#otp: you were born to meet me and i was born to meet you

[whocaresstillthelouvre]

get to know your moots

Thank you for the tags @ace-turned-confused, @beefrobeefcal, @sp00kymulderr --- what's the origin of your blog title?: Escaping reality one run-on sentence at a time. Easy. I use run-on sentences in the fiction I write to escape reality. 🫡

OTP(s) + shipname: Idk. Like, Gordon Brittas and Laura? So I guess like.. Laurdon? Arthur Morgan and Sadie Adler? Me and Pedro Pascal. Maldro, if you will.

favorite color: Orange. A very specific orange too. Tangerine Tease. Pantone #17-1349 Do I know that # by heart? Of course I do.

favorite game: The Sims, Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassins Creed Valhalla, the noises that Balatro makes when my husband plays it.

song stuck in your head: "Never Run Away" by Kurt Vile.

weirdest habit/trait?: Too much self reflection here. Maybe the way I say certain words? Breb, birb, chippies. Or like do I just mention I'm freakishly good at multiplication? People make fun of how high pitched my sneezes are. I also will run a mile to avoid a moth. (besides @mothandpidgeon)

hobbies: Writing, baseball, cooking, losing the PS5 media remote.

if you work, what's your profession?: I'll just paste my normal Mallory tagline. I sell toys for a living, that should tell you enough.

if you could have any job you wish what would it be?: Probably like the secret girlfriend/wife of a 49 year old Chilean born actor. Or interior designer. Sometimes I dream of going back to school for it.

something you're good at: Tossing something in the air and catching it over and over. Losing the PS5 media remote.

something you're bad at: Not feeling overwhelmed by laundry. Not losing the PS5 media remote.

something you love: When I find the PS5 media remote quickly.

something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: Baseball, my favorite music, Jimmy Stewart, Disney World.

something you hate: MOTHS (sans @mothandpidgeon), weird 70's fabric that's itchy, Freddy Krueger, the lack of Martian Manhunter in DC properties.

something you collect: Lapel pins, action figures, tchotchkes, cool picture frames, Joey Votto cards. I own four Disney Cuddleez (Wicket, Grogu, Figment, Donald) I think that's a lot for a woman in her 30's.

something you forget: To leave my car sunglasses in the car.

what's your love language?: My Scottish ass is definitely not answering physical touch. Acts of service and giving/receiving gifts.

favorite movie/show: 28 Days Later/Anything Smosh has done the past few years.

favorite food: Sandwiches. Your girl loves mayo.

favorite animal: Otters, birbs, quokkas, cats (though my husband is allergic to them), Schnauzers.

what were you like as a child?: So many of my toddler photos include me, mouth wide open, sans pants... lookin' like a terror. Though, my parents say I was very well behaved (until teenagedom) sooooo I guess wacky but within the rules allowed.

favorite subject at school?: English, history and art. I really loved earth science.

least favorite subject?: Math once algebra entered my life.

what's your best character trait?: Good question. I think I've very good at reading people and adjusting myself to help to improve their mood. I'm incredibly empathetic.

what's your worst character trait?: Impostor syndrome. Being incredibly empathetic.

if you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be?:

if you could travel in time who would you like to meet?: Groucho Marx and Marquis de Lafayette. I think they'd get along WONDERFULLY.

recommend one of your favorite fanfics (spread the love!): I think about The Road Not Taken by @guiltyasdave often. It's so gorgeous and haunts me in the best way possible.

No Pressure Tags: @ohheypedrito, @mothandpidgeon, @schnarfer, @devineconjuring, @secretelephanttattoo @sawymredfox, @almostfoxglove, @maggiemayhemnj, @yourcoolauntie, @yopossum @hellfire-state-of-mind, @justagalwhowrites, @thelightsandtheroses, @bitchesuntitled, @jennaispunk

[sauron-kraut]

Get to know your Mutuals

Thank you for tagging me @perlen-gold! 🖤

What's the origin of your blog's title? @lvsifer and I were talking about a certain Middle-Earth cookbook with some truly funky recipes, unfortunately there were none for Mairon so we were like... What would he eat? He would definitely be into eating raw meat. Mettbrötchen are a German specialty, basically a bread roll with butter and minced raw pork (yes, you heard that right), preferably with pepper and red onions. So Mairon's Mettbrötchen was born - doesn't it just fuck phonetically?

Favorite Fandoms: The Silm fandom 🖤 I have never been truly active in any other fandom.

OTP(s) + shipname: Angbang (Mairon/Melkor). Most other ships I love/like are fucked up in a way that makes OTP sound wrong to describe them (not that an OTP can't have a fucked up dynamic of course!).

Favorite color: red, black, gold, rusty colors, yellow

Favorite game: Not a a gamer person.

Song stuck in your head:

Weirdest habit/trait? Super randomly talking to myself when I'm alone at home? Could be pieces of dialogue I'm planning for a fic, could be imaginary discussion scenarios with friends or coworkers... you name it.

Hobbies: Writing.

If you work, what's your profession? I'm a linguist specializing in language change, particularly grammatical change. I don't currently work in that field though; I work at a technical university in event management and student recruiting.

If you could have any job you wish what would it be? I'd work as a linguist and teach at university again.

Something you're good at: Learning languages quickly, imitating native accents in languages (other than English, probably due to my idgaf attitude when it comes to that, so have a weird mix of different accents in English mixed with a very slight German and Dutch accent. lol), teaching, public speaking, being thoughtful with gifts, cooking

Something you're bad at: Remembering birthdays, sometimes texting back, sometimes cleaning, MATH (oh god)

Something you excel at: being anxious, overthinking, understanding how languages are structured and applying this to learning them

Something you love: reading, poetry, writing, my apartment, partying, various altered states of consciousness from time to time, dancing, 80s music, techno, prosecco, cooking, food, Berlin, fandom, my mom, my friends, traveling

Something you could talk about for hours without off the cuff: linguistics, language change, The Silm

Something you hate: coriander and water melon

Something you collect: Nothing really that comes to mind.

Something you forget: birthdays, appointments

What's your love language? The concept of love languages has its problems but if I just use this to describe how I do express my love: giving cute gifts, cooking for people, listening to them, open communication, spending quality time together

Favorite movie/show: LOTR and MANY more, show: DARK, Sense8, The Sinner

Favorite food: so many different soups, kebap, pizza, STEAK, schnitzel, peruvian food, birria tacos

Favorite animal: three-toed sloth

Are you musical? I know how to play the saxophone and I did so decently. But I wouldn't say I'm musical.

What were you like as a child? I have to quote @perlen-gold here: An insufferable know-it-all.

Favorite subject at school? German, English, philosophy, biology

Least favorite subject? MATHS. And PE.

What's your best character trait? I'm honest and good at communicating openly.

What's your worst character trait? Avoidant behavior, procrastinating literally everything

If you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be? I would make the sun rise again so it doesn't feel like another of those depressing winter nights.

If you could travel in time who would you like to meet? I can't think of anyone I'd genuinely want to meet.

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

elektra by @lvsifer. What a masterpiece. Also please have a look at the fanfics I recommended here!

Last but not least, show your favorite fanart of your favorite character(s) (please remember to credit/add links!):

Mairon by @lvsifer

So many more art from talented and skilled artists that I love, but I had to make a decision here and this one will haunt me forever 🖤

✨Tagging @crackinthecup, @cilil, @elevenelvenswords, @admirably-abhorrent, @tauw-nu-fuin, @peasant-player, @blauerregen and @lvsifer

[anotherbluesunday]

✨Moodboard Teaser: In Technicolor✨

With the release of the first chapter coming in hot with its expected release being this Friday at the latest or sooner (possibly as early as tomorrow) I wanted to take the time to acquaint everyone with the primary couples in this story. Usually I cap it at two couples and have auxilary couples and characters on the fringes. But because this is a crossover between two of my favorite shows, I have expanded it to three—possibly four—couples with auxilaries (secondary) on the fringes. These couples will include original characters i.e. Wynn Galpin who is Tyler Galpin’s younger sister. There is a crossover couple that joins the Wednesday group with the Riverdale group. This couple is where I expect to receive the most backlash but idc. Their my crossover otp and I hope you all trust me enough to keep reading and join me/the characters on this journey. I have also switched some things up with one of the Riverdale characters because the ship only got screen time in the last season and it did more for their character than their actual failed relationships did the entire season. Fight me. But don’t. Or do.

