#like. is it telling more on the canon content or the fandom

[koryxx]

exactly that.

reading through the responses and seeing people talk about how there are endless platonic relationships in media has me scratching my head. when i say “i want more platonic relationships in media” or “i want more platonic relationships that are treated with the same importance as romance” i’m not arguing friendship is not something commonly depicted in media or that there aren’t scenes in nearly every piece of media where characters “hang out as friends,” as someone mentioned in the notes.

i’m saying i want a piece of media where the platonic relationship is the driving force, like a romance would be; where the platonic relationship is big and important and life altering, like a romance would be; where the platonic relationship is committed and intimate and the most important in those characters’ lives, like a romance would be. when i talk about platonic relationships, i’m not talking about run of the mill friendships that ultimately take the backseat to romance.

i’m also very much not talking about my or other people’s ability or willingness to interpret a relationship as platonic. there’s a huge difference between what is actually being canonically written and what i can turn that into in my head or what others in fandom spaces turn that into--when i say i want platonic relationships in media, i want them written and portrayed in the way i’ve described above.

telling people to just turn their shipping brain off when they say they want important, meaningful platonic relationships in media that are treated with the same importance and focus narratively as romance is the same as telling people who say they want more queer representation to just headcanon characters as queer. it’s condescending and dismissive and entirely misses the point.

two last things: people who are desperately seeking platonic relationships in media probably aren’t the same ones romantically shipping every set of characters who so much as look at one another or think every close relationship must secretly be romantic deep down. and if one needs to look outside of young adult novels (or any genre or age range or form of media, for that matter) for important platonic relationships, then there is in fact not enough platonic relationships in media.

some books for your reading pleasure:

minimizing marriage: morality, marriage, and the law by elizabeth brake (nonfiction, book where amatonormativity was coined)

the other significant others: reimagining life with friendship at the center by rhaina cohen (nonfiction)

weapon uwu vol. 1: godkillers by s.j. whitby (young adult, fantasy, centered on a queerplatonic relationship)

dear wendy by anna zhao (new adult, contemporary, centered on platonic relationship between two aroace characters)

our bloody pearl by d.n. bryn (adult, fantasy, centered on queerplatonic relationship)

market of monsters trilogy by rebecca schaeffer (young adult, fantasy, centered on a queerplatonic relationship)

the actor and the housewife by shannon hale (adult, contemporary, centered on a platonic relationship)

we could be heroes by mike chen (adult, science fiction, centered around a platonic relationship)

the liar’s guide to the night sky by brianna r. shrum (young adult, survival?, centered on a platonic relationship)

loveless by alice oseman (new adult, contemporary, aroace main character, lots of good platonic love content)

also: the tv show dead to me follows the platonic relationship between the two leads, and while they both have romances, their friendship remains the focal point of the show. will & grace is actually a really good depiction of two people who prioritize their friendship over romance and struggle with the judgement and pressure from friends and boyfriends to not do that (including the revival, which in my opinion, corrects the original show’s biggest mistake regarding this)

“we need more platonic relationships in media” your inability to turn off your shipping brain is a You problem

[mammalsofaction]

since you've compiled moments where heinz is the possessive one... could we possibly get ones of perry being the jealous/possessive one? 👀

OH NONNIE I GIGGLED

Let's start with the basics 🙏🏼🙏🏼:

Their entire B-Plot in About Time:

Including their legendary first break up song where Perry started staring into puddles like a disney princess with a falshback montage:

(Here's an extended Alt):

Which led to Perry getting pissed off whenever Heinz is in Seattle without telling him (Meapless in Seattle):

And eventually Perry getting pissed off when Heinz got kidnapped by Peter's situationship and rushing to go save him in Seattle again. (Lost in Danville) (Yes, Perry is not the hugest fan of Seattle)

Heinz ended giving Mystery relationship advice and Peter got to meet Mystery's parents :)

Im running out of the picture limit. I can't find the one where Perry got upset when Heinz brought up the babe Inator, but here is Perry getting upset when Mono's speculating about Heinz's new date:

Perry being an overprotective asshole who won't let Heinz do missions during OWCA files:

Some fucking merch content of all things:

Perry being really sad and reaching for Heinz during their SECOND break up arc in Milo Murphy's Law:

Sending a card that was probably his equivalent to falling on knees grovelling:

Damn did I forget to tell you Perry takes pictures, edits, and keeps a whole stash of his photos with Doof in his wallet? Must've slipped my mind:

Anyway. The misunderstanding in MML was because Perry ends up being Time Industries' (Heinz future business endeavor as the Founder of Time Travelling) first and largest shareholder. He cashes in every penny made in overtime for Heinz to build his company back up.

Dan Povenmire stitched this chibi shorts episode as one SPECIFICALLY MADE FOR A "Specific subset of the Phineas and Ferb fandom" spoiler alert: apparently Perry's less upset about Heinz going around kissing people when it's Perry he's kissing.

Here's a short where Perry is apparently less cool about Heinz getting beat up when its someone else beating him up:

And here's a lil bonus Perry getting upset by a fake platypus Baljeet made when he went missing:

This is a very, VERY limited list, including moments of Perry being Fucking Whipped. I have carefully redacted moments of:

-Perry being sweet

-Perry being supportive

-Them being domestic

-Perry being so, so, so incredibly fond of Heinz

-Perry trusting Heinz with his life.

-Perry being sure Heinz doesn't have a life outside of him, anyway.

And in fact i am sure i have missed a lot more out of canon content. Perry being codependent, possessive, protective and jealous is common knowledge at this point. I've made a post before where Perry the Second Dimension proves that Perry has control Issues and an insecurity of being easily replaced by his loved ones, excaberted by Francis' frequent threats of relocating him at the drop of a hat.

Tldr: Perry suffers from down bad-ism and if you look at Heinz too long he is liable to commit violence ♥️♥️♥️

[miss-oranje-disco-dancer]

resident not-so-evil

i have been inspired by the positivity challenge in the pedro pascal fandom to start up the same thing over here because we are in dire need of some good vibes. i know it's called 'resident evil' but we don't have to be evil all the time!

here's the 'challenge', if you will:

📌recommend as many of your own fics as you want -- the more the merrier!

📌fics must be about resident evil characters (any pairings, any genre, any length)

📌fics must have been posted in 2024

📌tell us anything you want about the fic(s) -- your inspiration, your favorite lines, your favorite scene, etc.

📌feel free to include any art, memes, and any other fandom content you've made this year

📌your recs must be your own fics, but do consider tagging some other writers so they can participate too!

📌provide links to your fics (tumblr or ao3 are both fine) so we can read them

📌if you participate (and participation is open to everyone!) tag me so i can see it!

*I will be creating a masterlist of everyone's recommendations so we can all see each other's things

here are my personal recs:

💗never penelope, always calypso (leon x reader) - my magnum opus, truly. i love angst (no happy ending) more than any other genre. this was inspired by the poem "after the threesome they both take you home" (and the odyssey, hence the title)

💗 take your fast car and keep on driving (fem! leon aka 'leah' x reader) - obviously, i'm a sucker for f/f as a lesbian, but i really liked writing the subtle sex as opposed to explicit sex. I also love to write scenes that include other RE characters besides the main pairing (especially chris and rebecca in this one)

💗but the fighter still remains (chreon, but more of a leon character study) - writing about dealing with homophobia and sexual assault, moreover, not knowing your own sexuality and thinking the way you feel during sex with someone you're not attracted to is normal, was healing for me, honestly. this fic half about leon, half about me.

💗 three's company too (reader x leon x chris) - there had to be at least one ddlg fic on here, okay? i think that as i've progressed as a writer, i've gotten pretty good at characterization. when i look back on this fic and see leon and chris' dynamic, i like the way i wrote it. this was originally titled differently but i had the three's company theme song stuck in my head when i finished the fic, so

💗 the ring leader (claire x reader x leon) - it's not cleon dw i believe in gay claire forever. i've barely written claire in fics so i thought it would be really hard to pin down her character, but the inspiration kinda hit me all at once and i like the result. to me, this is canon.

bonus content:

some memes: the normie memes vs the deep cuts (i laughed so hard while making the richard meme and nobody cared and i got so sad)

tagging some people here:

@vaaaaaiolet @wokelander @dollfacefantasy @rigorwhoring @lipglossanon @pupwashing @leonkennedybreedingkink

+anyone else who would like to join!

