#theres a few hints at ships

[gingerbread-qwq]

Hello MHA community

This was drawn using this base as ref

I did a few modifications but over all a lil one to one

Might draw a reverse of shoji, tokoyami, and Kota not wanting to participate lol (fuck mineta. I will never draw him.)

[baby-xemnas]

Broo I've like just seen your mihopero art AAAA I LOVE HOW YOU DRAW THEM, THEY LOOK SO SEXY IN UR STYLE (btw I am the same anon from a few asks ago who said they don't ship lawbepo but love the way u interpret them)

I LOVE MIHOPERO USING THIS ASK AS AN EXUSE FOR A SIMPLE DOODLE

they are soooooooooo hot im glad that i started enjoying them sm when i got back into op (i said it before but ill repeat that their goodbye scene did what "stop being cute!" have done for lwbp: practically canonizing them after a miriad of hints until those scenes - those scenes are like oh okay theres FOR SURE smth going on like u dont act like this unless ur a couple..mihopero domestic argument about who COOKS MORE OFTEN????? are you kidding me...)

[husky-studies]

Concept: Argenti with a Knight of Beauty!Child reader

Warnings: relationship between the characters and reader are STRICTLY platonic

Notes: if any information seems off, apologizes because im using google and some info i got from twitter, so a bit of spoilers

Being the youngest known Knight of Beauty, some might get concern about why a literal CHILD is looking Idrila all alone. One of those concern people is apparently Argenti himself. He offered you to travel together finding the Aeon of Beauty. You being a literal a child and Argenti...well, a pretty man in shining armor (who let him be this pretty 😔) of course you accepted his offer.

You grew up being told the great tales of Idrila, and of course their acquaintance being Argenti himself. Of course you'd want to meet him one day, the friend of your parents and your inspiration in finding Idrila. His goals added fuel to your admiration so...you may or may not had snuck out one night to find Idrila and hopefully to run into Argenti. Fortunately, you did!

Now you two are on his ship, traveling together to find the Aeon of Beauty. You once joined him to go to the Astral Express to meet the Nameless and well...lets say it went partially well?? With him barely escaping his tragic fate. Another thing he did that scared you for a bit was when he somehow went to somewhere nowhere to save an IPC member. He got the silent treatment for 5 minutes before he told you that the two of you are going to a beautiful planet for a break from all this chaos.

This planet surprisingly has many varieties of flowers and a lot of flower fields, the sky is dreamlike, and theres a few butterfly-looking creatures (rather not touch it...just in case-). You went off into the flower field looking at the pretty flowers while Argenti sat down near a tree, resting his back against the bark as he cleaned his weapon. The flowers gave you an idea to make a flower crown for him. Now the difficult part is finding which flowers could be weaved to make one.

After a few minutes of hunting for said flowers, you found a flower similar to a spray rose. No thorns and its easy to weave. You quickly tried to measure an imaginary head that might be around Argenti's size and started the flower crown. 20 minutes of trial and error you finally got it, just in time as well as you can hear Argenti calling for you. "Lets go back now, it looks like its going to be night time soon on this planet." Argenti said as you make your way over to him, the flower crown hidden behind your back.

It seems like he noticed you hiding something and decided to ask about it. "Hm? What is that you're hiding?~" You only smiled at him before showing the flower crown you made for him. "A flower crown consisting of beautiful flowers for the beautiful Knight of Beauty!" You said as you signalled him to kneel down so you could put the flower crown on him. He got the hint as he knelt down, one hand over his chestplate as he felt the flower crown on his head.

"Thank you, this is a wonderfully weaved flower crown. I will treasure this gift for as long as I live." Argenti said with his charming smile. He stood up and took your small hands in his large ones, walking back together towards his ship to continue your journey to find the Aeon of Beauty.

[fiendforbyler]

wait y’all i just realised something that is probably niche as fuck but anyway! if you know/have read the Keeper of the Lost Cities series in it’s entirety you will understand the relationship/love triangle between sophie, fitz and keefe. from the beginning fitz is set up at sophie’s love interest, even as young kids (i believe she is 12 in the first book? and he is maybe a year older? not 100% it’s been a while). she crushed on him for majority of the series and finally in book 7/8 they get together with a seemingly very romantic gesture from fitz, with many hints during the series that fitz liked her back. point is: we were all rooting for them. it is imprtant to note that it’s also always been hinted at but later in the series confirmed that keefe has major feelings for sophie as well. for me, this is representative of mike/el/will love triangle, with sophie being mike, keefe being will, and fitz being el. now, i don’t really like fitz but i LOVE el so yeah this isn’t a flawless comparison but ANYWAY back to my main point!! keefe (will) is so likeable with a tragic backstory, troubling plot line, has a lot of trauma AND a sorry crush on a girl (boy) who (supposedly) has eyes only for one person since the beginning- something that has been clearly set up and formed into a seemingly sweet relationship readers have been rooting for from the beginning. yeah this is sounding familiar? here’s the problem (or solution for sophkeefe/byler shippers like i): ITS NOT WHAT SOPHIE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. fitz pressures her into trying to find her bio parents so they could be matched, he is aggressive and possessive over her (not in a good way) and she breaks up with him. during this, i’m pretty sure she begins to crush on keefe as well- keefe in permanent denial she could ever like him back of course- and feels terribly guilty about it, because she still has feeling for fitz. (yeah i told you, not the perfect comparison but you understand what i’m getting at right?) while things with fitz get worse, sophie starts genuinely discovering how she really feels about keefe, with lines like “if she was really really honest- and really really brave- she had to admit that the idea of being with keefe sounded… kind of amazing. Yes, it was scary. and yes there were risks. but wouldn’t it be worth trying?” wouldn’t it be worth trying? ladies and gents, we just discovered mikes inner monologue!!! scary, risky, but worth it? its what will is to him! mike has always been “too insecure to let (him)self see what’s right in front of (him)” (a line taken from the book!!!!!!) will is in front of him. he is being so distracted by his internalised homophobia that he has NOOO idea what he is missing!! “‘SERIOUSLY, STOP!’ she told herself again…/ adding those kind of feelings to a friendship pretty much ruined everything. ( talking about fitz)”

and it’s all oh so familiar…

BUT WAIT! THERES MORE! finally, FINALLY, during our long awaited kiss scene, she says this:

“some tiny part of her head had always wondered if kissing keefe could really be as great as everyone claimed. but kissing keefe was so. much. better.”

yeah. and then blah blah they get interrupted by who? of yes of course fitzy the ex boyfriend is here. and he says what when he finds out? OH YEAH. “you kissed him? you didn’t even kiss me!”

