#dirty multi shipper over here

[peculiardiction]

Everyone’s asleep, post timkon kisses

[genderlesssinner]

Ooookay so I'm getting more traffic that I expected but I should have known better from Critters, huh. So imma make me an intro post here.

Hi! My name's Kai. My pronouns are they/them. I'm hella queer. I have a dirty mind, I'm fluent in Sailor and Sarcasm, and I like making things and learning.

I do make stuff. I write and make art and occasionally post them, that can be found on my main : kaitheenbydoesthings and on ao3 (though I've not posted anything CR). Main is multi fandom and just general fuckery.

Some things to know about this blog!

Likely will be most active Thursdays and Mondays. I probably won't always rewatch on Monday, but often do.

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. I do my best making sure it's always tagged with #critical role spoilers. I try to tag spoilers for the whole time between episodes, but at the very least between Thursday and Monday. I also usually use episode tags - like #cr c3e105.

There will also likely be NSFW but I make sure to tag it as such

I welcome mass likes / reblogs!

I also welcome discussion and questions. We can have a conversation about things, even if we disagree. If you're just trying to start shit, or being an ass you're in the wrong place. There's a block button for that.

❤️Ship and Let Ship❤️

I am a big shipper. But there will be no wars or hate here. Most of my ships are tagged with the ship name is there is one, or 'name1 x name2' if there isn't one or I don't know it. CR ships are mostly the canon ones but that doesn't mean I'm against non canon ships.

Ships that I go absolutely feral for (by campaign):

Vaxleth (Vax'ildan x Keyleth)

Vaxmore (Vax'ildan x Gilmore)

Perc'ahlia (Vex'ahlia x Percy)

Kimallura (Allura x Kima)

Beauyasha (Beauregard x Yasha)

Shadowghast (Caleb x Essek)

Callomoore (Fearne x Ashton)

Dorym (Dorian x Orym)

Various poly combos including Dorian, Orym, Fearne and Ash

I do like Fjord x Jester and Imogen x Laudna I'm just not *feral* over them, ya know?

You will likely notice that I tend towards certain cast member's characters and.. Yeah, I know okay. Liam and Taliesin make characters that worm into my heart and brain and make themselves at home. I love the whole cast, but these two just.. Hit home a lot.

I also ramble and over explain and I'm sorry

[schmoozin-spider]

♡ I'm a loser, honey

A schmoozer and a dummy

But at least I know I'm not alone

You're a loser

Just like me ♡

🔞 only Angel Dust casual rp blog run by Hebby. mun is in 30s and doesn't care for fandom ship wars drama. if u think it's okay to harass others over fiction, then i think ur a huge loser.

this Angel Dust is post season 1, but borrows from the fanon established on @rheddradio. at this point this Angel knows, like, 3 Alastors. we keep it fast and loose here. LIKE MY B-

this is a hazbin hotel blog, therefore warnings pertaining to that series apply here, ie: drug abuse, alcohol abuse, physical and emotional abuse, discussions of rape/sexual harassment/assault, swearing, sex, murder, violence, etc. not for the faint of heart! a LOT of #tasteless-humour here too since. yknow it's hell.

if you're hoping to get your rocks off on this blog, i won't be writing smut para rp on here, im just too uninterested these days. however, Angel is a huge dirty flirt, so his blog is still going to be extremely nasty.

this blog isn't meant to be JUST hazbin, it's multi fandom friendly. if I'm interacting with a blog you don't like, be the adult i know you are, and block 'em.

!txt = in character blogging

!f2f = face to face, aka, my character is physically there interacting rather than just bogging.

ooc = from me, the mun

if u have something like "proshippers dni" in your bio but think it stands for "problematic shippers" u have been lied to (it just means ship and let ship). better to instead list what you won't write rather than using buzzwords, I promise it's a lot less stupid.

i also run @snapzback, @sir-moss, @toughlv, @reporiiiiick, @eat-my-rick, etc if you've seen them around

[thundertempo]

Question for the owner of this blog: I noticed you seem to ship Nami and Law, and I’m NOT judging you for that, but I am curious about the reason why and what makes you think they would fall for each other so hard. They don’t seem to be even remotely interested in each other that way, from what I’ve seen. At least not in canon. But you do you, I guess 🤷🏻‍♂️ lol

First off, One piece isn't meant to be openly shippy, with the acceptation of a few characters that are obsessed with others (see: Boa Hancock to Luffy) and the active canon couples (see: Bege and Chiffon) they aren't seen actively talking a lot, but there's a number of things that suggest they have a deep understanding of one another.

The short answer: This is an RP blog and the other players I'm shipping it also want to play it or it wouldn't be on this blog. The "I'm not judging" but then the "you do you" at the end really does actually sound judgey so maybe check your tone if you're not intending to come off that way.

I will not be judged on roleplay of all things where it allows characters to interact in ways that might never happen canonically. It takes two to tango, and if you haven't noticed I'm not shipping LawNa by myself over here.

At the end of the day I am a multi-shipper and outside of a select few characters I'm p open to ship Nami with about anyone (canon, au, cross-canon, OC's, etc).

The longer answer: I've reblogged several things in ships and my Nami/Law tag that highlight better than I could without taking 20 hours to gather screenshots and write a whole dissertation why I ship it. If you're interested in more, check out the following

Star sign compatibility

The Sails of LawNa have Unfurled

LawNa spot the Similarity

Why Ikkaku Ships LawNa Ted Talk *If you read nothing else, read this. The lovely @ikkaku-of-heart hit every nail on the head here why they would work together.

If you're into fanfiction, I've also explained in depth why I ship it and the chemistry I would think they could potentially have together in my own fanfiction. Hop on over to my main blog and slip into my AO3 if you want my own dirty hot take version of why I love them.

That said, if anyone wants to ask about my ships in a nicer way I would gladly gush at length over any number of them. I have a large number of ships not even including Nami that I will also gush over (ask me about Frobin, I dare you).

[zhoudadudugongjin]

So I read the whole blasted thing (800k words?) over the last 3 weeks and I agree that while some parts were like pulling teeth (the lengthy battle descriptions, the constant changing of allegiances, and dumping of 20 new characters every chapter), there was a lot in there that made me laugh out loud, and even tugged on my heartstrings.

I recently discovered the Zhuge Liang timeloop theory on here which honestly made his character so much more fun (assuming you view it from a fictional lens rather than a historical one).

Also I am a dirty multi-shipper, with tendencies towards babygirl-ifying grumpy middle-aged men. So what can I say - there is enough content in this book to feed me for months 🤣 And I've started watching the 2010 TV adaptation and loving it to bits.

Read Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong (probably?) in the translation by Moss Roberts. It's very very very long. Sometimes, it's entertaining. I wish it had spent more time being entertaining.

The basic problem of the book is that the sections of it that are historical fiction are mostly bad. There is only one character who is particularly fun as part of the historical fiction sections, and it is Cao Cao, with his classic catchphrase "My thoughts exactly" (other characters say it too sometimes, but Cao Cao responds to every situation by asking someone what they think and then going "My thoughts exactly", though Roberts never translates it quite with that wording and I'm not sure why). What can I say, I love an evil schemer. I love a good schemer too, but Zhuge Liang is more often than not boring in the historical sections.

Where Zhuge Liang is really fun, and undeniably the best character in the book, is in his Mysterious Taoist Priest Troll guise. Nearly every character who gets to have a fictional interlude is fun while it is taking place, and Zhuge Liang has more of them than anyone else, and they are generally longer. The best extended passage in the book, which is a Zhuge Liang special, is the expedition against the Southern Man people. Unfortunate that it's also the most racist, can't win them all.

The translation notes by Moss Roberts are essential, of course. I don't think the book would mean very much to me without them. Even in such basic elements as noting when a use of the word "nine" indicates there are nine of something, or whether it is used to mean "all". I probably would have noticed the suspicious frequency of the numbers 9 and 81 even without the notes, but they are very helpful. The notes are also essential in untangling the various commentaries and versions from the text.

Where the novel is strongest is when it engages in repetitions on a theme. The seven captures of Meng Huo, Guan Yu slaughtering his way to the border, even the three trips to see Zhuge Liang, all of it is very fun. Unfortunately the novel is also weakest when it engages in repetitions on a theme, trying to stuff historical contingency into a moralizing narrative.

I can't say I think Romance of the Three Kingdoms is particularly worth reading on balance, unless you are interested in it as a text to study in a literary manner. I can see why people like abridging it so much because it has some really strong sections. I'll be reading Journey to the West soon enough probably, and I'm cautiously optimistic about it, since it seems like it will have more of what I do like and less of what I do not.

[daredevilexchange]

Want to be featured here? Head to this page and fill in the form!

See what this is about here, or if you’re using the app here.

What’s your fannish ID? I go by TheSwordWizard on twitter and tumblr, and WizardKicks_ on instagram, as well as when I do conventions and tabling events. I picked the sword wizard based off a variation from the swamp wizard, a background character that shows up for like one page in an old and short never-completed webcomic. I've also always really liked old-timey wizards and I also think swords are sick. End of.

What types of fanworks do you create? I do fanart! I struggle with mediums that require long term commitment over being able to power through with the motivation of starting a new project, so while I've started some writing projects and do non-fan related zines and independent publishing projects (I dream about getting an MFA but I'm to addicted to that full-time paycheck). In my fanart I tend to focus on composition and intense mood, which is usually what I'm inspired from.

What are your favourite types of fanworks, when you’re not creating? I LOVE FANFIC. I love fanart of course but I LOVE reading people's interpretations of my favorite characters. I'm a dirty multi-shipper and while I'm addicted to the insanity of Fratt and Mattelektra (And Frattelektra - YOWZA lmao), I've read probably every Mattfoggy, Mattkaren, Mattclaire, Mattetc, Daredevil-themed-femslash fic on AO3. I want to see what grinds people's gears about different character interactions! How different people and different interactions, to being in just a different place at a different time completely changes contexts and brings out something totally different between characters! It's a nice juxtaposition to why I'm addicted to making fanart - never being able to translate into stable form the sort of platonic, collective ideal of a character - so I want to tease out a specific, tiny vignette of a single aspect of a character… I majored in basically Thinking About Art Concepts so I could go on literally all day I just love transformative work so much… If you've written a couple Fratt fics you might already be recognizing my writing style from the comments I leave even with a different username… I GET REALLY EXCITED!!!!!!