Anyway, here are the couples moodboards, as promised. The visuals were inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juilet because these past few months since January I have been on a 90’s and 2000’s kick and I am dying for how that movie captured the beauty, grit, grime, and excitement of LA. So enjoy and let me know what you think! 💜

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We open with our crossover couple who are the star-crossed lovers—Cheryl Blossom, the queen of the Palisades and star tennis player and Pugsley “Lee” Addams, the king of Elysian Heights and leader of his grunge sleeze band Texca. Born second generation to a working class defense attorny and day-time caregiver to the elderly, Lee Addams has just wants to make it through his senior year of high school and hangout with his friends on the weekend. But when he and his twin sister Wednesday step a little too far over the line at their old school their parents pull some strings to have their three children—Wednesday, Pugsley, and Pubert “Bertie” attend Morticia’s former high school. There, Lee unwittingly comes face to face with the campus queen, the indomitable and untouchable Cheryl Blossom. Born into privilege with the face of an angel and the bite of a viper, she has everything and anything. Influence thanks to her parents name. Adoration by way of her beauty. And power because of her abilities to manipulate others. But what happens when a hurricane meets an immoveable force? Will they fold? Destroy one another? What happens when the pretty vicious face isn’t all it seems to be and the cutting confidence is stripped away? Who are the real people that lie beneath it all?

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Next are our second pair of the four star-crossed lovers. While it is never a good idea to fall for your twin flame, for Tyler and Wednesday it isn’t so simple. Twin flames and soulmates fused into one as if it were a sick joke, their story begins at a party—the raven haired twin sister with her face painted like a Catrina (see: Dia de los Muertos symbols and iconography) and the Galpin golden boy dressed like Sir Lancelot with the sacred heart etched into his chest plate. Like her brothers, Wednesday grew up living a modest life where nothing was taken for granted and family sits at the heart of all major decisions. For Tyler, he has forgotten the importance of family and community after starting university where his life has evolved into an endless stream of parties and hookup’s. Never struggling but also never being challenged to be better or grow, he’s hit a wall. A mid-life crisis of sorts but at the already chaotic age of 18 with his 19th birthday right around the corner. But from the moment he lays eyes on Wednesday she is all he can think of. All he breathes and dreams of—a beautiful stranger that won’t free him. Yet when this silver tongued Casanova tries to approach the dark beauty he’s shot down. Challenged to question who he is and what he truly is doing with his life that matters. What is in store for the idealistic social revolutionist and her troubled admirer? Where will they land when the walls of his kingdom come crumbling down?

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The youngest of three siblings each yet one is protected and coddled like a greenhouse flower while the other has flourished amidst hardship and bouts of poverty. Wynn Galpin is caught in a never-ending loop of compassions to her twin older siblings, Tyler and Enid. Both are straight A students. Both star athletes with Tyler winning championship after championship for swim and Enid earning a full-ride scholarship to UCLA for volleyball. Both are charming and charismatic. Both are perfect and Wynn can never compare despite how she tries. She doesn’t have the passion for swim or volleyball so she chooses cheer. “That’s not a real sport” she’s told. Her siblings get A’s but she can hardly scrape by with B’s while battling her depression and anxiety. At all times, her mind is screaming for her to just run off and disappear. And after the loss of her friend and pseudo-sister Polly, the darkness has become more persuasive. More invasive and vicious. But it is during a spiral that forces her out of the gym during cheer practice that she runs into the new kid. The brainiac junior in her senior level AP classes. Pubert “Bertie” Addams. A carefree class clown with a heart of gold and the virgin Guadalupe drawn in vibrant neons on the bottom of his skateboard. Where will this new path take them when the class clown and the beauty queen who seems to always be in tears meet to form an oddball friendship? And what happens when their hearts begin to long for more than just friendship but their worlds couldn’t be more different? How will things turn out for the greenhouse flower and her sidewalk dandelion?

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What’s the worst that could happen when you fall in love with your best friend? What happens when you think they love someone else? When you think they could never see you the way you see them in return? Do you stand there and wait for them to turn around? Or do you walk away while piecing together your heart that will never know real closure? Reggie has asked himself these questions nearly every day for the past six years since his family moved to the fringes of the Palisades and enrolled him in the affluent junior high nearby. Archie Andrews was his first friend at his new school all those years ago. The first one to get up during lunch time and sit down next to him. The one who didn’t care that his parents weren’t from money and had only recently come into their fortune. The one who didn’t care that he didn’t have the newest clothes, phone, or hairstyle. Like a guardian angel come to save him from perpetual solitude, Archie befriended Reggie with a bright smile and a silly joke. And since that day, Reggie has kept his love for the redhaired boy wonder to himself. Has been the picture of what a bestfriend should be. Has supported Archie and defended him. Joined their high school swim team with him just so that they could live out Archie’s dream of being the one’s to break Tyler, the former captain’s, record and win more championships than him and his team did. Reggie has lived a beautiful but painful lie for nearly a decade and the cracks have begun to show. The devotion now agony. The love a barbed dagger twisted liettle by little every time he has to play third wheel on Archie’s dates with his girlfriend Veronica. But one night their eyes meet across a sea of moving bodies at a house party. Archie kissing Veronica but can’t stop looking at Reggie. There’s a spark. A sadness. Hope. But is there truth? Is there a willingness to be honest? To accept this attraction that has been there waiting from the start? Does Archie know what real love could be like if he just turned around? Or will the lovefool angel look away once again and leave the poor friend and saint in the dark?

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Stay tuned for more because this is only the beginning. Next will be the auxiliary couples, characters, and family boards for the three main ones at play. But the next next post that will be following this one will be the official titlecard for Chapter One. Can’t wait to see you all again there. 💜

[cherrytimemachine]

Can I have a Breakdown of Cyclonus?

Yes you can!

How I feel about this character: He's such an interesting guy, and he's got big pokey cat ears, I love that for him. He's poised and restrained, he's loyal until the end, he truly believes in the cause, but he's also willing to respect Autobots like Ultra Magnus who have earned his respect. I'm a fan of that G1 episode where they have to work together and at the end they both mutually respect each other for their logical outlook and their individual strengths, it's great.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: I love him and Tailgate in MTMTE, sue me. Their meeting is different in my AU, and instead they meet during the war while Cyclonus was stranded and injured, and Tailgate was the first Autobot to show him kindness. Tailgate is so soft towards him, and keeps trying to hang out with him even when Cyclonus is cold or mean in the comics. Despite that, when Tailgate gets his spark supercharged, he is the Number 1 Cyclonus Defender™️ and I find his "smol guy who will fight you and win" energy to be very endearing. They work well together.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Galvatron. I do enjoy Cyclonus's serious loyalty versus Galvatron's overzealous chaotic nature. Not necessarily in an abusive sense like in G1, but with Galvatron just being a general nuisance and Cyclonus having to deal with him. His boss is A Lot™️ and he's trying his hardest to accommodate Galvatron's ridiculousness.

I do also think he'd be friends with Arcee. I'm a fan of Arcee being Galvatron's twin who transitioned and left the Decepticons to join the Autobots. I think they would've gotten along well because they both have to put up with her insane twin brother and she's a lot more blunt towards him than Cyclonus would be. Cyclonus respects Galvatron too much to insult him, but Arcee regularly tells him to go fuck himself. In a loving way, of course.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I think he should be a Unicronian more often. Not in the same way as G1, where they were all built directly by Unicron himself, but in a sense that Unicron's lifeblood is Dark Energon like in TFP and there are actual Cybertronians born with what they call "dark sparks." I have a whole plot about this if anyone cares to ask lol. :p

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish we got to see some of his life in Tetrahex before the war. I wanna know where he lived, what his job was. He talked about how he used to frequent a bar with Scourge, and I would've loved to have seen what it was like since he misses the Cybertron he knew so much.

I just want to see pre-war Cybertron in general, but I want to see each city from the eyes of someone who lived there.