[2af-afterdark]

Son of Hell - Chapter 4

Fandom: What in Hell is Bad? Characters: Leviathan, Minheyok, Ppyong, MC, Original Child Character(s) Content: Post-canon, omegaverse, demon deals Word Count: 1,938

Ra-on stood at the gate to Hell with a rest Seo-jūn lying against their shoulder. He was still wearing his pajamas and bundled in blankets to keep him warm. Kox would let them in – especially after they made a deal with a devil – but once they crossed that threshold it would be hard to return.

“Are you sure about this?” They looked to their side where Minhyeok was standing. “We can still go back.”

If he left with them, it would change his life. There was no telling how time would flow between the two worlds. It was possible that Minhyeok may never see his family again, or that they would be completely different if he did see them. It was uprooting his life.

Minhyeok leaned over to place a  kiss against Ra-on’s cheek. “I won’t wait for you again.”

One time was enough.

“You know Hell is different, right?” Ra-on reminded him. “It takes a little getting used to.”

“Ppyong told me a bit about Hell when he used to visit.” Specifically, Minhyeok remembered that devils are not liars and that Satan was the strongest king. “Besides, if I stay here, who is going to give you the white stuff you need?”

He smiled wide and Ra-on blushed. They were thankful that Seo-jūn was asleep.

With the hand not holding onto Seo-jūn, Ra-on grabbed their rolling suitcase – something they were grateful they had time to pack and prepare this time – and walked up to the door that was temporarily manifested for all of them. Minhyeok followed behind them with his own suitcase and Seo-jūn’s.

Before either of them could knock, the doors were thrown open wide and a small red lump flew out to tackle Minhyeok. 

“Minhyeok! Ra-on!” Ppyong wasn’t large enough to toss Minhyeok back, but that didn’t stop the wind from being knocked out of him at the sudden impact.

As soon as Minhyeok regained his composure – no thanks to Ra-on’s chuckling – he smiled wide at Ppyong.

He spoke in a whisper. “Seo-jūn is asleep, so we have to be quiet.”

While that was true, he and Ra-on had just been talking at their normal speaking volume. He simply wanted Ppyong to be a little more quiet.

The red lump nodded in understanding. “It’s important that Lord Seo-jūn get his rest.”

“Lord Seo-jūn?” Ra-on tilted their head in confusion.

Ppyong smiled brightly. “King Satan has acknowledged Lord Seo-jūn as his, so he’s Lord Seo-jūn now.”

Although Minhyeok maintained his smile, a cold aura flowed through it.

“Seo-jūn is too young to be a lord. For a young child like him, that title carries a lot of responsibility that he isn’t ready for yet.” The same chilling aura flowing through him was not reflected in his tone. “Seo-jūn should only be Seo-jūn for now or else it's like you're asking him to grow up as soon as possible.”

Ra-on shook their head, knowing exactly what Minheyok was doing but not protesting it in any way.

Ppyong looked shocked and his eyes teared up. “Lord Seo-jūn is the first child in Hell after so long. Everyone will be sad if he becomes an adult so quickly.”

Minhyeok gave Ppyong a look and the small devil realized what he had done wrong.

“Seo-jūn has to stay a child.”

As soon as Ppyong made this declaration, he flew over to Ra-on.

“Welcome back, Mx. Ra-on.” Then he looked at the sleeping face held in their arms. “And hello Lor- Seo-jūn.”

Ra-on looked at Minheyok sardonically, silently chiding him for manipulating Ppyong – who trusted him and considered them to be friends – so easily.  

Minhyeok only smiled victoriously. 

Ra-on rolled their eyes and shook their head with a sigh.

“Ppyong, did Satan talk to you about…” Their voice trailed off, afraid to ask such a huge favor of their friend.

“Lord Satan told me that Minheyok needs to make a deal so that he can stay in Hell with us.”

He flew over to Minheyok once more, sitting on his shoulder so they could talk more intimately.

“So what do I owe you in exchange for being able to follow Ra-on and my son?” Minhyeok asked.

Ppyong closed his eyes as if he were thinking. He was a lesser devil so he couldn't make a deal as sophisticated as reviving the recently dead, but he could manage something that would keep Minhyeok tethered to Hell.

He thought about making Minhyeok promise that he would always stay with Ra-on, but that made him feel like he was betraying King Satan. Plus, he knew that Minhyeok would do that even if he wasn't asked.

There was only one other thing he could think of that he wanted from Minhyeok. 

“I want food.” Drool ran out the corner of his mouth just thinking about it. “The yummy stuff you make.”

“Is that all?” Minhyeok asked. “I can do that.”

“Hold on,” Ra-on interrupted, having a thought. “If you want Minhyeok to make food for you, then it would mean he may have to travel back to our world to get ingredients, right?” 

Even though many things could be obtained in Hell itself, that wasn't Ra-on's concern. They were trying to wiggle a loophole into Minhyeok's contract that they hadn't had the first time; permission to return to Earth as he wished. 

Ppyong seemed to consider that for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

“The best food would come from things you know how to use already, so you should be able to pick them up.”

“What if he needs to get something besides ingredients?” Ra-on pointed out. “You need to make sure he can travel between the worlds freely.”

Ra-on almost felt bad for manipulating Ppyong's trusting nature. Almost.

Ppyong nodded again. “That makes sense.”

What Ra-on didn't know was that Ppyong was accepting everything without question because he, Minhyeok, and Ra-on were friends. He was trying to make the best deal for Minhyeok using what little power he had.

Minhyeok smiled, knowing exactly what they were both doing. Even if he didn't plan to leave Ra-on's side, he appreciated that they were both thinking of him.

“Then that will be our deal. I feed you in exchange for being able to stay in Hell as well as travel to Earth and back.”

Minhyeok couldn't have known, but with those words his contract to Ppyong was written in the Lemegeton.

The scene was familiar to Ra-on though. Years ago, they had made a deal with Satan to revive Minhyeok after he had protected them from Gabriel.

“What about me and Seo-jūn?” Ra-on finally asked. They also needed a contract to stay in Hell.

Ppyong's face twisted into a frown. “The kings were still arguing about who would be the one to make a contract with Mx. Ra-on. As for L- Seo-jūn, they think that he should be able to stay in Hell since he's part devil and still young. He doesn't belong to any of the worlds yet belongs to both of them, so he should be able to acclimate naturally.”

A small part of Ra-on was happy to hear that Seo-jūn would be fine without a contract, but the other part of them was anxious that they didn't know who they would be forming a contract with.

Ra-on huffed. “How much longer will we have to wait for them to stop bickering?”

“We don't bicker. They squabble.”

A thin, pale figure stepped through the same door that Ppyong had thrown open only minutes earlier. His white-blonde hair framed his opal eyes in judgemental shadow as he glared at the three before him. His beautiful features and domineering alpha pheromones commanded respect and power and Ra-on had to quickly shove down the thoughts that popped into their head out of respect for their relationship with Minhyeok.

“Hello, Leviathan.”

His eyes narrowed at how casually Ra-on spoke to him in front of others. With their familiarity, Minhyeok would fail to properly understand his station.

Still, Ra-on ignored his clear anger at their greeting. “Does this mean we'll be making a contract? I doubt I have anything you may want.”

Leviathan looked at Seo-jūn nestled serenely in Ra-on's arms and felt jealousy that they were returning to Hell for this child's sake and not for him.

“You will not prove a danger to Hell,” Leviathan stated. “Whether you exist on Earth or in Hell, you will never allow yourself to be a danger to Hell.”

“And in exchange, Seo-jūn and Minhyeok will be kept safe. Do you speak for all of Hell or do I have to make the same deal with everyone?”

Leviathan’s glare only seemed to intensify at the mention of not only Minhyeok but the other kings. “Every king present agreed that our contract would hold true.”

Ra-on did not miss the careful way that statement was worded. “Who was missing?”

“The idiot and the pervert.”

Beelzebub and Asmodeus.

Ra-on couldn't say they were surprised. Beelzebub rarely went to meetings and no one particularly wanted Asmodeus around due to his proclivities.

