#now edited for the people who are actually personally invested in the fandom

[honeycreammilkshake]

Hi.... If you don't mind me asking, can I ask, what are your top 7 favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series) and your top 7 favorite ships (can be canon or non canon) from any media ? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this questions before......

omg i've been wanting to answer a question like this for such a long time, thank you so much for asking! (you can always ask me about anything <3)

it's hard to talk about why i love these without giving a few spoilers, so i hope you don't mind that.

1. Jujutsu Kaisen & Sukuita

I first got into JJK because of Sukuna edits, but I started reading it more seriously when I fell in love with Yuuji (one of the best protagonists ever!) and got really invested in more of the other characters (Nobara, Mai and Maki, Nanami, Shoko, Yuki, Hiromi, and Uraume being my favorites <3) as the story went on.

Although I'm generally not interested in a lot of action manga, I fell hard for JJK because there were just so many good things about it. An anime protagonist that actually cares about saving other people but is still kind of unhinged and comparatively weaker than a lot of his peers? Bodily possession and an ancient god of chaos obsessed with the unworthy brat he's trapped inside of?? Scary monsters and scarier humans who fight them off???

But if I'm being really honest, my main reason for loving JJK is almost completely Sukuita.

These two are my #1 otp and I'm rabidly obsessed with them (almost as much as they're obsessed with each other). I could go on forever about why I adore this ship, but to keep it simple, it's really because they're one of the most dynamic and overlooked protagonist/antagonist relationships I've ever seen.

As a ship, they really have it all: enemies to lovers, hero x villain, bound by fate, bodily possession, virtually soulmates, matching each other's freak, yin and yang, toxic divorced couple/possessive exes energy, incest (if you're into that), and even opposites attract.

I see them as an inseparable matched set that share basically the same soul and see through each other but they'll never fully understand or accept each other, and it's beautifully heartbreaking in every way.

I first started shipping them when I read a lot of different ship fics with Sukuna, but the only one I ever really got invested in was Sukuita. My favorite ship trope of all is enemies to lovers, so I couldn't really resist them, and overtime I just fell deeper and deeper. Now I personally can't ship them with anyone but each other, but there are still so many more amazing ships to be found in this fandom, though a lot of my JJK otps (Nobamai, Makimai, Nanahito, and Gojoken) aren't very popular.

2. BNHA & Togachako

I'm not going to lie... I'm really not very invested in BNHA as a series, but I'm totally devoted to some of the characters, mainly Himiko Toga. I love kawaii yandere villains so much, and Toga is my favorite autistic bi disaster girl. I also love Dabi (one of my very first anime crushes), Ochaco, Bakugo, Deku, Shoto, Mirko, Eri, Overhaul, Mina Ashido, Kuin Hachisuka, Beros, and Twice.

Some of the quirks are really cool so I always love when they explore the different kinds both heroes and villains can have, and I love all the amazing fight scenes where heroes and villains get to go all out using their quirks, but my #1 reason for watching BNHA is for these two.

My top otp in BNHA is Togachako, of course, because I adore doomed yuri, especially the hero x villain kind, and I will never stop crying over how these two deserved so much better.

I shipped them almost as soon as they first interacted. The chemistry between them was beautiful and I love how Toga went all out with her yandere-style flirting with Ochaco, saying she had the same scent as her, that she wanted to be like her, from the very start understanding so much of Ochaco's character, her need to be heroic and save as many lives as she could, like Deku wanted to. Toga sees a lot of similarities between Ochaco and herself, and I love a villain that obsessively connects to the hero they're always at odds with.

I especially went crazy during that scene from season 6 where Toga had Ochaco pinned down and started crying out "What are you going to do to me? Are you going to kill me, too?" There was so much feeling and pain inside of that scene, Toga coming to terms with how heroes kill villains (like they did to Twice) even though they're human too, and knowing she could be next.

Yet later on we see how Ochaco accepted Toga despite all the things Toga had done. Because she understands that Toga is more than just another monster. All her childhood, Toga had been forced to suppress her own nature, but there Ochaco is... loving her not even despite it, but because she finds Toga herself, as the person she is, the cutest girl in the world. Just what Toga always wanted to be to someone, loved for her real self.

That just... really got to me.

My second main BNHA ship is Toyasho, or Dabisho.

They hit all the good tropes: hero x villain, twisted family, reconnecting, and lots and lots of angst. It fascinated me how they went on two different paths after experiencing abuse from their father: Dabi craving vengeance and resenting the world around him while Shoto largely isolated himself from others and tried to be indifferent about things. Dabi indulged in being ruthless, depraved, and even sadistic while Shoto tried to be "frozen" both inside and outside, yet he was learning to slowly open up to others and have hope for forgiveness.

They share a lot in common - being arrogant, getting overly emotional, wanting to do things alone, their way. But overall they have two different perspectives and Shoto considers Dabi to be his "cross to bear" since Dabi is his brother.

They still try to reconnect with each other in their own ways, especially at the end, where Dabi does regret a lot of what he did to Shoto and Shoto forgives him by asking what his favorite food is.

Togachako and Dabisho are my main otps for this fandom, but I also really like Shigadeku, Bakudeku, Meilissa, Saimomo, Togatsuyu, Momokendo, and Miruhawks because they have amazing chemistry as well!

3. The Locked Tomb & Griddlehark + Harryanthe

I first read Gideon the Ninth about a year ago and fell in love with it. The series reminds me of those weird sci-fi fantasy paperbacks that I would find packing the shelves of thrift stores and old book stores, but even better because of all the toxic lesbian angst and unhinged necromantic freaks who are the most unreliable narrators.

I like the writing style, the worldbuilding, the scientific feel to all the different necromantic theorems, the House politics, the beautifully complex characters, and the strange humor.

I love Griddlehark for all the angst, the enemies to lovers, the sad "you're the only friend I ever had so don't forget me, I'll even sacrifice my own life for you" from Gideon's side and the desperate "don't leave me, I'll erase all my memories of you because I can't bear to let you die" from Harrow's side. When we're first introduced to Harrow, from Gideon's POV, we think she's a heartless monster only concerned with herself. But soon we learn Harrow is weighed down heavily by her burden to handle all Ninth House affairs largely on her own and also by the nature of her very birth. Harrow has a deeply romantic and tragic side that Gideon is the first to discover, proving all her previous assumptions about Harrow wrong, and Gideon also proves herself to be more loyal, dedicated, and caring than Harrow thought she was. And even though they started out hating each other, they become each other's first true friends and can never let go of each other.

I also adore Ianthe's (mostly) one-sided obsession with Harrow, the way she acts like she just wants to manipulate Harrow and break her heart but unintentionally caught feelings for her along the way. They can't stand each other but they're forced to rely on one another and it's perfect, especially when Harrow (reluctantly) starts to feel somewhat close to Ianthe overtime. They're opposites in many ways, but they are both driven by their overwhelming sense of ambition and by their deep love/obsession for the people closest to their hearts (Harrow for Gideon and Ianthe for Coronabeth).

Harrow is my favorite, and I love her dynamic with both Gideon and Ianthe, so I can't choose between either ship. They're my ot3 really, since I also enjoy Gideon/Kiriona's interactions with Ianthe and how they sort of warm up to each other because of how they first "connect" over Harrow.

I have a lot more ships in this series too, namely Alectostasia, Pyrrha x Wake, Jarpedon, Augustine/Mercymorn/God, John x Alecto, Halecto, Corona x Judith, and Corona x Ianthe.

