#just mentioning the ship adds your post to the tag btw

[skumhuu]

Proshipper = you're against censorship and harassment over fiction & curate your experience on the internet to have a healthy distance from things that make you uncomfortable

Antishipper = you're okay and even encourage harassment towards "freaks" and "weirdos" society deems acceptable to hurt

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

I live for all these ships with Apollo like Apollo and Thanatos, Cupid, and even the most dumpsterfire ship of all time Copollo (I go feral over these two)

But one ship that stood out to me was Boreas and Apollo, and apparently the Boreads describe Apollo as "Beloved of our sire" And the fact that Koios is basically Boreas' boss makes this so much more better

So basically I'm asking for Boreas and Apollo headcanons 👀

(And if you take fic reqs, I wouldn't mind a fic with these two)

Apollo is SOOOOOO Shippable lmao XD He has such a variety of lovers and that really allows us to be able to explore a variety of relationship!

Healthy or toxic, lmao XD Copollo is Top Tier imo

and on the topic of Boreas, I have one extra thing to add there because I personally headcanon that Lelantos, titan of air & moving unseen (and apollo's uncle), used to be the head of the wind gods but was stripped of his title by Zeus post-titan war because he sided with Kronos.

So therefore, both of Boreas's bosses are relatives of Apollo's lmao XD

HEADCANONS, EH?

ahem

Imo, Hyperborea was some sort of courting gift or something Boreas gave Apollo. Because here's the thing with Hyperborea:

It's the One Place Boreas does not blow his winds, hence its title of Eternal Spring.

Boreas's palace resides at the southern border of Hyperborea, with gryphons who live in BOTH places.

Three of Boreas's son are PRIESTS of Hyperborea, and serve Apollo when he's there.

Three of Boreas's daughters joined Artemis's hunt (Oupis features in my fic Shattered Minds, btw!)

Hyperborea is literally "over the north wind" in Greek.

I think we can all agree winter is the time Apollo and Boreas hook up lmao XD

Boreas ALSO, in some versions, is a suitor of Hyacinthus, but he clearly doesn't hold any ill-will about Hya & Apollo because let's be real, he would have picked Apollo too XD

So imagine this. Hyacinthus & Apollo making out. Then Apollo & Boreas making out. HECK HYACINTHUS & BOREAS MAKING OUT.

THIS MEME IS THEM

ALSO I RAISE YOU-

Zephyrus has a crush on Apollo :3 (It makes sense. also Apollo is widely associated with spring and Zephyrus is the SPRING wind, and likes pretty guys and Apollo is the prettiest so-)

I blabbered about that in the Discord with @xxzephyrbreezexx and our fellow Discord user whom I don't know if they have a blog here 😭 KNOW I AM POINTING VIOLENTLY IN YOUR DIRECTION

You are Zephyrus. You have a crush on Apollo. You also get a crush on his boyfriend.

AND THEN YOUR BROTHER FUCKS BOTH OF THEM

The Hyacinthus Debacle, as I have dubbed it, also created a bit of a rift between Boreas and Zephyrus, which is Sad because they are usually associated with each other in literature, art, ect :(

Family dinners are Awkward. Even more so when Boreas brings Apollo along to the dinners hosted at his place.

They became Especially Awkward when Helios and Selene were still around because then Boreas would have to deal with Helios's Dad Instincts kicking in and staring him down.

(Helios is Boreas's uncle btw!)

(I have a Boreas thing planned in my Helios fic eheheheh. It's funny, don't panic)

And whenever Apollo pops in the visit Eos about light-related things or Astraeus (Eos & Astraeus are the winds' parents) it Still Is Awkward because Zephyrus just. BOLTS out of the room.

He is simultaneously Gay For and Terrified of Apollo.

Also if Asteria tags along with Apollo (because she is shooting stars/night prophecy and Astraeus is dusk/stars) she gives Zephyrus The Death Stare.

He is equally terrified of her, minus the horny.

Cupid/Eros, eh?

...are you in the Discord by chance? Because the fellows I mentioned previously and I have also discussed this👀

We get Boreas in my next fic, btw! :D No ApolloXBoreas, sadly, but I do have plans on incorporating them into a fic!

Perhaps my revolution fic, because I am getting Ideas concerning Boreas, Apollo, and Koios... >:3

[tex-now]

Hey is it just me or do certain fans complain about how much they hate the other groups instead of loving theirs.

I don't think calling out the misogyny in this fandom is wrong, not in the slightest (my most popular post is calling out the way people treat ena versus akito because of their gender), but most of the time these call out posts just result in more negativity and arguments rather than any like. Productive discussion.

I don't wanna hear about how minoharu and anhane are more canon than ruikasa and akitoya and are Therefore More Valid And Liking Ruikasa More Is Wrong And Bad (exaggerated but most of the time people do insult a ship in order to promote their own) (also sometimes implies that rarepairs are less valid which is a dick move). I wanna hear about the interesting (and I mean very interesting) relationship that an has with kohane, her feelings of inadequacy and slight envy, I wanna hear about how minori (and the rest of mmj) inspired haruka to get back on the stage, and how minori finally got to "repay" haruka in a way.

I didn't start liking ichika because of people endlessly complaining about how underutilized she is and how You Guys Just Don't Get Her, Read The Stories And you'll Discover That She's Actually Perfect Actually (this one isn't an exaggeration but it was on YouTube not Tumblr so in it goes), I started liking her because I learned about her character, her sheer determination and love for her friends, and her want to resonate with people's hearts from people who really like her.

I'm not gonna pretend the Ruikasa fandom and akitoya fandom can't be annoying, a lot of them are toxic and have a habit of making everything about Ruikasa/akitoya while reducing their relationships with other characters to push their shipping narrative. It pisses me off. A lot. I could write (and probably will write) an entire essay on how entitled and bitchy Ruikasa/akitoya fans can be, and I definitely understand how it can build up resentment towards a ship, and how their mass popularity is most definitely attributed to the fact that they are men (which results in an extreme lack of understanding of their actual characters and overall dynamic, reducing them to "top tall sexy one" and "bottom cute feminine one" which upsets me to hell and back). And calling this out is not wrong in the slightest.

but needlessly attacking a ship that someone likes is not a call out. calling Ruikasa and akitoya "a stupid ship" is not a call out. Actively insulting people for liking it is not a call out. Adding Ruikasa and akitoya tags to your post bashing them is not a callout. It's being a dick. You are not doing anything productive by calling Ruikasa and akitoya shippers idiots or stupid or insulting their taste you are only going to piss people off and you know that you are going to piss people off.

Acknowledge but do not attack. Be civil. And if you cant be civil then save everyone some time and keep it private.

Oh yeah. And be annoying about your blorbos. Make KING kanamafu art. Put shizuairi in Fragile. Talk about how much you love your girl ships and your girl characters and don't event mention the guys, make fanfiction and fanart of the girls, I really really want you to, genuinely, because they do get less rep in the fandom than their male counterparts, so more content of the girls is always great. It feels a lot better than complaining about a ship you don't even like, I promise

(Btw I mention this in the tags but if anyone wants to add input or correct me on something you totally can. My words aren't law and this post is just me stating my thoughts, and I invite you to share yours if you want.)

[mcytshipsandmore]

Hi, I’m not saying this to be mean, it’s just a genuine message, but Pearl has stated her discomfort with shipping before and indicated she would prefer it not be in the maintags. Like I think tagging it with the ship is fine, just not with Pearlescentmoon, as she is on tumblr and looks at her tag.

