#i know it’s just bc people have ship preferences and not because of the writing itself. and i try really really hard not to care

[gabby-i-guess]

Yes, but also - learn to use the search function properly. If you're not a uni student you might not know this, but the search function works pretty much the same as a database search function. Which is. Fucking genius. No, it doesn't have the glitz and glam of google, but it DOES have incredible accuracy.

I don't have the time rn to write out full instructions, but here are a few tips to get you started:

Click on the question mark next to 'Any Field' - it will tell you some phrases and symbols to include in your search so that it will find exactly what you want. For example, you can use quotation marks around a phrase to find exactly that phrase, and no variations. Or you can use the minus symbol to find works with this tag/character/whatever but not that tag/character/whatever. Go have a look, I promise it's useful.

Under the 'Warnings' section, you'll see several opinions including 'creator chose not to use archive warnings' and 'no archive warnings apply'. The first means that one of the archive warnings may apply - the author didn't want to specify or wasn't sure. The second means that the archive warnings definitely will not apply. Use that one if you really really really want to avoid those topics.

The 'Word Count' section takes < and > symbols. As a guide, here's my personal estimation: <3000 is a bite-sized fic, maybe takes 10 min or less to read; >3000, <5000 is a comfy one-shot, maybe takes up to 30min to read; and anything above that will take me a few sessions to read. But obviously also base it on your personal reading speed and preference - go take a look at a fic you're familiar with and use that word count as a guide as well.

The 'Relationships' section is for, uh, ships. Please note! A '/' between the names means romantic pairing, an '&' means platonic. I had to be told this 🥲

The 'Additional Tags' section is where. It's. Motherfucking. At!!! Take a look through some fics you like and use some of those tags. Maybe even keep a list. But, you don't need to put in every single variation of the tag, bc the AO3 volunteers are angels and have 'grouped' tags together. E.g., unless you specify '-emotional', 'hurt/comfort' will give you 'hurt/comfort' and 'emotional hurt/comfort'.

If you're feeling zesty, use the 'Sort By' section to select 'Hits', and use the 'Sort Direction' to select 'Ascending'. This will show you fics with the lowest hits, so you might unearth a buried treasure!

Or, if you want to play it safe, use the 'Sort By' section to select 'Kudos' (or 'Comments' or 'Bookmarks'), and use the 'Sort Direction' to select 'Descending'. This will show you fics with the most Kudos/Comments/Bookmarks, so it's more likely to be good. (Note: which of those three you use depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for filthy smut, Kudos are best - people get shy about leaving comments on smut, and might not bother saving it for later. If you're looking for hurt/comfort, Bookmarks or Comments are better, because it shows that people are engaging. If you're looking for angst, Comments are best, because people love yelling at angst authors 🥰 Just use your own judgement)

Anyway, happy searching! 🫶

[rolandkaros]

i try not to obsess over my own ao3 numbers but sometimes i do think hm. this fic is so much better quality that that one and yet that one is so much more popular. and the answer why is obvious but nevertheless…

[dirtyvulture]

BBB

Natasha Romanoff x Beefy!Sergeant!Reader*

18+ only read at your own risk

Word count: 3248

Requested by anon: Hi i love your work..you don't have to do this request if you don't want.. i was kind of was wondering since we haven't heard from Sergeant Nat and reader. If we could hear from them? I was thinking since Nat is always the confident reassured one in that universe like maybe something happens where shes not sure where she stand with reader? Like jealous or maybe reader lets one of her military friends borrow her laptop and they use it to watch porn...and nat finds it and thinks its reader. And nat kind of loses her mind in a way that we havent seen. (Not like crazy but for the first time shes like am i enough). And reader is high key oblivious bc she worships nat. Some communication to sort out and then smutty times. Only if you want. If not i look forward to whatever you post yay. 

AN: *Reader has a penis, no pronouns used.

Thanks for the idea, anon! This was a lot of fun to write. :)

This is Part 5 in my Sergeant Beef series. Read the first one here.

“Hey, can I borrow your laptop?” Sam asks, poking his head into your room. 

“Why?” You don’t even look at him, focused on you video game on the tiny television mounted to your wall.

“I dropped mine in the lake, so I had to buy a new one but it won’t get shipped off until later this week,” Sam explains. 

“Okay,” you say, hardly listening to him as you race your little car across the screen to bump the giant soccer ball towards the goal. “It’s in my room on the–”

“I know where it is. Thanks.” Sam whisks in and helps himself. 

“Close the door on your way out!” you call, just in time to hear the door slam behind him. Turning your whole focus back to your game, your fingers mash the buttons to a triumphant win.

***********************************************************************

A few days later, Natasha is over at your apartment. While the two of you had discussed a thousand times moving in together, you had always stalled or walked around the subject. Natasha wasn’t sure if it was because you were nervous what the public’s perception would be of your relationship, or if you preferred your own private space too much to give it up. Ever since the deployment, you had been more likely to retreat and hide away (even from Natasha) when you were upset or moody. She wondered if it was a side effect of your PTSD, but you never seemed ready for that conversation so she left it alone.

For dinner, you grilled some steaks (setting off the smoke detector in your apartment) while Natasha made a side of mashed potatoes and green beans. Afterwards, you went to take a shower while Natashas lounged around and found a movie on Netflix for the two of you to watch. She sits on the couch, opening your laptop and finding the web browser. She looks up Netflix and then browses through the recommendations on your home page, but none of them pique her interest.

She goes onto Google to search what other people are recommending and wades through a sea of titles and descriptions to find one. Swapping back and forth between tabs, she finds a website with a host of titles and flips back and forth until she finds a movie that is both on the list and currently on Netflix. But in the process, she loses track of the tab and accidentally closes it, silently cursing to herself, before going to check the history to find it again.

But what she finds in the history is not what she had been looking for.

Natasha feels almost scandalized when she sees the words “big busty blondes” in your search history, followed by a list of pornsites. While she knew you watched such videos in her absence, she didn’t know what genre you were into, and now a deep sinking feeling of insecurity fills her. She was not blonde, nor was she particularly busty after the years of hard workouts had shrank some of her assets a little. You always told her she had the perfect body, but now she wasn’t quite sure if she should believe you.

“Nat? Did you pick a movie?” You poke your head out of the bathroom. You’re not wearing a shirt and your wet hair is dripping water down your chest, emphasizing the lines of your muscles. Natasha can see the bullet scar on your ribs from the deployment that almost ended your life. But you walked away with every member of your team alive, and your tale of bravery had become something of a living legend in the community. 

She knows you could have any woman you wanted. She had seen the way the recruits eyed you and how bold the other brass were with you. Before your promotion to sergeant, you were often overlooked and completely ignored. Natasha, perhaps a little selfishly, always considered herself the catch in your relationship: she was one of a handful of female sergeants with outstanding credentials, and looked great in and out of a uniform. But maybe she thought too highly of herself. You had developed into a very competent sergeant, were extremely good-looking, and had the most lovable personality anyone could ask for.

What if you didn’t want her anymore? What if you wanted someone younger, or someone you could start a family with? Natasha hadn’t yet disclosed to you her inability to have children, but if the subject ever came up, she knew you’d need no other excuse to walk away.

“Nat? Did you pick out a movie?” you ask again.

“Yes,” Natasha says. “We can watch Trolls.”

“Okay. That sounds fun.”  

You come out in a sweatshirt with matching gray sweatpants and join Natasha on the couch. Instinctively, you put your arm around her shoulder and she snuggles against you, letting you rest your head against hers.

You seem to enjoy the goofy children’s movie, laughing out loud at the jokes and cheering when the main characters hug by the end. But Natasha can’t focus for a second, still thinking about the search history on your laptop. She didn’t even know if it was something she should bring up, but it was already eating her alive to think that she wasn’t good enough for you.

Natasha didn’t know if she would be able to survive without you. She would have to do everything she could to keep you by her side.

***********************************************************************

“Give me a sec,” Natasha calls, hurriedly slipping her boots on. She checks herself in the mirror one final time before opening her apartment door to see you.

“Hi, Nat–oh.” Your expression goes flat.

“What’s wrong?” Natasha asks, her stomach twisting in knots. Maybe this had been a bad idea.

“You dyed your hair,” you say, blinking at the short blonde hair she was now sporting.

“You don’t like it?” she asks, her worry growing by the second. She had dropped a significant sum at the salon on base to cut and dye her hair. Perhaps this had been a severe overreaction on her part. 

“Oh. No, um, it looks very nice,” you stutter. 

Natasha is not convinced in the slightest. Her face flushes red and she bites her lip to stop herself from crying in frustration. “That’s okay,” she mutters more to herself than you. “Where are we going again?” she asks, even though she knows every detail of the outing she had planned with you.

“The gym first, then we can get lunch and go grab groceries,” you list off, seemingly oblivious to her awkwardness. 

“Yes, that’s right. Okay, let’s go,” she replies sullenly.

***********************************************************************

Natasha isn’t sure what else she can do to hold your attention after the hair dying incident. She tries to be extra doting with you, but all of her efforts seem to go completely unnoticed. You only say “thank you” once when she gets you your favorite chocolate bar from the commissary. The next time the two of you are in bed together, Natasha feels like she has to guide you through all the motions and you fuck her with a concerningly low level of enthusiasm. Natasha is convinced you’ve found someone else and just the thought of losing you makes her sick. 

She’s nearly sent over the edge when she finally gets a text from you:

From Y/N: Can you come over tonight? I want to talk

Natasha feels like the rug has been pulled out from under her feet. Sweat breaks out on her forehead and her stomach starts to hurt like she had a bad meal. What if she just didn’t go to see you? Would you really still break up with her over text?

Her body seems to have a mind of her own as she responds:

To Y/N: Ok

***********************************************************************

“Thanks for coming over,” you say, welcoming Natasha into your apartment. She steps in guardedly, wondering if you’re hiding your new girlfriend under the couch. Or maybe she’s already in your bed. She shuffles down the hallway to subtly peer into your bedroom, which is empty.

“What did you want to talk about?” Natasha isn’t one to dance around the elephant in the room. Besides, she doesn’t want to draw this out any longer than it needs to be.

“Oh. Um…” You sound caught off guard. “Well, I was thinking that–”

“You want to break up with me.” Natasha can’t stop the tears forming in her eyes. She wipes them away, angry at herself for showing such weakness already.

“What? What makes you think that?” Your shock is so genuine, Natasha almost wants to believe you.

