#how does en fandom name this ship

[shenglingyuan]

title: summer night magic (ao3) pairing: togame jo/sakura haruka summary: togame and sakura's summer festival (first) date

Despite how fast paced and lively festivals could be, Togame enjoyed taking part-time jobs for whoever needs extra help. Most of them ends up being the old men he met in public baths and played shogi with, so assisting them like this was no trouble at all. The summer festivals would run over the course of a weekend, and Togame usually would commit to evening schedules.

But on this specific night of the summer festival, it’s a bit different. He took the mid-day shift so that he could leave early.

When the clock struck six, he promptly excused himself. “Uncle Yamada, I’ll be going ahead now.”

“Ah, sure, no worries about it,” the old man who owns the stall smiled at him, “Thank you for your help, Togame. Enjoy the festival with that lady friend of yours. It’s good to see you with other people other than those rowdy boys.”

“Right, ha ha,” Togame laughed the remark off. He already mentioned about leaving early today because he’s showing a friend named Sakura Haruka around. Understandably, Uncle Yamada thought that it was a girl’s name, but even after Togame had explained that it wasn’t the case, Uncle Yamada kept forgetting - he was hitting the eighties after all - he seemed to think he’s just hiding the fact that he’s seeing a girl. Anyway, he didn’t want to waste more time defending himself again, “I’ll see you around.”

The scent of food permeated the air as the festival lanterns swayed with the gentle night breeze. At the entrance, people came in steady trickles, even more than last year’s. Thankfully, Sakura was very easy to spot amidst the crowd. He stuck out like a sore thumb on one of the shrine pillars, a casually dressed Othello in the middle of flowing colorful yukatas.

“Sakura!” He called out the other boy who looked so uncomfortably out of place, waving a hand. “You made it.”

A few days ago, he and Sakura were talking over the phone when the topic veered into festivals. Sakura then mentioned that he hadn’t gone into one.

Well, I almost did, but I ended up in a fight before I got there, Sakura had clarified, In the end I just never went anymore. I do like beating up worthless guys but doing it even during festivals seems a bit too much. Won that fight, by the way.

There’s an upcoming festival this weekend. I could show you around, Togame had offered. No fighting this time, promise.

And here they were.

Sakura’s face finally relaxed at the sight of him, “Yeah, I just followed the people as you said.”

“There’s quite a lot, isn’t there? Just stick close to me so you don’t get lost.”

“What? You think I get lost so easily?”

“Of course not. But take it from a festival expert: you don’t want to underestimate the crowd. Especially when the fireworks are about to start.”

They might have first known each other in bad terms, but after all the misunderstanding had been cleared up, Togame realized that he and Sakura actually get along really well. It’s not just about the joy they get from fighting, but perhaps it’s the shared experience of independence at such an early age, and the similar journey of finding a place where they can belong.

Since this was Sakura’s first festival and all, Togame planned a bit of a rough schedule that they can follow so that Sakura could enjoy everything that the festival has to offer.

“Come on, let’s grab a quick bite first before we go to the other stalls.”

Togame has heard about Sakura’s appetite, but it’s the first time he saw it in action. They stopped and lined up for almost every food stall because at the mere suggestion of a certain food being a bestseller in one place, Sakura would immediately check them out, his eyes widening like a kid trying to peek at a newly announced toy – yakisoba, takoyaki, onigiri, karaage, taiyaki, there seemed to be no end to his appetite. He munched on one food and lined up on the next stall, ordering with his mouth still chewing the previous food. He’s not as energetic and jumpy as Choji, but the same level of excitement was contained in those unique eyes.

At one point, Sakura completely spent all his pocket money for the food. He hadn’t even had the chance to buy himself a drink. To save him from the dangers of choking, Togame got him a ramune.

“Haven’t forgotten how to open this, have you?” He teased as Sakura fumbled with the marble cover.

“’Course not.”

With Togame’s connection with the stall owners, they managed to play some games without a cost. After all, he didn’t want Sakura to miss out on playing just because he let his stomach decide over his brain. Games that required physical prowess were no challenge for Sakura, but when it came to the traditional ones like scooping fish and fishing out balloons, there was still a big room for improvement. Togame taught him some useful tricks though, and in the end, Sakura was able to win those games on his own, satisfaction evident on his face as he received the prizes he chose.

As the night deepened, more people came to the festival, reducing the space between people to almost nothing. At some point, Sakura heeded Togame’s advice and stuck closer to him in fear of getting lost, their elbows grazing each other as they continued to roam around.

The sensation wasn’t lost on Togame, and it brought a small smile to his lips, recalling the reason how this day came to be.

“Kame-chan, Kame-chan, I wanted to ask you something. Be honest with me, okay?”

It was one of Shishitoren’s slow days. The fight against Endo and Takiishi’s gang had just concluded. Though Shishitoren didn’t really receive significant damage from helping Bofurin, they still needed to recuperate. Fighting one strong guy versus fighting a horde of nobodies could be equally tiring.

As usual, he personally chose to relax on the rooftop of their headquarters where there’s enough shade to enjoy the bright summer day without getting roasted by the heat. Choji came to follow him after a while, then dropped that weird question out of nowhere. Togame didn’t have any idea why he would phrase a question that way either. He was his closest friend, and even with the fiasco from when Choji took over Shishitoren’s leadership, he had always been honest with him.

“Of course, what is it?”

“You like Sakura-chan, don’t you?”

Togame almost choked on air. Fortunately, they were out of anyone else’s earshot. “Ah? Why would you suddenly ask that?”

“I mean, well, I guess I first had my suspicions when he came to Shishitoren and asked for our help. But after that, you seemed to spend even more time on your phone. You don’t even answer our group chat but you’re always talking to someone. If it isn’t us, then who else can it be? Yeah? So! I conducted my own investigation, hehe.”

“Did you spy on my phone?” His hands reflexively clutched the phone inside his pocket.

“Kame-chan, I will not stoop as low as that,” Choji feigned feeling hurt, but easily perked up with a grin, “I just asked Ume-chan what’s Sakura-chan up to these days. He told me you two have been talking a lot! Ume-chan may be wise, but he’s not as clever as me. He thinks it’s just because you two kept in contact after the big fight last time, but I know better! You don’t see it, but whenever you’re on your phone, you smile sooo much. So, am I right?”

Choji finished his explanation with a puffed-up chest and a proud smile.

To be honest, Togame hadn’t really pondered on his feelings that much. He’s grateful to Sakura, if not for him and Umemiya, Choji wouldn’t have been pulled out from the darkness and the old Shishitoren he loved wouldn’t have returned to its previous state. Helping Bofurin at Sakura’s request was no big deal for him either, it was just a friend helping another friend in need. Besides, dealing with the emotional aftermath of what he had been doing and enduring the past year, he really didn’t have any space to entertain other feelings.

But even so, Togame would sometimes recall the sensation of joy in his fight with Sakura, or the rush of elation he felt when he saw him again, or the cold dread that covered his body when he saw Sakura being overpowered by that Endo. Even their casual conversations over the phone were things he started looking forward to. Perhaps, it’s because Sakura moved his heart that’s why he developed some sort of affection.

“Does it matter if you’re right or not?”

“Well, of course!” Choji plopped himself next to him, his face filled with some type of concern, “Look, Kame-chan, if I didn’t bring you here in Shishitoren, you wouldn’t even have a group of people to hang out with. But with Sakura-chan, he’s someone you connected with on your own. And you genuinely seem to like him. I think if you like someone, you should spend more time with them. Yeah?”

“Why do I feel like you already have something in mind?”

“That’s right!” Choji jumped up in excitement. Of course, he already had a plan. “So, I know you do part-time during the festivals, and there’s one coming up very soon. Isn’t it a great idea to invite him?”

If Choji had set his mind onto something, it would be difficult to dissuade him from it. There was no choice but to hear him out.

“You seem awfully excited about this.”

Choji had smiled so widely then, “I like seeing you happy, Kame-chan.”

And thus, this night was developed. Between the two of them, it was always Choji doing the planning anyway, and he the execution.

By some miracle, Togame and Sakura were able to drop by every single stall before the night ended. There were still a lot of people though, as everyone was waiting for the fireworks. Since they were just waiting for it as well, Togame suggested heading to a spot which would give them an unobstructed view of the sky.

As they were walking along a less crowded path, their senses were alerted with a familiar sound: a group of troublemakers cornering some defenseless festivalgoers.

“We’re really…uncomfortable right now,” they heard a girl say in a trembling voice.

“C’mon now, it’s fun to enjoy the festival with a bigger group, yeah?”

“Hey, they already said no.” Sakura called out, aggressively biting into the last dango he had. “You stupid or what?”

“Are these your friends?” The guy who seemed to be their leader sneered, “Mind your own business, boy.”

The rest of his group shifted their attention to the two of them, recognizing that they wouldn’t go without a fight. They bore the usual air of common rascals, nothing that Sakura have not handled before, for sure.

“You’re annoying me, and that’s certainly my business.”

Togame couldn’t help but smile at seeing once again how meddlesome Sakura could be when it comes to saving people he didn’t even know. That was how they first met, after all. Being on the receiving end of his ire was particularly annoying at the time, but now that they’re on the same side, he could admire his reckless heroism a bit.

“Now, don’t just forget me.” Togame carefully placed the bag of prizes they’ve collected throughout the night on the ground before getting into a fighting stance, “The firework’s starting soon, Sakura.”

