#i ended up leaving out a lot of fandoms because of that xD

[karlachismylife]

Juju's Masterlist

god i love how they look at each other when i place pictures like this

Figured this might be needed! As I am planning to spam-reblog so much cool stuff...

Hi, I'm Juju (or Juju Starr more formally XD), 22 yo and in this blog I primarly write things on the rarepair I came up with, Karlach (Baldur's Gate 3) x Soap (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, reboot trilogy by default).

However, I also write things in both these fandoms with other characters, different ships (including other ships with Karlach and Soap), poly ships, x reader and x OC. There are NSFW ones and I will be checking every blog interacting with them, so minors and ageless blogs DNI, please.

Requests are open! Send in anything <3

*also I have no idea if I'm using the word blurb right, feel free to correct!

The masterlist itself is under the cut!

First mention of Karlach x Soap (a little overview of the ship dynamic)

I Might Have A Type (a post mentioning how the ship was born, trust me, there's concrete evidence of them being compatible)

All things Karlach x Soap (thoughts, fics, little ideas and concepts - simply sorted by hashtag)

Karlach x Soap fics

Morning Routine (blurb, fluff, 238 words) - Karlach, Soap and shaving

Birds of a Feather (blurb, fluff, 271 words) - Karlach and her dynamic with task force 141

They're Horny (blurb, smutty (NSFW), 228 words) - Karlach is horny and Soap is horny, but there's a difference (there's not)

Explosive Love (blurb, fluff, 105 words) - what it's like when you have a demolitions expert and a walking bomb on your team

Not Fair (blurb, angst, 457 words) - Soap is there when Karlach breaks down after the death of a certain bastard

Restless Fingers (blurb, fluff, 130 words) - one word: fidgeting

Scar Twinsies (blurb, fluff, 245 words) - surviving Hell and blowing shit up leaves similar marks

Practice Makes Perfect (oneshot, fluff, 932 words) - something from Soap's weaponry catches Karlach's eye and he does not miss an opportunity for a date

Tactic Tactile Affections (headcanons, fluff, 764 words) - it's not just about kissing and fucking!

Baby Fever (blurb, fluff, 260 words) - can you imagine their babies tho (C)

Is It Visual Stimming or Is He A Romantic? (oneshot, fluff, 945 words) - something about smouldering coal is just so mesmerizing... what are you looking at, Johnny?

Hey Skullboy (blurb, fluff w/angst, 467 words) - Karlach shares with Ghost not only his sergeant, but also trauma

Solar Eclipse mini-series (2 parts)

Total Eclipse of the Heart (mini, fluff w/angst, 1286 words) - dog tags can be so many things, learns Karlach when she spots an unfamilar piece of jewelry among other alien things Soap brought from his world (part 1) Worshipping the Sun (mini, fluffy smut (NSFW), 4201 words) - solar eclipse is beautiful, thinks Johnny when he looks at his circular dogtags blocking out the glowing light of Karlach's engine. He wouldn't mind seeing a thousand of those as soon as he gets a chance to make the little steel plates bounce on her chest (part 2)

Introductions (blurb, fluff, modern!AU, 105 words) - what Soap would call Karlach in modern!AU

Two of Us Wearing Raincoats (headcanons, fluff, partially suggestive, partially modern!AU, 2855 words) - requested domestic fluff, a lot of it!

Love Texting (blurb, fluff, modern!AU, 96 words) - what their texting looks like (Karlach is illiterate, Soap is Soap)

(Be)longing (blurb, suggestive fluff, 190 words) - Johnny and collars, am I right?

Bath Time (blurb, fluff, 246 words) - sharing a bath to save time

Good Night And Joy Be To You All (oneshot, angst or hurt/comfort with hopeful ending, 1233 words) - Karlach finds Johnny standing on the edge of a cliff and knows all too well what it's like to miss your home

Karlach x Ghoap (Ghost x Soap) fics

Package Deal (blurb, fluff, 135 words) - tame one golden retriever, get one free

None Are Free Until (blurb/idea, angst w/fluff, modern!AU, 558 words) - anarchist!Karlach and everything complicated because of that

Call of Duty fics

Task Force 141 Ensemble

Their reaction to you playing datesim games (individual oneshots, fluff, partially suggestive (NSFW), no use of Y/N gn!reader-insert, 5073 words) - how do they find out and what do they think?

You're a character in their favourite game (individual blurbs, fluff, no use of Y/N gn!reader-insert, 786 words) - how do they approach you in-game?

The Queen of the Clan || Series masterlist (hyena shapeshifter!AU, no use of Y/N fem!chubby!reader-insert) - when you decide to shake up your life a bit and partake in a trip with a documentary crew, you have no idea that meeting an unnaturally friendly hyena and have it mark your backpack would be only the beginning of weird things to come. Whatever will you do when a leaderless clan of four male hyenas chooses you as their matriarch?

You're having a bad time after sex (individual oneshots for every man + poly 141, hurt/comfort, NSFW, dark themes, no use of Y/N gn!chubby/fat!reader-insert, 7351 words) - due to hormonal withdrawal after sex you spiral into a severe episode of self-loathing and body image issues, but you have someone to comfort you

Soap

Rushed (blurb, fluff, 78 words) - what some consider rushed, Johnny considers almost too late

Mohawk Appreciation Time (blurb, fluff, mentioned Karlach x Soap but Soap-centred, 249 words) - I do not condone calling his mohawk stupid unless it's fully affectionate!

Emotional Support Dog (oneshot, fluff, no use of Y/N gn!reader-insert, 1132 words) - when you're struggling with work-related stress, Johnny's there for support

I'm In Love 100 Times (oneshot, fluff, no use of Y/N gn!reader-insert, 485 words) - when you look at Soap, you almost choke on your love for him, but he's there to rescue

Don't You Forget About Me (oneshot, silly fluff, no use of Y/N fem!reader-insert (reader is Soap's mother), 1208 words) - your son is a troublemaker, but he's a good boy (and you're just as stubborn as him)

Masochistic Kid With a Split Lip (oneshot, hurt/comfort, no use of Y/N gn!sergeant!reader-insert, 1106 words) - Soap gets messed up on a mission, but he's just as irresistable

Ghost

Now They Ain't Got a Prayer (oneshot, hurt/comfort, no use of Y/N gn!military!reader-insert, 1479 words) - after a mission goes not like planned, there's a heavy feeling in the air, but there's something even heavier in your chest

Flutter Into the Skies (oneshot, fluff, no use of Y/N fem!girly!reader-insert, 1277 words) - Simon is being a menace while you're trying to get ready for a friend's wedding, but you have your ways to take revenge

And We Just Disagree (oneshot, hurt/comfort, no use of Y/N gn!reader-insert, 900 words) - arguments are an unpleasant, but unavoidable part of life, and good thing you and Simon can resolve them well

Gaz

I Need a Hero (oneshot, fluf, no use of Y/N gn!reader-insert, 538 words) - Kyle is finally getting a medal and you're just happy for your man

Price

I Need My Love To Be Here (oneshot, fluff, no use of Y/N fem!reader-insert, 715 words) - while your husband is away, you daughter is being a little troublemaker. But you're both good enough girls to recieve a special gift!