1. Ive mentioned before in a post we can’t disclude unless we have actual proof the ccs doesn’t want their character shipped due to many issues in the past, we’ve had people lie in the past about ccs not wanting their characters shipped which caused some issues so we can’t act unless we’re given a tweet, clip, etc that the cc specifically states they don’t Want there CHARACTER shipped specifically.

2. We always put in the shipping tag so people know it’s a ship

3. We never ship the irls unless they are married irl

4. Im close to just quitting this blog, I know your not being mean but I’ve had actual threats given to me because I don’t know every cc boundary ever which is why I’ve been so inactive on the account.

5. Im not trying to be a creep or rude or hostile about this at all btw, im just not good with explaining things so it comes off really poorly, but again we need a tweet, clip, etc that the cc specifically states they don’t Want there CHARACTER shipped specifically

I try to learn every boundary in the right way but in reality I just can’t and if it makes me a bad person I’m sorry, I’m not trying, I’m so busy with my life I just don’t have time to specifically search through the internet for all the boundaries.

Of course if the threats occur again in the future I’ll most likely resign or take a break, if your concerned about something please address it like this person and make sure to add proof so we are able to act accordingly 🩵

-⭐️

[seriousbrat]

What’s so crazy is that not only did they say that we needed to have a discussion, but they intentionally tagged it so that people they know would disagree would see it. Like, what were you expecting? It seems like they just wanted an echo chamber that would agree with them. Saying you think there needs to be a discussion and then hiding replies/reblogs and blocking people who give any pushback is just… a little pathetic, NGL. It tells me that they don’t actually believe their argument and they know it’s flimsy, but they felt defensive because the original criticism was forcing them to confront some uncomfortable things about themself internally.

And the argument: “well, it’s not real!” Sure, but in order for that point to hold any weight, you have to demonstrate a clear awareness and understanding of the motives behind the content you create and the possibility of it being influenced by deep rooted or internalized issues/biases. We don’t live in a vacuum and it’s impossible for anyone to create content that isn’t in some way influenced by unconscious biases or things we’ve internalized from being socialized in a prejudiced society. But if you refuse to acknowledge the problem to begin with or become defensive at its mention, then how am I supposed to believe that you’re not challenging those issues in your daily life? I don’t police the content people make and I don’t automatically assume that creating content about controversial subject matter is the same thing as endorsing it. But again, becoming defensive and showing a lack of understanding when a discussion on said subject matter is being had, kiiiinda discredits you from being able to use the “it’s not real” excuse.

Btw, I don’t think you were rude. They were being purposefully inflammatory by posting it in the jily tag and condescendingly saying “you guys need to think about this”. I’m not sure why they were surprised by pushback, lol.

Well said, I don't think I can really add anything to this! Agreed they definitely don't believe what they're saying deep down and just feel uncomfortable about being forced to confront their behaviour. It's beyond painfully obvious that they didn't want discussion at all, they just wanted people to validate their Moral Righteousness about shipping sexy men together. Lmao. Did they really tag it and then say that jily fans needed to think about it? Ajfjgkkgbg that is wild

The "it's not real" was also wild considering that they were the one that compared people to neonazis for talking about fictional characters

[miraculousstories]

List of my fav mlb fanfics no one asked for:

(this is a very long list btw, and all links are to ao3. I try to include as many warnings as possible, but I may forget some so please read the tags before reading the fic.)

Baby Boom by ShawnaCanon

It’s about an akuma that causes everyone in Paris to… do the deed… (not graphic) and every woman to get pregnant. It somehow evolves into a timetravel fic-

400,000 words- def recommend for readers who are okay with vague references to sex.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23034028/chapters/55083382

Dearly Despised (I Love You) by snacc-noir

Lovely fic. A nice take on the adrienette enemies to lovers trope, and it adds in some fake dating. Cn and Lb start out as (more or less) lovers in the beginning, and it evolves from there. It’s not a finished fic, but still, if you’re willing to wait then read.

73,000 words so far (I’ll update as time goes on) and 33 chapters- totally clean fic, I recommend if you love enemies to lovers trope.

(Last update on the fic was 10/20/2023)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28711611/chapters/70393941

Turn Loose the Mermaids by bookskitten

WONDERFUL. That is all I have to say about this. One of my personal favorites for sure- it’s a mermaid au where Marinette is a siren hellbent on dragging the captain of a ship (who just so happens to be Adrien- aka Captain Noir)down to the depths of the ocean… but you know it won’t end that simply.

64,000 words- WARNING- GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF SEX. I do not recommend for anyone not comfortable with that sort of thing. But if you are, go read! I promise it’ll be worth your time.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8238214/chapters/18879793

Cut My Life into Pieces, This is My Last Resort by Silver_fox_fyre

This was… an interesting one to say the least. In this, Marinette is at the end of the rope- struggling with being both Marinette and Ladybug. So, of course the logical decision would be to fake her own death. Well, Marinette’s death, that is. Be warned, some of the excuses are kind of a long shot (for instance, she fakes her own death by using the mouse miraculous- only she doesn’t actually have the costume, she just looks normal.)

114,000 words- completely clean- characters do fall asleep on each other like…once, but nothing happens. Some passionate kisses, but that’s all. Lots of violence though, and blood and gore are a given. Character death is included as well. I recommend for braver readers.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/44353420/chapters/111546223

In Case You Don’t Know Me Tomorrow by thelibraryloser

This one is… an interesting one at best, a strange one at worst. The idea itself is that this is a universe where you can pay to have your memories erased. (No plot spoilers there) everyone is aged up in this, maybe around 20, 25. Non-magical universe as well.

56,000 words- a good fic, I’ll say, but it is a bit weird and I got bored of it at times. But stick around to the end and you’ll be rewarded, I promise. Clean as well, don’t worry.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/41522079/chapters/104136594

Miraculous Magic: First Year by spetember

*gasp* Is this- it is! The mlb/Harry Potter crossover you’ve all been waiting for!! Marinette and Adrien are 11 year olds who have just received their Hogwarts acceptance letters. They receive magical artifacts- and are told by Headmaster Fu that they must strive to defeat the Dark Lord Hawkmoth. They are 11, so while Mari does develop a crush for Adrien near the end of the fic, there isn’t much love. But honestly? I didn’t miss it. There’s so much action- I loved it. I’m thinking of writing spin-off fics about the other years, so if I do I’ll post the link in the reblogs.

58,000 words- wonderful. Simply wonderful. Mild violence, but no worse than the actual Harry Potter. Nothing related to love, as I mentioned. They are 11 after all. If you are in both the hp and mlb fandoms, I def recommend.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11558436/chapters/25960689

Longest Night by P_Artsypants

Whump fic. Must I go on? Jokes aside, this fic is amazing. Marinette and Adrien are captured by some psychopath, and are tortured. I mean really tortured. Like I had to walk away at times it was so much- and this is coming from the person who regularly reads violence and smut. But if you can make it through, it’s a wonderful story. I don’t wanna spoil anything… but they do make it out alive. Well… kinda. I’ll let you read to find out.

210,000 words- Okay, I know I like to joke around a lot, but this time I’m serious. This is a very graphic fic which includes torture, and I mean real torture- not just the stuff you see on TV, but the stuff you see in R- rated horror movies. The fic actually references that the plot is similar to a horror film that actually got banned from almost every country in the world because it was so horrible. (The fic isn’t as bad as the film, but it is kinda horrifying.) Just for reference, here’s some torture tactics they use: Forced piercings, locked in a closet for a month, food loafs (a bunch of leftover food that’s baked with poison that makes you hallucinate) and.. well, there’s blood. I’ll just say that much. PLEASE use caution when reading, I will not say that again. For extremely brave readers only. Oh, and a side not- not completely clean. There is a sex scene at the end, which is skippable but if you are comfortable I would read it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19855210/chapters/47019550

The Strings of Fate by sailortwilightt

OKAY BACK TO THE NICE FICS. This is actually a two-parter, and it’s nail-biting good. It’s a soulmate AU, naturally, where an invisible red string takes you to your soulmate. Please note that this is an older fic written before the more recent seasons, so Emilie, for example, is not dead. This also evolves into an alternate dimension AU, and it has a great plot.