[yoonmetogether]

Get to know your mutuals

hiiii @moochii-daisies thanks for tagging me!!! this was really fun! sorry for the lack of grammar tho

what's the origin of your blog title? it's kinda corny and i sometimes think of changing it but i'm lazy lol basically just incorporating my fav yoongi nickname and making it a play on words i guess?

favorite fandoms: army, atiny once upon a time i was a hooligan lol

OTP(s)/shipname: sebastian and grell (from black butler)

favorite color: pink

favorite game: honestly? club penguin oh and that card game 'spit'

song stuck in your head: there's so much going on up there i don't really know lol today it was everybody mad and yesterday it was that creepy tiptoe thru the window song idk

weirdest habit/trait? i constantly talk to myself. and if i'm outside i'll pretend to be on the phone so no one thinks im nuts lmaoo

hobbies: writing, reading (when i have the brain capacity), hiking with my dog, singing

if you work, what's your profession? I’m a substitute for elementary school students. I dont think im going to branch out to any other grades bc unfortunately where i live there are higher risks of firearm incidents in middle/high schools 🙃

if you could have any job you wish, what would it be? a singer and/or vocal teacher historian, museum curator

something you're good at: oversharing making lattes/mixed drinks

something you're bad at: being on time

something you love: my dog and kitty aka my children markiplier's editor - (also just markiplier in general he's endlessly funny. one day at work i was watching him play that supermarket game and when things weren't going well he went "this is a poopy day! what a shit ass poop ass day!" i had to go hide in a corner for ten minutes to laugh i'm laughing just thinking about it im immature as hell)

something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: bts' origin story lol other history related things

something you hate: fascist governments, maga all these fucking ads everywhere like there's an extra $3-4 fee to not see 5 minutes of ads every 10 minutes on a service that already costs $8-12???? i guess i'll be indefinitely paying for youtube premium because i cannot be without my youtubes fuck you capitalism and forced consumption that goes for you too tumblr !!! something you collect: rocks

something you forget: everything. i have the memory of a gnat on acid

what's your love language acts of service

favorite movie/show: movie - spirit: stallion of the cimarron (idk if hamilton counts lol) tv show - new girl and family guy

favorite food: bibimbap if i could eat that every day for the rest of my life i would but i can't cook for shit nor can i afford it lol

favorite animal: my top 3 are elephants, cheetahs, and pigs lol

are you musical? yes! i went to an arts school for vocal music and did musicals from age 6-13. i don't miss the competitive environment but i do miss performing and singing pretty much every day

what were you like as a child? i was an only child with undiagnosed adhd and not a lot of friends im gonna leave it at that

favorite subject at school? history

least favorite subject math

what's your best character trait? i've been told that i give good advice and perspectives on issues and that i'm caring and understanding

what's your worst character trait? umm i get triggered easily when i feel left out (i have unresolved trauma okay im working on it) ((there's that oversharing))

if you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be? that i finished cleaning out my car

if you could travel in time who would you like to meet? my great-grandmother bc not only am i named after her but she was also born almost exactly 100 years before me and i want to show her everything i found out about her through the research i did for my undergrad thesis project like some stuff none of our family knew about but i was able to discover

aaaaand on an entirely different note, brendan frasier on the set of the mummy

recommend one of your favorite fanfics (spread the love) first thing that comes to mind is Kanalia it's just so perfectly written and beautiful like the angst and tension is paced so well i wish my memory could be erased so i can read it again for the first time i'm actually about to go reread it now

i'm gonna tag @ot72025 @polarnightmyg and @glossdebut ! but no obligation to do it!

[jennaispunk]

Get to know your moots

Thanks for the tags: @sawymredfox @guiltyasdave @toomanystoriessolittletime @whocaresstillthelouvre

what's the origin of your blog title? The origins of my blog title is lame lol. I just used my first name and middle initial and jennaispunk was born. I couldn’t think of anything better at the time and I get called ‘Jenna’ all the time (obviously I did not think it through lol). I probably should change it and I plan to once I think of something that suits me better (feel free to drop any suggestions in my inbox 🤣)

OTP(s) + shipname: does me +Frankie count? lol I don’t really have any current ones that I can think of.

favorite color: Purple!! 💜💜💜

favorite game: I don’t play video games. I do love a good card game or board game but I don’t know that I have a favorite.

song stuck in your head: “Joy to the World” Three Dog Night

weirdest habit/trait? I have to hit the lock button on my key fob at least three times to make sure I actually locked it.

hobbies: reading, writing, movies, music. I want to learn to crochet.

if you work, what's your profession? I’m a veterinary technician. I work in an ophthalmology specialty practice for the last 7 years but I worked in general practice for 7 years before that.

if you could have any job you wish what would it be? I honestly enjoy my job, I’ve wanted to work with animals since I was a kid. If I had to choose another job, I’d choose either a librarian or a DJ.

something you're good at: remembering song lyrics

something you're bad at: setting boundaries

something you love: my two nieces

something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: music

something you hate: spiders

something you collect: stickers

something you forget: I don’t forget things. (my anxiety helps with that 🤷‍♀️)

what's your love language? I think it’s words of affirmation and physical touch.

favorite movie/show: Jurassic Park

favorite food: Pizza

favorite animal: it’s hard to choose just one lol. I think it’s a tie between Polar Bears and Cheetahs.

what were you like as a child? shy and quiet

favorite subject at school? History

least favorite subject? probably math

what's your best character trait? I’m a good listener

what's your worst character trait? being socially awkward (I suck at small talk)

if you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be? Today was actually a pretty good day, so I don’t think I would change anything.

if you could travel in time who would you like to meet? Eleanor Roosevelt

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

No pressure tags: @artsy-girl-76 @goodwithcheese @jolapeno @beefrobeefcal @maggiemayhemnj

[ot72025]

Hii, @yoonmetogether omg thank you for tagging me!! 💜💜🫂🫂 this was so funnnn!!

What’s the origin of your blog?

Its BTS related I'm an ot7 girlie and this is the year they will all be together 😝

Favorite fandoms:

Army obviously 😜 fearnots, atiny, carats, and moas!

OTP/ Shipname:

Obamitsu Demonslayer!! I love quiet/grumpy x sunshine trope my favs!!

Favorite color

Purple and green

Favorite game

Omg the Mingle game on roblox I okay it with my friend so fun!!

Song stuck in your head:

Daechwita I miss Yoongi so much 😭

Weirdest Habbit/Trait

If I'm getting something sweet I always need a fruity candy I've been loving the berry nerds clusters recently and then I always need a chocolate so lindors or true fruits!

Hobbies

I love reading, making rainbowloom bracelets, and playing volleyball!

If you work whats your profession

I'm currently a student and my major is in nursing and I volunteer at the hospital so my future profession is in nursing!

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be?

To own a bakery or cafe shop!

Something you’re good at:

My family says I'm a good baker so maybe that!

Something your bad at:

I'm a terrible dancer but I'm learning through BTS dance practices it’s so hard 😭

Something you love:

BTS 💜 my family, friends, and my dog and cat!

Something you could talk about for hours of the cuff:

Anything BTS related!

Something you hate:

Papaya

Something you collect

Seashells!! I live in Florida they're everywhere 😁

Something you forget

Literally everything 😭

What’s your love language?

Physical touch and acts of service 💜🫂

Favorite movie/show:

Spirited Away 🐉

One Piece 🏴‍☠️

Favorite Food:

Anything with meat, love Korean and Japanese BBQ’s! 🍗🥩

Favorite animal:

Dogs, cats, bunnies

Are you musical?

No I am not but I do like them!

What were you like as a child?

I was an adventurer I loved going outside with my brother and cousins and we would go to this trail that was like a forest and we would just play games like tag and hide and seek 😆

Favorite Subject at School:

Science

Least Favorite Subject at school:

Math 😭

If you could travel in time who would you like to meet?

My grandfather on my mom’s side he passed away before I was born and everyone says he was the kindest soul and that he would've spoiled me if he had ever met me 💔

Recommend One of your Fav Fics:

Omg I have so many but right now it’s https://www.tumblr.com/yoonmetogether/761021546821304320/not-in-the-cards-masterlist @yoonmetogether!! Mafia/gangster Yoongi YES PLEASEESS!! Yoongi and the reader’s dynamic is just so 😩😩 the tension with these two is just insane! Also Mafia Seokjin is sexyyy 😝!! I love a good BTS x Mafia fic and this is def my favorite so far!! 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

[ophelialoveshandsomemen]

Get to know your moots

Thank you, @virtie333! for the tag, this is long and looks like fun!

What's the origin of your blog title? Ophelia because I fell in love with everything Hamlet when I first watched Sir Kenneth Branagh's '96 adaptation back in like '11 or '12. And I love handsome men. Easy as that!

OTP(s) + Shipname: uhm with shipnames? ( rummages around)...okay, think I found them! Anne Shirley & Gilbert Blythe ( Annebert) , Faramir & Éowyn ( Farawyn) , Queen Victoria & Lord Melbourne ( Vicbourne) , Anastasia * Anya* Romanov & Gleb Vaganov ( Glenya)

Favourite colour: A really good Navy Blue! Also sunset yellow and a mossy deep dark forest green!

Favourite game: Nintendo Donkey Kong 3 for video games, Mille Bornes for card games, World Wise for board games, tricking people for real games...

Song stuck in your head: ( oh hell) The Monarch Song from Horrible Histories. Really catchy!

Weirdest habit/trait? Weeellll, I bet everything I do is considered a weird habit by the majority of the populace, but it's probably the fact that I eat oddball things like the eggshells on boiled eggs and the paper on muffins and things like that.