“Heh, we’ll finish these bastards off before that.”

In no time at all, Sakura and Togame knocked down all the troublemakers. They were nothing more than light exercise. As the thugs scrambled off, the group of friends Sakura and Togame saved went up to them to thank them profusely. With a dismissive wave and a smile, Togame sent them off, “Enjoy the rest of your night.”

“Well, there goes your promise,” Sakura remarked as he patted his jacket clean.

“Ah…I did say there will be no fighting tonight,” Togame grinned sheepishly. Choji was the one who suggested making that disclaimer, saying it would pre-empt a peaceful atmosphere. So much for that. “I may have lied a bit. I do get into fights in these festivals a lot, too.”

“Same type of idiots?”

“Always.”

“No wonder they like hiring you here. You must be like a free security hire.”

Suddenly, there was a crackle in the air. Then the sky was illuminated by the first fireworks of the night. They didn’t have time to get a better view now, but the show was still decently visible from their spot. Since this was at the outer edge of the festival grounds, there were less people around to block their sight.

“Well, I guess we can watch here.” Togame turned to face the sky, standing close to Sakura. He’s aware of their distance by how he could feel Sakura’s warmth next to him.

A second set of fireworks shot up, filling the night sky with flower-like sparkles.

“Togame.”

“Hm?” He turned to face Sakura then. Instead, he was met with the back of his hair and a hand that was as red as his ears, scratching the back of his neck.

“Was this…was this night a date?” The last word was almost incomprehensible, as if he couldn’t believe he was saying it himself. If not for the fireworks fizzling out at the right time, Togame might not have heard it.

In fact, even Togame couldn’t believe he was hearing it from Sakura. Of course there was an intent from him, but Togame didn’t really know how Sakura perceives affection that was directed towards him.

“Do you want it to be?” He asked softly.

Togame didn’t know it was possible, but when Sakura whipped around at his answer, his face became even redder. In the middle of a fight, Sakura is beautifully captivating, but when he’s flustered like this…he could be so adorable.

“You don’t have to answer tha—”

“No. I mean, yes!” Sakura suddenly blurted out, cutting a surprised Togame off. “Yes, this…was a date. Tsubakino told me, if you spend time with someone you liked, and you enjoyed their company, then it’s a date.”

“That sounds reasonable.” A third set of fireworks lit up the sky, cloaking the surroundings in a warm glow, “I like you. I enjoyed your company. If anything, I’d like to do things like this some more.”

It’s a confession as far as confessions go, especially if directed for someone like Sakura. Togame knew what he wanted to confess, and he even wanted to say a lot of things, but he also knew that Sakura tends to get embarrassed so easily and he didn’t want to chase him away. So, for now, he settled for simple words, hoping to get the point across without overwhelming the other boy.

“Ah, I’m feeling it again,” Sakura placed a hand on his chest as if feeling for his heartbeat, “Back then on our one-on-one, when you returned to the stage, I felt that I wanted to know you better. They told me it’s because I grew to like you.”

“Did you?”

“Yeah, just how I liked my friends.” Sakura looked into his eyes then, and Togame felt what it’s like for one’s heart to skip a beat, “But I think it’s different now.”

For someone like Sakura, that in itself was a whole confession.

Another set of fireworks shot up in the air, and this time, they stood together with hands intertwined and watched the sky until the very last glitter faded into the night.

Right then, Togame came to realize, there was also warmth in taking comfort in the gentleness of spring.

[cas-azul]

Finally finished with the story of "Blue Butterfly," I can't thank enough everyone who followed and supported it. Thank you very much to this fandom that took the time to read and enjoy the story. 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

By the way, I wanted to make a small announcement, and that is that in what will be October and November, I will probably upload another two Willford stories (because there isn't much of the ship and what there is is mostly incomplete, so let's keep adding...). But they won't be long stories, just possibly short ones of a chapter or two. Both will be angst, I already used up my quota of happy endings in the previous story haha.

One of it, I've already mentioned it, it will be of a more cosmic horror style (I'm not very familiar with doing much of this so let's see what comes out) I briefly commented on the plot in the previously. I'm still thinking about the name.

The other will also be more angst and psychological horror. For the moment, it is titled "All (Good) Children Go to Heaven." It's an AU with the angelic version of Will, maybe here he does take on human form most of the time. This version of Will is responsible for taking care of the children and communicating with them through dreams to advise them; usually, they forget about him as they grow up. However, one does not do it, and once he is an adult (and due to things that happen in the plot), he will seek to bring this angelic entity into his world, but not with good intentions.

So, that's great! Those will be the next stories to contribute to the ship. We'll see how it turns out...

__________

Finalmente terminada la historia de “Mariposa azul” no puedo más qué agradecer a todos los qué la siguieron y apoyaron. Muchas gracias a este sector fandom qué se tomó el tiempo de leer y disfrutó la historia. 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

De paso quería hacer un pequeño aviso y es qué en lo qué irá de octubre y noviembre subiré otras dos historias Willford seguramente (porque hay poco del ship y lo qué hay mucho está incompleto, así que a ir sumando…). Pero no serán historias largas sino posiblemente cortos de un capítulo o dos. Ambas serán angst, ya gasté mi cuota de finales felices en la historia anterior jajaja.

Uno ya lo he mencionado será de un estilo terror más cósmico (no estoy familiarizada con hacer mucho de esto así qué a ver qué sale) un poco comenté la trama en el anterior aviso. El nombre sigo pensándolo.

El otro será también más angst y terror psicológico. Por el momento se titula “Todos los niños (buenos) van al cielo” Es un AU con la versión de Will angelical, quizá aquí sí tenga la forma humana cada tanto. Esta versión de Will se encarga de cuidar a los niños y comunicarse con ellos a través de los sueños para aconsejarlos, normalmente ellos lo olvidan al crecer. Sin embargo uno no lo hace y una vez ya adulto (y por cosas qué pasan en la trama) buscará traer a está entidad angelical a su mundo, pero no con buenas intenciones.

Así qué bueno esas serán las próximas historias para aportar al ship. Veremos cómo sale...

[project-sekai-facts]

As a person who hasn’t played any other rhythm game, why do you think prsk is so successful in a category where there are so many other games to choose from? I guess this would also relate to why you quit the other games you were playing?

hatsune miku.

also i think the story is project sekai is very engaging and generally much better than rhythm games in terms of writing quality and storytelling. i can't comment on bandori because i never got into the story, but compared to D4DJ, proseka is much more consistently good and deep. that's not to say there's anything wrong with D4DJ's more lighthearted overall tone aside from when it gets into questionable shit but sometimes it feels like there's no stakes even when the story tries to say that there are, and generally it's written more like a comedy slice of life than prsk's very realistic and heavier slice-of-life style.

the same can be said for SIF of which i read 6 chapters 3 years ago before skipping literally everything else. the stories were pretty simple again and obviously some people are gonna prefer that over prsk's sometimes more heavy-hitting tone but from a critical pov project sekai does have the better writing.

both the other franchises i mentioned do have really good writing at times. while love live is ultimately slice-of-life with comedy it does have some exceptional character writing, as does D4DJ. Some of the D4DJ stories released in the last year are also amazingly well-written and have dealt with much heavier topics and handled them really well. but that's enough of me gushing about those.

i think its interesting that while this game has always been pretty popular as a idol mobage outside asia, EN suddenly exploded last may-june and i'm not entirely sure why (i guess summer break in america and maybe some adverts and tiktok?). like i used to be able to T20K-30K by barely playing the events and suddenly i was getting T100Ks when I didn't change how i played at all.

Also like. not the best way to judge but when i first checked this fandom's ao3 page in february last year it had about 300 fics and it very suddenly started rapidly going into the 1000s starting that May-ish. like, very rapidly. as of posting this we're at 15516 (only 6k less than enstars which is a much older game) and two ships made it into AO3s top 100 this year so that's a very significant boom in popularity just to back up my bad tiering strats.

i also think tiktok definitely played a part in the game's EN popularity. i don't go there but the tiktok fanbase is huge, right? and then it runs on algorithm shit so people get that stuff on their FYP and download the game. word of mouth but digital style. also crossover with genshin somehow that i think has roots on that app.

the thing is that none of those directly have to do with why people would play proseka over the others and i think that's it. prsk has become an outright popular game outside of the idol-rhythm label. loads of people at my college know what hatsune miku: colorful stage is but barely any of them know enstars or bandori which are the other big names.

i think in someways it's less project sekai being the "preferred" game and more project sekai being the "known" game.

what the fuck did i just write i'm so sorry

[dragonagefanevents]

What is a Zine?

"Zine" (zeen) is short for magazine, and they have a rich history both inside and outside of fandom. In fandom, they are most often magazines put together by groups of fan creators over the course of many months, and published publicly for free or for purchase.

Fandom zines create some of the most beautiful art and fic - and merchandise! - you can find about the series. By virtue of how they are run, copies of the zine and the extra merch that may go with it are rare and hard to find once the event is over, making them treasures.

If you want to learn more about fandom zines and how you can find them, or participate, read on below.

What kind of events are there?

Whether zines are small or large is simply limited by imagination. Technically, a zine could be little more than a hand-written pamphlet of collages from art and words that is photocopied and distributed en masse. Most often, fandom zines are digital PDFs of curated art and writing arranged by someone with semi-professional publishing/layout experience.

