#i don't think i ship it but am equally obsessed with what's going on in that jet

[minamorsart]

What , And how did you start pairing lotura, And Plance .?

Ooooh boy am I excited to answer this!!! This is going to be a long answer, hope you don't mind! Because I have some specific memories about these two ships, particularly lotura, that I would absolutely love to share with you!

Prepare for a long read! Hehe

Starting with lotura, when season 3 came out and Lotor made his debut, of course I was all 👀👀👀 Because that day something awoke in 19 year old me that I didn't realize could ever be awoken lol. And I wish I could remember exactly what my reaction was to his cat-and-mouse chase with Allura in the episode "The Hunted", but at the time I must not have considered the idea of them ever going in the direction of a romance. Looking back now though, how could I have been so blind??! That chase scene is HOT. I mean just look at them!!! Look at Lotor especially woah mama 😳

Season 4 was mediocre to me at the time, I will confess, for a lot of different reasons. But then season 5, man... SEASON 5!!!! I remember it was March 3rd, 2018. I wasn't keeping up with the show anymore, but I just so happened to see an article online that said season 5 had been released the day before on Netflix. I told my sister and we decided, "eh, let's watch at least the first episode."

And we watched the first episode, alright. And then another, and then another and another until we watched all six episodes in one sitting. We were both blown away! Lotor... Allura... together???? 😲

Their adventures, their chemistry, their clear attraction to one another... I was OBSESSED!!! I shipped them hardcore after that. They were and are still my #1 OTP, and it's because of them that I really tried to work hard and improve my art! I wanted to draw them all the time, making mini comics and AUs, and while their tragic ending actually left me in tears and I was upset for a really long time, I can now say that I have been able to heal and move on from it--eh, mostly anyway, haha.

It still hurts, but 5 years later I feel that I've matured and come to a greater understanding and acceptance. I have come to really appreciate how perfect they are for each other, both aesthetically of course (cuz lookit that sexual dimorphism babeyyy) as well as the many, many things they have in common. I have also come to appreciate their flaws, their imperfections, and the mistakes they made regarding each other and their relationship. They may have gotten a sad ending, but they were still truly equals in every way. It's just beautiful, and my love for them now is stronger than ever :')

For Lance and Pidge on the other hand, it's not quite as clear as when I started shipping them! I remember rolling my eyes at Lance and Allura's first meeting, like "okay Lance is one of THESE guys, here we go 🙄"

Other than that I didn't really ship Lance or Pidge with anyone! If I'm recalling correctly, I don't think it wasn't until after season 6 that I started shipping them together. I remember reading metas and analyses of their relationship that people were making in anticipation for season 7's release, and the more I thought about it, the more I started to really like the idea of Lance and Pidge getting together! And there are definitely subtle hints throughout the earlier seasons of Pidge's feelings for Lance, as well as their fun chemistry with one another, like the episode "Space Mall"!

The hints are not so subtle to me now, but back then it wasn't until I watched season 7 that I actually became hopeful that they could be a couple! I especially loved the moments when Pidge indirectly called Lance "cute, in a creepy, hideous sort of way" lol, and when Lance become very protective over Pidge in such a way that I don't think we ever saw him react before! I was honestly taken aback by that moment!

And again, their ending was definitely less than satisfactory, particularly Lance's ending (still hate it with a passion), but just like with Lotura's relationship, I have also come to appreciate many things about Plance's relationship today. While Lotor and Allura have so much in common and are able to reach an understanding with each other that they can't with anyone else, it would seem at first that Pidge and Lance are far too different to be compatible. And it is true that they are very different, but for one, that can be a good thing! The foundations of some relationships are built off of their differences. It can make someone more compassionate and more open-minded when they have a willingness to accept and appreciate the differences they have with their partner, and a willingness to take a genuine interest in the things that their partner is passionate about, even if they don't completely understand.

And two, at the same time, Pidge and Lance DO have things in common! They both love their families, both have a stronger connection to Earth compared to the other paladins, and they are able to bond with one another over fun pastimes such as video games! How cute is that??!

And just like with Lotor and Allura, I also love Pidge and Lance for their flaws. It did take me a while to come around to Lance, because while he has his funny moments and one-liners, I also found him very annoying at times lol. But I think the fact that he can be really annoying honestly makes him the most realistic character in Voltron. Not necessarily the most relatable, at least not for me, but definitely the most human! Because there are people in our real lives that we love and cherish deeply, but they absolutely have their moments where you go, "ugh, you're so annoying and it really frustrates me when you act this way" but we still wouldn't trade them for the world 🥰

And just to draw one last comparison between Lotura and Plance, I especially LOVE how incredibly different the two pairings are even from each other! To me, Lotor and Allura are sexy and passionate, while Pidge and Lance are pure and fun! They're all so unique and special in their own ways, and they bring so much to the table, both for their characters and for their relationships.

I can't help but write essays every time I get asks, I'm so sorry lol 😭 There's so much more I could say about these guys, but I think I'd better stop here haha! I had a lot of fun writing about Lotura and Plance, and I hope you had just as much fun reading this! I really love these characters a lot. I'm so incredibly grateful that they exist, even if in the form of fiction, and I'm even MORE grateful that my love for them has continued to grow over the years. Thank you so much for the ask!!!! 💖💜💙💚

Oh and one last thing: we were robbed of a lot of different potential interactions with a lot of different characters, but I have to say it would have been fun to see more of Lotor and Lance interacting with each other! Lance was always acting out due to his jealousy, while Lotor on the other hand mostly just ignored him lol.

[kairos-polaris]

Beloved, why do you ship jonelias? Why do they consume your waking thoughts so?

I am glad you asked :D

So! I really enjoy uneven "problematic" power dynamics and this was what originally attracted me to jonelias. I listened to mag 92 and thought "jonelias seems like something I would ship" because even then I could tell they fit my taste. I also just like protagonist/antagonist ships, complicated relationships are my favourites

mag 92 is one of my favourite episodes as a jonelias shippers for a couple of reasons. at first it was solely the conversation between Jon and Elias and how it was about Jon getting changed by Elias, because of Elias. Jon was being openly vulnerable! "Am I still human, Elias?" he asks Elias who has just confessed to murder and keeping people hostage. Jon, who had so much respect and admiration for Elias' expertise, turns to him even in that moment. It is Elias who he seeks reassurance from, he asks another monster if he is one

Another aspect of mag 92 I am obsessed with is the opening statement and the way Elias puts Jon above everyone else (telling him to discard everyone in his pursuit) while also placing Jon on the same level as him

(Side note: I am still not sure if I prefer Jon to sit on Elias' lap/have Elias clean his wound or to focus more on what they don't do, on the gaping distance between them that they both wish wasn't there but both have their own reasons to not bridge it. Both are so good)

Vampire metaphor! Jon is a walking vampire metaphor and Elias is his maker, his creator. I am so obsessed with the idea of Jon feeding on Elias, pulling fear from his mind and Elias enjoying the intrusion and the freedom the compulsion brings. He said it felt tingly! Freak (affectionate). Also, telepathy and mind meld is so delicious

What I love most about jonelias is what I love in others ships: obsession and fully knowing each other. Beholding allows to take knowing and seeing your partner to another level, Jon and Elias can know and see each other in ways other people in their lives can't

