#i didn't write it as a ship but if that's what you read it as you do you! /gen

[gracemisconduct]

This has been a strange Christmas. The first without my dad. I've always struggled with being explicit about emotion; this is the second major grief in my life, and the first nearly killed me. This time, I'm trying to be open, less self destructive, but man, it's hard work. My mother, still here, is...someone who loves me better from afar. She also struggles to accept that this has happened to more than her. And yet, Christmas, funerals, and the time of year forces proximity, and forces everything that comes with it.

He died in increments, then all at once. I first saw him die a little ten years ago, getting a pacemaker. Then a little more two years later, when he was so breathless he couldn't walk across the small medieval town I lived in. I saw him die a little bit when he was diagnosed with cancer, and when he broke down crying at my wedding. I saw him die most and fastest this year, when he went from visiting China to not having the strength to sit up in bed by himself. And then, all at once, he died.

I never knew there was so much admin involved in death. People would ask how I was; I had no idea. I was too busy sourcing a death certificate, arranging a funeral, writing a eulogy, telling friends and family he'd died, sorting my mum's finances. Every now and again I'd burst our crying. Then I'd stop.

Through it all, two things kept me just about sane; walking, walking everywhere, and fantasy. Good fantasy, bad fantasy. Smut and angst and fandoms and AO3 and all the wonderful ridiculousness of it that teen Grace loved and 20s Grace tried to pretend she didn't. Now I'm in my 30s, no shits are given. It was a balm, a source of humour, a relief. A place of happy endings of all kinds. A lot of BG3. It even made me think about doing a little writing of my own, though we're far from there yet. Thanks, hellsite, for the wonderful wildness of this place. Thanks, makers, for putting your work out there into the world for me to get lost in and cling to like a life raft.

____________

So, who was my dad? He was the most accomplished man I ever knew; nearly 40 years curating Japanese art and metalwork at internationally renowned museums, published books, honorary positions, a photographer, a ceramicist, a singer and more. His eulogy took days to write just to remember everything he did, and we still missed things.

His curiosity for culture, his love of learning, his collecting of obscure facts and bizarre stories, was infectious. It was the golden thread of my brother and I’s upbringing, with weekends and holidays punctuated by museums, bookshops, National Trust properties, standing stones and sci-fi movies, and everything in between. It was this same passion and curiosity that meant his list of friends and admirers was longer than your arm. He was a G.I. and so am I. Yes, I stole his badge.

When we were looking for readings for his cremation, we came across this poem. It's a later addition by Tolkien, written by Bilbo as he travels to the Grey Havens, thinking about his life and what comes next. I think that dad - LOTR narrator, deliver of funny hobbit voices, old hippy - would appreciate it. I hope you do too.

Day is ended, dim my eyes,

but journey long before me lies.

Farewell, friends! I hear the call.

The ship's beside the stony wall.

Foam is white and waves are grey;

Beyond the sunset leads my way.

Foam is salt, the wind is free;

I hear the rising of the Sea.

Farewell, friends! The sails are set,

the wind is east, the moorings fret.

Shadows long before me lie,

beneath the ever-bending sky,

but islands lie behind the Sun

that I shall raise ere all is done;

lands there are to west of West,

where night is quiet and sleep is rest.

Guided by the Lonely Star,

beyond the utmost harbour-bar

I'll find the havens fair and free,

and beaches of the Starlit Sea.

Ship, my ship! I seek the West,

and fields and mountains ever blest.

Farewell to Middle-Earth at last.

I see the Star above your mast!

- J.R.R. Tolkien

notes on grief - chimamanda ngozi adichie

[hannahbarberra162]

Will EP omega reader meet the whitebeard pirates? How would shanks react?

Hi Nonnie!

This was originally the trajectory before I decided to take it in a different direction. Not all the WBP since this story is set after the Paramount Wars and they’re disbanded but I was going to have the Reader meet Marco….

This is an alternate ending so not as proofread / edited. This is set after Reader has come to from the heat (you’ll get that scene in the next chapter - which, yes, I am writing). Shanks is a bad boy in this one, don't come for me.

I'm not gonna do the tag list for this (except @mfreedomstuff ) since it's not a chapter of the main story. I do have a few more ideas / scenes I thought of for this maybe I'll write them eventually.

All the actual chapters

~

Shanks POV

Your first heat had gone well by Shanks’s estimation. The physical demands were rough on you, you had been sleeping and eating in excess since it ended to make up for the days on end with little of either. He’d also had to recuperate after your heat but because you began heat in a worse state it was taking you longer to get to your baseline. He checked on you every hour or so as you slept, bringing you food and water as you needed it. You protested with a groan as he checked your temperature and breathing but allowed him to move you as he pleased like a limp rag doll. 

There was one thing that bothered him though - the bite mark from Kid still hadn’t healed. He’d given you his word during the heat that he wouldn’t claim you but he didn’t like seeing the bite from your former Alpha. He’d already spoken with Hongo about it already but the doctor said there wasn’t anything to do except wait.

Unless.

Shanks had known Marco the Phoenix since he was a child, the former Commander slipping in and out of his life like the tide. They weren’t friends exactly but Shanks had offered Marco the opportunity to join his crew many times. He’d slept with Marco a few times over the years and Shanks deeply enjoyed the experience - though they sometimes fought for dominance.

But there was something in Shanks that had always wanted to bring Marco to heel. Marco acted like he was above Shanks, like he was better than him. He always had too, enjoying being the golden child of Whitebeard for years after Shanks had to watch his own Captain publicly executed by Marines. Even after Whitebeard’s death Marco hadn’t joined Shanks’s crew which stung his ego. It didn't help that Marco’s Zoan form had an ethereal beauty like no other and it only elevated his charm and charisma. Marco was powerful, strong, handsome and well respected outside of his piracy for his skills as a physician. Unlike others, Marco wasn't fooled by Shanks's games and lackadaisical attitude and saw right through him. No, Marco needed to be shown his place in the world but the opportunity hadn’t arisen. 

Regardless, Marco could heal the bite on your neck in seconds if he visited the ship. Mulling over the idea, Shanks decided to call and see if Marco could fly out. The ship wasn’t that far from Sphinx, Marco could make the trip quickly if he so chose. Grabbing his snail off his desk, he dialed and waited.