Valeria

Desnuda Tu Mente (oneshot, suggestive, no use of Y/N gn!reader-insert, 1015 words) - your life depends on the will of her blade, and you're absolutely thrilled by it

Ghoap (Ghost x Soap)

Help! (blurb, fluff, 213 words) - thoughts on Simon Riley and The Beatles

Hesh

Standing For Something (oneshot, hurt/comfort, no use of Y/N gn!reader-insert, 660 words) - getting ambushed and shot isn't exactly pleasant, but your Lieutenant is a good man and makes everything a little better

Baldur's Gate fics

Dammon

Forged Under the Stars (oneshot, fluff, no use of Y/N gn!reader-insert, 1157 words) - at the Tiefling Party Dammon comes over to sit with you under the stars

will be re-working this thing

[kiwinatorwaffles]

I found This is About a Stuffed Bird bc of you and its one of my favorite fics ever. Do you by chance have more suggestions?

hermitcraft/mcyt fic recs? :0 let's go!!

i get a lot of my fic recs from other friends since i don't really go out and search on my own all too much for this fandom. but there are lots of great works out here! i will be listing out some of my favorites :3 mostly hc but a couple general mcyt ones that i think are an excellent read no matter what. all of the fics i'm listing will be genfic without ships!

also i just realized a lot of my bookmarks are grian-centric which is funny i guess because i am admittedly quite picky about content of my other favorites and grian just tends to have the most content in the fanbase. hope that'll be alright

(i hope some of my friends and mutuals don't mind me tagging them for their works)

hermitcraft longfics:

the last days of the free angel of carrows by @theminecraftbee - loved stuffed bird? here's another great longfic by second! this one is about joe and cleo in an urban fantasy mystery setting. again, second writes our beloved hermits into an captivating au!

leaping and hopping on a moonshadow by @lunarblazes - a fantasy au by luna my beloved! pearl suddenly gains magical powers and goes on a quest to find her long-lost friend grian who might know what's happening to her. she meets a lot of familiar faces along the way!

Recall by @redwinterroses - hey, i was the artist for this one! :D mumbo goes missing, so grian and scar search for him. they find that grumbot has been up to some... things along the way. the fic isn't finished but i think the chapters red put out is worth a read if you don't mind leaving off on a cliffhanger because it really is super interesting

dramaturgy by wormcity - a universe where gem and pearl join in a season 7 that was never finished. mumbo became the mayor, but the turf war went so very wrong afterwards. admittedly i have not finished reading this yet because ummm short on time xD but it's super interesting with a lot of layers of drama(turgy hahaha)!

hermitcraft short fics/oneshots:

for trying. by @autistic-evil-xisuma - a stuffed bird universe oneshot of x and xisuma during their lab days. great if you want to be sad over the doomed brothers again :D

the wheels on the bus by sparxwrites - a hilarious post-s8 oneshot about grian being a little shit towards the watchers. one of the first fics i've read from this fandom and i still love it

a body is an object by ruffboi - grian is a mimic, and pearl's arrival in s8 shakes him up. she hasn't seen him in a while and is quite upset to learn that the grian she knew died a long time ago. a great read for familial connections and conflict of friendships!

Goatman and the Rift by TheDepressedCanary - doc's eldritch powers start acting up when the rift appears. what shenanigans will ensue?

other mcyt fics/crossovers:

late at night, when the stars don't look quite right by @lunarblazes - an excellent empires s1 and hermitcraft crossover longfic, where grian lands into the server and is discovered by pearl! very great worldbuilding and relationships, i especially love the dynamic between gri and pearl and pearl and gem :D

every new discovery is just a reminder by amaranthinecanicular - grian begins pulling alternate versions of the hermits from the life series into the server. he does save a lot of them, but at what cost? it does end on a cliffhanger but this is genuinely one of the most captivating oneshots i've ever read... argghhh

The Fair and the Brave and the Good by @slashmagpie - an afterlife smp longfic centered around the shelby, scott, and sausage. i have never watched afterlife smp before in my LIFE and this is still one of my favorite pieces of literature ever. the characters and worldbuilding is impeccable and perfect if you like something dark with themes of hope and renewal.

Two Can Keep a Secret (If One of Them is Red) by anonymous secretmcblog - a 3L oneshot! ren suspects grian has stockholm syndrome with his pact to stay with scar, but his expectations are wrong. a truly excellent read and one of them first fics i've read! i still go back to reread it from time to time

dog at the door by fluffy_papaya & iamsolarflare - a longfic where doc and ren take a trip on a van on their way to s8. ren, however, is not quite himself, and doc has to learn to befriend the red king.

devil town is colder in the summertime by @bananasofthorns - a oneshot from a 100hsmp/life series d&d au! team BEST ventures into a cursed evil fucked up forest. uh oh.

Interview with the Aftermath by @ranchersrevenge (wanderlasts) - the last life contestants are invited for an interview. the responses vary greatly.

stars, smoke, and stolen car keys by wormcity - a 100hsmp modern au oneshot where grian, scar, and joel go on a hike. it doesn't go quite as they expected.

the beehive state by amaranthinecanicular - a dsmp oneshot after wilbur moves to utah. tommy visits him, and the two reconnect. i have to say i stopped following dsmp a long time ago but this fic made me BAWL. i don't even think you need to know any of the characters that well to really enjoy just how amazing the writing itself is

Can't Go Back (This Time) by @duckmumbo (musicaltvbooks) - soup group goes end raiding and accientally finds themselves in afterlife smp. nothing goes wrong, surely! also admittedly i havent finished reading this either but roy i swear i will. this is a great read nevertheless and the soup group dynamic is impeccable!

TommyInnit's unbeatable method of avoiding sudden death by eneliii - on the train of dsmp fics, this is the superhero au longfic that inspired my own hc superhero au, vdhau. it's a lot of funny shenanigans with tommy and his friends. the fic does take a dark turn at the end, but that can be skipped entirely (as said by eneli herself) if you just want the wholesome aspects.

if you don't mind a little self promo, here are some of my fics!

it takes two to play (the game of mutual secrecy) - the aforementioned hermitcraft hero au. this installment is centered around xisuma and evil x as brothers resolving their issues through hero work and solving the mystery of welsknight's disappearance :D there are other works that are set in the same universe if you're interested for more!

how to form the ultimate besties dynamic: an unreliable tutorial by hypnotizd - a oneshot! hypno is a warlock who goes treasure hunting under the sea. he meets a guardian who later becomes his unlikely friend.

smoke and mirrors, the hunt perseveres - grian's arrival in empires s2 unwittingly brings the watchers' suspicions with him. cue jimmy freaking out and a lot of shenanigans.

ballad of etho’s lab - my newest installment! a oneshot about etho's storied life as the redstone god.

i'm also currently working on the sequel to the game of mutual secrecy and a new (well not exactly new since i made concept art for it) au called private detective gem tasey! these will likely be released sometime late january or february. have fun with these fic recs! i haven't been reading as much lately but i hope ill be able to find more if anyone else asks in the future. cheers!

edit: the fics are out! here they are!

hiding in plain sight (the meaning of trust) - sequel to the hermitcraft hero au! it follows an escaped lab rat trying to acquaint themselves with human society while avoiding suspicion and making friends with familiar faces from tgms ;D

private detective gem tasey: a rotten mystery in london - a hermitcraft detective au where gem gets hired for a case that spirals completely into drama and politics!

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

I made it better

I'm assuming this is because of me getting annoyed at Azutara shippers in my other blog and calling them and Tyzula fans the "Azula fandom's equivalent of Zutara and Zukka" XD

Anyways *grabs a megaphone and gets on a soap-box*

As a bisexual woman that would go crazy with joy if Azula was gay/bi, and that ships her with Ty Lee and Mai, and even Toph and Suki every now and then, let me make one thing very clear here: Azula DOES have a confirmed canon sexuality, and it's straight. Heterosexual. Likes guys and only guys. The idea that ANY gay ship was CANON in ATLA, a show made in 2005 by a kid's Network, is ridiculous.

