#i think mine's the first post about this ship here on tumblr

[expectiations]

the pain of finding myself supporting a rare pair ship and the number of fics are only thirty-seven T_T

is this it? is this the catalyst that will prompt me to put in the work to finish my WIPs?

[laurellala-comics]

I've been having so much fun with my Ace Attorney comics lately but I've been feeling the pull to do original stuff again. So to ease into the transition, here is my (very first!) comedy zine. You may spot some familiar faces B)

Thanks for reading my goofiness! I'm including some nerd thoughts about zines under the cut

Zines are sooo cool and I assume most people have heard of them since this is tumblr BUT if you haven't! Zine is short for magazine (pronounced "zeen" it does not rhyme with vine). It usually refers to handmade pamphlets that can be created by folding and cutting a single sheet of paper, which is what I did, but it can be used for any sort of self made publication. The goal is to make something that can be reprinted and shared so mine is technically not in the spirit of that because of all my little interactive details but shh that's fine. Zines have been used in sooo many ways (Was Martin Luther's 95 theses not in a way the first zine (this is a joke)) but they are especially recognized as part of the punk movement as a way of fighting back against mainstream media and of sharing information around! It was a way to get around censorship and spread the word about social movements and political messages buuuut it has also always been used to share fun things, like music recommendations OR FAMOUSLY. STAR TREK SPOCK KIRK FAN FICTION (this is real and there are academic papers about this). Some of the earliest m/m fanfic was passed along through zines because they did not have ao3 back then! All they had was a typewriter and a dream! It's actually sooo silly, but I took a class in college that heavily emphasized these zines as leading to the fandom culture we had today, so they really did shape the world we live in today. Tumblr posts are like our own little zines that we share, with our own messages and thoughts and yes even hand drawn gay people...

Anyway, like I mentioned, in these fandom spaces you had queer zines that were about explicitly romantic and sexual relationships between fictional men. At the time, slash shipping was not the most common way to engage with fandom, but today it has become very mainstream and widely accepted amongst the fandom. But you know what queer behaviors are still not mainstream within fandom spaces, even within queer fandom spaces? Aro ace rep babyyyy. With that in mind, I feel like what is considered radical and abnormal these days in queer fandom spaces is to engage with fictional men (or any characters) from an aromantic or asexual lens. And so I am here to hold your hand and walk you through the wonderful radical world of imagining non-romantic scenarios with fictional guys. You can have so much fun with it and I think more people should do it. What if you stood in line at the bank and your favorite anime man was in front of you. What if you had to go in for jury duty and the guy from five nights at freddy's was there. What if you went to the library and spock and kirk were both there researching the history of zines. In a world that expects us to prioritize one normative romantic and sexual relationship as the big thing that will bring you happiness and fulfillment, it is radical to say "actually, i could probably still be really happy and fulfilled if i had some cool friends to hang out with and do mundane things with. And also what if those friends were fictional lawyers."

Anyway. Thank you to all the spirk shippers who worked hard to get us here, I will pick up your mantle and continue to push against societal norms but with fewer sex scenes this time around. Not that you aren't valid for that, this is just personal preference. The end. Go make a zine everybody.

[gloster]

FAVORITE FANFICS OF 2024

2024 is/will/already over....and dear gosh, this year really kicked my butt. Drained me dry. Did a number on me mentally, emotionally, and even my wallet took too many hits. But I live to see another day & enter another year.

As always, the things helped me get through this year was friends both fandom & IRL, good movies, good shows, good music from familiar favs with new albums to KPOP, and of course FANFICS.

Every year fanfic writers both familiar & new to me blow me away with their talent, their writing, their brilliance. And every year I always do this traditional post to give them their flowers. Hence, the reason for this sweet lil' post of mine.

This is a little Tumblr tradition I've been doing now for a whooping 6 years & I look forward to it every time. It's my own favorite of fanfic rec lists. I did ones for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, & 2023 if you're interested.

Without further ado, here are my favs.

1). however wild by @sayesayes & @noxarcanaart (steddie)

Summary: Prince Steve has always been told to stay out of the forest. And he does… when he’s awake.

This story 🖤this story🖤 this story 🖤this story 🖤 This beautiful, beautiful, incredibly addicting dark jewel is the reason why I was sucked into the steddie fandom- the amazingness that is this story, the beautiful fanart done by @noxarcanaart, & my bestie @dreamydrarry who was determined to pull me into the steddie ship b/c she needed a friend to gush with.

Fun fact. I saved this story on my marked for later for my friend @dreamydrarry b/c this story sounded right up her alley. However, I was too intrigued, particularly thanks to the key word: fae. I love fae. That's one of my magical creatures to read about in fantasy, so whenever I see it mentioned in a story, I have to read. For this one, I decided to read it. And I've never been the same again.

This story was just a masterpiece. A pure masterpiece from beginning to end, living rent-free in my head where I keep thinking about it, Prince Steve being so gentle & brave, fae-Eddie being wicked one second and so devoted the next.

I purposefully delayed my reading because I didn't want it to end. And once I finished, I immediately hopped on to see what other steddie stories @sayesayes had.

Honorable mentions:

genius loci

Flight Risk

locust year

(there is) thunder in our hearts

girlskin

too good to be true

daddy talk series

2). you might have some bruises (and a few scars) by @newtonsheffield (kathony/kanthony)

Summary: Matrimony- Gentleman, 27, seeking eligible lady. Respectable income made from farming livestock and barley in Aubrey, Kent. Gentleman lives with, and provides for six younger siblings and is seeking a wife who would tend to their care and education first and foremost. Family is very important and as such would be willing to provide a living for the lady’s family should this be required. Please send responses through Mrs M Williams, Aubrey village. -Mr A E Bridgerton

OR

Dear Mr Bridgerton, I hope this letter finds both you and your family well as I know the end of Winter tends to lend itself to small children finding themselves unwell. I am writing with regards to the advertisement I noted in the newspaper this past Sunday. I am six and twenty and reside in Somerset, where I grew up, with my mother.

OR

Anthony is a handsome farmer in need of a mother for his younger siblings and no time for courting

OR

The marriage of convenience AU no one needed

Once upon a time, I used to despise marriage being used as a trope in stories from arranged marriages to marriages of convenience. As usual- fanfics came along and completely changed my mind. This story is an example of that. This story also made me more open-minded to farming and farmers in stories, which I never thought of before until I stumbled across this story.

@newtonsheffieldis that writer, especially for the kathony/kanthony fandom, feeding us well with the content and love the damn show refuses to give our favs.

Just when I think I can't love Kate & Anthony anymore, this story deepened my love 100000x fold.

Honorable mentions:

Cupboards

(I feel) the lavender haze creeping up on me

3). I know I've kissed you before (Can I try again) by @transmascsteveharrington (steddie)

Summary: “Still not graduated, Harrington?”

It’s something Eddie would have said teasingly when they were teens. Steve would have smacked him on the shoulder, affectionately calling him an asshole before being pulled into an apologetic kiss. But they are not teenagers anymore and Eddie’s voice lacks any of the warmth that used to be reserved for Steve. Now, it’s just loaded with resentment, which, yeah, is a fair reaction.

“I…eh…work here now,” Steve says lamely and points at his office door. “Guidance counselor.”

or: 14 years after his first big heartbreak, Steve's life is relatively stable. It's been two years since the tragic incident that led to him becoming Dustin's guardian, both of them slowly healing. He is doing amazing at his job and his social life is great. Of course, that's when a person from Steve's past has to come and shake everything up.

