#i know you don't go here so what matters about this polycule is that they were already in one fucked up trio 10 years ago

[19871997]

.

[widowshill]

do tell abt "oh—!" please...what an opener

wip title ask game! so ... this is part of the r/v/b cinematic universe that i share with @tortoisesshells, it's an au of the au where they're too late saving vicki from roger's sharp-toothed cousin, and after she's dead and buried she comes back knocking on the front door of collinwood as a vampire. roger and burke love much too selfishly to kill her, even if they should, so this is them soothing her and helping her get ready for dinner with elizabeth (roger's sister, the lady of the house), and to feel more like herself since she functionally ... can't get ready on her own. or at least, she's not used to it yet.

“Oh —!”

Vicki recoiled into Burke’s arms, and buried her face in his neck. He was unchanged, mostly, for all his months away; his face a little darker from the sun of the oil fields, his hair a little lighter. She'd spent her last day with him in the sun that she ever would, without even knowing it — seeing his eyes glow warm brown like a fresh pot of coffee, freckles peppering his shoulders, squinting without sunglasses because he was stubborn, stubborn, stubborn ...

When his wife whimpered, Burke raised his hands to comfort her, smoothing along the silk of a borrowed dressing gown, pressing down between her shoulders where she’d always liked it. Regular, rhythmic. Like the rock of a ship, or the pull of the tide.

“Vicki, it’s okay — we’ll take the mirrors down at home, eh?” 

Pressed up against his veins it was maddening, the thrum of blood — the way he smelled, rich, like rare filet mingon, a Cabernet Sauvignon, an after-dinner cigar. And a tang, metal. Or gasoline. She could open her mouth and bite into him as easily as she might a grape, and he’d flood into her mouth wet and warm and full of life. Her husband. She winced, guiltily, to think about it, but it didn’t make the hunger go away.

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 山河令/Word of Honor.

Word of Honor is a 2021 adaptation of a novel by priest that tells the story of two beautiful murderers, their three kids, and their collective attempts to ignore the fetchquest madness that has taken over the rest of the jianghu.

Look, you know what Word of Honor is. Doing a rec for this is like doing my rec for Nirvana in Fire -- I am not introducing you to a new concept. Even if you haven't watched it, you've probably osmosed enough through the rest of Tumblr to have an opinion on it. At this point, if you haven't seen Word of Honor, I'm assuming it's for one of two reasons: either you haven't gotten around to it yet, or you haven't been sufficiently moved by what you've seen fandom do with it.

So I'm going to give you five reasons to watch the show, and they're probably not going to be the reasons you've seen already. Not to say that the other reasons are bad, but you've heard them already, right? What I've got for you are five somewhat more unexpected reasons that may just convince the fence-sitters that this nut-flavored morass of toxic relationships is worth your time.

1. No matter how gay you think it is, it's gayer

Okay, sure, you've probably been given the impression that this show is real gay. But I don't know if you know how gay it is. This show is so gay that we still haven't seen many of the other BL-flavored shows filmed around the same time period or since, because Chinese censorship gay-panicked and locked them all away before they could air, because Word of Honor was just too gay.

Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing (L-R above) are in love. The story does not make sense if they're not. There is no story if they're not. Everything else in the show is set dressing to this incredible adventure story of two horrible people who fall for one another.

Oh yeah, did I mention that they're both bad guys? One's a fascist toddler-murderer and the other's a cannibal mob boss. These two deserve one another, in every possible sense of that phrase. In any other property, they'd be the villains -- and even here, they're still kind of the villains! It's just that the heroes are worse.

What's more, their two actors absolutely understood the assignment. They got the memo. They read the book. No one ever had to sit them down midway through shooting and explain their dynamic. They had it from the table read. When given creative freedom, they chose to double down and make the gay shit even gayer.

But the actors weren't the only ones who knew what they were doing! Everybody working on the production was pretty much in full-on Let's Make A BL mode. There are no gay accidents here. It's so gay that it's actually gayer than the version that aired. If you can do a little lip-reading (though beware of spoilers in those links), you can get at the original filmed version, which had a number of lines that were too homo and/or sexual for Chinese television.

No, they don't kiss. They don't have to. This is the TV version of the tweet about, what's gayer, gay sex or whatever these two have going on? The answer is, whatever these two have going on.

It's so gay that they're not the only gays. No, I'm not going to tell you who the other gays are, in part because spoilers. But trust me, they're there. Lesbians too! And a bisexual elderly polycule! And one pair of hets that we love love love, and most other heterosexuals are creepy and gross. And if that's not an accurate representation of how the world looks to queer people, I don't know what to tell you.

2. Go nuts!

You are not prepared for the product placement.

Word of Honor started off having a budget, so they went ahead and started spending that budget in the way you do when you're making a TV show. Unfortunately, circumstances changed, and their budget became much less, which meant they couldn't keep making that TV show unless they got more dollars. But where to get a sponsor for a fairly low-profile wuxia BL property?

Enter our hero: Wolong Nuts.

I have seen actors do bumper ads in costume for products from their various sponsors, and I have seen actors do bumper ads in character for the same. But the feeling of seeing a modern product diegetically hawked mid-scene by ancient fantasy characters is like none other.

Something like 40% of Word of Honor's total budget came from this nut sponsorship. And here the thing: It worked! It sold nuts! Hell, I’d buy them if they were sold anywhere near me; I like nuts in general, and nuts that support the queers in particular.

I'm including this as a selling point because, come on, it's funny as hell. But it's also a good place to warn you that Word of Honor has what we're politely going to call a spotty use of its funds. Some things, like everyone's outfits and the score, are lavish and beautiful. Other things, like some of the sets and a lot of the CG, are janky and sad. Crowd scenes are thirty humans and a bunch of Blender assets. I've never seen so many fake plastic trees together in one place before. There's a lot of visible hairnets. Like, a lot.

The show was originally planned as being 45 episodes long. It wound up being 36 + a tiny epilogue. That's a huge cut! I’ll say to its credit that you mostly can’t feel the seams; the production team did a heroic job killing their darlings (in many senses) while keeping the narrative coherent. If you know about the original vision, though, you can identify pretty quickly where the excised material should have been. Don’t be surprised when the last two episodes in particular smack you like a hit-and-run.

They blew a truly unwise amount of the budget on costumes in general, and Wen Kexing's costumes in particular, and thank goodness. (@canary3d-obsessed has done a noble job of cataloging everyone's wardrobes, and some of the details are just stunning.) See that red outfit he's wearing there, with the elaborate, delicate embroidery? That apparently took two people literal months to hand-sew. It's a terrible use of limited funds, and I am living for it. Even when Wen Kexing looks awful, he looks stunning -- especially when you put him side by side with Zhou Zishu, who is wearing the jianghu equivalent of slutty yoga pants and a thrift-store dollar-bin t-shirt that says IT'S WINE O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE.

So if, while you’re watching, you’re ever disappointed by the quality of the production in front of you, just console yourself by thinking: That’s nut money, baby.

3. The ghosts (and everyone else) doing the mosts

This is a show that somehow managed to accumulate a tremendous supporting cast of actual grown-ass adults, then had the wisdom to make them play a wide variety of balls-to-the-wall bonkers roles.

You can't throw a rock in a crowd scene without hitting a dozen actors with resumes as long as their arms, who have been acting since before you were born. Apparently they poached a couple veteran film and stage actors from other contemporaneous productions and had them come over to film bit parts on their days off. If you see a character played by an older actor who's getting more lines and face time than you think their character strictly deserves relative to their importance to the plot, and you're like, hm, I wonder if this older actor has a career that includes roles in several dozen other shows and/or stage productions, the answer is yes.

I've seen the tone of the show described as melodramatic, but I don't think that's quite it -- it's more operatic. People speak to the middle distance and play to the back row. Several actors have the body language and line delivery that makes it seem like they're always about three words away from breaking into song. Several of my favorites are downright camp. It's magnificent.

Statistically, everyone in this show is a bad guy. There are the respectable people who don't mean to be bad guys, but wind up being bad guys anyway because they support bullshit systems. There are the morally grey folk who are willing to become bad guys because they think they'll be the good guys when all is said and done. And there are the bad guys who know they're bad guys and are going to chew every piece of scenery in the vicinity about it, so watch out.

My favorite collection of scene-stealing weirdos is probably the clutch of freaks that make up the ghosts of Ghost Valley. They're not actual ghosts -- this is not a supernatural show. They are instead living people who call themselves ghosts because they've found themselves on the margins of society for one reason or another, and have created their own little society! With hookers! And blackjack! And also a little murder, as a treat!

These ghosts are so extra that they actually have a Top Ten List, where all the ones that have code names and specific costumes hang out. How do you get on the Top Ten List? By killing one or more of the people already on it, of course! I told you these guys are villains! They're not even the only villains! They're not even the only villain organization! It's wall-to-wall bad guys around here! And oh my goodness, the actors are clearly having a ball with it.

When the screenwriter came to adapt Faraway Wanderers (the novel) into Word of Honor, she realized that there weren't a whole lot of ladies in the book -- so she invented/adapted some for the show and made most of them sinister! (In fact, if you watch Legend of Fei -- and you should watch Legend of Fei -- you can see a lot of the inspiration for said ladies.) Some of the female characters in the show were men in the book, while others weren't even in the book at all. They all feel organic, though, and not like someone was trying to get Strong Female Character Points. It's the good representation you get when there's a lot of representation, so nobody has to be The Girl, and all the girls can just be people.

...Alas that another casualty of the budget cuts is that several of the lady characters did not get to live up to their full ass-kicking potential. But that potential is still there! The badassery may be implicit instead of explicit, but you don't doubt that many of these women would eat your heart at the slightest provocation, and you would thank them while they were doing it.

