#just cause of that arranged marriage meme

[oc-menagerie-archived]

AU where Himori is actually a noble and wants to become a Soul Reaper but instead is put into an arranged marriage. She isn't sure how to act as she has no romantic history whatsoever.

[maybe-boys-do-love]

The On1y One and the Queer History of *Poetic Cinema*

Still thinking about the ending of The On1y One, because that last shot of the pitcher is a clear reference to one of the most discussed shots in cinema history. Just look up "Ozu vase" and you'll see a plethora of written and video essays speculating on the meaning of it. The Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu cut to it in the midst of a climactic conversation in the film Late Spring between a father and daughter about her arranged marriage. Nerdwriter, in one of their better video essays, does a solid run-down of the discourse.

The shot is used as one of the prime examples for Paul Schrader's absurdly significant theory of Transcendental Style in Film. This style is what non-cinephiles will refer to as what's boring, confusing, and pretentious about Art House movies, and they are boring, confusing, and pretentious--intentionally so! When you see the "Poetic Cinema" meme, it comes from the director Andrei Tarkovsky as he's talking about his idea of sculpting time in cinema which is akin to this.

In the video below, Schrader describes, "If you consistently withhold and now the viewer is leaning toward you, now you have to, in a certain moment, free them--do something unexpected."

Freedom, in these instances, is not achieved through the happy ending. It's a spiritual release achieved by breaking the rules and patterns of the established reality.

Not enough is written about the queerness of Ozu and his films (including the possible Boston marriage situation of his muse, Setsuko Hara). Luckily, the some solid pieces exist, and Ozu would be an awesome place for anyone interested in asexual queer practices in film to look at. He's often held up as a symbol of conservative Japan, but his stories about the familial pressures and anxieties of heterosexual marriage and his formal strategies that allow people, if not physical escape, at least spiritual release from the bounds of societal expectations are quite radical.

The On1y One evoked Ozu's spiritual resistance to condemning limits throughout its series and in its final image. The conservative culture of families, marriages, economics, and schooling had locked all these queer men into psychological cages that isolated them and caused them to neglect their own feelings and others. Without fast-forwarding time or writing a fantasy, how can the series free them? The poetry and human-less pillow shots throughout have clued us into an experience of the world bigger than oneself. That final image is the culmination, transcending tragedy, abandonment, and death for a much queerer dream of eternity.

[harocat]

for the reverse unpopular opinion meme.... jiang yanli! (it's not really a challenge, i just want to hear nice things about her and i enjoy your opinions on female characters fsjfldsf)

AHHH OKAY. I don't really know how nice this is because it is sad, but it's positive because it comes from my love of the character.

I am rotating in my mind at all times the tragedy of Yanli! Not her death, though obviously that's tragic, but her lived life up to that point. There is so much focus on the way Madame Yu treats WWX and JC, and I do get that because it's much more blatant how she mistreats especially WWX. But JYL was held back as well.

Even though there are female cultivators in the series, Madame Yu included, Yanli does not seem to be given that opportunity. In the book she doesn't even get to go to Cloud Recesses with the boys. It seems like Madame Yu wants her to be a perfect wife for the marriage arrangement she set up, but then she also berates JYL when she does 'domestic things'.

JYL is so quiet, and she doesn't draw attention to herself, and yes, part of this may be cultural, but it's also because she's been beaten down by Madame Yu. It is a tragedy that she is never able to become the person she deserves to become, not just because she dies, but because of that.

This is one of the reasons I do love her relationship with WWX so much. She's scolded for her kindness, scolded for treating him as part of her family instead of like a servant, and over and over she goes against what may be considered societal norm to express how much he means to her, and how she views him as her family. She's the only one who does this, and her love for him helps her overcome her lack of assertiveness, the way she's had the dominant personalities of her other family members (okay maybe not JFM lol), sort of... drown her out up to this point. She's able to be strong when her love for her little brother, the chosen family she alone refuses to disavow, is what fuels her.

There are endless stories about romantic love between men and women that defies class, defies societal norms, etc., but with them, it’s the love between a sister and the little brother she chose to make her own.

And I think you can even link this to the corruption, hypocrisy, and classism of the cultivation world, because it is that very love, which goes against societal norms in the jianghu, that ends up causing her death (at the hands of the same cultivators that are attempting to 'protect' everyone). They are everything.

[krirebr]

From this post:

🌹Rose🌹: send a compliment - you're such a sweet human being! Every time I see you on my timeline it makes me smile (and yes that not only counts when you grace us with her majesty Lou 🤭). 🥰

❀Violet❀: tell someone what makes them unique (does a specific character remind you of them? trope? aesthetic?) - Ransom and Curtis. Mostly Ransom though because I still haven't gotten around to read bodyguard Curtis adventures 😅🙈 Barbie often makes me think of you. Sometimes this meme account on Instagram I follow posts tweets from and account that has the same profile picture as you on here and I immediately think of you. Also I feel obligated to say Mace reminds me of you too 🤭 💙

💮Peony💮: ask would you rather - would you rather have an arranged marriage with Ransom or be Steve's new girlfriend (in the same universe) but have to deal with his father as well

Jaqui! Oh my gosh, you are too sweet. Look at all this niceness! Thank you!!

I will take being known for Ransom and Curtis with pride!! And I feel like I'm probably the loudest Mace apologist on here who doesn't have any actual Mace fic. 🤦‍♀️ I know, I know! I'm working on it! 😅

I'd fully forgotten what my pfp was for a second so I was a little surprised by the Barbie. 😂 But yes, of course! I just realized that means I've had this pfp for almost a year. Maybe it's time for a change... I think I'd want to keep the aroace flag though...

