#otp: i'm all for effort

[terapsina]

And those rarest of creatures...

My Top 10 Favorite Canon ENDGAME OTPs

(and I realize some of these will be a surprise because I haven't posted that much about them but... well, when everything is perfect and nothing hurts there's less need for venting... also a bunch of them don't align with my Tumblr heavy periods or precede them entirely, so...)

1. Parker and Hardison - Leverage

The absolute sweetest couple maybe ever. The way Hardison just... loves Parker, without ultimatums or impatience. Just there once she's ready to meet his feelings with her own. And Parker, knowing she's developed feelings for... 'pretzels' and admitting it in the only way she can initially. So good.

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2. Aneela and Kendry - Killjoys

You give me two amoral queens, have them be evil and immortal, and have them fall in love? I was a goner from the word go. Giving them a sci-fi kid just added fuel to the fire.

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3. Jo and Zane - Eureka

I shipped the 1.0 version too. But when they accidentally erased the original timeline and had Jo remembering being in love and nearly engaged and having Zane not? Damn. Talk about angsty ship bait.

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4. Kensi and Deeks - NCIS: Los Angeles

Sunshine and gunpowder. Freaking made for each other and doing a proper piney slow burn. My jam.

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5. Magnus and Alec - Shadowhunters

I mean. Do you think I could resist a grand wedding crash with a 'if your son wants me gone he's going to have to say it to me himself' with the widely grinning sister of the miserable groom going 'I invited him'? What am I, made of stone? (War of Hearts is tattooed on the inside of my eardrums).

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6. Nico and Karolina - Runaways

Okay. But like, even beyond the flawless imagery of Gothic Witch Queen and Royal Heir of Sunshine and Rainbows... they were so captivating. So ready to sacrifice anything for each other's happiness. I love them your honor.

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7. Xiao Lanhua and Dongfang Qingcang - Love Between Fairy and Devil

"Everything in this world is fate. Only love is not fate."

Talk about ripping out my heart. In a story built around two people more trapped by fate than anyone, they save each other by doing the one thing fate has no say over.

(I usually prefer my romances to be the B and C plots, but these two? They are the exception that proves the rule. This whole show is their love story and I was spellbound for 36 episodes straight).

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8. Shawn and Jules - Psych

So. Much. Pining. And the inclusion of the cruelest 'I love you' known to man, because who doesn't love a good 'I've been shot, and the guy who shot me just let me call my girlfriend but I'm using the call to give out clues about how to find me, so I'm pretending you're Abigail, but he's listening and he wants me to tell you that I love you and I know... think... suspect... that saying it will hurt you, but I don't have a choice and I'm so sorry'.

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9. Nikita and Michael - Nikita

They both know what it feels like to lose someone you love. Which is why the way them kinda having at least a scene a season where one of them thinks the other just got killed is brutal. But I live for the looks on their faces when they figure out they're wrong.

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10. Korra and Asami - Legend of Korra

What's more fun than falling in love with the ex boyfriend's ex girlfriend? Nothing. They got me to stand up and pay attention right quick once I realized where this was going (and the finale was how I started watching reaction videos... it made me so happy watching everyone else cry, cheer and squee too)

[dellamortte]

just posted my lucanis/rook fanvid onto my youtube!! 💜🗡

[kaidanalenkosprmanager]

Sophie Oliveira-Shepard Alenko-Oliveira and Kaidan Alenko-Oliveira - ME3 (3/?) "What would I do without you?" "You'll never have to find out." Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition (2021)

[bloggingboutburgers]

I had a wake up call about fandom by scrolling today. It's linked to both the fact that I write and my asexuality.

The post was about how people don't consider writers as artists. It remembered me a post talking about how artists are better than writers who just write fetish porn.

And it remembered me. Isn't it all that people care about when it come to fanfic anyway? Writing their otp kissing and then sleeping together?

I wrote literally only gen fic for all my teens years. You imagine that I am used to be ignored. Today, I hate posting my fics, even if I write more who are romantic.

The reviews change nothing. To me, people will never consider the effort I put in my writing because nobody kiss and have sex.

I see this outside of fandom too. Two of my favorite story get its theme ignored because it wasn't a romance despite the male and female lead being close. They just ignore everything that happen just because they deluded themselves that there were romance between them

Because what else could it be? Why else would they read or write fic?

I'm tired that they lead how society view relationship. I hate their obsession for romance and sex that I talk about on the microcosm but apply in an even worst way in real life where my parents think that my best friend talking to me less should be normal because she have a boyfriend (she's busy because of her job but they don't believe me)

It's worst in media for women even if I'll talk only about shojo here, were even if the heroine claim to not want love some stereotypical asshole with a heart of gold will steal hers later.

I hate being a writer in that environment. I hate knowing that I'll change nothing. Even if some people like my ideas I know that on a large scale it's nothing.

...OK, I know we talked about that in private since this message already, that I'm replying to this super-late and I hope I'm not reopening any old wounds, I'm so sorry if I am...

...But tbh I'm still gonna share this as it is and not comment further because... Agreed tbh. I don't write (aside from comics), I don't engage in fandom actively anymore because of such reasons, so I have no idea how to make this better, but... At least visibility of such messages has to account for something I hope, and I don't know if sharing it here will accomplish a lot, but it's the least I can do anyway.

And I'm so sorry I'm doing it so late T^T

[negrowhat]

For the character ask, Zhou Shu Yi WBL

Hi Shan!!!!!!!!!

Zhou Shu Yi from We Best Love.

