#otp: people always do crazy things when they're in love

[riddlerosehearts]

💜 Who d'you think you're kiddin'? He's the earth and heaven to you. Try to keep it hidden, honey, we can see right through you. Girl, you can't conceal it. We know how you're feelin', who you're thinkin' of.

[aragaki]

Darlin/Pack Members

Because my self-control is zero and I just think Darlin' is the most interesting listener character who also deserves the entire world and William Solaire's wallet.

Milo

Already wrote some about them here but they're my non-canon otp so ofc I wanna talk about them more

The pack's most photogenic couple. Milo puts in the effort to look good and dress well but Darlin' is just the most effortlessly good-looking. They can roll out of bed in yesterday's clothes and unbrushed hair and any candid shot looks like it belongs on an influencer's curated social media. It drives poor Milo crazy.

Before they moved in together, Milo would send messages to Darlin' throughout the day to let them know what he was up to and where he was going. They never asked but he knows it makes them more comfortable and he's always happy to do it.

Christian can't make his jokes about Milo's wolf size for nearly as long when he's mates with Darlin'. Darlin' isn't a brute, they're a protector, so of course they notice the way Milo's smile tightens when Christian piggybacks onto Ash's jokes. They give him three chances to knock it off and after he doesn't listen to them on strike three, they start swinging. Darlin' doesn't ask Milo to talk to David about how he's feeling but he has to anyway when David interrogates him about what caused Darlin' to break Christian's nose.

Darlin' has always been Marie's favorite and she has no problem saying as much. She's wanted them as her kid for as long as she's known them, little spitfire that they are, and is beyond happy when Milo finally makes it official.

This also means that Marie is Darlin's primary healer and gives them twice the ration of shit that she gives anyone else - including Milo! She loves them so much but will not hesitate to kick their ass for being reckless.

Milo is without a doubt Darlin's lifeline during pack meetings. It's a lot, being home and surrounded by people you thought would be fine without you - who are upset with you for thinking so - and Milo knows all the best places to escape with them. They never admit to needing a breather but he always knows.

Milo and Darlin train together!! They absolutely do!! Darlin' knows they can rock Milo's shit and he does too, and he loves it. When they spar or box together it's always going to end in a makeout session. He can't help it, they look so damn fine all fired up and sweaty. They've absolutely gotten caught but no amount of teasing will get them to stop.

Darlin' doesn't mind dressing up for Milo. It's not their thing usually, simple and maneuverable works best for them but every now and again they can be persuaded with plenty of kisses. Fancy restaurants make them feel out of place but Milo always seems so happy to see them under the light of glittery chandeliers and that makes them happy too.

One time he did manage to piss off Darlin' during a fancy dinner so they pretended to propose to him in front of the entire restaurant and it nearly gave him a heart attack. The cake and champagne they were given more than made up for it though.

When Darlin' sits down, Milo has the habit of coming up behind them and massaging their shoulders and neck. He has a hard time keeping his hands off of them at the best of times but he wants to help get rid of some of their stress so small random massages are his way of helping with that.

Darlin' likes things that are simple and physical, they're a tactile person so they've absolutely got a photo album of them and Milo. Marie even gave them some old pictures of them together from their teens for it. Milo finds it one day by accident and if it had him crying on their bedroom floor for 15 minutes that's between him and Aggro.

Speaking of Aggro, he has a love-hate relationship with Darlin'. They're convinced the cat hates them, the way he swats at them and hisses. They say Milo is Aggro's person and he's jealous that Darlin' takes up so much of his attention. But every night, he tries to climb up and sleep on Darlin's chest, head resting under their chin. And if Milo tries to move him to cuddle with Darlin' he gets a full-force bapping to the face until he gives up and lets Aggro do what he wants.

Darlin' has absolutely shifted and laid down so Aggro could climb up onto their back and nap there. They'll never tell a soul.

I talked about it in my other Milo post but Milo kissing Darlin's scars!! They've been through so much and it's affected their self-image so much. Milo can't stand that. So he kisses each and every one, even the ones that make Darlin' lip curl in disgust at themselves, and say something about them that he loves. Physical, emotional, about their personality. Anything. This praise king could go on forever. And he means it and that's what makes Darlin's heart ache the most.

And when they start to believe it, Milo couldn't be more proud. The crease between their brows when they see themselves smoothes out. They don't sneer at the bite marks that are dotted around their skin nearly as much. They get confidence in how they look, and in how desirable Milo finds them. He can't wait until it turns into true self-love.

Milo has no problem being the in-between for Darlin' and David. Both have strong personalities. Both can word things that, while meant to be loving, can be harsh and wound the one who hears them. Milo doesn't have a lot of patience, but he is fluent in Grumpy Wolf at this point. His interventions have honestly brought the unintentional hostility between them down and made it easier for them to talk about their thoughts, feelings, and opinions on their own.

When they're shifted, they're almost always stuck together. Doesn't matter if it's a hunt, a run during the Solstice, anything. They will not be separated. They're both ready to throw themselves headfirst into whatever danger might happen to protect the other, much to the exhaustion of the rest of the pack who really wish they would just stop throwing themselves into danger.

Asher

"Well mark me down as scared AND horny!" Has been Ash's response to basically everything Darlin' has done since they were teens.

Seriously, there would be no denying that Darlin' intimidated Asher when they joined the pack. A new wolf from outside of Dahlia joins the pack with a chip on their shoulder a mile wide and so fearless they'll jump in first into any problem??? They're intimidating but also!! They aren't mean to him!!

He was without a doubt one of the members of the pack who tried to help Darlin' integrate the most. He'd include them in anything he could, even if it made his other friends side-eye him. He was shameless about it too!! If they wouldn't spend time with him, he'd be following them around like a lost puppy. It was like they had a second shadow.

Some members of the pack scoff and roll their eyes at Asher but not Darlin'. Even if they don't seem interested in his rambling they're always paying attention. They've always listened. And he didn't realize how important that was to him until it was gone.

Becoming pack beta and David's second in command was a huge shift and he's well aware that plenty of people don't think he's up for it. But Darlin' was never one of them. They had their own quiet belief in Ash and what he could do, never questioned his fit for the role. Even as they withdrew from the pack they knew that David could handle it if he had Asher's support.

After Darlin' fell into the wrong crowd, Ash was the most vocal about getting them back and bringing them home. No argument mattered to him, Darlin' was a member of the pack and they needed to be there. He wasn't above saying it was just because he missed them. That didn't change when they stopped being teenagers. He still feels like a dumb kid with a huge crush who missed his chance.

Then, all at once, it all falls apart. Darlin's unempowered friend is almost killed, by Darln's own mate, and the Shaw pack is rallying behind them to try and push the department to act. Then it goes quiet. They leave, saying they're heading up to be with their family and Ash feels like someone hollowed out his chest. It's how he imagined it feels like when someone's mate dies - a constant ache in his chest. Which he knows he shouldn't feel because regardless of his feelings Darlin' isn't his mate. Hell, they just had to leave theirs because he was a shitty person!!

He's confused and it only gets worse when he finds out Darlin' had been lying to them. That Quinn was still at large, that they put the pack at risk, that they were putting themselves at risk trying to handle it alone. They didn't rely on the pack. On their friends. On him. And his impostor syndrome kicks him off on a spiral. But it doesn't take much to pull him out of it, not when Darlin' is finally back in his life.

As mates, Ash is the Will Smith red carpet meme. He wants everyone to look at his mate, to know that he's their mate and they're soooo in love!! It drives poor Darlin' insane.

And he can get away with it!! And damn near anything because Darlin' is so weak to Ash's puppy dog eyes. They have been since they were teens. If Asher wants a grilled cheese at 3 AM all he has to do is flash those eyes and Darlin' is hauling themselves out of bed, but grumbling about it the entire way.

Asher and Darlin' spend a lot of downtime gaming together. They trade recommendations back and forth, play each other's favorites, and terrorize everyone else who ends up in their lobbies. Darlin' can get a little heated and toxic during PVP but it's always defused by Asher doing an uwu voice and making Darlin' choke on their laughter.

