#might do more who knows this ship drives me nuts

[preciouslittletoonette]

Overworked Mascots (Mickey Mouse x Bugs Bunny)

I do not own any of these characters that appear here. They all belong to their respective studios. Enjoy!

This is inspired by the lovely art of one @thesunpapaya (sorry if you don't like being tagged, I remembered you saying you'd read fics from this ship so I figured it'd be safe to tag you). Particularly this piece and these pieces.

Get ready

Eat, Rehearse, Film, Press Conference, Film, Eat, Sleep.

Mickey was so tired.

Eat, Rehearse, Film, Press Conference, Film, Eat, Sleep

Yet tired didn't feel like the right word.

Go to this gala, go to that event, film some more, sleep.

But a weight unlike any other pulled him down.

Go out for lunch date with Minnie for the press. Film. Go to Dinner date with Minnie. Don't let people know something is wrong. Sleep. But not with her, to maintain your image. For the children, Mickey.

"Mickey Mouse! Is it true you and Minnie are broken up?! Any words regarding the rumors of Minnie Mouse's affair with her costar Daisy Duck?!"

"Haha! I don't know where this is all coming from. Minnie and Daisy are just swell pals. And me and Min are as right as rain. Happier than ever" Not.

Eat, Rehearse, Film, Meetings, Film, Eat, Sleep.

He took a long puff from the cigar between his finger tips, letting the smoke choke him before releasing it with a slow blow. He licked his lips to rid the dryness he felt on them.

Remember you're Mickey Mouse.

There wasn't a day in his life where he didn't forget it. Everyone made sure to remind him.

Remember we own you.

There wasn't a day in his life where he didn't wish he was elsewhere.

Keep up appearances. Stick to the script.

Don't ruin the magic, Mickey.

The magic for him had been ruined a long time ago.

"Are they gone?", Mickey asked tiredly. His ears could still make out the yelling outside but it got fainter and fainter.

The human in the room with him squeaked as he acknowledged him. A rather mousey (hehe) young man Mickey had taken a liking to and hired to be his P.A. The practical boy was efficient and quick, much more so than his previous personal assistant. Sure, the young man had to be quickly trained in the ins and outs of toons but he caught on quick, something Mickey liked. And the best part:

The boy took Mickey's secrets and kept it like they were his very own. Mickey appreciated that.

The young man peeked out and addressed one of the guards outside. There was some talk Mickey wasn't in the mood to listen into before his assistant came back in.

"They got rid of most of the paparazzi. There might still be some stragglers but most of them will be outside of the building. Security is keeping an eye on all entrances. Only toons, residents and employees are allowed into the building and onto this floor", his assistant informed him.

Mickey nodded," Thank you, Connor. You're an angel", he said with a small smile.

Connor beamed," It's a pleasure, Mr Mouse", he said happily before his eyes went down to the empty scotch glass on the table next to Mickey," Would you like a refill?".

"Please", Mickey said holding up the glass for Connor to take," Dad knows I need it before Iger comes to scream at me again for my sloppy performance".

"The performance wasn't that bad-"

"I forgot several lines and had to ad-lib my way to a line I do remember. I even hesitated a few times"

"Actors improvise all the time!"

"Not. Disney toon actors", Mickey grumbled," We have to stick to the script. Stay within the line. Conform. Or else", he said. It was almost like a mantra at this point, something that had to be ingrained into Mickey's head as if he had been forced to write it on a chalk board 100 000 times.

Don't ruin the magic, Mickey.

Connor sighed," Bullshit, its all bullshit", he mumbled as he flipped through Mickey's schedule.

It truly was. And it was the reality of Mickey's life.

"So what's next on today's agenda?", Mickey asked, sitting up a little and trying (and failing quite frankly) to appear his normal, happy self (if his normal happy self had a cigar in one hand and a glass of scotch on the other).

"You're expected back at Disneyland for the nighttime parade. Photos will be taken. Iger asks you be a little bit more affectionate with Minnie this time as visitors noted you were a little distant your last appearance. Again, nothing spicy. You made a lot of parents uncomfortable with that kiss you pulled a few months ago, the memory is still fresh", Connor said, walking up and down as he gave Mickey the run down on what needed to happen.

"Be affectionate but don't be affectionate. Got it", Mickey said as he downed his glass of scotch in one go.

"Still so freaky you can just... swallow all that and not even get the least bit tipsy", Connor said looking mildly intrigued.

"Eh, toons have made stronger stuff in the past and lived", Mickey said as he set the glass down," Anything else?"

"That's about it. You're free for the time being, like 3-ish hours", Connor said," If you'd like, I can have an impromptu meal arranged for you and Mrs Mouse in a public place for the time being. Mr Iger requests you spend more time together".

Mickey held up a hand and shook his head," No, no. I'd... I'd rather not meet with Minnie today. She's got her own stress to deal with", he said.

"Of course, Mr Mouse"

Mickey sighed. The end of his cigar came and he put the last butt of it out before grabbing another. If there was one thing Mickey had in common with his dad, it was the awful smoking habits. But smoking took his mind off things. Things that would otherwise stress him out.

Like the situation between him and Minnie. The less he thought about the situation between him and Minnie, the better his mood will be.

"Connor, be a dear. Fill up, would you?", Mickey asked politely and his PA followed his request with little complaint.

"At least, now you'll get a tiny break from it all", Connor piped up. The young human paused as something in his ear piece went off," Excuse me, sir. There's something I need to check on".

Mickey waved him off and continued his smoking and drinking, deep in thought with a foul expression on his face. He leaned back into his chair and took a long drag of his cigar, wondering how his life had come to this.

He was meant to be perfect. Practically in every way. The Ideal Toon. The one all Disney toons are encouraged to follow. The board spent many, many years, even dating back to when his Dad was still alive, crafting this image of his. This child (or rather: stern parent) friendly image that was more shallow than a dried up puddle in the summer. It had worked for the most part. Most folks assumed Mickey was devoid of personality, a puppet of Disney. Just The Mascot.

"I've been scrubbed clean, now left in pain with my skin so raw from this abuse."

This scandal was very close to that image cracking. Extremely close. So close in fact, he had gotten screamed at by several people. Including Bob Iger, who he knows is ready to tear into him again in person eventually once the paparazzi cleared somewhat. Adding in his disaster of a performance during a live show, Mickey would bet Iger would be screaming at him for a straight hour.

Mickey would let him. Because Mickey was so tired. Too tired to fight.

He heard the door of his study open and Connor stepped back inside again.

"Sir- Mr. Mouse?"

"What is it, Connor? I'd rather be alone for a moment-"

"You have a visitor, Mr Mouse…", Connor said.

Mickey's eyes met the doorway and he finds what he thought to be the most beautiful toon in all the Animation Industries standing there, gazing at him with an almost demure smile. Mickey's tired eyes met theirs and it seemed like he was in a trance. His face grew warm at the sight of the white, figure hugging dressed that showed off an hourglass figure. His eyes wandered to the ruby red lips and he swallowed the lump in his throat. On his finger, his wedding ring burned him.

"I sincerely hope I'm not intruding, Mr Mouse", the toon said demurely.

It took all of Mickey's acting skill to school his face and make sure he didn't "wolf out" for lack of better words in front of his personal assistant who was still there watching.

"Of course not", Mickey said in faux calmness, "Do come in, ma'am. Connor, can you leave us for a moment?".

Connor did as he was told, but not without his eyes flickering between Mickey and the toon with the same energy as a nosy neighbour finding out something scandalous.

Mickey swore his personal assistant will be the death of him…

…If this gorgeous piece of art before him didn't kill him first.

The toon in question sauntered towards him, hips swaying in ways that were borderline provocative (Mickey could hear the Censor monkeys at Disney screaming). They didn't immediately reach him however, instead taking a turn to take from the nearby bourbon and pour themselves a pint.

Mickey stared, trying to find his voice under the collection of saliva no doubt building up in his mouth. Eventually, he found it.

"Were you waiting long?", he asked quietly, not wanting to break the intense air that surrounded them. He felt warmer than usual.

An airy chuckle fluttered through the atmosphere of Mickey's study.

"Oh, don't you worry too much about that, honey. I kept my li'l head occupied just fine", the toon said. Their accent was clearly forced in a toon way, accurate but still clear it wasn't their natural voice. They smiled at him a beautiful buck-toothed smile.

"You didn't have trouble getting in?", Mickey asked.

"Cute fella got me in through the side door"

Mickey sighed, leaning back into his seat again with closed eyes. He felt the emotional exhaustion of the day catch up with him and he tried to relax. His ears perked up hearing footsteps, assuming the toon was about to take a seat nearby. Only to feel the weight of a body come sit on his lap. His eyes flew open.

Oh gosh

"Hope you don't mind if I take a seat here. You looked very comfortable", the toon cooed, buck teeth disappearing as their mouth made a perfect 'o' shape.

Mickey's heart raced and was about ready to run out of his chest. His body grew hotter.

He felt the white fur shawl pull over him and bring him closer. As he got closer, he could the sweet, fruity perfume his cigar smoke had been hiding. A gloved hand came to caress his cheek with uncharacteristic tenderness.

" You look tired, doc"

Mickey's breath hitched as he felt furry lips brush against his cheek. Whiskers tickled him.

"Bugs…", he whined.

"Mickey", the bunny in question chuckled as he teased the mouse he had trapped under him.

Mickey swallowed the building drool his mouth had accumulated.

"I have somewhere to be in 3 hours", Mickey warned as Bugs leaned into him.

"Is that so?", by that tone, Mickey could tell Bugs was not taking that warning seriously," What if you were just a wee, tad bit… late?", he said, tugging on the Mouse's tie.

For a moment, Mickey entertained the idea.

"As much as I want to… I'm in hot water enough as is today", Mickey murmured. He put his dead cigar in the ashtray.

"Should I leave then?", Bugs asked, moving to get up, but stopped when he felt Mickey's arms snake around him and keep him in place.

"Stay", it was as much a demand as it was a plead.

Bugs grinned and made himself comfortable again. As he did that, Mickey hid his face in Bugs' neck, inhaling that sweet perfume.

"This perfume… with this dress. Are you trying to kill me", Mickey whined, causing Bugs to snicker.

"Depends. Do I get a portion of your money in the will?", Bugs asked cheekily.

"No"

"Aw", Bugs pouted as he took his glass of bourbon and had a sip," And here I was hoping I was going to get something special".

"The only special thing you're gonna get if Disney finds out you're in my will is an investigation", Mickey grumbled as he tugged Bugs closer.

"Ah yes. I'm sure Mr. Iger would be very amused by those pictures you have of me", Bugs teased.

Mickey groaned," Ugh, don't bring him up…", if he could, he'd hide in Bugs' neck for the rest of eternity.

Mickey couldn't see it, but Bugs' face grew the slightest bit soft and sympathetic.

"Rougher day today?", Bugs probed.

"Yeah…", Mickey muttered.

Bugs hummed and shifted his position to comfortably lay against Mickey. This did involve Mickey moving his head away from Bugs' neck so Bugs could sink a little lower. Their faces came quite close together as a result.

Mickey gazed at Bugs and moved his hand to cup the furry cheek of his rabbit lover, stroking the soft white fur of his muzzle. He could feel Bugs stiffen for a moment under his touch before relaxing.

"Why’d you get all dolled up today?", Mickey asked.

"Can't a rabbit try to look pretty once in a while", Bugs wrly replied.

"You always look pretty. You're the prettiest toon I know", Mickey said earnestly.

Mickey could tell for the tiniest millisecond, Bugs was stumped. But that quickly fell as Bugs grinned at him, lashes fluttering flirtatiously.

"Am I as funny as I am pretty?", he asked jokingly.

"Twice as", Mickey responded with a grin.

"Do I make you laugh?", Bugs asked, pulling on Mickey's tie and leaning in.

Mickey gave him a small peck on the cheek," You knock my socks right off, doll", he said sweetly as he reached for his glass, having not drank a drop since Bugs entered.

Bugs subtly preened under the compliment and Mickey smiled fondly behind his glass.

"That still doesn't answer my question though", Mickey continued.

"What if… I don't want to answer it", Bugs replied.

Mickey hummed, his thumb brushing over the area under Bugs' eye, feeling that area felt a little off. Like it was more freshly painted. To hide something.

"Rougher day, today?", Mickey inquired softly, repeating the question Bugs had asked him earlier.

It was a quick shift of his gaze and the way Bugs started subconsciously biting the glass that clued Mickey in on his mental state.

Bugs Bunny was not great with feelings. Mickey spent years learning all of his tics so that he didn’t neglect the rabbit's feelings. Mickey won't lie, it was hard as Bugs was an incredible actor (almost to his detriment), but learning what all the little movements and nervous tics meant was entirely worth it to Mickey if it meant this radiant rabbit found it worth it to stick around a little longer.

That's why Mickey didn't speak much further on that. Instead, he pulled from his vest pocket a pack of cigarettes, slipping one put for Bugs to take. Bugs slowly took it and placed it in his mouth. Mickey provided a lighter as well and held it to Bugs' cigarette.

This action evoked a memory in Mickey. Something that happened years ago, but that Mickey could remember like it was yesterday.

It was one of those film parties that got held after a successful movie. Who framed Roger Rabbit had been a massive success and the entire cast had been invited.

Mickey sat on the rooftop, that night, feeling like absolute dirt despite the happy festivities. A cigarette hung loosely on his lips as he stared out at the lights of city.

One moment, he was alone. The next he had his temporary co-star next to him. Bugs Bunny, looking right as rain to the unaware populace.

Mickey had offered Bugs a cigarette on the promise he told no one about Mickey's awful habit. Bugs laughed, agreed to it and took the cigarette.