“Was Bael there, at least?”

“Yes.”

That was good. If Bael was there and agreed to the terms, then that was just as sound – if not more so – than Beelzebub's word.

“Then we have a deal.” They kissed Seo-jūn's forehead and the small child stirred.

“Mama?” The child muttered in their groggy voice, eyes barely opening.

“Hey, Baby. There are some people here I want you to meet. They're going to help us move and they're both very important to mommy.”

Seo-jūn rubbed his eyes, but the tired pout on his face didn't disappear.

“This man is Mr. Leviathan.”

“Mr. Le- Le- Lebiatan.”

Leviathan's irritation only grew at the child's inability to say his name, but Ra-on spoke up before he could voice a complaint.

“That’s right.” They gestured to Ppyong. “And this is Mr. Ppyong.”

The tiredness in Seo-jūn’s eyes seemed to vanish instantly as soon as he noticed Ppyong. 

He reached out his little hands to try and grab at Ppyong. “Birdie.”

Ppyong furrowed his features. “I'm not a bird. I'm a devil.”

Minhyeok laughed. “He doesn't mean any offense. He's just a kid and anything with wings is either a bird or a butterfly to him.”

“He needs to learn,” Leviathan said.

“He will. He's a smartie.” Ra-on nuzzled their nose against his and he giggled. “You ready, Baby?”

He looked up at Ra-on then to Minhyeok. “Are you coming, Papa?”

“I could never leave you behind,” Minhyeok replied.

“Is Bobae coming?” He continued.

“She's in your suitcase.”

“What about Ye-eun?”

“Ye-eun has to stay with her family.”

“When will I see her again?” Seo-jūn asked with a frown on his face.

“I don't know. Someday. Maybe.”

Seo-jūn knew there was no arguing with his dad, but he was still upset that he wouldn't be near Ye-eun anymore.

“But you'll make new friends too. When you see Ye-eun again, you can tell her all about them.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Okay…”

Seo-jūn's pout didn't vanish, but he seemed a bit less upset at the promise that he would have stories for Ye-eun when he came back.

Ra-on smiled watching their two men prepare themselves for what was to come. “So brave.”

Ra-on grabbed the handle of their suitcase again and looked at Leviathan.

“We're ready,” they said.

Minhyeok grabbed his and Seo-jūn's suitcase as well. Ppyong flew beside him, taking up the rear.

Leviathan said nothing, merely turning around and expecting them to follow.

And they did. Right through the doors of Hell.

Once again, Ra-on would be in Hell. This time, however, they would not be the only human there.

[mabaris]

not to be that bitch who reads too much into things again but. it feels rly telling that not a single woman made it into the romance survey semifinals

[necrotic-nephilim]

@sasheneskywalker i love when you enable me to ramble about things because oh my god do i have thoughts.

so recently, i made a post discussing the phenomena of DC x DP and DC x MLB crossovers and why they exist and part of that post was discussing how largely speaking, at least half, if not more of the Batfamily fandom doesn't read the comics. if they interact with canon DC material, it's adaptations that are their own sequestered universes and oftentimes not remotely comic accurate or seeking to be. the most obvious example is the Young Justice cartoon. i'm adding a cut to this post because it just got so long i'm so sorry.

a lot of times, when people are discussing the "why" of this oversaturation of fanon-only fandom, they blame Wayne Family Adventures. and i think, to a point, i agree WFA is responsible for a boom in this fandom. but as someone who's been in the fandom long before we had WFA, to me it's the other way around. WFA was DC's way of meeting the demand for this easy-to-get-into, easy-to-consume content about the Batfamily that predicates itself on the comics just enough to be vaguely the same characters, but has a more sitcom, slice-of-life sort of vibe so DC could profit off of this section of the fanbase that otherwise wasn't consuming its primary material. and well, it's definitely worked. not only that, but i have a weird theory that the decline in the MCU also led to the rise in the Batfamily fandom. when you consider the fan content that made the MCU popular within fandom, it's that 2012 "they all live in Avengers Tower and Thor is eating poptarts and Clint is in the vents and there are movie nights every Friday" sort of vibe. those were the fics that were a hallmark of the fandom. and as the MCU has strayed from well... quality content in general, but specifically well-thought-out crossover content where characters can have their own arcs but also exist in a wider story where they clearly care about each other, that fandom was sort of homeless. so where do you go, if you like a superhero found family where you can have villains for angst but also stick them all in one big family-like home for silly crack and have a plethora of options for gay ships? well. you go to the Batfamily. if you write a crack/fluff Batfamily genfic with silly vibes and low stakes instead of say, a fic about a very specific comic issue even if it's a popular comic, you're *going* to get more traction for the former. because the fanbase largely just isn't reading the comics.

and i feel... complicated about this. because on one hand, Don't Like Don't Read has been a tenet of my fandom experience. i'm very pro-fandom and that includes fandom content i don't like. and to an extent, i do think this sort of should apply to Batfamily fanon. i enjoy having my moments with other comic purists, giggling over exceptionally painful OOC headcanons or even facepalming in pain over some content but it is on me to not interact with that content. you don't make fandom a better place by being hostile to fans who engage with canon in ways you don't approve of. and frankly? we as comic readers are not going to get non-comic fans to read the comics by being asshats to them. no one is going to want to pick up any comic if we get a superiority complex about it. and also, i feel like we're all lying to ourselves a little bit insisting comics are so, so easy to get into. they're not. we can just all agree, they're really not. i've been single-handedly helping my sister get into comics, specifically Wonder Woman and no matter how simple i make it, i watch her get frustrated trying to understand what pre-Crisis and post-Crisis and New-52 and Flashpoint and all these things mean and what a retcon vs a reboot is and what a Crisis Event is and what the hell Diana's current backstory even *is*. sure, you can give someone a beginner list of comics to start with and slowly dip their toes in the water but sooner or later, *something* is going to confuse them. comics as a medium straight up aren't going to be everyone's cup of tea. and if someone *just* wants to read silly fluffy fanfiction about the Batfamily, i can't entirely begrudge them for not wanting to take the hours and hours out of their day to understand this medium. it's not an accessible medium to get into. "read this and this, but this run is out of print and this run wasn't collected in trades at all but also make sure you read that event in order and this is a good comic but the backstory in it is retconned and you *have* to read this it's so important but it's also really bad because the author kind of sucks" sounds. ridiculous for someone who like. just wants to read some stuff about Nightwing. sometimes, we all make reading comics sort of sound like a chore, not a hobby.

so my point is, i do extend some grace to Batfamily fanon for existing. i think my biggest gripe is, as i said in my other post, misuse of tags (if you're not creating content about comics, maybe you don't need the comics fandom tag on Ao3, just the all media types umbrella tag) and my far bigger gripe: when panels are taken out of context to support fanon only headcanons. if i could impart *anything* onto the Batfamily fandom as a comic fan it'd be this: if you haven't *read* the comic, don't spread the panel. if you don't even know what comic it's *from*, don't spread the panel. it's fine to use comic panels to discuss your headcanons, but so often i see someone spreading a comic panel from a comic they haven't read, and when asked where it's from, they can't source it. a silly example that comes to mind is a post going around, taking a panel where Dick, in his internal monologue goes "here comes the sun. do do do do." and the post is claiming it's from him getting buried alive. when that panel comes from Nightwing (1996) #140, and he gets buried alive in Nightwing (1996) #127, two completely different moments frankensteined together. if you're going to not read the comics, that's completely fine, but unless you're sure of the source and the context, panels shouldn't be spread around. i'm sick of this specifically happening to Red Robin (2009), with ppl claiming Tim has totally killed people because he blew up some of Ra's' bases, when those panels within context, make it clear he gave everyone time to escape. and in a later arc in that very comic, Tim grapples with the idea of murdering Captain Boomerang, and *specifically chooses not to*, because he doesn't agree with murder, even against the person who has hurt him the most. if you'd like to write fanfiction where Tim is pro-murder and has done some sketch things, i'm totally on board and would probably like to read it. but there's no need to pretend it's canon from a few panels you saw out of context.