Zines can be digital (PDF only), digital with digital merchandise/extras (such as bookmarks or desktop backgrounds), or physical (printed softcover books, with or without physical merchandise such as bookmarks, enamel pins, stickers, keychains, etc).

Zines can be art-only, writing-only, or a combination of the two.

Zines can be collaborative, where each artist is paired with a writing contributor and they create related works. Or, zines can simply be curated collections, where artists and writers make works that are connected only by the overarching theme of the zine.

Zines can have broad or narrow themes, ranging from a single character, a single ship, a whole class of characters, a whole region, or an abstract concept. See the bottom of this post for examples.

Zines can be profitable, where artists and writers and mods get paid a cut of the money collected in zine sales. Zines are often for charity, where creators and mods are unpaid and all profit (barring printing costs, etc.) go to a chosen charity. Zines can be free and for no reason at all.

Zines may or may not have an (unofficial) connection to the creators of the IP the zine is a fandom for - this can range from a forward written by one of the IP writers, or a print copy signed by a voice actor, etc.

Zines are often NOT annual, but rather one-time events. New zines are organized all the time under different names.

Where are events hosted?

Zines are often advertised on twitter and tumblr.

Interest checks are often run through Google Forms.

Zine creation is often coordinated via Discord servers specifically created for the event.

Zines are often sold via BigCartel, gumroad, itch.io, or another of the (many, many) e-sale sites for this purpose.

What does participation in the event look like?

▸Interest Check

A zine profile (tumblr or twitter or both) will put out a google form for anyone to fill out. These will often inquire about:

the theme of the zine, sometimes with many options/focuses

the content (would you like to see art, prose, poetry)

the extras (what kind of merch/extra content would you be interested in, besides the magazine)

the format (digital vs physical)

the cost (how much would you be willing to pay for each format/bundle)

are you interested in being a contributor/buyer

▸ Moderator Applications

Can happen simultaneously with the interest check. Usually a zine is started by an individual or small group of individuals with gumption (or experience), but they often are looking for additional:

Social Media Mod(s)

Art (Organization) Mods

Writing (Organization) Mods

Graphics Mods

Printing/Shipping Mods

Merch Mods

Editor Mods

Treasurer Mods

The form and requirements of each moderator application vary greatly depending on the person organizing the event.

▸ Contributor Applications

In addition to contact information, contributors will be asked to provide examples of their previous works as a portfolio.

Sometimes creators will be asked to provide "prompts" or "pitches" - their ideas for what their contribution may be, very specifically.

Artists

⤷ Portfolios may be looking for google drive galleries, dedicated art blogs, dedicated social media account/thread/hashtag, etc.

⤷ In addition to a portfolio, may be asked to share a few specific, additional works, that highlight their strengths/interests and what they specifically will bring to the zine.

⤷ May be asked whether applying for cover art, page art, or merch art.

⤷ Merch artists may be asked to show actual physical merch you've made before, to show you know how to get things printed.

⤷ May be asked what kind of merch you would like to make.

Writers

⤷ Longform (2500 word is usually standard) or shortform (write short fics, usually multiple up to 1000 words each)

⤷ Mods may look at your overall writing portfolio

⤷ In addition to a portfolio, may be asked to share a few writing samples with min and max word counts - excerpts that showcase writing strengths.

▸ Creation Period

Contributors will be given a date to get a final pitch approved by the mods. After they can be approved, the contributors can get started.

How many check-ins/WIPs mods require from contributors will vary from one, to many. These are collected through google forms or emailed directly to the moderators.

Typically required that contributors proof and edit their own works to the highest degree possible and deliver the level of product they promised. Betas/editors/screening may or may not be provided by volunteers.

Artists will typically be provided with a template that shows the gutter/bleeds. It will typically be specified to work in CMYK, a specific file type, and file/page size.

Contributors work on their pieces.

Merch artists tend to work most closely with the mods, compared to other contributors, throughout the production process. Merch artists usually have an expedited schedule with earlier deadlines.

Cover artists may also have an expedited schedule with earlier deadlines.

▸ Production Period

Contributors will likely be able to share snippets/previews of their work - either a cropped image, or a paragraph+ excerpt of written work - as a way of drumming up further interest for the zine's sales. Snippets may be posted to the official event socials, or contributors may post them to their own socials and get re-shared by the official event socials, depending on the organizer's preference. This may overlap with the creation period.

Works are turned in.

▸ Sales & Sharing Period

The zine is available for purchase/download/ordering.

After orders close, for physical zines, moderators will place the order for printing (and merch, if applicable).

Usually when distributing only physical zines, the orders go directly from the printer to the customer.

If physical merchandise is bundled: typically, the zines and merch are shipped to a moderator's home where they are physically bundled together, then shipped from the moderator to the customer.

There may be a period of time sales closed and shipping is concluded where any extra goods may be offered for sale again, as supplies last.

⤷ OFTEN, when physical copies are offered, contributors may be gifted physical bundles of the zines (including merch). This is not always true but often happens as thanks for contribution.

Please, be discerning.

Because the commitment is very high for zines, a lot can go wrong. In addition to the usual risk of poor communication and delays (which can happen even with the best intentions).

Moderators may or may not be reputable characters and you may run into poor communication and organization - or even theft.

Whenever money is involved, or physical shipping is offered, be very wary of giving away your personal information!!!

Zines can be organized as a way for "moderators" to get free art; if money is not handled transparently, moderators can abscond with the funds. Sometimes contributors will be told that they will be paid, but then moderators will say that you will not be paid actually.

Zines can fail for a variety of reasons and never reach the publication stage. Zines can recruit contributors with the promise of the quality of the zine production/design but fail to deliver.

While these are some of the worst-case scenarios, keep in mind that fandom zines are not professional and run by volunteers. Moderators are often the most passionate and hardest working people involved in the events, doing their absolute best based on their resources and experiences.

Examples of Zines

Solamancy Zine (Archived)

The Keeper's Codex (Archived)

TheDragonAgeZine

Lotus and Root (Archived)

[ty-bayonet-betteridge]

trick or treat! :3

as far as i can tell we don't share fandoms. i dont rememebr when we became mutuals. i mean ur a FIXTURE in my notes now i cant imagine tumblr without you but. i dont know what to do in this situation.

uhhh okay. i just glanced through my drafts and heres something nonfandom i wrote while i was on an airplane to visit family in Oregon and then never posted anywhere.

My dearest friend,

How has Oregon been treating you? I suppose the question is extraneous, for as I pen these words I am currently thirty eight thousand feet above the ground, and I suspect I will reach you well before this letter does, though I hope, regardless, that it finds you well. I write to you from the cabin of an airfaring vessel, maintained by the American Airlines shipping company. The crew of this vessel is myself, the captain, his first mate, and two attendants, accompanied by some thirty-odd passengers, though there is room for dozens more. We are en route to Dallas, for the line to meet you in your home is at best indirect and, perhaps more accurately, greatly circuitous. Still, the inconvenience is nothing compared to the pain of being without you, and thus I undertake the journey with hope in my heart. I heard that you have little experience with travel aboard such vessels, and as such I thought you may find it interesting to hear of some of the things my eyes and ears have captured during my journey.

Where to begin? I think you would garner some amusement from meeting the attendant for our section of the vessel. I admit his name escapes me at present, though I have, against my will, learned a good many other details about the man. He is fifty-one years of age, and this is but his sixth day with the company, and the first outside his homeland of Texas. It is also the greatest altitude that a flight of his has achieved, and he is brimming with excitement, enough so that he has disregarded some of the company's regulations for the crew's safety. He also fears for his health, for the physicians describe his solid build as "morbidly obese," and many of the men of his family perished of a heart condition before they reached their sixtieth year. There is still some hope within him, however, as his mother is ninety-seven and, according to him, in fine fettle.

My fellow passengers are an odd lot. Despite the infection that, at present, continues to plague us, I appear to be the only one on board taking the minimum precautions to limit the spread of disease, and I worry that illness will befall us upon reaching port. Still, they have their charms, particularly the gentleman seated beside me; though he did not offer me his name, we have made pleasant conversation on the state of our travels. I told him of my plans to see your side of the nation, and he told me he was on much the same sort of mission, for he has family in California he has not seen in some years. He is an amusing travel companion and I have no regrets for having spoken to him, though from the occasional off-color remark I suspect that we would come into conflict should our friendship continue.

The most striking feature of the journey, of course, is the views of the landscape from above. Even from a great distance it is possible to see with some detail, and I happily observed my old hometown for some minutes as we ascended. It is striking the perspective it gives you; the lakes and grounds are neatly divided, not into perfect squares but into shapes still regular enough to tell that they were sculpted not by the Lord's hand but by ordinary men. The only feature of the landscape that retained its irregularity was the mighty Ohio, which snakes across the Earth uncaring, indifferent to our plans for the world. Of course, a good deal of the land was set aside for farming, and thus presented the image of a patchwork quilt when viewed from sufficient height.

The trip's greatest splendor has become apparent now that we have reached our cruising altitude, however, for now we cut our way through the clouds. While the gray and windy conditions of our travel has created some unfortunate rockiness to the journey - severe enough that I have not been able to exit my seat for the duration - it does create the illusion of total blankness outside our window, a pure white void, as if the world were an artist's canvas, and all he chose to draw was the wing of one plane. I cannot express how jarring this effect was to witness firsthand; the eye accustoms itself to seeing such solid emptiness in paintings and pictures, but the disbelief upon seeing it with one's own eye is difficult to describe.