Mickey watched for a few rather pitiful seconds as Bugs struggled to get his lighter to work before showing mercy and lighting his own lighter, hovering it within Bugs' gaze with the silent offer of lighting it for him.

The action made Bugs pause long enough for Mickey to notice the hesitation. But he didn't have time to dwell on that as Bugs placed the cig near the lighter.

"What a gentleman", Bugs cooed before giving Mickey one of those zany kisses crazier toons did before running away.

The action stumped Mickey so much he almost dropped his cigarette. His expression must have been funny, because Bugs started to laugh. And really laugh.

Given that those sort of kisses never had any meaning behind them, Mickey should've just forgotten about it and moved on. But he didn't, the kiss and Bugs' charming, captivating laugh stayed with him that entire night.

They talked more. Mickey tried his damndest to be normal in front of the Looney hare but it was getting hard with every laugh he miraculously managed to pull from Bugs.

At some point, they were playing a strange game of keep away. Bugs had snatched the last cigarette Mickey had wanted and played a game out of it. Mickey had to get it back from him.

One thing led to another. A push, a body hitting the wall. Mickey trying his hardest to keep Bugs from escaping. A small, innocuous slip. Mickey falling into Bugs by accident. Their lips meeting in a tremendous smash.

Neither of them moved for a sharp minute before Mickey finally willed his body to move. Apologies came out like rapid fire from Mickey who fervently checked if Bugs was okay and continuously apologised for his large overstep of a boundary. Bugs himself was quiet as he watched Mickey rapidly apologise, his body frozen against the wall.

When Mickey tried to leave, he felt a trembling hand on his back keep him in place. His eyes widened, looking up at Bugs in the darkness. You could just barely make out the dark blush on Bugs' face.

"Stay", it was as much a demand… as it was a plead. But Bugs still removed his hand from Mickey's back, giving the mouse the option to run away and not look back. The option to forget.

Mickey stayed.

Both of them moved in tandem for the first real kiss. And the second kiss, the third kiss and the kiss after that and the many other kisses after that. The moment they truly separated was when Bugs heard someone approaching the roof. Mickey looked at their dishevelled, almost undressed states, frozen and worried about being caught. Had Bugs not picked him up and hid, they would have surely been caught.

And perhaps, that was what made that situation all the more enticing. The adrenaline of almost being caught. The danger of it all. The kiss after that had occurred was one of relief but also of one with the prime knowledge that if they were ever caught, they would be done for.

That seemed to be all the encouragement both of them, a sad pair of disgruntled, overworked mascots, needed to pursue this further.

"Penny for your thoughts, doc", Bugs inquired, flipping a penny in Mickey's direction, that the mouse flawlessly caught as he was brought back to the present.

"Just thinking on some old memories", Mickey said softly," About that night", he elaborated.

"Ah", was all Bugs said.

Mickey gazed at Bugs. Bugs gazed back. Mickey gently took Bugs' free hand and left a kiss on it.

"I know I said earlier that you look pretty everyday- that wasn't a lie, but golly, you look really stunning today, doll", Mickey murmured softly as he laced their fingers together.

Bugs chuckled, his white fur turning the slightest bit pink at the compliment.

"Well, I do remember you saying this was your favourite dress of mine. Thought you'd love to see it again", Bugs explained coyly," Tell me, who do you think wore this style better. Who do you like it more on. Me, Marilyn or Madonna?"

Mickey chuckled," You wore it better, of course", he answered sincerely. He leaned down and murmured in Bugs' ear," Though, being honest, I always liked it best on my bedroom floor".

Mickey pulled back and watched with amusement at the flustered steam leaving Bugs' ears before the rabbit burst out laughing. He sighed, absolutely besotted with Bugs and his charming laugh that never failed to captivate him. Mickey spied a little floating heart popping close to his head.

"The Censor monkeys are gonna have your hide for that, Mick", Bugs cackled.

"So long as I got you to laugh", Mickey said grinning.

Bugs chuckled as he cupped Mickey's face.

Mickey relaxed at Bugs' touch, leaning in until their noses touched.

"I wish I didn't have places to be", Mickey murmured," I wish I didn't have all this work I need to".

"Same here….", Bugs whispered as he wrapped his arms around Mickey's neck.

But they were both there right now. And they'll take that little spark they needed to keep going.

Their lips met in what began as a soft kiss that dived into something more desperate, passionate and deep. Time was less of a worry when you were with someone who made you feel like the world stopped and you were the only other there. Track of time was lost. So later, the knock on the door felt like a bitter awakening from a good dream.

"Mr. Mouse?", the door handled jiggled.

"Wait outside, Connor!", Mickey squeaked as he thought of his half-dressed state. .

"Mr. Mouse, the car is here", Connor announced through the door.

Mickey inwardly cursed and sighed. He felt hands squeeze his arms and he looked down at Bugs who gave him a tight smile.

"I don't want to go", Mickey murmured.

"I don't want you to go", Bugs whispered back.

But as mascots, the wants of their owners always came before their own. Mickey had to leave.

"Will you still be here when I get back?", Mickey asked, a little frightened of Bugs' answer.

"I'll stay so long as you come back", Bugs said earnestly, giving Mickey a peck on the cheek before getting off of him.

Mickey smiled softly, grabbing Bugs' hand to leave a kiss on it before making himself presentable.

"As handsome as ever", Bugs quipped as Mickey finished checking and tidying himself.

Mickey chuckled at the quip, turning to Bugs with a short wink as he walked towards the door.

"Wish me luck", Mickey said cheerfully.

Bugs looked outside at the late afternoon sky," Oh Evening Star above, I wish this maroon some luck", he drawled.

Mickey laughed at the little joke.

"Thanks Bugs. I'll see you later" I love you.

Mickey never openly said those three special words before. Neither has Bugs. Though, always unsaid, the two just had an instinctive feeling they knew what their true feelings for the other were.

"See you later, Mick", Bugs said before Mickey left his study.

Mickey sighed, already missing Bugs' warmth as he walked towards the building's elevator where Connor dutifully stood.

"Ready to go, boss man?", Connor questioned.

"Yeah, let's get this over with", Mickey muttered as the elevator doors closed and began it's descent downwards.

Mickey was not looking forward to what was sure to be another dull parade of him standing and waving. But he found solace in that he'll have someone special waiting for him to arrive home.

And Mickey yearned for the day where he could finally have that sort of thing every day. With no worries for either of them.

Until then, he's willing to endure being Disney's well-behaved mascot just a little while longer.

[perseephoneee]

PLEASE do something super fluffy with kol mikealson

i love ur work sm!!

babe you're making my day. hope this is something akin to what you wanted.

"you're red." "shut up." "like actually vermillion." (kol mikaelson x f!reader)

warnings: kissing?? also hatred towards bed and breakfasts

a/n: i forgot how much i love writing for kol. sorry for the large writing break...hope this makes up for it?

↳ masterlist  ↳ ship exchange ↳ taglist

You hate Kol Mikaelson. 

He���s cocky, impulsive, and constantly getting you into danger that you would never find for yourself. He also relentlessly flirts with you until you’re warm and deeply frustrated.  He’s complicated enough that you wish he wasn’t a part of your life so it could resume a sense of normalcy. 

Getting caught up in Mikaelson drama was never your plan. You just happened to make the mistake of working as a bartender at Russo’s—where they frequented. Klaus took a liking to you, and the rest is history. Being a human that’s friends with vampires is like poking a bear; not recommended nor convenient. 

This recent conflict was forgettable but proved to be a disruption to your life. One of them annoyed someone, and that someone wanted revenge, and now apparently you were in danger, and so on and so forth. You have repeatedly debated sending an invoice to the Mikaelson compound for restitution. You don’t think Klaus would find it very funny. 

You almost forgot about your life being in danger until you were forced to go on the run with the youngest brother, Kol. Kol, who insisted on driving you nuts. You kept trying to tune him out in the car, listening to the radio or focusing on the trees speeding past your window. Still, he was relentless and wouldn’t leave you alone for a minute. Plus, he was a horribly reckless driver, and you were gripping the door so tightly that you might hurt a muscle any minute. 

“I’ve lived for a very long time, but I’ve never visited Fes,” Kol said, one hand on the wheel as the other tapped on the door. You barely spared him a glance. “Would you visit Fes?”

“Not even sure what Fes is,” you answered through gritted teeth, suppressing a yelp as Kol took a turn obnoxiously fast. 

“City in Morocco considered its cultural capital.”

“You sound like a Google search,” you scoffed, sparing him half a glance. Long enough of a glance for Kol to give you a toothy grin, his canines glinting in the sunlight. 

“I like knowing things,” he states, squinting at you. “I don’t know much about you. Tell me something.”

“No.”

“Please?” he begged, every bit a kid enjoying picking on the new kid on the playground. You fixed him with a dead stare. 

“I hate your driving.” That caused him to laugh, which made him throw his head back and speed up even more. You clutched the handle and clenched your teeth till you felt your whole body would seize up. Kol eventually took pity on you and slowed down. It was enough for you to relax…slightly. “Where are we going?”

“Nowhere. Anywhere. Haven’t figured it out yet.”

“Brilliant. I’m going to die out here,” you sighed, sinking deeper into the leather seat. 

“Nonsense. Nik would dagger me if I let that happen, and I’m very tired of being daggered.”

“Not because you care about me or want me to live?” you jested, quirking a brow at him. 

“Now, why would I care about you at all?”

You pretended it didn’t sting, even though it felt impossible for you to care about Kol. Still, hearing him say it felt a bit like a slap in the face. You just turned more out the window, ignoring him. You didn’t notice the sharp look he sent you, as if he regretted what he said. 

Instead, you notice a sign advertising a Black Bear Diner. You perk up immediately, tapping the window and looking back at Kol. 

“There. Stop there.”

“That piece of garbage?”

“Yes! Stop the car!” you shouted, regretting your words when Kol slammed on the brakes. “Stop the car slowly, you asswipe.”

“You should’ve clarified that,” he smirked. You jumped out of the car, ran towards the restaurant, and experienced euphoria when the smell of waffles and fresh coffee hit your senses. Kol walked up slowly, hands in his pockets. The sun was obnoxious out here, but there were enough trees in the area to not make it feel like a desert. You could even see the mountain in the background in all its snowcapped glory. 

The inside of the diner was a welcome breeze on your damp skin. It wasn’t very crowded, and you got seated immediately as you happily flipped through your plastic menu. Kol looked slightly uncomfortable sitting in the diner, but you ignored him. You were getting pretty good at ignoring him. 

“I used to go here all the time with my family,” you said, flipping to the drinks page of your menu. “Not this exact location…but this chain. I went to it when I first moved to my hometown.”

“It’s barely gourmet.”

“Fuck gourmet, I want comfort. I want to feel like home,” you laughed, closing your menu. “Don’t you want that?”

“Home?” Kol inquired. “Not sure what that is anymore.”

Your lips turned down in a frown, but you offered nothing else. He didn’t seem like he wanted to talk, and you wouldn’t force him. The waiter came over to take your orders, and you happily ordered a black coffee, orange juice, and a waffle platter. After they left, you started packing your bag with the tiny jams and creamers they had out on the table. Kol just looked at you in disdain. 

“You are pathetic.”

“Rent is expensive, groceries are expensive, give me a break,” you snorted, taking a few sugar packets for good measure before you stopped looting. Kol laughed, running a hand through his hair and leaning back in his seat. His leg bounced from anxiety, and his fingers tapped the table in a paradiddle pattern, just left, right, left, left, right, left, right, right over and over again. He looked shockingly young, like the boy before he turned, and not the man he paraded as. For a split second, you could see yourself having a crush on him in high school if he was one of your peers. You erased that thought as soon as it came. “Can I ask a question?” you leaned forward on the table, arms folded in front of you. “Why are you guys always protecting me? I’m definitely a liability.”

“I think my brother just wants to sleep with you,” Kol sighed. You snorted, biting your bottom lip to subvert your laughter. Honestly…you have managed to weasel your way into our family—like a parasite.”

“Aw, your words are so kind,” you rolled your eyes, kicking Kol under the table. He just kicked you right back, wearing a smirk. “And I would never sleep with your brother.”

“Why’s that?” Kol questioned, crossing his arms. 

“His face is weird,” you answered. Kol put his head in his hands in laughter, and you joined him a second later. You weren’t sure if that was the reason, but it was the first thing that came to mind, and you didn’t think to change it. Plus, it made Kol laugh, which kind of made you happy. The arrival of your waffles made you even happier. 

“Bloody hell, you’re going to eat all of that?” Kol looked shocked, eyes flicking between you and your waffles. He had ordered a much smaller plate than yours. Yours likely could’ve been a party platter. 

“Yes, and I will do it with pride.”

You did eat all of it, and enjoyed Kol’s expression the whole time. He looked so disturbed it made up for it. You also drank all your coffee, orange juice, and free water refills. Your plan was to eat enough to enter hibernation. You even think Kol was a little impressed at some point. Kol asked the waiter for the nearest hotel, and they pointed you to a place three miles down the road that would likely have openings. By the time you left the diner, it was starting to get cold as the sun was setting. You could hear crickets; you probably would’ve gotten fireflies if you were more south. Kol drove surprisingly slow towards the hotel, which you attributed to his worry that going fast would cause you to throw up your entire waffle extravaganza. He slowed down even more when you came up to the “hotel”—which was actually just a bed and breakfast. An extremely cutesy bed and breakfast. 

The inside of the building was somehow worse than the outside. 

The outside had small-town charm. The inside was where doilies went to die. 

Both you and Kol exchanged glances as he went up to ring the bell. You counted seven cat portraits before a portly woman came out with a cheeky smile. She wore a linen frock and a floral dress right out of the 1960s. 

