#oh man i don't remember if i use oc or ocs as a general tag... whoops

[hey-heigo]

oh yeah i saw your reblog of togami fun fact and i think i followed you because you chew on him so well. do you have posts of your thoughts on togami's backstory? (you can answer privately btw)

i straight up don't remember if i've ever posted in length about my byakuya backstory headcanons (if i ever did they'd be catalogued under '#my thoughts' probably, that's the tag i use for my fandom posts) but! just for you i will list a few that i have off of the top of my head

i liked the concept of the togami novel and ended up perceiving the heir struggle as like. not a necessarily organized competition (what with heir prospectives trying to assassinate each other or otherwise blackmail, threaten, or force each other out of the running) but more a survival challenge with occasional tests of cleverness, strength, etc. and byakuya managed to win by manipulation and sheer force of will, and doing things that might be considered 'underhanded' or 'shameful' (see: polaris p polanski) -> testament to ambition

byakuya says something cringe in thh like 'im perfect in every way. wits, ability, and body' which always pissed me off but as a result i ended up seeing him as like. above average in athletics, maybe good agility and reaction time? and capable of self-defense, but definitely nowhere near professional levels, and not in a way that's obvious from looking at him

re: physical ability and 'perfection', i don't think he's an 'ultimate' anything aside from 'ultimate progeny'. like he's not the ultimate stock-broker or the ultimate viola-player, but he can do both things pretty well. more of a jack-of-all-trades master-of-none kind of talent. maybe that eats at him a little, the fact that he won't ever be truly outstanding in one single field until he becomes togami head

also re: physical ability, he gets his blue eyes from his mother's side, so he's more sensitive to light. but his mild near-sightedness and need for corrective lenses is from his father's side. he doesn't know this though, so he blames his mother's genetic for all of it

he was planning to get lasik after becoming head of the family but. well. lol

he's half-french. his mother is french. i dont think ive ever posted about mamagami but ive definitely made mention of her in my fic, though at this point she's more of an oc than anything since there's like, no canon info about her at all. but she's a french sculptor who did not want a child and does not want any relation to the togami family other than having them as like. art clients. a cool lady very dedicated to her profession and could have been the ultimate sculptor, but kind of a emotionally neglectful mother ngl

there probably is some more canon info on papagami , aka kijo togami's character but i haven't really bothered looking for it. instead i made him into a sad little man who kind of hates his role as togami head and would've preferred a more mundane life (like as an architect - i actually did make a post about this somewhere), but he won his generation's heir competition because he felt like he had to, not because he necessarily wanted to. for reasons yet unsaid

byakuya spent the first part of his vulnerable youth being emotionally neglected at his mother's villa/art studio in france (hence the bilingualism hinted in the canon). when he left to join the heir competition after one too many assassination attempts he got one of his mom's business partners and former exes (a guy named 'polanski') to shelter him

byakuya's impressions of his parents: his mom sucks (fair i suppose) and his dad lacks real ambition and isn't suited to his role. or at least, he could be surpassed very easily. byakuya plans to make himself the greatest heir ever seen because of his shit parent combo

byakuya's known pennyworth the butler since birth. i have this idea that each togami kid gets just one togami family servant to help shape them into their roles. pennyworth happens to be the oldest of the roster but also the most experienced, and is kind of a shifty old man (i.e: very cunning and more loyal to the family than the child he's been assigned to, though that changes as byakuya gets older)

byakuya's also probably a girl and bisexual but he''s trying to take over the world through his shitty family's conglomerate and then survive a murder game apocalypse so she doesn't really care about that rn

[koukouture]

Kou's AO3 ffxiv fic rec list

I am so insane and I literally have only been reading FFXIV fanfics for like the past four or so months so here r some of my favorites

I will split it up into three categories: reader inserts, WoL OCs, and then yk fics with only the characters.

WARNING: I read lots of unsavory shit so please heed the tags in the links as I will not be going over those in this list.

*length of fics will be rounded to nearest thousand

Reader insert's

The Rise of Emperor Solus zos Galvus by amandaterasu

(Emet Selch x reader) Length: 25k Status: Complete (one shot) Review: You don't understand I think about this fic at least once a day oh my fucking LORD. 25k words just GONE in an instant I read this in like under an hour. Actually gigging and kicking my feet this shit bro liiiiiike the way this author writes Emet Selch... ouuuuughhh. I love it when a man is just so insane for his woman that he finds her in another life and immediately starts courting her. Honestly, this shit is just so good it reads almost like a historical drama in the best ways possible. Yeah it's romance (and smut) but it's also politics (kinda) and idk about you but those are my two favorite things. I now need a full length novel about Emet Selch's rise to emperor of Garlemald but yk what this shit is just as good. Bonus points for this author for introducing me to fanfic reading extensions to replace certain terms I will be using this from now on.

Tremble, Duck, & Weave by OwlEspresso

(Estinien, Aymeric, Haurchefant, Urianger x reader) Length: 31k Status: Incomplete Review: This inspired my current big project, Hellbound and yeah idk something about Ishgardian politics man. I'm gonna warn you right now a lot of these reader insert recs WILL be yandere/yandere-adjacent with a lot of unhealthy themes, general debauchery, and doves ranging from beaten to dead so uh... yeah. That aside, this is just a really fun time. Seeing everyone interact with the reader insert and all the different ways they show (or think about) their twisted affections... hnnnng it makes me a little insane okay. Also, shout out to pervert Haurchefant you will always be near and dear to my heart. We were ROBBED in the English translation

Captivate by samsaur

(Aymeric and Estinien x reader) Length: 41k Status: Incomplete Review: Remember what I said about doves ranging from being beaten up to dead? Well, the dove is definitely dead here, but it's rlly juicy because this shit really does feel like a horror story. I am not qualified to speak on it, but I think this is a great portrayal of Stockholm syndrome and the way it's written really puts you into the shoes of the reader insert and you kind of feel that hot and silent shame of being held captive like this. Also, one of my favorite niches of FFXIV fanfics is apparently villain Aymeric. Idk why but he is so good as a villain probably because he had every single reason to turn out one, and he would be a far more terrifying villain than Thordan. If Aymeric wasn't our ally during Heavensward, he would undoubtedly be a huge threat to us and this fic kinda takes that and dangles it over your head. Because, yes, Aymeric is holding the reader captive but he is also helping Alphinaud and Tataru out. It's this balancing act where we know Aymeric is capable of really fucked up things but he is still playing at the perfect image of our noble ally. You find yourself yelling at everyone else not to trust him because you, the reader and his captive, know that he is a piece of shit in this AU and I think it's glorious. Uhhh Estinien is there too ig. It's no fault on the author's part but I just don't really vibe with Estinien as a love interest. Though, his dynamic with Aymeric and the reader is extremely interesting to me. I can't say too much without spoiling all the fun, but I think in a way Aymeric has him trapped under this thumb too.

I'd Ask For Your Soul, But It's Already Mine by Dotharl

(Zenos x reader) Length: 29k Status: Incomplete Review: Guys it's fucking Zenos PLEASE read the tags on this one. Anyways I love my porn kjakjfjkjakhshjfjhk. Okay but genuinely I always say this, but Zenos is surprisingly genuine as a love interest because he doesn't put WoL up on a pedestal and just loves them for all of their worst bits and THAT is the appeal of enemies to lovers. This fic plays with that, especially with the reader insert being a Dark Knight WoL where Fray talks some sense into them and helps them recognize their self worth. I won't lie to you, this fic starts out with VERY fucked up Yandere fuckboy Zenos energy with all of the dubcon included, but I kinda don't care + it's just genuinely well written at times. The dynamic between WoL and Zenos is very nice here, bc yeah it starts out... like that and then it evolves into mutual respect when the reader realizes that Zenos would treat them well and not yk use them as a weapon. Albeit, it does go kind of quick but eh, it's like 4 chapters so I can't fault the author THAT much. Besides, not to diminish the fic, but it IS pretty clearly just kind of a pornfest and that is A-Okay with me! This shit was also last updated in like 2022 so I'm pretty sure it's abandoned.

Not a Champion, Just a Knight by Kei_Cordelle

(Haurchefant x reader)

Length: 23k Status: Incomplete Review: This one is in kind of a weird position because this is an AU where WoL dies at the Vault instead of Haurchefant, so there isn't exactly any HaurcheWoL action to speak of. But, WoL definitely haunts the characters' actions. Bro, when I tell you, the worst part of this fic is actually Alphinaud being very NOT OKAY bc WoL is dead. He is just a baby what the fuck do you mean he watched his friend, confidant, and hero die in front of him???? Yeah sorry I love Alphinaud a normal amount. (that is my SON) Anyways, this is written in first person which is weirdly a turn off for some people? I don't get the hate tbh, because first person just opens up so many fun opportunities! You can break the fourth wall much easier and directly address the reader, and you can also have the vibe that this is a retrospective of what the character saw. The later is definitely the vibe this fic gives. It's like, if the Heavensward memoir was written from Haurche's perspective in this AU. To me, I like to think that this fic is Haurchefant telling the tale of his greatest love and regret in writing. I feel like the action scenes could use some work but they're not terrible. It's just that they're literally one to one recounting of the Heavensward trials and it's just not the best. I think there's also the issue of the cast becoming slightly bloated so it is a bit rough to account for everyone's actions during fight sequences. I really do love this fic though because I think it's really interesting to see how everyone is unraveling. Obviously, we as the WoL take on a lot of things that are almost impossible for everyone else so to see them take on the monumental burden of the hero is very interesting. How would our companions react to certain things? Since during most trials in canon we take it on alone, how does everyone else fit in? Are they all doing the mechanics correctly? All in all, solid fic and I am holding out hope for that fated final fifth chapter since the last time it was updated was back in January and it was started back in 2022 so one day I hope that this will be complete and I get to see the final mental breakdown as the squad completes Heavensward with the legacy of WoL looming over them ✨

WoL OC Inserts

Coerthan Traitor by Cascanora (@cascanora here on Tumblr)

(Zenos x OC, a bit of typical Emet Selch and Azem reincarnation messiness) Length: 190k (GOD DAMN-) Status: Ongoing Review: The author of this fic is highkey like a celebrity to me bc I gobble up their art like it's fucking Christmas morning. Imagine being God's favorite and being blessed with the ability to draw AND WRITE??? Fucking insanity bro. Also, their OC, Crow is fine as hell like one chance ma'am pleeeeeeaaaaaseeee goddddddd- Anyways onto the actual fic, I am admittedly only on the first arc which is kind of like the childhood arc ig. But I really love it so far because I've just never seen anyone really write Zenos being kind of young and vulnerable and playful? That's a lie, I think I've read like one Zenos fluff that I'll have to dig through my AO3 history to find again (bc you'd best believe none of my bookmarks are fluffly...) so I just really like the change of pace. Zenos is obviously always put in more enemies to lovers type scenarios so I kinda like this different angle because yeah maybe he was something resembling normal at one point. Obviously he's very fucked up for a reason, but he was a kid too. He didn't always go off about biting jugulars and drinking blood or something, he got fucked up. I am so far absolutely living for a lot of the political stuff bc as I've said before, romance with a side of politics (or vice versa) is my cup of tea and nobody pulls this shit off better than fanfic authors. I'm really interested to see where the political stuff goes but it's like 2am (sheesh) as I'm writing this so I will have to delve further into this fic later. Anyways can I take a moment to talk about Crow and Zenos? Because they're so fucking cute I love themmmmm. I feel like I'm coming at this as someone who has seen a lot of Cascanora's art so I see when Crow and Zenos' relationship develop into when they're adults, so seeing the early stages of it is really cool to me. I don't quite know how to explain it? But anyways I am raving about this fic bc I think it just builds them both up so well and again, I don't see Zenos written to be playful and yk act his age the way he does around Crow. They just work together so well and while at the point of the story I'm at they're definitely just friends, I think that's the beautiful thing about friends to lovers. Regardless if it's romantic or platonic love, Zenos and Crow are a package deal. Also, Emet Selch/Solus in this fic is perfect. I LOVE my geriatric old man telling stories about his past. I would go off about how I am very captivated by the whole Galvus family dynamic but I will save that for the other fics bc this review section is already super fucking long and you had BEST BELIEVE I'm scouring the internet for Galvus family fics. I lied I will talk about this a little more because this strikes an odd chord with me as someone who wrote a lot of my own longform OC x Canon growing up. I kinda shamed myself off doing that kinda stuff as I got older, but diving into FFXIV where everyone becomes fucking Shakespear with their WoLs has made me let go of my fears of being a cringefailure and embrace the OC x Canon. To see really well written and thought out OC insert stuff is very comforting to me bc I often worry abt my own OCs being shitty and not really fitting in but fics like this assure me that hey, maybe I can make cool shit and that really is the most beautiful part of fanfiction and fandom in general. Fandom is this incredible loop of finding amazing shit and thinking "wow, I wanna do that too" and it's just really rewarding.