What do you like in particular about this fandom? AUGH there are so many reasons! My first instinct is because Matt's mental illness is legendary. He's such a funny character you know instantly why everyone who knows him is obsessed with him but also wants to murder him, just a little bit. I'm a pretentious artist so I'm enamored with his perception of the world, and how unique and intense it is and how much TRUTH he has to hear so much and yet how subjective and susceptible to his own messed up headspace his reality is. I was obsessed with NBC's Hannibal (Fratt is MCU's Hannigram you can't tell me I'm wrong) for so long there are so many places where a lot of what I appreciated about that show can tie into Daredevil (both the show and some of the comic runs). I can never get into a lot of comics because the power creep gets nuts, but it's perfectly likely for Matt to basically deal with the same shit every week in new flavors, especially when you can count all the ways through the LAW things can get hairy. Which brings me to another factor, how there's a little bit of a higher bar in terms of research that's required (imo) with having to deal with the law and having plots grounded in reality. I just really love the DD comics where Things Have Consequences. Also I'm older so I want to read fics with more… mature characters. Undergrad fic? Hell yeah let's go! LAW SCHOOL FIC?????? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pretty much all Mattfoggy starts in undergrad at the soonest so I always win. And then Fratt is like tom and jerry to me I love them. Hit each other with hammers. Make those rituals even more intricate. Can you find love even as two crabs in a bucket? Also Elektra is a Vr1ska to me so I'm obsessed with her, she slays. Sorry I think it's funny when Matt dates people who kind of want to make him worse.

Do you like participating in fan events? Right now I've mostly been doing conventions! I haven't done too many big ones yet (I'm nervous about COVID) but I've been ramping up from local ones. I've also got a lot of side projects from these so I haven't done as many exchanges as I would have liked recently - I used to do them a bit more. I made myself a promise that I was going to at least do the next Fratt bang 👀

What about your creating process? I tend to have two different methods of making fanart - one that starts with me wanting to make something, but I'm not sure yet, so it takes a bit of back and forth and trying to nail something down that I'm happy with. The other one is when I'm struck by a very specific mental picture and that inspiration keeps bugging me until I'm able to carve it out how I want it to look. These tend to be my cooler/better concept pieces imo. I'm pretty much always listening to music, and sometimes if something I'm working on is directly inspired by a song or specific vibe I'll loop a single song until I'm done LOL. I have so many little worlds in my head and different versions of characters that I often get too overwhelmed to put down on paper so I tend to stick to my vignettes.

Do you interact a lot with other fans? Noooo I want to though :(. I'm shy on tumblr - I've been here for so long but never talk to people here, it always feels awkward! I also use twitter a lot (shame shame shame) and I find that form way more natural for starting casual conversation so I talk to people a lot there. IF ANYONE HAS ANY GOOD DAREDEVIL DISCORD GROUPS PLEASE LET ME JOIN. DOUBLY SO IF IT HAS MORE ADULTS (no hate to teenagers I love y'all but the last younger discord I was in betrayed me for stranger things).

Is there any particular piece you'd like to showcase for this post?

This is one of my more recent pieces… I worked up the focus to do some painting styled stuff again (I used to do traditional watercolor/oil painting before it became too cumbersome… digital art I love you) and in a similar style as to a Blade piece I did and was really happy with. I think it turned out well and was proud I got through it :). I do really like the minimalist color palette/compositional pieces I do, it gives me a lot more mental space to experiment and try new things, but I do try to keep up my portraiture!

Do you have other fandoms you'd like to talk about? I talked about Hannibal before (I actually recently started making more fun DD pieces because I remembered that I could make Marvel fanart in the same way I used to make Hannibal art and NO ONE COULD STOP ME!!!!!) but I also spent a long, long time in HS (the webcomic that I know a lot of people have muted so I shan't say), and I think I took a lot of that in my philosophy toward experiencing different versions of characters and taking liberty with character designs, making really thematic work, etc. I promise I was a really good fan. It honestly prepared me a lot for reading comics!

Is there anything else you want to tell us about yourself? As you can tell, if given an opportunity, I love talking about Concepts (I was in a worldbuilding server for a comic fan AU once and it was so fun). And Matt :D. I want to lock my powerful jaws around his calf and death roll him like a crocodile. And like crowdfund him therapy or something.

Where can your fanworks be found? https://theswordwizard.tumblr.com/tagged/my%20art https://twitter.com/theswordwizard (I have some art moments and you can always search my mentions of "matt" and "daredevil" but Read My Posts Boy)

Thank you, @theswordwizard !

banner by @context-is-for-kingpins !

[veilder]

G, M, P, Q and T? uwu

In answer to this post. Lol, thanks Berry. XD G - Do you remember your first OTP, if so who was in it - God, I don’t even know? Honestly, the concept of an “OTP” has never really been something I’d adhered to til recently. I was always a pretty big multishipper back in the day. I... don’t know how to answer this one, lol. Like, I guess it’s Convin but that’s only from two years ago. XD M - Say something genuinely nice about a ship that you don’t ship (or its shippers, or anything related to you) - Honestly, RK1K fans just seem very nice? I’ve never been able to get into the ship (even though it was the first one I checked out when getting into the fandom, omg. I thought it was gonna be a bigger thing than it is.) but the fans of it seem very genuine, they make some great content and they don’t really seem to cause any drama. So freaking kudos to y’all for adding to the fandom experience. Variety is good when it’s not enmired in bad takes and shipping wars, lol.  P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas) - Oh lord. I have so many AU ideas for DBH? Uh... Let’s see, how about an oldy but a goody? That is, the heist fic that was one of my first ideas for a multi-chapter fic? Here’s my proposed summary, lol: 

Former police Lieutenant, Hank Anderson, has been in prison for a false-conviction for two years. When the time comes for his release, he finds his life in shambles: his wife, gone; his son, crippled; his accounts, sucked dry by medical debt. Having no other recourse, Hank finds himself turning to the criminals he used to put away in order to make ends meet. But when he is approached by a young man in a sharp suit looking to secure the biggest heist of the century, Hank might just find himself in over his head... Human!AU

Never managed to do much with this, but I still love the idea. And I had so much detail added to the world-building of it all including a full set of cast characters, some very strange rarepairs and a lot of research, lol.  Q - A ship you’ve abandoned and why - Hm, this is difficult... Because there have never been too many ships I’ve been invested enough in to classify as “abandoning” them imo? Maybe the closest I can get to this is me sliding over from Stucky to WinterFalcon in the MCU fandom? But like... I still like Stucky, too, lol. I just think canon did Steve dirty. XD Other than that, idk! T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending, about anything at all (gender identity, sexual or romantic orientation, extended family, sexual preferences like top/bottom/switch, relationship with poetry, seriously anything) - Oh lord. Just... so many. I have a lot of headcanon about androids and asexuality that I really don’t budge on. I have a whole thing about Nines and him being an unfinished prototype and how that could limit him. Reed-Kamski Bros is a pretty hard and fast one for me, too. ...I think those are the main ones, lol. I, of course, have so many other headcanons for the characters, too, but I tend to be more malleable with those, lol. Even the Nines ones I can budge on. But yeah, at least in my own writing, I always go with asexual androids and Gavin and Eli being related. Thanks for all the questions! These were fun!

[empressl6]

Digimon random shit stuff again!:(all aged up)

Ken: my beloved! Can you come here?

Davis: what's up-....need help?

Ken: trying to tighten a corset yes please

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Ok another universe with different ships because I am a multi shipper also danganronpa family au. Some dirty shit)

Tk: Ken come here

Ken: Yes my beloved- you didn't

Tk: covers in blood(Junko's cousin and is helping ken) I am-

Ken: no, I can see it but I can also see a dead body so no.

Tk: babe!

Ken: leaving whining won't help

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Davis: Yolei, buttercup?

Yolei: yes?

Davis: do you go on cases with your cousin?

Yolei: I don't go on them, but I do help when she needs my help. She also pays back by giving the store consumers that day.

Davis: and how does she do that?

Yolei: She convinced her coworkers to go to buy something that day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kari: I hate this

Catherine: what's wrong-

Mina: what's that on your head kari?

Kari: my ahoge, but that bad thing is that people I don't know wants to touch it when mine is out. I don't like that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tk: I don't kill

Kari: No That's Wrong! Shoots truth gun

Gatomon:What the fuck kari!

Tsukaimon/dark patamon: MASTER!!

Tk: ducks Fucking slut!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Davis: why are you helping him!!

Ken: he's my boyfriend, my uncle failed at taking over earth so I'm doing this for him, and finally, no will try to take over the digital world and possibly do some thing bad to if you do take over it first.

Davis:....... ok, that was sweet and kinda smart to be honest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tk: blueberry dice~

Ken:why do you always call me that?

Tk: you kokichi's cousin and your hair is basically blue.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[heartthrummed-a]

———  BASICS! ♡

NAME! ♡ -  cry / cryptic / crypt

PRONOUNS! ♡ - he / they

ZODIAC SIGN! ♡ -   taurus

TAKEN OR SINGLE! ♡ -  single pringle

———  THREE  FACTS! ♡

1! ♡  -  i’m a forensic psychology major! or, well, working on getting that degree, anyway. but it’s very fun! before that, i was an early childhood education major in high school with plans to get a degree to teach special education kids (bc i absolutely adored working with those kids for my internship), but ended up switching tracks. ece and psychology are both such passions of mine, though.

2! ♡ -    my two biggest hobbies are archery and dance. i keep archery more as a hobby than anything competitive so far, but mostly due to a lack of... anything competitive for archery in my area. i’ve done competitive dance, though, and i’ve mostly done a mix of ballet and jazz. also did marching band color guard for two years and honestly that was the highlight of my 8th and 9th grade years. even if i ended up quitting bc the coaches were complete assholes that took the joy out of it.

3! ♡ -  i’m the first person on my dad’s side of the family to be born out of okinawa. or out of japan as a whole, at the very least. but i sure would like to move there, and at least visiting is part of my bucket list for life.

———  EXPERIENCE! ♡

PLATFORMS USED! ♡ -  i started on facebook when i was like 10/11 because i had no regard for the rules whatsoever. stayed there for a while, but i’ve messed around on tumblr here and there since 2012/13. started really roleplaying on tumblr in like 2014 after my ex made us move here just to avoid our other friends, and though the bitch nearly soured the idea of tumblr, i stuck around and now i’m here. even if i stick to discord, mostly. once in a blue moon i’ll still fuck around on facebook too.

———  MUSE  PREFERENCE! ♡

FEMALE, MALE OR NONBINARY! ♡ -  i don’t??? particularly mind any?? although i do tend to project a lot, and i mean. enstars is a mostly male character franchise, so. male and nonbinary are my most prevalent here. but before i moved to this idol-centric blog i did have more female muses than anything.

