#i just feel she's really underrated as a companion!!!!!!

[not-xpr-art]

bill potts sketch 2017 vs 2023!

a lot has changed in 6 years except for how much i love bill lol

[emmafrostyyy]

y'all sleeping on Astarion/Lae'zel bc this moment is so...the way the flippant demeanor drops and he doesn't hesitate to call her out for sticking with her version of Cazador like their relationship is so underrated fr...

sitting down writing this bullshit like let me peel it like an onion a bit and elaborate why this pairing is fascinating to me

It's really interesting how during the most cathartic, life-altering moment in Astarion's questline, the reactions of the other companions are more about the moral wrongness/guilt of sacrificing innocent lives. Lae'zel doesn't do that and instead relates to his hurt.

She knows what's he's feeling, the lack of control, the unfairness of being powerless for too long. This is a woman who just found out her entire life purpose was built on lies, discarded and hunted by her own people after outliving her usefulness, and groomed to basically die for an insane power-hungry lich queen. She knows all too well that power isn't always real freedom. Her first instinct is to empathize with Astarion to steer him away from his hate and resentment.

Astarion/Lae'zel is so interesting to me because they're such a classic "can we make each other worse or make a better person out of the other?".

They both have genuine appreciation for violence and respect each other's ruthlessness. Astarion was used as a weapon of seduction while Lae'zel was of warfare. Sex with people is meaningless and not real intimacy for them, and while both have little understanding/experience of interpersonal relationships beyond the physical, they still feel and love very deeply. They have no frame of reference for things like friendship and warmth, but they badly want all of that and more, even if they don't know it yet.

In-game they can sleep with each other, which is basically the foundation of the normal Tav/Astarion romance. Lae'zel saw him during combat and got horny, who knows. Astarion who's used to luring people with his charms, takes up Lae'zel's blunt offer because she's a strong hardened warrior that can provide protection and be a worthy ally, and he doesn't know how to say no. Navigating the complications between one who wants to be seen beyond as a sex object, and one who comes from a totally alien culture with no concept of love/family/connections and only sex is honestly really compelling to me. It's a transactional, mutually beneficial thing with no emotional expectations. Once you get past the skeevy rockiness of their early relationship, I really like the idea of them slowly seeing something past the exterior and realizing they may have harshly misjudged the other, an unspoken friendship blooms, and in comes the realization that they are essentially loners longing for kindness and a comforting touch in the most desperate of situations.

Lae'zel is prideful, direct, has no sense of courtship talk, and doesn't hold back her thoughts the slightest--she's not sweet/agreeable and what you see is really what you get, which I imagine would be disarming for Astarion who's used to vacuous flattery and has difficulty trusting others. But she's also insanely protective, passionate, loyal, and an initiator-- every romance scene is triggered by her first and she's always showing effort towards her relationships, which would mesh well with Astarion who does need someone to nudge him.

She doesn't purposely suppress her feelings, she's just simply at loss at how to express them sometimes due to her wildly different upbringing. She stops the sparring match you agree to and an easy vulnerability slips instantly out of her: "I don't want to hurt you. I want to protect you, and for you to protect me." and "Thus far I've taunted you, devoured you, battled you. Now I want more than anything to soothe you." are romantic as fuck and Astarion of all people really needs to hear that tbh.

Astarion is also someone who struggles with reinforcing his boundaries, and a key theme in Lae'zel's romance is that she encourages and wants you to challenge her and learn to stand your ground. It's not gentlest method, but hey, relationships are about having to make an effort to learn each other's language.

I think he also would take pleasure "educating her on the matters of Fay-run" (I believe there's a whole banter with him teasing her and teaching her pet names) and would get a kick out of coaxing Lae'zel out of her shell with her shyness at showing public affection, and making her blush. Also it simply would be fucking funny to see Astarion who's used to easy seduction, trying to pass a persuasion check just to get a smooch and generally having to work to earn regular kisses from Lae'zel lmfaooo

Lae'zel also initially struggles to see her chains as chains. When she learns about Vlaakith's betrayal, she copes instantly through denial and shuts it down. Astarion is NOT having it and calls her out, he knows her well enough to recognize that she would value blunt honesty above all.

I imagine he also despises her lack of self-preservation, the way her entire identity is tied to duty and being in service of others, and doesn't understand her desire to still help/liberate the people that want her dead and are hunting her down. He wants to make this duty-bound soldier realize that looking out for herself, and putting herself first may not be the worst thing in the world.

They're so similar to each other but are also polar opposites in some ways that make a more equal, balanced romance I think. It's not a simple, one-sided, feel-good "she/he can fix her/him" fantasy because both of them have to earn each other's love, actually cut through the other's flaws, and actively motivate each other to be better versions of themselves.

They're not at all the other's ideal guiding hand. It's rough, jagged, and imperfect, but that's how healing goes. It's so far from being the healthiest relationship -- but even if their belief systems differ, their moral compass does often align. I imagine it's a slight relief for them to have a partner where there would be less shame and judgment when they expectedly, occasionally slip up and fall into their bad habits.

Also, man, the "You showed me the betweens and beyonds. Beyond war and peace, beyond passion and obsession, most importantly, you showed me freedom.", "First you were my wound, now you were my cure.", "But you saw something else in me - someone else I could be. Someone who could break the cycle of power and terror that started centuries ago.." lines really hit hard when applied to them.

Of course, they can also make each other worse, feed into the other's negative traits that will bring out the worst part of themselves. It's this duality of their pairing that is very interesting to explore, the way it can steer in either direction because it's an intense, fraught relationship at its core.

[lavandulawrites]

The fact that there are no yandere Kinich fics/hcs is illegal. Litterly, the whole internet is all over him and no single fic/hc? R u shitting me?

Anyways, if you would be as kind as to consider this following request: yandere Kinich with a darling who is in love with someone else.

You dont have to do it if you dont want to. Have a nice day and make sure to drink enough water!