There were areas in which we reached a delta between the clouds, and from here I gained a newfound appreciation for the magnitude of the skies. As I gazed down to the earth, I saw a cloud so far below us that to fall onto it, were it solid, would still shatter every bone in the body as if falling from a large cliff face. This cloud itself was suspended an impossible distance above another cloud, dipping suddenly downward, a sheer drop to rival the greatest canyons; and at least twice again that distance below the clouds was the Earth itself. When I looked up, there were at least that many clouds above us as well; there were, in fact, enough that I could not see the end of them, and for all I know they had no end. How I marvel at the men who brought the human race into the skies that we might explore such vast, untouched brilliance for ourselves!

There are some five hours remaining before I will arrive in Oregon with you, but I treasure the thought that I will soon be at your side. Until then, I will hold you in my thoughts. Give my best to dear Delilah as well.

Until next time, my dear friend.

[itager-week]

Sorry what's the difference between gerita and itager? I didn't realize there was a significant difference

I'm unsure if you are familiar with non-EN shipping customs (I will be using primarily JP terms, but each language obviously has its equivalent word for these terms), but ship name order matters a lot when categorizing the type of content you are creating. The first name is the seme, while the second name is the uke.

In EN spaces caring about seme and uke has a pretty bad rep, but this is because of a fundamental misunderstanding of what these terms mean and because people love to white knight for gay men. (DISCLAIMER: I AM A GAY MAN) It is plain stupid when people act as though it is inherently fetishistic or an indication of being a sex-obsessed freak when you care about who penetrates and who takes it in a ship. Although sex isn't important in many relationships, it is crucially important in others and shouldn't be disregarded as something that can't be an act closely tied to the romantic aspect of a ship. This is completely disregarding the fact that EN users tend to use the terminology incorrectly as well. People often think they are synonymous with "top/bottom" which is not true because seme/uke have a lot more flexibility in how they are used. I'm no expert in linguistics, but I've been in yaoi spaces for quite a long time and although seme/uke does usually indicate sexual position, when talking about ships that have no sexual intercourse it refers to dynamic. Someone cannot be a top nor a bottom in a non-sexual romantic relationship because these words are specifically geared towards sex. Seme and uke refer to who is the "aggressor" and who is the "defender", which creates a unique way to separate the way different people interpret a ship in a concise manner. In non-EN spaces, it is custom to name and tag ships according to this formula for proper sorting purposes (as opposed to the custom in EN fandom to stick to one label for everything). This guideline of course is sometimes broken, and ironically Itager is an exception ship that has a non-traditional name, "flower couple", in JP fandom (although many people still tag their Twitter artwork using a naming convention that follows proper customs, corresponding to seme/uke order). People take this quite seriously sometimes. During conventions overseas, fans running booths that ship the opposite order of the same ship are usually put at opposite ends of the hall in order to avoid fist-fighting among fujoshis. Shit gets real. Although it is true many ships have both members equally aggressing each other, in some ships seme/uke is incredibly important when figuring out what dynamic they have together. Itager is definitely one of these ships where it matters.

Gerita can be considered a completely different ship than Itager in my opinion, seeing as the dynamic is so starkly different. Gerita has Germany as the emotionally dominant one in their relationship, which requires an entire reworking of how the two of them feel and see each other to make work. I won't bash Gerita here because this is not my house and everyone is free to see fictional relationships however they want, but it is certainly a dynamic that this event will not be housing. Itager has Italy as the emotionally dominant one, which completely changes how their relationship functions. He also is the top in a sexual sense as well, but it is a result of him being the emotionally dominant one (not the other way around, do you understand?). Please note that being emotionally dominant does not indicate "loving more". Being dominant or submissive has nothing to do with how much somebody loves another, and Germany and Italy are obsessed with each other in equal, different ways.

Sorry that this explanation is so long, I tried to keep it concise while also being able to explain this fully in case you are not familiar with yaoi and the culture behind ship name order. If you have any more questions, feel free to reply to this post and I will answer you!

[bentosandbox]

genuinely curious, how do CN&JPN fandoms circumvent this?

disclaimer here about these being very anecdotal I just have too much experience observing/participating (in the JP side especially) also im not a fujo so idk if they run things significantly different over there LOL (like the strictness with ship name order among other things)

1) they have short concise terms to basically declare if a pair is platonic instead of stupidly long disclaimers

JP side has CPなし basically no coupling usually comes with (character names) 'A & B' instead of 'A x B'

CN has 无CP which is basically the same as above, but they also have CB (stands for combination iirc but the way i remember it is B = bros lol)

2) They sometimes have extra names that can double as a shipname or just a catch-all term for the two of them together(in any context) eg. texlapp is also called 双狼(组) in CN but using it does not inherently imply a romantic connotation...? Basically why I use LUNGWRATH and not chen/lin etc**

Even the regular ship names also have more a '(i like to see)these two together' without the omnipresent romantic attachment that comes in EN fandoms imo

3) JP fandom keeps their shipping to themselves for the most part, like for example if you post fanart of …idk, Olivia Silence Arknights you won't be getting comments from people going 'omg Saria boutta XYZ!!' because everyone is busy playing in their own sandboxes

CN is ehhhh you will see shippy comments on official bili videos and I feel like if you use a ship name it will automatically read as romantic but at least there's the term(s) that kinda sends a 'don't even try to see this as romantic' message which is very nice

**tbh i 'break' this 'rule' sometimes eg. i tag every post on chenswire dot tumblr dot com with the namesake since idrc if people see the not-meant-to-be-read-as-romantic as romantic, rarepairs don't really get to be picky xdd

[stepswowdsen]

【YGO DM】 Kaiba Seto 🍄🐉💙

Kaiba Seto 🍄🐉💙

My first time drawing the maniac gay man 🥰🌈🏳️‍🌈

Doodled this really quickly

I tried drawing Kaiba for the first time in my life 👍

My fave YGO DM chara~ Gay autistic meow meow mf man 💞

Kaiba is so Sen-core~

(No one is surprised)

I've been experimenting with drawing his eyes!

First two have influences from YGO's art style, 3rd is a mix of both my usual style and influenced from YGO's art style, and the last one is closer to how I usually draw.

Not gonna tag this cuz I plan on drawing the rest later

KaiYami (Kaiba/Yami) has been my fave YGO ship ever since I was a kid. I have such a huge soft spot for YGO DM…

I'm also into the YGO spin-off series, YGO GX and YGO 5Ds. I grew up with those three during my childhood.

Admittedly, YGO designs are really hard for me to draw cuz YGO designs are always so detailed and complex and sharp and angular and really geometric, too… And I'm not really used to drawing those kinds of designs. I'll be practicing more in the future!

I've seen many artists who draw YGO charas in their art style soften the shapes, so I'm still experimenting and trying to decide how I want to draw YGO charas.

I took some influences from the YGO art style and drew with sharper shapes and a sharper brush than I normally would, cuz it felt more fitting. I'm not as used to this brush yet.

I saw YGO EA KaiYami/AteKai artists represent them with the star and mushroom emojis cuz of their hair… I'm gonna cry LMFAOOO 😭😂

Starfish and mushroom? ⭐🍄

YGO: DSOD

(YGO DM & DSOD: Spoilers)

My friend Cinna has been reading YGO DM lately for the first time, and I got reminded of my obsession for these two. I really want to reread the YGO DM manga and rewatch YGO: DSOD for THEM…

YGO: DSOD (Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions) is a movie that takes place after the end of the YGO DM manga (after Atem passes onto the afterlife).

Kaiba's inability to move on from the lack of closure, and his gay brooding, yearning, and obsession…

It was co-written by Kazuki Takahashi, the YGO mangaka, so this movie is canon. Bless his heart. I hope he rests in peace 🙏

2 hours of Kaiba's gay yearning, baby!!!

YGO: DSOD has really pretty colours…

(These are old screenshots so some of the ones I've saved are super saturated or in low res. I need to rewatch the movie to take new screenshots)

Me: Kaiba has issues but that makes the ship sexy. Next.

The mental illness is what makes him [Kaiba] interesting.

C: Yeah like Kaiba is just dysfunctional AKA average late 90s/2000s anime rival

Me: LITERALLY I swear like almost Rivals/Enemies to Lovers ship goes like this Kaiba is just. More obsessed than most This is on like Douman (FGO) levels tbh

C: Kaiba is a prime example of "So obsessed with someone they want to fight that it's gay"

C: Enzan (MMBN/EXE), Kaiba (YGO DM), Hibari (KHR), etc.

C: If you think about the rivals from that era, from 90s and 2000s animanga, they're all either unintentionally autistic vibed, or generally horribly dysfunctional socially.

C: Ren (SK) is pretty much the typical Rival Chara Type B (Aggressive and rash), as opposed to Rival Type A (Calm and collected), but like, genuinely well written and complex enough to work

Makes me sad Ren is still robbed of SO MUCH writing potential tho cuz of frigging SK's writing tho

Me: YEAH EXACTLY

LMAO

Me: Like the Rival Type A that is very cold, aloof, stoic, cool, calm and collected… Kaiba, Enzan, Hibari

C: DKFKSKDLSKDKSK I WAS SO RIGHT FOR THIS

Me: Hibari (KHR) is not explicitly a rival figure since he's a deuteragonist (protag's side ally) in KHR but he does conveniently slot into the "rival figure" role

Kaiba is rival type A, the very cold, aloof, stoic, cool, calm and collected type…

...