Natasha hides her face behind her hand. “I saw it on your laptop last week. The kind of porn you were watching–”

“Porn? I use incognito,” you say. “Unless that doesn’t actually hide things…” you add in a mumble.

“Your search history said you looked up…” Natasha takes a breath. “‘Big busty blondes,’” she repeats, hating the way the words sound off her tongue.

“What?” You sound confused now. “That’s…I don’t watch that kind of stuff. Wait, is that why you dyed your hair blonde?”

“No,” Natasha lies. “But I saw it on your laptop!” she insists, hastily changing the subject.

You pause for a moment, then start shaking your head with a chuckle. “I’m gonna rip him a new one,” you mutter. Then louder, you explain, “Sam borrowed my laptop last week because his was broken. I’m guessing he used it to…you know…” Your expression turns into one of disgust, and Natasha matches it. 

“Oh. So, you’re not into big busty blondes?” Natasha is embarrassingly desperate for clarification.

“No, I’m not.” You take a step towards her and hold out your hands. “But I do have a thing for hot redheads who could totally kick my butt.”

“I know,” Natasha says, taking your hands and leaning up to kiss you. Her lips lift into a smile when you return her kiss with more passion than you had all week, wrapping your arms around her and pulling her flush against you. You dig your fingers into her thighs, lightly rolling your hips, and when she feels your hard bulge against her stomach and all of her doubts are cast away immediately. Her face burns in shame when she realizes how quickly she had jumped to the wrong conclusion. You weren’t going anywhere. You were totally in love with her and wanted no one else.

“Wait, so what did you want to talk about?” Natasha asks, trying to ignore the arousal building in her core as you hump her.

“Oh! Um…” Your face reddens, as if you’re so turned on yourself you forgot why you asked her to come. “Uh…I wanted to ask if…you would like to move in with me? Or if I could move into your apartment? Or we could find a new place together…”

Natasha feels like she’s gotten whiplash from the subject change. She had come here thinking you were breaking up with her, but instead you actually wanted to move in with her? Just when she had thought it was never going to happen.

“Why the change?” she asks.

You shrug your massive shoulders. “We spend so much time together as it is. And I was mostly nervous because you know I have those night terrors a lot, but…” You sigh. “I realized I get them a lot less when I wake up next to you.” Natasha wants to melt in your arms. “And it would be really nice if I got to wake up next to you every day. And eat every meal with you. And–”

Natasha cuts you off with a hard kiss. “Yes,” she pants, groping for the tie on your sweatpants and pulling them down. “Of course I’ll move in with you.”

“Nat,” you whine when she grabs your cock. She feels it throb in her hand and her arousal spikes. As high as her own sex drive was, there was little else that turned Natasha on more than to see how excited you were for her. She pushes you towards the bedroom and you understand without needing words, obediently sitting down on your bed and pulling you on top of her. You grunt when her weight lands on your thighs and Natasha immediately props herself on her knees; sometimes she forgets about the injury on your right thigh that still causes you pain sometimes.       

“Sorry baby,” she whispers while leaning in to kiss your cheek. It had been a long and sometimes frustrating journey to get back to the same level of intimacy the two of you shared after the deployment ambush and your recovery. The medicines you were on had drastically affected your mood (and performance) and there were still some positions you could no longer do because of the strain it put on your body. But Natasha had been patient and gentle with you, even when all she wanted to do was fuck you senseless. Over time your strength and stamina had come back, and Natasha was thrilled you could still please her in bed. 

She leans back and takes her shirt off while you mirror her. You’re almost back to your weight as before the deployment, but the physical therapy has encouraged you to work out even harder, so you are more muscular and toned than before. Natasha eyes your body hungrily, her hand reaching out to trace the scar on your ribs. While she hates the memory attached to your scar, she can appreciate how much more badass it makes you look.

“Nat,” you say, and she breaks out of her thoughts. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes.” She pushes you to lie on your back, rolling her clothed lower body against yours. “Everything is very okay.” Her hands skate across your warm skin, squeezing your biceps before resting on your chest, balancing herself as she rocks back and forth. Even though you’re still wearing boxers, Natasha can feel the hardness of your dick pressing against her butt.

“All ready for me?” she hums, digging her nails lightly into your chest.

“Always,” you respond, rolling your hips to match her rhythm. 

“Hmm.” Natasha contemplates how she wants you today. You almost never call the shots in bed, but you have no problem with Natasha taking control most of the time. She likes how submissive you are to her and your willingness to please her even at your own expense. But she isn’t feeling selfish today and wants you to relax and enjoy too. 

Her body seems to have a mind of its own as she humps along your abs, eventually pushing her panties to the side so you can feel her heat on your stomach. 

“Nat,” you whine, gripping onto her waist to guide her movements. 

“Just let me ride you,” she says, lifting off of you for a moment to remove her panties completely, and the two of you moan when she settles back on you. You flex your abs until Natasha swears she could grate cheese on them. She angles her hips back and widens her legs so she can drag her pussy along the ridges of your abs, smearing her wetness everywhere. “Fuck, you feel so good, baby,” she moans.

“So do you,” you say, your hands tightening around her waist. 

Natasha moves her hips faster, sliding back until she can feel your cock practically poking a hole through your boxers. She’s just warming herself (and you) up and doesn’t want to rush to the main event. But as she hears your whines and feels the tension in your body, all she wants is for you to flip her over and fuck her until she can’t walk.  

“Can you do exactly what I ask you to?” Natasha pants, the building arousal in her stomach almost painful now.

“Yes,” you gasp. “Yes, Sergeant. Whatever you want.”

The use of Natasha’s title makes her pussy clench around nothing. Her body aches for you and she’s done playing around.

“Good. I want you to get on your knees and fuck me,” she demands, abruptly climbing off of you and presenting her backside to you. You scramble to obey, wasting no time lining up your cock with her soaking pussy and pushing in eagerly. Natasha inhales sharply when your length stretches her out, filling her perfectly and reaching places she could never reach with her hand or a toy. When you start moving your hips, she whimpers and moans, gripping handfuls of the bedsheets so you don’t slam her into the headboard.

She spasms around you with every stroke, clenching tightly and trying to draw you in as deep as you can go. Natasha loves to hear you moan, knowing she was the cause of them, and more of her slick leaks out around your cock. 

“Fuck, Nat,” you grunt, your thighs slapping against her butt with every thrust. “You always feel amazing.”

“Harder,” she begs. “I want you to cum when I do.”

“I’ll try,” you respond, your breathing ragged as you start to falter in your rhythm. 

“Fuck, you’re in me so deep,” Natasha moans, wishing that despite your already above-average size, you had more to give her. She lets go of the bedsheets and slips her hand down between her legs, rubbing her clit for added stimulation. “Don’t you dare stop,” she warns, noticing the way your legs are shaking and your thrusts are losing their power.

“I won’t,” you whimper, and Natasha is not convinced you’ll be able to last much longer. Her hand glides back up to her stomach, where she can feel the bulge of your cock through her skin. That alone nearly sends her over the edge, but she has one more request from you.

“Bite me,” Natasha pants, motioning to her right trapezius muscle. Normally, she is very against you marking her during sex because she doesn’t want to worry about hiding them, but now she is panting at the thought of you finally staking your claim on her.

“Bite you?” you say, sounding extremely timid.

“Yes!” she growls, not wanting to repeat herself. “If you don’t bite me, I won’t let you cum.”

You moan and tighten your grip on her waist. Natasha feels your cock throbbing inside her, but she knows you won’t finish without her permission. The bed creaks as your weight shifts and she feels your chest press against her back as you lean over her. She hums in anticipation, feeling your breath across the back of her shoulder. Your teeth graze her skin lightly, your hesitancy obvious. 

“Y/N,” she moans, pushing back into you and squeezing your length. “If you don’t fucking bite me–”

Your teeth suddenly clamp down sharply and Natasha keens, gushing around you and not even noticing you finish inside her. White spots of pure pleasure burst behind her eyelids and she feels cum drip down her thighs. It feels like she’s riding out the high forever, but when she finally unwinds, she feels your weight pressing into her back and a dull stinging in her shoulder. She twists her head to see the clear imprint of your teeth in her skin, the flesh reddening already.

“Sorry if that was too hard,” you say softly, as if you’re embarrassed by following her instructions.

“Nonsense,” she says, reaching behind her to cup the back of your neck. She pulls your head down against hers and nuzzles against your cheek. “Next time, you can bite me harder.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: Sorry to Sam lol

Please like, reblog, and comment! Follow for more content. 🥰

[maladaptivewriting]

since the tiktok ban, i've been seeing a lot of stuff where people blame americans for jegulus and i can't stop thinking about it. i don't know why people feel this way, but i am prepared to make an argument. so please allow me to make my case.

[also this is completely based on generalizations. i know americans that hate jegulus and love jily, and i know british people who hate jily and love jegulus]

so i've never been a jily girl. even years before i found jegulus, i never cared about that ship. i straight up didn't even know that people wrote fics about them specifically. (i actually still don't know if people do write fics about only them because i would never seek out something like that).

originally, i'd thought it was just because i only cared about the golden trio characters and occasionally sirius and remus, but the more i got into the marauders era, the more i realized that james and lily together were the standouts, i just really didn't care for them.

it got to the point where i only read fics that referenced jily if they were extremely background to the story (which they almost always were bc there is just not that much to say about them) or preferably if both of them were already dead and it was just remus, sirius, and harry who remained.

shortly after i really started getting into the fandom and writing for jegulus, i spoke to someone who hated jegulus and loved jily, and i told them that i'd always felt like james and lily were on the road to divorce before they died. this person was SCANDALIZED. they could not understand why'd said that.

now granted, this person was in their early twenties and in my experience, if you haven't lived long enough to see a lot of your friends go through divorces, then the idea that james and lily might divorce may seem crazy.

however, and this is where the american thing really comes in, i realized after this conversation why i felt that there was no way that james and lily were going to make it and that was specifically because of growing up a conservative christian bible belt ass place.

do you know how many couples i knew in high school who started dating their senior year even though they seemingly had nothing in common, had sex one time and didn't use protection because sex education is extremely limited down there, got pregnant, and had to have shotgun wedding?

so. fucking. many.

do you know how many of them are still married?

only one.

so when i see jily, two characters who have nothing in common beyond being gryffindors, get together, have a kid, and get married (not necessarily in that order) all within like two years, i know that the odds are not in their favor. those two aren't staying together. don't play with me.

now i don't know how people feel about young marriages in other parts of the world, especially in the uk, but i've spoken to a lot of americans, especially ones from the south, and so many of them have had the exact same experiences with their peers. i just can't help but wonder if that lends itself to less people being interested in jily.

i have other arguments to this, like that jily is not as entertaining as almost every other ship that james or lily could be involved in and americans being partial to entertainment above all else, or the american (and christian) obsession with the concept of redemption and self sacrifice making regulus a more compelling character than one that lived and died good (lily and james), but this was the one i wanted to focus on today.