Ok! Now, finally, to your would you rather! Ok, so arranged marriage with Ransom is eventually going to work out well and give you a nice life, but boy, is it a rough road to get there. (I'm working on the next part now and yes, still very sad and rough.) But dating More Than This Steve brings lots of its own complications. Like, are you dating him or is it an arrangement of your own? Cause if it's just dating, I think your position would be pretty precarious with the expectations and responsibilities Steve's family has placed on him. Like, yes, he has a lot more agency than his step-sister but he's not exempt from everything either. But even with all that, I think I'd still go with Steve because you know he'd fight for and support you through all of it.

[antimony-medusa]

other anon mentioned you are the exchange expert -- what exchanges/events do you know of that are coming up besides yuletide? looking to try one for the first time :)

Okay so. So. Let's see.

I normally keep up with exchanges through an 18+ discord server for exchanges. (You can DM me for a link, but it's a choose-not-to-warn space, so like, whole exchanges themed around major archive warnings, so reader beware.) I just cruised through to see what's in nominations right now.

Sick-Or-Treat is a hurt/comfort exchange that runs October 1 through November 30th. To participate, you just post a complete hurt-comfort fic to the collection that's named after a pokemon attack, and you can win badges, up to a total of eight badges!

Holy Fuck Exchange is an exchange themed around sexual or romantic relationships that have at least one diety involved! They're in nominations until 23:59 UTC on the 30th, so you have a little time to get your nominations into the tag set.

SEDORETUE EX is an exchange themed around sedoretue relationships, a four-person relationship found in the works of Ursula Le Guin. They've already closed nominations, but sign-ups are open through the 30th, and you can check out the tag set and see if anything catches your eye!

Star Trek Holidays, a fandom-specific exchange that ALMOST counts as multi-fandom cause they have so many sub-fandoms, is in sign-ups until the 1st of october.

We JUST missed the sign-up period for Trick or Treat, a fun low-stress exchange where you can choose to give someone either fluff (treat) or angst (trick) with a minimum of 300 words, so uh, you can keep an eye out for pinch hits I guess? And oh man, I'm scrolling through right now, and when I'm looking at exchanges in the creation stage, there's If I Fits I Fics, which is CAT themed, and Launch The Ship, where you sign up with a ship with no fics on the archive, and Pine4Pine, which is an exchange about yearning— so many cool themes out there. If you want to know what's going on, checking Fandom Calendar is a fun way to keep up with all the various events that are happening, including single-fandom exchanges. (I post there for my multi-fandom exchanges).

Season of Drabbles, an exchange for 100-word fics, opens nominations on the 1st of October.

Consent Issues exchange, an exchange (does what it says on the tin), focusing on dubcon and noncon tropes, has nominations running through October 10th through 19th.

Looking back over last year on fandom calendar, it looks like None English exchange, an exchange focused on works in any language other than english, opened up nominations starting in November last year.

FandomTrees is a fun holiday gifting fest where people sign up with fandoms, prompts, and DNWs, and then all the creators get to shop amid all the prompts for people they want to create for, sign-ups are going to start in November.

Femslash Kink Meme is a kink meme that kicks off in November, for f/f relationships. People sign up with prompts— a relationship and a kink— and then it's considered good manners to try and fill someone else's prompt for every request you put out! It doesn't have to be something long, just a scene that can fit in a comment! (I haven't done a kink meme myself before, so that's just what I picked up by reading their dreamwidth.)

Yuletide is Yuletide, a lot of exchanges don't run in this space cause like the WHOLE space is participating in that one.

I know that last year Bulletproof Exchange did nominations starting in December, with signups on the 29th. The whole idea for that exchange is that there are tropes or kinks or prompts that you like SO MUCH that you don't even care who's in it, so you match exclusively on prompt tags, and then someone else will write you arranged marriage, or gun play, or coffee shop au, or borrowers au, or whatever else is your Bulletproof Prompt, using their blorbos. I'm eyeing that one myself, I'm not gonna lie.

okay that's— a lot. Hopefully that answers your question and there's something there that's good for you!

[stiltonbasket]

Quan YizhenxYin Yu for the ask meme? Cause they've been on my mind.

who’s the werewolf and who’s the hunter

Yin Yu is the werewolf, and Quan Yizhen is the hunter. Only, Quan Yizhen is an orphan whose biological father was a werewolf, which means that he can't be turned by werewolf bites; so he keeps chasing reclusive werewolf Yin Yu around the countryside in an effort to learn more about his dad.

who’s the mermaid and who’s the fisherman

Quan Yizhen is the merman, and Yin Yu is the fisherman! Quan Yizhen likes to chase fish into Yin Yu's nets. <3

who’s the witch and who’s the familiar

They're both witches, but Quan Yizhen becomes Yin Yu's temporary familiar after he gets turned into a curly-haired kitten. Yin Yu pretends not to be pleased about this, but somehow, he always has delicious fish on hand...

who’s the barista and who’s the coffee addict

Quan Yizhen as the barista, Yin Yu as the coffee addict. Quan Yizhen is frankly terrified by the amount of coffee trauma surgeon Yin Yu needs to get him through the day.

who’s the professor and who’s the TA

Not sure how this one would work out, because professor Yin Yu would never let student QYZ TA for him because they'd never get any work done. He does recommend Quan Yizhen as a TA to Pei Ming, though.

who’s the knight and who’s the prince(ss)

Knight Quan Yizhen is prince Yin Yu's personal guard, and is also personally responsible for the fact that none of his arranged betrothals work out. Eventually, Yin Yu figures out that Quan Yizhen is in love with him and ends up in a lavender marriage with princess Shi Qingxuan, who is smitten with her lady-in-waiting Yushi Huang.

who’s the teacher and who’s the single parent

Quan Yizhen is teacher to Yin Yu's son Lang Ying, a street child entrusted to him by his boss Hua Cheng (who set up an ongoing payment for Lang Ying's care and then immediately forgot that LY existed). Lang Ying was a quiet child who rarely spoke, but Quan Yizhen is so >:D all the time that LY just had to go home and report all his teacher's escapades to his dad.

who’s the writer and who’s the editor

Quan Yizhen is the writer, and Yin Yu is the editor. Yin Yu keeps trying (and failing) to convince Quan Yizhen that the love interests in his books can't all be slightly different versions of Yin Yu.