MULTI OR SINGLE! ♡ -     in terms of muses? multi. i cannot pick on single muse to write, i’ve almost always been a multimuse blog. the exceptions have only ever been muses i was super into and dedicated to, i.e. j/irou from b/nha, g/in from b/sd, and currently kanata (though their blog is a little dusty bc then my alkakurei brainrot really took over). now in terms of shipping? i am always a multi shipper. my heart can never choose just one.

FLUFF / ANGST / SMUT! ♡ -     i used to be purely fluff then idk what happened but i’ve turned into an angst gremlin so like. always hit me with that. actually always hit me with fluff too bc i never stopped loving that, i just started brainrotting angst more often. smut is?? i’m okay with it and [gestures to some of these ic chats on discord] some of the muses really get into it but tbh? it’s not at all necessary and usually stays between close friends/people i trust.

PLOT / MEMES! ♡ -     memes! i mean plotting is always an option too but i run on half a brain cell, if even that, and on top of anxiety and a lack of creativity i just? feel like i’m no good at plotting at all. but you know, i’m always willing to give it a try. but memes are always my go-to for interactions.

tagged by: i stole it from @chisupa​ bc i’m a dirty little thief

tagging? now you become the dirty little thief and steal it from me

[angrycowboy]

A couple weeks ago, I decided that for my birthday, I was going to attempt to put together some of my favorite things this fandom has created. I say *some* because this is an incomplete list. There are so many wonderful and talented creators in this fandom that this list would go on forever otherwise. If I have I ever reblogged something of yours, flailed in the tags, reached out to via DM or sent you a message, talked on discord or even Twitter, know that I love and adore not only the things you’ve created, but you yourself as part of this fandom.

And now, without further ado…

FIC

memento by @nielrian

I was obsessed with the idea of coming up with the backstory to the photo we see Michael look at in 1x02. When was it taken? Does Alex have a copy? Did Alex bring his with him to the other side of the world? How often do you think Michael looked at his own copy? And Nicki took a little prompt of mine, and wrote an achingly gorgeous piece about one photograph, and it’s significance to Malex in less than 700 words.

a little something to make me sweeter by @partsofthesamecosmicbeing

Camluca + D.E.B.S. is like a recipe for the perfect fic. I freaking love the movie, and when I saw this fic pop up on tumblr one day? I couldn’t even contain my excitement (seriously, the tags on my reblog were just me flailing wildly because it felt like Ly had reached into my brain and written something I wanted to read before I even knew it myself). Casting Alex as Scud and including Malex in the mix just made me love this fic even more.

And the Sun Rose Red by @michaels-blackhat

A Miluca Kissing Kate Barlow AU? SIGN. ME. UP. I adore Christi, and I adore her writing. One day she was like, “miluca kissing kate barlow au?” and the only appropriate answer to that is HECK YES. Michael/Maria is also a dynamic that just works for this AU, given their canon relationship, and Michael’s penchant for fixing things and Maria’s desire to have someone just be there for her. *runs off to re-read fic*

something broken in this town by @irolltwenties

Okay so, Meagn is one of my favorite people in this fandom. We kinda ramble at each other, and one day this happened where she started talking about the parents. About the relationship Jesse, Jim, and Mimi had as kids, as teenagers, as young adults. How they got sucked into aliens and government conspiracies. How they became the people we see and hear about in S1. If you’ve ever had the privilege of talking with Meagn, you know how amazing her mind is, how she takes these characters and the mere scraps we’ve been given in canon with some of them, and creates entire lives for them, and it’s beautiful.

open up my eager eyes by @haloud

It took me a while to get into Mylex, but apparently it was just because I hadn’t read Hal’s series yet. I’m usually terrible about multi-shipping, but once I find a writer that nails the characters down, I could probably read anything they write. And Hal writes all three of them perfectly. (I mean, Hal is just a phenomenal writer in general, but I digress.)

META

Michael’s bisexuality by @chasingshhadows

There’s been a lot said in the fandom about Michael’s bisexuality and how it’s been portrayed. While the show was airing, I was having trouble finding people who felt the same way I did about how it was being shown - that it wasn’t problematic, but that it was good and accurate. Not to mention that it made me feel seen. I tried writing out what I was feeling but nothing sounded right - until Chasing wrote this piece. It was everything I’d been trying to find the words to express, and it remains one of my absolutely favorite pieces of her writing.

Semiotics of Roswell by @hannah-writes

Hannah did this amazing thing where she took the camera work of RNM and analyzed the shit out of it. And in some moments of doubt, where I was still worried about Malex because of the direction the show had been taking, Hannah’s semiotics (or better known as “Why Malex is Endgame”) pointed out how the camerawork for Malex and Echo is very similar, not to mention deliberate as fuck.

Maria Can’t Catch a Break by @ober-affen-geil

I adore Maria Deluca. She has gotten such a bad rap in the fandom because of the “love triangle” business. But fandom in general has done her dirty in that without removing the shipper goggles it is very hard to see that the show has established Maria as a character in her own right, just as much as it has with Kyle and Alex. And that’s why I love Riley’s meta about everything that Maria is dealing with, what she’s going through, and what it’s been like for her to be the one left behind 10 years ago.

GIFSETS/EDITS

i would know him in death, at the end of the world by @vlamito

I don’t even remember now who told me I had to read The Song of Achilles - it was pre-RNM hyperfixation, but I absolutely loved it (I definitely cried while reading it). And then I saw this gifset, oh mah gawd. Mich just has this ability to find quotes from other media and fit them seemlessly into Malex. And the moments she chooses for her gifsets are utter perfection. I think everyone has probably seen this now, but it’s a gifset I just keep going back to over and over again.

Are you okay? by @maxortecho

So I adore Echo. There is something about their softness, the way they look at each other, the way they act around each other that is just beautiful. Mo made this set, and pointed out in the tags that Liz pushes her arms underneath Max like she’s going to hug him, and it broke me. Like, I thought that scene in the finale was heartbreaking enough, but pointing that out? It hurts and I loved it.

Leading Ladies Appreciation by @lsobelevans

Lucie does some amazing things with color that truly make her edits stand out, and stick out in your mind. And it’s one of the things I love about her gif sets especially - it makes them uniquely hers, her own signature if you will. And this edit is no different - the splashes of color, the texture used for the background, the highlighting of the leading ladies is stunning work. 

Same page/Different book by @bisexualalienblast

Let’s just say that picking ONE gifset of Amanda’s is an impossibility for me, okay? Amanda’s sets are the reason I wanted to learn how to gif - her gifs are beautifully colored, they’re crisp, she always picks the best fonts, they’re smooth, and her ideas are stellar. Anyway, she more recently made this set, which just so perfectly illustrates Malex’s issue IN TWO GIFS. That’s it. Their entire problem in S1, right there. Beautiful.

VIDEO

Juice | Women of Roswell by @isakvaltersnake

Katie is a wizard with the video editing. She’s going to be a force when we’ve got more than one season of footage to play around with. And this video is fun and hot and LOOK AT THE WOMEN. They are smart, they are kind, they are flirty, they have agency, and they’re all hella sexy.

Weird Science | Liz & Michael - Science Bros by @soberqueerinthewild

Hands down, this is one of my favorite videos from the fandom, and definitely one of my favorite things Christina has made (though I basically love everything she does). It’s silly and ridiculous and 100% fun. She found every bit of footage in S1 and matched it to the song perfectly. It’s impossible to watch this video and not smile and laugh - it will instantly brighten your day.

MISC

RNM Texts From Last Night by @audreyblanche

I am slightly biased here, because while Irena came up with the idea, I encouraged her to actually go through with it, promising her that the fandom would enjoy it. So because of that it’s next to impossible for me to pick a favorite out of all the ones she’s done for this series (though the one where we settled on the Camluca ship name, as well as one I specifically requested for Malex come close), and I’m hoping that with the new season (and when she returns from hiatus), she can pick this up again.

[echodrops]

Why You Should Be Shipping Shigaraki/Ochako

No, no, hang on a second--I see that side-eye you are throwing hard enough to ruin your peripheral vision. I feel the shade you’re casting like a thundercloud rolling in. But you didn’t read wrong. I meant what I said.

I’ve never made a secret of my love for rare pairs, but for once in my damn lonely shipper’s hellscape of a life I would love it if my favorite crack ship in a fandom had more than two fics (I’m NOT JOKING) to its name.

What can I do to correct this egregious oversight before the entire summer passes with nary a whisper of the most romantic ship since Juliet wherefore art thou’d Romeo?

Well, what else? I was forged in the fires of early 2000s’ fandom, and I know that desperate times call for desperate measures meticulously researched and extremely rose-tinted

Shipping Manifestos.

Fam, I am about to blow your minds, align your chakras, open your third eyes--because Shigaraki and Ochako is the most slept on ship in the entire BNHA fandom, and if you give me ten minutes like an hour (holy shit, this is long), I can prove it.

Disclaimer: @mistystarshine is the enabler who convinced me to write this but we were both enabled by @ohmytheon’s Reconfigure (on AO3) so you know who’s really responsible.

Spoilers to Chapter 231, watch out.

First off, I know what you’re thinking. Maybe you’re still reading from pure shock. Maybe you’re doubt-reading to get your daily fix of internet skepticism. Maybe you’re waiting for me to say these two characters are meant to be because she wears pink and his hair is blue. Maybe you’re already freaking out about age gaps but like that is what future fics and AUs are actually for!!!

I’m not telling you to give up your IzuOcha or Kacchako. I’m not gonna pry ShigaDabi out of your eager little villain stan hands. But if you’ve never considered multi-shipping, now is the time my friends, because I’m totally serious heartfelt here! I’ve got VALID reasons for shipping Shigako--ten of them, in fact:

1) Midoriya is taken for granted as Uraraka’s love interest--but Shigaraki is incredibly similar to him.

There are reams of meta on the parallels between Midoriya and Shigaraki, with plenty people noting how Horikoshi specifically set the two up as foils to examine similar character development despite their drastically different circumstances. Yet for all the meta pointing out that Shigaraki and Midoriya are basically the same character through a mirror darkly, I’ve never seen anyone bear that thought out to its logical conclusion: there are traits Uraraka admires in Midoriya that are extremely apparent in Shigaraki too.

Multiple times in the manga, Uraraka expresses admiration for Deku’s resolve and refusal to give up. His determination in the face of impossible odds and his sense of dedication to his cause are powerful motivating factors in Ochako’s storyline, and Deku’s behavior--his willingness to charge straight into danger and his unflinching pursuit of his goal to be #1--have basically become the standard to which Uraraka holds herself.

Her crush is literally founded on an appreciation for Midoriya’s drive, earnestness, and constant growth as a person.

But these are all traits that Shigaraki also explicitly possesses. Shigaraki’s unwavering resolve is so strong that even though everyone around him says dream is unattainable... they follow him anyway.