4 . The Summer Hikaru Died & Yoshikaru

I am a BIG fan of eldritch monsters developing codependent and destructive relationships with the mortals they become fascinated by, and this manga delivered that amazingly.

I've been following this story obsessively for about a few months but it's quickly becoming one of my most favorite manga ever. The dynamic between "Hikaru" and Yoshiki is perfect — the way Yoshiki can't really reject "Hikaru" because he craves the closeness he used to have with his friend but overtime he starts caring deeply for whatever "Hikaru" actually is.... Everything about them is so beautiful and tragic, it hurts physically but I love it.

The art is gorgeous and fits wonderfully with the summery horror atmosphere, and I like that's it set in the rural country, since I don't see as much of that in manga or anime as I would like to.

It has some elements of mystery, some of horror, lots of the paranormal, and plenty of chemistry between the mcs, all of which makes it so interesting and unique.

Yoshikaru is my main otp but I also love Asako/Yuuki, because they're so cute together.

5. Alien Stage & Mizisua

This series ruins me. The music, the story, the emotion. All of it makes me feel way too much.

The character designs for the humans are so good but I particularly like the aliens because I want to know more about their cultures and how they ended up imprisoning humanity.

One of the most central themes of this story is longing: the longing for freedom, the longing for love and friendship, the longing for something to put all your faith in even during the darkest times. And for Mizi and Sua, they put all that longing, that faith and hope, into each other.

Despite the fact that they know only one of them can survive that first round, they still sing almost every verse together because they refuse to give the other one the edge. They want each other to survive, even if it comes at the loss of their own life, but they were also hopeful that both of them could have tied. But Sua understood that this was unlikely and she chose to sacrifice herself to keep Mizi alive.

During the song Mizi narrates how humanity has forgotten gods and religion, but Mizi still believes in something that transcends all her suffering and longing, and that is Sua — her god, her universe. Even in the final moments of their round, as their fates are being sealed, Mizi looks over to Sua and smiles at her, because despite everything she's still happy to be with Sua, to sing with her and not against her, to find comfort even at the end. But she's still shocked and horrified when Sua dies, especially because of the fact Sua died to protect her.

And Mizi was never able to get over Sua's death. It's why she lost composure during her round with Luka, who relentlessly used her undying feelings for Sua against her by singing far too romantically.

Mizisua is my main otp in this fandom but I also love Ivantill, Hyuluka, and Hyunamizi.

6. Kakegurui & Yumedari

Even though it's arguably not as intelligent or coherent in its matches as I first thought it would be, I love pretty much everything else about this series, both the live action and the anime. The craziness, the color schemes, the focus on exaggerated body movements, even how thrilling the gambling scenes can be. Not to mention so many amazing characters and shipping possibilities, and my personal favorite ship of this series is Yumeko and Midari.

They get a lot of hate for being a toxic ship, which they are, but what exactly in Kakegurui is safe or sane in any way?? These two have such an interesting and compelling dynamic and from the start Midari is impressed and obsessed with Yumeko. And despite Yumeko's intolerance for Midari, they have a lot in common.

They're both compulsive gamblers who don't care about winning money or social status when they play. They're both addicted to the thrill, really skilled, impulsive, and quite smart too.

What made me start shipping them was, of course, their match during episode 7. The way Yumeko so expertly predicts Midari's moves to prevent an outcome where either of them are actually shot, how Midari comes to understand more of who Yumeko is through their game, the fact that Yumeko knew that Midari wanted her to win and was angry enough about it to deny the other girl that outcome. Yumeko despises cheating to "win" instead of fully indulging in the thrill of the uncertainty, which is what she lives for, and if Midari had maybe not resorted to cheating, I think Yumeko would have more respect and even enjoyment for playing with Midari.

What also really interests me is how polar Yumeko's actions are with Midari. She screams that she hates Midari, she finds her pathetic, she can't stand to be around her. Yet she has this almost soft moment with Midari before they begin playing, if only to keep the other girl from harming Ryota.

Yumeko also grows more tolerant of Midari as the show goes on, but it's by no means warm or loving in any way. And I think that's what I like about them. They're so alike but will never fully "fit together" because of it. It will always end up with either Midari wanting Yumeko to be the one to cause her pain or death, while Yumeko hates any kind of predictable outcome or rigging of the game.

I also have a lot of other ships in this fandom, mainly Yumary, Kirisaya, Meariri, Ayadari, Riridari, Naodari, Ririsaya, and Yumemika.

7. Monster & Tenjoh

I don't even know where to start on this one, really.

I've known about the existence of this series for a while and even tried to start it, but all I could could get into initially was edits of Johan Liebert. I kept meaning to pick it up eventually, since I'd heard that it was one of the most popular seinen manga and that Johan was also one of the best manga/anime villains.

But only recently I have I started watching this series, and I don't know why I didn't sooner.

I cannot describe everything I love about this series without writing a whole other post, but to put it simply - it's extremely well-done and very thought-provoking. And as someone deeply interested in psychology and criminology, I found this to be a brilliant exploration of both. The characters are so well-developed, especially the twins and Tenma (who is honestly one of the most underrated protagonists I have seen) and though I was first off-put by the older animation style, I have actually come to like it a lot since it's very unique and suits the setting and atmosphere perfectly.

There are so many different layers and themes that I will never tire of trying to analyze them all, and there's especially a certain thrill to watching how all the pieces of the puzzle connect together, especially when we get an understanding of how Johan perfectly manipulates others so that they essentially follow the designs of their own downfall.

But one of the very few people to resist Johan's plots and to even come close to destroying him is Tenma.

Tenjoh is so fascinating, both as a ship and only as their canon interaction, because of how deeply personal and complex their relationship is.

Tenma saved Johan's life years ago, a choice that essentially ended his career for him and led to his life being significantly altered. When Johan returns, revealing himself to be the person responsible for so many deaths, Tenma feels guilty for "creating" the monster that Johan became. However, even though Johan kills everyone who knows about him, he spares Tenma as both a sign of respect for the doctor saving his life and because he wants to drive Tenma to kill him, therefore proving Tenma's ideals that every life has value wrong.

Not only is there something darkly poetic in Johan wanting the doctor who brought him back from the brink of death to be the one to kill him, it's also just as suiting that Tenma at first wants to be the one to kill Johan, feeling it was his burden to end the monster he'd "revived." But despite many opportunities given to him, even by Johan himself, to kill the evil mastermind, Tenma still couldn't do it.

I have so many thoughts on them and would love to write a meta about it someday, but all I can really say for now is they're quickly becoming one of my top ships ever.

[girlwithamissingpearl]

Here we go again. The criticism of SH’s Sassanach Gin tour is as expected. Not everyone has to like what he does. That’s fair. But that continuing narrative that he takes advantage of his fans? Sorry, but that’s a hard no for me.

Personally I don’t know how the actual fuck he does it. Ten years in and he is still gracious and accommodating to all his fans, even those that cross every line. How is unsolicited groping ever acceptable? I think he is far too affable. But the he’s taking advantage of his fans continues. If all he wanted to do was was an Outlander pump and dump cash grab, not only is he doing it all wrong, he’s working far to hard. Rather than invest his own money and produce a craft product, he could have purchased a house brand equivalent of whisky and gin, and concentrate on labels. Imagine limited edition pumpkin spice, thanksgiving, Christmas, new year’s, Valentine’s Day, shirtless-you get the idea- SH limited edition bottles. I think he’s looking beyond that and trying to build a brand.