[ladyluscinia]

OMG, I read your essay on Destiel and that person yelling "how dare you" was absolutely hilarious! That's some meme material for TvTropes. I didn’t realize Suletta was a quite ambiguous ship like Victuri. What are they even bragging about while calling Destiel queer baiting? Both ships had the same "will they be canon or not" rocky path, but theirs with less homophobic writers.

At least that person apologized and admitted they didn't actually have any background knowledge on Destiel, which is easily the best interaction I had off that poll. They were mad at meme voters and I was quipping about different meme voters and maybe meme voters that love to flood polls to talk shit are the insufferable element here, you know?

The whole canon details thing was something to realize - though I don't think "ambiguous" is the word. Like, they are a pretty clear part of their show's canon, same as Destiel and Victuuri. I don't think lacking an onscreen kiss makes them less canon or anything. If we really want to get into it, trying to pretend there's a clear dividing line between undeniable canon and not (or blessed text vs barbarous subtext) is a mindset that probably causes more harm than good.

Like - subtext is part of the text. It's an element that writers, actors, set designers, etc. put into the story deliberately, and things can be both subtext and really obviously conveying a specific thing (ex: romantic feelings). Not all subtext is equally "open to interpretation" yeah.

If we say "no actually your really blatant subtext is still not real canon unless it's textual in these ways" then we raise the question of what even counts as textual. Is living together and wearing wedding rings textual if we don't acknowledge a marriage any other way? What about if it's from a culture that doesn't wear rings? It also kind of insultingly bakes in a certain level of assumed audience stupidity, where something can be the most obvious conclusion to the information you've been given by the writers but you still have to pretend you don't know it for sure because...? Like the main things you accomplish with arbitrary lines are a) making it easier for bad writing to count as canon than good since it's more likely to be blunt / shallow, b) giving the people with the least creative control (censors) the most say over who gets to cross the lines, and c) devaluing ships that actually try to build up a relationship over time (like well-written straight couples have done for ages) because they are "just ambiguous subtext" until they aren't.

It's a lot more accurate to recognize canon comes in various forms, and "plausible deniability that isn't actually plausible at all if you watch the show" is a big one.

Like I haven't seen the anime so I won't make sweeping claims, but basic example from multiple sources explaining the show premise - the fact that the girls get engaged in episode 1 as near-strangers because of a whole pre-established political / business marriage arrangement between the best fighter and the prized daughter... if you're a writer trying to make sure you can have your f/f ship married in the endgame, having it be a plot point to guarantee access to Bride/Groom queercoding through the whole series is a really good way to do that! And it's specifically queercoding with a "straight explanation" even if it's insulting to both the writers and audience to pretend that holds up to scrutiny in the context of the whole series. I know this because I've seen those sorts of tactics a lot.

It's just really interesting how the difference between a queerbait, a will-they won't-they, and a canon slowburn can often be determined by how positive any given fan's feelings toward the ship, show, and writers are. It's hardly objective fact.

(EDIT: Oh and I didn't use wedding rings as an example because of the anime - it wouldn't even be a good one because they also have people referring to the girls as in-laws - I used it because it's a broadly understood cultural shorthand but also fundamentally "wearing literally any ring on this finger = dedicated romantic relationship" is super subtextual.)

[hihopelessromantics]

OOOH! Definitely interested in your wips. Would love to hear more about these in particular (whichever one(s) you feel like sharing)

(also yes definitely still happily stuck inside this fandom bubble)

will indulge!!! (This is long but it's good to organize my thoughts lol)

I straight up forgot to put the name of this one lol. Meliodas doing dangerous antics is part of my Through the Wall sequel fic, called "Stakeout" which is the one where I have him cooking. I tried to mix in some humor with the angst here. It's basically Stigma Meliodas if Nakaba didn't nerf his intellegence. This one, I'll be feeding you guys soon!! Because I plan to try to finish Through the Wall this Thanksgiving Break, since I started it last thanksgiving break (ambitious I know, but imagine the poetism if I pull it off!) and Stakeout is farther along in its completion than that one. Stakeout is about Meliodas looking out for the TC and his brother from the opposite of the war. The first part is him deciding to try to get them dinner after seeing how worn-down they are, and the second . . . well, he can't exactly leave Zeldris to watch over both the Vampire and Demon Realms all by his lonesome, right? I'm actually really excited for you and @7-ratsinatrenchcoat to see this one in particular when it's finished because I tried to channel the melizabeth energy I liked in your work