“Well, good evening,” she smiled. “What can I do for you?” She had a thick Minnesotan accent, and her smile made her eyes. Overall, she radiated friendliness. 

“We’d like a room?” you inquired, leaning against the counter. 

“Oh, you betcha! Lucky for you, I got the best suite in the house available. It’s perfect for you two lovebirds,” she chirped. Your eyes widened. 

“Oh, uh, we’re not together…,” you coughed. You turned to look at Kol, who just shrugged his shoulders. Completely useless. “Do you have a double?”

“Unfortunately, all our doubles are booked for our birding convention. I might have a futon available to bring to your room?”

“Perfect,” Kol smiled, finally interjecting. “We’ll take that.”

“Splendid! Here are your keys, and I’ll have you sign in there.”

You brought your one bag with you up the stairs and to the right to a room at the end of the hall. The wallpaper was mocking you at every turn, a plethora of orchids and pinks staring at you, along with the eyes of fifty million felines. You were certain Dolores Umbridge was hiding somewhere amongst the foliage. The room was less pink but still reminiscent of something in a senior home. The bed was the nicest part: a large four-poster with mahogany bedposts. The wallpaper was sage color with pictures of ferns. The ensuite bathroom had a clawfoot tub and gold décor. A painting of a young boy eating ice cream was on the wall. You immediately took it off the wall and turned it around so you didn’t have to look at it all night. 

“It’s a little…”

“Cozy?” Kol interjected, closing the door behind you two. 

“I was going to say tight.”

“It is the lovebird suite, darling,” Kol whispered in your ear, a smirk in his voice. A shiver ran down your spine. 

“I’ll take the futon.”

“I doubt you could fit a futon in here,” Kol scoffed. He was right. There was really only room for the bed and bedside tables. Whoever designed this room intended to spend a lot of time in bed. Your cheeks heated at the thought. You tapped your foot in thought before eventually sighing in defeat.

“Just…don’t get too handsy,” you shrugged, glaring at the vampire’s ever-present smirk. 

“Handsy? You must think me a rascal,” Kol cooed, stepping closer into your space. The room was tight, which meant you were backed against the wall. You felt like a rabbit being targeted by a fox, his mischievous grin and wandering eyes taking all of you in. Your eyes were drawn to how he licked his lips, and suddenly, your blood pressure spiked. Heat crawled up your neck, and you knew that Kol noticed. He always managed to notice. 

“Knock it off, Mikaelson,” you hissed, tilting your head up defiantly. 

“You’re actually red,” Kol chuckled, brushing a strand of hair away from your face. 

“…Shut up,” you slapped his hand away, maneuvering your way from his grasp. 

“Like actually vermillion,” he laughed, and you gave him an unsavory gesture as you escaped into the bathroom, closing the door behind you. Back against the door, you breathed out, groaning into your hands. You pushed off the door, getting ready for bed in an effort to put this night behind you. You cleaned up, brushed your teeth, and put on pajamas. In hot weather, you usually just wear a T-shirt and shorts to bed. Your t-shirt said, ‘I got lobotomized at Freddy Fazbear’s,’ something idiotic that you couldn’t even fully be ashamed of. When you exited, Kol was lying on top of the covers on his phone, having changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants. He looked up when you exited, snorting as he read the shirt. “You have an odd sense of humor.”

“It’s too evolved for you to understand,” you rolled your eyes, getting in on the other side of the bed and leaving space between the two of you. Kol smelled sweet, like vanilla, and it was slowly suffocating you. You both sat in silence for a second before Kol disrupted it. 

“Y/N,”

“No.”

“Darling,” he purred, inching closer to you. 

“What, Kol,” you turned to look at him, eyes narrowed. 

“You like me,” he said. It was not a question, just something he exclaimed. You scoffed. 

“I do not.”

“You do. It’s why you blush vermillion when I call you things like darling,” he smiled, propping himself up on his elbow as he lay on his side to stare at you. 

“You’re incorrigible.”

“So, if I kissed you…you wouldn’t care,” Kol inquired, voice soft as he sat up slightly. You felt your heart skip a beat, and Kol’s mouth turned up slightly when he heard it. You knew you just proved his point, but you refused to concede. 

“I wouldn’t care,” you whispered, holding his gaze. 

“So, when I do this,” Kol leaned up, kissing your cheek, his lips burning your skin. He kissed right under your jaw, finally on your pulse point. “…it doesn’t matter?” 

You bit your tongue to stop yourself. “It doesn’t matter,” you choke out, but all you’re doing is spurring Kol on. You’re a hare caught in his trap, and you can’t even find it in yourself to hate it. Kol sucks on your pulse point, nipping lightly and moving down your neck, one hand coming up to tilt your head more to the side for easier access. His touch was shockingly gentle as if he was giving you an out. Your will was thinning by the minute, though, and eventually, you grabbed his hand, causing him to stop. 

“Darling—” he starts, but you cut him off by kissing his lips, soft but passionate. For once, you’ve taken him off guard, and a sense of pride spurs through you as you part, kissing the corner of his mouth and looking at him through thick lashes. 

“Does it matter?” you ask, voice breathy. “For you…” You’re not sure exactly what you’re asking, but you know there’s a line you’ve crossed that you can’t return from. Kol’s thumb brushes your cheek, so gentle from the reckless, hotheaded vampire you are acquainted with. A grin crosses his face. 

“It means everything,” he smiles, kissing you again, fingers tangling in your hair. Your hands find his arms, sighing as he deepens the kiss. You’re on fire, every single part of you, and you’re sure that Kol can feel your racing heart and hot skin. You like kissing him, though, and you realize you like him a lot. 

“Kol?” you breathe. “Don’t sleep on the futon.”

“For you? I would never,” he grins, kissing you again. You make sure to put a Do Not Disturb sign on the door for later. 

…

Afterwards.

It’s the middle of the night when he wakes you up.

“I guess Nik won’t be able to sleep with you now.”

“Kol.”

“Because I’ll be the only one sleeping with you.”

“Go to sleep.”

There’s a shuffling of blankets as his arm wraps tighter around you, his breath hot on your neck. 

“You’re going to be stuck with me forever,” he whispers. 

You smile. “I’m okay with that.”

taglist:: @rafecameronswhore

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Y'know, it's unfortunate more people don't compare Louis and Violet in good faith.

Like, when I do see people compare them, it's usually through the lens of one is good, and the other bad. One is more canon than the other, and here's why. One is objectively better for Clementine, and the other is less impactful, worse written, didn't have chemistry with her, insert several insults here, etc.

I don't think it's inherently bad to express why you might not like one of them, or why you prefer one over the other. That's fine, that's a matter of opinion. It only gets to me when it becomes hostile, or passive aggressive... but even then, I've learned to just roll my eyes and move on. Some people make it very clear that they're not worth having a discussion with.

However, I wish I could read more nuanced comparisons of the two that didn't default to the "and that's why this one is better." At least some are kind enough to tack on a "for my Clementine" at the end.

You know how it goes: Louis is cute and he makes Clementine laugh, whereas Violet's boring, her love is shallow, she's still not over Minerva and she's using Clementine as a rebound. Violentine's a bad ship because Violet's actually a traitor, and they're practically the same person and that's bad.

Violet's loyal and reliable, whereas Louis is annoying, he never takes anything serious, he's a traitor for his vote, and he's nothing but a distraction. Clouis is a bad ship because how could any Clementine possibly like him after he voted her and AJ out? That's bad!

That's always the conclusion, right? One good, one bad.

This is incredibly limiting and it drives me nuts.

They're foils. They contrast one another, highlight each other's strengths and flaws, in such an interesting way that it makes Clementine's choice between them all the more meaningful.

One is not good and the other bad, they're different, and I think that's worth exploring.

Let's start with a common argument: Violet is the more impactful option due to her connection to Minerva.

Now, to be fair, I can understand why someone on Team Violet would believe this. Yes, it's true that the confrontation with Minerva is more impactful for a violentine shipper who has more investment in Violet as a character. Louis doesn't have as strong of a connection to her.

However, what they're failing to recognize is that Minerva isn't the only ghost to haunt this narrative. Violet may have Minerva, yes, but Louis has Marlon... and that doesn't just go away once Marlon's dead.

Violet's route has Minerva as her ex-girlfriend, and her bond with Tenn that all comes to a head on the bridge. Louis' route has Marlon's death and how that specifically impacts his relationship with AJ and Clementine, and the slow burn of forgiveness on all sides.

Marlon and Minerva are also reflective of Clementine's worst outcomes.

Clementine and Marlon were tied together through Brody's blood splattered on their hands and faces. They both killed a part of Brody, but only one of them lies about who killed her first.

After Marlon dies, Clementine gradually replaces him throughout the game; Rosie is her dog now, she uses his bow [which Louis gave her], she becomes the leader. Clementine gets them to fight back, and when three of her people are captured, she doesn't cut her losses. She does what Marlon couldn't; "we're getting them back."

When she chooses Louis, he does for her what he never did for Marlon: he steps up.

Clementine proves she won't become Marlon just as she proves she won't become Minerva.

After getting James to agree to help them, Clementine and AJ talk about what to do if she ever gets bit. AJ says he'd want her to bite him, too. He repeats this sentiment after she's actually bitten, telling her he wants to stay and they could turn together, peacefully.

When Minerva confronts them on the bridge, she's dying... and she wants Tenn to die with her. She doesn't care who she has to kill in the process. She's more monster than human at this point, and most times, she succeeds.

They're both bitten. Clementine could've become a monster like Minerva in the end. She could've killed AJ, and they could've become walkers together. But she didn't. Minerva wanted Tenn to die for her, and Clementine wanted AJ to live for her.

Also, I should mention she has Minerva's axe. She carries the key weapons associated with Marlon and Minerva throughout different points in the game, further solidifying these connections. She uses Marlon's bow to save her friends, and she uses Minerva's axe to save AJ, who in turn uses it to save her.

What's also so interesting about this is how Marlon's alive in episode one, and Minerva is thought to be dead. Louis has his best friend, and Violet's lost hers. But, at the end of the episode, Marlon's dead and Minerva's revealed to be alive.

Marlon becomes the ghost, and Minerva becomes the monster. Clementine becomes to Louis and Violet what Marlon and Minerva never could... how does that not drive anyone else insane?

So, no. One is not objectively better, or more impactful, because of a connection to Marlon or Minerva. They're different. It just depends on which storyline you personally find more compelling.

Actually, let's talk about that a little more.

In my opinion, the most intriguing point of comparison between Louis and Violet stems from their perceptions of survival, and how that impacts Clementine.

An argument I see made against violentine is that Violet's boring because she and Clementine are too similar. This usually comes from clouis shippers who prefer the "opposites attract" dynamic Clementine and Louis have.

On the flip side, there's the counter argument that Louis is reckless, that he doesn't take survival as seriously as he should and Clementine wouldn't want him because of that.

These are interesting to me because I get where they're coming from... but they ultimately miss the point.

The other day, I replayed TFS. Except this time, I did something a little bit differently. I played my usual clouis route, but then I had the violentine route pulled up on my laptop so that I could watch these scenes, comparing them side by side… and something occurred to me. 

Louis is about challenging Clementine's perception of survival, and Violet is about validating it.

Louis challenges Clementine from the very moment we meet him—he’s playing music. His initial philosophy on survival butts heads with Clementine’s. The fact that hunting with him and Aasim challenges your perception of “your choices have consequences.” These games have conditioned the player to think along the lines of, “Yeah, Louis is more fun… but if I don’t hunt with Aasim, we won’t have any food.”

Except that’s just it. I hate to say it, Aasim, but in the grand scheme of things… hunting with you doesn’t matter. It's actually less rewarding. You know why? Because in the next section, we get food from the train station. It would’ve been more beneficial to spend time with Louis over hunting, hence how he challenges you.  

This then primes you for the choice between choosing to follow Louis or follow Violet. I know people complain about how this is presented with Violet doing something productive [checking the walls] and Louis playing piano… but that’s the point. If you’re going through with Louis’ full route, you need to meet him at his level, and in turn, he will meet you at yours. You need to accept the challenge, the idea that Clementine isn’t entirely right about the way she’s gone about survival.

Oh, and do I even need to mention the vote? The debate over Louis’ vote is exhausting. Often times, people tell on themselves in how they talk about it. It’s not actually about the fact that he voted against them. If it was, these people would have a bigger bone with pick with Mitch, Willy, Ruby, and Omar… and yet Louis is the one who takes all the blame as if he’s the only one personally kicking them out. 

Louis is reacting to the death of his best friend, and the complicated feelings that come with it being caused by AJ. He wants accountability, even if he knows something's wrong. You can either agree with him that it was murder, and set AJ on the path of atonement… or, you can double down and tell him to fuck off, AJ was justified. 

But here’s the thing… the vote adds to the appeal of Louis’ route. To someone who hates him, or at the very least is critical of his vote, that sounds mad or delusional.

Except it’s really not.

Ever heard of a thing called tension? Because there’s a lot of it in ep2 between clouis + AJ and it’s fantastic.

Yes, Louis voting them out is problematic because we need a problem to solve. We need something to feed the tension between him and Clementine. He stepped in front of a gun held by his best friend in order to protect her, forever changing their relationship… only for that to seemingly be taken away from us the moment AJ shoots Marlon. 

Yes, Louis’ route is about being challenged, but it’s also about challenging him. That he’s able to forgive them, that he’s able to question his own survival philosophy and understand theirs, that he’s able to apologize and actually change for the better… that right there is what makes clouis so damn good. 