Source: (X)

Kaiba/Yami line in Duel Links (YGO mobile game) 🌈

I know Kaiba/Yami's ship name is Prideshipping in YGO's EN fandom, and it fits them so well because of their pride as Duelists, and coincidentally Gay Pride, but that ship name is so long, I don't want to have to type that everytime. KaiYami it is! Kaiba/Yami also has a good ring to it.

KaiYami/KaiAte and YamiKai/AteKai are what EA ship fans use for them.

I was, and am still insane about this ship, like there's SO much.

Kaiba is OBSESSED with Yami Yuugi (Atem)

THE DUEL LINKS LINES MAKE ME BLOW UP /POS

C: Homosexual. Why is he so gay.

They need to kiss so bad

C: Kaiba is a prime example of "So obsessed with someone they want to fight/defeat that it's gay"

Me: YEAH LMFAO

Not surprising but I find it wild how the dudebros try to insist that Kaiba is straight.

There's not a single heterosexual cell in this man's body. It's so funny.

YGO is so unintentionally gay. YGO is gayer than most shounen???

Cuz just in general, the shounen genre is infamous for unintentional homoeroticism. The shounen staple where an author/series is so homophobic and misogynistic/sexist that it actually cycles back around to being gay/homoerotic

KaiYami is a subtext based ship but the subtext with them is so good. YGO DM feeds us SO MUCH

...

Me: I should reread the YGO: DM manga and rewatch YGO: DSOD. This movie is so fucking pretty man. 2 hours of Kaiba's gay yearning!

Also I find it so funny how YGO: DSOD made Kaiba muscular. Like he was a twink in the OG YGO DM manga

S: WTF HE LOOKS SO PRETTY IN THE MOVIE

C: Two hours of gay fucking yearning Buffed up!

Me: YEA THE COLOURS ARE FRICKING GORGEOUS God I'm so glad the YGO: DSOD movie keeps YGO's sharp black lineart and saturated colours. It's honestly defining to the YGO art style

Cuz so many anime reboots nowadays have flat and bland ass colours unless they're super high end productions (ie. Fate anime productions, etc.)

C: Agghh yeah

...

S: “I hope the reboot of your favorite anime softens up the characters appearance with a new style and makes the colors look washed out“ is terrifying and it’s already happened

Me: My gay sons in their gorgeous glory thank god the colours in this movie are phenomenal

C: Why is Atem yellow though

Me: I think it's just cuz these edited screenshots have super high saturation/contrast 😭 Couldn't find clearer ones

...

S: The blue glow on his arm is making me blow up and act like I don’t know nobody

Me: OH yeah it's from DSOD Kaiba's Duel Disk that holds his deck

F: (CW: NSFW joke)

Kaiba has such a revenge/hate boner for Yami-- Wait no I mean a regular boner

Me: LMFAO. Both lmfao

F: FR THO

S: LOL

C: Canon

F: Btw I never watched that movie, now I GOTTAAAAA …..Oh man and now I wanna draw Yami Yuugi ;;

...

(YGO DM: Summary)

Me: Just gonna put this summary for my non-YGO mutuals and those who haven't seen YGO: DSOD so they can follow along with the rambles if they're curious

Also it's been a long time since I read YGO DM and watched YGO: DSOD so I'm mostly going off memory

3000 years ago, Atem was sealed away in the Millenium Puzzle and lost his memories and name. Mutou Yuugi solved the Millenium Puzzle, causing the spirit of an ancient Pharaoh, Yami Yuugi (true name: Atem), to take over his body to protect Yuugi and his friends. Eventually, others learn of Atem's existence.

Kaiba is the arch-rival of Yami Yuugi (Atem) who is hate obsessed with him after losing to him because he wants to get revenge and defeat him, thinking of him as his nemesis and rival.

(YGO DSOD: Summary)

YGO: DSOD takes place after the end of the YGO DM manga where Yami Yuugi (Atem) passed onto the afterlife. Kaiba, who was unable to find closure, and in his own way of mourning, was looking for 6 months to find a way to meet Atem again.

Kaiba Corporation (KC) develops Duel Links, a virtual reality system that links the consciousness of people around the world to play Duel Monsters.

At the start of the DSOD movie (or at least near the beginning), Kaiba recreates a perfect holographic reconstruction of Atem, down to Atem's deck, voice, appearance, and personality, but isn't satisfied because it's not the real Atem and lacks Atem's soul.

Kaiba has a whole ass space station developed, orders the Millennium Puzzle to be dug up from the excavation site it was buried in, and secures it in his space station for it to be reassembled with the highest quality tech, in the fastest time possible, heavily guarded (like encased in glass and surrounded by lasers and shit), in a safe place only he can access, to try and reach Atem in the afterlife.

F: OMG HFJFJD YEAHHH that's gay af

YGO DM: The infamous episode preview card

(YGO DM: SPOILERS)

Me: Y'ALL ARE NOT PREPARED FOR THIS VIDEO

THE MUSIC AND INFAMOUS EPISODE PREVIEW K*LLS ME LMFAO

(This one's read by Yami Yuugi)

S: I need that one video of a Yu-Gi-Oh character telling someone to not die and the title card pops in right after saying "[Character name] dies!"

Me: THAT SOUNDS LIKE JONOUCHI/JOEY FROM YU-GI-OH DUEL MONSTERS (YGO DM) WHDHHSHSHSD

S: YEAH HIM LMFAOOOOO

Me: HELP I FOUND IT

I'm downloading this video

I didn't edit a single thing, guys, this is exactly what happens 😭😂

This will always be the fucking funniest thing in YGO DM, LMFAO

S: HELPPPPPPP

This is exactly what I needed

C: JONOUCHI DIES 😭

...

Me: This scene became so popular that the infamous episode preview scene lines were read out by Kaiba and Marik's VAs at live events.

Anzu's, Kaiba's, and Marik's in order

Kaiba's VA, Kenjirou Tsuda, reads out the "Please don't die, Jonouchi! Next episode: Jonouchi dies!"

Kenjirou Tsuda is also the VA of TYL Lambo (KHR), Sigurd (FGO), Dainsleif (Genshin)

Jonouchi's VA: THIS GUY [KAIBA] ACTUALLY WANTS ME TO DIE

S: ANISBSIBSISBISBA

Me: Kenjirou Tsuda's deep voice is so good man

I LOVE YOU KAIBA AKLDSKLDSKLSDKL

Gay autistic son!

C: LMAOOO

Amazing

I love how the "Duel- standby!" is read out 😭

By Kaiba

God

C: You are valid

[see-arcane]

Writer asks

Thank you, @bluecatwriter, one of my favorite subjects to write about is me writing about things

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

39 so far

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

289,213. No wonder I have carpal tunnel

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The Magnus Archives, Dracula (the novel), and one story apiece for Frankenstein (the novel) and Last Night in Soho

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Family, Found

Chamomile

Deserving

Along Came a Spider

Another Guest for Mr. Spider

(Fair warning to new folks who followed me for Dracula antics, these are all TMA stories.)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do my best to respond, but sometimes messages will fall through the cracks in the email pileup :c

6. What's the fic you wrote that has the angstiest ending?

...

......

.........

That implies the list is small enough to trim down to a single Angstiest title. I don't think that flies with my stuff. So, a handful:

Zephyrus

Along Came a Spider

Found and Lost

Gnaw

(Again, also TMA. It's a podcast made for woe.)

7. What's the fic you wrote that has the happiest ending?

Also surprisingly rife with those!*

*(All you naysayers hush. Just because I drag the characters screaming over broken glass to start with does NOT negate a happy ending.)

I can definitively whittle the options down to two big ones:

Death May Die is best for sheer Happily Ever After catharsis factor. It's a big old classic supernatural lit crossover and basically an AU take on The League of Extraordinary Gentlefolk webcomic currently being made.

Extinction, Emerging is best for the undiluted ecstasy of the shock ending. Note, this is another The Magnus Archives fic. And it's probably the most hopeful and joyous thing I have ever or will ever write.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nothing I've received personally in comments/inbox

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

I can do smutty scenes and paint in erotic strokes here and there, but even then I don't think what I publish is enough to qualify strictly as smut. More horror/drama with sexual bits peppered around.

When it does sneak in, it's usually there as a flavoring to the larger story or atmosphere. In Kiss Him No More, sex is used both as a predatory act that Dracula plans to inflict out of petty vengeance and possessiveness, and a contrasting act of love and mutual care between Jonathan and Mina. When I write eroticism, I treat it like fire--only as tender or terrifying as its use.

That said, I have written notes and vignettes about some significantly raunchy goings-on, both happy and horrifying, that have never seen the light of day. Time will tell if that changes. ;)

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yep! The League of Extraordinary Gentlefolk was the foundation for three of my biggest and favorite fics in the The Adventures of Jonathan Harker and the Strange Old Men series, and that comic-in-progress is itself a growing medley of Victorian era classic literature characters.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. (But I do keep my account locked so that only Ao3 members can read--AI scrubbers can fuck off.)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No clue

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

Nope

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

[INSERT DISTRAUGHT ENGLISHMAN NAMED JONATHAN HERE] x The Horrors

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but don't think you ever will?