[jasmineandcedar]

“Put it on me” | Elriel and gendered views on lust and agency

I discovered ACOTAR in 2018. They became like comfort books during the pandemic, and I have reread them many times since then. Particularly, it was Azriel and Elain that grabbed my heart with both hands and wouldn’t let go. Still, I feel equally as impacted by their story six years later. Specifically, it’s the depiction of a deep connection developing between two quieter individuals and how SJM has written them to be the key to the other's character progression in such a tender way, that I seem unable to get over.

When I joined this fandom two months ago, a lot of things surprised me.

One thing being how parts of the fandom have framed Azriel and Elain’s relationship when it comes to lust, after Azriel’s BC. It has fascinated me and made me reflect on my own reading of the introduction of lust into their relationship, and since this blog is where I put my Elriel ramblings, I wanted to write down my thoughts on it.

Lust, agency and consent

Did Azriel feel lust in his BC? Yes. Thank the Lord. However...

I would like to start not with Azriel, but with Elain. Because what puzzles me the most is not that Azriel is at times mischaracterised as only lusting after Elain. This mischaracterisation seems mostly rooted in denial over where SJM is heading with Azriel and Elain, and the preference for another direction. I think it is rooted in shipwar discourse, and I don’t want to get involved in that. It doesn’t bother me what people ship. And after four books of sweet Elriel moments and the very clear thematic trajectory SJM has put Elain and Azriel on, we know it is an obvious mischaracterisation. I’ll just ignore it.

What puzzles me the most is not that. What puzzles me is that Elain’s agency is often removed when SJM's depiction of Azriel and Elain is criticized. And I wonder, why is Elain's lust disregarded? Elain is the driver of everything that happens in that almost kiss of the BC, and it’s so beautiful. It is such a good and heart-stopping sneak peek into the direction of her book that I was ready to join Azriel on my knees before Elain when I read it.

“It's beautiful," she whispered, lifting it from the box. The golden faelight shone through the little glass facets, setting the charm glowing with hues of red and pink and white. Azriel let his shadows whisk away the box as she said softly, "Put it on me?" His head went quiet. But he took the necklace, opening the clasp as she exposed her back, sweeping her hair up in one hand to bare her long, creamy neck. He knew it was wrong, but there he was, sliding the necklace around her. Letting his scarred fingers touch her immaculate skin. Letting them brush the side of her throat, savoring the velvet-soft texture. Elain shivered, and he took a damn long time fastening the clasp. Azriel's fingers lingered at her nape, atop the first knob of her spine. Slowly, Elain pivoted into his touch. Until his palm lay flat against her neck. It had never gone this far. They'd exchanged looks, the occasional brush of their fingers, but never this. Never blatant, unrestricted touching. Wrong -- it was so wrong. He didn't care. He needed to know what the skin of her neck tasted like. What those perfect lips tasted like. Her breasts. Her sex. He needed her coming on his tongue -- Azriel's cock strained behind his pants, aching so fiercely he could hardly think. He prayed she didn't peer down. Prayed she didn't understand the shift in his scent. He had only allowed himself these thoughts in the dead of night. Had only allowed his hand to fist his cock and think about her then, when even his shadows had gone to sleep. How that beautiful face might appear as he entered her, what sounds she'd make. Elain bit her lower lip, and it took every ounce of Azriel's restraint to keep from putting his own teeth there. "I should go," Elain said, but made no move to leave. "Yes," he said, his thumb sweeping in long strokes along the side of her throat. Her arousal drifted up to him, and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the sweet scent. He'd beg on his knees for a chance to taste it. But Azriel just stroked her neck again. Elain shuddered, drifting closer. So close one deep breath would brush her breasts against his chest. She looked up at him, her face so trusting and hopeful and open that he knew she had no idea that he had done unspeakable things that sullied his hands far beyond their scars. Such terrible things that it was a sacrilege for his fingers to skin, tainting her with his presence. But he could have this. This one moment, and maybe a taste, and that would be it. “Yes" Elain breathed, like she read the decision. Just this taste in the dead of the longest night of the year, where only the Mother might witness them. Azriel's hand slid up her neck, burying in her thick hair. Tilting her face the way he wanted it. Elain's mouth parted slightly, her eyes scanning his before fluttering shut. Offer and permission. He nearly groaned with relief and need as he lowered his head toward hers.

Azriel is in the backseat in that scene. Every action of Azriel’s is a reaction to Elain’s consent. Elain is the opposite of an object of his lustful thoughts in that scenario. She’s steady as a rock, initiating every escalation of their almost kiss, even if her hands were trembling when she gave him her gift. I have to admit, I might have had tears in my eyes when I read that the first time. There was Elain, hands trembling, acting on her deeply held value that love can trump a mating bond. And Azriel is the antithesis of someone simply lusting after another when he responds to her cues of consent.

That kind of lust? Wholly dignifying. Holy and dignifying. If I had a religion, that stuff would be it. Beautiful. It's a timeless essence of romance.

This is Elriel’s kind of lust:

Elain sneaking out at night, defying the social expectations and pressures that have plagued her all her life. And when she finds Azriel there too, like a wonderful manifestation of her reclamation of agency, she acts. Confronted with yet another expectation thrown at her – the mating bond – she has decided to not fall in line this time. She is coming to know herself and her values – that “love could trump a mating bond”, that a mate is not entitled to her time and affection, that she “belongs to no one”, and that she can give her heart to whom she wishes. And then she acts. She chooses the one who always saw her.

What more? Azriel’s desperate longing, him staring at her gift for a year. Nesta noticing the pain in his eyes. Cassian noticing he is troubled. Azriel staying away for a year because they can’t have each other. And then, as he is miserably brooding in the sitting room after everyone has gone to sleep, there she is, like a lovely manifestation of the sunlight he was robbed of all his childhood. Only this time, he doesn’t stay away – because she invites him in. The substance of Azriel’s lustful thoughts? He’s thinking of her pleasure. Wanting desperately to make her feel good. Waiting for her invitation. Wanting to fall to his knees. Being mindful of how her noticing his arousal might affect her. And then, there it is – she’s aroused too! And then, her invitation - offer and permission – simultaneously one of the most beautiful and hottest lines in the series.

Elain has had such an impact on Azriel that her actions and encouragement (throughout the entire series) has him starting to slowly win his centuries long battle against demons telling him he’s not worthy of romantic love. Azriel pre-Elain is stagnant and miserable. Azriel after meeting Elain is on a trajectory towards character progression. Like Elain has done with Azriel since day one, she once again leans into his touch and encourages it in the BC, and he is fighting his intrusive thoughts of self-loathing because of her.

And what does Azriel do for Elain? He holds back and is attentive. He sees her, like he always has, and doesn’t act without invitation – he waits for her to exert that agency that is the key to her character progression. There is so much beautiful consent between them, I feel like I’ll evaporate into dust if I think too much about it because my brain can’t handle the beauty of it all... I'm starting to evaporate...

This kind of lust? DIGNIFYING.

The good stuff is in between the lines

I get that Elain and Azriel are quiet and subtle, and most characters in ACOTAR aren’t. We have to read them a little differently. There’s nearly only showing instead of telling when it comes to them. But that means we need to really look at what we’ve been shown - we have to read between the lines (which is so exciting!). SJM has shown a beautiful connection between them being built across several books. It was such a blessing to get a tiny sneak peek into Azriel’s mind and see how they communicate without words. We have seen it on page throughout four books, ever since the first dinner with the three brothers and three sisters when Elain sought quiet reassurance in Azriel, and he gave it to her without using a single word.

After all of those sweet moments across several books, if there’s one relationship that cannot reasonably be stamped with the “just lust” label, it is theirs. We didn’t need to hear Azriel describe the intricacies of his love for Elain’s personality in the BC. We have been shown how he’s drawn to her, without lust involved, for two years across several books. Lust is the natural next step.

That doesn't mean he didn't show us his love for her personality in the BC.

Isn't connecting the dots part of what makes reading exciting?

Here are some dots to connect:

The headache powder

Azriel mentions he has had it on his bedside table at HoW to simply stare at when he’s trying to fall asleep. That tells us that the headache powder is profoundly meaningful to him. It also tells us that Azriel is not just some dark and stone-cold torturer and Spymaster. He is, in fact, a deeply sentimental person. Someone who feels a lot. Someone who is profoundly impacted by a meaningful gift. The headache powder that Elain gave him, which made him feel joy that Feyre had never seen in him before, during that Solstice night which was the turning point for Azriel’s feelings for Elain. The point where his feelings for her became so strong, he had to stay away because the torment of them not being able to be together was too much (the torment that Nesta sees in his eyes during their second Solstice).

All of this is in the same BC (and in the books), and it is Azriel implicitly describing the process of falling in love with Elain because she’s kind and attentive and caring, because the gift of the headache powder is a product of those personality traits of hers.

To communicate without talking

Azriel struggles to talk about his emotions – Rhys says no one really knows how he feels. Not even his family whom he’s known for 500+ years.

[Rhys about what Azriel feels about his job as interrogator/torturer] “But Azriel … Cassian tries, I try—but I think the only person who ever gets him to admit to any sort of feeling is Mor. And that’s only when she’s pestered him to the point where even his infinite patience has run out”’ (ACOMAF).

Azriel didn’t need to be pestered. All he needed was peace and quiet, someone like Elain. Because here we have Elain, and Azriel lets us know she understands his emotional struggles without him putting them into words.

He offered her a smile back. "I wasn't sure if I should give you your present." He left the rest unspoken. Because her mate was here, sleeping a level up. Because her mate had been in the family room and Azriel had needed to stay by the door the whole time because he couldn't stand the sight of it, the scent of their mating bond, and needed to have the option of leaving if it became too much. Elain's large brown eyes flickered, well aware of all that. Just as he knew she was well aware of why Azriel so rarely came to family dinners these days.

This is in the same BC, where Azriel also acknowledges that he has never dared to utter any of these thoughts out loud. Yet he didn’t need to for Elain to understand him. This is, again, Azriel acknowledging Elain’s attentive personality and what she means to him – what kind of connection they share.

