#i need a fanfic of these two but then they both die tragically because of the consequences of their actions and they never get to confess

[flowfystuffs]

Thuzi save me Thuzi

I love them so much

[favvn]

Once again, I am dissecting words, but the parallels and implications they hold are just.... too compelling. For the sake of this meta/commentary, I am taking the episode as it is played out before the reveal, wherein Spock truly believes he has killed Kirk. All of this is centered on Spock's pledge before the ceremony and his rejection of the Vulcan blessing and how those things are linked together by his life.

When T'Pau sees that Spock has brought two humans along with him to his marriage-or-challenge, she initially questions him about it with the implication that no outsiders are allowed to bear witness to the ceremony. But Spock declares them his friends, prompting T'Pau to say, "Thee names these outworlders "friends." How does thee pledge their behavior?"

Spock replies, "With my life, T'Pau."

Spock essentially vows that, should Kirk or McCoy completely desecrate their customs, he will pay for it with his own life. (It is, of course, unclear that if by doing so Spock is to die outright or that the rest of his life would be spent back on Vulcan under service to T'Pau or something of that nature. Regardless of the difference, it's still a kind of death for Spock to be limited to his home planet, away from the very people he has chosen as his friends.) The converse of this means that Spock has such complete trust in both Kirk and McCoy that he can offer his life as collateral for their behavior. What a bond! Wow!

The only one to die in the ceremony, as it turns out, is Kirk.

Now, this is what gets to me: between the Vulcan blessing--"live long and prosper"--and Spock's refusal of it, is the very thing Spock pledged earlier for the sake of his friends, his life. Now that Kirk--his friend--is dead, he rejects a blessing that speaks to the future. He has unknowingly kept his initial pledge after all: his life for his friend's sake, but it is now in reverse. Spock pledged his life for his friends, but now that one of them is dead by his own hands, so goes his life.

(Like. Had the episode taken the events to a negative conclusion, Spock won't prosper because he has killed his captain. Starfleet is hardly going to excuse the death of a captain due to a ritual they will have never heard of nor would Spock wish to speak of it, so Spock will be put on trial for his captain's death, and he would plead guilty to boot. Whatever punishment would await him, he'd take wholeheartedly, which would alter the rest of his future as a consequence. To say nothing of if it would later crack through his Vulcan training and leave him grappling with terribly strong and terribly dire emotions. But this is all supposition / I need to look for the fanfics about a tragic end to Amok Time. Or add it to my to-write/daydream about list shfgbdhjk.)

[lillazyboithings]

thoughts on different rtc ships?

I'll start listing off all the RTC ships I can recall, by that, I mean EVERYTHING

Nischa (Noel x Mischa): OTP, my beloveds, you can literally see how much I love them just by scrolling through the nischa tag on my blog

Spacedolls (Ricky x Jane/Penny): they're okay, they vibe together, I like it, they're like little skrunklies that I put in a cage and feed cookies to

BlackRose (Constance x Ocean): I'm sorry but no, just no, no thank you, not even my cup of tea but I will respect if you ship it anon, whoever you are

Perfectdolls (Jane/Penny x Ocean): also okay with it, pretty cool! They're like character foils of eachother

Mischalia (Mischa x Talia): also cool, there's also an understandable canonical basis for it the same way nischa has, also literally has a song so fbsnvdnsvenw

Sugardolls/sugarsheep (Constance x Jane/Penny): love it, they're my beloveds, pry it off my cold dead hands you cretins /j

Sugarspace (Ricky x Constance): absolute cuteness overload, they're like a domestic couple, I love it

Spacerap (Ricky x Mischa): not my cup of tea but I can see the appeal, they're cute actually, they're homies, they definitely hang out together

Starrypoet/HornyBoys (Ricky x Noel): also not my cup of tea, but I really like the dynamic that they have, like they both use their imaginations to be someone else, there's potential, also hella gay /pos ( laughing my ass off because horny boys is a funny ship name, congrats on the bonus points for this)

Topcomment (Mischa x Ocean): pretty cool ship despite not me seeing much content for it, it's like good girl x bad boy, I'm sure there's people out there who really love it but for me? No, I don't like it. It's cool but just no.

SoundCloud/Candyrapper (Constance x Mischa): also pretty cute but I see them more as siblings than a couple

Rosenpotts/gingerspace/perfectspace (Ocean x Ricky)(idfk what you guys are called AUGH): also kinda no on this one, but I will respect your opinion if you want to ship it. They're more friendly that coupley in my eyes

Perfect angel (Ocean x Tammy): I do not see potential for it, ocean and Tammy definitely have a frenemies dynamic because of their belief systems

Perfect bride (Ocean x Talia): how??? Ocean is literally the one to say that Talia is fake, I mean, I will respect your opinion but just know I will stare at you like I will be studying you as part of my research project next year.

Perfect love (ocean x hank): no, hank is already dating her cousin in some canonical iterations

Perfect rap (ocean x corey): pretty hilarious, same comments as topcomment but more to the left, also to whoever wrote that one fanfic I saw for them on ao3, shout out to you

Perfect bugs (ocean x trishna): I don't see potential, sorry. They're just not the right people the other would date

Frenchrap/Norey (noel x corey): I love them, they're the kind of couple to be MESSY. THE DRAMA. Comedic fr fr (helps that this is technically a predecessor to nischa)

Tragic Love (noel x hank): I don't think these two would go well together tbh since there's not much in common (lack of hank content)

Rap Dolls (Mischa x Jane/Penny): I kinda also don't see potential with this, they're more like chaotic siblings in my eyes tbh but if you ship them, good on you

Rap Angel/Angel Accent (Mischa x Tammy): guys, what??? To the 0.01% who ship this, I need to know who you are, scratch that, come here I need to study you under a microscope

Love Rap (Hank x Mischa): I'm praying for you and your one way trip to rarepair hell because oh boy, I'm so sorry for you and its lack of content (for everything hank is involved in, in general)

Rap Battle (Mischa x corey): the ride or die duo, these dudes will literally get each other arrested, and would release shitty rap together

Rap Bite (Mischa x Astrid): What??? Huh??? I am questioning your life choices to whoever ships this (not in a judgemental way, more like I'm genuinely curious what's going on inside that head of yours) anyways rarepair hell to you

Rap Bug (Mischa x trishna): same thing as LoveRap, there's also kinda no dynamics to base these two off so I can't really see anything for it

Angel Cats (Tammy x Ricky): okay, cute, I will respect that but there's also kinda something conflicting between Tammy's Religious beliefs and Ricky being SABM

Space Bride (Ricky x Talia): ???????? Huh ??????? Okay, questionable, maybe online relationship? Rarepair hell either way, I'm sorry

Space Love (Ricky x hank): okay, understandable, nothing much to say about them tbh

Space Battle (Corey x Ricky): really? Horny boys part 2? /J. Okay but in all honesty, I feel like it wouldn't mingle well together unless you want it to have the same dynamic as SpaceRap

Cat Bite (Ricky x Astrid): maybe?? No??? I can't see potential, down to the rarepair hell for you

CD player (penny x Tammy): you guys really went ham on these two when y'all read the Legoland script, I like it lmfao

Love Dolls (Hank x Jane/Penny): rarepair hell to you

Battle Dolls (Corey x Jane/Penny): and you

Doll Bite (Astrid x Jane/penny): and also you

Bug Dolls (trishna x Jane/penny): okay I can see potential, girlies are just curious of the nature around them, just one is curious about bugs while the other is curious about life itself and why she's there-

Bride Dolls (Talia x Jane/penny): rarepair hell to you as well

Sugar Angel (Constance x Tammy): Sweet (pun intended), also very domestic in my opinion

Sugar Battle (Constance x corey): rarepair hell to you, also I don't think constance would love being in a long term relationship with this sleazebag rapper

Sugar Love (Constance x hank): Cute, but also rarepair hell to you

Sugar Bite (Astrid x Constance): rarepair hell, also if we're basing off fanon + canon depictions, I don't think they'd be a good match with each other

Sugar Bugs (Constance x trishna): domestic, fluff potential, adorable, no judgement on my part

Digital Cafe (Constance x Talia): shout out to zolarianstarman for unintentionally making me see how cute this ship is

Love Angel (Hank x Tammy): I think I can see potential with the boy next door x religious girl type, not the best pairing though but oh well

Love Battle (Hank x corey): it kinda like a vague predecessor to spacerap if you think of the timeline as to how the characters got to where they are. But I feel like they'd be more on homies than dating

Love Bite (Hank x Astrid): canonically engaged, beautiful (cut) song, I love them

Love Bride (Hank x Talia): rarepair hell. No exceptions

Angel Battle (Corey x Tammy): dayum, the "I can fix him" couple but it's a shitty YouTube rapper and the very religious Catholic girl

Battle Bite (Astrid x corey): the only way Astrid is gonna even touch Corey is kicking his balls and punching him, I rest my case, they're siblings, your honor

Battle bugs (Corey x Trishna): I can't see the potential, I'm sorry, rarepair hell to you

Battle Bride (Corey x Talia): also rarepair hell, I literally cannot see anything for this

Angel Bite (Tammy x Astrid): so the pink soft girlie x "I bit my cousin with no regrets" girl, got it

Bug Bite (Astrid x trishna): cute, I can see potential, a girlie interested in bugs and her vaguely European girlfriend who would love to listen to her talking about bugs

Bride Bite (Talia x Astrid): rarepair hell button has been pressed, no more other comments

Bug Angel (trishna x Tammy): I feel like this would work out I think? This is kinda normal tbh

Bug Bride (trishna x Talia): rarepair hell to you, I'm sorry but it's true

Angel Bride (Tammy x Talia): ah yes, we're shipping the two girlies who have not made any canonical appearances in their respective musicals besides mentions from the established characters there

Electricity (Karnak x Virgil): guys, why are we shipping the rat and the fortune teller? Funny, but I question us as a fandom sometimes LMFAO

Polychoir (basically all 6 of the main characters): cute, but noel stays platonic with the girlies, okay?