A Supporting Friend

He is truly criminally underrated</3 Fun fact my saurian is called Roberto haha

Masterlist

Warnings: stalking, Ajaw being a dick (what’s new), Kinich is delusional, murder, slight gore, Kinich is jealous, female reader

Word count: 814

A second didn’t pass without him thinking of you. His hazel eyes trains on you as you went about your day. You were so effortlessly beautiful. Like a goddess. As the dark haired man snuck in the shadows following you, he couldn’t help but feel a burning hatred whenever you looked at him. He was taller than Kinich with huge muscles and a stupid smile that never left his face.

The raven haired man hid behind a large stacks of boxes as he watched over you. God knows what could happen to you now that the Abyss were more aggressive than ever.

His annoying companion popped out of thin air with a whine. “Are you seriously still following her?” the little dragon-like creature asked with amusement.

Kinich spared him not even a single glance as he continued to let his eyes watch you.

“Jeez, ya are seriously fucked in the head, aren’t ya?” the little gremlin laughed. “Just face it, she doesn’t like you. Just like everyone else, so why don’t you just trip and die?” Ajaw snickered like the little devil he was.

“Shut up” Kinich sneered as he looked Ajaw away which resulted in multiple cursers following.

Of course Kinich knew your heart didn’t belong his, at least not yet. Your eyes were sat on that disgusting fool of a man. It was a pity and made Kinch’s skin crawl.

Days passed and you continued to see Kinich as only a friend. A friend which you told all your secrets and asked for help with various matters. Normally the young man would be over the moon with being so close to you, but not when you continued to rant about him.

“Roberto looked at me today. He even smiled! Do you think he likes me Kinich?” you asked him as you looked off in the distance with a longing gaze.

Oh if only you knew how much he loved you, how his heart fluttered in his chest when you looked at him. When you smiled it was like the Celestia had granted their blessing. Still, he chose to hold his tongue and only hum at your question. “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him” he answered with a strained voice. As he watched the red flowers that littered the meadow in front of them, he couldn’t help but imagine how Roberto’s blood would look against the lush grass.

“I want to ask him on a date” you interrupted his trained of thought. “Tomorrow” you turned to look at him with a huge smile. A bale blush dusted your cheeks as you thought about your crush.

Kinich’s heart quickened at the cute display of your blush. If only he was the one to make you blush. “Oh really?” he mumbled.

“Yeah. I want it to be perfect though. I am thinking in the field with flowers in the forest near my house. It’s the perfect spot. Really romantic.

“Indeed. Romantic” the words akin a sneer.

The next day the ancient name bearer jumped from tree to tree as he stalked Roberto on his way to hunt. The robust man was busy adjusting his crossbow, completely unaware to his surroundings. Kinich scoffed at his obliviousness and he couldn’t help the smirk that crept upon his lips.

He leapt down on the grown as silent as a feather as he crawled towards the man. His claymore already in his hand.

Quicker than a heartbeat he jumped up from the bush and ran towards Roberto.

Roberto screamed as he picked up his crossbow. Unfortunately for him, the weapon were not loaded and completely useless.

“What do you want?!” he screamed as he backed away with quick steps.

The hazel eyed man remained silent as he stalked closer and closer towards him.

With wide eyes Roberto turned on his heel and ran.

The case was as thrilling as Kinich had expected. Given his massive body, Roberto was rather slow compared to the shorter man. Stupid too.

It didn’t take long before Roberto had stopped at the end of the cliff. He was trapped between the blood thirsty man and the high fall. Neither he would survive.

Kinich had become tired of the little hunt so he leaped forward and missed Roberto’s chest by a mere centimetre. Which resulted in Roberto falling to his death with a high pitched scream that suited more a little girl than a 190 cm man.

Kinich peered over the cliff and down on the stony ground. Roberto’s body was no more than a red mass that looked like spaghetti given how he had landed on multiple sharp rocks. A satisfied smile tugged on Kinich’s lips.

Now he had to play the role of a comforting friend and hold you in his arms as you sobbed over your deceased crush. His smiled widened uncharacteristically at the thought of you finally being his.

[that-blue-vault-dweller]

Companions favorite Disney movie?

A/N: Howdy, howdy, folks! I know it's been a while, but I hope y'all enjoy these! 🥰💙💛 I've been extremely busy and have sort of lost motivation for this fandom, but I'm going to try to play Fo4 soon and see if I can muster up some more motivation 😊 I still have some fanfic to write and some reactions to do and I've got to get my butt in gear!

Cait - Brave. It might seem like the obvious choice because, well... ginger twinsies.... But she loves it because of the constant action and the fact that Merida wields a sword and a bow while also riding a horse often at the same time. She also secretly sort of finds herself vicariously living through Merida and wishing she would have had a family like hers with parents that actually loved her.

Curie - Inside Out. It's sciency and presents a fun, creative way of examining the brain's functions. She would prefer that Disney be more realistic, but despite her slight disappointment, she also understands that it has to be presented in a child-friendly way that would keep a kid's attention. A close second for her would be Big Hero 6. Honey Lemon is her hero.

Piper - Zootopia. She finds herself very much relating to Judy Hopps most days. Just a girl in a big city and a big world with the chips stacked against her and hardly anyone on her side as she fights the good fight. She also enjoys Judy's optimistic, sarcastic, energetic spirit that she upkeeps in the face of adversity. It's something that Piper herself has done her best to maintain.

MacCready - Finding Nemo. As a concerned dad with a struggling young son of his own, he can relate to this movie greatly. Plus, a bonus is that he likes to mess with F!Sole about being Dory, which she never seems to appreciate nearly as much as he does most days.

Deacon - The Emperor's New Groove. All of the jokes and the lightheartedness of the overall movie is totally Deacon's style. He always quotes the movie afterward and drives everyone at HQ crazy with his rather awful impression of Yzma.

Codsworth - Flubber. He sort of is crushing on Weebo the robot assistant. Granted, he says he has no sort of manner in which to facilitate such feelings since he is not programmed to feel things like that, but he raves over her enough that everyone can see he clearly has some manner of feelings.