Moral corruption is inherently fascinating to me and especially Jon. He gets worse throughout the series, his only anchors to humanity are his own guilt and the people around him who more often than not just reinforce that guilt (this makes sense in the context of the story but you can't guilt yourself into being a better person and that's why it doesn't really work for Jon but I digressed). I like thinking about all the ways Jon could be worse, the ways Jonah could push Jon into following his worst impulses, into choosing to be a monster instead of drowning in guilt to not feel helpless and powerless

I love jonelias when it's about all the things they wish to do but don't because they have other priorities, because they know but don't understand each other just like their patron. I love jonelias when it's Jon giving in, letting go. Of his morals, of his guilt, letting Elias shape him into something new. I love the idea of Jonah Magnus who worships no god, not even the one he serves, adoring and worshipping Jon and especially the parts of Jon that he himself had shaped. The Pygmalion and Galatea of it

Jonah chose Jon! He saw him and knew he was right! Jonah wants the Archivist and he wants the Archivist to be Jon. Sure, Jon was marked by the Web first but Jonah picked him too and I love it. It's fascinating from both of theirs perspective, Jonah feeling proud he made the right choice and Jon having a complicated mix of feelings about it. He hates that he was chosen and he just a little happy that he was chosen and he hates himself for it

Another thing I really like is the way they say each other's name! Elias calls Jon by his name a lot and I hate when people act like he doesn't

Jon and Jonah are very similar and I find that fascinating too. They are both workaholics and nerds and losers and freaks!! And I love them for that. And and and I really do think they could have eventually been truly equal if not for Jonahs prioritising his evil plan

Also they are sexy, I don't make the rules

[teecupangel]

I had an idea, but am stuck on a Desmon/Deimos (Alexios) fic. I don't no which way to take it. Either way it starts a little after Kassandra first sees Deimos is alive, Desmond gets teleported back in time. Dropped right at Deimos' feet. He thinks Desmond is a "demigod" to and a gift from the gods. Spins it in his own head that Desmond could be the Aphrodite to his Ares. Every god has a consort after all.

Now here is where I'm torn. Would it be better to go with

A.) Desmond escapes him and as Demios is hunting him down at the same time Desmond runs into Kassandra. He tells her there is a maniac hunting him and Kassandra is just like "well that sucks I'm in the middle of something, but stick with me and I'll help you." unaware that it is her brother hunting him. They stick together, bond, and somewhere down the line Demios catches up to them.

B.) Stockholm syndrome Desmond who is just tired of everything and kinda just gives in. Cause Demios is certainly devoted, obsessively so, but is it such a surprise that Desmond just wants someone to love him.

C.) Not quite Stockholm syndrome Desmond where he sees what the cult has done to Demios and tries to help him through it because all he sees is a more dramatic version of the farm. Demios being a more suped up version of what they wanted him (desmond) to be.

Or D.) Dark Desmond who is equally as tired as B desmond but goes about it much more different. He has a rather powerful "demigod" in love with him who would raze cities in his name and lay any treasures he asks for at his feet. Demios could help him get more POEs and hell, maybe even kill an isu your two. How could he pass this up?

Those are some ideas but I'm not sure which is the more pleasing option.

Any help would be appreciated <3

Sorry nonny, this answer is a month late TTATT

Also, if by help you mean help you choose, I will be no help at all.

Instead, I’ll give you more ideas for each ideas you have XD

A) This could easily turn into a found family between Desmond and Kassandra, with the crew of the Adrestia as well. In this one, you can focus on Desmond joining Kassandra on her travels because he has nowhere else to go and Kassandra doesn’t mind picking up ‘strays’ as long as they work at the ship. Plus, Desmond was good at sailing, more than anyone else in the crew. He also has the strangest ideas for upgrades that works really really help so, truly, Kassandra wouldn’t mind saying that Desmond was a godsend. Of course, Deimos would see them close and become jealous. It doesn’t matter if Kassandra and Desmond don’t have any romantic feelings to one another, the fact that his Aphrodite chose his older sister instead of him just covers his wounds with salt and he’d become more obsessed with having Desmond. This could be the one where Deimos has a heel turn and a redemption arc or… a story of how obsession can burn everything around it.

B) This can be the smuttiest of the four with a heavy serving of a not healthy dom-sub relationship. Their relationship would be toxic for both of them and this is one where Desmond doesn’t really care about anything while Deimos tries to win his affection by doing what he does best… murder and chaos. This can turn darker than D honestly.

C) Okay so this is like B but Desmond keeps his sanity and tries to help Deimos to his redemption arc. This would work better as a slow burn with Desmond simply trying to help him, not realizing that he’s falling in love with him until it’s too late, he’s in too deep and fuck it he’ll follow Deimos to the depths of Tartarus just so he could drag him back up.

D) You can make this a Dark!Desmond setup where the pain of dying and being thrown into the past had changed Desmond in more ways than one. In this one, they could both be two people starving for love and affection that found one another. But instead of helping each other be better, they just make each other worse. A lot of “the world versus us” mentality with Desmond being the whisper in Deimos’ ears that would lead to him taking out the cult himself just to please Desmond. Desmond, on the other hand, does love Deimos, he truly does, but he also has a warped sense of justice by this point and would probably create his own Assassin Brotherhood. This one could have Deimos worshiping Desmond as a god turned mortal, more of the Persephone to his Hades than the Aphrodite to his Ares.

[aloyxtilda]

I need to say something. The saltiness I have seen against Seyka. The negativity to Aloy and Seyka's relationship even. It's hurtful and sad. I am so sad to see this from such an amazing community that I love very much. A lot of us LOVE Seyka. Attacking her character, claiming she is written badly etc. Please stop. All that is a salty opinion that some people may agree with but doesn't mean it's true for the rest of us. And it's hurtful to see everyone attacking each other over it. You are allowed to be critical of the story. But attacking each other, lashing out, being mean is wrong. I love all the characters in Horizon. All of them! And it's fine if you don't. But be polite and respectful.

Aloy is confirmed bi/lesbian. Can't we all be happy for her at least? Your fantasy still continues on with whomever character you ship her with. It doesn't need to be canon. That's not what this story is about. It's not about your fantasy. It's about Aloy's growth and her learning about love. It was beautifully and respectfully told too. So relatable as a lesbian for me. Everything. And in my opinion, It wasn't rushed at all. It felt natural. Realistic. 🌹💞

Then you got the saltiest ones saying. "But Aloy has built up all these other characters who mean something to her and putting Seyka with her as her lover is like tossing the rest of the characters under the bus." 😒 Really? So That's like me saying. I got all these people who are into me sexually and friends in my life who I made deep connections with. That means I should and must date them?? 😬 Red flag alert! No!

Sorry kids but that's not how it works. Seyka just happens to be what Aloy wants and opens her heart at the right time. It's realistic, natural and her own decision. I feel like Tilda and Lis' tragic love story helped to make Aloy realize something deeper in herself. It's Guerrilla's story and they are telling it beautifully. Not some cheap dating sim. Look, I ship Tilda with Aloy. I get it. But I am not upset that Aloy never got with her. Specially since it was canon that Tilda was totally obsessively in love with Aloy and Lis. Then she went and died. (Left up to speculation of course. 😌) Spite whoever Aloy is with romantically, I just want Tilda to be in the 3rd game.