“Oi, Marco. How are you?” Shanks asked the calm looking snail as the call was picked up.

“Shanks, to what do I owe the pleasure yoi? What do you want from me?” Marco responded dryly, already anticipating a request. The snail was looking over at something else as Marco continued to work through the call.

“Maybe I just want to see how you’re doing, call up an old friend,” Shanks teased before turning serious. “I am happy to hear you’re doing well, but you’re right, I need a favor. I have an Omega on my ship and she has a wound that’s not healing -”

“Is it not healing or not healing fast enough for you yoi?” the Phoenix interrupted, still not giving Shanks his full attention as he continued to read. Shanks’s irritation was rising but he buried it deep, he wanted Marco’s help.

“It was an infected claiming bite that didn’t take. She just went through heat and it was bothering her, she kept rubbing at it until it was raw. I had to Command her to stop before she left it alone. She’s still recovering - her previous Alpha beat the shit out of her, she was barely alive when I found her,” Shanks said with a frown on his face. Marco was a lot softer than people knew - he was sympathetic to weaker people suffering at the hands of those who were stronger. Shanks knew adding in the bits about your status would tip the scales in his favor. The snail sighed and looked at Shanks with its heavy lidded stare.

“How is she now?” Marco asked, the doctor in him rising to the surface. Shanks gloated internally as he knew he had Marco hook, line, and sinker.

“She’s sleeping a lot, eating when she wakes. It was her first heat - she’d been taking suppressants for years on end so it was particularly rough. I think she’d return to normal faster if she wasn’t also healing the bite,” Shanks mused aloud, knowingly ensnaring the former Commander further.

“Hm. And I suppose you want me to come heal her despite the fact that Hongo likely told you to wait it out yoi,” Marco said with a frown. Shanks smiled brightly, Marco correctly guessing the desired outcome.

“Well, if you’re offering…” Shanks said, letting the sentence dangle. He waited in silence, knowing Marco was going to accept.

“Where are you?” Marco asked in a huff, crossing his arms.

“Not too far from Sphynx, maybe a day’s flight away,” Shanks said jovially. 

“Fine. Head towards the island, I’ll get the coordinates from Benn. You owe me.” Marco said with finality before hanging up the snail. Shanks’s smile widened even further.

Your POV

You heard an unfamiliar male voice near the entrance of the cabin. New men weren’t something with a positive association for you but this voice was melodious, almost like a bird song, the person speaking with soothing calm. Listening in, you heard the Emperor speaking to the man like they were old friends. A knock on the cabin door alerted you that they were about to come in so grabbed the blankets and pulled them up to cover your nakedness. You hadn’t worn clothes since before your heat and all that you had were the Emperor’s.

“We’re coming in,” announced the Emperor brightly. As the door opened you saw a man as tall as Benn standing behind the Emperor. His teal eyes met yours and the world stopped for a moment. You’d never seen someone so beautiful in your life, his wanted posters not capturing his true essence. You knew it was Marco the Phoenix but you couldn’t bring yourself to say a single word. You nearly uncovered yourself to walk to him but stopped yourself at the last moment. He wasn’t speaking to you either, standing in shocked silence by the doorway with a stethoscope wound around his neck.

The Emperor looked between you and Marco and started talking but you weren’t listening. All you wanted to do was talk to Marco, to bare your soul to him, even though you’d never met before. He smelled like coconut, pineapple and a touch of spiced rum. You had the urge to lick his scent glands, to bask in the glorious smell of this Alpha. You’d never felt this way with any other Alpha - certainly not with Kid but also not with the Emperor. He walked towards you hesitantly, like you’d bolt if he moved too quickly. You watched his graceful movements as Marco approached, entranced by his very being. The Emperor suddenly put two fingers under your chin and tilted your face to his own. 

“Have you met Marco already?” he asked with a tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes. You noted his stiff shoulders and dominant body language. The Emperor was annoyed and in a dangerous mood, you thought to yourself. Marco forgotten for the moment, you nuzzled into his hand - an act that he’d praised you for before.

“N-no. I was just distracted,” you said quickly, afraid to admit you were staring at the handsome stranger. Your proactive touch mollified the Emperor somewhat as he dragged his thumb up and down your cheek.

“I apologize for startling you yoi. Like Shanks said, I’m Marco. I’m a doctor -”

“And a pirate,” Shanks added, giving Marco a smirk. Marco gave the Emperor a disdainful look.

“Yes, and a pirate yoi. I used to be Whitebeard’s First Division Commander, but that’s in the past. Now I’m just a doctor,” Marco said with a calm smile. 

“I’m not so sure, maybe we can finally convince you to join our ranks after all,” Shanks continued, giving Marco a strange look. Marco returned Shanks’s look with one of his own. You weren’t sure what was being communicated between the two men but you didn’t want to be in the middle of it. Cringing backwards, you covered yourself up further with the blankets. Marco’s gaze flicked to your face and his countenance softened. 

“It’s alright, I’m going to take a look at you yoi. I heard you have a wound that isn’t healing, is that right?” Marco said, pulling a pair of gloves from the pocket of his doctor’s coat. He sat down next to you on the bed, still towering over you with his tall frame.You nodded, moving your hair to the side so Marco could see the wound still left from Kid. He sucked in a deep breath through his nose and put on the gloves.

“I’m going to touch you now, just around the bite, OK?” he said to you softly. You nodded again and shifted towards him in the bed to allow him easier access to your neck. The Emperor moved and leaned against the opposing wall of the cabin, watching Marco’s every move with barely concealed interest. You weren’t sure what he was thinking but you hoped nothing bad came to Marco because of it.

Marco moved his fingers along the stitches Hongo had given you, pushing on the wound in a few spots. His assessment was clinical but it was the most caring anyone had touched you in a long time. He hummed to himself before placing the buds of the stethoscope in his ears. 

“I’m going to listen to your heart and lungs yoi. I’ll press the bell of the stethoscope against your skin a few times and listen, OK?” You nodded eagerly, waiting for the contact to continue. You knew what stethoscope usage entailed but it was thoughtful that Marco described what he was going to do anyway. You pulled the blankets down further than you needed to give Marco access to your chest and back.