Not a fic, exactly, but there's a Frankenstein tale that I've been pulling apart like Penelope putting her tapestry through the shredder. So many false starts and do-overs! But I'm taking a break from it to come back fresh later

16. What are your writing strengths?

I am so good at making words. So many, many words.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Too many words. Brevity and I are only rarely in the same room together and even then it's because I locked the door and ate the key.

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

I will only hesitantly add snippets of non-English language to dialogue because I'm positive I'll screw up another tongue even with translations

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The Magnus Archives 👁

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Extinction, Emerging, The Adventures of Jonathan Harker and the Strange Old Men series, Along Came a Spider, (all linked above) and Molt.

Tagging

ANY AND ALL WRITERS WHO ARE READING THIS.

ALL OF YOU.

👁

[atohii]

But in all seriousness, tell me a bit about Tobias. What fandom is he from? What's his thing that he does? WHY does he not want to sleep in beds?

alr now that I'm awake

Tobias is absolutely just my Shepard from Mass Effect lol, he's actually the triplet brother of @notxstandingxalone's Shepards Andrew and Henry (sometimes I can still hear his voice) (he's fine he just forgot his login and decided he was done w Tumblr which is totally fair)

They spent a lot of time on spaceships and military housing (Tobi actually didn't land on a planet until he enlisted) and two very loud brothers who can throw shit with their minds + general ship noises + being a light sleeper meant sleeping in his quarters was usually a no-go anyway so he'd just. find somewhere else to sleep. he's been stressing people out by just vanishing since he was eight lmao. and then because anything provided by the military is Uncomfortable he got used to that + sleeping in weird spots Not Meant for Sleeping so now anything too soft and it's just Weird for him. hand him a shitty camping cot and he'll be out for sixteen hours tho

the technical name for his class in-game is infiltrator but tbh he's mostly just a sniper, in the second game you can choose bonus abilities and I usually get him throw since his brothers are biotics and w the whole eezo exposure en utero being how biotics happen it Makes Sense for Tobi to have gotten exposure, he just didn't develop as strongly as his brothers (and figured it out when someone got too close to him on a battlefield and he accidentally yote the poor bastard into the stratosphere)

[natividadmoon]

It's going to be long but I wanted to give an opinion on the whole controversy of Jace's couples

I feel that it is much more complex to speak than just accuse of misogyny or homophobia

ironic because Sara Snow is a character with dubious reality but she is the one who started all this, lets go

I've been with Sara Snow's label since she started hinting at her name since the previous season and I've seen how it all escalates little by little

I don't know who was the first to mention it but I know that the first response was from the Baela x Jace chargers, at that time Cregan x Jace were not very active, it began to become popular with chapter 10

That he gets with the speech of humiliation and debasement of the black woman before a white one by Jace and Alyn (mrd's speech in my opinion because Baela will not stop being a white woman from a racist society no matter what complexion the actress interprets her, the infidelities were made as a white woman) ironic that those were fans of Daemyra (they even celebrated the beach scene) and I saw few complaints with the treatment of Laena, which was the true crime of the series

"That how they were going to take it from Jace" as if his were a prize, etc, etc. They seemed to be more people who didn't read the book yet or didn't remember that Baela was much more than two lines with Jace.

So as a woman and a fan of Elia it was easy to see what parameters were used to have compassion for a deceived and despised woman if she was not a Targaryen (Rhea Royce vs Rhaenyra is a clear example)

The irony that later en masse they grabbed that Sara Snow did not exist and it was Cregan with a wig. and Baela x Jace chargers who cried that if there was love, now they also seemed to live with the fact that HE WAS ALSO UNFAITHFUL with a man.

What I am going to say should be taken into account that she is being a woman, not a man. And it is that I feel that many times women fall into the fetishization and invalidation towards male couples, seeing as a fantasy or "minor relationship" towards a couple of two men, not a real relationship. This is a larger study, but this is in regards to women reacting to male partner history, as well as personal experience moving in different fandoms that include M/M shipping.

Fortunately @atopvisenyashill gave a very good point of the perspective of a gay man (or bi man too) before the Cregan x Jace couple and that opened my eyes a little. I mean, I'm not a man, but I certainly like how a lot of queer men take that pairing and pray it's canon (I even edited them myself because I'm not necessarily against it) bbut I feel like that applies to real ones, (hate that connotation), shippers of those couples that are far from the conflict Jace x Baela vs Jace x Sara

Regarding Sara Snow in the life of Jacaerys there are two points that will not change:

The relationship (more loving than friendly, although the latter can also work) does work to give Jace more nuances. I'm not saying he's a bad character, for me he was the best heir to the throne and my personal baby. But I feel that his character without errors works wonderfully in a historical book, and Jace is also going to be an important character in the series and when he is in a space of real time it will be noticed that he is not 100% like that (because that is what attracts us to characters of similar ages like Jon, Robb, Sam, etc) He feels the pressure of being heir to his mother, he feels the pressure of being a bastard in the series, even after winterfell he drives the dragon seeds. There is a reason that can be explained beautifully, if he gets to know a bastard.

If he falls in love with Sara Snow in the book or series,it will be blamed on a boy who literally has all that on top of himself, and who finds how different a bastard's life is and what he could have been in another time, Could it be a step to later weave friendships more easily like the one possible with Nettles? possibly

I know many say but Sara Snow has no personality and she is only turning to Jace's narrative. well at that point those are many characters, mainly secondary or third. especially with Jace ending up young as a result of his tragic death. Not to mention Harwin Strong, it's not like much is known about his personality beyond possibly "comforting" Rhaenyra or being on the birthing bed (even being present in King's Landing and Dragonstone, we don't even know the name of his sisters or what happened with them) and yet we all love him in the series and even Martin plans to write a book.

I feel like the fight was never in the Cregan x Jace and Jace x Sara shippers. The conflict was always like the Baela x Jace shipper, and their reactions to those two 2 shipps

[blackwell-academys-airdrop]

For the ask game 6,8 and 25

6. which ship fans are the most annoying? uh. No offense intended whatsoever, but I simply do not vibe with Grahamscott (the gay one). I mean, I guess I see the appeal? But it just kinda rubs me the wrong way a little. I think it's cuz it's a very popular (I might even call it overrated) mlm ship in a very wlw-oriented game and fandom. It's like, there's 5 times more mlm on AO3 as opposed to wlw last I checked. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with mlm; it's just not for me, and it's something that gets hyped up a LOT in fandom spaces, often to the detriment of wlw, het, and other ships.

Anyway. Very popular ship for what I would go so far as to call a crack pairing. (The inherent homoeroticism of, uh... beating a guy up so hard he has to go to the hospital?) Want proof? Here are the most popular relationships (platonic inclusive) in the Life Is Strange fandom on AO3 as of the time of writing:

There are more Grahamscott fics than there are Marshfield fics (admittedly not by a lot), and that's a travesty.

FANDOM-WIDE CHALLENGE: Write >17 Marshfield fics so we can knock Grahamscott out of 4th place!

I reiterate: I do not hate Grahamscott, nor do I hate those who ship them. It's got a lot of (non-uwu softboy, mind you) potential. It simply isn't for me.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about Bae or Bay Before the Storm is not a bad game. Actually no wait I'll save that one for 25.

Hm.

How bout this: William was NOT a perfect dad. He was a good one, for sure, but remember: our idea of his character is rose-tinted with Chloe's and Max's overwhelmingly positive memories of him. "That's one thing he left us: wonderful memories." (I paraphrase) I'd like to see his flaws explored a bit more.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing I've said it already and I'll say it again: Before the Storm is not a bad game. It's not a great game, and it definitely doesn't live up to the original, but it's a good game.

High points of the game (keep in mind I haven't watched/played the game in about 4 years):

Steph

Interesting take on a young Nathan

CUNSn

The SMASH scene (brought me close to tears. The controllable helplessness of it all, God)

Steph and Mikey

Skip

EN FUEGO UTERO

I LOVE what they did with Samuel actually

The take on Rachel was really interesting, especially the whole backstory thing and the actress mindset

FIRE POWERS FIRE POWERS

I'm intrigued by the drawing of an older Max hanging from a noose in a tree in Chloe's journal. WHAT does that IMPLY, WHAT does that MEAN

Steph

Barb the Barbarian (I named one of my DnD characters that and made her a She-Ra expy)

Chloe's dream sequences and general sleepiness (reminiscent of depression)

PUTTING AN ENTIRE CAR BATTERY INTO HER PANTS POCKET

The snitch straight-up admitting to Damon that he snitched was not at all realistic but it was very funny

The play scene, especially if you get all the lines right

Victoria drinking the drugged tea

Farewell, especially the little choose-your-own squirrel story ^w^

Low points:

"tHe StArS aRe DeAd" THAT IS NOT ASTRONOMICALLY CORRECT (I have ranted about this before)

Damon. Everything about Damon. His character, his impact on the plot, everything.

The whole James and Sera backstory was really hackneyed

I am ambivalent about the Backtalk mechanic

The whole third episode was just such a letdown. So much wasted potential

Much like LIS, there are a lot of different subplots, but LIS wove them together well while BTS didn't.

I've reblogged a rant about this before, but Chloe has so very little agency while Max has loads of it! Admittedly, the game is a prequel so some things have to happen no matter what, and Chloe's lack of agency (and unwillingness to acquire it) is a big point of her character, but it does not make for a fun video game protagonist. There are way too many But Thou Must! moments in the story.