PerfectSugarDolls (ocean x Constance x Jane/penny): girlies squad assemble be like

SpaceRapDolls (Ricky x Mischa x Jane/penny): chaos trio, no more comments, your honor

SugarSpaceRap (Constance x Ricky x Mischa): I mean...sure??? Okay? You do you pooks

Nischalia (noel x Mischa x Talia): I like it, Noel and Talia would definitely be best friends, and do rock paper scissors on who keeps Mischa for the weekend (loser keeps him/j), also Mischa has two hands, of course this is possible

PerfectEggDolls (ocean x Mischa x Jane/penny): I'm sorry but are we seriously gonna let Ocean practically date(babysit) two of the most chaotic beings in that choir?

TragicSpaceRap/Escapism trio (Ricky x Noel x Mischa): they need to get out of uranium together tbh, I don't make the rules, get them outta there

PerfectSugarSpace (ocean x Constance x Ricky): okay, understandable? Maybe? I respect your opinion tho

PerfectSugarAccent (ocean x Constance x Mischa): respectfully, I can't see potential, I'm sorry *presses rarepair hell button*

Stargirls (Ricky x Jane/penny x Constance x Tammy): the ship name sounds like they're all in a band together omg, but yeah, it's cute in my eyes, whoever ships this, you guys are chill

PassionFrenchRap (Corey x Noel x Mischa): LMFAO noel and his two rapper boyfriends, bro literally got duplicates of the same boyfriend

FrenchPassionSlutCats (Corey x Noel x Mischa x Ricky): hectic. That's all I'm gonna say, they're all hectic and gay together, good on them

LuckySugarStars (Jane/penny x Constance x Ricky): aweee they're so adorable together guys, I can't, help me, dhsnshsnhwje

LoveBugBite (Astrid x trishna x hank): yes, cute, adorable fr fr (Winona if you're reading this, you have definitely influenced me)

Special mention:

Mookie (Mischa x Cookie): perfection, 10/10, I refuse criticism, the highschool version of the script definitely influenced this.

Noel x Any girl: fuck you (in a negative way), he's canonically gay and if I see you ship him like that outside of platonic ones, I'm sending you GAY to hell.

Tags: @joeseventies (credits to them for the master list doc of all the ship names), and @witchstormm because you asked me to, have fun reading

I'm so sorry anon if this took so long to answer but here you go

[reallypleasanttree]

Hey there I’m a huge fan of your works and stories ☺️💯. And I was wondering, what inspired you to write such a beautiful,tragic, and heartwarming story about Kanroji and Obanai?

First off, thank you so much! ☺️ I adore tragic romances, so when I finished reading Demon Slayer I was torn to shreds by Obanai and Mitsuri’s story. Their type of love is my ideal where they simply accept each other as they are. It’s simple and sweet.

They were stripped of their happy ending. If they just had the courage to express their feelings before the end, they could have been happy together. It hurt so much. Especially with the way Obanai viewed Mitsuri and believing he needed to be reborn just to be with her? Heartbreaking. Mitsuri would have loved him no matter what his upbringing was. They both viewed each other in a positive light, but the way they viewed themselves was negative. Obanai thought he was a corrupt, vile creature while Mitsuri was insecure and wanted acceptance. If they had been able to see themselves the way the other viewed them, they could have confessed before the final battle. It devastates me every time and I have to remedy it.

Anyway, I read a ton of fanfics for Obamitsu. “Nights” by Rottorex, Peppermint Tea” by prettyshimmie, and “to die nobly, to cleanse his filthy blood” by Clemsmelody helped inspire it. I started daydreaming and plotting out my own fic.

After a few days of thinking through plot points, I decided to go for it. “Wedding Plans” was supposed to be three chapters. 🙃 however, I kept writing more and more about Obanai’s backstory and deep dived into his psychology. I couldn’t just make him suddenly be better in two months and not explain how he got better. I wanted to show a realistic recovery for someone with depression, anxiety, and childhood abuse. It doesn't happen over night and it takes a lot of effort.

As someone with depression and anxiety, I drew from my own experiences. The part where Obanai didn’t know how to tie his shoes? My parents never taught me, so I taught myself. When you realize your parents didn’t teach you the bare minimum to dress yourself, it hits you like a brick. You explain away their actions and accept it as the norm because that’s what was expected of you.

With Mitsuri, I admire her personality. I love people who are exceptionally kind, always wear a smile, and genuinely care about you as person, not just for show. She’s a normal girl with insecurities and wishes to be accepted. Everyone can relate, I’m sure. Also, I love writing her awkward moments. I wanted to show a relationship gradually develop from a place of admiration and respect. Also, it was fun coming up with different scenarios and how to apply their past lives to the modern era.

To be honest, the parts I write in the Demon Slayer canon universe are primarily inspired by fan art. I wanted to highlight little actions and moments that lead to Mitsuri and Obanai falling for each other. I’m so excited to share the next flashback scene, but I don’t want to spoil it.

When it comes to writing, I love angst, but I have to even it out with lighthearted moments. Like Mitsuri making Obanai food for the first time and then he has a panic attack. My partner calls it "dark cotton candy fluff", which cracks me up. Plus with the cast of characters in Demon Slayer, it makes it easy to keep it heart warming. Kyojuro and Gyomei especially. 🥰

To sum it up, I was inspired to write Obanai and Mitsuri’s story in the modern era because I wanted to explore the beginnings of a relationship, Obanai’s past and family, and ultimately give them the happy ending they deserved.

As for my other Obamitsu fics, I write them on a whim and let my steam of conscious take over ("To my love", "Positive, Positive, Positive", "I want to live this life with you", and "Mrs. Iguro") Or they are discarded scenes from "Wedding Plans" (See "Bitter Torment").

[lemonhemlock]

Grrm was pro black but anti rhaenyra considering how all of her children died with the exception of those fathered by Daemon.

Aegon's children all of them died including his bastard gaemon , and all of them died horrific deaths, he was crippled, burnt and died poisoned.

Rhaenyra's strong children died in meaningless and useless ways , even her dragon who was described as fat , spoiled and lazy and has the color of piss . died in the most pathetic way possible for a dragon.

and she herself died in the most pathetic and cruelest way possible while being remembered as Maegor with tits the equivalent of Hi*ler with tits , also her rule has made westros 1000x more misgonystic than before .

Daemon on the other hand got a heroic death , putting his sword through the eye of the anime villain named Aemond , saving the people of the riverlands from this genocidal maniac in the most badass way jumping off his dragon and sacrificing himself. All of his children from multiple women survived. Baela faced sunfyre yet she managed somehow to deal fatal injuries to him and was the cause of his death, strangely Neither sunfyre or aegon managed to kill her . Aegon shattered his legs and she just got few burns . Aegon iii somehow managed to survive although I can't really see why Aegon ii or any of the greens supporters were able or willing to kill him and finish the war . Viserys and rhaena survived and lived a long life. Daemon unlike rhaenyra was beloved by many

Daemon's dragon is one of coolest dragons called the bloody worm and one of the strongest and one of the fiercest dragons out there. This lizard somehow managed to kill the largest dragon of her time Vhaegar. Strangely Rhaenyra's bloodline didn't continue from her son jaecerys who is by all the accounts would make a good king. Her bloodline only continue through her children from Daemon . And now I'm sure 100% if Daemon managed somehow to impregnate Aegon , Aegon's child from daemon will 1000000% survive. The dance of dragons instead of being an epic and tragic tale about how the mythical dragons went to extinct . It's actually just a boring and cringe Daemon's fanfic.

Pretty much this - Rhaenyra is quite punished by the narrative for her sins, but Daemon gets off scot free, although he is way more despicable than she is. George lets two of her children live, but only because she shares them with Daemon. 🙄 Meanwhile they refuse to acknowledge their own mother as Queen - Aegon numbers himself as III, following II, therefore acknowledging our Aegon as a legitimate King. Whereas Rhaenyra is very much not considered a ruling monarch within Westerosi historiography, even though both Aegon III and Viserys II had the power to make that change at some point. Viserys II also had the audacity to pass over the claims of his three nieces by resorting to legal arguments that invalidated his mother's entire play for the throne. I wonder what Rhaenyra would have to say about all this.

This may prove an unpopular opinion, but it annoys me how all of Daemon's children get to live, whereas all the others meet gruesome ends. There's no reason for anyone other than Aegon III to live. (In fact, in the AGOT annexes, Viserys II was Aegon III's son, not brother, and no mention of Baela & Rhaena). Jaehaera lives for a little while, but even so, it's a 4-to-1 ratio that soon turns into 4-to-0. Rhaena even gets this hopeful narrative of hatching the last living dragon, but to what end? That dragon is going to live a very short life because it's never heard from again & George needs all the dragons to die, exclusively, so Morning either died during Rhaena's lifetime or shortly after her death? What's the point? She and her sister also get that distasteful Maiden's Day Cattle Show gotcha-moment with Daenaera. The Daemon favouritism is just beyond. I'm sorry, but it does feel like wish fulfilment fanfiction. I'm hard-pressed to find a Targaryen I like from this point on in the family tree.

And now I'm sure 100% if Daemon managed somehow to impregnate Aegon , Aegon's child from daemon will 1000000% survive.

This took me out. 😂 Damn, I want Egg to live so much I'd be tempted to accept this devil's covenant. Exorcist-style mpreg but the greens get to win at the end?

[saintofdaggers]

Top 5 Saw characters and Top 5 horror films.

oh man. you're really making me choose lmao. let's see. (I apologize in advance for the wall o'text this reply is about to turn into)

top 5 Saw characters

5. Hoffman. yeah he's inconsistently written as hell and the way he was handled in Saw 3D makes me want to eat drywall, but I love an absolute irredeemable bastard of a villain and he's just fun except when he's not. also I told my two cousins about "epic bad luck" and "we're all the same color on the inside" and they both lost their shit laughing, which was beautiful to me. they truly gave my man some of the worst lines in the entire Saw canon and I kind of love that <3

4. Perez. no explanation needed I think but she's gorgeous, she's smart, she's a badass, she's the only one who sees through Hoffman, she needed so much more screentime!! and she was/is one of my favorite characters to write in fanfics.