Save the Last Dance For Me by lalahganaja

(Alphinaud x WoL OC) Length: 11k Status: Complete (yatta!!!!) Review: ALPHINAUD MY BEAUTIFUL SONNNNN AAAAAAAARRRGGHHHSJGFKJGSGKHJHJF. This fic is so delightful bc it feels like I'm cheering on my children to kiss. A'tahja is so fucking precious and her and Alphinaud just bounce off each other so well. This fic also has the other Scions making an appearance and I fucking love it so much. Found family will never NOT make me absolutely batshit insane. Like yes, Y'shtola mamma cat <3 anyways *chews on Alphinaud and A'tahja* This is just so insanely fluffy and it made me slam my desk every few minutes bc cute teenage love story!!!! How can I not!!!! Alphinaud just acts like an adult a lot of the time and gets put in a lot of adult situations, but in this fic he just gets to be a little guy. A'tahja too, obviously as the WoL she's often off doing insane shit that no teenager should ever have to do and bearing burdens that are too much for a little skrunkly such as herself. But here they just get to be silly little kiddies who are very down bad for each other and it's adorable. I think another thing I really liked was A'tahja getting more in touch with her femininity? Idk how to put. But basically she had really short hair for most of her life bc she pretended to be a boy while in poverty, so to see her be A) pampered and B) learn to take care of herself and be more girly was super cute to see. Also, I am just always really surprised whenever I remember that Alphinaud can drink lmao. Like no, you are a baby (I was the same age as Alphinaud when I started playing this game) put the beer down and go sip on a capri sun or smth. God. Kids these days...

Canon character fics (?)

and i'm your clone, your strange creation by egg(strwpup)

(Fortemps familial angst from Artoirel's pov) Length: 6k Status: Complete (oneshot) Listen to me, I love this fic beyond words, but for the sake of my mental health I will NEVER read this shit again. My daddy issues go fucking DEEP like this is utter insanity. Don't get me wrong it is beautifully written and I love complicated family dynamics- but by god this fucked me up so bad. See, I like to personally believe that Edmont was a good, albeit flawed father but his sons know that he loves them and they love him in turn. But I know deep down in my heart of hearts that it is so much more complicated than that because you know, we can't have nice things here at Square Enix. It just personally fucks me up because I too, like Artoirel in this fic, am a momma's boy at heart and I... kinda hate my dad lmao. Basically, I kin Artoirel in this fic. Oldest child who has it out for my father + hates that I'm kinda like him. He loves his mother but holds contempt for his father, perhaps unfairly but can you blame him? (yeah I'm not only describing Artoirel here...) Edmont is a less than stellar father in this fic but you can tell he loves his kids and aaaaaaaaa I'm tearing up again. The complicated family dynamics + the drama of what happened in Heavensward is just so fucking delicious bro. 10/10 this fic destroyed me in every sense of the word and I do not want to go through that emotional reckoning again. However, I will be writing Edmont as a shitty dad in my fics now. Sorry but I am always just so insane for that sweet sweet eldest child and father dynamic because it's always so disastrous. Having parents is just so strange.

mon corps, le mien; mon coeur, le tien by steelthighsvoideyes

(Aymeric x Haurchefant x Estinien with a side of angst + Haurchefant survives the Vault AU) Length: 43k Status: Incomplete Review: I also started tearing up while writing this review because Haurchefant just does that to me okay? I feel like with a lot of Ishgard trio ship fics Haurche is always kind of left out? Or, he feels a bit tacked on to the Estimeric dynamic. That, or he's just sitting there with unrequited love bc clearly this man has not suffered enough. With this fic however, it definitely feels a lot more balanced. Like yeah a majority of the fic is just Haurchefant and Estinien bonding in the hospital, but Aymeric still feels present because of their shared past and how it's constantly being brought up. (in a good way) All three of them get the spotlight so you don't really lean towards one pairing. Romance aside, I really like the Ishgard trio's established dynamic in this fic because they're just guys being dudes. Besties who were in the military together. Like, Aymeric balances the trio out, Haurchefant is the sort of boisterous youngest member and Estinien is gruff and sarcastic and the banter between the three of them just flows so naturally. It's an actual friendship dynamic that serves as a solid foundation for what will hopefully be a romantic dynamic later on. Once again, friends to lovers is so good for this reason because the foundation is already there. You appreciate them as a person and you are aware of their flaws from the get-go, so when it turns romantic you skip a lot of the awkward exploration phase and can just be comfortable with each other. Anyways as for the crying part- the Fortemps familial drama follows Haurche throughout this fic and it does make me a little, tiny bit crazy. Not gonna spoil it, but the way Haurchefant feels about his family in this fic is just so real and visceral because of course it's super complicated. Once again, I like Edmont being a good dad, but realistically, it's shades of gray. Another thing about Haurchefant that not only this fic does but a lot of other people also head canon, is that his selflessness and willing to give can be self destructive at times. Once again, not gonna spoil, but it's just super heartbreaking to read Haurchefant be almost hypocritical, telling his friends to take care of themselves only for him to almost completely disregard himself. That's kind of what he does at the Vault in the first place, like that man died knowing that he did the right thing and protected his friend and oh god I'm gonna cry again I should stop talking... (I am not even kidding when I say that I will eventually write a Haurchefant character essay...)

Unicorn's Favor by Neyasochi

(Aymeric x Haurchefant x Estinien, yet another Haurche survives the Vault AU) Length: 34k Status: Complete Review: So, this is one of those fics where I feel Haurchefant is kinda just taped onto the Estimeric dynamic, and that's fine, it's whatever, I'm here for the porn and the banter. The premise of this fic is that Haurche helps get Estinien and Aymeric together and then smutty gay things happen. And that's all well and good BUT I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE FORTEMPS BROTHERS IN THIS FIC!!! *holds them gentle* For me, the best part of this fic was Haurchefant's relationship with his family which for a change, is NOT super angsty and complicated. It's all very heartwarming to see how in this fic the brothers get along very well (contrary to canon where unfortunately we know they were never very close) and to see Haurchefant really appreciate that he's still alive and gets to be around the people he loves more. It's just super cute and fluffy and now I just need fics like this in general. Yeah whatever it's not canon that the Fortemps bros actually like each other this much BUT IDC!!!! YOU NEVER SEPERATE TRIOS!!!! Speaking of trios, the Ishgard trio dynamic in this is yk it's fine it's whatever. In this particular fic, I find it quite cute that Haurche had a crush on Aymeric as a kid, so even if they aren't all buddy buddy in this fic there's still that lingering admiration and it's cute. I also completely swear by pansexual Haurchefant bc that man does NOT discriminate. Okay enough abt the French I will talk about the Italians (Romans) now.

Far colder on the earth than in the heavens by Altimas_Bane

(Galvus family things) Length: 7k Status: Complete Review: I told you I love my familial angst. No, I'm NOT okay. It DOES make me absolutely rabid that Emet Selch as Solus couldn't help but have some hope for the sundered because of Lucius because can you fucking imagine that??? Your son who gave you a little bit of hope for the broken, shattered people who replaced your brethren dies and that is the nail in the coffin. That is what makes you fully believe that they are unworthy. It was briefly mentioned in the short story "Through his Eyes", but Emet Selch had a little bit of hope for Lucius, and he was probably distraught when his son died. This fic goes over that agonizing feeling of watching someone slowly waste away from sickness. It is slow, it is painful, and it is gut wrenching. Idk man, just read it.

Son, Father, Emperor by January Blue

(Varis reflecting on his life and especially his relationship with Zenos)

Length: 12k Status: Complete Review: Heyyyyyy do you bitches remember when I said that Varis probably loved Zenos when he was younger but eventually held contempt for the monster he created? You all probably thought I was crazy for reading them like this BUT I'M NOT!!!!! Anyways fatherly angst strikes again (I am in shambles and this fic goes onto the list of fics that I will never read again for the sake of my mental health) LISTEN TO ME AND LISTEN WELL; Varis and Zenos' relationship isn't so black and white. No I'm not defending Varis- but come on the entire Galvus family is fucking crazy man. Anyways, to quote the comment I left on this fic because I do not want to repeat and retype it myself: "Varis, in a lineage of men that are strong, born into the arena that is politics, is WEAK because he is EMOTIONAL. Solus/Emet Selch calls him emotional in the cutscene he was introduced in (unless I'm hallucinating) and that SENT me because I was forced to rethink all of the information we had been shown of Varis until then. I wrote him off as a shallow villain but I did some digging and Varis is surprisingly the most empathetic in the Galvus household and it SHOWS whenever Solus berated him in cutscenes." Varis had emotions, he had morals he had a line that he would not cross. He has been shown to be merciful (when we parlayed with him in the Ghimlyt Dark) and it's known that he at least cared for his late wife, Zenos' mother. Obviously, he would extend that to his son at one point, right? Perhaps when he was still young and unmarked by the world- right???? See, I really like this fic because it frames Varis' absence from Zenos' life as unintentional, but at the same time, it does not absolve him of the fact that he is a terrible father. I don't want to say too much because I would very much like it if YOU, my dearest reader, took as much emotional damage reading this as I did- but I digress. Varis and Zenos' relationship is not as simple as "Varis hates Zenos" there's obviously some shades of gray here. I personally believed that there's no way Varis hated Zenos because Zenos' mother died in childbirth, and clearly, other people think the same. Listen, you don't just hate your own flesh and blood, at least, not from the very beginning. It's a slow process, and I know it in my heart of hearts that Varis regretted what he let happen to Zenos This fic is just so wonderfully written and I was actually kinda bouncing around my room reading this. Once again, major daddy issues, so maybe that's why I like believing that Varis loved Zenos once upon a time. Something, something, father's love their kids until they grow a mind of their own.

And that's my list! In the future as I make my way through fanfics I have marked for later due to spoilers, I might make another one of these because I think people need to read this shit!!!!

If one of your fics is on here please send me an ask so that I might go back and edit this to tag you!

[tickldpnk8]

Shipper Tag Game

Thanks for the tags @windsweptinred and @writing-for-life! Sorry it's taken me a bit: this week has been really hectic, but this is a fun one! I suspect that my answers may be a bit of a blend of both of yours.

What ship were you completely obsessed with as a teenager, but now you don't care about anymore?

I still actively ship the same pairings I did as a teenager. Mostly because I tend to like canon pairings, so when I engage with a fandom, it tends to be through that lens.

What ship would you consider your first one?

The earliest ship I remember liking is Clark Kent/Lois Lane from Lois and Clark. But this was pre-computer in my house growing up. The first ship I really got into online fan culture with and fan fiction was Harry/Ginny from HP.

Your first fanfic was about which couple?

So I've never written fanfic: I'm more of a fan art person, although I'm pretty shy about posting it. My earliest fan art was probably something Disney...most likely The Little Mermaid as a kid. My most recent foray back into fan art was for The Unknown and Static Strange, Dreamling fic. Otherwise, I've just had fun painting Morpheus' hair.

Do you remember the first couple you saw fan art of?

Most likely Harry/Ginny: there was this excellent artist, whose name (I think) was Marta, who used to post watercolor sketches on her own site called The Art Dungeon: they were gorgeous and really helped shape how I pictured the characters as I read the books. I'd love to find her artwork again to see what her portfolio is like now if she's still working as an artist.