THAT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE “you never say it/i say it” AND “i didn’t say it/you didn’t have to” or pretty much the same way mike acts around will vs el.

you know what else? mikes inability to say i love you to el (hasn’t kissed fitz) but so clearly communicate it to will (kissing keefe)

if you haven’t read all this (and i don’t blame you!!) just read this next paragraph!

but back to my main MAIN point. sophitz was the ship EVERYONE (except maybe a select few) wanted right up until they got together!! it was perfect on paper, cute, with history and seemingly ‘connected’ character (as per the plot), and as soon as they got together, everything fell apart, as well as sophie closing herself off and beginning to lose fitz even before the downfall of their relationship due to her suppressed feelings about keefe. (cough cough MIKE) they need to break up for her to realise keefe was the better match all along. keefe, who never thought he as a chance. keefe, who loved her from the start. KEEFE, WHO LET HIS BEST FRIEND HAVE HER IF IT MEANT HAPPINESS TO THEM.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? please tell me i’m not crazy!! thank you for reading this it took me a long time to write but it also felt great to write this out even if no one reads this. hail to byler and a reminder we are one day closer to seeing them on screen. have a great day/night!

[butterpretzelcookie]

ive felt the need to be so annoying abt a ship out of nowhere but i know itll just bother people instead of making anyone happy so why even bother

windtree

[luvrhyune]

hi!! can i ask for ot8 hcs dating idol!reader if you are comfortable with it, if not feel free to ignore this, have a nice day<33

-; ✧˖*°࿐ IDOL PARTNER HCS . HYUNG LINE .

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ SUMMARY ; you as an idol with your skz bf hcs !!

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ PAIRING ; hyung line x gn! reader

— warnings ; established relationships, LONG ASS HEAD CANONS, mentions of eating, minho’s & changbin’s hcs implies that ur in a gg.

— notes ; this is SO BAD because i literally know nothing abt idol life,, sorry if you hate this nonnie </3

— notes ; i’m sorry that these are so long😭

— notes ; i only did this as eldest three (3) simply because of how LONG they are, and the more i write for it the more i’m losing inspiration for it!

masterlist.

— CHAN !!

chan most definitely knew your leader and thats how you two met.

you and your group were getting yourself ready for a comeback stage and chan came to congratulate you guys on your comeback.

the both of you hit it off instantly, and exchanged numbers.

because of how close you and chan had gotten there we’re definitely a few dating rumours, that set both stay and your fandom off.

he most definitely plays your groups songs on his v-lives and he is ALWAYS singing your parts like he knows them off by heart

if you ever do a solo album you go to chan (3racha) to help you out because you trust his judgment.

when you and chan eventually start dating, it’s hard for him to not mention it at all.

this man is almost blurting out the fact he has a partner to his live.

“stay, i have someone, i haven’t seen them in a while because we’ve both been busy. but i love them so much, and i hope you understand… stay, i’m in a relationship with.. the sea!” and he starts laughing but it’s nervous laughter.

you and chan spend a lot of time in his studio, you’ve 100% picked up a few of his music production tips.

late nights in the studio with chan most definitely.

i can see you & him making a few covers of songs, like ‘i’m yours’, ‘iris’ and a few others, the both of you just jamming out, harmonising effortlessly just enjoying each other’s presence.

i think since the both of you know what it’s like to over work yourselves , you both make it your mission to make sure the other is taking the right amount of breaks, eating and sleeping properly.

he LOVES watching you onstage in your element. he’s just so proud of you, especially if you were nervous before hand.

theres just clips of him watching your groups performance, bopping his head with the biggest love sick smile on his face.

— MINHO !!

you met minho when you were filling in as an mc for your group member since she had something important to attend to.

he stormed into the dressing room to have some of his daily banter with your group member, only to find you in her place.

so theres just you sat there in the chair looking over your shoulder at him, startled. and him in the doorway blinking with a confused look on his face before he immediately apologises.

the both of you thought it was going to be awkward for the rest of the day, but you actually found it wasn’t. you and minho talking easily and making jokes.

he’s almost upset that you won’t be there to mc the next episode with him.

he next meets you when you’re both mcing for a different show and there’s constantly laughing and banter between the two of you thats theres dating rumours and shipping going on between the two of you.

we all know minho is a gg choreo lover, so there is no doubt there are fancams of him dancing to the choreography of your title song.

during your premonitions on instagram, tiktok, etc minho is always your partner for it and vice versa.

once your minho’s official partner, he’s always subtly telling stay’s he has a partner.

nobody ever gets the hint, because it’s minho, and the both of you find it hilarious.

minho will always go over your dances with you if you’re feeling like you can do better. he’ll watch over what you’re doing and direct your moves to help out.

when watching you preform on stage he’s literally copying every move in tiny.

— CHANGBIN !!

wow, surprisingly you guys met in the gym.

changbin goes to the gym daily so it’s not really a surprise that he was there.

but you were there because you needed to work on your upper body strength for a special stage you were doing (as well as your mv)

quick note from me,, i’m using solar from mamamoo as a reference for this hc (her pole dancing)

your first time there, you were only going there to scope out the gym.

and changbin noticed how timid you were so he came up to you with a soft smile and asked if you wanted any help.

you just stared at him in amazement because he was so ??? nice??? and even if you found him a little intimidating, you still felt safe.

you explained to him that you were just checking out the gym and he showed you around telling you what all the different equipment was for (if you didn’t already know).

when it’s time for you to leave, he gives you his number and tells you to contact him if you ever need any help.

that’s how the two of you end up as work out buddies (ft 3racha & sometimes minho).

though sometimes when he vlogs his workouts, you can’t workout with him that day because you don’t want any dating rumours because last time you had some you had a lot of bad backlash.

the two of you exchanged contact info because you had told him you’d be going to the gym less as your schedule was getting busier.

the two of you start going on frequent dates, you go to the gym together (when you can) and then go for food afterwards and he’ll drive around while you both talk about whats going on in your schedules/practices/comebacks/promotions, etc.

AND THEN YOU DO THE SPECIAL STAGE AND BACK STAGE CHANGBINNIE ASKS YOU OUR RIGHT THEN AND THERE

so as your bf, changbin is so smiley and giggly, and i guess while thats normal for him stay’s can’t help but question why he’s more smiley and giggly than usual.