He becomes hardened whereas Clementine softens. By the end of the game, they’re on a similar level now without neglecting their differences, and they can move forward together. 

That’s what makes Louis’ route appealing… and it’s also what makes it unappealing to people who prefer Violet. 

By contrast, Violet’s already on Clementine’s level when it comes to this perception of survival. She validates that Clementine’s on the right path.

They have other similarities in the way that they’re both female, queer, they both have a kid they look after, they’re not always great with other people, etc. 

People who prefer Louis might consider this boring, but I think to Team Violet, it’s comforting. It’s comforting to have a partner who takes this as seriously as you do, who wants to get shit done. They’re playing Clementine with a similar attitude, and don’t believe it needs to be challenged. It’s comforting to feel validated on something you already firmly believe in. 

We also see this if we compare the hunting and fishing scenes. You have to make an effort to choose Louis by choosing to neglect hunting, but the game makes you fish with Violet no matter what.

Violet’s prioritizing fishing because they need food. That’s what they’ve set out to do, so let’s do it. The game is letting you know that’s the case, and if you value that, continue pursuing her. 

While fishing, they discuss why things are weird with her and Brody. Violet doesn’t take well to Clementine’s blunt, “Because you make it weird. Brody tries and you just make fun of her."

That’s understandable because I think she already kind of knows why and is looking to have her feelings validated. She prefers it when Clementine suggests that it’s because Brody never said sorry for what happened to the twins. 

There’s also comfort and validation in the way Violet sides with Clementine and AJ after Marlon’s death. She votes for them to stay, vocalizing how much she disapproves of the results. There’s this feeling that I recognize from a lot of the sapphic romance I read; “it’s you and me against the world, I’ll always have your back, even if you’re in the wrong, I’ll fight for you.”

In our case, it’s violentine + AJ against the rest of Ericson, save Tenn and Aasim. Violet validates that AJ was justified because Marlon was a liar and murderer, claiming that AJ and Clementine did nothing wrong. Violet fights to keep them. 

The tension between violentine in ep2 is different because instead of one pushing the other away, they’re being forced apart by the vote and there’s nothing they can do about it. That tension is somewhat released when Clementine comes back and they’re reunited, working out a plan to best defend the school. 

It’s also why Violet’s presented as doing something productive when you follow her instead of Louis, and why she asks if you want to hang out after checking the defenses. 

All that being said, allow me to reiterate that one is not good and the other bad, they're different. These concepts of challenge and change/validation and comfort exist on a neutral road as diverging paths. It’s up to the player to pick what path they prefer, but that doesn’t mean the other path isn’t worth acknowledging or analyzing. 

I should also mention that they’re not exclusive; there is overlap with validation being present in Louis’ route and challenges in Violet’s. They’re just more present in episodes 3 and 4 after we’ve made our decision. 

There are several more examples of how this all fits together, buuuuut–

Ya’ll wanna compare some allegories?

Those familiar with my content might already know where I’m going with this as I’ve made a post about Louis and the piano in the past. 

You see, I believe that there are allegories for Louis and Violet’s hearts present in their routes: Louis’ piano, and Violet’s pin. 

I already have a thorough, in-depth analysis of Louis and the piano that you can read, so all I’ll say about it is that on the night of the raid, he asked Clementine to carve a piece of herself into his heart so that no matter what, their initials will be immortalized together in its wood…

And that makes me fucking feral. 

But I'm also so normal about it.

As for Violet, her heart is the star gazing pin she gives to Clementine. She gives it to her so she’ll always remember that night… but she doesn’t give it to her until after Clementine’s saved her, and that fascinates me in the context of it being allegory. 

Louis asks Clementine to carve herself into his heart right before the raid, cementing that from that moment on, he is utterly devoted to her. I believe this is part of the reason why Louis is still happy to see her if he’s the one who’s captured. Yes, yes, he’s also incredibly traumatized from having his tongue cut out and he’d be happy to see anyone, yada yada… but listen, if you romance Louis and he’s captured, his heart remains with her—that piano with their intitals is on full display. When he sees her, he’s still so devoted to her that he refuses to accept that it’s at all her fault. Even when she says it is, he shakes his head... and he so easily accepts her when they’re together in the end. From the moment Clementine puts knife to wood, he’s hers. 

Now, look… you might think I’m going somewhere not great with this but hear me out. 

I think after Clementine’s gone star gazing with her, Violet is fully ready to give her heart to her. Y’know, give her the pin. But, think about what Violet said about how people have left, but Clementine came back. Plus, with the impending raid to think about, maybe Violet should keep the pin until the right moment. 

I believe a key difference between her and Louis is that Violet needs one last thing to solidify that Clementine’s the one. 

Louis gives her his heart prior to the raid because of everything that’s already gone down between them following Marlon’s death. Violet needs to know that Clementine’s willing to fight for her the way she fought before. When Clementine saves her from the raiders, it’s solidified. Even after she sees Minerva again, it changes nothing.

It’s also worth noting that the pin is something Clementine wears. Like the piano carving, it’s a piece on display for everyone to see, to let them know whose heart Clementine has.

Violet literally handed Clementine her heart as a means of saying, “I’m yours. I’m devoted to you.” 

This is why romanced/captured Violet is devastating, and is why she behaves the way she does in the cells. She was so ready to give her heart away and then nope, sorry, Vi! You get knocked unconscious by raiders instead! 

If anything, you kind of deserve to be told to fuck off if you romanced her and then let her get captured. Just sayin’. 

Look, I have a lot of complicated feelings about the captured violentine route, mostly with Violet being as forgiving as she is after her eyes are burned—yes, yes, I know, her eyes are burned and Minerva messed with her head so of course now she’s not hostile, yada, yada. 

But I think it’s rather telling that you don’t get the pin in this route. Sure, Violet’s willing to forgive and possibly pursue this romance in the future… but she’s not ready to hand over her heart, not truly. Not after everything that’s happened. 

And if you want to get extra angsty about it, imagine that Violet made the pin right after they parted ways, but before the raiders came. Meaning that if she’s captured, it’s possibly still sitting somewhere, abandoned. 

Mmhmmm, very normal about this. I feel normal. My normalness about this continues... normally. I'm not losing my shit thinking about that. Nope. Why would I? I wouldn't! So normal.

Okay just let me talk about their reactions to Tenn's death and then I'll shut up.

This makes me want to gnaw my own foot off, I can barely handle it.

AJ shoots Tenn on the bridge because Clementine trusted him to make the hard calls. This saves Louis or Violet's life.

When Louis jumps across, he's completely silent as he watches Tenn die... and then he's pissed; "What the fuck?! How could you just shoot him like that?!"

AJ explains himself, that he did it for him, and Louis is so upset that he forces AJ to look at what he's done, to watch the walkers eat Tenn; "Tenn's dead. He's dead! Do you realize that?! Look! [...] He's... he's gone, because of you. Just fucking gone."

If Clementine says AJ saved his life, Louis says, "So what, we just cut him loose? Gun him down like he was nothing?"

If Clementine says nothing, Louis says, "Tenn was just a little boy!"

The reason Louis responds this way is because in this moment, he just relived Marlon's death all over again, but worse. So, SO much worse!

When Violet jumps across, she breaks down, begging, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! No, no! No, no, no..." as she watches Tenn die... and then says to AJ, "No! What the fuck?! How could you do that?!"

AJ explains himself, that he did it for her, and Violet is faaaar from okay; "For me? I can't... Tenn is gone! That soft little boy who liked to draw, he's gone, because of you!"

If Clementine says AJ saved her life, Violet says, "You think that's okay?! Just gunning down one of our own?!"

And there it is.

Louis is hardened in this situation because he already went through this... Violet hasn't, not with AJ. She softened up throughout her route due to her relationships to him and Clementine... but this is the moment where she realizes that maybe AJ wasn't as justified as she believed, and this is the consequence.

This leads us to the ending where AJ asks if they're still mad about him killing Tenn, and I just... I'm biting my foot right now because the script has flipped.

Louis is forgiving and understanding. He's soft, he's sympathetic, he shakes AJ's hand to let him know that all is forgiven and they're okay; "I... AJ, I guess it's like... You saw something I didn't. About the situation, I mean. Minnie and the walkers and Tenn, it's just all this chaos in my head when I think back on it. [...] Clem says you saved my life? Well, then, that's exactly what you did. And how can I stay mad at anyone for doing that?"

Or, alternatively, "He was your friend, AJ. I know you are hurting just as much as I am."

As for Violet? She's understanding, too... but she's not quite ready to forgive yet; "The thing you said on the bridge...that he was messing up all the time. It wasn't something new, you know. Tenn got himself or other people into trouble all the time, long before you guys got here. He was always so lost. He lived in a world that just...isn't there, you know? And that's why I tried to look after him. But when I was pulling him away from the walkers, and Minnie, I could also see...he just wasn't there anymore."

"So you're mad, but sad."

"Can I be that for a while?"

And it's completely understandable that she's hurting and struggling with how she feels about AJ moving forward! She wants to be okay, she wants to forgive him, she just needs time.

Now, because I'm forever bitter, but I'm gonna mention this as well: whenever I see someone point at Violet's scene and say, "See!? This is how LOUIS should've acted in ep2!" like... they're telling on themselves again. Not just that they don't understand Louis as a character or his route, but that they don't fully grasp Violet's part in this either. Or time frames, for that matter.

Let me put it to you in simple terms... they react the same.

After Marlon and Tenn die, they're upset. They're pissed. They blame AJ and yell at him. After they've had time to process what happened [Louis after the two week time skip, Violet after time passes between the bridge and the ending] they share the same, "I'm still upset about Marlon/Tenn. Can I be that for a while and still be your friend?" sentiment.

The difference is that Louis is treated poorly for it because of the vote, and because we feel it first hand for longer... Violet got to grieve off screen and come back after she's sorted herself out.

It's a disservice to both of their characters because it's rooted in that same mentality that I criticized at the beginning: "This is why one is better than the other."

Do I need to say it again? I'm gonna say it again.

One is not good and the other bad. They're different.

There are so many fun discussions that could come from putting Louis and Violet side by side, and examining them. I haven't even covered the different ways they're introduced, or compared their ep3 dates to see what it says about them and the overall narratives! What about the cell scenes!? How they react when Dorian's about the cut off their fingers! The way they approach James upon meeting him!

That last one in particular is especially funny! They're all under stress about blending in with a herd of walkers to infiltrate a boat to save their friends, and yet Louis easily saunters up to the guy wearing walker skins with a smile, and makes him laugh by saying, "Functional and fashionable. I'll take two."

Violet approaches James like he's an injured wild animal that's going to bite her, and bless her heart, she tries with, "I, uh… hey. Hey there, James. Sorry about Willy." Then James gives her this judgmental side-eye, like buddy? She's not the weirdo here.

There is so much potential to dissect here, and I want to see people do it... but I want them to do it fairly, in good faith.

I want to get away from the idea of comparing them to "prove" which is better because there is no objective better. There isn't! That's a waste of time!

I'm so done with The Debate™; it's unhelpful, it's annoying, and it's boring as shit. I've heard it all before, and you probably have, too.

I want to put Louis and Violet under a microscope and study them with the thought process of, "one does this and the other does that... what does it mean!? what does it say about the narrative!? Oh my god, they have the same opinion on this thing, WRITE THAT DOWN!"

So yeah, that's my ramble for the night.

I'm gonna go replay TFS for further research.

[kibbles-bits]

any voxval fics you’d recommend?

Ah, yes, voxval fics... The one ship that finally made me cave and read explicit stuff. I am now numb to everything.

Everything.

I'll only be posting completed fics. Warnings, almost all of these are explicit. A couple also have Angel, you know, suffering.

And please mind the tags.

First off is a couple of favs that I always go back for a reread:

Corrupted Love by DoveFactory (Words: 149,495)

In a moment of blind desperation to one-up Alastor, Vox puts himself in a compromising situation that leaves him worse for wear. His state triggers something in Valentino who decides to change the nature of their relationship.

The title and summary of this is so misleading I thought it was going to be a dark fic but nope. The Vees are a bunch of goobers and Valentino always wins. I would scream about this every time it updated. I love the characterizations and their banter it almost made me forget there's sex in like every chapter. Honestly I wish there was more tags referencing the character/story stuff.

Virtual Reality by passthevoxcord (Words: 7,634)

Vox gets tired of his cybernetic biology being a barrier to his sex life, so he starts a new project to fuck Valentino in VR. Val will try anything once, but he has something else in mind.

This one ends up being so sweet I want to die. passthevoxcord's other fic, Only a Shadow, drives me nuts but its a WIP and hasn't actually gotten to the voxval yet.

choke behind a smile by gloriousmonsters (Words: 19,881)

"I'm not scared by extreme, although I doubt I'll find it interesting. What is it?" Valentino's eyes narrow slyly over his smile. "If you aren't scared, why do you need a warning?" Vox has everything under control in his new business partnership with benefits. His emotions, his unfortunate desires, the little mind games they play. Even Valentino himself. When Val offers an invitation to a special show he's performing, Vox knows it's a dare, and knows he has to take it, show Val that he can't be scared or destabilized. He has no idea of how deep under his skin the show will get.

Everyone's so normal. I love this Valentino. There's another Valvel fic that has the same Valentino I also recommend called bad girls go backstage.

Great Expectations by MarenRose (Words: 11,280)

“It’s his goal. Those three simple words. If he could get to hear them once, could let the reality of their meaning and spoken existence occupy his mind for only a few indiscernible moments, then maybe, Vox could learn to see the appeal of this god forsaken holiday. He might even learn to ‘love’ it too.” Or: Vox hates Valentine’s Days. His prick of a ‘wife’ is just too damn hard to please.

