#self ship can be friendship or family than romance

[pussinbootsandbountyhunter]

This is my 9 favourite characters (part 1), so guess my type people

[prying-pandora666]

Who is Izumi’s Mom? Copium Edition

So we all know that Bryke have refused to confirm who Izumi’s mother is. Even when they released family trees, the conspicuously left Izumi’s mom blank.

So incredibly frustrating!

So since Bryke insists on baiting us and not giving us closure, here’s a dose of copium for all shippers.

First off! Izumi’s name means “spring fountain”. Remember that.

Secondly, she looks like this:

REASONS WHY YOUR SHIP OF CHOICE COULD STILL MAKE SENSE!

Mai - She looks the most like Izumi. She canonically dated Zuko (until they broke up AGAIN). The former comics’ writer believes they will make up. She and Zuko have a history surrounding fountains. Even with all the drama, she remains the most likely candidate.

Katara - It should be self explanatory why a child named “fountain”, as in water, may be a reference to the one water bender Zuko dueled with most. The two of them clearly developed a connection by the end of the show, and Katara once even offered to heal Zuko’s scar. This one is all but debunked due to Kataang being canon, but it’s still nice to dream! And no one can deny they look great together.

Jin - Zuko and Jin shared lovely chemistry on their one date. Zuko was even willing to risk getting outed as a firebender in the Earth Kingdom and imprisoned, just to make her smile. This scene is also significant because it involved a fountain. Considering the bulk of Zuko’s redemption happened in the EK and the plot continued into the comics dealing with the blended FN/EK colonies, I can see why this would be a good thematic choice.

Toph - A rarer pair but one that one storyboard artist snuck in a reference for! Toph and Zuko have a lot in common. They both come from families of status that abused them for their failure to conform. Toph was born blind while Zuko has a disfiguring facial scar that realistically should affect both his vision and his hearing to an extent. Toph also has a friendship with uncle Iroh and was the first member of the Gaang to successfully understand and comfort Zuko as well as she did. Some point out that Zuko’s daughter Izumi has vision problems (like Toph) while Toph’s daughter Lin has a facial scar (like Zuko). The name Kanto, the alleged father of Lin, can also be written with the characters for “crown capital” so some speculate it’s an alias for Zuko. Spring fountain could be a reference both to the Earth element’s season of spring as well as to a volcano, which is like a fountain combining fire and earth. This scene is the most telling, with two doves representing Zuko and Toph. When Zuko walks away from Toph, the two doves kiss, signifying that perhaps a romance between them is destined for the future. Luckily, Toph knows how to listen and wait. Everything that applies to Jin about making peace with the EK applies even more to Toph since she’s actually from a noble house.

Suki - A bit of a wild card since she’s dating Sokka! But the comics showed Zuko and Suki getting much closer. When no one else was on Zuko’s side during the conflict in the colonies, and even Mai dumped him over his desperate visits to Ozai, Suki stayed by Zuko’s side. She never lost faith in him and tried her best to be there for him. The two have clearly developed a close friendship and bond of trust. Some even see it as romantic, which spells bad news for our boy Sokka. However, seeing as the book Legacy implies Sokka and Suki broke up, perhaps Zuki shippers have more evidence to stand on than originally thought! Everything that applies to Jin about making peace with the EK would also apply, since Suki is also from the EK. Perhaps she could fan the flames of his passion?

Sokka - Okay we all know it’s not going to happen but they’re really cute and I get it. The fountain claim applies to Sokka same as it does Katara! Hey there’s always a chance! Korrasami proved that!

Ty Lee - Not a lot to go off here but it’s undeniable that the two have a weird, unspoken tension. Why is Zuko quietly beefing with his sister’s bff? It’s never explained. Something is definitely going on there! We just don’t know what it is. In the comics, Zuko does lament not playing with Ty Lee and the other girls more as a kid.

Azula - I mean… okay I get it. The features that Izumi has in common with Mai, she also has in common with Zuko. So it’s not impossible to see why some would think she looks like Azula too. But can we please not make ATLA into Game of Thrones? This certainly isn’t helping:

Jet - He’s dead now so it’s not possible. But did Jet actually have a thing for Zuko? You know… it was really unclear.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

https://www.tumblr.com/araeph/153886578765/zutarians-act-like-kataras-romance-with-aang-is?source=share

This is so funny.

So zuko can make household chores because he learned how to serve tea but i guess aang can’t make a fruit pie. 

Or zuko knows some things are more important than romamce? So katara being chained is totally the same as mai being in safe.

Aang dying in kataras arms is a parental responsibility?!

Wtf is this dude smoking

***

I love how they act like the episode in which we see Aang canonically apologize for letting all the attention from being the Avatar go to his head means he could never possibly change, even though we see the change on screen AND that it stuck since he is also annoyed at Toph for not helping out. By that logic, Zuko is still racist and violent and would thus treat Katara HORRIBLY. Character development only counts when it happens to a character they like.

“Parental responsibilities” THEY ARE CHILDREN, STOP TREATING THEM LIKE ADULTS! KATARA CANONICALLY HATES BEING THOUGHT OF AS THE MOTHER OF THE GROUP, AND ZUKO JUST DISCOVERED THAT PARENTS SHOULDN’T DISFIGURE THEIR KIDS! THEY’RE NOT ADULTS, THEY’RE THEIR FRIENDS’ PARENTS, THIS IS NOT HOW FOUND-FAMILY WORKS!

“Oh, she dressed up as his mom” She also dressed up as her brother’s heavily pregnant wife. It’s almost like they’re children and that doesn’t mean anything to them, and you’re only reading into an obvious joke because it’s convenient. Also Sokka is canonically the ONLY ONE who literally says “When I think of mom, I think Katara”, while Aang has been on team “Katara is still a kid and needs to have fun” from day one.

“Would gain a partner that respects personal boundaries” *shows screenshot of when Katara got mad at Zuko for getting in her personal space and in which SHE has to move away because the dumbass won’t* Beautiful. Effervescent. You don’t see that kind of delusion everyday. Also we all know your ship started because of rape fics, shut the fuck up.

“Someone who sees her as ally” Aang has been Katara’s ally from day one, dipshit.

“Not as a possession” Ah yes, because the guy that was constantly accusing his girlfriend of liking someone else even as she explicitly said she didn’t give a shit about a dude’s existence, and then proceeded to throw said dude over a table in a fit of rage TOTALLY doesn’t have any issues with jealousy, possessiveness and self-control. Funny how when Zuko does it we need to take into account his traumas and the fact that he’s a teenager that doesn’t know any better due to not being an adult yet, but Aang needs to be threated as an adult that is already set on his ways despite being younger than Zuko AND constantly talked about as if he’s a toddler by zutarians.

“Someone who waits for the right time to talk” Yeah, to use her biggest trauma as a cheat-code to get the forgiveness and friendship he feels entitled to. He spent the start of the episode DEMANDING Katara’s time, attention and understanding and she REPEATEDLY told him to back off and he only got the hint when she yelled at him. I love Zuko, but patience, taking hints, and not struggling with entitlement have NEVER been traits of his.

“He understands how much she needs her family and puts them first” Again, he literally used that get what he wanted. He only started caring AFTER they were already on a journey. Can we stop the blantant lying and dick-sucking?

“Rather than someone who disappears when she needs them” Again, on the map thing Aang realizes on his own that he messed up and tells the truth, character development counts when it happens to someone other than your favorite emo boy. Well forgive Aang for panicking when he discovers that his life’s mission went to hell and that the world has completely lost hope. And it’s funny how, if he doesn’t let her go in Ba Sing Se despite his mission being important, he’s the bad guy, but if he DOES put the mission before Katara he is STILL the bad guy. It’s almost like zutarians are biased or something…

“The guy that ditched Katara to help his father continue commiting genocide after hearing about what happened to Katara’s mom has sympathy for her loss, unlike the best friend that is struggling with losing literally everyone in his life - after all, he won’t let her murder someone over it, since he knows she’ll regret it” Fuck you.

“Zuko trusts her to deal with her anger and pain in her own way” Again, no, he was literally just using her and her trauma because he felt awkward about her being the only one in the friend group that still hated his guts. He didn’t start to genuinely connect with her until they were already deep in the journey. AANG is the only that literally lets her borrow Appa to go on said mission, and accepts when she decides not forgive Yon Rha after all, despite sparing his life, and ZUKO tells Aang “You were right.” Stop lying for five minutes.

“Ironically a partner that understands that some things are more important than romance” Once again, LOVE how Aang is the bad guy if he puts his mission before Katara, but he doesn’t he is STILL the bad guy.

“Would not risk her life and everyone else’s to keep his moral purity” *conveniently doesn’t show Zuko not killing his father when he had THE perfect chance because that’s the Avatar’s job (and would be kinslaying in his eyes) and thus it’d be dishonorable to do it*

“Someone who sees her for who she is, not who he wants her to be” Zuko literally thought Katara had it in her to be a blood-thristy killer just for the sake of revenge. Aang knew she would regret it and let her realize it on her own by letting her go to the mission, with the guy that was fully on team “Go murder!” because he KNEW Katara would never do it. And he was right, and Zuko said as much. Because Aang is the one who knows her, he just doesn’t know the OC you call Katara.