How I feel about this character

Shu Yi is such a fun character to me. He is so painfully honest and blunt. He tries to be aloof and cool but his face is like a 4K TV displaying every emotion he has as he feels them. He is driven by emotional impulses, he for sure never truly thinks about things before he does them. When he's mad he lashes out and when he's sad he cries. He definitely thinks about things more in retrospect. It's part of the reason why Shi De was able to manipulate his way into his life. I do love that Shu Yi says what he's thinking and he doesn't stifle himself and that makes him reliable and trustworthy to me. I appreciate that he calls people out on their BS no matter who they are, people like to treat him like he's stupid or a child and I'm glad he doesn't allow it. I love him.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Only Gao Shi De...and sometimes not even Shi De.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I loved Shu Yi's friendship with Zhe Yu. I love that Zhe Yu encouraged all of Shu Yi's wrongdoings. I love that he was so ready to fight his former crush Shi De for trying to weasel his way back into Shu Yi's life without explaining himself. They just give off the energy of petty popular girls when they're together.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Personally...I think Shu Yi forgave his father and Shi De too fucking fast. Shi De let that man talk him into GHOSTING Shu Yi for FIVE YEARS and it took almost no fucking effort on his part. Shu Yi was right that Shi De didn't believe in his love for him and Shu Yi's father had NO business interfering. And he gave such an ass-backwards reason behind it. Shi De is exactly where Otou-san was once upon a time and it's not like Shi De was a bad guy he was smart and talented and destined for great things. I think Shu Yi should've let Shi De grovel a lot longer and highkey he should've told his dad to kick rocks until he was ready to accept Shi De. As much as I love Shu Yi's reconciliation with Shi De, sometimes I feel like Shi De didn't deserve it at that time. But Shu Yi was ready to forgive him long before he did.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Wish we had gotten a wedding and I really did want to see Shu Yi SOAR with his new company.

GIVE ME A CHARACTER and I’ll break their ass down

[quaddmgd]

Claudia Strife headcanons

Since I've been writing about (more like obsessing over) Claudia so much for the last few months, I decided to share some, if not all, of my headcanons regarding her! I decided to leave out stuff regarding my otp/oc, but include the facts about her I came up with for my fics and more. I probably forgot about something but it is what it is. I might edit the post later, especially since there's only going to be more of them.

Oh and I'm tagging Cloud and Tifa's mom as well, since there's quite a lot about them.

General

She tends to get very sentimental. She reminisces about the old times quite a lot, has a lot of pics around her house (most of them are of Cloud) and loves looking at old photo albums.

She loved shooting pictures herself. When she was a teen, she had an instant camera she was running around Nibelheim with. Even years after Cloud was born she used to take pictures of important moments.

Aside from cooking mentioned in the canon, she loves sweets and enjoys preparing/baking them.

She gets very happy when she has someone around to talk to (which is kinda rare after Thea's death and Cloud's departure) and to have a partner to cook with, is a dream of hers.

In general, due to getting shunned by the townsfolk for her ambitions to leave Nibelheim when she was a child, losing her husband and Tifa's accident later in her life, she ended up being quite lonely.

Just like the rest of the town, her parents didn't really understand her and her upbringing was rather tough.

Her parents died not that long after her husband, attacked by monsters on their way to visit an extended family, essentially leaving her and Cloud alone in their family home.

She has a very pretty singing voice.

She's adorably flirty towards her partners.

Cloud

While learning that she was pregnant at such a young age was terrifying to her, she couldn't wait to have Cloud.

She was the one to choose the name for her child. She decided that if it was a boy, he would be named Cloud and if it was a girl, she would be named Raine.

When Cloud was born, Claudia got some additional help from both Brian and Thea, especially after her husband's death, but after Tifa was born a year later it was Claudia that was helping them however she could.

Just like in his later years, Cloud was a very quiet and a bit different from the rest of the kids and she did everything she could to make sure that he felt loved and accepted.

She always cared about making sure that he felt safe with her, understood and that he can talk to her about everything.

So after Cloud could already talk (already after her husband's and parents' deaths) he was not only the most important person in her life, but also somewhat of a friend - her respite from all the issues she could have. There was a very strong bond between them.

Just like Cloud had her, when Claudia was in doubt or feeling lonely, she knew she had her son around and they became an inseparable duo.

Cloud ended up sleeping with Claudia for quite a long time compared to other children. Often coming to her at night when he was scared or sad for some reason. Claudia didn't mind having her boy to hug, especially whenever her self-esteem was low or some sounds outside made her anxious.

Quite a bit of his toys Cloud got after his mom.

She became quite lonely after Cloud left for Midgar, especially with him not keeping in touch that much and her always wanting to give him the space she felt he needed. His departure was devastating for them both. Seeing him two years later during Nibelheim Incident was euphoric, to say the least.

After Tifa's accident, Claudia dedicated a lot of time and effort to protect Cloud from the rest of the town and his own illegitimate sense of guilt.

Claudia's marriage

Claudia fell in love with her husband and got pregnant rather quickly. He vowed to stay with her and raise a child after he learned about the pregnancy, seemingly throwing away his traveller lifestyle.

Her parents quickly grew to like him, which caused them to give Claudia a break, despite being very upset at her for getting pregnant so young and without marriage.

Still the young couple had to get married before Claudia's due date.

Cloud's dad was rather good to him and Claudia. She remembers him as someone caring and someone she was happy with.

Still, the mystery surrounding his death (no body being found and him going to Mt. Nibel without telling her) and the gossip around town that he "could never settle down" caused Claudia to sometimes have doubts regarding his death. Whenever she was feeling extra lonely and her self-esteem was low, she was wondering if he didn't just leave her and Cloud.

After her husband's death, she never really went back to dating, due to her relations with the townsfolk being rocky from the start and then Tifa's accident happening, causing both her and Cloud getting further shunned by the town. I can't imagine Nibelheim having large population either, nor her really being interested tbh.

Whenever asked by Cloud about his dad, Claudia spoke about him positively, remembering the good times they had together.

Thea Lockhart

She was a few years older than Claudia.

Claudia was friends with her ever since they were kids and she had managed to develop a crush on her in their teens.

Due to her upbringing in a secluded village Claudia brushed off her own feelings as just hormones and platonic love.

Whenever Thea and Claudia were spending time together, so were their children. This only changed after some of Tifa's friends rejected Cloud as the weird one and then Tifa's accident happened.

They were best friends for Thea's whole life up until her death, which Claudia was mourning heavily.