Hobbies: Fiber crafts, woodworking, growing plants, beekeeping, playing the piano, writing fanfics, obsessing over historical fashions, reading history books, reading historical fiction/romance novels

If you work, what's your profession? oh geez, I can't really disclose that. Has to do with wee bairns. And farming.

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be? Acting on stage at the Globe Theatre in London.

Something you're good at: Being a walking encyclopedia and playing music. Also flying by the seat of my pants through life.

Something you're bad at: Dealing with people, dealing with stupid people. And yes, though rare, they do very much exist.

Something you love: Music, history, the Catholic Faith, trees, Midsummer Bonfires, dark haired men*gulps*, restoration era English royalty.

Something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: Why monarchies are actually still a better way of ruling, over democracies and republics and all that 20th century bullshite... Also herbalism, history in general, and cinema!

Something you hate: Puritanism, Gnosticism, Satanism, the healthcare system of North America, Communism, Nazism,( fascists are on thin ice) how loud Americans( not yours truly who has been tagged of course) tend to be online, the visceral misunderstanding protestants have about Catholicism/Orthodoxy, the Canadian government, the way americans treat canadians like dirt( at least the americans I met in real life)

Something you collect: Wool blankets, antiques, CDs and DVDs, enamel pots and pans

Something you forget: I get distracted easily, but my memory is scary long and accurate. I mainly forget where my wallet is.

What's your love language? Sex

Favourite movie/show: Oh come on I can't pick one! *grumbles* I pick The Lord of the Rings trilogy and M*A*S*H

Favourite food: Hominy corn with butter and Anglo-Saxon Oatcakes with apples

Favourite animal: Moose and Musk Ox. Would 100% ride them if I could. Also sheep.

What were you like as a child? Daydreaming and very idealistic. Also read a lot of trashy 70s romance novels.

Favourite subject at school? History, as well as religious studies.

Least favorite subject? Algebra. Even though I was actually really good at it. Still hated it.

What's your best character trait? Super helpful.

What's your worst character trait? I can be pretentious as fuck if I feel like it and nothing will stop me. Bit too much of a non-conformist.

If you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be? That I hadn't spilt the damned milk.

If you could travel in time who would you like to meet? St. Joan of Arc and King Charles II of England , Scotland and Ireland. Preferably at the same time, that would be a hoot. He would pretend not to understand her french as she would absolutely rip him a new one about his mistresses and I would enjoy the show whilst being starstruck!

Recommend one of your favourite fanfics (spread the love!): Oh! Here's one! ( or two...)

and

no pressure tags are: @thekenobee and @russell-crowe and @smolgreybunny

[dragonologist-phd]

Having a hard time choosing a pwotr character for the character breakdown asks because I'd love to hear your thoughts on so many of them, but you know who I'd pick if cornered. Woljif please 😁

Aah thank you!! Woljif is an excellent choice!

How I feel about this character

He’s one of my pwotr favs! I’m sure it helped that Piper was my first playthrough- they were born to be best friends, and as soon as he told her they could run off together if the Crusader thing didn’t work out he cemented his permanent place in her party

Even without all that, he’s an archetype I really enjoy: the chaotic mischief-maker with hidden depths, who has a ton of flaws and makes a ton of mistakes but ultimately has his heart in the right place

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Hmm- I’ll be honest, I haven’t thought about this one much! All the OC ships with him are great (I love Sia/Woljif so much!!!), but other than those I haven’t considered many!

That said, I do think Sosiel/Woljif would be cute. There’s a banter where Sosiel says that Woljif has “an intriguing and appealing expression” when he’s lost in thought…and Woljif brushes it off as Sosiel telling him to be quiet, but idk I think there could be something there.

Like, Woljif enjoys challenging a lot of Sosiel’s ideas, but Sosiel genuinely enjoys the discussion and appreciates some of Woljif’s deeper thoughts. And Sosiel likes catching Woljif off guard by meeting Woljif’s cynicism with his own earnest opinions (see that banter where Woljif asks what the most valuable thing in a shelynite temple is and Sosiel just says “rose petal tea <3”). And I think Sosiel would bring out Woljif’s softer side, and Woljif would get protective of Sosiel, and they’d have some interesting parallels in how their respective families impact their character arcs. Y’know this started out as a small thought but the more I talk the more I like it

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I mean, y’all know how much the Piper & Woljif friendship. Rambling about my OC’s probably isn’t what this prompt is intended for but too bad because Piper & Woljif are everything to me. They had this instant understanding of each other, and they only grew closer over time, and they’re joking when they call each other brother and sister but they also mean it with their whole hearts. I need to find that quote about friendship soulmates again because that’s them!!

Ha but for canon- I really like Woljif’s friendship with both Seelah and Daeran. Despite their differences he and Seelah have such a good time together, talking about cons and tavern songs, they’re a fun pair! And it’s fun to imagine Woljif and Daeran after the game, traveling around and causing trouble on their own time.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Ok, I did just say I like his and Daeran’s friendship- but I really hate that one banter where Daeran jokes about throwing coins on the ground and making Woljif bark like a dog??

I mean, it’s in character for Daeran; that’s the kind of shit he likes to say. But it’s weird to me that Woljif has so little of a reaction to that, especially when we see him get worked up over being looked down on in other circumstances.

And I’ll admit, part of the reason is bothers me so much is how many people I saw react to it like it was a ‘haha hilarious’ moment and not a ‘Daeran wtf’ moment

Anyway. A less salty one is that I really like how his bad ending is written! This one is just unpopular because not many do it- understandable, it does hurt my heart a lot. But the characterization is so good, they manage to give him a personality that is really different from his good ending while still being very Woljif, and that’s impressive!

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

Honestly there’s not much. The nice thing about pwotr is that it’s long enough to fit a ton of character stuff, and there’s really not much I can think to add. It is a shame they didn’t get to making him a canonical romance option, so I’ll go with that- I’d be so interested to see what they had planned for that!

character meme

[swallowtail-ageha]

Malenia for the ask meme!

Responding to this ask late because i have just come home fjvididksk but its here!!

Favourite thing about them i am so insane about the whole bodily autonomy rights surrounding her. You never had a choice in what you were born as you want to desperately run away from it but your body never belonged to you from day one and in the end you fall to your origins and hurt yourself badly. I also like the whole kindred of rot thing bcs its deeply sad like. They are both victims of it malenia who never wanted to host the rot and to whom the kindreds represent her falling to her worst impulses while the kindreds actively do something that malenia hates not out of malice but because they were born from that. *chefs kiss*

Least favorite thing about them uuuugh i feel like the promised consort battle of aeonia stuff has really cheapened her and the whole conflict and i think her whisper being "miquella awaits thee o promised consort" just sucks

Favorite line My flesh was dull gold...and my blood, rotted.Corpse after corpse, left in my wake...As I awaited... his return.

Its just so *froths at the mouth* it embodies perfectly her feelings about the scarlet rot and the shame that came from actually blooming for the sake of miquella and grappling with the fact that because of it she killed several hundreds of people and i am *aaaagh*

brOTP while i have started to headcanon their dynamic as being incestuous in the last few months, i think her and miquella's story also really works well as just a normal if tragic sibling relationship. I also see well a malenia and godwyn dynamic where well. Ok he wasnt the number one mother and father figure at once but i think he did rly care about her and in my headcanons he did a lot of legwork to include her in activities that she normally wouldn't be able to do by making them more accessible to her disability

OTP Malmiq lol. Its funny because i at first didn't even ship them, but dlc enabled me to ship it out of spite. I just. Really love the whole we are incestuous children of an incestous god angle of it and the fact that they influenced each other's lives and goals and personalities so much

Aside from that, finlenia. Like holy shit i am not normal about it. Imagine just being so loyal to/in love with your military leader you not only accept part of her curse but are also willing to drag her unconsious body for the whole continent in the middle of a civil war just to save her life. Fucking cinematic. Fucking beautiful

nOTP i dont even have anything against the ship per se because i find it really interesting dynamics wise but malenia/radahn has been ruined for me thanks to all the fucking violent rape porn revenge fanart of it

Random headcanon i think that she developed a very marked gallows humour. Like... since her childhood she expected to either die or turn fully into a vessel of rot so after a while she's like "oh well until i fix it i will just Joke About My Missing Limbs" which was very jarring to people who were personally meeting her for the first time

Unpopular opinion idk how unpopular it is but i think her devotion to miquella was. Unhealthy. I do think he loved her wholeheartedly (and didnt charm her opposed to what some people on some website say), and i don't even blame her for being so codependent with him (girl was neglected BADLY), tho

Song i associate with them least a song and more of an ost, but Divine Service from the Lies of P soundtrack! Its very melancholic and full of longing and nostalgy, which just

Favorite picture of them the one in the shaded castle! It is a pretty basic portrait, but the area building up to it is fantastic and elevates it in my mind

[danpuff-ao3]

Ending Mutuals March on a very special note. PI, @perverse-idyll, my longtime writing crush, and now my friend.