“How’s she doing?” Shanks interrupted, sitting himself next to your other side on the bed and putting your hand in his own. Marco removed your hand and returned it to a resting position.

“Shh. I’m listening,” Marco said, dismissing the Emperor. You were sure Marco was hearing your heart beating fast from Marco rebuking the Emperor. You’d never heard anyone speak to him that way - even though his crew were relaxed and casual they always maintained an air of respect towards him. Marco on the other hand was irritated with the Emperor and didn't hesitate to make his feelings known.

Marco placed his fingertips on your back, his warm touch gentling you to the sensation of the cold stethoscope. As he listened, you saw his eyes rove over your well loved body from the heat. Your gaze dropped and your cheeks heated as you looked over all the hickeys and bite marks over your front from your heat with the Emperor.

“One more deep breath, there we go,” Marco said soothingly, rubbing a small circle on your back. You did as he said and he removed the stethoscope from his ears.

“I can heal the wound yoi. Like I already said, it was healing just fine on its own. You were too rough with her during her heat. Look at her, she’s covered in bruises and bites. If she’s already healing wounds you shouldn’t add more. Control yourself,” Marco continued, giving the Emperor a dirty look. You hugged your knees with your arms and ducked your head for the ensuing confrontation.

But none ever came. Instead you heard the Emperor’s laugh ring out in the cabin.

“Eh, it was more difficult than I thought. Would you care to find out?” 

Marco POV

There was no doubt in his mind the cowering little Omega was his fated mate. He wondered if you could feel the connection too but given your acute distress and prior experiences he doubted it. He felt a pull to you, he was drawn to you like a moth to a flame. It was like some missing piece of him had settled in his soul and he was finally complete, after looking for something he didn’t know was gone. You were absolutely breathtaking, even littered in the evidence of harsh treatment by other Alphas. His first instinct had been to whisk you away on the wings of the Phoenix far from Shanks, back to his home on Sphynx where he could claim you and keep you safe. Alas, things would not be so simple in the real world.

Your scent soured as Shanks extended Marco a crass invitation to have sex with you. Marco highly doubted that he’d shared you before - Shanks was covetous and jealous by nature. Even now while Marco was attending to you as a medical professional Shanks was inserting himself unnecessarily to gain your attention. Shanks hid his true colors under the guise of an easy going and amicable nature but Marco knew better. He was cold and calculating, always seeking what he didn’t have. Which is why he’d never joined Shanks’s crew despite the many offers or dallied with him more than a few times. Shanks never let something that he wanted slip through his fingers and Shanks wanted Marco.

Marco’s hackles rose but he pushed the feeling down. He needed to play nicely with Shanks and think his plans through before he acted. No matter what Shanks did or said, Marco wasn’t strong enough to take him on. He’d lived with an Emperor for long enough to know that Shanks was in a class of his own and even the Immortal Phoenix could be killed by his hands. Instead, Marco put his hand on your shoulder and stood up, inserting himself between you and the Emperor.

“I’ll heal her now then let’s chat outside for a few minutes yoi,” he said to Shanks with a neutral expression. He turned to you and gave you a warm smile, trying to convey his love and kindness in a single facial expression. He thought he saw the flicker of a smile on your sweet mouth.

“I’m going to use my Devil Fruit powers to heal you. It won’t hurt so you don’t need to worry,” Marco said, already trying to heal your growing anxiety. You nodded at him and your shoulders relaxed slightly, revealing the ugly bite on your neck. Something part of him was pleased you weren’t claimed by Shanks but Marco didn’t think it was due to benevolence on Shanks’s part. Marco knew you’d be claimed in the next heat whether you wanted it or not. His gift worked best on skin to skin but he didn’t want to make you too uncomfortable. 

“I’ll be on the deck. Don’t enjoy yourselves too much,” Shanks said with a wink. Marco wanted to throttle him right there - couldn’t he smell what his remarks did to you? How afraid and small they made you feel? But even so Marco was thankful for the reprieve from Shanks’s presence. The Captain swaggered away after patting your head like a beloved dog, slamming the door to the cabin behind him.

“Nothing is going to happen that I haven’t already told you. I’m going to heal you with my powers and that will be all. I do have to touch you and it works best if it’s nearest to the injury. May I heal your neck?” Marco explained in a calm and patient voice. Giving you expectations of what he would do might quell your anxiety. You nodded once more, still not speaking. Marco reached slowly for your neck, one of his hands large enough to wrap around nearly the whole thing. The other he placed on your upper back to steady your erratic breathing. In his heart he wanted to pull you in for a soul searing kiss but he’d have to deal with Shanks first.

“Easy, easy. I’m going to begin, alright? It might feel strange but it doesn’t hurt,” Marco said as his flames began to rise over your neck and upper chest. Your eyes opened wide and you tried to swivel your head as you were engulfed in his power but Marco kept you steady. “It’s alright, shh, it’s alright. Relax, just relax, nothing bad will happen yoi,” Marco cooed at you as you ceased looking around like a frightened rabbit. He didn’t want you to struggle against him, nothing in him could ever hurt you. You soon allowed him to heal you without worry, closing your eyes and leaning into his touch.

Marco focused first on the bite but extended the flames to the rest of your body as well. He healed all the marks Shanks had left until there was no sign that you’d ever been intimate with the Emperor. Before removing his hand from your neck he felt something unusual.

“Do you have an old injury here yoi? To your larynx perhaps?” Marco asked quietly while palpating the area, not wanting to alarm you. You looked down and nodded again. 

“Would you like me to heal it? I’m not sure it will work completely but it may help,” Marco offered. He’d learned over the years that some people preferred their scars and marks to remain as momentos or as badges of honor. Though injuries like the one you had to your throat were rarely something worth remembering. 

“Yes, please,” you rasped. Marco tried to heal your broken vocal chords and damaged neck to the best of his ability, sending wave after wave of healing flames to the area. All too soon, the healing was complete and he had to go deal with Shanks.

“How do you feel now?” Marco asked, removing his hands completely from you. They itched to remain on your skin but he wanted to give you the space you needed.