beyond that, i think it's not *entirely* correct to say that fanon is harmless. whenever i see very WFA-positive posts, they often default to the argument that WFA is fun and silly, and comic fans are killjoys for not liking it. which. i think is complicated because the issue is, WFA and fanon don't exist in a vacuum. if you like WFA power to you, i don't think it's the worst thing ever, but i do think it's degrading to these characters because honestly? they feel incompetent in the webtoon. it's one thing if WFA was solely a slice-of-life sort of deal, just having silly episodes where Bruce is taking on a PTA mom or they're all fighting for the last cookie. but when WFA attempts to take on more serious plots with these characters, it *fundamentally* falls flat in understanding them. i get it, Bruce comforting Jason having a panic attack because a noise reminded him of the crowbar felt cute in a microcosm, but i'm so serious when i say that storyline destroyed how like. half of this fandom understands Jason Todd's relationship to his trauma. it doesn't understand how he reacts when he's triggered, what coping mechanisms he seeks out, and how he would handle Bruce comforting him. even if i can believe for a brief moment Jason *would* be triggered by something like that, him running and trying to hide and then getting a hug from Bruce to make it okay is just. painful. WFA needs everything to be wrapped up in a nice, neat little bow. so even when it starts to tackle interesting concepts, it makes them fall flat with its need to be soft, low stakes, hurt/comfort. there was a two-parter episode that dealt with the complicated mutual hatred/jealousy between Tim and Damian that *almost* really interested me because for once, it felt like the webtoon wanted to explore canon messy dynamics. but of course, it had to be fixed with one conversation and a hug. you don't mend the *years* of issues these characters have like that. WFA isn't in character because these characters are hyperbole cartoonified versions of themselves to fit within the medium and be a cute happy family.

because that right there, is the crux of it. the Batfamily fanon seeks to simplify the Batfamily and force them into a nuclear family. there are so many fantastic posts on here discussing how the nuclear family-ification of the Batfam is eroding decades worth of complex histories so i won't go too far into that. but what i will say is that there's this need, in the Batfamily fandom, for the Batfamily to exist as a unit. they are a *family*. (honestly i think calling it the Batfamily is a misnomer and has been for years but we're in too deep now.) they exist to each other first, and any teams or friends they have come secondary to this family unit. you can *specifically* see this demonstrated in what headcanons are becoming popular these days. i have an entire lengthy meta in my drafts about how i *loathe* the "the Batfamily meets the Justice League" genre of fanfic because it makes no *sense*. in order to have this genre of fic exist, you must operate under the assumption that no one in the League, or adjacent to the League, knows the Batfamily exists and are thus utterly shocked to discover Batman has kids. and to make *that* work, you have to strip *every single Batfamily member* of such important dynamics and friendships so you can lock them all in Gotham for their whole lives. Dick can't have the Titans, Tim can't have Young Justice, Duke & Cass can't have the Outsiders, Jason can't have the Outlaws, Damian can't have the Supersons, Babs can't have the Birds of Prey, and so on. because if they had these relationships, they would be known to the League. the Batfamily fandom doesn't care about this, it's just "silly fanfiction", it's not trying to be serious. but how can you say you like Dick Grayson as a character if you don't understand the Titans *are* his family? at some points of his life, moreso than the Batfamily even is. it is constantly repeated to us in most comics with Dick how much the Titans mean to him. he *needs* them to be who he is. the same extends to every other Batfamily member, most of which have been full League members at this point. but in fanon, that doesn't matter. the Batfamily are a sequestered unit first, and all of those side relationships are secondary and easy to toss away, if it makes your fanfic work better.

and because they have to be a unit first, you have these forced relationships that dump years of actual canon material for the sake of making them get along. the Batfamily fandom has its favorites and well. it's no secret it's usually the boys. Jason and Tim by *far* stand out as fandom faves so, their dynamic is a heavily explored one. it does matter that in canon they don't tend to get along and especially don't see each other as family. what matters is that you can push dynamics onto them. and so fanon gets all twisted up about which Robin Tim actually idolized as a kid (Dick) and what member of the Batfamily is pro-murder but still an older sibling figure to him and looks out for him (Helena, or if you want the dynamic of once tried to harm Tim but they've reconciled, Jean-Paul) in favor of who's the most popular. Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian are always going to be the standouts for popularity, but it's specifically Jason and Tim who are getting fanonized the most. and that's because really, we don't have much canon content of Tim that *isn't* the comics. for Dick you've got Young Justice (tv), for Damian you've got the DCAMU, for Jason you've sort of got the Under The Red Hood movie, but Tim sort of lingers in this limbo. (yes, he's in Young Justce (tv) and Titans (live action) but in neither is he the main character nor given much depth) so, he gets a *lot* projected onto him and has become fanonized. and even with Jason's animated movies, you don't see him interact with Tim, so people build it from the ground up how they want to see it, disregarding of canon comics. i think it's what makes him so popular in the first place- he's malleable into whatever you want or need him to be.

and of course, the fanon ignores other characters in the Batfamily it doesn't know about. i feel like you could create a tier list of Batfamily characters by their popularity, going from the fandom main characters: Tim, Jason, Bruce, Alfred, Dick, Damian. to the underrated: Steph, Duke, Babs, Cass. to the forgotten about unless they're convenient for a story: Kate, the Foxes, Helena Wayne, Carrie, Selina, Harper Row, Maps, Minhkhoa Khan. to the absolutely unknown: Helena Bertinelli, Jean-Paul Valley, Onyx Adams, the Clovers, Julia Pennyworth. it's not lost on me that the ignored characters tend to be women and people of color. which is both a canon and fanon problem, DC will continue adding interesting characters to the Batfamily, play with them for a few years, then drop them to default to the "Batboys" again. and it's a vicious cycle of the fandom only caring about the "Batboys", and thus people entering the fandom via fanon osmosis won't have content about the other characters, therefore, they won't be interested in those characters enough to create it, and it's just this ouroboros consuming itself, no matter how much canon content we have of these other characters. and it's ridiculous just how large the Batfamily is becoming because of this, which is why i'm a pre-Flashpoint fan, because then the Batfamily was contained enough to actually feel like a family with every character having nuances relationships with each other, but i digress because those thoughts could be their own post.

and the thing about fanon is it doesn't exist in a vacuum. DC has started turning the comics to accommodate for what fans are asking for, because fans will beg and beg for content they're not going to consume. Tim Drake: Robin had Tim as a coffee drinker because that's the fanon accepted headcanon. and the resolution of the recent Gotham War arc was for Bruce to buy this new manor for everyone to move in and call him. nevermind that most of these characters have their own homes and have zero reason to be moving in with Bruce. Tim had his marina in Tim Drake: Robin, Dick has Bludhaven, Cass and Steph have their little side of town in Batgirls (2022), and so on. these characters are being forced together as a unit, as one big happy family living together, to appease what non-comic fans want and it's damaging comic relationships. Robin: Knight Terrors saw Jason and Tim team up and working together, which i've seen varying opinions on but i personally despised. their interactions made zero sense for any of their canon history, but it appeases them being this close sibling relationship that fanon acts like they are. also the fears they faced in their respective knight terrors didn't make sense for either character and *only* worked as a moment of bringing them together so they could reassure each other and have this weird dreamscape bonding moment. the canon is bending itself to the will of fanon rather than building on the pre-existing complex relationships. Tim barely even gets along with his most important team in Dark Crisis: Young Justice because it seems the only important relationships the Batfamily can have is with each other. and when we do see them outside of the Batfamily, it only seems to be to relive the glory days like with World's Finest: Teen Titans, instead of developing them as they currently exist. this isn't recent in the comics, it feels like you can trace it back to the New-52, but it does feel a *lot* worse over the recent years. WFA is fine when it exists in its own bubble, but the simple truth is, DC content never exists on its own. the adaptations will reflect back onto the comics. (the damage the Young Justice cartoon has done to some characters should honestly be studied) and so it does frustrate me a bit when fanon-only or adaptation-only fans act like we're being nothing but killjoys for being frustrated with this. since they don't read the comics, they don't see how the comics are suffering as a result of this.