It's fiction and supposed to be fun. But people are legit shitting on Seyka and each other! I find Seyka is an amazingly well written character. People are more upset that Aloy didn't get forced into being with their favorite character. I understand we love our favorite characters but the negativity saltiness around it is toxic. Aloy can be with whoever she wants and Seyka is her girl she chose. Seyka also represents girls out there who look like her for once. Another plus. And if you chose for her not to be with Seyka...it doesn't change her sexuality or who Aloy is and what she likes. Sorry if that upsets you but not sorry. She's B/L and we should really be happy about this. Sometimes it's our own community that can stop more industries from making games for us. Since it's always easier to go the straight route. Then it's typical and the drama stays out of it. Is that what you want?

I am so happy for Aloy and her story. I am proud of Guerrilla for telling the story they want. (Spite all the backlash now from all sides.) And not listening to any particular group who think they deserve the favoritism. Instead they gave us something new and fresh. A new character who vibes with Aloy and gives her confidence who she feels equal to but also only knows her as the girl who fell to earth. Not the savior. Not the outcast and I prefer that. I just see it as the more the merrier. Seyka is just another beautiful character we can ship Aloy with in fanart/fics. But some people rather be angry about it all and cause drama, even use it to hate on other shippers. Like fine, do that if it makes you feel better. But it looks salty and really raised a red flag for me.

Also as a middle aged elder gay who works in the gaming industry and sees so much bigotry, this behavior doesn't help and looks bad on the lgbtq+. I've seen some amazing devs already be talked badly about because of their decision. We really need to be more supportive of each other and characters that represent us and companies who risk a lot to tell stories made for smaller minority groups. The game industry is still far from being a healthy environment for women, PoC and LGBTQ+. Let's not make it worse. ❤👏 Thank you.

[arliedraws]

Arlie, I am here to rant in your inbox. I have loved Prongsfoot for so long, but there's a new wave of writers in the fandom (who, let's be real, are Wolfstar writers first and foremost) that are insistent it can only be written as deranged, unhinged, and toxic. And they talk about how fun it is to write such an obsessive ship after how wholesome Wolfstar is. It infuriates me. Dunno if you've noticed this too, but yeah. I love your take on Prongsfoot but also they can be sweet and kind and gentle too, you know? Wolfstar being considered the healthy ship and Prongsfoot the toxic one is insane to me.

Please, I love a good rant! My ask box is open for a reason 😂

But honestly, I think these folks are right. Unquestionable loyalty and matched brilliance/skill and equality and “you’re the only person who sees the real me” is so so so toxic. Imagine feeling supported and equal in a relationship!!!!!

Truthfully, I had to make Sirius a Slytherin to inject the toxicity I long for in a fic. Canon James and Sirius are devoted to each other, so adding in some desperate physical closeness and “I need to be melt with you” might just…y’know. Happen. It’s soft and rough and gentle and wild. They have the range.

And look, I don’t mind Wolfstar as a toxic ship as long as everyone is in character, but there’s a lot of weeeeeeird alpha/omega stuff going on in this fandom and when it’s not that, there’s a lot of this purity/anti-sex culture that focuses so much on cutesy romance which is NOT the same as sweet and gentle. Can you have both? Yeah, but GOD. I come online to be horny and weird.

Just so we're clear: Prongsfoot is a wholesome, safe-to-eat ship. I don't know what these folks are on about.

[spontaneousful]

Losercule Hcs!

headcanons headcanons and ideas for daring + sparrow + chase + hopper ship inspired by @ara270904 (but I added hopper, bc how can they be complete without their missing loser)

They are all such big losers, but they are drastically different types of losers and none of them think they are losers. I want to study them under a microscope.

as far as their actual relationship goes, idk bro. are they dating, are they in a qpr, closed or open relationship, are they even aware that they're into each other? all of these are equally good, so like, it just depends what i'm in the mood for honestly

When Sparrow and Chase hang out quietly, Daring and Hopper are not invited

Sparrow will hyperfocus and be very quiet when he is working on his music, writing, and planning, and doing all of the behind the scene stuff for the Merry Men. Chase will sit near him and work on thronework, text other friends, just chill, whatever.

Daring and Hopper cannot sit still. Sparrow cannot focus when they're around, because he'll see them moving in the corner of his eye, or they'll be too loud and it distracts him, because he has to know what's happening. So, they get kicked out when Sparrow is working.

Sparrow, Daring, and Hopper are all bi. Chase is panromantic asexual. The bi guys argue about who is/was/could be (based on their current relationship to each other) getting the most guys and gals and Chase just watches in amusement.

Every so often Chase will throw out the most off-the-wall bonkers take to keep them fighting about it.

Sparrow and Daring fight/compete with each other all of the time, but Hopper and Chase are in on it. They're either betting which one will win or actively participating. Chase will be the first one to realize when they've gone to far and Daring is usually the first to agree with him. Then they have to work together to defuse the Sparrow/Hopper bomb because they will keep going until the world implodes.

Daring and Chase just have more respect for rules and authority than the other two do.

Also, every time, Daring is like, 'it doesn't even matter that I have to drop out of the competition because it has gotten too extreme and it is my princely duty to maintain order. if I had continued, I would have won, because I am the best, and that's what counts.' And it pisses the other three off every time.

Sparrow and Hopper convince Daring and Chase to let them dye their hair red (somehow for some reason) and it is the most horrendous thing anyone in Ever After has ever seen. Even the natural Charming charm can't quite save Daring in this situation.

Daring and Hopper are obsessed with finding new and obscure board games to play, and all of the guys in eah know to go to their dorm room for a wacky fun time.

However, as the relationship starts to develop, the losercule ends up spending most of their time in Daring and Hopper's room. Because of this, the rest of the guys grow weary of going in there, as they do not want to be caught up in the sexual/romantic tension alone.

Soon enough, no one is showing up for game night, anymore (not even Dexter will come at Daring's request)

Daring gives Dexter the saddest puppy dog eyes known to man and he almost concedes. Instead, Dexter tells him to start setting up game nights in the one of the commonrooms instead of their dorm.

Game Night is back and better than ever

Hopper didn't like Chase at first because he saw his red color pallette and was like, 'no way is this man taking MY spot as the color red' but then Chase and Daring became friends and so he was basically Hopper's friend by association. and so he begrudingly started hanging out with him and realized he was pretty cool.

Sparrow and Hopper are workout buddies, but they actively avoid hanging out with Daring and Chase, who are inhuman when it comes to physical activity. Daring "Don't worry, with enough practice, you'll get here one day" Charming and Chase "This isn't normal?" Reford whilst doing things incomprehensible to the human mind are not invited to the workout party.

Chase and Daring go to Hocus Latte every week to try the concoction of the week. Sometimes they go together, but its usually a race to see who can get there first and then gloat about it and spoil the surprise of whatever is in the new drink. loser pays, obviously.

They all show their love physically, hugging, kissing, cuddling, fist bumps, tackling, etc

Daring is a gift giver, Chase is all about words of affirmation, Hopper likes spending quality time, and Sparrow loves with acts of service

no matter what their relationship is, everyone else knew something was there before they did. they were completely oblivious to their own feelings + each other's feelings. What if one day, one of them just woke up (in the middle of a cuddle pile) and said "I think I love you guys." and they all just went, "same."

[nikethestatue]

I don't ship one couple over the other, I am a casual fan but help me understand. I see both possibilities for Azriel/Elain and Azriel/Gwyn. Yes Azriel x Elain has 3 books of build up and moments that make sense that they will be a couple, but they aren't set in stone. I also see the bonus chapter (which I just read a couple weeks ago) where something is clearly sparking in Azriel when he's interacting with Gwyn. He ends up back at the library giving her the necklace and he doesn't understand why.