This show is perfect food if you're the kind of viewer liable to get sucked up into the worlds of villains, NPCs, bit parts, optional side characters, and other narratives going on outside the main storyline. Because there's a lot going on outside the main storyline. I mean, that's kind of the running joke of the whole novel, that there's this whole complicated political plot happening, and yet our dudes are over here studiously trying to not know what the hell is going on. Obviously that's harder to preserve in a show, but it's still a key feature of the narrative. Most of the Big Power Play What-Not is always happening a few towns over from where the main party is at any given moment. I know people who've watched the drama several times and still can't explain whatever's happening with all that. That's fine. You roll with it for the sake of everything else.

So! Do you like gazing upon delightful character actors and having imagination adventures about the unexplored workings of a bunch of tantalizingly mysterious and often very sexy weirdos? Great! This will keep you busy for a good long while.

4. The juciest pining in the jianghu

I said I wasn't going to tell you about all the gay shit going on here, and I'm not. What I do want to cover, however, is how much gay shit isn't going on here -- and by that I mean just how much of the show's gay longing is unrequited. If you like it when the boy yearns for the other boy, friend, you will feast well tonight.

You have likely already, through fandom, been alerted to the existence of the biggest gremlin in the land and an understandable number of people's favorite character, immortal grandpa Ye Baiyi. What may not have been conveyed, however, is just how tragically gay this bitch is. The ultra-condensed, scrubbed-for-spoilers version of his backstory is that he was in love with a guy who got injured because of him, so he decided to stay and live on a mountain with that guy and the guy's wife and coparent their son with them, all the while never once telling the guy how he felt.

This is not me with slash goggles on. This is canon. Well, okay, the "in love with" part is only confirmed in the book, but Huang Youming, Ye Baiyi's equally gremlin-like actor, has also clearly done the reading and understands how to break your heart with it. Ugh, it's so good.

Shidifuckers, rejoice! Zhou Zishu has Han Ying, his devoted little dumpling who would -- and does -- do anything for him. Back in Zhou Zishu's regrettable (but very fashionable) fascist days, he had a bunch of little underlings; one of them was Han Ying, who still works for the same evil empire. Problem is, Han Ying isn't evil. He was never loyal to his job; he was always just loyal to Zhou Zishu. It's cute the way Wen Kexing hisses like a cat upon meeting Han Ying and immediately identifying him as a rival for Zhou Zishu's affections. If you like OTPs that occasionally roll in a service-top third, please consider that adorable muffin boy up there.

And speaking of quitting your job, have you ever had the problem where you had to orchestrate your own death to get away from your toxic boss who won't stop sexually harassing you, and that motherfucker still expects you to show up for your shift next weekend? Meet Prince Jin, who has refused to accept Zhou Zishu's resignation letter with extreme prejudice.

Zhou Zishu isn't even the only ex he's mad he drove off! But that's just a namedrop in the show; see my bonus selling point for instructions on how to get into that whole gay-ass story. [insert obligatory "Prince Jin is not Helian Yi" disclaimer here]

...Nope, uh-uh, we're not going to get into what's going on with Scorpy. Suffice it to say, this is one of those cases where the show can't outright call a thing gay (though uhhhh it sure can imply a lot of it!), but it can set up an unspoken Gay Bad Idea as a direct, textual parallel with a canon Straight Bad Idea and be like, see? see? Anyway, daddy's boy there has deliciously terrible taste. This is the one that'll have you screaming crying throwing up etc.

And then there's this handsome jackass, who isn't doing the pining, but is the unfortunately heterosexual object of the often confused and misdirected longings of his friends. About the first thing you know about Rong Xuan is that he died before the series begins, so you only see him in a few flashbacks. The precious few times you do, though, you're treated to scenes of him holding court among his besties (many of whom are the spectacularly cast younger versions of major older male characters) while they all wrestle with varying degrees of homo longing for his cocky dreamboat self. You ever wanted to fuck a straight guy so bad you got both him and his wife killed about it? Because somebody in this drama sure has!

I sense you think I'm making this all up, that I'm just a fujoshi looking at the world through rainbow-colored glasses and telling you about her favorite slash pairings. Friend, I am not. Okay, I am being a little cheeky about the last one, but I swear that everything else I have listed in this selling point is about as textual as the show could make it, if not outright straight (ha ha) from the books.

(I have a whole separate theory about how priest herself is a real-life queer, based on how basically everyone in her works is either queer-coded or a token straight who's on thin ice, but that's a subject for a completely different Tumblr post no one's ever going to read, so save us both the time and imagine I already wrote it.)

I cannot stress to you enough how much this show knew what it was doing with the queer stuff. I love how amazingly toxic so much of it is, too, because one of the big themes of the show is that secrets will destroy you and everyone you love. If you have gay longing in a society that forces you to hide that gay longing, yeah, you're going to be extra-vulnerable to making some shitty decisions because of it! You're either going to suffocate yourself by keeping silent, or you're going to open yourself to intimate partner abuse you can't reveal to anyone else, or you're going to do some murders about it! Or some combination of the three! Either way, it's not good!

Also, tell your partner about your chronic health conditions, whether they be Can't Remember My Past, Would Eat A Guy If I Had The Opportunity, Stuck Some Nails In My Chest And Am Now Dying And Also Can't Get A Boner, or Whoops Took The Nails Out Of My Chest And Still Can't Get A Boner. Oh, and tell your partner if you're about to run off and go confront your dangerous ex. And absolutely tell your partner if you're about to fake your own death. Just ... learn to have conversations with the people who love you, okay? Avoid huge amounts of narrative suffering with this one weird trick!

5. Putting his whole Zhang Zhehussy into it

See, Gong Jun (playing Wen Kexing) is not what I'd call a great actor. This is more of a case where you take a guy, you cast him as a character whose motivation can be summed up as "I want to fuck that man in half," and then you cast opposite him a man that the guy in question clearly actually wants to fuck in half. And you let the magic work.

Zhang Zhehan (playing Zhou Zishu), however, legitimately knocks it entirely out of the park. Whenever the camera's on him, it's hard to take your eyes off him. He holds his own in a sea of veteran actors. He can do comedy and tragedy with equal panache. It's lucky he's such a beautiful crier, because Zhou Zishu cries so much. I have never seen someone more perfectly portray the mood of "in love and absolutely furious about it."

As the story goes, when he auditioned, he actually wanted to play Wen Kexing -- but the director told him, look, while you'd be great at that, I can find another Wen Kexing, but I'm never going to find another Zhou Zishu.

Zhou Zishu is bad man who has done terrible things and resigned himself to suffering to atone for his crimes, and he is so mad to find himself at the end of his life suddenly having a reason to keep living. Zhang Zhehan does a pitch-perfect tsundere right up to the point where he breaks. I'm not going to call it an understated performance, because nothing in this show is understated, but it is often times subtle and always complex, and fuck does he have a good crazy grin.

One of the first things you find out about Zhou Zishu is that he's got just a couple years left to live, over which time all his senses are going to deteriorate. In fact, they've already started going. And as the show goes on, you can watch Zhang Zhehan play it so you can tell when he's missed something he should otherwise have picked up on, reacting to noises and touches a split-second late. It's a testament to what a thoughtful job Zhang Zhehan's doing, keeping track of how much of Zhou Zishu has already slipped away.

There are, if you've read the book, legitimate complaints to be made about the adaptation's interpretation of Zhou Zishu's character, and I get that. But you can't say that Zhang Zhehan isn't pulling off exactly what he means to here. I say this too as someone who loves the novel: I think it works. Given the constraints of Chinese television in particular and cinematic adaptations in general, the show made the right choices when it came to figuring out what were the more filmable, actable options, and Zhang Zhehan plays every one of those choices within an inch of his life.

Also did I mention he's like the most beautiful man to ever exist? Holy crap. You're going to be so mad about what they do to his face for the first several episodes.

Don't worry, it washes off eventually.

caveat: Kind of a bummer!

You may have been warned that this one's got a sad ending. Well ... yes and no. On the "no" side of things, there's a "secret" mini-episode 37 that rolls back one of the major points of tragedy. (It's also clearly the first version that got shot, and then they shuffled around and redubbed some material to make the aired end of episode 36.)

But oh man, not all of them. Plenty of characters we love do not make it to the end. Like ... kind of a shockingly large number. Some are dispatched offscreen, some have tragic onscreen deaths, some are probably dead given the circumstances we last see them in, and a couple aren't dead yet but are almost certainly going to be soon.

(It's also kind of a meta-bummer! I mean, I don't recommend falling down the rabbit hole of what happened with Zhang Zhehan's career after the show aired, but tl;dr, it's not great.)

So yeah, it's not an outright pain simulator, and if you've got the mettle for Nirvana in Fire or Guardian, you should be okay here. But hoo boy, don't just blunder on in expecting a cheerful romp from start to finish, because ... yeah. I said it before: This is a story about a bunch of bad guys. Bad guys don't live long lives, nor do the good people who get tangled up in their shit. Just be prepared!

bonus selling point: black and white husbands

Okay, I will tell you who one of the other pairs of gays is. You'll see the two of them show up near the tail end of the show, and then you'll decide you want to know more about what their whole deal is, and then you'll read Qi Ye, which is a novel entirely about gay pining, and then it'll be all over for you.

Ready to wander this way?

There's a number of ways to watch this one! Viki, Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime all have you covered -- but Viki's the only one that has the epilogue at the ready, so I'd go there if you can.

And I get it, if you're enough of an aging hipster that you don't want to play in the same sandbox everybody else is playing in. Believe me, I understand that impulse on a visceral level. After all, this is not a small fandom -- 7718 works on AO3 (at time of writing) isn't Untamed levels of content, but it's nothing to sneeze at. Maybe you want to leave this one for a little while longer, until the hubbub dies down a bit more and people's attention is redirected by a different gay and shiny thing. That's valid. I get it.

But if you do, I still encourage you to get around to it someday. For all its flaws -- and yeah, it's got flaws -- it's a good, solid story that makes you feel lots of feelings about some fascinating characters in some beautiful costumes, running around being real queer (and okay, occasionally straight) to beautiful music. This, to me, is television.