“Much better, thank you,” you said, reaching to touch the now healed bite on your neck. He’d only heard your voice briefly when you were trying to soothe Shanks’s ego but it sounded smoother already. 

“Unfortunately it did scar a bit due to the age and severity of the injury but the scar should fade somewhat over time,” Marco said as your nimble fingers probed the area. You stretched your limbs and gave him a ghost of a smile, looking up at him through your lashes.

“Thank you Marco,” you said softly. Marco had so much he wanted to say and do but the Emperor was waiting for his audience.

“I’ll be with Shanks if you need me,” Marco said, rising from the bed. He felt your eyes watching him as he crossed the messy cabin and left, closing the door softly.

Shanks was sitting at the circular table on the deck, his ochoko filled with sake. His calves were resting on the table and his arm was behind his head in a relaxed pose as he watched the sea. To most, it would look like he didn’t have a care in the world. But Marco knew Shanks was toying with him, like a cat would a mouse before the death blow. Benn was reading the paper next to his Captain and gave Marco a pleasant nod when the two made eye contact. Marco returned it. 

“We have a lot to talk about,” Shanks said, still gazing at the sea. Benn took that as his cue to leave, folding his paper in half and tucking it under his arm. He gave Marco a clap on the shoulder as he passed.

“She had greater injuries than you told me yoi,” Marco complained as he sat down in the now unoccupied chair. 

“Yeah, she was pretty busted up when I found her. I took her from Kid - not sure if you knew him, I didn’t before then -” 

“She’s my fated mate,” Marco cut off Shanks, wanting to get to the heart of the matter. He was loath to play Shanks’s games but for now he’d have to endure. Shanks grinned a toothy smile and lifted his feet off the table, planting them on the deck. He crossed his legs at the ankles and sat up, picking up his ochoko.

“Hm, fate is a cruel mistress. Since the Celestial Dragons interfered with the mating process, fated mates have become an old wives tale, a bedtime story for children. They say when an Alpha finds their mate they would do anything to stay by their side and keep them safe. That a bonded Alpha and Omega share the same lifeline, their chests beating with the same heart. So how fitting that a myth should become real for someone so mythical,” Shanks said, swirling his sake in the small cup. The Emperor’s eyes danced with mirth as Marco watched him take a drink from the ochoko. Marco felt like a snare was tightening around his ankle, like a wild animal stuck in a trap it would never be able to get out of. 

“You’re not going to release her yoi. Are you going to claim her?” Marco asked, already knowing the answer to both questions.  

“No, she’s staying with me. As for claiming,” Shanks said before draining his cup, “I will during her next heat. But so can you.” Marco didn’t react outwardly, keeping his face still as his heart threatened to burst out of his chest. Shanks refilled his glass to the brim with sake.

“I did some research and it seems Omegas can be claimed by two Alphas. But I found out something even more interesting. Did you know Apex Alphas can claim other Alphas?” Shanks said, pouring sake into an empty ochoko. Picking it up, he extended it to Marco. The implication was clear - Marco would be able to claim you if Shanks claimed Marco. Marco would never be able to leave Shanks though he was unsure of other possible ramifications.

“We’ve had fun before, eh Marco? I think adding an Omega would be beneficial for both of us. You’d be able to stay with her, tend to her, care for her…along with my help, of course. What do you think?”

Marco knew he had only a few moments to consider the proposition or Shanks would revoke it and think of something worse. Marco tried to engineer a solution to his problem in the short time frame but Shanks had him backed into a corner. The Alpha in him couldn’t leave the Omega on the ship, he needed to be near her and protect her like he needed to breathe air. He wasn’t strong enough to challenge Shanks for her and win. He couldn’t leave her and he couldn’t take her. Marco’s eyes met Shanks’s triumphant gaze and broad smile.

Shanks had finally won.

Marco extended his hand and took the ochoko from Shanks. Every moment spent with Shanks further sealed his fate but it also brought him closer to you. 

“Welcome to the Red Haired Pirates,” Shanks said, draining his cup with a cold smile.

[vanillarosekiss]

Hello dear~ idk if this kind of request is accepted or not but can u write simon/price/any tf 141 with east asian s/o and them trying to comfort her because some people are just jerks saying that she’s clinging to them bcs she has white men (or black men if gaz) fantasy? inspired by what happened to me irl and it’s so annoying and makes me feel bad ajsjsjfkfl

Of course I can my lovely!♡ I'm so sorry that you've had to deal with this, it's so unacceptable and really disgusting. Pls don't ever put yourself down because of other people's words!! You are so loved (this goes to everyone reading this post!) My dm’s are always open if anyone ever needs to talk about anything🎀

warnings: mentions of discriminatory behaviour, John Price x eastasian!reader (this could be adapted for anybody though), afab reader, self depreciation (mediated with cuteness overload fluff at the end!)

You never meant to let their words get to you. You would brush the comments off at first, forcing a fake smile and pretending that what they said was nothing more than an annoyance which would pass. But days later, their comments still sat heavy in your chest, like weighted stones. The consistent echo of their sneers clawed at your thoughts.

"She's just with him because of his skin. It's all a fetish, isn't it?"

John Price found you in your kitchen, staring blankly at the counter top whilst you waited for the kettle to boil. It had finished long ago, the steam dissipated, but you hadn't moved an inch.

"Hey," he said softly, his voice holding a calmed aura. "You're quiet. What's going on?"

You snapped out of your trance and hesitated, biting the inside of your cheek.

"It's nothing," you muttered, but the slight wobble he picked up in your voice betrayed you.

Price stepped closer, setting his hand gently on your lower back, grounding you.

"Don't do that," he said softly. "Talk to me."

You sighed, shoulders sinking under the weight of your day.

"Some people- they said... things. About me. About us."

You swallowed hard, staring down at your hands.

"Like I'm only with you because you're a white guy. Like some sort of stereotype."

Price didn't speak right away, but you could feel the tension radiating off of him, the way his hand stilled on your back. When he finally spoke into the silence, his voice was slightly lower. "And you believe them?"

You blinked up at him, startled by the subtle sharpness in his tone. “No… of course not. It’s just— it’s cruel. It makes me feel like-” You stopped, your throat tightening unexpectedly.