So my question is, why are we disregarding that interaction with Gwyn? It was cute, she made him laugh, she's comfortable with him, and he thought about it enough to return to the library to give her the necklace. I didn't see him as dismissive at all, I read it as he was having a connection with her.

I guess the simplest answer to this question would be (without me going into a long diatrade about Gwynriel vs Elriel) is this:

Ask yourself

After reading all the books, after reading about Azriel losing his head when Elain was taken by Hybern, after the rescue scene, after the Truth Teller scene, after most of ACOFAS where she gives him a sweet gift, where he stops the whole table from eating before she is seated, where he rushes to her to wish her a Happy Solstice, where he hovers at the windows, looking into the garden, onto ACOFS where he reacts every time Elain is mentioned, where he gets upset when she is insulted and threatened, where everyone, including the clueless Cassian noticed that Azriel stopped pining for Mor--after reading all that, do you still think that the reactions that he has are comparable to what he has towards Gwyn? Do you feel that he acts the same or similarly towards Gwyn as he does towards Elain?

Did you feel after reading the Bonus that he was attracted and obsessing over Elain or over Gwyn?

Finally, if you did not read the bonus at all and didn't know of its existence, would you compare and equate Azriel's feelings towards Gwyn to his feelings for Elain?

And lastly, setting the bonus aside and dealing with books only, what indication is there that Azriel is interested romantically in Gwyn?

I suppose your answers would determine if you feel that Gwynriel and Elriel are on equal footing.

PS When he interacted with Gwyn, nothing sparked in his chest.

Something sparked in his chest when he interacted with Clotho.

It IS an important distinction. You and I were in his head when he was interacting with Gwyn. What sparked in him when he was in that scene? Nothing.

[electricea]

SHIPPING INFO. Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

What’s your OTP for your muse(s)?

I don't really have any OTP for him but I do have a bias for any ship that involves a fellow Phantom Thief since I do think there's already a strong foundation for trust and friendship there and to me, the progression to a romantic relationship would feel more natural.

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

I'd say most anything - like I've even said in my rules that I'm willing to do fade to blacks or to state or infer our muses have a sexual relationship (provided they would both be adults in said relationship) - I really only draw the line at writing sex/sexual acts or smut. I don't wish to write any of that and I'm not comfortable with it. Also, any sort of toxic or problematic relationship where it's abusive - physically, verbally, emotionally or otherwise - or in which one party is grooming the other or ignoring the other muse's boundaries or consent.

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

For his main verse in which he's a teenager, I'd say I draw the line at shipping with eighteen, maybe nineteen year old muses - won't go any older than that if Ryuji is going to remain sixteen or seventeen. As for any alternate verses where he's aged up - that would honestly depend on the nature of the ship itself and how big the age gap is - but broadly, I'd say as long as they're both consenting adults, I don't see any issues - but with that being said, I probably wouldn't exactly be keen on shipping a freshly eighteen year old Ryuji with a thirty year old, for example.

Are you selective when shipping?

I don't really feel that I am - I look for chemistry first and foremost and I go from there - generally if someone expresses shipping to me or offers up a muse they'd like to ship with Ryuji then in nine out of ten instances, I'd say I'm pretty inclined to say yes - so long as the relationship isn't inappropriate or doesn't involve an adult being shipped with a teenager - also I guess what I try to keep an eye out and really look for is how that muse treats Ryuji - because if they're rude to him and don't really treat him all that well, then I would expect that to change - I'm not doing a ship where he continues to be treated like dirt.

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

Any removal of clothes or touching is where I'd consider it NSFW, personally.

Does one have to ask to ship with you?

You don't have to explicitly ask - but bear in mind I'm not a mind reader so engagement on things like shipping calls, sending shippy memes does generally help because I am truly oblivious and have no clue when another mun is also interested in shipping - and to be fair, I do my part as well - I try to make shipping calls and show interest in shipping with others, so it's not just a one way street.

How often do you like to ship?

I kind of feel like I haven't shipped all that often lately - or at least, not many new ships - but I'd like to change that. Shipping's always quite fun.

Are you multiship?

Yep! Sorry, but shipping is just way too much fun to restrict it to only muse and plus I think part of the fun in being multi ship is that it allows you to explore a wide array of ships with all sorts of different muses and I try to treat each ship as its own individual, separate thing - so there's no cheating, no two-timing going on. There are no favourite ships, just a ton of really awesome ones with some amazing muns that I treasure equally.

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

Uh, is there a neither option for this question? I like talking ships but I'm not ship obsessed - I don't do the Spotify playlists and moodboards, the matching promos or drabbles, etc - but I do enjoy and appreciate them - and it's not as though I'm indifferent to or annoyed by ships. I just like them and I like sharing headcanons whenever one pops into my head.

What is your favourite ship in your current fandom?

I don't really have a favourite ship - that's part of the fun of Persona, yeah? Gotta ship 'em all! (So long as we're excluding the Joker ships with the actual adult women lmao.)

Finally, how does one ship with you?

Uhh, send me shippy memes, like my shipping call, just come running into my dm's, say you want to ship? Just say it outright honestly - I'm not great at picking up on clues or hints, so yeah I might need to hear it actually confirmed by the other mun that they do in fact want to ship, but once I know, I'm happy to get the ball rolling.

Tagged by: @gamenu (Thank you!)

Tagging: Whoever would like to give this a go!

[the-meat-machine]

is stridercest canon-compliant

Hi. I'm not sure how to answer this question, but like hell am I going to let that stop me from rambling on about it for far longer than anyone would consider reasonable.

What does it mean for a ship to be canon-compliant?

My first difficulty is this: what does it mean for a ship to be "canon-compliant"?

I tend to be of the opinion that you can come up with a justification for nearly any ship that, at the very least, doesn't contradict canon. Whether that ship is probable or not is a different story.

To give an example of a ship that's technically possible but canonically unlikely… let's say I were to posit that Nepeta had red feelings for Aradia. Well, we get fairly direct evidence of Nepeta's romantic interests throughout the comic, and Aradia never features in her self-pairing fantasies. Not to mention that if she had such feelings, you'd think it would cause conflict in her relationship with Equius, who does canonically have feelings for Aradia. But Nepeta never says she doesn't like Aradia that way, so for all we know they could have had a torrid romance offscreen that is never once hinted at in the comic. Highly improbable within canon, but not strictly impossible.

A level above that, there are ships where there's basically nothing to go on. Nothing to contradict it, but nothing to really support it either. For example, how would Dirk and John get along? Well, they only ever meet once in the comic and it's when Game Over!Dirk is giving himself over to the glitchy void, so who fuckin' knows. You'll have to base their interactions on a general knowledge of their characters. And hey, you can probably come up with a pretty convincing argument that they'd be great for each other! You can equally come up with an argument that they couldn't stand one another. There's really no canon basis to say either way.

That said, I think Stridercest is on a rung above that. These characters have had significant canonical interactions that revolve around one another, giving a richer basis to draw from. Or at least… Dave and Dirk have. Which leads me to my second difficulty.

What is Stridercest?

"Stridercest" can refer to quite a few possible ships.

For example, Guardiancest. Do I think Guardiancest has a basis in canon? No. Alpha Dave and Beta Dirk lived in different versions of the universe and both died well before the end of the game. They almost certainly never even knew that each other existed.