people argue about what's out of character for the comics they don't even read. i'm sorry, but "bad dad Bruce" is consistently canon. that man is just kind of shitty. when you take someone who has the drive he has, who has this need for the Mission first, who needs a teenager in spandex next to him to keep him off the ledge, that guy is sort of going to be a shitty father figure. he just is. not on purpose or with malice, but when you compare him to any other dad in a big DC family, he sure takes the cake. it's why characters like Oliver Queen tend to *really* fucking hate Bruce for how he treats his kids. Bruce loves fiercely, but he doesn't do well with putting that love first. and his love is a controlling one, he is very particular about controlling how others in the Batfamily are "allowed" to operate. it's what drives the wedge between him and Dick, it's why Steph is never a true daughter to him. (besides the reason of her needing to be a love interest to Tim first, anyway-) i've never understood the massive outcry of people reacting to Bruce kinda being shitty in comics they're not reading. there are some moments that get ridiculously OOC with how cartoonishly evil he is (the whole Gotham War arc and that... complicated mess with Jason) but largely if you want sitcom loving nuclear father Bruce, you have to accept that is a fanon thing, not a canon one. the Batfamily being a nuclear family in *general* is fanon. most of the "Batkids" don't actually see Bruce in a particularly fatherly light and begging for moments where he calls them his kids or they call him dad outside of incredibly specific circumstances is just OOC.

it's getting harder and harder to exist peacefully in this fandom it feels like, if you don't comply to the standard fanon has set. i'm happy people are having fun with their blorbos, even if in ways i dislike, but that "harmless fandom fun" does ripple it's way back to canon, eventually. so i end up pretty tangled with my feelings because are fans at fault for DC making these poor decisions? probably not, but it certainly feels like an unfortunate cause-and-effect situation whether at the end of the day, nobody is happy. and of course, i know some fanon-only fans are striving to be more canon accurate and care about canon dynamics more than others, but for them it's always going to be an uphill battle with the above-mentioned out-of-context panels thrown around and ever-pervasive fanon overtaking anything that's truly seeking to be canon compliant. so really, it sometimes feels like we're all losing.

[originalcontent]

I can't find art of my ship anywhere so I GUESS that means I have to make it myself, here are some doodles.

[spawnofbhaal]

.

[movedtodykedvonte]

Sososososo

Do you listen to fan songs for cult of the lamb? If, yes which ones are your favourite?

Did you read Bamsara’s fic?

I don’t listen to fan songs mainly cause I only know of the one by the stupendium and nothing else…. And I haven’t even gotten around to listening to that one! (If you have recommendations I’m willing to listen)

As for the fic, no. I know it’s not just about Narilamb but it’s sorta like a big turnoff for me from fics and comics since I see their dynamic in such a specific way. I like more so dealing with the sibling relationships between the bishops rather than a former god and a new one. I do know that Bamsara is an excellent author and fic writer so maybe I’ll give it a whirl but probs not anytime soon. So sorry, nonny <:p

[inthewiiildwoods]

from the little of the tag i've skimmed it doesnt seem like the shipping scene is very robust here. most art also seems to be of the non-human variety. i suppose i must fulfil my duty as The One Guy™

[vintagebuckybarnes]

In Vino Veritas

Pairing → Avenger! Bucky Barnes x Lab Assistant! Female! Reader

Total Wordcount → 3.5K

Summary → It all started when you and the Avengers enjoyed drinks during the afterparty back at the Avengers Tower. There, Tony revealed one of your deepest secrets, and even though you wish it had never come to light at first, you’re glad it did when the man you love stands on your doorstep, ready to start the rest of your life together.

Tags & Warnings → Semi-canon compliant, Avenger! Bucky Barnes, Female! Reader, Tony’s Lab Assistant! Reader, Bucky’s past as TWS is mentioned, emotional hurt/comfort, mutual pining, some cursing, and explicit sexual content.

Tags: Smut → Grinding, begging, some dirty talk, praise, teasing Bucky, protected sex, cowgirl position.

Story Rating → Explicit

Author’s Note → This story is beta'd by the wonderful @late-to-the-party-81, and I cannot thank you enough for that. I hope you'll all enjoy my story, which is filled with some angst, lots of fluff, and some smut to top it all off! 💜

Writing Prompts @fandom-free-bingo Bug Edition → “There is no us.” | Riding | In vino veritas | “Touch me.” @fandom-free-bingo Medical Edition → Crush at first sight @julybreakbingo Post-JBB → Being confronted about their feelings for another

Tags List → If you’d like to be tagged in my stories, you can add yourself to my tag list here.

The evening starts fine, good, even. But it all takes an unexpected turn when the man you work for - Tony Stark - reveals your secret. A secret that you’d only recently revealed to him.

Earlier that day, you’d spotted Bucky as he was working out and from that moment on your mind has been with him instead of your usual work and tasks.

“Hello, Y/N? Anyone home in there?” Tony asks as he lays a hand on your shoulder, making you jump. You look up at him with a worried look while he smiles back at you with a kind expression. A soft sigh escapes your lips as the thoughts in your head wander off again, specifically how his back looked underneath the tank top he wore in the gym while doing squats. Not only that, but you also can’t stop thinking about the way his ass looked in the sweatpants he wore. In a word, magnificent.

“Is everything okay with you? You’ve been a bit off your game today.” As Tony sits next to you, you put down the screwdriver you were holding - the one he asked you three times to pass to him - before turning to face him, your gaze focusing somewhere on the wall behind him. For a moment, there’s a silence between you as you gather the courage to tell him what’s been on your mind.

“Well, uhm- There’s something, or someone, that I can’t stop thinking about, and it’s taking over my mind every second of every day. It- It’s Bucky,” you say almost in a whisper. For a few seconds, Tony is completely silent as he lets the thought of you having a crush on one of his fellow Avengers sit in his mind. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, he reaches out for your hand and takes it between his warm ones.

“You know that I’ll always support you in everything, right? I supported you when you expressed your desire to halt your life as an Avenger and retrain as my lab technician, and I supported you when you moved out of Avengers Tower to have your own home with more peace. This is not going to be any different. All I’m hoping for is that he will make you the happiest and best version of you, as you deserve nothing less.”

Tears brim at your waterline as Tony tells you this, and even though you deeply appreciate him, his words, and everything he has done for you, you can’t help but still feel a bit… odd about the fact you told him you’re having a crush on Bucky. That you have a crush on the man who was once the most feared assassin in the world under the hands of HYDRA.

“Now, can you hand me that screwdriver before your thoughts wander off to him again?” your boss asks in a teasing tone, making you smile as you grab it and hand it to him. Somehow, he always seems to know the right thing to say, and it's exactly why you enjoy spending time by his side while learning everything there is to know about his lab and what's going on in there.

Just as you’re about to get comfortable with another drink in your hand, you meet the gaze of the man you’re crushing on, and you feel heat coursing through your veins. The lines around his deep blue eyes intensify as he smiles at you, his attention making every last thought in your brain disappear. You’re so captivated by how Bucky looks at you that you miss your seat as you sit down. However, before you fall, you’re caught by a pair of solid arms that prevent you from hitting the floor.

“Careful there, Little One,” Thor says in his deep voice, his accent always making the butterflies in your stomach go wild. Even though you’d known Thor since you were young, you couldn’t help but get a little flustered by the nickname, and he smiled at you as you were finally sitting on the chair you intended to use.

“Thank you, Thor,” you whisper before sipping your cocktail. Around you, the conversations are starting to become a little blurry as you focus on Bucky and everything he has to say, his lips forming around the words effortlessly. When you suddenly feel a little shove against your arm, you yelp, making everyone go silent as they look at you.

“What did you do that for?!” you ask Thor in a low voice, but all he does is point to Tony, who obviously has something to say as he’s waving for everyone’s attention. There are moments when you enjoy the fact that alcohol can bring out people’s true feelings or thoughts, also known as in vino veritas, but not now. Oh no, now you wish you could disappear as you listen to the words coming out of Tony’s mouth.

“Guys, you really shouldn’t say this to Bucky or Y/N, but they’re having a massive crush on one another!” Tony says in a loud whispering tone, but what he fails to notice in his inebriated state is that you two are sitting right across from one another, enjoying the afterparty just like everyone else. Or at least, you were enjoying the afterparty until your secret got out.