3. Adam! my boy. I adore his sense of humor, his empathy, his strong emotions, his shady morality but kind heart despite the shitty circumstances he's having to live in. his fate makes my heart hurt. it's devastating and it's our first indication of what John's "philosophy" really amounts to. the way he haunts both Amanda and Lawrence is just. chef's kiss even if the latter was more just... implied than explored. he and Amanda need to be BFFs in Saw fics more often.

2. Strahm. he's such a dick and for what. I ADORE obsessive and messy and impulsive and flawed characters who fuck up repeatedly, and I love it when they're tragic because they fully doomed themselves with their choices, but their choices were inevitable because of who they are as a person. I also love both the water cube scene and the ending of Saw V, they're such fun traps and such iconic scenes. and I may or may not have noticed his eyelashes a few times. sue me.

and 1. AMANDA. she's the beating heart of this whole franchise and I will die on that hill. she's such an incredibly complex and tragic and beautifully written character and I will throw hands with anyone who insults her. and she is THE horror lesbian to me. love the toxic yuri with Lynn, and her vulnerability and messy emotions and empathy for the trap victims, and the way she struggles with the weight of her own actions. she's such an icon. if I ever write Saw fic again (unlikely at this point but hey! no telling the future!) it will be either about her or about Perez.

top 5 horror films, and I'll try not to ramble this time:

Saw <3

The Descent

Scream

Blade

Hellraiser

[idyat]

Late Night Talk, a Deimos x Reader oneshot

Summary: Deimos does a funny stupid thing, ends up in therapy session

WARNINGS: One mention of vomiting

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

It was sunday in Nevada, the chill, "lay around in pyjama's" day that somehow still existed. Of course, the lay back day rule also applied to the S.Q (most of the time). So, there were you and Sanford, chatting about whatever. Fun fact: you were actually in a devoted relationship with his best friend, Deimos.

Random fact I hear you say? Just wait...

"Hey! Sanford! Babe! Look!"

Of course, the both of you would have already turned by now because of the horridly strong wave of cigarette stench that came with the criminal. And the cause of the smell was soon discovered, Deimos was...holding about a whole packs worth of lung exterminators in his mouth...with a very stupid face and pose...

"Oh. Oh for fucks sake Deimos." was all ypu had say, along with a bonk on the giggling gremlin's head by Sanford. Yep, this was the man you fell abyssally in love with.

Needless to say, you ended up patting his back as he vomited pure black tar in the already traumatized toilet.

"This one's on you this time."

***

A few hours later, a bit after midnight, the feral smoker and his partner (that's you) were cuddling in bed, ready for sleep. One might think midnight was a late hour to go to bed, but for someone living in the hellscape of Nevada, it was early more than anything. As a result, neither of you could really manage to fall asleep.

So, you did the next best thing.

"Hey shawty?"

"Yeah?"

"Was the cigarette stunt I did funny?"

Admitted, you had to think a little to mke sure it didn't sound wrong. "Well, yeah, but don't do it again, alright? Smoking that much is bad for you and you know it."

"Yeah, yeah, I know...but I still got you and San to laugh! 'sides, 's not like me dyin' would be that tragic..." That last part was the quietest, but it definitely didn't go without your attention.

"Deimos...sweetheart..."

He let out a strained sigh. "Yes yes I know, don't worry boo I promise I'm fine."

You stared at him for a few seconds. Let the bad timing of his words sink in. But you did end up saying something.

"Just...if you ever need to talk, I'm always here, alright? Sanford too. Hell, maybe even...wait, no, remove the maybe...even Doc is here to listen!

...Because we care about you love."

Although he tried his best not to show it, Deimos was clearly moved by your words as he buried himself into your chest. It's crazy how such simple words could make him think of just how lucky he was to have met you. Seriously, what did he do to deserve such a perfect being as his lover? Why would anyone even love him in the first place? There was so many feelings and thoughts about how much he loved you racing through his head he almost forgot to say something out loud.

"Thank you." A bit simple, but the tone alone was enough to tell you just how many times your lover would kill and die for you.

But until then, you made the most of this simple moment, and you two kept on blabering about much less serious topics until you eventually fell asleep in eachothers arms, right where, for once in the apocalypse, you felt you were right at home.

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

If this feels kinda similar to my Jebus x reader fanfic, it's because this one was the first oneshot I worked on but Jebus was requested before I finished it.

Thank you for reading! \(•♡• )_

[prompt-master]

henlo i am sorry to bother you but i am ten years late to the danganronpa fandom and two years late to your fanfics but i was wondering if you might consider finishing your Bear Trap story? like even if its just a quick lil synopsis of what you wanted to write, or if its an unfinished chapter, id take anything 👉👈

also ur lovely ok bye

Ok this was worded very kindly so I'm going to justify it with a full geniune response.

I'm honestly probably never going to update Bear Trap, but I WILL give you a synopsis. I did however want to first quickly explain why I don't plan on finishing that fic.

To keep a long story short. I kinda hate BT. It was my first fic after a two year break and imo it shows in the quality. I thank BT for temporarily getting me back into the writing groove, but I cringe way too hard looking back on it. I do have an unfinished chapter draft, but I'm not sure if I'd ever post it. I'll have to reread it at some point and see how I feel.

I would also like to say that if anyone else is willing to write the last part, I am more than willing to work with them.

Now, here is what I had planned for BT, bare (haha bear) in mind that it's messy because it was just self indulgent nonsense:

The format of BT was meant to go; build up, impact, aftermath. With each chapter focusing on a different story beat.

There was going to be a fake chapter released only on tumblr where Naegi died, only for the characters to go "did you actually think that would happen?" meant to poke fun over how many people thought I was going to kill Naegi.

This means the last chapter was going to entirely focus on the aftermath of Naegi's injury. I wanted each character to get an analysis of how they're feeling and each individual relationship would get a spotlight

This also means that. Tbh. The aftermath segment probably would not fit cleanly into one chapter since it would be pretty big.

It began with the hospital ride from the helicopter, Togami and Kiri watching as medics struggle to keep Naegi stable. There's a very dissociative vibe going on.

Because Togami and Kiri are closer to Naegi then they are each other, they don't really know how to comfort each other. It's awkward, quiet. They only speak to share facts and speculation. But there's a moment where they lean shoulder to shoulder.

Naegi was going to lose his leg, and have to get a prosthetic. Some of the fic was going to focus on him relearning how to walk with his new leg with the help of his partners.

I wanted to make sure that Naegi becoming disabled wasn't a "bad" ending. It's obviously upsetting to lose a limb in a tragic accident, and Naegi does have to cope with it. But I wanted to feel more empowering in a "see this shit? It's proof I survived"

Togami was ofc going to lovingly call him a cockroach

There was going to be exploration over how despite being known around the world for surviving a tragedy, they still don't really know how to LIVE with tragedy. They are just forced to keep moving on without getting a moment to breathe.

Due to Naegi seeing how freaked out Togami and Kiri were, he tries to keep everything together and stay lighthearted for their sake. He knows they want to see he's okay. This meant he pushed aside his own coping however.

The fic was going to end with Naegi finally letting out his emotions and crying in front of both of them, admitting that he was scared and thought he was going to die, and that he was so grateful they were there. Even if he had died then, he wouldve been more okay with it if they were with him. But that doesn't mean he was actually okay with it.

Togami negotiates them all a 2 week vacation lmao

If I remember correctly (I did not reread the fic to check, I'm going solely off memory) I was going to make a point about how despite feeling like they nearly lost their chance to tell Naegi they love him, both Tog and Kiri know that a confession shortly after a traumatic experience isn't the best idea. But also, Naegi doesn't need a confession to know they love him.

There were certainty more details to thefic that I can't fully recall ATM, such as the specifics of each individual character/relationship analysis. Let me know if you have any questions! Ty again for your kindness

[greatwyrmgold]

I have been giving serious thought to a Pact/Chainsaw Man crossover where Blake and Denji end up in a weird buddy-cop dynamic. The two of them are similar in enough ways to get along and polar opposites in enough ways to have an interesting dynamic. The other week, I made a post postulating how to make CSM devils fit into the Otherverse without treading on the toes of bogeymen or incarnations.

The more I think about it, though, the less certain I am about that? For starters, if Denji is tied to Hell and Blake to the Abyss, getting them together is trickier; I outlined a prologue that's 25% demonstrating some ways the two universes interact, 65% explaining how Denji Chainsawman ended up in the Abyss, and 10% hinting why the Seal of Solomon isn't a thing.

More importantly, though, what does the story gain by including both Hell and Abyss?

What I can Keep

It's not like I'd have to cut any bogeymen, I'd just have to redefine them in terms of scary things. There's the Mesopelagic Devil, the Mutt Devil, the Defenestration Devil, and so on. This would work for most Pale bogeymen, too. Cagerattler would be tricky, but I can think of ways to work in the Driver Devil (who doesn't seem quite strong enough to be the Automobile Devil) and the Cultivation Devil (representing the fear that you're being exploited or preyed upon by other people).

I wouldn't have to discard the Abyss's dog-eat-dog nature or any of its fascinatingly shitty environments, either, because CSM doesn't dwell on the nature of Hell much. Here's what we know about Hell:

Devils who die on Earth reincarnate in Hell and vise versa.

One area is a bunch of rolling hills with a sky made of doors.

Pochita used to be the Hero of Hell, with a Slaughterhouse-Nine-like tendency of killing both strong devils who threatened the weak and also weak devils who cried out for help, for reasons that are tragic, silly, and completely irrelevant to this post.

The Big Problem

The most obvious problem is that Blake escaping Hell would in theory be a lot easier; he'd just need to die. But this isn't actually a problem, because Blake would A. need to be a devil first and B. would suffer a death of personality.

The biggest problem is that CSM maintains a much stricter division between human and Other than anything Wildbow's written. Humans are humans, devils are devils, things in between are fiends or [redacted]. Blake slides from human to vestige to Practitioner to bogeyman to bird with ease.

Luckily, Chapter 110 has [secondary character of the War Devil saga] turn into a devil, while still being herself. The lorehound in my looks forward to the details of why and how, of whether this is a result of her devil transformation or Asa's contract to bring her to life or some side effect of her Justice Devil contract or what, of whether this is a common origin for devils or a unique irreplicable event.

