm tempted to say this incredibly mundane line from Voice in the Dark Part Two, just because when I wrote it, I decided it was the most relatable thing I've ever written.

Hook opened up the fridge and glared at its lack of contents.

But looking back on that same fic, I'm also fond of the Wham Line when Evilhausen has a little slip of the tongue and demands to know, ''Then why won't you let me fuck you?!'' I went back and forth a lot on whether to take that line out or not, but ultimately, I'm glad I left it in. I swear it's more impactful in context!

27) Is there a fic you were nervous to post/share? Why?

Honestly, all of them. I am but an insecure being full of intense shame and self-loathing. And writing's such a personal thing, it's true what they say about how you're basically putting a piece of your soul out there for people's perusal. I always gets nervous before posting anything, like ''Well, here's hoping I don't embarrass myself too much!'' I'd say I was probably the most embarrassed about posting Business/Pleasure (my incredibly trashy, self-indulgent uber-rarepair Ricky/Christian sugar baby AU) because I knew it was such Trash and for a pairing that only one other person had written before (and I shamelessly ripped that person off in the process, whoops! 😬) And the worst part is...I'm seriously thinking about trying to continue that fic and make it a big multi-chapter monstrosity. Oh, the lack of humanity...

[utsubotm]

particular positive relationships that stick out for me: floyd edition

ace

floyd's birthday jacket vignette is pretty illuminating on his relationship with ace, and honestly,, i love it. he really says things how he sees them, and expresses his opinions openly and honestly. floyd and ace hang out from time to time, especially after or even during basketball practice. they talk about clothes and shoes, and probably a few other fairly silly things. but floyd comments on how ace is fun and all, but he never follows through on things. i really like the fact he said he'd pick ace as a sibling because this precise mentality kinda fits that dynamic.

jamil

complicated. he likes jamil plenty, but post book 3 i think his trust in jamil probably diminishes some. as even the twins express a kind of disappointment in the way things went down. granted, they can't really understand the situation. but from their point of view, kalim has been nothing but nice ( and annoying to floyd ), which makes the betrayal feel very sudden and harsh. i still think him and floyd are friends of course, they do work well when it comes to sports. and i think, due to jamil being so used to kalim's general energy, he's able to adapt to floyd's very well.

kalim

floyd thinks kalim's bubbly and overly kind personality is annoying. but that doesn't mean floyd doesn't like him. he's a lot of fun, and he actually enjoy spending time with him... just in limited bursts. plus, the two of them cooking together or just, enjoying food and or dancing or discussing clothes? great stuff. love it.

epel

god. im sorry. beanfest??? amazing. the conversation he had with epel about just, doing what he feels like was actually kind of wholesome. and if there was anyone i feel definitively has a big brother/little brother dynamic with when it comes to floyd- it'd be epel. i feel like floyd's no bullshit attitude would be something epel admires and likes to be around tbh. though the nickname he gives epel is a bit demeaning, it isn't given with the same sort of intent that he gives riddle his.

trey

okay. listen. hear me out. floyd & trey is a rarepair of mine as it is, but without that i really can't think of a lot of negative that comes between the two. it's a bit mean to say but, trey helping to handle the hearts students. and being vice to riddle, would help him a lot when it comes to just... being able to keep up with floyd. surprising honestly, since trey is just???? so unassuming?? i cannot come up with any other good reason for this. it's just a rarepair i like okay,,,,

lilia

the stitch event sold me on this one honestly. lilia and floyd were great, they got along they worked well together. lilia is kind of the dad of NRC, and pretty much everyone gets along with him one way or another.

there's a couple more, like cater, and silver, and ortho. but these ones really just stuck out to me the most. floyd's definitely difficult, and he can legitimately be a bully at times. but he's also got a couple friends here and there, and shows a lot of potential to maintain a few of these after he's finished at NRC.

[thecringeler]

FAV WARRIOR CATS CHALLENGE

All these are mostly just headcanons, but I don't care. Here are why who

(DISCLIAMER ABOUT CROWFEATHER DESIGN- I am native myself! I gave them those feathers cause I love Crow and personally hc them as being Plains Cree (AKA MY own culture ), so its more of a nod to my own hcs. I know how important feathers are to Native people, and I wouldn't gave a feather to any character without reason. Hell, I have a eagle feather myself from my kohkom. So it is NOT for aesthetic purposes)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

MOTHER + KIT- Leopardfoot & Tigerkit(claw)- I am a huge fan of Leopard, and I personally believe she is the originally Sparkpelt. She doesn't get enough love I swear to Christ-

Her and Tigerclaw's story feels like such wasted potential to me, it was just- super fast and she wasn't even MENTIONED in Tigerclaw's novella??? So in my own little head; she was a good mother to Tigerkit and did the best she could with what she got, and Tigerclaw loves her no matter what. I will make an entire post about her and how much I love her.

Their relationship is also realistic!! Leopard loves her idiot son but has fights with him a lot, which makes sense for a young single mom with a stubborn son

SIBLINGS- Cloudpaw, Fernpaw, and Ashpaw- FOSTER SIBLING LOVE YEAAAAAAAAAAH!!! The Erins had completely ignored the Cloudkit was fostered by Brindleface and saw Ash and Fern as siblings. I love seeing them as siblings; hanging out as apprentices and even having a kitten hunting party that shit cute as HELL

MLM SHIP- Black x Sol- the homos. That's all.