There’s also been a lot written about the individual appearances and signings. I would never camp out at midnight to get a place in line, but a 6-8 hour wait? There are a small group of gals that I follow and Dm with, that I would gladly grab a lawn chair and sunscreen and happily take my place in line with. Not sure if they would be as keen, but @khccbc1745, @kiaora45, @harriethattie, @caldineens, @collectido, @ maryofboston, @ Stargazer74 , @andorra97 and many more, who take the time to not only comment, but call me out when I get things wrong(which I have been known to do) you know who you are- I’d wait in line, with any of these women, in a heartbeat. Even though we range in age-40-80- I don’t think we would have a single second of silence. With a group, you take turns getting coffee, snacks, lunch…quick SH selfie, hotel nap, dinner and drinks. I think that’s the part people don’t get when they see the long lines. It’s not for everyone, but it’s also for most a once in a lifetime thing. Go ahead and laugh, a couple of years ago I was the first to make fun of people like me, but scrolling through the fandom has become one of my favourite things to do, and something I don’t have to share with other family and friends that will never understand the joy of all things Outlander and SH😊. The other thing that most people don’t get is that, and I think I can speak not only for myself but the other amazing women in the fandom, we really don’t take each other that seriously. This is fun, and for me definitely a guilty pleasure bc🥸I’m so happy that I have these like minded people I can commiserate with because I just watched the last mid season episode of season 7. How dare they say…to be continued next year. Next year? Ffs.

On a final note, a fun fact. If we didn’t have tickets for tennis, I definitely would have gone to the Scottish festival in Fergus Ontario to see our very own hometown boy CV, and RR and for once be able to post some original pics. Not far from home, I’ve been to the festival in the past- definitely have Scots in the family tree including a competitive bagpiper- and its always fun. I’ve really enjoyed CV as WR in the first part of season 7 and really looking forward to watching his story unfold. But having to wait until next year to watch the second half of season 7, and who knows how long before season 8 airs. Don’t even get me started about DG, and the timeline for the release of book 10. Seriously considering a class action lawsuit for the cruel and unusual punishment inflicted by DG when she said Jamie’s ghost story would be revealed in the last page of book 10. Why DG? Why? On the other hand, I can take my time scrolling, commenting and posting about season 7. If I was a patient person, which I’m not. So for now I’ll make due with the ongoing commentary of how people around the world refer to the “pineapple swim trunks” SH sports in an upcoming episode of MIK 2. Something budgies….🦜🏊‍♂️🩲…

[mathlann]

9 People You Want to Know Better

Tagged by @undyingembers and @arendaes, thank you!

Three ships:

Casimira x Marazhai. My brain is so souped about them I started writing fanfic again after a 12 year hiatus. My drafts have a file/tag system now for subject of whatever 10pm shower thought I get about them. It's just over for me, I may never get better.

@poetikat's Tree Baby and Animal Man /Silfrun x Ulbrig. I'm so invested in their divorce drama like you wouldn't believe. Even in my own game, he's Silfrun's Problematic Ex-Husband first, man second.

Matilda/Rosario x Ambrosio, The Monk. Two horrible people who deserve each other. I don't know what to say except this book still has my head turned 'round backwards a year later and the scenes of Matilda seducing Ambrosio are 90% of the reason.

Last Song:

Miss Murder-AFI. Free nostalgia from the song guessing poll that was.

Last Movie:

Bad Boys: Ride or Die, for Father's Day. It was like, okay. A Dad Movie™.

Currently Reading:

Nothing. Currently on book burnout.

Currently Watching:

The Double, on Netflix! I love family revenge and court intrigue C-Dramas so it's right up my alley.

Currently Eating:

Pizza. Skipped on tennis tonight and its just me and my dad for the evening, which means tradition dictates we order trash pizza.

Currently Craving:

My brain juice coming back. In a write/stupid flow as is customary, so the start of my week was nothing but the former and now I must suffer a few days of the latter until my brain stops making static noises.

Favourite colour:

Blue, especially deep jewel toned blues.

Current obsession:

Rogue Trader. But also Pathfinder 2e. I have a love-hate relationship with Paizo because I dont find their game design in either edition to be very fun (for me personally) and I spend enough time on the subreddit reading design discourse to have parasocial enemies there, but at the same time it's also where I learned the art of the Character Build and Paizo's flavor/concepts are top notch even if the concept doesn't always get expressed as well in the actual mechanics. So with another Remaster book coming up I am once again drawn to Pathbuilder+Archives of Nethys to make little guys.

Last thing I googled:

Pathfinder 2e subreddit. See above.

Favourite season:

Fall! Birthday season, cooler weather, and most importantly its the end of the cicadas' tyranny over the outdoors.

Skill I’d like to learn:

Oil Pastels. I foolishly bought some for my birthday while entirely forgetting i hate oil based art products and don't have the temperament for them. But they're so pretty! I wish I did.

Best Advice:

Writing specific, but having a talk buddy works! I get really stuck in my head about a lot of things because of perfectionism/anxiety means I never really know if I'm making sense but genuinely one of my de-stress rules I adopted in college is just talk it out, and for voice conversations keep the pepe silvia sticky note board updated while I do it. Works for my academic shit and my fandom writing stuff, because if nothing else, the time it takes for me to explain whatever im thinking to someone not-me helps cross the first anxiety hurdle of "this is dumb and incoherent."

No pressure tagging:

@poetikat, @bladesmitten, @molochka-koshka, @moosifers, @hellishhurricane, @spidercatenthusiast and whoever else wants to do it!

[sapphire-weapon]

A little outsider's rant to the EagleOne fandom... particularly you younger fans.

Y'all are really getting upset about your ship because Leon and Ashley possibly never being shown together again? After all that wonderful material you got in re4 remake? Guys, most ship survive on crumbs... and y'all had a pretty decent meal there!

Like!! At least she's fucking alive! Look at how strong Serrenedy is... and Luis is fucking dead! Doesn't stop them from writing a ton of fix it fics and AUs and what if scenarios.

You guys aren't Aeon! You don't need the fucking "kiss make canon and valid" mentality. YOUR SHIP IS FUCKING VALID AND GOOD!

"But... I wanna see them together..."

WRITE THE FIC THEN! DRAW THE FANART! MAKE THE EDITS!

"Oh, but I'm not very creative."

SHUT UP AND DO IT ANYWAY!

Flood the world with it! Show everyone what the ship means to you! You'll get better at it the more you practice!

And you know what? Maybe Leon and Ashley don't ever see each other again in canon... but maybe some of you get real good at writing and maybe someday, more original stories starring characters with their archetypes start showing up... and being together. All because y'all knew a good thing when you saw it.

So don't roll over and die so damn soon. Yes it fucking sucks possibly not seeing Ashley in the games again.