Azula explicitly stated that she has tried to flirt with boys before and it never worked out because they are scared of her. She was jealous that boys were paying attention to Ty Lee - and while fanfic writers, and even I, like to say stuff like "Oh, you don't like them getting too close to your gilfriend, Azula?" it's VERY CLEAR that the show was going for the classic "Why do they like her and not ME?" aka she wanted attention from GUYS. She wanted to hook up with Chan, and immediately went for "Let's conquer the world together!" after one kiss. Even the up-coming Azula comic has her dreaming of a guy trying to flirt with her and calling her pretty.

For fuck's sake, Grey Delisle already admiting to voicing the scene between Azula and Zuko as if Azula was trying to seduce her own brother. Meanwhile, even though she likes Tyzula now, when asked about the ship her first reaction was the same as the one every actor, writer and/or showrunner had to hearing about popular gay ships: "I did not see that coming."

It might seem surreal nowadays that the Network let the show get away with incest bait but gay characters were out of question, but that's what happened because, surprise surprise, homophobia was still going strong. Hell, it's still going strong TODAY.

Lots of Nickelodeon shows from the 90's and early/mid 2000's tried to get away with implying or flat out saying "This character is gay" and it ALWAYS resulted in banned episodes, some of which became lost media because the Network was just that desperate to bury any evidence of it to avoid controversy. Even characters that never had any love interests ever were assumed to be straight - not as in "treat them as being straight unless we say otherwise" but in "They are straight because that's the only thing allowed to exist in kid's media." There was no "otherwise" to be heard of. Fitting for years that followed the policy literally called "DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL."

THAT was the general sentiment around homosexuality at the time, especially on TV (KIDS TV, I remind you): pretend you don't know that's a thing.

Even The Legend Of Korra, that parts of the fandom still pretends did anything for gay representation, had the creators (the same who made ATLA) that they never even bothered to ask Nickelodeon if they could Korrasami happen, and thus kept the whole love triangle, with the girls fighting over a GUY, going. It wasn't until the very end that they had the guts to ask "Can we make them hold hands in the finale?" and Nick said "Sure, the final season will basically not be aired on TV anyways." Bryke even had to state ONLINE that "Yes, they are a couple." Only THEN, with the positive response from audiences, that neither the writers nor the Network had thought could ever gain any sympathy for the show, did they make Korra and Assami have an actual relationship in the Korra comics.

Do these guys sound like the type that would leave a character's sexuality up for debate or even try to write a gay couple into the show IN 2005, years before Korra was allowed to get away with a slight hint of gayness that to be explained on Twitter?

They didn't make Azula's attempts to win guys over fail to show she was a gay teen trying too hard to be something she was not, her envy that Ty Lee was getting a ton of attention from boys while she wasn't was meant to be taken as EXACTLY that, and no cutesy moment between her and her friends was meant to be taken as anything other just gals being pals.

We can, and should, point out that it is unfair that gay relationships were treated as "too adult" while straight romances weren't. We can change any character's sexuality in fanfics. We can ship whatever the hell we like. But claiming Azula was EVER meant to be seen as anything other than a 100% straight girl that just sucked at flirting and thus was struggling to get a boyfriend is just a flat out lie.

She's not bisexual. She's not a lesbian. Her sexuality was not "left up to debate" because THERE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE A DEBATE!

Again, I would love a bisexual Azula (provided that wasn't handled by people like Yang and Bryke, who see her as nothing more than an ableist stereotype), but let's not kid ourselves here.

Nickelodeon is not our "ally", they're a company that wants your money. Bryke, by their own admission, were not revolutionaries who pushed for gay representation and were ready to give up on the idea of same-sex relationship with no resistence if the Network told them "no, only straight romances allowed". Korra was no Steven Universe or even Adventure Time, it was basically Disney with it's 50th "first" gay character that gets five seconds of screentime. Azula's sexuality absolutely WAS confirmed and it is (sadly for me) heterosexual.

And to the people that claim to love headcanons for bisexual Azula, but still insist I should only ship her with women, or make her strongly prefer women, or only have had bad experiences with men and positive ones with women, otherwise she'll be "basically straight": your biphobia is showing, stop hating on bi women everytime they shatter your ilusion that we're just confused/in denial and will eventually realize we're actually lesbians.

[zombolouge]

Self-rec time! What are your favorite five fics that you've written and why? After replying to this ask, pass on to five other writers to spread the love. 💗

THANK YOU, BABE KESLA.

Let's see, my fave fics that I've written...in order of least-to-most read lol

The Traveler, 92k word Dragon Age fic about what Solas was doing prior to waking up and starting all the Problems. Initially approached with the concept of Solas as a nod to Doctor Who, in which he is using a special eluvian to travel the fade and then he picks up companions to travel with along the way. By the end of it I've made everyone's canon my own canon through time shenanigans. This fic took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to write because the prose is meant to mimic iambic/Shakespearian cadences throughout, so it was by far one of the most technically difficult things I've ever done. I really, REALLY wish the fandom gave it more love because I worked SO hard on it and am very proud of it, but alas. It will have to be one of the greatest things I've ever written that nobody has ever read lolol

Pieces of Us, 14k word Dragon Age oneshot. The story of how Morrigan gave birth to Kieran, juxtaposed with the time after they leave the Inquisition. The fic is split into two POVs at different points in the timeline, with Morrigan's POV being in the past and Kieran's POV being in the present day. lol I did a lot of research to try and get the pregnancy/birth portrayal right, and I'm proud of how it turned out.

Maximum Thrustitude, 43k words of absolute tomfoolery. One time in LA I got sun poisoning and accidentally met Brian Wecht but had no idea who he was, and in the car ride back from that vacation, I hallucinated the novelization of the song 6969 by Ninja Sex Party. A song which is, in itself, fanfiction of the Rush song 2112. This remains one of my favorite things I've ever written, it's so delightfully stupid and yet I still padded out the lore and the story beats so it's not without weight. Another "classic" of mine that nobody has read XD y'all missing out though, this is a 43k word dick joke that will make you have feelings at the end. ;)

No Star Falls Twice, 176k word Mass Effect fic. Technically I should be pointing to the whole series, bc I think it works best if you've followed the full buildup, but even without those little contexts, I think the ME3 fic can stand on it's own. I was really proud of the changes I made to canon and the way I tied it all together, and ending the trilogy of fics gutted me in the best way. Really poured my heart into this one.

Indefensible. 535k words of Ace Attorney fic in which I not only gave everyone in the main cast their own growth arcs, but meticulously plotted cases to solve throughout the fic that had narrative relevance and weight. When I started, I wasn't even sure I could write mystery, and by the time it was done I think I cemented mystery as one of my favorite things to write. I am so. fucking. proud of how it turned out and am profoundly grateful to everyone in the AA fandom that's taken a chance on reading it, because it took SO MUCH deep thinking and work. Balancing mystery plots alongside romance plots is no easy task, but it might be one of my fave tasks ;)

am gonna tag @outerspacejellyfish and @bickeringcrab and @earl-greater and @kmandergirl and @navigatorwrongway (check your inboxes shortly)

[duckielover151]

Thoughts on s5ep1 (Both Sides, Now)

All right, I've had some time to mull it over, and I think I've solidified my thoughts on this first episode to our final season. There are a lot of storylines running at once. Let's go in a negative-to-positive direction.