This miiiight have been the fic that made me Lock In on voxval? I'm not sure. It's sweet. Alastor is hilarious.

biting keeps your words at bay by Subedarling (Words: 1,511)

“You can’t hit me,” Valentino says. He’s practically vibrating with rage. “You’re not allowed to—you can’t hit me!” Vox sneers, cruel and mocking and hopefully masking the way his heart is breaking apart inside his chest. “Baby, I can do whatever the hell I want.” A decade into their partnership, Vox and Valentino have their first and last physical fight.

This might be the only non-explicit fic in this list. I am all for Val being the worst just because he's Like That. But I will not say no to an implied tragic backstory. I read this one a lot and want to die. Can I draw this. I want to draw this. Oh my god I have free time I can totally draw this...

And my other recs:

Just For The Record by PeppermintWalrus (Words: 13,795)

Vox is thrilled about his new film enterprise with his business partner, ready to build a lucrative empire for the denizens of hell to experience true cinema, in the only genre their depraved minds desire. There’s just one problem that he finds out too late; Valentino has never filmed porn before. Vox decides that some... hands-on teaching, is necessary to save their production.

Yeah you read that right.

a putrid feeling that i've addressed by spoondrifts (Words: 5,162)

They weren’t a couple because Valentino was pathologically noncommittal and Vox simply knew better. He tried the whole romance thing with a certain radio demon a few decades back, and he’d learned his damn lesson. Hell just wasn’t the place for that sort of cutesy bullshit. Also, he was pretty sure that Valentino was straight up incapable of love, which was both par for the course for Vox’s friendships and amazingly convenient—things couldn’t get complicated if there was nothing to complicate in the first place. Or: Full Moon, Vox/Val edition.

Haha I love pain. I lied, this is the second non-explicit fic.

Little Miss Hellion by DoveFactory (Words: 10,657)

Hell’s worst married couple spends a day of family bonding at a beauty pageant doing whatever it takes to make sure their daughter takes home the crown, because failure is never an option for the Vees. Pilot AU where Vox and Valentino are married and Velvette is their adopted daughter.

It's more Vees than voxval but they're married so.

The Art of Pimping by MarenRose (Words: 9,161)

Desperate to close a deal with one of the most lucrative investors in Pride, Vox does the unthinkable and pimps out Valentino for a one-time date. What could go wrong?

Val's attitude in this one is funny and Vox. Yeah. Vox made a mistake.

You Found Me by passthevoxcord (Words: 4,338)

Long before Velvette came along, it was just them. Vox and Valentino. Valentino and Vox.

Sobbing.

Something Less Than Dishonest by daphnerunning, Galiko (Words: 33,931)

He isn’t expecting the way Valentino walks, for some reason. Maybe it’s the extra limbs. Maybe it’s the wings. Maybe it’s the heels. Vox had skipped briefly through a few of the slut’s movies, for research, and isn’t expecting the way Valentino moves in person to feel so… Different. “…You must be my four o’clock,” he says, standing and offering a hand. Oh, shit, he’s huge. Valentino towers over him, easily would without the stripper heels. Vox is not afraid of heights.

Vox is so offensive in this it loops back around to hilarious.

Red Skies and Valentino by alternatedoom (Words: 86,050)

"Vox and I are special friends, doll. Go give him a kiss," Val says to the boy.

Angel does not have a good time. But the Voxval is nice.

before you go by xoTsundoku (Words: 4,426)

Before Alastor came into their lives, Vox and Valentino were happy. Maybe they still can be.

A Farewell to Ghosts by Accidental_Ducky (Words: 37,149)

"What do you think that is," Vox demands, pointing at the new guy. Valentino turns, eyes raking greedily over the man's body. He's gorgeous, skinny in a heroin chic way with big blue eyes and blond hair that falls just so across his eyes. "Hot." "Don't fucking call the ghost hot!"

The only human AU I've liked so far. Love the character interactions. Vox and Val are hilarious.

God I hope I didn't miss any. There's definitely some good WIP ones out there.

[rhytmrocket]

hey all! so that post about po ship names got more support than expected, and i see at least two people would like to know the names i've come up with. so, here are some of my better works!

note that i don't ship really any of these that much, mainly cuz the only ship ive definitively decided so far that yes this is my yaoi is kaijoe, and also because a portion of these are crack-ish ships that i haven't seen anyone ship like at all (although i haven't checked out po ao3 yet so some of these might actually exist and i just have a blind spot). so if that fact degrades the quality of the names for you, sorry i guess

bulldozer, for bull/sandman. coming from bull, and to "doze" is to fall asleep, and also bulldozer is a word. kinda surprised i haven't seen this ship around, to me it feels like at least someone would ship it.

chocolate milk, for bull/doc. chocolate for doc, and bulls are male cows and female cows produce milk. this is a ship i'm pretty sure exists, but i haven't seen a name for it yet, so maybe this is already an accepted ship name for it like with the glass cannon situation. who knows

bullrush, for bull/hondo. it's a pretty obvious name, but it sounds really good so it's staying here.

redbull, for sodabull. redbull is a carbonated energy drink, which is basically soda. also bull in the name. i know this is one of the bigger ships in the tumblr po fandom, and i cannot believe no one calls it this. i can't have been the first person to come up with this! but everyone calls the ship sodabull so i just gotta live with it but now i'm breaking my silence!! sodabull should be called redbull. i mean maybe not in tags cuz that could get it mixed up with the energy drink but like you know!

popstar, for soda/macho. pop from soda pop(inski), and star because macho is a hollywood star. i feel the exact way about this one as i do with redbull-- it's a good fucking name but i haven't seen any macho/soda shippers use it and it drives me nuts

russian roulette, for soda/aran. soda's russian, and aran has a theme of luck, thus roulette. i haven't seen this ship much recently but scrolling back a while on the soda tag shows that this ship has existed. and i have not seen it be called russian roulette. what is it with soda ships and not reaching their name potential?

piña colada, for hippo/soda. piña colada is an often-alcoholic drink (soda has references to alcohol, and also his name used to be vodka) with pineapple in it (hippo has a lot of connexions to pineapples). ok, this ship i have not seen anyone ship (yet). this name i really just randomly came up with, but i like it and i think it fits and sounds good

dragon dance, for dragon/heike. this is mainly a reference to the move from pokémon of the same name. i am just about certain this ship exists, but i just! haven't! seen it yet!

pizzapie, for pizza/clown. pizzas are sometimes referred to as pies, or pizza-pies, and clowns are known for throwing pastry pies as physical comedy. ok guys hear me out! uh! uh. ok i got nothing, this ship just entered my mind one night and hasn't left since, like a prophet recieving a vision from a god except the god is dionysus wasted off his ass.

spaghetti and meatballs, for pizza/ref mario. i have no explanation for this one. i am so sorry. idk why so many pizza pasta ships come into my mind, that fucker has 0 canon personality

pineapple-shaped disco ball, for disco/hippo. i think the name's pretty obvious. i uh once heard the word cluster "pineapple-shaped disco ball" and immediately thought "lmao that sounds like a ship name for disco kid and king hippo" and promptly put it on my note of ship name ideas. i really like it for them because it's verbose and clunky, it sounds like something their collective braincell and a half would come up with.

oh and! if a name i have here already exists, please do tell! especially if it's redbull or popstar, those two drive me mad. clown.

[pwnyta]

HUH

So no one was gonna tell me about The Old Guard?

I was supposed to just find it on a random ass Halloween 4 years after it aired... aight.

I mean I thought we were cool but I see how it is.

Anyways I watched it and I loved it IF YOU EVEN CARE.

Opinions-

Andy- Phenomenal. Never seen Charlize Theron look so damn hot. Even with her spooky eyes. Crazy butch bisexual(?) wielding a labrys sometimes. Love. Her church fight was sick as hell... im in denial about the stab tho... you can pry her from my cold dead fingies Netflix.

Booker-Like... OK. Like I get he was sad but its so hard to feel bad for him sometimes and like.. I dont hate him at all but just... I do wanna strangle him a little. JUST A LITTLE. I dont want him to be gone and never see Andy again... I hate that. I hate this movie.

Nicky- Great side profile, terrific nose... what in the Ben Linus is going on with the eyes tho? Those pale buggy eyes... This is your man, Joe? This Italian priest Templar knight with ghost eyes? Aight. Ribbing aside... I love him. Even if hes got spooky eyes.

Joe- Mortal enemies to immortal lovers is diabolical work. If you give me friends to lovers... it better be Crusade era enemies to begrudging companions to understanding friends to soul mates or fucking dont talk to me about it. NGL Joes kinda my favorite. Hes a silly little guy. Maybe my love for Sayid has made me soft for hyper-competent, deadly, romantic, shiny eyed Muslim men IDK.

Nile- LOVE. ..Ya know when Andy was like 'shes just a baby' I was like I sure hope this movie dont make me ship them cuz the fandom is probably gonna be annoying about that line but their plane fight was so hot... SUE ME. ANYWAYS... I love her. Apparently theres a second movie coming out & I cant wait to see her get to be a silly lil guy with the fam cuz she is silly lil guy. I love her relationship with Andy & I hope Andy gets better so they can be together forever & there can be some messy lesbian love triangle nonsense when Quynh.

Quynh- Dont got like... the deepest opinion of her just yet but her and Andy were like the Sapphic Nicky & Joe but in reverse.. like Nicky & Joe killed attacked each other then became lovers and it seems like Andy & Quynh were close and might become enemies? Of course IM GONNA IGNORE THE BAD STUFF AND PRETEND THEY JUST FIND EACH OTHER & ARE IN LOVE FOREVER. So...

Copley- Similar to Book I get his mindset but also I wanna strangle him a little. He is beautiful tho... so... Im interested in how hes gonna fit in with the gang... Im hoping for some drama at the start maybe them being like '...ya but hes not Booker...' and then Copley like... having some big hero moment saving the team or at least one of them and they get real close and then more drama because their new family is also just a normal guy & theyre gonna hurt to lose him some day. ANYWAYS.

MISC stuff I like-

The difference in how Nicky and Joe hug Andy.

Everything about this scene tbh. I just wanna see these types of scenes from now on. Silly lil guy moments.

Also Andys baklava addiction. Baklava is one of those things Ive always wanted to try... like boba and churros... ONE OF THESE DAYS.

This sick ass take down. Actually all the fight scenes were pretty sick. I like seeing them fight baddies all together... ODA TAKES NOTES. Also... full offense to guns but seeing Andy Nicky and Joe wield their old-school weapons is so much cooler... who brings a knife (labrys, long sword, scimitar) to a gun fight? THE COOLEST PEOPLE. THATS WHO.

Joe spitting out a bullet that he got shot in the face with.

'Shes just a baby!' (me with the whole team) Also TBF to Andy... Nile has such a cute baby face.

The development of Andy and Niles relationship. THO TBH I was bothered about Nile getting shot in the head because the exit wound woulda fucked her braids up.... I had a hard time focusing cuz I couldnt let that fact go lmao... It was driving me nuts...

The girls are fighting! (gone sexy)

Eepy not-boyfriends

Ancient head bonks of desperate affection. I hope all three of them head bonk Nile in the next movie. If this doesnt happen... im killing everyone in this room (its just me) and them myself.

This silly bitch in this moment.

Joes 'Hes not my boyfriend' speech. Incurable romantic indeed.

Honestly the soldiers tryin to insult Joe by mockingly asking if Nicky was his boyfriend and getting way more than they bargained for was fucking funny.

I just wish we coulda seen the faces of the guy driving the van as he heard the massacre in the back LMAO. Just keep drivin bud... aint nothin you can do about your boys in the back.

Immortal not-boyfriends gettin silly!

This is a nice plane! Theres a TV Joe!

lmao. The sillies.

Andy and Nile continuing to make me ship them.

Reunited and it feels so.... something but they were fighting together and it was real cool.

THEMB.

'You shot Nicky... you shouldnt have done that....'

Joe- Im a silly lil guy but (suplexes a man and breaks his neck)

Whyd he look so devastated after?

She wont jump out of a plane... but....

You betray Miette? You betray her like the bastard? Oh! OH! BANISHMENT FOR 100 YEARS!

Joe lookin at Booker the whole time... :c

[darkrpfinders]

hello! you can call me xeno 🕷!

i am 18, nonbinary + genderfluid, and use any pronouns.

my sonic the hedgehog spinterest has resurfaced recently, and i'm eager to roleplay it!

my requirements + extra info

- please be within my age range (18+)

- please be capable of writing AT LEAST one paragraph (3-5+ sentences) per response. while i'm willing to write shorter when the time calls for it (motivation, plot, etc) i usually write up to a few paragraphs

- please be comfortable with frequent ooc communication. i am very active in discussing where our plot is gonna go as well as rambling about our characters c: (+ additionally, i would like a bit of ooc chat before we begin our roleplay. i have a lot of headcanons pertaining to certain characters i'd like to share + fetch your approval on!)

- i respond very quickly, most often same day especially when we're writing shorter. my motivation can be sporadic, however, and it might take me a couple days to reply

- i don't do dm roleplays, just because the unorganization of it drives me nuts ^^" i exclusively write on discord and i will make us a server!

- i am all about randomness. if we suddenly have new ideas or plotlines, even if it goes against something already established, that's okay!

- my roleplays aren't for the faint of heart. i love darker subjects and ones generally seen as taboo by others. smut, violence, murder, mental health struggles, pregnancy (yes, in detail from start to finish) and much more. i am very open minded in this aspect lol (+ my only discomforts are incest and minor x adult.)

- i love shipping, especially rarepairs and ones that just don't make sense

- on the topic of shipping, i predominantly write my characters as trans, gay, and overall lgbtq+ (but i like hetero ships too).