It was love at first sight when The White Road was first posted. I can't remember when I first read it, but it was around the time it was posted for sure. And I've read that fic every year since. At least once a year, if not more. By the time I read When the Rose and the Fire Are One I knew it was true love!

PI's stories have been deeply meaningful to me for a long time. And I have always admired her skill. Prose? Gorgeous, stunning, perfect. With great knowledge and great passion she strings words into gorgeous treasures. Raw stones left to their rough glory, or shaped and shined as needed. Not only a gifted wordsmith, but a wise and empathetic person who understands the human condition, and the complexities of emotion. Someone with great love for beloved characters, but also great understanding. Love born of understanding, which is everything I long for!

We love the same characters, and the same OTP. She does such justice to these characters, and their dynamic. She's always written Snarry exactly how I needed it. I have treasured her works for many years, and they have been my favorites for many years. Of course, in those earlier days I was much too shy to let her know just what her works meant to me.

Then, in recent years, I had my first interaction with PI. On Reddit, of places. I recced one of her fics and she responded to it which blew my mind a bit, since her Reddit name isn't perverse_idyll, lol! So...I tried to be chill, which if you know me, you know how hard that is! Me, but an overenthusiastic fangirl trying not to scare off her faves, haha! If I remember correctly, I finally set about drafting a comment on The White Road not long after that. Long overdue that one!

Then...time went on. During a very rough period with an old fandom group, I turned to PI's works for comfort. And in November 2021, the same month I left that old fandom group, PI's episode on @fanficmaverickpodcast (Ep. 25 interview) was released!

I was over the moon excited to listen to it! But the sort of excited that meant I couldn't dive in right away. I had to run around and squeal a bit and settle myself down in order to listen. It is a long episode, two and a half hours long, but well worth it! The host, ChaosBlue, is a dear friend of mine now, and a very professional and charming host. And perverse_idyll was a fantastic guest, with so much insight and enthusiasm for fandom and for writing. 10/10 recommend it. I ran around and shared the episode everywhere I could.

And then...Reddit. PI shared the episode on Reddit, with encouragement for others to reach out to ChaosBlue to do their own episode. And...I did! God, that's a whole other post in of itself and how amazing ChaosBlue is, but basically...I felt pretty audacious! I had to work myself up quite a bit to reach out. And as hard as it was to reach out, I don't think I'd have found the courage to even think about it without PI's little note. It both inspired and comforted me. And doing my own interview for the podcast was such a great (and terrifying!) experience that I'm glad I did. (See: ep. 32 Interview)

From there...it came over time. PI was so kind and supportive about my interview. I found the bravery to reach out to her directly at some point. And though she is quite the busy lady, she is always so giving of her time and energy in responding when she can! PI is such an encouraging, generous, compassionate, supportive spirit. One I feel very blessed to know. She has so much clear respect and admiration for other creators. So much love and dedication to fandom, however busy or wild life may be.

Other fandom experiences reminded me of why they say to never meet your heroes. But PI spared me from being too wary of folk. PI is an excellent reminder that, sometimes, the creators we admire are even better humans.

PI's works were so meaningful to me for so long. And PI as a person has just as much impact! Thank you for being my friend, PI. Thank you for everything that you do. Thank you for all that you give to fandom; for all that you create, and all the support you give. And thank you most of all for being there for me. And showing such kindness and gentleness in times I needed it most, whether you knew it or not.

Here's to you, my friend. Time for me to wipe my eyes and drop some recs! Maybe by the end we'll have forgotten what an emotional mess I am LOL.

The Afterlight

Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Work in progress. Background case. Mutual pining. Friends with benefits. Denial of feelings. Angst. Hurt/comfort. Eventual happy ending.

Y'all cannot know how thrilled I was when PI posted a new fic. This one! And though it's only just begun, I already feel in my bones it will be a new favorite! PI as ever provides Snarry exactly the way I love it!

After surviving the Battle of Hogwarts, a long convalescence, and a short trial, Snape walks free and promptly vanishes from Wizarding society. Six years pass before he shows his face again. A lot can change in six years, and a romantically disillusioned and inebriated Harry hits Snape up for a friends-with-benefits arrangement. After all, they share an experience most people have never had: they both know what it's like to be dead. Their liaison works surprisingly well until Harry's reckless behaviour as an Auror leads to unethical practices and personal calamities, and things start to fall apart.

Candles Lit Against the Dark

Minerva/Wilhelmina. Minor Harry/Severus. Rated: G. Words: 13,585. Old friends. Postwar. Heavy drinking. Fond bickering. Snapecase 2023.

Many feelings. Very realistic and bittersweet. With all of the realism of life, for all of its rough edges, uneven paths, and the love found along the way.

It's been a few months since Minerva's retirement, and she'd promised Wil a dinner out. Before she knows it, friends start turning up on her doorstep and then at the pub, not least among them a certain spy who came in from the cold.

In Infinite Remorse of Soul | And Mine the Gall

Albus/Severus. Harry/Severus. Revenge. Obsession. D/s undertones. Afterlife. Incest (ish.) Dub-con. Twisted love.

I am obsessed. This is dark and fucky and weird and wonderful and gorgeous. The sequel, And Mine the Gall, features one of the lines that has most haunted out of every fic I've read. Love it love it love it!

Albus Dumbledore never makes the same mistake twice. Certainly not in love.

No Room for the Weak

Eileen POV. Rated: T. Words: 10,444. Dysfunctional family. Mindfuck. Pre-Snarry.

Love love love love love this. Some Snape family history. Eileen is great. Very fascinating look at the woman who bore and raised Severus.

There's a Boy Who Lived and a boy who didn't, and even a mother can't always tell them apart.

The Son

Regulus POV. Rated: T. Words: 5,422. Unhappy families.

First there were two sons. Then there was one.

Warm

Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Words: 11,323. PWP. Fluff & smut.

PWP feels wrong for this. So much sensuality and tenderness and good god the LOVE here. Also, I'm sorry, but Harry and Severus existing as themselves basically is plot, but I digress....PI says it's PWP so it's PWP. I'm not going to argue with her!

Severus still suffers the after-effects of Nagini's venom, especially in winter. Harry knows just how to warm him up.

When the Rose and the Fire Are One

Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Words: 81.619. Confinement. Dysfunctional Relationships. Spinner's End. Dubious consent. Sex magic.

Cool magic stuff. The best OC I've ever met (Odile, my beloved.) Ideas of Spinner's End and Eileen Snape that have lived in my head ever since. Big angst and fuckery. Great characters. Great relationship development. Everything is just...A+, chef's kiss, amazing.

Harry's haunted by guilt. Snape's warded by roses. Each must free the other in order to free himself.

The White Road

Lily POV. Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Words: 47,877. Afterlife. Romance. Redemption. Voyeurism. Incestuous vibes.

Longtime favorite. One of the first fics that fully blew me away. I read this and thought "this does not belong on the internet, this belongs on a bookshelf."

One day, comfortably set up in the afterlife, Lily Evans Potter switches on the telly and gets hooked on the Harry Potter show.

for an explanation about Mutuals March, or to figure out why i wrote you a thing, please check out this post.

[pan-flute-skeleton]

19. Jules and Tony for Soft OTP Prompts!

19- Write about your ship going on a casual date.

Oooh okay this will be interesting @milobat time for them to get casual. I decided to go with Jules's POV for this

I took him up on his offer to ride. Ma was worried about me spending so much time in the city, but I think she eased up when I explained the situation. He might meet her one day, but that's a far future thought. For now, I wanted to keep things as fun and casual as they can be. Even if we've gotten way past casual before.

I leaned against my Goldwing outside his shop. I could see Tony, but I don't think he could see me. Too focused on his task. I loved the way his brow furrowed and his lips pouted when he was concentrating. But eventually he finished and he looked over. Tony waved and flashed that irresistible smile of his. He went back in the shop and after about fifteen minutes, Tony returned in his normal attire. My feet left the ground as he scooped me up into a bear hug.

"Hey, baby. You ready?"

"I was born ready."

We kissed before putting on our helmets and we took to the streets. The way he could maneuver that massive Harley Road King was mesmerizing. Tight spaces between cars that he should have never been able to fit through, Tony slipped through with ease. We rode side by side, single file and spread apart up and down the avenues. At the red lights, he reached for my hand. Those few seconds sent my heart soaring. We were so wrapped up in each other that we neglected to see the buildings turn into trees. Tony motioned to pull into this weird "I Love New York" rest stop and we dismounted to assess the situation.