David and Milo are happier than Asher when they finally get together, they've been listening to his lovesick pining for years and they're TIRED.

David

aka the character that got me into shipping Darlin' with their pack members

David and Darlin have such an interesting dynamic!! The devoted pack alpha and the wayward lone wolf. They both have strong personalities and we've seen them come into conflict with each other

But there's love there. There always has been.

I fully believe that in a David/Darlin' relationship, it'd be a case of he fell first and fell harder. It wasn't love at first sight, David's a bit too cynical for that even before his dad died. But there was a pull to the newcomer that drew him in and helping them settle in wasn't just because of his role as beta.

They were always there, in the background of David, Milo, and Asher's teenage years but never front and center. Always on the fringes, like they never found their footing. Something he wouldn't notice until it was too late.

Then Gabriel dies and Darlin' got together with Quinn. Instead of being distant, they're absent entirely. David knows that Quinn is their mate but something about that burns at his core, makes him feel queasy and unsettled. Like it's wrong. But htere's nothing he can do, he has a pack to run and protect.

The anger and hurt he feels when he finds out that they've been lying to him for so long. That they're trying to hunt down Quinn on their own, so stubborn and self-destructive. The fact that they consider themselves expendable and would risk breaking themselves to avenge their friend and protect the pack. He wants to shake them by the shoulders and tell them they're loved but he knows it'll be better to show them instead.

The pack meeting goes better than he hoped, with members both scolding and reassuring Darlin' of their place and their value. He watches them the whole time out of the corner of his eye and he says it's because he wants to make sure they don't bolt but he knows deep down he's just happy to see them back where they belong

The road to becoming mates is even more bumpy with Darlin' than it would be with Angel. He has to balance being their alpha and their partner and he already feels like he's failed them as a leader, they couldn't even trust him about Quinn.

The shift to being mates came with no small amount of arguing. Darlin' likes to fight with David on just about everything and it drives him crazy. It doesn't matter what it is, big or small it's always some kind of fight or contest and it makes his blood boil but at the same time he loves that little sparkle they get in their eye whenever they challenge him.

When there's a pack run and they're all shifted there's a 100% chance that Darlin' is gonna slam into David's flank and snap at him. Doesn't matter how many times he tells them to stop over the link, they're always going to start shit in a way even Asher wouldn't try.

Honestly, it's like David has two betas the way Darlin' and Asher flank him. And Darlin' isn't above mean-mugging clients if they think they aren't being taken seriously. (again, David tells them to stop. They don't.)

Scary movie nights are even more fun when David and Darlin' are sat next to each other, the contrast makes Darlin's abject terror even more hilarious.

[lukazade]

Foreword: it's all just my opinion! Don't freak out! Don't worry! Listen if you want, don't listen if you don't! Discuss if you want, don't if you don't! Awesome! Also man it's wordy I'm sorry!

Ok I know we've talked about zooble trans allegory and yes, agree, however. I think it's also like, something about acceptance and adjustment as a whole concept. A feeling of self actualisation,, or something. I'm gonna talk about masking now!

Some characters have adjusted implicitly to the circus (Ragatha, Jax), some have brute-force adjusted (Kinger, Pomni), and some have adjusted by refitting to their environment as it changes (Zooble, Gangle).

What I mean to say is this hints at their past lives a little more (to me);

Ragatha and Jax

Ragatha and Jax are what I would call perfect maskers. The type who do it so well they fool themselves - the type who have the sort of trauma that just can't be given to an adult. It's entwined into your birthright. Ragatha has always come across as having "eldest daughter syndrome" (if you're not sure what I mean by this, look it up!) and Jax chooses destruction and cruelty in his every play (I know men who do not know how to be Nice to others and can only bully and demean the people they even genuinely like, because of toxic masculinity being ingrained in the very fabric of being A Boy in this world- yadda yadda yawn) (note: this still makes them suck and please don't forgive people who say "this is just how I am" when they hurt you just because of whatever they've been through. You are now going through it for them.) but they don't come across as genuine. Neither of them feel genuine.

Jax wants everyone to enjoy his "banter" and thinks that them reacting is similar to them enjoying. They're partaking, after all. He doesn't like when people aren't playing along with him, but they don't play with him because his playstyle is cruelty. He's compelled to be mean. And he needs you to respond in his language - his language that is obscene and hurtful. And it gets worse as you engage with it, because he's playing with you. And not necessarily to hurt you. Just.. to hurt you. You feel me? It's a game. It's not real. Why would it upset you? Lighten up.

Ragatha wants the same, in a way. She wants to play house (needs to) because eldest daughters can never stop playing house. They've been doing it since the second the younger sibling was born. Perhaps even parented a parent, with no siblings at all to speak of. They start the job so young that they do not live in reality. They're playing house. They're the mother. And Pomni is literally child shaped, so of course she wants to nurture and care for her. And of course she wants to care for everyone, because that's what she knows how to do; she can't accept thanks for it because of course she'll take care of you. She'll take care of everything. It's nothing to be thanked for. And Pomni is her child but also,,, she's not actually. That's not her child or even A child. She'll parent her as a way to show her love, right down to, "she's too busy flirting with gummigoo to be with us, wish someone would flirt with me" (aka: "she doesn't love mommy anymore, she's abandoning mommy and growing up"). We aren't going to travel this path further in this post but if you're a freak who wants to explore it feel free! Heck. Maybe you already have explored it! Life's crazy.

Anyway. They hate each other, (Ragatha and Jax) but they get along because they're both able to, weirdly, find common ground. Ragatha gets to bite at him in an angry housewife way. He gets to bite at her because she bites back. They let off steam by arguing, where he tends to play defence to her offence, when you might assume a nasty rude cruel guy would raise his voice and deny her the right to do so. I won't go further here either because I lack evidence the deeper I go rotating these two in my mind. My evil otp. Sorry Ragatha I think you're a lesbian having weird things with Pom but you're part of my evil otp with nasty Jax because you're parallels of what the world does to its eldest sons and daughters sorreeeeey.

Pomni and Kinger

These two are. They're rotating in my mind. Yeah. Yeah they are, right there. The child he never got to have, the father figure she evidently yearns for.

These two are the type who don't adjust well. They don't mask well. They can't hold it in and lie about things, and when they do they fall apart.

Pomni is in the early stages of a new environment - she can't blend into it all even though she looks the most like a circus act. She tries, but the way it drives her up the wall, the way every good moment is also a moment waiting to strike, she can't. Until the moments she can. When it's quiet, when people are acting normal, when she's alone somewhere and can functionally talk about it. And then she's. Fine. She blends, she matches. She's just in hell, just in the circus. It's okay though.

But there's only so much talking things out can do, especially when you're stuck somewhere that actively traumatises you. Going back to therapy won't stop the bad things from happening, and so she'll loop again and again until... well, who knows! I hope we find out!

Kinger my beloved that killed his wife (?) either beforehand (while alive) OR believes so because he watched her abstract in front of him, and confused it with killing her. Who knows. His real life and his life in the circus are one and the same, he can't pick them apart. Because he never did adjust. It all slams into him every time, he needs that quiet, dark, emotional place that Pomni is still reaching for. But he has accepted that he doesn't fit and can't reach. He's literally a piece from a set. A set with no other pieces. Nobody else is from a set; Pomni maybe counts as part of a Circus Objects set. But she is in a circus. She might be able to adjust with time; Kinger does not fit. Cannot adjust. An outsider who (if we're to believe that was his life, in the haunted house ep) was paranoid and lived away from society (with the one matching set piece that he got to have, his queen). And in killing her, lost his ability to be in a set. To have kids. Uh. Pawns if you will. He has no place, and though he cannot truly adjust, though he remembers himself fairly easily in private (something the best maskers don't necessarily get to have; whew boy let me tell you sometimes the mask feels more real than the skin!!), he has accepted it. He has adjusted. Episode 3 there's so much more in you that I'm not seeing.. there's more I should be able to see.. idk what though. But he knew it was his own life. 100%. Also I believe in ep 4 gummigoo remembered his past life as an NPC v.1 idk where else to say that tho. I'm putting it here I believe.