[cowboy-robooty]

PruPan (Prussia x Japan) For the grid

I know who sent this. I can smell your prupan and self-ship wif japan from a mile away **heart eyes emoji** thank you for being the only mf who wants to hear my opinions. anyways so i thought about it and realized actually prussia and japans dynamic is the greatest thing ever. Because see i believe in cuck japan romantically FOREVER. i think japan has like best broship in the platonic dating style (if you experience that shit you know what i mean) with america and like hes emotionally fulfilled from that but also he desperately wants a boyfriend or girlfriend or oysterfriend just anyone to have that shoujo romance and tentacle freak sideways tango with. but the thing is that he literally always fails and is in one-sided crushes Forever and always and its always japan crying to his best bro america about his fail ass love life and america is like lol couldnt be me! but it's fine because he still has his best bro and like yknow... its like how family and friendship is two different things that are both need. like moral orel about the f words (family, faith, friends) but with b. bros, booty, and bazinga... like idubbbz! (as long as you have one of those you won't be lonely). but anyways see i believe japans biggest crush of all is on italy and obviously prussia has his huge ginormous crush on italy too but like i think that actually they are aware of eachothers crushes but dont care because they dont see eachother as threats at all bc theyre like "omg this dude is so cooked he aint even competition lol i feel bad for him" towards eachother.

and i think its actually really funny because see prussia is a desperate motherfucker and honestly not hard to pull at all. like if you have sex with him hes the type who goes "uhmm youre my boyfriend now right?" or if you confess to him hell take your feelings genuinely seriously and think about it and 90% of the time end up saying YES!!! I LIKE YOU TOO!!!!!! and japan is also desperate but he would literally date anybody Except prussia. like it's like how italy will fuck anybody Except Prussia. LIke japan could potentially get together with anybody under the right circumstances except prussia lol even if they were trapped in alkatraz together for 18 years he would never be prussia's prison boyfriend he just doesnt have the capacity to love him. and its really funny because prussia is literally the only mf who has the capacity to feel romantic love towards japan in a twist of horrible fate because japan pissed off cupid in his past life and will never ever fucking win at romance. The only conceivable way is if he asked out prussia but prussia is the only mf he would rather die a virgin with while stranded on an island for 3000 years with than fuck and try to repopulate the planet with yaoi babies. so yeah they compell me a lot in this sense because this is fucking hilarious and amazing and I'd like for them to act pitying to eachother about their crushes on italy bc they're like "mhm mhm yeah you have a chance (lying)" even though they both strapped in the same jigsaw trap lawl. but I dont think i ship them because of what i said above. thank you for sending this though this was some really good shit to think about and i think ill draw them interacting more because this is an incredible discovery.... best discovery since alfred wagner and the tectonic plates !

[twig-tea]

TWIG! Friend! I couldn't help but notice your tags in my excitement post about getting to La Pluie -- I see that you and I are YYY mutuals. :) Let's call YYY... say... zany or offbeat -- off the beaten path of the usual romance-dominated field of Thai BLs. What are some other "zanier" BLs (not just Thailand, but everywhere in Asia) that you love and would recommend for an off-the-wall experience? And, why?

@waitmyturtles I'm so sorry you sent this a million years ago and then I kept letting it languish. And it's extra rude because I love this question! It's so hard to add something like YYY to a rec list without a billion caveats, so this is a great chance to shout out some of the series & shorts that don't get as much attention. A few of these I know you've seen but I have to include them for completeness.

First, for the sake of other people reading this, as Turtles has written about, Cheewin brings his own kind of zaniness to almost everything he works on; my faves of his other than YYY are Make It Right and Secret Crush on You (the exception is Bed Friend, which is not in any way zany but I still liked it).

Also going to mention that since Turtles asked for off the beaten path zany, I won't be mentioning any of the popular comedies (in case you're wondering why I Became the Lead in A BL Drama or Man Who Defies the World of BL aren't on this list).

Alright now that's out of the way, let's get into the other recs!

Zany lesser-known BLs other than YYY

Ossan's Love Franchise (Japanese, 2016-2024, GagaOOLala)

It is... less true now that this series is lesser-known than it was when I started writing this draft (in uh... August 2023) but I shall persist! The franchise details alone for this series are complete crack:

A 2016 45-minute short [skippable imo];

The 2018 original series which builds the short into a zany 7-episode comedy series about a man in his late 20s who suddenly finds himself the love interest of his older boss (in his ~50s) and his coworker/roommate (in his mid-20s);

The sequel film Ossan's Love: Love or Dead (2019)which turns into an action film halfway through for no clear reason but also remains a romantic comedy in which the mains from the original season decide if they want to stay together

The AU season Ossan's Love: In the Sky (2019) which has the same characters of the lead and his boss from S1 and the short, but this time they work in an airport and all of the surrounding cast is different and leads to a very confusing love rhombus. Incredible 10/10 no notes [people hate this because they like the mains from S1 & the film but I loved the mess]

The sequel season to S1 and the film, Ossan's Love Returns (2024) which you can absolutely watch in isolation and is about the main couple re-establishing their relationship and their found family friend group after being long distance for a few years.

It's truly excellent comedy, and gets better every outing; there are some barriers that might prevent some enjoying the earlier seasons but the most recent one is really delightful. You can hear me talk more about this series with @bengiyo and @shortpplfedup on The Conversation podcast!

Diary of Tootsies (Thai, 2017, grey/Netflix (for the movie))

I love Diary of Tootsies and the follow-ups so much. SO much. One of the best laughs of my life was the opening to the movie, and I cannot be in a long car ride without thinking about the purse incident in s1. This show doesn't get a lot of BL fandom attention because the romance arcs are not typical for BL (but that's one of the things I love about them). And the friendship in this series is truly what sells it. Season 1 is self-contained, a lot of people dislike the romance plot of S2; I really like the arc across s2 to the movie (as established above, I tend to be less invested in a particular ship across a franchise or multiple franchises). The movie plot is all about reconciling who you thought you wanted and who you are with (amongst all kinds of shenanigans).

HeHe and He (Hong Kong, 2018-ongoing, YouTube)

This mockumentary sitcom-style series does tackle some serious topics and is also absolutely hilarious nonsense across its 3 seasons. The very simple premise is that a gay guy ("hehe" is slang for gay) and a straight guy who are old friends become roommates when the gay friend breaks up with his longterm boyfriend and needs a place to stay, and hijinks ensue. They do direct-to-camera confessionals spliced in with scenes from their lives. I love this show so much, and it would actually be high up in my indie BL rankings if it were completed. I lose it at least once an episode. It's very queer (if you want a show that tackles everything from hookups to turning everything into a joke to being so, so mean to each other while also loving each other dearly to even chemsex, look no further), and I am in love with all of the wacky characters that have formed a love-hate found family that is deeply relatable. The creators posted a video a few months ago saying they're struggling to end it in a way that they're happy with so I'm not sure we'll ever get an ending for the show. But if you like comedy and queer content it's worth a watch even incomplete! I've been very patiently following this project since 2018 and it's legitimately one of my favourite shows.

Rainbow Prince the Series (Filippino, 2022, YouTube)

This is a musical; it is a lot of campy nonsense. There is royalty, political intrigue, a dog, kidnappings, and so. much. singing. The songs are surprisingly catchy and it's all extremely good fun. Also a lot of the dialogue is very clearly improvised.

Hey! First Love (Vietnamese, 2019, YouTube)

This series of shorts are mostly just silly fluff. The very tenuous plot is that these shorts are slice-of-life moments from a young established couple, but it's all really just excuses for Vietnamese comedy and BL romance tropes. If you haven't watched anything from Vietnam, this is a very low-stakes commitment (I think it's under 30 minutes of content all told; there are 4 "episodes" which are spliced together shorts, each of which has a tiny plot but there is not much of an overarching narrative, and then a Q&A with the actors at the end) and gives you a sense of the Vietnamese sense of humour. Both of these actors have gone on to continue to be in other Vietnamese BLs, so if you have watched Vietnamese BL you may recognize them! The production quality on this is charmingly low.

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (India, 2019, Amazon Prime)

This film was such a joy to experience in a live theatre. Billed "the first Gay Bollywood RomCom", this movie was a riot of chaos, dance numbers, shenanigans, hilarity, and cuteness. I loved the way this film incorporated the very real legal change to decriminalize homosexuality in its story. Arguably not "BL" as it very much fits in the bollywood tradition not the BL tradition, but OP did ask for all of Asia!

Like Love (China, 2014-15, grey)

And no I don't mean censored--this is from before China started censoring its BLs. This show has kisses as shown in the gif, and even (poorly cropped) sex scenes. It also is super bizarre. I was so confused by this show, the characterization, the fourth wall breaks, and how disjointed it was so I went to read the source material and...it turns out it's one of the most perfect adaptations I've ever seen, the book is in fact exactly like this. The characters are caricatures, there is no bridging between scenes, and the plot is the most absurd take on 'loserfail no-thoughts-head-empty character who doesn't admit he's gay but still ends up in a dedicated and loving relationship with a rich handsome domineering man ' I've ever seen. It's a bewildering experience. Note the sound quality on this one is suuuper miserable. I like s2 way more than s1 (s1 is getting together and includes a lot of the bullying-teasing and I'm-not-gay-I-just-need-him-to-pay-attention-to-me stuff, s2 is the honeymoon phase + getting the homophobic parents on board) but S1 is definitely the zanier of the two. That being said, if you wanted, I think you can dive right in to s2 (there's a direct-to-camera explanation of what happened in s1 at the start of it). Note that they set up a cliffhanger at the end of 2 in anticipation of s3 which was going to be made in 2016 but was cancelled because of the political changes in China in 2016 (this is one of the reasons I went to read the source material; they do get a happy ending in the books).