120,000 words- counting both fics. As warnings go, there isn’t much to warn. It’s clean as far as smut goes, and, while there is definitely some graphic violence scenes, nothing too bad. I recommend for the reader who isn’t too bothered by the canon-fanon differences.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/919836

Miraculous Moves Underground by LadyDi1980

Okay, so I’m sure you’ve seen the post about this fic floating around. It’s a dancing au, which features the clashing worlds of ballet and hip-hop. Non-magical, but I didn’t miss it. Wonderful au, really, and I def recommend.

104,000 words- clean fic. No violence (except for a few slaps initiated and recieved by none other than Gabriel Agreste) and no smut. There are some songs and images that don’t work attached to the fox. So be prepared for some disappointment in that department. Also, the music is mostly BTS.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7203476/chapters/16346582

Blanks by DipStick45

For those of you who stayed around until the end, you’re amazing. This is my favorite fox by far, and it’s absolutely incredible. It’s a zombie apocalypse au, but it’s much more sophisticated than the usual zombies one. The actual word zombie isn’t used once in the fic. Oh and by the way, this fic made me cry. I have never cried from any book, tv show, or other fic in my life, but I cried in this one. Why? You’ll just have to find out!! Oh and also, this is only 2 chapters. Apparently they were doing a one-chapter challenge, but ao3 has a word limit for chapters. READ. I WILL PERSONALLY FORCE YOU.

103,000 words- okay so despite what I said- here are the warnings: major character death. I won’t say more for now. Violence. As expected, only times 10. Someone gets beheaded, another gets themselves split in half. The actual zombie bite’s effects are also quite graphic. There IS one smut scene, but it’s not detailed. And Adrien was high anyways. Oh yeah, alcohol use, and… I mean… they do describe the human body in some detail, but it’s not that bad. Chloe is insane, by the way, so there’s that. I think that’s it. If you’re okay with that, then read. I beg of you.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43755576/chapters/110030079

And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed this very long list of fics! Lemme know what you think of them!

[shoko-komi]

This Special Edition of The Komi Report is split into multiple posts. This is Part Two. Click here for Part One

5. It's Emoyama, Continued

I'm only listing the final chapter, but the whole little arc about Emoyama is basically the 5th pick. It added a new word to my vocabulary – Emoi. I'd say that on its own warrants a place here. But that's far from the only reason. 

With Najimi tagging along for the ride, these chapters feel like old times again. Komi's got a problem communicating with a classmate, the three stooges (Komi, Tadano, and Najimi) put their heads together to reach an understanding, and goofs ensue. It's fun, it's funny, it's light, and it's sweet. And it's well set up, with Emoyama's reason for crisis (peeling the unripe fruit of Emoi) having occurred quite a while beforehand. 

Add onto that how long Emoyama has been around - she even appears as a teaser in the (current) final scene of the anime... 

...along with Lily Sukida. Now that's what I call venerable. Anytime a character like her finally gets some serious attention it's a surprise, a delight, and a treat. Komi's world is full of sleeper agents waiting for their moment. (Just btw, I super ship Sukida and Emoyama now. Maybe I should write a fic....) 

Plus... 

...it gave us this. Sledgehammer Komi...... 

I love you, Emoyama. And your mother

Honourable Mentions 407 – Interview  409 - Can't Say Sorry  416 – The Rest  417/418 - Ogiya/Super Awesome  427 – Cool  429/430 - Fuki's Story  433 – A Date with Rumiko 

Funniest Joke

Comedy is extremely subjective, so take this category with a grain of salt. But given how much I've had to say about Kawai, I doubt you'll be too surprised: 

When tf did she have time to make this??????? It's all of the buildup that makes this so memorable to me; how Kawai is so serious and intimidating until she bonds with komi. Then it's like a switch flips in her head. She's such a dork. 

The whole of 393 is one joke – Kawai made a DVD about how they'd benefit from marrying her – so I'm saying the whole chapter gets the funniest joke award and calling it day. There's no better way to explain why this one's a winner than to show you some screenshots, so enjoy: 

I love you, Kawai (it bears repeating) 

Most Emoi Moment

This award would have gone to the kiss, but there's an underdog who I think has worked harder for it. She's captain of the track team; an aspiring restaurateur; an old friend, a bitter rival, and a true hero; and she's never won a damn thing in her life. She needs this. 

She's Makeru Yadano at the year three sports carnival!!! I bet you were surprised this chapter wasn't mentioned among my top picks; not even the honourable mentions!! That's what we in the biz call a fake out. I could never forget my girl Makeru. 

Something I noticed while writing this - Yadano probably would have won... 

...except that Komi got a head start. You can see that Yadano starts a moment behind (because her teammates are Sarutahiko and Inui, RIP). A relay race is a team effort, so can you really say that Yadano lost? Maybe I'm undermining her personal growth moment. Whoops. 

emoi...............................

I would also like to pay my respects to Benujit Spopo, a walk-of-fame KCC gag in my opinion. It appeared this year! 

(From Ch. 404 – Tales from the Summer Festival, Part 2) 

I love you, Yadano

Reader's Choice

Now is the time. This is the moment. The most coveted and prestigious award of all – the Reader's Choice Award. (It's the most coveted and prestigious because it's determined by democracy 🫡) 

For this category, the Komi Report received a record-shattering four votes - that's right!! Four votes!!! From you, the readers. 

The votes were extremely varied, and it turned out to be very useful that most people named multiple chapters in their submission. I used a sort of preferential voting system – I tallied everyone's first choice and there was no winner, so I added everyone's second choice, then third etc etc. 

Thus we find our victor. With a landside two votes, the 2023 Reader's Choice Award goes to: 

*drum roll* 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Paam pa du paam!! Chapters 417 & 418 – Ogiya & Super Awesome!!!! 

Well deserved!!!!!!!! Ogiya's story is heartbreaking; he was driven to become a literal man baby to escape the terrible price of popularity. Then Komi becomes the most assertive we've ever seen her as she keeps pushing him to accept her friendship. In the end, barriers are broken down!! Emoi!!!

I'm looking at this now... and Komi saying "It's alright. I'm super strong so I'll make sure you're alright" and the look on Ogiya's face.... that's making me tear up...

I love how Tadano and Ogiya are said to have been hanging out at other times before this event. It creates the feeling that these characters have lives when we aren't looking at them – very cool! It also demonstrates that Tadano attracts socially maladjusted people like a magnet. I'd say it's his gentle nature. 

My warmest thanks to everyone for their submissions. 

Conclusion

Phew... I'm knackered. I've been typing this in a document and the word count has passed 4,000... wowzers! 

If you've come this far, I extend to you my sincerest gratitude. I would have prepared and posted this even if I didn't expect anyone to see it, so to have someone read it all the way to the end is very cool. Maybe you even... enjoyed it?????? 

Here's my resolution for 2024 – I will strive to write every Komi Report as thoughtfully and conscientiously as I wrote this one. The weekly editions will be way shorter, of course. And I won't spend a whole week writing them, but each and every one will have the same love put into it 💪 

I hope this 2023 Annual Edition of The Komi Report got you excited about Komi Can't Communicate; whether that excitement is from being reminded of all the good times we've had, or from being annoyed by my opinions. Either way, you're thinking about Komi. 