Have you ever gotten into ship discourse?

Oh man...do you know how non-confrontational I am?? I won't touch it with a 10 ft pole: first whiff of a debate going heated and I nope out of there. I took a peek at the Loki tags when season 2 came out and couldn't close my browser fast enough. Ship and let ship, but don't ask me to comment on it.

Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?

I generally avoid anything that a huge power imbalance: (think: underage student with an adult teacher). But other than that, I've come to embrace any ship if the writing is good enough. Almost any trope too.

Who were the last couple in the last fanfic you read?

I'm super excited to see Hounds is updating again, even if I've largely moved on from actively pursuing Dreamling. And I LOVED @writing-for-life's The Light of Stars (Morpheus x OC). I dabbled in a few Loki one-shots recently, too.

Currently, do you have any OTPs?

Man, that's hard...because I'm honestly not reading fanfic for the ships: I'm mostly reading it to satisfy the brain rot. So while I tend to prefer canon-adjacent or gen fics (missing moments, alt POV, etc), it seems that the best way to find those is through searching ship tags. Sandman seems to be the exception: I want all of these characters to pair up with all of the other characters and all bets are off the table. If the writing is solid and the plot is intriguing, I'm in!

Is there any couple that, to this day, that you are extremely mad about not getting into?

Not really: I don't invest so much in the ships I like and hate that I can't Ship and Let Ship. Likewise, if I want to read something, I will. And if it's not for me, I'll just ignore it. I also don't get so invested that if it doesn't become canon I'm upset: I kind of figure all things are possible in Lucienne's library

Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they're kind of interesting?

I honestly didn't really like the idea of Dreamling to start: it's not a canon pairing, I wouldn't have put the spin on Hob's character that fandom seems to have latched onto, and I really like that he's the one platonic friendship that Morpheus has able to form. But I find the idea of someone living for that long infinitely intriguing so I dipped into the tags, and some of the most well-known and well-beloved early fics for this pairing really caught my attention and hooked me in. But since then...my interest has waned. As others have pointed out, it's just everywhere and hard to filter. It's also starting to feel a bit OOC as fandom does what they do in shaping a character's portrayal.

I tend to go in spurts where I really like a certain dynamic and then I get bored with the fic selection for a pairing. But generally, I'll always come back to it after enough time. I really want to see more Desire-centric pairings like Desunity as I think they're a really interesting character and it could be interesting to explore them in different relationships given their function.

Do you have any ship that, in the past, would have been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

I've been in fandom spaces a long time, but I don't think any of them would be considered problematic today. It's more likely that there are things I used to feel were problematic, but I'm actually okay with now. I've grown a lot as a reader (and a human) over time.

What is your favorite crack ship?

Prob Morpheus and his Helmet (have we named this yet @writing-for-life?? it needs a worthy ship name). I'm also fairly certain that I coined the name Timeslayer for the Loki fandom (or might have simultaneously come up with the name when others did). But I've never seen a ship sink so quickly.

What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?

Lately, it's been Dream x Joanna (ConstantDream) coming off of a big DreamMuse kick that was followed by Dream x Lucienne.

What do most of your ships have in common?

That's hard! I was going to say Hard Candy Shell of a Guy reveals he has a Gooey Nougat Center...but really it just comes down to 1) is the writing good? 2) is the plot intriguing? 3) do the characters feel in-character? If you satisfy those 3 things, I'll likely read it.

What do you absolutely hate in a ship?

Absolutely nothing outright. I'll sometimes go off a ship a little once it reaches that point where fanon locks in too tight around it. But I think that's a very me problem, as I crave variation/new experiences/ideas. I'll still love the ship, I'll just know that's just my time to move onto something new and come back and visit every so often.

^ @windsweptinred couldn't have nailed this better. I crave new: new perspectives, new takes on a character or dynamic, new AU scenarios. So once things get a bit too repetitive across authors, I'll pull back and visit something else.

This was fun! Thanks again for the tags. I've been minimally online this week so am not sure who else has done this: if you follow me and want to participated consider this your chance!

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @nczaversnick!

OC Mega Questionaire

Random number generator suggests Djek :)

Five things that make you happy:

I mean, money in my pocket. That's like, the main one. A hopped-up party is probably second, with a crowd of rich drunks to follow. I guess after that... card games? Oh, and my friends! Can't forget those losers.

If you could save just one other person who would it be?

I... Am I an idiot if I say Tyche? She betrayed me, left me for dead. I doubt she- I doubt she ever cared about me in the first place. But I wish she could've. I wish she could've been better.

Tell us one of your funniest jokes:

Why does the sea roar? Well, you'd be hollering too if you had crabs on your bottom.

Where would you like to visit?

Oh, tough question. I've really been around, you know? Hit up most of the big cities - I don't got much use for hiking bullshit. If I could go anywhere, I think I'd pick Seluthena. Yeah, yeah, it's underwater, but there's magic. Sepo talks about it sometimes, and it sounds pretty. Plus, I want to see if all sirens are such hard asses.

When do you usually go to sleep?

Uhhh.... Probably three? Don't get on my ass about it, ok?

Are you a jealous person?

Totally not. I'd never be jealous of someone when I can steal whatever fancy digs they've got instead. ...I guess I used to be kinda jealous of Twenari’s sorcery when we first met, but she'll use it better than I ever would.

Have you committed a crime?

Seriously? I'm not gonna dignify that with an answer.

Do you have a chore you usually hate?

Ugh, what chore don't I hate? Laundry is probably my least favorite. Remembering to fold it feels like pokers in my brain.

Tell me an embarrassing childhood story

Ok, ok, ok, this is a good one. So, some of the bigger street kids were chasing me - I had some food they wanted and this one teen, Miks, just had it out for me anyways after he found me sleeping in this drain pipe he liked. They chased me all the way up into this warehouse, so I figured I'd hide, yeah? I jumped into the nearest crate only to find, oh shit, it's full of flour. It's getting all up in my nose and mouth, and I just know I'm gonna sneeze any second now, but the other kids are in the building. That's when I had my glorious idea. I stagger up outta the flour, groaning like some unholy spirit and waving my hands all menacingly. I conjured up some shadows and all those kids started screaming like nothing else, thinking I was an actual ghost. Miks even pissed himself! Course, they caught on a second later and beat the ever-loving snot out of me, but I kept looking up at that stain on Miks' leg and giggling the whole time. ...Ah memories.

Are you a good person?

I try. I know I've failed in my past, and I'll fail again in the future, but I still try as best I can. I think that counts for something, right?

What’s the worst thing you have ever done? Do you regret it?

I let a little girl watch her mom get beaten to a pulp in front of her eyes. I let my best friend be taken by a demon she'd spent her whole life fighting. I killed an evil man and stopped him from doing an evil thing, but I still wonder late at night if he could've been redeemed. I regret all three.

What’s the quickest way to make you laugh?

Heh, tell me a dirty joke, and I'll probably be on the floor.

What is your favorite song right now?

The Kindly Vixen. It always has and it always will be a visionary among bad bar songs.

Do you sometimes wish to be someone else?

Oh, every day, my friend. I don't usually mean it, but yeah, every day.

Do you push forward or take time to rest?

What, do you think I'm some sort of soldier type? Some expert mage who stays up too late and doesn't remember to eat her breakfast? Nah, I take it easy when I can because who knows when the next opportunity will come around.

What is your favorite drink?

Dryuenya tyri. It's sweeter than regular tyri, and people usually mix it with cherry juice.

If you had to pick an item of clothing or accessory to wear for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Shit, maybe a bandana? It's a pretty versatile piece. Or, wait, maybe glasses would be more practical. Damn, I wish I had glasses.

If you were forced to forget one memory, what would you choose?

One of those hungry street nights. They all run together anyways.

What is a positive thing your worst enemy would say about you?

I'm a determined little bastard, I'll tell you what. I'd like to think even my enemies can appreciate just how many times I get back up after taking a beating.

I'll tag @dragonedged-if @pluppsauthor @watermeezersworldofkaldria @wyked-ao3 @uraniumwriting and anyone else who wants in :)

[s41nt-b3rn4rd]

Tumblr won't let me put a read more on the orginal ask but, HELLO? HI?? I THOUGHT I HAD ANON OFF????? Yes hi I have ocs. My current favorites are like- 5 out of... so many. They'll be under the "read more" because there's alot about them. I'm normal I prommy.

Also potato if you see this, hi. {remember to read the tags for sillies}

In order of who im (SADLY) Hyperfixated on, it goes;

* Sasha {Bulleteer Aaron} , in canon she's an ex-boxer that now works at a tattoo parlor and shares an apartment with a demon she summoned while on a wine binge. She's mixed with Russian+Irish+Icelandic+Mexican heritage but grew up mainly with her Irish and Mexican heritage. She's a disaster panace who can't be picky at this point- Sasha just wants someone who she can come home to at the end of the day, and talk to like a normal person. Does she count as a villain? I hope so. She killed a small family in nebraska once. In a story/rp, she used to be the ambassador for a kingdom but settled down as a butcher. She got burn scars from it for being a #girlboss and they stayed canon. * Sydney {Witherstone Appleton} , in canon their a demon that got summoned BY Sasha. She works at a diner, but mainly lives to annoy Sasha by giving her "water curses" and "sleepy spells" which is just him staring at Sasha until she takes care of herself. Notice how Sydney has multiple pronouns! Because in my lil' oc universe- demons don't have genders. Hell is seperate by everyones own depiction and in mine- it's just.. bland. normal. Sometimes the current ruler throws parties, that's fun. You can get a gender if you want, healthcare and stuff is free. ANYWAYS- Sydney is so normal it HURTS me. It just wants to fucking get groceries, pay bills and leave. BTW they commited tax fraud but shhhh we don't have to talk about that. BTW 2 THEY ALSO KEEP IN CONTACT WITH THEIR FAMILY- HER FAMILY * Matthew {NO MIDDLENAME NOR LASTNAME}. You know that funny meme of what happens if a centaur and a mermaid have a kid?? Yeah he's that. He's basically like, a generic guy- minus his bull ears and the horn's he's growing and his ability to speak underwater and breathe underwater. In canon he used to be like- a leutanint general but now he works at a light-house. He's a weed smoking girlfriend despite being a gnc acearo man with chronic leg pain. also lung pain. In the rp he was made for, he was surprisingly the least problematic. All he did was stress knit- I'm pretty sure he got the job BECAUSE he was just! some guy! He does have horrors though. And by "horrors" I mean he grew up (and out of) the orphanage so he has little to no knowledge about his parents, chooses to stay silent/nonverbal throughout his life so his sentence forming SUCKS- he lives is life in a cycle, can barely cook nor fold laundry. To cope though, he knits and likes to sneak into gardens and revive dead/dieing plants via necromancy. BTW he grew up in the same orphanage as Sasha and they have a blood pact. If one gets hurt, so does the other. * The Asker {that's it's name}. Me and my bestie for life have an ask game with eachother, where our ocs ask eachother questions, and that's my silly little guy for it!! Funnily enough, it was based on anon asks, but eventually evolved into it's own thing. It used to live in an empty black void- with bright computer lights illuminating it's small area of safety, and a single keyboard with oh so many letters and such. But RECENTLY, that fuck ESCAPED!!! JAIL BREAK!!!!! And is currently living in the basement of a motel because "oh my god is this the outside why is it bright why is it loud oh my god oh my god [THEIR] going to [DECOMMISSION ME]." #slay, y'know? Don't worry though, it'll get a job at like- walgreens or walmart and live in a normal ass neighborhood soon. * Sammy {Picture}. Once again, another oc made for an RP that I absolutely FELL IN LOVE WITH!! He's an object-head with one of those rotary phones for a head, but more pathetic looking and kinda like a bug, but it's okay. He's a preschool teacher and admires his job. He has a situationship thing with the person who he shares an apartment with- a soap rabbit humanoid named Bob, that is also a substitute history teacher. Anyways remember the bug thing? Yeah. Sammy used to be a catipillar centaur but someone fucking robbed its grave when he died. BTW Sammy was a catipillar in this sense

and therefor he's very colorful. he's a pathetic meow meow but he's also said the most ominous insults ever. He's my favorite bc I like to imagine him doing the most boring tasks like drinking water. He does his taxes btw. Their my only oc who willingly does its taxes.