OH. MY. GOSH. THIS STORY-THIS STORY-THIS STORY-THIS STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best way I can describe this story is the famous Lady Gaga meme: talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it.

Second chance romance is incredibly hard to do, which many try (particularly published authors) and very few can pull off. This story did it well where my heart was lifted, speared, crushed, sewed-up, & melted in an orderly fashion.

4). Living The Unknown Dream by @blushweddinggowns (steddie)

Summary: “How are you feeling?” Steve asked, all wide-eyed and caring.

Eddie gaped at him, fully aware that his entire face must be red. He was trying to form words, he really was, but Steve single handedly put the brakes on that.

Why was Steve Harrington holding his hand? Why was Steve Harrington calling him baby ?

Why did he kiss him, like it was the most natural thing in the world?

Only fanfic writers. Only fanfic writers can take tropes that usually don't tend to stick and turn them into brilliant stories. Amnesia trope is one I've grown to loathe after getting burnt- and incredibly frustrated by it- too many times in other stories. But with this one, I was too intrigued and oh how I fell. Oh how I was proven wrong. And I'm so happy for it.

Yet another story that just deepened my love for a ship that I already carried such deep love for, but then this story came along and it increased 1000000000x.

5). The Yellow Tulips of Texas by @folklauerate (kathony/kanthony)

Summary: Kate runs into a store to get out of the rain, and runs right into a southern gentleman.

(or Texas!Anthony and New Yorker!Kate fall in love)

“You should go,” He says, drawl somehow even stronger now, or is she imagining it? “Most beautiful place on God’s green earth.”

She snorts.

“You laugh now, but just you wait,” He says. “You’ll see, one day.”

“What makes you so sure I’ll go to Texas?”

She has a feeling she knows why he’s so sure, but she asks anyway.

He grins at her.

“A man just knows these things, honey.”

For y'all who didn't think you couldn't be anymore thirsty for Mr. Anthony Bridgerton/ Jonathon Bailey, BEHOLD *presents story in full gusto*. Be Prepared. This story will make you perch for him because 🥵🥵🥵

I do not care for age gap romances. I really don't. Most of what I read usually rub me the wrong way, but the way this one was done, I was greatly impressed. Partially because of their ages where Kate is in her mid-20s & Anthony in his 40s, which isn't too bad. Partially because the writer just knows their stuff and makes magic.

It's because of this story I started hunting for more age-gap romances.

Honorable mentions:

lost in your current like a priceless wine

The MILF in 2B

6). Come Away with Me by FloralUmbrella (kathony/kanthony)

Summary: Anthony and Kate whisk away on their honeymoon. An exploration into the world of intimacy and marriage ensues.

If you are like me, you weren't that particularly impressed with season 3 of Bridgerton for a number of reasons. Including the very very limited scenes of kathony/kanthony, and lack of attention they were given both on-and-off screen.

It's time like this when fanfic writers come through & deliver the content we so desperately need. This story gives us the honeymoon period we were denied in the show, where we see our fav just fall deeper and deeper in love while also learning more about each other.

7). When You Kiss Me (What A Lovely Way To Burn) by @femmequixotic (drarry)

Summary: A drag fairytale of New York in which Draco wears red lipstick and Potter can’t get enough.

An oldie but such a good good goodie. Listen I will always advocate for older fanfics and giving them a chance because you can find some good treasures.

Nothing is more better than going to a story you've been saving forever and it ending up being so much better than expected. Confident Draco in drag, trying to bury the ghosts of his past. Harry stumbling across his club and needing an escape. It's so so so so good.

8). The Librarian by library_fireplace (drarry)

Summary: Draco Malfoy is a reference librarian at a small branch of Britain's wizarding public library system. Harry Potter needs help finding the romance section.

~*~

“Malfoy,” Potter said, slowly. “When did you read The Dragon Tamer?”

Draco felt himself turning pink, and then red. He hadn’t meant to give himself away quite that much, but he also knew that Potter suspected him of following his reading history. He had been found out for his snooping. “I —“ he stuttered embarrassingly, and wanted to melt away into the floor behind the desk. “A few weeks ago, now.”

“And how many romances had you read before that?” Potter pressed, now smirking again, knowingly this time, leaning forward with his arms crossed on the desk. Draco felt himself break out in a shiver that he hoped wouldn’t turn into a sweat.

“Er… None, I’m afraid,” he found himself admitting, even though he had really meant to lie.

“Draco,” Potter smiled. “Did you read it just because I had read it?”

Draco scoffed audibly, but very unconvincingly. “No!”

“I think you did.”

Books have the power to bring people together, even helping old rivals find common ground- and more- within the wonders that lay in their pages. Including some good old smutty smutty.

It's a tale as old as time. Stuffy librarian who believes in "fine literature" A hardcore, shameless romance reader who loves their smut and isn't afraid to show it. This story already was promising featuring Draco as a librarian who has a perfect system for organizing his books. But having Harry be a romance reader whose big stack intrigues Draco into reading, having him fall hard...it's PRICELESS.

9). blood is an aphrodisiac by @cuips-not-cute (steddie)

Summary: There’s a few things Eddie notices when he wakes up.

One, he bites his tongue. It hurts. Of course. The weird thing, though, is he doesn’t taste blood. But he knows he bit it hard and it’s throbbing behind his teeth. He tastes something, and his mouth feels wet but there’s no metallic flavor (metal. He likes metal. He’s remembering). It’s smoother. More earthy.

Two. He’s alone. Completely. No Dustin. Or Robin or Nancy or Steve or anyone.

Three. He’s sore. His whole body aches, his skin is thrumming with it. His neck especially, and his sides like where Steve was bitten, too.

Four. He’s got to blink a couple times to realize this one. Let his eyes adjust from the pitch black of being closed to the dim blue haze of the Upside Down. Yeah, that’s what he realizes. He’s still there.

Five. He’s fuckin’ starving.

In which Eddie wakes up with sharp teeth, Steve has a thing for tongue piercings, and it takes a while for them to figure out what all of that means.

I'm convinced this story was the starter behind the vampire/kas!Eddie fanart I be seeing. Like everytime I see vampire Eddie, I think of this story and the biggest smile spread across my face.

I binged this story. I read it in one sitting-and immediately wanted to go back to the beginning to read all over again. This story felt like one of those urban fantasies, where it's modern day, vampires exist, but they're integrated into modern world. Also despite the fangs and the blood thrist, vampirism has very little to do with the plot and is a stepping stone for these two getting together.

I just how Steve wasn't at all shy about his attraction and just want with it. Meanwhile Eddie is just like 😨🤯😶 I LOVE IT.

Honorable mention:

he could be brave

blinking red light

10). The Stutter and The Freak series by @lexirosewrites (steddie)

Summary: The Hellfire Club can collectively pinpoint the exact day that the formerly ruthless dungeon master known as Eddie “The Freak” Munson became soft. Mostly because it was the same day that Steve “The Stutter” Harrington started school at Hawkins High and became an unofficial member of HFC.

If there's another fanfic writer whose profile I've been devouring, it would be @lexirosewrites. And each one, I get more and more hooked. They have so many stories that I really adored, including the first honorable mentioned that tied with this one for top fav. But there's something about this one that gets me every time.