I think the rivalry between Paul and Marjan is probably the most inconsequential, and I'm just not feeling it for a few reasons. For one... I just cannot take them seriously any time someone tries to say they're equally qualified for the promotion. I like both their characters, but Marjan has consistently earned a reputation for being reckless and kind of irresponsible, and you just don't put someone like that in a leadership position, no matter how flashy her rescues look. Never mind the fact that I have a feeling this whole competition may be pointless anyway. I genuinely have no idea what they're going to do with Judd if not bring him back. It's hard to picture another future for him.

Which kind of brings us to Grace... Whose storyline-- or rather, excuse for an exit-- I already knew was probably going to disappoint me...

This mercy trip excuse is weak. Hardly an excuse to leave your own child when she's still so young. (And was the scene where Judd was explaining it to Wyatt just a little... uncomfortable to anyone else? I don't know, something about the way he was describing her just kind of skeeved me out. It felt almost like the writers could have been romanticizing their failed negotiations with the actress herself and just... yuck. I'm interested to hear someone else chime in on that, though. Was it just me?)

But honestly, the more I've thought about it, the more I really feel like the only excuse for her absence I could accept would be character death. And I've read interviews about how the writers didn't want to go that route because it would feel disrespectful to her character... And I just can't get behind that. Not least of all because it feels like the respect just couldn't have been there for the actress herself. I don't want to hear all this lip service after the fact about how Grace was such a crucial, irreplaceable character. You're telling me Sierra McClain was the only one whose contract they couldn't figure out for the final season? Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I'm kind of half and half on Owen's story. Curious to see where they're gonna go with that. I've seen some speculations that the series may end with his death-- leading to Judd taking over the 126. But I think it's just as likely that he may end the series by going back to New York. It's weird to think about... but he's kind of accomplished everything he set out to do here. And I think he's settled here, but the thought of Texas being Owen's permanent home just feels a little off to me. On a more short-term note, though... I feel like we as a fandom have mostly overlooked-- or ignored-- something kind of big. The series itself is focusing on his grief over his brothers' death(s). But uh... Euthanasia is not legal in Texas. There could be some serious problems headed his way (possibly leading up to a forced retirement and return to New York???) if his role in Robert's death comes to light. Just some food for thought right now.

I think Wyatt's going to slot in nicely as the new dispatcher. Not much to say there.

And Carlos's storyline is definitely the strongest so far. I like his new partner. I have this wild, unsupported prediction that the Rangers chief may have had something to do with Gabriel's death and Carlos and Campbell will team up to take him down... We'll see. I think they're gonna be a really good team though.

(Okay, but was anyone else getting, like, secondhand embarrassment during that scene where Carlos was presenting his slideshow thing to Campbell and the chief? The posturing!!! XD The way he was forcing his voice to be, like, painfully, unnaturally deep... It felt super real. I think it was great acting. But I'm also glad we're past that stage already.)

Overall, maybe not the strongest opening episode, but I fully expect it to pick up with the next one.

[redwinterroses]

Hi Hello. Quick question for you if you know, but uh, whats going on with toxicity in the HC fandom? Is this mainly a youtube thing or a reddit thing or a tumblr thing? also also other than Gem are there specific hermits people are being nasty to so I know whos comments to leave nice comments on?

Yeah so -- I don't know what specifics there are right now other than just a general discontent across the board. I don't hang out on the reddits or the twitterx but I do end up in the video comments quite a bit, and some of the crap I've seen, particularly on videos from people like Gem, Iskall, and Wels lately, has been embarrassing.

Add that to the tumblr "best cat of the year" or whatever poll, where Jellie was up against a meme cat and HC fans apparently sent death threats to the poll maker after they made an off-color joke... yeah. We need to rein in our unruly fellows.

And I get it, right? a lot of HC fans are young, they make dumb moves. They leave stupid comments like "so are you going to do Hermitcraft again? This Vault Hunter stuff is so boring" and "This sounds like a dumb idea" and so on. Death threats are NEVER okay but those are honestly the few and the nasty -- it's the general entitled attitude of your average viewer that's really the issue. And even if it IS younger kids doing it, they should still be corrected.

I'll get up on this soap box real quick -- always leave comments. If you like a cc, leave a comment. I don't care if it's just a <3 or a "loved this!", leave a positive comment. That's the only way that the malcontents get drowned out, because on the whole you're not going to convince them to shut up, so you just have to drown them out.

So... uh, it's late and my brain is ADHDing all over the place -- I hope that answered the question. XD tl;dr: I don't know where the toxicity is coming from, it DOES seem to be worse on twitter and reddit, but the place to fight it is in the YouTube comments.

Thank you! Have a great night! and now I go to bed

[sleepingdeath-light]

relationship hcs ; romano vargas

requested by ; anonymous (17/05/23) [1/2]

fandom(s) ; hetalia

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; romano vargas

outline ; “hullo!! This is for UCN!! Don’t see much Hetalia content here so let’s change that shall we >:3 I’d like some relationship headcanons for Romano :D he’s so skrunkly and I love him so much (and also someone made a “most attractive guy in Hetalia” competition here and Romano’s beating the absolute shit out of every dude he’s up against xD) If it’s not too much to ask maybe we can have sfw + nsfw? 🥺 (I’m 21!! Sorry if that’s weird-)”

warning(s) ; none, just fluff!

he’s incredibly protective of you and isn’t afraid to cuss anyone out that gets too close to you

he also tries to fight them but he isn’t the best fighter and usually ends up coming out of the scuffle with more bruises and cuts than he went in with

appreciates the calm domestic aspects of your relationship, even if he won’t verbally admit it

but you can tell by the way he hums whilst making you both a home cooked meal, or the way he relaxes when you cuddle up on the settee after a long day

not big on pda by any means, at most interlocking elbows with you or placing a hand on the small of your back

though he is incredibly affectionate in private and has no qualms with cuddling, kissing, complimenting or making out with you at home

despite outward appearances, he’s incredibly patient with you and he’s an excellent teacher — especially if you want to learn to cook some of the local foods from his home or if you want to learn his native language

his favourite pet names for you are: ‘vita mia’ and ‘cuore mio’

he’ll turn bright red if you kiss him on the cheek in public or if you use any italian pet names for him

he doesn’t talk about you much with others because he’s incredibly protective of you — the only exceptions being with women (usually to brag about you) or his brother feliciano (because he knows he’ll get bugged to hell and back if he doesn’t)

he will go absolutely ballistic if spain or germany go anywhere near you

loves seeing you in his clothes and will intentionally leave his white button ups around the house in the hopes of you ‘stealing’ them

will research your current interests independently to ask you about them — vehemently denying doing so if you ask him about it

prefers to be the big spoon when you cuddle and won’t fall asleep until he’s sure that you’ve drifted off

will only say he loves you in italian because he gets too flustered by the idea of saying it in english as he worries about others hearing him be soft

when you first met he was extremely flirty and extremely good at flustering you — this almost stops once you’ve become an established couple, but his flirty nature never really goes away

he takes lots of pictures of you but the only pictures of himself that he has are ones of the both of you — he doesn’t hate having his picture taken, though, he just doesn’t think about doing it much

[idyllcy]

Hiii,for the matchup event,Could I request a matchup with dc fandom?

So ok,

I am an ambidextrous person, depending on who I am with, I am extroverted or introverted, I like to talk about the things that I like to others, I tend to be somewhat negative xd, I get nervous easily, and I am quite a perfectionist, my ideal type would be someone with goals, and tastes similar to mine, fun, but serious in the moments that require it, and that he pays a lot of attention to me and does not leave me unattended, my ideal date would be to go to dinner something that we both like, chat about our favorite books(because literature is romantic for me lol) in the dinner, then watch a movie together and at the end of the day kiss, my sign is Aries, I am a VERY TALL woman (and seriously, quite tall) I have dark eyes and hair. Sorry if this is too long but I hope you have fun making my matchup.