That said, Homestuck is a pretty wild canon as far as possible character interactions go, what with all the various ways characters can hop between universes, time travel, get resurrected, meet up in dream bubbles, etc. Trans-universal communication is canonically possible (see for example Jade and Jake's letters to each other), so who knows -- maybe Alpha Dave and Beta Dirk could have met each other somehow. Does it seem likely? Absolutely not. But it's not impossible.

Now, if you were asking about the original Stridercest, Bro/Dave, that's a ship that clearly is logistically possible, at least. They spent 13 years in the same apartment. Something could have happened. Did it? I don't know. I don't consider myself a Bro/Dave scholar, so I'll leave that as a question for the reader.

But one pairing I have significantly more to say about is Dave/Dirk.

Here are some things that are canon:

Dave has had, at the very least, passing attractions to a minimum of two of his ectobiological relatives -- namely, Rose and Roxy

Dave has evinced attraction to both men and women

Dave used to idolize his bro, but later came to have more complicated feelings about him

Dirk has had a lifelong obsession with his own long-dead bro. He studied all the minutiae of Alpha Dave's life and patterned his own life after what he's gleaned from that

Dirk is definitely attracted to men

Dave and Dirk had a long heart-to-heart during which they hugged each other

Here are some questions that cannot be directly answered by canon:

Do Dave's incestuous inclinations extend to Dirk and/or Bro?

Is there a homoerotic dimension to Dirk's obsession with Dave?

Now, you could plausibly answer these questions with "no". Maybe Dave's upbringing with Bro made it impossible for him to see Dirk in a romantic light. Or hell, maybe he only likes blond hair on chicks, not on dudes. And for all we know, maybe Dirk's interest in Alpha Dave is strictly platonic. (…ha, that one's hard to type with a straight face. But it's possible.)

Of course, I'm asking these questions because I think you can easily answer them with "yes". There's significant canonical basis to suggest that these suppositions at least could be true. At the very least, conditions are ripe for these two to have some very weird, complicated feelings about each other that are laced with incestuous and homoerotic undertones.

So is Stridercest canon-compliant? For Dave/Dirk, at the very least, I'd argue that it is.

[limitlessscion]

SHIPPING INFO // ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSES SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER(S)?

I don't have any romantically for Satoru as a default from canon. However I am obsessed with platonic satosugu and platonic sashisu, and an extremely specific form of QPR sukugo (primary love language: trying to kill each other).

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?

I don't ship enough to have really developed a sense for any specific boundaries on the matter. In romance-like relationships I tend to stick to characters within a similar age bracket for younger muses, but anything goes when they're fully mature adults.

But this is just for my own writing, I'm not here to judge what other people want to do with their fictional characters.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NSFT?

At the point where I get confused I guess LOL. I don't write smut not because I'm uncomfortable, but I just don't know how to and I don't have a great interest in doing so.

I do not mind my partners writing spicier things involving the muses and sharing thoughts with me though! I just struggle to reciprocate with details

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

In terms of traditional shipping as people think of it, yeah. I write Satoru as aroace and also just a generally abrasive person who is genuinely bad at connecting with other human beings. It requires a ton of work to build up a positive bond with him, with a lot of understanding from my partner and their muse, and I don't compromise on this part of my portrayal.

I try to find some kind of meaningful relationship of some sort with every muse I write with though!

WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?

@saiakv's suguru, as an intense friendship in their childhood, and a romance-like QPR in their adulthood

@strywoven's Kaen with an intense QPR

@antishaman's Suguru in their childhood, a romance-like QPR on Satoru's end

...do you see a trend. I also have strongly plotted platonic relationships I care about just as much, such as the ones with @drippingheart's suguru and megumi, and @vartouhix's jangmi !

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

I do not mind other characters having a crush or other kinds of feelings about Satoru without asking my permission, I will not dictate your muse's feelings. Whether Satoru will reciprocate that or not will be up to me.

But of course, things will work out the best if we discuss it and plot it further! Without a strong foundation, it's likely for Satoru to agree to relationships and then ruin it soon after from incompatibility— although that can also be fun to write

ARE YOU SHIP-OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?

I'm obsessed with building meaningful relationships and something you might see me bring up a lot of trying to find an "emotional core" for a relationship. I want to feel what exists between two characters enough that it can drive my writing, and it takes a lot of work to build up

But this is not necessarily for romantic ships. I like writing very strong, intense, human connections but I'm not bothered about it being specifically being a romantic one

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?

I answered all the ones for Satoru already but I'm also very invested in the platonic modern trio of Nobara, Megumi, and Yuji

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

Just write with me. Plot. Exchange headcanons. We'll land on a relation"ship" of some sort eventually whether that's a more traditional ship, a friendship, mentor/mentee, or enemies, or some kind of situationship— whatever we develop I value it all equally

tagged by: @vartouhix

tagging: whoever wants to

[onthearrow]

hello arrow~ just curious, were you ever into game of thrones, and if so, who was your favorite romantic pairing (canon or not)? and did you ever at some point in time considered writing fanfiction about them?

Oh anon THANK YOU for this question I will now be putting on my GOT hat.

I loved GOT (and was ultimately disappointed like the rest of us) but still return to fic browsing occasionally. I've got two fave ships, the first of which is Jaime/Brienne. Jaime has a very compelling redemption arc (we are NOT talking about the last episode THANK YOU) that is hugely influenced by Brienne. She subverts so many of his expectations of what it means to be a knight and a lady and through that he begins to find the essence of his true self. Jaime himself is a fascinating character (the dyslexia?? omg) and the slow burn he has with Brienne is just *chef's kiss*.

As for Brienne, I really sympathize with her character. I was bullied as a kid and spent years feeling misplaced amongst my peers. I ended up determining my own path and coming into myself much as she has---I even took up fencing! And I love how she WANTS Jaime to be an asshole and he ends up un-asshole-ifying. In a way, he subverts her expectations too, they become equals, and they become a team. That shit is ROMANTIC.

My second-favorite ship will offend people, I'm sure, but there's a caveat to it so stay with me before sending me anon hate (that will be deleted, sorry). I LOVE Sansa and The Hound*. ASTERISK, BIG ASTERISK, because the age gap in the books is enormous and Sansa is a literal child. I cannot ship that romantically in good conscience, but platonically I'm obsessed with the dynamics of this relationship. In book 1 Sansa heads to the capital with her head full of beautiful princes and fairytales and castles and happily ever after, only to find out that her prince is the most sadistic fuck in all of Westeros and that the capital is cruel and that the good guys don't always win (her own father's execution???).

And then there's The Hound, the most objectively terrifying person around with the most hideous face, a complete perversion of the knights she grew up reading stories about. And yet he ends up being the one who shows her kindness. He gives her his cloak when Joffrey tries to strip her in front of the court. When he flees King's Landing, he offers to take her with him. I think there's a scene where she gets beaten and he offers her a handkerchief, too?

So while I can't ship a thirty-something alcoholic knight with a fucked up psyche with a literal teenager, I think this relationship is key in the recurring theme GRRM has going of subverting expectations. In canon, I'd like to see Sansa reunite with Sandor and ask him to be her sworn shield as Queen of the North. I think that would be a fitting ending for them. In fic, I love AUs where she's aged up and he's aged down and the author leans into the potential romanticism that that creates. It's just a straight-up no for me in canon.