John noticed, obviously, and leant down to give you a sweet, short kiss. “Don’t listen to that rubbish. People like that don’t know the first thing about you. About us.”

“But it still hurts,” you whispered.

His hand snaked around your waist u til it found yours, his touch gentle. “Of course it does, pretty girl. Doesn’t mean it’s true.” He kissed you again, pulling you into his side. “You don’t have to justify yourself to anyone, love. Least of all to people who think they’ve got the right to judge something they don’t understand.”

You let yourself lean into him, his warmth seeping into you as you breathed in his familiar scent.

“They don’t matter, alright?” John murmured, his arm tightening around you. “What matters is what we’ve got, yeah? I know you. I know your heart.”

His words gave you solace and comfort, something you’d been seeking for what felt like forever.

“I love you.” you said quietly, your voice muffled against his shoulder.

“I love you too, baby” he replied without hesitation.

this lowk made me sad so i had to make the end super fluffy

Tag list: @punkkture @soapisgod @slut-lmao @sebastianstans-slut @ilikeoldmen @g1rlfa1lure0 @queenoflaflames @tmartin0918 @kkloubee @goldie-221 @patricksoulmate @writingandsins @mxnee777 @caro-line19  @decaffeinateddelusionbread @poohkie90 @lovidovii @xoxoxoaspen @i-ship-stony-and-superfamily @simonrileysdarling @angelica456

Please lmk if you’d like to be removed or added to the tag list, I won’t take any offence!

[barbiegirldream]

Replying here with the utmost respect and as someone who read each chapter and was there on leak nights to see how both fandoms reacted in real time. I do not think this is a fair or genuine read. Like I love itafushi and Bakugo is my gay goat of all time but this is just not comparable?

This discredits and ignores the build up in the epilouge in context of Ochako and Deku. Where Deku is told by Bukugo to treat his special person special. Which in real time led to people bemoaning him getting the wingman role. Where Izuku wants a chance to talk to Ochako. They're Both shy and trying to open this not at all casual conversation up. Both are focused on the other. Now Ochako she's going through the comphet of the century but it's Still a ship that is happening. Was the dap up silly? Of course but you have to be trying really hard to discredit every bit of this as clearly the start of a relationship. The debate could be in the comphet of it all but not in if it really happened.

Now Ozawa and Yuji is Much more contested for a reason. Because of two things. 1. We have seen a one-sided crush from Hana on Megumi, and the same pattern is followed here. The crush pov is entirely on the girl and the boy is oblivious. 2. Yuji's youth and childhood is the emphasis. Ozawa is focused on the crush, and Yuji is focused on the snow. Megumi goes on to contest Nobara thinking Yuji is on the precipice of adulthood by saying children don't inherit adult things. They're all kids still. Of course, there is a potential future, but unlike Ochako and Deku, these two don't even know each other, and Yuji is very unlikely to bring a normal girl into his world. Those are some pretty significant differences, imo.

I think the nature of the endings showed this because no one thought it was Itafushiover, like immediately when the epilouge dropped, but Bkdk Twitter acted like the sky was falling. While Itafushi fans did brace themselves ahead of time for a full relationship confirmation and seeing the same MegHana nothing burger breathed a sigh of relief while Bakudeku fans were overdosing on copium <- what I personally saw on twitter being in both fandoms. So it's not sincere to act like people didn't and still don't see a difference. In the fandoms and in the writing.

If I had a nickel for every time almost half the fandom called a ship canon based off of a casual conversation in a shounen manga's epilogue, I'd have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice…

_________________________________

If I had a nickel for every time a shounen manga ended with no canon ships but somehow half the fandom still found a way to discredit one of its most profound fanships just because they were M/M, I'd have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

[silverlining-ships]

I'm deeply curious! You understand and analyse Jasper very well. Where did you start with this? I'm wanting to understand the characters of my f/os on a deeper level as well so I can be confident writing and drawing them, but it feels daunting when there's so much to cover and consider! Arcs, themes, motivations, connections to other characters, how they change... Is it just a matter of time/paying prolonged attention?

this is SUCH a fun ask, thank you for giving me the opportunity to go into this a bit!! character analysis is SO much fun to me, even outside of self shipping, so I'm so grateful for this!!

so disclaimer. I have engaged with steven universe specifically since it aired, which is probably too many years. this world and its mechanics are incredibly familiar to me just from how long I've played in this world. so it sometimes is partially a matter of time! but character analysis doesn't always need time, sometimes it just needs a bit of playing around! some of the things I do are:

wiki hopping:

this is SO much fun to me. I'll read a characters wiki until I hit something that makes me think wait... why is that? fandom wiki is always imperfect so no matter the character there are normally inconsistencies or things that just seem thrown in there

an example with Jasper is I was reading her wiki and reread the piece where it says she's implied to know how to pilot a Roaming Eye (piece of surveillance spacecraft) and was like. . . wait. I know she is a Quartz soldier, which are like ground level front line muscle in the caste system. so WHY would she know how to pilot SPACECRAFT?

so that's my question, and I'll hop around the wiki overall to try and find an answer! in this instance I refreshed a lot of my memory on the caste system, some of the other Jaspers, the spacecraft in the show.

sometimes I won't be able to find an answer - which is where I can use headcanons to fill in the gaps! I could go on and on about the conclusions I've reached with Jasper, but overall I feel as though she is a specially designed soldier made when the war was at a low point, and with her ground expertise and stellar record they pulled her into other necessary tasks during the war - like piloting!

essay writing:

no I'm not kidding and everyone who's reading this knows that. I LOVE building essays. no it doesn't have to be perfect grammatically sound text, but it can be so fun to start a text post posing a question/commenting on something you noticed from a character, and just. elaborating on it!

like for example, I have a text post somewhere where I pose the question that - if Jasper is so against fusion, and fusion is taboo in Homeworld, how did she know its functionality enough to initiate fusion with an entirely different Gem? and I just went through stuff. considering different scenes I've seen her in, the wiki, of course. it's a lot of rambling! but I feel the rambling helps draw you to a conclusion

engaging with the media itself:

one, our source media is always fun to come back to, so now you have another excuse!

two. . . you will always notice something new when you re-engage with the media. maybe the character reacted to a conflict in a way that you didn't really think about that much before. maybe you notice the character's physical expressions or the way they gesture.

engaging with the media also gives you a chance to really feel out a character arc as well. you can read the wiki all you want, but really diving into the source material helps you feel the pace that it was intended to go at.

other things to consider:

really when you're doing char analysis for fun you want to focus on what interests YOU specifically. for Jasper, I am consistently so so fascinated with who she was behind the screen and trying to figure out her history from the very little the show gave us, so I tend to analyze those things specifically and try and figure them out. always start with what YOU want to learn first and just. . . build it up from there!