Ujiko flat out tells Shigaraki he’s chasing a pipe dream, but he’s willing to come along for the ride strictly because of how committed Shigaraki is to making that dream a reality. The strength of Tomura’s conviction alone persuaded a collection of the most volatile and difficult personalities in the manga to band together and become found family the most well-known anti-establishment organization in all of Japan.

Shigaraki never, even in the face of overwhelming threat, backs down from a challenge, and he approaches each impossible task with absolutely as much effort, ferocity, and refusal to quit as Deku. He is just as dedicated, just as much of a shounen protagonist main character, and just as willing to push himself above and beyond as Deku.

The traits that motivated Uraraka to become the character she is today, many of the exact same traits that formed her crush on Midoriya, are all there in Shigaraki. In another world, the person who inspired Uraraka to go “Plus Ultra” could be Tomura himself, and if 1) no sense of self-preservation, 2) ZERO CHILL, and 3) dogged obsession are what Uraraka finds attractive, Shigaraki clearly has 'em covered. Oh no, he’s meeting all my standards.

2) Being serious though, Ochako’s role in the plot would be vastly improved by more meaningful interactions with the antagonists, even if just in battle.

I’ve written before about how badly the writing of BNHA treats Ochako, and why her constantly being out-of-focus is a hallmark of the genre’s crippling inability to handle dynamic female characters, but it bears repeating: in her current position in the story, Uraraka’s character has minimal agency. She exists to fill the role of Deku’s love interest (at worst) and an emotional crutch (at best). Again, absolutely no hate on the IzuOcha ship--it’s clearly canon endgame and “wholesome” I guess is what they’re calling it nowadays. But the way IzuOcha’s being written in canon is actually the worst possible thing that could happen to Uraraka’s individual character, because Ochako’s crush on Deku has been given virtually no bearing on the story’s main plot and allows Horikoshi to consistently reduce Uraraka’s personal accomplishments to “inspirations from Deku” (in order to, likely, fulfill young male readers’ fantasy of having a girl fixated on them).

Is Uraraka about to do something cool in the manga? Wait for her comment about being motivated by Deku.

Does Uraraka actually get to see some action and get involved in a fight? Wait for someone to bring up her feelings for Deku.

Is Deku about to have a dramatic clash with the story’s villains to advance the main plotline? Wait for Ochako to entirely vanish (at worst) or get sidelined into a three panel clip where she’ll use the same martial art move she’s been using since like chapter 10 (at best).

If I have to read “Gunhead Martial Arts” one more fucking time... Give Ochako her OWN supermoves goddammit!!

The story of the comic itself continually pushes Ochako out of any position of relevance. She’s not one of UA’s strongest fighters (despite having a quirk that, if applied like ANY of the male characters, has incredible potential), she’s not given half the emotional depth or attention even side characters like Kirishima get, and her backstory lacks the development many of the male characters’ get (I’m looking at you, Todoroki).

As a “good girl,” she isn’t allowed to get her hands dirty like Toga, she isn’t allowed to get as bloodied or ugly as any of the boys, and she can never be allowed to surpass the main male characters in coolness or plot relevance because girls can be “heroes” but they can’t be The Hero™. (I’m literally gagging, guys.)

Which is EXACTLY why a plot involving Shigaraki and Ochako--in ANY capacity, even just a flat out fight against each other!--would actually be a fan-fucking-tastic addition to BNHA.

Skip the token Toga vs. Ochako chick fight where they squabble over who loves Izuku more. Let Toga talk to Izuku as herself for once. Let Uraraka throw down with the League’s leader. At least once, Horikoshi? Just once?

Literally any form of plot that puts Shigaraki and Ochako into contact would mean moving Uraraka into a more central position within the manga’s plot, would boost her screen-time, increase the likelihood of her contributing to the story’s primary conflict, and would give her more to do and emotionally engage with than just repeating the same lines about Deku being amazing on an endless loop. There is untapped character development potential in spades here if Uraraka was given chance to genuinely interact with the other half of the story’s cast!

Give👏 Uraraka👏 something👏 meaningful👏 to do!👏

Putting the story’s foremost female character on out there on the frontlines with the manga’s actual main character antagonist would finally break her out of the mold she’s been forced into by genre stereotypes and set her on an even playing field with the male heroes at last.

A meaningful encounter with Shigaraki could be Ochako’s ticket to being treated respectfully by the story itself (and hell if giving underappreciated characters a real place in the world isn’t Tomura’s freakin’ calling card already).

3) Okay, I know the words “subverting expectations” leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth nowadays, but there is a huge difference between “throwing inexplicable plot twists at the audience just for shock factor” and “averting stale cliches in an emotionally rewarding manner.” Sure, cliches do exist for a reason, but there are still many instances where actively avoiding a cliche plotline is a great choice. A shounen manga’s token love interest ending up with someone other than the hero--namely with a (reformed) villain--would be an interesting flip on the trite “hero gets the girl” script.

Look, we all know how it goes: Hero clashes with Bad Guy. They duke it out all over Kingdom Come. RIP like fifty square city blocks. The Hero wins, heads home triumphant, sweeps his Princess off her feet, and sails off into the hero rankings sunset. End of the same story we’ve seen a million times. Sometimes it’s done well and the audience is left satisfied. Other times, the heroine involved is reduced to the hero’s reward, less person than wish fulfillment. In either case, tying up a romantic subplot with a hero is the go-to way of resolving female characters’ storylines and, at this point, pretty much a given in manga, even when the romantic subplot is never given the development it deserves, leaving audiences bewildered at how and why the hook-up actually happened.

I’m not saying every comic should “subvert expectations” and cancel its romantic subplot between the hero and heroine, of course not. But I am saying that it would be pretty refreshing to see something else for once.

By virtue of their role, villains don’t usually “get the girl.” Even redeemed villains rarely end up in happy, healthy, well-written relationships. It’s not impossible but it is unlikely that a series’ designated female lead ever wavers in her attentions from the main hero to a new romantic target.

So it would be pretty cool if one did, if the moral of the story’s romantic subplot wasn’t just "token love interest completes painfully shoehorned romantic gestures.” A good romance with a redeemed ex-villain instead of a hero would take a lot more explanation. It would demand, by its very nature, more work on the author’s part to suspend disbelief. The characters would have to develop an entirely different rapport from the normal interactions between designated love interests, and, to a certain extent, strong character growth would be required in order for such a romance to even get started. There’s more moral complexity and conflict to a subplot like this, and a greater sensation of choice--if the heroine doesn’t have to end with the hero by the end of the story, well hey... That means she could end up with just about anyone. Whoa.

Even more so, in the specific case of Shigaraki, who has lived a life of misery and manipulation, the idea that he could come out on the other side, grow as a person, redeem himself, and eventually enter a healthy relationship with someone who isn’t going to hurt him is an idea I find deeply appealing. I think there are a lot of villain stans, myself included, who see parts of themselves in Shigaraki. If a character who has been so severely impacted by abuse can still heal and ultimately end up happy, to me, that’s a far more hopeful and heart-warming conclusion than the alternatives. I did warn you this manifesto would be rose-tinted, didn’t I?

I want storylines that prove that none of us are beyond saving. That people who make bad choices can still change. That romance isn’t a reward for playing the “right” role. That heroines have options. That there are still pleasant surprises to be found in romance plots.

4) But why Shigaraki and Ochako, in particular? It’s not like they have any remotely shared life experiences--

Oops. Friendly reminder: Ochako is the only major character in the manga besides the villains who is overtly described as, I quote, “poorer than poor.” Todoroki, Yaomomo, and Iida can all make it rain; Kaminari, Mina, and Jirou can afford stylish clothes; Kirishima can drop a stupid amount on night vision googles... Even Midoriya, whose father “works overseas,“ can afford plenty of All Might merchandise. One of the popular fandom theories for a while was that Ochako could be U.A.’s traitor specifically because of her desire to help her parents financially, and I think that most readers at this point can discern a clear divide in BNHA’s society: heroes are the “haves” and villains are the “have nots.” To be a hero in this story is to attend a prestigious school, have access to expensive support items, gear, insurance, fame and glory, etc.

Meanwhile, with the exception of All For One, to be a villain in BNHA’s story is to be marginalized, live in unfit conditions, lack access to basic safety and nutritional resources, and struggle to make ends meet. When ability to thrive in a hero-centric society is synonymous with being a good and worthwhile person, anyone who doesn’t just naturally excel in the hero-driven economy is treated as flawed at best and suspect at worst. Poor characters in the story are ignored, and, as demonstrated with people like Twice, left essentially to fend for themselves.

Uraraka’s status as lower income is mostly played for laughs. She’s still a privileged character in that she can attend U.A., receive hero items for free, has a safe place to live, etc. But it is important that the story acknowledges her family’s situation, because her financial status does set her apart from her classmates.

She is less privileged than the others. Being “the poor character” situates Uraraka in the interesting divide between those who couldn’t cope and chose to rebel against hero society instead, versus those who conformed to the hero system in an attempt to improve their situations. In different circumstances, if Uraraka’s family was just even the tiniest bit worse off, we might be seeing a very different character here, one who had to make some much harder choices to keep her family afloat.

Having been in the position of "going without,” Uraraka also has a unique understanding of the “real world” that many of her heroics classmates might lack. She understands what it is like to go hungry, to not be able to afford to keep up with the newest trends, to be constantly anxious about the future--to feel unsuccessful, overlooked, and under constant pressure to perform. As someone who wasn’t raised in the lap of luxury or even really a middle-class home, Uraraka has more insight into--and would likely have more empathy for--the plight of the downtrodden daily criminals of the BNHA world. Just based on her own life experiences, Ochako is more likely than her classmates to recognize how harsh reality can be, and understand the temptations that lead people to make terrible decisions.

This makes Ochako an especially interesting character in terms of her pro hero future. Would she be able to sympathize and reach out to struggling "villains” more effectively than others from her class, who lack her humble background? Would she be able to better see the big picture of BNHA’s society, and the way it actively creates villains from its marginalized populations? Would she be able to look at the League not just as criminals, but also as people who never stood a chance within the confines of a rigged social structure?

Uraraka’s background shifts her closer to the story’s villains than many of the other hero characters, and puts her in a unique place to both empathize and become motivated to change the flawed system that produced people like Shigaraki and the League in the first place.

5) Likewise, Uraraka’s background actually makes her more palatable to Shigaraki than other heroes. At least at the beginning of the comic, Uraraka isn’t shy about admitting that one of her reasons for becoming a hero is to help her parents financially. Ochako’s original motivation for heroism isn’t portrayed as nobly as others’ like Deku--Deku has no ulterior motives for being a hero; he just wants to save people and wouldn’t care about personally benefiting.