I win. 

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

Now that your appetite for Komi Can't Communicate has been whet:

Check out my Komitano AMV on youtube

Or my live action Komi-san compilation video

Thank you very much! Komi returns on January 5th, 2024. I'll see you then!!

[reggieblk]

20 questions for fic writers

thank you sm for the tag, @liquidluckandstuff !! <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently 4, though there should be another arriving before the end of the year

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

278,494 but with me being the kind of person to not post WIPs, that number is not representative of how many words I've actually written.

I just checked all my docs, and my unpublished WIPs come out to 460 393 words so far (across 4 different long fics and 3 oneshots).

So my actual word count is 738 887. what the fuck. i started writing this year btw (in february i think) so this is probably a sign of something worrying lol

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Harry Potter

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I only have 4 fics posted but the order is : equals in life, let the light in, love is such a dreadful thing (and dread is so lovely), and to hold your life in my decaying hands

5. Do you respond to comments? Why? Why not?

Yes! I just enjoy interacting with people who took the time to read, enjoy, and comment on my fics. People are generally very nice to me too, so it's always a pleasure to chat.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't really do angsty endings lol. I suppose I have to say equals in life bc it's bittersweet? but it's not angsty imo

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

We're gonna have to stray into WIP territory here, but I'm going to have to say If we were lovers; the ending is very sweet

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have not, no, which I am super grateful for lol. I have gotten annoyingly critical comments though

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes! I'm confused about the second part of the question, what kind? Idk man they bone, what more can I say? But I do write explicit smut scenes bc they're fun

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I have not!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge :)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I've had a few people inquire about translating equals in life and they're always so so lovely and respectful! Thank you to all translators out there!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not, no.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

If you asked me this last year I would've said Drarry, and my answer would have been the same over the last ten years. However, I have come to favour Tomarry & Harrymort, I sway more closely to Harrymort between the two but not enough for me to give a definitive answer.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Er, I didn't count this one in my answer to the word count question but I have a tiny bit of it written. It would've been an eighth year Drarry fic where Harry's struggling through the aftermath of losing Voldemort's soul -- it would've been the most Harrymort coded Drarry fic lmao. But I don't think I'll ever finish it, simply bc my other WIPs are a lot more interesting.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I would say dialogue, and I'm quite good at what I call recall, I rarely forget details about my fics so I like sprinkling in recalls to lots of little details previously mentioned, sometimes so small the reader wouldn't be able to pick them up I think.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes are the bane of my existence. I'm just Not Good at them. The writing doesn't flow, the scene is badly set up, they're just not my thing. I actually have a WIP I started in the hopes of getting better at action scenes haha.

I'm not that good at describing people. With it being fanfiction I just assume people know what they look like, but even if they do, physical descriptions add so much to the fic, and I should do them more often.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I'm guilty of this lol. I like doing it in french bc it's fun, but for another fic I had to sprinkle in some italian (i don't speak italian) and it's just stressful (thankfully my beta does understand italian so they helped me). I try not to do it in languages I don't speak.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I'm going to say Harry Potter, but I'm not going to check that. I know that when I was younger I wrote quite a bit of fanfic I kept to myself, and I'm fairly certain the first was Harry Potter. But I also know I wrote some other stuff that I will not be disclosing lol

20. Favourite fics you’ve written?

I have to say it, equals in life (partners in death)

But, I'm very fond of this oneshot I wrote: to hold your life in my decaying hands

And my favourite long fic I've written is If we were lovers, which will hopefully be out before the end of the year.

Tagging: @auphaniim @thequietsoliloquy @tommarvoloriddlesdiary & @pinktom (pretty sure some of you have already been tagged, sorry) no pressure ofc!! x

[silverfuchs]

i'm florence, you can find my other shit at florenceisfalling. this is my blog for murdersims and horny horror. im unironically more invested in the plot than the porn though. 100% certified not a minor. if you're a minor i'll block you. go follow my sfw blog instead <3 oft-inactive here because this isnt a sideblog, this is a whole separate account

i am in the process of planning out my own lesbian erotic horror game. i'll post about it eventually !

if you try to talk about how some shit is just too depraved and problematic to write/draw and must be censored at all costs on your btd blog of all things i am going to laugh at you and then screenshot your bullshit so i can laugh at you with my friends in dms also

link to my normal blog, link to carrd (needs an update), link to aethy, link to website (wip, please be nice)

tws for bad freak stuff . i am not going to tag individual warnings on reblogs. violence and sa and etc will be on this blog

tagging system below

fandoms: boyfriend to death, the price of flesh, this is not romance, facility (ik those arent horrorporn it just gets an honorable mention), sad sack (still havent read it Sadly), lovers trophy (haven't played yet), john doe, frost bite, degrees of lewdity

characters: ren, rire, lady rire, strade, lawrence, vincent, cain, sano, mason, celia, derek, chamomile, tom, richard, jaqueline, komodo, dragon, machete, ashe, jack, farz, raven, chet, anthony, john doe, kylar, eden, avery, whitney, robin, sydney, ivory wraith, bailey, harper, morgan, people's original characters (i dont have much interest in EP's stuff btw. not my thing. but i occasionally post peoples fanart with those guys)

ships: lawren, stren, deren, lawstrade, i will add others

media: art, shitpost, animation, writing, cosplay, music, aes, dolls

other shit: my posts specifically, genderbent, probably gonna add more tags i just forgor

[adaricruz]

hi! usually scared to send asks to people but i would like to hear your connor headcanons because i want to know the lore behind all of your extremely pretty connor drawings

HII omg dont be !! pls feel free to send stuff whenever !! ok so i have TONS of connor hc’s ( i’ve been writing as him & for him for years now ) but here’s my faves + the ones that are usually present in my art . ( gotta mention that some are very personal & self indulgent bc i see myself in connor a LOT 😭 ) tw for a quick mention of razors .

- i made a post abt this hc here but i’m adding it because it’s the main reason why i use a certain color for connor’s hair , & that is that connor is a ginger ( just like zoe & cynthia ) & he dyes his hair a darker color so he doesn’t look much like them ( & he doesn’t get associated with zoe much at school ) he usually uses a dark brown or even black , but it’s usually very sloppy so his hair ends up being patchy in some areas or just not dark enough .

- connor uses he / they pronouns mostly bc they’re very detached to his gender identity because they don’t feel human most of the time . connor looks in the mirror & doesn’t think ‘ boy ‘ , most of the time he thinks ‘ failure ‘ , ‘ disappointment ‘ , ‘ monster ‘ . he’s also unlabeled & mostly finds male presenting ppl attractive but has been with female presenting ppl a few times . ( i’ll mostly use he / him in tags but in my writing i will use both set of pronouns ! )

- ik freckles have been a recurring headcanon for connor throughout the years in the fandom but i wanna add it too bc his freckles mean so much to me . a connor without freckles is like an angel without its wings likeee ! ( i usually add freckles to charas that i like tho ) they are usually more present over his cheeks , shoulders & chest . some on his hands & thighs too . for a while , connor fucking HATED them , & i once wrote a lil thing where he even tried to remove a particularly big one near his lip w a razor . ( i add it to my drawings a lot , if you check it’s above the right ( his left ) corner of his lip )

- his hair length varies a lot in my stuff bc i’ll sometimes get carried away & make it longer for aesthetic or composition purposes , but i do believe connor would def let it get longer than shoulder length ( not small of his back like in some of my stuff , but definitely to half of his chest maybe ? ) larry def gives him shit abt it & only encourages him to keep it longer & longer .