But for now, it gives me the justification I need to write a fanfic where Blake becomes a devil by surviving in Hell and preying on minor devils. Change, adapt, eat, and get stronger. There are enough ways that CSM devils can empower themselves by eating devil-stuff (from drinking blood to regenerate to getting a power boost by eating Gun Devil flesh) that this fits the vibes.

(Not sure how it squares with the Control Devil's fate, though. Come to think of it, CSM has a lot of weird cannibalism stuff.)

Of course, this gives rise to the question of what devil Blake would become...which I should probably wait to answer until I see what the deal with [secondary character of the War Devil saga] is.

[multifandom-damnation]

The pre-canon fanfic potential for this group is so amazing??? Like, mean, come on:

Zerxus and Nydas? Who is so close that they call each other 'brother' in social settings and Nydas's brother and sister-in-law included thoughts and well-wishes for Zerxus in their kite letter, and are apparently looking after Zerxus's son while they're separated?

Laerryn and Patia? Both very powerful women, friends who respect each other, and Patia understands and doesn't make fun of Laerryn's awkwardness in social settings, both of them understanding how important the other's work is, bonding though needing to know anything and everything about what going on?

Loquatius and Laerryn? Ex-partners who obviously still have some love between them but don't know how to go about it? She wears the perfume that smells like the flowers they had on their wedding day, he inspires her even after all this time, he visited her private quarters during the day even though he doubted she'd be there because he recalled their wedding day seven years ago and missed her?

Cerrit and Patia? They go to each other for information while also understanding that they both have unique roles and bond over being the more senior members of the group?

Zerxus and Cerrit? Cerrit congratulates and welcomes Zerxus to the new position and asks about his son, promises to help him through any issues he may come across and assures him that he's already doing a great job. Knows him well enough to understand that he hates social settings and he wouldn't have come to the party to say 'hey guys, I had a weird dream last night, what do you think' and that there were probably plenty of dreams before this one that he kept secret? Zerxus having great respect for Cerrit and following his lead when it comes to the object?

Laerryn and Zerxus? They both know that these social settings are not for them and they stick with each other thought-out the whole thing.

Zerxus and Cerrit and Nydas? Just bros being bros. (I thought their little dynamic was really sweet)

Nydas and Patia? He caused a loud distraction so she could cast a quiet message to the champion. He whisked her onto the dancefloor and waltzed with her so they could chat. They have a mutual agreement and he often does favours for her. Upon realizing that Nydas has been taken advantage of and might be in danger, she is furious and storms off to figure shit out.

These are just a few of them off the top of my head, but I just think all these characters are so close and have such a great dynamic? I know that it's inevitable that this will be tragic as all hell, and they'll all either die or suffer a fate worse than death, but I would love to read/write some fanfic of their lives BEFORE everything went to hell.

My two thoughts so far? 1) This is phenomenal and everyone is doing an amazing job. 2) They could not have picked out harder names to spell for their characters.

[violetlunette]

Why I like Kota better than Eri

The title says it all really. Now, this is NOT an anti-Eri post. All this is me explaining why I connected to Kota than Eri and why he’s a better character.

Obviously, this is all opinion-based, so take it all with a grain of salt and remember this is all preference.

Right! So let’s just dive in, shall we?

Eri and Kota are both 5-6 years old when introduced in the story.

Kota is introduced in the Camp Arc where Izuku tries to “win his heart” (not romantically, sickos) when he discovers that Kota has a deep hatred for heroes. After seeing Izuku nearly die defending him, Kota’s love for heroes is not only returned, but he also becomes Izuku’s first and arguably biggest fan (right after All Might, of course).

Eri comes into the fray in the Intern arc where an evil villain keeps her captive and tortures her to use her quirk for his plans. After Izuku and Mirio save her, she comes to live at UA to get the hang of her powers.

So, why do I think Kota is a better character than Eri? First of all, Kota’s backstory is more relatable than Eri’s.

Don’t get me wrong Eri’s backstory is a whole lot sadder than Kota’s and makes sense in the world that the manga crafted.

Eri was the granddaughter of a mafia leader and when her quirk manifested she accidentally erased her father out of existence. Because of this, her mother abandoned Eri and she was left to be raised by her grandfather. Then when he fell ill, his second in command took Eri and experimented on her to create a quirk drug. These events traumatized her until the festival when she got to have fun with Izuku and Mirio.

Now let me make this clear; on an emotional level, I do feel bad. Eri is a little girl who didn’t deserve any of the bad things that happened to her. And no one���or at least I don’t--likes seeing kids in pain, especially ones who are practically babies.

However, as a reader and someone who loves to study and dissect stories, Eri’s backstory is annoying. Why? Because she is given an overblown tragic backstory specially crafted to make readers feel bad for her. She is crafted for one purpose here; to be the sad woobie child that Deku saves.

See, Eri’s backstory is what’s called a “Fantasy tragedy story.” Fantasy tragedies are uncommon tragedies that don’t happen to the common person and so can be “fun.” Such as having to be raised to be an assassin under hellish training, being cursed with a demon inside you, etc. A lot of Fanfic Ocs have these traits. If anyone’s interested I’ll go into detail in another post, but here, I’m digressing.

Her backstory is one of the things that make Eri so appealing to readers (especially to fanfic writers as they love angst). Despite how sad her past is, it’s entertaining.

However, it doesn’t make Eri relatable. Most people don’t have mafia families or dangerous powers, experimented on by a germaphobe villain, etc.

On the other hand, Kota does have a relatable backstory;

Kota’s parents were both heroes killed by an insane villain in the line of duty. As a result, he had to go live with his aunt who was also a hero. However, by this time Kota had become angry in his grief and blamed powers in general. In a way, he believed his parents died for nothing more than a popularity game.

It’s not as sad as Eri’s backstory, but it doesn’t need to be. Sometimes less is more. And it does have its own sense of tragedy; Kota’s parents just went to their job one day and didn’t come home. And Kota—being 5 years old—doesn’t understand why. All he knows is that two people who were always there, aren’t anymore. More than that, the world doesn’t care. His parents were probably mentioned in the news once and then completely forgotten. They spent their whole lives defending others and died doing that, and yet no one seems to care. The world found other heroes to cheer for. And how was Kota comforted by those who did care? “It was an honorable way to die.”

This affects me more, as this is all stuff that could actually happen. In reality, a lot of people lose a parent in the line of duty whether they are in the army, are firefighters, police, etc. Even without that, people can understand the idea of losing something and for something “mindless.” Anyone in his shoes would feel the way he does.

The next reason I prefer Kota is that Kota actually has a personality. Eri doesn’t.

Okay, for the sake of fairness I will that an argument can be that Eri is shy, quiet, and naive. She also suffers from self-worth issues due to Overhaul’s manipulations. After she’s rescued, she becomes the stereotypical cheerful child. And she likes apples and dislikes peaches. That’s pretty much it. There’s nothing wrong with that; her purpose is to be a sad puppy everyone wants to cradle and protect. She’s not made to be a person, but a step in Izuku and Mirio’s development.

Kota in a way is made to help Izuku grow as well, but he’s also his own character (and has an arc). Kota is a brash child with a chip on his shoulder after the death of his parents. He hates heroes and quirks in general because he sees it all as a popularity contest. After seeing Izuku fight near-death for him, however, he changes his mind and starts to love heroes again, particularly Izuku. From then on, he becomes a tsundere towards the older boy. Plus, we see that despite his bratty attitude he has a good heart as he protected the girls from Mineta and didn’t hesitate to try to help Izuku when a villain was about to kill him.

Speaking of quirks, let’s get to a fact that A LOT of people—myself included—complain about;

Eri’s quirk is a story breaker.

There’s not much to say about Kota’s power as, from what we see, it’s basically a water gun, but that’s okay as it’s not his quirk that makes Kota Kota.

Even if Kota was quirkless, his personality and character would still be mostly the same. His parents would still be heroes who died, and he would still be told it was an honorable way to die. Because of this, he would still be bitter towards heroes and quirks, etc.

Everything Eri about and who SHE is, however is reliant on her quirk.

Why is she an orphan? Because her quirk killed her dad and scared her mother away. Why did Overhaul abuse her? For her quirk. Why is she shy and naive? Overhaul hid her away so he could use her quirk for his messed-up plans. Why does Eri feel like everything’s her fault? Because Overhaul told Eri that her that her quirk was evil.

Get my point? Every single thing she is—minus her love for apples—is 100% dependent on her quirk. Without it, Eri wouldn’t be Eri.

And as cool as her quirk is, it’s too strong and can be used as an ass-pull in the story. Such as with Mirio; remember the heartbreak and angst we got when the boy lost his quirk? Well, thanks to Eri it’s brought back, and everything’s okay!

Now I will be fair and say that they did show like—three or five scenes to hint that Eri could and would bring Mirio’s quirk back and that she was practicing, but we didn’t see enough of Eri struggling and practicing to make the payoff worth it story or emotional wise. (Especially since there was no point to Mirio being at the hospital raid, but I digress.)

Now, this could have been fixed if, as I stated, we saw Eri training more with her powers in the story. Or if Eri lost her quirk after Overhaul is defeated like she was hit by one of the anti-quirk bullets or something. But then, if they did that they wouldn’t have been able to hoist her onto Aizawa. This brings me to my next point;

Kota isn’t forced into the story any more than he needs to be. This is my biggest personal annoyance;

After the Overhaul arc, there is no reason for Eri to be around anymore, except to bring Mirio’s quirk back. She is just there once in a while to be sad or cute. That’s it. And none of the scenes we see justify her being with Aizawa. They’re not bad, but the scenes are nothing special either. And none of them feel earned.

Eri is only under Aizawa’s care out of necessity, not because he had an emotional connection to her. Don’t get me wrong, I know Aizawa felt bad for her and probably figured that he was the rational choice, thanks to his Erasure quirk, but again, there’s no emotional build-up to the choice.