“it’s all because of stay” is what he says, but then he’ll look away from the camera with his classic little grin and nose twitch.

he’s also a gg choreo lover, so 100% is he dancing to half of your groups songs

i can 100% confirm that he would write songs about you. whether or not they get published is a different story, but changbin will write so many songs about you.

the songs will vary from your smile to how much he loves you it hurts.

all rights reserved © property of @luvrhyune . please do not repost, claim or translate my work on this and / or any other platforms. thank you.

[forager-m]

Off Your Feet

A small walk under the gentle moon invites a tender conversation.

Ship: Jack Howl x Deuce Spade (ジャクデユ)

Fluff, short drabble

this is self indulgent. I just want them to have a soft moment. WARNING JACK IS VERY IN LOVE wwww such a sap

Red bleeds into yellows and oranges, sinking with the sun beneath the horizon as the night pulls over the world like a grand curtain. The stars are distant shy things; their lights dim but sure in the darkening sky. Soon they will be as clear as opals, pure and bright. The wind sweeps through everything; leaves, grass and all.

By this time he's usually back in the dorm. Doing homework, studying, getting some proper food and rest for the next day. Theres an advance reading assignment he has to do. Theres a quiz to prepare for. Theres club tomorrow and he has to get ready for the laps they'll have to do.

But then he hears soft pattering against the grass. Even if all sound was taken from him, he'd know those footsteps.

"Jack!"

Deuce hastens his pace when he sees him, lips curled softly and eyes bright with joy.

Right. Thats the reason why he's here.

Despite himself, Jack's tail wags when Deuce slots himself to his side. Pale knees knocking against his pants and his hair brushing against Jack's shoulder.

"You got in trouble again."

"Woah! How'd you know?"

"You're all trouble."

"Ace threw it at my face!"

That explains it, that sickly sweetness clinging to his face. Lingering even as it's been washed away. Theres hints of it in Deuce's hair, mixing in with the cool mint shampoo he uses.

Jack shakes his head, "Riddle chewed you both out, didn't he."

"Yeah," Deuce sighs. "But I cleaned up extra fast, you know. I like walking with you."

I like it too. "... It's nice."

"What about you? What was your day like?"

"My day was..."

They talk about this. That. Anything. Nothing. Everything. Deuce's remedials with Crewel-sensei. How he's learned a bit of baking from Trey and how he'd gone out of his way to search up a low cal high protein cookie recipe to make for Jack one day. The small brawl he had with Ace when he threw the dough at him to mess around. How he called his mom the other day after their last walk. His voice is soft, loving whenever he talks about her.

Jack listens. And then he tells him about about the articles he's read about magical wheels, if only to understand Deuce's obsession with it. Tells him about how the cacti have been growing well, and how his run times have been getting better. He's nearing his goal, and he wants Deuce to watch him tomorrow. To run by his side.

"That's so cool!" Deuce immediately cheers.

Then he grins.

"We should race while we're at it too."

"Hah. You sound confident."

"I'll make you eat dust tomorrow."

Time dragged on. They talked about what'd they do tomorrow. They talk until Jack's mouth is dry and parched, but all he can do is look at the pink peeking out of Deuce's mouth when he talks. His gaze follows his hands when he gestures animatedly. He's drawn to the way Deuce's eyes scrunch at the force of his joy. It's not like he's starved for time with Deuce - these days, they walk towards each other without thinking. He steals time during breaks to talk to him. He sits with him when he eats. He stops to have even a single second with him when he spots him down the hall. But Jack knows that tomorrow, he'll wait out in the setting sun, just for their regular night walks.

Jack knows that ancient feeling. The way his heart is rattling like an beast in a cage when he's with him.

He stares and stares. Do you feel that way too?

They finally stop at a bench. Theres silence for a while. Just two under the gentling light of the moon. Deuce rests against him, curling his foot just so around his ankle.

Jack steadies him by the waist.

The night is so warm.

"My mom watches those shows," Deuce spoke up suddenly, "She likes to update me about it even if I don't watch it."

"What kind of show?"

"The one that came out a few weeks ago. Vil-senpai's in it."

"I didn't think your mom would was the romance kind."

Deuce laughs. "She loves it. I think I like it too."

"... You do?"

"I watched a bit."

"Weren't you cramming an essay?"

"It, it was a small break!" Deuce insisted.

Jack hummed. "An honor student break."

Deuce nods seriously.

"An honor student break!"

"Then, was it good? The show?"

"Yeah. To be honest, I didn't think I'd vibe with it, but...the walks, the candlelight dinners, the roses - It's the little things that are nice. The main couple finally got together on a night like this, you know. I thought it was cool."

Thats...

"You'd like that?" Jack's voice is faint, even to his own ears.

"It doesn't fit me, right?" Deuce whispered, "But I'd like to get swept off my feet!"

I can do that.

Jack's mouth opens and closes, forming words and noises that don't exist. They've never talked about love before. Not girls. Or boys.

I can do that. I can take you out for dinners. We could have late night walks like this all the time. I can bring you roses. I'd bring anything you want and put it at your feet.

Theres a lot of things he could say.

But what comes out of his mouth is, "... I have a broom."

Deuce blinks at him. Those wide, clueless eyes. "Eh? Why did you bring one? Where is it?"

"Sweep... you off your... Nothing."

"Jack? Jack, where are you going all of a sudden?"

When Jack manages to outrun Deuce he breathes in the cool night air, willing it to calm his heated face.

Tomorrow.

He'll tell him during tomorrow's walk.

[meraki-yao]

I dont remember who said this before but theres this interview where the lead actor said something like sometimes when acting you cant help but to develop feelings towards your co stars during filming period as in the crush is always there but the question is to act on it or not after filming ended. I have few pairs in my mind who *probably* developed feelings and not act on it. And TN *cough* are in that list too like the chemistry is a bit too real

... okay, here's my honest thought on this. Because truthfully, I think about this from time to time.

Again, deals with real-person shipping, if you disagree with it or are uncomfortable with the subject, please leave and don't read under the cut. If you read it and come yelling at me, I'll just delete it. I mean I warned you.

I've heard about that, and as someone who really enjoys learning about acting both in practice and theory, I think it's ... sort of inevitable at times. You're playing someone else, you're living another life, sometimes lines get blurred. It depends on the actors and their method, but yeah. I completely understand the idea or tendency to actually develop feelings.

And with Taylor and Nick's sheer amount of amazing chemistry on and off screen, not gonna lie, it's fairly reasonable to suspect and they belong in that case as well.