- this is also a recurring hc but imma mention it too & that’s eyeliner . & tons of it . i’ll sometimes make it smudged bc connor will prob cry & it’ll run . once he’s done he’ll just apply more over it . & black nail polish too ofc .

- I LOVEEEE music headcanons for connor & here’s my faves ( keep in mind my connor is mostly set in the 90’s )

• nine inch nails ( very self indulgent bc i love them sm ) his fave album is pretty hate machine ( mine too 🧍🏻)

• alice in chains

• cowboy junkies ( this hc is a reference to my ship with tate from ahs & the movie natural born killers )

• the offspring

• the cranberries

• suicidal tendencies ofc

• pearl jam

• adolescents

• bad religion

• & the canon ones ( shown in the buttons on his messenger bag ) being dead kennedys , circle jerks , misfits

obviously tons more ( my connor playlist has over 200 songs ok ) but these are the most present ones in his record collection <3

- born in april 20 & is an INFP ( idk shit abt the mbti stuff ok i had to ask a friend & stuff to figure it out LMFAOO this one sounds right tho , for my version for connor at least )

SO YEAH these are the ones that can be seen in my art ( besides the music one ) & ofc if i added all my hcs it would be impossible to scroll down thru this post 💀 tysm for asking this btw ! just so u know my connor art is under the tag ‘ connor murphy ac ‘ & i sometimes add part of the lore & hcs under them ! if u wanna know a specific one lmk i’ll be more than happy to share more of my silly lil hcs with u 🖤🫶

[cheriishball]

[ okay here's how this blog will work:

this is officially a blog for NPC Pokèmon muses. I likely won't initiate RPs here, and will just play as... probably various legendaries, or any Aggressive Wild Pokèmon if anyone wants to battle or catch them!

As soon as you catch a NPC Pokèmon, it becomes yours; I won't play it anymore unless directly asked, and you're more than free to "steal" the muse from me and play it as you wish, whenever you want! Consider this blog as, like. A tabletop roleplay game where i DM random encounters or have one-on-one lore sessions.

so. yeah. we're officially dash only and active only if interacted with in the first place. more rules under the cut!

this is a sideblog! I’ll follow back as infernalpursuit!

remember that mun=/= muse!!

i’m semi-selective, and i hold the rights to choose with who i interact or not – but generally, i try to give everyone a chance! however, remember that the blog is 18+ only for my comfort, and I will softblock minors

remember that mun=/= muse!

I’m open for ships only with other Pokèmon muses, and even then I refuse to play smut. Anyone with a human muse who attempts to flirt with my muses or actively plays pokephilia will be immediately hardblocked

any kind of question is accepted, but anything that doesn’t respect the rules will be promptly ignored and blocked if you continue

blog may end up being trigger-heavy. Everything will be tagged properly, but don’t hesitate to ask me to add some more trigger warnings if necessary

about that, I ask my mutuals to please tag IRL suicide mentions and fnaf

I’m absolutely in for any kind of violent threads, I love rping something involving fights - but know that any hint of godmodding will result in me dropping the thread instantly!

if we RP a fight, I will likely ask for the outcome you want before we fight, or roll dices if we don't want to plot. This said, you're allowed to catch or even kill my wild Pokèmon -- but for the latter, I ask please to tell me if this is your intentions. Any thread where my Pokèmon dies will be properly tagged as #animal death tw

Don't catch or kill my Legendary NPCs. They're meant to be for everyone.

Any question I answer to IC can be turned into a thread, if you want!

I'll likely go iconless btw!!!!

DO NOT reblog RPs, asks or IC posts you’re not directly involved, unless we agreed for you to be part of it. Personals especially will be IMMEDIATLY hard blocked.

i don’t roleplay with OCs without an “about” page, anons or personal blogs! Of course asks are always accepted, but I won’t start threads with any of you.

don’t reblog ask prompts, musings and promos from me! I’m not a source blog, and if the original source isn’t available try to send something before reblogging first. I will hardblock any non-mutual caught doing it, especially if they’re a personal bolg

♥ and now, about this madwoman

goes for gio, 20+ y/o, italian, female

main blog is slightly-gay-pogohammer

please rp pokemon battles with me pls pls pls

[nancylou444]

The John hating HELLER reblogged this: 

Bro called me a heller. If I’m not being called ‘dude’, I’m being called ‘bro’ BUT Amara forbid, we call THEM the wrong fucking pronoun. Double standard much? 

Bitch I don’t fucking label myself based on shit I ship. I’m glad they admit that destiel is shit. 😁

Plus, I didn’t even mention Dean being bi in my post about John because I know it’s not canon lol Oh, so because it wasn’t mentioned in THAT post, it negates the post where the HELLER actually does say that Dean is bi?  John being abusive ISN’T canon either, but never mind. 

I’m done being sorry for stuff I post on here, if you don’t like it just leave you big baby💀💀 Well, if you tagged your hate properly, we wouldn’t have to see your posts. 

#literally though I can’t stand John defenders#but mind ur business#when I see something I don’t like on here you know what I do?#I scroll#so stfu

Like I said many times, what is the purpose of the ANTI John tag, if HELLERS assholes like OP are also going to add the actual tag? 

#HAHA LMAO THEY’RE A WINCESTIE#I JUST CHECKED THE ACCOUNT#I ACTUALLY CANT 😂😂#I’m laughing the more I scroll through the account#btw I’m a generally chill person and if you had just simply stated that you disagreed then I would think that you’re a pretty chill person#but scrolling through your blog?#all you do is attack people because of what they like#so stfu lmao

I’m a wincestie????? No shit sherlock. What was your first clue? My avatar? My title?  Let me tell you, HELLERs are fucking geniuses.  You had to get pretty far in my blog because the first few pages are mostly about episode 3.08 and the weather. 

[dreamtigress]

I answered a slew of these, but not all. Please enjoy!

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

Answer in two parts: If they like consent oriented smut: Plan van Vertrouwen https://archiveofourown.org/works/49166650

If they like angst and exposition: Intermezzo https://archiveofourown.org/works/49167232

2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD (11), Kaz Brekker Needs a Hug (11), Kaz Brekker Has PTSD (11)

Yeah, probably. I was drawn to Kaz and Inej in order to explore and help their PTSD. I tend to do it a lot.

3. What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics?

Soft, Domestic, Sexual Healing, Kink as Therapy.

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

Fully fleshing out so many Original Characters that I am excited to write spin off stories for them in the future. Rook & Jeter especially!

9. How do you find new fic to read?

Aside from searching ships, its the people who leave Kudos, Comments, and Bookmarks. I go and look at what else they're writing, reading and bookmarking. It helps me find so many other talented folks, AND makes me feel like I am in really amazing company.

10. How do you decide what to write?

Random bursts of inspiration, thinking through how I think the characters would handle a piece of trauma or a particular emotion, and sometimes, they just grab me and say, WRITE THIS THING. Sometimes the banter comes fully formed into my head in the shower. Sometimes, I wake up at 4 am and do a voice to text email to myself with an idea I just dreamt of. I just keep writing all the ideas down, and then fleshing them out.

11. Are you partial to a certain character/pairing or are you more equal-opportunity? If you are partial to any character/pairing, why do you think that is?

If it isn't already blatantly obvious, KANEJ, KANEJ, KANEJ.

19. If you wrote a spin-off of [insert fic], what would it involve?

I mentioned this, but I have spin offs planned for my OC's from Kanej Wensen, including:

Rook & Jeter figuring out their feelings for one another.