Now, if she was being adopted by Mirio’s family, that would be different. Why? Because we see their relationship build. We see them meet and throughout the Overhaul arc we Mirio doing everything he can to help her and fighting with everything he has to save Eri, even after he loses his quirk. Giving Eri his cape and telling her that he wears it, especially for little girls like her is one of the sweetest and most touching scenes in the whole series. Following this, it’s Mirio who gives Eri the strength to help Deku defeat overhaul for good. Those scenes make every scene they’re together actually mean something and feel earned. Seeing Eri happy with him at the festival, riding around on his shoulders, is so sweet because we know what they went through to get to that point. (#bigbrotherMirio4ever)

Aizawa doesn’t have a scene like with Eri. Even after he becomes Eri’s guardian, the two never have an impactful, emotional moment. We just see scenes where they’re together. Aizawa’s nice to her, but there’s not enough in canon to feel for them as a “family.”

People love the concept of Aizawa being a protective father to Eri, which is why fanon loves it, but in canon, there are barely even crumbs. All of their moments together can be counted on one hand and all those moments can easily be removed from the story.

Going back to Kota, his part in the story is to have his heart won over by Izuku ( again, in a non-romantic way). This is a big part of being a hero, as a hero needs to be able to inspire others and win them over. This is why Bakugou and Todoroki are given a test to win over the hearts of school kids later in the series.

We see Izuku working hard to do this and create an emotional bond with Kota by reaching out and trying to connect with him. Not to mention risking his life to save the boy. That’s why it’s so sweet that Deku becomes Kota’s favorite hero. But then when Kota has filled his purpose, he’s taken out and only brought back when he’s needed, or when it makes sense. It doesn’t feel insulting as there’s no reason for him to be there. His absence fits the story and makes sense. Eri’s presence feels forced at best.

(Side note, but why didn’t the Hero’s commission take her? They took Hawks, and his quirk is less powerful. And I find it hard to believe it’s just because only Aizawa’s quirk could handle Eri. It’s been shown they have power limiters in the series. Don’t misunderstand, I didn’t want that, it’s just a question I have.)

In conclusion;

Kota is the best for a story format. He has a personality with a backstory that makes him relatable and even his own arc, small as it is. And he’s in the story when he needs to be, no more, no less.

Eri however is the best for fanfiction. She has a "fantasy tragic" backstory that can be seen as fun for angst writers, she’s placed in the care of one of BNHA’s favorite dad characters, and her personality is blank enough to be an OC without being an oc. In the story, however, Eri’s a plot device to drive the story, develop others, and story-wise her lack of personality or character is a severe flaw, especially since everything about her is dependent on her quirk.

So, it all comes down to preferences. For me, I prefer Kota, who is his own person and character.

Thank you for your time, and have a pleasant day!

[rebelquilts512]

Some of My Fanfic and AU Ideas

Here’s a collection of AUs that have been rolling around in my brain (some for over six months) that I wanted to write down so I don’t forget them before I get around to writing the actual fanfics. I welcome anyone who wants to know more about or has questions about any of these; I’d love to answer them. Maybe getting some interest for these will encourage me to write them sooner.

These are only the ones I felt comfortable sharing.

Fandoms range from Marvel to Encanto to the Disney Zombies Trilogy

Marvel/Encanto Crossovers:

Starks Don’t Shine They Burn (Iron Fam Encanto AU)

I’m just gonna link to my post and not bother with much of a summary.

Basically Encanto except it’s the Iron Fam.

      2. Marvel/Encanto Crossover (One Meeting Version)

Notes: In this AU, time passes differently inside the Encanto, so while about 50 years have passed inside the Encanto, over a hundred years have passed outside it.

This also takes place about two years after the events of Encanto. Mariano and Dolores are married and Dolores is pregnant.

Months before the Civil War, an Avengers’ mission in Colombia goes south and Vision is the only one uninjured. They are stranded in the middle of the Colombian wilderness about a mile away from the Encanto. One of Antonio’s animals tells him about them and the Madrigals go to help. After getting over their shock they take the Avengers in and heal them. Vision spends time with the Madrigals while his friends recover and bonds with all of them. After the team fully recovers, they spend some time with the family and Bruno gives Steve a vision of how to find Bucky so he finds him sooner.

Civil War happens slightly differently since Bucky is safe and the existence of a super-powered family in the Colombian wilderness makes everyone pause over the Accords.

Basically: Vision is the Madrigals’ weird but polite houseguest for a couple days while Steve, Natasha, Sam, and Wanda are unconscious in the back room.

      3. Marvel/Encanto Crossover (Madrigals Stop Thanos Version)

Same notes from the previous AU.

An offshoot of the previous AU where Bruno has a vision of Thanos while the Avengers are still there. This leads to the Avengers secretly training the Madrigals outside government knowledge. Steve still finds Bucky early with Bruno’s help. Lagos happens differently and the Madrigals input on the Accords debate leads to a compromise with some revised Accords.

In this version, Thanos is defeated before he can snap thanks to the Madrigals’ help.

Encanto Ideas:

Broken Hearts Made Whole ( aka Encanto Boxcar Children AU)

Background:

In this world, some people are just born with magical gifts (or because one or both of their parents have gifts). Not everyone accepts this magic and some families reject children with gifts.

Also, Encanto is just a normal (if isolated) town that is very accepting of magic. Pedro doesn’t die young and he has a gift. Julieta, Pepa and Bruno are born with their gifts. Pedro’s gift is the ability to enchant objects by putting in a little of one’s soul. He made bracelets for the triplets so they can always find each other and Casita was his dying gift (it’s where his soul resides).

Short Summary:

Isabela, Dolores, Luisa, Camilo, Mirabel, and Antonio have all been rejected by their families and caretakers, but have found family in each other. They survive on their own while living in a city.  Meanwhile, the Madrigals are tragically childless and take a trip to the city where the children live. The two groups of six meet. Things are strained at first, but eventually the Madrigals gain the children’s trust. So much so that when the children need help they go to the Madrigals and this eventually leads to them being adopted.

       2. Encanto Circus Captives AU

A year or so after the events of the movie, the Madrigal Grandkids are kidnapped by an evil circus owner from outside the Encanto. They are all forced into working for the circus. Luisa, Isabela, Antonio, and Camilo have acts related to their gifts while Dolores has to gather information she hears for the circus owner and Mirabel works on the costumes. They are abused for months to a year before Abuela, Tio Bruno, and their parents manage to find them.

       3. Encanto Fairytale AUs

Different Madrigal Characters in fairytales because fairytales are my jam.

The only idea I have so far is Luisa in a Cinderella AU because it’s the first one that come to me and I think Cinderella fits perfectly for Luisa. I want to get fairytales for the rest of the family eventually.

My plan for the CinderLuisa AU story wise is a combination of the Disney movies and multiple versions of the original fairytale.

Highlights include: Isabela and Mirabel as her Fairy Godsisters and cameos of Bruno as the rat-turned-coachman and Camilo as the lizard-turned-footman.

Encanto/Zombies Crossover

Takes place maybe a year after Encanto and during the summer after everyone’s first semester of college (In the ZOMBIES Universe). For convenience, the Miracle Candle was restored with the house’s magic in this story (I’ll explain later/at some point). All canon Encanto couples are in effect, as are: Zed/Addison, Bonzo/Bree, Wyatt/Eliza, and Willa/A-spen from ZOMBIES.

Through unexplained circumstances, Casita lands in the middle of the Forbidden Forest with all the Madrigals plus Mariano inside. Naturally, our Seabrook gang, plus some others, go to investigate. Upon realizing that the Madrigals (and Mariano) aren’t a threat and are just as confused as they are, they welcome them to Seabrook and introduce them to modern technology and monsters. Seabrook accepts the Madrigals’ gifts and their Miracle and, after a period of adjustment, the Madrigals accept the monsters of Seabrook. Eventually they figure out how to get the Madrigals home.

Disney Zombies Ideas:

Zombies Pirate AU

A historical-based AU where the Zombies are pirates. Zed is the Captain, Eliza is the First Mate, and Bonzo is the Quartermaster/Second Mate. Addison is a princess or of some other noble birth and Bree is her lady-in-waiting (and friend).

So what happens is that Addison and Bree are captured by a different pirate crew to be held for ransom. They’ve been on their ship for a few weeks when the Zombies attack the other pirate ship and find Addison and Bree. They take the girls aboard and intend to bring them home. Unfortunately, shenanigans happen that delay their return. During their extended stay, Zed and Addison fall in love, as do Bonzo and Bree. I’m thinking that eventually a Navy force led by Bucky finds the Zombie pirate ship, captures the Zombies, and takes them all back to Addison’s parents’ kingdom.

I can’t decide whether Addison and Bree jailbreak the Zombies and run off with them, Addison pleads with her parents at their castle to pardon the Zombies, or Addison convinces her parents to pardon them after she’s run off with the Zombies.

      2. Zombies Reunited Childhood Sweethearts AU

AU where Zombietown is just the poorer section of Seabrook and everyone’s human. Addison’s mom is still the mayor and her dad is the chief of police.

When they’re around eight or nine, Addison and Bree are dropped off in Zombietown by a couple of teenage bullies and befriend Zed, Eliza, and Bonzo before Addison’s dad finds them. Addison and Bree come back to Zombietown to play with Zed, Eliza, and Bonzo as often as they can. When they’re all around ten, Zed and Addison become “boyfriend and girlfriend” and so do Bonzo and Bree. (Since they’re ten it’s not much more than holding hands and extra hugs)

By the time the kids are eleven, Addison’s parents decide they don’t want their daughter to have friends in the poor part of town and ban her from going to Zombietown and later convince Bree’s parents to do the same.

About fifteen years later, Addison and Zed reunite as adults and so do Bree and Bonzo. Then the whole gang gets back together and Zed & Addison and Bonzo & Bree both start dating for real.

If you can’t tell Zed/Addison and Bonzo/Bree are my two favorite ZOMBIES ships

[silverwhittlingknife]

Do you think Tim and Dick are platonic soulmates?

Ooooh, interesting question.

Short answer: No! But also, sure! But also... maybe? I probably wouldn't use those words - I'd call them "found family" or "brothers in all but blood" or just "very close friends."

Long answer: I love some soulmate tropes and hate others! So I usually avoid the word, because it's ambiguous. Come and listen to ALL MY THOUGHTS on soulmates.