This one, Steve is such a sweet baby boy who deserved to be protected and Eddie immediately is like, BET, I accept that challenge. Quickly Steve is taken under Dustin's wing, taken into the Hellfire Club, and immediately captures Eddie's heart.

It's a comfort read.

Honorable mentions:

my heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue

Silver

Bandaids for the Heart

And now for the Honorable Mentions that were insanely good but due to time & length, couldn’t go into full depth:

Love You Like A Love Song series by eyesofshinigami (steddie; omegaverse steddie w/alpha Steve & omega Eddie, dissolving and switching norms in the ABO on its head, being so sappily in love)

awake for ever in a sweet unrest: california trail steddie by hesjustlikemefr (steddie; California trail, mid-1800s, alpha Eddie x omega Steve, mpreg, age gap w/older Eddie)

Nice & Quiet by nobetterlove (steddie; hard of hearing Steve, Steve slowly losing his hearing, Eddie & the gang helping him all the way)

you're mine, class president by orphan account (tododeku; based on the anime maid sama ft. flirtious shouto x shy izuku, peppered with so much cuteness)

For the Love of Football by olddarkmachine (sheith; football player shiro x loner-keith set in a 4-part college AU that's so much fun)

Hic sunt dracones by @just-my-latest-hyperfixation (steddie; fated mates w/dragon Eddie & prince Steve, delivered with such beautiful devotion and possessiveness that I gobbled up)

There you have it, folks. The fanfics that live rent-free in my head. The fanfics that helped make this year bearable. Done by the amazing writers who deserve all the praise, love, kudos, comments, and more. And whom I definitely will be checking out their future stuff in the future.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

[patron-saints]

the official beginner's guide to olizumi

so! you're a fan of fma or maybe a friend of mine, and you're interested in learning more about the relationship between olivier mira armstrong and izumi curtis! great, you've come to exactly the right place.

if it's been a while since you've seen fma:b, or if you've never seen it and don't mind watching some scenes from the final arc, i recommend getting started with my compilation:

(original video post here)

when i first watched fma:b back in march 2023, i thought i would manage to watch the entire thing without getting obsessed with a wlw ship. i was wrong. the second these two started interacting i immediately became enamored with the trust, respect, and intimacy that they share, and with the way they seemed to find in each other the same steely spirit, grit, and inner sense of self. their ability to communicate their philosophies, despite their differences, and listen to each other with ease and tenderness just. GOT ME. they got me.

get ready for SO MUCH MORE under the cut:

(i was lucky enough to have a chance to draw up a little list of most of my headcanons about them, which can be found here! the most important of which i'd say are that i write them as t4t, and olivier as a stone top!)

if you're convinced of their chemistry just from that, great, my job here is done! but if you don't believe me yet, or you want a little more, it would be my honor to point you in the direction of the first ever fic i wrote for them, "recognition." (tumblr post for chapter 1 here!)

"recognition" can best be described as a 4 chapter old woman yaoi where (almost) nothing happens and two milves fall in love. or if you like, sorry izumi, two very young women navigate the beginnings of a long distance relationship, polyamory, workaholism, and chronic illness. it is sickeningly fluffy, and to date the longest thing i've ever published.

it even comes with an illustration! @wlwsakura did THIS for me:

(original post here) which i will never be over not in one million years!

AND it also comes with a whole entire soundtrack, made by myself and my dearest friend @summerwoodsmoke! kinda a folksy gentle, very sappy vibe. i still listen to it all the time! alex picked some bangers tbh.

for the very first @fma-rareships event, i wrote two little ficlets set in the world of "recognition," which are here and here!

if you're keeping track so far, that's a compilation, a headcanon list, a fic(+ficlets), a commission, and a playlist. but wait, there's more!

so, okay, maybe 23k is too long for you. or maybe fluff isn't your thing. or maybe, somehow, you've made it through all that and you want more. not to worry. i have more.

just this week, i posted "bone deep" (tumblr post here), which is a 5k E rated omegaverse fic that's kind of like recognition on fastforward and if i didn't cut out the sex scenes. and if it was omegaverse. it's the first omega thing i've ever written, but i really wanted a chance to write more in depth about how i see olivier's stone identity, and weirdly this setting gave me the chance to do that!

and now we've covered everything i've made for them...so far. but i want to give a shout out to some others in the rarepairs mines with me, because i'm not the only one who care them!

@machinerismsx's fic "An Open Invitation" is genuinely incredible. it's hilariously funny (there's lines in there i still think about and giggle), and also like. super hot. we didn't know anything about each other's fic projects til after i posted "recognition," but we were stunned to realize we'd written a lot of the exact same plot points, including what i refer to as The Curtis-Armstrong Alliance.

you may have noticed that in my compilation, sig and alex also had like, off the charts chemistry. m and i noticed that too! so in both of our fics, while sig and izumi are still married, they are also each get an armstrong all to themselves, lol.

which brings me to @eggos-esper! my brother-in-arms who is out here as the reigning champ of sigalex! (& you can read the sigalex fic i wrote for him on ao3 here ((or see the tumblr post here!)))

but maybe you're nostalgic for youth. or you like epistolary fics. or maybe you, like me, are deeply obsessed with the miniep "tale of the teacher." if that's you, PLEASE PLEASE check out @baudleaires's fic "Notes from Briggs" it is the cutest thing on planet earth and it had me kicking and squealing the entire time.

maybe you want more art! there's more art!

@iztopher did this one for my birthday and it made me actually scream and then weep:

and @wlwsakura's first piece of them is what made me commission her in the first place:

it's still the photo for one of the groupchats i'm in. it rules.

also, while they're not on tumblr atm, i could not bear to make this list without acknowledging @chillingoose, who is one of my dearest friends and who has come up with some truly stunning things for olizumi as well.

and! and! also @littlebear1537! who loves briggs more than anyone else in the universe!

if i managed to miss anything, my olizumi tag is here! there's not a ton in it at the moment, but there are some jokes, like this one by @heavenlyshadowhunter:

:D

i would LOVE to add more to that tag by any means possible, so if you make anything for olizumi, PLEASE tag me in it! i am also going to work on setting up @olizumi as more of a proper archive too! (edit: i did it! it’s a real blog now!)

thank you so much for reading this incredibly long post, and for giving my girls a chance! <3!

[immaculatemadonna23]

It's Innocence's birthday and I really didn't have the slightest idea what to draw for her. I've always considered myself more of a writer type but maybe a little fic or two here on tumblr wouldn't hurt. So to accompany this simple post I'll give you some little facts about her <3

• She is 1:45 tall, she could be said to be 4'9, she is shorter than Ivy Pepper.

•  She likes to have long conversations with the pigeons that perch on her window in her small room.

•  She has undiagnosed Asperger's, at that time there was still no name for autism spectrum disorder grade one. (That's one of the few things she got from me.)

•  It is obvious that she is Catholic, she would probably get along a bit with Nina. There was a time when she thought about becoming a novice but the world of American shows caught her attention more.

•She is asexual but she wants her own baby.

•  Her father's real name is Antonio Lunanova (I changed the origin of the surname a little) a Spanish man of Sicilian descent, albino, cigar fanatic and captain of merchant ships. He does not know that he has a daughter but he suspects that paying for Keiko's services without protection could have had its consequences.

• If she were a modern girl, she would have a fixation on the magical girl genre Mahou Shoujo and shoujo in general.