This is an extremely silly but also touching franchise with a lot of tropes I don't love, but also a lot of things I do (and just neat to see some stuff so early in BL: Underwater kiss? Helicopter ride? Femme fatale becomes friend of the faen? Supportive grandparent? It's all here). There are some fantastic speeches in s2 about supporting your gay children; I liked how in this the kids didn't give up on their parents but try to reconcile their filial piety with their dedication to each other. If you do watch S1, highly recommended you watch the series version rather than the film. For "S2"/the follow-up film, make sure you look for the uncensored film version.

The Lover Room 709 Cut (Korean/Japanese, 2016, grey)

This starts extremely silly, plays with BL tropes, and gets a little bit serious at the end but is mostly just full of puns and innuendos. Includes one of the most hilarious takes on kabedon, and egregious use of the soundtrack from Brokeback Mountain. Also: fart jokes. Folks worried it was going to stay teasing the audience but it does commit and we do get an actual resolution that is satisfying. I admit I've never seen the whole series (which includes stories of 3 other couples in the apartment building) but the BL cut is readily available if you search. Make sure you look for the deleted scene with the lotion application--this scene walked so IFYLITA could run (I'm kidding, but it's very funny seeing this scene now and thinking about that one).

The Boy Next Door (Korean, 2018, YouTube)

This is another older series playing with censorship (similar to The Lover) in which the two characters end up in BL romance tropes but are not actually in love...or are they? The shenanigans are very fun. This one is left more ambiguous than The Lover, which is one of the reasons it's further down the list.

Go! Go! G-Boys (Taiwan, 2006, grey)

I debated between this and another quirky comedy from Taiwan in the early 2000s, Formula 17, but while that's unequivocally a better movie, this one is lesser known and more zany, so it technically better fits the bill for this ask (but if you haven't, go watch Formula 17!). The plot is a bit cringe--straight boy signs up to gay beauty contest to pay off his girlfriend's debts (accompanied by his gay childhood friend who is in love with him) and finds his truth. Meanwhile a homophobic police officer has also infiltrated the contest for investigative purposes. Amongst all that admittedly not great setup, however, are several bizarre sequences including the incredible Lord of the Rings recreation scene (complete with Gatchaman of course), a killer soundtrack, a random delivery of poultry, someone slapping a cake, and, most absurdly unbelievable at all: police taking harassing death threats to the gay contest seriously. It does a great job of setting up what should be a dramatic scene and then immediately undercutting the tension with something absurd. It's not narratively good, but it is a fun ride! And yes, there is a happy ending. Stick around for a fourth wall break (literally) after the credits.

Something Crunchy Crunchy (Korean, 2018, GagaOOLala)

Extremely bizarre little musical short in which snacks are anthropomorphized as hot guys and they sing songs about being eaten and wanting to be eaten. Played entirely sincerely, but the concept is screamingly funny. Fascinating. Also, kind of poly?

Dom (Korean, 2016, GagaOOLala)

Another hilarious and weird Korean short, this time in which we see the protagonist's sex life from the perspective of the condom boxes that are anthropomorphized and given personalities based on their brands.

And since we can't leave out the ladies,

A few zany GLs:

Lily Fever (Korean, 2015, YouTube)

I wrote about this one a little in my GL rec list; it is absolutely bonkers nonsense. There is not really a plot, it's a fever dream of a show. Chaos! Not so much a romance as an excuse to see cute girls flirt and make out.

Legend of Yunqian (China, 2020, grey)

I debated including this one because only the middle is really the zany part, it's sandwiched with more serious xianxia drama. But in the middle of this miniseries is an extremely cute interlude in which xianxia characters time travel to present day for ~reasons. It's censored but there is very little uncertainty about feelings, and manages to be absolutely charming. Worth the short runtime for this kitten quickcut (subbed "Whomst?!" in the show for ultimate comedy). Warning for character death (but it's ok because time travel to reincarnated character!) Subtitled by the indispensable @douqi7s [see their pinned post for links].

BetCin (Filippino, 2022, WeTV)

A lesbian couple with a YouTube following decide to break up but then find out there's a contest for couples, and they decide to pretend to still be together to try and win the contest rather than tell their fans they've broken up. This series does some really interesting things by starting with a breakup and then looking at how two people who are no longer dating manage BGP while also managing their feelings. There's a lot going on in this show, and the hijinks definitely ensue!

Perfect One Night Stand (Korean, 2020, GagaOOLala)

This is a cute Strongberry GL short in which a friend agrees to help her other friend find a girl to have sex with before the day is over; they go through several quirky candidates looking for the titular perfect one night stand.

[sexysadie23]

spoiler alert, i repeat: spoiler alert.

please continue to scroll if you have not yet watched OBX4 Part 2. Do not check these comments. IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD PLS COMMENT x

People are saying that JJ’s death and Rafe breaking up with Sofia could lead to Riara finally manifesting on screen.

Reasons why this wouldn’t happen:

1. I genuinely believed that Rafe loved and still loves Sofia and doubt their story is over. I hope it’s not; I really ship them!! They are a beautiful couple and not even Kiara could bring that soft side out of him.

2. JJ died. Kiara would NOT move on so fast and especially not with Rafe (someone JJ hated severely).

3. Kie has been genuinely SCARED of Rafe. A lot of people think those scenes are sexual tension but you can see the fear in her eyes to the point where she grabs a knife.

4. Kie knows her friends HATE Rafe but [see point 6 in the next section]

5. Kiara will be too focused on revenge.

however

Reasons why this COULD happen:

1. Kiara may go into self destruct mode and feel like she needs to fill that gaping hole JJ left.

2. Not canon (yet?) but with all the evidence, in that Rafe is constantly ONLY forgiving Kiara and is ONLY nice to her, they may have had a past on her Kook Year. Just a theory!

3. Rafe is angry by nature, and Kiara is going to be angry after JJ’s death. He may let her lean into that side of herself because he does that all the time, she might even feel comfortable to be angry around him. however I am sure the other pogues are angry, but Kie seems to be on a bloodhunt. She may go dark and he will probably be the only one to understand.

4. Rafe was the FIRST to agree to go to Lisbon and get Chandler Groff. Everyone else questioned it, but he said what she was thinking before she even had the chance to say it.

5. Also we know that Jiara partly came to fruition because of the fans shipping them, so maybe the show runners have seen the Riara theories and decided to “give the fans what they want”??? Although I wouldn’t say every fan wants this for the reasons I listed above.

6. Rafe is definitely getting a redemption arc (I am so happy but also scared because it means he might die. Like why do shows redeem a character and finally have us route for them just to kill them? Although I don’t think he will die for some reason.)

7. Both of their relationships ended, leaving a path for them to idk find each other?? Sarah and John B have each other as well as Cleo and Pope on their way to Lisbon. I know most of them are friends but Kiara may seek to end her loneliness?

8. I really hope it doesn’t happen soon but most characters whose lover dies (Ie Rick with Laurie and Michonne in The Walking Dead) have to move on eventually. We can’t expect them to stay single forever so PERHAPS if there was a time jump (even at the s5 end perhaps), along with Rafe’s redemption arc, they could be together. I doubt they would put Kiara with some random guy. If she were to find love again it would be with someone we know from the show.

However I doubt this will happen again because the show might end pogue style with friendship and family at the forefront rather than romance. As I wrote the sentence before THOUGH: another thought popped up. Rafe will be the uncle to Sarah’s baby and Kiara will be the ‘aunt’ so maybe if the ending is all about family, maybe they will come together?? Rafe’s redemption would have to be REALLY good though.

9. Kie literally saved Rafe on that boat???

10. The show creators said ON VIDEO that they never thought about Riara until the fans brought up their chemistry and that they found it “so wrong it is almost right”???? Helloooo??

I hope none of these^ are true though because I love Rofia.

then again Sofia might have just been used as a way to move the plot forward to get Rafe in the position where he needs to go with the Pogues.

Any thoughts??

[lara635kookie]

Ship Analysis let's go.

RedCrackle, CarmIvy and Carulia.

A lot of people tend to say "Carmen said a multiple times Gray is like a big brother to her" No, she only said it twice. And after the Opera in the Outback Caper she never says it again. Besides, while talking about this she says:

"I THOUGHT I KNEW you like the big brother I never had UNTIL THAT MOMENT."

"I know, but before he was Crackle he was Gray and Gray WAS like a big brother to me."

She uses the verbs on the PAST, as in NOT ANYMORE. BLACK SHEEP SAW HIM LIKE A BROTHER, NOT CARMEN SANDIEGO. And the same logic applies to Gray. His teenage self saw Black Sheep as a sister, but that's not how his adult self sees Carmen Sandiego. Gray only FLIRTED with her when he had lost his memories. But FLIRTING isn't the only way of showing love.