"Arcs, themes, motivations, connections to other characters, how they change…" - these are all SUCH fun ways to explore a character, but which ones fascinate you the most? what do you love about your f/o, and then. . . why are they like that? why do they DO that thing you really like?

I hope this wasn't too rambly I love talking about char analysis hahaha

[its-no-biggie]

here are my thoughts from a reader's perspective - if there's something romantic between character A and character B, even if it's never official, you should tag it A/B.

especially if it's the focus of the fic. doesn't matter if it's a will they/won't they or a past relationship or even a one-sided attraction - major romantic pairings should be tagged so people know what's in the fic. you can always be more specific in the tags or in the author's notes - to avoid spoilers, some authors include a link to additional warnings in the end notes, or with a little html knowledge you can put potential spoilers under a drop-down. and even if you don't want to specify whether they get together or not, if the fic is centrally about their relationship i'd say it still warrants tagging A/B. although you will most likely get some angry A/B shippers if you don't at least suggest that they might not be endgame somewhere in the paratext.

personally, if i'm in the A/B tag, i would absolutely want to see fics about A and B dancing around each other and never getting together. but if i saw a fic about A and B dancing around each other and the author didn't specify whether they get together or not, i'd be less likely to click on it. but that's a personal preference - when reading fanfiction, especially fanfiction centered around a specific pairing i really like, i generally like knowing what i'm getting into. sometimes i like straightforward getting-together stories, and sometimes i'm up for something less neat and tidy, but if i can't tell which it will be then i'll probably just scroll past. not saying that you have to tag things that are spoilers or anything - not every reader will even feel the same way about this - but i just wanted to point out that spoiling the ending in the tags isnt always a bad thing.

and if the relationship isn't the focus of the fic, i would still tag it as A/B, but if it's only in the background you could also go with "minor A/B". that way people who want to avoid any A/B still can, but people who are looking for A/B will know that it's not a major part of the fic.

either way, i would avoid using A&B unless the romantic nature of the relationship is up to interpretation. don't use the platonic tag just because the relationship isn't official or doesn't work out - messy romance is still romance and should be tagged as such. i've read fics that tag both A/B and A&B because they were written in a way that could be interpreted as either romantic or platonic, but if you're writing it as unambiguously romantic - flirting, pining, confessing, whatever - use A/B only.

at the end of the day, you don't have to tag anything you don't want to. it sounds like you might be in the unfortunate grey area where people who dislike the ship would want to avoid your fic, but shippers will be annoyed that it doesn't contain what they wanted. and there's no real clean solution there, so it's really up to you and what you think works best for your fic. best of luck o7

I've always wondered when it comes to tagging fanfiction:

If you're hinting at a pairing getting together but then it never actually happens, should you still tag the ship? Not tagging it might spoil the ending if you're intending to bait and switch, but tagging it might enrage everyone who wanted to see the ship. What do people usually do?

[harrowscore]

why are you, as an adult in 2024, still hung up on reylo. why are you still mocking the shippers. why do you believe yourself to be superior only because you dislike a stupid ship from a fucking space fairytale. girl (gnc) get a grip

[the-tulpar-daycare]

Hi :-D

I've read your Winter fic and wanted to say I LOVE it! Adorable baby Winter.💙

I also wanted to ask if I could request one with maybe Turtle taking care of Kinkajou? Just wanted to ask.

That's everything thanks. :-)

aaaaa thank you so much!!! ^^ i'm so super glad you liked it teehee! :3

here you go!! sorry that it's kinda short! i hope you like it! >w<

“Turtle!!!” Kinkajou shouted, bounding down the hall towards the SeaWing. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see the dragonet’s bright yellow scales before she tackled him, knocking them both into the pool Turtle was laying by.

Kinkajou flailed a little bit, splashing around in the shallows. Intense colors, much more vibrant than usual, flashed across her scales, yellow and pink and cyan.

“Ack! I’m all wet!!” Turtle responded to her observation by splashing her with his tail. She giggled and splashed back at him.

“Take that!” she crowed, grinning ear to ear. “Get drowned, spooky sea monster!!”

“Oh nooo!” Turtle declared, cowering under the spray of water. “I’ve been bested!” He flopped backwards into the shallows, splashing Kinkajou again.

“ACK!!” She floundered out of the pool, giggling. Turtle flipped back over onto his stomach to watch her, getting sprinkled with droplets as she shook herself off thoroughly before sitting under the ledge Turtle had been resting on.

Turtle dragged himself out of the water, laying down beside her as she prodded at some algae that had washed up onto the stony shore. She seemed happy just squishing it under her claws until she decided it was gross, flicking it at Turtle and muttering a quiet, “Ew.”

She slumped forwards, laying down and submerging her front talons in the water. “Tuuurtleeeee?” she asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

“Yeah?” he replied, fiddling with his armband.

“I’m bored,” she whined. Turtle splashed her again, and she shrieked and giggled.

“Let’s go, then. C’mon, I think Sunny put out new coloring pages by her office.” Kinkajou jumped to her feet at Turtle’s words, racing off down the hall. Turtle rolled his eyes fondly and got to his feet, chasing after her. “Wait! Slow down!” he called half-heartedly as he raced behind the RainWing. He didn’t care that much. She could have some fun.

[sskk-manifesto]

Ep 5!!!

[chocodile]

Chiming in with my own thoughts here, too!

First off: I would say that a weirdly and inappropriately intimate enemyship/frienemy-ship with occasional weird psuedosexual undertones is absolutely the intended reading* of Hyden and Ambroys' relationship.