And now we nearly reach the end! Are you still with me folks? And do you like my informal writing style? Thanks! University hated it! I'm shocked that I have a degree!

Zooble and Gangle

These two literally in canon adapt and change themselves to fit in. They're not perfect maskers, but they're also not the type who can't mask. The perfect maskers need their situation to gradually change, the ones who can't mask need things not to change. But change is in the nature of these two. Adapting is what they do. Gangle literally changes her mask right in front of others (think.. code-switching? I guess!) Zooble offers her a mask she thinks might help. Changes up her limb pieces. They are adaptable. But they diverge.

Zooble steps out of anything she doesn't want to do, anything she can't handle, but this is because she is constantly trying to find the right "body parts." She is so interested in the introspective, in the self, that the affectation of the outside just slides right off her. Jax wishes! She is able to ignore everything because the most important thing to her is her sense of self. Never mind how it fits in with others. Her apathy is only for things that cannot help her - she holds empathy and gentleness deep within herself, and gives it to those who care or relate to her struggle. She isn't close to the Perfect Maskers because they fundamentally cannot understand her (Ragatha wants to just go with it and let each adventure play out and end. Over and over. Something to do. // Zooble doesn't want to be distracted from the self actualisation of finding her "correct" body parts. Adventure outside is nothing for her (literally episode 4 couldn't touch her lmao she just did her job good for her)).

And Gangle. Oh sweet Gangle. Ever the bottom of the dog pile, ever the hurt and wounded one, needs to be loved, wants to be loved, but can't ask. So instead she matches her mask to what the people need (or to a tantrum that perhaps This Time someone will care about, maybe, please). Gangle gets to be in charge in ep 4 and immediately becomes Boss From Hell. This is a person who wants to have attention paid to her, but also who feels undeserving or too unimportant. So when given control, of course she doesn't know how to do it in a way that works. It just isn't in her wheelhouse! And whew, everyone has caused heaps of trouble during the circus, but the one time she causes chaos, she blames herself and settles away outside of the group. But she is trying to pursue a sense of self by trying different masks, trying different ways to fit in. She can mask, and will mask, but her sense of self claws out. Her emotional, sensitive self. Tears of a crybaby are easy to write off. Contentment/happiness are even easier to write off. But uncomfortable emotions beg to be seen and heard. Manic mask(?) was extreme in a way that is uncomfortable for the others, and for herself, as it caused a weird little freaky outburst (like anger, jealousy, etc - they result in choice words and actions fairly often). I said good for her even while I was scared of her ngl good for her for real. She can mask fine, she just doesn't truly want to. She does, to make things work. But it's clear from the beginning that masking is just a gimmick to play along and feel part of something, it's clear she's just aching to feel something real and honest. And, just as Ragatha/Jax and Zooble can't get along, Gangle also can't get along with them; she isn't good at playing house. They both aren't into playing house, they want to express something real, either through correct body parts, or through hobbies (like art).

These groups fundamentally form and overlap where they intersect. There are dynamics that are clear, and dynamics that are untapped. Those who can play house, those who won't play house, and those who don't even know what street the dang house is on.

In conclusion

Shit I'm bad at conclusions..

TL;DR

That sounds less daunting. The characters all represent something to me that I think is cool :) and also may not matter at all in the grander scheme! I am always trying to think of the "what do they want" concept when they interact with adventures/caine/each other. Jax is the most interesting to me because he's the best masker on the team. "But he's just like that" you cry. No~ there's something that does that, even if it's nothing you notice. Breathing in tobacco smoke can still give you lung diseases - even if you didn't smoke! Kinger is my fav though uwu I'm an Ice King enthusiast ofc I'm gonna pick up another traumatised and confused old man he's in my basket rn as we speak.

Anyway hope you enjoyed my writing style, this is just how I like to talk. And I felt it was on theme with the vibes of the show hahahaha hope you had fun - also it's 1am, forgive me if I went off topic like 60 times 🥰 I swear I had something to say!

[shynetyme06]

P. Paperjam—

This one is gonna be long but I can tell you know exactly what you've signed up for

First impression: I thought he was an annoying baby because of reasons you can probably guess. I mostly tolerated his presence in the videos I watched because I really liked errorink when I first joined the fandom, so he was just "kid that was there sometimes"

Impression now: HE IS EVERYTHING TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fr my favorite character of all time✨ Back when I was exclusively looking at utmv content on youtube, I came across this video, and it was my first ever look at pj not being that annoying baby, which dominoed into me trying to find more about this jerk of a character, because omg this is what's actually canon?? which led me here :3 genuinely obsessed with their story, and by now my opinion of errorink literally traded with them lmao. Those dad guys are cool but they're always in the background of the true star forreal

Favorite moment: this

Idea for a story: I have way too many of these........ But I've been seeing ppl be more broad with this answer so I will too: I like when people acknowledge how garbage she's doing mentally. She didn't just spawn and start acting like an asshole to everyone, a hard childhood shaped who she is now and so the bitterness just makes sense (people tend to forget/not know/acknowledge that she was actually shown to be a pretty chill, soft spoken kid. years of neglect is what pushed her to leave) This next part isn't like, a rule for anyone lmao. but this question is for my idea and what my idea is, is that most if not every single one of my pj variants have got parental issues (even if a lot smaller in some cases) because said issues are a staple for this guy atp (to meeee)

Unpopular opinion: I think the pj and fresh dynamic can be fun without shipping or the uncle fresh interpretation. They're both grown and get into shenanigans (also I think it's funny if pj initially just hung around the guy because he's literally walking error repellent, and since fresh is unable to posses pj the strategy just kinda became "hmm having a friend makes me look more normal, I can live with this")

Favorite relationship: omnipj forever and always 💜🩷I used to go through their ship tag like every day when I discovered them I swear, they are genuinely the cutest thing ever to me. They used to be my true otp, (fr never seriously considered shipping either of them with another person) but thenn I met a certain someone and got converted lmao. Now I've got 2 worlds featuring the ship of pj x lux (including a shared au with the aforementioned someone, hi tobi💜) And no matter if it's just one of them or both, I love seeing the softer side of pj's personality that had been buried for so long resurfacing again around the people she loves <33333 And part 2 of this answer because nearly every dynamic with pj intrigues me like crazy: ink man. that freaking guyyYYYYYY THEY MAKE ME SAD. going back to an earlier point, pj didn't just come out hating them. they tried and tried and tried to have a relationship, and we know how that ended. My interpretations of them rarely get to the point of pj running away and being forgotten, but there's always this.. disconnect, yknow? (I am a huge fan of good dad ink guys I just tend to douse their relationship with pj in a little flame before they get to the healing part🙏) (And bonus since we're on the topic of parents, the fact that pj still wanted to on some level appeal to even error after the things he's done to them is absolutely tragic, and all this put together really adds to my reading of pj as a character being one who believes in the idea of having to work to deserve to be respected/cared for) Uhhh part 3 I promise this one is shorter: Palette and pj are the siblings ever to me. I really like sibling dynamics that are adult/teen + kid, (ik palette is canonically an adult now just let me have this) plus they're opposites in a ton more ways and play off of each other really well. I believe that pj was not happy in the slightest about being an older sibling to him in the beginning, but they always grow to love each other <3

Favorite headcanon: I don't think I have a favorite tbh, but here's one that applies to every pj I've written so far: they are farsighted, but refuse to get/wear glasses all the time because "it's not that bad"

ask game

[hermiola]

Writer's Meme, 2024 Edition

I've been tagged by @turquoisedata 💜

-------------------------

How many works do you have on ao3?

14. 6 Good Omens + 8 MCU, but we have to go back to 2014 and 2016 for those. I also used to publish on an Italian fanfiction archive where I have 70 more fics (I went back to check and count them after approximately two thousand years and HOLY SHIT, I didn't remember them being so many! My first fic is more than 20 years old WTF).

What’s your total word count?