Fun fact! There is also a Japanese dub, if you feel like taking it at that speed, and the guy who voices Zhou Zishu is the voice of Kaworu from Evangelion, and the guy who voices Wen Kexing is the voice of Victor Nikiforov from Yuri on Ice. See what I mean???

I'm telling you, everybody ships it.

[harmonysanreads]

A shower thought I have because of the current sumeru event and the hexagon polycule (I haven't started playing it yet) :

All the participants trying 90000% harder not only to win, but also to impress you while Layla and Faruzan are just

"🧍‍♀️🧍‍♀️pls don't hurt us"

Wanderer also ofc wants to impress and win but his ego took a heavy blow after being listed in as "Hat Guy"

Alhaitham can't really participate but that won't stop him from making snarky remarks over them ( *cough cough* Kaveh and Cyno * cough cough*)

I was waiting for this event like a kid for their favorite cartoon show to air no kidding and it DID NOT disappoint<33 (I want either Kaveh or Layla to win so bad ☹️) And by the laws, brainrot is unavoidable :)

spoilers under the cut! [ au masterlist ]

I was thinking about Reader being chosen as one of the Commentators for extra spice actually— imagine how much harder the boys work to get your approval, this is the moment they get to show off, after all. No one can question it, you have abundant knowledge and capability from your travels, are eloquent with words, well acquainted with every contestant and can generally keep everything in euphony ; Nahida didn't even find any room for a contrary opinion as Alhaitham and Hat Guy brought these points forth (separately) so matter of factly. Having you there will just make this even a little (no, a lot) bearable for them, is all.

Faruzan is amused to a degree, ho, youngsters these can be so passionate! Though there slowly forms a concern for your future as she realizes that their efforts aren't just simple courting tactics. Layla's just... scared. She may or may not have accidentally looked through your constellation and it may or may not have traumatized her a little.

The fact that Kaveh wants to buy a place for himself with the prize money?? *chefs kiss* The architect has come to the realization that he needs to iron his backbone if he's to court you officially, he needs to show you that he can achieve way more than that insufferable cabbage (soon to not be) roommate of his. And when Kaveh is serious about something, you better know you're not going to have it easy anymore.

Tighnari is such a showoff in the first round, creating that butterfly show not only to catch potential students but to impress you knowing you have an affinity for pretty things. He didn't entirely lose in the second round either, as you rushed to take care of him, he savored all that attention more than the water he passed out without :/

Cyno is, well, ... Cyno. Don't get him wrong, he most definitely wants your praises and he does get them in the second round. On a side note, based on the Biryani factor joke he made I have a new headcannon that Cyno regularly tells you food puns — now whether you enjoy them is purely up to you :)

Though, things with him really get interesting in the final round as Wanderer takes him head on (or I'm assuming something similar since it's not out yet). Even the densest person can tell they're ready to tear each other limb from limb here, but honestly, who has the guts to stop these two? Not like you aren't mildly entertained by their duel either.

You're surprised when you heard that Wanderer was taking part, you recovered quickly though ; squeezing him affectionately like you usually do and even jokingly adding what else he was doing behind your back (not missing the way he tensed up). Whatever his true motives are, it's apparent he's determined to prove something to you. He's trying to better himself, alright. But old habits die hard, how can these mortals even compare to him? If he can (and he will) establish the fact that he's obviously the superior choice —to you only, of course as he doesn't give a crap about what others think— then taking that dent to his pride will be worth it.

Alhaitham is the saltiest version of himself throughout the whole event (Nilou's sweating bullets throughout the whole time). Most of the actual commentary is done by you and Nilou as he just occasionally quips in to add a snarky remark or to do announcements. Doesn't waste a breath fleeing from the venue when a round ends and even whisks you along with him. At one point though, he asks who you support the utmost among the participants (no, ‘everyone’ isn't an acceptable answer), purposefully when they're gathered together. You aren't dumb, you know that despite the tone in which he delivered it, this is the pinnacle of this competition for everyone. If he was just fanning the flames before, he's poured out an entire barrel of gasoline in it now.

Oh, we cannot forget the Traveller and Paimon who are actually doing their job just...deadpanning by the sidelines as everything unfolds :>

(also, you're going on a date with dehya and candace sooner or later, no questions asked.)

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

Vox and Velvette continuing to work with Valentino confuses me. Like, not even from a morality standpoint or "oh he treats them like shit", it's just a weird fuckin business choice. That man almost ruined one of Velvette's shows because he was throwing a tantrum, Vox regularly has to prevent him from causing scenes in public, he ACTIVELY ENCOURAGES VOX TO CAUSE A SCENE IN PUBLIC, he just seems like more trouble then he's worth, y'know? And on the surface it really does seem like he'd be pretty easy to get rid of. Since Vox could ABSOLUTELY kick his ass to kingdom come(like c'mon he can hold his own against ALASTOR-), and Vox and Velvette combine control literally all of the media in Hell(sans radio), they could kick Val out, or even straight up kill him, and then flood Hell with propaganda painting themselves as Good and Correct for this(which to be fair wouldn't be hard...). So then like. Why are they still working with him.

And then I remembered ~soul contracts~ and was like. Wait nvm that makes sense.

Right out the gate gotta make it clear that I do NOT MEAN THAT VAL OWNS THEIR SOULS OR ANYTHING that would be stupid. I mean like, social/political/whateverthefuck overlords got going on power works differently in Hazbin Hell then it does in any other setting. The Vees don't just have their reputation, they also have their soul contracts. And Valentino owns a LOT of souls. So, no matter how much propaganda the other two throw out there, no matter how low they drag him, Hell even if they kill him!, Vox and Velvette would lose a LOT of power by getting rid of Val. No matter how much damage he could do to the brand, they keep him around because he's better off as an ally then he is as an enemy, and he just. Hasn't done anything either consider egregious enough to outweigh any possible benefits of working with him, I guess. Small, fixable incidents that may damage the brand VS losing all those souls? The answers kinda obvious. There also might be a contract going on between the Vees but that's less about their souls being bound or whatever and more about like. Business. So. Not particularly dangerous for any of them I don't think.

Also there are two smaller reasons I'd like to discuss before I stop rambling: 1; Velvette probably uses Val's spit to make the love potions and 2; emotional connections with the other Vees.

The love potion thing is kinda obvious. Without Val, Velvette wouldn't be able to make her roofie juice, and since this is. Hell. Where all the sexually deviant freaks go to rot. Of course that's gonna be a popular item. And while I think the Vees would probably be fine if they took it off the market, that would still probably take a sizable chunk out of their profits, y'know? They can't really make it without Val's weird, disgusting pheramone spit.

And reason number 2: emotional connection. The Vees are a horrendous toxic polycule and we all know it. While I, personally, don't think Velvette and Valentino are dating(I still don't fucking trust that man and it's bad enough that he's involved with Vox), they do both have chemistry with Vox, and probably are at least on decent terms since they like. Sit together sometimes. WHATEVER THIS ISN'T A VEES RELATIONSHIP ANALYSIS(Im saving that for later)- basically what I'm saying is that Vox and Velvette probably, on some level, do care about and trust(?) Val, and vice versa. How much do they care? Unclear. Val's capacity for love is still TBD and Vox and Velvette's relationship seems a bit shakey at best, like they don't *fully* trust eachother, but there's still affection there!!! The Vees are exactly why we don't let villains discover the power of friendship, people!!!!!!!!! Like their part in the Finale is all the proof I need. You don't dance around like that with your business partners/fuck buddies lmfao, there's gotta be some genuine feeling there. So, at least a small part of why Val is still. Here. Is because Vox and Velvette do care about him. And, despite the fact that the three of them are entirely morally bankrupt and will probably die next season(god please don't let Vox die he's so silly :(), I can't help but find it sweet that they do kind of care about eachother. Like it's nice <3

(Genuinely though I am still worried for Vox and Vel's safety like idc how bad those two are idc if they're on decent-ish terms with Val most of the time he is still the most realistically dangerous character in the damn show besides *maybe* Alastor's serial killer ass and anybody within a 10 foot radius of him should be considered At Risk)

[blackbirdffxiv]

A lengthy ass-post about poly-shipping no one asked for

So I'm gonna go ahead and choose passive aggressive violence, in the form of an informative, lengthy as fuck post I think some folks need to read.

I won't be adding the post here, as I don't wish to direct potential harassment to the original poster (no matter how heinous I found a majority of the list), but if you're on twitter/"X", I'm sure you've seen a lengthy notepad list of RP "hot takes".

While I agreed with some of the points made, I feel it necessary to clarify some things, particularly about the points regarding polyamorous shipping.

If you don't want to read the blurb between here and the actual point list, just scroll down until you see green font.

Most know that I myself play a polyamorous character; I ship my character with other characters belonging to different players. I've been poly-ship for YEARS, so I feel I have some experience and can say some things about it.

Some points made in the "hot takes" list alluded to people using polyamorous shipping/multi-shipping as an excuse to just ERP and mess around with multiple people without consequence.

Sadly, yes, this does happen. It's unfortunate that selfish people only looking for specific things use it as an excuse for their behavior, but the only thing people can do is be aware of what to look out for when it comes to polyamorous shipping.

So rather than allow a negative light be painted on a valid means of shipping and roleplaying your characters in relationships, I think a quick lesson is needed.

Disclaimer: these are just my personal opinion on how I feel polyships should be handled, and some red flags I have seen during my time being a polyamorous OC player. By no means is this a rulebook, more like a guide so new and veteran roleplayers alike can be aware.

What a responsible poly-shipper will do:

Introduce you to their other partners - Communication is key in any relationship, this is not just for monogomous ships, but even moreso for polyamorous. A poly OC player will be open to introducing you to their other partners; while no one expects you to be best friends, it's good to be aware of just who else you'll possibly be regularly seeing around.