Below the cut:

"soulmate" as narrative mechanic (one of my favorite tropes; tragically doesn't exist in the DCU) (ETA: ...but happily it does exist in this fic idea, where you can have multiple platonic soulmarks, and Dick and Tim both get their first one at the circus, the night Dick's parents die)

"soulmate" as Your Perfect Match (listen to me gripe about one of my fiction pet peeves)

the types of fictional friendships that I like and why

OKAY! Let's go.

When I hear the term "soulmate" in fiction, there are three things that come to mind.

1. "soulmate" as narrative mechanic: destiny has forced you together whether you like it or not

Okay, so this one I LOVE. I like it in fanfic, and I like it in fiction in general. For example, in BBC Merlin, the two feuding protagonists are Destined to save the day together; Miraculous Ladybug has a similar setup.

In this kind of story, Fate Itself (read: the author) is a force pushing the characters together. This allows you to put two characters together that normally might not like each other or spend time together. And it often makes my favorite narrative promise: "These characters don't get along yet...but they will someday."

AFAIK, though, this mechanic doesn't exist in the DCU. (Sadly!) It definitely doesn't apply to Dick and Tim.

2. "soulmate" as Your Perfect Match (TM): the InstaSoulmate who you immediately connect with and always understand perfectly!

This is one of my pet peeves in fiction, and it's a little hard to articulate why, but let me try. Here's some of the traits of this character:

person who you understand perfectly on every level

no conflicts or missteps or misunderstandings - ever!

at every possible moment you have always said the right thing to each other

you've never hurt each other's feelings - not even once!

you may have conflicts with other people but this person just shows up and is effortlessly perfect in every way

you don't need to learn things about each other 'cause you essentially read each other's minds

you've never had to sacrifice anything for your relationship or go beyond your comfort zone 'cause conveniently you always want and need exactly the same things!

basically you can think of this paragon as your Goldilocks just-right character. they can only show up at the end of the story because if they showed up earlier everything would already be fixed

I have my own wish-fulfillment tropes that I like, so I get why some people like this one. . . but this particular wish-fulfillment trope does not speak to me at all. I do not like it in romance. I do not like it in gen. I do not like perfect parents, brothers, friends, or anything else.

For me, there's a subtle but hugely important difference between "we are good friends who care about each other and support each other" and "we are SoulmatesTM." And it has to do with whether the characters have to try or not.

3. The types of relationships that I like

I like sweet moments. I love sweet moments, actually! I love soft characters being soft. But I want those moments to be earned. Which means that there has to be risk. I have to know that the characters could get it wrong.

And for Dick and Tim's friendship in particular, a lot of what I like about it is that I feel like it is earned. They have a ton of conflicts, they have a ton of misunderstandings, they're not fated to understand each other.

But they're both people who value acts of kindness. So with people they love, they put in a lot of effort. They try to be thoughtful, they try to be supportive, they try to fix their mistakes, they watch their words.

And they put in that effort with each other.

So for example, @bitimdrake has written two one-shots about Dick and Tim which I deeply deeply love. And in both fics the characters are being incredibly sweet and kind to each other, and it's really touching and ;;;_;;;. <3 But one of the low-key things that makes both stories so powerful to me is that the kindness is never magical. They're not mind-readers - they're just people who care about each other and are trying hard.

So in one story Tim gives Dick a really sweet gift - but he doesn't know ahead of time how it'll be received, and in the course of the story he's most uncertain about the part of the gift that's ultimately the most meaningful to Dick. And in the other story Tim's in trouble and avoiding asking for the comfort he desperately needs, and Dick has to track Tim down and figure out what's going on with him (and of course look after him <3).

And for me that kind of relationship - where you care about the other person, and worry about the other person, but you don't automatically know what to do and have to figure it out - is so much more compelling than InstaSoulmates.

Because the effort of love is the thing that matters to me.

[ghostinthelibrarywrites]

4 & 80 from the prompt list for geraskier? 😍

So first of all, I apologize. I have a lot of trope mashup prompts in my inbox right now and got mixed up, so I wrote you a little Geraskel mashup. Once I realized my mistake, I was already attached to this idea and didn't want to change it. I hope you still enjoy it!

4. Coffeeshop AU

80. Green-Eyed Epiphany

A modern with magic AU where Geralt and Eskel are both witchers, who in this world are basically underpaid, superpowered private investigators for supernatural incidents. They’ve been hooking up for years, but are careful to keep it casual, because witchers don’t fall in love, emotions are a distraction, etc. They’re definitely not in love with each other. No, sir.

They both have to take other jobs to make ends meet, so Geralt probably does something with horses, while Eskel works a series of odd jobs. He gets a new gig as a barista, working alongside Jaskier, a cheerful grad student/wannabe musician who doesn’t seem the least bit fazed by Eskel’s scarred face or slit-pupiled eyes.

Eskel develops a crush fast, though he’s certain that it can’t be reciprocated.

Geralt’s commute to work takes him right by Eskel’s new job, so he stops occasionally to grab breakfast in the morning. (Not to see Eskel. He just likes the breakfast sandwiches.) He sees the easy chemistry between Eskel and the blue-eyed barista and immediately knows that there’s something there. Not that it bothers him.

Meanwhile, Jaskier can tell the first time he sees Geralt and Eskel interact that they’re fucking. It would be fodder for a hundred late night fantasies, if it didn’t confirm his suspicion that Eskel is tragically unavailable.

Geralt keeps stopping by the coffee shop, sometimes when he knows that Eskel won’t be there, and starts letting Jaskier draw him into conversations. He’s curious about this man that Eskel is clearly crazy about. It doesn’t take long for their conversations to turn to flirting.

Eskel sees Jaskier and Geralt together and can tell that they’re developing feelings for each other, which really shouldn’t be surprising. Of course Jaskier would fall in love with Geralt. Who wouldn’t?

Geralt comes over to Eskel’s place one night and they get into an argument, with years worth of tension and unspoken feelings bubbling to the surface. But their argument is interrupted when they get a call about some beastie tearing through civilians downtown.

Geralt and Eskel go to track the creature, which leads them to a rooftop party where none other than Jaskier is playing a gig. Everything goes to shit and Jaskier nearly dies (because I can’t not whump Jaskier a little) but Eskel and Geralt manage to save him and kill the monster.

Afterwards, Jaskier lets Geralt and Eskel come back to his place to clean up and tend to their wounds. Watching Jaskier and Eskel together, Geralt comes to the realization that he loves both of them and that he’s been in denial for years. He slips out while Jaskier is busy fussing over Eskel’s wounds.

Eskel follows him and the two end up confessing their feelings to each other.

Jaskier, meanwhile, has changed into some sweatpants and is devouring a half-gallon of ice cream by himself, because not only did he nearly die tonight, but he just looked out the window to see Eskel and Geralt making out in the street and that’s a gut punch he didn’t need.

Then there’s a knock on his door and he opens it to find Geralt and Eskel in the hallway, both looking at him with hopeful eyes.

Fanfic Trope Mashup Prompts

[meandmyechoes]

OOO 10th movie full spoilers ahead

IT WASN’T NECESSARY. I’m not even asking a question IT WASN’T NECESSARY. It honestly could be fixed just letting Ankh stay possessed with Eiji and mirrior the original’s ‘travel the world’ ending if they want nostalgic bait so bad.

OOO is open-ending, KR isn’t even a ‘strictly canon’ franchise. All we ask for is a happy ending and why do they feel like they need to go the most tragic way possible in a continuation made for the fans, and only got made because the cast fought for one?? like, both the plot and cinematography were calculated so to mirror the main series and finale, the choice to choose a less than hopeful ending feels like a deliberate U-turn to what the fans want. It feels like a fanfic because only a fanfic writer would dare to go this level of angst. Mouri wrote five episodes of the seres (20-21, 33-35) and the orgin novel, I expect a decent faithfulness from him and true, the characters is in-character enough for me, but the ending - without a bonus scene of hopeful message, feels so derailed from the orginial theming of the story. (I have never wanted a post-credits scene so bad where Ankh curse the idiot and possess his body anyway because is he going to stay possessing Shingo then??!!? without the message, the movie hasn’t even resolve that? which it raises in its own runtime???) Even Ryuki got a happy reset. I think Kobayashi not being involved is the major reason for story to diverge from her other tokusatsu/toei series. Eiji pretty much got the exact same death as Shinji???? (if i have a nickel meme) That moment I was connecting more out-universe than a viewer should even though it was an Eiji thing to do. 

(Ankh possessing Eiji as a final straw wouldn’t be ooc for him but it is against what Eiji wants (and the film has explicitly shown just a few seconds earlier) and Ankh respecting that shows his growth but I’m so angry ‘cos this is not STAR WARS, the lesson is not ‘letting go’!!! It’s learning to rely on others!! trusting others!!! And I think the ‘union’ could’ve been the culmination to it and flatter all the Ankh/Eiji fans out there!! They are like, the most two-in-one rider after the literal W. But this is me speaking as an outsider, imagine wearing the face of your loved one around like that... for who knows how long... never hearing anything... Seeing how disgusted he was by Goda imposing, I understand how that’d be the last thing he want. He has all Eiji’s memories and their time together now...But he gets to live forever without Eiji... I guess chronologically speaking, OOOxFourze is probably the last. Ankh coming back from the future just to see Eiji again, like Eiji coming back to life just to see Ankh once again.)

I just don’t understand why they have to pick the cruelest way to make an OOO sequel. I don’t think people are gonna complain if you just show us two hours of Eiji and Ankh watching ice freeze. That said, I do appreciate the parallels and seeing more of the developed/reformed Ankh. It kinds of surprised and warmed me that Ankh cares so much about Eiji, other examples like Ankh with Hina and Tajadol Eternity’s dual call I also like. I think the film could benefit from slowing down a bit with more dialogue scenes and showing us how the characters have been for the past ten years, or some more subtle differences before and after. I do think there’s an interesting parallel between Goda and Ankh but it was a bit underbaked on Goda’s side. I do enjoy Watanabe Shu and Miura Ryosuke’s acting. It was HEARTBREAKING to see them cry. When Ryon says, ‘Why did, you die?’ in just that broken-in-half four syllables I DIED.