Would I write fic for either of these? I don't think I'd write SanSan, but I would absolutely love to write for Braime at some point. Like at least an AU one-shot, but if I was going to go hard, I'd probably continue off from where we left them with Lady Stoneheart and give them a proper ending. (Unfortunately, I don't think GRRM is ever going to finish the series.)

This was a lot of information--sorry if it was too much anon! But I am happy to discuss GOT with anyone 😅

[scyllas-revenge]

20 Questions for Writers

Tagged by @lordoftherazzles and @i-did-not-mean-to (although compared to idnmt's 550+ fanfics this will look pretty sparse XD

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

14! One is a collection of a couple of short fics, the others are all stand-alones.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

204,153

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Tolkien, pretty exclusively. I don't know many other fandoms well enough to be comfortable writing in them for now

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Burn Like Cold Iron takes first place for everything as my only long fic. Then How to Cope with a Middle Earth Bed Shortage, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?, Customer Service, and A Helping Hand.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! There are a few here and there that slip through the cracks when I just don’t have enough spoons to reply, but I do my best!

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

I write happy endings as a rule lol, so this is tough. The closest to angst might be Burn Like Cold Iron just because it will have some bittersweetness thrown in alongside the happy ending, but I definitely wouldn't call it an angsty ending.

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

Considering most of my fic endings are pretty equally happy, my favorite is The Floor Is Molasses, because I just want Boromir to be happy and hanging out in the Shire.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

A few times on FFN in the past. I’ve been lucky enough to avoid it almost entirely on AO3. Which is good bc it does not take much to make me cry 😂

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

I have posted one (1) explicit fic and we shall NEVER SPEAK OF IT (I am easily embarrassed and it’s a miracle I posted it at all)

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nooooo, they've always intimidated me. Between all the canon characters and OCs I don't have room for anyone else!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Oof I hope not

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I would be honored!

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

No, I haven’t done much more than brainstorm with fandom friends about plot points and stuff. But it sounds like fun and I hope I can cowrite something with one of my much more talented mutuals someday!!

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

I haven’t been super obsessed with a ship in years, so this is a tough question, especially since I’ve been focused on OC pairings lately. I’ve been pretty into Boromir/Theodred lately (but it’s such a tragic pairing and my poor heart can’t stand it), but hmm...my all-time favorite?? I'm a big fan of Nina and Matthias from Six of Crows, and Katniss and Peeta from the Hunger Games, and OOH Jaime and Brienne from Game of Thrones! There that's the one. All-time favorite. I did it. Phew.

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

I fully intend to finish my one ongoing WIP, Burn Like Cold Iron, and beyond that I really don’t want to start a fic I don’t think I’ll finish.

But I’ve written bits and pieces of a Middle Earth murder mystery I was really excited about, and I don’t have high hopes for actually fleshing that one out. I’ve never plotted out a murder mystery and would need to do some hardcore planning and plotting and scheming for it first and my brain is just not there right now XD

16. What are your writing strengths?

Aaahhh I am not good at complimenting myself (my therapist made me compliment myself last week and I almost cried lol) but I think I’ve gotten pretty good at writing engaging dialogue. I also am happy with a lot of my OCs, especially in my all-OC fic Something Burrowed, Something Blue, although I want to keep working at developing more complex characters in the future.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

My writing speed. I’m so slow. So so slow. Dear lord.

That and detailed plots and worldbuilding. Basically I need to brainstorm more before I start writing, and get a better sense for where things are going and how they'll turn out.

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

I could probably throw some Italian into a fic without much trouble lol. But Tolkien languages like sindarin honestly intimidate the hell out of me- I will jump through SO many hoops to avoid it. I am a coward

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Warrior cats. I was 12 and submitted it to my English teacher for extra credit. I had no shame 😂

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

It’s probably unfair to my other fics to say Burn Like Cold Iron since it’s so much longer than everything else I’ve written. So besides that one, probably What Could Possibly Go Wrong? I had fun exploring different characters’ points of view and sprinkling in lots of foreshadowing and dramatic irony for future plot points.

Tagging: @the-girl-with-the-algebra-book, @hobbitwrangler, @jaimehwatson, @frosticenow, @fishing4stars, @sotwk and anyone else who wants to play!

[inchidentally]

tricky asks time! a lot have built up so I'm definitely going to have to do a multiparter - remember to bl 'wank adjacent' to not see these posts <3

I'm putting these two together bc the first one is to do with a super creepy anon who has a very loud and fully parasocial "our relationship" attitude toward Lily and Oscar and ironically thought that me saying that I engage in rpf for fun on a website that requires multiple hoops to get through to even scroll one page of someone's blog. and the second is the side of fandom who have developed a certain idea of "perfect relationships" based solely on the woman remaining largely unknown and the man a major public figure.

okay, so. full disclosure: I don't have a great view of heterosexual relationships when it comes to what they do to women and what they take from women. I'm not automatically down on any of them and as always I'm like, other people's choices are fully their own and my opinions are irrelevant as far as they're concerned!

it's pretty obvious from me repeating over and over but first and foremost !! I am aggressively against internalized misogyny in fandom spaces, and esp toward the women who date or marry male public figures. it's absolutely rampant on a larrying level in carlando and pretty damn bad in dando and I've been adamant that landoscar won't fall prey to those people (carlando and dando fandoms still have plenty of great people, just to say <3).

but make no mistake, me sticking up for these women is because they do not deserve abuse as a basic decency. they're not dolls I pick up and put down based on if they happen to be with a guy I post about. they deserve respect regardless of who is observing them and why. *if they're genuinely problematic then that's a separate topic but holy shit only bring that morality if you're prepared to apply it to the men you're a fan of at the same time !!

the fact that we only know these women based on the man they're dating or married to is already problematic and I get pretty grossed out when fans go hard for a gf or wife and then easily transfer that energy immediately when there's a breakup and a new gf or wife. it's equally gross when they continue to follow the ex and say how much they "miss her" or constantly bring up her ex in spaces she can see.

so when I speak up about or for Lily and any other wife or girlfriend of a driver, I'm doing so with full respect for how uncomfortable it is that I only know of her existence bc of a man. and that I also have a responsibility in a fandom space - even one as fairly invisible as tumblr - to kick back at fans who attack them purely to create space for their rpf ship fantasy or their own unhealthy obsession.

it's also why you'll see me being a broken record about keeping the line between rpf for fun and the reality of these men's relationships.

I don't think I'll ever believe that a woman is anything but relatively happy in a partnership with the type of man who has to give their entire selves to their career. especially F1 that demands 10 months of almost nonstop travel and commitments. and sorry, the whole 'yay she has her own career/life!' as some kind of consolation prize for her sacrifices doesn't work bc in order for the relationship to exist beyond phone calls and texts has always required the wife or girlfriend to fly wherever he is to spend time together. very occasionally, I see someone like George or Alex make the effort during the season to fly out to their girlfriend. Oscar went on a minibreak with Lily during the break last season. like, that's bare minimum lol and nothing compared to these women flying across the globe and being stuck waiting around while their bf or husband only has the rare hour or so between commitments on a race weekend.

so any "praise" of a wife or girlfriend for how they accommodate a man's career and "stay out of the spotlight" or "stay private" is a massive red flag for me. an largely invisible woman dating a man with a public profile will never feel like an organic decision on her part to me. it's a reaction to a situation that shouldn't exist.