But on my part, there's this one thing that makes me confused and nervous about this:

Taylor and Nick's dynamic and trajectory are jarringly similar to one of my other ships and one of the only two rps ships that I genuinely believed in (the other one was Dan and Phil). I won't name them because there's... a lot of complicated shit happening in that fandom, but I'll simplify the name to JZ. (it's Chinese btw, and it's two men)

And the thing is, JZ were also co-stars playing a couple on-screen and had great chemistry both on and off-screen, so people were finding "candies" of them left right and centre.

BUT THEN, on the very last day of the promo period of their show, during an accidental live stream, THEY WERE CAUGHT WEARING MATCHING WEDDING RINGS. I DON'T THINK THERE'S A PLATONIC EXPLANATION FOR THAT. (this and this, it's a very distinct shape, we call it the hex nut)

And the sad thing is because they're in China, if they were truly together, they can't come out without completely ruining their careers. And then more drama happened that I don't want to get into because it's too big of a topic and someone on here definitely summarized the issue better, but either way, due to circumstances, they literally cannot be seen together. It's not a matter of choosing not to be seen; due to the aforementioned drama, they don't have a choice at all.

But EVEN THEN, and it's been 2.5 years since the drama, THEY'RE STILL DROPPING CANDY. AND SEEMINGLY DELIBERATELY, AND THAT'S AS GOOD AS COMING OUT IN THE SOCIETY THEY'RE IN.

When I say there are similarities and parallels between TN and JZ, I mean it, holy shit.

I could make a whole list on it, but I'm not entirely comfortable with posting that at the moment, so I'll just name a few:

Nick and Z both started their acting careers in musicals

Taylor and J are distinctly puppy-coded

Taylor and J didn't take the acting school route: they studied something else in school and started modelling before acting

Both sets get very hyped when with each other

The wedding band thing is sort of in the same category of candy as the Cartier watch I mentioned before (oh and btw a follow-up on the Cartier watch candy will be in my next TN candies post)

Both sets were accused of having no chemistry upon casting and during shooting, but as soon as the project aired and people actually watched their performance, everyone acknowledged that their chemistry was exceptional

Taylor is... protective? caring? adoring? the Chinese word is 寵 toward Nick (see the GQ quiz and Taylor giddily giving Nick hints) J is the same way towards Z (I might remember this wrong, it's been two years, but I think in a game show J also gave Z hints or sort of let him win or something)

Taylor turning toward Nick with his arm slung over the back of Nick's chair during the GQ editorial after Nick talked about his broken ankle vs J paying extra attention and making sure that Z never puts extra weight on his knee that he unfortunately permanently damaged

... yeah I'll leave it at that for now.

Can you see how this is driving me insane? Like, what the fuck? I've seen this pattern once before!

Like if it weren't for this, before I saw the parallels, I really kind of thought they were really good friends. And I still stand by that.

But then this comes up?????

Ultimately I truly do mean what I said before: I only care that the boys have a good relationship, what's the nature of that relationship, none of my business, I don't really mind. That's theirs to define and disclose if they want to.

But upon seeing the parallel, in my head, the scale went from to leaning towards the platonic side to the middle of the spectrum.

That being said, I need to reiterate this: ultimately this is all speculation done in good fun. I will never harass the boys or treat anything about their personal life as fact unless it comes from them. Their personal lives are ultimately their own, no one else is in a position to dig into it.

[ikissjesse]

could you do some aaron t/aaron z headcanons pls!

omg yes ofc !! ty for the request <333 since 3 ppl requested aaron² hc's (nothing specific) im gonna put all ur requests into this once post !!

tags: @i-need-a-slurpee @hrts4ariana ( note as of writing: this was a draft from 1719817282 years ago so if u forgot abt this n no longer wanted to be tagged im sorry🥲 )

as i mentioned in this post, they both adore musicals, especially hamilton

aaron² hc's !!

reblogs appreciated + reqs open <3

they like listening to the soundtracks together when they hangout

sometimes when there's a musical near where they are on tour they go together in their free time

u didn't hear it from me but they held hands during one of these musicals bc the room was dark n they thought noone would notice

as bros, ofc.. homies hold hands during musicals !!

they totally sing non-stop from hamilton together its cannon bc i say so

anyway enough abt hamilton for now

there was def mutual pining

they were both like "fuckidishcoaoxjaoa he just thinks of me as a friend"

"friend" NO HE WANTS U SO BAD -God probably idk

the way they attempted to "drop hints":

t tried to make z laugh a lot, even more than he usually did

pranks became less extreme than they normally were, he wanted to surprise him, not scare him to death like he used to

z would, although he denies this, try to do basketball tricks to impress t whenever he is at the basketball court w him

both of them went to jesse for advice, not knowing the other was doing the same

"hey jesse uhm- what should i do if, theoretically, ihavearlybigcrushonsomeonewhoiveknownforawhilebutithinktheyseemeasafriendandireallyreallyREALLYwannabemorebutidontwannaruinourfriendship????" -t

"...what?" -jesse

needless to say jesse was confused as hell

he sent him off w some advice after t slowed down enough for him to understand, then about 15 minutes later z came rambling about the same thing

"JESSE YOU'RE A HIT WITH THE LADIES, AND THE GAYS, AND..BASICALLY ANYONE. HOW DO I FLIRT WITH SOMEONE IVE KNOWN FOR AGES WHO IM PRETTY SURE SEES ME AS JUST A FRIEND?????" -z

thats what made it click for jesse, n he just laughed at the realization

giving him the same advice he gave t, he snickered at the idea of the aarons having a crush on eachother but being too stupid blind to see the feelings were mutual

"thanks jess!!" -z to jesse, running off

"yeah no problem man hehehshshehsh goodluck! HEHEHHEHE"

building up as much courage as he could, z eventually made the first move a few days later

he asked t if he'd like to join him for a musical that would take place at a nearby theater, n he gladly accepted

little did t know where this would lead <33 achoo anyways

as the lights dimmed during a 'romantic' scene, aaron z took t's hand in his own n (quietly) confessed his feelings towards his long-time bestfriend

saying t was happy would be an understatement

the energetic boy yanked him into a hug, leaving his stoic counterpart(ner) highly confused and extremely flustered

choking from t's tight embrace, his face became beet red

"Im, uhm- assuming you feel the same?"

well NO FUCKIN WAY SHERLOCK WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT -God again probably

"yeah dumbass, ofcourse i do!" t whisper-yelled, trying to keep his excitement down as they were still in a theater after all !!!