Honestly, the BC is simply a mirror to their story so far. We don’t need it, but I’m glad we got it. It’s like SJM took a mirror and held it up to Elain and Azriel’s story across four books, condensed it, introduced the element of lust, and said: “remember what I've shown you – because here’s what’s next”. (Kind of like she did with Nessian’s bonus chapter…)

The pinnacle of SJM’s writing

To round off, I think their lust is simply a beautiful and natural progression of their clearly developing romantic relationship. I think it gets misunderstood partly to support a direction of the story that is clearly not where SJM is heading, but also partly due to our gendered views on lust and agency (which is the more interesting misunderstanding in my eyes).

The way SJM progressed Elriel’s relationship in ACOSF + the BCs (both of them) perfectly sets up Elain’s book and the external and internal conflicts Elain and Azriel will have to face to continue on their arcs towards character development. To reclaim her agency (Elain), and to acknowledge his self-worth outside of his duties and usefulness to others - to see himself as worthy of romantic love (Azriel). It challenges deeply ingrained views on gender and agency in society and is such a narratively powerful story.

For me, Azriel and Elain are the pinnacle of SJM’s writing so far. She’s outdone herself with them. This is also why I trust her fully with Elain’s book. I really, truly hope SJM writes more characters like them in the future, because she knows how to write captivating yet quiet, more introverted and introspective characters – and not many do within the romantasy genre. It’s an amazing skill, and a needed one.

I think that almost kiss is one of the best depictions of consent and mutual sexual and romantic desire in the series. I’m sure there will be much more of that beautiful offer and permission when Elain’s book is out. Come to think of it, I think SJM better take all the time she needs finishing up that book because I’m not sure I’m ready for it, even after all these years.

I’ll be questioning my belief system too when Elain goes all “put it on me” again.

[othertalearchive]

Othertale Asks

(This is not all the asks, just the ones I thought were important, funny, or relevant. More could possibly be added if I find any.)

OTHERTALE:

English isn’t youmna’s first language, she’s from Egypt.

Is Othertale Youmna’s story, or did someone else write it?

Is Othertale a comic that’s already out, or is it just going to be videos?

Caring Short is an extra scene.

When are you going to update Othertale?

Othertale is an alternate timeline, NOT an alternate universe.

Othertale is an AT, not an AU. There is no 7th soul. Sans is forgotten but not in Gaster’s position. And what funeral?

What did pre-core Gaster look like?

Refs for Othertale Chara & Frisk?

What kind of personality does othertale Frisk have?

Frisk doesn’t exist anymore.

Frisk was supposed to have a great role even though they no longer exist like Sans doesn’t.

Does Flowey exist, if the six souls don’t?

Who created Flowey in this timeline, Gaster or Alphys?

Chara falling down and Asriel’s creation into Flowey still happened.

Othertale monsters can’t break the barrier, but they still have hope.

Does Papyrus know he has a brother, does anyone know about Sans?

Where did Youmna get the idea for Othertale?

Is there a swap AU to othertale?

Is Othertale an animation? Comic?

Differences in Othertale vs Undertale bc of Sans & the souls erasure.

Othertale focuses on everyone.

After the Hack means season 2.

Who’s stronger: Othertale or Undertale Toriel, Asgore, and Flowey? Othertale MTT is stronger than Undertale MTT because he got his body earlier, Alphys main research was to turn monster souls into weapons since the human souls don’t exist, meaning MTT is more of a weapon than a famous star.

Corrupted!Chara.

Amalgamates don’t exist in Othertale.

Do Gaster, Chara, and Frisk exist?

Are there royal guards in Othertale?

Alphyne is canon, Soriel is not, Chara and Asriel happen as usual though youmna cannot say what happened after Chara and Asriel died.

Are Asgore and Toriel still married?

Is it okay to create an alternative version of Othertale?:

Dreemurr’s designs never changed from Undertale.

COLOR & THE SOULS:

Are the souls like MPD/DID for Color?

Color is stronger than Killer and Murder, Error will cause him problems.

Color’s views on canon NM according to rahafwabas: he hurt a lot of people, innocent people and aus, he hurt Killer the most, nightmare doesn’t deserve mercy.

Color is sure Killer will choose a new name someday, but thinks he just needs time. (Also canonically calls him buddy. :] )

Both Gaster and Sans are forgotten.

Are there hints in the Underground that Sans existed?

Like a mysterious sock?

Anyone can do what they want with Color.

Sans only has control over the game from the Void, which is how Undyne got out.

Did he die?

Color gets his name. (+ possible old peek of his soul.)

Color doesn’t like the idea of being shipped with someone he doesn’t know.

Bro doesn’t like the joke.

Explosive flames when he sneezes.

Color, Geno, & Seraphim as Pokemon evolution.

Flames take on longer colors when he has a characteristic trait.

Color’s okay with being a 2nd favorite.

Heya Color!

Is Gaster with you, C? (First use of C as a nickname)

C still loves ketchup.

Color prefers the Patience trait/soul because he cannot control his feelings and Patience calms him down.

Color is sad and looks sad all the time because Papyrus doesn’t remember him.

After absorbing the souls, does Sans feel different? He regrets what he did, and wishes he hadn’t, he misses the good old days at Grillby’s. He can still eat and sleep, but there is no time in the Void, no food, but hunger cues seem to have been taken away as well. He can’t really do anything but sleep anymore. Color has the ability to heal just about anything, except for the dead.

Does Color get headaches when looking at himself too long in the mirror?

Can I get a hug from Color!Sans?

Color!Sans 2C.

Why didn’t Sans get Gaster out? Why isn’t Gaster out yet?

UNDYNE & PAPYRUS:

How did she get the ability to teleport?

Undyne & Papyrus are siblings, Sans in the Void.

Undyne is Paps’ sister, is more responsible, and did not join the royal guard.

In the Royal Guard armor in trailer, didn’t join the Royal Guard.

Undyne would not be stronger than Color, though she has a portion of his powers.

Who is the big sibling?

How did Undyne get Determination?

Undyne can use Gaster Blasters.

Undyne’s “f” heart locket.

Does Papyrus have a necklace that says “best”?

Drawing of Undyne saying thank you.

Undyne drawing.

Are After the Hack Undyne’s stats the same, weaker than, or stronger than Undyne the Undying’s?

After the Hack Undyne is 3x stronger than Undyne the Undying.

Undyne has an important role in Othertale.

Undyne 1A.

Othertale Papyrus is weaker than Undertale Papyrus, he doesn’t have royal guard training and never aspired to join. Sage is nice and kind, but he works as a math teacher as he likes problem solving and children.

Since Papyrus doesn’t want to join the Royal Guard, what does he do? Does he have a job?

Undyne is youmna’s fav character.

Undyne reminds of the Underfell AU itself.

ATH Undyne looks like Underfell Undyne’s design.

How old are Undyne and Papyrus?

Undyne & Papyrus animation short sneak peek.

Undyne still likes anime and manga. She spends every weekend at home with Papyrus, waiting for Alphys to come over with a new anime.

Are the Gaster Blasters a special attack, or just a slightly more powerful regular attack?

1C Undyne.

Othertale meets Undertale Undyne. Ivory thinks lifting rocks is irresponsible and would never do that, is highly protective of Papyrus and describes him as the only person she cares about in this world. She can play piano, she cooks for her and Papyrus, and she and Papyrus watch the MTT show together.

Ivory would not like Undertale Undyne or troublemakers. Ivory is a lot more careful and cautious with new people.

Papyrus & Undyne live in the same house, in Snowdin.

What happened to Undyne’s parents? Did she have parents? Did they die?

HER:

Smiley face can be attributed to anyone, not just Chara.

Error!Undyne?

Have we met her in classic Undertale?

Is she Core!Frisk?

She could be the Player.

She is not Undyne or Chara.

She just wants fun.

Is she a specific person with a name?

She is the Player.

[wikiangela]

Hi, a bit late but joining in on the @alliwantforchristmasislou project 🫶

I decided to donate to a polish organisation called the stonewall group (which is why the pic is in polish lol)

chose this one just because im the most familiar with this one, and they do amazing work in support of lgbt+ people and fighting for our rights in this... not so queer-friendly country 🫶

now, ive been in the 911 fandom for almost 4 years now (gonna be 4 in i think February), and i only started after the episode Buck actually bc it was allll over my dash. i binged the whole show in a week, before the next episode is even aired, I loved it SO much.

as most of y'all know, I initially shipped buddie - it was the big ship, ofc i did, i wrote so much fic for them and i had so much fun and met so many moots i still love seeing on my dash 🫶❤️ but it might've been obvious (or not, idk) i was kinda getting bored and losing enjoyment, more and more of my fics and snippets were focusing on other characters with buck or eddie, i wasnt really as into it anymore - but i still loved it and wanted to enjoy it (which ironically was killed dead later on by the buddie fandom itself lmao)

and then came bucktommy and everything changed. initially i tried not to give in but within a few days i had two fics and more ideas lol they completely took over my thoughts. ive never been this inspired to write, to create, I even learned how to make gifs for them (with lots of help from amazing talented friends 🫶🤣) during fall and winter I always get so depressed and sad and having very dark and depressing thoughts (last year my buck driving fic was a result of that lol), and its so hard to find motivation to do anything, even write. but this year, even tho I had a lil crisis moment, i wrote through it and im as inspired as always - i havent stopped writing since april. they're literally the most inspiring ship ever - and fun fact, usually i prefer writing about fanon ships, so this was a huge change and surprise

I always related to buck a lot, and especially once we got his bisexuality canon - checking out and appreciating hot people of the same sex and not realizing what it means is too real lol - and Tommy is so compelling and theres so much potential for so many stories there, I wish the show would do something interesting with him 😭 despite being so confident and cool, he feels like he's holding back some sad, maybe (probably) traumatic backstory that could be so good and interesting - and lou is such a good actor and itd be amazing to see more from him in this role

they wrote tommy as the perfect love interest for buck, and it was amazing to see it on screen, it was such a breath of fresh air to see this kind of queer representation on a network show, it was so gentle and adorable, and they initially handled it with so much care, and id love to see where they'd go from there 😭 the break up broke my heart not only because it happened, but because it felt ooc and abrupt and not at all like that's where the story was going. wish they'd fix it and give us tommy back 😭🙏

and lastly but most importantly - thanks to bucktommy, i met so many amazing friends ❤️😭 even when I was writing fics and interacting with mutuals on here, i was never really talking to a lot of mutuals, not for longer than a few messages, and now i got this wonderful community that i feel so comfortable in, everyone is so nice and friendly, and I love y'all so much, this is the best fandom experience ive ever had ❤️

thank you all, ive been having so much fun since april, i love y'all. here's to more bucktommy in 2025 ❤️

[gatitties]

Weee could you write Kid pirates, white beard pirates and heart pirates with quite reader that likes to follow their captain around everywhere ? Just having their captain's little non-biogical bro/sibling following him around ( ok but replace white beard with Marco and/or Ace, that's a father not a brother )

tommorow is my last final exam, i'm just glad Byiee

—Kid Pirates, Whitebeard Pirates & Heart Pirates x reader

—Summary: you are a calm and curious person who prefers to follow around your captain or partner.