I know writing an OOO sequel isn’t easy, given how ‘complete’ in narrative the original ending was. And given how much Shu is involved behind the scenes as well this time, I can better understand why the film is written this way. For an all-star reunion, they must’ve all read and approve of the script. This time Ankh is our pov character and I sense the theme of ‘passing on’ from Eiji to Ankh and I think that’s the direction to go. I think it’s nice for Eiji’s desire to give birth to new Ankh and his growth to be symbolic as Eiji’s legacy. In the later part of the film, when Ankh actually -- finally gets to meet Eiji, that feels authentic, and I’m really moved by the fact that Ankh helps Eiji finishes his wish instead of insisting on doing things the selfish way. Maybe it’s mutual understanding only two so intimate knows. You may also factor in Shu killing off his character Harrison Ford way (affectionate) to break out of the mould as speculation.

Even if you judge it as a toy commercial, it’s nowhere as exciting as HeiGen Final’s combo medley. So I’m gonna take that as my OOO epilogue. Maybe because HeiGenFin has already done what everyone wanted with the pair, this film feels there’s nowhere to go? It’s leaning so hard on parallelism it doesn’t even feel nostalgia bait anymore, it feels like it’s trying to copy the homework.

Plot-wise, 800-OOO is a perfectly sensible villain, but maybe the doomsday setting isn’t quite necessary? He could just come back and terrorize the city on a Tuesday. I mean they didn’t even explained how after all. Not only does it feels like a poor rehash of 555���s film, it was unnecessrily depressive. OOO was an intentionally light series to encourage people in the aftermath of 2011′s earthquake, and although we’ve ‘grown up’ now, that doesn’t equal dark and gritty.

I’m more confused than angry but mostly hurt, I feel more hurt after this or worse, having this replaced the orignial ending. I tend to push this outside my canon but I haven’t made up my mind yet but mostly I just can’t answer my own question of what does this add to the characters. Worse is I think that hurt comes more from my sympathy for the characters and I can feel them being played by this fourth dimension hand of the writer. Only in second place, do I feel hurt as an OOO fan. I did cried a little during several scens, but it felt more like a cognitive response to tear-jerking montage instead of heartfelt pain. I was found more shouting, Why. All in all, even if I haven’t already got the CSM on its initial release, this film is making me reconsider getting one. Because I don’t like the idea that I can’t imagine my faves being happy somewhere. I just don’t see the point in buying a overpriced toy to commeorate that then. Last thing, in the alternate universe where I flew over to Japan to see this, I’m sorry bestie... I would’ve flipped at the movie theater... At least I FINALLY get to meet ShuRyon in-person.

[ajaxwrites]

Genshin Impact Fanfic Rec List

(because this is my most current obsession~~)

The Narwhal of Dihua Marsh by GreyLiliy

Childe hears of a strong Adeptus living at the Wangshu Inn. Despite warnings from Zhongli that fighting Xiao would be a deathly mistake, Childe seeks out the Adeptus living in the Dihua Marsh eager for a proper fight.

However, Childe severely underestimates his opponent, and the consequences of his actions may keep him from returning home to Snezhnaya.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: This fic is interesting primarily because it's not necessarily what you would call an easy story to read. The content can surprisingly get quite heavy as the relationship between Childe and Zhongli isn't healthy and it becomes increasingly obvious as the story progresses. You swing between wanting to separate the two and also desperately wishing that they'll work out because there is something there. The story snowballs from what seems like an innocuous, if stupid and rash, decision on Childe's part to a complicated mess that you can’t help but be enthralled in. I went in expecting your typical romance and ended up in something that was more complex than I expected but also beautifully thought provoking.

Entirely Out of Spite by Bgtea

"Welcome to a new user experience! You have triggered this interface with the keywords, ‘Stupid game! Stupid devs! I want my f*****g money back!’ You are now bound to the character Tartaglia, the Eleventh Harbinger of the Fatui, codename: Childe! We hope you have an enjoyable user experience and we welcome you once again to Genshin Impact 2.0!”

Those are some of the first words Ajax, starving college student extraordinaire, has the misfortune of hearing upon waking up in a brave new world from what he's fairly sure is a very, very fatal accident involving water and a shit ton of electricity.

Okay, so he's not dead. That's good. But what's this about him being stuck playing the character Tartaglia? Tartaglia, as in the shitty, one-dimensional, cartoonish villain who met his untimely, gruesome death in the first act of the original game?

Fuck that noise. Like hell Ajax is going to share that fate.

And so begins one man's journey to unfuck himself.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: Whenever this updates, I squeal. If you’re a fan of The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System or just transmigration/reincarnation plots in general, you’re going to love it. Bgtea does a beautiful job in balancing humor with the trauma that comes with the whole reincarnation plotline. The whole of it is beautiful written and watching Childe/Ajax interact with the other characters (and the perspective of those characters) is a delight! 

the sister by glassdrachma

The tragic and unexpected death of Zhongli-xiansheng of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor occurred to the sorrow of many and the deep skepticism of a few.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: glassdrachma has a gift for humor and romance. In short, Zhongli fakes his death for plot reasons and comes back as Jianlao, the bereaved twin sister. Shenanigans ensue, featuring overprotective Liyue-ians (?), chaotic gremlin Venti, and Kexing. Very light hearted, good for the soul.

The White Cicada Society by clementinesgulag

After his little brother is bundled back to Snezhnaya, Childe makes good on his promise to the traveller and takes the first boat out of Liyue Harbor. Any sense of homecoming lasts about as long as an uncooked steak in front of Xiangling, however, when his boat sinks, grounding him back in the mainland.

It's just as well, because the next morning, a body is found in the Northland Bank. A visit from a fellow Harbinger reveals a far more insidious plot than anything Childe could concoct with a god of the vortex and twenty minutes without supervision. The murders aren’t limited to the one Bank. They’ve been trailing down the Liyue border, getting closer and closer to the city. The Tsaritsa has a new mission for him: to figure out who, or what is targeting Fatui forces.

Against his best wishes, Childe is forced to see Zhongli again at the morgue. It becomes clear that he’s going to need a guide, and Childe resolves to quash his pride, and their differences to request his help to navigate Liyue and solve the case.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: A diamond in the rough that I slept on and then stumbled back to by accident. I had it marked for later on AO3 and forgot about it for like a good week to my utter self-disgust. It. Is. So. Damn. Good! The mystery is intriguing but I live for the realistic portrayal of the aftermath of the whole gnosis plotline. The betrayal, the bitterness, but ah, the sexual tension. The harbinger interactions in this fic make it gold though.

Lungs full of Roses by SecretlyACatLady

Childe had always assumed that he would die young. He had accepted that a long time ago, ever since he accepted the mantle of a Fatui Harbinger. However, he always thought that he would die in a glorious fight, his body broken but spirit relishing the strong opponent that had bested him. He was okay with that type of death.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Fate had decided to add one last insult to injury, because, here Childe was, dying because he had fallen in love with the ex-Geo Archon. The same Archon who seemed to have discarded him like an old toy ever since the Osial Incident. --- In which divine beings are cruel and a cursed Childe starts preparing for his inevitable death because no Archon could ever love a mortal.

…Right?

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: The fic that started it all for me, the one that sucked me into the fandom. This fic is heartbreaking. We always do love a hanahaki plotline but something about the way it frames the disease and the shame that comes with it...I highly recommend giving it a read. The angst is real I tell you.

The Bride of The Golden Dragon by Erika_Bee

“You’re to be sent on a special mission, Tartaglia.”

The young man’s eyes gleamed in interest. “How special?” He asked as he wiped the blood off his daggers.

His superior grinned. “Special enough to put your name in Snezhnaya’s history books.”

—

In which the Archon War ravaged the land of Liyue and to ensure the people’s survival, the God of Geo established the Harvester Contract: One bride per village, every year, in exchange for protection and a good harvest.

Or: Childe is sent on an undercover mission to kill the Geo Archon, but things don’t go as planned.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: Don’t let the title scare you off--this isn’t one of those fics where they feminize one of the male characters and reduce their personality to a mindless submissive bobblehead to the point that I want to throw my laptop out of the window. Not that there’s anything wrong if you like that kind of thing, just not my cup of tea. This fic though---READ IT! There’s just something refreshing about the writing and the plot, the way that Childe’s character reads off the page. I live for the interactions between the characters and how the author has mapped the relationships. Warning that recent chapters have swerved decided into NSFW territory though.

the brothers grim by izabellwit

Left in an unfamiliar land with a mission he never wanted, a young Kaeya lies, survives, and somehow finds a family in the process.

Or: How Kaeya came to Dawn Winery, and why he left it. Includes lore, sibling bickering, found family struggles, and a more in-depth look at the years between Kaeya’s arrival and Crepus’s death.

Ships: N/A

Notes: Ahh, little Kaeya. Cheeky ass little shit that’s too angsty and adorable for his own good. I don’t have words for this fic. It makes my heart warm but also makes me want to weep because god, this fic covers exactly how traumatic Kaeya’s situation is and why child soldiers/spies just shouldn’t be. And the dynamic he has with Diluc and Crepus--do me a favor and read it. Screams found family.

the wind through the mountain tops by glassdrachma

Boredom brings Barbatos of Mondstadt to bother a certain ex-Archon of the Earth.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: A light-hearted, humorous and fluffy as hell piece. Short word is that Venti comes to Liyue for some fun, causes chaos, accidentally plays matchmaker, and steals some vegetables. A get-together fic for Childe and Zhongli that includes a surprisingly self-aware (if blunt and snarky) Zhongli and jealous Childe that gets increasingly flustered.

melt (speak or forever hold your peace) by anatakana

Falling into bed with Diluc was an unbelievably bad idea given their tumultuous shared history, but Kaeya’s impulsive urge to amuse himself knew no bounds.

It’s all fun and games until emotions got involved.

Ships: Diluc/Kaeya

Notes: THIS IS NSFW. With plot though? This is THE FIC that got me shipping the two (though the game did a good job on its own). The angst is real here and we love the sheer gal of both of these two stupid men.

Cascading (In a good way) by Hubbleablubble

Kaeya is a fascinating annoyance.

(Or: A series of events in which Albedo gets to know Kaeya, and they slowly go from strangers to acquaintances to something more.)