Share time and effort among your partners equally - A polycule relationship should be even across the board; one partner should not be treated better than the other. Treating one or more partners better than the other(s) is just a recipe for people getting hurt, both IC and OOC.

Be open and up front at the very beginning of IC interactions - A poly OC player will be up front and honest about the nature of their character if they have an interest in possibly shipping with you, or in case the possibility of it happening is there.

Encourage communication and prioritize problem-solving - This isn't just for poly ships, but ships in general. A good writing partner will encourage and WANT you to tell them about how you feel with the ship, especially if it's a problem with an easy solution.

Always make it known if they wish to bring another partner into the polycule & pose an introduction OOC - This is the most important part of being in a poly ship, making sure EVERYONE knows if there is someone new who will be joining the ship, and making introductions before a ship is made.

What a responsible poly ship player wouldn't/shouldn't do:

Hide the status of their ships - If your partner is hiding who they are shipping with from you, in my experience, this just means a person is going behind their partner's back (and is possibly cheating on them).

Brush off any possible issues you may be having with one of the partners in the ship - A responsible partner would aim to mediate the situation, and listen to all sides.

Discourage their poly partners from seeking other partners - Not every poly OC is monogomous with their poly partner, sometimes one poly OC will be shipped with another poly OC. Your partner would not expect you to drop your other ships to be with them while they continue their own, they should respect your decision to ship with your other partners.

Keep attempts to ship with other characters a secret - A responsible poly partner will make it known when they are attempting to or want to ship their OC with another as soon as intentions and wants are known. Not after a ship is already established.

Discourage those in the polycule ship from associating with each other - A partner in a healthy polycule would never discourage their partners from associating with each other; intentional separation more than likely is a means of hiding something, such as blatant favoritism, or even to keep ships a secret (in my experience).

Anyways I'll get off my soap box. I apologize for the lengthy post, but some things I've been seeing regarding this hot takes list were so blatantly heinous, I just felt like something should be said.

Have a good evening y'all; hug your pets, tell your friends you love them, and don't let jaded people online project their problems onto you.

Stay golden

[isa-ghost]

do you have hc's for death duo?? if you just have more q!phil hc's i would enjoy them as well!!

Previous qPhil headcanons

YES HELLO these took me a hot second, I wanted to do Missa justice bc the fandom tends to just reduce him to nice wet cat in love with Phil. Unfortunately he gets on so little, I don't have a lot more than that to run with, so what you see is what you get and they're more Phil-POV'd. 😭

Also these are platonic bc you asked for Deathduo rather than Pissa!

Listen man. Missa's place in Phil's silly polycule? It's not strictly romantic (if at all) and not strictly platonic, it's a secret third thing. I don't hc Phil or Missa as aro but what they've got going on is def smth some aros would enjoy. The best way to explain it is Kiss The Homies. Except there's a massive crush on Missa's end.

Phil loves doing literally everything with Missa. Exploring, egg care, goofing around, whatever. Quality time and gift giving are his love languages no matter the type of love. He just loves hanging out.

Phil can do no wrong in Missa's eyes. He's this amazing (and very pretty), smart, caring and powerful guy. He cares so much about people, how could he possibly do wrong? Missa is the #3 Philza Minecraft defender (he concedes that Chayanne & Lullah are #1 and #2).

Missa doesn't understand the whole Bolas thing but he's happy it seems to make Phil happy. He thinks? (The word he's looking for isn't happy, it's manic /lh)

Being away so often sucks, but Missa loves coming back and getting stories from Phil. ... The good ones, not the [lore] ones. Those scare him.

They love exaggeratedly rping nuclear family to tease Chayanne. Holding each other making kissy noises like OoOoH MiSsA I LoOoOvE yOu! OoOoOh PhiLzA I LoOoOvE yOu tOoOoOo! And then Chayanne starts (lovingly) hitting them

The rare times Phil is doing something that doesn't require him to move around, Missa gets a free lap pillow. Phil's good at playing with hair, Missa knocks right the fuck out

And Missa likes putting little braids n stuff in Phil's hair. Actually he looks damn good with those little side ones tbh.

There's something funny about the Angel of Death and a reaper being so close. When the kids are asleep, they swap stories about Missa's past reaping jobs and Phil's,, adventures

Speaking of Phil's past, Missa hasn't doubted him for a single second about what little of the hardcore gods Phil has shared with him. El Ender King es una pequeña perra. >:(

Actually he REALLY wants a full-on lore dump from Phil. The stories sound so fascinating. He wants to know more.

One of Phil's favorite things about Missa is how easy to startle he is. Missa screeches never get old.

Dependable as ever, Phil is the first one Missa goes to when he's missing information or scared. Phil always has answers and he can always protect him!! (*is heavily implying angst here, no Phil can't :)*)

Usually it happens when Phil is 100% alone but he does genuinely get a lil depressed when he misses Missa badly. He wanders to distract himself

Idk man if I was Missa I'd get a little 😳 seeing Phil spattered in blood after a battle where he obliterated whatever the fuck it is he's up against. Scary crow man being a badass motherfucker and then his bloodied ass's first question is if you're okay?? HOO. Would not blame Missa for acting unwise about it

[sexhaver]

Howdy friend! I feel like that meme with doctor eggman that just walked in on rouge and shadow having a spirited discussion on something I have no pretext about. But it sounds important and I do wanna educate myself if there's a lacking somewhere, genuinely. From what I understood from scrolling down to a screenshot poll and other screens, it's trying to figure out if people are automatically taking frat boys (the classic stereotype kind, btw, genuinely players) in good faith by queer-ifying them because they have been fortunately unfortunate enough to not have the life experience of being used by this type of person that will take their good faith and hurt them?

Because I do think that there *could* be a cishet aro man out there, if it's defined very explicitly as: a man (born with a penis and identifies as he/him) and likes women (including trans women) and is aromantic. Face value wise, that is.

Because the question wasn't if the hypothetical man was superstraight (and don't count trans people at all) or just pussy-seeking (i.e. looking to have sex with ciswomen and trans men who haven't had bottom surgery, is explicitly Not transphobic). Or if this hypothetical man wasn't also, say, a "friend" met at a party/tinder/hookup/through mutuals/etc that is really just an acquaintance with little of substance genuinely known...or if this man was actually what one would consider a genuine friend. Or if this hypothetical man was poly (and/or if you were poly honestly, this feels like this is being framed in a mono mindset, which is okay! But poly adds extra details to account for). Also if he was out as aro.

The point is, I am aware of cheating. I am aware of using terms to get around cheating. Or trying to justify it. But aromantizim by itself isn't cheating. Poly by itself isn't cheating. FwB by itself, or hooking up by itself, or sex work by itself, isn't cheating- if there is informed consent on both sides with all affected parties, which includes all other partners. Wanting to sleep around isn't a crime, regardless of who or where or what gender.

I know there's plenty of men that aren't allies, that are homophobic or transphobic or sexist, but that wasn't the question. You aren't making that distinction or posing a scenario, just a screenshot without any added distinction other that the consent (after it was asked for by voters). It's taking the assumption that practicing genuine safe sex ( not that bullshit abstinence thing schools and "god fearing Christians" teach), is limited to only cishetero men... And not something to practice with everyone.

It shouldn't matter my gender or background or beliefs or sexuality, since these are simply opinions and all opinions come with grains of salt, but I know if I don't add context of me being the one giving these opinions, I'll be discredited.

I'm a cis-women (so very petrifiyingly aware of that Fear/wariness of being approached at night by strangers, or followed. I don't like ANYONE strange coming up to me, regardless of gender, a woman can stab me as much as a man can rape me, but I feel like I know the mindset extreme examples being presented here so there were go).

I'm demi-omnisexualromantic. Everyone's free game once I get to know them on a genuine emotional level. We HAVE to be besties (or we have to never ever see each other again if I'm gonna sleep with you and you're not a friend, oh gOD WHAT IF I FART OR THEY'RE A SERIAL KILLER OH GOD).

I'm poly. The first thing is with my girlfriend and our paramour, since we are the "oringal polycule" is had a sit down discussion about what we agreed upon what being in a relationship is like (we happen to be romantically and sexually attracted to each other btw). It was Poly from the start and Open from the start. We are all okay and open to each other going out to bdsm clubs or kink parties or sleeping around, or if asking out cute people..... BUT we have to ask permission/inform the other partners in our polycule. There's nothing to hide and they consent. They can say no, and that's okay!! Because then!! We can have an open and honest discussion as to why (lonely, conflicting plans, insecurity, safety worries, etc). Also also, anyone new that's meant to become a fwb or a pet needs to know about and meet our polycule, and it's a one-no situation here. If *anyone* is uncomfortable, nothing goes forward.

Sex is nice, sex is great if you're a freak like me and into that sorta thing; and sexual safety awareness and stranger danger awareness and informed consent awareness is MAJORLY IMPORTANT AND CRITICAL AND EVERYONE SHOULD BE TAUGHT THIS IN SCHOOL OH GOD but in my humble opinion the execution has spiraled into something messy with rampant misunderstanding and accidental invalidation of aro-spec men, poly people, and our allies,,, as well as anyone trying to be open-minded even if they dont understand.

Telling people that they're naive and ignorant isn't going to teach them a lesson you appear to feel strongly that they need to learn, it only shames and makes them not likely to actually follow the good advice (?) that's being presented in a not-clear format.

And it also earns you a buncha people getting angry because they don't understand the question actually being asked because the context wasn't clarified or what the actual answer is in a no patronizing manner/delivery,, and I'm sure you're feeling very much harassed and exhausted for answers that have little to nothing to do with your actual question, and I'm really sorry for that because I've been there and I hate this for you because it's exhausting and dispiriting to find people who never got taught how to keep themselves safe... But I'm also happy that they haven't had to learn it the hard way *yet* and that I can still help, or even that the people I was so stressed over not having the lesson... Actually DO know the answer but just misunderstood the question or that I just asked it confusingly!!