• She came to America in October 1923, met Rocky at a train station when she was 14 and he was 17, becoming traveling and wandering companions. This being an Au, things change a little but most everything stays the same.

• As we know, she has feelings for Rocky since she met him but he doesn't see her as anything more than a little sister or someone who gives him the closest thing to "motherly concern" and "having Calvin around." He doesn't really notice her until 1927 when she is about to turn 19, but he has always appreciated her.

• She has a very good relationship with Viktor, she likes to ask him for favors and she thinks she bothers him a lot but he doesn't really care, he doesn't find her scandalous.

•She has a collection of not so ugly sweaters and cardigans that Mrs. Bapka makes for her, in exchange for living with her for free she does the housework for her and prevents her from throwing food in the pipe.

• She doesn't have a good knowledge of the underworld, to her Rocky is just a musician in a cafe, Calvin is the guy who comes to fix the pipe, Ivy is that archetype of girI she would like to be and Viktor is her kind tall neighbor with a cool accent. Her first contact with the criminal world as such is having been hired by Asa to do small singing shows at the Marigold Room because of how exotic she seemed to him, they have a good relationship, but she doesn't really know much about him. Maybe i can dig deeper into that later.

• If she were a dog (Lackadogs xD) she would be a toy poodle, and if she were another non-domestic animal she would be a lamb. I like to lower her ears a lot because it reminds me of little lambs.

• Her favorite series would probably be Wallace and Gromit.

•And Her favorite tale of all the time is the Little Mermaid by Andersen.

•She adores the people with black and blonde hair.

•She would have loved Malice Mizer, Mecano, Metallica, Madonna, Mitski and My Chemical Romance (And more things but without M Caravan Palace... The musical tastes are mine too).

•I could say that the flower that most symbolizes her is the white poinsettia.

•Her voice/singing claim Is Adriana Caselotti in the Snow White movie and in spanish is Amparo Garrido and Lupita Pérez Arias for her singing claim. (from the 1964 mexican dub of Snow White of course.)

[aachria]

sooooooo lemme get this straight, coin has had ***SEX*** with THE KING OF THE **FUCKING** PIRATES AND HIS *FIRST* **FUCKING** MATE?! sigh... coin you actually slut/nm also, I personal head cannon of mine that I'd thought I'd share bc Im IGNORING CANON is that boa doesnt see Luffy as a love interest BUT INSTEAD AS HER SON, so she would try and make him like 'prince of the pirates'. I did see a post on Tumblr once that was like this but idk who the user is. ALSO ANOTHER HEAD CANON that will fucking ruin everyone's perception... ever since it was revealed that coin and Ed were Canadian, I did not hear them as like scott pilgrim Canadian. NO I MEAN FULL ON 'oh! good day to you oh, nice weather oh, here take 10 quid for your travels oh!' IM TALKING MOTHER FUCKING APOLOGIZING FOR EVERYTHING AND AND SAYING 'eh, oh, right'!! >:D

Look me dead in the eyes and tell me you wouldn't jump both of their bones if you spent every day confined to the same ship with those fine ass men. And don't you DARE lie to me.

The Boa seeing Luffy as her son take is interesting, and I definitely know which post you're talking about (I am NOT going and looking for it I do NOT have the time rn), idk if I will stray down that path tho.

I don't think I've ever had someone use Scott Pilgrim as their stereotypical Canadian accent example. Like yeah ik it's set in Toronto and Michael Cera is from Ontario so it's absolutely correct (and now that I think of it totally how I talk isn't it) but that's never been someone's go-to in any conversations I've had. (Might just be a me thing tho tbh. It's probs a lot of people's go-to.)

And babe. The sentence you just used. What the fuck was that. I expected some level of 'oh hey there bud, nice weather eh, wanna hit the Timmies? Ten minute walk I've got the toonies, no worries' ofc but good day to you? Quid??? Why are there so many oh's?????? Please what Canadians are you talking to???

To be fair, we already have the eh's and the right's and the sorry's with Ed because I write them how I talk even if you don't super pick up on it. Even the leaving the first word out of some sentences, like saying 'you ok?" instead of 'are you ok?' is an accent thing I Did Not Know I did until I was writing dialogue how I fucking speak. Wild.

Counter suggestion: just imagine them talking like Shoresy. The sheer incomprehensibility of them speaking like they're right outta Letterkenny.

(This is a joke and Ed does have a more Toronto-y accent but how much worse will you feel if I say Coin absolutely has Québécois family and that's just something you'll have to live with.)

[pinkyjulien]

I really, really hate the "Female V is canon" vs "Male V is canon" debate that been popping here and here in the tags those past weeks

Cyberpunk 2077 is a Role Playing Game, there is no "canon" protagonist, that's the whole point. We all have a different playstyles, different stories and headcanons, our custom V is The Canon V of Our Own playthroughs!

After Phantom Liberty dropped, I've seen a lot of players, on Tumblr or Twitter, voicing their concerne and disappointment in how much more Female V focused the official promo, videos and even in-game credits became

I was one of them too, expressing my feelings multiple times, sometimes awkwardly, frustrated that Male V players were once again brushed to the side, because that's how it feels like, right?

Well, it might feels like it, but this isn't the case AT ALL, far from it. This is only what I would call a "Fandom Phenomenon" and I want to talk more about it a bit

I had a great conversation with a friend of mine who works in the game industry and it opened my eyes on the matter, and I've since been really interested in seeing RPGs statistics!

Because it's really, really important to make the difference between the Casual Player Base (majority of players) and the Fans / Fandom Base (minority of players)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I always been lurking in fandoms here on Tumblr, since Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and now with Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur's Gate 3

First I want to drop some stats- might be completly wrong, but I'm only sharing my point of view here, in an attempt to explain why some people are frustrated with Female V being the focus (and why we shouldn't be!)

I think it's not wrong to say that fandoms are mostly occupied by women and fem-identifying individuals; fandoms are a safe place for players and fans to share their passions. Women are STILL HEAVILY harassed and hated in the gaming industry as a whole, it doesn't take a lot of digging to catch a vile comment on Twitter or on Twitch for example, you cannot go far without seeing someone either attacking or sexualizing them

This is a huge problem in the industry still, every games that release with a female protagonist get trashed- just look at the bullshit surrounding GTA 6 just because players will be able to play as a woman as an option

Fandoms are also safe for non-gender conforming people, non-binaries, trans people and queer men, but I think fem individuals and women are a clear majority, at least on Tumblr (only talking about genders identity here and not about being queer or not, not talking about sexualities or attraction) (not an official stat at all and only my point of view and experience from being on Tumblr since ~2012)

Now let's talk about Cyberpunk 2077- because this is my main fandom since 2020, and what prompted me to write this post in the first place

CDPR didn't share any stats recently, but it's REALLY SAFE to assume the MAJORITY of players are playing a straight Male V romancing Panam, followed by a lesbian Female V romancing Judy, but the player pools for both options are still majoritarly cis hetero men (and they are still the focus for AAA studios to sell their games, this is sadly just how it is)

However on the fandom side, Fem V was always the focus; virtual photography, mods, ships, OCs... She was always more popular than Male V, getting more interactions and notes and why trends like "Male V monday" were created and why there is still a lack of male V focused mods (non-binaries and trans fem folks and characters are also sadly under-represented in all type of content and art)

So, being yourself as a non-fem player, playing as a Masc V, seeing CDPR officially make the switch from Male V to Female V, when the space you've been in for the past 3 years has been overwhelmingly Female V focused on all front, was a bit of a punch in the guts; like I said earlier, I was reaaally frustrated with this too!