"Where the hell are we?" Tony asked.

"I think we're in Westchester," I replied, "that's the next county after the Bronx, I think."

"Weird, I thought all the trees were only in Central Park."

"If that's what you think, I'm gonna blow your mind if I take you through my state."

Tony laughed, "Hah! I got something else you could blow instead."

The cheeky bastard pulled me close, but I playfully pushed him off. "Maybe not in front of the tourists, big guy."

He shook his head. He'll probably have that energy later. We got back on our bikes and exited the opposite side of the stop. We rode with the sun setting before us.

[bigfan-fanfic]

Not Just a Favor

Year of the OTP: January OTP: Steve Rogers x Clark Kent Prompt: Fake Dating Synopsis: It's really hard to act like it's just a favor for a friend... especially when Clark and he discuss their sexualities and each other.

It happens every so often. A journalist gets a little too close to understanding something. Batman gets a little paranoid. And Clark Kent needs to be seen somewhere at the same time as Superman.

Bruce usually holds a press conference in these cases, during the day. Clark will be there in his capacity as a journalist, and one of the shapeshifters or a projection can be placed to act as a pretend Superman for that morning.

But sometimes that's not possible, if, say, Bruce is away on a mission or heavily injured. So Steve offered to be his alibi if he wanted to spend some time with him - he could rarely go out in public without a picture or two being taken of him anyway.

It had been Diana who suggested that Steve take him out to eat. Clark didn't get a lot of people offering him that, and it might be a nice thing to do. It gave them both a couple of hours to unwind, and didn't necessitate Bruce's interference.

And with it being based on Clark actually being somewhere, the more they did it, the more regularly it became assumed that Clark was going to meet Steve (at least, so he claimed his colleague Lois had assumed).

The only issue was how easy it had become to speak to Clark. Despite the initial worrying of easy or difficult it would be to relate to each other, Clark proved to be every inch the excellent conversationalist, and Steve ended up looking forward to their... well, dates.

Clark had laughed when Steve had mentioned that he had had to address the rumors of homosexuality surrounding the photos that surfaced of him and "a Metropolis journalist."

"I suppose people are eager to assume things, aren't they? How do you feel about it, you know... you're from a different time..." Clark allowed, quite generously, Steve thought. They were in a fifties-style diner, sharing a red plastic basket of fries, a pile of sandwiches and empty plates littering the table.

"I was born in 1920, Clark. We had gay people in the twenties."

"My mistake," Clark teased, still in good humor. "All my journalistic research has suggested we hadn't been invented yet."

"We?" Steve noticed. "So, you're..."

"Gay? Not exactly." Clark said easily, though Steve noticed that guarded wariness behind his eyes. "I just don't necessarily have a preference for gender. Women, men, off or on the spectrum - I like people more than genders."

"Oh." Steve said softly, which caused Clark to laugh despite himself. "Well, we had gay people back in my time, but... not quite the language to... describe things."

"You don't have to have the answers now." Clark allowed.

Steve chuckled. "I'm trying to come out to you, Clark. Come on."

Clark laughed and waved a hand in mock-defensiveness. "Apologies. Carry on."

"I... notice, you know... gender. It's different for me, liking someone like Peggy and liking someone like, you know, Bucky."

"Beyond one of them being your commanding officer and the other your best friend? Getting awfully problematic there, Cap."

"Shut up." Steve snorted, chomping down on a fry while Clark softly sipped at the lemonade he had ordered (another thing Steve had learned he never realized he catalogued - Clark didn't like carbonated drinks; with his heightened senses, they bothered him badly). "I just mean that it's not like I don't consider that in my view of someone. But I like both. Or maybe all. I've never been with or felt something for someone non-binary, that I know of, but if I did, I think I'd be attracted to them in a different way?"

"That's interesting." Clark tilted his head. "So, you don't, like, prefer any gender over another, but it is something you still feel."

"If I had to say, I guess I'd say I have a slightly greater attraction to men than women. But maybe that's just because I haven't been as close to as many women because of the army and after."

"So it's not necessarily a different kind of attraction, more of a different presentation. Different roads, same destination?"

"That's a real good way of putting it. Must be your journalism training." Steve teased.

Clark snorted, "Nah, just something stolen from my Ma. Pa actually came out a few years ago, and he felt it pretty much the same as you." They lapsed into companionable silence.

"You're one of the easiest people to talk to that I've ever known." Steve blurted.

"It's the eyes. Something about them draws people in." Clark replied, not missing a beat.

"No. It's you. You're kind, and understanding. You're smart as a whip, and you've got a stupid sarcasm that reminds me of Bucky."

"High praise." Clark's eyes were unreadable. Crystal blue, studying him in the way only a man that can see the most minute movements could.

"How many of these, uh... outings have we had?"

"Outings? I think, maybe... six or seven? Why?"

"Because... since maybe the third one, I've hoped we could do this more than just as a favor."

"A favor? What do you mean?"

"You know... a cover. For Superman."

Clark laughed, then. "I don't need this much cover, Steve. Most of these are just for fun. Because I like hanging out with you."

"Well, that makes this a lot easier."

"Sorry for stepping on your moment there."

"Well, maybe I got another moment. 'Cause I don't wanna do this just for fun. Probably since the fourth or fifth one, I've considered asking you out on a real date." Steve said plainly, looking at Clark straight on. The other man looked surprised, but not displeased.

"So... you're saying you want to date me."

"I really wanna date you, Clark."

"Well, that's... I'd like that."

"No big journalistic turn of phrase?"

"Shut up."

Steve's grinning like a maniac now, and after wiping his fingers of fry salt, rests his hand over Clark's, and silently thrills at the way Clark turns his hand over to hold Steve's in his.

"Does this count as our first date, then?"

"It can. We could retroactively call our first 'outing' our first date. Or we can say our next time will be it."

Steve smirks. "Are you as excited about it as I am?"

"I can hear your heartbeat. It's almost as fast as mine."

Steve just smiles then, knowing that both their hearts are dancing a jig, and the easy conversation resumes, their hands never leaving each other's until they get up to pay the check and leave.

[fantastic-rambles]

Fandom: Sk8 the Infinity

Characters: Ainosuke Shindo, Tadashi Kikuchi

Warnings: None?

Word Count: 2k

Summary: In a world in which every person is born with one of their soulmate's eyes, Ainosuke is determined to do whatever he can to find the one person who he is destined to be with. [Year of the OTP 2023 @yearoftheotpevent. June: Soulmate AU]

- - - - - - - - - -

Ainosuke gazed into the mirror as he ran a comb through his hair. He’d always loved his eyes: red and green, they stood out among a sea of varying shades of brown, with the occasional splash of blue or green. He’d always thought that they would make it easy for him to find his soulmate… and yet, he’d watched classmates fall in love, business partners get married, people coming together to start a new life with each other while he remained alone.

Of course, it was possible for people to find happiness, even without finding the one they were fated to be with, but he couldn’t bring himself to settle for that. The idea that there was someone out there who was supposed to be his, so intimately bound together that they could see the world together through the same eyes, was something that spoke to his very soul. He just had to look harder, to put more effort into meeting more people and reaching out beyond the boundaries of his own world.

All of that ambition had led him here, to this moment. Of course, his family was thrilled and more than happy to support him in his goal to become a politician: a position of power like that would only help to raise their own stock and likely play to their advantage in other ways. But Ainosuke didn't care about that, not really. His own motivations were equally selfish, if not more so. By having an excuse to appear in public in larger and larger venues, perhaps his fated lover would see him and reach out themselves, someday. If Japan was still too small, then he'd even aim for the position of Prime Minister and go abroad, leading this country to the forefront of international politics in exchange for a few extra minutes in the spotlight. No matter how long it took, he wouldn't give up.

Tucking his brush back into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, Ainosuke turned to leave the bathroom, nearly running into another man. About to murmur a polite apology, he glanced up at the other man's face, and the words died on his tongue. A pair of brilliant emerald eyes stared back at him, all the more beautiful for having been completed. He never could have mistaken them, but even so, he glanced over his shoulder to find two crimson eyes staring back at him from the mirror.

"Please excuse me."

The other man didn't seem to have noticed anything as he continued to try to edge past Ainosuke, but Ainosuke's own heart was racing as he reached out to grab the stranger's wrist.

"What's your name?"

A flicker of emotion—annoyance—crossed the man's face, but he answered anyway.

"Tadashi Kikuchi."