Anyway, sorry for the extremely long ask, double sorry if I misunderstood anything you were trying to say or explained anything that you already know. But if you could clarify in your own words and time, I would be very grateful! If not, that's still okay and I hope you take care of yourself out there, friend! Also, I'm on anon less because I'm ashamed of my opinion, and more because I don't want anyone else randomly messaging me back because they don't like me for my views online and I happen to really like this account dghjfedhjfdsjk

oh my god i thought there was a character limit on anons. what am i even being asked here? i literally just woke up and opened my inbox and made this face

[scarefox]

This is a whole ramble but there is a theme in there (for fun and giggles)

I sometimes have to think about the whole "petplay" / master-servant game Gun has going on with some of the GMM guys (Tay and Joss, officially but he probably has some of the others joined too). It's just so damn wild and funny. And everyone is pretending like that's just the most normal thing besties do. I mean sure why not but also 😏 Just them taking turns in being the others obedient cute pet-servant for one day, while he calling him "his pet" and treats him like a pet (and that outside of cameras and fanservice stuff, they do that in their private time mainly. just dragging it out in the open occasionally). I love that for them 👌

OG Fun Night S1Ep3

-

-

-

... hmmm 😏

yea that's more likely

-

THE WHOLE ENTIRETY OF FUN NIGHT S2EP7 is just damn wild where they compete to be Guns number 1 pet, winning a freaking collar of all things! While talking about the drama "3 Will Be Free" (which is literally a canon polyamory drama with Tay, Joss and Mild)

-

-

also that TayGun date special

But Off is always like "You guys have fun but leave me out of that nonsense" 🙅‍♂️ whenever Gun asks him to join the pet poly circle....

BUT isn't he basically Guns first "pet" before Tay even?! Guns nickname for him is literally Papii... which I first thought means "dad" (or daddy if you will 😏) but someone once educated me that it means "puppy". Because of their first drama together "Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey".

So what I am trying to say here is: Off you lost that fight already years ago!! You have been Guns doggo all along!! lol

(but that's fine, he just doesn't want to mingle with the others 😌)

It's tragic, there once was a compilation of all the Tay and Gun pet moments (+ trust falls) with parts of an interview where Tay explains his side. And the MC was shook like "And you just let him treat you like a pet??" and Tay all shy and giggly "Yea, it's just a thing between us. I don't even know why. I went with it" 🤷‍♂️ And that he thinks that Gun is the most powerful guy in whole GMM. (A+ video.. why did they take that from us)

Yall don't understand how neat the whole OffGunTay(New) and Gun swinger / poly dynamic is. Alone for the fact that they don't care for the strict exclusive ship rule where they can only be touchy with their on-screen partner. But Gun is touchy and playful with every GMM guy and that's fine and neat af (even tho they all mainly stay in their official ship constellation as well). Meanwhile there are still so many couple themed ship war fanvideos from fans out there about which couple would be most likely real and which one will sink: OffGun or TayGun 🙄 Like bruh, everyone is Guns pet or cuddle buddy, what are yall not getting? OffGunTay(New + others) love and cherish each other (in whatever way that is does not matter). And Tay AND Off and even New encouraging Gun getting cuddly and kissed by other guys. Off and Tay are literally that "You are doing great sweety" meme when Gun has fun with others. Off being jealous is literally just a playful running gag.

I swear most BL fans are way too innocent and stuck with the oldschool relationship style for this awesome GMM (friend)ship dynamic they are playing with here...

Like look at this pile of TayGunNew while Off takes a photo

I don't know why this post turned from the petgame thing to OffGunTay & GMM polycule but it's basically the same ven diagram. Just everyone gets kisses, flirts and cuddles. As they should.

But it does not have to be the one ship over the other. Each of them literally has two hands 😌

holding hand throuple style 😌

Thanks for coming to my TED talk

Anyways.... A poly drama with them when?? Didn't P'Jojo say he wants to do a drama with Gun but doesn't know what theme? (P'Jojo who did "3 Will Be Free" with Joss and Tay already). Here! This? ✨

EDIT: I had to ad this

[still-a-morosexual-help]

Here's MY thoughts on the love island the game's seasons, for no reason other than I want to:

Also because the majority of the people following me are here for OM! & I want to drag more people down into the litg hell with me :)

Season 1: why is everyone so bitchy for no reason????? Talia & Jake are okay but other than that it's meh... don't really like the art style either

Season 2: Immaculate. Chef's kiss. They hit a high they never reached again. Somehow managed to balance the drama & the found family aspect and created a dynamic where you can actually believe everyone is friends and having fun even if sometimes they try to kill each other. Characters are flawed but generally decent people who are allowed to grow throughout the season. You get the option to make MC a bi gym-bro who can devour an entire cake in one sitting and bench press her partner. There's a reason this got two sequels.

Season 3: It's fine ig. Short and kind of boring. Nothing much happens. AJ is so cute though she almost makes up for it.

Season 4: Honestly a close 2nd favourite. We get a lot of character backstory and like s2 it touches on some serious issues. The season with some of the funniest moments/lines of dialogue - multiple moments where I just laughed out loud. I'm still only half way through it but the "villain" is just straight up mean for no reason and doesn't get any character development like the characters in S2 but makes up for it by having some of the funniest interactions with other characters and I was so sad to see her go. Also the season where I desperately wish MC was allowed to be in an open relationship till the very end and finish off the season in a polycule with every other islander who was in the love "triangle"s of the the season because this was the hardest season to pick a LI - Najuma is just all around amazing, Bruno is sweet & funny, Tom is so pathetic* MC & Thabi's friendship is also the best thing? It's great seeing a platonic relationship that is as loving (if not more so) than the romantic relationships. It's literally:

Season 5: Psychological horror. The producers said 'hey wouldn't it be funny if we torture this woman on national tv' and then committed to the bit. My memories are hazy because even though I only played it earlier this year it upset me so much I did my best to block most of it out but also I'm 100% sure there was actual galighting happening. Don't know why MC stuck around till the end because all she's gonna be able to use the money for is to pay for her therapy. Anyway I think MC should have been allowed to brutally murder everyone, she deserved it <3

Season 6: I liked the concept but I think they should have utilised it more. I'm still right at the very beginning (around ep 9) and I KNOW the general consensus from everyone who has reached the last eps seems to be that Amelia sucks MAJOR ass. But look, this is the first time a game has given me a MC with a canon family member who is also part of the game so in my opinion Amelia could commit war crimes and she's still be the most precious little uwu ever because I'm activating MC's insanely overprotective oblivious to all faults ""big"" sister mode

Edit:

*I just played more of S4 and holy shit someone needs to get this man away from his parents and also maybe get him some therapy jfc

Edit 2:

** youcef, mc & valentina helping tom figure out he likes flowers and pink and tie-dye clothes and makeup and being complimented and called pretty and getting hugs is getting to me okay his parents better watch the show and see their adult son finally discovering himself and what he likes instead of what they think he should like and finally being able to let loose and have fun without worrying about what others think of him and finally being happy and they better get some sense knocked into them OR he should go to therapy and realise that no matter how much he loves his parents their love and regard being so conditional to the point that he's hidden his entire personality and is now so extremely self-conscious of it whenever it does manage to peak out, that he nearly cries on national tv after a practical stranger compliments those hidden bits is not good. Also the man has some of the most insane repressed queer vibes???? What do you mean he sees a canon nonbinary person wearing a floppy hat and is reminded of the floppy hat he loved as a child that his father threw away and replaced with a baseball cap and then when he "lost" the baseball cap his father bought him the exact same one again

Edit 3:

*** i was 100% sure i was going to get mc to stick with najuma (dorky mischevious goth who is so so bad at flirting hello!!!?) but i got caught by "sad & shy with serious self-worth issues hidden badly behind an overconfident exterior (who blushes & gets flustered easily because he so rarely receives genuine praise/compliments) experiences postive regard for the first time and loses his shit" for the third fucking time

Edit 4:

Okay but why does Dylan get (rightfully) called out by everyone in S4 for all the bullshit he does to MC from blatantly lying to her to not listening when she says "No" But in S5 when Suresh (admittedly, more subtly) pulls off the same shit no one says anything, even MC's "friends" don't believe her.

In S2 when Luke/Henrik gets a little too forceful after MC says no, he gets called out by MC's partner and immediately apologises

In S4 when Dylan does the whole "stop pretending you don't want me" routine after MC rejects him multiple times, the rest of the islanders band together and basically chase him off the island

In S5 when Suresh pulls literally the same thing from the very first episode itself but none of the other islanders believe MC, and Suresh keeps getting to do this until almost the very end while also managing to constantly play hot & cold with MC and chase away all of MCs other romantic interests

[justarandomhelluvablog]

alright it's official I'm rooting for Ozzie/Fizz/Blitz/Stolas polycule 👍

"You've lived rent-free in Fizz' head for years, so I can't help feel he values your take on things." - Ozzie going to Blitz for backup

"Well, my special skills are killing things without giving fucks and pointing out people's flaws... alright, count me in!" - Blitz being Blitz

"Come on, it's just like old times. I'll make sure no one gives you shit today." || "You mean besides you?" -Blitz & Fizz banter gives me life

Fizz covering Blitz' ass after Blitz insults Mammon, love that

Also another Fizz-Blitz banter moment: "He thinks he's funny." || "Offended." (Fizz & Blitz, respectively)

the ATTITUDE. Blitz coming in with the comeback and Fizz changing up his posture/attitude to match Blitz', just. Them.

He protect 🥺 but also the fact that he didn't kill this guy right here for everyone to see after seeing Fizz' expression hh

Blitz is so gentle with him now that they've made up I love him. We all know he's a softie underneath but ya know, ya love to see it

Don't have a screenshot for this bc it's a whole scene but can we talk about how before, Blitz claimed Fizz didn't have to try for anything, but in this episode Fizz is saying how he needs to do this to prove he's still good enough and Blitz (as well as Ozzie) are telling him he doesn't need to prove anything? Just. Ugh, THEM.