This one is named such not cause I wanna name it something bulky (it has a better name! that's the exclusive lore lol) but I'm commited not to spoiling the plot twists in this one. This is gonna be my main gift to this fandom, a spiced up psychological horror rewrite of the whole show with original elizabeths and original adventures for the first and second season (that one is a backstory with Liz!) Plot point collaboration welcome. A bunch of season one, and the plot tiwsts, I made with my good friend zeldriszezinho, and I'm pretty antsy and excited to finally get around to it and present him with the result of our hard work, haha. I actually have a lot of senarios planned both in detail and loosely, just not written down. I'm currently procrastinating on Season 1 Pt. 2 because it's literally 5 or so arcs of content, one for all the sins, and uh. mental energy. So I'm trying to finish up a lot of small projects first just so my mind isn't everywhere. I can't remember if you've seen what I've posted on it so far but here's the masterpost and season one part one! It's on tumblr too! but I went ahead and pressed the space bar like 4 times every indent so it would be normally formatted on A03 sooooo https://archiveofourown.org/works/48567730 https://archiveofourown.org/works/48611485/chapters/122618557

3. Ironically, think Rings was another one inspired by you - it's old, almost 8 months by now, and the only reason I haven't published it yet is the second ellie spiraled out of control into her own adventure and I haven't had the time because I've been word vomiting so many other projects into existence. it's half meme format, half usual writing. The second ellie's meme story is complete and the third's just needs its wrapping up of its actual plot, which is simple: an arrogant man thinks his bride is secretly a nutcase, but feels pressured into marrying her because medival times, because she's a sweet and intellegent woman running an orphanage all by herself, and technically he can't do better, and because it would look disasterously on the both of them and destroy his carefully crafted persona if they somehow couldn't make this community-arranged marriage work. So he's "putting up with her quirks." Including the ancient what-looks-like-wedding-rings she wears around her neck, and the fact she genuinely thinks her one-that-got-away lover sold a prized possession to demons. (the significance of these rings is in the stories of the previous two elizabeths). Well. Actually. He steals them while she's distracted with wedding planning. It doesn't go well for him from there.

Let me know your opinion: should I try finishing the third ellie and then publishing it? I can always go back and make a full story out of "purple ring" ellie + friends later.

Basically, the purple ring's story is as thus: Meliodas decides he needs to rest, "REALLY rest", since his emotional stress is beginning to affect his demon biology in a bad way, and voluntarily coma-tizes himself for a while. He wakes some time later only to find out Elizabeth and her new 'family' have been considering him as their good luck charm. (Maybe even more than one Elizabeth has passed by now. Probably the apothecary he visits figures out what Meliodas meant to do and goes to fetch him, too late, and looks after him . . . see, that could be a whole OTHER story in itself. anyway.) He's a "good luck charm" because his demon aura has been disgusing the magical signature of her druid family, not that they've figured this out. Meliodas tries to get up and run away with an injured Ellie but surprise surprise he hasn't quite recovered from what his body and mind has been through, and the combination of that and the drugs has left him critcially weakened. He actually collapses falls down a small cliff with her. Ellie assures him they've gotten far enough to shake off the people who are searching for her, that it's okay. Moreover, she understands more or less what he's going through, since she lost her leg a while back. They reuinte with Ellie's little "siblings," druid children the family has rescued along their journey.

Later ~ the main organizers of their group are shocked to return to their isolated cabin to find that not only have all the children survived the winter, and possible clashes with whoever's been hunting them for decades, but there's one extra child! And a talking cow. (I haven't decided whether some of these people are semi-antagonsists.) Meliodas's condition never improves (angst angst <3) but he takes up the task of looking after the kids alongside Elizabeth anyway- especially when she and the others are gone, working or otherwise. Oftentimes he and the spunky talking cow go on adventures in the forest or in town, collecting herbs or materials for crafts and toys. She carries him, Hawk-style. I can't remember her name but it was a silly one, and he saves her life once with his wings. He's also fought away intruders once while the 'adults' weren't home with Full Counter, being able to stand for long enough to use it before collapsing.

In this iteration, Meliodas recieves his ring from his new 'siblings' as they say that "it's the same color as the magic you used to protect us." Referring to the times he's used his demon magic around the house, and, unknowingly, to the fact his very presence has been the only thing keeping them safe from raiders on more than one occasion. Throughout it all Meliodas struggles with having to be the one cared for for once, and not being able to be the muscle of this group that so clearly would benefit from him being his 'usual' self. While his siblings think he's a genuine gift from God, and are more than happy to look after him as he does them, trading stories between them and cuddling up like he truly belongs, adult members of the family never take a shine to him and resent him somewhat, even perrfering when he was comatose. There's more (and more angst) but I should probably say less.

4. (TW: this one gets DARK with the demon brothers angst) modern fantasy ireland boarding school au" is actually another gift for @gh0stofyesterday, who can't escape me, from back in like feburary or something lol. It's an angsty modern-day genderqueer demon brothers and genderqueer elizabeth. Basically Meliodas tricks his snooty father into letting him and his brother (who's not technically old enough but academically girlboss yourself outta that condundrum zeldris) go to boarding school in his deceased mother's home country, where Meliodas plans to study interior design (he's gonna design the boar hat himself <3) and, against his father's wishes, join the gymnastic team. Little does he know that his online friends in his tween gymnastics discord server or whatever (The TC) are also going to end up there. ( I have the scene where they realize he's not the snooty daughter of the DK ceo and actually their Captain planned out already actually. they realize it when he beats the snot out of some guy that chases zeldris through the gymnasium lol).