Instead, Ochako is presented as someone who (initially) sees heroism as a means to an end. It’s not that she doesn’t want to save people, but that she’s not doing so only for the intrinsic worth... the hefty paycheck that comes from heroism is a big draw.

Over time the manga has shown her shifting away from this (which actually makes her character less unique, unfortunately), but I’m sure it’s still a thought for her, and she’s definitely going to send paychecks to her parents in the future. At the end of the day, heroism is still going to be Uraraka’s ticket to a better lifestyle, even if she’s committed herself to it honestly by the time she leaves U.A.

But it’s this exact form of personal motivation that Shigaraki is much more likely to understand than the “goody-two-shoes” motivations of people like Deku. Multiple times in the comic Shigaraki has expressed confusion with society’s habit of clinging mindlessly to symbols, of their blind faith in the virtues of heroism, and their ability to simply overlook suffering because “surely a hero will do something about it.” Stain’s ideals about “true heroes” go straight past Shigaraki, who seems to hate heroes who are earnest (All Might, I’m talking about All Might) far more than those who are simply faking their way through for fame. 

Shigaraki understands humans who are driven by personal gain. He respects the individual desires of people he cares about. Someone in the hero industry explicitly seeking tangible benefits would likely, to Shigaraki at least, come across as more genuine than someone who claims they have no ulterior motives, and a person who is blunt about their needs and grounded in the reality of BNHA’s world would likely be much more acceptable to Tomura than someone who spews trite lines about peace and justice.

Shigaraki’s feelings for heroes have been irreparably damaged by his conditioning from All For One, but there are certainly some heroes that he would find less loathsome than others. He will probably never understand Deku’s selflessness. All Might’s saccharine symbolism actively infuriates him. But a person who became a hero to put food on the table? To provide for her parents (maybe especially because it is her parents she’s trying to provide for)? That’s at least understandable. If the manga’s future does see Shigaraki redeemed, my thought is that the only type of heroes we’ll ever see him willingly interact with would still be heroes just like Ochako, with more “down to earth” personal motivations. Uraraka, your codename is “If I had to date a hero”...

6) While we’re talking about shared life experiences, there’s another very obvious similarity between Shigaraki and Ochako: neither one of them can touch things with all five fingers.

Cute/fridge horror observation: Shigaraki is even daintier about touching things than Uraraka is; Uraraka usually lifts just her pinkies, but Shigaraki frequently uses as few fingers as possible.

Yeah, yeah, they both have to be dainty and careful with everything they hold. It’d be cute to watch them eat together. They could mutually gripe about the annoyance of video game consoles not designed for four-finger use. More than that though, neither one of them can touch other human beings without the risk of causing death.

Uraraka, as a hero, has the more privileged quirk design (she can turn her quirk off, while Shigaraki can’t) and until recently, the comic was always very careful to portray Uraraka’s quirk in a way that no one was endangered by it. But dropping Zero Gravity into the hands of a villain for a single chapter reveals the truth: Uraraka’s quirk has just as much lethal potential as Shigaraki’s.

Like Shigaraki, Uraraka has to face the reality that her touch alone could jeopardize the safety of anyone she comes into contact with, in her daily life and in her hero work. Drop some debris without looking twice? Just crushed a civilian. Release your quirk without thinking? Now the villain you floated is paste on the sidewalk. Thought that it was safe to float away the building? Oops, you crushed someone still trapped inside. Yikes. In a one-on-one battle, Uraraka is actually at a disadvantage not because her quirk is weak, but the dead opposite--in an outdoor fight, she would have to actively work not to accidentally send people off into outer space.

Having an auto-activate touch quirk means that both Shigaraki and Ochako have to be conscious of every single thing they touch all the time. Both of their quirks require constant bodily awareness, and both come with the lurking knowledge that “My touch causes problems.” Even for Ochako, who would merely be a nuisance if she accidentally floated objects indoors, it’s easy to internalize frustration and negative associations with one’s own body. Every day, Ochako has to be careful with herself in a way that few of her peers do, another factor that sets her apart.

One of the story’s overarching themes is the idea of “self-acceptance” and what it even means to “accept yourself” in a world where (almost) every human being possesses a distinguishing feature, often built into their bodies at the expense of standard human functioning. For people with limited control over their quirks, who can’t choose when the effect activates, a quirk is a constant burden and facet of their identity that entirely re-shapes how they interact with the world. Both Shigaraki and Uraraka face the practicality of having burdensome, even lethal, auto-activate quirks that require constant self-awareness. This is a similarity that, of the major characters, only Shigaraki and Ochako possess so far. (Even other major characters with touch-based quirks like Overhaul appear to be able to choose when to activate their quirks).

The “funny” way Shigaraki and Ochako hold things seems like just a small similarity until you remember the amount of practice and frustration it must have taken to internalize a four-fingered touch. Until you remember that this similarity marks them both as very careful and self-conscious characters. Until you remember that Shigaraki’s got a one-touch instakill... but so does Uraraka Ochako.

7) Okay, similarities are cool and all, but you know what they say: opposites attract. And if we’re talking character motivation, there are no cleaner opposites in the entire series. Shigaraki and Ochako are actually even better emotional foils than Shigaraki and Deku, because Ochako’s central motivation is “Make as many people smile as possible” and Shigaraki’s is, literally, “Make it so no one can ever smile again.”

I know I ragged on it earlier, but now I’m going to use it to my full advantage: as the story evolved and characters grew, Ochako’s “true” motivation to become a hero revealed itself: she feels a deep, intrinsic happiness when witnessing the happiness of others. Her desire as a hero is to spread relief, the sense of security that allows people to go about their days smiling. She literally feels happiest when everyone around her is happy.

Even more so than Deku, this casts Uraraka as Shigaraki’s diametric opposite in the story, because Shigaraki’s entire pipe dream goal also hinges on the smiles of others--and how absolutely much he hates them. Shigaraki’s goal is total world destruction because he just resents the happiness of others that fucking much.

On the surface alone it’s more fascinating than the story will probably ever live up to: Ochako, the heroine who wants to spread smiles; Shigaraki, the villain who wants to destroy them. Even if we’re just talking canon, zero romance involved, that would still be an interesting conflict to explore. The story could cover a lot of deeper ground by drawing the comparison between these two characters more directly. It would definitely validate Uraraka being involved in more major plot events, at the very least.

BUT this was supposed to be about shipping, so of course I can’t leave it there, and leaving it there would only be half the story anyway, because nobody is born hating smiles. Everything we’ve seen of Shigaraki’s past so far indicates that he was a kid with a cute dog, a warm relationship with his sister, and an interest in heroes--i.e., a decent life that probably included his own fair share of smiles. Shigaraki’s hatred and resentment are direct products of the traumatic manipulation he suffered at AFO’s hands. He despises the idea that people around him can smile and act upbeat, even when they objectively know villains are lurking all around them. He is actually sick to his stomach at the idea of people blindly putting their faith in heroes, knowing what he does: that heroes often fail, that there are many people who desperately need to be rescued and are instead overlooked. The world failed Shimura Tenko and then had the nerve to keep on smiling without him.

Other people’s smiles represent nothing but the joy, security, love, and peace that Shigaraki Tomura hasn’t experienced since the day his quirk manifested. The sight of any living thing fills Shigaraki with rage because everything bright and beautiful, everything good and calm and kind and soft and warm, is everything that Shigaraki has lost and believes he will never, ever get to experience again.

Shigaraki doesn’t really hate the pure happy smiles of others; he hates the fact that the world has taken away every single thing he ever had to smile about.

It is my belief that Horikoshi is hinting at a redemption arc for Shigaraki, especially as we see the League become closer allies. But Shigaraki can’t be completely redeemed, can’t be persuaded to give up his world-destruction plan, until he can look at the smiles of others without scorn. Until the bright, upbeat attitudes of heroes other people no longer feel like a personal attack. Until he’s happy enough that the happiness of others no longer hurts. Until the weight is lifted.

And I can’t think of any character more obviously suited to helping lift an immense weight than Uraraka, the zero gravity hero who wants nothing more than to spread smiles.

8) Speaking of lifting weights... Kacchako is a popular ship stemming in large part from Bakugou’s refusal to treat Uraraka with kid gloves. He faces her head-on as a real opponent and views her like any other hero hopeful.

As I’ve said before, this is pretty much the most respectfully the series itself has ever treated Uraraka Ochako, and it caught a lot of attention because it was one of the rare occasions that a female pro hero-in-training was really treated as an equal to the male characters. Kacchako shippers had something awesome to work with.

But... You know who else treats women as equals? (Hell, you know who treats literally everyone as equals, from those with mutant quirks to trans people to those with severe mental health issues?) You can say what you want about Shigaraki’s habit of, you know, mass murder, but in terms of viewing others equally and respecting (okay, let’s be real, it’s probably closer to just ignoring) differences, Tomura is about as open-minded as BNHA characters come. The League is an equal opportunity employer.

Unlike actual hero characters, Shigaraki has never once suggested that Toga is incapable of keeping up with any of the male members of the League, and in fact has entrusted her with many of the League’s most dangerous and crucial missions. He explicitly has faith in her ability and skill.

Toga’s right there in the fight against Gigantomachia and the QLA, as much an equal member of the League as anyone else. In terms of gender equality, the villains seem to be light-years ahead of their hero counterparts, and Shigaraki in particular doesn’t discriminate, among his allies or his opponents either. He’s not a “spare the women and children” kind of guy; every hero and villain challenger is treated with equal violence (and equal snark), whether they’re male, female, a long-time pro or a student in training.

In whatever context--canon opponent, AU ally, or a future romantic interest--Shigaraki would take Ochako just as seriously as Bakugou did. If you like Kacchako because Bakugou doesn’t dismiss Uraraka, that same dynamic would be present in Shigako too.

9) And on the topic of Shigaraki and women... It doesn’t feel accidental that every single female character who ever had love for Shigaraki has been taken away from him. A distinct part of Shigaraki’s storyline is that all positive female role models have been systematically removed from his life. He lost his grandmother, a hero he could have looked up to; he lost his mother, who he now has no memory of; he lost the older sister he clearly held dear... All For One’s control over Tomura has always been total, but this particular detail feels especially insidious: was All For One’s spite for Nana so strong that he delighted in deliberately destroying every single relationship Tenko had with women connected to Nana’s legacy? (Or is AFO perhaps just a raging misogynist? Every single one of his known associates is male and he seemed to despise and mock Nana particularly hard...)