Nico finally having the courage to ask Mikhal and Meril about possible sexy fun times.

Ryo and Omar realizing they have been pining for each other.

20. If you wrote a prequel to [insert fic], what would it involve?

I did it for Kanej Wensen, and it grew into a monster. All 12 chapters of it.

Jezelf Leren Kennen https://archiveofourown.org/works/53752825

22. Who is your favorite character in [insert fic] and why?

Krai the cat in Krai Kat. I had entirely too much fun designing the perfect cat to worm her way into Kaz's heart. She's as sneaky as the Wraith, and as bloodthirsty as the Bastard, and becomes the best cared for cat in the whole Barrel. https://archiveofourown.org/works/49169332

24. Are there any easter eggs in [insert fic], and if so, what are they?

Not sure if it counts as an easter egg, but the amount of times I have had Jesper references goats is just silly.

25. What other websites or resources do you use most often when you write?

Because I write as canon compliant as I can:

The Grishasverse Wiki https://thegrishaverse.fandom.com/wiki

SoC, CK, and RoW. I have links to my Kindle copies bookmarked for easy access.

Because I had swiftly built up so much of my own canon, and have to keep track of it:

DreamTigress Kanej Fan Fiction Wiki http://tinyurl.com/DreamTigressKanejFanFicWiki

Random Name Generator: https://www.behindthename.com/random/

And my amazing beta readers who help me bounce ideas, translate Dutch, and give awesome support.

28. Does anyone read your fics before you post them? If so, who?

A few amazing friends, and a cadre of awesome beta readers. Always looking to add more, btw, hit me up. I am totally willing to trade beta reading.

29. What songs would be (or are) on a playlist for [insert fic]? Explain your choices if you want!

Every fic I post has at least one song link. The songs are usually chosen for a specific moment, or overall theme for the piece. For the prequel to Kanej Wensen, each chapter got its own song.

Then there's my writing/fandom playlist, created off of some other's folks playlists with many of my own additions. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2jfqDrg8AZwoTuTGR5vDzi?si=de93ba8df08c4cc2

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

Yes. When I first sat to write Intermezzo, I knew writing about their unhappy moments would be a challenge. It turned out to be a very worthwhile endeavor, and encouraged me to explore more angst and processing of negative emotions. I have legitimately targeted more problematic and stressful plot lines since, because I found it fulfilling to explore them. It's certainly harder for me to write angst than smut, but there's a pay off there.

34. What aspects of your writing are inspired by/taken from your real life?

Trauma, and working through it. Erotica and kink scenes. Stupidly funny banter between partners. Goofy hijinx. Ridiculous pillow talk. Arguments that turn into healthy discussions. Physical affection being craved but occasionally difficult.

35. What aspects of your writing are completely unlike your real life?

Being a pirate captain or a gang leader.

36. Do you visualize what you read/write?

SO MUCH. I am a visual thinker. I will picture positions and body language and figure out if situations are feasible, etc. I even go so far as to do 3D renders of floor plans.

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful?

It makes me really happy that so many people like Intermezzo. It was the first not-smut I wrote, exploring heavy themes, and it resonates with people. When a therapist friend read it, and told me that I had handled their trauma in an informed way, it made my whole week.

40. Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

I totally go back and re-read fics, books, stories, and more. It's like comfort food.

41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”

Service Work  https://archiveofourown.org/series/3511936

You construct intricate rituals https://archiveofourown.org/works/45838570

42. Have you ever received a comment that particularly stood out to you for whatever reason?

Yes - whenever someone specifically points out parts or quote that made them swoon. I love ALL comments, but when folks take the time to highlight specific turns of phrase... it's like a DOPAMINE BOMB.

45. What’s something you’ve improved on since you started writing fic?

Lore building and more intricate plot lines.

46. Do you prefer writing on your phone or on a computer (or something else)? Do you think where you write affects the way you write?

I far prefer at my desktop with a real size keyboard. I have made edits and added text from laptop, phone, and tablet when the muse hits, but a real keyboard is just so much easier. And it makes the satisfying CLICKY CLICKY.

48. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

Cards never lie (except for when they did) https://archiveofourown.org/works/51268159

And YES! So soft and sweet.

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

Verbanden & Geesten, the 11th story in Kanej Wensen.

Kaz & Krai moment:

            At the next landing, nine pounds of black cat slammed into his left shin. He’d had just enough warning by way of an excited chirp to brace himself. Saints, cat. Miss me? Krai twined herself between his cane and his legs. He peered around to see if anyone seemed to be awake on this floor. The only one likely was Jeter, who had taken over Inej’s miniscule bedroom, but his door was still closed tight. Satisfied with his findings, Kaz whispered, “C’mon. If you promise not to trip me going down the stairs, I’ll feed you.”

            He lifted his cane and pointed. Krai, tail straight up, white tip twitching, bounded down the stairs ahead of him. Kaz rolled his eyes and followed.

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!

The amount of amazing writers and artists in the Grishaverse and SoC fandom never ceases to please me. I have been a part of so many fandoms and subcultures over the years, and I adore the community I have found here, from authors and artists to new fans. The representation in the books seems to translate into a diverse and beautiful culture of fans, and I am really glad to have fallen into this particular rabbit hole.

questions for fic writers

a collection of questions i, as a writer, would love to be asked !!!

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

3. What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics?

4. What detail in [insert fic] are you really proud of?

5. What do you wish someone would ask you about [insert fic]? Answer it now!

6. What’s one fact about the universe of [insert fic] that you didn’t get a chance to mention in the fic itself?

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

9. How do you find new fic to read?

10. How do you decide what to write?

11. Are you partial to a certain character/pairing or are you more equal-opportunity? If you are partial to any character/pairing, why do you think that is?

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

13. Are there any tropes you used to like but don’t anymore?

14. Are there any tropes you would only read if written by a trusted friend or writer?

15. What’s your favorite AU that you’ve written?

16. What’s an AU you would love to read (or have read and loved)?

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

18. If you wrote a sequel to [insert fic], what would it involve?

19. If you wrote a spin-off of [insert fic], what would it involve?

20. If you wrote a prequel to [insert fic], what would it involve?

21. If you wrote a “missing scene” in [insert fic], what would it be?

22. Who is your favorite character in [insert fic] and why?

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

24. Are there any easter eggs in [insert fic], and if so, what are they?

25. What other websites or resources do you use most often when you write?

26. Would you rather write a fic that had no dialogue or one that was only dialogue?

27. How long did it take to write [insert fic]? Describe the process.

28. Does anyone read your fics before you post them? If so, who?

29. What songs would be (or are) on a playlist for [insert fic]? Explain your choices if you want!

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

31. What’s your ideal fic length to write?

32. What’s your ideal fic length to read?

33. If you write chaptered fics, what’s your ideal chapter length to write? Is it different from your ideal chapter length to read?

34. What aspects of your writing are inspired by/taken from your real life?

35. What aspects of your writing are completely unlike your real life?

36. Do you visualize what you read/write?

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful?

39. Is any aspect of your writing process inspired by other writers or people? If so, who?

40. Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”

42. Have you ever received a comment that particularly stood out to you for whatever reason?

43. If you take/write prompts: what’s your favorite prompt fic that you’ve written?

44. If you take/write prompts: do you prefer dialogue or scenario/narrative prompts?

45. What’s something you’ve improved on since you started writing fic?

46. Do you prefer writing on your phone or on a computer (or something else)? Do you think where you write affects the way you write?

47. If [insert fic] was a pair of shoes, what kind would it be? Describe the shoes.

48. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!