after that, z just smiled n wrapped his arms around t's waist, returning the hug

but wait !! theres more !!

what kind of ikissjesse ship post would this be without cute couple hc's ???

the quiet stoic boy x loud energetic boy dynamic UUGF MY HEART I THINK IM DYIBG from how much i love this duo😔😔

z buys t a baseball cap in EVERY city/country they go to. every fucking one

even if its not a band tour, if z is out somewhere n sees a cool cap he thinks t would like, yall better believe this boy would cut off an arm n sell a kidney just for t to get that hat

t has a whole side in his closet dedicated to these hats z buys him, he finds it absolutely adorable

z actually thinks he isnt good at gift giving, so he was afraid t wouldnt like it at first, but t's reaction is enough conformation that he adores it

now what kinda aaron² hamilton lover truther would i be if i didnt mention the musical again 💪💪

they have FREQUENT hamilton marathons together, sometimes the other members of 4*town will join in too !!

they still sortve act like they did before, like friends n what not

however theyre also 300% more flirty

by that i mean T is 300% more flirty

z might be a LITTLE bit but def not as much as my boy aaron t (the r in aaron stands for rizzler -aaron t)

z isn't a big fan of PDA himself, however when t does little displays of affection when theyre in public he loves it ( he doesn't say it out loud bc he's shy but he does smile at t or to himself, holding t's hand or draping an arm over his shoulders )

when theyre in private z will hug t from behind, hold his waist, kiss his forehead, etc .... yk... bro stuff......

t surprises him by going BOO!!! and jumping up to put his arms around his shoulders from behind, which at first scared z shitless n earned t a lecture about why he shouldn't scare him like that bc z WILL swing but z is okay with it now n actually smiles ALBEIT A VERY SMALL SMILE when he does it

dates include but r not limited to playing basketball late at night together, movies, watching musicals, roadtrips to literally anywhere long or short they just wanna be in eachothers presence OUGHG I LOVE THEM

i forgot to mention !!! t is definitely the one who asked to be boyfriends, but z accidentally said "I love you" first

t was doing something dumb again, and z shook his head as he laughed, accidentally mumbling the words "I love you" out loud

t stopped dead in his tracks n snapped his head in z's direction, n yall this boy was STRESSED he did NOT mean to let the world know this information

z covered his face with his hands n his face was PINK pink bro but t just laughed n walked over to him, cupping his face in his hands and staring at him with a very VERY smug but genuine n happy grin

z scoffed, but soon glanced back at the other boy and smiled shyly

theyre so cute im throwing up in class

there's more but i think this is long enough for now, sorry for the wait pls snack on this while u wait for the rest of my jesro + aaron² content i have planned WINK WINK

thank u for reading <3

[devildom-moss]

Since you menioned Simeon and Barbatos in the same sentence, its my time to rant about how much i love Simbarb!!

I AM LITERALLY ON MY KNEES FOR THAT SHIP. EVERY SCRAP OF SIMBARB CONTENT I CAN FIND, I WILL DEVOUR IT LIKE THERES NO TOMORROW. DOESNT MATTER IF ITS FLUFF, ANGST, OR HECK EVEN SMUT. I LIVE FOR SIMBARB. THERES NOTHING ELSE THAT WILL SATISFY ME MORE THAN SIMBARB. LIKE THE SHIP IS JUST PERFECT IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE. AND BOTH BARBATOS AND SIMEON ARE PERFECT AS WELL. I WANT TO LIKE, SQUEEZE THE LIFE OUT OF THE TWO OF THEM, AFFECTIONATELY.

I think i went a little off course.. oh and i read this simbarb fanfiction once and now ive created a whole au with lore and backstory with Simeon and someone else (which can technically be MC but the actual MC also exists in this au). And i really wanna talk about it to someone, but there's no one who wants to listen, but you're now back, and im happy so maybe ill talk about it to you if youre interested!

Anyways have a nice day! Remember to eat, sleep and dont do drugs <33

Sincerely, 💜

You are so right for this. Those two are not only my favorites, but they are probably my favorite ship (I don't know if I've made that clear in my writing, but I feel like there have at least been hints). We are on the same boat here (I apologize for the pun, but I'm sending it out into the world anyway). I am right there with you. They are precious individually and together. I generally am not a touchy/hugging person, so I wouldn't want to squeeze them, but I would make them a delicious bowl of soup, give them pats on the head, and tell them that they're both good boys.

Especially as a fellow SimBarb lover, you are welcome talk about your AU here! Also, in general, I love reading about how people view character relationships (romantic, platonic - in any form, really).

While I'm here, I would like to fuel the SimBarb love with a few thoughts of my own it won't be too much because I'm going to head to bed soon, so my brain is in wind down mode.

Okay, so I lied to myself about the "a few" and rambled for 10 bullet points, so more under the cut:

Canonically, Barbatos and Simeon just often find themselves on outings together. Barbatos phrases it like it's unintentional; it just happens; they just have accidental dates. Well, considering that Barbatos seems to always have good luck, maybe there's a reason he keeps finding himself on outings with Simeon. Wouldn't it be lucky if he happened to run into a certain handsome angel while he was out?

I think it took Simeon longer to realize he liked being around Barbatos than it took Barbatos to notice how much he enjoyed spending time with Simeon. Simeon probably used Luke as a kind of affection proxy for a long time. A lot of "Luke really likes Barbatos," and "Barbatos is so sweet to Luke. It really warms my heart." Really? Is it just Luke who likes Barbatos?

They probably pick up groceries a lot together, and they both like to menu plan as they browse the markets, so they end up taking ideas from each other. Sometimes they'll plan to cook the same dish on the same night. It makes them kind of giddy. Even though they don't share meals often, when they cook the same thing on the same night, it almost feels like they're getting to eat together.

Whenever Luke goes to Barbatos for cooking/baking lessons, Barbatos tries to ensure they have leftovers for Luke to take back to Simeon. Additionally, Barbatos is especially motivated to help the final product turn out good (outside of just wanting Luke to learn and succeed) because he knows it's a reflection of his own skills and he wants to impress Simeon.

Also, I could see Barbatos sending Luke back home with two bouquets of flowers (especially edible flowers and sometimes herbs) from his garden. One is for Luke, but the other one, Barbatos will casually suggest that Luke "give it to Simeon, if you'd like."

These two both love taking care of others. Can you imagine how often they just try to out-spoil the other? I think it would occasionally end up in arguments that are basically just "sit down, and let me take care of you for a change."