Other plot points include! Elizabeth and Meliodas have a secret online romance as "Study buddies" and plan to perform a ceremony to use whatever their magic is unsealed to share a bit of that magic with each other, as a kind of marriage ceremony (peak 14 year old romance lol). Meliodas and Zeldris learn (originally Irish) sign language in order to communicate without their father snooping. Cusack and Chandler deal with being technical slaves to the Demon King and attempt to parent their protegees in more important ways than teaching them fencing, keeping their secrets, and buying them things. Gelda explains she never cuddles with her sisters for emotional support, Zel and Mel feel sorry for her . . . then figure out they are touch-starved and probably need therapy for that too. Hot springs date. Zel discovers Mel has been cuddling him while laying on his side specifically because there are fresh child abuse wounds across his back. Meliodas commandeers his gymnastics coach's coaching authority and starts an underground fencing ring upon being told he can't do that (we go to school in a castle! c'mon!). Zeldris tries to deal with a ginger-haired kid who seems equally hellbent on being his friend as he is his school rival. Depending on how dark I'm gonna make this, you might even get to see a prolouge where Zeldris forgoes a plan to murder - suicide his brother following his mother's funeral after meeting a small Gelda at the playground. Oh, and the DK having to fidgit uncomfortably in court. This one is basically a for-fun daydream, but a pal volunteed to beta it for me so it will eventually get written up for you all!

[seeveekat]

For the writing meme!

8. What project(s) are you currently working on?

18. What's one of your favorite lines(s) you've written in a fic?

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs

(It isn't noticeable how much I crave for Seevekat quality content... At all.)

Aha im honored you asked :3

Writing Meme here

8. What project(s) are you currently working on?

So currently I have A Long Journey ahead and its sister story Branching Paths (which is just sex scenes lmao) I do have a Tiger&BunnyXBleach crossover KenMayu fic that I've been thinking about and tooling around with as well as a KenMayu arranged marriage fic thats in WIP hell XD

18. What's one of your favorite lines(s) you've written in a fic?

Oh deff this quote from chapter 5 of A Long Journey Ahead "Maybe that was what drew him to Mayuri in the first place. They both were similar in many ways. Rough and brutish. Both only interested in their own true passions, whether it was that of the sword or the scalpel. Both relishing in the pain that they not only cause others but also the pain inflicted on themselves. Honestly, looking back it was probably inevitable that the two ended up together."

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs

Here's one from the next chapter of ALJA :3c

“Listen, I didn’t choose to come. She wouldn’t leave me alone unless I did however.” He explained in a defensive tone.

Nanao pushed up her glasses and turned to the pink haired child. “Chairwoman, I don’t think it’s best to have him sit in on our meeting.”

“But I want him here!” Yachiru argued with a mouth of sweets “I’m president so what I say goes.”

“But-”

“No buts! Mayurin stays!” To hammer home her point, Yachiru goes over and practically drags the man into the room. Mayuri rolls his eyes and moves to sit in a corner.

“Just pretend I’m not here,” Mayuri sighed waving off the girl before muttering “I know I am going to try to.”

[your-sweet-cookies]

this or that: fandom trope edition

Repost, do not reblog. thanks!

slowburn or love at first sight

fake dating or secret dating

enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers (both, tho while the first one has more sexual tension and can be steamier, second option is far more healthier and wholesome. uwu)

oh no there’s only one bed or long-distance correspondence

hurt/comfort or amnesia

fantasy au or modern au (I love writing both of those!)

mutual pining or domestic bliss (Again, I love writing both of these, so depending on my mood I can lean more towards one or the other. I will admit however that I am a huge sucker for the domestic AUs/scenarios, family time is just sooo adorable! 🥰)

smut or fluff (Both, and it's mostly depending on my mood. Although, since I can be a perv sometimes, I'll lean more towards the smut.)

canon-compliant or fix-it

reincarnation or character death (I love both of these! The idea of soulmates finding each other time and time again during all the iterations of their lives is very romantic, but so is the beautifully painful scenario of one lover sacrificing themselves to save the life of the other!)

kid fic or road trip fic (Both, tho once again I lean more towards the first option cause I am a big sucker for family time and domestic AU/scenarios.)

arranged marriage or accidental marriage

college romance or middle-aged

romance time travel or isolated together

neighbors or roommates

sci-fi au or magic au (Mmmm, give me a good fantasy AU, especially dark fantasy AU, and my heart is yours!~)

angst or crack

apocalyptic or mundane

Tagged by: @hinataxsunshine

Tagging: @triggerhappymilitant, @niragixpsych, @saiko-militant, @daikichixkarube, @kuinaoflight, @cadaverschaoss, @artsspi and anyone else who wants to do this meme (tag me in your post so I can see too. ^^)

[hmsharmony]

I was tagged in a first-lines-of-fic meme by my darling @moonatoms.

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten however many people you like. If you have written fewer than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway!

Tagging: @lissomelle (no this is not an attempt to get your juices flowing because you were brainstorming Shadow & Bone fic what are you taking about), @hondagirll, @seek--rest, @abc2411, and anyone else because it’s 1 am and my brain is no longer working.

1. someone out there who can bring me back to you (Spider-Man (MCU) Peter/MJ Adam Project AU)

“MJ, are you sure about this?”

MJ gestures to be quiet as she and Ned make their way through the silent facility. Ned’s already hacked into the system to shut off the security cameras and alarms, but the last thing they need is to alert any guards. She tightens her grip on her backpack.

2. scars are souvenirs we never lose (Spider-Man (MCU) Peter/MJ, Michelle-centric post-NWH fic)

Michelle is pretty sure she spent the first few hours of Saturday hanging out on Liberty Island with her best friend and a wizard.

Yes, she knows how that sounds. No, she doesn’t know why they were there. It gets particularly confusing when she remembers there was some kind of showdown between Spider-Man and a lizard and a sand storm, and maybe a guy on a hoverboard? Anyway, the point is, she and Ned spent their night hanging out at what she’s pretty sure is now a crime scene, and she has no idea how they ended up there.