Tadashi. A beautiful name for a beautiful man… but Ainosuke's contemplations were brought to an abrupt halt as he suddenly recognized the name. Tadashi Kikuchi wasn't especially well-known to the general public, but he was a thorn in the side of Ainosuke's own party. He was said to be not much of a speaker, but when he did talk, he was straightforward and honest, which had contributed to his election as a "trustworthy" politician… not unlike Ainosuke himself, though his own popularity was founded upon a facade more than reality. Rather, Tadashi's strength was said to lie in the written word, drafting bills with all the flexibility of a lawyer while finding loopholes and alternative readings of Ainosuke's own party's proposals to strike them down. But that had nothing to do with their love.

"Tadashi. I mean, Kikuchi-san. Do you know who I am?"

Another flash of annoyance.

"Ainosuke Shindo-san. If you'll excuse me, I need to use the facilities. If there's something that you would like to discuss with me, you can speak with my secretary about adding yourself to my schedule."

"That's not it," Ainosuke started to protest, but then he bit his tongue. Tadashi seemed to have the wrong impression of what Ainosuke wanted, but he was right that a bathroom wasn't the right place to have this conversation. Besides, Ainosuke wanted to do this properly. He hadn't expected to run into his soulmate here, but he'd spent years thinking about what he would do when he finally found them. This was his chance—his only chance—to make everything perfect.

Furthermore, Tadashi already knew who he was, which meant that he had some amount of interest in Ainosuke, right? Perhaps not romantically, since he still hadn't noticed the change in both of their conditions, but he'd clearly been paying attention to the younger man in some way. That was more than enough for a starting point.

"But I'll do as you say. I'll see you later, Kikuchi-san!"

Smiling, Ainosuke let go of the other man before leaving the bathroom and quickly returning to his own office. There was so much that he needed to do, after all! Contacting Tadashi's secretary first to schedule an appointment later in the afternoon and making sure that he had no events after work, calling up a florist for a last-minute order of three dozen red roses in full bloom, making a dinner reservation since both of their evenings were clear for the moment… It was truly regretful that they were in session. Otherwise, they could have planned a relaxing trip together, perhaps to Ainosuke's native Okinawa or the other extreme of Hokkaido. They could always arrange such a trip for the future, of course, but it wouldn't be the same.

He could barely get through his own work as he constantly checked the clock, waiting for the designated hour to arrive. Ten minutes before their appointment, Ainosuke headed out with the bouquet in one hand while brushing his hair back with the other. By the time he arrived at Tadashi's office, he was humming, eager to surprise his beloved.

When he knocked on the door, it opened immediately. A man in a dark suit ushered him in… and then left, closing the door behind him. Ainosuke's heart leapt in his chest when he realized that he and Tadashi were alone: had the other man finally realized what had happened? Was he ready to accept their eternal love?

As Tadashi rose from his desk, Ainosuke quickly closed the distance between them so that he could catch the older man as he walked around it to greet him. Lowering himself to one knee, Ainosuke offered the roses to him, belatedly regretting that he hadn't ordered more. A hundred, at least, according to his original plans. As many as the florist had available, and if one shop didn't have enough, he'd have reached out to more. And even that would have been a pittance compared to what Tadashi deserved. But he'd decided to hold back, a little, in case the other man still hadn't put the pieces together so as not to overwhelm him.

"Kikuchi-san. I've been searching for you, my soulmate, for my entire lifetime. As a token of our acquaintance, I have prepared these flowers, which hold the meaning of 'passionate love.' Will you please accept my feelings?" he asked, gazing up at Tadashi with an expression of earnest devotion. His beloved's expression was harder to read, blank and impassive… while he made no effort to take the flowers.

"Please get up, Shindo-san," he requested, and Ainosuke scrambled to his feet, his hold on the bouquet tightening as he started to grow anxious. Had he made a mistake? Did Tadashi still not understand? Was there another reason the man had dismissed his assistant for this meeting?

Then, Tadashi sighed.

"I understand why you're here"—pale, elegant fingers reached up to brush the corner of his eye, just under the fringe of black hair—"but you do understand that this is mostly superstition? Certainly, the phenomenon of eyes being exchanged exists, but people who experience it do not have a greater chance of 'finding happiness,' or falling in love, statistically speaking. When it does happen, it's more likely to be some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy due to the active, concerted efforts of those involved. Otherwise, it's nearly impossible to develop a relationship with someone you don't even know based merely on a peculiarity like this."

Tadashi was saying things that Ainosuke had heard before, but he was hardly going to give up because of such a minor obstacle, especially when he was more than ready to put in "active, concerted efforts" to achieve his dreams. It seemed that his fated partner was one of those who didn't believe in fate, which was unfortunate, but not entirely uncommon. More and more people these days were accepting it as just another part of life rather than searching for the person who would complete them. But Ainosuke wasn't like that. Instead, he smiled more charmingly as he lay the roses on Tadashi's desk.

"Of course I understand that. Which is why I've already made us a dinner reservation for this evening. We can spend as much time as you like getting to know each other over good food and a few drinks. You're alright with French, I hope?"

But Tadashi shook his head.

"That's not the issue. Frankly, Shindo-san, I'm not interested in playing along with some sophomoric game. I have more important work to do. We both do."

"I'm entirely serious about this, though? Ah… are you dating someone else at the moment? Or is there some other, personal reason that you can't accept this? Are you heterosexual?"

Ainosuke himself had never worried about such things: regardless of who his soulmate was, he'd been determined to dedicate all of his love to them. It didn't make sense, after all, for a soulmate to be someone the other person couldn't be attracted to. His fairly invasive questions seemed to be making Tadashi blush, though, such an innocent reaction making him all the more endearing.

"No, that's not… No, I mean…"

"Then can't you at least give me a chance? Come to dinner with me, at least. If you decide that you hate me, then that will be the end of it, I promise. But if I'm tolerable, then let's continue meeting up outside of work. We don't have to call it dating, if you're uncomfortable with that. Just hanging out, getting to know each other, and seeing where it goes from there. And if you eventually decide that you do like me, then our romance can finally begin."

Tadashi's lips turned downwards, but the frown seemed to be more thoughtful than displeased, so Ainosuke stayed silent, not wanting to push too much and encounter resistance. He was starting to get the measure of the other man and learning how to best appeal to him. His suggestion was perfectly reasonable, which would make it hard for someone as serious and diligent as Tadashi to refuse him despite understanding the motivations behind the invitation. Even so, Tadashi seemed to be trying to find some sort of excuse to turn him down… before he sighed again.

"Just dinner," he warned, and Ainosuke nodded enthusiastically.

"Just dinner," he promised, pulling out one of his business cards and a pen so he could write down the details of their reservation before offering it to Tadashi with both hands. After the other man had taken it and reviewed the details, Ainosuke smiled again.

"I'm looking forward to this evening. Thank you very much for indulging me in this, Kikuchi-san."

Reaching for the flowers on the desk, Ainosuke extracted a single blood-red bloom, raising it to his lips to press a kiss to the soft, velvety petals before reaching out to gently tuck it into Tadashi's breast pocket. An equally rosy color stained Tadashi's cheeks again, making Ainosuke want to pull him into an embrace and kiss him, but he forced himself to hold back. Bowing slightly, he excused himself, waiting for the office door to close behind him before he reached into his pocket to extract his cell phone.

He needed to call the restaurant and make some adjustments to his initial request that they design a romantic evening, after all.

[dilucsflame33]

TMNT-VDAY: Week 1

This is very late but better late than never. 🤣

Anyways, this is for @tmnt-tychou prompt on her Valentine's Day event: OTP.

I've made the week 2 before this one since the second week took less time. So, if you don't like spoilers of any kind then I recommend not reading this.

In which TMNT Universe does your pairing exist?

My pairing exist in Bayverse. This takes place in 2022, present time. It's been over six years since the Kraang attack in the 2016 movie. A lot has happened during those six years, but all of that has been explained in the first book (Burning Mutation) and second book (Party Mutation).

Introduce us to your OTP!

I was having difficulty choosing my OTP because I am making a series and I love them all, but decided to do Donnie and Aurora. Let me introduce you to Aurora, even though you've probably heard of her before. ^^

Aurora is a 24 year old woman who was born and raised in London, but flew to New York for college in Biology and Engineering. Yes, she could easily go to college in London but she wants to start fresh. Plus, she loves to go to New York City.

Aurora is working for TCRI, but doesn't like the way they run things. Her IQ almost reaching Donnie's booksmarts and she isn't dumb whatsoever, but there is a difference between common sense and booksmarts. Shy, reserved, and prefers to stay in the shadows. Think of it as the one emo kid that stays in the back of the class, then roasts everyone when they mess with them.