150.000 words on AO3. But I'm guessing it's waaay higher than that (the Italian archive doesn't show the word count 🥲).

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

My GO fics have the most kudos (given the popularity of the fandom + the fact that they're written in English and not in Italian). I have 6, so the top 5 is basically all of them:

Take a Little Love From Me (Pretty Woman AU)

Final Breakthrough (Now!) (Post-Season 2 Fix-It)

Crazy Little Thing (Called Love) (Non-S2-complying silliness)

When Hell Freezes Over (Human AU with magician!Crowley and critic!Aziraphale)

Let There Be Rock (First meeting after 1967)

Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

I do! I don't get that many, so it's not overwhelming, and I just like to respond. As I said somewhere else, my experience in the GO fandom has been mostly a solitary one (recently not so much though!) so I just like to interact whenever I can.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

I'm going to consider only the GO ones because I feel like the others have been written by another me entirely (also I'm not sure I even remember them).

So it's definitely Let There Be Rock.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

I'd say all of them, but Take a Little Love From has a proper epilogue and everything. I guess their happiness has more space there than elsewhere.

Do you write crossovers?

I have in the past, but not anymore.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not that I know of.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not really. I LOOOOVE reading smut (especially in those chonky slow burn fics), but I can't bring myself to write explicit smut for some reason. I love describing the tension and the heat of the moment (I love UST so much I'm going to marry it tbh - like nothing makes me happier/hornier than two people who want to fuck each other but can't for some reason - am I edging myself? IDK) but when it comes to my own writing I feel like spelling out the details just ruins the moment. I do think it's my ace showing in some way. But, anyway, I read the filthiest filth so this definitely doesn't apply to reading. And who knows, maybe one day I'll try! I'm not ruling anything out.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so?

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I used to translate HP fics back in the day (from English to Italian). We're talking 20 years ago. And it's funny when you think about it, because I translate novels for work now 🤣

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, always back in the day with HP. I'm still friends IRL with the girl I wrote them with (we actually met because of HP) (this is as good a time as any to say FUCK YOU JKR).

What's your all-time favourite ship?

This depends on the hyper-fixation of the moment. I cannot multitask with my OTPs. If I get obsessed with a new one, I retire the previous one. Like I could split my life into different time periods just based on my OTPs. Ron/Hermione has been my personality for YEARSSSS, but now I can barely think about HP without cringing. Another BIG ONE was Clint/Natasha from the MCU (which explains my look here on Tumblr), but the MCU as a whole has gone a bit stale for me (with few exceptions). And now it's all about Crowley/Aziraphale - it's so bad I had to unretire from fanfiction writing after almost 10 years LOL.

(I like many other ships but not to the point of *obsession*).

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

The only one I can think of is a Clintasha Actors AU, but I don't think I have it anymore, and I wouldn't finish it even if I had.

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogues and banter are my favourite things to write, and I think it shows.

What are your writing weaknesses?

English is not my first language, so my writing lacks variety I think. I feel like I have always the same phrases stuck in my head, so it's probably kind of repetitive, especially when compared to some of the fics I read. (But when I started writing my first GO fic in English I wasn't even sure I could *actually* do it, so I'm proud of myself either way!).

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I think it's okay! I personally would ask a native speaker to help me (if possible) instead of going the Google Translate route. Being Italian and watching/reading almost exclusively in English I know how silly it sounds when the characters start speaking your language and they're saying nonsense (but no harm done even in this case, imo, especially in fanfics. In movies, though, it's just lazy!).

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

HP, back in 2004 (welp).

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

None, thankfully. If I'm writing fanfic it means I'm in the late stage of hyperfixation and I don't wish that on myself if I can help it. Like I used to read 50+ books a year before GO S2. It's bad!!!

What's your favourite fic you've written?

Take a Little Love From Me mainly because it's the one I've spent more time with.

Tagging some people if they feel like doing it (but no pressure at all!): @beerok23 - @sabotage-on-mercury - @gaiaseyes451 - @leviosally

[masterwords]

Hey ! How are you ??

I Hope everything fine !

I’m not sure about this, tell me if I’m wrong. I notice Derek uses a lot of nicknames for his teammates. What do you think this come from. I always thought about his mother kind of way, to nicknames his sister and him, and a lot of people she loves. So the habits continues to grow with each of her kids.

And when, Derek brings Hotch as his companion. All his family finds some kind of nickname too for Hotch, but Hotch not so much a guy who gives nicknames like that. However, he could cook something meaningful just for each one of them. Like the favourite desert or something else.

I do like the way of them showing their love differently but that works because they’re stupidly in love and somehow kind of similar. Derek being a word of affirmation type of lover and Hotch being a gift giving kind of lover.

I don’t know what are you thoughts about all of this.

Anyways I’ll stop rambling. I’ll hope your end of the year is as great as you wanted and even better ! And I wish you a really good and happy new year :) !

Hey! I am great, how about you? I'm just busy (as usual - I need to stop saying that and just accept that this is the pace of my life these days lol) but a good kind of busy.

I love this thought and totally agree with it! Derek hands out nicknames like kisses, like affection, he's so open and genuine with them. I often think maybe Hank was big on nicknames, too. Hank and Fran together probably had several for each kid, evolving over the years the way nicknames do and in turn that form of affection became important to Derek.

Hotch, on the other hand, has Hotch. Which is funny because you're right, he really isn't a nickname guy and yet he almost exclusively goes by one at work. (And also the way that Sean is vehemently against being called Hotch is telling in many ways.) But he mostly calls Jack by his name, occasionally by "buddy" but that's about it. No other forms of Jack's name or little cute things, he sticks to Jack. (And if you notice, Jack mostly just calls him dad...he maybe calls him daddy once or twice? But it's primarily dad which speaks volumes of a kid that age and the type of household he's growing up in nickname wise.)

Words are not Hotch's forte (funny to say about a lawyer) when he's showing affection, but he is a gesture person. When he and Beth break up, he takes Jack on a trip. He's very traditional, very romantic with partners, and very giving with his time (the time he isn't giving to his work, that is) so I do think he would take the time to cook or bake for someone he loved in place of having a cute nickname to show affection. I think that the fact that their love languages are different works very well, they're different but they go together. Derek is always doing things for other people, listening to other people, taking care of other people so having Hotch's way of showing affection be gestures and showing his care would be beautiful for Derek. And Hotch, a man of few words himself but who loves theatre would love for someone to adore him with words.

This might seem crazy (but I know I already look plenty nutty on here so I'm not afraid of going further)...but hear me out: Savannah is very Hotch-coded while Haley & Beth are very Derek-coded which works so beautifully. I know I just dropped that and left it all vague but it's something I've given a lot of thought to. The OTP brainrot is real.

Thank you for indulging me! I'm happy to be on the receiving end of rambles ANYTIME. Happy (almost) New Year! I hope you are well!

[zabiume]

zabiume save me with your kurobas thoughts. Rewatching knb & at the point where Kagami enters the zone for the first time to beat Aomine and going crazy at how many times Kuroko comes up when he's thinking about not wanting to lose/see his friends cry anymore

Also the insanity of how similar Aomine & Kagami's meeting of Kuroko is... rotating these 3 in my mind constantly

oh my god. i LOVE that for you! aomine vs kagami is one of those matches that you think, "it was decent but people might have overhyped it a little" and then you rewatch it and it's like. nope. that's cinema. it really is the ichigo vs grimmjow of kurobas in that it employs the classic formulas of what makes battle shonen good...perfectly. like yes, to a certain extent, most other sports shonens do have the whole power-of-love/power-of-friendship thing going on, i'm sure, but what elevates kurobas is that it's allowed to get a little whimsical with it, it's allowed to take the term 'power-up' to a very literal level, sparks coming out of the eyes and all. in my controversial opinion, these goofy power-ups and ridiculous hair colors are what sets kurobas apart from its more serious, grounded counterparts. it never intended to be grounded! everything was always meant to feel 1000x more dramatic and exaggerated than it is, which perfectly embodies what it's like to be a teenager, and dare i say, what it's like to be a young sportsperson whose worst life experience would be losing a game. and given how many times we're told that the generation of miracles are a class apart, power-ups are the perfect way to show that. they're freakishly, unnaturally good. so when kagami enters the zone, it's almost like he's entering what the GOMs thought was unreachable. aomine, especially, has always wanted a rival who could meet him there and it's all!!! so!!!! exciting!!!!