And I'd say it's "normal"? or at least "ok" to feel this way, it makes sense considering how little attention Male V in general get in the fans community

BUT. BUT... It's REALLY important here to realize how we sound and how we look like when we voice our frustrations on the matter; we sound and look just like all the misogynistic people over on Twitter who screams about "woke games" everytime there is a female protagonist in their "non political games". We have to remember that fandoms are suuuch a small part of the game industry

Baldur's Gate 3 recently shared their stats and this interesting tweet got into my dash

▶ tweet

Astarion is nowhere to be seen in the official most romanced companions statistic, but I'm sure a lot of people will agree that he's probably the most popular one in the fandom side!

Another stat here from Mass Effect and really interesting info coming from David Gaider about how the hardcore fanbase aka fandom's choices were WILDLY different from the casual / main player pool

▶ tweet

Getting my head out of the fandom bubbles and seeing the bigger picture, how much under-represented women still are in official medias (not talking about fan content) and how insanly misoginistic the game industry still is, both on the player and devs sides, helped me handle my own frustration on the matter, accept and even celebrate Female V being the focus for the Phantom Liberty campaign

With all that said tho, we all should be able to vent about the lack of Male, Masc and Non-Binary content in the fandom side, while still being aware of the industry state, it CAN co-exist! It doesn't make anyone a bad or misogynist person!

We are all humans and can be awkward and make mistakes, especially when voicing frustration or talking while in a negative mood. Let's educate one another in good-faithed manners when we slip instead of jumping to conclusion and throw accusations

Not gonna lie I kind of lost my train of thoughts and not sure how to finish this post, but I hope this can enlight some people on why CDPR made this choice!

Repeating this as a finale note; this doesn't mean that Female V is the "main" V or "canon" V . It's simply her time to shine, and it's well deserved! The industry needs it

[bluishfrog]

HAPPY 1-YEAR OF DRAWING ANNIVERSARY TO ME!

(Warning: slightly longer post incoming cause sometimes I gotta be a sentimental bitch ok? So let's go on a little trip down memory lane.)

This day, a year ago, I made my very first fanart. It was dnf (if that surprises you, then welcome to being on my blog for the very first time). I drew a little frog face too so I could use it as a watermark (fun fact: I still use that very same first one).

I immediately put my drawing up on twt because I told myself that I wasn't gonna be afraid of having people see that I was at the very beginning of this journey and had no clue what I was doing. That instead of being bad at art, I was gonna be awesome at being a beginner who doesn't know shit.

I started with little doodles and silly comics and then I laughed way too long when the first drawing of mine that gained some attention was a dnf butt joke. At the time I was trying to balance shipping and non-shipping art so I didn't even draw dnf that much but in hindsight it's probably the only possible way this could have gone.

At the very end of August I woke up to @honelle56 caps-locking at me in my messages - I was very confused and tired (I am no morning person and I will never be, fuck off with your mornings) because Dranart liked my drawing of singing Dream. Dranart was my 17th follower on twt which is a useless yet extremely funny fact about my time on that hellsite.

I also drew human!patches because a) patches was and will always be my favorite dteam member and b) it was a really cute trend and while I do love drawing dream, george and sapnap, I was also quite happy to try drawing anything but a white man for once. And I really liked how the drawing turned out.

Much, much later, I tried to draw my first slightly more realistic looking drawing. I was extremely confused on how to draw anything like this. Especially their hair gave me tons of trouble but given my experience, I think it's not a bad attempt.

When hijacked smp started I obviously wanted to participate, and I drew c!blu who doesn't associate with any side in particular but instead serves soup to everyone who visits her tavern 'The Soup House'. She also wants to be paid in stories from all around the map.

One of the events I was most excited about was dnf week. I even collaborated with two talented writers and I drew the corresponding art for two fics.

(Fun or not so fun fact: when twt had like three hundred collaborative aneurysms about the situation at that moment, that was when I created this tumblr account. I didn't use it super actively (I guess I needed another situation to fully make the switch) but I at least started the account that now developed quite a bit since then.)

I didn't really draw at all through January and February and I actually kinda thought I would move on from that hobby and fandom (not because of negative feelings, just because I didn't really have the urge to create anything within this fandom) and then situations happened and now I am here; and for some reason that is beyond any logic and my understanding I am now even more insane about dteam.

Wild to me but we are rolling with it now, I guess.

Since I got here, I drew more than ever (I actually think I might have made more drawings in the month since I got here than I made the whole rest of the year). There's just such an active and funny community here that cares about fan works for the sake of creating and not just because a CC might see it.

Unfortunately, Tumblr won't let me add more than 10 images in one post (maybe fortunately for everyone who has this monstrosity of a post on their dash). So if you want to see all the progress I made since I got here, you can look at everything in my art tag. For now, I will close this post with one of the art works from the past month that I like the most:

Can't wait to see what the next year might bring :)

Love, blu

[lazyofficer]

HERE IS WHY SHIRLULU IS A LEGITIMATE SHIP -PART 1

Warning: I'm not a writer and English is not my native language. So kindly bare it or DM me about it. Criticism is welcomed not hate.

I always wanted to post a detailed analysis of  Shirley X Lelouch  relationship and will post in parts due to Tumblr restricted on images. 

Fun fact- I started watching Code Geass with all the spoilers (deaths) and was fully expecting to be part of the Cclulu or Kalulu fanbase (because they are popular), but as I continued watching, I couldn't understand why Shirlulu had a minor fanbase and was ignored when their feelings were so obvious. Needless to say I became a Shirlulu shipper.

Let's start -

Shirley and Lelouch loved each other.

While Shirley's feeling are so obvious.

Lelouch's feelings are hinted throughout the series (both direct and subtle hints), which are often ignored as filler or brushed off as "guilt" for killing her father (which is not the case). 

There are people who dislike Shirley just because she is not "useful" like other girls. Let me tell you it's called a business deal and not love if you are going to choose a person based on their "usefulness." 

Let's start with Direct hints

R1 Stage 14 -

although the whole episode is dedicated to Shirlulu and their relationship. I'm focusing  only on the bits right now.

Lelouch, being dense when it comes to love, didn't realize his feelings until he lost her. Lelouch really cherished her presence in his life.

When I first watched CG , I really didn't expect that Lelouch would say such a romantic line especially for Shirley ( the ship so unpopular) and I repeat NO ONE would say this for a platonic friendship.

I was suspicious of Lelouch's feelings but this episode made it crystal clear that's its mutual , it's just Lelouch didn't realize it before.

Honestly, I would love to see them bicker and laugh it off after patching up

R1 Stage 12 & 14 -

IIrc, Shirley is the only girl whom Lelouch kissed back.

Personally I don't think he kissed her back due to guilt over killing her father but more like doing anything he could to comfort her.

He could have kissed Kallen if guilt was the reason but he only let her kiss him.

R1 Stage 14 -

"Any sin you commit is mine to bear" is the love language of Lelouch. If we consider Lelouch's personality.

He is not type to buy flowers and chocolates and he is the type who would do everything in power to hide the evidence of murder and going far to even take the blame for it.

Ranked as one of the best anime hugs and only hug scene in code geass series. The way Lelouch pulls her into a hug is everything

R2 Stage 12 -

Shirley felt Lelouch was lying about his feelings for her. His immediate response was a hard " No". Once he realized that blurted out his feelings, he tried to cover it up.