—Warnings: none

ohh, I guess you already know the note for that exam bc it took me so long to write this 😶 , but anyway, I'm sure you passed it! now it's time to enjoy holidays!!

─ Everyone watches in silence as you follow your captain around like a baby duck, kind of funny considering what kind of crew you're on.

─ Kid isn't a big fan of you following him everywhere, but at least you're not annoying since you hardly ever speak, he's started to develop the habit of looking behind him to check if you were there.

─ Maybe he'll end up taking it out on you at the end of the day because well, you spend most of the day with him, and sometimes he needs to take a weight off his shoulders, you don't mind that he yells at you, really, you just look at him in silence while he barks like a dog, waiting for him to give you some chore to do.

─ Everyone admires you, not only for your strength, but for your willpower in putting up with Kid's temper so easily.

─ Killer will probably tell you not to follow him for so long or you will slowly fall into madness, he doesn't want to lose crewmates that easily.

─ Heat thinks that Kid is a bad influence on you because you started to insult more than normal, also adopting bad habits from your captain.

─ But you don't give it importance, you like to follow your captain, at least this created a closer relationship between the two of you, spending so much time together made you both know every weak point you had.

─ And sometimes, in your most rebellious days you played those keys that irritated Kid the most, of course that was a double-edged weapon because he also knew what bothered you, so it ended in a silly fight between the two of you.

─ He scolds you a lot because whenever you help him in the workshop you don't know most of the objects that are there, so sometimes you just sit and watch what he does or play with the materials.

─ Maybe you're banned from his workshop because you once accidentally blew something up…

─ On those occasions you cling to Killer, you usually accompany him to do chores on the islands, so he can't complain that you follow him around like an abandoned dog when you are of great help.

─ Kid will feel strange not having your silent presence next to him, used to you being there, but he prefers not to risk his material.

─ You came to the crew when you were young and decided that you needed advice or someone to help you fit in more with that big family.

─ Ace was the closest person to your age and it was easy to get along with him, ending in which you began to follow him as an apprentice, Ace was helpful because unlike you, he was much more social and helped you get to know better some of your comrades.

─ Some make fun of you because you look like Ace's shadow, but neither you nor he could care less, you remind him of Luffy following him through the forest when they were kids and it doesn't bother you that he sometimes faints due to narcolepsy.

─ He doesn't mind at all that you follow him, although he would prefer that you talk a little more, but he understands that you are a person of few words.

─ Whitebeard finds it adorable, it's like watching two strangers become siblings from one day to the next, of all the people who were in his crew he could say that you two were the quickest to form such a close bond.

─ It's not always good to follow Ace, many times he gets drunk and you have to take him back to the ship, so maybe you take some nights for yourself, or rather to follow Marco.

─ Although you had a much closer relationship with Ace than with Marco, the doctor was also one of the first to accept you into the crew.

─ So when Ace usually goes out to a party, you stay on the boat since Marco doesn't usually sign up for that kind of thing, you help him with whatever he needs, most of the time he simply makes you move medical supplies from one place to another or order the drawers and shelves.

─ Marco will appreciate the silence more since you usually help him late at night and sometimes he has long days dealing with the crew, more than one day he ends up with a headache and thanks that you don't usually talk as much as others.

─ You probably won't take a good thing from both of them, as if the only thing you could keep were the bad habits of both of them, which means that you will be more daring and lose hours of sleep from now on.

─ Law is rethinking his life decisions at the moment he notices how you start to follow him throughout the submarine, maybe he accepted you too quickly in the crew.

─ You only got bored because you always completed your tasks quite quickly, and who better to tell you what to do than your captain?

─ Law appreciated his alone time very much, and you always broke it, although he couldn't complain much since despite everything, you didn't open your mouth at all.

─ The truth is that you liked to irritate him a bit, but then it was routine to follow Law in most of the things he did, as a consequence you ended up reading almost all of his personal library.

─ Shachi and Penguin will sometimes help you irritate Law by following him around the submarine, these two get bored too and seeing your captain upset with you all seems fun, at least it is until he separates your limbs and hides them.

─ You decided not to try to bother him so much because last time he hid your hands in the freezer and your legs in the oven.

─ Your discussions are totally silent, as if you shouted by gestures, at least you did most of the time.

─ You will definitely be losing hours of sleep because of Law, you will surely end up asleep in a chair long before him and wake up wrapped in a blanket the next morning.

─ The times you are not close to Law, you usually spend them with Ikkaku since being close to her will always give you advantages, you can choose what you want to eat if you help her in the kitchen, which also means that you can sneak some bread into the kitchen.

─ You'll end up running away whenever you do that, but at least you could laugh at the look on your captain's face when he saw a measly crumb of bread in his food.

─ Prepare for a revenge in the next few days, following Law daily also makes you weak against him, so just wait for him to use one of the things that bother you against you.

[hard-core-super-star]

Hey rubix!! I just watched the marvels and I LOVED it!!! I was wondering if you could do a carol x reader fic where Carol is introducing her gf to Monica and Kamala and they just click really quickly and bond 😭

I’m going on a carol rampage atm bc she just looked too GOOD 🤭

- ✨

if forever will have me [C.Danvers]

paring: carol danvers x reader

summary: your girlfriend brings two stowaways on board after a rough mission, you welcome them with open arms while carol tries to adjust.

warnings: none?; fluff with minimal plot; carol's a dorky mess and we love her for it; brief emotional moments but nothing too drastic; R's a mom friend in this one frfr; not proofread; i still suck at endings

wordcount: 2.5k

a/n: I AM SO SORRY FOR TAKING OVER A YEAR TO WRITE THIS 😭 you deserved so much better, lovely anon, please forgive me. in an effort to make it up to you, i turned this into a longer fic than i originally planned, and sort of tweaked the movie plot a little because i felt it was missing a few scenes like this. i really hope you enjoy (and that i didn't totally forget how to write for carol) and once again, i'm so sorry for taking so long to write this. hopefully, there'll be more carol fic in the making soon <3

* * * * * * *

To say you were worried about Carol would be an understatement. 

While it wasn't completely unusual to go a few days without hearing from her, thanks to how chaotic her job could get, she always made sure to update you as soon as possible. Especially when you were staying in her spaceship catsitting.

Truth be told, Goose didn't really need babysitting. Mainly because more often than not, Carol just took the alien cat with her, both for comfort and companionship. However, it gave the blonde the perfect excuse to convince you to join her.

Again, you didn't really need convincing, but it made your girlfriend feel better when you were brought on board as part of her team. Her "team" being you and her...and Goose...and the occasional call from Nick Fury...and King Valkyrie. As much as the blonde insisted she preferred working alone, she was surrounded by a pretty badass support system.

Said support system wasn't enough to help her with her newest problem, though.

A problem that even you weren't qualified to help her with.

Ship full of homeless Skrulls and emotional visit from the King of Asgard aside, it was nice to have other people aboard. Even if one of those people was Carol's sort of adopted (and abandoned) daughter and the other one was a teenage girl who was quite literally Captain Marvel's biggest fan. They might not have been your first choice of companions, but you were nothing if not a welcoming host.

As soon as King Valkyrie transported the Skrull refugees back to Asgard with her, you made your way to your girlfriend's side.

"Hey," you say, you hand reaching out to take hers. "Rough day?"

Your words make her chuckle despite herself. "That's an understatement."

"What do you need from me?"

"Just...don't let go."

Her arms envelop you before you can even try to question her. You happily return her embrace, allowing her to bury her face against your shoulder and let out the heaviest sigh you've heard in a while. She doesn't have to say anything for you to known she's trying to decompress after the shit show that's gone down.

You hold the blonde close as you run your hand up and down her back, eyes bouncing back and forth between Monica and Carol's biggest fan. As awkward as it is for you, you can't imagine it's any easier for them so, you break the silence.

"Cool ship, right?"

They both nod, although the older of the two looks anywhere but you. You can't really blame her considering her history with Carol and how weird the whole situation is. A situation you still don't know any details of.

"Is, uh, is she okay?" The younger brunette ask.

"Oh, yeah, she's just...recharging."

Your girlfriend grumbles something in response, but you don't pay her any mind. It's not your fault she's literally a human lamp.

You sidestep the two of you until you're out of sight. It's not like you want to be secretive or anything, there's just a higher chance the blonde will tell you what's wrong if it's just the two of you.

"Hey, babe," you murmur.

She grumbles once more, slowly detaching herself from your neck. The glassiness of her eyes instantly makes alarms ring in your head.

"Carol-"

Your girlfriend instantly shrugs you off. "I'm fine, I just...need some time."

As badly as you want to argue with her, the last thing she needs right now is more difficulties.

"So, you're just going to leave me here with your new friends?" You ask with a raised eyebrow.

"You'll be fine, it's not like they're too happy with me either right now."

She tries to laugh it off, but you're no fool. You can see the heaviness on her shoulders, the far-away look in her eye that can't mean anything good. As badly as you want to go with her, you know she needs some time to catch her breath on her own.

So, you let her go, leaving you alone with the newest members of your unofficial team.

Not even five seconds go by before the silence is interrupted by the young brunette. "I didn't know Captain Marvel had a girlfriend."

"Does that mean no one talks about me in the fan forums?"

"That's probably for the best."

You cross the small space until you're in front of them, offering them the warmest smile you can muster. "Listen, I know this situation isn't ideal, but it's nice to have other people on the ship."

Monica gives you the smallest of smiles in response, which might not be much, but it's a start. A start you're not about to waste.

"Let's start over, yeah?" You say, somewhat aware of how shitty they must be feeling too, if Carol's barely hidden emotions are anything to go by. "I'm y/n, this ship's second captain."

"Kamala." She eagerly shakes your hand. "This ship's nice. Actually, it's really awesome."

"I know," you whisper in response, earning yourself a brighter smile.