Barbatos would be the least comfortable being taken care of because he's a demon. Being doted on by an angel. That's weird, right? He feels incredibly unworthy.

These two could flirt back and forth so well.

Barbatos would get extremely flustered if Diavolo commented on how wonderful it is to see a respectable demon such as Barbatos and a regarded angel like Simeon getting along so well, and that it gives him hope for the future between the Devildom and the Celestial Realm.

This is kind of angsty, and I don't remember if Barbatos and Simeon actually met before the war, but I have this thought (maybe a future story idea if I decide to lean into ships or something) that while Diavolo was enamored with Lucifer, Barbatos took a liking to Simeon. Actually, it was initially just an interest in the angel whose cooking skills could almost compare with his own. Then he realized how similar they were and how well they would get along. I just imagine younger Barbatos thinking hoping that when the war came around, Simeon would fall with Lucifer. Selfishly, he wanted the opportunity to even just be around Simeon. When that didn't happen, Barbatos was silently crushed but he carried on. He held his excitement the entire time when he first heard that Simeon would be one of the exchange students, and he was even more delighted when Simeon treated him with kindness.

[xxxdragonfucker69xxx]

I'M BEHIND SCHEDULE

HOUR IN BLACK, PART THREE : THE UNDERWORLD

im skimming really fast because CHARMS have already dropped and i need to get there

!! the outline: lethe and the sea of shadows, but now islands jut out from it which are afterlives. some afterlives are ritual afterlives formed by funerary ceremony and ancestor worship, some are primeval afterlives about the manner of your death. big change! it's full of ghosts, who you mostly know. ghosts aren't their full living selves, death takes a lot from them and theyre defined by their passions and grow weirder after death,

soulsteel.....

phantom beasts! vesper-wolves and pyre-maggots.... cool

prehuman ghosts! omg even dragon king ghosts.... yes yes yes

the history of the underworld is so incredible. im usually sort of tepid on these sections, even though i like the idea of having a history, but for whatever reason this one is soooo cool to me

stygian archipelago!!!

"Bereft of stable stars or predictable trade winds, ghostly sailors develop other means of charting  their course, whether following in the wake of phantom leviathans, piloting their ships under the  auspice of oracular trances, or reconciling the movements of the Calendar of Setesh with local  geomancy" BANGIN!!!!

the old laws are so fascinating to e... the little hints have me a little bit obsessed. man imagine playing stories like the fallen london stories about correspondence and discordance but to repair the old laws... mmm

ugh i looove the different aterlives so much

whispers... and the labyrinth

"Specters in the thrall of Thundering Dissolution join their minds  with his in the Symphony of Omnipresence, a psychic whirlpool that shears away the borders  between their consciousnesses" oh y god i have to use this shit somehow

stygia!!! hot damn... extreme politics at the heart of the underworld

i have a soft spot for the calendar of setesh ever since i made The Wheel And Weight of Grinding Time Crushes All Beneath Its Passage, an abyssal obsessed with hijacking the calendar via pirate radio to install a new constellation

"Each district’s boundaries are reinforced on the first day of each year with a ceremonial  procession. The regent must touch each of the district’s ancient boundary-stones, and shifting  those stones as part of the rite allows one district to expand at another’s expense. Whoever  completes the procession is the regent; regents surround themselves with bodyguards to prevent  coups during that vulnerable time. " OH my fucking god. what a heist movie. holy shit

GFKDNGDSG GENTRIFIED BY THE SILVER PRINCE

theres a whole subsection for the sewers. this is worldbuilding.

culture... architecture... a dole of black bread and white cheese...

"Weeds signify  persistence and thriving in the Underworld; a dandelion represents passage into Lethe. Fish  symbolize ghosts, while a fishhook means either love or money, depending on who you ask. And  blood — or, indeed, anything crimson — holds many meanings depending on context, including  power, food, artistic fervor, endings, new beginnings, and Creation itself." why was this made specifically to caer to me

"A few places  specialize in stoking negative emotions, luring perverse customers with discordant choirs,  noisome odors, or the like. Several wineshops on Seawall offer bone-dry hardtack and skunked  beer; the Kudzu Bell’s boarding house specializes in stale bread, mildewed cheese, and  vegetables boiled into a sulfurous mass." oh my god

"Some ghosts hoard coins whose psychic residue resonates with their own feelings; money  changers sort obols by emotion for arbitrage." to me this is what exalted is about. this is what no other game has. lets take a wacky fantasy concept and do irl economics about it

:000 mausoleums! places where prayer distills down and bathes ghosts... sort of like a pseudo manse?

....huh! people heard of stygia as a heaven, expected to go there as a ritual afterlife, and now there are spots in stygia for them

collegia! the ultimate in dark academia. ghosts who keep ancient traditions and skills, and are doing quite a lot of politics about it

and the mansions, which are pimeval afterlives of sudden death. these and the collegia alone give stygia such incredible depth already

"In the Underworld’s first days, the Resplendent Mansion stood  foremost among its peers, comprised of a host of Exalted and other  heroic ghosts who’d died in battle against the world’s makers. But  new members slowed to a trickle, then stopped entirely before the  First Age’s end. Today, their ancient seat atop Shining Hill stands all  but empty, inhabited by a few reclusive timeworn ghosts and a host  of guardian spirits and automata." .... so now that primordials and neverborn are out in the world beefing again someone might suddenly take up that seat huh

oh wow i love the transcendent course as a cult. it feels so, ironically, alive. and the DUAL MONARCHS

"The Incarnadine Path was Stygia’s native religion before the Dual Monarchs. Its creed reveres  the River of Blood as the literal and metaphorical lifeblood of Creation and Underworld alike.  Ghosts of the Mansions find a sense of superiority in their ancient ties to the faith, while the  collegia uphold it in opposition to the Transcendent Course. Its stronghold is the rust-red steeple  of the Cruor, where Incarnadine blood-priests sacrifice animals brought at great difficulty from  the living world to anoint the faithful in gore. Since Stygia’s founding, the Cruor’s priests have  been a law unto themselves, offering sanctuary to fugitives; the Signatories show little respect  for these traditions, but citywide rioting the last time the Legion Sanguinary violated Cruor  sanctuary makes them cautious." MORE CULTS. MORE

and now the stygian pact, with thirteen signatories, wich do not correspond to al deathlords! which i thought was fun. skull pirate aikeret! fathom hermit puppet for the underwater eemi!!! ukhala enlightened-in-blood... i am free on thursday... white thyrsus the youth pastor for a cult to a ghost-eating forest, sesim ruseka the bird bitch. god frankly any of these guys would be fun deathlords as well

WOW namtar is fun

ok im gonna cut myself off before dari of the mists... charms one day i will reach you...