Despite having a strong falling-out with Brian after Tifa's accident (in defense of her son) and their friendship not being the same after that, they visit Thea's grave together on every anniversary of her death.

[silviakundera]

I've seen you discuss this with other people but I've only made the jump from J dramas to C ones where it's mostly about romance and are c writers allergic women making the same effort in a relationship or... Granted I've only watched dramas from this year at first I thought it was just historical stuff but it's not it's practically every romance drama will love in spring-snowstorm-love endures-in blossom-double-shenli-royal princess-my boss-our interpreter and so on. If she's not outright treating him badly he's a cirque du Soleil contortionist trying to please her and she's not even in the circus don't they know balance is key to everything? Different dramas should have different bonds it's quite concerning that it's just one thing almost every time I think it speaks to a larger issue or maybe I'm overthinking it

idk what to tell you anon. It may simply be that chinese dramas are not to your taste and that's ok. I tried the occasional kdrama for years and didn't really fall in love with many... Most jdramas don't engage me. But when I tried a few cdramas it was like love at first sight. Something about the stories they want to tell, the themes they explore, and the characters they tend to portay just hooks me. And that's a very personal thing.

All I can share is that as a middle-aged corporate lesbian girlboss... a surprising amount cdramas have connected with me about how they explore a woman who is career focused & has to balance that with developing a romantic relationship and then maintaining one.

And when I'm consuming a romance storyline, what preocupies me is if I find it interesting, if the characters both feel vibrant & dynamic, if I can see how they might work together. Do their broken pieces fit? Can I see a path where eventually they can reach a point of mutual understanding, where both are fulfilled? Do I get their vibe? Do they have a unique vibe? Do I believe they like each other, as people? Or at least, do I see a clear path where they will be/have these things by the end of the story?

That's what dictates if I want to keep watching/reading a romance. Personally, I don't spend a lot of time weighing up perceived effort/favors and needing things to be perceived as "even". I would not want to date a person who thinks like that, because I find that idea stressful and off-putting! 🙈 If the people are happy, then they're happy! If neither feels abused & taken advantage of, if they're clearly content, then I don't need to calculate 'same effort' parity.

But that's just me! Everyone is different. And you don't have to overthink or justify what TV you like or don't like. Maybe cdramas aren't for you. That's all good. But please don't ask me to engage with romance this way, it kinda poisons it for me and makes things a bummer. 😔

I simply cannot say that I share your perspective. For instance, I thought Shen Li was a drama with a great otp who had priorities that did not always align but ultimately they ended up in a beautiful relationship with unconventional gender dynamics and in the finale they are clearly super happy & fulfilled together.

The Princess Royal isn't finished yet but lemme say their love in the novel is EPIC. Absolute one of the otps of all time for me. Better characters than most western historical romance novels I've read. If you look at the small stuff and try to weight who did this or that as a series of transactions, imo you are missing the beauty of how these 2 people took a lifetime of getting everything wrong before being ready for each other - but now they are ready, they are listening to each other and remembering to come back with kindness for each other and moving foward into a bond that's truly beautiful. Yeah, it takes almost the whole novel to get there. But IT DOES. No one loves Pei Wenxuan harder than Li Rong, sees the true value of Pei Wenxuan more than Li Rong, and no one will come to his ferocious rescue like Li Rong. I feel like I could cite 35 quotes to prove my point, it's that clear in the text.

a few of the modern cdrama couples who made me want to believe in love again:

Lighter & Princess - academic rivals to lovers to exes to ????, a drama that snuck up on me and slowly made me lose my mind. Best experience is to be unspoiled and thus surprised about where the story takes you. A long winding road, with some huge dips, before they reach a place where they have a beautiful hard-earned partnership. Makes me emotional just to think about them.

Hidden Love is a simple but beautifully acted tale about a sheltered & gently spoiled girl who falls in love with one of her older brother's best friends. Such a common romance plot but the execution is everything. The characters feel warm & real. FL's bittersweet young love tugs at your heart strings. I was impressed at how they crafted the platonic bond she forms with a lonely young man weighed down by financial & emotional family burdens, which later blooms into a mutual affection that enriches both their lives, and it all feels very natural. You really feel that their lives are immeasurably better by being together. Sang Zhi's protectiveness towards him is so !!!

Vid Rec: Seven by SakinaMv (who I've subscribed to for a long time)

You Are My Glory, which has a very silly sounding concept but ended up one of my fav comfort shows. Beautiful teen girl has a crush on the local school genius and asks him out; he politely rejects her, dismissing her efforts to connect because he can't see what they would have in common. 13 years later, he's a rocket scientist and she's become one of the top idols in china. She's at the peak of her profession but having a tiny PR mishap when caught repping a video game that she actually doesn't play. He's taking a leave from work as he struggles with the economic realities of picking a job that consumes your life but pays like shit. She's looking for help to learn this damn game & cover her ass; she still has his chat ID and he's online with nothing better to do. Once they start interacting, her crush on him returns & he starts to realize that that person he had discounted may actually be that confidant who can walk beside him? My dad was poor scientist who 'wasted' his intelligence following his passion, so I found ML's turmoil especially compelling. [Note: quite a bit of video game playing in the 1st half of the drama (as this is the driver for a celebrity and an unemployed scientist to hang out), then almost none in the second half]

Vid Rec: Stargazing by dramasaffair

Vid Rec: Flashlight by HânAlli (turn on CC)

The Road Home, a second chance romance of 2 people who come from rough home-lifes who fell in love when young but couldn't handle a long distance relationship. Then they meet many years later and try a long distance relationship again. I love me a couple who I can believe just get each other and make each other happier when they are together.

Meet Yourself - a slice-of-life story about a woman whose best friend dies, so she quits her job out of grief to go take the simple vacation that they would talk about doing but never got around to. And naturally she finds herself immersed in village drama and finds a soulmate (big city career woman goes to a small town and falls in love with small town boy is a HUGE american romance cliche, and one I've never enjoyed, so I was surprised at how much I liked this)

Vid Rec - MK916 can always be counted on to publish tons of quality cdrama couple vids

[persnickettes]

War of Faith fics!