Have a good day¡

coffee and books, dinner and wine

The warmth of the coffee flutters through the air as you flip the page of your book, and you look up at Jason, blinking at him slowly as his glasses slide down the bridge of his nose.

"Staring, beautiful?"

"Yeah." You chuckle, cheeks warm. "It's been a while since we've gotten to do this."

"I'll be sure to do it more often, then," He slides his glasses back up, humming. "How do you like your book?"

"It's pretty good." You hum. "Have you read it yet?"

"I will soon." He chuckles.

Headcanons:

you and Jason take book recs from each other

he takes you out for dinner pretty often, and he brings you roses when he picks you up

if you ever worry about your height, no worries! wear heels all you want he is completely fine with it lol

movie nights are also super common (Jason breaks in through the window with pizza or smth else and the two of you watch a movie on the couch)

Also, sometimes he does go missing, but you could summon him home with a single phone call 😭 it's happened before

(also, if you don't answer his calls at night and don't tell him you're doing something, he will find you. It's a little scary how he knows where you are at all times)

[katyspersonal]

sorry if the "use later" meant you weren't taking them now, but if you are : 6, 10, 25, 44, and maybe 50 ? (i don't remember you talking about a hunter of your own, so if not, general hcs about the protag ?)

Ahhh don't worry about this! I AM taking the asks, I am just stacking them for later because my ask answering habits are chaotic x)

(Asks from this ( x ) meme)

6) League or Vilebloods?

This question gave me flashback on having made a reasonable point about why if Valtr and Bloody Crow have met, they'd experience the strongest wish to kill the other in their lives fhsdhfs I have a lot to say about the philosophy and goal of both covenants! To condense it as much as possible, I say Vilebloods, because they at least have the reasonable goal! They are a split from Pthumerians that felt entitled to crown a female monarch and carry the Child of Blood (who is a Great One on "their" terms)! Yes, they seek, consume and maybe even cultivate Human Dregs, but they have the vision of the new era... even if drenched in blood and sin.

League guys are battling the thing that can't be ultimately defeated - the evil within men, so their end goal would be destruction of life itself! I do feel bad for what the poor idiots took upon themselves, this is a twisted trap of existence, and they are sadly smarter. Burdened with something you are not SUPPOSED to get a glimpse of! But, Vilebloods have THE plan, I respect this more. (I also respect the ask meme's creator for pitting these covenants against each other, this is a very deep observation!)

10) Sexiest boss?

I am not so sure ;-; When it comes to sexual attraction, most of my preferences fall on NPCs and not bosses! I think Amygdala is the closest one to the definition! Maria, Micolash and Ebrietas are definitely up here, but in this case "sexyness" comes from the sense of "knowing" the character! With Amygdala I think it is more genuine in terms of appreciating the boss through this lence. It is not 'omg I am fighting THIS person 😳' but it is 'omg all these arms and tendrills 😳'!

25) Upper Cathedral Ward Y/N

I never, ever, ever, EVER want to see that STUPID fucking bitchass fucker Brainsucker in the long narrow hallway that keeps STUNLOCKING ME WITH its STUPID fucking spell EVER, EVER, EVER AGAIN.

YEAH YEAH WHATEVER fshfhdsfs I always do this area anyways and I love its atmosphere and the sound, but it HURTS. I am also probably the only person alive who is struggling with Celestial fucking Emissary!!!! It is a love-hate relationship with this area, but I say yes because I physically can't bring myself to skip it!

^ Love the way it looks through sequence breaking, too!

44) Have you read any of the comics?

No, and I don't think I ever will be able to :') My country has some.... """issues""" with overseas merch to say the least fsdhfghfsd Granted, from what I've seen the comics IS awesome! It is exactly the way I want licensed products to be: instead of giving you lore on unexplored canon characters they add original characters, instead of shoving the lore answers onto you they respect the vagueness of the original and continue it... I always dreaded stuff for my previous fandoms such as official comics, infodrops through official Twitters, spin-offs etc that gave too much information because I don't like to cOnSuMe MoRe CoNtEnT uwu, I like enough space for speculation and imagination left! With Bloodborne comics, I could tell this is the case!

( x ) ^ This alone I respect very much! I love it when the writer has their own idea but doesn't hammer it down and leaves it up to the audience to figure it OR not. This IS how Miyazaki writes his own stories - he knows what the story IS, but won't straight up tell us XD This is what I loved about original Matrix trilogy - creators have had a certain idea in mind but the story was crafted in such a way that it was up to the audience to find it out, or even find their own interpretations! And this is why I refused to watch Owl House - I heard that the creator got super controlling and defensive about how audience """should""" read and feel towards the villain. I've sidetracked but I can tell from a mile that if I ever lay my hands on these comics it must be worth my time all things considered!

50) Tell me about your hunters!

Oh boy... I am a total 'Paleblood Hunter is not loreless' truther x) There IS a "canon" Paleblood Hunter character, unlike in the case of other Soulsborne games, and it doesn't let me get creative XD There is a guy with white hair and grey eyes that is probably a reincarnation of Laurence ( x ) , having ties with Cainhurst but also coming from the 'foreign country' that was a home of Brador ( x ) and like 80% of the Healing Church's staff!

This is tormenting me. This is eating me. I have such deeply-rooted insecurity about "bringing in something from myself" that @val-of-the-north has had to FIGHT me to keep my """irrelevant""" OCs for the fandom. xD And stuff like this perfectly nurtures that side of me, as I jealously watch every normal fan have fun with THEIR version of protag like:

Nonetheless, I actually DO have a Hunter that I love to use and recreate at any lost safe or restarted game! This is Rin!

Or Rena, or Rina.... something along these lines fhfhds I've first shared about her here ( x ), and since then not much about her changed! I still like the worst fucking backstory where her overly cautiousness at first made her kill one of like three sane people in the setting, the developing sense of justice and killing a person full of shit on the spot, the worst bloodtinge and absence of guns use etc!

The thing that changed is weaponry style! Now I got fixation on having every variant of Ludwig's Holy Blade (normal/arcane, bolt, fire, poisoned). So picture her having collection of the same sword but with different "element" XD I'll take more screenshots of her! Currently she has clouded eyes effect (fell victim of my experiments with Save Editing), I probably should fix it fdfdsfds But, yeah... I like playing as her! I tried to create 'default Paleblood Hunter' for male playable character and it didn't feel as satisfying as I thought it would!

[desultory-novice]

hello! i've been meaning to ask you this for a while, but i keep forgetting! i'll lead by saying that i'm sorry for being so annoying in your askbox about this stuff... i just really want to know your opinion!

i've been seeing a lot of "galacta knight is canonically dead" takes lately, and i was wondering what you thought about that? i've always been a little annoyed at the concept since star allies (and the star allies art books!) seems to make a big deal out of morpho knight being a fusion of gk and the butterfly, and while katfl seems to disprove this (?) it's also important to note that we never saw gk's soul leave morpho knight, only forgo's. i just feel like there's a lot more evidence for morpho knight to be a fusion than the other way around? i can't really talk to people about this bc it always makes me look like a fangirl that's upset her favorite is dead... :/ your killing game post kind of reminded me about that jajaj

Annoying? Noooo! Not in the slightest!

"Canon."

Oh boy. I mean, yes, I use "canon" myself but at the same time, I hear the phrase "canonically dead" paired with Galacta Knight and I can't help but laugh. (And sigh, because I really do think fandom can get caught up in policing people based on what's presumed(!!!) canon and that just seems like a big way to suck the fun out of things!)