In any case, the point I’m trying to make here is that, even ruling love interests out, Shigaraki’s storyline would be enriched by forging a meaningful connection with a female character like Ochako. Acceptance--maybe even some grudging admiration--for a female hero? A fantastic opportunity to show just how different the “villains” are from the discriminatory society that produced them. Supporting friendship while he’s on the road to recovery? A+ way to diversify interactions between the male and female cast. Send a tough girl to Tartarus to question his motives? Nice chance for tense dialogue and some good old noire-esque foe yay. Hostage situation that takes a turn for the surprisingly cordial? Fun way to explore different dynamics and humanize the villains because hey, they treated the “damsel” to dinner shortbread cookies. My god, Shigaraki could even develop some positive sense of rivalry with a woman, for example! The possibilities are endless if you’re actually willing to give female characters a shot!

Being more serious, Tomura’s life has been dramatically marked by the loss of his female family members, and--at least from what we know so far--his entire youth was spent without the presence of reliable friendships, let alone any form of “love” that wasn’t disturbingly fake. Beyond his fragmented memories, he has no models for healthy relationships, romantic or otherwise.

Letting Shigaraki develop to the point that he could form a mutually positive relationship with a female hero character would be extremely cathartic for me as a reader. I don’t mean “rewarding redemption with a last-minute happy ending romance”--I mean actually getting the opportunity to watch Tomura rediscover what it means to be genuinely loved and realize he has the capacity to give love and be happy in return...

Reaching that level of mutual support and closeness--especially with a female pro hero--would be the biggest “FUCK YOU” that Shigaraki could give to All For One, short of, you know, actually killing him.

Shigaraki Tomura has a critical (and deliberate) lack of healthy connections to women. BNHA, coincidentally, has a criminally under-utilized female lead just twiddling her thumbs over here, waiting for a meaningful plotline to be thrown her way.

Sure, putting AFO in prison is cool and all, but have you considered... crushing his pride and legacy of evil by helping the boy he tortured for years learn to love again? I’m just sayin’!

Uraraka Ochako, snatching Shigaraki right the fuck out of AFO’s hands:

10) Basically what the whole thing boils down to is this: Shigaraki Tomura needs a hero.

Don’t mistake my meaning. A lot of “girl meets bad boy” plots end up amounting to “girl becomes emotionally responsible for fixing bad boy’s issues,” and that’s not what I’m gunning for--Shigaraki has to redeem himself because redemption is only meaningful when it stems from the character’s own inner desire to change; I’m not quite rose-tinted enough to buy into the Love Redeems trope myself. I’m definitely not advocating anyone dump Shigaraki Tomura as he is now into Uraraka Ochako’s lap and expect her to turn him from a beast to a beauty. It’s not an unrelated woman’s responsibility to fix a broken man.

But! From a reader’s perspective, I think we can agree: Shigaraki’s redemption cannot be complete until he learns to believe in real heroes. He doesn’t have to like them. He doesn’t have to support hero society. But he has to be able to look at real heroes like Izuku and Ochako and admit that they are doing what’s right--that society is a better place because they are here. Shigaraki’s path to recovery can’t even begin until he’s capable of at least acknowledging that the world has things worth saving in it.

If Horikoshi moves forward with a redemption arc for Shigaraki, it will probably be Deku who Detroit Smashes the message of truly noble heroes into Shigaraki’s head. That’s his job as the resident Warrior Therapist, I suppose. But you know... to me, it might be even more meaningful if Shigaraki’s hero--if the hand that reaches out to rescue him--isn’t The Hero’s™ but just a hero’s. We all know Deku is selfless and good to the core. As All Might’s perfect successor, he really has nothing to prove. It’s everyone else who is in question. It’s the whole rest of hero society that owes Shigaraki Tomura an explanation for the suffering of people like the League’s members. It’s everyone else who needs to prove they can do better--that in the future, there will be no bloody children left abandoned in back alleyways.

Uraraka Ochako’s conviction is to save people. As a female hero who hasn’t lived a privileged life, she’s uniquely situated to think about those who are most often overlooked. In a world where violence begets violence, where only those with strength and flash excel, what a powerful message it would send for the terrifying antagonist to effectively be rescued by someone the story itself has called “a frail girl.” At the end of the day, heroics isn’t supposed to be about mountain-destroying explosions and mach punches--heroics is supposed to be about heart, about reaching out a gentle helping hand, about spreading smiles to those who need them most.

Tomura’s faith in heroes has been brutally stripped from him, and every part of his conflict is tied up intimately with his misdirected hatred: it wasn’t actually heroes who isolated and hurt him--it was villains. In order to move forward, he will have to come to that horrible realization, deal with that means for himself and his place in the world, and recognize the truth: there are goodness and good people in the world. Selfless heroes, those who wouldn’t turn their backs on a crying child, do exist. There are people, even now, who would extend a kind hand to Shigaraki Tomura and do their best to bring a real smile to his face. Because that’s what’s really going on, after all.

Shimura Tenko is still waiting to be saved.

And I know just the person to do it.

[bisexualalienblast]

the michael & maria moment was nice and seemed pretty platonic, but i’m still worried since sometimes all shows need to make an m/f relationship happen is for them to look at each other like once. the thing is, it’s just yikes if michael even sleeps with one of alex’s best friends (i’m not even talking about dating, that’s just terrible). i have an anxiety disorder and it creeps into every part of my life, tv show watching included, so maybe that’s why i’m like this. are you like anxious at all?

What a loaded question for the morning.

I’m anxious but also not and here’s why.

Things I don’t like about the idea of Maria/Michael:

I’m a big champion of keeping at least SOME straight/bisexual/pansexual m/f pairings as platonic. It basically feels like it never happens. This is unrealistic, unfair, and it upsets me a bit. Men and women can be friends without sexual attraction. Full stop. One day, TV land will see that. 

Although I’m (usually) a dirty multi-shipper, my ship in this show is Malex. I can’t help it, it is what it is lmao I had no say in the matter. I don’t want ANYONE to get in the way of my ship, because duh. Who would, really. 

This will ultimately cause more pain for Alex and man, he’s had enough of that. Michael also deals with his emotions by using casual sex and my dude, you really just need to talk to Alex but I digress

Things that keep me from losing it over the thought of Maria/Michael:

I don’t actually think it will be anything serious. [I better be right or so help me god] I’m not here for a love triangle (except for Max/Liz/Kyle which I’m still holding out for lmao). I do NOT think it’s going to be framed as a love story or even dating. If it is...well, I still think Malex are endgame. Call me naive idk 

Michael and Alex aren’t together. As much as we want them to be. They each have the right to go out and do whatever it is they’re gonna do. 

Michael and Maria are both kinda broken people and they are uhhhh dealing with some shit right now. Turning to each other might not be the worst thing, idk. Maybe it gives them both a chance to get something out that they need out. Michael wants Alex--this is obvious. But sometimes you can’t have what you want (at this point in time) for whatever reason. 

Your feelings are valid and you have every right to feel those things. I hate to be one of those people that says we have to wait and see, but we do. It’s all about framing. Malex’s love story has been framed in a clear way: they are CLEARLY in love with each other and have been for a DECADE, but there’s a LOT OF TRAUMA AND SADNESS IN THE WAY. That has to be dealt with before Malex can EVER really be a thing. This takes time. And drama lol The spoiler pic of Michael and Maria was CLEARLY framed (at least to me) as a “morning after shame” kinda way. We’ll see if that translates onscreen. 

I’m sure none of this helped but keep in mind that the more shit the show throws at Malex, the sweeter that reunion will be. 

[supertam87]

How are you still a fan of Sam after all he's let happen to the fandom and to shippers in his name? You haven't personally been hurt by it so is it easier for you to ignore and pretend none of it ever happened? I'm struggling with my feelings about him and would love your insight.

As I have always said, I fan how I choose, and do my best to allow others the same privilege. If anyone reading this thinks I am talking about you, I promise you, I’m not.

I am sorry that there are people in the fandom who feel hurt. Its a shame that that was the result of something that should have been a fun and light-hearted experience. Please, however, don’t make assumptions, even posed as a question, such as ‘You haven’t personally been hurt by it so is it easier for you to ignore and pretend none of it ever happened?’ You don’t know what I have and haven’t been hurt by in this fandom, or by whom. I’m not pretending or ignoring anything. But I’m also not letting things have more presence in my life than they deserve.

You ask how I can still be a fan of Sam. First of all, I don’t believe that Sam did anything to fans, or allowed anything to be done to fans. I’ll talk more about that later. Even if I believed Sam did do something, that still doesn’t require me to stop supporting him. There is no one on this earth who has ever hurt me as deeply as my husband. No one has ever hurt him as deeply as I have. We don’t set out to hurt each other, but life is messy and people are imperfect. This is why I work every day of my life to practice the brutally hard art of forgiveness. Forgiveness isn’t an ‘If/Then’ equation. It’s not, ‘If this person is submissive and humble and admits all of their faults, then I will forgive.’ Forgiveness is a single party activity that is not dependent on any other person’s actions or opinions. I can forgive my husband when he hurts me because I choose to, whether or not he has asked for forgiveness. Forgiveness is for me, not him. Forgiveness makes me a better, happier, stronger person, more in control of my life. Let me ask you a question: Why would I NOT forgive my husband? Why would I hold on to anger, hurt or frustration? How would it benefit me? What would I get out of it? Heartburn, high blood pressure, anxiety - I don’t need more of that in my life. Besides, I know my husband is a really, really excellent man. His list of positive qualities is miles long. But he is imperfect, as am I. I forgive him, he forgives me, we focus on being better, learning from our mistakes and reveling in the soul fulfilling joy we find in each other. That is not ignoring or pretending, that is choosing our own happiness and health in spite of the messiness that is sharing life with another human. We are all responsible for our own happiness and happiness is a choice. My life is far from perfect and far from easy, but I am a generally happy person because I choose to be. Even if he did do something which hurt me (he didn’t), I can choose to forgive and move on. How can I still be a fan of Sam? Because I choose to be.