[thaumatology]

Behind the Muse meme.

tagged(sorta) by @esotericjerks

Name: Nate

Age: 27

How old were you when you first started RP-ing: I'm pretty sure I started at 15, maybe 16. (That was a mistake btw, I do not recommend it.)

Height: 6'3"

OC’s or Canons: OCs, though I have a couple OCs who started out as borderline expies of canon characters just because I liked their vibe but I am allergic to actually playing canons because I feel like I will get them wrong.

Prefer to play females or males: I think if you looked at all the characters I have ever created there would probably be a slant towards male, but in terms of my currently active characters it's a pretty even split (though Colin still gets more of my attention than any of the others.)

Favorite faceclaim to play: I don't really use faceclaims, at least not directly. I'll often pick an actor with a similar facial structure to use as a reference when drawing a character from different angles, but I'm usually not trying to recreate them 1 to 1.

Least favorite faceclaim to play: N/A, see above.

Worst RP experience ever: Hard to pick. I've been in a lot of different rp communities and most of them have ended up eventually melting down over some OOC drama and it sucks every time.

Fluff, angst, or smut: Any and all as long as its interesting! (and tbh I'm kind of a sucker for domestic fluff even when its not.)

Most overused FC: I don't engage with the concept enough to know.

First character you ever made: God I don't know. I was making characters years before I ever started rping and I can only remember a fraction of them.

Worst character you ever made: If we're talking in terms of personality and morals then its probably my version of Beelzebub. The man responsible for Colin's birth and childhood is pretty up there too, but he at least had an (arguably) noble goal when he set out, he just lost it in the ends justify the means thinking.

Favorite type of plot: I love long term slowburn shit (not just in terms of shipping) that builds up on stuff established in previous threads over time. In terms of themes I really enjoy taking two characters where at least one of them is initially distrustful and having their relationship build into friends or lovers.

At what time of day is your writing the best?: In terms of actually putting things together, mid day. in terms of coming up with little tweaks that elevate what I've previously written? Just after I go to bed unfortunately.

Are you anything like your muse?: Oh for sure. A lot of my characters get little bits and pieces of my personality through osmosis, and Colin got more than most. In particular one thing I drew heavily on when writing him was how growing up with autism made it really difficult to relate to a lot of the experiences my peers were having, and while he is probably not autistic, he experienced a similar thing due to his condition.

Worst thing about RP (in general or on Tumblr): Imposter syndrome. I will spend like two hours writing up a starter or a reply and think I really cooked with it and then my partner will respond with something that feels like it just completely blows my stuff out of the water. I have to constantly remind myself that if someone is choosing to rp with me it means they probably enjoy my writing.

To end on a good note — best thing about RP?: Meeting people with similar interests and getting to see all of your writing (and especially worldbuilding for those who have it, please share your worlds with me I want to learn about them!!!). So many people here are super talented and creative and it's a joy to get to write with you all.

Tagging: Anyone who sees this and wants to do it!

[mareenavee]

Congratulations! You've been given the opportunity to create a brand new NPC for vanilla Skyrim, completely with vanilla bugs.

Who would this person be? How did they get to Skyrim? What are some funny things they might say in passing? Would they be a follower -- and if so, how would they fight? If not, why? and are they safe? Feel free to elaborate and answer unasked questions about this critter. (: This can be related to your fic(s) and/or existing OCs or completely separate just for fun.

Tagged by the most esteemed @paraparadigm except not really, it was an Ask I sent her for funsies (read her amazing answer here!) and she turned it into a tag game lol

So without further ado, I am pleased to introduce you to...

Oft-Forgotten, Argonian sneak thief. Or, would be, really, if he was any good at sneaking or thieving. He uses a two-handed war hammer, which, in hindsight, is the perfect weapon for sneak attacks, come to think of it.

He's a nice green lizard man. Generally cool and collected. Tries to befriend everyone around him, but bless his heart, when he tries to talk to others he accidentally steals things off their counters every single time. In full view. He can't really help it. In this way, every Hold has bounties in the books for him for petty theft and/or destruction of property. The guards kind of recognize him, but can't be too sure. They say "Hey, I know you?" and then when Oft tries to pay his fines, they just say "Hmm? Need something?" and so, the crimes just kind of linger, unresolved.

He'll follow you, too, if you ask, but has a tendency to wander off. Sometimes he complains about how gross caves and/or Nordic ruins are in broad daylight in the middle of the street. Maybe he has unresolved trauma regarding things like this -- it's hard to say. When you ask him, he's often prone to get caught up in your hit box, fall over and drag unceremoniously behind you by some kind of odd force you can't quite explain. Almost as if stuck to your shoe. He recovers upon fast travel.

Oh and don't get me started on Giants. He's prone to trying to befriend them, too, but considering he sort of always brandishes his war hammer no matter where he's walking, they...take him as a bit of a threat. How he's survived blows from Giants that launch him so far up in the sky it's hard to say when he'll be back down is beyond you, but he gets up, brushes it off, and rushes off to continue adventuring, no harm done. He must have the favor of some Gods, or is exceedingly well preserved by the Hist. You're not exactly sure how that works, anyway.

He's not one for walking off the beaten path, though. You once climbed to the Throat of the World, assuming your friend was behind you the whole way, only to find he'd disappeared at some unknown point. Choosing not to reload your save to when you last remembered him being there -- for some strange reason, you can't remember how long ago that was, really -- you trek all the way back down to Ivarstead and find him under the bridge in the river, face crushed to the bricks. You try to talk to him, but somehow he warps through the solid structure until you can only see some nostrils and the edge of a horn. This, too, resolves with fast travel.

Regardless of his...weirdness, at least you can rely on him for good conversation. You think. You're not really sure. Every time you try and recall a detail he's said, the only thing you can remember is battle cries, and those comments about caves and ruins. You turn around, recalling this and find he's gone again. Maybe he actually is a good sneak thief and you've just forgotten.

~*~

Since Para made this a tag game, let's tag @changelingsandothernonsense again (: And @friend-of-giants as well! And for some writing practice, why not @thattalviel, and @orfeoarte? I'd love to hear from @airiat, @saltymaplesyrup, @elfinismsarts, @goddess-of-sorrow and @thequeenofthewinter too! And as always, if you're up for it, @the-storytellers-seer!

Also honorary tagging anyone else who wants to try this!

Feel free to make these NPCs as serious or as silly as you want! Para and I are just, apparently, in a mood today lol

[dramatisperscnae]

SHIPPING INFO:// Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog

REPOST. DON'T REBLOG

What’s your OTP for your Muse(s)?

Oh hell. Let me see if I can remember all of them Stucky, Wnterhawk, Frosthawk [which I have accepted will never happen but I can dream dammit], Loki/Sigyn [HE LOVES HIS WIFE], Jaydick[any flavor; platonic or romantic], Dick/Babs, Dick/Roy, Remy/Rogue, Hyuroi, Hughes/Gracia[this man loves his wife okay], and the others either don't have an OTP because I haven't found one I like or they're OCs whose partner is another OC and therefore kinda pointless to list here XD

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

I'll try anything once. I'm a sucker for soulmate AUs, I'm great with deep platonic bonds -points at both Jaydick and Stucky-, gimme the romance, gimme FWB, just...-grabby hands- ship ALL THE THINGS Haven't ever really dabbled in toxic or hateships, but I would not be opposed to this with the right pairing and partner, either.

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

This depends entirely on the relative ages involved, since I have two muses on here that are both over 2000 years old and at that point worrying about age gaps is really kinda pointless. That being said, I will not ship anything beyond purely romantic with muses below the age of 18 as a general rule, and that only because I have two muses with minor-aged verses [Dick and Conrad].

Are you selective when shipping?

To an extent; I ship chemistry above all, so there's no guarantee that - as an example - my Bucky is gonna be solidly romantically attracted to any given portrayal of Steve, or that I the writer am gonna click with the writer of any given Steve out there. Chemistry does not just mean chemistry of the characters; if our styles clash or we don't really mesh well then shipping's probably not gonna happen.

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW? 

I tend to be very lenient here, but in general once the bits below the belt start getting named and/or there is full nudity I start tagging. Unless my partner starts tagging and/or readmore-ing first, in which case I follow my partner's lead and do the same.

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

Oh lord. Okay. Arthur: Bruce ( @cxpedcrusxder ) Dick: Marcus ( @hacker-codeq ), Roy ( @thecreativeforge ), Clint ( @normaltothemax ), Jason ( @lazaruspitreborn , @messeduphood , potentially one or two others to be determined later) Kyle: None yet Loki: None yet Remy: Matt Murdock ( @defectivexfragmented ) Bucky: Clint ( @normaltothemax ) Corwin: None yet Clive: None yet Greyson: None yet Conrad: As my shameless self-insert I have a list I'd love to ship him with, but none have happened yet XD TJ: I used to ship him with Steve back in the day; currently none. Caspian: Michelle ( @misstisalir ); otherwise, none yet Hughes: None yet Judas: Gabriel ( @misstisalir ); otherwise, none yet Lucifer: also Gabriel XD [it's complicated] otherwise, none yet

Does one have to ask to ship with you?

Yes. Like I said earlier, even the 'obvious' ships [like Stucky] might not actually work out between us. Consent is always key. Also, it's more fun to let things develop naturally, that's how the best ships happen!

How often do you like to ship?

So long as there's chemistry, all the damn time

Are you multiship?

100% I have only ever considered limiting ships once and that was because the character involved had just been so built around his ship partner that playing him off anyone else was just weird. That is the exception to the rule here.

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

-shrug?- Depends on what mood I'm in at the time and who happens to be loud and demanding XD

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

Uh. -looks at current DC obsession- do I have to just pick one? Probably Jaydick, but in all its permutations. It scratches that delightful Stucky itch of 'can be just very deeply platonic but also so goddamn romantic under the right circumstances' and I kinda love it. But also I've a softspot for Batcat when they're written right.

Finally, how does one ship with you?

Hop in my inbox and ask; it's a more reliable way to get in touch with me than messenger at first XD Chances are I already ship it to some degree, or will start shipping it if I haven't already thought of it and can see the potential -sideeyes his Aquabat ship with Fox as evidence >w>-

tagged by @defectivexfragmented tagging: You. With the face.

[gyokujyn]

Get To Know Me Tag Game

Tagged by @blackwood4stucky - Aspen, thank you for the tag, but I am breaking all the rules and changing most of the some questions to really get to know me (and hopefully you)! Pretend I tagged you at the bottom, too, cause it won't let me tag you twice!

1. How did you get your nickname (or url)?

I don't really have a nickname, but my url is the first long term OC I used to RP back in the day. I see a lot of hate for RPing OCs these days, but when the internet still screamed at you before you could logon, almost everyone RPed OCs--in fact it was looked down on to RP an existing character or an OC that was related to an existing character. Gyoku Jynnae was a Star Trek OC, but I also RPed Star Wars, D&D, and a few others in AOL chat rooms, forums/message boards, and email. I keep the name in case I ever run into anyone from that time in my life because some of those people helped keep me alive and I'll never forget it.

2. What's the last thing that made you cry?

Therapy yesterday. I'm trying to be less allergic to feelings. Go me.

3. What's your latest guilty pleasure?

I generally don't feel guilty about the things that bring me pleasure, lol, but I'm a little embarrassed that I realized my Stucky playlist on Spotify has long since exceeded 200 songs (sitting pretty close to 230 rn) so I created, I shit you not, a spreadsheet to help me most effectively split it into more specific lists for various timeframes or feelings and I am really enjoying listening to all the songs and organizing it.

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

I never did organized sports, but I did regularly get dropped in the wilderness with a map and a compass for "fun" when I was in high school--does that count?