Once Kamala finally releases your hand, you turn to face the older brunette. The soft look in her eyes does little to soothe your nervousness. You'd imagined meeting her many times before, although under much better circumstances.

"Oh, I'm Monica, but I'm assuming you already knew that."

"Yeah, it's really nice to meet you."

The sincerity in your voice seems to catch her off-guard, but she recovers before you can call her out on it. And by recover, all she really does is sidestep the conversation you need to have.

"Do you think Carol needs help?" She asks.

"Oh, she needs a lot of help but good luck getting through to her," you reply with an affectionate roll of your eyes.

Kamala barely stifles a laugh at your words, clearly enjoying the dynamic you're starting to form with them. While Carol wasn't exactly hard to read, she could be a little rough around the edges at first, especially when placed in stressful situations she feels responsible for.

Monica, on the other hand, lets out a long sigh. "I meant with the ship."

"Oh, yeah, probably. Just know she'll say no if you ask her."

"Yeah, I had a feeling."

 There's an edge of nostalgia to her words that you understand all too well. As badly as you want to talk to her about it, to reassure her that what happened wasn't her fault, that Carol still cares, you know it's not your place.

Unfortunately, you're also aware of how awkward your girlfriend can be. It's as endearing as it is frustrating.

While Monica goes down to the ship's engine room to talk to Carol, you stay with Kamala. 

You let her admire the place for a few moments before you speak up again. "Hey, you okay? Want to talk about what happened?"

Her eyes remain glued to Goose, busying herself with petting her even while she responds to your question. "You mean how I totally got scolded by my idol?"

You honestly have no idea what she's talking about, but you want her to feel supported, so you nod anyway. "Sure, if you want to."

The only response you get for a few seconds is a heavy sigh. You can see her shoulders slumping forward as she allows herself to finally accept how she's feeling. "I really didn't think our first meeting would go like this. It was supposed to be cooler, y'know? Full of bonding and really funny jokes and me getting to show off my awesome powers. Instead, I just messed up and made THE Captain Marvel mad."

You do your best to stifle the laughter that threatens to bubble up inside your throat. The last thing you want to do is invalidate her feelings but...you can't deny how amusing her rambling is.

"Sweetheart, I promise you Carol's not mad at you and I don't even know what happened. She's just protective. And really stubborn. And not the best team player."

Your words seem to bring little comfort to her. "I just...I don't want to disappoint her."

Kamala's voice breaks at the end, leading you to spring into action faster than you can even process. Even though you're not exactly sure how to comfort her, you know you have to do something. At least until Carol comes back.

"Hey," you say as you walk over to her, your arms wide open for her. "You won't. You're not going to disappoint anyone, okay? I guarantee you Carol's beating herself up for yelling at you. She's a captain, not a tyrant."

Your words make her chuckle even as she accepts the hug offer. She might not fully believe you right now, but that's okay. All that matters to you is that she doesn't feel like an outsider. Because as weird as it might be, you're all in this together now and that means being there for each other.

A few seconds go by before she speaks up again.

"Hey, um...is there somewhere I could shower?"

"Yeah, let me show you."

You show Kamala to the bathroom, helping her figure out how the shower works and giving her some of Carol's oversized clothes to wear. It's a small thing, but you hope it'll help her feel a little more at home in your large spaceship. It'd taken you a long time to get used to the whole being in space thing too.

Once you get back to the main area, you find Monica again, a thin layer of tears making her brown eyes sparkle. You're not exactly sure how to approach her, or if she even wants to be approached, but you know you have to do something. As much as you love Carol, you don't trust she didn't accidentally stick her foot in her mouth.

Monica watches you approach, silently analyzing your next move.

As much as you want to simply walk away, you can't. Not when you know how hard your girlfriend has been on herself about what happened with Monica and her mom.

"It's been hard for her too, y'know?" You say with a soft smile.

She blinks a few times, seemingly trying to hide how affected she is. "Oh, I don't...I'm fine."

Maybe you should leave it alone, it's technically none of your business, and yet...you can't stop yourself from prying a little. Mainly since you're also acutely aware of the team-up situation they find themselves in. The last thing they needis to be at each other's throats because of their past.

"Yeah? Is that why you can't look at Carol for more than five seconds?"

Her jaw clenches at that, but you stand firm. Or as firm as you can be when you're staring down the barrel of a loaded gun. The gun in question being Monica's exasperated expression.

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

Despite her attempt at sounding mad, the way her voice cracks reveals the true feelings lingering under the surface. The ones she's been pushing down for who knows how long.

"Maybe." You shrug. "But I know she's been beating herself up for not coming back sooner. I know she spent the majority of the last five years talking about your mom. About you. You're her family. The only one she has left."

Monica tries her hardest to appear unaffected, but the change in her expression says it all. Her eyes soften as her jaw unclenches, her bottom lip trembling just the slightest bit to let you know you've cracked her defenses.

"She has you."

Her words are soft. Not really a complaint or an argument. Simply a statement. One that makes your face flush despite your hardest efforts.

"That's not...you know what I mean."

For once, she drops the cool act. "I do, but my point still stands. You're her family too. And honestly? I think she needs you more than I do right now."

You let out a soft chucke. "Yeah, I can't argue with that. You'll be okay?"

The question is far more loaded than you realize and yet, she nods. "Yeah, I think so."

With that, you make your way back to Carol, not at all surprised to find her muttering under her breath as she paces back and forth. "Everything okay, Captain?"

She stops in her tracks the second she hears your voice. "Something like that. It's been a long day."

"Tell me about it, it seems you've brought out some strong emotions in everyone."

"Yeah." The blonde does her best to glue a smirk onto her face, but she fails miserably. If anything, her smile comes off more like a grimace than anything.

You cross the space between you in an instant. "How are you holding up?"

She answers your question with one of her own. "How's Kamala doing? I shouldn't have yelled at her earlier."

As much as you hate her tendency to side-step talking about how she's feeling, you allow it. Clearly, you're not the only one who's gotten attached to the young girl. "She's okay, maybe a little upset, but nothing a warm shower can't fix."

A long sigh escapes her and even though you want nothing more than you wrap her up in your arms, you hold back. As difficult as it is, you wait for her to show you what she needs. "This is why I don't work with a team. I'm awful at it."

You can't stop yourself from poking fun at her. "You're literally a captain, though."

This time, the smile that crosses her face looks warmer. Real in a way you're used to. "That's not funny."

"I thought it was hilarious."

You wrap your arms around her neck before she can complain about your shitty jokes, pulling her closer. She catches on pretty quickly and wraps her arms around your waist before she leans in to capture your lips in a slow kiss.

The moment ends far too quickly for your liking.

Her forehead rests against your own, her blue eyes sparkling with emotions you know she can't fully put into words. Not that you'd ever force her.

That being said, you wish you didn't know exactly where things were going.

"You're not going to tell me what's going on, are you?" You ask even though you already know the answer.

"Nope." She pecks your lips before you can protest. "I have enough to worry about, I can't put you in the line of fire too."

"You know I don't mind. I want to be here for you."

Her hand leaves your waist to trail her finger up your arm. She grips your wrist and slowly brings it away from her neck and toward her chest. "I know, princess, but I have to do this on my own. I have to fix my mistakes."

You find yourself huffing in response. "I hate it when you get all serious like that."

She chuckles, bringing your wrist up to her lips for a few lingering kisses. "I'll come back to you before you know it. Promise."

"I'll be waiting, Captain."

You pull her back in without another word, knowing full well you'll both keep to your promises.

[the-music-maniac]

Why is the daddy dom characterization so common with pre-nibelheim Sephiroth in fanfics. Does that look like a man who knows how to fuck, to you?

If someone does anything sexy in front of him, he would give them the Seph equivalent of a frog blink. That man is tired.

Lol jokes aside, I suspect for someone who has had his bodily autonomy dictated by lab techs and Hojo for the entirety of his life, he wouldn't be raring to have one night stands with complete strangers in his free time. Sure you could argue that sexual intercourse would be a way to regain a little control of autonomy, but I don't think it's likely when it would be with strangers that - not only never sees Sephiroth as anything but the famed legend (an image he doesn't like btw) which is likely accompanied by unwanted expectations of what he's like in bed, but complete strangers that could've also been sent to like. Assassinate the most important asset that Shinra has?

My point being that I don't think Sephiroth really had any safe space to explore what he likes for something like sex - and since it isn't necessary for his duty as a soldier, and may even count as unwanted distraction and vulnerability - Sephiroth likely discarded any interest in it entirely. That is, if he had any interest at all in the first place. You could also assume he could explore it with people he IS close with (ex. Angeal, Genesis etc.) but in those scenarios he wouldn't exactly know off the bat what he likes, or be self assured in any sense.

Trigger Warning (implication of SA/dubious consent): Of course you could also explore the darker side of this, which is that Sephiroth has experience because he didn't have a say in it, bc the company used him/trained him as an asset in this aspect as well. Which is an entirely different discussion to be had, so I won't go into it any further here.

And I think despite the suggestive shit that post-nibelheim Seph says to Cloud, his mind is not on anything sexual in actuality. He's likely aware of the effect flirtation and innuendo can have on people - disgust or interest or whatever would distract an opponent. Or he's just entirely unaware of - or does not care how else his words can be taken. He's a drama queen, but his goals have been pretty clear post insanity, and they have nothing to do with something as mundane as sex. So his demeanour after Jenova isn't that applicable (also we know that square Enix was like heehee we figured you would like this dialogue, so there is also that).

Basically, while I understand Sephiroth is a cool character for exploring fantasies (valid, go ham) - in terms of if you're trying to be accurate to canon characterizations, fics where he's written as a suave dom/top gets a bit of a question mark from me??

I feel like what makes more sense for ships involving pre-nibelheim Seph (including those sefikura time travel fixits that I'm mildly obsessed with) would be uncertainty. Here is finally someone who he actually feels safe to explore this aspect with, and it's natural for exploration to involve stumbles. And I don't think Seph would rule out submission or bottoming as an option in regards to himself either. Or switching/versatility. As someone trained to be objective or logical when tackling anything really - he would probably go about it methodically. So why not try it all to gather data?

What his and his partners' eventual preferences are gonna be is author's choice of course lmao

Also a disclaimer before I end it here - this post is purely because I find discussion on this interesting. If you disagree, or just wanna write what you wanna see, definitely do that and disregard what I've said. Fanfic is supposed to be self indulgent, so who gives a shit what other people think.

[ezra-editss]

Just watched X-men Apocalypse. What the hell.