Hancock - A Bug's Life. He doesn't really know why, but it cracks him up every time he turns it on. Of course, he's usually high when he's watched it, but that's not the important part. The important thing is that it's anti-grasshoppers and after the stuff he saw at Nuka-World, that suits him just fine.

Danse - Toy Story. He would rather die than admit it, but he likes the movie for the odd reason that he heavily relates to the spaceman. His perspective on life and his soldier-like dedication to his mission is truly outstanding. He also strangely relates to him in many ways, but he's not quite sure why.

Preston - Brother Bear. He enjoys the deep feelings and meaning behind the film. It's such an underrated yet good film and it has a really great sound track as well. He also has a strange affinity for Toy Story because of Woody and his steady dependability.

Valentine - Old Yeller. It's traditional and it has that sense of old-timey living that Nick can appreciate. He also enjoys the deep emotional quality of the film and the fact that it's about a good, loyal, brave dog. Kind of like Dogmeat.

X6-88 - Maleficent. He enjoys her sense of humor and her sense of taking care of business and revenge when people do her wrong. However, his favorite non-Disney movie is The Matrix. He firmly believes the coursers' design is based on Morpheus and he secretly thinks he looks like him most out of the courser models.

Dogmeat - The Fox and the Hound. He loves nothing more than to howl along with the dog on there. Finally a movie that actually has a character that speaks his language! The dog also actually successfully befriends other animals in a way that Dogmeat never seems to do too well since they're always trying to stomp on him or kill him. He also is a fan of Bolt.

Strong - Monster's Inc. Firstly, Strong doesn't like movies. They're confusing and make no sense because what do you mean those things are not really there? They're standing right in front of him! But he likes Monster's Inc more than most because Mike Wazowski looks like a super-mutant. An ugly, one-eyed freak super-mutant, but nevertheless one of his kind.

[atopfourthwall]

Hey Linkara, been enjoying your Doctor who 60th Aniversary reviews, it's really cool seeing older stuff, especially the first ever comic (Where much like the show: they didn't have anything down yet) But I was wondering something, you like to talk about Classic Who a lot, but I was just wondering if we could have cliffnotes on the reboot era Doctors; just wondering what a fan who started earlier thinks (I started with the 10th Doctor)

As starting points, pretty much any of the Doctors works (though I think better to start from 9 to 10 rather than directly from 10 since we're continuing the previous companion, same for 11 to 12). 9-Underrated, partially because he's followed by the juggernaut that is 10's era and he only did one season, but he remains damn good especially if you rewatch the better episodes of his season. 10-Best when he was with Donna. 10 is good and beloved for a reason, but he also needs someone to smack him back when he's being an ass. Reminds me of the 6 and Evelyn Smythe dynamic from the audios. 11-Leans too much on his mysterious and deceitful parts of his nature, I think. He's certainly not bad and I still like him (there's never been a bad Doctor so far), but he' can be a bit of a tool. Was better with Amy and Rory, I think. 12-Inconsistently written, but so damn good. His highs are the best of highs and the lows are the most insufferable of lows. 13-Reminded me at times of 5 - mostly the negative parts. Not that she's bad, but rather she feels like she isn't as proactive as she should be. 5 tended to be swept into events and was constantly trying to fight the rapids. But 13 COULD take control of a situation and when she did, she was brilliant. A nice subtle bit that I saw pointed out once is that after what happened to Bill, especially in her first season, the Doctor kept putting herself directly between her companions and the foe. Probably not intentional anywhere, but if you notice it, it makes a lot of sense.

[therossgarden]

Personal review regarding what if…? season 2 episode 8 (spoilers)

No ok, I must admit, the episode was good in some aspects.

Wanda was majestic. Loki and Scott were hilarious and I loved every single moment with them.

Thor was amazing, dark and serious out of loss but still enjoyable, and the crumbs of his relationship with Hela were very nice.

I’ve actually liked Tony for the very first time in my life, probably because I tend to like him a lot more in AUs and fanfictions than I do in the normal timeline.

And then… there were those two.

I will never comprehend why marvel wants Steve to be so dependent on Peggy. And I will never comprehend why, to make him interact with her, they have to destroy or sideline every other relationship he has built, or make his character flat.

Bucky being friends with Scott was amazing, but the fact that him and Steve interacted like two times was extremely disappointing. You’d expect “best friends in every universe”, if you dislike the romantic pairing so much, to acknowledge themselves for more than a few scenes, in only one of which they’re in frame together (Bucky was literally 😐 while his best friend disappeared, come on now).

And the storyline about Peggy coming from another world to save the universe was just… Mbah. It could’ve been executed in another way without including her and it still would have made sense. It really feels like a Y/N insert.

Seeing literally any other character was so good, so fun, and they had to ruin it this way, making Peggy once again the self insert and girlboss she didn’t need to be.

Plus, forgive my constant complaining, but it’s extremely infuriating how all of Steve’s friends were eliminated to put the focus solely on Peggy. Where’s Sam? Where’s Nat? Where’s Clint? It’s not an underrated friendship we’re talking about, a big chunk of the fandom loves the cap quartet or team cap, and after civil war it would have been nice to see them interact, especially after its popularity and popular demand. Outlaw team cap would have been glorious, a good chance to bring back many characters who aren’t here anymore in the right way, and involve characters that are rarely involved in What if in the storyline, for a change.

The treatment of Sam in this series particularly angers me, and even more so in this episode. I understand not involving him in other storylines, but Sam was a big part of CATWS and he wasn’t even in the episode centered on that film. What, because Steve met him while running he can’t be introduced in any other way? And oh, there’s no excuse for this episode. If there was one episode they could have placed Sam in, it was this one. Sam was there in infinity war, where the mess happened, and he should have been with the other avengers in this one.

If marvel wanted to involve someone from another universe so bad, it should have been a Captain America Sam from another universe. Can you imagine the poetry of seeing Steve and Nat again after endgame? Can you imagine having closure with them both, and having fun in the process? It would have been so great.