[thevictorianghost]

You said in your finnrey/zutara post that studio meddling was involved for both. I knew that this was the case for finnrey because of racist cowards. But I never knew that was the case for zutara? Tbh I just assumed from the get-go that aang and katara were the main ship and I thought it was cute for them to end up together in the end. Though it is really interesting to learn that zuko and katara could’ve also been a serious thing and I think they could also work together rather nicely. What happened behind the scenes that caused it not to happen? Was aang originally gonna be set up with toph or have no love interest?

Oh hello! Hi! My first anon. Welcome :)

Before we start: I’m going to write Kat/aang, A/ang and Bry/ke like that so it doesn’t appear in the tags and I’ll bold some sections for emphasis. 

I don’t think the writers even considered Toph as a love interest for A/ang. It was always about Kat/aang vs Zutara.

It’s no secret at this point that Dante Basco and Mae Whitman, who voiced Zuko and Katara respectively, ship Zutara. Dante Basco is known as the “captain of the Zutara ship”. They’ve written multiple times about Zutara on Twitter and Dante Basco said in an interview that he really thought, at one point, that Zuko and Katara were going to end up together, that he thought it was going that way, and that he loved the idea of fire and water together.

As for the writers, it’s a bit more difficult to find information, since the show ended 15 years ago. But Aaron Ehasz, head writer of ATLA, has come out and said there was supposed to be a fourth season and it was dropped in favor of the movie. He said it on Twitter on April 1rst, 2019 (while also saying sorry for picking that date, it wasn’t an April Fools!). He said that M Night Shyamalan wanted them to focus on Book 4, but Bry/ke (Bryan Konietsko and Mike DiMartino) “wanted to focus on the movie”. You can find those tweets here. Not about Zutara per se, but it does show not everyone was on board with how the show was going to end behind the scenes.

Speaking of the movie, when asked about The Last Airbender, M Night Shyamalan also gave his input on the situation. He talked about how, by the time Book 3 came around, he wasn’t sure if the series was supposed to end there or if there was going to be a Book 4. He said to Bry/ke: ““Dudes, I gotta know this. This is critical! This has to end. This has to end. If it doesn’t end, I’m not on board. But if you don’t want to end it - it’s all good.”  They were like “no, we saw it as three seasons for each element that he has to learn.”  And I said “great.”” This is where it gets interesting, though: “At that time they hadn’t even decided where things were going to end, even like who Katara was going to end up with. All of that stuff hadn’t been figured out yet.” 

It’s interesting to me how he mentions this is who Katara will end up with. Not A/ang, not Zuko. It’s always about Katara.

 Someone who interned on ATLA has been quoted as saying that “If you check out the I.P. Bible then you’ll see a Kat/aang endgame was never planned from the start, it was supposed to remain a one-sided crush throughout the whole show.“ and that “The actual decision to make them a couple came about much later at Bry/ke’s request, largely because they were frustrated at the popularity of Zutara.“ Of course, not everyone in the production was full on one side or the other, as the post says some were neutral about it. “Some of the crew liked Kat/aang, I know Joaquim [Dos Santos] was a big Kat/aang supporter but more of them were neutral about it, Ehasz was not fond of Kat/aang but he didn’t mind too much since he’s a mature adult and all that.”

Avatar Extras (special events on Nicktoons where episodes of ATLA were shown with fun facts) were released where it was said that Zuko was supposed to be Katara’s love interest. It was said two times at least. I’ve only ever found screencaps of these, but I found these here on Tumblr. 

When asked about these in the Avatar Extras, Bry/ke said that it was just a joke and that Kat/aang was always in the DNA of the show. But if you’re here to tell fun facts to your audience about your show, maybe put a disclaimer that says some things might not be as truthful as they think they will be?

And the intern mentioned earlier also said that “No one was having full-on ship wars in the writer’s room but we did joke about it, and we toyed with the idea of Zuko and Katara falling in love a couple of times.“ So that goes well with the Avatar Extras.

Meanwhile, other writers, like John O’Bryan, have been quoted talking against Zutara in favor of Kat/aang. EDIT: Thank you to @exhaustedhope for giving me a source for this quote! This link also has a few images for the quote, so I’ll add them here.

Thank you again! And also the use of Zutara fanart to badmouth the ship in favor of Kat/aang? Dude.

If this was the way people behind the scenes were thinking of Katara and A/ang’s and Katara and Zuko’s relationships... well that doesn’t really make me think “Kat/aang was in the DNA of the show” either, huh? Zuko was never officially her love interest, Katara never actually “went after that guy”. But the thought that she might made them uneasy. 

(Btw, let’s not forget Zuko actually does care about Katara, enough to put his life on the line for her in Book 3, so that mischaracterizes Zuko.) 

This comment by John O’Bryan fits with this vision of Zutara Bry/ke has, where Zuko is nothing but a broody, emo “bad boy” who doesn’t care about Katara at all. It’s shown pretty well in their dreadful “joke” made at Comic Con in 2007. You can find the video here. Here, Katara ends up with A/ang and “should have never doubted the will of Mike and Bryan!” (yuck). So Kat/aang was always the “right” way for them to end the show, right?

But then! Even Bry/ke themselves have said that Kat/aang was forced. They said it in 2014 when Korrasami became canon in Legend of Korra. On Korrasami and Kat/aang, they said this: “Originally, [Korrasami] was primarily intended to be a strong friendship. Frankly, we wanted to set most of the romance business aside for the last two seasons. Personally, at that point I didn’t want Korra to have to end up with someone at the end of series. We obviously did it in Avatar, but even that felt a bit forced to me.“

So they admitted that Kat/aang was forced. They even mention the ATLA ship wars in the post. “Either direction we went [about Korrasami or Makorra], there would inevitably be a faction that was elated and another that was devastated. Trust me, I remember Kat/aang vs. Zutara. But one of those directions is going to be the one that feels right to us, and Mike and I have always made both Avatar and Korra for us, first and foremost.”

Okay. So what’s real about the behind the scenes of ATLA and what isn’t? Was Kat/aang in the DNA of the show, or did they go back and forth between Kat/aang and Zutara like they did with Korrasami and Makorra? 

There have been conflicting informations scattered across the Internet over the years. Some people say one thing and others react, saying the opposite and that the first thing was false. Some people lied, or joked, to mess with the audience and toy with Zutara - or not, or maybe, or perhaps... What I think, though, is that not everything was set in stone. Some people were for Zutara and some people were for Kat/aang. And even after all of that, the big takeaway for me was: the end result that Bryke wanted so badly was lackluster in and of itself.

[lannasroleplaymemes]

What Makes A Roleplay Blog Too “Intimidating”?

Thanks to those who sent in their thoughts! Please note that these are all based on opinions of a handful of roleplayers and should be taken with a grain of salt. You are in no way required to run or write your blog in a certain manner; this is purely an informative piece.

The answers received came down to one thing: The Mun’s OOC Tone. Trying to figure out the “tone” of someone’s writing is difficult because it’s open to interpretation. It’s why some people will mark your emails as ‘passive aggressive’ at work, for example!

Your Rules page is your blog’s first impression for many. It is easy, especially for roleplayers who have been through a lot of garbage, to write your rules with a firm voice. You are, as you have every right to, setting your boundaries, your  no-no’s, the guidelines for your personal space. However, “aggressive” sounding rules can frighten those who may be more faint of heart away. If you write all of your rules out and at the very bottom add ‘btw these sound harsh but I’m an awkward noodle!’, some people might not even see if it they’ve run away after your first point! So if you’re deadset on being strict with your rules, maybe add a gentle disclaimer closer to the top to say: Hey, I know these are written very bluntly, but I just like to be direct and clear so there are no misunderstandings! This is for everyone’s safety/comfort.