The friggin' end scene with Frank fighting off Damon

do NOT retcon that Pompidou was a gift from Damon. do NOT

I'm also ambivalent on the whole Max and Chloe text exchanges retcon. Like, I think Chloe miiiight have reached out to her, but Max would not have responded. The anxiety is simply Too Great.

I am also ambivalent about the Sam & Nathan thing. I wish she'd gotten more characterization than just "sweet kind girl who loves books".

Megan Weaver didn't show up. I wish she had, cuz she was evidently important to Chloe for at least a little while, and we know so little about her

I know there was a strike going on or something but I am sad we didn't have the original VAs :( (but they came back for Farewell, so rejoice!)

Chloe's VA's performance was kinda lackluster

Okay THAT got longer than I anticipated. Sorry. Anyway. There are a lot of good points to BTS. There are a lot of bad ones, too. But hey. Canon is a construct.

[brokskar]

Thanks for the tag!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

8. And counting.

2. What’s your total AO3 count?

If we’re talking words, 196,882.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

So far, I’ve only published Hetalia fics. I am currently working on some Ninjago stuff as well.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Calm After the Storm, Mise en Scène; when it rains, it pours; folly of men; when you go quiet

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I haven’t published it yet 🫢🤫

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Probably Nobody Will Love You (Like I Do). It’s a one-shot so there’s less room for me to ruin things emotionally, haha.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I have not written any crossovers. No shade to anyone who does, but I just can't get behind it.

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

Nope. Not my cup of tea.

9. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes! When I first started publishing works, I didn't plan to, mostly because I wanted to be perceived as this mysterious, brilliant writer who just pops in to post some genius work and then disappear, never knowing when they’d return... But I learned quickly that that’s boring, and I much prefer to interact with anyone who takes the time to read and comment on my stuff. It builds community.

10. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I don't think so? Nothing legit, anyway. Every so often I’ll see something and think “Now what was the point of saying that?” But I’m very grateful to those who comment encouraging and introspective things on my works. :)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't believe so.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

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

There was an attempt that ultimately fell through, but I’m relatively positive that it’ll happen some day.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

If you’ve read any of my works, you know it’s DenNor. Literally the only thing I've ever written.

15. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but you don’t think you ever will?

Ugh. I want to write canonverse so bad. I’ve started to. Something deep and angsty about how horrible it is to be a nation, the immortality and all that... It’s been done before, and brilliantly too, I just don’t know if my perceptions will gain the traction that I want for it. And I’m never fully satisfied with how I write it either.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I’ve been told I capture a lot of emotion in my writing. I always want to disagree, and to say that I could do so much better if I really tried, but I’ll take it, lmao. I personally like the way I write dialogue. I try to make things as real and natural as possible.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Transitions, in my opinion. Also acquiring the length I want. The chapters I post are never as long as I want them to be, but I can’t find a way to say everything I want to say all the time. So I just leave it.

18. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic?

I’m all for it if it’s done right! I’m very particular about how writers incorporate more than one language. I tend to copy the Markus Zusak route--in The Book Thief, he’d write German dialogue first, and then follow it up with an English iteration. For example: “Hva heter du?” he asked. “What’s your name?” Some may disagree, but I think it flows really well, and when it comes to fic, you don’t have to scroll to the bottom or have the flow interrupted with parentheses trying too explain things. It translates it right there in the story without taking you out of the story.

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Technically Ninjago, when I was eleven. I didn’t post it anywhere. Then came Hetalia, when I was thirteen. Still didn't post anywhere. Hetalia was the first (and only) fandom I’ve published works for, starting in 2020.

20. What's your favorite fic you’ve written?

Good question! I really love when you go quiet. Very fun for me to write and I’m happy with the praise it received. I also like Nobody Loves You (Like I Do) a lot, and I’ll be turning that into a short series soon, so keep an eye out! 😋 I think I like my shorter works more, because I’m scared if I reread my chaptered works I’ll notice plotholes and other issues. 

Tagging: anyone who wants to play along! I’m horrible at tagging people!

Fic Writer Questions

Thank you for the tag :D @spinyfruit

1.) How many works do you have on AO3

34! they're mostly Oneshots and drabbles.

2.) What’s your total AO3 count?

208,218

3.) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Just Hetalia

4.) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. I call it a draw (Rochu/ Amechu)

2. Nerium Oleander (rusamechu)

3. We need to talk (Rochu)

4. Secret (Rochu and one sided Rusame/ Amechu)

5. Western pleasure (Rusame)

5.) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

It's either Together (rusamechu) or I'll come back to you (RomeChu)

6.) What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Sublime since Itapan is my comfort ship I usually write fluff about them

7.) Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I haven't done this o:

8.) Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yeah, I have a couple of Oneshots and Nerium Oleander has smut too. I guess they can be described as explicit m/m, tough I think it's mostly Rusame or Rusamechu smut

9.) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try to, sometimes I forget or just don't know what to say. I think it's nice to reply, as a reader I get happy when an author replies so...

10.) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not really

11.) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope

12.) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Three of them. Nerium Oleander, I call it a draw and I'll come back to you were/are translated into Chinese (⁠ ⁠≧⁠Д⁠≦��)

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

Not yet

14.) What’s your all time favorite ship?

The black triangle trio (rusamechu) and whatever pair comes out of it

15.) What’s a WIP that you want to finish but you don’t think you ever will?

We need to talk, idk I've reached the point of not knowing what's next in the story. It's probably the only fic I didn't really planned before hand, and it wasn't supposed to have multiple chapters haha

16.) What are your writing strengths?

I like to think that descriptions when it comes to settings and like the overall mood of the chapter/story is what stands out. Also I think I'm getting better at foreshadowing :D

17.) What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably pacing, I struggle to move forward certain parts sometimes, I don't usually plan or pay attention to the time within the story so it's pretty much vague.

18.) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic?

I think it's pretty common in Hetalia fanfics, I did it a couple of times too. I think it's fun and it's a nice touch for a character who's native language is not English but as a writer I find it it's difficult to add it without butchering a language or getting overwhelmed by adding footnotes with the translation haha. If I were to write characters like Spain more often, I would totally do it.

19.) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Hetalia

20.) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Ahhh this is a hard question

I will say that Nerium Oleander because I am focused on finishing it and it's been very rewarding.

But White Flame is also my favorite because it's just me having a bunch of fun with words and world building.

Tagging:

@darcymariaphoster @crumpled--notes @magictrio1118 @fireandiceland @koolkat9 if you want to~

[rosietrace]

[ Sumeragi Yuuta Idol profile ]

"Let's not waste time, shall we? The show must go on after all."

Full Name: Sumeragi Yuuta

Japanese Name: 皇 侑汰

Romaji: Sumeragi Yuuta

Stage name: Aijin (愛人)

V/A(Speaking voice): Uchida Yuma(内田雄馬)

Age: 19

Birthday: November 18

Horoscope: Scorpio ♏

Height: 185 cm

Hair color: Red and black(On-stage), dark brown (natural)

Eye color: Lavender

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────

Idol Division: [ Ramshackle Division ]

Idol Group: [ (Co)-connect ]

Position: Alto-vocalist & visual

[ Singing Voice Claims:

[ Undecided ] (EN)

Toki Shunichi(JP/日本語)

Ni-ki and/or Jake(KR) ]

Likes: MONEY, debating topics w/ group mates, cleaning, fashion, modeling, singing, dancing, making his friends happy, gardening

Dislikes: Unclean environments, objectification by NRC Corp & fans, his boss(Crowley), jogging, orphanages (childhood trauma)

Hobbies: Cleaning, modeling, singing, dancing

Talent(s): Versatile vocals, flexibility, (almost) photographic memory, fast learning, agility, speed, negotiation, gardening

Flaw(s): Manipulative, judgemental, intense germaphobe, sadistic, VERY materialistic

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────

[ Relationships with (Co)-connect ]

Mayuu ⌚ Neutral & respectful but she gets annoyed by his antics

Carol 🍀 Neutral & professional but they can't help but bicker(mostly because of Yuuta)

Juvia🪞Friendly & playful, they dance together a lot

Miren💙 Casual & playful, they often ✨fashion✨ together

Ellis❤️: Friendly & playful, they frequently harmonize when singing

Chizuko 🖤: Casual & neutral, she's a bit done with his shit but knows he means well and tolerates it (for the most part)

[ Additional Trivia ]

Uchida Yuma voices Fushiguro Megumi from [ Jujutsu Kaisen ]

Toki Shunichi voices and sings as Rui Kamishiro from [ Project: Sekai ]

Ni-ki and Jake are both members of [ Enhypen ]

Known in the fandom as the hottest member fanservice and the fashionista alongside Miren

His various showcases of fanservice include: Lifting his shirt, lip biting, winking, blowing kisses, etc.