FATHER + KIT(S)- Fernsong, Bristlekit, Flipkit, and Thriftkit- I literally refuse to believe that Fernsong wasn't a den dad. Even if in canon he doesn't at all. No, he was a stay at home dad and made little heart sandwiches for his wife while she went hunting.

FRIENDSHIP- Sunbeam + Nightheart- I love these two friendship! Just some gal pals venting about their lives which is nice! I wouldn't even mind a romance, if they continue like this

(Also, yes, I am using she/her pronouns for Nightheart, transfem Nightheart for the win)

MLW SHIP- Crow x Squirrel- I have grown to LOVE this couple- the peppy redhead with the emo boy is a brilliant ship. They deserve the world.

GRANDPARENT + KIT(S)- Nutmeg + Princess's kits- This one is the most headcanony of em all. I didn't want to pick Sand/Alder (since they are super common in this) so i made up a headcanon on the spot that Nutmeg goes to meet her daughter's kittens once everyday and loves them to bits and pieces

MENTOR + APPRETINCE- Longtail + Swiftpaw- the most canon of these! I love the father role Long has with Swift, and always stand up for his son. Love them

WLW SHIP- Maple x Sparrow- OKAY THIS IS A SEROIUS RAREPAIR- I had a dumbass idea where Maple and Sparrow became Dark Forest BFFs then slowly fall in love and now are the queens of the Dark Forest

[jaskierswolf]

13 with Regis/geralt, Regis was just kicked out and he won't cry he's not supposed to cry vampires don't cry so he can't cry help he's crying

My last @thewitcherbog rarepair! 7/7. I have some Geraskier planned for next week so thank you for your patience, and I hope you've enjoyed the something different this week!

Pairing: Regis and Geralt (cameo by Dandelion cos it's me) Rating: T CW: Discussions of addiction

_ No one was perfect, that was something that Regis understood perfectly well. In fact, he was rather under the impression that the longer one lived, the more flawed one became. It was easy to pick up bad habits and harder to shake them, no matter how desperately he tried to be a better person. His addiction to blood had been bad, and he had no doubt that it was probably the darkest part of his life, but since then everything was an uphill struggle and most days he felt like he was slipping back down the slope.

But he never caved.

At least not to blood.

Addiction was a strange thing though, it never quite left you once it had poisoned your mind. Blood was just exchanged for other less harmful things, but moderation was not something that Regis was very good at. It was all or nothing. That went for his relationships as much as the more material items in life, leading to a whirlwind of romances that always left him broken-hearted- shattered. The hollow, empty ache in his chest left him feeling desolate and for days at a time he would struggle to hold his human form, fighting the beast within him that raged and hissed and spat, begging for revenge… for blood.

This time was no different.

He had been a pretty young thing with a sense for adventure and no sense for self-preservation. Most importantly, he had allowed Regis to completely dote on him, providing extravagant gifts to soothe any fear his lover may feel in his presence. It had been wonderful, utterly delightful, a whole week of blissful embraces and love sick hearts.

Until a young lady had turned the lad’s head and Regis was left alone once more, his heart mangled on the ground beneath his feet. So he shifted into his bat form and fled, the wind carrying him across the Continent, colder, higher, snow almost unbearable on his wings.

He flew without thinking, not really knowing his destination until the crumbling keep of Kaer Morhen came into view, tugged away in the heart of the mountains and hidden away from the monsters disguised as men. Circling the castle twice, he peered into the windows until he located his dear friend, lounging with Dandelion on the bed as the poet attempted to tune his lute.

“Bloody thing!” Dandelion hissed under his breath, not noticing the bat now perched on the windowsill. “The cold is messing with the strings. How on Melitele’s Continent am I supposed to compose great epics if the damned thing won’t stay in tune!”

“It’s warmer in the hot springs,” Geralt replied, not looking up from his book.

“Oh but then the humidity! Really, witcher, have you learnt nothing from our years of adventure.”

Regis watched his two friends fondly, the familiarity of their banter warming his heart, but regretfully he knew he wouldn’t be able to handle the poet’s pontificating so with a surge of magic, Dandelion fell back against the bed, his lute cradled to his chest. The Witcher’s eyes flashed in the dark and his nostrils flared.

“Herbs… Regis?” Geralt glanced around warily, and Regis could see the way his fingers itched for the swords that weren’t quite there.

With a heavy sigh, Regis landed on two feet in front of the witcher, not wanting to worry his friend any longer than necessary. “He’ll be okay, I promise. He’s just sleeping.”

“What’s wrong, Regis?” the witcher asked, clapping a hand on his shoulder and squeezing gently.

Geralt’s eyes were so earnest in their emotion, wide and filled with a heart wrenching concern that Regis felt something break inside of him. Tears welled up in his eyes and a lump caught in his throat, but he wouldn’t cry. He couldn’t cry. Vampires didn’t cry, and certainly not higher vampires. So he flung his arms around Geralt’s neck, biting his lip to muffle the sob that threatened to escape. Tentatively, Geralt hugged him back and Regis melted into his embrace. The witcher was his oldest friend, and their friendship was a love far deeper than any romance.

He was safe with Geralt; the irony of which didn’t escape him.

“Thank you, Geralt,” he mumbled into his friend’s hair.

“Anytime, Regis, anytime.”

_

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