- i can do just about any character, i would like if we split up who writes who. i can do any ship too, but i for sure wanna include mephinite ( + mephiles and infinite, with me as infinite.) all in all we can play matchmaker with our characters and decide who we want together before we start.

while i'm not willing to budge on certain guidelines, i'm overall lax and will tweak based on your needs, just ask!

what are we doing?

- i am interested in going a future generation route, playing through our characters lives (and testing how much we can ruin it /silly) we'll mostly be portraying the og characters (and their offspring wayyyy later down the line.) we can come up with a starting plot and wing it from there. i'm unfortunately not open to ocs beyond fanchildren, apologies!

conclusion

i know my guidelines seem very strict but i promise i'm chill :") i'm just very particular in what i'm seeking lol. but yeah reply to ops post with a basic intro and i'll be in touch!

.

[bethagain]

Thinky-thoughts incoming! Today’s topic: Musings on relationships and The Mandalorian, from someone who doesn't get it. AKA, What’s the deal with shipping Din and Bo-Katan?

Friendly chats about the following are welcome! But, please ignore if my ramblings are going to upset you.

I didn’t get the Din/Luke thing at first, but I have to admit there’s some potential there. And I can see why the Bo-Katan/Armorer thing has its fans. But I do not get the Din/Bo-Katan thing. At all. And because I feel like writing and my fic ideas are absolutely refusing to happen, I’m gonna pontificate about it.

Ok, so: Din and Luke, they’ve got stuff in common.

They both love a hotrod. Luke’s gonna swoon over the N-1 starfighter. Din’s gonna ask if he can try out the X-wing. They’re gonna bore the crap out of everyone but Peli, talking specs over the beer that Luke’s drinking and Din’s got untouched in front of him (because, helmet).

Yeah, Din’s a reluctant hero while Luke’s been a willing one—but by now, Luke’s seen a few things and I bet he’s starting to feel the weight. Bet you they have their moments of commiseration: Oh come on, not me, not again.

Once they’ve committed, though, they’re both reckless as hell. Luke might jump in faster while Din takes a minute, but once they get going neither one of them has much of a sense of self-preservation.

We’ve seen Din be a stone-cold killer, and people like to think of Luke as the gentle one. But Luke didn’t get his Tumblr reputation of “sunshine and tempered death” for nothing. Do not threaten something he cares about, or someone he loves.

Din’s more deadpan and Luke’s more likely to burst out laughing, but I think we’ve seen they each can appreciate the absurd. They’re going to get each other’s jokes.

Bo-Katan and the Armorer? We know less about each of them, I think, but still:

They’ve taken different paths, but their end goals are the same. The Armorer chose stealth and secrecy, keeping the people away from the world that would hurt them, while Bo-Katan chose guerrilla warfare. But they both gave over their lives to preserving what was left of Mandalore.

They’re both extremely skilled fighters, and they both fight with economy and grace. They’re well matched to train together, even if their skills are different.

They’re both intentional leaders. They’ll be able to share notes on the challenges of authority and how to overcome them.

But Din and Bo-Katan? What are people seeing, that makes them think these two should be together?

Bo-Katan obviously cares a lot about her people, but she’s irreverent and sarcastic about Mandalorian culture, too. Din takes it all extremely seriously, to the point of risking his life (more than once) for a point of protocol. They try to get together, they’re gonna drive each other nuts. Especially if they’re trying to raise a kid together.

Bo-Katan plans and strategizes, as she did with building the fleet. Impulse is not really her thing. When have we ever seen Din have a plan that he didn’t make up on the spur of the moment? Imagine them trying to organize a vacation together. Or dinner, even.

The getting-each-other’s-jokes thing. Do they have the same sense of humor? No idea. Does Bo-Katan even have one?

And then there’s the fact that Din promised to serve her. I know a lot of folks thought that was romantic, but I don’t see it. That was a pledge of deference and duty to a military and cultural leader. When Din speaks, he's generally got one of two settings: He's either utterly serious or offering up dry humor. Sure, he's capable of double meanings, but we've only seen him use that against people. It's not a trick for someone he respects. Plus, we never see Bo-Katan offer anything like a pledge to him in return.

Of course, there’s also the fact that my non-shippy heart wants to see more of Din and Grogu’s adventures together, and Din’s development as a parent and as a Mandalorian—and I don’t see any real need to hand him a canon romance. I mean, sure, he’s a bit of a blorbo for me and I want him to be happy. But from a storytelling perspective I just don’t think it’s missing.

[chaoticrebels]

So, I was stalking your blog and came across an "anonymously tell me how you feel about me" or something like that. You might guess who this is, or you might not. You and I have been rp partners for awhile now, like years at this point. I have always enjoyed writing with you, even though we don't do it that much anymore (which is more on me than on you). You are somebody very special to me and I always look for your posts the moment I randomly slip on Tumblr. I know you are going through a rough time and I wish I could help you even with the currency exchange rate being a killer. You are an excellent writer, and a good person with a big heart. I adore you, and I hope you can catch that break you desperately need. Thank you, for being you because you, my dear, are remarkable.

I have a guess on who this may be, it's someone who I consider a friend. Someone I adore and love quite a lot, especially if you've been a rp partner for years. Yeah, we may not write as much anymore, rather it be on you or me but you should know, that doesn't matter. I'd wait as long as I need to, I just enjoy the chance to write with you and be your friend. Yeah, seems like life right is getting worse when I need it to get better but one day, I hope life will get better. Til then, I'll distract myself the best I can cause what else can I do? But yeah, it's a killer but you know I appreciate the thought. Thank you sweetheart, I really appreciate it. You are an amazing and talented writer yourself. And thank you for being my friend thought out these years, probably my longest one now if you are whom I think you are.

You know I could ramble on but I need to get back to replying before the little shits drive me nuts, plus kinda shouldn't make this too long but I leave it all this, don't ever change love. You are remarkably phenomenal just by being you.

{ We do need more ships } - There's a little bit of a hint on whom I think this is, if I am wrong welp. I am clearly open to shipping with you :P

[pollyperks]

honestly I wish huntlow got a kiss just to stick it to the antis. it feels like m/f ships are getting pushed to the side in the show and in the fandom to prioritise same sex ones and it's honestly weird. like they get one kiss and are on their high horse for the rest of it

yeah, i mean, long answer, sorry it took 3 days, but i know i'm personally totally squealing happy with what we got and i'm just ?????? confuzzled over people saying that it could be platonic? because they didn't kiss? does that mean raida is platonic too? no kiss on the lips???? lmao platonic lap sitting but seriously. i'm gay i want representation i'm super happy that lumity got kisses and that raida happened like i'm not bitter at all about those ships being canon i'm super super happy! and the huntlow content we got was freaking adorable. but if they got a kiss then antis would probably find some way to say it was one-sided or non consensual or whatever, WHATEVER ANTIS! anyway, luz is obviously the protag so her romance should take front and center but it does feel a little weird when peeps are like 'omg gus and mattholomule (sp? i don't care enough about him) and omg darius and alador' like that's another confuzzlement when 3 second interaction=canon when it platonic hand holding durrr. but tumblr has always loved its slash shipping so why am i even pretending to be surprised idk

also?????? why do these people not want willow to have things? like, i'm trying to think of another show where the side character who is plus sized (and wow is it ever more acceptable for men to be large!!!!) ends up with the 'bad but sad boy' (or a serious love interest at all ughhhhh don't@me with grenda from gf) like bad boys (i mean, calling hunter 'bad' sort of makes me crack up, but that's how he was introduced and he has the appearance down) usually either end up with the protag or in a love triangle with the protag, not with a character like willow. even if willow is buff as fuck in the timeskip, she's still muscular and of a larger build than the other girls, so i love love love love love that for her and why do people want to say huntlow is platonic when it's super great to have not only that body representation in an animated show but to punch the idea in the face that those characters shouldn't be able to experience love interests like everyone else?

(also hunter's relationship with willow and gus was part of what really pulled him into the group so it makes sense from a writing standpoint if they wanted either of them to have a love interest for it to be with each other)

so yeah idk i haven't seen anyone on their high horse exactly, mostly just people being happy about their ships! and their same sex ships! but the antis are driving me nuts they're not here to be happy about anything they just want to scream about how huntlow sucks and isn't real and i think half the time (and this might be what you were talking about anon) they just don't want it to be canon because it's m/f and that's...why don't they just take their hate and push it somewhere else?

unfortunately we just have to try not to listen and find the good content

[teabiscs]

Kai/Rei Ship Headcanons:

Getting Together

Kai is always the one to make the first move. Rei may have feelings first, but Kai is always the one to make the first move.

Rei has feelings first and feelings for a long time. He’s really good at hiding his emotions and buries them down, because Kai doesn't like men, and even if he did, he doesn't like Rei.

So Rei dates. He dates Mao, and they have an on again off again. There’s that brief little fling with Salima, when she and Kane are on break. And then there’s that weird summer with him and Hiro (which solidifies that, yes, he liked men, but no, he didn’t like Hiro.)

But Kai never dates. Never shows interest. But he's always distant when there’s someone in Rei’s life, but once they’re gone, Kai is stuck to him like glue… well sort of. They hang out… sort of. They’ll be in the same room and Kai might say 4 words to him. But it's comfortable. But there's a definite difference in the way Kai treats Rei when Rei is single.

Kai is either one of two scenarios: He has feelings for Rei and knows what he is feeling. Or he has no idea what he’s feeling, but there's something about Rei.

In scenario one: Kai doesn’t want to change things. They’re comfortable. He likes how things are and is… Nervous to act out on his feelings. Again. He likes having Rei around. Likes being in his presence. Hearing his laughs. He doesn't want to lose Rei. Doesnt want to fuck things up.

Scenario two: Literally the whole plot of Feeling Worthy. He has no idea he’s crushing on Rei. And is super nasty, but in moments of clarity he shows his true colors and is nice and caring. But his heart does funny things and it scares him. Fight or Flight going off like crazy. 

Always the catalyst is Kai realizing his feelings, or acting impulsively on his feelings (Kissing Rei, unprompted). And then he hides from Rei, until Rei is able to get him to talk it out.

And it's always slow. Rei is more experienced and for once has more confidence than the one he’s with.

Relationship Headcanons

Kai is possessive of Rei, not too overbearing but if someone doesn’t get the hint that Rei is with him, he will make it known. From his harmless hand on Rei’s waist to both hands gripping Rei tightly, lips attracted to Rei’s neck like a magnet suckling on the tan skin. He’s not gotten physical from the possessiveness, but he would. If necessary. 

Kai is also fiercely protective of Rei. No one will bad mouth Rei in front of Kai. And if someone upsets Rei? He will do whatever in his power, however much money it takes to rectify the issue.

Rei loves both of the above traits of Kai. It makes him feel wanted. And Loved. (red flag)

When they fight, both will always walk away from the other. When they first get together, Kai disappears for hours. As they grow into their relationship, Kai doesn’t walk out the door, but hides in a different corner of the house.

Kai is always the one who will apologize first, believing it's always his fault. Not that Rei’s not going to apologize, just that Kai is somehow always faster at doing it. 

Kai really brings out Rei’s confidence, and Rei is able to get Kai to talk more. They feed off each other. 

Kai’s love for Rei is unconditional. He completely understands how free Rei’s heart is, and how hard it is for him to feel at home anywhere he is, but the difference is, Kai would follow him to the ends of the earth. Wherever Rei wants to go, Kai will follow. 

Kai spoils Rei. Anything Rei could want, he provides (and sometimes it drives Kai nuts because Rei isn't a material person, so he makes sure to notice things.)

They don't fight a lot, but when they do fight it is from miscommunications. Either Rei doesn’t say exactly what he wants, or Kai can't figure out how to properly communicate.

Also as usual, I see Rei learning Russian (bc my HC of Kai is Japanese/Russian, fight me)

Rei always does all the cooking, when they’re out, or when he tells the chef (because rich boy kai) he’ll handle their meal. Kai is a disaster in the kitchen, but starts taking lessons (under the guise of work meetings) and has the chef watch over him as he prepares a meal for Rei.

Rei remembers when they were kids, Kai always had a soft spot for cats, and well the house is kind of lonely, so he gets Kai three kittens. And it's chaos in the house, but it's perfect. They love it.

Kai isn’t wordy with his wants, so Rei tries really hard to read his partner's needs and wants and fulfill them. Sometimes it's simple, going into Kai’s office and bringing him coffee. Or wrapping his arms around Kai and forcing him to come to bed and sleep for more than three hours. Rei misses him. Or bringing him food when he’s on work calls all day, because if he doesn’t Kai won’t eat.

Rei doesn't drink, usually. But. If Kai is drinking too much, and he wants Kai to stop drinking, he will grab Kai’s drink and down it. It sends a clear signal to Kai that he’s cut off. (And usually it sobers him up, because alcohol makes Rei sleepy and they should probably be leaving or heading back to their room.

In the privacy of their home, they are so touchy feely. Holding hands, cuddling on the couch, etc. In public it’s a lot more reserved. A casual arm around Rei’s waist, Thighs touching while they sit. Holding pinkies.

Also, Kai would 100% propose even if they couldn't legally get married (But he has the money to fly them wherever they could get legally married) And Rei wouldn't believe it because his confidence is still kind of low, but Kai wants to spend forever with him??? (and Rei cries so much)

Kai has made Rei cry (from something other than happiness or ecstasy one time) and Kai wanted to kill himself afterwards. He felt so awful. He couldn't believe he of all people could have caused Rei pain like that. 

the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one

Spicy ���️🌶️🌶️

They’re Vers, but: when Kai bottoms he’s a power bottom. He likes being in charge and in control. He likes being on top, when he’s on the bottom. He likes to see all the pretty faces Rei makes. 