You ask how I can still be a fan of Sam after all he’s let happen to the fandom. He didn’t let anything happen to the fandom. We are not some unified group who get together each month and read the minutes and faithfully follow the bullet items on the agenda. Fandoms are very fluid bodies. There is no entrance exam, or document to sign, no oath to swear or dues to pay. People come and go as they please with no explanation due anyone at any time. Therefore, there is no control over what happens in a fandom at any given time, and my perception of this fandom is completely different from another fan, who may not be on Tumblr, but is on Twitter, or who is on Tumblr, but we have no followers in common. There are the Instagram fans, the Facebook fans, the multi-platform fans, the book group fans - and in each of these areas there are subsets of fans such as fanart, fanfiction, shipper, non-shipper, gifmaker, video maker, live tweeter, sam fan, cait fan, toby fan, graham fan, duncan fan, etc, etc, etc. There are thousands upon thousands of people who consider themselves part of this fandom. There are subsets of this fandom I probably haven’t even conceived of. We couldn’t possibly all share the same experiences, even in the same fandom, because there is simply too much diversity on every possible level. Therefore it is literally impossible for anything to happen to the fandom. You believe that something terrible happened to the shippers, but not even that is possible. Who are the shippers? Am I one, do you know how I categorize myself? We are all in control of our own experience. Sometimes that means not engaging or blocking, muting, ignoring, biting your tongue and generally not paying attention to people who don’t deserve your attention. It’s not Sam’s job to tutor us all about how to successfully fan, and it’s not his job to soothe ruffled feathers when one person hurts another person. How could he even begin to know? There are two sides to every story, so even if he was made aware of one side, what about the other side? We are adults. Our problems are our own. Not his. He has enough problems.

Again, you ask how can I still be a fan of Sam after everything that was done in his name. I don’t buy it. I refuse to hold Sam liable for other people’s actions. They are responsible for those actions. I am a Christian. I do not condone the thousands of years of atrocities that have been and continue to be committed in Jesus Christ’s name. I’m pretty sure He doesn’t either. I’m pretty sure Mohammed and Allah and myriad other well known figures don’t condone what was/is done in their names. I also believe that you are making assumptions about what Sam has condoned and what he hasn’t, what he knows and what he doesn’t and what his responsibilities are. Some people see malice where others see sarcasm. Some see apathy where other’s see focus directed somewhere else. We simply don’t know what has gone on behind the scenes, or what people really felt, thought or did. If someone was a horrible bully or troll (and there were several someones) that is on them. They made bad decisions. Really bad decisions. I do know that no one was required to engage with anyone else on Twitter or any other platform. Lucky for me, it isn’t my job in life to judge other people. My job is to do my best to be a good person and be good to other people. I believe we should try to lead by example. I am a fan of Sam because I don’t believe he did anything or allowed anything to be done to fans.

Do you really want to know why I am still a fan of Sam? You think you’ve been hurt by him, or someone associated with him? You think this has caused great distress in your life? Maybe it has. Here is something I know about Sam. His dad left him when he was three. Three years old. I have four kids. I know intimately what it’s like to have a three year old. I know how much they need. I know what it takes to raise a boy to manhood. It’s not easy. Sam had no contact with his dad. None. No advise, no outings, no support, no role model. He had no father. I’m sure this hurt him deeply and continues to hurt him. After years of absolutely no contact with his father, they were reconnected. His dad was dying of cancer. He did not push him away, tell him to die alone, tell him that he left so there could be no relationship, or any of a million other things he could have done. He chose the higher path. He traveled to see his father. He truly connected with him. He learned about him. He go to know him. He offered him love and support as this flawed man was dying. In short, he offered at least some form of forgiveness. I’m sure it was hard for him. I’m sure there were many horrible things he wanted to say. Maybe he did say them. But we know from his own words that it didn’t end on a horrible note. It ended on a positive, healing, healthy note. That’s pretty remarkable and admirable. That’s just one example out of many that illustrate why I think Sam is worthy of my attention. He is a good man. He is generous with his time, talent and wealth. He cares about people and he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty in the process of helping others.

You are absolutely not required to be a fan of Sam. It’s a supremely optional activity. But my question for you is why would I NOT be a fan of Sam? I have yet to hear a single person give me even one legitimate reason why I shouldn’t be a fan, considering that I should probably hold him to the same standard to which I hold myself. We’re both pretty flawed, messy humans. Isn’t life grand?

[kxthornos-blog]

TAGGED BY:  @stellartender​ (thank you! :D)

TAGGING: anyone who wants it!! :D

B A S I C S

NAME: May!

ALIAS(ES) / HANDLES: Oraceofdelphi on discord, but otherwise, also May! 

ARE YOU OVER 18? yes / no

IS YOUR MUSE? yes / no / verse dependent (same for the other two!)

WHEN WAS YOUR BLOG ESTABLISHED? June 20, 2019

W R I T I N G

ARE YOU SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO YOU WRITE WITH ON THIS BLOG?

no ( anyone )  /  semi ( most people )  /  yes ( some people ) /  highly ( few people )  /  private ( mutuals only )

ARE YOU SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO YOU FOLLOW ON THIS BLOG?

no ( anyone )  /  semi ( most people )  /  yes ( some people ) /  highly ( few people ) / private ( mutuals only )

IF YOUR MUSE IS CANON, HOW MUCH DO YOU ADHERE TO CANON?

not at all  / a little  /  some  /  mostly /  strictly  /  not applicable

WHAT POST LENGTHS DO YOU WRITE?

one liners  /  single - para  /  multi - para / novella (admittedly I am fine with one liners! I just go too in detail and write more and more)

DO YOU USE ICONS AND/OR GIFS?

no  /  yes ( gifs  /  icons  )

DO YOU WRITE ON OTHER PLATFORMS?

no  /  yes /  I’d be willing to?

DO YOU WRITE PLOTTED OR/AND UNPLOTTED THREADS?

unplotted  / open - ended plots ( set up a meeting and see what happens )  /  semi - plotted ( one or two steps ahead ) / fully plotted epics ( plotted beginning, middle, and end )  ((Okay so I’m really bad at plotting until I know the other character and mun? It’s not that I’m not interested, I really am!! I just have a hard time imagining stuff until I’ve got an idea of the dynamic.)

HOW QUICKLY DO YOU USUALLY RESPOND TO THREADS?

very slow ( more than a month )  / slow ( 3-4 weeks )  /  average ( 1-2 weeks )  /  fast ( less than one week )  /  very fast ( less than three days )  / it depends (...I thought I was being slow when I took two days??????? forum timing is really different i guess?????)

WHAT TYPES OF THEMES DO YOU LIKE? ( feel free to add! )

fluff  /  angst  / violence  /  tragedy  /  domestic /  family /  conversational (I put those three in italics cause I like them in doses? I don’t need or want 24/7 sugar sweet but I like the angst/violence/tragedy to lead into character bonding or fluff, you know?)

WHAT GENRES DO YOU LIKE? ( feel free to add! )

high fantasy / supernatural / science fiction /  historical  /  horror / comedy /  romantic  / drama /  action  /  adventure /  espionage

ARE THERE ANY THEMES YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE WRITING ON YOUR BLOG? ( not triggers )

no  /  yes / sometimes 

DO YOU HAVE ANY TRIGGERS?  HOW DO YOU REQUEST IT TAGGED?

Uh... I use tw [insert thing here], but I generally just look over tags and avoid what makes me uncomfortable! I get irritated with blocking a whole tag because I miss things I want to see, so I just try to monitor what I see. I am really sensitive to flashing lights though, it isn’t life-threatening but I get sensory headaches and eye strain easily haha.

S H I P P I N G

WHAT TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU OPEN TO?

romantic  /  platonic  /  familial  /  enemies

WHAT TYPES OF PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU OPEN TO?

romantic  /  platonic /  familial  / enemies

DO YOU HAVE OTPS?

no   /  yes

DO YOU HAVE NOTPS?

no  /  yes

WHAT IS YOUR MUSE’S SEXUAL ORIENTATION?

heterosexual  /  heteroflexible  /  bisexual  /  pansexual  /  homoflexible  /  homosexual  / demisexual /  sapiosexual  / asexual

WHAT IS YOUR MUSE’S ROMANTIC ORIENTATION?

heteroromantic  /  heteroflexible  /  biromantic /  homoflexible  /  homoromantic  / panromantic  / demiromantic /  sapioromantic  /  aromantic /

ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WRITING SMUT?

no  /  selectively  /  yes (Not used to doing it, and definitely would have to know the other person from other interactions, but I am open to it??)

HOW EARLY IN A RELATIONSHIP DO YOU SHIP ROMANTICALLY?

autoship  /  during plotting  /  after some ic interactions /  several ic interactions /  slow burn  /  never (I’m a dirty shipper and I love it, but I’m too scared to ask most of the time dnwaul)

ARE YOU OPEN TO TOXIC SHIPS?

no /  selectively  /  yes 

ARE YOU OPEN TO PROBLEMATIC SHIPS?

( incest, canon history, age difference, complicated, etc. )

no  /  selectively /  yes  (I... it depends? I’m welcome to relationships that start out unhealthy, or have moments of it, but I prefer them to eventually transition to a healthier state! It doesn’t have to be perfect but it does start to make me uncomfortable if it gets REALLY bad. I wouldn’t be able to do an incredibly abusive relationship, and incest is out of the question. I’m just really uncomfortable with those topics.)

ARE YOU OPEN TO POLYSHIPPING?

no / selectively  /  yes

ARE YOU AN EXCLUSIVE SHIPPER?

never  /  sometimes  /  yes (I’m willing to go exclusive by character after a while, I guess? But I probably wouldn’t go full-on that’s the only ship. But that’s just my preference! It’s cool seeing what other people do.)

DOES CRACK SHIPPING EVER HAPPEN?

no  /  yes (hasn’t on this blog but if you haven’t realized I’m a dirty memer yet oh boy)

[sextonsharpwinhalstead]

SHIPS Could They? Should They? Will They?

 There has been a lot of discussion (again) around ships especially since it looks like there is a shake-up among the characters; whose with who and what relationships are ending and some that might be beginning. Currently Connor’s relationship is strained due to Robin’s health; Nina is paranoid as all get out because Will is back to publicly making goo goo eyes at Natalie. Natalie and Jeff broke up, Tate and April broke up, and Vicky and Ethan are done too. And who the hell knows what’s going on with Sarah and Joey as they are trying to pull Rexton 2.0, the bootleg version, out of nowhere. Which made me wonder about all the ships; their pros and cons and what could happen or if it should and better yet will the writers ever do it….most of these I’d say no cause I just don’t believe it but it’s fun to see.

(I’ve only paired the ones that I have had people talk to me about or I know other people actively ship. Obviously the sky’s the limit here.)

Let’s start with the big 3.

Natalie Manning and Will Halstead

Ship name: Manstead

Why they work: Will genuinely cares about Natalie; he cares about her well-being and there is a protectiveness that he has for her. With that being said Natalie seems to have walked into a relationship without the effort or the pressure. She gets along with Will effortlessly and their friendship deepens because she doesn’t have to think about betraying Jeff or what it means in the big picture, the feelings she has for him snuck up on her and there is something nice about that.

Why they won’t: A lot of shippers that love Manstead forgot about his behavior in the first season towards her. It’s the classic I can’t have you so I’ll treat you like shit. She was originally written pretty tough, witty, and someone that would never take his shit but as we watched her mourn her husband in-between him gas-lighting her every other episode (Like literally after the first 3) she lost a lot of her autonomy and her toughness and it dissolved the other half of the ship. Also another easily forgotten line is that he literally told her he was in love with her but not willing to wait while she mourned her husband that hadn’t even been dead a year….yikes.