Passwords are also a difficult situation to navigate. They help the Mun, but can sometimes be offputting to others; I personally have seen a lot of ‘I don’t send passwords’ in rules of various RPers from different fandoms. For me, it isn’t a big deal, but it can be for a lot of others. If you want to come to a compromise, maybe make your rules a post that you can ask people to Like instead. A click is far easier, quicker, and some people even do it without thinking already.

No Entry Points. By this I mean a lack of options for people to start with you. If you don’t post memes, opens, starter/interaction calls, etc. it limits the ways people can reach out to: writing you a random starter, sending you a direct IM, sending you a direct inbox unprompted. A lot of us don’t have a problem with doing this, but there is an equal number of people who do, whether it be to general anxiety or because of past burns when they tried. On the flip side: I know how soulsucking it can be to post these things and get zero interaction. What may be helpful is linking to your open/starter/meme tag on your pinned post, and inviting people to dive into what you’ve reblogged in the past, stating that you’re open to receiving them any time. Heck, if you want to go out of your way, you can make posts specific to starting new interactions that people can dive into!

Difficult UI/Formatting. Everyone has a right to their own aesthetic; decorating your tumblr blog is half the fun of making one! But we’ve all been to a blog that we cannot navigate and/or cannot read. If you want to maintain your aesthetic for a majority of your posts, offer helpful notes in your blog format (i.e link to a mobile-friendly google doc, tell people where to find the navigation) and/or ask them to tell you if they need larger text. 

The Pros and Cons Of Exclusivity. As I said at the top of this post, you’re free to run your blog and RP with whoever you want. I myself have a RP partner I’ve known for years, and the majority of our muses are single-shipped with each other, and I don’t really interact with other versions of her muses because I already have one. However, people notice this, and they especially are aware of it when you have it in your rules. This can ward people off (as expected, it’s meant to). If you want to compromise, you can either 1) not mention your exclusivity right off the bat, and allow others to approach you first to discuss one on one or 2) make it clear that you’re open to interacting with multiple portrayals of the same muse, but maybe you only ship with one, or you really want to try and not repeat the same plot ideas between them so you need something unique.

Those are the 5 tips I came up with! Thanks again to all of you who contributed, and if you have any more ideas/opinions, feel free to share them in the replies!

[sunderedazem]

Going to add! With some basic site-mechanics tips for ao3 newcomers mixed in, because I'd hazard a guess that some of the lack of etiquette might be remedied if new folks understood how to use this kind of website a little better - it runs very differently from the algorithm-spam of many websites today, and people who missed early internet days due to lack of access or lack of being born yet might face a bit of a learning curve.

Prefacing all this with - as stated earlier, ao3 is not a social media site. It is an archive. That means it's more similar to JSTOR or other online research databases than it is to social-media fandom hubs. It's just Not Built the same. If attention and statistics are your driving force, this site *will* disappoint.

Learn some database searching tricks! Most search engines will respond to certain phrasing (i.e. searching something like 'dog*' will return multiple results beginning with "dog" such as dog, doggo, doge, dogs, dogged, dogma, etc), and ao3 is no exception. Here's a helpful starter site for these kinds of tricks. They should also work on regular search engines like Google!

Make sure to check tags when a fic updates, especially if the author has noted something like "rating may change" or "additional tags to be added". Sometimes a surprise shock factor tag might show up that you don't like after the fic has been posted - seat-of-the-pants authors get bouts of Horrible Whimsy sometimes, and while most will warn of major changes in notes, ultimately it is on the reader to tag-check. (I am seat-of-the-pants authors)

While constructive criticism (unless specifically okayed) is usually considered rude, you can always politely ask an author to add a tag you feel may be relevant. They might say no (which is their call - only the major archive tags are required checkboxes) but asking never hurts as long as you respect the decision they make.

Learn to use site skins! There's plenty of available ones on ao3 for you to choose from that can modify your ao3 site appearance to something that better suits your tastes or needs, or filter certain things from results for you, and you don't have to be particularly ao3-savvy to apply a pre-built site skin - the option to preview and apply is built in through the site itself.

Learn a little HTML! You can insert clickable hyperlinks to your tumblr or social media or etc this way, format your fics if you want to, and you can also embed images into the text of your fics using html. You can also use this to customize site skins! (It's also very handy for customizing your tumblr too, btw)

Choose Not to Warn is not the same as No Archive Warnings Apply. If you go into a CNTW fic you're knowingly walking into something that could be incredibly disturbing or triggering, and not be explicitly tagged for that disturbing or triggering thing - the CNTW tag covers it. It's a risk you have to accept when you read that fic.

Authors can see what you say in your bookmarks, even if said bookmarks aren't visible to others. (Giving a story a "grade" in bookmarks is not the move, folks)

Favoriting tags pins them to the ao3 homepage! Very useful for quickly finding fics with your favorite ships or tropes or characters.

Do NOT mention the word "commissions" or anything similar when posting your fic - this will get your story removed because AO3's big legal defense of fanfic hinges on people NOT making money from it. This also means do NOT link to a commission site or a Ko-fi. It's not personal, it's just so they can keep themselves from eating a lawsuit.

Edit: one more! Essays and meta ARE allowed - fannish nonfiction is totally cool, just tag it appropriately.

AO3 Etiquette

It would seem a whole new kind of AO3 reader/writer is emerging and it is becoming clear not everyone quite understands how the website community works. Here is some basic guidance on how most people expect you to go about using AO3 to keep this a fun community archive that funtions correctly:

Kudos is for when the story was interesting enough to make you finish reading. If it sucked or was badly written, you probably left. If you finished - you kudos.

If you liked it, you should comment. It can be long and detailed or a literal keysmash. Writers don't care, we just love comments.

No critisism unless the author has specifically asked or agreed to hear it. Even constructive critisism is a no-no unless an author note tells you it's okay. Many people write as a fun hobby or a way to cope with, among other things, insecurity. Don't ruin that for them.

Do not comment to ask the author to write/update something else. It's tacky and off-putting and will probably have the opposite effect than the one you want.

There is no algorithm, it's an archive. Use the search and filter function to add/remove the pairings/characters/tropes etc. you want to read about and it will find you the fics that fit the bill.

For this to work, writers must tag and rate stories. This avoids readers finding the wrong things and missing the stuff they want. I don't care how cringy that trope is in your eyes - it gets tagged.

Character A/Character B means a ROMANTIC or SEXUAL relationship of some kind. Character A&Character B is PLANTONIC, like friendship or family.

Nothing is banned. This is an implicit rule because banning one thing is a slipperly slope to banning another and another, until nothing is allowed anymore. Do not expect anyone to censor for you. Because of the tags system, you are responsible for your own reading experience.

People can create new chapters and sequels/fic series any time after they "complete" a story. So it's considered perfectly normal to subscribe, even to a finished story. You can even subscribe to the author instead just to cover your bases.

Do not repost stories or change the publishing date without an extremely good reason (like a complete top to bottom rewrite). It's an archive, not social media. No one cares what's the most recent, only what fits their tag needs.

Avoid deleting a story you wrote if you hate it - orphan it so others can still enjoy it, without it being connected to you anymore.

This is a creative fanfiction archive. No essays on your insights or theories please. There are other places for that.

I KNOW there's plenty more I missed but I'm trying to cover most of the basics that people seem to be struggling with.

I invite anyone to add to this, but please explain, don't berate.