anyway, let's talk about what MATTERS, which is aokuro, kagakuro and aokaga, the god-tier of kurobas ships. now, me personally, as you all know.....kagakuro is simply THAT ship for me, that's my #1 ride-or-die kurobas otp, but we simply cannot deny that aomine, kagami and kuroko all....complete each other. on a narrative level, you cannot have two without the other, which is, in my honest opinion, excellent writing. aomine and kuroko needed kagami to save them. kagami and kuroko needed someone to work against, they needed motivation to work together against something, which was aomine. aomine and kagami needed kuroko to keep them from falling into Sports Despair and bring them into the light again. kuroko literally BROUGHT kagami to aomine on a platter as if to say, "here. i have everything you ever wanted. i brought it to you, i know what you need better than anyone else" and like. tell me that's not a crazy dynamic. and aomine and kagami's first interaction is so loaded too? aomine basically said "you're not good enough for him, i know you're not good enough for him, because i used to be that guy for him, and you are nowhere near as good as i am"....like HELLO??? the fact that kagami immediately went to kuroko after and said: hey. was that guy your ex light? CRAZY.

also, i know there are so many obvious parallels between aomine and kagami that their first meeting with kuroko is meant to elicit deja vu (stream SOUR by olivia rodrigo btw), but i also think about the slight differences? and how fascinating they are? aomine basically wholly embraces kuroko from the very beginning, motivates him, admires him, adores him, even if he is relatively talentless compared to the other teikos. he has so much faith in kuroko, so much instant loyalty to kuroko, he never lets kuroko quit or doubt himself. he was willing to be thrown off the team with kuroko, which. you NEVER see aomine act like that, but kuroko enters the picture and aomine is like, "hey, i want that guy around. i'm keeping him."

meanwhile, kagami actually didn't like kuroko at first? he was derisive, they were constantly at odds with each other, he looked down on kuroko and didn't actually have faith in him at all....which is, like, the exact opposite of how it went down with aomine. it's so weirdly bittersweet and angsty how aomine's teiko journey is about slowly losing faith in kuroko, while kagami's seirin journey is all about gaining faith in kuroko. aomine went from 100 to 0, and kagami went from 0 to 100. that was the zone. that was kagami looking at kuroko's tears and being urged into action, while aomine had reached a point where kuroko's tears did nothing for him at all (see: their infamous riverside break-up scene). to top it all, kuroko is a metaphor for/embodiment of BASKETBALL itself, and kagami and aomine's relationship with it. aomine and kagami are similar, yes, but i think kagami is lucky that he never had to lose faith in basketball to know what it's like to have it again. kagami is lucky he never had to lose kuroko to know what it's like to want him again. aomine, unfortunately, had to lose him, but only because teiko would have never let them have what kuroko has with kagami in seirin. they were doomed from the start. i am standing by a cliffside and screaming.

[onstoryladders]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to other writers. Spread the self-love~🫶🏽(i know you have quite a few so it might be hard picking but i'm excited to see which you enjoyed writing most!🌻)

RUHI DEARESTTTTT THANKS FOR THIS ASK!!!!

OK SO. very hard to choose five fics. I enjoyed writing all of them for different reasons, but some of them make me prouder than others ngl 💓🤧

in no particular order (because id go crazy):

SECOND CHANCES (Taekyung/Daon/Shinwoo, Light On Me)

This is one of the stories I'm most proud of! It's the first story I wrote with a poly relationship, it explores Daon's feelings after the ending of the show and how he starts falling in love with Shinwoo too and struggles to make sense of it.

I love Daon a lot and it was very cathartic to delve into his journey, I put a lot of myself in this since I headcanon Daon to be demiromantic and I'm aro soooo yeah I had a blast and it always makes emotional when someone reads it <3

IN BLOOM (Pat/Pran, Bad Buddy)

My first attempt at writing Hanahaki, I usually don't like the trope so I had to modify it a little. In my version the disease is linked to the secrecy of your feelings, so you only die (or have to get treatment) if you don't confess, it doesn't matter if the feelings are unrequited or not.

This was fun and I cried writing it because once again I projected a little too hard onto Pran and his relationship with his mom, what can you dooo

MIKE WHEELER AND THE 5 STAGES OF DEALING WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND'S SECRET ADMIRER (Mike/Will and Mike & Max, Stranger Things)

IT TOOK ME A YEAR TO FINISH THIS ONE. The funny thing is that WEEKS after posting the last chapter I realized i had posted it exactly one year after the first, same day same month.

Anyway!! Once again this is projection galore, Mike is arospec in my heart and El is aroace, lots of queerness and exploration and friendship and conversations about feelings. Another cathartic journey for yours truly

Also I had SO MUCH FUN because with so many characters you can explore all kinds of dynamics and create some pretty funny dialogues <3

PAIN & PLEASURE (Vegas/Pete, Kinnporsche)

This is technically a series but I can't choose between Thorns & Roses and A Splash Of The Sun, they're pretty similar anyway. This is the Tattoo Parlor VegasPete AU, the vision came to me in a state of great horniness dream and now here we are........

I don't read much smut but I do like writing it when the right idea hits me. The thing I liked the most, besides the smut itself, is that I had to keep the characters IC even though their background is completely different from the source material, but people told me I did alright so I'm pretty proud of that!!

BEHIND THE MASK (Tin/Can, Love By Chance)

Oh I had so much fun writing this because Can is SO FUNNY TO WRITE!!!!!! He has no filter and Tin keeps popping up in his surroundings like he's trying very hard to make his life impossible, it was so delightful to write their exchanges

I love Tin and Can, they're one of my first Thai BL OTPs and will always have a special place in my heart!! 💓💓💓

Honorable mention to my GramBlack fics because I LOVED WRITING THEM!!!!!!! I wouldve written more but then. Oh well. The horrors

Thanks again for the ask 💓💓💓💓💓💓💓

[wsknbfanaccnt]

2, 8, 15, 18, 19, 23, and 26 for akashi as requested!!!

AAAAAAAAA OKAY OKAY OKAY I'M SO READY FOR THIS I WILL WRITE PARAGRAPHS

────────── ♛ ──────────

2. What is your favorite canon thing about this character?

There's actually like so many things I love about him OMFG. Okay but maybe one of my favorites is that he's literally just a baby. I'm talking about the fact that he has to keep up appearances BUT what he really wants is just to have fun with his friends and to be approachable to people. I love dualities like that when it comes to villains especially, cuz you realize that Akashi's just human and all he wants are basic human things like being happy despite the lengths that he has to go through to keep himself together.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

When they write him ooc obviously LMFAO. And when they villanize him too much. Like he's just a little baby :( he just broken and he just needs some love. Oh and when they ship him with Momoi or Sakurai. Puke.

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

Well aside from Akashi x Sevonne (me), I have two. A few years ago I would have said AkaKuro, because obviously it just makes so much mf sense?? They were my otp back then. But right now I think my main favorite ship is MidoAka. They're best friends, they're very close and they both enjoy a lot of things together and they both are rich kinda so yeah I definitely MidoAka.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

Maybe Akashi's friendship with Kuroko. I remember that one scene in the manga Extra Game where Akashi warns the team that he might have to whip out his lil brother in the middle of a game and tells them not to be scared. The rest of the GOM was like "oh thats it? Can I leave now?" but Kuroko says to Akashi "Akashi-kun is Akashi-kun." I love it when they actually mf humanize Akashi because he's actually mf human even though he's always depicted as this perfect human.

19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?