"his fans and fangirls are awful though" yea and that's not fucking right and it's not a reason to let them win. decent fans can work harder to suppress the shitty ones and mass report accounts. and I know that for Lily Z, she's gotten temporary respite by being nothing more than a woman walking beside Oscar and not "giving haters any ammunition". but for example, even though Lily M and Carmen still get occasional shit from idiots who just want to hate, they go relatively unscathed because the decision was made early on to be in on the rpf ship jokes and George and Alex consistently make as many posts about them in a sort of joint, impenetrable "this is our relationship and you will not drive these women into hiding". Lily's hugely intelligent and has professional STEM aspirations of her own.

it's wayyyyy too convenient to say she's as private as she is because privacy fulfills her and brings her happiness. it's just the flipside of haters giving her a conditional reprieve bc they don't have to be annoyed by her having a visible personality.

and guess what? we've never once heard from Lily herself that she would be private even without dating a man in the public eye. we've heard what her boyfriend has said. we've heard from Kym Ilm*n. and women in fandom have taken that and decided it's permission to praise her for not wanting to face unfair abuse. like ??? I am not ok with that lol.

"maybe she just doesn't want to be super visible or have a public identity!" nah. if she's under 50 then having a public identity is fully the norm so it's too much of a convenient reach to make that assumption. and if she has a career of her own then she absolutely needs to have a public identity. even when you start out in entry positions, showing the work you do and the people you work with is totally normal for advancement. (I'm in shitty jobs so that doesn't apply to me lol but no F1 wife or gf will be working my jobs. almost all the women I know are in aspirational careers tho.)

women deserve to at least have a go at being a dynamic, public person who pursues life to the degree she chooses irrespective of her bf - and if afterward she finds she wants to be super private and raise a man's babies out of sight AND SHE SAYS SO HERSELF then that's absolutely wonderful.

but absolutely no one can convince me that women aren't conditioned and pressured in a world like F1 to either shut up and stay out of the way, or that they're "asking for it" if they do live publicly and have crazies stalking them and sending them abuse.

*side note that I've heard some ummm potentially not great things about Seb with regard to women that are not worth repeating here in case they've been blown out of proportion or just rumors. (I get the whole "he may have changed" but a lot of the videos of him flirting with women or objectifying them is... not great and hopefully he's seen the error in that) but even if it's all untrue (and obv I hope it is) I'm only happy for his wife if she has openly stated herself that she voluntarily chose to remain largely invisible and put up with him being absent so often and her having to be the one to alter her life to be with him during the F1 season. if she hasn't clearly said that herself (a direct quote "" and not just a reporter stating it) then there's no point in us assuming it about her. and the Seb's words are not a replacement for her own, sorry.

I'm not at all a person to comment on this myself but I fully respect your experience babe <3 I personally know and know of a few ppl who got together in HS and ended up getting engaged or married and they're already cheating or breaking up so I also can't contradict you aslfgsjalgf

and just to say: while I (for all the reasons above) will never be yay I'm so glad Lily is tied to a man whose job absorbs his entire life I will NEVER say that outside these replies. I will always push support for Lily - and any gf Lando might have at some point - bc they deserve and need it in fandom. and any of our takes on these relationships are pointless and irrelevant anyway.

I think I covered my own feeling about this above and tbh it depends on the intent. if they're going to drop the woman in question if/when a breakup happens then yea that is super creepy and weird to make fan pages etc.

I like following certain wives and gfs accounts mostly bc I live vicariously through the glamour of their lives but I'd feel weird interacting with their content or making fan content of it when I know damn well I only started following them bc of a man.

it's tricky to say and I think it depends so much on the individual fan's intent and how they create that content y'know?

but god yeah, unless a ship is a joke openly shared by the men in question like carlando and dando then I need these official accounts to just not do rpf. it's why I tend not to rb when that happens with landoscar bc I so want this ship to remain mostly under the radar and not attract rpf truthers.

[crehador]

top 5 things u love about smic :>

ohhhhhmglksadfjlkadsfj

hm

HMM

i've been so full blown obsessed with them for so long that i don't even know how to articulate all of the things i feel but this is a delightful question thank u and i will do my best to stay coherent

in no particular order

1) i mean look at them

like this is of course not the main thing that draws me to them but they are very aesthetically pleasing together lmao and why lie? that's definitely one of the things i love about them. the dark haired one and the white haired one is a combination that simply does not miss

of course it's not just their hair colors either, i love a good height difference ship but for smic i love that there's just a 1cm difference between them. the visual effect of ichiro growing throughout their knowing each other is so so so good to me. like him being quite noticeably shorter than samatoki in their tdd days, when he looked up to samatoki (literally) and idolized him, to being almost samatoki's height in the present when they're both leaders of their own divisions, more like equals than ever before

2) their unique ability to understand each other

ok so i'm actually very big on the family bonds (*komachan voice* KIZUNA) between the divisions, and i absolutely do not think ichiro is the only person who can understand samatoki and samatoki is the only person who can understand ichiro. i see them as both having many significant people in their lives, like yes i'm perpetually unwell about them but i also think they aren't each other's only important person

that said

i think both of them being big brothers thrust into a position where they have to essentially raise their younger siblings is a point of connection that really compels me. i think ichiro doing his best to take care of jiro and saburo is something samatoki can respect about him

and i like what that can mean for their tdd days. ichiro always being the oldest, and finally having someone he can look up to like a big brother. samatoki so used to being a big brother that it just comes so naturally to him to take care of ichiro too

kind of unrelated to this point but i've always found it sooooo funny to think of like what if they bonded over samatoki being like "my parents are dead" and ichiro being like "wow mine too" but then

then samatoki meets rei

and then eventually [redacted] as well lmaoooooo

3) the growing they have to do

i looove a good friends to lovers story, i looove a good enemies to lovers story, but i LOOOOOOVE a good friends to enemies to lovers story like holy shit

this is possibly the thing that compels me most about them, like the fact that they were so tight and then completely broke down? having to work back to good from that? mwah i can't get enough of that

and i think that breaking down is really important to them, it's not just unnecessary drama. in their tdd days, the way ichiro idolized samatoki was so unsustainable in the long run. he had to be a little broken to see that samatoki's only human too, that he isn't all powerful, that he's just a man. i think it's so important for ichiro to see that samatoki is just a man before he can love him like a man, rather than some sort of god figure

samatoki has his growing to do as well, of course, and i looove to see a version of him that really struggles with that. like i am obsessed with this hc of him going from being hellbent on being respected by ichiro to realizing he's like uncomfortably horny about being disrespected by ichiro lmao

4) bbmtc famblyyyyyy

alright this isn't technically smic-specific but i am really really obsessed with this future where bbmtc are one big family, and i can so easily see it happening when smic are together

samatoki is such a big brother that it would come so naturally to him to be a big brother to jiro and saburo too. and i think nemu would be a really good big sister and friend to them too. plus uncles rio and jyuto! jyuto maybe insisting he is nowhere near old enough to be anyone's uncle lol

my old hc before jiro changed what he called ichiro was that jiro would one day call samatoki aniki and i still grrrrrrrr want that to happen but i do like the canonical growth in jiro too so it's all asdlkfja;kldfj I WANT IT BOTH WAYS

anyway. i guess to relate this to smic, i love that they would both care for each other's families like they're their own (and rio and jyuto are family of course)

5) they're so intense about hating each other that i can easily imagine them being just as intense about loving each other

looove a smic that's just grossly ridiculously absurdly in love. like let them be cringe honestly. i'm obsessed with them but they're more obsessed with each other and that's exactly how i like it

[rriavian]

Shipper Tag Game

Tagged by @seiya-starsniper <3

What ship were you completely obsessed with as a teenager, but now you don't care about anymore?