5. What are your pet peeves?

I hate the sound of chewing/lip smacking/swallowing. I probably have misophonia because it makes me want to vault the table and punch someone.

6. What is the first thing you notice about people?

Hair and hands, usually. Eye contact is not my forte, so I am way more likely to remember someone by their shoes or something than by their face.

7. What is your eye color?

Hazel. I have a ring of brown around my pupil, then a ring of green outside of that like some kind of ridiculous YA novel.

8. What super specific trope or genre is your kryptonite?

Not sure how super specific this is, but I love psychological horror and body horror. I love the kinds of stories and movies where I walk away thinking I'm moving on with my life and then days later, something happens and my heart is pounding and I'm thinking about it again. I love horror that lives under your skin and in the back of your mind until it grips you out of nowhere.

9. What is your superpower?

I am very observant of details, which might be a superpower, but it usually feels like my villain origin story. It makes me good at reading people, but terrible at finishing projects because all I see are the faults and I get overwhelmed and it never gets finished.

10. Which fictional world would you be happy to call home?

You remember that late-aughts Bruce Willis movie where everyone plugs into an interface that lets them leave their bodies at home and navigate the world in an idealized, customizable body with no pain? Yeah, me, neither. I don't think about being able to have a pain-free body that reflects my personal image of myself everyday. Not at all.

11. What are your hobbies?

Reading, creating art, and video games. Between kids and COVID, my other hobby, tabletop RPG, is on a long term hiatus.

12. Do you have any pets?

We've recently lost a dog and a cat, so we're down to 1 cat and about 27,000 fish (not really, but we do have 8 running fish tanks, 3 of which are each over 50 gallons, so, like, there's a lot of fish).

13. What is your biggest toxic trait?

Oh, man, when I am in a relationship with someone, I want to be the center of their fucking universe. Which is weird because I am not monogamous and I am my wife's number one wing man, but it's not about jealousy. I want to know that I can trust my partner to have my back. That they're thinking about me. That they want me. I want to be wanted desperately. I will and have broken up with partners who weren't bad people or a bad match for me, they just weren't as mad about me as I wanted them to be. I feel like a narcissist typing this out, but it's the truth.

14. Is there anything you're afraid you won't accomplish?

I don't know that this is really an accomplishment, but I always wanted to have lots of kids and I always wanted to foster and adopt some of my kids. I knew kids growing up that needed safe homes and never got them (I probably was one, but I was afraid to get into the system, so I just kept my head down and dealt with it) and I always wanted to be the safe place I never had. But, it's expensive. Not the kids--I know kids are expensive (I already have 2). I don't understand why fostering and adopting is so expensive.

15. What's number one on your bucket list?

I want to go back to school to become a teacher, but I'm really finding it daunting right now.

Tags: I'm just tagging a dozen recentish mutuals that I don't know so well, yet... no pressure, but I'd love to get to know you better! @winterscrump @basnatural @eloquentreverie @vellicore @milarca @the-kestrels-feather @iceandironbars @sarahowritesostucky @natashadied4oursins @thepiper0fhameln @hypnxrchy @shurisbedroom If I didn't tag you, but you want to play, please feel free to jump in and tag me anyway!

[detective-luca-montoya]

Lawrence and Luca- Part 1

Was inspired by @montammil 's writing, specifically his amazing oc Lawrence, so I decided to write a crossover drabble with my oc Luca! Part one of ???. No specific warnings for this chapter. Ask to tag and enjoy!

Lawrence Cross belongs to @montammil! Luca Montoya belongs to me!

---

"Look, I know I'm a week overdue, but my client-" Luca groans into the phone as she paces down the street, heading in no particular direction. Rent was due- overdue, actually, but the latest case had taken longer than she had expected and even worse, her client had nearly refused to pay at all. Apparently people tended to shoot the messenger when it came to cheating partners. Leaving her short- on both money and patience. "Yes- I know what the lease says, but I just need a few more days! I'm good for it, you know that!" She pinches the bridge of her nose in her fingers. "Yeah- I remember last month. But I did pay it!" (If not a week late...) She lets some exasperation leak into her tone. "Mr. Warren, please-!"

She's abruptly cut off by a dial tone. She swears under her breath, pockets the phone and takes a seat on a nearby bench. Maybe I can ask Sylv for a loan... I can't afford to move! Not with housing prices these days, I was lucky to even get my apartment... Frustrated, she drops her head into her hands and stares at a line of ants making their merry way across the sidewalk. At least they didn't have to worry about impatient landlords or rising food prices or angry clients...

She's shaken out of her anxiety spiral by a voice asking, "What's got you so down, kiddo?"

Luca looks up. The man in front of her is pale, handsome- actor handsome, she thinks. Blond hair, blue eyes. Fancy watch, fancy dress shirt. Maybe a businessman? She's a bit put off by the automatic familiarity of his question- she's never seen him before, after all- but his aura seems... curious. Non-threatening. She looks up at him. "Oh- nothing. Just, uh-"

Oh, what the hell. Why not dump her problems on some forty-something guy she just met on the street? She's made stupider choices. "I'm late on my rent, that's all."

The man nods sympathetically. "Ah. Having trouble finding work?"

I'm not interested, thanks. "I'm self-employed, actually. A P.I."

He looks surprised. "A detective? That's a dangerous job, isn't it?"

Luca shrugs. "I can handle myself."

The man smiles. It's genuine. Dazzling, almost. "Of course, of course." He offers a hand. "I'm Lawrence. Lawrence Cross."

Luca shakes his hand. "Luca Montoya. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Cross."

He laughs at that. It's almost as charming as his smile. "Oh, you don't need to be so formal. Please, call me Lawrence. Say- I'm looking for a good meal, do you know a place?"

Luca nods. "Right over there is a nice outdoor café. They do that cute little coffee art... and you know. Food."

Lawrence nods, before looking around, seeming embarassed. "I'm not from around here, I'm afraid. Would you mind showing me?"

Luca is on guard at that. Strange man, seemingly wealthy, wanting her to lead him to a local hangout? It was a bit... odd. Certainly something she was wary of in general. But Lawrence seemed like a perfectly nice man, if not a little odd and socially awkward. And it's not like she has anything better to do. "...Sure. No problem." She stands, stretches, and starts off down the sidewalk, beckoning Lawrence to follow her.

He easily keeps pace, nodding as she points out various landmarks. "...and there's a bar, if you like that, my friend Sam runs it- and above that is a pretty good sandwich shop, although I'd avoid their macaroni salad."

Lawrence looks interested, like he's actually paying attention. "You sure know your way around this city."

Luca nods. "Well, I've lived here pretty much my whole life, so..."

Lawrence raises an eyebrow. "By yourself?"

She shakes her head. "Well, now I do. I used to live with my mentor- but he uh, left. Not that I care!" She puffs out her chest. "I'm doing fine on my own! Stopping crime, paying rent, beating up criminals, all of that stuff! By myself!"

Lawrence frowns. "Isn't that kind of thing the police's job? The crime and criminals part, I mean."

Lucas shrugs. "The police aren't everywhere, so I step in. It happens all the time, it's no big deal."

Lawrence looks even more worried at that. His eyebrows furrow. "Are you sure, kiddo?"

The detective nods earnestly. "It's no problem. I mean, the least I can do is help people out when they need it, right? It is my job after all."

Lawrence smiles at that. "Sure, but you shouldn't put that much pressure on yourself. It's not fair to someone so young to have all that on her plate."

Luca grins, sheepish. It's not like 22 is that young. "It's nice you're concerned, thanks."

Lawrence grins. "Of course, kiddo."

Luca looks around and points. "There's the café, see?"

Lawrence nods, looking pleased. "It looks like a cozy little place. And I'm starving." He looks to Luca. "How about you?"

Luca looks down. She is hungry, but she did just meet this guy. Then again, sitting down outside for a snack wasn't such a bad idea... and it was in a public place. Plus, she was interested in this Lawrence Cross- perhaps a future client, even. She nods. "I could eat."

She picks out a table in view of other patrons and the street, and sits down. Lawrence sits opposite, looking around at the passerby and, she assumed, enjoying the atmosphere.

The waiter comes to take their orders. Luca points at a page of the menu. "I'll take the coffee cake, please. And a hot chocolate."

Lawrence scans the menu. "I'll have the French onion soup. And a coffee- black, if it isn't any trouble."

The waiter nods and heads off. Lawrence looks at Luca with an amused look. "Dessert already?"

Luca scoffs. "It's only eleven in the morning, it's not lunchtime yet."

Lawrence chuckles at that. "I guess not."

The waiter brings their drinks first. Luca's hot chocolate has a little bear floating on top made of whipped cream. She pushes her cup at him. "See?"

Lawrence chuckles again, taking a sip of his own drink. "That's adorable." He pauses for a moment, looking at her over the rim of his cup before he continues, his voice curious. "So, you're a detective, right? What kinds of cases do you solve?"

Luca sits up straighter. "Oh, all kinds! I do thefts, kidnappings, murders, fraud investigations... pretty much anything! I even do divorces- although that's a dangerous job, let me tell you." Her eyes drift to his hand holding the coffee cup, and she continues flippantly, "So if your marriage gets testy... well, I'm always looking for work." Luca winks.

Lawrence looks confused. "How did you..."

Luca gestures to his right hand. "Oh, you have a tan line on your ring finger where a wedding ring would have been, like you usually wear it but you took it off recently. Not long enough for the tan to fade, anyway. You said you were here on business, but you don't know your way around, and there aren't really any businesses that pay that well around here." She gestures to his outfit. Add that to the fact that you basically asked me on a lunch date, and I figured..." She trails off, leaving the rest to imagination. "Which is nice of you, but I'm gay... and you're a little too old for me."

Lawrence looks at her with an expression she can't quite define- shock, perhaps mortification- before he sputters, flushing red. "What? No- no, no- that's definitely not what this is, kiddo! I mean, you're just a kid." He shakes his head in disbelief. "I would never."

He pauses a moment, before he reaches beneath his shirt and pulls out a ring- a wedding ring- on a chain. He looks at it sadly. "And... unfortunately, my wife is... no longer with us."

Luca flushes crimson with embarrassment. "Oh my God- I'm so sorry, I had no idea-"

Lawrence shakes his head, holding up a hand to cut her off. "It's okay, kiddo, you didn't know."

Luca clamps her mouth shut, mortified. Of course she had just insulted a perfectly nice widower who was genuinely interested in her work and probably extremely rich.

Luca swallows hard. "Seriously, though. If you ever need my services..." She digs through her purse and hands him her business card. "Consultations are free."

Lawrence gives her a gentle smile. "Thanks, kiddo. I'll keep that in mind." He waves the waiter over and pays for both their meals before she can say anything.

Luca wipes her sweaty palms on her shorts and glances at her empty plate as the waiter takes it away. "This was- um- it was nice meeting you, Mr.- Lawrence." She pushes back her chair and stands up. "I should be going, though. Cases won't solve themselves, you know!"

Lawrence nods, but holds up a hand. She pauses as he digs around in his pocket for a moment before pulling out his wallet. He leaves a generous tip for the waiter, she notices, before flipping through another thick pile of bills and offering it in her direction.

Her brain goes blank for a moment. "Uh-?"

Lawrence presses what must be at least five hundred dollars into her hand. "Take it. For your rent." He grins. "It's the least I could do for your help- and the scintillating conversation."

Luca just stares, looking from the money to Lawrence and back. "I- I can't take this. I mean-"

He waves away her protests. "Sure you can, kiddo. I mean, what kind of heartless monster would I be if I just let you go to live on the streets?"

Luca's eyes unexpectedly fill with tears, and she grabs his hand and shakes it. "T-thank you! Thank you so much!"

Lawrence clasps her hand briefly before letting go and gesturing for her to go. "Of course. I'll see you later, Luca." He gives another smile.

Luca nods excitedly, waving as she heads back to her apartment. "See you later!"

She had no idea how right she was.