Another great storyline without involving characters from other universes would have been one where Steve, who touched the time stone, accidentally brought everyone in the past, and he was the only one to remember it. And to go back and prevent everyone’s distraction, he had to recruit the avengers, who don’t know him and don’t trust him but that in the end become his friends and companions. It would have been so interesting to see the original avengers involved in something different from being some side characters or extras in the one woman show that seems to be What if, constantly centered around the same bland, one dimensional reimagined side character. Peggy’s blandness is so obvious in these episodes (aside for some random remarks that made me smile) that literally everyone who’s involved directly with her must be bland like her, otherwise risking to overshadow her.

I don’t think I was supposed to cringe and look away as much as I did during Steggy’s forced scenes, but I did. If they had to force Steggy and Peggy down our throats, at least they could have done something different from the same bland and boring storyline as always. I wouldn’t be as mad as I am now if Peggy and Steve’s relationship wasn’t as bland. I would have preferred an enemies to lovers type of twist or change, where Steve doesn’t trust Peggy and struggles with her because he sees in her a different version of the Peggy that died in that universe. But noooo, god forbid, let’s go with the same old song.

An episode five or ten minutes longer with a better, avengers-centric or Steve-centric storyline would have been much better than what we got.

And given that this was my most anticipated episode, I was very disappointed by it. I hope for the next seasons, if there’s other ones, Marvel will listen to the general complaint regarding Peggy and will give her a break. I don’t think any of the original avengers or relevant MCU characters made as much appearances as Peggy, and being a main focus in four episodes out of nine is ridiculous.

[critter-rarepair-reccs]

Happy Thursday, friends! Apologies for the delay on this week's recommendations, but we now have seven different oneshots for you all! As always, you can find them below the cut and if you check any of them out, I encourage you to leave kudoes and comments to spread the rarepair love 💕

before the salt burns your eyes and you run out of time - by JuniperGrace (2,035 words, General) Pairing: Kima/Allura Vysoren (Kimallura) Warnings: Nightmares, Drowning

Allura has a nightmare after she and Kima almost drowned post-Raishan battle. Kima comforts her.

Reccer Says: The author in general writes some of my favorite KimAllura fics. This one in particular, I really like how they write the dream and Kima and Allura's relationship just feels so natural.

A Completely Normal Vacation by Luddleston (10,586 words, Explicit) Pairing: Kingsley Tealeaf/Caleb Widogast (Widoking) Warnings: None

Jester gets to pick the next location for the Nein to have a get-together and chooses a high-end sex club in Rosohna. Left alone as the couples pair off for the evening, Caleb and Kingsley end up exploring things together.

Reccer Says: It's deliciously sexy, a very fun and silly premise, and overall just a great exploration into a dynamic between Kingsley and Caleb and the two of them exploring sex together!

(watch me) dissolve by embraidery (3,617 words, Mature) Pairing: Fjord/Mollymauk Tealeaf (Fjolly) Warnings: None

Fjord accepts Molly's offer to help him bathe after a tough battle, and then takes him up on another (unspoken) offer.

Reccer Says: I'm always a sucker for a bathing and hair washing fic and this is such a sweet exploration of that. And for a couple I love that really doesn't get the exploration they deserve!

Essek and Gilmore stuck in an elevator what will they do by allmadeofstardust (1,421 words, General) Pairing: Shaun Gilmore/Essek Thelyss Warnings: None

While paying a visit to Allura, Essek gets stuck in an elevator with none other than Shaun Gilmore.

Reccer Says: A perfect exploration of that one 4 Sided Dive moment. They talk magic and flirt! What more could anyone ask for?

Baby, I Will, ‘Cause I Really Want To by brief_lives (4,694 words, Explicit) Pairing: Orym/Dorian Storm/Will (Dorymwill) Warnings: None

A Will lives AU in which Orym and Will have an open relationship whilst apart and get together with Dorian when Orym brings Dorian back to Zephrah with him.

Reccer Says: Sometimes the lack of Will Lives AUs surprises me (or maybe I don't look in the right places, idk) and so this is a really nice entry into the genre of fic! And also a great exploration of how Dorian would fit into that dynamic.

For Science, Obviously by Luddleston (3,640 words, Explicit) Pairing: Ashton Greymoore/Essek Thelyss (Shadowmoore) Warnings: None

Essek experiments with Ashton's dunamancy. Said experiments make Ashton horny. They try to hide it.

Reccer Says: This fic (and the rest of the series that followed it) are everything I could've hope for when Ashton said Essek was hot in episode 97. Luddleston never disappoints when it comes to writing Very Hot smut and this is no exception. Also the dunamancy stuff going on is very interesting and is a very fun companion to the horiness and sex for those of us who enjoy that kind of thing XD

Don't take this the wrong way by ladyofrosefire (3,128 words, Explicit) Pairing: Darrow Allocke/Fjord Warnings: None

Darrow and Fjord hook up after their fight.

Reccer Says: Listen, Darrow was 100% coming onto Fjord with the corndogs thing, you can't convince me otherwise, and I love anyone who's written fic about them. They're such an underrated pairing. This fic is really hot and I love it.

Thank you for joining us this week’s recc list! All the love to everyone who submitted a fic 💕 All enclosed recommendations were submitted by the community via our submissions form, which you can find here. All fic information is as it was provided by the reccer, so it may not be accurate to the author’s intent or the precise contents of the fic itself. Please assume good intent from all parties 💕

Submissions for next week’s list are already open! We’ll be featuring Laudna Rarepairs. If you have any you’d like to highlight, you can send them in here. The week after that, the theme is Grief & Mourning and the weeks after that we’re taking recommendations for Summer and Meet Cutes! Submissions for all of these themes are currently open.

If you want more rarepair fic, check out @cr-summer-wildflowers and their event collections on ao3! If you want some friendship after all this romance, take a look at @critter-genfic-events and their recc lists! And if you’re interested in everyone’s favorite wizards, you can’t go wrong with the lists at @aeor-is-for-reccing !