I don’t think there are any actually! I’m pretty consistent and will usually circle back to a ship every couple of years 😊

Which ship would you consider your first one?

This is tough, I don’t think I actually remember. Though I think last time I answered this question I mentioned Lord of the Rings because of Aragorn/Arwen

Your first fanfic was about which couple?

My secret anon identity means I can’t answer this honestly – but the first one I’ve written without being anonymous is Corintheus

Do you remember the first couple you saw fan art of?

Long long time ago so not quite sure actually, might be a ship from Harry Potter

Have you ever gotten into ship discourse?

Nope! I try and stay away from it—though I never hide my opinions, I just don’t really engage too much in ship discourse. People are always going to have differing opinions over pairings, and I’ve seen it get very ugly in fandom spaces.

Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?

Oh I have a fair few, but usually they are ships I was previously neutral about. Some of them are also things I've previously shipped. My NOTPs are pretty much all results of a not so pleasant fandom experience, so I don’t really talk a lot about what they are. I’m a multishipper so the only time I actually have a NOTP is when a ship is overwhelmingly represented in a way that I just can’t get on board with.

Who were the last couple in the last fanfic you read?

Corintheus 😊 which is definitely what I’m most known for haha, so probably not a surprise

Currently, do you have any OTPs?

As I said…I am a multishipper, and I’ve never really had an OTP. It’s not a concept I really resonate with? Especially with fanfic because for me it’s all about the exploration of possibilities, and I can very much ship multiple things at once. I care more about interesting/well executed characterisation and well written relationship dynamics.

Is there any couple that, to this day, that you are extremely mad about not getting into?

Not really, because if I’m not into a ship in at least some way (or neutral/open to the possibility) then there is usually a very, very good reason.

Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they're kind of interesting?

Hmm. Maybe Desire/Unity? But it’s not that I ever really disliked them, more that there are some obvious consent issues within it that initially made me not really consider the ship too closely. The more I see others exploring it the more I’ve found them interesting 😊

Do you have any ship that, in the past, would have been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

I don’t think so actually! Though I’m probably forgetting something

What is your favourite crack ship?

Ooh I’ve read a lot of bizarre stuff. Hmm. It might have to be a certain ship that @writing-for-life introduced me to (if you know what I’m talking about it will need no further explanation haha)

What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?

I’m still anon in a lot of fandoms so I can’t actually answer this question too honestly. I haven’t actually been reading that much recently (very focused on writing at the moment)

What do most of your ships have in common?

Equality…in some fashion they are each other’s match. Which sounds like a strange thing to say for Corintheus but it doesn’t necessarily have to be in physical strength/power.

I also ship a fair few ‘enemies to lovers’ ships. Probably for the above reason! It’s the intimacy of it I think. Also the complexity, I like ships where the dynamic is compelling but not necessarily easy to pull off in a fic, because that usually means more thought is put into the execution of it. If that makes sense? And I am very much all about the execution when I read/write.

What do you absolutely hate in a ship?

Butchering characterisation just to play out a binary sex dynamic. Mostly this presents as overt feminisation of the one character who is designated to be ‘weaker’ for reasons both untrue and usually very offensive. Which sounds harsh but it’s something I utterly despise. Folded into this is also one character ‘fixing’ the other character, especially when this involves that character giving up something important/integral to who they are. I see it so much in published fiction as well and it’s just not for me at all.

I also really don’t like it when unhealthy behaviours are romanticised (usually to ‘fix’ one character) or miscommunication when it’s not something silly like accidentally buying your partner the wrong type of coffee because you were so tired you misheard a word.

[areyougonnabe]

Tell us your favourite fact or piece of information about a polar expedition

this is the one that comes up in conversation the most that the people i'm talking to (fellow polar nerds) don't know - but basically, one of my areas of interest is THIS mfer, Sir Clements Markham. now let it be known i don't like him or "stan" him by any means i think he's for the most part a terrible person lolol but i am fascinated by him and have done a lot of research into his life and work:

most people know him as the guy above, the *ahem* controversial old fogey who was more or less the driving force behind the british end of the heroic age of polar exploration. but when he was a teenager, and looked like THIS:

he was on one of the early Franklin search expeditions in 1850-51, on board the Assistance under Captain Ommanney, sister of the Resolute under Captain Austin. this was his last journey with the Royal Navy - he only lasted about five years, he wasn't really cut out for the lifestyle (except for the parts where he got have intense life-destroying crushes on his superior officers) - but it was definitely the most impactful. it left markham with a singular, youthful and optimistic impression as to what polar exploration was all about. homosocial camaraderie, midwinter entertainment, effortful manhauling, geographical discovery, honor and bravery in service to the Empire. et cetera. (can you see where this eventually is going?)

this myth-through-experience grew and grew over his adult life as he worked his way up through the imperial bureaucracy, first at the India Office and later at the Royal Geographical Society, which was to be his most long-lasting professional association.

he participated in the organization of the Nares expedition in 1875, but when that was a resolute failure he bided his time until the 1890s, when support for antarctic discovery began to grow amongst the scientific establishment.

during the time that he was working on drumming up support for what would eventually become Scott's first expedition on the Discovery, in the mid-to-late 1890s, he was working on a, let's say, "private manual of devotion." this was a lengthy manuscript with an equally lengthy title:

James Fitzjames: the story of the friendship, devoted zeal for the service, high souled courage, self denial, and heroic deaths of 129 British Naval Officers and Seamen - A Romance based on information and on facts so authentic and so numerous that it must be very near to the truth.

as you can probably tell already. this was a piece of work. its first few chapters are indeed "based on information" - biographies of Franklin and his officers, often using details Markham received secondhand from men he'd met who actually knew them. (apparently he went around asking everyone he ever met if they'd known anyone on the FE and could they tell him about them which, relatable)

but then after the ships leave Disko and the historical record, the story turns to pure fancy. markham is, as you may have noticed from the title, absolutely obsessed with James Fitzjames to a psychosexual level. he was the "beau ideal" of an officer to Markham. (they never met!!! i might emphasize!!!!!) according to good old clem, if Fitzjames had been in charge of the expedition entire, it would never have perished - the fate that befell them was due to Franklin and Crozier's aged stiffness and inability to adapt.

going into detail about the rest of this frankly bonkers fanfiction would take ALL DAY i swear to god BUT highlights include: a self-insert character named "Baby" who swears fealty to Fitzjames, at least three midwinter theatricals described in detail incl. crossdressing, egregious and disgusting racism against the inuit, pop culture references, a complete and hilarious mix-up of the expedition ranks due to clem not having access to the full roster (jopson as caulker's mate!!!!), and of course lots and LOTS of men dying piously and nigh-erotically in each others' arms. of course there is no cannibalism whatsoever and the men are devoted to the naval hierarchy until the very end.

anyway, the fetishization of youth and inexperience which is visible in the story is quite glaringly tied to markham's selection of scott for the 1901 expedition. at the very least subconsciously, he wanted to recreate the FE with a "Fitzjames" in charge, thinking that would be the key to success.

and to that we can only say: LO fucking L.