[projectbluearcadia]

Y'all, just curious, how good in your opinion (be honest) am I with being generic in x readers? I do try to be fairly ambiguous about the reader's appearance, but I'm sure I'm biased somewhere.

Also, side note/rant to the person who wrote this post and similar thinkers (**this has been edited several times as I thought about the post to try to make my points clear)

ON GENERIC READER APPEARANCE

Generic characters are difficult to write. You're not allowed to use phrases like "the brunette" or "the green-eyed woman/man." You're not allowed to have the character/narration make any reference to your appearance unless it's "You're pretty. I can't explain why though." I'm not saying it's wrong to want a character that can fit in your mind, but remember that we're limited.

Fanfic writers are deeply self-indulgent, particularly at the beginning. I was the same way. Most of my x readers were based on a cis-female, heterosexual, short-ish white woman, because that's where I see the world from. I do not have your cultural background, your build, or your sexuality. I only started to change that habit when a commenter politely remarked something along the lines of "I don't blush, girl I'm black :/"

I will still give readers scars, strange physical features, specific hair colors, specific heights, et cetera. because it might suit the story.

Marking an x OC as x Reader is annoying. I get it. I was annoyed too when I only read fanfic and didn't write it.

But I also can't deny I've been tempted on numerous occasions to do exactly that sheerly out of frustration. Try and understand; putting the OC tag your work is like pinning a big sign on it that says "I'm not valuable; I was written by an inexperienced and unskilled writer."

When in reality, I've read plenty of OCs that were incredibly relatable, funny, or were just good, solid characters. Just tell them not to do it. It's false advertising for you, but it could be scream for validation from them. They might write something you really like in the future as they learn more, and I think it's a shame that you won't read it.

ON READER PERSONALITY

I will not give much leeway for anyone on this; just going to put that out there.

There are a lot of characters that have gotten on my nerves in romance. Believe me, I've read almost as much as I've written.

Not a big fan of toxic assholes either. I don't generally market those as x Readers (with a few exceptions in the past.)

But think about two things for me.

A) A generic personality will get you a robot.

B) Writers do not have access to every personality trait in the box. In most cases, they take what they have from themselves and put it into their characters. Think about that for a second.

Most of my characters resemble me in some respect, even the characters I'm crossing you with. Some of them are extremely lonely. Some of them are too empathetic. Some of them joke around a lot. Some of them are shy and easily flustered.

My point being, that it can be very easy to feel like someone just punched you in the face thinking that you pulled the fiction out of your ass or ChatGPT.

As far as the "oh, I love them so much, I need them in my life even if they're horrible", I am a person who was wildly in love with someone to the point that if he asked me to jump off a cliff, I probably would have done it.

It is not a myth, and it is not healthy, and that is why I will put it in stories. The point is to get you to act on your own situation. I do not write stories specifically catered to your personal pleasure. I tell a story that belongs to a part of my life hoping that you like it and that you take something away from it.

The smut I write is a different story; I do cater to your personal pleasure in that case. It's smut. I'll sprinkle in a lesson about consent or safe-words in there but that's usually it.

The point of this whole personality rant is to explain that not everyone is ready with a snappy comeback or a throat chop. Fanfic writers are people just like you. In general, they're writing what they think is cool hoping you think it's cool too. They're not paid. They usually aren't in communication with you. And unless the author is poor at following story requests, you haven't made one of that author. You can't expect them to think like you do.

And if you're not satisfied with that explanation, then you can always do what every dissatisfied fan does:

Pick up your pen and become god. Add to the pool of fanfic. Far be it from me to complain about new ideas and new perspectives.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk today; I will now proceed to slink back into my chair in Lucifer's office hoping not to die of embarrassment for writing this out.

Reposting a comment I made on a post and adding to it

x Reader fics need to handle writing “reader” better sometimes

As a 6ft afab person who’s built like a man and has never been super feminine and has a more unique haircut that’s shorter I hate to read about “readers” petite, small, pale body and her “long flowy straight hair”, etc.

Reader is meant to be ambiguous!! And if it’s important to the plot please mention it at the beginning!!! If it’s not important to the plot why is it being included???

Some people who are reading may be tall, fat, skinny, short, or even somewhere in between. The readers could have a hijab, 4c hair, locks, braids, long hair, short hair, wavy, no hair and even more.

Stop making all readers so sweet and innocent, I want a reader who’s petty and sassy sometimes. I’ve noticed also that so many readers are either too baby to do anything or over powered.

Personally I also hate reading about obviously toxic men and relationships that the reader goes back to because they are “so in love”, like no please let me deck that sucker and leave them in the dust and be happier.

Also, if you label your post with the tag “___ x reader” or titled with “___ x reader” and then make descriptions and then ADD A NAME!!! It’s not an x reader fic and I heavily want to block you.

[dovalore]

Villagers can totally start w/ fish in their homes at least in acnh! If you wanna talk about your oc as an ac character more, what fish would they have? N what catchphrase would you have them start with?

hehe hi!

i’m really glad you asked because i have a lot to say, apologies for the delayed response since i wanted to add a doodle to it and not just have a wall of text haha

lore beneath cut

the vast majority of this is going to be regarding the original version of this character (ffxiv) instead of the acnh one because i’ve put way more thought into the former haha

so i’m going to get to the point for acnh: i’d say his house probably looks like a miniature aquarium because it’s filled with fish. yeah he’s got a bed and a desk but half of the latter is taken up by a fish tank so...

about the catboy/miqo’te (he/him)

this is dovae lore! i dove headfirst into character creation and the game itself before thinking about anything character-wise, thus the name… which i did eventually manage to work into his backstory (it’s a nonsense name he gave himself that ended up sticking because he liked the way it sounded)

dovae’s an alchemist by trade! he specialises in concoctions that can alter one’s appearance (hair, eye colour and some body parts). most of it is purely cosmetic, but a small handful of his clientele do come to him specifically for gender reaffirming purposes

while he’s not trans himself, he’s gnc and it took him some time to figure that out for himself. he’s here to help others find themselves through the power of alchemy like he did for himself

he absolutely loves to fish! now more for leisure rather than sustenance, though he does end up eating a decent amount of the fish he catches and he can’t deny that some of what he manages to reel in sells for a pretty penny on the markets

i say he’s an alchemist, but that’s before he became the warrior of light and now that’s the thing he’s the most focused on. he does still fish and create things on the side, but now both of them are side jobs

about the carbuncle (he/it)

his name is brick and he’s shaped like that because dovae decided to play around with the geometries that gave it form

it wasn’t the form he intended for it to have, but his roommate said something along the lines of, “why is it shaped like a brick” and it made dovae laugh so hard that he ended up keeping the name and appearance

about the roommate (oh my god they were roommates) (he/him)

… i don’t actually have a residence in the game, they just always stay in the same inn room wherever they go

his name is shiranami yumite (or just shira for short) he’s an au ra…

i’m still working on his lore, but he’s an adventurer and culinarian

[mccall-muffin]

Love vs. Hate - Part 11 // Joe Liebgott x OC

Summary: Technical Sergeant Olivia Stark knows the military. Raised in a military family, a graduate of military school and OCS herself, she is transferring from the 82nd Airborne Division to the 101st. Between new friends and what appear to be foes, she becomes a part of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR.

Warnings: Language, Violence, War wounds

A/N: I don't know what to say... be prepared still ;)

Here is my Masterlist

Tag List: @brassknucklespeirs

Later that afternoon, we're still sitting by the fountain, and George suddenly stands up. "Well, look who decided to show up, Floyd," he says, and I look up. Tab and some of the other guys who were still missing are coming toward us. We all stand up to greet our new arrivals. "Hi there, Luz. We thought we'd never find you guys," Tab says, then looks at me. "Liv, good to see you," he says, and I give him a quick hug. "Likewise, Tab." Now Liebgott pushes past me. "Hey, Tab, get a load of this. You like that? It's the real stuff," he says, unwrapping his flag with the swastika. "Yeah, of course. You like this?" asks Tab in return, pulling out a German raincoat. "Oh, nice. That's a beauty, Sarge," Liebgott replies, and now Don pushes through as well. "My Luger's gonna put you all to shame when I get it," he says, and I have to laugh. "Yeah yeah, Don. You almost got yourself shot for one. So let's hope you're still alive when you finally get your hands on one." Don nudges me from the side and laughs.

"So, have we lost anybody?" asks Tab, looking at each of us in turn. "Tommy Burgess took one in the face. Popeye Wynn got pinked in the behind. But they're gonna be okay," George replies. "That's good." "You run into Lt. Meehan on your travels?" I ask, and Tab looks at me quizzically. "No, why?" "Company HQ's still missing. They think the plane crashed," I reply, lowering my eyes. "They say he's gonna turn up," Liebgott now interjects, and I look at him with raised eyebrows. "Yeah, I ain't holding my breath," I reply, "Why, they just showed up now, too; why not Meehan?" "Because his whole plane is missing, smartass. You think that's a fucking coincidence?" Liebgott glares at me. "Looks like cuddle time is over," George grins, and Liebgott and I look right at him. "Shut up, Luz!" "How nice that this hasn't changed, huh?" grins Tab sarcastically, looking at both of us before turning back to me. "Who's in command, then?" "Winters for now. Lieutenant Welsh is 1st Platoon," I reply, and he nods.

Then Don puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me to the side. "It's funny, you two. In the morning, you're cuddling with each other, and now you're the bickering couple again. Unbelievable." "Can't you just stop that? Liebgott and I are nothing! If possible, I'll stay away from him, okay?" "Yeah, right, because that works out so well," Don laughs.

Up ahead, I see Harry clearing his throat. "Let's go, 1st Platoon! Easy's moving out! On your feet!" he calls, and I exchange a glance with Don. We are in 2nd. Platoon. "I'll see you guys later," Muck says, walking past us toward George. "Stand up, lift up. Let's go," Boyle calls out, the 1st Platoon Sergeant. Buck now stands up next to me. "Listen up! It'll be dark soon. I want light and noise discipline from here on. No talking, no smoking. No playing grab-fanny with the man in front of you, Luz," Harry calls out, and we all laugh. "So, where we headed to, Lieutenant?" "We're taking Carentan." "That sounds like fun," Don says next to me, looking at me. "It's the only place where armor from Omaha and Utah Beach can link up and head inland. Until we take it, they're stuck on the sand. General Taylor's sending the whole division," Harry still explains and looks around.

"Remember, boys, give me three days and three nights of hard fighting, and you will be relieved," George says, imitating General Taylor, which makes us all laugh. "1st Platoon, fall in behind Fox Company. You people from 2nd and 3rd Platoon, follow us. Let's shake a leg." I look at Don for a moment, then nod at him. "Come on, Liv. Let's get these guys on their feet," Buck says beside me, and I nod. "Another thing to remember boys flies spread disease. So, keep yours closed," I hear George still saying in General Taylor's voice. "Okay, come on. Joe, Bill, on your feet. We're moving out." Bill nods to me, and our platoon gets ready to move out.

June 12, 1944 - Carentan, France

When we finally take on Carentan, a few days have passed. It is now D-Day plus 6. This morning, Winters informed us that it is our turn to intervene as support. Behind a small hill leading into town, we hunker down behind the 1st Platoon. "You guys ready?" Buck asks Don and me as we crouch next to him. Winters and Harry are upfront as he gives the order for the first platoon to move out. "Fuck," I curse as I watch Harry run off, closely followed by George. We make out the first shots and duck a little more.

"Okay, Buck, let's go! Get those men out of the trench and start clearing the buildings!" Winters then calls out to us, and Buck looks at me. We both nod at each other. "You heard the lieutenant, boys! Let's go!" I shout and run off with Buck and Don. We are immediately fired upon. "You better not die!" I call to Don, who winks at me. "Come on, get out of the ditch! We have to go!" I shout to the soldiers who are entrenched in the trench. "Jesus Christ! Move!" I shout, grabbing a soldier and pulling him to his feet.