And I actually liked this aspect of the finale because you can choose who Carmen goes with or if she stays alone. But at the same time I am a romance sucker and Gray and her really felt to me like the most implied ship. They have too many parallels, more than Julia and Ivy combined. They are literally red and blue. And no, Julia isn't blue either. Julia never wore blue. Not even once. Her dress at TSONTS interactive special was black, like pretty much everything she ever used(The only exception I recall is that photo of her with her mother where she's wearing pink). And I have proof:

Of course people have different perspections of color but these circles are the colors I've seen Julia wearing. At least to my eye, Julia never wore one single shade of blue(as long as I can remember). Unlike Ivy. Girl has blue eyes, her shirt sleeves were blue and she wore a light blue with lilac dress to The Need of Speed Caper(I'm not sure if that's really the name of the episode but you know what episode it is, that one with Trey Sterling where a badass biker Carmen fights with Zack and Ivy because they messed up in stealing a super car and for arrested, we're introduced to The Mechanic and The Driver and yay found family has an official headquarters now).

The thing is, Carulia can have different interpretations to every single one of their interactions. You can see them as romantic or not. Meanwhile, with Red Crackle and Carmivy, the romance scenes are clearly romance scenes. I think Julia showed some little interest in Carmen, but Carmen never showed interest in Julia. And I'll tell you why:Carmen meets Julia on a train in India, to keep an eye on Paper Star, where we have the following dialogue.

Carmen:Is this seat taken? (Sits before having an answer)

Julia:Actually yes. But, feel free to use it, until my partner returns.

Carmen:Partner? (Looks to the side, to the other seat while the camera focus on a suitcase with the C.D initials)

Julia:(clears throat)Travel partner.

We see later on the episode that Carmen leaves the Magna Carta along with Devineaux's suitcase on the other seat she looked at. So I interpretate that Julia got it wrong what she meant and Carmen realized she was with Devineaux. Of course you can interpretate otherwise but here's the thing:Unlike Red Crackle and Carmivy, Carulia doesn't have any moment that is UNQUESTIONABLY romantic. You can always interpretate the Carulia moments as friendship or something else.

The fashion caper with the medicis dresses and hypnotized models, you can interpretate that Carmen was checking her out or analyzing her outfit to enter the runway. The Stockholm Syndrome Caper you can interpretate Julia was checking her out or she was really just concerned about Carmen freezing in the winter(which seemed more likely to me). Then Julia leaves A.C.M.E. and some people say she left because of Carmen. I definetely agree that's one of the reasons but we see that the main reason is because she wants to work more with history, her true passion. Where her heart was. And she wanted to leave because of Carmen not because she's in love with her but because she believes Carmen is good and the rest of A.C.M.E. doesn't and she doesn't want to chase someone who is doing good but as she already tried to convince people and wasn't heard, she left. Or because she doesn't understand Carmen's actions being so confusing, sometimes good, sometimes seem to be not so good so she was just sick of the mess and drama and wanted to comeback to just history which seemed to be so since when Devineaux goes to ask Julia if the "crimson ghost" was good Julia goes all like "that's a hard question to answer". At least that's my interpretation. And when Chief says something about A.C.M.E. stopping to chase Carmen and Julia goes like:"Or I'll have to retire/quit/leave all over again" it proves one of the reasons she left was Carmen, but doesn't go over the implications. It might be love, it might not be. It can be the things I stated before. Julia being "Carmen's favorite A.C.M.E. Agent" can be seen in a love light, but also in a friendship light. Julia saying "Who knew my two keen areas of interest would ever collide" which I interpretate as being closer to history and still doing super secret stuff but sure it can be Carmen. The thing is that the Carulia moments are never something SURE that only has romantic interpretation and nothing else. Carmen doesn't even show any signs of jealousy in hearing Julia is going to have lunch with Devineaux. And some people go like:She was jealous when Devineaux picks her phone. For me, seems unlikely. She could just be wondering why was Devineaux picking up her phone in her office and where Jules was, thinking Devineaux was being invasive like we know he can be sometimes. The way she partners up with Devineaux to save Julia, she would have done to save anybody else. And lastly, To Steal or Not to Steal. First having Julia to help is not even a canon event, since Carmen can save Zack and Ivy without it and then the final scene with Julia doesn't happen. Secondly, red roses definitely have romantic views but at the same time they are also a common symbol of respect. People throw them at stages, at ice skating rinks, etc, in a way of saying "Good Luck" or "Good Job", which is proven since Carmen also gives red roses to Lupe Peligro before her fight. Julia blushes when she sees the roses, what indicates she liked it. As I said, I realized some interest from Julia, but never Carmen. Because we don't know if Carmen gave this roses to her out of love or the other reasons I listed before. They could have shown a scene of Carmen before or after Julia receiving the flowers to have a confirmation.

Some people might argue that they made Carulia that subtle to have casual representation for children in a way some parents won't complain. But you can make something less subtle but still discreet. Like Carmivy! Ivy clearly had a crush on Carmen, which Carmen seemed to reciprocate sometimes. Yes, Carmen's a flirt, but the way she looked at Ivy sometimes and smiled it was something else.

I think that what Carulia needed (besides romantic chemestry and more time to build better their relationship) is a huge moment in an episode that deepens the way they feel about one another. Like The Stockholm Syndrome Caper when Carmen is with her head on Ivy's lap, or the entirety of the chocolate factory girl's trip. Or something like the entirety of The Crackle Goes Kiwi Caper and the episode Carmen tries to rescue Gray from jail and V.I.L.E. takes him. And of course The Opera in the Outback Caper, serving both Red Crackle and Carmivy goodness. Carulia needed its own episode. When I think about The Crackle Goes Kiwi Caper my first thought it's "That's a Red Crackle episode". The same thing with Carmivy in the chocolate factory girls trip. Carulia tried to have an episode, that's when Carmen rescues her from Countess Cleo but the problem is:

1-It was the last ship episode. So they give us Carulia when we already had Red Crackle and Carmivy, who were already established first and had more developing. And it was also one of the very few last episodes of the last season of the show so we don't see how Carulia goes from there because it doesn't have the time with such a rushed finale.

2-They didn't have "THE MOMENT". Red Crackle has "hang on tight, don't let go". Carmivy has "by Carmen Sandiego, who else?". And Carulia...?

3-They didn't have a date. Red Crackle had a café date, Carmivy had a fountain date(yes they were dates because I said so lol) and Carulia...?

I wonder how Carulia manages to, out of these three, be the ship with the least number of interactions and still feel like the most forgettable ship to me. I love both characters and their friendship but in a romantic scenario, I just don't see Carmen and Julia working. Carmen, to me seems like that kind of person that needs someone badass, who can keep up with her like Gray and Ivy, not a "cutie cutie lil bean wholesome smol uwu pie" like Julia. She may act as a badass sometimes but she's not a badass overall. Julia just seems like she would be that awkward flustered blushing mess when in love and for me, Carmen would go for someone who can be more comfortable around her, like we see she is definitely the case with Gray and Ivy.

For me, it's kinda like Carmen is Anthony Bridgerton, Julia is Edwina Sheffield/Sharma and Gray and Ivy would be Kate Sheffield/Sharma. Carmen might like Julia, but she still feels boring to Carmen.

Besides, Gray and Ivy also know Carmen for more time than Julia, what makes Carulia look, in my vision, superficial, shallow, artificial and forced. Gray, along with Shadowsan and Player, is the only person Carmen has since her past as Black Sheep and Ivy, along with Zack, were there at the very beginning of Carmen becoming The Carmen Sandiego. Compared to that, what does Julia know about Carmen? Romance requires a deeper connection, a bond Carmen clearly has with Gray and Ivy, that know her better and for a longer time. Compared to that, Julia barely knows a thing Carmen. Between a person you still have to build a bond with and one you already have that kind of bond with, it's a no-brainer who the best choice is. Really, I can't think of something Carmen and Julia have in common that has nothing to do with history. For a relationship to work you don't need to have everything in common, but you do need more than that. Just history isn't enough. And I can say that because my favorite subject in school is history(alongside with geography, english, philosophy and sociology)(I am a languages/humanities kind of person, fuck math and sciences). History may be enough for a friendship but not a romantic relationship. Besides, history and geography are things Carmen and Player bond more about and in a better way so having Carulia bond over the same thing just seems like it's nothing special and passes the idea that Carmen can bond with anyone as long as they like history and geography, that are intrinsically linked subjects, making Carulia feel, for me, even more basic than it already is. Not all ships need a complex storyline but it does add to it. Because Carmen and Ivy have that "strangers to teammates to friends to lovers" that has a lot of potential to it like one of them being in denial about having a crush on the other, fear that the other doesn't feel the same, fear of ruining their friendship, flirting accidentally, doing capers together with Zack making fun of them, having to put their feelings aside for the sake of the mission, Carmen can't truly open up about her feelings showing vulnerability, jealousy, etc.