Do you have to ask? Akashi Seijuro and Akashi Masaomi. I need Masaomi to literally be less of a piece of shit.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

WHAT THE FUCK THIS QUESTION CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD

theres so many pictures of Akashi that I absolutely adore I cant just choose one so im putting many anyways here you go:

its crazy looking at my akashi folder and wanting to put every single picture of him on this post ummmm

oh my fucking god I love this man so much he's just so pretty and he's so precious honestly y'all do not understand how much I love him

26. What's something the character has done you can't get over? Be it something funny, bad, good, serious, whatever?

I will 200% NEVER EVER get over the fact that Akashi Seijuro dressed up as little red riding hood in a Teiko Festival and he wasn't even embarassed. This man is so secure in his masculinity that he just willingly wore that red hood with the puffy skirt. I love this man hes amazing.

[icedteaandoldlace]

Barry and Cisco for the niche questions character ask game pleaaaase :)

Barry

A song that reminds me of them: Try by Rick Astley (yes, that Rick Astley—no, that link is not a Rickroll). And also Try Everything by Shakira. Same general message, different energies, both of which are Barry to a T.

What they smell like: A raspberry Tootsie Pop. I'm not saying that's what he ACTUALLY smells like (I'm also not NOT saying that), but that's the first thing that comes to my mind. Also like spruce or juniper leaves (needles?) and that first-step-into-a-shoe-store new leather smell.

An otp: Barrisco and Westallen! I feel like Iris was the perfect person for him to end up with in canon, but Cisco is the person I'm most interested in seeing him paired with in fanfiction (and he's 100% the person he would've ended up with if wasn't with Iris). They're the two people that Barry loves the most and that he can't live without, and he's completely enamored with both of them.

A notp: I simply can NOT get into Olivarry. It's just boring to me. Wtf are they gonna do on a date? Argue about ethics?

Favorite platonic/familial relationships: Also Cisco! They were a brotp before they were an otp, and I still value them as friends without my shipper goggles on. But after him, Joe. I'm a big sucker for a good adoptive/chosen parent-child relationship.

A headcanon that is popular in the fandom but that I disagree with: I'm not sure about headcanons so much, but there are several misinterpretations of his actions and his motives that drive me crazy. Whether they're making him out to be a bad friend or hailing him as The Only Person Doing The Right Thing when he is very clearly wrong, there are multiple takes in the fandom that are just...incorrect. For example, the idea that he was being selfish and manipulative when he got Cisco to open a breach to Earth-2, or that he was just doing what any good husband would do when he pulled Iris and only Iris out of the Mirrorverse. Like, were some of these people even watching the same show?

The position they sleep in: Barry is a big time side sleeper, with the arm on the side that he's lying on curled up in front of him.

A crossover AU I’d love to see them in: I mean I am writing a double crossover about him that's set in Dalton Academy with a plot that's a rewrite of Pretty In Pink.

My favorite outfit they’ve ever worn: There's a specific outfit in the back of my mind, and I can't remember what it is or what scene it's in, but these ones jumped out at me while I was on my wild search for it.

(SAVITAR TOTALLY COUNTS!)

Cisco

A song that reminds me of them: You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home by Hannah Montana. Because he's changed a bit over the years, and he can be a little lost sometimes, but who he is at his core is always consistent. And because you know he's gonna find a reason to move back to Central City at some point. Also Brave by Josh Groban, which is self explanatory.

What they smell like: As mentioned on your post, cypress and tea tree oil is what I think of his go-to hair/skin product scent being. But there's also some lingering metal and oil smell from his workshop, leather (more like a car with leather interior than the shoe store smell though), and a teensy bit of artificial strawberry from whatever the last candy he had was.

An otp: Kamilla and Barry, my beloveds. 💖 Barry, of course, you already know why, and Kamilla for similar reasons. They both adore Cisco, they're protective and supportive of him, and they like a lot of the same nerdy stuff that he likes. Plus both ships are just adorable together. Barry and Kamilla are both sweet and gentle and affectionate, and that's just what he needs in a partner. They're also the only people that I feel like really deserve him. A relationship with anyone else would feel too unbalanced.

A notp: Everyone else. Just kidding (kind of). He has amazing platonic chemistry with everyone, and romantic chemistry with like maybe 5 people. As far as ships I actively dislike, I am very much squicked out by seeing him shipped with Caitlin and Harry. I love their canon/platonic relationships, but I can't do them in any other context. There are more, but those are the main two that are an absolute no for me.

Favorite platonic/familial relationships: Caitlin! 💖 Their friendship is so sweet, and the sibling energy is off the charts. I love them so much!! Best friend goals for life. Also, Cisco and Ronnie's relationship is super underrated. I wish we could've gotten more of them. :(

A headcanon that is popular in the fandom but that I disagree with: That his parents were abusive. They're definitely overly critical, emotional unavailable, and they favor Dante over him, but I don't see them as intentionally cruel. That's not to say I'm totally against them being written that way, because I've read some good fics where they are, but I prefer to think that their issues come from a lack of understanding of him, and also refusal to accept that their golden child is actually their problem child, and vice versa. I think that they do love Cisco, and they do try somewhat to have a good relationship with him, they just don't try nearly as hard as they should, and they go about it all the wrong way.

The position they sleep in: Oddly enough I think he's a back sleeper. That's if he's in bed by himself, though. If he's with a partner, he loves to be the big spoon.

A crossover AU I’d love to see them in: See the answer for Barry.

My favorite outfit they’ve ever worn:

Also I can't find a good gif of it, but that red suit he wore for Barry and Iris's vow renewal + the S.T.A.R. Labs stole. Also, the S.T.A.R. Labs T-shirt. It hits different on him.

[lia404]

For the Yu-Gi-Oh challenge, I'll, of course, ask you the diva that is Seito Kaiba.

Noooooo I almost put in the tag #please any character but Kaiba svp but I thought... naaah, there are so many characters, people will not ask for Kaiba, right?

RIGHT?

Okay, here we go, time to answer questions about this glorious asshole.

Why I like them/why I don’t

The trope of the stupid chaotic genius with no agenda except his own is a trope that works wonders on me, and Seto Kaiba fits the bill so perfectly. I like him for that. I like his ego and his chaos and his genius, his crazy technology and the way he is here exactly at the right time to trigger stupid events.

But it also annoys me so much. SO MUCH. Listen, I used to be a Kaiba-girl (although my fave has always been, and still is, Mokuba), but I'm back from it. Dude's everywhere. I'm tired of him. I'm tired of reading about him. I'm tired of him being an asshole to everyone, tsundere sometimes but most often not. He is an edgy teenager with a LOT of money and a LOT of intellect to twist the world the way he wants it to look. I can respect that. I am just tired of him.

I think what I like most of him remains his relationship with his brother. OK, and his extraness. I admit it amuses me.

What I like about their appearance

Physical appearance? THE COAT. That stupid, over the top white coat. The fact that a 16 year-old kid thought "I need to find a way to make myself bigger" and came up with THIS. Overall, his character design is awesome too. Those blue eyes and those muscles and those neverending legs, man. I may not be fond of him, but I have eyes.

Not sure if it counts as "appearance", but he is the only character whose US voice I LOVE. Like, really. I don't care about the US dub, but Kaiba's voice in it? It's one of the cornerstones of my childhood. And it wasn't even the version we had on TV in France. I just watched a painfully downloaded very pixelated version of Pyramid of Light in English, because that was all I could find, and suddenly... that was him. That was Seto Kaiba in my ears, better than the French version. I've never come back from it. I love his VA.

Do I prefer their dub names or original names?

Does not apply! But as I said above, it's the only character whose characterisation I love almost more in English than in Japanese. Maybe it counts as "I prefer dub".

OTP

This one's hard. I used to be a HUGE Silentshipper when I was a teen (that's Seto/Serenity) and then evolved to the obvious Puppyshipping (honestly, I think I leaned towards it even when I was silentshipping.) It's only "recently" (understand: around 2019) that I discovered that Prideshipping had a huge appeal. Some people have also brought Rivalshipping to my attention and I see the merit of it. I like Trustshipping too (that's Isis Ishtar/Seto Kaiba), they would kill each other. A real OTP for Kaiba though? None exactly. Seto Kaiba/his ego is well enough. (I do enjoy Priest Seth/Kisara a lot because of course I do, and if we REALLY want to enter funky territory, Priest Seth/Seto is always fun.)