Thanks all and have a lovely day/night/timezone! 💕

[downbadmostofthetime]

can I be honest for a second

I actually kind of hate the treatment argenti got when he came out

sure. he’s a playable 5 star, got his own companion mission, and as well as a boss fight.

but comparing that to other characters, he literally got almost the bare minimum.

sure not every character has a companion mission, but those characters will usually be apart of other character’s companion missions or even in events centred around them (take sushang and guinaifen for example).

and while argenti is one of the few playable characters to have a boss fight, the others still have more than him

gepard may not have his own companion mission, but he was a main character in serval’s and even received visitor verification after you complete it, as well as the fact that he actually stands somewhere in belobog so you can talk to him whenever you please. plus he was also in the main story quest, just not as a prominent character. and as well that he’s a boss and is fightable in world 3

yanqing on the other hand does have his own companion mission, has visitor verification, is a fightable boss in world 8, had a very brief appearance in the main story quest (if I remember correctly) but was also complacent in two other companion missions (kafka and jingliu’s), and is available to talk to whenever you please.

kafka has her own companion mission, while she doesn’t have visitors verification. she’s one of the main antagonists in the game and is quite important to the lore (it’s unfair to compare her to argenti but you get the idea, so I won’t elaborate on the other things she has)

while argenti has:

-no visitor verification

-no appearance in any main story quest

-isn’t available to talk to whenever you please

-isn’t in any events so far

you can argue that “dr ratio and ruan mei are new characters and they aren’t bosses, available to talk to whenever, etc” but they do have main story quests (one for each actually), ruan mei has technically her own event (it’s based off of her own creations but they’re HERS and plus she has her own cat design so) and they both also have visitor verification.

maybe im just overreacting or just too impatient considering that argenti only came out in the second half of 1.5!!! and plus he’s gotten loads of attention outside of the game with hoyoverse buying the naming rights to a specific kind of rose species and naming it after him and holding a whole exhibition!!!! you know!!!!

but it kind of does suck with how his companion mission was so good, but the ending just felt very incomplete for me? like it feels like they didn’t know how to just properly end it so we got that (not that I’m complaining though I loved his quest). and as well as how he didn’t even receive visitor verification??? despite expressing his wishes to return???? they could just pull a seele, bronya and jing yuan with him but at least with those three they didn’t really have like an opportunity in the story for that to come around (if that makes sense) and thus them being added months later. but it’s different for argenti, considering how all three of them don’t even have a companion quest while argenti’s only main appearance is him having one.

argenti in my opinion is definitely one of the more underrated male characters and idk it just really sucks because I love him a lot and it kind of hurts to see how he isn’t getting as much attention as newer male characters like dr ratio for example.

yeah idk where I was going with this if anyone read this whole thing then hello I guess I hope you enjoyed that

[slippinmickeys]

Twenty questions for fanfic writers

I was tagged by @agent-troi and @randomfoggytiger Thanks for the tag, guys!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

53

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

712,000 exactly, which is sort of creepy?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The X-Files mainly, though a million years ago I wrote two fics for JAG, and technically, I have a His Dark Materials fic (but it's an XF crossover)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Mesas of Deuteronilus Mensae

Prompt Drabble Collection

The Annapolis Grant

Three Part Harmony

A Companion Unobtrusive

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to! Comments are the only payment fanfic writers get, and it's an incredibly valuable and underrated currency. Fanfiction as a community is one of the most generous you'll find, and I'm incredibly proud to be a part of this particular one.

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

Oh man, probably La Comtesse de Saint-Germain.

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

In this day and age I feel like we deal with enough shit, so I try to end most of my fics happily. I think A Gem-Like Flame probably has the most uplifting happy ending, but then, I'm a sports nerd.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I haven't yet.

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

Um, probably pretty vanilla het MSR. No shame.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I've only written one, but it turned out really well, I thought. It's an X-Files/His Dark Materials novella-length crossover that takes place in Lyra's world, pre-Lyra, called Out of the Little Grove.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Anyone who steals my fic is going to catch these hands.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, a couple of years ago someone asked if they could translate one of my fics to Russian. It's out there somewhere.

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

I jumped in and helped @monikafilefan get Five Years and a Lifetime over the line for a fic exchange a couple of years ago. A fun, collaborative experience, that was like 85% Monika. It's a great fic, check it out if you haven't!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Mulder & Scully are my OTP. Always and forever.

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

I'd love to finish Madam Scully's Spiritual Services, Inc., it's an AU where Scully works for her sister's Psychic Boutique while prepping for med school. Scully ends up being actually psychic and she helps newly minted FBI agent Fox Mulder solve a series of murders. I have it almost completely plotted (except for the nitty-gritty hard stuff), but I don't think I'll ever get it done, sadly. It's just too big a story to tackle with where I am in my life. Though I never say never.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm decent at dialogue, have a pretty firm grasp on plotting, and, I hope characterization.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

My character work is probably my weak spot, which is why I have so much fun writing fanfic--the character work is already done, I just get to play around a world where everybody already knows the characters.

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

When I do it, I hope like hell that I'm doing it right. I think it's necessary for some stories and you just hope you're properly respecting a language you don't speak.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The X-Files, in the year of our lord nineteen hundred and ninety eight.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

It's a toss up between Proof of Life, an AU where CNN conflict reporter Dana Scully is kidnapped and imprisoned with fellow kidnap victim and photojournalist Fox Mulder, and they, you know, fall in love. And North of Zero, a post-col novel where Mulder and Scully get William back and have to save the world. The one I totally pantsed (made up as I went along), and it came together like alchemy. I love that story. If you don't like AU, you'd like Proof of Life. If you don't like post-colonization stories, you'd like North of Zero. I don't always like everything I've written after I'm done writing it (a writer's life), but I'm incredibly proud of both of those fics.

Tagging @monikafilefan because she's already tagged, and anyone else who wants to do this!