And Red Crackle has that "acquaintances to class/roommates to friends to best friends to consideration siblings to enemies to strangers to friends to lovers to enemies to partners in crime to casually making out/hooking up without commitment during six months to enemies to strangers" vibe. The six months thing it's a headcanon but the way it's shown Carmen and Gray work so well together and how it is implied they made a lot of missions as a duo, without the others from their class, just makes me dream, and no one can stop me. Red Crackle are "opposite sides of the same coin". And they'll end up as lovers again because I see Red Crackle as a "right person, wrong timing" situation. They are meant to be and they will be one day, even if it takes a lot of time. They just have too much chemestry, angsty potential and drama material to count and that's exactly what I like. The possibilities are infinite and that just makes their storyline so interesting and I love that for them. So for me, it just felt like Carulia was kinda just there. Only existing.

(That was too long so I decided to divide it. Part 2 is coming soon)

[icanseethefuture333]

Whew girl. Idk DDG just looks like a dusty cornball! 😭😭💀 it's his face! Chilleeee Apparently Halle and DDG are soulmates and they are in love...meant to have babies...but they're not gonna last because of trust issues💀💀💀 *got this from heavenwhispers25 live stream on YouTube* anyways. Can you please do a reading on Halle and Jonah from the little mermaid?

According to my cards and the vibe I got from the reading, I honestly felt like DDG has narcissistic traits 😬? DDG cares more about himself than his partners. There was a lot of signs of cheating and manipulative behavior from him. If they're soulmates it must be karmic.

A reading on:

Halle Bailey & Jonah Hauer King

How does Halle feel about Jonah?:

So Halle felt a magnetic attraction towards Jonah when they met and intuitively felt he was the person she was meant to work with in the film. She loved working with him and felt they made wonderful memories together. Halle believes that Jonah is a caring individual who you can depend on. She thinks he'd be a good family man and a great father. I honestly don't think Halle saw Jonah in a romantic way because she was so focused on set and didn't have time to read about people shipping them together. I think their connection was more of a slow burn while filming. I also feel like it's much deeper than romantic feelings and more so the feeling of a platonic soulmate? Halle is very grateful towards Jonah because he changed her for the better in some aspects. His affectionate and gentleman like behavior has shown what the kind of love she deserves. So Halle is not in love with him but would like to be with someone like him. I don't think she's decided yet if she likes romantically or not, it's mainly platonic but she has thought about it. Halle dismisses it because she is faithful to DDG.

Channeled song:

Next Lifetime by Erykah Badu

How does Jonah feels about Halle?:

Jonah felt very accomplished and proud to be selected by Halle to be her partner in the film. Being casted as Prince Eric gave him an overwhelming sense of joy. "She has been a fantastic friend to me! I cannot express my gratitude enough." Jonah felt Halle being casted as Ariel was perfect and couldn't have been happier with the decision. I feel he was a fan of her prior before meeting her? "She has a wonderful voice. A true angel with a siren's voice." On set, they had a lot of fun together and played around a lot. It was very pure. Jonah could feel like he was able to express his inner child? Or finds Halle's presence to be healing. "She is wonderful with children, a real life princess." (He has so many nice things to say about her I'm crying 😭💙). Jonah as well believes Halle would be a great mom if she decides to have children. He was more professional on set so he did not express any romantic interest but has a crush on her for sure.

Channeled message:

Why is the root of the problem always DDG 😭?!

God. I think something happened that made Halle very upset to the point she was crying. She just wasn't her usual bright and positive self, so it was very obvious to those around that something was bothering her. I think Jonah tried to comfort her and they talked about it, then DDG found out and got mad about this. Did DDG take shots at Jonah? In a song or on the internet? Or had beef with him? DDG felt threatened by Jonah. "If she's not happy with me she can't be with nobody else." Oh nahhhh 😨. I feel like he suspected there was a possible "budding romance" between them or made this assumption. He did something to sabotage their friendship. DDG could of told Halle not to speak to Jonah anymore after the film was over or made it very clear to Jonah that him and Halle are "always" going to be couple. I feel like Halle and DDG got into arguments about this. They both feel defeated. I also feel like this is an indication of someone cheating and it was most likely DDG. Jonah overall finds their relationship unstable and is upset Halle has to be with someone like that.

[maaskuline]

⌨ What’s a situation you’ve always wanted to RP with the muse?  🎭 How similar are you and the muse?

something i've really been wanting to rp with Johnny is like... romantic ships. i'm NOT saying that shipping is my first priority when i'm rp'ing with anyone — and i also love other character relationship dynamics too, like familial bonds & friendships and such. but also... it's JOHNNY BRAVO, so yknow... he's just a very romance-oriented character! that's kind of his whole thing! so when it comes to ships, there's just so many different things that can be explored with him, and i'm just really excited for when any of the ships i have planned with anyone rn starts taking off hehe :] especially bc like, Johnny's main character arc here revolves around his sexuality & coming to terms with that, but also he's so deeply in denial that GETTING TO THAT POINT is likely gonna be a big ol' complicated process. so you can probably imagine how the slow-burn ships could have me getting all excited yknow LMAOOO

OK. NOW AS FOR HOW SIMILAR I AM TO JOHNNY. for one thing i have NO muscle on me, i am literally a string bean. i think he's also got waaay more confidence in talking to people than i do lol. i'd also like to think i'm way more self-reflective & kinder than Johnny is (or at least i try!). HOWEVER... aside from those three things, i honestly do kinda see a lot of myself in him whenever i watch the show. i think i first resonated with his character a lot bc i was a baby butch lesbian who had zero luck in the dating scene with women bc i was too scared to actually put myself out there — along with the fact that a LOT of the men in my family behave much like Johnny too, so i think that had a big influence on my upbringing and how i approach relationships in my own life, especially when you factor being a closeted (at the time) lesbian into it. there's a reason toxic masculinity is something i try to be very outspoken about! i've had to work through a lot of it myself, and i'm STILL working through it (i don't think the learning process ever fully stops, really) !!

[fhs-event-week]

Propaganda for Goldami (under the cut due to lenght):

They have so much in common and yet they're so different at the same time. They both struggle with loneliness and repressing their feelings as a response, they would understand each other, and help each other, like no one else could. But their personalities are so different, Golden is a romantic craving real love and clinging to anyone who will give it to him, prone to helping anyone around him, while Cami separates herself from anything of the sort and is literally in the villain squad. They also have some drama to deal with, regarding Cami hypnotizing him, literally taking away his agency: Golden's biggest fear. And yet he doesn't recognize her as the one who did that. Oh, I wonder how that could go! (Submitted by @chocottang)

The name of the game here is POTENTIAL! The mere idea of the girl who once brainwashed the person she will later develops feelings for, and be romantically involved with, is very intriguing on its own.

How their turbulent first interaction (mind control) could ever evolve into something like friendship or romance. Does Cami regret having brainwashed Golden? Does she view it as an obligation she had to fullfill? Do the two talk about it? Does Golden remember the mind-control/ know it was Cami and if so, is there a lingering weariness toward Cami? Does she pick up on this, and if so how does she grapple with someone fearing her. Later down the line with someone she has feelings for/is dating, still "fearing" her, whether its on a conscious or subconscious level?

What does she think of Golden remembering, or not remembering? Is it guilt? How does she react as she realizes someone who was "simply a tool for bigger plans", becomes a real person to her? An individual person. Cami's view shifting from a how she previously saw Golden, or how she thought she saw them, possibly how she convinced herself to see them? Has she convinced herself she saw Golden as a simple tool in order to not think about the weight of mind control, of having the power to take peoples autonomy? There is just no way Cami sits in this relationship without wondering if she is somehow "brainwashing golden again" into "doing as she says again. Even if her brainwashing/mind-control abilities are something she has to fully intent for them to function, the inking of doubt, and the self-demonetization is a turbulence worth exploring.

Then there's Golden and how his whole personal struggle in life is being controlled and bossed around by family, drowning in work to do. Would he even be allowed to date someone in the first place? Regardless of whether or not he is allowed to, does he have the time for one? How much guilt does he feel over not being able to be there for extended periods of time, dates having to be planned in advance, and even being unable to respond to a simple text in a timely manner because hes so busy? How does it feel to have adoring fans, your name known, then have your own attention set on one person? Do her eyes on him blur and blend with the masses, can he distinguish surface level adoration and true deep feelings? If he can, can he believe it, can he believe anyone knows him enough to develop such feelings? How hollow does that make affection feel? Does he take certain gestures for granted, view them as normal, or do they maybe make him uncomfortable due to their semblance to fan culture? There are so many questions to ask and think about between them. (Submitted by anonymous)

Propaganda for Loowynn:

Loon is, so far, the only character not on Owynn's team that knows he has evil intentions. And more than that, Owynn knows that he knows, and has threatened him into silence. Loon has all the power to ruin Owynn's plans, but none of the bravery to actually oppose him. Meanwhile, Owynn has all the reasons to get rid of Loon, but hasn't done that due to having other priorities. Very intriguing start for a toxic yaoi.

[parallel-play-fanfic]

What is this?

This is a Danganronpa, self-ship fanfic and retelling of SDR2: Goodbye Despair written by @my-gf-is-kazuichi-soda.