I'm not one for traditional romance but I am absolutely one for fucked up dynamics, including those with romantic or sexual undertones. I find things most compelling when there's some sort of fundamental mismatch going on that slowly poisons the relationship and makes everything slowly collapse in a catastrophic way, but not before limping along for way, way too long first. It adds texture! Drama! Many, many opportunities for the characters to ask "what the fuck am I doing, I should stop" and then continue doing it anyway!

Regarding sexual content (since that's what I tend to get asked about more often myself, since for some mysterious and unexplainable reason people aren't as eager to view Hyden through a romantic lens): I too tend to view sexual content as more of like, a fun little dessert at the end of a nice dinner--I enjoy it, but it would lose its appeal if it was too large of a percentage of my overall character output. I genuinely have far more fun hinting at it and writing all the stuff around it, playing up that tension. Explicitly portraying it almost feels like it would spoil the game or something, right? Like the act itself could never quite live up to the imagined version being hinted at. Especially while staying within the boundaries of canon. Probably.

Overall though I gotta say: It's fantastically, unimaginably cool that people are invested enough in this story to have preferences, thoughts, speculations, things they wanna see and that they ship and that they speculate on. I genuinely love that so much. It's deeply, deeply flattering as a creator. I almost don't wanna put my own thoughts on the table because I don't want that to interfere with other people's experiences of the story. I don't wanna make people feel like they're enjoying the story "wrong" if they do ship the characters, or want to see sexual content, or read things into the story we didn't intend, or anything else. Kwillow and I are just more in love with the chase and the tension than the actual "payoff" when it comes to romance and sex, I think!

...Also I love love love that you self-described as a "freak liker". Feels good to find my people, hah.

*in so far as there is an intended reading to something we just kind of threw together for fun with no planning :P

The fucked up dynamic between Hyden and Ambroys is kind of sexy ngl. You've said you're not a shipping person so not trying to push an agenda here or anything, just gotta say thanks on behalf of the freak likers. I also feel this way about a certain rat and Hyden. You guys are so good at characters and making these awful and compelling dynamics.

Hahaha well obviously I think their dynamic is great fun to play with too. Whether it be their full-on enemyship in Amaranthine or them bonding over being rich cads in other settings, they're tons of fun in their complementary awfulness.

Same with Hyden and Theo. I think their dynamic, built on childish fantasies, misplaced loyalty and manipulation, is also delightfully fucked up and headed for disaster, which is the best course for any fictional relationship.

I find it a little funny that I seem to have garnered a bit of a rep as a shipping-hater. It's not so much that I see no appeal, but to me it is an occasional insubstantial treat, one that I dip into every so often but find unfulfilling as my main artistic output. When I see or hear others talk about how much they love shipping and don't read anything but romance, it sounds like someone saying they eat cookies and candy corn for every meal. I don't know how a person would be satisfied with that. :P

[giallos]

a truly terrible idea has latched hold of my gremlin brain which is, buck and tommy do break up so that buck can pursue eddie because either tommy thinks buck is in love with eddie or buck feels like he should be with eddie because everyone else keeps suggesting there's something more there BUT buck/eddie getting together changes their dynamic so much that neither of them are enjoying themselves (and they're worrying about losing what made their friendship so special because of all the changes to the dynamic) AND buck and tommy keep hooking up [air quotes] platonically (with tommy stumbling into inconvenient feelings and pining pathetically for buck while fucking him) while buck struggles to sort out intense feelings toward eddie (which obviously have to be romantic of course) vs. his calm, more settled feelings toward tommy (they're not as intense as his feelings about eddie so they can't possibly be romantic) blah blah long story slightly less long but buck realizes he's been in love with tommy the whole time and was having trouble separating strong but platonic feelings for eddie from his romantic feelings toward tommy and then tommy's like "newsflash asshole i've been in love with you the whole goddamn time"

i'll never write it because it's irredeemably stupid and i value my peace but it IS sitting in my hindbrain tormenting me right now

[lily-claw]

Respect tagging etiquette and take your cope out of the izuocha tag. Why should we be unhappy. It doesn't matter that he didn't catch her. Bakugo caught Izuku after apologizing yet Izuku never thought about that moment or acknowledged it, he only thought about Ochako cheering him on which made him emotional in the same way he was when All Might allowed him to have his dream.

Omg if my thoughts upset you that much sorry but I was just sharing my thoughts, of course you dont have to be unhappy😂 I never even said "izuocha shippers should be unhappy". I said "if *my* main ship was izuocha, *I* would be disappointed".

Also if I gotta talk about "the same way Izuku being happy just like when All Might allowed him to have his dream." thing, I'd say I think you are wrong.

And if you really are an izuocha shipper, It's funny how you equate Ochako (the love interest) with All Might (his idol and he kinda looked like a dad figure in the last movie). 💀

When All Might said "You can be a hero" Izuku had nothing. He gave him hope. When Ochako cheered Izuku; I think he felt extremely happy and blessed to have a really good friend.

He didn't have any time to think about romance then so I think that we can say he never thought about that moment too💀 Now this doesn't come to you so logical too, right? After Katsuki apologized to him, he cried while running to him dude, lmao.

I think Izuku thought about both of those moments. I put izuocha tag there because I talked about izuocha too and as long as izuocha shippers are respectful with me, I would love to listen and talk with you too. Care to explain to me how this is not respectful please?

One of the izuocha shippers in that post's comment pointed an izuocha moment I forget and I thanked them. When I wanted to answer them, I put that pic there too so any other people would see that too. I've never said izuocha shouldn't be canon, I said "if izuocha is gonna be canon, it should be better than this" because Izuku and Ochako deserve better than this. How is this not respectful, please tell me 😶‍🌫️

Also if you are gonna be like this, PLEASE read whats written there carefully before jumping to anonym asks, you might hurt someone's feelings like that while harassing people like this💀

[rabbitindisguise]

Some innocent soul: oh you like [anime title]? :)

Me, trying to sound normal: haha yeah 👍

Also me: *kicking the thousands of reblogs on Tumblr of gifsets and handful of fics I wrote about two characters 69ing under my bed*

[match-your-steps]

just read a review of the lego movie from 2014 and it is genuinely a horrible piece of literature and through perusing the comments underneath the review, I have gained an intense dislike of the reviewer. it's not even that I liked the lego movie and he didn't it's just that a lot of the stuff he says is factually incorrect, really stupid-sounding, or he doesn't provide any real reason, and in the comments, he reacts to even the friendliest and politest constructive criticism as if it's a personal attack on him.