So keep her alive and present outside of them.

you know @godtier and i were actually talking about this earlier today, and it's this whole thing that's like

kind of like what leon is going through in my fic, where he thinks that it's worse to have had it and lost it, because he now knows how good it was for him and how good it made him feel and that he can't have it anymore -- so now, he wishes he'd never had it at all, because then he wouldn't have to mourn it.

like, serennedy fandom operates under no illusions. they know exactly how that connection started, progressed, and ended. same thing with metaltango fandom. and, being slash ships, they never expect to become canon anyway, because that's unfortunately not the world that we currently live in.

and then you have something like jilleon fandom, who never anticipates their ship becoming canon, so there's no reason for them to get super invested in how the canon portrays them, because the heart of that fandom has always been fanfiction to begin with.

but with eagleone fandom, it's like...

people feel like something is being taken away from them. especially the eagleone people who came into RE through RE4make. because they did have it. for that one game, they had this ship that meant so much to them and was clearly written to be taken as romantic...

... and then to learn, no actually, you don't get to have that?

that sucks. it feels like a breakup.

like, there's a big difference between old guard like me, who looks at it as: "holy fuck i can't believe we actually got this, are you kidding me????" because i understand just how shocking and unexpected it is, considering how the rest of the series goes -- and new fans who are going "wait, what do you mean she gets written out of the series?"

i went into RE4make already knowing that leon's character progresses into the future without ashley. and so i'm just delighted that they got to have what they had for the time that they had it.

new fans are coming in and seeing a canon romance and not understanding why someone would say that it won't be followed through with, because that runs antithetical to their personal experiences with the game.

and that's why i don't fucking feud with aeon fandom, man. i mean, other than the fact that i'm a 34 year old adult who has better things to do with my time than argue with teenagers about fictional relationships.

they're dicks, but i feel bad for them, because they're going through a breakup, too. and theirs is way harder than eagleone's is because the relationship lasted a lot longer. they've had this for so long, but now it's like "fuck you, pack your shit, we're over."

now, with that all being said

there's no excuse for either side of this to be fucking toxic the way that they've been, either. i get that you're disappointed and you need some time to mourn and it feels even shittier to have someone from the other team go "YOU NEVER ACTUALLY HAD THAT THING YOU'RE MOURNING IN THE FIRST PLACE" but like

basically just this

[stormblessed95]

Has your interest in BTS / jikook / Jimin / Jungkook declined since solo era has started? Have you noticed any trend like that in the fandom?

My tl gets unusually quiet nowadays which makes me wonder if everyone's kind of ia nowadays, or if twitter is just bugging out, or if it just means it's time to find new accounts to follow.

For me overall, I feel like the number of casual BTS fans has greatly increased and is still doing so despite their hiatus because of their solo works but I do feel like the core fandom that used to be so involved in organised fan events, voting, edits etc has actually shrunk recently. I'm also unsure if people are just on a temporary hiatus themselves as they're more invested in group activities only or if they've permanently left. People leaving is normal of course, but when the number who leave >> new people who join, that's a sign of the fandom weakening.

For me personally, I've just got a lot going on, so I'm not participating vocally in fandom spaces as much as I used to. I have a bookstagram account on insta that had quite a bit of a following that I haven't posted on in MONTHS. I just haven't had the time! Lol so it's not just tumblr/bts/jikook. I promise. I talked about what I've got going on briefly here:

So as for fandom trends in chapter 2, I haven't been keeping up with it unfortunately, so im probably not the best person to ask. I HAVE been keeping up with BTS, their debuts, their solos, their interviews, voting, etc. Just not so much with ARMY/what ARMY has been thinking outside my very carefully curated feed as much as I used to right now.

So has my interest in BTS/jikook faded? Not at all. Has my interest in WRITING about it on here faded? A bit. I had some not so great experiences on here this year that soured my joy of this hobby just a bit. As well as just how incredibly busy and exhausting my life is right now, its just not a priority for me and I'm leaning more into my fantasy escapism of books and fanfic more than I am writing in general and writing here about jikook at the moment. But I like to think that once my life chills out a bit more again, I will find more joy in this space again. And my interest hasn't gone away either, I still like being here and engaging with yall when I have the time and energy to do so!

I do think chapter 2 is bringing forth a fandom explosion in the way of solos and BTS doing more to insist on breaking the bubbles fans like to seem to put them in, but otherwise, idk what else to say. I don't think the fandom is weakening either. Jikook both just hit number 1 on billboard recently and all of BTS have been breaking records left snd right with their solo work! That's impressive stuff as always and the sign of a still very active and involved fanbase

[zenkindoflove]

I'm so late for the ask game!! I wanna ask you what hasn't been asked already yet:

🍅 ⇢ give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

🍅 ⇢ give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing

I write sentences that are too complicated and sound confusing and often the biggest thing I cringe about when I re-read my edited work is "hey, when you were editing, why did you think THAT was a good sentence?" I should take more time to sit with my fics and edit them over several iterations and put time from the first draft to posting so that I can actually catch things.

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

I'm actually intending on making a huge big post thanking everyone when PMID is done so I'm gonna save this one for then. It'll be happening soon (like by the end of the week)! I have so many nice things to say about so many of the people who have been supporting me. ❤️

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

Before I say anything, I want people to understand that just because someone expresses a particular preference or taste in fanfic, and the things they dislike are things that you do, it is NOT a reason to feel insecure or that your writing and fanfic is not amazing and worthy. Fanfic is escapism primarily. It's all subjective.

I've been reading fanfic since I was 11 and I'm 35 years old now which means I've had almost 25 years of experience figuring out what it is that I like and don't like. I've read things that have truly made me feel ill and ruined my day, so I know now to avoid those topics. I have read fanfic that was extraordinary and profound and others that were juvenile and silly - both of which I've gotten immense enjoyment from reading.

Mostly when I read fanfic, I'm looking for a dynamic that I'm interested in reading about my ship. I think, as an OTP shipper, the dynamic and chemistry between the characters I love the most is what I'm most invested in. I'm not really looking for scenarios or tropes or certain kinks persay (and in fact, I'm mostly a very vanilla person so a lot of kinks I stay away from). When I'm reading, if I feel like "yes, this feels like my OTP" (fits the vision I have of them in my head) then usually I am interested in exploring with the writer as long as it isn't something that falls into a squick for me. If I encounter a squick that I know from the past will not sit well with me, or if I am growing annoyed or frustrated by how my OTP is interacting with each other, I click away. Because at the end of the day, I'm reading to get the feels. To explore how my ship could potentially fall in love for the 1000000000th time. If one of my NOTPs shows up, I'm probably going to have a bad time and click away too.

These aren't criticisms of the way that person writes THEIR story. That is just me being honest about what I know I will or won't have a good time with. Every fanfic and interpretation of a ship is valid and someone is going to be like "YES, THIS IS MY EXACT THING". Just because it's not my exact thing, doesn't mean it isn't good. Nor am I under any delusion that how I write my ships in my fics are going to be everyone else's exact thing. In fact, I welcome it not being everyone's thing. As nice of an idea that it is to be universally loved, it is not in any means realistic when it comes to art and fandom.

Writer Truth or Dare Ask Game

[lastontheboat]

Fandom creators self rec game! Choose five favourites from your own creations (and tell me why, if you like!), then pass on to at least five other people. I'd love to hear what you're proudest of.

Thank you @tackytigerfic for providing me an opportunity for navel-gazing! I enjoyed reading about your own favourites; I find it super interesting to see what other creators value about their works.