So @stultiloquentia told me to link my fic here on Tumblr! In truth I've been remiss about sharing my complete War of Faith obsession here, but I am so, so obsessed. This show isn't even stealth m/m romance, as far as I'm concerned, it's just a straightforward BL about these two and their intense smoldering obsession with each other, masquerading as political idealism, but no one here is fooled, I mean look at them look at them

like if you haven't watched show yet you're sleeping on not only one of THE best c-dramas in recent memory, with stellar acting and edge-f-your-seat action and layered writing and intricate direction and absolutely gorgeous production design, but one of the most satisfying queer subtexts of any show ever.

um. which is to say i have been trying very hard to make this fandom happen by way of writing fics in a variety of shapes and sizes, and i haven't linked any of them here yet but if anyone would like to read them, here they are!

All fics are Shen Tunan/Wei Ruolai.

Out of his system. 1,269 words. Just a short scene and a quick bit of shenlai suit kink because i couldn't take their blazing UST anymore. Written after episode 8, which was 5 eps before the show actually gave us canonical shenlai suit kink?!?! This show, I swear. I swear!!!!

Wedding night. 3,385 words. Written after episode 16 and the epic staircase wedding ceremony. Just taking things to the obvious next level.

Ask a Manager: My boss is showing blatant favoritism to my coworker. This is just a silly meme I wrote based on the actual AAM blog before Congyun's longsuffering got kinda sad actually.

of a feather. 5,657 words. Kind of a pre-canon AU that posits spy!handler Shen Tunan, meeting a teen Wei Ruolai. Cue mutual obsession. I was so obsessed with this headcanon, I had to write it.

鵬程萬里. 1,130 words. A sort of stream-of-consciousness ramble from Ruolai's pov on becoming half of an intense soulmate bond, look i didn't say any of this was restrained.

Okay and here finally is an actual fic fic, except not because it started out as just a series of 5+1 sketches and then became a fic in the second half despite my best efforts.

So I guess when I say I've been "writing fic" for this pairing I just mean I've been frantically coughing up loosely formed ideas hoping something sticks and might inspire other people to watch this show and join me in this pit because holy christ this pairing is off the chain— hot, sexy, mutually obsessed, so fucking smart and competent and obsessed with each other's briliance, so completely capable of trading who doms who in the relationship while equally capable of forming a lifetime lifestyle dom/sub partnership, 100% society elite power couple while also rough-and-ready rivals having intense soulmate bond sex in-between trying to fuck each other over for social justice, just an OTP for the ages.

sigh. just. shenlai everyone. SHENLAI.

[mixterglacia]

CONTENT WARING: Vivziepop/Stolitz Critical below the cut.

TL;DR- This episode was inconsistent to put it politely. I will not continue such niceties below the cut. You've been warned.

I'm going to start with the good. The jokes with Satan and his...therapist?? are delightful, and considering how awful this episode was, I will take it.

The bit where the rest of the imps are tormenting Stolas felt so good, but I'm aware we're meant to sympathize with poor wittle owl boi can do no wrong uwu. So that missed by a mile.

While it wasn't consistent, this episode had some stunning animation. Kudos to the team, especially those working on the shot where Stolas is lifting his cape in the song. That and the slow turns were beautiful.

Alright let's rip into this.

If the second half of this episode existed in a vacuum, it might have hit its mark. But it doesn't. This is TOTAL tonal whiplash. Completely unearned and obnoxious. Once again, we have the biggest helluverse problem:

I don't want to put in the effort to earn my drama. I am relying on the fandom to fill in the blanks so they cry.

The song is horrendously demeaning and bad. He's belittling him because he's in a place where Blitz can't fight back. You can't convince me that I should go from the tone at the start of the song to the end.

GOD i hate these two. there is nothing appealing left. They are a hollow, pathetic shell of what we were promised. this is "messy" in the way a dumpster is. This isn't some artsy spill of candy. This is trash with glitter poured all over it.

Suddenly we're getting Blitz's "truwe" feelings all dumped on us in the span of a single musical number. This is TERRIBLE. You have been so stingy with any level of development on his end that this feels like a car getting t-boned at an intersection. I guess "self indulgent" is code for "I didn't want to put in effort, i just wanted my OTP." Which is fine in a fandom sense, but this is a SHOW. You have to actually make us believe they feel like that. You have FAILED, and you're still trying to give yourself the prize? Man, you are deluded.

This was total dogshit. This was a rushed attempt to get Stolas in Blitz's house/bed. This was nothing short of MORE woobification of this dumbass owl. HE DID THIS TO HIMSELF. IF ANYTHING, THIS IS A SLAP ON THE WRIST.

He's a privileged piece of shit that is so babied by the writers that even his PUNISHMENT is nothing. So he's banished, but only for a hundred years, which is nothing to an immortal. If you're trying to bring him down to be on par with the imps, you've failed.

He's still going to get his job back in the future. He's still going to have money in the future. He's still going to have power in the future. If anything, you should have had the punishment make him be an imp for those years.

But no. You're so obsessed with him that you've centered the whole plot around HIM. Not I.M.P, not Blitz.

HIM.

This show has become so derailed at this point. Each episode is (somewhat) fine on their own, but you can't sit there and tell me they have any level of consistency. I keep thinking they're going to hit their stride, and they keep failing to do so. This is pathetic.

I'm very close to giving up on this series. Even analyzing it has become a chore. You aren't fun to watch, or make fun of. You're just mediocre.

I so desperately want these shows to have better writing. I want them to have quality and be successful at the same time. But currently we only have the latter and I fear that will wane in time if Vivienne doesn't get her head out of her ass and put in the effort I know her to be capable of. You can't keep coasting off of your pilot fans forever. I implore you to have someone work on the tone and consistency of the helluverse in the future.