Their first time, Kai insists on bottoming. And Rei is so hesitant and insists that he will bottom. Kai gets his way and bottoms and uses that, the internet and his own body as research for when it’s Rei’s turn.

Rei likes when Kai manhandles him. Even though there’s not quite a height difference. But Kai is stronger. He works out more and for mass and muscles. While Rei does more to stay flexible and in shape. Kai is good at flipping him around. Holding him against things etc. while reis good at being folded up. 

Kai is really into marking Rei. Rei isn’t really into marking Kai, unless Kai pushes it. (But scratching? Rei is kind really into scratching. And his nails are always somehow sharp) kai tries not to mark Rei in places others can see because they're not 16 anymore, but sometimes it's a heat of the moment thing, or they’re somewhere where kai needs others to know Rei is taken. 

Other’s

Takao thinks its weird that Rei, Mr. Sunshine, is with Mr. Doom and Gloom, Kai. Takao likes that Rei brings out a different side of Kai when they're together. Kai’s a lot less moody when Rei is with him.

Max is so supportive of them! Max equates Kai to an older brother, and Rei is one of his best friends. So their happiness is so important to Max, and that they are happy with each other!! 

Hiromi is kind of obsessed with them.

The Borg Boys are so surprised by Kai’s choice of partner. Not that Kai is with a guy, because they all know Kai is gay as hell, but Rei? Rei? Very similar reaction to Takao, because they seem like polar opposites. It’s weird. But they can't deny that Kai smiles more in the presence of his Sunshine.

They will give Kai a hard time, as well as Rei a hard time, but it's an affectionate sort of hard time. And they treat him like part of the found family

White Tigers are 100% against it, at first. There’s some mild homophobia by the men of the team. And Mao is just against it being Kai (And tbh in all my Borg Boy X Rei HC the white tigers are not a fan of the relationship). But it is so important to Rei to keep them in his life, that Kai makes it his mission to get them to like him, and give their relationship their blessing. Because Kai’s usual reaction to oh XYZ doesnt like us dating is fuck them, but these people are Rei’s family.

And it pains Kai to try and rehabilitate his reputation with the White Tigers. They meet on neutral ground in the city for their first meetup and Rei is so nervous. Lee, Gary and Kevin are kind of mean about the whole meetup, and Rei puts on a brave face. And Mao is more annoyed because its Kai, of all the Borg Boys it's him. (She’d take Boris over Kai). But Lee goes too far and Rei starts crying and excuses himself, and Kai goes off on them. How dare they? After everything, how dare they be so disrespectful to Rei. I didn't even want to be here, but this mattered to Rei. Your approval was all he cared about, but you guys want to treat him like shit? I won't stop him from visiting, but believe me I will try my hardest to talk him out of it. He doesn’t deserve any of this. He is the sweetest, kindest person I know. He is so patient, he’d wait until the world ended to get the approval from the White Tigers. Then he’d drop enough money on the table to cover the whole bill plus, and collect Rei from wherever he ran to. (And Kai’s dialogue wins over Mao. Then she works on the rest of the team, but it takes Rei months to work up the courage to go back to China. But Rei really wants to go back for a festival, so they do. Kai and Mao work out an arraignment for Rei to see them. And it finally works out. With apologies and everything.)

Mr. Dickinson is so thrilled when any of his young bladers get into relationships, especially when it's with each other. He sees Rei as a sort of grandson, after everything he’s done for Rei, so he’s even more thrilled. And then! Kai of all people! In a relationship! Thriving, Happy! What more could he ask for!

[mcwritingblog]

Pairing: Javier Pena x AFAB reader

Summary: Javi and Y/N need to have a talk

Rating: G

Warnings: Hurt/Comfort

Author’s note: Sorry guys for the late update! The writer’s block has been real

Word count: 1.5K

As you pass all the town businesses, the summer air flows into Javier’s truck. Then, finally, he pulls into a parking spot, his door facing the sidewalk.

“Thank you for dropping me off. You know I could've just biked to work?” you ask him, closing his door. You circle to the driver's side, leaning on his open window. 

“I like driving you to work. Dinner tonight?”, He suggests.

“I could go for some wine-ing and dining,” you play with the thought. Unfortunately, Maria’s been on vacation for the last week, so you’ve taken care of the shop yourself. 

“Ok, I’ll pick you up at closing.” he leans his head out the window to connect his lips with yours.

“I love you,” you say, pecking his lips once more, then turning away from him to walk to the shop's door.

“I love you more,” he says quickly, rolling up his window. Then, before you can retort, he drives off. 

It's corny, but you both argue about who loves who more. He’s so frustrating.

You snort, unlocking the door and stepping inside. 

Today’s going to be different. You can feel it.

----

Javi

“Did you pick it up?” I ask Steve.

“Yes.” Steve throws the ring box at me.

“How did you get all that money past the misses?”

“Told her I lost a bet to you.”

Steve snorts. “So today is the day? The day Javier Pena settles down. We really should have cake.”

“I am so nervous.”, I say, bracing my head with my hand.

-

For the last month, Javier Pena has been driving himself absolutely nuts. Should he propose? Should he not? There are so many things he has to take into consideration. He’s never felt this way about a woman before. This week, she’s been covering for her boss and the empty hours without her has brought him to snoop around her stuff. He has read approximately 5 of her books. Fantasy books about men in flowy white shirts on ships, some hot and heavy scenes that would make a nun pass out. But they all ended up with the man saving the woman and passionately kissing her. Demanding she marry him.

 One day he was so invested that he forgot the time. Y/N was unlocking the door and he nearly tripped on the carpet putting the book back on the bookshelf.

Grabbing the dictionary, he barely reached the couch before she got inside. 

“Honey! Im home”, she shouts out.

Acting surprised, he lifts his head, “Oh! Hi! You’re off earlier.”

She walked in clutching four paper bags, clearly struggling. “Yeah, the cafe was super dead so I locked up early. The weather was nice so I thought I might walk.”

He hopped up in a flash. “Let me help you with those”

She twisted away in rejection. “You need to take it easy. The doctor said no heavy lifting. Anyways, so I remember we needed bread so I dropped by the grocery store and I was shopping hungry. So, now im making chicken alfredo for dinner.”

“I wouldn't call bread and milk ‘heavy’ but”, you put up his hands in surrender, “you’re the boss”

“Can you set the table”, she shouts back, making her way to the kitchen. “Did you feed Avery!?”

“Once this morning, and a little bit before you got here,” he says placing the dictionary back on the shelf.

“You hear that, little girl? You’re dad already fed you. Hey! Don’t yell at me, young lady!”. She’s yelling at the cat again, he thinks. Javi laughs to himself. I couldn’t love her more than I love her, right here, right now. He feels for the ring in his pocket. It’s gotta be today.

----

Y/N

You’re faking a positive attitude for him. You’ve been running yourself ragged all day. You had multiple wrong orders. Lemon tea in espresso, mistaking heavy cream with half and half. So when the midday rush clears, you decide to close up early. Some fresh air will do you good. It’s been a long week without Maria and you are bone tired. Cooking might be the stress relief you need right now.

Javi was acting weird. He’s been different since the accident. You can blame it on some kind of PTSD but that doesn't seem like the only thing circling his brain. Whatever it is im sure you guys can figure it out. Unless he breaks up with you. 

Oh no, he’s breaking up with me.

 “I found this red wine at the store and I thought I could try it out”, you pour two glasses of wine. Taking a sip, you cringe at how bitter it is. The longer you spend cooking the more the nasty thoughts get to you. 

He realizes he wants better than you can give him. You down the glass.

He found someone else. You pour another glass.

He knows your secret. You down the second glass. 

You start to feel woozy. 

“Corizón”, he walks in. “You ok?”. He looks you in the face, searching for an answer.

“Yeah!”, you enthusiastically breathe out, “Im good!”. You give him a half-baked thumbs up.

“Here.” He comes around behind you, grabs you under the elbows, and leads you out of the kitchen and to the table. “I’ll finish dinner, you just sit there and look pretty”

You're spiraling. Javi accidentally burned his finger testing the sauce, “FUCK!”, he yells out, sucking on his digit. 

He’s mad. We’re breaking up. He knows.

You try some calming breaths. In and Out. Inhale, Exhale. Now you’re tearing up. You hold your face in your hands, sobbing.

He comes walking out, just then looking up at you “Hey do you know where th-   What happened? Honey, talk to me. What’s wrong?”

Kneeling, he turns your body to face him, “Heyyy…” he croons, “What’s going on?”, he’s rubbing your knee.

“It's just..” you sniffled, trying to collect yourself. “It’s been a long week and you've just been kind of distant. And I thought maybe you were mad at me for something”

He’s scanning the hurt on your face. “My love, Im not mad. I wasn’t mad. What made you feel like this?” He starts brushing circles on the backs of your hand.

You just sob a little bit more, shrugging.

“I love you… so much. In fact”, he starts patting his pockets, he’s shifting onto one knee. It's much worse, he’s proposing. TELL HIM

“Wait. Wait.”, you stretch your arms out in protest, shaking your head. “We need to talk”

Pain crosses his face. “Ok.”, he swallows, “Let’s talk”

---

“Haha, very funny. You’re a vampire”

“Immortal. None of that blood stuff”

“Immortal, who’s been living since the 1800s”

“Correct.”

“You’re pulling my leg”, he scoffs. “I get it. Big joke on the doofus”

“Im not joking.”

“I don’t believe you”

“Okay.”, you lift a single finger, running off to find the box under your bed with things you've collected over the years. One reallllllyyy old picture of you. The only one you have to remember your old life by. She looks so lively...

You hand it to Javi. He looks at it closely.

“So you have an ancestor you look exactly like”

“That’s me, in the summer of 1901. There was a giant storm on St. Simon’s beach, I was pulled under by an undertow.”

He flipped the picture, writing on the back says “The Day of the Big Storm”. 

“I drowned, Javi. But before I could cross over, I was pulled out, dragged onto the sand, and resuscitated. I was”, you measure an inch between your pointer finger and thumb, “close to dying. I was 20. That’s the day my life changed. After that, I didn't age a day. I have been 20 for 74 years.”

“Do you remember who pulled you out?”

“No idea. Do you believe me?”

“I do. Just give me time. Have you been keeping this from me the whole year we’ve been dating?”, he speaks softly.

Tears start running down your face again. You’re shaking. 

“I didn’t know how to tell you… I’ve never told anyone before. I usually move town before I could get close to anyone”

He’s squeezing his temples.

“This is a lot to process.”

“I know. I’d understand if you left right now”

“Goddamit. Hold your horses for two seconds.”, he gets up from the couch, pacing. “I’m not going anywhere. I just need a fucking moment.”

“Javier”, you can barely recognize your voice as it escapes your mouth. “You were going to propose weren’t you?”

He stalls. He shakes his head and utters, “Yeah” he slides his hand down his jaw. “Yes, yes I was”

“And you’re having second thoughts?”

“Yes. No. It’s not like that. Just give me a day to process this. Would you have said yes?” His brows furrow.

“I think we both need time to think about this. “, You stand up and kiss his cheek. “Hey”, you place your hand on his cheek, “We’re gonna be fine. I have to clean up at the shop anyways. I’ll see you in the morning, ok?”

You grab your coat and walk out.

[asoulofatlantis]

Urg.... that is mean! They very much give me an out here. I could easily watch a movie with the Police-Officer-Guy (who had us questioned TWICE by the time we've reached the middle of only chapter 2 XD) and avoided Elaine altogether. BUT I feel like it would not speak for my shipper-rules of accepting other ships even if I do not ship them if I avoided her just because I do not like to see her with Van. Not to mention, saying that I do not think their relationship works out on the long run without watching their connect-events is also kind of against the rules.

It was so much easier with Rean. My boy is faithfully when he is with me, so aside from Claire Alfin and Millium (and I think I felt save with Sarah in CS1 the first time I played it - wouldn't make that mistake twice tho XD) Rean hadly ever had Bonding-Events with anyone but Alisa and the boys. Since he has officially a harem, it felt only right that if you do not want him to flirt with EVERYONE all the time, to avoid the ones you don't want Rean to be with. (Tho I missed out on A LOT of stuff that should not have been optional do to that... only finding out about it after reading summaries of the other bonding events...) Van does not exactly have a harm and for the canon it feels more than right to do Elaines events just as much as the ones with Agnes. With Rean, I always felt the only ones feeling absolutely natural for Reans relationships and how they progressed were Alisa, Towa, Claire and Alfin as there 4 were the ones who canonically got the most canon-scenes going for them. (You could argue that Eliese should be among them but for me, Rean never saw her as anything but a sister - aside from when you as the player optionally chose for him to do so - so all the hugs and stuff was just an overprotective big brother act in my eyes... Oh and just for your information I do not mind incest-ships in fiction so that was not the problem here, on the contrary I do love myself a good incest-ship at times but Elise and Rean just didn't do it for me, because - once again - Rean always just felt like an overprotective big brother and not like a man who loves his sister a bit too much, if you get me XD) In any case, Van is making this a lot harder for me then Rean ever did, which is immensely funny, given how big Reans harem is compared to the measy choices Van has. (Granted, he still has more Ladys to go for then Joshua had and he might even beat Lloyd here too... but no one can beat the Harem-King Rean XD)

*achem* FINDE! Lets do Elaines connect-event...