[logicroute]

hades fun ramble abt how the yttd fandom treats shin tsukimi :)

haiiii so if you know me you know that i have one billion illness about some guy named shin tsukimi from yttd! and i have some issues on how the fandom writes him, this is coming from someone who has health issues so im going to be somewhat projecting but! hopefully not that much. all of it is going to be under cut!

this is going to cover a lot of spoilers.. so i wouldnt click it unless you finished the game. its also going to cover topics like ableism and a mention of toxic relationships but thats expected when you want to talk about shin and the fandom

so in game (epsically in your turn to shine) its heavily hinted that shin is someone who has health issues (chronic illness and the works), even in the base game it is shown that shin is physically weak (chapt one in the bar where he tries to open the drawer for example.).

and how the fandom made that into shin being a weak person, but not in a strength sense, in the sense that he cant protect/cant hold his own (looking at you shin ship writers.). but! thats just the only issue right? (this is also ableism to me in a way.. but i cant put my words right at the moment.)

nope!! theres more. the fandom at times made shin out to be a 'dirty' person, someone who is gross and unclean. even if that's far from canon (there being a line that shins hands are clean in game.) and to me, thats just stereotypes of people who are mentally ill coming into play. saying that people who suffer from mental illness cant treat themselves on their own. which in some cases may be true, but not in all of them.

i also think this ties into shin being a person who was in game he is saving money, he is a job hopper which some fans took as he is poor which mean hes dirty.. which is just gross that people think just because a person may be poor, automatically means they're dirty.

theres also the issue with shadow sou (also know as shadsou in the fandom) where (some) people treat it as not a part of shin, it just being a part of midori. shin didnt bring out the hiyori persona out of nowhere, it wouldnt make sense that shin is some 'soft boy'.

fans tend to forget that shin isnt the best person, even in a few pregame thoughts. he can still be an asshole without being told about the 0.0% thing. you can let him be petty, you can let him be sly, you can let him be mean. he doesnt need to be doomed to do any of that.

its the same with the shinai, we only really saw small bits of the shinai.. and guessing from his dialog, he is still close to hiyori and that can affect how he acts, but that doesnt mean a pre game shin acts just like shinai, his an ai for a reason, he learns over time and picks up his own traits. its similar to how the fandom treats highschool shin and his friendship with hiyori and thats a whole another can of worms.

people who say they dont ship hiyori and shin.. and then say they dated in the past are an issue to me. not every toxic friendship has to be romantic, yes hiyori wanted to study shin, but thats because he wanted to see how much he can push a person. even the shinai says he likes to experiment on people, and hiyori most likely did the same with shin but more in a mental sense.

theres a reason why i dont interact with people who tag stuff with their ship tag, i dont trust them to take them in a way thats just them being 'friends'. and if you see it like that or make it out so hiyori isnt that bad of a person... block me i dont want you guys near me. (this goes with those 'midori isnt a bad person!!' au writers to. get out.)

on the topic of shipping, a handful of people who ship shin with people srsly make him out to be someone whos weak and needs to be protected by whoever the pairing is with. you guys just want your yaoi. i see this the most in keishin / alishin circles. shin doesnt need to be 'saved' or whatever, he just needs to heal on his own time, he doesnt need a romantic partner in his life for that.

thats a good part of my thoughts! if you have any questions on my thoughts on shin you can send me an ask here or shoot me a dm on discord :3 (samuraiyaiba)

[princesssmars]

finn has found that he loves mornings. as a stormtrooper the days blended together, the blank expanse of space not giving him many hints to whether it would be bright afternoon or dark twilight. but with mornings, he loves the duality but calmness of them, how some mornings he can sleep in and cuddle next to whoevers next to him, and others he wakes up with a mission but keeps a scehdule where he can still enjoy his time before working. he's found he loves tea as well, a special recipe you introduced him to after finding it on a run. he drinks a cup every other morning, sitting in a nooked window in the living room and watching the sunrise. its his favorite way to start the day.

poe has always had an affinity for nights. it reminds him of the wide never ending expanse of space, looking up at the sky giving him the same feeling as sitting in the cockpit of his ship. it makes him feel less lonely, knowing theres always someone out there feeling the same as him. when he was a kid he used to have problems with sleeping but it went away when he started to come into himself. on those midnights where he wakes up from a bad dream, he softly moves over the both of you and sits in that same bay window, looking up at the moons and drifting off, only waking up when tou give him a pillow and blanket to rest.

and you, you've come to grow a fondness for late afternoons. before your friends showed up they would be hectic and mind-numbing, spent running around helping wounded and giving battle inputs when you could. it was stressful but you knew in the end it'd all be worth it. thankfully you met finn and poe before that. instead of spending your free time eating alone, you now got to spend a few precious hours with the people you care about most, sharing stories of who you used to be, who you all hope to be once the war is won, and that when this is all over you'll be able to bask in the peace together. and you couldnt ask for anything better.

[jokeson-u]

ok so u know how even though allie and nat clearly weren't friends or anything, nat was somewhat protective of her when it came to the other members? like, defending the fact that shes a freshman, arguing about how freezing her out is bullshit, how angry she was at taissa after allies leg broke? i have a headcanon that when they were all junior varsity players, the some of the varsity girls treated nat like shit, and it totally contributed to her freshman and sophomore years being shit. and it wasnt cus she was a crappy player; natalie was always pretty good on the field. but some varisty girls still saw her as an easy target for other reasons. they often made jokes about how the locker room smells like booze and cigarettes the second she walks in, and about her generally worn down clothing. they talk a lot about how gross they think it is that she hooks up with older guys as a freshman/sophomore and joke about not wanting to catch anything from her. there was probably a couple varsity members who didnt participate and/or sometimes told the others to back off. natalie wanted to be that kind of person for someone, and she cant help but get defensive when the girls talk shit about allie.