But if I really really have to choose something, well. Let's go with Prideshipping; it's the safest bet IMO.

NOTP

Eeeeeehhh most of them? Seriously it's hard to say, on the one hand I'm a huge multishipper and you can sell me any ship if you explain it well. On the other hand, I don't want to subject anyone to a romance with Seto Kaiba. That said, I've discovered that Adoptshipping is a thing, Gozaburo/Seto: let's go with this, that's one hell of a NOTP.

OT3

Priest Seth / Seto Kaiba / Mahad. Think of it. You're welcome.

Seriously, I don't even think this ship has a name. It's a mix of Stoicshipping and Headdresshipping. My proposal is Denileshipping because it's by the Nile and they're all in denial, Mahad and Seth about the fact that they actually enjoy each other's company, and Seto about the fact that they are real people who are closer to Atem than he is, and not weird hocus-pocus pretend memories. And they do real magic. Kaiba, please. Can't say there's a lot of content about it but seriously: THINK OF IT. And I think if you add Atem in the equation you get a nice OT4—and a nice amount of chaos.

Favourite card they use

Okay so bear with me because I actually can't remember which decks are canon in the anime/in the manga, mostly because I have his Duel Links deck in mind. I really love Maiden with Eyes of Blue because not only it's an incredibly pretty card made to bring Kisara to mind, but it's also quite useful imo since it's a nice shortcut to bringing a BEWD on the field during the first or second turn. Pair it with White Stone of the Ancient and a good skill, and turn 3 or 4 you get your Twin-burst BEWD. And seriously, these cards are so pretty, and prove that sometimes, even Kaiba can have good taste.

(Is there really no way to resize images in a post or am I just really bad at Tumblr?)

Favourite moment they were in

Oh god the moment when Mokuba jumps in his arms at the end of Duelist Kingdom.

It's tied with the moment when he pairs up in a nice tsundere way with Yami during Battle City, and a very special mention to DSOD and THE SPACE ELEVATOR that had me in tears the first time I watched it. Physics whomst.

Least favourite moment

See, for all I dislike this idiot, I have a hard time pinpointing a specific moment when I actually wanted to tear his hair off and nail it back on his head with rusty nails and lemon juice. He is annoying and odious, but I tend to like the dynamic he brings with him. Even when he threatens to kill himself so as not to lose a duel, or when he belittles everyone in the team, or when he is so focused on Atem that he forgets EVERYONE ELSE IS LITERALLY HERE? He's annoying, but I like these moments.

Would I fuck, marry or kill them

Kill. Killkillkillkillkill. Sorry but if the alternatives are fuck and marry, I don't hesitate for a second. But also, not too sorry: I mean, it's not like he needs my help for it anyway. He apparently does it very well by himself if the general reading of the end of DSOD is accurate.

Bottom line:

It's not really obvious, but for all the annoyance Seto Kaiba awakens in me, I actually like his character. To me, he is clearly one of those who have the MOST OBVIOUS development, if not THE one. His goals are clear, he asserts his selfishness and he learns to be evil for his own profit, but not to make people suffer. Also, Kaibaland for young kids? Okay, maybe I love him a little for that. And the whole technological miracles to enhance a card game are very very refreshing in a world when technological miracles usually come from the army. Thank you, Kaiba, for destroying the laws of physics and going all quantic with your virtual stuff just for the sake of a card game you're not even really good at. Kudos. The next generations will be grateful well most of them, who didn't have said card game ruin their existence and the balance of their entire society.

Seto Kaiba is an insufferable, proud asshole, but he has every reason to be. I can forgive him. Still not enough to fuck or marry, though.

[lostusagis]

SHIPPING INFO. answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog. ( Only doing Kamui for this because of reasons )

what’s your OTP for your muse(s)?

Overall, there's not a lot of shippy moments in Gintama? But based off their interactions, my otp for Kamui is Kamui x Okita because that's someone I can see Kamui genuinely showing interest in out of the people he's met. They're the same brand of blood thirsty and crazy, they both love to fight, and they banter. Also Kagura hating Okita makes this ship ten times funnier.

Also the criminal x cop dynamic is hot.

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

I'm up for almost anything? Just not.... weird shit? Like I am willing to touch on toxicity in ships since Kamui has no experience with dating, nor is fully knowledgeable of everything people on earth do. Plus, he's an asshole. He gets violent too depending on the situation. Once he does actually become interested, he tends to get obsessive even if he does outwardly act nicer towards his partner. Borderline yandere lol.

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

Anything adult x minor makes me uncomfortable.

are you selective when shipping?

Yes. I'm tired of people wanting to rush through everything. Kamui is not someone who's even easy to befriend, let alone date. If someone doesn't have the patience for that, I'm not interested. Either tag along for the slow burn or don't ask to ship at all. Plus, on multiple occasions people have complained about how mean Kamui is as well. It's bound to happen before we get to the romantic stuff, so.....

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

When things get handsy tbh lol

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

I guess I wouldn't mind shipping Kamui with Takasugi either? If the opportunity is presented, I'd try it out. Even if I have an OTP, I'd be willing to try out other ships via RP since more often than not I end up enjoying it based off past rp experiences :)

does one have to ask to ship with you?

Yeah. I need to be told beforehand, so I'm aware where our interactions are going to go. It needs to be discussed too. Every person that ships w/ Kamui, I've talked a lot about it with them via DMs.

how often do you like to ship?

Hmm, I always like to ship. But I also would like platonic stuff too? I don't want things to ONLY be shippy.

are you multiship?

Oh yeah for sure, I'm always up for different ships with different people.

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

More or less maybe. . .?

what is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

Hmm, can I name more than one ship? I have a few faves in Gintama.

Kamui x Okita obviously, Kagura x Soyo, Kyuubei x Tae, Gintoki x Tsukuyo, that's it.

finally, how does one ship with you?

Honestly, just DM me, or ask for discord. I'm really not all that strict. Just respect that I'm not toning down Kamui just bc you're getting impatient with our ship and there should be no problem? Otherwise, I'm really easy going, send all the asks you want, start all the threads you want, i don't care. Just be respectful and know what you're getting into.

Tagged by: @bxtonpxss ( thanks ) Tagging: whoever wants to do it

[teawithmagician]

make it work

That sounds vague as shit, but if you write OC/canon character pairing, you'll need to make it work.

There was this opinion in 2000-2010 that the OC/canon character pairing is a godforsaken abomination. And then I met a girl who did OC/canon character brilliantly. I couldn't take my eyes off her fics, and neither could I get them out of my brain. Because she made it work.

Readers will always assume that your OC is a fucking Mary Sue. But, if the fandom is starving for OTP, and there's a little offer for fics with That Certain Character, they'll give it (you) a try. And you'll need to give them what they want: their favourite character AND an interesting relationship they can:

a) relate to

b) be intrigued because of some exquisite dumpster fire/teenage dirtbag/crazy cosy weird dynamics.

And you can do that by wholeheartedly believing that your OC is just as complicated and interesting as the canon character. BUT you should not become intoxicated with love for your OC too much to make their relationship with That One Canon Character smooth.

Top-5 advice from a fandom dinosaur obsessed with pattern recognition on the subj

1. Love your OC. Be genuinely interested in them, in their feelings, way of thinking and reactions. That will make them alive and they'll avoid their fate as being a pale shadow of That One Canon Character.

2. Love your OC, but be honest with them and do them justice. They can't be loved by all, and neither they can be loved because they're flawless. They will have some qualities worthy of envy, and they will also have some redeemable qualities. But also, occasionally, don't forget to make them pathetic, needy, stupid and confused. Because we people tend to be that at times.

3. Avoid the trope of love written in the stars if possible. People normally don't sit around waiting for the love of their life to come. And if they're actively seeking love, they should be going on dates and be reasonably spiteful if the dates don't work out. And if they ARE NOT actively seeking love, they won't pay your OCs a lot of attention at first. OC either needs to actively draw it, or the two characters should be put in a situation where OC and That One Canon Characters have to communicate/work together because it's good/profitable for them for non-romantic reasons.