[the--highlanders]

for the doctor who ask game, 2, 4, 8, 18 :)

2. Which outfit of the Doctor would you wear yourself?

that outfit that fifteen wore to the club.............. I need his gender so bad

I do kinda want to closet cosplay eleven again, that was always fun

4. Who is your favourite companion?

it almost feels like cheating to say it's jamie at this point. favourite dr who companion feels too small for that & too unrelated to everything I've done to his character over the years. victoria is a very strong second place also

outside of two's era, probably vicki, jo, clara, and bill :) tho I tend to enjoy most of them!! there's just a few that I don't vibe with really

8. What character do you think is the most misunderstood/underrated?

victoria victoria victoria victoria. & as usual when I say this I mean in terms of like, eu content as much as fandom.

like, she definitely gets the short end of the stick in a bunch of ways, so I understand why it's the case - so many of her episodes are missing, she's been typecast for years as the archetypal 'screaming companion', & she's sandwiched between two-jamie-ben-polly (who are quite a distinctive tardis team) and two-jamie-zoe (very similar makeup of two and jamie + a teenage girl, with more surviving episodes and a general sense that zoe is 'cooler' or more capable). so I get it! I see why it's easy to gloss over her

but like. look at her. she's sweet and kind and absolutely unafraid of hitting a dictator in the face. she's so so so brave and also /so scared/ and she leaves because she's too scared and tired to go on and the narrative doesn't demonise her for that. she's Been Through It. she's two and jamie's first adopted kid more junior companion and is absolutely crucial to the way they crystallise as a duo. she's a perfect narrative foil for jamie. she plays off both two and jamie so well. like she has SO much going on and SO much potential for good character work (and eu stories that get her right tend to be REALLY good), but I'm always seeing her at the bottom of companion polls/she just feels like the most overlooked of two's companions :((( justice for my beautiful daughter who has every mental illness

18. Do you think the Doctor can cook?

already answered :)

doctor who ask game!

[tomasluvhun]

👯

I’m skewing this question juuuust a tad to inquire which companion character Bombita vibes with most/has a personality that meshes well with hers 👀

YAY!! thank you!!

👯 So there's a bunch of companies she would get along with such as Veronica, Lily, Boone ect (and of course ED-E and Rex, she'll love them regardless) but I feel that she would vibe with Raul the most.

There's a bunch of reasons for this so I'll try to be organized with it!! First off his personality. He can be blunt in the most sarcastic ways possible which is something that Bombita actually enjoys considering she's a blunt person as well. She enjoys hearing him speak about pre-war events and areas, but hearing him speak about his own past is something that she resonates and respects him for. Not only that but they would probably connect more with old Spanish music (if they can recover some or a signal through her pip-boy/radio) and mechanical stuff considering that Bombita does a lot of tinkering with a lot of robotics and weapons due to her past occupations and present. Almost like a Grumpy and Sunshine dynamic though I wouldn't say Raul is grumpy, he's just old and tired but I feel as though he would enjoy her presence as she just treats him with respect, a good laugh here and there, and a sarsaparilla whenever she can get her hand on some extras XD

Something else I think would be fun is that they're just costume buddies, costumes that relate to something important in their past and feel a deep connection too!!

(That's what I pretty much think right now, plus I really do think he's an underrated companion, so personally getting to know his backstory and enjoying his personality as a whole since I kinda relate to it, I feel as though it would be a fun pair!)

[galadriel-blue]

You know who is an absolutely underrated character in Rings of Power?

THEO

People need to be showing more appreciation for my SON-

He's such an important character but I feel like most people brush him over. Theo is brave and strong, and even though he's still just a kid, he understands the weight of the relic, the broken sword, that he found, and the evil it holds. He is impulsive, as many young boys are, but he learns and grows from it.

That's why the scenes where he's with Galadriel are some of my favorites. Because they are so similar to each other. Both are angry and confused, but also full of justice and a sense of what's right, even when they go about it in the wrong ways sometimes. Theo helps Galadriel see her actions for what they are, and Galadriel shows Theo how to make the right choices in the face of fear and stand up for light against the darkness. Without Theo, we wouldn't have those parallels.

Theo is a good kid who got wrapped up in a bad situation, a war against evil, but it brings him closer to his mother, and to Arondir, who he realizes is a part of his family too. It brings him closer to Galadriel, a new companion, a comrade in battle. And he allows Galadriel to process her emotions through the eyes of one much younger. It is almost like she sees a bit of herself in Theo. A bit of the small, young elf who made paper boats to sail in the stream and was so frustrated with the evil in the world, the evil in herself, even from the beginning. The one who made a grave mistake and now must face the consequences, as seen in their discussion about whether or not their current downfall is her fault. Theo doesn't believe she is the one to blame, even when she does. I don't know, there's just something so pure, so understanding about Theo when he speaks to Galadriel. He doesn't see her like everyone else does.

Theo makes mistakes, he is tempted by darkness like all humans are, but he stands up to it. He is brave, even though he's young, which is an important sentiment to me, especially in a world full of immortals, those with long lives. No matter how long you have been on the earth or how much experience you have in the world, you can see the darkness and either choose it or the light. I think Theo demonstrates this well and we need to show him appreciation for it. I really hope we get to see more of him in the coming seasons of The Rings of Power.

[apoptoses]

i gotta know, what order do you rank the VCs

oh man I cannot number order them, to do that would be like picking a favorite cat and they change depending on my mood so like I gotta go with the tier system.

ALSO I never promised anyone here that I had taste, these are my own personal feelings etc etc Mostly I have ranked them based on how much I skim when (or if) I re-read lol

The Vampire Armand- Anne put her whole entire vampirussy into this one like this is the book that has everything!!! There's angst, there's smut, there's cults and kidnapping, there's the beauty and high drama of the Venetian renaissance, what more could you want!! And honestly I think her Armand voice is one of her strongest, right up there with Lestat. You could take an Armand quote out of context and know he's the one speaking. Even my least favorite parts of TVA are still more enjoyable than the best parts of the VC books I don't love.