Has the most thirst tweets and edits in the group

Finds confidence in being titled the group's slut💀

Takes after Maddy Perez in terms of makeup, rhinestones and all

Wears revealing and/or body-fitted outfits to show how confident he is in his body and appearance, not for fanservice

Non-fans usually ship him with the other members not knowing he's in the asexual spectrum (but wouldn't mind a relationship even if he isn't sexually attracted to his s/o)

Specializes in being the alto of the group but is also PHENOMENAL when he does high notes

Is likely to be featured the most in "(Co)-connect being pretty" compilations

Carries the group with his fashion knowledge with Miren

Unlike Miren, Yuuta gets along and isn't afraid of Victoria

But unlike Victoria, Yuuta gets along with Malleus from [ (!)nsomniac ]

Can be manipulative but that side of him isn't shown to his fellow group members and fans

His friendship with Ellis is the most underrated due to the lack of content surrounding them

His most popular friendship is with Miren and Mayuu

Him and Carol are featured in way too many "Carol being done with Yuuta's shit" compilations

Chizuko's usually the one to literally knock some sense into him

Mayuu might actually go insane because of Yuuta, like wtf 😭

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────

Tagging: @starry-night-rose @sakuramidnight15 @crazyyanderefangirlfan @fumikomiyasaki @windbornearchon @nem0-nee @authoruio @twsted-princess @geminiiviolets

[fan-ficing-tastic]

Thiam Starter Kit

Here is a short and sweet starter kit , 3 author, of fics I would recommend to literally anyone, not just Thiam shippers, to get you into the wonderful ship that it Thiam! I included, the number of chapters, words and the status of each fic because those things are always something I like to know personally, but if you don’t care ignore them lol!! I hope you enjoy! 

To start: What is Thiam? Thiam is the ship name for Liam Dunbar and Theo Raeken in the Teen Wolf fandom. 

Is Thiam canon? Technically Thiam is not cannon, but there is a lot of speculation that it was either intended to be or should be. Lots of fans see a lot of sexual and emotional tension and chemistry between the two characters and I would say I have to agree. People tend to write Liam as bi and Theo as either bi or gay. I personally see both characters written in the show as bi, along with Stiles. 

Now lets get into the recommendations! 

Of course there is the classic: Airplanes by Captianmintyfresh 

Author’s summary: After the Anuk-ite and the hunters are dealt with Liam needs a break. Cue Theo and a road trip that Liam should know better than to think will be peaceful.

Status: Complete            Chapters: 43/43             Words: 236,875

Airplanes has also been translated: 

Translation into Español available: Airplanes (Versión en Español) by mariasyko

Translation into Русский available: Airplanes by lissara22

This Author has also written: Sweet talking 

Author’s summary: The five times Theo gets jealous and chases people from Liam's house and the one time he doesn't have to.

Status: Complete            Chapters: 6/6            Words: 28,734

Captianmintyfresh has about 20 other Teen Wolf fan fictions as well has fics in other fandoms, and has recently updated their AO3! I would genuinely recommend anything they have written! 

Secondly, I would recommend basically anything by fallingforboys

My top 3 fics they have written are: 

don't you know i can't lose you (your heartbeat is my lullaby)

Author’s summary: Liam’s chest moves up and down steadily as Theo cleans up the dried red stains and Theo can’t stop himself and just gives in, lies his palm flat against the beta’s skin and watches his hand move up and down in sync with Liam’s breaths, feels the gentle thud of Liam’s heart in the tips of his fingers.

Note: I can never find good hurt Liam, protective Theo fics and this one is so good, if anyone else has a good recommendation for this kind of thing let me know! 

Status: Complete            Chapters: 1/1           Words: 3,162

even before you touched me, i belonged to you (all you had to do was look at me)

Author’s summary: The first time Liam does it, Theo snatches his hand back immediately.

Note: this one is literally so fucking cute I can’t even breath!!!! 

Status: Complete            Chapters: 1/1           Words: 13,955

whisper your gossamer truths into the shadow, maybe you'll find the answers you're searching for

Author’s summary: Theo used to always be in control, used to be able to switch from his animalistic, ruthless side to his stoic facade in a blink of an eye—it used to be second nature. It was, after all, how he had almost broken up the McCall pack last year. But then the pack took him by surprise, broke his expectations—evidently even the McCall pack could be cruel sometimes—and had sent him to hell. And all the training, all the sleepless nights Theo had spent being forced to learn how to hide, slipped out of his fingers. Because apparently, there were some things that made you forget what it was like to be in control, and getting your heart ripped out over and over and over until you forgot what it felt like to not feel an ache in your chest was one of those things.

Status: Complete            Chapters: 5/5           Words: 24,118

Lastly I want to recommend: WordsLeftUnspoken 

Genuinely one of my favorite fics of all time is: What It Means to Stay Alive

Author’s summary: Dangerous characters from Theo’s past arrive in Beacon Hills and want him dead. Liam is seriously not okay with this plan; especially since they seem hell-bent on slaughtering a group of supernaturals along with him. The beta’s in charge while Scott is gone, and no way is this going down on his watch. But if Theo and Liam want to stop the assassins and not be consumed by the passion, blood, and darkness that surrounds them, they’re going to need each other.

Set after 6x16, but the Hunter situation is ignored/on hold. Contains dual perspectives that will switch throughout chapters. Eventual E (Trust me. I’ve written the chapter. It gets there.)

Status: Complete            Chapters: 10/10          Words: 70,139

Note because I have to: This one is actually fucking amazing! I have read it probably two or three times which I never do! Soooooo good! 

There is also: Afterglow

Author’s summary: Finally. The chaos has been quieted; the threats resolved. Long suppressed words have been revealed, and secrets confessed. Both Theo and Liam have laid their souls bare for each other, marveling at the effects of giving in to who they truly want. But it’s easier to breathe whispers in the darkness of the night, and like it or not, daybreak will always arrive with tomorrow just around the corner. How long can they stay lost in each other before the world catches up?

Can be read as a multi-chapter epilogue to What It Means to Stay Alive, outlining the weekend that follows the final chapter. I’ll add more tags as I go because I don’t want to spoil anything. Will have alternating perspectives throughout the chapters as usual, and ratings will also jump around.

Status: Not Complete(?)            Chapters: 3/4        Words: 22,301

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

I posted 1,326 times in 2022

726 posts created (55%)

600 posts reblogged (45%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ladypfenix

@jiangwanyinscatmom

@kingcasanuva

@ponderation

@newhanfu

I tagged 864 of my posts in 2022

Only 35% of my posts had no tags

#mdzs - 424 posts

#mo dao zu shi - 403 posts

#fanart - 95 posts

#svsss - 80 posts

#scum villain - 78 posts

#cql - 61 posts

#wangxian - 61 posts

#the untamed - 60 posts

#fashion - 57 posts

#canon jiang cheng - 51 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#ship what you want just don't make it something it isn't and try to call it a romance of beauty and could ever work in any healthy capacity

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

( I have the very lovely @kimalysong to thank for encouraging me to post this bit of overthinking which I greatly appreciate!)

Now that we have a full line up of the EN release for the covers of the main story for MDZS, I was curious to discuss the running theme of them which consists of Wei Wuxian metaphorically looking towards his future (meaning Lan Wangji) throughout the art.

For reference, each of the covers:

See the full post

264 notes - Posted October 28, 2022

#4

MXTX fandom needs to stop having an obsession with making the straight dudes seem gayer than the actual protagonists.

Just saying, that washing of them (i.e Jiang Cheng, Feng Xin, Lan Xichen, Shen Jiu), to make them fanon gay and to prop them up over the canonical queer men, is highly disturbing on the English-base side of these takes.

You "making the work more gay" by doing this, is tone-deaf when you sweep away the leads just because you "don't like so and so" dynamic but slap that same thing on the straight men.

320 notes - Posted March 8, 2022

#3

Lan Wangji could probably be chewing on Lan Xichen's forearm as hard as possible and the guy would still be going "He's the greatest and cutest little brother ever right?" All while everyone else stares in horror.

366 notes - Posted October 19, 2022

#2

I will never get how some will read all the way through MDZS, get shown and told that all the lies based around Wei Wuxian were all untrue, and still tell themselves that Jiang Cheng was still wronged and his feelings are still "valid" by the end.

Jiang Cheng's feelings stopped being valid the moment he decided to be like his mother and choosing to hate people because that was easier than fixing the parts of him he disliked. It stopped being just a problem between his parents and him when he decided to use Wei Wuxian as a shield to name all of his wrongs to lash out against. You do not call someone just a support when you only use them as a scapegoat to say they are the reason for what you did not get in life. You do not call someone a friend or sibling and tell them they owe you for protecting them and then hold that protection over them as a price they have to buy into.

His story is tragic, but it stopped being empathetic when he dragged his projection of failings from just Wei Wuxian on to Lan Wangji and Wen Ning. He chose to project that his father and Wei Wuxian were playing favorites and always choosing someone else over him, when he himself did nothing to mature out of the angry sad child he had been. A child's feelings of being able to do nothing in the face of rocky parents fighting over control are valid. A grown man who continued to find a parental figure to rage against without ever bettering himself, is not.

Jiang Cheng got the ending he deserved because that was the effort he put into his bond with Wei Wuxian. You do not do the bare minimum and expect open arms after years of bitterness and hate that you created from your own insecurities and fed to the world. As an adult you do not continue to be hateful and expect unconditional love from the one you hurt constantly and belittle. Nor because you do one "good" action does it erase the pile of hate you put into the world and demand you are owed something from another. Forgiveness does not mean an opening to rekindle a relationship that is broken, it's just a door closing and sometimes it isn't ever going to be opened for you again.

You move on though and be yourself without excuses.

374 notes - Posted August 29, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Wei Wuxian thinks he's the bad boy in the relationship, and turns out it's Lan Wangji.

687 notes - Posted January 25, 2022

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