Somehow Helluva makes Hotel look like high art, and that's a shame. When it was only the pilots, I truly adored Helluva. It had wonderful characters and great humor.

But here we are.

[theladyheroine]

Unexpected OTP Pairings ✨

❥ Okay I know Valentine’s Day was last week! Almost two weeks ago! But recently I’ve been wanting to branch out a bit with my blog writing, & writing prompts are something I love a lot! So, I’m trying something new & came up with a few OTP ideas! I hope you enjoy, thank you & have fun!

❥ F x M writing prompts! I didn't specify who is who though so everyone can read!

Former! Villain x Superhero

Not even a real villain, just some dumb person who steals things or who makes evil schemes that always fail. Kind of like Dr. Doofenshmirtz, & they’re actually really nice in real life! But when a superhero comes to stop them, they instantly fall in love! Seriously has heart eyes & doesn't pay any attention to the hero’s grand pre-fight speech.

Or doesn’t put up a fight at all, just hands them the stolen goods & escapes. Leaving Hero completely confused as the Villain they were supposed to stop didn’t even bother fighting, which is still good but they’re still confused.

After this, the Villain now decides to become a Superhero!! To not only impress their new crush but also because they've always really wanted to be one anyways! It was just the push they needed.

Cue them now running the streets in a completely different outfit trying their best to stop the bad guys! Usually, it doesn’t end well though: they’ll trip over the air & let them escape, or maybe just show up late to the fight & it’s already over.

It’s even worse when their Hero crush joins the fray, and then they’re really clumsy or just start sputtering like an old car. Their former henchmen, now turned sidekicks, try to console them as they lay on the couch completely embarrassed by their feats.

Oooooor, they are super confident & much better at being a superhero than they ever were being a Villain. Maybe this confidence goes to their head a bit & will literally try flirting with Hero on the battlefield! Hero gets a bit embarrassed sometimes & their other super-friends tease them about it. If this does happen, Hero might end up trying to run away from the former Villain in an effort to focus on their job. But it just ends up being really funny to watch.

Bonus: They have opposite powers or maybe one has no powers at all.

Dashing Thief x Friendly! Detective

I'm sorry this one is a bit short!

A notorious thief with a heart of gold who only ever steals from bad guys & acts more as a Robin Hood character than any. Hardly ever keeps anything for themselves; just struts around after dark on the lookout for anything suspicious. Not one person has been able to catch them & their identity remains a mystery. Would be cool if they were a nobleman/woman or had some kind of big fancy hideout. 

The detective is actually their friend/partner (maybe)! The good egg who actually sees the thief’s true intentions instead of just mucking around in a Halloween costume. Although they're pretty ticked at the way Thief does things, they usually keep their coworkers & the boss off Thief's trail. Maybe a newbie or an intern at the detective agency, determined to prove themselves on the field. 

Maybe they met as civilians & the thief switched to a disguise to hide from authorities, but bumped into the detective who was out on a coffee break. It was love at first sight for both of them, so cute! 😆 They do a lot of coffee dates now, but sometimes Detective overdoes it.....

One is the brains, and the other is the brawn. Together they can get any job done! The Detective’s coworkers find it strange how the Thief shows up more often when they're specifically on the job. The Boss is suspicious but sometimes finds them cute.

Often swing by each other’s places to not only hangout but help each other with cases or special kinds of info. If the Thief has any sidekicks, no doubt they’ll spill funny stories of missions gone wrong or close calls. 

Stealing each other's hats and impersonating the other one for fun, then cue a playful chase scene around the room! So cute!

Dragon x Wizard

I know some people like fantasy stuff!

A dragon is resting in their cave until they hears footsteps at the entrance. But instead of finding a grumpy old knight, they find a wizard! Maybe the Wizard was exploring the caves nearby or on a journey to the next town, but instead of feeling scared or angry, they started fangirling/fanboying over the dragon instead! 😆

Likes to ask them all sorts of questions & sometimes can’t stop talking. Now Wizard can come whenever they like & the two become friends!

The Wizard visits whenever they can, showing off all sorts of new spells or potions they've created. Even though it might not be as impressive as their fire, the Dragon still finds it cool & applauds.

The Dragon will always try to impress their wizard friend with tall tales of each piece of treasure. How they got it, where they found it, if they fought anyone over it, etc. But sometimes those stories are exaggerated…

The Wizard will be in absolute awe at the Dragon’s stories & can’t help but be a complete chatterbox about it. Asking more questions about different things like how their magic works, how they can fly with all that extra weight, or if they can learn a fire-breathing spell from them instead—

If the Wizard lives in a tower then the Dragon will visit just as frequently! Usually it’s in the early morning or during sundown when there are fewer people around. But if the Wizard lives in a town or city, it might take some time for the Dragon to come around. It’s not that they don’t care, but dragons are more solitary creatures. Either way, they enjoy each other's company & the dragon likes to ask questions about different thingamabobs on the Wizard's shelves.

They can both be pretty clingy but that’s sometimes a bit tough to handle because the poor wizard has to be extra careful, especially with pouring bottles or waving their wand around if they’re not even two feet apart. Doesn’t mind but sometimes will complain a bit if their partner won’t stay cooperate.

Extra Duo!

Since I loved the superhero one a lot I thought of another one: what if a Hero’s Sidekick & a Villain’s Henchman fall in love!

The Henchman does end up giving Sidekick any tips about their next plan. Cue the Villain throwing a tantrum in their lair wondering why the Hero is always one step ahead of them. 😅

They like to hangout in civilian settings together! Bonus if they found out their secret identities on accident lol

Extra Bonus if the Henchman or both villains become heroes at the end!

[itwasntimethatdidit40]

Get to know your moots.

Thanks for the tag @almostempty and @probablyreadinsmut 💗

what's the origin of your blog title?: “When it comes to love I don’t choose sides” y'all know where it comes from, right? Oberyn 💗 it represents me well heheh

favorite fandoms: PPCU and I used to be a huge GOT fan.