Per my last letter (I hope you choke on it)

This is my favourite completed fic for a number of reasons:

1. I had always wanted to try writing an epistolary

2. I had always wanted to try collaborating on a fic with a friend

3. The writing process was an absolute joy

It feels like a distillation of many of my favourite things, but unlike many fics the creation process didn't involve tearing my hair out trying to make it do what I wanted. Whenever I'd get stuck, I'd just close the document and go to bed, then when I woke up the next morning @fluxweeed would have added several new scenes that set my brain on fire. It was an absolutely magical experience for me, and I'm extremely fond of the end result. This is probably the fic of mine that I've re-read the most, and it delights me every time!

Podfic of Stop All The Clocks, by firethesound

I've got a lot of podfics to choose from, but this is one that I'm particularly proud of. The original fic is imprinted on my soul, but the thing that sticks with me more than the actual plot is the sensation of reading it and feeling my heart break over and over.

Making podfics is a very personal craft for me. It's an investment of my time, and I generally choose ones to record that I strongly associate with a particular first-time reading experience. This was my sixth large podfic project, and I really wanted my reading to amplify the heartbreak that's already present in the text. It was a much more emotional recording and editing process than most of my podfics, but it's also the only one I've listened to entirely after releasing it.

I'm extremely fond of every listener who has taken the plunge and commented about their experience of it, and completely understand everyone who has been like "I don't fuck with that fic. You couldn't pay me to listen it."

body electric

This is the first fic I can recall writing that was entirely driven by a feeling. I remember being consumed by the idea of that spark between Harry and Draco, of them needing to feed it and hold it but being unable to act upon it. I was between jobs and had a lot of time to myself, and I wrote this fic in a fugue state over the space of two days. I had never experienced a writing process so feverish before, and I don't know if I will again.

I also need to shout out the beta feedback I got from @zaharya on this one, whose very insightful comments about the passage of time in the second chapter led to me adding a bunch of my favourite lines to it:

“I want to bend you over this table,” he says, panting now. “I want you under me, here in my workshop. You’ll leave here and every time you smell wood shavings you’ll think of me.” “I already do,” Malfoy says, his voice cracking.

Podfic of If The Fates Allow, by saras_girl

I spend a lot of time listening to audiobooks these days, and I really appreciate being able to consume so many stories while driving or cooking. For me, recording a podfic is about giving others the opportunity to experience some of my favourite fics, and trying to capture some of what they mean to me in my voicing.

saras_girls fics hold a very special place in my heart, and this one is my absolute favourite of hers. As a podfic, the biggest challenge here was dealing with the ensemble cast—it stretched the limits of unique voices I could do without them sounding forced, but it was also exciting trying to keep the voices consistent across 25 chapters.

the spirit is willing (the flesh is weak)

This is the newest fic that I finished (the only one so far in 2023), but I haven't made too much noise about it on here because it's attached to my alt account. This one started out as a concept that wouldn't leave me alone (Bill/Ginny fuck or die), but it's also another data point in my exploration of what it's like to write smut.

I still don't think it comes naturally to me, whatever that means—I'm much more comfortable keeping my writing to Teen, but I'm very satisfied with how this fic achieves what I set out to do with it. It was a stretch, but a good stretch!

[thisisyourprincipalspeaking]

Can I applaud you on your post calling out certain blogs!

Well one of the main reasons he’s sold his MA house was due to some of the team real team who actually had the gall to call at his house!

Do you blame him as that was a total invasion of privacy!

They were also seen in his town lurking and waiting to see if they were there!

Newsflash she’s not as she’s stuck in Portugal immigration reasons upholding due to border hoping as much as she does!

So those team real blogs had better be very careful for what they do next as he can and will sue them and get them all taken offline for spreading slander and scandalous information.

So yes please keep calling them out and keep being you as those idiots and imbeciles will get their karma for turning this fandom into a toxic venomous pit of hate!

If people are so invested please don’t as it’s not worth it just sit and wait it all out!

You have all sussed it’s as fake as her tits!

Just ignore and don’t rise to any of this ok

Thank again for letting me sound off to you.

yes, i find it very interesting that the same people berating others, claiming they are all so delulu, are also the ones with their little friends taking trips to his hometown to try see him, posting blue prints of his home, and making disgusting edits portraying the nunemployed as a literal child. but now they're all buddy buddy, so it's totally fine and everyone else is the problem.

i think i've said this before, but i won't be entertaining any immigration talk. each person's situation is different, and not everyone wants to be a us citizen. so unless there is hard evidence, i'm going to decline to acknowledge that part of your ask.

i have often wondered how a lot of these 'teams' people haven't been hit with a cease and desist. they are making wild claims on both sides and some of these allegations are very serious.

you're welcome to vent here anytime.

[scribeofred]

Hello!

I just finished watching The Expanse. I remember how you used to rave about it (and the books), so I'm here to say:

OMG! It was amazing! You were so right, and tbh I should have watched it sooner.

Chrisjen Avasarala and Bobby Draper are such brilliant characters (and Holden himself, ofc, but I feel as Main Character that's to be expected).

As you've read the books, do they end in the same manner as the TV show, or is there more story there?

Now I've finished, there is an Expanse-shaped hole in my life. Since you are a person of impeccable taste, do you have any fanfic recommendations so I can keep flying with the crew of the Roci?

HI HELLO I AM UNREASONABLY EXCITED BY THIS MESSAGE!! The show is definitely not everyone's cup of tea, ditto the books, so it's always delightful to hear one of my friends has fallen down into this hole with me :D

<3 it's an investment! starting new shows is hard! I get it! but also yes everyone should watch the show ASAP because it's great and people are missing out

AREN'T THEY THE BEST. the women of the Expanse, both books and show, are genuinely some of the best characters I've ever encountered. season four was a bit rough on Bobbie imo, but that's kind of what happens when your cast is so far flung, quite literally. Avasarala is just a queen with no equal, and let me tell you, she's just as brilliant in the novels

the books do NOT end where the show ends! the show covers the first six books' worth of story, but there are three more novels that take the story through to its conclusion, and hooooooo boy WHAT a conclusion. I shan't say a word of spoilers, but there's a reason they stopped the show at six seasons, and I think they made the right decision tbh. I absolutely recommend starting the series from the beginning and not just jumping in at book seven because the show doesn't quite hit all the same points at the books do. also there's an anthology of short stories that also pad out the world and characters' backstories, very good stuff therein

oh man, I know that hole far, far too well 😂 although for me, the fanfic craving–shaped hole doesn't exist for the Expanse because the novels actually fill that specific craving perfectly! so I've actually never read any Expanse fanfics??? thus I have no quality recommendations. (it's also just really really hard to top a ballparked 1.5 million words' worth of canonical Expanse story that have been professionally edited ^^:) that said, I will point you toward @rocicrew, who both writes fics and creates some of the most stunning gifsets in the fandom (<3), as a place to start. sorry I can't be more help in this area! at a glance, it looks like there's less than 1.2K works on AO3 between the show and the book series, so it probably won't take you terribly long to dredge it for gold and then possibly you'll find yourself contributing to the number of works yourself >:)

that said, mmmmmmmmaybe start with the actual novels first? because the fics are undoubtedly going to contain spoilers, if that's a thing you're worried about. if not, go wild!