The Devil's Minion Chapter of QotD specifically - absolute insanity, just banger after banger, not a single word wasted. I could have read an entire novel of this, and again, a unique voice and style! I think this part of the book slaps so hard because it's the first truly modern part of the VC, told from a modern perspective and like. It's so good because every VC reader has probably thought 'wow how exciting would it be to be a vampire's companion/lover' and then Anne actually went and wrote what that would be like. Incredible!

The Vampire Lestat - Getting the back story of the characters introduced in interview is incredible and I feel like Anne finally cut loose and let herself start to be a weirdo with all the world building and entangled relationships. Also just worth the re-read for Armand drop kicking Lestat out of Notre Dame and Marius's insane house of taxidermy and baboons.

Interview with the Vampire- a classic, no other details needed.

Tale of the Body Thief- a polarizing choice I know, but it's such a wild diversion from the typical VC books. Lestat described himself as the James Bond of Vampires and this is the one book that's truly like a tightly written action movie. And Lestat is just so monstrous in it, and in a really complex way- like he's partly reacting to the trauma he went through with Akasha, he's at a low point with self esteem, but then also some of this behavior begs the question of whether being a vampire made him the way he is or whether it's just inherent in him. An underrated VC book tbh.

Blood and Gold- I just love that Anne took on the challenge of writing the life story of a vampire that is thousands of years old. Reading it gives me the same feeling of growing up and realizing that the people you considered 'adults' are just as lost and mentally immature and messed up as you, and never really had any idea what they were doing when child-you thought they had it all together. Also I just love anything that gives me more of the events of Armand's life from another pov.

Queen of the Damned- a great story but I get bogged down by the number of characters and plot lines introduced every time I re-read it, and I end up skimming some of the POVs (or skipping them entirely like baby jenks) I know Anne finally put her foot down and told her editors to fuck off with this one but I wish she'd listened to them just a tiiiiny bit and cut some stuff/expanded other more interesting stuff.

Pandora - Such tight writing!! I wish Pandora hadn't been sidelined in the other books because Anne built such a strong character with her, she deserved better tbh!!

Prince Lestat - it's okay, I just like the sections with my favorite characters and seeing some secondary characters return like Bianca and Allessandra and Antoine. Getting some resolution on what happened with them and where they are closer to the modern day was nice. Also the stuff with Fareed giving Lestat hormones so he could fuck and then get Maury Povich'd eighteen years later was hilarious nonsense, 10/10 Anne insanity. This book just feels like fun trashy vampire stuff (affectionate) in the same way watching True Blood feels like fun trashy vampire stuff, so even if it's not Anne's best work it's still alright imo.

Memnoch the Devil - I simply do not care about God or the Devil or Dora or Rembrandt enough to care about this book, and it only gets ranked below Prince Lestat because I think it drags where PL has a faster pace that allows my brain to skim over the least tasty parts. Really it only makes it to D because of Armand in his dusty jean jacket and Lestat using Dora's uterus as his personal capri sun. Overall though just a slog to get through.

Blood Communion - I just personally do not care for the whole vampire court concept and wish Anne had dropped it after the replimoids. Like I tolerate it in Prince Lestat but ending the series on 'united vampire community' feels off to me when the whole concept of vampires is that they're outsiders struggling with immortality. Also, another kidnapping plot? Anne pls you're better than this.

Merrick - I have erased everything but the Louis bits of this book from my mind. We simply did not need Claudia's vengeful spirit or Louis getting force upgraded and the humanity of him erased by Lestat's ultra-powerful blood but we got it anyways I guess. Very atmospheric though, I do like the return to New Orleans as a setting.

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis - Cruel of Anne to put Atlantis in the title and give us aliens instead of mermaids. The most cracked out VC book in existence, would only re-read if paid to. I have no words for how much I do not care for this book, especially after reading Anne's notes at Tulane and knowing what could have existed instead.

The Vampire Vittorio - such a flop of a vampire he never even gets mentioned in the other VC books. I do not know this man. This book does not exist to me.

[bragganhyl]

Hiravias and also any DA character of your choice for those character asks?

Thank you, I'm going to go with Blackwall for the latter bit

How I feel about this character:

*image taken by player who has him as permanent support spellcaster instead of Durance

No, seriously I'm taking him literally everywhere I love him

(I'm putting the rest under the cut bc the image is bigger than I thought it would be)

All the people I ship romantically with this character: No one tbh, but I do see the appeal of him and the Watcher together, they got potential.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Kana, I like the way he brings out his more intellectual side in their banters.

But also Sagani, she's probably the person he respects the most in the gang and he's willing to stand up for her even against his own people if needed. That's a ride-or-die dynamic in the making I just wish there was more stuff with them in the game.

My unpopular opinion about this character: Not really an unpopular opinion, I just think he's super underrated.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish his feelings on undead got explored beyond the one (as in 1) line he has if you take him along for Heritage Hill, there is some potential there.

✨Okay now time for my main man, Thom ✨

How I feel about this character: In case I haven't given it away, I like that indestructible sad bear a lot, he's probably my fave companion in dai.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: The Inquisitor, obviously, I romanced him during my first pt and I got everything I wanted out of it - it had drama, it had wholesome moments, it had him on his knees, it had him sad and sopping wet, it's honestly great.

But also Josephine ofc, they make a cute couple, he'd treat Josie right, it's what she deserves.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: SERA duh, they have the best dynamic, they are funny and wholesome 12/10.

My unpopular opinion about this character: He's not boring and the problematic aspects of his character are handled with the severity that they deserve without seeking excuses for them.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: ...I can't think of anything tbh, I think he's fine as he is.

[dearest-and-nearest]

I just realised yesterday was my channel's birthday. I made edits before that, but they were in different style, made mostly for my friend and I don't like them much, they're not exactly mine.