3. Speak Aloud What Until Now I've Only Sung (Austin & Ally, Austin/Ally through the years)

They are 18 and prom is just around the corner. He wants to ask her to what is supposed to be the greatest night of their high school lives, but he takes just a bit too long working up the nerve, and when he finally approaches her and tries to nonchalantly suggest that they go together she already has a date.

With Dallas.

Of course.

Fate would decide to screw with him like that.

4. Make a Move (‘Cause I’m Ready) Austin & Ally, Austin/Ally post-Mix-Ups & Mistletoe

Early on the day after Christmas, Trish barges into Sonic Boom and demands, "So are you going to tell me about that almost kiss under the mistletoe or what?"

Ally is still exhausted from yesterday and is all but on autopilot, and before she can stop herself she replies, "Which one?"

5. Fragment of Light (Merlin; Arthur-Gwen 4x09 spec fic)

“They want your head, Guinevere.” Gwen remains silent, her gaze trained to the side. “What am I supposed to do now?” This catches her attention, and she finally looks at him. Disbelief flickers across her face.

6. There’s So Much More Than Me and You (Merlin; Arthur/Gwen 3x10 spec fic)

“Guinevere.”

Gwen glanced up from her place on the dungeon floor. “Arthur,” she breathed. She stared at him for a moment, just making out the outline of him through the bars of the prison door.

6. Burnt Chicken Never Won Fair Lady (Merlin; Arthur/Gwen slightly cracky modern au)

As a rule, Gwen avoided the habit of eavesdropping, preferring not to run the risk of hearing only bits and pieces of a conversation and either agonizing over what had actually been said or leaving the room with a completely false understanding of the discussion. Yet when Morgana started snickering uncontrollably, her magazine shaking up and down, Gwen couldn’t help but look up from her book and follow her friend’s gaze to the two young men standing on the other side of Morgana’s elegantly decorated living room.

7. A Handful of Sand (Merlin; Arthur/Gwen, arranged marriage s3 spec)

Camelot is falling apart.

As much as Gwen tried to quiet this thought, every day it seemed to grow stronger. The dragon attack months ago was only the first of many tragedies to befall the kingdom, and now the people were cursed with a king who, for all intents and purposes, had gone mad.

8. Multa Paucis (Merlin; Arthur/Gwen, Gwen-centric missing scenes from s2 finale)

“They’ve left, Gwen – both of them.”

“Oh.” It’s the only word that manages to escape her lips, the only word she trusts herself to utter without revealing that the world is turning on its head, that she is lost and unsure and …

Scared.

9. A Pirate’s Life (is not For Spoiled Princes) (Merlin; Arthur, Gwen, and Morgana in a pre-Merlin Camelot)

The morning before Gwen’s first day as a handmaiden her father had warned her that her lady’s word was law. “No matter what happens, obey the king’s ward,” her father had said before seeing her off. Gwen understood the logic behind this advice, but she wondered if her father would’ve instructed her otherwise had he been better acquainted with the Lady Morgana. Indeed, Gwen couldn’t imagine that he’d be particularly thrilled if he discovered how his daughter was currently aiding her lady in a pirate attack on the crown prince of Camelot.

10. We Are Just Breakable Girls and Boys (Merlin; Arthur/Gwen shortly after Morgana’s disappearance)

He finds her in Morgana’s chambers. Her back is to him – her face looking out the window – and her arms are wrapped around her body as if she’s protecting herself from the cold. He hasn’t said a word, but somehow she knows he’s there, for she soon says in a hoarse voice, “I didn’t believe him.”

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

bonnie-barstow-of-flag asked : Name one of your favorite tropes. What has influenced your writing and blog? If you’re an oc blog, did you have any characters in mind while creating your character? What is a trope you’ve always wanted to subvert? Is there a fact/detail about your muse that you think would surprise people if you told them about it? Name a question you’ve always wanted to be asked about your muse.

Easy Meme for a Burnt Out Mun. / @bonnie-barstow-of-flag -- accepting

Name one of your favorite tropes.

Someone would probably say my favorite trope is dead parents because somehow in almost every character I write or oc I create, a parent is dead. (Cassie, Varric, Sean, Eleanor, Evie, Jacob, Milton, Baker, Abe, Astrid). But that’s just an unexpected similarity between my muses and with ocs, it adds some drama in their backstory. (Though, if I made another oc, I wouldn’t have this be the case).

I think I know some tropes, but not off the top of my head, and I don’t have just one. I love characters like Evie who are confident, intelligent, but also guarded with their heart. I love enemies to lovers, lovers to enemies. I especially love when two enemies work together for a cause that benefits both of them and that might be taking down enemy number 3. Romantic fluff from people in two different social classes. The hero that doesn’t want to be the hero, but is destined to be. Cuddling for body warmth. Slowburn. Fake relationship or arranged marriage (but not abusive). 

What has influenced your writing and blog?

A lot of things! For aesthetics, I take from various other blogs, but I’m not graphic savvy, so I tend to not change things up. Luckily, I have been able to keep my blogs aesthetically pleasing with my limited graphic ability. For my writing as a whole: my rp partners. I do take some inspiration from various authors and I save descriptions and lines I really enjoy from various pieces of literature. I’ve been trying to get more into the hobby of reading, but most of my writing influence has come from my rp partners. I think with the variation of rp threads across all of my blogs and my close mutuals, I have been influenced a lot by their writing. It especially helps with improving my writing and developing my character more. 