The glass you were holding falls out of your hand before shattering into pieces on the floor, and your feet carry you as fast as they can away from the party and away from your worst nightmare come true. The music behind you fades away as you turn one corner after another, tears burning in your eyes as the event repeatedly replays in your mind. Your lungs start to burn as you keep running, the stinging feeling in your side increasing as you run out of the Avengers Tower into the night.

Meanwhile, Bucky’s world feels like it has taken a 180-degree turn. Mere minutes ago, he could only fantasize that you could have feelings for him, but now? A wave of disbelief washes over the super soldier, his expression showing pure surprise as he takes the moment in. For him, it was a crush at first sight from the momentyou walked into the training room on your first day. Over the years, his feelings have intensified, although he has only told Steve about his crush - or rather his now deep-rooted love - for you.

And yet, now that the pair of you have been confronted about your feelings for one another, he doesn’t know what to do. He has replayed the moment he’d confess his feelings to you more times than he can count in his mind, and in none of those versions, this is one of the scenarios that had appeared. It’s only when Steve grabs his arm and pulls him away that he seemingly comes back to reality again.

“Bucky, how does Tony know about your crush on Y/N? I mean, I’m, of course, fine with you sharing it, but-”

“I don’t know, Steve, I don’t know, and it kills me,” Bucky says as he runs his fingers through his cropped hair.“Fuck- I was planning on telling her this week but… but now it’s ruined, and I didn’t even get the chance to talk to her, and-” It’s all Bucky can say as he fights the urge to punch the wall with his metal fist, both hands clenched by his side as he tries to regulate his breathing. Without warning, Steve pulls him into a hug, and Bucky’s arms snake around his best friend's waist as his fingers clutch at the fabric of his shirt.

“It’s going to be okay, I promise,” Steve whispers, though he’s not entirely sure that’s true because he knows as well as anyone that things don’t always go back to how they were before. Still, Bucky decides to believe him as they stand there for a little while longer, and he soaks in every bit of comfort he can get for now. Lord knows he’s going to need it.

The past few days have been strange, to say the least. You haven’t been to the Avengers Tower since Tony revealed your now not-so-secret crush on the super soldier. You’re afraid of what will happen if you do. This also means you haven’t seen Bucky in a few days, and you miss him. You miss hearing his laugh, and you miss seeing how his mouth turns slightly upward as you hand him one of your baked goods, but most of all, you miss how his arms feel when he pulls you in for a hug.

Just as you’re about to make yourself a cup of tea, you get pulled from your thoughts by a soft but familiar knock on the door; only one thing can make that sound: Bucky’s metal hand knocking against the wood. For a moment, you contemplate your actions, but decide to give him at least a chance to talk, especially as it wasn’t him who laid out your feelings in front of everyone.

“Bucky, hi,” you say softly as you take in his appearance, your heart sinking as you do. It’s evident he hasn’t slept at all the past few days. There are dark circles under his eyes, and he doesn’t look as healthy as usual—more disheveled. The struggles he’s facing are apparent in his entire demeanor, and all you want to do is wrap him up in a warm blanket and cuddle him until the end of time.

“Hi,” he says hoarsely, and you step aside, allowing him to enter your apartment. He’s been here a few times already, and usually there’s a warmth radiating from you and every inch of the little place you call home, but ever since the party, it hasn’t been the same. It isn’t just the apartment, either. You feel different.

“Would you like some tea before we talk?” you ask to break the tension. “I was about to make some.”

He nods at you before wandering further into your apartment, and you head to the kitchen, picking out another mug for Bucky to use. Once he’s caught sight of your couch, he immediately takes a seat, a soft groan audible as he does. There aren’t many places more comfortable than the large couch that’s standing right here in your living room.

When you emerge a few minutes later with two steaming mugs of tea and a plate filled with chocolate chip cookies you baked fresh this morning, Bucky can’t help but smile at you. He gladly takes the tea with one of the cookies, as they’re his favorite, and when you sit down next to him, it feels just like it always has, as if nothing has changed. But you both know it has, and that’s why the super soldier’s now in your living room.

“So…” you start, unsure what to say now that he’s sitting on your couch. Bucky’s eyes are trained on the steaming tea in his hands, his thoughts going a mile a minute as he’s thinking about what he wants to say - other than confessing his love for you.

“So… uhm, we missed seeing you around the Tower,” Bucky starts, though you both know it’s mostly him who has missed seeing you there. You have always been a staple there during his mornings as you make him a cup of coffee, and during movie nights, you were always the one he could sit next to and enjoy the movie, but now that you’re not there, it’s like a piece of soul has left the Tower with you.

“I mean, yeah. It’s been a bit awkward for me to go back after what happened a few days ago,” you tell him, and a shudder of horror runs down your spine at the thought of having to face Tony again. A smile tugs at the corners of Bucky’s lips as he thinks back to what happened that night, a happy memory of your first meeting resurfacing in the back of his mind as he does.

“Good morning, Sergeant Barnes. I’ve made some chocolate chip cookies, if you want some. However, I should warn you, Tony’s been on the prowl since I took them out of the oven, so I’ll advise you to be quick,” you say with a glare towards Tony, who has been eyeing them up since he walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. For the first time in a long time, Bucky showed something akin to a smile, and everyone looked at each other to ensure they saw it, too.

“Thank you,” he says lowly, grabbing one of the smaller ones on the plate, followed by a cup of coffee, before swiftly leaving the kitchen to spend more time in his room. Before Bucky even left the kitchen, Tony was on the cookies as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks, and this time you let him.

“Can I- Is it okay if I tell you something? Because if I don’t say it now, I don’t know if I ever will,” Bucky says softly, and you nod before repositioning yourself so that you’re facing him. His gaze is still trained on his mug as he thinks carefully about his next words, afraid he might accidentally say the wrong thing.

“Tony was right. He is right, actually. When he said, we’re crushing on each other. I’ve been crushing on you since you offered me those chocolate chip cookies when Tony threatened to eat them all before anyone else had a chance to get them. It was like a switch flipped inside me back then, and I haven’t been the same since,” Bucky says, his mouth now in a line as he tells you about his feelings.

“Each time I look at you, it’s like I’m seeing an angel, and every time I hear your voice, it’s like a little piece of my soul is healing, too. I find myself drawn to you in every room and wonder what life has in store for us. But deep down inside, I know there is no ‘us’ yet. But I want there to be us. I want you, Y/N. I want you to be mine, in whatever capacity you’ll have me. If you want to stay friends, that’s okay with me, but if you want more, I’ll happily accept every bit of love you’re willing to offer me.”

Once Bucky’s done, you’re unsure what to say. What to think. What to do. You want to say that the feelings between you are mutual, that you’re in love with him and that you want nothing more than to be his, but something inside you is stopping you. So, instead of saying anything, you place your hand over his flesh limb, and his eyes slip shut at the feeling of your soft fingers against his rough hand.

“Bucky.” His name is a whisper on your lips, but it’s enough to make him look at you, to meet your gaze.

“I’m in love with you, too.”

As soon as the words leave your lips, Bucky carefully put his tea on the coffee table before hauling you onto his lap, his hands digging into the soft flesh of your waist as your lips interlock in a passionate dance. He can’t get enough of your soft mouth slotting together with his and the way his tongue fights for dominance with yours as your fingers dig into his neck. It’s been a long time since you’ve felt a strong connection with someone, and you’re happy to explore it with Bucky.

Your hips grind over his growing length of their own volition,your body looking for any bit of friction it can get. Without warning, one of Bucky’s hands slides lower until he’s cupping your ass, making you gasp into his mouth as a result. Bucky can’t help but smile into the kiss as he pulls you impossibly closer, your legs spreading just a bit further as you sink against his muscular body.

“Hmm, I’ve been wanting this - you - for so long,” he says between the kisses trailing your jaw towards your ear, his teeth nipping on your earlobe as your head lolls to the side. With every passing second, your thoughts are melting away more and more, and all that’s left inside your mind is Bucky. Soon, his other hand joins the first as he helps you grind onto him, a groan falling from his lips as he sets a perfect pace for you both.

“B-Bucky—" his name sounds more like a whine than anything else. “I—I want you.”

“But you already have me, pretty girl, ‘m right here,” he says with a teasing lilt to his voice, his hands continuing to help you grind until you’re a complete mess for him. Your shorts are ruined, your arousal soaking through them and onto the bulge in his black jeans, much to Bucky’s joy. He was wondering what it would take to get you to this point, and it turns out it won’t take much.