But seriously, Galacta Knight is just one of the funniest characters to argue about this because before now, people were arguing he wasn't even canon at all! Can we just enjoy the character, people?! XD

That said, I did some looking through my copy of the SA art book and Galacta and Morpho's pause screen lore for this ask and...

The art book is pretty clear about Morpho Knight being a fusion of the butterfly and Galacta. That said, the pause lore also seems to imply that Morpho is their own thing, and that while they might be fused in this form, it's not to say that Morpho can only take that form because they absorbed Galacta/that it was borrowed from Gala.

Galacta definitely has an effect on Morpho, physically, as Morpho EX is explicitly stated to be a change brought on as Morpho finishes the process of absorbing Galacta's power and has learned to make it entirely their own. (Interesting how that turns them dark, not unlike the Aeon Hero unlocking his own "true" power and turning quite...malevolent looking.)

That Morpho needed Gala's power (in fact, Morpho is described as being "drawn  to" Gala so I don't think there's anything wrong with imagining fate plays a bit into their meeting) could be why Morpho becomes Morpho Knight to be but doesn't turn into, say , Forgo Knight after absorbing Fecto Forgo. (Although Fecto isn't a complete soul, missing Elfilin.) Morpho Knight probably couldn't have taken that same form in FL had they not fused with Gala but...

...because Gala wasn't shown leaving Morpho, does that suddenly mean Gala's dead? ...Personally, I don't think so. Especially if you are one of those "EX Modes are Non-Canon" people, in which case, we can take the pause screen text to mean that regular Morpho hasn't even "finished" absorbing Gala's soul! IE: It's still around.

But here's the real reason it's so odd to me to suggest that Gala is dead after their encounter with Morpho in Star Allies:

Galacta Knight is a character who pretty clearly has multiple selves from multiple timelines existing at any/many given points in the timeline! So the SA Gala was absorbed! What does that say for the other dozen Galactas flying around out there? There many be THOUSANDS of Crystal Prisons containing thousands of Galacta Knights floating through the mess that is Another Dimension! We saw that SA Gala getting absorbed had no effect on the Galacta Knight fight existing as per normal in RtDL DX.

Even if you wanted to go all River Song and say that getting absorbed by Morpho is Gala's end fate, that regardless of where we catch them in the timeline, that would be a fixed moment, we haven't seen Gala's beginning! (Even Aeon Hero would seem to represent something like Gala's "career highlight" phase.) It's simply too soon/we have too little evidence to say Galacta is "canonically dead."

It's just very silly to me to insist on/badger people about that. Which is why I tend to think that at least a portion of the people saying that are saying it as a joke. This humorous idea that "Man Galacta never even got to be canon (:Dess groaning in the background:) and the first time he does get to be canon, he dies! lolololol"

It's overplayed as a joke to me, but if that's the way they enjoy the series, I try to let them be and focus on the parts of the fandom/the discussions that are most meaningful and constructive to me!

(Lastly, I hope you don't feel like there's anything negative about being seriously concerned about the fate of your favorite or that it's anything to be ashamed about! Ask and talk away, please! I want note that if evidence ever came out that Marx was most likely dead, I would be rushing to complain about it/try to reassure myself that there was evidence to the contrary in every ask box that would listen! XD It's natural and very sane to get emotionally invested in the state of your fav in a series you're still currently invested in! Something something kill the part of you that cringes~)

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

20 questions for fic writers

I was tagged on this by @unexpectedstormy ! I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to respond like it was a chain or make my own post, so I just went for it

1. How many works do you have on A03?

Two. There will be more coming, because Blood Drops on Roses is just arc one of this story, and there's a lot of snippets for Prologue floating around.

Blood Drops on Roses: Linked Universe

BDOR Prologue: The Yiga and The Sheikah

2. What's your total A03 word count?

51,493 words since mid-August, when I finally got an account XD I've been a lurker for YEARS ya'll.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Linked Universe only, so far.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

See above XD I hope to get enough fics out there that I can sort my work like that, but for now it's just those two.

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

Yes, I respond as soon as I can, they are like crack to me. Maybe because I'm new to sharing my work or something, but I would die for each and every one of you that leaves even as much as a <3

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

NONE OF MY FICS ARE FINISHED YET AAAAAAAAAA. Arc 1's ending is going to be pretty angsty though.

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

Hm, I see that this questionnaire is not meant for me. There is a Prologue section "The Trap" that I'll be putting out soon through, its ending is pretty sweet I would say.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not yet. I am afraid that it's gonna happen, but so far everyone has been so nice, so I hope not D:

9. Do you write smut?

Nah. Don't really read it either. Just not my thing.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I mean unless you count LU as a crossover between all the Link's respective fandoms, no

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Gosh I hope not. How does one steal a fic?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope. If I ever get good enough at Spanish, I would like to take a crack at translating my own fic once its all published, but it would probably be laughably terrible. Eh, practice is practice.

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

Not yet. Hey @needfantasticstories, I think Clippy Wind and Pug Sky need to go on some adventures together, don't you?

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

Tbh I don't really ship. I do think Malon/Time and Legend/Ravio are cute though. I'm just not really interested in exploring the romantic side of stories, even in published literature.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Geez I hope that I finish all of Arc 2 at this point. But I may be too early into the game to answer this.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Heck if I know. I had someone say in my comment section that they liked how I characterize people, so we'll go with that.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I write too much and probably in too much detail. Sometimes it would be better to say "They crossed the bridge and set up camp" but nooooooooooo lets add 7,000 words to this already bloated fic.

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

Italics. I was about to whip out my decade of Latin for part of this fic, but I decided against it because I'm pretentious but not that pretentious. Also because I still don't understand word order at ALL.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Now that I'm thinking about it, I think I have some fanfic from the dog series of Warrior Cats lurking somewhere that I wrote when I was like 12. Survivors, or something? I should probably go delete it, I'm sure it's trash. I'm scared to even look, it probably hasn't seen the light of day since I wrote it.

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

Well I've only got one big fic out right now so let's go with BDOR

@needfantasticstories and @somer-writes I'm kicking this your way.

[ell-arts]

There's a ton of strange things going on with this show, including using parodies (namely the Terminator for "Stand By Your Pac-Man" and The Wizard of Oz for "The Wizard of Odd".

All it does is aid to the already large filler that no one (or close to it) particularly needed. Not to mention the crass jokes that started showing up as early as episode 2.

Episode. Two.

So here's my question: What made you stay in the Fandom after the shows untimely cancelation? Was it for the memes and shitposts that people made off It? Or was it for the idea that, in a way, it had more potential to it?

Personally it's both the former and latter, but I've always wanted to know what made someone stay in this weird phase of Pac-Man history

That's a loaded question XD

First, I must acknowledge that my answer is only one perspective out of many. Other fans may have varying reasons for why they stayed in the fandom.

So, as for me?

I'm a simple person. I'm easily entertained :)

It's the little things that I am drawn to. Not the crass/toilet humour, of course, but I like the little design details and how the main trio looks out for each other, and some of the funny shenanigans that the ghosts end up in. I can block out/ignore the poorly done bits and genuinely enjoy the rest of it that was fun to watch.

I really don't mind the amount of parodies, I think each of them at least had something that was still relevant to the story - Stand By Your Pac-Man set the stage for Apex's reveal (in that the Pacinator revealed it was someone else who completely wiped out the yellows, however brief the reveal may be), and while Wizard of Odd was more filler than anything else, I still found enjoyment in it and we got a bit of lore on other parallel dimensions being a thing in the universe. The one parody episode I can think of that was 100% filler and probs unnecessary was Rip van Packle.