(also Fizz finally calling Blitz "Blitz" and not "Blitzo" I'm hhhh)

"That guy is a fucking dick, and he's USING you for everything, 'cause you're likeable, and he's a fucking trashfire."

Blitz' absolute worry when Fizz runs.....

Unrelated to Blitz and Fizz' relationship, are we gonna. Uh. Talk about how Fizz' scars aren't pure white? Blitz' are but Fizz' aren't (Blitz' scars are the same color as Fizz' foundation). I assume it's a stylistic choice to show that he hides his "undesired" markings here (the makeup comes off and shows his original markings, and having the area around it be different from his makeup better shows what's going on) and they're actually the same color but I thought it was interesting. Also the black of his horns is super faded out so...

And of course that whole scene with Ozzie was heart melting but enough people talk about that, so moving on-

FIZZ' SONG. God it was so good. And Mammon just dancing along... beautiful. Fizz quitting so publicly, YESSSS KING.

Anyway this

I hope we see more of them honestly. Blitz becoming Fizz' go-to bodyguard/Blitz just sitting in the rafters of his shows waiting for someone to be Weird™ would be so fun actually. But also probably the first time Fizz has been so DELIGHTED to see Blitz kill someone they are everything to me.

Again I would need a whole video but Fizz ripping his clothes as he goes as he sings his "I fucking quit" song, I hope it means we get to see him out of the clown costume/persona (tbh it would delight me if he ditches it for good, ripping it up isn't very good symbolism if you're just gonna put it back on again). I want to see more of who he genuinely is <3

VERY sad it took Fizz so long to finally see/understand what Blitz saw immediately. Wonder if things would have been different if Blitz had just... told Fizz what he really thought of Mammon when they were younger. If Blitz' opinion mattered so much... of course, maybe he did. It would explain why if Mammon was the one to separate them.

just them <3

"So, uh.... who tops?"

This is so funny but also Ozzie's smile I love that. They all know the answer.

[corroded-coffin]

the way cobra kai fandom absolutely IMPLODED because of the johnny/carmen baby plot is so bizarre to me... like you guys know you can just ignore canon, right? right??? the end of the world as we know it is not here and the whole final season will not center this baby, it'll probably be an epilogue thing?????

i'm deeply Meh about this particular plotline too and would prefer it to not be a thing, but to be honest it seems par for the course considering how aggressively hetero this show has been from day 1

so many "there's no way carmen/johnny (either/both) would want another kid" takes - why? and for that matter, y'all know that a lot of unplanned babies live perfectly happy lives, right?

i've seen arguments that they're not financially stable enough? they seem to be doing fine, and even so, poor people are allowed to have babies if they want to. also: they're like, besties with the larussos now, do you really think daniel OR amanda would just let their kid live in poverty if it came to that??

(sidebar: i swear to god i saw people saying that carmen having a top gun themed fantasy was unrealistic or weird when i literally could NOT escape the tumblr top gun renaissance which had a huge overlap with CK fandom??? at this point it just kinda sounds like you hate carmen???)

also like, idk how to tell people this but... lawrusso was never gonna be canon you guys. this show is written by a bunch of straight dudes as nostalgia bait. it does truly have some great emotional moments, but it's also at the end of the day a show for all of these middle-aged dudes to go "hey remember the 80s??? weren't they so EPIC????"

not to mention i'm pretty sure some of the actors (ralph and billy especially) have some sway over the way their characters are written, and i just don't see them being that bold. ON TOP OF ALL THAT - it's netflix! they are here to milk this cash cow for all it's worth and that means appealing to the lowest common denominator.

that doesn't mean you can't enjoy fanworks!!!! i ship them too!!!!! everyone is queer as FUCK in my mind and it's SO fun to explore that as a fan and no one involved with the show can ever take that away from you!!!! i just feel like a lot of people have these overblown expectations of what SHOULD happen in canon and then are disappointed when the show inevitably just does what it does. of course it would be fuckin Sexy if the show ended in a johnny-carmen-amanda-daniel polycule, but it not happening doesn't mean it's a Bad Terrible Show That Should've Never Been Made™, you know???

TL;DR: stop making excuses for hating on my girl carmen!!!!!!!!!!! and if you hate the Stupid Karate Soap Opera so much for not being as deep or groundbreaking as you'd like it to be, perhaps it's just time to watch a different show.

[oneeyedoctogod]

I promised I'd share the notes I had on what happened after the end of my fic We'll Build A Dynasty (one the heavens can't shake) and since today is my birthday I thought it'd make a fun treat (for you and for me :P)

Under a read more because this is LONG. And I guess it has spoilers for the fic itself too, if that matters haha.

So here we go! These are the main "questions" I left unanswered on purpose.

Does Wei Wuxian ever let his practice of the ghost path become known again?

Yep. Honestly the way I see it, the only reason the sects had a problem with it in the first place was because Wei Wuxian was the son of a servant. They never had any problem reaping the benefits of his inventions (all of which were a result of his new cultivation) so since Wei Wuxian now has the legitimacy he lacked in his first life, they might grumble about it if they’re particularly uptight but he’ll never become the reviled Yiling Patriarch.

In any case I don’t see Wei Wuxian disregarding an entire path (and the very very useful things that come with it) just because he can use his sword again. He’ll just balance both because he is that good. The ghostly path will also seem a lot less powerful since Wei Wuxian doesn’t have a good reason to raise an entire army of the dead, and the Yin Tiger Tally never was created. So that's one less difficulty to face.

(there will always be rumors of course, but he’ll never confirm them one way or another and the Wen aren’t stupid enough to let such a secret out, both because it'll draw the ire of their new sect leader and because aside from a few stubborn Elders, they're not that confident they can win a war without Wen Ruohan around)

He might even take on thoroughly vetted disciples since it’ll attract less… questionable people (I'm not actually that sure on that point, it depends on the day.)

Do Jiang Yanli and Lan Xichen get married?

Yes they do. Sorry Jin Ling. </3 (although who knows, maybe the universe is nice enough to give them a son that for some reason will end up being a little prickly for a Lan and a love for dogs!)

I'm actually not overly fond of the Jin Zixuan/Jiang Yanli pairing and I liked the idea of Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian actually being related through their respective marriage. I hesitated with Nie Huaisang/Jiang Yanli at first but the Jiang Yanli/Lan Xichen really grew on me as I wrote the fic haha. They’re very very cute. Lan Xichen strikes me as an even bigger simp than Jin Zixuan ended up being in canon. He WILL talk to you about his wonderful wife if you let him.

What about Nie Huaisang and Wen Qing?

I'm not actually sure about those two. Maybe they get engaged and never marry, maybe they marry but only as friends, maybe they marry and fall in love (in that order, I don’t see Wen Qing falling in love at first sight), maybe they hate each other on sight and stay far, far away from each other, maybe they like each other just fine but don't marry anyway because Nie Huaisang is a romantic and wants to love his spouse romantically or because they know they’ll drive each other crazy within days, maybe they stay engaged because neither of them is interested in marriage and this helps them get their family off their back, maybe they marry and then Nie Huaisang gets a second wife they both fall in love with and they have a really healthy and happy polycule.

As you see, there are plenty of interesting possibilities. :P

Do Wangxian still adopt A-Yuan?

Yes. I’m not cruel enough to delete both Jin Ling and A-Yuan from existence. I’m not clear on what happens to A-Yuan’s birth parents (do they still die, do they give him up or is he adopted to be raised as a heir but they still participate in raising him? I am planning an extra with him in it so I'll have to decide soon but so far I HAVE NO IDEA haha), but yes, Wangxian get their son back, don’t worry.

What happens with Su She, Jin Zixun and Jin Guangshan?

Su She still eventually defects but since he doesn’t have Jin Guangyao sponsoring him, he never manages to become someone important enough to matter in the long run. He’s extremely bitter about it, like he’s bitter about everything else.

After his thorough public humiliation, Jin Zixun fancies himself the “rival” of Wei Wuxian once again. Wei Wuxian wouldn’t care except Wen Qing is very serious about any potential threats, even minor ones so she keeps him updated. They have fun about it. He might try something anyway but Jin Guangshan isn’t dumb enough to defend him so he just digs up his own grave and he eventually offends someone enough that he dies like a loser, like in canon.

As for Jin Guangshan… He’s a very serious threat, always was, but he lacks the political power he had in canon and this time Wei Wuxian has a much better support network who isn’t as easily manipulated into betraying him so things are much better on that front. Wei Wuxian never drops his guard obviously but he’s not vengeful enough to try and start his own conspiracy to get rid of him.

(Wen Qing, on the other hand, has absolutely no qualms about whispering some ideas in a few people’s ears. And because he is still a terrible person and quite a lot of his crimes haven't been erased by the time travel, Jin Guangshan dies quietly and painfully and though no one dares point fingers, Madam Jin looks just a little bit too smug while wearing the traditional white for it to be a coincidence and the family doctor mysteriously decides to retire right after the funeral).

What about Xue Yang, Jin Guangyao, etc.?

Honestly? Don’t know, don’t care. There’s no war so Meng Yao has no opportunity to get close to either Lan Xichen or Nie Mingjue. Maybe he still manages to join a sect as an outer disciple. If they meet, Nie Huaisang hates him on sight, though he can’t tell why. Because this is a kinder univser, both Meng Yao and Xue Yang probably get the opportunity to be better than they are in canon. Do they take that chance? Up to you. I haven’t thought about anyone else’s fate sorry but you can bet they probably have a much better life this time around (or, if they already had a happy life, then they get to be happy again).

And Jiang Cheng? Does he actually grow as a person? What about his mother?