Okay, so I kinda have a take on all this and idk if that's just how it feels to me, but that's what I wanna know. (I don't think this actually happened, but it's the vibes it is all giving)

So it started when I told my mom about First Class (keep reading I'm gonna get to apocalypse eventually) and we came to the conclusion that it feels like they wrote the script, looked at it again and thought:

"Hmm, this seems pretty gay.. Erik and Charles both have no female love interests and they have those lines that seem pretty romantic. Also, Erik seems almost obsessed with Charles at the end with how overprotective he is. Let's fix that!"

And then they gave both of them a kiss with a woman they weren't interested in and added the line "We're brothers, you and I" and then were proud of how well they "saved" it.

And then they made Days of Future Past and didn't even think of it, but when it came out they saw how people were shipping it and then they were like "oh shitt"

And in the first hour of the movie, I thought they were just doing all of this stuff to "erase" any potential gayness people thought there was and wanted to make sure nobody got the wrong idea about the recent movies. But it was more the reminder they like women, before the EXTREME GAYNESS in the second half.

(This is getting so much more unserious than initially intended💀)

Anyways, Apocalypse.

Either I missed something or Erik settling down and HIDING makes NO SENSE. In the last timeline it was 100% clear that he'd never stop believing in what he did, he would never stop fighting his war. So yes, this is a different timeline, but there is no reason given why he suddenly decides to try Charles way. He failed in Days of Future Past and Charles let him go, but there is no way that's enough. And they played this off like that isn't the thing they both wanted since forever and never seemed possible. Being on the same side. Erik switching to Charles side is insane, why wouldn't he talk to Charles in all those years then?

I can't believe they threw away everything that IS Erik, just so he had a reason to be angry enough to join the guy.

(They also died in such a weird/lame way)

And Charles and I still don't really know her name😭.. I have to admit the scenes where Charles was nervous were cute, but that's just because Charles is adorable. But in First Class she was obviously only there for the plot, in Days of Future Past, she wasn't even mentioned and in Apocalypse, she was, again, only there for the plot. She literally doesn't say anything the entire movie after the beginning. She has like two lines. And in the end fight, she's just standing there. And then Charles makes her remember and the flashbacks are soo bad, BC THEY HAD NO MOMENTS. (Especially bc you can compare it to Erik's flashbacks, we're gonna get to that)

(I don't think I have to say it, but to be sure. I have absolutely nothing against straight couples. I don't care if it's gay or not. But if one of them were a woman, I wouldn't be writing this. I just hate how often they prefer to write a heterosexual couple that has no chemistry at all instead of making the two guys/girls kiss.)

Let's talk about the ending. Sometimes when I talk about this stuff I'm a little worried that I interpret things wrong bc I want it to be like that and I'm not being objective anymore, but I was proven right so many times in this. When Mystique and Erik kissed in First Class, it felt really weird to me because Erik obviously had no interest in her. (I suppose it was to show her she's beautiful) And that was pretty much proven right when she talks to him and he barely reacts to what she's saying. I also thought that he probably didn't know Charles was dying, bc he wouldn't let that happen. Then Mystique says "Charles" and suddenly he does show a reaction and when she's gone, he has those god damn flashbacks. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS ISN'T A ROMANTIC PLOT?😭 and then the specific one of Charles turning away and leaving him. (Could be a metaphor for Charles giving up on him) THAT'S WHAT GOT HIM.

And they make it even more clear when Mystique is dying and Erik doesn't react, but when Charles is dying, is when he steps in.

Ending was cute, but damnn the "you can make me do anything" was crazy.

(This turned out soo long, I've never been so obsessed with something.)

[iamurpaladin]

Rating keith ships bc I'm bored!

Klance: 10/10

Love them. The classic, the original. My default choice and they're so cute really

Sheith: 3/10

Surprisingly I don't hate it as much as I used to. I still dislike it because of the age gap and the fact that they are cannonically closer to brothers but I understand why people enjoy their dynamic

Jaith (James x keith): 8/10

I think they're cute... they honestly have the rival thing going for them more than klance actually do which I think is so funny. I've seen a few fics where keith discovers why James picked on him and there's like angst and shit and they were pretty cute so.

Katt/rebelfire: 100/10

MY FAVE RAREPAIR!!!!!!!!! I honestly love them so much its unhealthy. I think it's so cute, because matt and keith probably would know each other from the garrison because they'd both be around shiro a lot, and then a reunion in space is such a cute idea.

Keitor (keith x lotor): 6/10

I don't hate it as much as I was expecting to. I think the fact that they are both half galra, like with lotors generals make it a kinda cute pairing, the fact that they are both like. The only galra hybrids of their kind. I think it can be cute, but it also can be toxic, and it really depends on how you write it.

Kallura: 7/10

I love both of the characters and their interactions, but I see them as platonic more than anything else.

Keith x axca (idk their ship name sorry): 5/10

Again, I love the characters and their interactions, but I see them both as gay in the opposite direction. Honestly I prefer them as wlw mlm solidarity or siblings, although I won't actively stop reading a fic if this is the ship.

Keith x regris (once again, don't know the ship name): 7/10

I actually quite like it? I don't know very much about it bc I'm not that far into the show so I don't really know their cannon relationship but. From the fics I've read, they're pretty cute

Keith x romelle: 1/10

I love both the characters so much and I love the idea of them being best friends or siblings, but I hate the idea of them romantically. I just can't see it at all.

Heith (hunk x keith): ?/10

I actually have never really considered this dynamic? I've seen a few fics with it as the main ship, but I've never really read any of them. Idk what my opinion is tbh, I see them more as friends but I guess they could have potential?

Kidge (keith x pidge): 0/10

I'm sorry kidge shippers but. No. Number 1, pidge is like 15 and keith is 18. Number 2, I headacannon pidge as acearo, and keith as gay. Number 3, why would you have them as romantic when you could have them as chaotic cryptid kids that are queerplatonic besties?

Let me know if you want me to rate more but these are the only ones I can think of.

[getsuuna]

ok so here's my complaint of the day!

I wrote this during the moment I felt like complaining and I was sleepy so it MIGHT be a little dramatic 😇

every time I'm devouring a SaneGiyuu fic because I like its plot for a while, here goes a smut scene that never fails to make me sigh and mayhaps roll my eyes

most of the times I know I'll get icked but decide to read because "what if it's not that bad",, then it's almost always the same shit over and over: Sanemi topping, bonus points if there's even just slight roughness (yikes😬...), Giyuu being loud and being described in degrading terms [and basically none of this was told beforehand in tags nor notes, almost as if it was the "normal" perception of SaneGiyuu for most people...??? shut UP??😃]

respectfully, it's ass.

I'm tired, these tropes are overused and fucking inaccurate dare I say, unless there's a reason in the fanfic's AU specifically but I still find it to be too common and weird. if you want a somewhat accurate SaneGiyuu pay gorn (/hj /ref) it must be them switching AND being romantic. where the FUCK is the romance,, the last one I've read now wasn't that bad because it still mentioned adoration, kisses and love overall, but there's almost always something that icks me even just in the few fics I've read so far, and it makes my reading experience sm slower and uncomfortable afterwards even if I initially loved the fic

now, as I've stated multiple times, I hate the "rough daddy dom Sanemi" and "submissive twink Giyuu" headcanons with every single inch of my entire being in&out including my whole soul /drm,,, and not just in sex scenes but in their overall dynamic, it's so enraging I don't care if someone disagrees I'd just stare and judge??😭😭😭my main purpose when I complain abt this stuff is to look for other people with my same mindset (thank GOD I saw lots of them so far though)

the disrespect, and the fetishization of queer couples in which one "has to look/act more like the opposite gender" and inevitably the one who has more apparent feminine traits has to be the sub, bc they associate femininity with submissiveness. heteronormativity and borderline patriarchy-inducted stereotypes?? woah./neg

let Sanemi receive, it won't make him any less of a man nor threaten his masculinity I promise🥺 same goes for Giyuu if he was actually written like the manly strong man and SOLDIER he fucking is? I still wouldn't really really prefer it but I would respect the preference in that case.. heated arguments about who tops or bottoms are inherently fetishizing and stupid, however if I see a (weird) pattern I'm gonna hate it sorry not sorry😭🙏🏻

also please if someone can recommend SaneGiyuu fics with NO smut or actually well written sex scenes with them preferably switching (it's the only actual realistic trope and I stand by this fact) I'll be thankful, and I'm taking the occasion to also recommend "You And Me, Alone Together" by Katz3 (yes there's also occasional sex scenes and yes they're perfect in every possible way, the whole fic is!! I have yet to find a better fic and I know I won't, despite it being underrated); or maybe if you have fic recs in which Giyuu exclusively tops if there's NSFW scenes, out of nothing but pure spite, I would be thankful as well🥰

one last thing bc I usually get heavily misinterpreted whenever I complain abt anything: I'm NOT saying "GiyuSane is better" (even if that's what *I* personally think, due to how I interpret their writing and how I headcanon their relationship dynamic which has nothing much different from most, I just don't twinkify/overly-feminize/infantilize Giyuu nor I over-sexualize/booktok-fy Sanemi), I'm just saying it's more realistic if they switched: it's more accurate, more inclusive, less mischaracterizing, less stereotyped and therefore less heteronormative and less fetishizing...

and about the degrading and roughness and all that I mentioned, I just despise it. for every ship and every trope, whether m/f, f/f or m/m. it takes romance away imo and I won't be sugarcoating it with "oh but it's consensual so it's fine" nor negotiating it in order not to piss off the people who like this kind of content; I'm sorry, keep your preferences, but I won't be shutting the fuck up if I have to read it every goddamn time I naively think there's normal and loving sex scenes. put tags to warn readers who don't wanna read that shit so they can skip it if they still gave the fic a shot, please🙏🏻

[dearlexies]

idk if what I'm about to say is going to sound like "chart obsessive" but this is something that need to be said

Last month, enhypen went viral with a hate tweet with >>> 35 MILLION <<< views. They've been getting hate since their debut and lately it is getting worse. The general public doesn't like them and won't embrace their comeback. People are afraid to follow the group. They depend on the FANDOM. everything that they archived until today wasn't because of hybe, belift or with the help of other fandoms, it was always and only ENGENES.