[merge-conflict]

💕 self-love time! talk about which ones of YOUR creations (edits, artworks, fanfics) you like the most then send to other creators to do the same 💕

Ty for the ask! :3 <333 I also just want to say I love your work and how welcoming and uplifting you are to so many folks. Honestly, I've been feeling kind of good lately about what I've made, which is a nice change of pace. And I'm most invested in my longfic the damn things overlap. Posting the first few chapters is what got me to really commit to writing again, and then to actually stop lurking and join fandom, which has been a blast! This fic is especially near and dear because creating and writing Valentine has been... so self-indulgent. An enby character who is just a total mess, and particularly one who has so many conflicting traits and is always at war with herself. She loves being a corpo, even though it requires her to put so much effort into playing her role. She defaults to being friendly and pleasant and is entirely ruthless. She's mean but not evil, so sometimes she helps people out just because. She's morally flexible and all she really wants out of life is to embed herself so totally in someone else's that they can't or won't function without her. She continuously chases things that she knows are bad for her and will continue to do this with a surprising amount of self-awareness until she finally blunders into trouble she can't blunder out of. She's the kind of absolute mess of gender and addictive personality that I desperately wanted to see and I got to make her!!

For the fic itself, I'm really pleased that I've managed to consistently write scenes that make me laugh, which before this I didn't know was possible? It makes writing such a blast, and now I purposefully try to weave in humor and a little bit of mundane ridiculousness throughout, particularly to offset the darker or more distressing scenes. I'll share one of my favorites:

Though conceptually V knew her apartment was a bit of a mess, it wasn’t until she saw Takemura looking it over that she really remembered. Jackie and T-bug would have loved it. Saburo Arasaka’s bodyguard performing a security sweep on the perpetual sprawl of electronics that covered her desk. The stack of screens and speakers she’d scavenged from an old job. A pile of clean clothing dumped in front of her half-empty closet.

“You are sure this place has not been searched?” His tone was deadpan, expression grave.

V pretended to be offended. “Here I am, granting you shelter. You should be nicer to me.”

“Perhaps I am not very nice.”

“To think Wakako called you a gentleman.”

He laughed – it was definitely a laugh, tugging at the corners of his eyes – and drifted towards the window and the sight of the city in twilight.

I just– I'm imagining being in Takemura's shoes: he's had the worst few weeks of his entire life, he's on the run, hasn't had a decent shower or meal or rest, finally found an ally who's offered him a place to crash, and her home is just filled with junk and a total sty. He can't be totally rude about it, but like, come on. Give the poor man a break.

[scribbet]

With all the delays in bringing internet to the new place I'm only getting around to this weeks after it's been and gone for everyone else, but thank you @ninjakk for tagging me, always nice to get to know people better :)

Three ships:

*did this leave 'I saw three ships come sailing in, come sailing in, come sailing in...' stuck in anyone else's head after doing this??*

Wangxian are clearly going to be top here, very little I can do about that really, and I don't think they're exactly news to anyone following this blog...

So outside of them, and assuming that shipping means I have spent a lot of time actively seeking out fan content for a pairing, my next three ships would be:

TodoDeku- Todoroki Shoto/Izuku Midoriya -BNHA (My Hero Academia) – I've dropped off with the manga/anime and fandom, and I'm essentially waiting to see how Horikoshi wraps this up before I commit to picking it up again but darn it I do really enjoy this pairing. They can be so good for each other! They're two people messed up in quite different ways who still manage to bring some good into the world out of that! One of them sets on fire and the other one is annoyingly OP but still his mind and his heart are two of the most dangerous things about him!! Sue me :P

25th Bam/Khun Aguero Agnis – Tower of God – So what did you do during lockdown Scribbet? Well I decided it was definitely the time to go and spend literal weeks reading the entire backlog of an infamously long and convoluted Webtoon, and then read hundreds of thousands of words of fan fiction about the potentially world-destroying (sort of) sunshine boy of an unwitting catalyst and the scheming, wickedly intelligent, single-mindedly loyal manipulator who became his first real friend, how about you?

Howell Jenkins/Sophie Hatter from HMC by Diana Wynne Jones (very specifically the book rather than Ghibli film characters) – DWJ is probably one of my longest-standing favourites, of anything, and I have literally submitted degree essays on her as an author so I'll try to restrain myself. But these two ridiculous magic-users drive each other up the wall and they're exactly what the other needs. Both pretty brilliant at what they do and both with the capacity to be stubborn idiots who cut up the other's clothes or have magically empowered tantrums over accidentally dying their hair ginger. Will not face up to unwelcome truths until they literally chase after them as destructive curses. Welsh PhD students running off to become wizards (mood) and argumentative red-heads, what more could I ask for?

Hmm I didn't realise just how much I tended towards power couples (probably with emotional issues) before this.... competency kink what now?

First Ever Ship:

In terms of being so invested that I actually consumed and created content of them? Somewhere on Fanfiction.Net I believe there's still several Mulan/Shang fics of mine from around 2004 from Disney's Mulan. Honestly the more I think about it the less surprising my whole only recently recognised bisexuality is, I'm spending half my time feeling like a Tumblr joke right now....

Last song:

It's Alright by Mother Mother - not my usual sound really but apparently I'm looking for emotional catharsis in my music right now https://youtu.be/G5-KJgVsoUM

Last movie:

Glass Onion – which I've now had the fun of seeing both at the cinema and through Netflix. Definitely a film that rewards a rewatch as you start to notice all the things that were laid out right in front of you the first time round. Everyone making it seems to have had a whale of a time and it's amazing how much satisfaction I got out of that conclusion. Smashing glass can be something so personal you know?...

Currently reading:

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones – one day let me be this good at dryly nailing the ridiculous aspects of the things I enjoy while still having fun with them.

Currently watching:

The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions Appendices- because I've just moved into a flat by myself after living with other people for years, and those extras are the media equivalent of being snuggled under a warm blanket with a hot chocolate for me.

Currently consuming:

Cadbury's Wispa bites. There... really aren't many left now.

Currently craving:

Headspace? A lot of major things going on IRL right now and it'd be nice to have a bit less emotional and organisational heavy-lifting going on. Also, snow. Where I live seems to be one of the very few places in the UK not to have snow so far this winter, and I'd like to see some before the first spring bulbs come through!

[xplrvibes]

hey so what do you think is the fandom’s general consensus on M and K? I feel like there’s a loud minority, and then ppl didn’t know M existed until that photoshoot of him hugging him or NYE depending if ppl actually looked through the tagged at the time (or were chronically online).

Because I don’t see hate comments on the girls’ posts, or their numbers skyrocket or plummet. Just a bit of an increase (at least on instagram)

Saying this all because I’d love to see a collab with everyone! I have a feeling the girls were in the room with the guys with that weird react video (and based off of the black background the gals have used on insta and tiktok)

To be completely honest, most of the outer rings of the fandom probably don't know or care one iota about these girls and all the drama the stan side of the fandom are drumming up because of all this.

Stans of any fandom, while generally being the loudest, are not the majority stakeholders in a fandom the size of snc's. snc have fans from all walks of life across all platforms; the majority of those fans just want to watch these idiot boys fumble their way through ghost hunting and then keep it moving lol.

That's why when shit happens and the stans threaten to stop watching snc videos in protest - like, ok. Have fun. A few thousand less views in a sea of 10 million is like pulling one grain of sand away from a beach and expecting the whole thing to suddenly disappear.

The only thing that is going to make the fanbase at large and the casual viewers walk away is if the content itself goes to shit or isn't interesting. Some casual viewers might not tune in if they had unknown people (like M and K) in their videos, but overall, more people than not would tune in and give it a watch because why not?

Anyway, let me get this train that I just derailed back on the tracks - I think the stans themselves are, as usual, divided on the subject of M and K.