At the moment, I’m switching between multiple books, but the S.ong of A.chillies has been my writing inspiration recently. I usually get swept up into the idea that long writing means more interesting writing and I must go all out with details, but with MIllers’ writing of short sentence style, she puts so much detail and life into her short sentence structure that its a nice reprieve to read something that doesn’t go on and on (that requires much thought and concentration between my heavy academic workload). It’s a relatively light read and while I have some issues with the book, I do love her simple writing style because it holds so much vivid, beautiful description in just a single sentence. I do like Amy Harmon in terms of authors that I’ll read her other work. I wish I could write like her and create such unique voices in my writing and her hold and variety with her characters. A narrator in one book sounds like a completely different person from the next and she masters writing in two different povs perfectly so that the book doesn’t lose its flow. I highly recommend “What the Wind Knows” & “Where the Lost Wander”. Ron Hansen moreso for his very, very descriptive writing, but his writing is so description heavy and long that I don’t want to end up that way in my own writing. I usually take bits and pieces from various authors and usually I look at authors for the way they describe a scene. But ultimately, I am influenced by my rp partners.

If you’re an oc blog, did you have any characters in mind while creating your character?

I don’t so much have a character in mind so much as a concept. All of my muses have originated from a concept or an idea I had in mind.

Cassie: I wanted a character that was softer amongst the rather bleak and angsty background of my muses. They all vary, but a lot of them have a bit of angst to them. Cassie does, no doubt, have a tragic backstory tied to her and has become more angsty with time, but instead of the rather angry and violent nature of most of my muses, Cassie is the soft daisy in my muse list. I also wanted to toy with an idea that in r.dr2’s world setting in the V.an der l.inde gang that there was an avid gardener in their crew. 

Eleanor: I really liked the idea of a journalist/reporter. When the western/r.dr2 rpc was more active, people tended to make either bounty hunters or outlaw muses. It makes sense because the game and the time period tend to focus on either two, but I did like the idea of someone on the “outside” that can interview these rugged figures. I also felt like Eleanor was a breath of fresh air to me because I write like multiple outlaws and one Pinkerton agent. 

Lydia: When I watched t.urn the later half of 2019 and made Lydia in early 2020, I believe, I really wanted to make a character of my own that interacted with the t.urn characters. I wanted to see what connections she would have. The rpc was very small then. It is small now, but it is way, way more active than it was then. Then more people came in and I wrote Lydia more, which really strengthened her character. Luckily, many people have indulged me with Lydia, developing her character more and providing me with a variety of different interactions that can help, in turn, direct her development as a whole. I'm still interested in seeing where dynamics can go with her.

Arala: I hardly use her and I’m debating if I want to drop her altogether. S.tar w.ars was a big part of my childhood. I would draw Darth Vader on paper in pencil until my hand hurt and my pale skin was dark. Honestly, the s.tar w.ars rpc intimidates me really heavily and I don’t have as much knowledge as I used to on the series. I remember the basics, but I would have to remember all of the stuff again. I made it after watching the new trilogy and i wanted someone who can shift to either side and was mostly out for herself. Most of my ocs tend to be on the softer side (even temperament Lydia) and I wanted someone who was angry, self-centered, and focused on her own survival. Exhibiting very masculine leaning traits.

What is a trope you’ve always wanted to subvert?

I’m not really sure what this is asking me and I tend to not stick to or think of tropes generally in my writing, so my answer is limited. 

Generally, I find it kinda annoying that a love interest has to be part of almost every movie. I know it adds drama and motivation, but I think shows can flesh out a love interest better than a movie unless there’s a sequel. Unless it’s specifically a romcom or anything, I don’t ever feel any connection to a relationship in a movie. I think if you have to always include a love interest in something, it can show lazy writing imo. 

The twin trope is that they are psychic or whatever. I write a pair of twins on here (Evie & Jacob) and they do exhibit some of the tropes for twins (one is more serious vs the comedic relief who tells the other twin to chill out), but Evie does exhibit some mischievousness to her character. Hardly, but it’s there if you squint. I also think their backstory and the storyline in the game give them more of a reason for why they are this way. I also dislike the trope for twins that are eerily similar, like basically copies of one another, but the whole psychic twin thing bugs me. I have a pair of twins in my family and while they are a bit different, they aren’t complete opposites, but they aren’t the exact same either. They’re like regular siblings and people.

Honorable mentions: love triangles, cheating plots (... not about a certain spy show, I swear /sarcasm).

Is there a fact/detail about your muse that you think would surprise people if you told them about it?

Oh god I’m not sure. It depends I guess on what muse it is? For Evie, I stick close to canon, but kinda expand on some of her traits. So her more perfectionist, workaholic, and more reluctance to fall in love and give into her feelings may surprise some? Probably something about each muse of mine would surprise someone since I tend to add a few of my own ideas/take to them that are a bit different from canon. 

Uh, Cassie Roosevelt has no connection to Teddy Roosevelt despite the name.

Name a question you’ve always wanted to be asked about your muse.

It depends on the ask meme and what it is. I have wanted to talk about a certain thing with a specific muse over my time spent writing, but I have completely forgotten about it. Usually, if that’s the case, I’ll just make a headcanon post about it and talk about it there. But there are times where I want to talk about a ship or a dynamic, but i don’t want to annoy my rp partner about my thoughts. I tend to go deep into my dynamics as I do with everything revolving around characters, so I try to refrain from that because I know that’s not for everyone. So I keep my ramblings and plot ideas to myself most of the time.