This comeback is so important to them, jay produced and helped to write one song, they've put all their expectations on this and right now we failed to achieve two of our goals. Please take this comeback seriously. stream and collect votes on the apps (higher, idolchamp, mubeat etc) bc all the things that enha archieved weren't because of luck it was bc the fandom worked hard for it, and now we need to work even harder. writing fanfics, talking about shipps and watching edits is fun but none of these things will help them. so stream desire unleash on Spotify and the mv on the right way.

seeing them wining two daesangs was amazing right? seeing them breaking records is satisfying right? seeing happy is good, right? so let's do it happen more often!!

"but I'm busy" you can let the music running while you study, sleep, clean your house, just use on of the right playlists to do it. Follow @EN_onSpotify in twitter they make great playlists and teach you how to stream

"oh i don't have time to collect votes" guys, seriously, this takes less than an hour, if you have only idolchamp, mnet plus and higher it won't be even 30 minutes. If even after this you still don't wanna vote then participate on the twitter polls @EN_POLL_ is always updating about group and individual polls, doing polls we can get 20, 100, 2000 or more votes on various apps

"I don't know how to do it" don't be afraid to ask, i or any other person or fanbase will help you, @PRODBYENGENE is always trying to help.

"but I don't like to do these things, i prefer do edits" ok then do it, but use it as a way to promote they songs, did you know that edit on tiktok help to get music shows wins? yeah, we just need to use the official enhypen song's on it.

"I think I can't do those things" well let me tell you this, you can still help by donation money to @PRODBYENGENE or any fanbase of your country, they use the money to help with charts, streams and voting.

"I'm only here for the fanfics/shipp/visuals" than i will say it with zero respect, f*ck you. they work really hard each comeback, they have amazing songs and are one of the fews groups on kpop that really care for their art and fans (I've lost the count for how many times they putted the work in front of their health), so you reducing them to ships/visuals is not fan behavior. This is disrespect for them both as individuals and as artists.

pls if you care for them then act like it, take this comeback seriously. Enjoy the music and their content but also help them to grow. Stream the music on Spotify and YouTube, do edits using the official audio, collect votes (the voting on idolchamp has already started and we have good chances to win!!) join streaming and voting teams, just do anything to help them.

don't do it bc I'm telling you to do, do it because you care for enhypen and want to see them doing well

[elainsgirl]

To be honest, coming from an outsider that was never part of the fandom, I always thought Elain and Azriel would end up together, since the first time they met I had that feeling. Their interactions, as short as they were, are my favorites. To my surprise, most people do not like them together and prefer Gwyn, which I do not remember any interactions in which Azriel and Gywn led to believe to something else.

Azriel does not need Gwyn to “take him out of his shell” as people says, he is quiet and reserved and there’s nothing wrong with that, you can be an introvert and still have friends and an active life, I don’t understand why they want to change his character.

For me, Gwyn was only introduced for Nesta’s character development, such as Feyre has Mor and Amren, Elain has Nuala and Cerridwen, Nesta has Gwyn and Emerie, I don’t see Gwyn providing nothing else plot wise.

People hate Elain and I have no idea why, to me, she’s the most interesting character and the one who has shown quite growth without her own book, from being terrified to actively ending the war by killing Hybern. There’s so much that we haven’t seen, she’s a seer and the Cauldron’s favorite, who knows what other powers were given to her?

Also I do not understand why people want Elain with Tamlin? The one who abused her sister? The one who is very unstable and was part of the reason she was turned into Fae? They just want Elain to suffer, simple as that.

Elriel would be a perfect couple, both quiet, understand each other, I don’t see Azriel with a warrior mate, he seems the type who appreciates softness, warmth, which Elain is.

Hey anon 🫶

When I first read the dinner scene in acomaf between the batboys and sisters - it became clear Sjm was pairing up each sister with a brother. Azriel and Elain in that scene, were just so natural. Their interaction didn’t feel forced or awkward. Sjm wrote it in a way where it was clear they matched and suited each other. Then acowar came along and sjm started killing the idea of elucien being endgame by writing so many beautiful and positive scenes between elriel. Then, to close the nail on the coffin, acofas showed us how Elain and Az seemingly gravitated towards each other whilst elucien still felt unnatural. Like putting two completely different people together. They had no natural chemistry like elriel.

I genuinely read acosf and nothing about Gwyn. interacting with Az stood out. I knew Gwyn had powers that Mass was hinting at but thats it. So when I learnt of gwynriel I thought it was a cult at first? Like some sort of inside joke within booktok. Had no idea it was a full blown ship. Upon realisation, I thought people shipped them in a crackship, “hey this could be a fun couple” kind of way not in a “this ship is actually going to happen” kind of way. As someone who was part of the 2021 gwynriel era, that whole ship started because people were desperate for elriel to not be endgame due to how much they hated Elain. Enter single woman who glances at Az and BOOM, you have gwynriel. An “alternative” option to elriel.

People hate elriel bcs 1) they find Elain boring, weak, uninteresting, useless etc. Antis never paid much attention to the elriel interactions & loved Az so much that they wanted him with someone more interesting aka Gwyn. 2) Poor baby lulu has been through hell and back. He deserves happiness which can only happen if elain accepts the bond. There is no other way for him to be happy. At all.

I hate this whole narrative that Lucien/Gwyn will be the ones to bring Elain/Az out of their shells. Its just so stupid and toxic to push this idea that everyone has to be an extrovert for them to be interesting. You’re right, Az doesn’t need Gwyn to push him out of his shell. He needs someone that will accept him for who he is. He is quite literally surronded by two extroverts - Mor and Cass. You don’t think they’ve tried to “bring him out of his shell” for the past 500 years? Az needs someone he can enjoy peace and quiet with. Someone who he can sit in silence and enjoy it without having to fill it up with chatter. Someone who accepts him and doesn’t show fear. Someone who protects him and shows concern - and that is Elain whose done these things in canon.

Gwyn was there as a supporting role for Nesta. She was Nesta’s friend. If she was meant to be anything more then that -> she would’ve been introduced earlier. Sjm wouldn’t introduce someone so important and a mate to one of the main characters so late in the series.

Elains just hated and 85% of it is rooted in misogyny. She IS interesting, there’s more then meets the eye. Her connection to the cauldron and the gift it bestowed on her will be so fascinating to read about. Her gift of sight is mysterious beyond words. And YES she had so much growth. From not doing anything in acotar to taking accountability for failing Feyre and helping her out in acomaf. Despite her sadness and depression she still contributed so much in acowar. She was brave for kicking the hounds of Az and saving Briar. Then for choosing to create life and beauty after such destruction and death due to the war. She is a beautiful character who Sjm has been teasing about forever. I literally cannot wait to finally be able to read about Elain.

People just want her with Tamlin as a suprise factor bcs they’re bored of the series. That and they don’t see her capabale of doing anything due to how soft & feminine she is so why not just push her to the side to make Tamlin happy and give him the perfect “obedient” wife. Eluciens do the same in a less obvious way.

Elriel will be beautiful. Two people drawn together. They will bring a unique story to the table, their dynamic is so mature and understanding of each other. They’re easily going to be on of Sjms best couples and I cannot wait for them to change so many people’s minds.

[danmeitakes]

BINGQIU VS LIUSHEN/ANY OTHER SHIP WITH SQQ PART 1

BEWARE I HAVENT READ SVSSS IN A WHILE AND I MIGHT’VE MISSED SOME STUFF! Feel free to correct and give your opinions about this.

Theres gonna be two parts to this bc tumblr can’t take all my writing sooooo 😛

In the SVSSS fandom, I’ve noticed that compared to other mxtx’s novels, the mc gets shipped with half of the cast more often and is more widely accepted in the fandom compared to the tgcf and mdzs fandoms (if you ship Hualian or Wangxian with anyone, it will get you death threats, istg 😓). However, with Shen Qingqiu, while of course he gets shipped with his love interests, another really popular one is him with Liu Qingge and many other characters in the novel. I do think this also has to do with the fact that the fandom is more chill than the other two fandoms. Shen Qingqiu in general is just VERY shippable. But why? Why do some people like liushen more than bingqiu? Obviously, I know this is simply a preference, but why do people prefer it more than the canon couple? Well, I have some speculations. First, while I love Bingqiu, I can admit that their relationship is not for everyone; even for me, they’re my least favorite main couple of the three (it's just my opinion, DONT ATTACK ME🙏) because their dynamic can be seen as somewhat toxic. Luo Binghe is very obsessive and kind of yandare like in the novel, and yes, he does have character development and regrets his actions and never really wanted to hurt Shen Qingqiu. I personally don’t feel like we see as much of this development until the very end. At least for me, I feel like we should’ve spent more time with a changed Luo Binghe, and I KNOW he was influenced by Xi Mo. I still didn’t feel completely satisfied with the Luo Binghe arc. I do think we see more of his development in the extras, which is what made me like Bingqiu a lot more, but I just wish we could’ve seen this in the main story instead of optional extras because I think the extras really show Luo Binghe’s growth and his love for Shen Qingqiu in a healthier way. I am aware this boy is very mentally ill. While I’m not a writer, as a reader, I think mxtx could’ve done more for him because he can end up more dislikable for some people and just less appealing of a love interest. I personally LOVE Luo Binghe and how chaotic he is, but again, that is not for everyone, so I can definitely see why some people don’t like him as much. With Shen Qingqiu, this is a bit different. I felt that by the end of the novel he had massive progress and huge development for his character; even if he still has his flaws, you can really tell he has changed and grown throughout the story, but he’s still himself if that makes sense. I felt wayyy more satisfied with his arc than Luo Binghe's; however, I will say that Shen Qingqiu has this sort of shame. While I wouldn’t necessarily call it internalized homophobia, he does have this sort of stigma towards gay people and him being gay himself. And while it can be funny, if you really think about it, even by the end of the novel and in the extras he still has this shame of sleeping with Binghe and showing basic affection, but I won’t really criticize this much because he does improve in this a lot by the extras. By that point, it really feels more like shyness than the shame he felt at the beginning when he first discovered Luo Binghe's feelings. So I will argue that Shen Qingqiu arc is pretty well done and concluded by the end of the book; at least to me, it really did feel like he changed. Okay, so the second reason is because Bingqiu got together when they were both still ‘not at their best’. What do I mean by this? Well in tgcf Xie lian had to endure a lot of torture and experience several traumatic situations and almost released face disease and killed a bunch of people with it. He was clearly very mentally unwell! And for Hua Cheng, he also went through a lot of trauma with his mom dying when he was young and the abuse he went through from his father and the kids who made fun of him to the point where he wanted to end his life, and then later he became a ghost with his parasocial attachment to a god. We see these characters at their worst, but when they get together, they are already 800+ years old and have lived a long life and matured and learned from their experiences.