You've got the stans that would make shipping edits with Colby/Sam and a paper bag if they felt it necessary, just to get the almighty notice and to prove that they are the good and supportive stans.

You've got the stans that were so heavily invested in the dream of Katrina/Sam getting married and repopulating the earth with a bunch of little singing philosophers that their whole being is now consumed with revenge and hate for K because she got in the way of their endgame, and we all hate the interloper, right?

You've got the stans who do not ever want Colby to be let out of the gilded cage the fans put him in, so him dating M without clearing it with them first (and M very emphatically not being {insert girl they shipped him with here} adds fuel to this particular fire) is a personal insult against them so of course, M is now manipulating Colby and must be stopped.

And then you've got the stans that just don't like change. They don't like that things are changing and snc are growing and aren't as accessible anymore, and they have to have someone besides the obvious culprit (THEMSELVES) to blame, so hey - those girls are mighty good targets.

Mind you, very few of the haters will actually hate to these girls' faces - in fact, most of them pretend to be fans of the girls' to their faces to avoid getting blocked, so they can continue to hate stalk them in perpetuity. So, the girls will see an uptick in views and followers, but on the surface, only a slight uptick in hate comments on their actual pages - cause the haters are engaging just as much (if not more) than the overly obsessed lovers are.

Anywho, mix all these dissenting opinions together in the hellish-hate-vacuum that is social media, and we get what we are getting today, which is a really loud few drowning out or acting like they speak for the vocal majority who do not care one way or another.

All this to say - I think the girls are very polarizing for certain sections of the fandom, and a non-factor for others. And I would be surprised if snc have them in a main channel video anytime soon...maybe a react, definitely a person channel video (if they ever brought those back), and there is almost a 100% certainty that we will eventually get tiktoks (just a hunch!)...but snc probably don't want to deal with the hassle of getting screamed out and called degrading names on twitter for a video that probably wouldn't break youtube anyway lol.

[ilistentogirlinred]

ramblings

because i watched too many kpop music videos and dance practices and now youtube thinks i want to know about lee know's cats

i think a lot more people would hate kpop less if the fans weren't generally a bit less insane.

a lot of the music is actually rather good, but if you want to watch the music videos then youtube will forcibly send you down a spiral of fan edits and other off putting frightening things. the music videos are good, though, and the dance practices.

people do tend to be put off by the fans because even the average fan is a LOT. quite a few of them treat being a [insert group] stan like it's a sport, but not in the sense that they're a highly invested LA lakers fan. being a kpop stan seems to be a sport in the sense that the stan is the player. streaming, voting, spamming hate comments, that is the sport, although i don't think you can actually win.

kpop stans are frighteningly dedicated, i feel like they could probably take down and reform an entire government if they felt like it. although there is a lot of infighting between fans of different groups. that being said if they teamed up they could do quite a bit. i stand by the fact that if they unified they could easily overthrow the australian government. not the USA government but definitely the australian government.

did you know the greater kpop fandom has a word for people who stan multiple groups? the fact that there are so many people who are aggressively fans of one group that they need a word for people who like multiple groups is astounding (and furthers my point that being a kpop stan is a sport). MULTISTANS. as in stans of multiple groups. aka people who listen to music like a normal person.

i do feel like another turn off for people who might like some of the music is the industry itself, which is deeply fucked up. the training is dreadful, the culture is cruel and the idol-fan stuff is just off putting. (oshi no ko does a great job at showing this and its so funny to me that all these kpop idols were doing dance challenges to the oshi no ko theme song is so funny cause like... that song was written from the perspective of an idol. like you. who gets fucking stabbed by a fan. which is a thing that has happened in real life.)

ooh you know what else might push people away? the SHIPPING. those are REAL PEOPLE. yeah they could be dating but you realise they're probably a) acting a fake/exaggerated dynamic BECAUSE the shipping draws views and b) probably only like that on camera. idols are pretty much acting when on camera or in public. they are playing a character that is palatable, likeable and appealing to the general public. some of them might be more like western celebrities and be more like themselves on camera (generally the idols who were born/raised/spent at least 5 years of their childhood in the USA/canada/australia/new zealand usually) but they're still acting. they've done a fair bit of media training. when they're on camera they aren't people. they're idols, celebrities, characters, personas. BUT THE SHIPPING. fuck i hate the shipping. sometimes the idols might have a good friendship and then they'll stop interacting because of the shipping. it makes them uncomfortable sometimes! probably generally, it makes them at least mildly uncomfortable. and the odds are, they probably aren't dating. there is like a 1 in 1000 chance that two idols from the same group are dating, in that 0.1%, there's a like 1 in 10000 chance that they'd ever go public with it. AND STOP THEORIZING ABOUT REAL PEOPLE'S SEXUALITIES! it's invasive, it's gross, it's rude and it does absolutely nothing good.

another thing that might turn people off music they could like is the generally poor vocals. there are very few kpop vocalists (not korean vocalists, just kpop idol vocalists) that are on par with western singers. solar (mamamoo), lily and haewon (nmixx), wendy (red velvet) and belle (kiss of life) are the few i consider to be as good as your average western vocalist. lots of idols generally mediocre vocals are overhyped because, usually, they have good control over their higher vocal range (cough cough han from stray kids). the thing is, lots of the idols in this category could easily be good vocalists with more formal training! THE IDOLS DON'T GET ENOUGH VOCAL TRAINING BECAUSE THE INDUSTRY VALUES LOOKS OVER SKILLS!

the industry is basically: looks > dance > personality > sense of rhythm > vocals > rap > actual skills pertaining to creating music and performance i.e writing, producing, composing, choreography, etc (don't yell at me ik there are self producing groups and those are usually my favourites but my point still stands)

if you read all of this, i do highly recommend watching some music videos and dance practices because they are honestly phenomenal. the editing in the MV's is top tier and the dances are usually just so fun to watch.

[slothwithwifi]

Better late than never...

With all the delays in bringing internet to the new place I’m only getting around to this weeks after it’s been and gone for everyone else, but thank you @sunshine304 for tagging me, always nice to get to know people better :)



Three ships:

*did this leave 'I saw three ships come sailing in, come sailing in, come sailing in...' stuck in anyone else's head after doing this??*

Wangxian are clearly going to be top here, very little I can do about that really, and I don't think they're exactly news to anyone following this blog...

So outside of them, and assuming that shipping means I have spent a lot of time actively seeking out fan content for a pairing, my next three ships would be:

TodoDeku- Todoroki Shoto/Izuku Midoriya -BNHA (My Hero Academia) – I've dropped off with the manga/anime and fandom, and I'm essentially waiting to see how Horikoshi wraps this up before I commit to picking it up again but darn it I do really enjoy this pairing. They can be so good for each other! They're two people messed up in quite different ways who still manage to bring some good into the world out of that! One of them sets on fire and the other one is annoyingly OP but still his mind and his heart are two of the most dangerous things about him!! Sue me :P

25th Bam/Khun Aguero Agnis – Tower of God – So what did you do during lockdown Scribbet? Well I decided it was definitely the time to go and spend literal weeks reading the entire backlog of an infamously long and convoluted Webtoon, and then read hundreds of thousands of words of fan fiction about the potentially world-destroying (sort of) sunshine boy of an unwitting catalyst and the scheming, wickedly intelligent, single-mindedly loyal manipulator who became his first real friend, how about you?