OTP(s) + shipname: Braime, Jaime Lannister + Brienne of Tarth (don't talk to me about that shitty ending, it still haunts me in my sleep)

favorite color: black. But also red, white and pink.

favorite game: I don't play videogames since I was a child but I used to love Tetris and Pac-Man lol

song stuck in your head: currently Messy - Lola Young and another couple of songs I'm using for a ff I'm writing so no spoilers heheheh

weirdest habit/trait?: I have a closet full of clothes but I often tend to wear the same ones in rotation (I obviously wash them regularly 😂) out of convenience and habit, especially if I have to go to work. I only make an effort if I have dinners/birthdays/special occasions and things like that lol

And I regularly think that people hate me, so if I don't write to you often it's because I'm afraid of bothering you, not because I don't want to know you 🥲

hobbies: writing, reading, watching show/movies, I used to have a bullet journal and I used to practice hand lettering (can't keep up with it anymore but I still love it)

if you work, what's your profession?: I am the secretary in a medical office. I also have another job related to customer satisfaction.

if you could have any job you wish what would it be?: I'd love to be a writer (lol not skilled or even talented enough but hey, what do you expect from someone who shares her birthday with Emily Brontë?)

something you're good at: I’m quite good at cooking. I’m Italian, baby, it’s in my genes.

something you're bad at: I’m messy. I can draw like a 5 years old kid lol

something you love: concerts. I’ve been to 100+ concerts in my life and some of my favorite memories and trips are related to concerts I've been to.

something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: I could still rant about Braime and GoT ending for hours. lol Also, concerts memories, I have some good stories 😂

something you hate: Lies. God, just tell me the truth ffs. And the majority of cis men. They just suck, you know.

something you collect: nothing. But I love stationary stuff. I could buy everything, I don't do it because I would waste my savings LMAO

something you forget: If I don't write things down on my phone it's very easy for me to forget them because my memory sucks.

what's your love language?: Cooking for someone, calling people a variety of pet names and/or finding a special one for them, being a great cheerleader, shower them with compliments and love. Just being there when they need help, I am a reliable person.

favorite movie/show: too many, jeeez. How am i supposed to choose? Some movies: When Harry met Sally, Parasite, Almost Famous, Fried Green Tomatoes, Brokeback Mountains, Stand by me, Aftersun, Past Lives, Promising young woman, 10 things I hate about you, Love me if you dare, Rear window, Le conseguenze dell’amore (The consequences of love, it’s an Italian movie by Paolo Sorrentino).

Some shows: Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Friends, Fleabag, Jane the Virgin, My Brilliant Friend, When they see us, Sense8, Peaky Blinders, Mad Men, The Handmaid’s Tale, Grace and Frankie, Bojack Horseman, Normal People.

favorite food: sorry to be such an Italian clichè but pasta and pizza. I could eat them all day everyday lol I also love a good risotto, sushi and Pad Thai.

favorite animal: dogs. I love all of them but especially mine (obviously lol).

are you musical?: I can sing quite decently (I sing in in my car all the time hahahah) but I never studied music and I can’t play any instruments.

what were you like as a child?: I used to be bold and chatty, I always loved reading and writing.

favorite subject at school?: Literature and Art.

least favorite subject?: Math. I’m the worst at it.

what's your best character trait?: loyalty and respect. I never make unsolicited judgments about anyone's body or comment on it, I never ask those shitty questions like "when are you graduating, when are you getting married, why are you still single, when are you having a baby" you know, right? I hate them, I hate them deeply and I think people should mind their own fucking business.

what's your worst character trait?: Lack of self-esteem, laziness, my poor memory. And I don’t give second chances, once you hurt me you’re out of my life permanently and I totally forget about you like you meant nothing for me (I kinda love that about me but I know it can be brutal lol)

if you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be?: I wish I was damn rich and not have to work hahah I would like to be more sporty but I hate doing sports lol I promise I’m going to try to force myself to do something for my well being.

if you could travel in time who would you like to meet?: The first person that comes to my mind is Artemisia Gentileschi, (b: 1593 d: 1656) she was an Italian painter. Read something about her, she’s fucking great ♥️ Also, my grandpa, I loved him so much and he passed away when I was 15. I would love to meet him again.

recommend one of your favorite fanfics (spread the love!):

I love so many so I’m going with last ones that I read and I thought WOW, this is amazing and deserves so much more attention:

Yes ma’am - @sizzlingcloudmentality

Law of attraction series - @baronessvonglitter

Pretty boy - @joelmillerisapunk

Npt: @joelmillerisapunk @milla-frenchy @baronessvonglitter @aurorawritestoescape @thundermartini @schnarfer @sizzlingcloudmentality @cvntclip @evolnoomym @msjarvis @arcanefox207 @gothcsz 💗

[rmd-writes]

who am I if I can't carry it all

RWRB | T | 9.4k | June POV

Alex lives his life like he has a fire under his ass for no good reason and always has. Except June knows that there is a reason, there always has been. In some ways, June has spent her whole life trying to protect Alex from himself, watching him shove himself down behind impressive wit, gregarious personality and a charming smile in his effort to set the world aflame, despite the fact that he could have done so almost effortlessly, simply by being himself.

Or, five times June looks after Alex and one time she realises she doesn’t need to.

In the morning, she wakes up alone and when Alex isn’t in his own bedroom, she races downstairs. She finds him smiling over his Lucky Charms as if everything is normal, chattering to their mom about his plans with Liam for the rest of the summer and trying out for the local lacrosse team once the season starts because another boy at camp had mentioned it and Alex thought it sounded fun.  June stares at him, bleary-eyed, trying to work out if last night was a dream. Perhaps she should’ve seen it coming.  “What’re you staring at, Bug? Forget what I look like? Anyone would think you missed me or something.” He opens his mouth to show her his half-chewed breakfast.  “You’re disgusting.” “You love me.”

Read on ao3

I'm nervous about this one, friends! It's the first time I've written outside my OTPs' POVs and June is so very special to me and I hope I've done her justice.