Then I run into town and take cover next to Buck. He looks at me. "Liv, take Tipper and Liebgott. Start clearing these buildings. Right. Let's go! Second two, go, go!" Buck calls out to me, and I nod. "Tip, Liebgott! Come on. We're clearing those houses!" The two nod and follow me. From a distance, I see Don looking after me. I nod to him again before running on. "Ready?" I ask the two, and they nod. "All right, let's go!" I shout, and we run into the house.

After we clear a few houses, I suddenly hear Lip's voice. "They got us zeroed! Spread it out, spread it out! Go! Get the hell out of there!" he shouts, trying to get his men off the street. "They got us zeroed! Get out of there! Go, go! Get the hell out of the street!" he shouts again as I see him get hit. "Lip!" I shout and immediately want to run to him, but Liebgott holds me back. "No! Liv, we have a job to do! Tab takes care of him!" I look up again, and Liebgott is right. Tab is already with Lip, helping him.

I nod and follow Joe and Tipper into the house. "Okay, quick now," I say. We search everything and then run back out before the house goes up. I quickly look around. "Dammit, where's Tip?" I ask, looking at Liebgott. Startled, I wheel around to the house, and then I can see Tipper coming out of the house. With my mouth open, I stare at him, and Liebgott's eyes have also widened. "Tipper," I breathe. Joe slowly puts his gun on the ground and then walks toward Tip. He puts an arm around him. "Joe?" asks Tip back. "Looking good, Tip." "Is that you?" "Looking real good. Come here; you gotta sit down. Come here, come on. Easy, easy. There you go, there you go," Liebgott says, helping him sit down. He hugs Tip to him and has his arm around him. I swallow hard and slowly kneel. Tip is bleeding all over. His legs are torn open, and one side of his face is also ripped open and bloody. "Jesus," I breathe, looking Liebgott in the eye.

"Oh, Jesus. You hang in there, buddy. Okay, we're gonna get you fixed up. All right?" he says then, and I've never seen Liebgott so caring as he is right now with Tipper. "Okay. Guys, you wanna give me a hand here?" he then asks, addressing me, and only now do I realize that two more soldiers are standing behind me.

"Fuck!" I then curse. "Medic!" I look around briefly before turning back to Tip. "Hey Tip... It's going to be all right yeah? As Joe said, we'll get you fixed up." Liebgott and I exchange another look. "Where's the goddamn Medic?!" I yell, then look back at Liebgott. "We need to get him out of here, Joe," I say to Liebgott, and he nods. I reach under Tip's other arm and try to lift him. Carefully, we both stand up and carry Tipper away. The bullet fire has fortunately died down, and we can get Tip to the aid station without further incident.

"What happened?" asks Doc immediately as we put Tip down. "I'll take it from here, Liebgott," Gene says. He nods and heads back outside. "Mortar. We thought he was right behind us, but he was in the house too long. Then it went up." "Did you give him anything?" continues Doc, and I shake my head. "Fine, thanks, Liv. We'll take care of him." "Thanks, Doc."

On the way out, I notice my hands are full of blood. I try to wipe it away a little, step outside and take a deep breath while still rubbing my hands. "You can't get it off without water," I hear a voice and look up. Next to me, leaning against the house is Liebgott, smoking. "Ah yeah, thanks!" I say wryly, rolling my eyes. "Ah, come on, Stark, I only meant well," he says, and I look up in surprise. "Really?" "Really." I rub my face with the back of my hand. "Jesus, I'm done for the day," I mutter. Suddenly Liebgott holds out an already-lit smoke to me. "Thanks," I say, still slightly confused.

For a while, we stand silently at the entrance to the house, smoking. "Joe," he says suddenly, and I look up. "What?" "You called me Joe today. You never did before." I think about it for a moment. "Just like you never called me Liv. Seems like it takes all of this to do that." "Seems so."

Silence falls between us again. "Liv!" someone suddenly calls out, and I look up. Don is coming hurrying toward us. "Here you are! Are you okay?" he asks as he pulls me into his arms. "Yes, Don, I'm fine," I reply. "Jesus Christ, I didn't see you at the rally point, so I was already thinking the worst," he says quickly, and I raise my eyebrows. "Tip got hit. We had to bring him in," I explain, pointing to Liebgott and me. "Is he okay?" "Not really... Well, he should survive, I guess, but... They'll probably send him back to England."

Don exchanges a glance between Liebgott and me, then smiles briefly at me. "Come on now! We found something to drink and a place to crash," he then says, pointing his head in a direction. Don leads the way, and I exchange another glance with Liebgott before we follow him.

Comfortably we sit in the evening at the town border of Carentan. "Have you ever heard from your brothers?" Don asks me as we eat something. "No, unfortunately, I haven't. All my mother wrote in her last letter was about Damon bouncing from island to island in the Pacific and Tommysomewhere in Europe. But exactly where, I don't know." Don presses his lips together and looks at me. "And your sister?" "She's in the pacific as well." "I hear the Pacific must be pretty bad," now interjects Frank, who immediately catches a blow to the back from George. "Shut up, Frank!" "What?" the latter asks, confused, and I hang my head.

"Cheer up, Sweetheart. They'll get through it!" Don tries to cheer me up. "I hope so. We all took a risk when we decided to go to war. As long as I don't hear from them, I'm confident. It's better than hearing that they've been killed." There is silence for a while, and I stare at my boots. I miss my family very much. It's been several years now since I've seen them. But so has every single person here.

I take out my cigarettes and light one. I keep thinking about Tipper or the others we lost today. It could happen to any one of us at any time. I briefly let my gaze glide over the faces of my friends. Don, Muck, Penkala, George, Buck, Bill, Joe Toye, Lip, Harry, Tab, Chuck, Web, and yes, to hell, even Liebgott. It would hurt.

"Okay, enough moping," George says, pulling out a bottle of whatever. "Here's to the day finally being over," he shouts, and we cheer. The bottle is passed around until it's Liebgott's turn, and then he holds it out to me. I accept it and smile at him. Maybe today was a turning point between us. "Oh wow, I didn't think I'd live to see this," Buck laughs, looking at Liebgott and me. "You two, without fighting?" The guys around us laugh, and I take a sip, shaking my head. "Don't get used to it, Buck," Liebgott retorts. "Figures," I grumble, rolling my eyes.

"What, Stark? Would be boring otherwise, wouldn't it?", Liebgott challenges me, and now I'm looking at him. "I don't know, Liebgott. It would be quite nice if you would just shut the fuck up now and then," I return, and the men around us groan. "Why did you say something, Buck?" Don asks our lieutenant, who grins. "Well, I didn't know they were about to start again, Malarkey." "Sorry to disappoint you, Buck, but I'm afraid Liebgott can't help it. Always the tough guy, aren't you? I'm really starting to wonder if you're trying to compensate for something with that," I say to Liebgott and stand up. "You're one to talk, Stark. Or what else is why you're here but to prove yourself?"

My eyes turn to slits, and I take a step toward Liebgott. "I've told you a thousand times, Liebgott. Don't fucking talk about things you don't understand!" "I'll talk about what I want, Love. Get used to it," he now says, standing up as well. "But if I don't understand it, why don't you explain it to me, huh? Why are you here?" Anger spreads through me. "That's enough, Lieb," Don interjects, but Liebgott is still glaring at me, as am I at him. "I don't need this, Liebgott, because I could give a shit what you think." "But you do give a shit, Stark, don't you? I wonder why...?" By now, we're standing so close to each other that the others can barely hear us. Liebgott scrutinizes my face, and his gaze flits briefly to my lips. "I hope you're not starting to fall for me, Stark," he whispers huskily, and I tear up. I push him off me. "You're such a fucking asshole, Liebgott!" I curse and stomp away.

Settling against a tree not too far from the others, I bury my face in my hands for a moment. Why do I let him get to me? What is it about Joseph Liebgott that can get me so worked up? I exhale in annoyance and light a smoke. "Sergeant? What did I say about you not wandering around by yourself?" I suddenly hear Winter's voice next to me. "I'm sorry, sir; sometimes I just need to escape from all the testosterone for a minute." Winters chuckles. "I can imagine that. But still, I'm not comfortable with you being out on your own..." "Well, you're here now, sir," I grin, and he smiles at me. "May I?" he asks, pointing to the seat next to me. "Sure, sir."

He sits down next to me, and we sit there silently for a moment. "How's your leg, sir?" I then ask. "Oh, so far, so good. It hurts a little, but it should get better quickly." "I'm glad to hear that, sir." "What was the reason for you to sit here now and not with the other men?" he asks, and I look at him for a moment. "Oh, nothing crazy." "Can I guess?" "Go ahead." "Liebgott?" I let out a sigh and grin. "Liebgott," is all I say, "I don't know what it is, but he somehow always manages to drive me up the wall." "Maybe that's what he wants?" "What do you mean, sir?" "Well, first of all, Liv, please call me Dick, at least when it's just the two of us. After all, you would be an officer. And secondly... Maybe he's trying to drive you up the wall because you're letting him?" "But what does he get out of it?" Dick shrugs. "I'm afraid I can't answer that for you. There could be several reasons for that." I hang my head and prop my arms on my knees. "I saw him differently today, you know? When Tipper was hit... He was so caring and kind. Even afterward, when we handed him over to Doc. And then he morphs into that asshole again." I see a slight smile creep onto Dick's face. "I'm telling you: several reasons, Liv."

"Sir? Liv?" we then hear a voice in front of us and look up. It's Don. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to see if everything was okay, Liv?" "Yep, everything's fine," I say, and Dick and I stand up. "Are you coming back? Don't worry; I've put Liebgott in his place. He won't make another sound for today," Don grins. "It's okay, Don." I turn to Dick. "Thank you, Sir. For talking to me." "Always, Liv. Enjoy your evening." "You too, sir."

Don and I make our way back to the others. "What did Winters want from you?" Don asks me. "Oh, he just wanted to remind me of his orders not to wander around alone. Nothing more..." Don leaves it at that and leads me back to the boys,  toward George and Skip. We sit down, and my gaze meets Liebgott's as he studies my face. There's something strange about his look, but I avert my eyes and turn my attention to George and Don.

June 14, 1944 - Carentan, France

Two days later, I sit on a staircase with Don, More, Muck, Penkala, and Albert. Once again, we gathered different food and enjoy a bit of the sun. Albert is lying on the floor next to us, and we are sitting on the steps. I have my eyes closed and hold my face to the sun. Don and More are discussing what the next course will be. "Berlin by Christmas. That's how I see it," More says, looking at all of us. "Yeah, you're full of it," Don replies. "Oh, God. This Kraut cheese tastes like... It stinks. Bread's stale, too," Penkala then says, chewing on the bread. "Give me that," Muck shouts, taking it from Penkala's hand.

"You mark my words, Mal, Berlin by Christmas," More repeats. Then suddenly, we hear a foreign voice. "Enjoy it while it lasts. We'll be moving out soon." I open my eyes now and see Speirs standing in front of us. "Out of town, Lieutenant? Already?" asks Don, and we all look at the lieutenant. "That's right," Speirs replies, turning away. "Don't they know we're just getting settled here?" More says, and we all look at him in shock. Speirs turns to us again and glares at More before disappearing. "Nice, Groucho," Muck says, looking at More in disbelief. "What?" "Real smart. You know, you're taking your life into your own hands. Ain't that right?" Muck asks, addressing Don and me. I look at Don for a moment and shrug. "We didn't see anything, Muck; we already told you that." "What, Speirs shooting the prisoners or the sergeant in his platoon?" then asks Penkala, and we look at him in surprise. "Sergeant?" "I didn't hear that one." "He shot one of his own guys?" asks Don in shock, and I raise an eyebrow. "Well, supposedly, the guy was drunk and refused to go on a patrol. Who knows if it's true?" then tells Penk as Speirs reappears in front of us. "Sergeant Stark? Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asks, and I look at him in surprise. "Uh, yes, sure, sir," I reply and stand up hesitantly. I put on my helmet and briefly look at Don, who looks at me with concern.