[rhysisanightblogger]

A (non exhaustive) list of actual things (some of which are straight up bonkers) that have happened in my seemingly sedate life:

My parents turning down an arranged marriage between me and my sister, and the sons of an African prince they just casually knew (it wasn't super serious tbh)

Meeting a dutchess cause she was related to my dads best friend (she was a raging bitch and we all hated her)

My dad not being in the pentagon on 9/11 cause he got injured during PT

My 1st real school lock down being 9/11 cause we were a large school (off base) made up of predominantly current and former service members kids

My mom getting into a neighborhood war w a suspected drug dealer that ended in him apologizing and giving us gifts

Getting out of doing homework cause my domestic terrorist relative died in federal prison despite not having memories of the jackass and being hated by that side of the family

The Dr who delivered me asked my mom if he needed to call security cause I came out tan w black hair and both my parents are white (both have native and European ancestors)

3 almost arranged marriages (that I know of) including the above mentioned

My high school threatening to sue a meme website cause I bullied teachers on it (unintentionally)

My college best friend trying to pass off kill bill as his real life

Literally being bullied in college because some people couldn't leave hs behind

Setting off museum alarms by moving a certain on a window in hs

Japanese teacher laughed at my name because it's slang for virgin and only finding out a year later cause my friend felt bad she giggled

My nose being traumaticly amputated from my face as a small child (it's back on now)

[37-children-of-the-dreams]

Oh, thats interesting. Actually, does Hector think of Eira as his daughter, or not? Cause it means that both Six and Eira aren't related to him, but like they're his children, but his married children, and thats sounds weird. Six is kinda more like his son cause of still active papers, but idk, it feels like trope "I raised my own child and other person's child like my own, but I'm ok if they'll marry" but kinda not, cause even Eira thought of Hector and Klipse as her parents when decided not to burn marriage papers.

I know read one story, old one, where girl's father gone and had another family where he had son, and she hated that son, but when he arrived to her she got used to him and married him. Wait, it does sounds like Six's and Eira's story. Anyway, that feels like incest. But Eira doesn't have nor Hector's nor Klipse's boold. Here we can have meme with stepsister.

Also, what gender is Hector? I mean, it's non binary, trans, or maybe what it's original sex?

Eira and Six’s relationship isn’t incest at all, and idk on the stepsister meme, but go off. They’re not even remotely related in terms of royal incest. Their relationship does sound like it comes from Game of Thrones and House of the Dragons, and I do take inspiration from historical royal marriage references from around the world for their relationship, but I make sure to modernize it for it to fit the story, and make sure the two aren’t that related even if it sounds like it’s incest.

Hector does see Eira as his surrogate daughter. He helped create her and was there for every development stage of Eira’s gestation process. Then, when Klipse left, and Eveline got too sick, and Edward neglected Eira, Hector was the one raising her even when he could have just paid a nanny or governess to raise her. Hector has been Eira’s primary parental figure for the majority of her life, and even when Hector has his own children, he’s still willing to act like he’s Eira’s parent when she needs it.

Now, yes Hector is Six’s stepparent, and he does see Six as a son he gained from Klipse’s cloning process, but the reason he’s not weirded out by the fact that his surrogate daughter and stepson are married is the fact that he knows they’re not that much related, and that compared to past royal marriages from around the world, he did his job in securing the throne having heirs. Yes, people will say he married off his “children” to each other, but like at least he made sure they’re devoted and loving to each other compared to an arranged marriage that would destroy a royal lineage.

Now, Eira’s relationship with Klipse. It’s about to fracture due to meeting Six and learning that Klipse has been abusing him. She’s about to metaphorically see that Klipse isn’t the same father she used to know, and afterwards will regret burning those papers because it also means she tied Hector and Braille to horrible man who had changed for the worse. She actually stops thinking Klipse is the surrogate father she loved, and in the end, the only reason Eira would say Klipse is her father is because he’s her FATHER-IN-LAW through her marriage to Six.

Lastly, Hector is intersex. Hector can be she/he/they depending on what Hector wants people to talk to him as.

[countlessrealities]

💚 { and for Evil Rick & E-Rick because why not ? xD @thcpresidcnt }

Shipping interest checker || Always accepting !

[[ Let me write a little intro here, ‘cause I feel like I have to (even if no one but you and I will read this x’D First of all, I’m fucking wheezing, because this is us trolling our muses SO much xD And secondly, on a more serious note, you’re the only one allowed to send ship memes to Evil Rick ‘cause he’s exclusive with one of your muses x’D ]]

Have we discussed shipping before?: yes || no [[ unless...does E-Rick’s weird temporary crush counts? xD well, we have discussed them being...not at each other’s throat (which mostly goes for Evil Rick because E-Rick would be happy to be friendly with his “colleague” xD ]]

My interest level overall: I’ve wanted this for so long || can’t wait || I think it’ll be fun || kinda feeling it || maybe with a lot of plotting || I need to think about it || not interested, sorry || I don’t even know what to reply to this x’DDD [[ We both know it’s a no on both sides, but LMAO for the funsies? Or for the NOT funsies because it would be an even more toxic relationship than the one that E-Rick has with his boss xD ]]

How we should do this: jump right in || slow burn || pre-established || build up to it in a thread || anything goes [[ Slow burn to Evil Rick being “I might not think anymore that you’re a complete waste of space” which, let’s be honest, it’s great progress x’D ]]

Dynamics I want to try out with our ship: friends to lovers || rivals to lovers || enemies to lovers || mutual pining || battle couple || childhood friends || high school sweethearts || star crossed lovers || long time lovers || old married couple || newlyweds || sickeningly sweet couple || secret lovers || fake dating/marriage || best friends hiding their feelings || arranged marriage || soulmates || other [[one night stand??? colleagues to something???]] [[ ...I just can’t take this seriously. But the fake dating scenario...I had to mark it down because it’s absolutely hilarious xD ]]

[gailytine]

It is time, yet again, to create another bitch