Full Title: Sensitive Hearts in Parallel Play

Quick summary: Autistic/Adhd queer kids form a friendship and eventual wlw romance despite being in a killing game. Non-despair au, mutual pining slowburn romance, humor, hurt/comfort, eventual OC x (trans girl) Kazuichi Soda,

Long version of the summary, and long notes/reoccurring themes/potential triggers for this story at the bottom (I will also mention any triggers in the story at the top of posts for every time of relevance, so it's okay to skip this post as long as you heed the trigger warnings on the top of each part of the story)

---

Zoey Parker, the Ultimate Cartoonist with a superhero complex, wakes up with the rest of her class on a deserted island and is told to make friends with everybody. She realizes quickly that her autism and adhd might make this difficult, so she decides to enlist the help of a neurotypical student who can be a guide to help her make all the friends, navigate confusing social situations, and understand what is happening around her. For this guide, she chooses none other than...Kazuichi Soda.

Despite Kazuichi not exactly being the expert in normal socializing (or perhaps because of this) the two end up forming the start of a friendship: right on time for Monokuma to show up and turn the "heart-throbbing school trip" into his signature killing game!

...Though, Monokuma is forced to skirt around an annoying new rule that he can't punish the Blackened with violence or death. But Monokuma insists that the killing game is still on! He continues to torment the students, specifically two promising Blackeneds-in-the-making: Mahiru Koizumi and Zoey Parker, who both have big secrets, their lives on the line, and a potential to kill.

But Zoey fights to keep herself alive as she clings onto her friendship (and budding crush) on Kazuichi.

Meanwhile, Kazuichi's friendship with Zoey leads to some realizations about...herself. Not quite ready to come out as a trans girl, Kazuichi constantly flip-flops between her newfound queer identity she can express with her also-queer friend Zoey, and the tough guy act that she puts on for everyone else. And she's not sure where her obsession with Sonia Nevermind is supposed to fit in with all of this. Because she obviously has a crush on Sonia Nevermind (she thinks?), but, she also might have a crush on Zoey? Why does everything have to be confusing?

---

Other Important Notes in the story, this has some plot details but I think it's relevant for triggers and knowing what the fanfic gets into:

The fanfic is mostly humor (a lot of cringe comedy), but there are some reoccurring themes that get heavy...

Zoey is depressed/has intrusive thoughts/is suicidal (I will always give bold warnings on the top of the posts where this is relevant to the scenes and make relevant tags, you will not be thrown into anything triggering without warning, I promise.)

(Self-harm mention!) While Zoey doesn't cut herself, she does things like neglect her needs (e.g. letting herself get too hungry) and sometimes act recklessly knowing something could kill her, and that can be disturbing. I'll always give warnings for this stuff being in posts as well.

This oc is my self-insert. I was depressed/suicidal as a teenager, but I am no longer depressed/suicidal and my intrusive thoughts are fewer and more manageable. You don't have to worry about me bc of this fanfic. I chose to process the feelings (not based on real events, but just feelings of loneliness and trouble making friends as a neurodivergent teen) through this fanfic.

No family drama in this fic: not that it didn't exist, more like I don't wanna write about it, so it may get mentioned if relevant but no flashbacks/long stories about it and it's mostly irrelevant to the fanfic. This goes for both Kazuichi's and Zoey's families. I don't even want to see Kazuichi's dad, let alone draw him.

Kazuichi is in the closet for most of this fanfic (and doesn't know she can be a girl in the beginning) so expect a lot of he/him pronouns/misgenderings bc she's still in the closet. She is still named Kazuichi and likes her name. I'll give warnings for any transphobia, though I don't have any plans for characters being transphobic. Most of them are either accepting or Fuyuhiko (hella confused but too awkward to make a confrontation about it, but he comes around).

This fic does have a lot of internalized transphobia though, for both Kazuichi and Zoey (who is bigender, she/her pronouns)

Zoey and Kazuichi character growth and long conversations and just hanging out together fluff.

Teruteru is a recurring character and I write him as sort of a bastard (/affectionate). Actually writing him as a "lovable pervert" compelled me. So he is kind of a mom friend and a sexual harasser at the same time. The characters are put off by him but I find him funny.

Mahiru is sort of an antagonist because when I first played the game I found her annoying and sexist. Still, I try to write her in-character, and I've come to like her better through writing this fic and forcing her to confront the past, so I believe in character growth for her (and Nagito too!) To be fair, Zoey also has her annoying moments here, and most of them are around her (sometimes ridiculous) conflicts with Mahiru. For one thing, Zoey thinks Mahiru taught Hiyoko to be a bully. This is how Zoey misunderstands the situation but is still a character calling Mahiru out on some stuff other characters let her get away with.

Mahiru and Nagito friendship.

Lot of "will they or won't they" with Zoey and Kazuichi even though it is obvious as hell where it's all going. It's like they are eternally in a contest to see who can be more obvious about their crush and who can be more oblivious to the other's crush. They're both winning (which means losing) for like half the fanfic, maybe more than half?

Boob focus in the humor and the gender dysphoria (Zoey has a character development arc about her chest. You can laugh, it's meant to be funny, though keep in mind the author actually does have chest dysphoria).

I like writing "cringe comedy", ridiculous conversations/scenarios, characters (and their conversations) leading the plot, and foreshadowing.

This fanfic gets fucking bonkers and please let me know what moments made you go "Wait, what the fuck?!"

[gallery-piece]

the barok van zieks sexuality headcanon essay/ramble. that i sort of promised. funnily enough i'm doing this to avoid writing an essay on baroque music

DGS2 SPOILERS UNDER CUT (it'll be tagged but i'm gonna. put this in case-ies) (i know nothing about victorian society besides getting a 5 in ap world history. pray forgive any inaccuracies)

ALSO I'D LOVE TO HEAR OTHER PEOPLE'S HEADCANONS!! i project a LOT so this is biased!! therefore i am so so interested on reading how other people interpret him

so uh. first off the disclaimers. i'm oriented aroace (with 10 billion asterisks) and love projecting on characters. so that could totally make this biased!! and disclaimer two. i personally lean to asobaro but this could literally go for any of the main barok ships. but some details might be a little angled

this is going to use a lot of like. consideration for a 19th century heteronormative society.. but i'm also pretending like the characters would know sexualities and microlabels.

obviously. i don't think it'd ever be irrelevant given the games/his reputation and also the like. sort of nature of heteronormativity. but if asked i personally think barok would just pull something about prosecution being too busy for something like that. even if it draws a lot of drama of carrying the legacy of the noble lineage or whatever. i'm really hoping this makes sense it's 3am and i'm one energy drink in</3

okay so given that. i think while younger he was the type to just kinda? be disinterested in romance??? in the way of he'd rather study/do whatever the 1am 7/11 trip equivalent was in the victorian era. if asked i mean. it's a standard traditionalist/binary-only family. the assumption is you like the opposite gender y'know?

i do think there might've been inklings about same sex attraction as a teen. and i believe it would be more of the "is this friendship or something more", like. the confusion of it for him. but there really wasn't much until college exploration (i will note that i think barok is demiromantic but this isn't known to him yet)

so then we jump to post 2-5. or honestly i think this could really be post klint dying, but there really isn't any consideration of it being a thing until after the games. anyways my point here is requiesromantic. or arospec due to emotional exhaustion. however, like i said. i think this never exactly came into play until after dgs2 ends--- barok never even attempting to get into connection that intimate while getting through everything. then busy with cases during the games, etc.

given that. i am a full believer of everything is fluid and changing (i personally claim like 5 aro microlabels). i do think being requiesromantic can sort of shift for him, but would be more demiromantic overall. as for sexuality, i think it's a little more clear cut and barok would be pretty confident in just being gay? but isn't the most interested in acting on it.

but given my personal views on "undoing one's self-imposed punishment/inhumanity" (from. experience.. long story) it could seriously go to either extreme of how one approaches intimacy. though i do personally lean to he'd have to seriously trust someone to consider intimacy-- but more in a paranoid/self-hating way than a demisexual way. if that makes any sense

anyways tl;dr. demiromantic gay, but i do think he falls under requiesromantic (and likely a few other arospec microlabels, but i'm writing this half asleep)

[bibliophilicwitch]

The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton

Adult Science-Fiction feat. diverse cast; physical borrowed from library

So, here’s the thing: Cleo and her friends really, truly didn’t mean to steal this spaceship. They just wanted to know why, twenty years ago, the entire Providence crew vanished without a trace, but then the stupid dark-matter engine started on its own. Now these four twenty-somethings are en route to Proxima Centauri and unable to turn around while being harangued by a hologram that has the face and snide attitude of the ship’s missing captain, Billie. Cleo has dreamt of being an astronaut all her life, and Earth is a lost cause at this point, so this should be one of those blessings in disguise that people talk about. But as the ship travels deeper into space, the laws of physics start twisting; old mysteries come crawling back to life; and Cleo’s initially combative relationship with Billie turns into something deeper and more desperate than either woman was prepared for.