The reason was because he wanted to protect her, he did not want her get involved in dangerous stuff ( mao trauma) and he is too busy and cannot afford to be in a relationship. He doesn't want to be neglectful boyfriend to her because she doesn't deserve it.

This alone should be a proof that Shirley's feelings are reciprocated.

R2 Stage 24 -

Lelouch was arguing with Schneizel about how people struggle against sadness yet still seek the future.

The first scene that played was Shirley's death, symbolizing that Lelouch's struggle against sadness was Shirley's death and how he still he continued to seeks a future.

R2 Stage 25 -

Lelouch was dying, the first person that came to his mind was Shirley (it was just chronological order S2-S1 after that), and his last image was his childhood with Suzaku and Nunnally. The Special ones in Lelouch's life

Many people chose to ignore this moment but this one is undeniable proof that Lelouch never moved on from Shirley

[seventeenlovesthree]

Since I don't think I'll get to sit down to draw any more time-consuming pieces over the next two weeks, I thought about taking a look at how "well" my art has been doing this year.

I know, I know, I KNOW. Art shouldn't be measured by how "successful" it is. I shouldn't judge my progress by "the number of likes" or anything along those lines, but... Being an artist on tumblr has really left an impact on my self-esteem, especially because a lot of things, projects, challenges, doodles I've been invested in didn't cause much resonance at all. Which, considering how I'm mostly residing in a low-key fandom, shipping mainly ships that aren't exactly mainstream, makes perfect sense. So yes, one could say that I am a somewhat self-indulgent creator that, yes, mainly creates stuff for herself - and the 2-3 people who really enjoy my niche interests and are silent lurkers/rebloggers or scream into the tags void (you know who you are and I am incredibly thankful for you)!

But still, I couldn't help but wonder which were my most liked/reblogged art pieces of 2024 - including all posts of mine that got at least 100 notes. And it really turns out that there's been a pattern there: First of all, I am truly honoured, because the majority of these depict characters (and even series) I do NOT draw on a regular basis. So the fact that they still got so much attention makes me incredibly happy. Second of all, the majority of these are pieces that took several days, some even weeks to finish. Which, once again, gets me quite giddy, because it means that all the hard work paid off!

Last but not least - it gives an insight on how tumblr's fanbases work and that is just incredibly interesting to me. Characters/ships from "The Amazing Digital Circus" are pretty popular these days, especially because a new episode has been released just recently. When it comes to Digimon, it's not a loud fandom, there isn't exactly a lot of unity, but there certain niches for characters and ships alike that are unbelievably dedicated. Whether you take Takari - and Takeru and Hikari on their own -, Jyou or Yamato... You WILL find followers/enjoyers of those around once you look closely. I'm still relieved that one of my "main blorbos" and my "OTP" still made it into the top 10 - it still validates my personal dedication to keep these dorks alive and around, no matter what happens.

If you're interested in all the stuff I've been working on this year, check out my art masterpost and my general masterpost here.

Thank you so much for 2024!!!

[iatenicoshappymeal]

*Ahem*

Welcome to another post of mine! I'm about 2/3 done with the first HOO book. Again, here are my thoughts.

Jason is THaLiA'S SiSTeR and NO ONE TOLD ME?????!!!!!!!!

Piper stole a BMW and a bunch of other stuff and has been having weird dreams bout a giant

Leo has FIYA

Leo is still cuter that Jason

Frank terrorizes Canadians (confirmed by a commenter)

Hazel was alive, then died, then came back to live and I'm the only one that thinks it's weird?

Annabeth: Still depressed :( JUST LIKE MEEEEEE

Percy is missing and from what I've read on tumblr, he's probs on drugs and ran away to Camp Jupiter and yeah

Also Hera went missing or smth

The weirdo cloud nymph is in love with Hedge

(I forgot to mention that Hedge was freed)

IDK what I'm missing but I learned that I need a therapist while reading this

AAAAALLLLLLSSOOOOO Percy jumps into Tartarus after Annabeth does

AAAAALLLLLLSSOOOOO 2.0 Why isn't Nico one of the 7????

(Still ship Solangelo)

[yourlocalbadgerscales]

What shall be the new name for the Drarry ship?

I did a post about this earlier, and I got quite many good answers in my opinion (because my suggestions were all shite I wrote them real quickly)! So I thought that a poll would be great to finally settle it. Here’s a list first:

• Doubleseeker They’re both seekers, so uh that’s that I guess, and I think it’s an interesting take)

• Dragonfruit (I have no idea where fruit came from but I love it, and we agreed that it would be great in Drarry fics so that whenever you read a scene where there’s a lot of the sexual tension that Drarry is famous for, you just go “The gays are being dragonfruity again” 💀🤚😭)

• Snakecharmer (Ahhhh I love this one ✨ The snake is Draco, and Harry is a Parseltongue so he’s the charmer! I seriously can’t get over how good this is!)

• Silversnitch (This one is all mine, I figured that I’d make a play of words on Golden Snitch and yk, Draco’s hair is silvery so… Silversnitch!)

• Pureheart (Draco is a pureblood as we all know so here’s my take on it!)

• Chosenblood (The Chosen One + Pureblood)

• Dragonseeker (Simple, but it totally works, doesn’t it?)

So. Here it is!

Vote honestly! And also, you’re all free to use any of these at anytime, and please please come up with your own suggestions! It’ll be so cool! Try spreading the names you like in tags here on Tumblr and so on, and see where it gets you!

I can’t wait for results! ❤️

[ribboned-spinal-cord]

Barely three hours after the third episode aired and I already got into a tousle, tis' the tragedies of I.

TW For : Ribbun, Name Calling, an Abundance of Swearing, mentions of Parents, Small Spoilers for Episode 3 of TADC

Disclaimer !! Before I show these screenshots, I just wanted to make it clear, they're censored for a reason !! I made this new blog for a reason !! I don't want any party involved in this situation to be found and harassed on the slim chance this post reaches an audience. I had highlighted my messages in red, excuse my clumsy censor work, my picture app didn't have an eraser.

Along with that, there were a few events that I did not get screenshots of at the time, but I will mention in this post, including my behavior and how I handled the situations end.

This entire thing started and ended in a Ribbun Discord Server owned and ran by a popular TADC fan creator on here who specializes in the aforementioned ship.

If you don't know, Ribbun is a ship between the characters Jax and Gangle of TADC, a favorite of mine and why I joined this server, invited by the person who I referred to in most of these screenshots.

This was about an hour after the third episode premiered and after rewatching it, I noticed a small dumb detail that I wanted to immediately yap to someone about. I just posted it in the general of this server and that was that.

This person didn't need to respond to my statement. They didn't even need to acknowledge me, and I would have been fine with that. Totally happy, I rarely spoke on that server anyways, but the way they approached it was so dismissive and hostile that it took me back, especially coming from someone I looked up to and before this, was actually super nice to me when they invited me to the server.

I didn't know that gooseworks had posted at all about any mistakes regarding the episode, so I wouldn't have noticed if anyone else knew about this fact, and maybe this person was tired of hearing about it or something. I've also been told that Crap isn't really a swear word, but I was raised to accept it as one.

I thought my response was clear and firm, especially compared to my other messages, where I aided in the snowballing effect to some degree. The way they responded made me feel uncomfortable at the best I can describe it. I think some people would call me triggered, if that's the right terminology?