I'll admit, PMATGA is not the best show nor can I pretend that it's as great as other stories I'm interested in, like The Chronicles of Narnia or HTTYD. Whenever new people ask me what shows I'm interested in, I make a big effort not to mention PMATGA lmao. It's a guilty pleasure, simple as that.

To be honest, it was neither the memes nor the wasted potential that I stayed for (trust me, 15-year-old me was actually quite miffed about people dissing my favourite show at the time XD).

I stayed because I had sort of build up my own sets of fanons and theories of the show that I could latch onto, and build up upon for years to come, because the characters of this show are surprisingly good to use as a foundation for bigger and more epic stories, sort of like that one meme where the world you created in your head about the show is better than the show itself lol. I guess that did stem out of the show's wasted potential.

And, well, hyperfixation is a thing, innit? That definitely played a small role in why I stayed.

Over the years my interest in the show did wean a little, and up until the beginning of the year, I had been entirely inactive in the fandom. Perhaps I did lose interest in the show then. But I didn't lose interest in the fan stories I've come up with in the meantime. I guess that's the biggest reason why I stayed - I started something with my fanfics, and I've spent a lot of time building up their plots, so much so that to just leave it all now would feel wrong. Especially since I still get enjoyment out of them.

It ends up being a domino effect in and of itself tbh, because as I write more for the fanfics that I refuse to abandon, the more stories and fan content I come up with, and so the drive continues for as long as it's capable of doing so.

[pepperf]

What do you do when you’re burnt out on fanfic? Like the characters just don’t feel the same to you anymore

I assume you mean writing fic, not reading? (For reading, I find that's the point at which I drift into another fandom).

It's...difficult, tbh. I am kind of in that place with TUA, too, and while I'm looking forward to the last burst of excitement with season 4, and that might reignite my desire to write endlessly about these characters, I suspect that my most passionate love affair with this show is winding down. I still adore it! But I'm not thinking about it 24/7, coming up with new meta, new fic ideas, things I simply HAVE to write...

I've never found a solution, honestly! I've been through a number of fandoms, and there always does come a point where it winds down, for me. I respect and admire fans who are still there, 20 years later, with the same passion! But that's not how I work. And it sucks, honestly. It also sometimes means that my fandom social life shifts - I will keep some of y'all, but eventually most people will find other shows to post about, as will I, and our paths will diverge. And I feel sad, and wistful, and a little autumnal about the whole thing.

It doesn't have to mean it's the end right now, however. Some people find a new spark in the same fandom - maybe that one fic idea that's just SUCH a challenge, SO interesting, that the fic itself grabs hold of you. Sometimes I find that I need to do something totally different - write in a different style, or create art instead, or...something, shake it up, whatever that means. Other people may have other tricks.

But on the whole, what I find is that I try to accept that it will simmer down, and that I won't finish every fic idea I ever had - and I look forward to whatever new and unexpected fandom will grab me in the future (and to having some downtime in the meanwhile, lol).

Sorry, that maybe got out of hand! I'm feeling some kinda way about the show coming to an end, I guess. XD To go back to your specific ask: sometimes I do a rewatch (because often I'm so caught up in fic or fandom that I forget where it all started, what made me love it in the first place). Sometimes I let myself start a new fic, something really super indulgent, the kind of fic that I most want to read but have been telling myself, nah, that's too much, no one will want to read that (don't listen to that voice, it's a lying liar!). Sometimes I go watch or read something else, and come back with a totally weird crossover idea (I don't really recommend that one, almost no one reads those). Sometimes I let myself just think about the characters, about something that's always struck me about them but that I've never quite pinned down and that I want to explore more in some way (usually fic, for me). Sometimes I just let myself stop worrying and go do something else, and if it comes back, it comes back.

I hope that's helpful - I'm not sure it is, but hey, the one thing I'm enjoying about TUA is that, generally, it's been a positive experience, and I am hopeful that we'll go out with a good and satisfying season 4. And we still have 6 entire episodes yet to see!

EDIT: Also - because apparently I have A Lot Of Opinions tonight - I find that it never completely leaves me. I care about all the shows I ever loved like this, I watch the new stuff the actors do (sometimes), I will read the odd fic, or rewatch an episode - or the whole thing - sometimes...I'm never going to completely lose TUA, and I will take forward some of the character beats and the ideas that I picked up from it, in some form or other. I may even get suddenly inspired, five years down the line, to finish a fic. XD So it's never wasted, it's all mulch to the creative mind.

[theredengineapologist]

So this is something I've been noticing for a while. Have you realized that James is usually shipped with Edward or Thomas? I'm surprised no one has shipped him with Gordon yet 😕

I wouldn't say no one has shipped James with Gordon. I went into Google Images and searched for "ttte james x gordon" and found a number of results. If there's one thing I learned from being in fandom spaces, it's to never assume that a ship has not been shipped. XD

But if you're wondering why James x Gordon is a less popular ship, especially in comparison to Jameward or James x Thomas, my opinion is that it has something to do with the character dynamics.

Long rant under the cut!

Before I begin, I need to state my biases right out of the gate. I'm a Jameward shipper through and through and I don't really like Gordon. So take what I say with a pinch of salt.

With James and Edward, you have a positive dynamic that spans basically over the course of the entire series. Edward was James's support since his debut arc, then during the HIT era you can see they have a bit of a rivalry (but James always comes back to support Edward in the end. You'll notice in a lot of their episodes, James makes up for his actions by being Edward's back engine), then from "James the Second Best" onwards they become respectful peers. Even if you don't ship them, you cannot deny that there's growth in their dynamic with each other and that James and Edward seem to operate on equal footing.

With James and Thomas, you can see that they also operate on equal footing. They have a rivalry that spans over the course of the entire series (highlights including "James and the Red Balloon" and "Reds vs Blues"), but there is also evidence that they support and lean on each other (first thing that comes to my mind is James specifically calling for Thomas's help in "Philip to the Rescue").

Both Jameward and James x Thomas also have significant moments that shippers can point to as "relationship milestones" or "highlights". For Jameward, it's Edward saving James in "Old Iron" and James trusting Edward with carrying the mayor in "All in Vain". For Thomas and James, it's Thomas saving James in "Thomas and the Breakdown Train" and (I'm guessing based on the synopsis but I haven't seen the movie) the entire movie Journey Beyond Sodor.

But Gordon and James, in my opinion, don't really have that. With their dynamic, it's a lot of James looking up to Gordon and Gordon looking down on James. In The Adventure Begins, James does a lot of shadowing Gordon and imitating him. James laughs when Gordon laughs and even imitates his whistle. It's very clear that James admires Gordon and sees him as a very important engine, but I would argue that this respect is not returned on Gordon's end. Examples include:

Season 1 Ep 10, "James and the Express": While they're in the sheds together, Gordon tells James that he talks to much. And then right after we get that famous exchange where Gordon brags about "seeming to know the right line by instinct".

Season 5 Ep3, "A Better View for Gordon": Gordon complains and James gets frustrated and is like "Why are you complaining all the time". To which Gordon replies by telling James he's "just a small engine with ideas above his station".

Season 20 Ep 3, "Henry Gets the Express": In order for Henry and Thomas to reverse psychology Gordon into carrying the Flying Kipper, Thomas immediately starts negging James and how difficult it was for him. This is what eventually convinces Gordon to leave the shed because he wants to prove he's certainly stronger than James.

Now I am NOT suggesting that Gordon doesn't care for James in his own way. What I AM suggesting, however, is that I don't think Gordon sees James on the same level as himself. I don't think they are on as equal footing as, say, James and Edward or James and Thomas. James looks up to Gordon like a role model or a mentor. I've seen one user even suggest that James looks up to him like a father. And Gordon sees James as someone of a lower level from himself. The point is that they are not on equal footing. I also don't recall them having notable moments together that one could call a "relationship milestone" either.