And since it would be strange to post an edit made 6 years ago while i barely understood how to use Premiere and almost skipped the school trying to upload it, here's a few edits I'm really proud of and you should watch them instead

This two were made for my most favourite visual novel for a long time, Demonheart. This novel literally saved me as a writer, because I had a hard time: I wrote a fic which was ignored by fandom for almost 2 years already, I was burning out very quickly and tired of trying to promote it and failing. So my friend convinced me to finally play and oh my god, this was exactly what I needed.

I played it completely very fast and then went for nwn1 mod (a first version of plot), played it, read dialogues in toolset, wrote a fic (here it is) and finally decided to make an edit. I never used visual novels as a base before, so this was hard and exciting at the same time

First one is more messy, but more fitting with lyrics of song. Second is more accurate and professional, but anyway, I'm proud of both of them

This one is not in style I usually doing now, but in style i used to make edits. It's about my Hawke, Aretha, her rivalmance with Anders and their tragedy.

Da2 is my favourite part of serie (like it's hard to not consider dao as classic, but da2 is more alive for me, more low and dark sometimes) and especially because of rivalry. I'm in love how different characters act depending on your relationship, how they change depending on that and how actually many variations there are in game. I really recommend everyone to try rivalry at least once. Maybe without romance or even with non-romancable companion like Varric or Aveline, but try. It really get understanding how and why characters are where they are. And because of rivalry I feel how much lighter Varric was written in the next games

Before Glassred became my main char, I had another pair. Their names were Rilliane and Zilveig. Tiefling and Half-Drow, Chaotic Evil and Neutral Good. They hadn't started with that alignments, but coming to them during the whole game

Honestly, I created them long before release and they changed during ea just like game was. Rilliane was a Bhaalspawn (not Dark Urge! Just a descendant of some random Bhaalspawn, she had so little of god's blood in her that it was almost nonexistent. But the main word is almost), Zilveig just a shy nervous girl, who was haunted by her past and self-hate. I tried to write a fic about them, but couldn't handle no feedback and dropped it before all guns shot.

So, here's a video about Rilliane's love triangle. Shadowheart loves her, Rilliane loves Astarion and in my plans Astarion was going to use her to have more power. They both see her pretty close: as a saviour, someone valuable, but while Shadowheart admires her beauty, Astarion wants to destroy this girl. So yeah, had many plans, but couldn't handle them properly

This is some kind of tribute when I finally gave up with their stories completely. Song is russian, but I added English subs, so you can understand it anyway!

This one was made based on one of my most favourite films, Flesh+Blood. Heavily recommend it to everyone, the chemistry between main couple is something. I found out that same actors also were in another movie, The Hitcher. Even through they had only one common scene there and were heavily antagonistic, I didn't care and made an au with reincarnation.

There's not much to say since this films are old, but I really, really love them and heavily recommend to everyone. Really, watch, you won't be disappointed

One of my latest one. This song is one of the most fitting for the whole ME trilogy and I think true and heavy renegade is really underrated. Most of fandom play as paragade, but what can be more fun than commit a genocide before breakfast?

You can see how my skill upgraded and evoluted and I'm proud of it. Maybe I'm not perfect and probably I am, but I'm learning. I'm making better videos and I'm happy I can do that. So thank you for reading this post! Hope you liked all these edits!

[krowbby]

yoooo discworld for the ask thing if no one's done that yet!

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: Polly Perks or Agnes Nitt (agnes is so underrated, give my girl her flowers)

Least Favorite character: I'm not gonna pick a villain bc I feel like that's a cop-out. Sooo for more or less "good" characters I'd say Fred Colon. I respect the space in the narrative he inhabits but I wouldn't want to hang out with him

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Shipping isn't the main way I partake in Discworld tbh, but here goes - Pollymal (duh), Susan/Lobsang (what could've been... even just as a friendship!), Angua/Sally (yeah), SamSybil (pure fluff tbh), maybe Lofty/Tonker or Agnes/Andre (the pianist from Maskerade).

Character I find most attractive: Sally von Humpeding, baby! Snarky butch vampire? I never stood a chance. I just wish we got to spend more time with her.

Character I would marry: NGL being married to most Discworld characters would stress me out. I think Susan Sto Helit and I could have a good marriage because we're both educators and she tries so hard to have a normal life lmao.

Character I would be best friends with: I think Agnes and I would get along. That girl would love karaoke night

A random thought: I have mixed feelings about the new audiobooks. Some of them are good but the audio balancing is weirdly off between the narration and footnotes. I think they should have just got Nigel Planar to do all the books he hadn't done and same with Stephen Briggs so that all the fans would be happy /j

An unpopular opinion: Not as unpopular on Tumblr but Pterry isn't above criticism! He's clearly one of my fave authors and I think he did a lot of good writing but he obviously had faults and it does him a disservice to pretend he was some kind of saint.

My canon OTP: This one is hard bc there aren't actually a ton of canon ships in Discworld, but my fave is SamSybil. Mostly I'm just a ride or die for Sybil and Sam makes her happy so I will always ship it. Lofty/Tonker is also up there.

Non-canon OTP: PollyMal even though like its bascially canon imo. But y'all already knew this about me

Most badass character: Truly how can you answer this for Discworld. I'm gonna go with Tiffany Aching for beating the Queen of the Fairies at 9 entire years old! (I also read this when I was about her age so I have a soft spot for her.)

Pairing I am not a fan of: I am an autistic aroace Vetinari truther and so I simply cannot get behind V/V. I'm glad y'all are having fun with that though

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): I wanted more Agnes. I think she was going to be the up and coming witch before Tiffany came on the scene and I LOVE Tiff but I still wish Agnes could have had a more concrete arc.

Favourite friendship: This should've been the ship question, I feel like friendships are where this series shines. Angua&Cheery is really sweet, Granny&Nanny is so funny and you can tell they care so much about each other.

I'm adding a question for my top 5 books in the series: Monstrous Regiment (duh again), Thief of Time (oddly a companion book to Night Watch, read it!), Carpe Jugulum, Wyrd Sisters, The Fifth Elephant. (I know the Watch subseries is the most popular, but guys the other books are so good!!!)