The Altar Within by Juliet Diaz

Adult Spirituality Nonfiction; fills a reading challenge prompt and diversifies year reading

The Altar A Radical Devotional to Liberate the Divine Self is a work of spiritual revolution for all peoples, offering them practices and rituals in the arts of self-worship, self-discovery, and self-activism. The Altar Within is like no other approach to Spirituality, breaking through the vicious cycles of harmful and toxic spiritual practices and beliefs. Diaz speaks for those victimized and enslaved by colonization and offers a new take on personal development based in the resounding plea of our ancestors to live our Divined lives, the ones they could not have for themselves. In the book, Diaz leads the reader through an exploration. Pushing back on #lightandlove and #goodvibesonly, Diaz dismantles the wellness industry, releasing readers from the practice of spiritual bypassing into a far more powerful experience of self, healing, hope, and Spirit. This book is for anyone, including those who can't afford to buy all the tools, pay for the expensive memberships, people who have real-life issues, illnesses, and hardships. Through The Altar Within , Diaz brings the Magic to real life, acknowledging our humanness by connecting with our Spirit. The Altar Within will help readers create success in every area of their lives—from wealth, health, relationships, and personal development, to the nourishment of their relationship with the Divine self. As Diaz explains, when we can finally decolonize our spiritual beliefs, Divinity can be a super force in our lives, making us whole, stronger, wiser, and setting us on a path of transcendent activism. #magicalaf

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks

Adult Romance feat. demisexual hero; audiobook releasing August 20

Callum Flannelly would rather dive into an open grave than take a stranger to dinner and a movie. But he can only inherit the family undertaking business and carry on their legacy under one condition: He must marry before his 35th birthday. So it’s out of the mortuary and into the dating scene. Lark Thompson would rather get crushed by a falling anvil than stay next to a funeral home during her stay in Galway, Ireland. The vivacious American cartoon creator and animator came here to embrace life, not be reminded of losing her husband. When Lark learns of Callum’s dilemma and aversion to marrying out of necessity rather than love, she agrees to help the introverted mortician. Although sworn off love herself, she is optimistic that Callum can find The One and secure his inheritance. But as the dating project progresses and their friendship grows, so does a mutual attraction. The more time she spends with serious, sarcastic Callum, the more she dreads finding him a match. And the more disastrous dates he endures, the more he dreads Lark’s imminent return to the states. If they think it’s possible to ignore their connection, they’re dead wrong.

[omgkalyppso]

For Étoile, Borgakh, and Meabh from ship questions redux!

PRE-RELATIONSHIP:

3. Who felt romantic feelings first?

7. How do their friends and family feel about them as a couple?

GENERAL:

9. Who gets jealous easier?

12. Do they hide anything from each other, big or small?

LOVE:

8. Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

14. Who is more protective? Who would get into a fight to defend the other? Who tends to the other's wounds?

DOMESTIC LIFE:

10. Who is more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the mornings?

13. Do they have any "couple traditions", or family traditions?

Thank you for the ask! (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) I'll stick to their longest lasting relationship for Étoile (Astarion) and Meabh (Enver), and I think for Borgakh I'll talk about a non bg3 version of her ... redesigning a d&d setting lover of hers for the nth time for this ask game, people might remember him as Ga'el, Iberis, or Aveillor (people more likely don't remember them at all). I'm calling him Iberis again.

This post is long as hell. If you open it and experience regret on desktop, you can press J to skip this post.

3. Who felt romantic feelings first?

Astarion. Étoile was fine with things remaining casual / with the presumption that things were temporary. It was Astarion who first falsely implied that he wanted something more with the whole confusion caused by Étoile and Wyll sharing a kiss; and then who truthfully, but indirectly, set his hopes after the Araj Oblodra situation.

Enver. Meabh was still going through feelings like "joy," "security" and "possession" for the first few years of their relationship before she hit on romance. It was perhaps their third time sleeping together that Enver realized that there was more than friendship and Meabh's curiosity fuelling his (arguably bad) decision to continue finding intimacy with the maniac (I think he didn't even know she was a bhaalspawn yet).

Borgakh. I think she has a really hard time saying it / communicating it, and I like to envision an italicized "Oh" moment for Iberis where he ("average height," maybe 5'07" / 170 cm) wakes up wrapped in Borgakh's ("huge," 7'03" / 221 cm) thick arms, and the weight (ha!) of her attachment makes his own immediately inescapable.

7. How do their friends and family feel about them as a couple?

Astarion's vampiric siblings largely come to love Étoile. Yousen and Violet take the longest to come around. With the exceptions of Leon and Violet, who are kind of uninvested in Étoile and Astarion's relationship, Astarion's siblings are more defensive of Étoile than Astarion when difficulties make their (Étoile and Astarion's) relationship feel more delicate. Petras makes a "pass" at Étoile during one of these early moments, and doesn't do this explicitly after Étoile is turned to a vampire, but Aurelia warns Astarion of Petras' ongoing questionable behaviour at that time. It isn't because Petras specifically disapproves of Étoile and Astarion's relationship, but he 1. is initially covetous of Étoile as the only permanent living being among the vampires and spawn in the Underdark in those early days and 2. is ultimately attracted to the power Étoile easily holds over the vampires and spawn.

Astarion's relationship to his living parents, Antoinelle and Rasileth, is forever strained, and I think they wouldn't understand various decisions he and Étoile make over the course of their acquaintance and the breadth of their history, and that part of that comes with Étoile and Astarion being unable to fully trust these extremely normal people with the full context of their lives. Antoinelle believe Étoile uses fair but ultimately deceitful and self-serving language, and that Astarion would ultimately have sought to repair his relationship to her and Rasileth more earnestly if not for them and the Spawn. Rasileth has less compunctions tied up in his gratitude that Astarion could yet live, and happily, and more easily expresses fondness over how Étoile and Astarion seem to defend one another and how this has affected his own life and Faerûn (at least in so far as the defeat of Cazador and the Absolute plot).

Étoile's living adoptive drow mother, Aranea, is far more accepting of Astarion than he ever expects, up to the brief nosedive their (Aranea and Astarion) relationship takes when she begs him not to Turn Étoile, but as she eventually has to forgive Étoile, she makes a point to let Astarion know that she will never apologize for her behaviour but that she forgives him too; and her continued approval is further reinforced by her willingness to act as priest for the sake of officiating their marriage. She's harsh and orderly, but attentive and fiercely loyal. Her uniquely generous approach in providing space and concerned / judgmental comfort clearly communicates her love, and in return for that Étoile and Astarion are more honest and patient with her than they are with most people.

Étoile and Astarion's friends who underwent their journey with the Absolute with them largely approve of their relationship. Wyll had his lingering regrets that are softened with time, and then forgotten as he enters a relationship with the pair of them (and his wife, my oc Zavorys), and Gale feels Étoile's betrayal (their decision to give the crown to Raphael) even after things between them are later repaired (during a shared adventure into Avernus) which sours his perception of any positive relationships Étoile holds for a long time.

Étoile's friends from before the nautiloid are very suspicious of Astarion, and are critical Étoile's decision to more-or-less spend 6+ months of any given year in the Underdark. I think these relationships improve as some of the Spawn seek (night) employment in Baldur's Gate and an impression of the vampires as people and not monsters starts to percolate.

Meabh's family is a mess, but I'll start by saying that idk where bg3 gets the lore to decide on Bane as Bhaal's sworn foe or w/e. They're barely even rivals, especially not without Myrkul in the same whisper. Their (Bhaal and Bane) aims support each other far more than they hinder, with enemies to their divinity usually coming in the form of older or good aligned deities. With this in mind, I headcanon that Bhaal likes Enver just fine for how he focuses Meabh's violence. I'm also a huge proponent for how Bhaal is the god of murder, and not the god of "killing." I have an outline / timeline for the progression of Meabh and Enver's relationship that is preceded by something I'd love to write her saying to Enver in a fic because I'm so bitter over this: "There's no rule that murders in Bhaal's name must be without intent. Assassination is just murder with extra steps. Killing is not murder." Anyway. It is not a good thing for Enver that Bhaal might enjoy him as Bane's Chosen and Meabh's muse.

Orin would rather have Enver "to dinner" than hear one more word from his lips. She feels Meabh would have more time for her (Meabh's) purpose and for her (Orin) if she wasn't distracted by the Banite.

Sarevok thinks Enver served his purpose once the Crown was secured, or even earlier when the plot was finalized — Ketheric too, but Ketheric isn't a bad influence or an interference in cult / family cohesion. He believes that there are plenty of laypersons and Bhaalists that would make for a better obsession for Meabh.

Enver's parents would hate Meabh if they knew she existed.

I haven't gotten to Act 3, but if Meabh has friends then they either don't care about Enver one way or the other (Ascended Astarion, for example), or actively dislike him for being predictable and bland in his ambition (Minthara and Shadowheart perhaps).

Borgakh's sister initially does not like Iberis, perceiving him as bringing out paranoia and selfishness in Borgakh. Years later, she is more forgiving of him as he and Borgakh repair what was between them.

Borgakh's friends like him, and have been supportive of them getting back together.

Iberis' "extended family" and friends think they make an odd pair, but they also think mostly everything about Iberis is odd, and are generally polite and caring.

9. Who gets jealous easier?

Étoile and Astarion are fairly matched in having low jealousy due to high trust, each having moments of insecurity fuelling spikes of jealousy that are gently assuaged.

Meabh has a bit of trouble taking other people seriously at all, and so it's Enver who is more jealous, and able to imagine that Meabh could find another to inspire her and comfort the venomous predator of her heart.

Borgakh is more easily jealous in little bursts. Being so short-lived when compared to an elf or a dragon, there's a lot of Iberis' past and future for her to compare herself to. But Iberis is more powerfully jealous, where if clear boundaries aren't communicated he would be prone to despair over a flirtation between Borgakh and another.