Thank you to @indestructibleheart for being the reason this fic exists at all, to @kiwiana-writes for yelling at me and confirming that the feels were indeed feels-ing and to @welcometololaland whose comments and feedback in my gdocs give me life. I love you all 💖

[hearted-anon]

Happy birthday, Chan.

Words: 1047 Note: them. binchan my otp but still. T/w: None

Chan's birthday party was nothing short of a mess, but not in a way where he was sobbing at the end of it, more of a chaotic mess that made him wear the most ear splitting grin on his face by the end of the day. Streamers filled the room the moment he had entered said room, Jisung holding a big American cheesecake proudly that wrote in cherry red frosting: "Happy birthday Hyung!" The action alone was enough to make his heart melt, but being wrapped up in a grand total of 14 arms made him burst into loud tears, profusely thanking each and every member for their contributions to completing his dreams.

Afterwards, he ended up practically drinking himself silly, red wine passed around so many times that even Changbin, who decided to sit out and watch over the group to ensure that no destruction of the dorms will ensue when all members were drunk, couldn't keep track of the amount of bottles that were dumped into the glass disposal bin anymore. Poor Binnie practically had to manhandle each member back to their rooms after midnight, wincing when a ferret whined obnoxiously loudly into his ear when he was picked up away from the bottles of wine and back to his room.

Now, it was only left to the parents of Stray Kids, Minho running a hand through the older's hair calmly while said older man was giggling himself crazy on the floor over seemingly nothing. The bunny had chosen to drink a lot less than normal, seeing how he had to rush Jisung to the toilet when he only drank energy drinks with Seungmin; he definitely suspects that mischievous vocalist had spiked his drink or something.

"You're drunk, hyung, go to bed." Minho ushers softly, rubbing Chan's cheek tenderly to soothe the post drunk brain of his leader. The Aussie beneath him sulked at the hear of being told to go to bed, petulantly crawling closer to the younger and wrapping his arms tightly like a vice around Minho, head laying on his lap with a dazed pout, almost as if he didn't even know he was doing so.

"N-Not as if you would care anyway..." Despite knowing that Chan was probably wedged in deep into the depths of red wine and his mind was probably not in the best state to be saying any truthful or any right words even, the sentence itself still pricked somewhere in Lee Know's soft heart, reopening a wound that he swore not to open for a while.

"I don't care? But what about the time I cooked for you so you could eat? What about the time that you cried, and I tried to comfort you?" Minho murmurs under his breath, and unexpectedly, the original panging feeling comes back tenfold, eyes widening when he saw tears beginning to drip down onto his shirt. He rushes to wipe them, but it was too late, being dragged down by Chan quietly. Without a word, the older engulfs him in a hug, a warm one. The same warm feeling during their predebut, the same tears that flowed down Minho's face during his elimination, the same position they were in: Standing up while facing each other.

"I know you care. Please don't cry..." Something in Lee Know wanted him to believe the words he was hearing, but he knew those were just drunk words that were falling from the older's mouth, ignoring the smell of red wine from his breath when the leader made poor but effort filled attempts to cheer up the bunny. Doing silly faces, giving him a million snuggles to his cheeks, cuddling, he did everything, even when the dancer knew his head was probably throbbing.

"I-I'm sorry for making you comfort me on your birthday..." Minho finally admits after a bout of long, cosy silence between the two, and now the younger was being snuggled up by the producer, fingers wrapped around his waist tenderly. His nose was buried into the brown hair beneath him, inhaling the scent of a mint shampoo while his fingers instinctively tugged on the fabric of Minho's shirt, just needing something to fiddle with.

"It's okay, after all, the best birthday gift I will ever receive is all of you. STAY who got me here today, family who helped me grow into a better person, seniors who taught me the rules around here, our members that brought me into a brighter light, and you. You're apart of them, and that alone is enough for good ol' Channie."

Yet again, Lee Know could already feel his eyes burn at Chan's words, snuggling his head deep into the Aussie's chest to try and hide his crying face. It was embarrassing, really, crying when he wasn't even the birthday boy to begin with, and being taken care of the birthday man himself! However, Chan didn't allow it, drunk or sober, he still loved his kids dearly not to take care of them. He lifted up the dancer's chin, patting his back soothingly while the other wiped away his tears firmly, that same bright dimpled smile adorning his face; the one that gave him strength to continue perusing his career here, and not to give up on his elimination.

"We're all here for each other, okay? I don't need expensive gifts or big actions, even this simple gathering was so heart touching to me, you really are the best people I could ask for in this life." Chan consoles, although the truth behind his words were as clear as black on white, making Minho smile too, along with him; his smile was just that contagious. Bringing the leader in closer for a hug, their limbs soon entangle each other in a warm cuddle, even if Chan's breath smelt so strong of wine Lee Know had to secretly get up a few times from their snuggle spot on the couch to take a breather, most times failing when a clingy, drunk Chris tugged him back onto the couch by the back of his shirt.

"Happy birthday Chan." Minho whispers before finally passing out on the couch with him, eyes lidding close under the twinkling stars that continued to shine down on the radiant path they were walking on.

I made this a fic because I couldn't stop thinking about them, and now exams are over, so I could make my ideas a reality at last instead of giving mini bits of tickletober! Happy birthday best leader Bangchan, hoping you'll get smothered with love and affection to show just how truly great you are.

[bad-as-me]

Morgott for the ask meme!

hell yes my boy!!

favorite thing about them

Honestly, Morgott covers the bases for a lot of things I'm weak for in a character. I love a guy who is so single-mindedly devoted to a cause, especially one driven by a need to be loved, that the rest of the world and their own well-being falls apart in the process. Something about the inherent tragedy of someone choosing to die on a hill that nobody asked them to take on, that would really be in their better interest to let go of and start anew elsewhere, and yet you want so badly for their efforts to be rewarded in some way because you know it's all for love.