Connor Rhodes and Sarah Reese

Ship Name: Rheese

Why they Work:The show has a very had time filling in the gaps for a ton of their characters but it’s hard to believe that Sarah didn’t grow up wealthy. Her mother is a lawyer and from the sounds of it a litigator and a very successful one. She may not have multi-million dollar Dolan Rhodes money but they are by no means poor…and that’s just a maybe, Connecticut (where Sarah is from) is one of the richest states in the nation. Anyway these two would bond over feelings of inadequacy as being a doctor in the world of monetary elites is still not that impressive so they talk about what it’s like to have everything and still be neglected and disrespected. He can take her to any place and she gets it because she was raised similarly.

Why they Won’t:Canonically Connor kind of has a thing for feisty women, both Robin and Sam were assertive and he’s drawn to a woman that will put him in his place. Sarah is just now getting comfortable in her skin let alone telling someone else how theirs should fit, also Connor is a bit of a rebel ; South America for med school, Riyadh for his residency. Sarah follows the rules.

Will Halstead and Connor Rhodes

Ship name: Rhodestead

Why they Work: Canonically these two really should already be best friends, they both lost their mothers, have one other sibling, strained relationships with their fathers, and special connections with their mentors whom they both ultimately lost. We watch them go to the ends of the earth for their patients but mostly because of ego which is this ships downfall….

Why they Won’t: They are both a bit egotistical. Both want to be top dog so badly, with it unceremoniously going to Halstead, I know we are in the Church of Connor Rhodes but Halstead is actually the better doctor. He was born with the talent that Connor is learning to get. However when it comes to people and jumping through hoops to get to conclusions Halstead is constantly doing them to Connor and ending up wrong every time. The verdict here is if it ever happened it would be slower than Manstead because this is literally when social worlds collide.

Ethan Choi and Sarah Reese

Ship name: Reethan

Why they Work: Rigid rule followers with a sense of discipline, although applied in different areas, these two have a strange balance of each other. He lifts her up so she can see that she can do more and with that teaching it gives her tenacity to step into that role. (Remember that gun episode? Sarah was not letting him steamroll her). She lends a softness to him that allows him to loosen up (which is much needed).

Why they Won’t: Besides the age gap, it’s kind of clear that Ethan only sees her as a kid-sister, a private, so to speak. I could see endless fights about her trying to help with his PTSD and him lightly and not so lightly telling her to back off.

April Sexton and Sarah Reese

Ship Name: Rexton

Why they Work: This has the potential to be literally THE CUTEST same-sex coupling on the show. Both of them are not the hard partying types, they tend to be the quintessential “good girls.” Kind, easy going, and encouraging. This ship has presh written all over it. SO MUCH FLUFF.

Why they Won’t: When is the last time these two had a scene together? Yeah. Also Sarah has yet to really let her hair down, at least April does every now and then plus the inevitable fight between them about April’s sacrificial lamb-like behavior for her brother and Sarah’s indecisiveness about her future.

Connor Rhodes and April Sexton

Ship Name: SexnRhodes

Why they Work: These two, after that pilot scene, there was chatter but they went nowhere. They could’ve been cute because April would’ve actually been pampered and loved in a relationship where her partner respected her work and her drive. They also have that in common. April isn’t just a nurse; she’s a trauma nurse, who thrives under pressure, with speedy actions, thoughts, and choices. Connor is the same, even though he switched to cardio-thoracic surgery, he is still a rebel that likes the challenge and pace of quick decision making. Also can we talk about the secret fights/dirty talk they would have at work all in Spanish? That ship wrote itself but….

Why they Won’t: It’s all a little too perfect right? Yeah April would definitely take issue with the way Connor fled after his mother’s death. She literally sacrificed her ability at being a doctor to help her little brother who is less talented. Even though there are feistier parts of her personality, I think Connor would end up running over her or getting bored.

Will Halstead and April Sexton

Ship Name: Sexstead

Why they Work: Both are catholic and grew up in Chicago, these two are driven and worked their way to where they are today with little or sometimes NO encouragement from the people that were supposed to love them. Confused and or dumped/bypassed by their crushes (Severide/Natalie) they would share some kind of basic ground for it. April and Will both thrive in the ED and she is an amazing nurse to him because of her speed and accuracy and his quick, logical, and usually correct analysis and diagnosis of the patients but…

Why they Won’t: When they think they’re right…they ‘re right (remember the drunk-guy going through DT’s episode?). She has no problem going toe-to-toe with him but they are both stubborn as hell (his insistence at her taking her meds when she was pregnant, how interesting that story would’ve been if it was his baby) anyway this would still be a hard ship to sail cause Natalie’s ass would still be walking round the ED causing problems…plus her and April were /are? friends.

Ethan Choi and Connor Rhodes

Ship Name: Rhoi

Why they Work: Aww the quiet little interracial M/M ship between the two hottest male doctors on the show…(yeah I said it). This would be the curiosity ship, who are you? What do you like to do? I never knew that about you kind of relationship. Long talks/walks about the places they had traveled to and the unique cases and ways that they handled them during their times abroad.

Why they Won’t: Remember that ego thing that would tax the hell out of Rhodestead….Ethan Choi is not exempt from that either. Two alphas fighting for control when they are adamant about being right. Connor would cave, problems and fights would ensue.

Ethan Choi and April Sexton

Ship name: Chexton

Why they Work: Arguably the two best looking folks on the show (fight me) they could work because he is probably the second best doctor that works in the ED (I have made my feelings known about the first) and she is the best trauma nurse there. They’d bounce ideas off each other and then go back to the other’s place for good-looking people sex afterwards. What they would talk about…no clue.

Why they Won’t: Remember the episode when April came back after her miscarriage and she was adamant about helping that women who was a mule? Yeah, Ethan is too black and white and the violence he has seen keeps him that way. April sees shades of grey and that would be a huge problem for them, handling cases, and then arguing about them when they got home.

Ethan Choi and Natalie Manning

Ship Name: Channing

Why they Work: One word: military. I could see them laughing over stories about basic training, bad military food, pranks, and residency stories. They would bond over his quiet love of children and her obvious field of pediatrics. His insomnia would be awesome for midnight feedings for Owen while she slept.

Why they Won’t: Remember when he mansplained pregnancy and childbirth as basically not being a factor in trauma (so cringe-worthy)? Yeah he doesn’t respect Natalie’s opinions and that would END them. Also I don’t see Natalie getting together with anyone that was enlisted ever again after what happened with Jeff one and two to be honest. It’s time for her to try something new.

Natalie Manning and Connor Rhodes

Ship Name: Mannors ( I totally made this up and couldn’t stop laughing so…)

Why they Work: Barely, they are both attractive. Other than that when the show debut they couldn’t have been in more different places in their lives, she was eight months pregnant and he had been overseas treating Saudi millionaires. The danger and excitement of his world may have intrigued Natalie at first and her relative mystery at not answering his questions about her husband might have made him curious but….

Why they Won’t: For all the reasons above, not to mention they stopped writing feisty Natalie like three episodes in and we ended up with second-guessing –judgy -Mary Sue that I have so much contempt for. Connor likes decisive women that challenge him. Also Natalie seems like she has the healthiest family out of all the characters, Connor would feel like an outsider or feel a little ashamed opening up about his screwed-up family.

[dominosmosteligible]

Rules

About the mun:

You can call me Six or Sixy. Drop me a message if you want my Discord.

I follow from @manjoumefamilyscrapbook. You can find my personal at sixweekoldhedgehog and my previous attempt at collaborative writing here on tumblr at @sevenminutesingxheaven​. I write on AO3 under the pen name harinezumiko.

I’m based in the UK (GMT +0).

I don’t need anything tagged. I will try to tag for common warnings but let me know if I slip up. Tag this blog as “dominosmosteligible”.

I’ll follow RP blogs from this account but not personals. I may follow personals from my personal if we get along, but won’t RP with a personal from here.

Perfectly ok to message me, tag me in things, or send asks / submissions, whether we’re mutuals or not.

I will however be selective about who I RP with. Having said that, if I follow you, I’m interested in writing with you, so if you’d like to try something with me shoot me a message :)

I’m familiar with DM and GX, but only peripherally with the other series. I’m just really slow at watching them.

English is my first language but I’m happy to write with people for whom that’s not the case. I’m not confident in any other language, I’m afraid.

Please shoot me a message if I accidentally break one of your rules - I’ll do my best but I'm new at this and there’s a lot to remember.

Please reblog if you want an IC response, reply if you want an OOC one.

On roleplaying with me:

Over 18s only please. (Mun is 1980 line.)

No OOC drama, confession blogs or callouts please.

This blog is for a Jun who never became Manjoume Thunder. It’s currently dormant, or will be used by Chosaku and Shoji for family banter about Jun. You can RP with Chosaku and Shoji at @viewfromthepinnacle.

I don’t have a lot of free time to write and so my activity level is likely to be low... and slow. I reserve the right to drop threads for reasons of sanity and understand that you may do the same if needed.

I’m likely to give short paragraph responses. I don’t art.

My main experience of roleplay is tabletop and some old play-by-email or forum RPs. Please go easy on me while I try to get used to this format.

Let’s have fun together, please don’t godmod or metagame.

You can always ask me to change something if you are uncomfortable with one of my responses.

Default verse is canon GX (open to pre or post canon), sub only please (not dub). If you want to go wild with AUs or crossovers I may be down for that, just let me know what you have in mind.

If you like my headcanons, great! As long as my stuff’s not taken word-for-word I don’t mind if you want to use it somewhere.

If you challenge Jun to a duel - the mun sucks and apologises for doing him dirty.

OK to explore dark themes and interesting dynamics.

Selectively open to OCs at this time. Will consider duplicates on case-by-case basis.

On shipping:

I’m interested in how Jun interacts with other characters. If somehow we find some chemistry, then, great! Mun is a multi shipper and super into rare pairs. I would though prefer for ships not to be forced on me. Unless it’s stormshipping, in which case, go nuts.

I will not normally be comfortable writing smut,  but am happy to imply it through fade-to-blacks in the event anyone gets close enough.

Multiverse applies - no relationship will invalidate any other, and threads won’t cross unless previously agreed.

The muse currently believes he is cis & het, but this may or may not be down to him not previously having been aware of other options.

Not interested in writing anything where GX rivalshipping plays a major role.

Phew, this got long! Hopefully that covers everything, but I’m sure I’ll learn as I go along :)