I follow Speirs a few steps when he stops and turns to me. "How are you, Sergeant?" he asks, and I look at him in surprise. "Quite well, sir, thank you. Why do you ask?" "Just because. After what happened after D-Day, I wanted to ask." "I'm fine, sir. I've got my boys, and they're looking out for me." "Not that you couldn't do it yourself, right?" "Right." "Lieutenant Winters told me you graduated from OCS? How come you're not an officer?" "I guess it's because I'm a woman, Sir." "Well, as far as I can tell from what I saw, I think they're right to do so. You got your men under control." "Thank you, Sir." Speirs is eyeing me, and I genuinely can't tell what's happening in his head. "Very well. Stand by, Sergeant. We'll be moving out soon." I salute him quickly and then turn away before returning to my friends.

Narrator POV:

Don, Muck, More, and Penkala watch Liv as she follows Speirs. "I wonder what he wants with her," Muck wonders, looking at his friends. "Do you think it could be that Speirs is interested in Liv? Luz told me he saw them together on D-Day." "That would suit you, Muck! Only because you deny that there's anything between her and Liebgott," Don interjects, and Penkala rolls his eyes. "You saw them together the day before yesterday, too, didn't you, Don? I agree with Muck. These two hate each other." "Love and hate are known to be very close, Penk. I'll tease it out of her, and then you can pay up." "You bet on that?" asks More now, looking briefly at Liv, who is still talking to Speirs. "You got it." "But that's just because Don is too sure of himself." "But yeah... Have you guys ever studied Joe? I mean, really study him? The way he looks at her sometimes? The case is just so obvious." "Then why is he being so... assy to her?" "That's clear, too, because he can't have her. Or at least because he thinks he can't. Joe's too proud to even deal with the thought that she might reject him." The conversation falls silent as Liv rejoins them. Don looks up but notices Speirs watching her until she sits with them again, and only then continues.

Liv POV:

"What are you guys talking about?" I ask as I sit back down with the boys. "Still about the same thing as before," Don grumbles, rolling his eyes. "Well, I know a guy who said an eyewitness told him that Speirs hosed those prisoners," Skip says, throwing food at Don. "Why? What for?" now Albert asks out of nowhere, and we look at him. "On D-Day. Speirs comes across a group of German prisoners digging a hole under guard and so on. He pulls out a pack of smokes.... hands them out. He even gives them a light. Then, all of a sudden... he swings up his Thompson... and hoses them down. I mean, for fuck's sake, he gives them smokes first? See, that's why I don't think he really did it," Muck tells us. "I can't imagine him doing it, to be honest." "You don't believe it?" asks Don. "You were there too, Liv, weren't you?" "Yeah, but we didn't see that he did it." "I heard he didn't," Penk now interjects again. "See!" "Someone else did it."

"Oh, no, no, it was him, all right. But it was more than eight guys. It was more like 20", Alton now says. "Hell of a shot!" "All except one guy... who he left alone." "I still think that's bullshit," I say, and Skip eyes me. "Ah well, could it be that you like a certain lieutenant Liv?" he asks, shrugging his eyebrows. "What? What are you talking about? How many more men are you going to pin on me? First Liebgott, then Winters, and now Speirs?" "Anyway... Well, all I know, from what I heard he took that last 105 on D-day practically by himself. Running through MG fire like a maniac," Penk then says. "Yeah, that I did see," Don says immediately, and I nod. "Yep, me too." "On his own?" asks Alton. "I don't care if any of the other stuff's true," Penk says. Suddenly, however, Harry speaks up. "Let's go, first platoon, weapons on me."

"Here we go..." I grumble and stand up. "Come on, Don, let's find the others," I say, pulling him to his feet.

[deepestuniversallove]

Hi I've been looking at your Mewtwo stuff for awhile now and I can't help but notice how nuanced and mature your takes are, especially on Giovanni who can be likened to a narcissistic abuser. Compared to most, ahem "artists" on here, who simply treat Mewtwo as a meme or housepet. You really seem to respect him, and I can't wait to see the comic on how you met him. I also admire how unapologetic you are to self ship with him.

Thank you so much for sending this to me! This seriously made my day!

I treat Mewtwo differently than most because I have a certain reverence for him. He was truly my guiding light at times where I didn't even want to exist any more. He inspires me to keep going and honestly I wouldn't even be having a job in biological research now if it wasn't for him. Considering how much impact he has had on my life so far, I could never just treat him as some sort of stupid meme or a housepet. Frankly, treating him as such is insulting. He is too intelligent to be a housepet, and he knows how to take care of not only himself, but also those close to him (I mean, look at him, and how he is depicted in official media as a HEALER. Always taking care of wounded and abandoned Pokémon,whether it's his clones, or wild Pokemon). I don't like the stereotypes surrounding him in the Fandom.

I don't think that many people are able to recognize Giovanni as a narcissist because they lack the experience of being raised by one, like me and my brother have been (we have real, lived experience of that, which is hard to understand for anyone who had supportive and normal parents). Or these people still have the naive belief that everyone deep down has a good core. They are oblivious to the fact that we have psychopaths among us who truly only care about themselves and who cannot be redeemed. A mafia boss who created a living weapon like Mewtwo to serve in his plan of world domination certainly counts as a fictional depiction of such psychopaths. Team Rocket has plundered Pokémon and tortured them and sold them for financial gain. But Fandom still gives Giovanni a pass somehow just because he is "sexy".

I was raised by a narcissist mother. I never felt truly seen by her, and she told me she made me to be her slave. So how else was I able to interpret Giovanni but as a narcissist, when he said the same to Mewtwo in the movie? "You were made to serve me." No wonder I took Mewtwo as my role model. I remember wishing I had actual psychic powers too, it would have made escaping so much easier. Instead I thought of him when I needed strength.

Oh man, when it comes to Mewtwo and shipping... I don't have any hesitation here. I have always loved Mewtwo, so why should I pretend that I don't? He was always important to me in real life as well, after all. Or why should I make up some Pokémon OC and use that as a proxy to ship with Mewtwo? Lakota/mewtwoandme actually admitted to me in a DM that this is what Gwen the Gardevoir is, BTW. She was too afraid to ship herself with Mewtwo because she worried that people will judge her for it and that it is seen as "icky" to selfship as herself. I am kind of disappointed of that, but it is her comic and story to tell. I am not really a fan of the Gardevoir x Mewtwo, or Mew x Mewtwo or Lucario x Mewtwo ships in general, they are too cliché for my liking and I don't see how movie1!Mewtwo would ever fall in love with them. However, I ADORE honest selfshippers of Mewtwo or Newtwo! I always get curious about their stories and how they fell in love with them!

Anyway, I hope you will enjoy my comic! Even though I gotta apologize that it is taking so long to finish - I am still swamped with work IRL, but will officially be free starting from the 16th, so hopefully I will get way more done then. Though I am wondering if to post on my blog here or make an entirely new blog? Or at least a special tag so people can just look at the comic and don't have to see my other selfships if they are only here for the Mewtwo content.

Thanks for sending this ask! :D Have a nice day!

[bakafurai]

Fav colour: BLUEEE!!! I LOVE BLUE!! Blue very good colour,,, (uhh funnily enough it used to be green, and before thar pink iirc- ik bc when i have a favourite colour everything i own has to be that colour else my autism starts screaming

Currently reading: does fanfiction count??? The only books ive reas are warrior cats lmao. I can't remember all of the fics i am following atm so instead i will direct you this incredible 100 chapter long mha/persona 5 crossover fic called Dost thou even steal hearts? That i have very much lost sleep reading it several months ago. Admittedly i still need the last couple chapters but. Pls. I don't usually go insaine over long fics like this

Last song: uhhhhhh according to my chrome history that would be Man on the Internet's recent Miitipia darkest lord with lyrics video,,, and after that its a mix bunch of royalty free music, video game ost/remixes, oh! there's persona songs does that count?? Im counting it.

Last series: oh thats easy i just recently watched the last 2 new episodes of wonderul precure lmao (pls watch precure if you like magical girl animes,,, precure good,,)

Last movie: aahh i just remembered i recently watched Lilo & Stitch with my mum and younger brother,,, a couple weeks ago i think? (My brother had never seen Lilo & Stitch can you believe that,,,,)

Currently working on: getting a job 🙃 why is job hunting hard. That being said im also technically working on comics but um. Adhd procrastination + persona brainrot took over ig. Oh! Double also working on my art/ocs in general,,,, been improving a lot on my humans lately eee

Tagging: @boltreaverraikoun @naturelover294 @an-artist-with-pickles (hey besties <3) + anyone else who wants to do this :>

tag game!! V●ᴥ●V

tagged by @nobodysugly

tag 9 people sheeeesh

FAVORITE COLOR: pink!

CURRENTLY READING: nothing because I'm illiterate (ᵔᴥᵔ)

LAST SONG: semi-automatic by twenty one pilots!

LAST SERIES: final space!!!!

LAST MOVIE: baby driver~~~

CURRENTLY WORKING ON: studying math and a papercraft King dedede hammer!

Tagging:

@unyanizedcatboys @hxneyboy @bogpaws @hksodapop @neo-cult-ure @liesminelli @beeboysupreme @transdelgado @lukewarmsunshine

[dvarapala]

🔥

flame emoji // @pyreshe

🔥 we all know that the cw has a problem with people of color and writing them correctly (see celeste, and lisina, and aya, and bonnie bennett, who should have been the protagonist of tvd imho because she is so much more compelling than elena, who didn't even get her book personality or her angel wings). but they also have an asian people problem. in the sense that they're, imho, constantly failing them: roswell new mexico? three seasons in and we haven't seen any asian characters aside from the evil indian alien guy from s1.

tvd: aimee bradley played by tiya sicar got killed by katherine because she had a point to make, meanwhile amber bradley, a white girl, lived.

to: gia got killed by one white man for another white man's man pain and suddenly there is no way to resurrect her even though characters came back from the dead before like davina; vincent was happy with ivy but whoops she died for dumb reasons too; van was, if i remember correctly, trying to take care of his family and got raked across the coals for it, and killed for it.

legacies: sanskrit is a core elective at the salvatore school yet there are zero indian characters. except for emma tig, the counselor, whose backstory consists of scraps that are haphazardly stitched together. emma tig flits in and out of the narrative and her character is as unsteady as i am whenever i walk in heels. oh! and don't forget that one nameless indian vampire who had something to do with malivore and then got eaten by it. and don’t even get me started on finch.

and to be fair, i didn't realize this before either. but now that i know, i can't unsee it. and i know it's not really up to the fans to fix stuff like this, and i hope this doesn't come across as me trying to push you - general you - or pressure you because that's not at all my intention. but i can't help but notice that there is only one (1) indian oc in the tvd ocs tag, none in the to ocs tag and none in the legacies ocs tag at the moment, and that there aren't any asian tvd/to/legacies ocs on the rp side of tumblr either.

which is so sad because legacies had the malivore plotline going for a long while: you could use jessie mei li as a child of xihe, and have them be like: "what's a malivore?" while she gathers their bearings and gets on alaric's nerves. or use naomi scott in her power rangers era as either a supernatural creature or a hunter. use simone ashley as a caroline forbes-esque human. or heck, use simone ashley as caroline!

it just sucks that indian characters only exist in tvdu canon to be canon fodder or a side character that gets brought in every once in a while. i tried for a while to bring gia back and though i had lovely interactions that i’ll cherish, it was a struggle sticking with her: i continually lost her muse because i felt as though most people - not all, but most of them - didn't particularly care about gia or what i tried to do with her so i stopped writing her.

not to mention the arrowverse and the way they utterly, utterly failed their characters of color. especially their asian ones like mckenna hall and william dey while white characters like lena luthor get a pass. despite the fact that she brutalized two men of color: malefic and russell rogers. don’t think i’ve forgotten about the way people cheered after william got killed on the show. don’t think i’ve forgotten about jack spheer.

emma, gia, aimee, mckenna, william, jack. all of them are amazing characters to take on and bring back. and yet, as far as i know, as far as i’ve seen, no one writes them.

so let me ask a question that’s been on my mind for a while now: are we really that uncompelling to write about? or is it just that you - general you - don’t feel like doing the necessary research?