He smiles against the skin of your neck, where he’s taking his time to mark you with hickeys and small bitemarks, all of which leave you a bit more of a moaning, begging mess on his lap, much to his pride. When one of your hands moves away from his neck and down his torso, he quickly catches on to what you’re doing. “Someone’s a little impatient today, huh?”

“Yes, oh god, yes! I need you to touch me, Bucky. I want to feel you inside me as you make me fall apart on your cock, and I need you to fuck me like there’s no tomorrow!” Your voice sounds more breathy than usual, but every care you thought you had has gone out the window. All you want is Bucky and his cock to ride, until you’re orgasming so hard and long you can’t remember your name.

“Okay, I will. Don’t you worry about anything, okay? Let me take care of you, and I’ll give you everything you need and more,” he reassures you in a shushing voice. You nod before kissing him again, which immediately deepens before he gently helps you get up, allowing you to take off your panties and shorts, and he can take off his pants and boxershorts, too. As soon as you’re both freed from your last pieces of clothing, you hand him a condom you retrieved from the side table drawer while he took the time to undress himself.

“Hmmm, looks so thick,” you tell him as you look at it with wide eyes, wondering how he’s going to fit inside you as you’re positioning yourself on his lap once more, your legs bracketing his thicks thighs as you get comfortable.

“I know, but I’m gonna go slow. Wouldn’t want to hurt you and your perfect, sweet little pussy.” He smiles as he holds his cock in place, your pliant body sinking onto him slowly as your fingers dig into his shoulders to steady yourself. Your hiss of pleasure is audible and your face contorts at the slight sting of him stretching you, but just like he promised, Bucky is taking it slow to ensure you’ll both have the most amazing first time.

As soon as you’re fully seated on his lap, your body goes limp against him, your face tucked in the crook of his neck as you adjust to his girth, and Bucky places soft kisses on your head while praising you through it all. “You’re doing so well for me, baby. Such a good girl for me, letting me take the lead and giving you exactly what you need.”

A small smile appears on your face as you look up at him with big, doe-like eyes, and he can’t help but smile back as the back of his fingers gently caress your cheek. He may have thought you were beautiful before, but nothing compares to this moment. 

“I love you, Y/N, and I promise to take care of you with every fiber of my being,” he whispers, his lips sealing his promise against your cheek. Your eyes fall shut at his words, and his hand moves down your side until it’s on your hip again, ready for you to let him know when you’re good to go. Your bodies work in complete sync with one another with every rise and fall of your chest, and his hands guide you beautifully as you slowly sink and rise on his length.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” he groans, and it doesn’t take long for both of you to find your highs for the first time, and they’re serving as a promise of everything else that’s still to come in this lifetime. A few days ago, you and Bucky didn’t even know you felt the same about one another, but now you’re sharing the start of the rest of your lives, and it’s all thanks to Tony. Because without him, you wouldn’t have been able to tell the man of your dreams how much you love him.

Masterlist → Bucky Barnes

GIF: Source → All the other graphics you see are made by @vintagebuckybarnes

[nugatorysheep]

"Nobody really talked about it after it ended" my sister in salvation I got real bad news for you

[Lily's Post]

More views than any of your recent videos, Lily. 🤭

[dontbelasagnax]

I find as fandom has assimilated towards a capitalist mindset of consumption, there has been a larger focus on fanart and fanfiction- both in spaces that view creatives as "content creators" and spaces where creatives are seen as writers and authors but lauded similarly to celebrities or deities for gracing the common people with their creations.

This has produced a side effect wherein fanart and, primarily, fanfiction are seen as the Best Forms Of Transformative Works... which means that any other type of transformative work is thrown by the wayside.

There should be no hierarchy of fanworks - every single work is a labor of love (or spite... I see y'all throwing middle fingers to canon 😉) and should be recognized as such. Fandom is a community. It's not a transactional relationship. Everyone contributes and interacts out of shared passions and interests.

If you make podfics, gifs, photo edits, fanvids, fan binding, metas, fiber arts, jewelry, fanmixes, translate fics to another language, run/contribute to a fan wikia or compile lore and resources in other ways: I see, appreciate, and cherish all the hard, love fueled work you put into your creations.

Not to say that fanfic and digital art are over-appreciated (Since I do see that many people are allergic to pressing reblog. It's a community. We're supposed to share and communicate. Lurkers are valid but for the most part, interaction with like-minded people is what fandom is intended for.) but the pedestal they are placed on needs to be lowered. Your favorite artists and authors are real people with real lives. They piss and shit just like you. They work in retail and healthcare and are unemployed due to disability. There is nothing extraordinary about them and they are wonderful human beings all the same. No one is better than anyone else. We're all equals here on this playground.

That said, I think we need to uplift the underappreciated fanworks and creators and give them more attention so they are on equal footing with fanfic writers and fanartists. Reblog the gifsets and tell the creator you're in love with how they colored the gifs, keyboard smash in the tags when reblogging a plush doll someone crocheted of your blorbo, try listening to a podfic on your commute home instead of an audiobook and remember to leave a comment when you get home.

As a final note, I want to give a warm hug to anyone who has sat refreshing tumblr or ao3 hoping that maybe someone will tell them they did a good job. To anyone who has considered quitting their fandom endeavors because their posts or works never get as much attention and love as the rest of the artworks or fics in the fandom tags, your creations are worth making and sharing. Numbers do not equate to quality, nor can they convey how loved your creations are by a given person. Only you can bring your unique sparkle to fandom and your presence is absolutely welcome no matter how big or small, grandiose or inconsequential, important or worthless you think it is.

[laurelsofhighever]

On Lucanis and ace representation

I have mixed feelings about it. Spoilers ahead, obviously.

On the one hand, I have been writing ace representation into Dragon Age fandom for at least five years by this point; I have made posts speculating which characters in the franchise could be read as aspec, I have critiqued the conflation between apparent aspec identities and brokenness that happens so often in mainstream media, and I have longed for a canonically aspec character in the stories I love. To me, however, this new declaration about Lucanis does not feel like a victory.

It feels convenient.

Mary Kirby tweeted six months ago that she specifically wrote Lucanis to be a disaster bisexual, not panromantic demisexual. In the real world, of course, people can discover new things about themselves and change their labels, and it’s fine. The problem is that Lucanis is not a people, he is a character with a static set of responses to a limited set of inputs from the player. In other words, he is what he is. That this change in Word of God about his sexuality comes directly on the heels of the very poorly received AMA from the devs is something I don’t view as a coincidence.

To be clear, this isn’t an attack on Mary Kirby, nor is it a tantrum about not getting a sexy Zevran 2.0. I am ace – I love slow burn emotional depth before physical intimacy, and I was drawn to Lucanis because of his struggles with alienation and the softer playfulness that’s there to see if you look for it. (And the voice, and the wings, but that’s not relevant here.) However, there is something severely lacking in the connective tissue of his romance. For the first two thirds of the game he is unresponsive to flirting to the point where the game feels like it’s bugged. Multiple people have pointed out that it’s almost impossible to tell when the romance is locked in without looking at the companion screen – I myself only realised when took him to Rivain with Taash and they started talking about him popping out the wings. The idea that this woodenness was a deliberate choice does a disservice to everyone who has pointed out a valid critique of the content – mechanically, rather than narratively – of the romance.

It is also immediately contradicted if you don’t romance Lucanis. Because instead he gets together with Neve in a relationship that not only lacks the emotional closeness that is required for Rook to lock in a romance, but also gets physical far more quickly, which is the exact opposite of how demisexuality works. For Rook, romancing Lucanis requires repeated declarations of support and care, and he will only fully reciprocate once they have battled through his inner demons to encourage him to start healing from his trauma. Even after that there is no physical touch between them until after Rook is pulled from the Fade prison. Neve, meanwhile, is one of the locks on his cage, but creates a ‘hats off’ rule for Spite. It's like watching Aveline run around finding marigolds for Donnic all over again. Not to say that all ace experiences are the same, but if someone described these two relationships to me, I would assume only one of them involved a demisexual character.