Except she isn't emo.

She's a classy woman that drinks coffee in the morning and drinks wine when she gets home. She's chubby with glasses, thick curly red hair, and loves oversized clothing. Loves the turtlenecks. Mikey calls her "Velma" because of it.

Aurora can be pretty stubborn and it's hard to persuade her into thinking something different. Science? Yes. Romance? Oh, no! She ain't having it! But her reasoning came from her home background and watching other people's relationships going down the drain. She saw romance a "waste of time" and "energy spender."

Why have romance in real life when you have yourself?

Her college friend, April, was talking to Aurora about her type of men. Aurora rolled her eyes, knowing what her friend was trying to do. "I appreciate your help, April, but I'm not interested in some bafoon that only cares about sex than her woman's feelings and thoughts. And don't get me started on men have no respect for women whatsoever! I am telling you, my dearest friend. There is no such thing as love and romance. All of it is children's fairytale."

Ouch, am I right?

Donnie heard the whole conversation and he winced at the vemom of her words. It's obvious that she has been through somethings that caused her to have such views. So, that's when he was determined to figure it out.

While they were working together, Donnie mentioned about her views on romance. Aurora sighed as she organized some paperwork into files, always a clean freak. "Why do you want to know so badly? It's not like you are interested in me."

Donnie was flabbergasted. He found a woman that is just as smart, beautiful, and over all bad***. And she wants to know why he was interested in her? When there was silence, Aurora told him her backstory. She was raised in a toxic home. Her mother was a sweetheart, the sweetest woman you will ever meet. Then her father was a drunkard who will manipulate and harm her mother in every way. They argued all the time when she was child, it's a never ending thing. When they finally divorced and her mother took Aurora with her, her mother said, "Never fall in love, sweetheart. You will be tormented beyond belief and get your heart broken. Men are just cruel."

Being a child, she believed her mother's words. As she grew older, she saw that her mother was right. She saw relationships fall and heard so many negatives that she decided to never fall in love with a man. Yes, attraction was there but she saw men in their true colors before she could do anything.

Donnie felt so bad for the woman. She never dated anyone because of other people's experiences. She's a huge observer. Then, that's when he decides an offer.

How did they meet?

She has met Donnie not once but twice! He doesn't know who she is until she told him what happened during the fight in the second book.

Donnie was wanting more information about TCRI because they're connected from Tabitha (Raph's girl) and Serenity (Mikey's girl). April mentioned she has a friend who used to go to college with her, then offered to get some answers. Donnie agreed and April met up with Aurora on a girl's day.

Aurora figured out that she was being recorded and was wondering why. April told her about Tabitha and Serenity, then Aurora gave her some answers but some of them were kept secret. April asked Aurora if she wants to team up with her and friends on taking down TCRI, knowing Aurora's views on the company. The British woman agreed and, with permission from Splinter, April took her to the lair.

That's when Donnie saw Aurora for the "first time."

How is the relationship now? (This is continuing with the first question)

The relationship has ups and downs like normal relationships. At first, it wasn't really a relationship. Donnie offered to be her "boyfriend" and prove to her that there are good men out in the world. If she gave him a chance and fall in love, then they will date officially. If not and stuck to her beliefs, then he won't mention any relationship stuff ever again.

He was risking his own feelings into this, and made a huge gamble. He doesn't know if she will ever return his feelings. She knew of them because he confessed to her during the whole conversation. All he saw was a good woman that was having emotional trauma and he wants to prove himself that he wasn't like other men.

That's when he showed her what a true man was like. Months have passed and the more Donnie gave her affection, the more she craved.

When Donnie kissed her knuckles, she blushes.

When Donnie complements her clothes, she smiles.

Donnie gave her gifts, she cried happy tears because she didn't know that men can give their woman gifts (her father never gave her mother gifts).

And that's when she realized, Aurora fell in love with Donatello. Hard. She craved so much of him and felt so guilty for the way she treated him. She apologized profusely while she cried and Donnie held her through it all.

They were meant to be.

What is each other's love language?

Aurora, at first, was quality time. She could be in the same room with Donnie and she will be content. Now, she wants physical touch. Just a graze of his fingers on her hand or waist could make her yearn for more. Cuddles is her favorite thing. When Donnie was busy, she would get in his lap and he would kiss her forehead and play with her hair.

Donnie makes gifts for her. Anything that reminds him of Aurora, he makes it. Either be a rose necklace or anything that will be useful for her. But he enjoys the physical touch. The poor man is just as touched starved like Aurora.

They both enjoyed each other's company and physical touchs.

Do they get married? Have any kids?

Yes, they do get married! It's after the fourth book (Dream Mutation) where I write scenarios that follow after the war and they live in harmony.

They do end up having kids but, consider the gene difference, they don't just pop babies like humans can.

What is your favorite thing about this pairing? (Gush out!)

What I love about this pairing is that there's struggle during the whole bonding phase. Aurora was reluctant on telling Donnie anything, especially her past. She said harsh words, even at his brothers because Mikey was teasing her in a joking way when she first entered the lair.

Mikey said, "What's up, girl! Love how we have another girl in the group!" He was just happy that he was making another friend. You know how Mikey is. Plus, he has a girlfriend. He's just happy that Serenity is having another female friend.

Aurora gave him the stink eye. "You look like the cheating type. Flirting with other women isn't right, you know."

Yeah, she's very judgmental and she lost some points with the family in the beginning. But she saw her actions were wrong and apologized for it. Mikey forgave her (bless his soul) and gave her the biggest hug she has ever received.

I want to write something that people can relate to. My writing has always been more on the realistic side and seeing that Aurora has been through things that we have been through makes me feel happy, in a way.

There isn't any "love at first site" type of thing. There's bonding and getting to know each other. Donnie has patience and willing to do anything for Aurora even though that there is a possibility he will get hurt. But he told himself it will be worth it because she is worth it!

Aurora has been through so much, then Donnie proving that there is such thing as love and good men in the world. She found out that her mother is wrong and love was standing right in front of her. He has sacrificed so much and she felt guilty that she didn't have anything in return.

Donnie told her that he already got what he wanted and that's her. The flaws and scars are with the package of having something worth it. She promised that she will always be there for him through everything. Even when he has no coffee and goes on a rampage, she still loves him anyways.

I hope you love this pairing just as much as I do! 💜

[princesssarisa]

Character ask: The Commendatore (Don Giovanni)

Favorite thing about them: When he's alive, he's a courageous man who fights with his life to defend his daughter's honor, and in death, he becomes a powerful, awe-inspiring symbol of inexorable fate and divine judgment. I also like that he doesn't wait for his daughter or her fiancé to avenge his death, but does it himself, more effectively than anyone else could have done it. And of course, he sings some of Mozart's most thrilling music for a bass.

Least favorite thing about them: Well, I wouldn't want to meet him in person: he's scary!

Three things I have in common with them:

*I find Don Giovanni's behavior appalling.

*I can be fierce when defending the people and principles I care about.

*If I were to duel with anyone, I would probably lose.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I'm not an elderly bass-voiced man.

*I don't have a daughter.

*I'm not a dead person possessing a marble statue of myself.

Favorite line: His entire climactic exchange with Don Giovanni as the Stone Guest, but in particular his understated yet epic entrance:

Don Giovanni, a cenar teco M'invitasti e son venuto!

("Don Giovanni, to dine with you

You invited me and I have come!")

brOTP: Possibly his daughter, Donna Anna.

OTP: Anna's mother, whom I imagine died when Anna was born.

nOTP: Don Giovanni.

Random headcanon: The statue was built long before his death. Some people will joke about "the fastest-built tomb statue ever," because it's already standing on his tomb just a day after his murder. But the obvious explanation is that the statue was already there. As a man of high status and military power, he was honored while still alive with a statue over the tomb where his wife already lay and which was waiting for him. Only the vengeful inscription was added by Donna Anna and Don Ottavio after his death.

Unpopular opinion: I wish more people would remember that he comes back from heaven, not from hell. By extension, he's an agent of justice, not revenge. He gives Don Giovanni every last chance to repent, and only leaves him to his doom after he refuses them all. Sir Peter Hall emphasized this in his '70s Glyndebourne production, as the book The Making of an Opera reveals: he carefully instructed the bass singer to avoid seeming eager to plunge Giovanni into hell, and instead had him exit with a sad expression because (like Donna Elvira and Leporello before him) he failed to save him. Now, I wouldn't necessarily direct him to do that, because it might humanize him a bit too much. But it is worthwhile to remember that even though he's terrifying, he's not a force of darkness.

Song I associate with them:

Favorite picture of them:

@leporellian, @salieri27