I know they were being sarcastic in their apology, and I think my snarky response about "not forgiving them" only fueled the flames. I should have been using tone indicators this entire time to show that I was just trying to match the energy, but it seemed however I responded set them off, even if I ignored them entirely, they still tried to text me after I unfollowed and blocked them.

We went back and forth for a little bit, me being generally dismissive and giving half hearted replies as they continued to cuss me out, calling me things like "a little bitch" and threatening to knock my teeth in "so bad I'll have to go to the dentist" or something like that, but I'm probably misquoting them word for word. It only became worse after I made a "your mom" joke.

From what I can tell, the mention of their mom or any parental figure set them off, I don't know the details of why this is or what they were going through, so I apologized immediately after.

My screenshot cuts it off, but to summarize, I tried to sympathize and told them I didn't know what they were going through and genuinely didn't know anything about their home life or parents, and if I did, I wouldn't have mentioned them at all, especially in a joke like that. I probably mentioned this before, but I barely know this person, besides what they post here on Tumblr, but they were someone I looked up to and admired for their art, so it felt crushing that they acted this way so comfortably and without consequence.

Nobody besides someone in the first screenshot came to my defense, so most likely I'm in the wrong and just stupid with a closed perspective, or everyone was used to this behavior and accepted it as the norm. I suspect the latter, because later about five other people began to dog on me, and since they all had matching names, one could surmise that they were the friends of this individual. That, or parasocial fans.

I was going to leave the server because this person gave me two strikes??? (I didn't know there was a striking system in place and at the time I didn't know they owned the server, because yikes-), first one due to mentioning their mom, second because as soon as I begun to ignore them, they thought I was messing with them.

This is the part where I stopped taking screenshots, which I should have done, since it involves my nasty behavior and the peak of the story, so bear with me, you'll probably see screenshots if you know this person, or the messages if you were in the server yourself. Like I said, not naming the server or the participants involved. If any identities are leaked, it came from this person or their friends, and that goes to show they don't really care for anyone's safety.

I took these photos in the first place to send to a friend who I usually confided in about this sort of thing, because in the past I have been regarded as a push over and couldn't tell if someone's intentions were hostile, and they had an unbiased perspective in most things. After seeing the screenshots, my friend asked to join the server, which I obliged, completely forgetting that you could only be invited by a moderator or owner on that server, which was probably implemented due to people disliking ribbun to the point of harassing these types of creators, but that's my assumption and I don't want to speak for anyone.

I put my phone down for a second right after this, and when I came back, this friend had went off on the owner of the server, and I think maybe some other people that were backing her up. I didn't know my friend would act this way, but it was completely irresponsible of me to drag them into this, it wasn't my call to make, and it makes me feel terrible that something like that happened because of me. Even if I was being cussed out and harassed, that didn't give me the right to do the same, or to have my friend act in my name.

I panicked and denied inviting them, which is like, you know, not great and also I'd argue considerably worse than inviting them in the first place, until it was mentioned there was a log of everyone who has been invited to a discord server, and who invited them. I caved like a coward because I know when I get got. Before leaving, I did say some not amazing things about this person and their friends, critiquing their behavior, etc. While everyone clowned on me. I was surprised I wasn't kicked by anyone at this point, because that threat was going on for quite a bit, so I just left.

I feel a lot better knowing that although this all could have been avoided if I just ignored this person and left the server sooner, that something like this has happened before, and it will most likely happen again. I get so caught in my head I'm locked in a stasis, forgetting the obvious, that none of this matters and I'm talking to someone who lives a thousand miles away, on my little phone, in my little bedroom, in a house on an island on a planet in a galaxy in an infinitely expanding universe. Everything is simultaneously so small and so big at the same time, depending on perspective. This was stupid, that person was stupid, their lackies were stupid and I was stupid. It's very... overdramatic.

And that was that. Wanted to get it off of my chest and into the world. Toodles.

Edit :

I was just made aware that this person isn't the owner of the server, the owner messaged me and told me as such. In a later date, if this issue isn't resolved, I'll go through the post and edit it to make that clear. I thought since this person gave me two strikes within the span of 40 seconds and had a troupe egging them on, they must have held some sort of status.

[thelongestway]

So, I've started putting the first story on AO3. For those that know me there under a different name, that account still stands, but since it was originally intended for more than just my own stories (and since I plan to come back to that eventually, now that I've had enough of a breather to write and translate for fun again) - I decided to make a new one, specifically for fan-made stuff I originally published on Tumblr.

I'll be staggering the release there - even the edited version needs a bit more thinking (timelines and such), so this gives me both a bit of time for more editing, and getting to try out posting something that's mostly done, which is an entirely new experience!

But for now, we have an epilogue to finish. :)

Chapter 13

This Friend regained consciousness on familiar shores. It reached out and felt a languid wave meet its touch.

The prisoners?

They are well, if a little disoriented by their new situation. SecUnit is talking to them about it.

It felt itself smiling.

Then--good morning, Dandelion.

Good morning to you too, Friend, a warm sunray slid across its brow. Your vital signs read normal, but I would ask you to kindly take it slow for now. You have suffered extensive trauma, and while this new medbay is excellent, you will still need time to properly recover.

Noted and heeded, sensation returned as she released it, and the Friend sat up in an only partially-unpacked, but working medbay.

As it got up and dressed with the help of a medical drone, then ate a mostly liquid breakfast, Dandelion filled it in on what had happened after the Friend got shot. As it trusted the SecUnit to do, it got the refugees off-station, then assessed the situation and managed to come back for the Friend. The SecUnit did not have enough medical modules to deal with the level of injury the Friend had acquired on the way, so it had called on Dandelion for help.

"And I've always specialized in trauma surgery," she said, extending an arm so it could try out walking. "I kept you alive long enough to get here, and as soon as everyone was back on board, we made the next immediate jump on our route. We will release SecUnit on the next transit station and continue on towards Trellin and your drop off point, going slower from the next jump. We are running out of false identities."

The corridors they walked through were surprisingly empty for a ship this size.

"Captain Reed has reinstated this Friend's punishment?"

"Ke has, although ke has loosened it somewhat. We always build somewhat larger ships than the crew needs, for emergencies and for cases such as this, and secrecy remains paramount, so you and your five rescuees are confined to ring rather than cabin and remain under my watch for the duration."

"Cases such as this?" It ribbed. "Do you rescue people often?"

"I am a medical research ship," she said with a dignified flourish. "That, and I am who I am, so we are usually one of the first ships on the scene of a disaster. Any captain of mine knows ke may end up with rescuees on board at any time."

"That is good to hear."

"We do need to figure out what to pay SecUnit. With how loud you were, it had to jump away with us and will need to travel back to Parallax on its own, which increases the time frame for its return beyond what we agreed on, and I would not leave it without thanks. It's very fond of movies and such. Would you have any recommendations for it, by chance?"

Ah. So that's what it had been doing in the shuttle. The Friend had caught glimpses of a background process with some sort of serial, but it was too busy with its own preparations to pay it any mind.

"This Friend isn't certain. What does it like?"

Dandelion showed it a list. The Friend read through it and raised an eyebrow at her.

"What, no Super SecUnit Defender? Or Protect and Serve?"

"Those names do not tell me anything."