I do not exactly appreciate the fact that she has a similar taste and likes vanilla... but that is really just unfair. I honestly do not completely know what my problem with her is. Its not just the shipping-thing, I've grown out of that ages ago. Its just... I don't know. SOMEHOW I just can not find myself to like her. Even tho technically she is not someone who usually does anything that should cause one not to like her. She is also cool and a good fighter. I just... don't find myself liking her much ^^'

That freaking Screen with Judith in the background is driving me nuts. Because its moving it keeps distracting me and whenever we reach that shot from the picture, I feel like she is watching me XD

Judith somewhat photobombing the moment aside... I can kind of understand Elaine in a way. I think after she was telling Van he was out of line, its really not her place to say something like this now, but I can see where she is coming from regardless of that. She knows that deep down Van is a good guy with a hella lot of potential and in her eyes, he is wasting all that on doing Shady stuff that can get him into all sorts of bad and dangerous situations. She does not see yet how much good he actually does with his job and also that people like him, ho do the borderline illegal stuff are also necessary to keep things going. Just like Cao explained that Heyuee, is actually keeping order in the underworld by setting certain rules like that human trafficking is forbidding. Say about that organization and what it does what you want but here too, people like them are needed to keep things stable. I guess that is something Elaine has yet to learn.

Its a bit early to say that... but you are not wrong XD (We were talking about how Halle keeps Jack in line and Van was saying he will never let him live that down while Dingo pretty much does hardly see a difference between Halles and Agnes roles here, which I fund funny and cute. And it totally reminds me of that scene in Kai were Van almost used a lot of money in an auction because of some rare chocolate or something and she had to push him down explaining to him that he already spent a lot of money on new parts for the car XD

Agnes really could read the man like an open book from the very start. Impressive. I mean... he is not super hard to read... but he isn't super easy to read either ^^'

Maxims first impression wasn't really a good one. He is flirting with Agnes (whos age he doesn't know...) and all that while Feri is sitting next to her and Van is asleep in the driver-seat. This kind of behavior got him to lose Paulette to begin with, he should really be ashamed of himself!

And A LOT of arrogance XD (Also a child out of wedlock... you forgot that one Maxim... Jokes aside... he didn't know that until later, right?)

You have to give it to those two speeding idiots tho... they both stopped for the foxes. (I mean, yes, if they hit them their cars would have taken damage too, but at this speed trying to avoid the foxes almost posed more danger than hitting them directly - which I would not have approved of, mind you.) Maxim left a really bad first impression but kinda, sorta, somewhat made up for it by not hitting the foxes just to win the race. Even tho his car was immensely damaged, he did ask if the foxes where alright. So... some plus points for the man, please!

He is voiced by the same guy who voiced that director that makes those weird jokes in the original Persona 3. (I have yet to find out if they chose new voice actors for the Remake if this game - put first I have to finish Portable amongst a shitload of other games XD)

You get used to Ashen and Cao as a ship pretty easily as she makes it really clear what she wants and he is in no position to avoid that trap on the long run - maybe she reigns him in a bit, who knows? XD (Or they are both a team we should be fearing... that's about to be seen I guess ^^') HOWEVER in the beginning of my first playthrough I was hoping Ashen would change her mind and go for Aaron instead. But alas... I guess people in the main-character-teams have it a bit harder to find love. Woman more so then man for obvious reasons, but still... I mean... Reans boys almost all got to be boyfriends eventually I guess, but... did you EVER see Mint and Elliot coming before Cold Steel 4 threw it in your face? ^^' Randy on the other hand was childsplay with his ship. It did take him like 3 games later to get there tho ^^' So... guess Aaron is not completely lost yet. Its just not Ashen he gets to end up with. But as I said, I can live with that by now. You gotta enjoy the odd couples every once in a while XD

I mean... how many people can say they're car got a wax from an elder of Heiyue? ^^'

Does not look like nothing to me ^^'

At least he is aware of it XD

Time for a break.

[castlebyersafterdark]

Do you have any tips for uploading to AO3? I've never uploaded there, and I rarely use it logged in and it's a little daunting/confusing? I was wondering if there's any tips or things that I should know before starting. Thanks!

This is such a broad topic I'm not sure what specifics you need!! Here are some generic things I follow and appreciate when looking for fics at least:

Use the tagging function properly. Tag what you think are important aspects of your fic. Since I write smut, I like to list the main features of what's happening sex-wise since I know when people are looking for that content rating, they're in it for specifics. But you should tag the main characters, the main ship, any tropes you feel are important to categorize if you want. Don't over tag, though. If I see a fic with a paragraph long tags list - I may skip it to be honest? Because then it sometimes feels like people are trying to mass appeal to a non-existent algorithm. Tag honestly, but smartly.

Put effort into your summary. Short and simple. A lot of people might feature an interest grabbing few lines of dialog. Or just describe what the story is about. Nothing makes me skip clicking a fic more than "I'm so bad at summaries I don't know what to say!" Yes you do!! Describe your story! Take pride in your writing, don't put yourself down as the first thing a reader sees.

Make sure the format is easy to read. I view ao3 as more refined than a tumblr post or whatever the hell people are doing on Wattpad or wherever. Format it like book prose. Not all in lowercase. Proper punctuation. Sensible paragraph breaks. Each new speaker should be in a separate line, not all in the same paragraph.

I know there are programs to format the weird paragraph spacing when copy/pasting into the rich text box, but I can't figure that out. I and others appreciate uploaders who take the effort to remove the double spacing between paragraphs/lines, even if you have to manually go in and backspace to condense it. It's not the most important thing, but I typically read scrolling on a phone and all that blank space kind of drive me nuts. But maybe others like it. Personal preference but you asked me and I have a preference!

I discovered this myself recently and need to go back and look at my writing and make a change - I read some posts about it and a friend who I share writing with for feedback mentioned it as well - fanfic readers prefer shorter paragraphs. And I know I'm pretty wordy so this is an adjustment. It's different than novel writing. Try to find a sensible break to just split giant blocks of text into multiple paragraphs. A paragraph as a thought rather than a ramble. If that make sense. I found that my writing when formatted sometimes is so long that when on mobile, you're scrolling and scrolling and the paragraph still takes up the whole screen - and apparently readers prefer it to be split. So I'm adjusting my style as well for this, but I think it makes sense because of the nature of fanfiction right now is more tailored for the moment - and many read on phones rather than desktop. I never noticed or cared about long paragraphs but it was advice given to me as writing feedback and I think it makes sense! Maybe some will nod yes and others might disagree!!

I just think it's ok to make a mistake and adjust if needed. I'm just happy people are tying things, so no real shade if ooops someone did something I listed here. It's all commonly held opinions, though, and meant to help authors take pride in what they do 😊

[the-firebird69]

We are getting our share of stuff out of the stashes and caches and he's fighting us on it day and night at location and after and he's losing and he's going to be out and yeah he doesn't have any ships left for the most part it's trying to take them out he'll do what he's saying we have to try and go after him and stop him and he's a putz that's a loser

Bja

I have a couple announcements Trump is yelling threats against bja, but the announcements are important

-there are huge things happening here in Florida finally it happened because of the empire we think and what happened on Saturday and the siphon method was not the trigger it was going there and finding out their trapped and not having enough ships to supplement their Force and finding out that the ships are right there and they just have to modify them. A wonderful wonderful experience it shows that these people don't have leadership and they're quite daft and their Intel is very limited and it was led by Tommy f again who is a more competent fighter and my husband and I guess they're in trouble but he always is and the empire says they have a parallel and they have to because they're just getting beat up doing nothing and having people do nothing this is turning into a big battle between them no it's minor but it is one and the pseudo empire has an area too and believe it or not it's like Sarasota and part of Tampa and areas like Jacksonville and parts of the shoreline and they don't have a ton of area but they have some islands and they're going nuts and they have other places they have a headquarters but bja is going nuts on Australia and Trump is going outside Australia has a huge amount and their truck full from our clans and yeah you're an idiots they don't know what you're doing so this is going on now they're going to pull out probably trillions and trillions of these things and hundreds of trillions okay just it's going to be huge numbers they need to retrofit and they have to build Jennings and it's starting to build those engines right now and they're making five vehicles too A lot of them and our idea is respected because it's for low-level guys privates can have them and it would make them more effective so burning Man already has a few up there but they're going to make them up there it's not a bad idea it's going well for me now I hear that this hurdle had to be done first and it is really big it was Saturn and we got there just in time and he's trying to raise Giants and we need to raise them now and it's going to become a possibility phone is going down in warlocks are competing and all over the world at these locations and they're very very big giants several of them are getting to be right and I will know that it is one of Morocco and it is the one in burning Man and that's he and I and those are ours and you think of it like smog cuz that's a waste of time it's doing we are proceeding now and getting ready for all of this to happen and for some reason people think Biden will have him driving around and it is because of him having a vehicle at Castle and Tommy f has motivation and Ken and even Trump and it's all stupid s*** but it might work a little to help pay off a little debt so we're moving out and we're going to get some stuff done

Hera

Olympus

And we hear it on the radio too they're talking about Tom Cruise and he's trying to get a car over there and they've done this really want them to but they can't stop him and he has one it's kind of a s*** box but it's not that bad and it's much better than the van it looks like an old Ford Taurus because it is one it's not the one from South Carolina's got a square window and it says good I think those are newer and they are it's a 2008 or something still fairly old but decent quality and it'll be real surprise if that's what it is cuz sometimes it doesn't work anyway but usually forgets about it. It's kind of exciting for us because so much has been sitting I've been waiting and horrified at the max or just hideous and now they're getting attention and they need it and we're fighting them off the thorium and areas they think they found it in and people are fighting them over it now just in time it's going to take a little bit but now it will be faster and we really need them out but there's a big huge Plus what's been happening in the past few days and we're going to help out our son and Ariana and noada are going to help and proxima midnight and they're very happy to be mentioned and he says anytime and usually pops in a little bit and he's coming up pretty soon and his own planet is coming up. And it's kind of horrified and he's calling for a series of meetings in house and then out of house and we can follow what's happening and suggest changes to the meeting structure if you think we need that and his listening and it's his people too including his family and they're moving on it now and we are going forward the accelerated the schedule and he wants to know how he did that and they're looking at it too and yeah he's kind of pushy but these guys are push you too and he wants me in zigzag of course involved in all the meetings and they're going to do that couple of the key people so their Saturn they had players and Neptune and Uranus and they're moving out too and there's another planet or two in there and they're laughing and they know about it getting ready I'm impressed in satisfied but he says it comes from me and it's true and Freya and we needed to help it we're getting it now. I can't wait for the things to change this is misery

Thor Freya

Yeah you're going to be Giants it's going to be weird how you feel it all the time anyways and it's true but it's not going to suck as bad

...

There are certain things being said around here and not sure what it is no I know it's going to happen I think and the competing over these ships but kind of in a friendliest way which is weird and they have to start going down where foreigners are and stuff and it's way too small and Europe is small they get excluded a lot and a shark and they are sharp and they need to team up with people know what they're doing

Ken

We're still going to have issues but hopefully less this is a nightmare and he says if you're not having a war and you're taking those out but really we're having a war so yeah

Trump

We're fighting each other tooth and nail outside of here and it's bizarre

Bja

What are you doing differently out there

Zues Hera

Now I see what you're saying not really making any progress in doing something different and here there's a truth so I can get stuff and in several areas that's happening and we'll have to go after the big fellows I do follow what you're saying

Bja

I can't believe it it might happen hopefully in the in time

Trump

Olympus and we put our name down already but yeah we put it here and he's excited cuz things will change it's really hum right now ho hum

[proton-selfships]

✍️📝🤪, if you're still doing the ask game?

‘Imagine Your S/I Was Canon…’ Self-Ship Asks

Thank you, Jenni! I answered 📝 here! ...And I may have forgotten this was in my drafts so long. Oops

✍️: Overall, how does the fandom trait you? Are you a beloved character, or hated? Are you popular, or a minor side character? Anything in between?

I think I'd be... Not popular, per se, since this is a fandom aimed at teens that tends to focus on its primarily teen cast and I don't know how yuri that starts out this toxic would go over with that demographic, but the adults who like the series would definitely love me! Primarily for my relationship with Laurel and how it evolves over the story, but also for my cool powers that get put on explosive display at key points in my arc. My fellow milf-loving sapphics would definitely think my S/I is living the dream, and might even project onto said S/I when writing ship fic.

And hey, on the younger side of things, maybe I'd even start a trend where a bunch of teen viewers discover 90s alternative rock and grunge thanks to my music taste! (My S/I definitely wears an AiC shirt at some point.)

🤪: What is your trait that fanon would exaggerate?

I'd say my catgirl tendencies, but honestly? I meow and knead and stuff to stim pretty often in real life, too, so I don't think it'd even be far off to focus on those. Fandom might exaggerate the pointiness of my teeth or give me cat eyes in fanart when neither of those are canon traits, I guess? It'd also be inaccurate if they claimed I'm a furry. (I technically have a fursona if you count my Sonic AU and I like cartoony art with animal characters, I just don't consider myself part of the overall fandom. They're cool in my book, though!)

I feel like they'd also exaggerate how much of a doormat I am for Laurel. And I mean, yeah, I do spend our early relationship getting manipulated and controlled, but I do very much put my foot down and go "hey what the fuck" once I realize what's going on. That misconception would drive the meta-writing fandom nuts, too, since that's actually one of the key factors motivating Laurel to change: the fact that I now see her for who she really is, and still hold onto the belief that she can be better, but don't take any bullshit from her in the meantime. That's the push she needs from someone she (secretly) cares about to reevaluate everything.

(And also my reason why Larissa's attempt to reason with her failed: not only did Laurel not have the same soft spot for her, but she still said "please don't make this more difficult than it already is, Marilyn" and not her real name. So she was still denying the real Laurel, unlike my S/I when my first line after learning her identity is "...Laurel?")