Ships: Albedo/Kaeya

Notes: Sweet fic. Not my typical ship pairing. Loved the Khaenri’ah mentions. Kaeya is Trans FTM here though it’s only briefly mentioned. There is also an incomplete sequel (as of May 2021) featuring an Overprotective Big Brother Diluc on a warpath giving shovel talks to everyone except apparently Albedo that’s also worth reading.

The Language of Flowers by Jules (Penwyn)

Kaeya Alberich has made a habit of lying—after all, the only truths he’s ever spoken cost him everything—but there are only so many lies a man can tell before the truth comes spilling out.

Ships: Diluc/Kaeya

Notes: Hanahaki! Except not! Basically, Kaeya pukes up flowers that say the truth whenever he lies. Cue, angst! Lovely and quick read--love Kaeya’s voice here.

i know i'm where i'm meant to go by paperclips (pastel_paperclips)

"Childe," Zhongli says suddenly. "I am enjoying myself greatly."

Childe’s face breaks into a grin. "Then-"

Zhongli gasps, grabbing his wrist and tugging him over to an unsuspecting peddler with a cart full of rocks. "Is that an intrusive igneous pegmatite formed in the Inazuma regions?"

Childe’s grin smooths into a small, adoring smile. He has all the time in the world to figure the other man out.

OR: Finding the Geo Archon is on Childe's to-do list but hanging out with Zhongli is significantly more fun.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: Childe, you idiot. Humorous and funny, very light hearted. Makes you wonder if Childe has an IQ. He’s too busy pining/lovesick to realize that he told his target that he’s going to kill him for his gnosis. Zhongli and Liyue remain confused on how Childe still DOES NOT get it but half-ass hiding his Archon status anyway.

the bird without wings by Anonymous

"Kaeya!" someone yells. Small arms wrap around his waist tightly, red hair spilling out of the ponytail, and Kaeya's heart almost stops.

He's talked his way out of all types of situations. From placating international disputes to buttering up his informants, he's always had a quick response to everything.

But for once, Kaeya is speechless. He stares down at the boy with puffy cheeks, slightly crooked teeth and sparkling bright eyes.

Eight year old Diluc beams back.

Ships: Diluc/Kaeya

Notes: Diluc gets de-aged and Kaeya gets angsty. The interactions between the two are heartwarming and will induce tears. Childe makes a brief appearence that *chef’s kiss*

call me "lover boy" by Anonymous

Zhongli turns back, eyes bright with amusement, a stray lilypad still stuck in his hair, and Childe thinks, wow. I want to kiss him stupid.

Childe's not into the whole "swooning maiden patiently waiting for his beloved to swoop down and smooch the daylights out of him" thing. Nah, that's not his style. He's Tartaglia, eleventh of the Fatui harbingers, and he's going to kiss Zhongli right now.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: FUNNY AS HELL. Childe is straight up just trying to plant one on Zhongli but fate and people just keep interfering. It’s a weird trope aversion where the character is actively trying to confess rather than avoiding it but life gets in the way. 

springtime in snezh-nya-ya by miaomaomei

Tartaglia’s body moves before he can even think about it. He arches his back and flattens his ears against his head, baring his teeth in a hiss. Considering he barely even reaches Scaramouche's knees — Scaramouche, of all people! The guy is practically the size of a fourteen-year-old — he doubts that he is cutting as imposing a figure as he hopes.

It isn't a surprise, though. No one could become a Fatui Harbinger if they were scared of a little cat.

OR

Tartaglia is turned into a cat and he goes to Zhongli for help. It goes about as well as expected.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: TOO ADORABLE FOR WORDS. This is just pure fluff I swear. Love how Childe is written and the interactions between the two are just ahhhh. A balm on the soul.

Melt by tanktrilby

“My name is Diluc,” he says. A scowl naturally furrows his brow, and Kaeya looks like he wants to laugh.

He’s looking at him through his lashes again, blue eyes teasing and warm. “Diluc,” he says. “A knight in overalls isn’t quite where I thought my preferences would lie, but here we are.”

(or: Kaeya loses his memories and makes some assumptions. Diluc can't honestly tell him that he's wrong.)

Ships: Diluc/Kaeya

Notes: As the summary says, Kaeya loses his memories. Diluc plays babysitter for plot reasons. Meanwhile, Kaeya freaks out and has an essential crisis because his instincts freak him out which = angst. Simultaneously, sort of love confessions? 

you are cordially invited by ktenologious

When the Traveler receives a mysterious invitation from a Snezhnayan businessman, they seek out help from the only Snezhnayan they are on good terms with. They decide it is a wonderful idea to go to this business party in the middle of the ocean because, well, what could be better entertainment than watching a Fatui Harbinger at work? It is too bad Childe couldn't come with them...

Meanwhile, the Tsaritsa needs someone to track down the source of a brand new drug at a party on a cruise; it just so happens that she has two Harbingers who specialize in causing chaos and sinking ships. Scaramouche is a sadist and loves this, and Tartaglia... Well, Tartaglia just wants to know why is he the one in the dress again.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe, sort of Diluc/Kaeya & Scaramouche/Childe

Notes: Features a crossdressing Childe and Kaeya for plot reasons. Funny as hell. Love Fatui dynamics/interactions. Highly recommend. Go read it. I’m serious. It’s so beautiful, I can’t. Also Zhongli is so love-sick and jealous, it’s hilarious.

The Road to Snezhnaya by paranoid_fridge

Everything's done and over. Now, Zhongli only needs to adjust to living like an ordinary mortal. Or that is what he thinks until a familiar face shows up in Liyue. Teucer comes looking for his brother who failed to return to Snezhnaya on the Fatui ships. And as Childe's declared "friend", Zhongli must help Teucer find him.

Or: Teucer drags Zhongli on a cross-country goose chase looking for Childe. Zhongli just happens to find a bit more along the way.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: I have no words for this fic outside of the fact that it is clear that Teucer has the only functioning brain and should be Best Man because he obviously did all the work here. Features an oblivious Childe and overprotective Zhongli, plus bystander Kaeya that is getting allll of the gossip. And also the most destructive group of children ever.

basket of knives by oronine

“I just want to be loved,” Childe says to himself, to whoever is listening. “Is that too much to ask?”

They are on the roof once more, this time Childe’s foot touches the edge of the building as he daydreams of something that cannot be. The sky is blank and cloudy and perhaps Lumine fears it’ll all end when he takes a step.

“Not at all,” she says. It’s still the truth.

Contrary to popular belief, Childe hates his family but loves them all the same.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: TW for suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self-harm, depression, etc. Not a light read by any definition. Set in a modern AU, not in the genshin impact universe. Features a Childe that is Not Okay, good friend but also probably traumatized friend Lumine (and her brother Aether), and Zhongli. Family dynamic is messed up as hell and explores mental health quite well in my opinion. I’m not sure how healthy necessarily Childe’s relationships are but I think that’s a given considering the context and how derailed his mental health is in this fic. Definitely angst as heavy, made me tear up quite a bit. Read, but pay attention to the content/trigger warnings as it does get quite explicit.

Bane of All Evil by tzitzimeme

When Chongyun unintentionally offends Liyue's second most powerful adepti, he vows to mend the thorny relationship between Adeptus Xiao and human exorcists-- even though no one has succeeded in currying Xiao's favor for over a thousand years.

His best friend Xingqiu offers to come alone, mainly because he's worried about what kind of trouble Chongyun will run into. Along the way, they receive help from others: Xiangling packs them meals for their journeys, while Zhongli gives them advice on what demons to track.

Childe is just there because he thinks the whole thing is hilarious.

Ships: Chongyun/Xinqiu

Notes: JFKLFJS I LOVE THIS. I love Chongyun’s characterization and the interaction between all the characters. The dynamic between Chongyun, Xingqiu, and Xiangling are to die for. Also, this line: “Stuck-up Persnickety Bastard.” Random note but Xiao throws Chongyun off a balcony yet is also 100% a softie.

Talks about Nothing by tzitzimeme

In which Zhongli unlocks the Memory of Dust, only to find out:

1. Guizhong is 100% alive (just disembodied) within it, 2. Guizhong has been watching over him this whole time, and 3. Guizhong is very excited by the prospect of Zhongli getting a cute Snezhnayan boyfriend.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe, Venti/Xiao

Notes: The pure judgment that Guizhong unleashes on Zhongli (as well as her sass in general) is pure comedic gold. The dynamic between Xiao and Venti are also adorable. Meanwhile, Childe misunderstands and also just wants to know what the fuck is going on.

xi wangmu by tzitzimeme

Xiangling scales entire mountains to satisfy the palettes of her two pickiest customers.

(Or, two men who are emotionally stunted by their own immortality inadvertantly turn an overly enthusiastic chef into their messenger pigeon.)

Ships: Zhongli/Xiao (?)

Notes: Not sure if it reads romantic exactly, can definitely be read as platonic. The fic boils down to Xiangling trying to expose Xiao to variety because just eating plain almond tofu is a no no. Zhongli gives advice/uses Xiangling as a messenger pigeon. Backstory is explored!

Falling (Fallen) by asinglecrow

It’s only when Childe finds himself in front of Zhongli, a spear protruding from his stomach, that he thinks oh I might have fucked up.

Or: The worst (best) day of Childe's life.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: Funny and lighthearted! Gets sort of NSFW with passing mention of mpreg but otherwise, it’s just pure humor/fluff. Get-together fic featuring deadpan dragon Zhongli and Childe that is just done with everything. 

the louvre by morisuke

Here in Liyue, the air is filled with the ocean, and the sun shines through the mountains like it’s flowing through a crack in the sky. Here in Liyue, there is a man with no wallet at a vending machine that is going to waste the rest of his day showing a stranger around their school campus for a pocket sized can of iced coffee.

It’s interesting here in Liyue, Childe thinks.

or

Where Childe flirts with a stranger at a campus vending machine.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: Set in a modern/college AU. This is a relatively quiet, soft kind of story. Childe comes to Liyue because reasons and falls in love quietly. It’s more of a snippet of life type of fic that’s sweet and peaceful. Love the change that comes over Childe as he finds a home.