Honestly, I like to think he does. I’m not a big fan of him but I think he’s still young enough here that he might choose differently, especially after being forced to face so many hard truths. At the very least, he never becomes the man willing to participate in a genocide or the serial killer he is in canon. He and Wei Wuxian will never be close again though — like in canon, Wei Wuxian is ready to let go of that relationship. But Jiang Cheng still has his sister and his father and both of them have had a pretty big hm… Wake-up call? I suppose?

Not in a bad way or anything like that but Wei Wuxian’s defection shook them both and since neither of them die anytime soon, they’re here to push Jiang Cheng to be better. It takes time and effort but who knows, maybe he does manage it (he tries at the very least, because if there’s one thing he craves, it’s his father’s approval).

AS FOR MADAM YU... She still blames Wei Wuxian for every little thing, she thinks it's his fault that her son's self-confidence visibly decreased after the lectures (L O L), she hates with a passion the fact that Jiang Fengmian accepted to let Lan Xichen court Jiang Yanli and didn't give yet another chance to Jin Zixuan... She started as a bitter woman and a bitter woman she'll stay.

How exactly did Wei Wuxian go back in time? Why does only Lan Wangji get to remember?

Because I wanted to. I don’t have a better explanation sorry. Maybe a mischievous god (me, the author) decided Wei Wuxian deserved to get a different second chance, that other people deserved to stay alive and so they did.

As for why only Lan Wangji got to remember, the romantic explanation is that they’re soulmates. The boring explanation is that I’m really bad at writing teenage Lan Wangji so I speedran his character development.

Why do some characters find themselves trusting Wei Wuxian when they just met him?

When it comes to Wen Qing and Wen Ning, it’s because they were dead and I like the idea that the dead have no concept of time so time travel doesn’t have an effect on them. Since in the new timeline Wen Qing and Wen Ning aren’t dead yet, they only have fragments of their memories (the dead of the Burial Mounds on the other hand, never forgot their Patriarch. It’s why it took so little time for Wei Wuxian to tame them this time. I expend on that a little more in the Wei Wuxian POV but since I have no idea if I’ll ever finish it, never mind publish it… You get the short explanation here haha). It's also why Wen Chao knew it was the dead of the Burial Mounds and why he was so scared. And Nie Huaisang… Maybe he just has really, really good instincts. Or maybe the “mischievous god” isn’t actually a god at all but him scheming behind the scenes like in canon. Who knows? Certainly not me. ;)

Oh dear, this got really long haha. I hope you enjoyed these explanations. If there are other things you'd like to know, hit me up with an ask, I'd love to talk some more about this universe hahaha.

[yallemagne]

This episode. Hoooooooeeeeeeeeeey.

The service was very simple and very solemn. There were only ourselves and the servants there, one or two old friends of his from Exeter, his London agent, and a gentleman representing Sir John Paxton, the President of the Incorporated Law Society. 

Much like Lucy's funeral in a way, but not sparse for lack of inviting but a lack of people to invite. After all, Hawkins had no family left to him to leave anything to.

Jonathan was holding me by the arm, the way he used to in old days before I went to school. I felt it very improper, for you can't go on for some years teaching etiquette and decorum to other girls without the pedantry of it biting into yourself a bit; but it was Jonathan, and he was my husband, and we didn't know anybody who saw us—and we didn't care if they did—so on we walked.

Mina sounds a bit flustered at the faux pas they're engaging in but still overjoyed at the knowledge that Jonathan is her husband! However, she still needs to justify it: "well, no one will gossip because no one here knows us, so it is fine". Come now, dear, it's fine because it doesn't matter. But oh well, she's getting used to it.

Mina: *detailing Dracula's appearance* "You see, he did not pass the vibe check. His vibes were absolutely rancid."

She really describes Dracula as though she were describing an animal. It's kind of unsettling.

"I believe it is the Count, but he has grown young. My God, if this be so! Oh, my God! my God! If I only knew! if I only knew!"

Youuuu bastards, having Jonathan repeat the lines as Mina continues narrating aghgh.

"Why, Mina, have I been asleep! Oh, do forgive me for being so rude. Come, and we'll have a cup of tea somewhere." 

He's so cute!!! AAAA he is SO CUTE!!! My precious baby, I just want to hold him in my hands. He's so soft and cute and sounds so sweet and unsure, so bashful.

And then Mina begins the next section sounding like she has been crying. She mentions Arthur immediately, which is worth noting because she parallels him. She's lost a father figure and though she hasn't lost a lover, her lover is struggling to keep himself together while Arthur's lost the fight for her life already.

and then Jack comes in egregiously horny, and I just. What do you even have to say for yourself, sir? I think perhaps the way that he describes Quincey hints that he may not know Quincey as intimately as he knows Arthur? Nor as intimately as Arthur knows Quincey. Of course, part of this is just Bram fawning over American men because of his giant man crush on Walt Whitman. Jack's hero worship gives the impression that he's not close enough with Quincey to know his human flaws, at least. He sees him as a moral viking!!

Arthur was saying that he felt since then as if they two had been really married and that she was his wife in the sight of God. None of us said a word of the other operations, and none of us ever shall. 

Jack, are you really so stupid as to think that he doesn't know? Skipping ahead--

"Just so. Said he not that the transfusion of his blood to her veins had made her truly his bride?" "Yes, and it was a sweet and comforting idea for him." "Quite so. But there was a difficulty, friend John. If so that, then what about the others? Ho, ho! Then this so sweet maid is a polyandrist, and me, with my poor wife dead to me, but alive by Church's law, though no wits, all gone—even I, who am faithful husband to this now-no-wife, am bigamist." "I don't see where the joke comes in there either!" I said; and I did not feel particularly pleased with him for saying such things. 

Everyone raved over these lines before ("he confirmed the polycule!! they're all fucking!!"), and they probably still are raving tbh, so I appreciate Re: Dracula properly communicating VH's disdain for the idea and Jack's disdain for VH's disdain. It's more than an offensive joke, VH is bitter at Arthur's words because it would ironically make them all husbands of Lucy, and he morally objects to the idea of polyandry and betraying his wife though he considers her dead to him (comatose? out of her mind? either way, he can't/won't divorce her but still values the virtue of his faithfulness). Likewise, Jack doesn't appreciate VH's apparent derision towards Arthur and the insulting way he refers to Lucy as a polyandrist. But VH assures Jack that he's simply venting to Jack because Jack is his friend, and he dares not to express these harsh feelings to Arthur, who reminds him of his son.

"Friend John, forgive me if I pain. I showed not my feeling to others when it would wound, but only to you, my old friend, whom I can trust. If you could have looked into my very heart then when I want to laugh; if you could have done so when the laugh arrived; if you could do so now, when King Laugh have pack up his crown, and all that is to him—for he go far, far away from me, and for a long, long time—maybe you would perhaps pity me the most of all." I was touched by the tenderness of his tone, and asked why. "Because I know!"

See, this is why he will not tell Jack. Not because he's scared of him. Because he knows that to know is to suffer. He does not wish any suffering upon Jack, though he should realize that keeping secrets has been the cause of much suffering already.

[xxx-angie]

Cursed Polycule Incorrect Quotes

@lu-lus-duckies @nunalastor @voxthepope @huskers-bar

*Everyone is standing around the broken coffee maker* LuLu: So. Who broke it? I'm not mad, I just wanna know. Everyone: Angel Dust: ...I did. I broke it. LuLu: No. No you didn't. Cursed Mod? Cursed Mod: Don't look at me. Look at Traumatized Mod. Traumatized Mod: What?! I didn't break it. Cursed Mod: Huh, that's weird. How'd you even know it was broken? Traumatized Mod: Because it's sitting right in front of us and it's broken. Cursed Mod: Suspicious. Traumatized Mod: No, it's not! Vox: If it matters, probably not, but Husker was the last one to use it. Husker: Liar! I don't even drink that crap! Vox: Oh really? Then what were you doing by the coffee cart earlier? Husker: I use the wooden stirrers to push back my cuticles. Everyone knows that, Vox! Angel Dust: Okay let's not fight. I broke it. Let me pay for it, LuLu. LuLu: No! Who broke it!? Everyone: Vox: LuLu... Cursed Mod's been awfully quiet. Cursed Mod: rEALLY?! *Everyone starts arguing* LuLu, being interviewed: I broke it. I burned my hand so I punched it. LuLu: I predict 10 minutes from now they'll be at each other's throats with warpaint on their faces and a pig head on a stick. LuLu: LuLu: Good. It was getting a little chummy around here.

----

*The squad right before LuLu's wedding* Angel Dust: Well I have to go, I have a wedding to attend. Cursed Mod: Wait... Oh! I have a wedding to attend too! Traumatized Mod: Oh, I have a wedding to attend as well Vox: I THINK WE ALL HAVE WEDDINGS TO ATTEND Husker, panicked: I THINK I HAVE A WEDDING TO OFFICIATE

----

LuLu: If you bite it and you die, it’s poisonous. If it bites you and you die, it’s venomous. Angel Dust: What if it bites me and it dies!? Cursed Mod: Then you’re poisonous. Jesus Christ, Angel Dust, learn to listen. Traumatized Mod: What if it bites itself and I die? Vox: That’s voodoo. Husker: What if it bites me and someone else dies? Angel Dust: That’s correlation, not causation. Traumatized Mod: What if we bite each other, and neither of us die? Vox: That’s kinky. LuLu: Oh my God.

----

'Can I copy the homework?' Traumatized Mod: I can help you with it! Angel Dust: Yeah, sure. Cursed Mod: Bold of you to assume I did the homework. Husker: lol nope. Vox: Wait, we had homework?!?!?! LuLu: *Read 5:55pm*

----

Traumatized Mod: Would you guys be there for me if I was going through something? Cursed Mod: Nope, absolutely not. Angel Dust: I hope it sucks, whatever you're going through. Husker: I hope it emotionally scars you for the rest of your life. Vox: I hope you reach out to me so I can ignore you. LuLu: I can't wait to go to your funeral, knowing I could've changed that outcome.