4. Spend some time watching movies and reading books about complex relationships. You can fish for unexpected love tropes literally everywhere, from classics to B-movies. Even the worst, most mediocre and boring content almost always has an arc or two that is brilliant or can work under other circumstances in a different plot. It's not plagiarism if you don't steal blatantly, but use some elements for your own inspiration, to write of things you don't know how to approach yet.

5. And the most general advice ever: it's better to use less words than more words. Describing complex things in complex language or too detailed can distract your readers from your main plotline, confuse them and make them lose focus. You need to try and find the best, most suitable words for the most suitable situations. Yet, you most likely won't be able to do it on a first-draft run. For me, it works when I write whatever disconnected nuisance I have in my head, and then, in several iterations, I only leave out the pieces that matter. Like a sculptor who cuts off spare sets of marble to free the shape within.

[bornincaldecott]

X-Men '97 | Episodes 1 & 2

X-Men TAS has always had a special place in my heart. That, along with the Dark Phoenix Saga (granted it had been out for awhile by the time I was able to read it), was my introduction to comics. I love everything X-Men, but TAS is special. So, like a lot of people, I went into this feeling several types of ways. When the intro started, I got chills.

All-in-all, I really enjoyed the first two episodes. I'm not super crazy about the animation style (why are all the ladies wearing super thick eyeliner a la the Scene Era?), but it's fine.

Crop Top Gambit in the first five minutes? Incredible. I wasn't crazy about his new VA initially, but he grew on me pretty quickly.

I actually liked Scott's voice the best. I think his new VA did an incredible job channeling his original VA.

The writing was clunky at times, but I get why (like when Rogue is moping about her powers at the rave, or when Jean is explaining to Storm about the Phoenix). First, they're trying to capture the essence of TAS, 90's cringe and all (nailed it). Second, this show isn't necessarily meant to bring in new fans. It's a happy by-product, sure, but not the intent. That said, they still have to ensure that things make sense (as much as possible) to any X-Men newbies, which means we gotta endure some awkward exposition.

Also

ALSO

I fucking called Rogueneto. When the first trailer dropped, and we got the last clip of hunky Mags, I was like...oh, they're doing Rogueneto. And honestly? I'm here for it. Do I like the pairing? No, it's not my cuppa, but what I do like is the angst it presents for Romy. Rogueneto also helps set Rogue and Gambit up as a foil to Jean and Scott's established relationship, and then they're the mid-point between Jean and Scott and what I am guessing is going to be Jubilee and Roberto.

This broke my heart though. UGH. I know it'll be alright in the end because the show's already said Romy is their OTP but stiiillllll.

AND I CALLED MADELYN?! Okok we won't actually know until next week but ?!?!?!?!?!

I could go on and on about the first two episodes, but instead I'll highlight some of my favorite parts.

Storm turning the desert to glass. JFC. Even the sentinels were like "danger Will Robinson!" And the quiet piano sound during the scene? MY GOD. CHILLS.

"He's here!" / "Apocalypse?!" / "THE BABY!" & Wolvie got a convertible.

Mag's monologue in the sky. Fucking wow.

The sentinel fight. It was so cool seeing them fight as a team.

And not to end on a bummer note, but...they introduced Genosha...did a whole bit with Mags saving the Morlocks and sending them there...and with what Jean saw in Cerebro in the first episode...yeah...I think we're getting that story.

Anyway! Loved the first two episodes. Super jazzed for the rest.

Have one last Remy gif for the road.

ffs I want him to look at me like that.

[ibunyang]

How you'd get into tonton / mikenort?

I feel the passion ooze in ur art so much i smile.

need to up my art game so I can do it for my otps.

- random art admirer.

Thank you I try my best to show how much I love these freaks 😭😭 to be honest with you I don't even remember how I got into tonton but I really liked mike, (after some debating with myself that yeah okay fine I liked him even when I thought he was a little off looking at first his model doesn't do him any justice in my opinion) I usually look up my faves on ao3, so when I read a fic by a good friend of mine now (5 YEARS!!!!@ WOW CRAZYY) Tomie, I fell in love with the dynamic of tonton.. to me... they're like this

Mike - sure of himself, confident, has a facade of making think he's just a pretty thing to look at, the way he is always smiling... literally the I'm fine meme with the person smiling while crying.

Norton - dirt poor and has to work for everything in his life, probably a virgin, follows the scent of money where he goes, would probably use people for clout if he had the chance, pathetic when it comes to love due to inexperience.

And I'm just straight delusion with this ship I'm gonna be honest with you anon, the crumbs I get from official art is like me pecking at the few grains of rice in a bowl.

The parallels between them in my head are like conspiracy level theorist delusional. But I swear to u, I make it work. Duct taped them together stitched them together. Insane delusional fujoshit.

But the Mr.swift lore... that's my roman empire, I've written two (one is orphaned) of what kind of thing I had in mind for the both of them, I truly think that the Mr.swift lore is my hero academia.

But yeah, moleswift marriage, ronasparrow, COA4 KILLS MYSELFF.

They're a pretty popular ship in some Asian countries still, just very overshadowed by the other norton ships but it's alright, I'm not here to outship people I'm here bc I like these barbie dolls together...

My only..advice for u is keep living ur delulu.. the first step to reality is always delusion. U can do it..make ur otps crazy for each other. Canon lore be damned 👊👊

[triciabeloved]

hello, beauty!

your gifter here speaking to ask you some questions about your prime bbys

1. what makes each of the siblings so unique? what are those traits that makes them different from the other, but also complements them

2. tell me about their romantic pursuits if they've got a LI: tropes, backstory, etc

3. what is a no-no for you in a gift? and what is something you've always craved to be gifted, fandom-wise?

hope you've had an amazing week and that you like my gift!

xo,

- ❤

hiii!!!

1. louie is someone who is super open-hearted and always wears his heart on his sleeve. he gives his love and trust away even to those who probably don't deserve it. he strongly believes that there's good in everyone and that you just have to look real hard to find it. he's a bit of an extrovert and he also tends to be a bit reckless and silly sometimes, and i guess that's what people love (and hate) about him!! :3

sophia, on the other hand, is supposed to be like louie's "polar opposite". if louie's someone who openly trusts people, then sophia is someone who is super skeptical over literally anyone she meets, no matter how nice they seem to be. she learnt that relationships almost always leads to betrayals and that the only way to prevent that is to close herself off from anyone who tries to get to know her.

but despite all of that, i think louie and sophia do balance each other even if they're polar opposites. louie's openness is what helps sophia realize that being kind isn't a weakness which lets her bring her guard down around others more, while sophia helps louie to stay grounded whenever he starts to lose himself with all his worries and stress.

2. i think louie is the type to go for someone who could just show him that he doesn't have to change to "earn" their love. but when it comes to appearance, i dont think he has a specific type tbh! he knows when someone's physically attractive but that isn't the MAIN thing he's looking for in a romantic relationship. and also i feel like most of the pairings i have with him tend to revolve around friends to lovers + slow burn!!! (<- my fav tropes btw. if u care.)

sophia is someone who struggles with romance. as i said before, she's hesitant when it comes to relationships, especially when it's romantic ones. she would probably want to be with someone who doesn't push her and understands why she puts her walls up around others, but also manages to bring down those walls while doing so! sophia wants someone that can respect her independence but also gently let her open up. (+ her love interest is autumn and no one else btw. they've been my otp since i first played hss and i refuse to let them go!!) ( + autumn and sophia go through a massive slow burn. also they're kinddd of *one-sided* enemies-to-friends-to-lovers. the one sided enemies is mostly sophia. LMAO)

3. and as for my gift boundaries, i dont really have any specific things i dont want to see tbh! as long as it's not problematic, go crazy!!!! plus im cool with whatever you can give me! im honestly excited over the fact that im getting a GIFT (!?!!) so you can do whatever you want! <3