[burinazar]

It's a bit funny that to parts of my circles I'm 'the fandom one'/'the fanfic one'/'the shipping one' as the person they know most prominently into such things

because as much as i love writing my fics and shipping my ships my interest in both of those things is, I think, very narrow and specific compared to most people who are into them? due to my habits being like. very particular

[necrotic-nephilim]

do you ship helena bertinelli with anyone? if yes, then which characters and why? what's your favorite helena ship? do you have any helena rarepairs? (i know you've talked about helena/steph and you're so right about it, it's a very interesting ship)

!!!! i have so many ships for my best girl ever yes oh my god thank you for asking.

my top pairing is probably Vic Sage/the Question. Vic is the basic answer, but man. i love them so much. no couple has matched each other's freak like that have. Justice League Unlimited is a great adaptation of Helena in general, but it also did a great adaptation of Helena and Vic's relationship. how he just dedicates himself to helping her with no expected return, but also wants to make sure she doesn't go too far in a hunt for vengeance that never ends for her. i think a lot of characters often want to change Helena or expect things out of her for their own needs, like the Batfam and the BoP. but Vic is one of the few people who just wants her to be better for her own good. when he tries to stop her from killing it's not because of his morals, it's because he doesn't want this crusade to consume her. and i just. man i think about them a lot. Helena rlly likes weird little men who give themselves wholly to her.

Zinda Blake/Lady Blackhawk is also a top ship for me. tbh i just like Zinda. but i do love how Helena and Zinda interact, being the more rough and tumble members of the BoP. they're both outsiders, in different ways. Helena is an outsider of the Batfam and Zinda is literally from a different time and an outsider to the current world. their friendship is so genuine and i think if Babs and Dinah can have. whatever homoerotic nonsense going on during BoP, then Zinda and Helena deserve some homoerotic nonsense too. as a treat.

if we're willing to count New-52 Helena, then i enjoy Helena/Dick/Tiger. i think Helena and Dick being a past relationship is really important in pre-Flashpoint for Helena's development, though i don't ship them as a serious couple beyond a fling. but in the New-52, i think this throuple be fun. Helena and Tiger respect each other as two very driven, no-nonsense agents and then well. they both clearly have some kind of thing for Dick. so it's fun finding the balance of how they could all work together romantically.

and ofc. it's a crime to mention Helena ships and not mention Renee Montoya/the Question. every time they interact it's really fucking gay. it's so gay that Kate Kane, Renee's own ex, assumed Helena and Renee were gay. i cannot be convinced against this ship. i genuinely think this ship should be canon. i mean. DC did tease us with this moment from an alternate universe and it's lived rent for me since. fucking criminal for us to only get one panel of what we could have if DC let Helena be a fruit in the main universe. being in love with Helena Bertinelli should be a right of passage for the Question mantle, i personally believe. if you asked me like. genuinely who i want to see Helena date in the current comics, Renee is my top pick. (i would say Vic but he's fucking dead and the New-52 butchered him so rip my mans-)

lois lane (2019) #10

besides those ships, just about every ship for Helena probably falls into the category of rarepair. like you said i've talked about my love for Helena/Steph before bc god. i think it should be a thing more people ship. once i finish the fic i'm writing about them i will convince others to like it.

i also think Helena/Cass could be fun. in a *lot* of ways Helena and Cass are narrative parallels to each other. Helena was a victim of her family being murdered at about the same age Cass was forced to be a murderer. Helena grows up to believe in lethal justice because of this, and Cass grows up to be staunchly against it. Cass' Batgirl suit was made *by* Helena. they both want to be protectors of the most vulnerable people. they balance each other out in a lot of ways and i think they should kiss about it.

also probably a rarepair, i think Helena/Lady Shiva is fun. their fight during Birds of Prey (2010) had... questionable moments for Helena's characterization, but i do love so much that Helena knocks Shiva off her feet and gains a deep respect from Shiva. like. Shiva gives her a nickname and shows her admiration. i would like to see fanfic where Shiva continues to be weirdly admirable of Helena and bothering her non-stop. they could be a fun fucked up toxic yuri moment. this is just. so gay to me.

birds of prey (2010) #6

my most rare Helena pair would probably be Helena Wayne, actually. but specifically Helena Wayne of JSA (2022). ever since, for some reason, it was made canon that the current Helena Wayne was named after Helena Bertinelli and took the name Huntress to honor her i *cannot* stop thinking about them meeting. because in-universe it makes *no* fucking sense for Bruce to name his kid after *Helena Bertinelli*, someone he's regularly at odds with and doesn't like. it's clearly an awkward explanation to try to make the whole two Huntress situation make sense. (it's almost as bad as Helena Wayne in the New-52 using Helena Bertinelli as an alias.) but because it's such an odd choice, i do think it could be fun for Helena Wayne, when she's back in time to see Bruce, to find Helena Bertinelli to get to know the woman she was named after and Helena Bertinelli just being. baffled by the idea of *Batman* naming his kid after her. it could be a fun fucked up moment.

my other super rarepair is Kara Zor-L/Power Girl. they had like. one meaningful interaction of JSA Classified and it's been PLAGUING me. something about when Power Girl doesn't remember her past and she's seeking a friend, she instinctively goes to find Huntress? but it's wrong bc this isn't *her* Huntress and neither of them understand why Power Girl would seek Helena out? god it's so good. i'm always a big fan of ships where one person in the ship is *so* obviously using the other person as a replacement for someone they lost and they both know it. it's such a doomed angsty thing where you could play with Helena actually really liking Kara, but knowing that she's just a replacement for Kara's Helena Wayne. good fucked up shit man.

and lastly: i really ship her with Dawn Granger/Dove. there's no canon basis for this, they didn't have a ton of interactions even when they were both on the BoP. but there's a very kind innocence to Dawn that contrasts Helena's violence really well. and i do love a ship with a corruption kink vibe to it. let Helena corrupt Dawn. i could write such fucked up porn about these two.