"Eh, these serials are practically ancient by Rim standards. And kind of corny. By which this Friend means that they were basically advertisements for various security companies. But this Friend loved them when it was younger. Those SecUnits in the shows were unstoppable--sort of like this one, honestly!" It found itself smiling again. "You know, Dandelion, by the time this Friend took its vows it already knew what working security was really like. That one did not get dramatic rescues, or incredibly lucky breaks, or, well, undercover SecUnits that help you rescue innocent people. Regular SecUnits answer to people with a profit motive, and are used to kill enough that it made this Friend sick, but it did not know what else to do. It was slowly turning into the sort of monster it wanted to fight against when it ran across the Friends. This Friend broke ranks to help them, and they saved it in turn by giving it purpose again."

"It is a familiar story. The Friends may have changed, but some things do not. Although I mostly handled Aspirants who were medically inclined, and that work comes with its own challenges and oaths."

They were coming up on a very loud conversation somewhere ahead, in what seemed to be a mess hall.

"…at least we had a legal status! And now we're outlaws! What exactly are we supposed to do now?!"

The SecUnit stared at a wall past the arguing father. Its drones buzzed angrily around it.

"You didn't have legal status," it said finally. "If you were unlucky, you had a few decades of 16-hour labor."

"It's still better than being hunted!"

The Friend tapped the SecUnit's feed.

Thank you for handling them thus far. This Friend's got this.

[hellofeanor]

Fanfiction Author Interview Game

Fanfic writer interview

Tagged by @niennawept. Thank you!

How many works do you have on AO3? Ten??? That sounds fake but okay.

What’s your total AO3 word count? 709,876

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:

Distance, Space and Time (technically a series but I'm counting it as one story here because it's late and nobody can stop me): very standard Tony/Loki canon divergence.

Ghosts in Amber: something I wrote because Crimson Peak made my so angry I had to fix it.

Window to the Soul: the only explanation I have for why this is in the top five is that it was the first thing I ever posted on AO3?

Hallmark Christmas Movie: exactly what it says on the box.

Counterpoint: everybody's favourite genre: a 17th century baroque music AU!

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I try to but unfortunately I am uhhhhhh bad at things?

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? Huh. This is a good question. Um. I don't know if I've ever written an angsty ending? Maybe Ghosts in Amber, which is technically a happy ending for the protagonists, but not necessarily due to happy circumstances?

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? For reasons that I hope are made obvious in the title, Hallmark Christmas Movie.

Do you write crossovers? I've considered it a few times, but never really got into the idea.

Have you ever received hate on a fic? LOL yes, one time somebody went through an entire fic of mine and left negative comments on almost every chapter. I have to admire their commitment to the bit. I don't have the time or inclination to bother leaving hate comments, and also I know how to use the back button when I come across something I don't like. The last comment was something along the lines of, "I don't know if I'll bother reading the sequel." MY DUDE, why did you bother reading past the first chapter of this one if you clearly dislike it so much??? Kids these days, SMH.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Sssssssssssometimes??? (I say, eyes darting nervously down to the task bar and the open document icon of my terrible Mirdania/Sauron WIP.)

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Yes, but in a totally bonkers way? Somebody took screenshots of one of my fics and then reposted it on tumblr as a series of low quality JPEGs??? I have no idea what that was all about. The internet is a strange and wonderful place.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Yeah! One into Russian and Japanese, and more recently somebody asked if they could translate one into Chinese, but I haven't seen the finished product come up yet.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but that might be something fun to try in the future.

What’s your all-time favorite ship? I... don't know? Probably my two OCs, about whom I will never write anything. :)

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? Fuck. The Gods of All Things. I know exactly how I want it to end, but just can't bring myself to get back into the bloody MCU fandom.

What are your writing strengths? Dialogue and jokes.

What are your writing weaknesses? Actually writing at decent speed.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I'm not a huge fan, and will only do under specific circumstances, such as conveying that somebody in the scene (and by extension the reader) isn't meant to know what's being said.

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to? Elrond/Gil-galad. Sigh. I complain a lot about how this ship isn't nearly as popular as it should be, while sitting here doing absolutely nothing to further it.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? Hallmark Christmas Movie. It's so dumb. I love it. However, due to minor swearing and allusions to sex-having, I really should have titled it Lifetime Christmas Movie.

Who else wants to participate? @elrohare? @littlethingwithfeathers? @lordgrimwing? @plotdesigner?

[cecilyv]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @screamlet

1. How many works do you have an AO3? 14 (and, full disclosure, all but some of the tumblr fics are with @liminalmemories21)

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 151,628

3. What fandoms do you write for? 9-1-1

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? In order: Awful quiet here since love fell asleep (9-1-1, the break up, make up fic), Atlas (bound) (9-1-1, the Buckley parents are trash fic), Baggage that goes with mine (9-1-1, Tommy begins), (I'm in love) but I do not speak the language (9-1-1, the relationship discovery one), and I'll cover you (9-1-1, part II after Baggage, when Buck and Tommy get a dog).

5. Do you respond to comments? I really try. @liminalmemories21 is much better at it than I am, but I do always intend to because each comment is my best beloved.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Erm, we don't really write angsty things? Awful quiet, Atlas and Inside, You've Got Heaven and Earth all start angsty, but don't end there?

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Oh, god, uh, probably What's with today, today? Mostly just because making them all librarians on Stuffie Day itself was an indulgent turducken of a dessert.

8. Do you get hate on fics? not so far, thankfully

9. Do you write smut? a hundred percent more than I ever imagined

10. Do you write crossovers? I drop them in Lim's chat all the time but one has never stuck. Like, the one from this week was Wolfram and Heart is based in LA and reopens and... I don't know, Lindsey sticks around with his evil hand? THNK OF BUCK AND FREAKING OUT WITH THE CURSES AND THE RESEARCH SPIRALS AND...

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not that i know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Err, all of the recent ones because I am nothing (fandom-wise) without Lim

14. What's your all time favorite ship? I have no answer for this. I read like, a decade's worth of Stiles/Derek and literally never watched an episode of the show, but I watched SO MUCH Stargate because John/Rodney, my beloveds. I am still a sucker for a good Arthur/Eames. I would bow down if people brought back silver foxes Fraser/RayK. It's hard to have favorites after over 30 years in fandom.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Lim and I poke things to death, and definitely don't post a lot of them because we can't imagine things not being done before we put them out in the world -- see the Merlin fic of epicness that we started way over a decade ago and still sits in our google docs.

16. What are your writing strengths? I also think this is a thing best answered by others, like hi, Lim, how do I help? I honestly think I'm a better editor than writer? I'm not good about setting scenes, but I'm pretty good about taking drafts and massaging them?

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I always want things to feel more lived in than I feel I can accomplish on my own.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I speak english and bad english, so I am terrible about this, but I totally understand that sometimes its warranted.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Popslash and Smallville, and hi, yes, I disappeared for two decades.

20. Favorite fics you've written?

Awful quiet did exactly what I wanted that fic to when we set out to write it, and while maybe I wish some of the OCs were handled better/differently, I'm still happy with how we got from the beginning to end.

The What Binds series definitely put Tommy in a place and time, and there's a reason there's four stories worth of it (hi, I'm super proud of the detail about Tommy losing his virginity to Dave Matthew Band because, come on, people).

I know that Inside, You've Got Heaven and Earth didn't really hit with people, but it addressed something I wanted to fiddle with for Buck and Tommy, and Lim was a trooper for going there with me.