With all that said, please keep in mind this is just my opinion for why I personally don't ship Gordon x James. I think they have an interesting dynamic, but not in any way romantic. I suspect that others who don't ship the pairing are also inclined to view them similarly, but I can't speak for anyone else but myself.

[practically-an-x-man]

What canon character gets annoyed by your OC? Which canon character does your OC not respect at all? Why? Is there someone your OC didn’t like at first, but then got along with later? Is there a canon character that your OC needs to ask forgiveness towards? Is there a canon character your OC needs to forgive?

For Spider, Eris, and Quinn

Thank you so much!!!

Fandom OC Ask Meme

What canon character gets annoyed by your OC?

Spider: I could see him annoying Henri (Djimon Hounsou's character) a little towards the end, just because Spider's techniques are much more daring and risky than the usual methods of moving slowly and staying quiet.

Eris: It would be easier to list who doesn't, honestly. Eris annoys a lot of people. I think the biggest one is Amanda Waller, since Eris is an absolute wild card who proves a genuine threat to her operation, and they know it.

Quinn: ONE. Omg, she annoys the everloving shit out of him and loves to do it XD It's so easy to push his buttons

Which canon character does your OC not respect at all? Why?

Spider: There's not really anyone this applies to, honestly. It's already a limited pool of characters, and they're all just trying to survive, so he's pretty amicable towards all of them.

Eris: Peacemaker for SURE. I mean, you see it an awful lot in Let Us Prey, but she hates everything about his weapons and the way he carries himself and it's a miracle they even lasted that long without outright murdering him.

Quinn: I feel like Quinn does have at least a baseline human respect for everyone she encounters, but there's nobody she respects as an authority figure. They'll go along with a plan if they feel like it, but they're never going to be the type to just follow leadership for the sake of leadership - and especially with One.

Is there someone your OC didn’t like at first, but then got along with later?

Spider: Idk, Spider's pretty easy to get along with. He's pretty eccentric and can sometimes seem a little off-putting on a first impression, but he's really a super friendly and social guy and it's hard for him to make enemies.

Eris: DuBois for SURE. It's basically the whole plot of A Fool's Errand, they were jealous of him as first for how easily he bonded with Rick, but they respect the way he carries himself and he later became the closest thing Eris has to a genuine friend.

Quinn: Three. At first he seemed like a weak link, since he makes jokes at the wrong times and never seemed to take the missions seriously enough, but after spending a bit more time around him she realized that there's actually a lot of competence and skill behind that exaggerated exterior.

Is there a canon character that your OC needs to ask forgiveness towards?

Spider: Again, not many canon characters to pull from. I think he'd want to apologize to Eric and wishes he could apologize to Sam (I haven't shared this before, but he will end up splitting off to distract the monsters at one point and it's presumed he's dead until Eric runs into him again on the boat at the end) for leaving them, but there's nothing especially world-shattering that he needs to atone for.

Eris: Oh, I'm sure there's a whole list. If Eris believed in regret at all, he'd never stop apologizing.

Quinn: Five for sure. Quinn can be a bit of an asshole when she's in pain, and Five is the one who runs her physical therapy once she's with the Ghosts. There are a lot of things Quinn could stand to apologize for on that front, especially since she knows Five is only trying to help her in the long run.

Is there a canon character your OC needs to forgive?

Spider: Eh, not really. Maybe there are some little things here and there that proved a challenge or annoyance, but the apocalypse tends to make the little things more forgiving. They're in this together.

Eris: Honestly, June. Eris tries not to harbor excessive grudges or judgement like that, since most of the time it's just not worth it (who cares about a pretty grudge when they've been around since the Seljuk Turks?), but he honestly holds a lot of unnecessary resentment towards June for how she treated Rick and how their relationship ended up pushing Eris to the sidelines. June didn't exactly do anything wrong, the relationship just didn't work out, but with how protective Eris gets over Rick, they probably exacerbated that situation more than it was worth.

Quinn: Hm, tough one. I don't want to say that she needs to forgive One entirely for what he's done, since he's absolutely overstepped in some really dangerous, egregious ways, but Quinn could stand to... ease up a little? If only to keep the team moving smoothly. It's not exactly forgiveness, more just a chance to say it happened and move on. Her anger at him is justified, but could start to prove dangerous the longer it goes on (since she needs to trust him on some level in order for the missions to be a success)

[jamesunderwater]

Thank you so much for the tag @thecasualauthor!

🍓 how did you get into writing fanfiction?

I've joked about this before, but on the forums of Neopets!

🍇How many fandoms have you written in?

HP, Supernatural, Dark Angel, Smallville, Twilight (regrettably), Sailor Moon, and BBC Merlin. Most of these were were RPs, though, not fanfic - for fanfic I think it's just HP & SPN.

🍈 How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

I think this year marks 20 years... Wow. Off and on, of course, but yeah. Since that first Neopets foray -- 20 years.

🍎 Do you read or write more fanfiction?

Definitely write more than I read, but I've been making a point to read more lately, so it's more balanced than last year.

🍌 What is one way you've improved as a writer?

I'm learning to not be so redundant in my writing, to be more intentional with how and where to use fluid prose, and to actually make sure my sentence structure is ordered correctly, lol.

🍑 Do you have any bad habits as a writer?

Getting too wrapped up in editing what I've already written instead of moving on to write the next bit; not sticking to a solid writing routine; getting stuck on making sure the scene is "right" instead of just writing it and working out the details later.

🍍 What's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

I still think researching the history of toast in Britain was pretty weird, especially given the fact I never even used it in the fic xD

🍉What's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Ones that are play-by-play reactions to the story, and/or tell me specific parts of the story that they enjoyed and why. But really, ANY and all comments make me so, so happy. I feel touched any time someone takes the time to leave me a comment.

🍐What's the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

I am not aware of anyone else currently writing Trans Jily fics (though point me in their direction if you know of someone who is!)

🥭What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

Strictly canon-compliant fics. It's too much to remember all the tiny details to make sure I've gotten everything just right. And enemies to lovers. I've discovered I really enjoy rivals to lovers, but enemies to lovers just doesn't make sense to my brain. I don't know how to get them from A to B.

🍏What is the easiest type?

Angst, angst, angst. xD Especially canon or canon-adjacent angst. And I know it's not a story type, but man, do I love a story with a lot of banter in it.

🍑Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

I use Google docs for the most part, but I will write ideas and random snippets of scenes in my Notes app when I'm not at a computer.

🍋What is something you've been too nervous/ intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

I'd love to write some Korrasami, as I've mentioned to Kelsey before. I'd also love to do a crossover Marauders fic with either PJO, THG, or ATLA, but I'm afraid it'd end up feeling kitschy or something. But my BIG magnum opus idea is a canon-compliant centered around Sirius, probably just through his Azkaban escape. Well, that or a multi-chap Prongsfoot fic, but that is something I'm actually pretty confident writing. The other one is a LOT more intimidating.

🍇What made you choose your username?

I wanted it to be something that had my name in it + one of my personal motifs, so I played around with James/Jamie and different terms for ocean, trees, and sunshine. Came up with a list, narrowed it down to 2-3 top choices, and ended up choosing this one because it just flows in my brain in a way I like. Plus, it goes well with my blog title, the Noah Kahan lyric, "my head is an ocean."

these were so fun!! tagging: @theresthesnitch @roalinda @missgryffin @thelighthousestale @annabtg