----

LuLu: BE A BETTER PERSON! Angel Dust: WHY?! LuLu: BECAUSE SOMEONE NEEDS TO HAVE MORALS IN THIS RELATIONSHIP, AND IT SURE AS FUCK AIN'T GONNA BE ME, SWEETHEART!

----

Vox: How is the most beautiful person in the world? Husker: blushing I— Angel Dust, butting into the conversation: Traumatized Mod is perfect, thanks for asking.

----

Traumatized Mod: What’s the status up here? Vox: Fucked up, about to die, LuLu’s a nerd. The usual.

----

Traumatized Mod, near tears: I have the sex appeal of a math book! Angel Dust: I don’t know, dude, I’ve never met anyone that opened a math book and didn’t say “fuck me”.

----

Cursed Mod: I'm very disappointed in you, Husker. Angel Dust: C'mon, don't get mad at Husker! Cursed Mod: Angel Dust, stop telling Husker it's okay for them to punch you! They need to learn not to punch people! Angel Dust: But I'm not a person! Husker: Which is why I punched them!

----

The gang when they drop food on the floor Traumatized Mod: Aw man. Throws it away Cursed Mod: Five second rule! Angel Dust: Foolish germs, thinking they can stop me!? Eats it off the floor Husker: Sobs on the floor

(i would tho)

----

Traumatized Mod: Hey, what’s the name of the guy who lives down the hall? Husker: His cats' names are Walter and Rose. Traumatized Mod: That's not what I asked. Husker: That is all the information I have.

----

Angel Dust: LuLu kissed me! Cursed Mod: Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Angel Dust: It was unbelievable! Cursed Mod: Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Husker: Okay, we wanna hear everything. Cursed Mod, get the wine and unplug the phone. Angel Dust, does this end well or do we need tissues? Angel Dust: Oh, it ended very well. Cursed Mod: Do not start without me! Do not start without me! Husker: Okay, alright, let’s hear about the kiss. Was it a soft brush against your lips or was it like a, you know, “I gotta have you now” kind of thing? Angel Dust: Well, at first it was really intense, you know? And then, oh God, and then we just sort of sunk into it. Husker: Ohh… So, okay, were they holding you? Or were their hands on your back? Angel Dust: First they started out on my waist and then they slid up and then they were in my hair. Cursed Mod and Husker: Ohhh. meanwhile LuLu eating pizza in their house: And, uh, and then I kissed them. Vox: Tongue? LuLu: Yeah. Traumatized Mod: Cool.

----

LuLu: My stomach growled super loud in French. LuLu: I would like to clarify, my stomach did not speak in French. It growled during French class. Husker: Bonjour. Angel Dust: Le growl. Traumatized Mod: Hon hon hon, feed me a baguette.

----

Vox: I feel like the world would be better if I'd never been born. Cursed Mod: Aw… that's not true. Cursed Mod: It'd be exactly the same. Cursed Mod: You're not important.

----

Cursed Mod: My life isn't as glamourous as my wanted poster makes it look.

----

Husker: Throw lamps at people who need to lighten up, and throw handles at someone who needs to get a grip! Vox: Throw a refrigerator at someone who needs to chill! LuLu: Throw scissors at someone who needs to cut it out! Angel Dust: Throw a clock at someone who needs to get with the times! Traumatized Mod: Throw matches at someone who needs to get fired up! Cursed Mod: Throw a brick at someone to kill them.

----

Vox: So, LuLu is late today. Anyone wanna bet why? Vox: I say they slipped through the subway grate and is having terrible sex with the mole man. Cursed Mod: I don't know about that…I think either their alarm clock didn't go off, or they're in line at the bank. Husker: Take this more seriously! LuLu was clearly taken in their sleep! Traumatized Mod: I bet they tucked themselves into the bed too tightly and got stuck. Angel Dust: Maybe they fell into another dimension where they're more interesting…? LuLu arrives LuLu: Sorry I'm late - there was a problem at the bank. Cursed Mod, clapping their hands in excitement: HOT DAMN!

----

Cursed Mod: So I can either do something dumb that could very well get me injured or I can listen to Husker and not do the thing, Cursed Mod: Well there’s a clear right answer here. Cursed Mod: proceeds to throw five packs of mentos into a barrel full of diet coke

----

Angel Dust: I feel like everyone on this island is suspicious, Traumatized Mod. Except you! Traumatized Mod: But Angel Dust, I think you're suspicious! Angel Dust: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

----

Husker: You kidnapped Angel Dust?! That’s illegal! Traumatized Mod: But Husker, what’s more illegal? Briefly inconveniencing Angel Dust, or giving up on our hopes and dreams? Husker: Kidnapping Angel Dust, Traumatized Mod! Cursed Mod: Husker, listen. However I feel about this, these guys are counting on you to inspire them! Husker: What, to kidnap people? Cursed Mod: To work together! Husker: To kidnap people?! Vox: Husker, we’ve all agreed that Angel Dust is not a people.

----

LuLu: Can you cut me some slack, Angel Dust? I’m sort of in love. Angel Dust: I’m sorry, but that’s really not my problem. LuLu: I’m in love with you. Angel Dust: blushes Oh. That brings me in the loop a little.

----

Husker: Shouldn't get stressed out, it's not good for the baby. Traumatized Mod: What baby? Husker, crying a bit: Me.

----

LuLu: Sometimes I like to place my hands on someone’s cheeks, look into their eyes… LuLu: …And violently jerk their head until it snaps. Cursed Mod: …That took an unexpected turn. Angel Dust: So did their neck.

[ikemenomegas]

oh, just meant your name 'Io'! sorry!

it's just very pretty, i like the mythology and sound of it lol

would any of your naruto! omegas be willing to share their alpha with one of the others, like a triad??

No need to apologize, I just had never heard that term before! Thank you for your kind words. It was a happy coincidence, and I'm lucky it works!

Achievement unlocked anon.... you've found one of my favorite things. Like raindrops on roses etc etc, poly au's make me smile. They usually require situations where things have gone particularly right or things are at least going right enough for a time. I'm also not a big fan of any kind of character vs character outright jealousness, and will preferentially pick a poly au instead.

Unusual pairings that require specific scenarios to come together are fun to do but I suck at coming up with them, so probably people have already done things with the pairings I think of, but that's fine.

(That said! I think you could come up with justifications for any triad you want to, but it always requires trust and communication to work.)

Possible poly ships:

cw: non graphic mentions of sex, polyamory, biology consistent with Kisame being a shark

Itachi x Reader x Shisui

For years I thought these two were cousins, which is a personal squick, but that seems to be more of a Uchiha fam au preference than reality so I could see Itachi being willing to share an Alpha with someone he trusted as much as Shisui. Even if they are willing to share with each other though, there is balance required in this pairing to allow Itachi and Shisui to remain friends. Romantic relationships are all well and good, but isolating yourself from the other people in your life because of them is not so good. Itachi in particular does not need more isolation. Shisui however I don't see as being particularly willing to share with anyone but Itachi and this scenario would happen only if Itachi and his Alpha wanted or needed to pull Shisui in for some reason.

Kakashi x Reader x Iruka

Kakashi seems less the sharing type and is contradictory in his interpersonal relationships. He's possessive and loyal yet detached. He might however get along in a romantic relationship with certain people. He teases Iruka with the aim to fluster but they get along well and Iruka has never been overawed by Kakashi's status or skill level, never afraid to challenge him. Unfortunately, my head is a bit empty about how these three would get together because it sort of needs to happen all at once. Either you and Kakashi start courting first and then add Iruka or somehow Kakashi claims you and Iruka simultaneously and then you and Iruka start courting each other. Kakashi is even more shy in this scenario than when it's just him and Alpha though, feels like he's asking too much of the universe.

Reader x Nagato x Yahiko x Konan

The order of these names is very key here. Through the limitations of not knowing any of the other people around him, and also knowing his friends are the only ones with his full implicit trust, I can only really see Nagato having a polycule in this kind of order. Konan doesn't like him at first the way an Alpha likes and Omega, but she does like to see Yahiko and Nagato happy and would be intrigued at the prospect of them finding pleasure in one another. I think Yahiko might be interested in knowing more about what Nagato sees in his Alpha, and Nagato would enjoy seeing Yahiko engage with his Alpha. Konan is really hot and she and Nagato's Alpha make out at least a few times while Nagato and Yahiko are doing the same. Konan eventually sleeps with Nagato, but it's the last thing that happens. It's nice because it opens opportunities to truly overwhelm him.

Reader x Itachi x Kisame (cw: mentions of eggs)

Another pairing where order matters. Itachi and his Alpha claim each other first, and then Kisame joins. I HC that Kisame's genetics don't align him with the usual a/b/o dynamics. (There's also a nonzero chance of eggs being involved.) Kisame also isn't affected by Itachi's heat the same way, and he doesn't bond the way an Alpha and Omega do. Kisame's instinct is to be a good protector and caretaker for Itachi based on respect alone, but realizing Itachi is capable of certain emotions awakens something in Kisame. He's not good with romantic feelings, doesn't really feel them at all. Itachi is still special though, and once his Alpha wins Kisame's respect from one predator to another, albeit of a different kind, he becomes curious about the different layers to their bond.

[Honorable mentions]

I could see Sai being open to having multiple Alphas, but not having another omega close enough in that way for that kind of triad, mostly because those omegas are already happily with another Alpha

Naruto and Sasuke could absolutely share an Alpha, they've shown their personalities to match in the right way to eventually pull it off.

Gaara and Sasuke might actually be able to share an Alpha, but it would be a more casual relationship where Sasuke is sort of in and out as need be, away for long periods of time

Gaara and Naruto could be able to share an Alpha but it would be a political nightmare

Finally, this is truly a rare pair I'm sure, but I could actually see Haku and Gaara getting along really well, well enough to share an Alpha. Also you get fun little ocean/desert motifs to play with