It's just so terribly romantic in a gothic sense. He reminds me so much of the description of the creature in Frankenstein: someone that tried so hard to fit himself into the image of what his maker wanted, who speaks beautifully and eloquently in contrast to his rough exterior, who boasts an intelligence and a competency that was likely learned while hidden from society. And yet we know in both situations that effort will never be reciprocated.

Also, he growls and purrs and has a giant fluffy snow leopard tail. How can I not be obsessed with him.

least favorite thing about them

His big beautiful horns are so hard to draw :'(

Honestly, he's one of those characters where even his flaws are incredibly interesting to me. I like that he refuses to give up his position of power! It's something he worked so hard for, and to his mind must be the only way he can stay safe in a world that he knows wants him dead. I like that he can't let go of the status quo! As his Great Rune tells us, Omen or not he is the rightful Lord of Leyndell. By all standards of the world they're in, he has every right to be proud of that title. And given the alternatives he's likely had presented to him (Rykard, Mohg, the Frenzied Flame), why wouldn't he believe that this stagnant existence is the best he could ask for?

He's the immovable object to our unstoppable force. There's a nobility in his commitment to that, however misguided it may be.

favorite line

"We are all forsaken. None may claim the title of Elden Lord. Thy deeds shall be met with failure, just as I..."

I love his monologue in the beginning of his fight, but the fact that this is the last thing he says just tears me apart on so many levels. It really hammers home how much of his targeted spite towards us is him projecting his own sense of failure to his lineage. He crawled all this way through the mud, gave every drop of his accursed blood for the Erdtree, and it still wasn't enough. How could we possibly have a chance when all his efforts were for naught?

No matter how many times I replay it, I always take some time just to sit next to him after he says that, listening to the rain over the capitol and the somber song of Leyndell. The city really feels like it's in mourning at that moment, all for someone they hated too much to truly understand.

brOTP

Mohg and Morgott!!! The gruesome twosome!! The dynamic duo! Every piece of art or fic that depicts them having some brotherly squabbles and shenanigans brings a little bit of life back into my eyes :')

OTP

As far as canon characters go, it's gotta be Morgott/Oleg. We love a good knight/master ship around these parts, and I think he deserved someone as devoted to protecting him as he was devoted to his cause.

Outside of that, well. I am writing an ongoing fic of Morgott and my Night's Cavalry Tarnished (who was never a Tarnished but a secret third option, but you know.) I think about them a normal amount.

nOTP

Mohg/Morgott. I just want them to have one single family relationship in their life that is remotely healthy man 😭

random headcanon

He's good with animals, and prefers the company of them to people. Most of his communication to the Night's Cavalry is through carrier falcon, but if he needs to summon them all for a meeting, he can do so with an instrument that's very similar to an Aztec death whistle.

Also, he recanted his blood through the Church of Vows. Him and Miriel have a good rapport with one another.

unpopular opinion

Respectfully, I disagree with both the "Morgott is basically the Lands Between's evangelical gay republican" take, as well as the "Morgott is a soggy baby virgin who will cry if you give him a cookie" take.

I think he is a living contradiction in a lot of ways. He is simultaneously an accursed Omen, the lowest of the low, while also having tangible evidence that he is the child of a god and of a powerful bloodline. He has held Leyndell together for more than long enough both to be aware of its corruption, and to be in a position to change it, but he can't allow himself to believe any of it needs to be changed.

He is too stuck on the idea that he needs to uphold the way things are - to prove himself "better" than his curse - to change anything. This is directly contrasting his brother Mohg, who has made an entire cult around acknowledging the unjust suffering he went through.

Like the sealing of his blood into a sword, he represses that truth, until he is so broken down that it is released all at once - painfully and without control.

Because of this, I think he would recoil at the idea of being an object of pity. He has done too much to earn a respectable position for anyone to tell him that he deserves better - even if it's true, and he should be told that.

song i associate with them

Oh god I have a whole playlist of them. But if I were to narrow it down:

Sonne by Rammstein

Momma Sed by Puscifer

Romans 10:9 by The Mountain Goats

Helvegen by Wardruna

favorite picture of them

I am not exaggerating when I say this illustration by tendermiasma re-wired my brain on a fundamental level

[notmaplemable]

Weiss: With Jaune and Ruby now dating, my efforts have been successful.

Blake: Why exactly do you want them to date so much?

Weiss: I've accepted that I'm probably never going to find someone who truly loves me to have my own children with. So I'm just going to spoil their many children to fill in the void.

Weiss: Plus they're just cute together.

Blake: ...First of all, you need therapy.

Weiss: Indeed.

Blake: Second, do you seriously not know that at least one person in our group has a thing for you?

Weiss: Who?

Blake: That, you have to figure out yourself.

(I guess consider this a prompt for your favorite Weiss OTP)

[elfdragon12]

The Destro miniseries wraps up! (I will get around to talking about the final Scarlett issue!)

"Sorry to disappoint, gentlemen... But daddy's home."

Destro is the drama!

Also, casually just adding Destro to my list of extremely problematic fictional men I'm attracted to.

Looks like Astoria/Chameleon is in full alliance with Destro now.

I mean, just Cobra Commander being a shrewd businessman, am I right?

Huh! That's curious! I wonder how that will affect the GI Joe series down the line!

All that and he forgives them, what a guy!

On a more serious note, Destro is pretty interesting in how self-aware he is. It's not like he would have done much differently in their situation (maybe put more effort into confirming death?), so he doesn't seem to be holding it against them for now. Also, Transformers references!

I'll be fully honest, I'm not sold on these two romantically, though it did seem like Watters was building up to this. Astoria/Powerglide is a big OTP for me, so I'm not inclined to like a ship that interferes with it. At the very least she's kissing someone with a metal face. :P

To be even more fair...

Destro goes all out.

From what I've heard of his relationship with Baroness in other stories, he's also a decent romantic partner in general.

BUT THEN!!!

TRANSFORMERS #12 CONSEQUENCES, ANYONE?!?!

Overall, this miniseries was pretty enjoyable, but I am ready to get into the full GI Joe series next month!