12. Do they hide anything from each other, big or small?

Étoile and Astarion don't really after Astarion's Araj-led confession. There are things that are harder for either of them to talk about, but I wouldn't count that as hiding things from one other. Astarion in particular, 1. likes gossip too much, 2. value's Étoile's opinion too highly, 3. is bad with secrets.

Enver has contingencies, plots and defenses that he does hide from Meabh, sometimes for her sake but often for his own, whether because of her unpredictability or Bhaal's wrath. He also has little personal indulgences, which probably range from cruelties against people trying to keep hope in their lives, to the location of his parents; things that he wouldn't expect Meabh to understand or that he wouldn't want to risk her taking from him in a bout of rage.

When Borgakh and Iberis' romance is young, Borgakh can tell that Iberis is hiding something — because he knows an elven queen on a first name basis, and there are other signs. Worried he may actually be married / be hiding his whole self (he is, but not in the way she thinks), she decides to suddenly leave when she discovers she's pregnant, not trusting the truth of it with him, and not wanting to be a footnote and embarrassment to an elven partner (she later miscarries). It isn't until 4+ years later that they're reunited in an adventure against a powerful necromancer that she discovers that he is a dragon, and feels obligated to confess why she left in the first place.

8. Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

Astarion prefers verbal affection, whether that's declarations or smaller reassurances like plans made for the next tenday or offers of blood or inquiries as to the state of his clothing and equipment. Signs he's being thought of.

On a character sheet I previously put Étoile slap-dab in the middle of the scale. They enjoy affection, and will do their best to interpret and inquire after a partner's meaning.

Enver prefers physical affection, even his best trysts don't come with the familiarity that he and Meabh share.

Meabh prefers physical affection. I don't have a big reason for this.

Borgakh prefers physical affection. She has a hard time being vulnerable giving or receiving heart-felt words.

Iberis prefers verbal affection. He appreciates recognition and wooing.

14. Who is more protective? Who would get into a fight to defend the other? Who tends to the other's wounds?

Étoile is more protective, more likely to get into a fight to defend a partner / Astarion's reputation (I'd like to think they're both just as likely to involve themselves in a fight to defend the other physically) (Astarion would more likely be confused and judgmental than defensive of Étoile's reputation), and Étoile, ever the paladin, is more likely to tend to the other's wounds, though Astarion isn't without his moments.

Meabh is more protective (to the point that she has killed people she shouldn't have) and more likely to get into a fight to defend Enver's reputation. Enver is more likely to tend to Meabh's wounds, who is more prone to be wondrously distracted (or bitterly soured) by any non-fatal wounds either of them suffer at the hands of another.

Borgakh is more protective and more likely to tend Iberis' wounds. Iberis is more likely to be injured when not compelled to reveal his true form, and he is more likely to get into a fight to defend Borgakh's reputation.

10. Who is more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the mornings?

While morning is relative here, Astarion is more likely to convince Étoile to delay responsibilities for the sake of a cuddle.

Another "morning is relative" couple, Enver at least has his midnight prayers to attend to, if not illicit dealings that prefer the cover of darkness, and Meabh does their work on the twenty-four hour clock. Enver is more likely to be romanced by sleep, and to effortlessly seduce Meabh to a few more minutes of indulgence.

Iberis is more likely to attempt to convince Borgakh to come back to bed / the bedroll in the morning. He is rarely successful.

13. Do they have any "couple traditions", or family traditions?

Étoile and Astarion celebrate cultural holidays / milestones, like the new year, and the defeat of the netherbrain (and Auril's Day but I haven't decided how Étoile celebrates that). They probably wouldn't celebrate their birthdays if it weren't for the social expectation. Maybe it's tradition to spend the next 4-9 hours in trance or quiet activity (like reading) whenever they emerge from the Underdark to spend a few days in Baldur's Gate, but really that's just because they're creatures of habit and tired from the journey.

Enver must have his plans set out in stages or steps or milestones, and whenever one is met it's probably tradition to recreate something like his and Meabh's second date, with bourbon and cigars, and as his enterprises expand, perhaps a murder or two, to humor Bhaal and Meabh both, and so Enver can claim authority over people or territory to satisfy his own over-reaching tendencies and Bane's purpose.

Eventually, Iberis and Borgakh probably spend at least one dedicated night per month amongst his hoard. Iberis used to just go on his own for maintenance and security, and to add to it, but no matter how structured those behaviours felt before, it was a monumental show of dedication to share this part of himself with Borgakh. Additionally, at the change of seasons Iberis buys / commissions three new outfits for each himself and Borgakh.

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

Building off the last anon, what about 💛💔 for TID? And 💕 💚💖 for both TID and TLH.

💛: What is a popular ship you just can't get behind, and why? -> Gabriel/Cecily, but I don't hate them or even really dislike them. I just don't care.

💔: If you had to remove one major character from the series, who would you choose? -> I wouldn't actually want to remove anyone, but if I had to, Gabriel.

FINALLY POSITIVE ONES HAHAHAHA (These are the ones I actually want to do more because when it comes to TID and TLH I am not a hater I'm a lover)

TLH:

💕: What is an unpopular ship that you like? -> Is Ari/Anna unpopular? I don't think so. I'm going to go with Barbara/Oliver. I actually think about them quite a bit because I love to mull over the entire Sophie/Gideon/Barbara/Oliver/Eugenia/Thomas/Alastair set. They'll 1000% be featured in my Sophideon Family Drabbles set when I finally get around to it!

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character? -> Any time someone says Matthew should have had an endgame love story in TLH, especially with either Cordelia or Lucie, I physically shudder. His story is about self-respect, self-determination, self-betterment, and friendship. Not everyone needs to be neatly paired off at the end of the series, and a romance in TLH would have stunted Matthew's growth so much. Also, the love triangle is amazing because it's literally about Matthew's mental health.

💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series? -> I'm a veritable MINE of positive unpopular opinions. I think TLH is the best TSC series and is genuinely a modern masterpiece for fantasy novels. I think it's a very comforting and uplifting series. I think ChoT is one of Cassie's best books, and it certainly is my personal favourite book ever. I love the James/Cordelia/Matthew love triangle. The miscommunication trope is what makes the series so amazing since we can see all the characters tick.

TID:

💕: What is an unpopular ship that you like? -> Hmmm. That's a toughie. I don't actually think any of the TID ships are that unpopular in the fandom. But I will say that Charlotte and Henry are criminally underrated. So are Sophie and Gideon, but I think I see more of them than Chenry.

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character? -> "Tessa doesn't really love Will" "Tessa didn't really love Jem" "Tessa betrayed Will getting with Jem 80 years after Will died" "Tessa betrayed Jem when she had sex with Will in CP2" Shut up. Shut UP. Tessa loves both Will and Jem, Tessa was well within her rights to sleep with Will before what would presumably be a lifetime of rape, and Tessa has every right to carve out another happy life for herself after Will has been dead for almost a century.

💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series? -> I need more married Wessa that doesn't involve Jem. I'm not even really slighting Jem, I just miss Wessa and think they got the real short end of the stick.

[richincolor]

Jessica's 2023 Favorites

It's always so hard to pick my favorite books of the year -- there were so many! I read poignant graphic novels that made me sob, lighthearted adventures that made me think, and heartfelt romances that I couldn't stop telling people about. I've narrowed my favorite reads this year down to three -- and I imagine they might be on your list too! We'd love to hear what you loved reading this year and what you look forward to reading next year. Anyway, without further ado...

In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee A debut YA graphic memoir about a Korean-American girl's coming-of-age story—and a coming home story—set between a New Jersey suburb and Seoul, South Korea.

Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee knows she's different. Ever since her family emigrated from South Korea to the United States, she's felt her Otherness. For a while, her English isn't perfect. None of her teachers can pronounce her Korean name. Her face and her eyes—especially her eyes—stand out. As the pressures of high school ramp up, friendships change and end, and everything gets harder. Even home isn't a safe place, as fights with her mom escalate. Deb is caught in a limbo, with nowhere to go, and her mental health plummets.

But Deb is resilient. She discovers art and self-care, and gradually begins to start recovering. And during a return trip to South Korea, she realizes something that changes her perspective on her family, her heritage, and herself.

This stunning debut graphic memoir features page after page of gorgeous, evocative art, perfect for Tillie Walden fans. It's a cross section of the Korean-American diaspora and mental health, a moving and powerful read in the vein of Hey, Kiddo and The Best We Could Do.

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa El Diablo is in the details in this Latinx pirate fantasy starring a transmasculine nonbinary teen with a mission of revenge, redemption, and revolution.

On Mar León-de la Rosa's 16th birthday, el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn't enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar's father and the entire crew of their ship.

When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up your soul to save your father by the Harvest Moon or never see him again. The task is impossible--Mar refuses to make a bargain and there's no way their magic is any match for el Diablo. Then, Mar finds the most unlikely allies: Bas, an infuriatingly arrogant and handsome pirate -- and the captain's son; and Dami, a genderfluid demonio whose motives are never quite clear. For the first time in their life, Mar may have the courage to use their magic. It could be their only redemption -- or it could mean certain death.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He's a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption--yet, she's still not cool enough for the popular kids' table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that's how Celine sees it.)

These days, there's nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she's surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?