Truthfully, however, this isn’t really about the evidence for whether Lucanis is or is not demi. You could argue that back and forth all day because interpretation goes both ways. For example, he says he’s inexperienced in relationships, but then he’s arguably more competent than the other companions who ask you for romantic help, more lacking in confidence than skill – and analysis of that is a whole other post. But it’s not useful. There isn’t one way to be aspec, and I’m certainly not saying he can’t be read that way.

What this is about is the way representation feels like it has been retconned in as a response to the genuine critiques brought up in the AMA and elsewhere. Excusing the gaps in his romance by saying it’s because he’s demisexual feels like a cheap attempt to divert attention away from weak character writing. Perhaps I’m just being cynical, but after all the dodged questions and misrepresentations from the devs in almost every aspect of this game, if Lucanis had been planned as aspec from the beginning then the TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN game would have made a huge thing of it. I know this, because they did it already, they stated all the companions were pan (except for Lucanis who was bi).

And I don’t know what’s worse: it not being planned and only trotted out as a smokescreen to avoid engaging with the flaws in the writing; or it being there from the beginning without any care for how it might look to have the ostensibly aspec character be a literal abomination whose interpersonal issues stem from being imprisoned and tortured. Again.

A good slow burn would have addressed Lucanis’ relationship to attraction, though hopefully with more nuance than Taash was allowed. A good slow burn would have not made one character exchangeable for another in a romance regardless of the personal journey Lucanis can only take with one of them. A good slow burn would have at least had him reacting to the things the PC says to him. But this is not a good slow burn and the devs are using a token attempt at queer rep to cover for whatever went on behind the scenes to give us such a patchy final product.

[ao3org]

Tag Changes are Coming to The High Republic

Hello! In the very near future, the Star Wars wrangling team is going to be doing what people have been asking for: we’re making The High Republic novels into series instead of individual book fandoms.

These fandoms are going to be:

Star Wars: The High Republic: Phase I - Various Authors

Star Wars: The High Republic: Phase II - Various Authors

Star Wars: The High Republic: Phase III - Various Authors

Read on for more details about this decision and all the related tag changes we’ll be making to help ease this transition.

Why is this change being made?

People have been using Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi - Charles Soule as a makeshift series tag, and we want how we wrangle these fandoms to reflect actual tagging practices. Also, the High Republic books are much more intertwined than wranglers initially foresaw.

Why did you split the fandom into phases? I wanted a single THR tag. :(

The problem with making a single tag for all the books is that the High Republic era is 400 years long and if we make one tag, then every book that takes place from 500 BBY to 100 BBY would be part of it, even if they have no relation to each other. These series tags are only going to contain the novels announced as part of this initial multimedia project, ending with the books published in Spring 2025. There might not be any THR books after that, but we live in hope. (Novel about Yord and Osha as padawans, anyone?)

If it makes you feel better, you can imagine that the separation between Phase I and III is Marchion Ro's fault. The Occlusion Zone is so powerful it extends to affecting AO3.

What about the comics and Tales of Light and Life?

Due to the fact that AO3 tag wranglers generally no longer make new AO3 fandoms that mix media types, the comics will remain their own fandoms, and any books that span more than one phase (such as Tales of Light and Life, which contains stories set in Phase I and Phase II) will remain their own fandoms, and won’t be renamed. These fandoms won’t be connected to the phase tags in any way. This also extends to Young Jedi Adventures and The Acolyte as well as its related tie-in media.

What will happen if I just tag "Star Wars: The High Republic" without specifying a phase in the fandom field?

Your story will only appear under "Star Wars - All Media Types", which is what currently happens. We’re able to move the majority of tags currently synonymous with the Star Wars - All Media Types to the era that best represents the majority of the works tagged with them, but Star Wars: The High Republic remains synonymous with Star Wars - All Media Types, as its usage is too mixed between phases.

In instances where a generic High Republic fandom tag that doesn't specify a particular phase of this era is used, it’s likely that wranglers will make that tag a synonym of the fandom tag that best represents the content of the majority of the fanworks tagged with it. Consequently, there may be at least a few works showing up in a phase they seemingly don't belong in, because they've made use of a generic High Republic fandom tag.

I still want tags that tell my readers what book the fic is connected to! What do I do?

You can still keep the fandom tag currently on your works if you want! There’s absolutely no need to edit your works. However, if you want to tag the books in freeforms/additional tags instead, we’ve got you covered with these canonical tags you can put in the "Additional Tags" field:

Books now part of Star Wars: The High Republic: Phase I - Various Authors

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Starlight Stories - Various Authors

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi - Charles Soule

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark - Claudia Gray

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage - Justina Ireland

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: The Rising Storm - Cavan Scott

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Race to Crashpoint Tower - Daniel José Older

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows - Justina Ireland

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Tempest Runner - Cavan Scott

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Mission to Disaster - Justina Ireland

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star - Claudia Gray

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Midnight Horizon - Daniel José Older

Books now part of Star Wars: The High Republic: Phase II - Various Authors

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Quest for the Hidden City - George Mann

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Convergence - Zoraida Córdova

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Path of Deceit - Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Tales of Enlightenment - George Mann

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha - George Mann

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Quest for Planet X - Tessa Gratton

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Cataclysm - Lydia Kang

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Path of Vengeance - Cavan Scott

Books now part of Star Wars: The High Republic: Phase III - Various Authors

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Chronicles from the Occlusion Zone - Lydia Kang

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Escape From Valo - Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness - George Mann

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Defy the Storm - Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland

Book: Star Wars: The High Republic: Temptation of the Force - Tessa Gratton

Additional canonical tags will be added as more books are published.

(From time to time, ao3org posts announcements of recent or upcoming wrangling changes on behalf of the Tag Wrangling Committee.)

[kissedbyaphrodite]

Kyle Broflovski's got powers, and I don't see people talk about it

Okay so, I don't know if nobody's talked about this or if I'm just disconnected from the fandom. But just how many powers does Kyle Broflovski have!?!?!?!? Like, we see him having powers for the first time in The Tooth Fairy's Tats 2000 (season 4 episode 1) He develops not only Personal Existence Manipulation but also Reality Warping and some sort of Omnipresence and Higher Consciousness. He develops these abilities after he discovers that the tooth fairy is not real, and he starts to question the truth of all things, including his own existence. He begins to study various philosophies about the nature of reality. (Wikipedia plot summary). In the end of the episode, Kyle disappears into thin air while questioning his own existence, but soon reappears wielding control over all reality, even becoming a half-chicken half-squirrel beast.

Then in Cartman's Incredible Gift (Season 8 episode 13) he shows/develops psychic abilities, after jumping of a roof in order to fake having an accident to develop psychic abilities (Since in the episode Cartman starts telling people he's a psychic after he jumped of a rooftop) In order to be taken seriously (Wikipedia page so you can read the summary). After everything's said and done, at the hospital, a fight breaks out between Cartman and the fake psychics, at which point Kyle gets annoyed and yells at them to stop, at which point the light bulbs in the room explode and a shelf becomes partially detached from its wall, spilling its contents on the floor.

In the episode It's a Jersey Thing (Season 14, episode 7) he has these "Transformations" that are obviously making fun of/Referencing werewolf transformations, but you know, I'm still adding them mostly since he does seem to be stronger in his "Jersey form" and more aggressive (Again, clearly both making fun of people from Jersey and Werewolves)

In Turd Burglars (Season 23 episode 8) he seems to be able to see/feel the microbiome of his entire body and everything else, having almost psychic dreams showing the bookcase in Tom Brady's house, which is actually a secret entrance to a basement where he has been hiding his faeces. In the end of the episode, the boys take those faeces and they're used to save the whole town (Again, you can read the episode's plot in Wikipedia to get a better summary of it). And when asked how he knew about, Kyle just says that his microbiome knew.

Like, just the implications of it have so much potential, I know the show doesn't follow a canon timeline, with many characters dying and appearing again later on, or the cannon in the games, show and movies being different, etc. But like, it's almost becoming a running gag with Kyle having powers (If we follow the logic of "One time is a X, two times is a Y, three times is a pattern"). Just imagine both Kyle and Kenny would become the only characters (To my knowledge) Who canonically have superpowers (Kenny's immortality).

I don't know, I just thought I'd talk about it.