Howell Jenkins/Sophie Hatter from HMC by Diana Wynne Jones (very specifically the book rather than Ghibli film characters) – DWJ is probably one of my longest-standing favourites, of anything, and I have literally submitted degree essays on her as an author so I'll try to restrain myself. But these two ridiculous magic-users drive each other up the wall and they're exactly what the other needs. Both pretty brilliant at what they do and both with the capacity to be stubborn idiots who cut up the other's clothes or have magically empowered tantrums over accidentally dying their hair ginger. Will not face up to unwelcome truths until they literally chase after them as destructive curses. Welsh PhD students running off to become wizards (mood) and argumentative red-heads, what more could I ask for?

Hmm I didn't realise just how much I tended towards power couples (probably with emotional issues) before this.... competency kink what now?

First Ever Ship:

In terms of being so invested that I actually consumed and created content of them? Somewhere on Fanfiction.Net I believe there's still several Mulan/Shang fics of mine from around 2004 from Disney's Mulan. Honestly the more I think about it the less surprising my whole only recently recognised bisexuality is, I'm spending half my time feeling like a Tumblr joke right now....

Last Song:

It's Alright by Mother Mother - not my usual sound really but apparently I'm looking for emotional catharsis in my music right now https://youtu.be/G5-KJgVsoUM

Last movie:

Glass Onion – which I've now had the fun of seeing both at the cinema and through Netflix. Definitely a film that rewards a rewatch as you start to notice all the things that were laid out right in front of you the first time round. Everyone making it seems to have had a whale of a time and it's amazing how much satisfaction I got out of that conclusion. Smashing glass can be something so personal you know?...

Currently Reading:

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones – one day let me be this good at dryly nailing the ridiculous aspects of the things I enjoy while still having fun with them.

Currently Watching:

The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions Appendices- because I've just moved into a flat by myself after living with other people for years, and those extras are the media equivalent of being snuggled under a warm blanket with a hot chocolate for me.

Currently Consuming:

Cadbury's Wispa bites. There... really aren't many left now.

Currently Craving:

Headspace? A lot of major things going on IRL right now and it'd be nice to have a bit less emotional and organisational heavy-lifting going on. Also, snow. Where I live seems to be one of the very few places in the UK not to have snow so far this winter, and I'd like to see some before the first spring bulbs properly come through!

[starriva]

Tag Game To Better Know You! Send this to people you’d like to know better!

Tagged by @modernday-jay , thank you!

What book are you currently reading?

For pleasure I'm currently on book seven out of a ten on an alien romance series. It's a 7/10, score elevated for world building. I might of started this series a week and a half ago. Now I'm just invested to finish.

If we're talking actual books on my TBR at the moment it's wuthering heights, catch-22, Mormons and the Swastika, your country and my country And I want to re-read cinder from the lunar chronically again.

For school I just finished reading, class of ‘74 and two presidents Fords bibliographies. Wouldn't recommend very boring and honestly the man was out of touch but hey being out of touch makes for very good minority house speakers who accidentally end up president.

Needless to say I read a lot, a lot for school, a lot of newspapers, a lot of trashy romance books and every so often I get an actual good non romance book in the mix. But it is those romance books that resparked my love of reading so credit where credits is due they are very good at emotional investment.

What’s your favorite movie that you saw in theatres this year?

Hands down everything everywhere all at once, that shit made me cry and I bought a second ticket to take my partner to it. Other good movies I saw this year, the new Netflix Pinocchio, the glass onion, Vengeance, and Bullet Train. Some of those are deep, others are just high quality and amusing stories.

What do you usually wear?

If the weather permits I like to wear skirts. Everyone thinks you're dolled up and nice but in reality I'm just lazy.

How tall are you?

On a good day, 5’5.

What’s your Star Sign? Do you share a birthday with a celebrity or a historical event?

I'm a Libra and to my knowledge no but I do have a birthday week with one of my parents though. It's nice.

Do you go by your name or a nick-name?

Just my name, my irl freinds do not refer to me as starriva, just online ones.

Did you grow up to become what you wanted to be when you were a child?

In high school I thought being a history teacher would be cool, not anymore. Bless those brave underpaid soldiers.

Are you in a relationship? If not, who is your crush if you have one?

Way past the six year threshold for this one, I love him a lot. He keeps me sane, I adore him.

What’s something you’re good at vs. something you’re bad at?

I'm very good at understanding the American news/politics lol often times family and freinds ask me to update them and explain why the information I included is important to them.

I'm bad at balancing at yoga. Also emotional regulation, fuck ADD.

Dogs or cats?

I'll probably always have a dog until I die but I'm a cat person though and though.

What’s something you would like to create content for?

Creating content for hetalia wether I post it or not has always made me happy. No other fandom really does it for me…..and it's been years I've tried and accepted my fate.

What’s something you’re currently obsessed with?

Shitty alien romance. Can't get enough of them, my whole seven week reading streak on KU is because of them.

Edit one week later: finished that series and am now 3/4 on a new one.

What’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year?

Trumps inevitable downfall sue either to Desantias or the courts. I'm pacient I can wait more, also same BOTW 2. Hoping for skyward sword references. Pls pls pls.

What’s a hidden talent of yours?

I don't think I've revealed that I oil paint to anyone online. Also I'm a cat whisper, I haven't met one that hates me yet.

Are you religious?

No, raised Mormon picked up one middle school history book and lost the faith. I can understand the values that it can bring into a person's life but I did not find any value in it for me.

What’s something you wish to have at this moment?

Time to oil paint.

Thank you for the request! I would like to get to know people in the fandom but perhaps at a more opportune time.

[aquamour]

after thinking about it for 0.2 more seconds here are my thoughts

so I grew up on star wars, it was something I was into on and off until I (re)Discovered it when I was 12. I got, like, really into it. I had an fyeah sw blog, made fan edits, watched fan edits, rewatched the movies over and over, read a bunch of books and played a bunch of the video games. even got a sw tattoo for my 18th birthday.

and it just makes me so sad that it doesn’t bring me the same joy that it used to. it was such a big aspect of my identity. and now I feel more or less indifferent to it. I really don’t have any interest in delving into anything beyond the main movies.

but I think that comes down to two major factors. I didn’t like what disney did with the sequels (or a number of the spin offs, for that matter) and it’s frankly insulting that the people in charge of the story have just shit all over it and are so clearly using the franchise as a cash grab, banking on nostalgia instead of actually investing in a good fucking story. it is painful to see something I love perpetually given unsatisfying and unfulfilling plot lines and endings. he would not fucking say that -> the story would not fucking go that way. perhaps falling out of love with it is a means of self protection from disappointment.

secondly, since the media has become so overtly saturated with the franchise, it’s no longer become My Thing. it used to feel personal to me, and now it feels like a Trend. in no way am I saying that other people can’t enjoy media I enjoy. but before, it felt like when I met other fans it was something we could mutually appreciate and resonate with. it was special and specific to me and the other person. whereas now it feels like other people I talk to have a superficial relationship with it. but then again, with how divided the fandom is to begin with, that’s probably the better option anyway. but like, the person who made the fan video of anakin and obi-wan to the “you who I call brother/let my people go” song from prince of egypt DEFINITELY has a different level of investment than the person who bought the baby yoda tissue box.

so basically, it’s the longing for heartfelt art, a sense of individuality and community

how do you fall in love with something again