on a more lottienat note. i picture there being a yellowjackets gathering after a game pretty early on. some varisty girls laugh about how they're glad natalie got the hint that she wasnt invited, and the JV girls are kinda uncomfortable cus they actually do kinda like natalie but they dont wanna get the same treatment so they usually dont say anything. at first, anyways. cus once the conversation goes past saying theyre glad shes not there and turns into random shit talk that isnt even true, lottie speaks up and says they shouldnt talk about her that way. the JV girls are kinda shocked and most the varisty girls were confused and vaguley annoyed. but they kinda laughed awkwardly about 'JV looking out fir JV, how cute,' and change the subject. of course, that made lottie a target to some of the particularly judgemental varsity girls. its not as bad as with natalie, but they give lottie a hard time and talk about how spoiled she is and that they heard she takes pills at lunch and this and that. natalie tells them to shut up once when she hears them talking about lottie, and it only makes things worse for her but she doesnt really care. lottie never has had a bad thing to say about her and is the only person that doesnt treat her differently when theyre around the varsity members

also, I think nats dad died near the end of sophomore year. while most the particularly bitchy varsity members graduated, a couple still lingered. all the news said was he died from a self inflicted gun wound to the head, so theres a lot of talk around the school about what really happened. a few days after it happens, nat still isnt at school, and some of the girls in the locker room swap theories theyve been hearing about really happened. one heard from her friend that nat dad was an employee at his dads shipping company and was recently fired, which is probably why he killed himself. another girl says she heard natalie is the one who killed him, and it was covered up cus shes a minor. lottie instinctively blurts out that natalie didnt kill him. the varsity girls kinda roll her eyes and ignore her, but one agrees and says he probably killed himself because he got sick of living in a trailer with a drunk wife and slut daughter. van yells 'hey!' without thinking at the same time as shauna goes to speak up before jackie stops her. a varsity girl who wasnt talking shit actually backs the JVs up up and tells varsity to drop it and focus on getting on the field. the remainder of the awful varsity members graduate soon after that. come junior year, the girls all made it to varisty. but at that point, natalie wasnt interested in being cloe to anyone on the team. mostly due to mistrust. but she always liked lottie for not treating her differently back in freshman/sophmore year, and van isnt too bad so long as natalie isnt drunk and getting weird looks from her. but she can be weary of taissa and mari, who can be pretty harsh with the JV players. obviously nothing like the varsity girls nat dealt with, but still, it rubs her the wrong way, so shes the first defend them from any unnecessary scrutiny

[kataraslove]

you reminded me of when i came acros a user on tumblr from about 2 years ago saying Katara actress looked old enough to be aangs mom. or that in a few years the actress will be old enough to get with Zukos actor. the way people talked about this teenager was pretty gross .. rooting for zutara is one thing but theres no need to be creepy about it. and then again theres the whole hypocrisy they always have. Kataang age gap is Gross but. Zutara is acceptable because the guy is older.. .. despite the info coming out that worries me.. I take solace as i view the trailers and there was zero hint of zutara happening ..

i genuinely didn’t think the age discourse could get worse because here people were calling a 2 year age gap on both sides problematic — until those casting directors decided to choose 3.5 years on one side (Gordon and Kiawentiio) & 4.5 years on the other side (Kiawentiio & Dallas). why couldn’t they just have chosen actors around the same age as the characters? someone who is more familiar with the industry than i, why did they choose large age gaps between actors playing romantic love interests? because why is a 26 yr old man (jet’s actor) pretending to be a 14 year old’s slightly older boyfriend.

it’s super gross to state that kiawentiio is gordon’s mom, especially when the cast see each other as siblings and behave as one little family. the shipping wars are going to get worse when toph is introduced … and when we see mai and zuko interact … and yeah just kill me now. reason 493949393 why a live action adaptation was unnecessary af: real people are now getting involved in these shipping wars.

even if zutara does happen in the LA, the behaviour towards kiawentiio years before she turned 18 (and after she does) will never be appropriate. especially when it’s 30+ year olds projecting onto a 17 year old indigenous girl like she’s some sort of doll.

[decepti-thots]

re: meta again. first, thank you for the long answer! you have a lot of interesting points, e.g. how fandom spaces influence how you interact with media: my first fandom space was restricted to teenagers who mostly knew nothing about media analysis (and it was also animanga haha), and then I moved onto tumblr, where - in my memory - most users were slightly older teenagers but still didn't know much about media analysis. there probably was meta somewhere (apparently on LJ?), but I didn't see (or notice?) a lot of it. which possibly also was because I changed fandoms a lot more quickly, and I feel like many others did, too. there's a book fandom where five years ago, the general sentiment about an antagonist was 'well fuck him' and now people write extensive posts on why he did what and what that means for the story and why it mirrors the protagonists arc etc, which maybe means that sometimes fandoms need time to get past the initial excitement of new things to give more attention/time to meta?

I very much agree that tumblr makes interactions/discussions harder. especially re: reblogs - its so easy for someone to disagree with you in a reblog and some of their followers to take that as a hint to hate on you - I've seen this happen mostly related to "shipping the wrong things", but why wouldn't it happen for drawing the "wrong" conclusions in a meta post? I feel like the general tumblr user is older than they were 10 years ago so maybe I should hope that they've grown up as well and are more reasonable about this to be fair

what I also noticed regarding the book fandom and TF is that TF fans - depending on your specific bubble probably - seem to be more aware that writing meta is a thing, because they're more likely to call it that.

re: elitism - it's important to me that the things I was referring to can feel elitist, not that they are, if the distiction makes sense? maybe it also wasn't the best/fairest choice of words, sorry. the sentiment isn't meant towards e.g. the people complaining about headcanons that have become accepted in the fandom but have zero relation to canon. its more frustration that theres seemingly infinite canon material and you can't really join any conversation without interacting with a good chunk of it, while (seemingly) everyone else has already done that already.

and finally, wonder if part of who writes meta and who doesn't is fandom "socialization"; there seem to be a few people for whom it appears easy to express their thoughts online, and then a much larger amount of lurkers who don't, and I've never really figured out the cause.

god tumblr does really let me put as much text as I want here, I'm a bit sorry for the long message. If you have any further thoughts I'd be happy to hear them but no pressure

First of all: no apologies for the long message! I love it, I will put my thoughts under a cut for everyone's dashes but we LOVE an in depth fandom meta-meta discussion in this household. I started this blog to RAMBLE and rambling is WELCOME my friend.

You make an EXCELLENT point about how longevity can influence fandoms here, anon. Especially for fandoms where there isn't a constant drip-feed of NEW canon, I absolutely think fandoms living on and people going back and re-engaging the source material to look for new ways to engage it can gradually make meta a larger part of the fannish space sometimes. (To give my own book fandom example, I was on the periphery of book!Good Omens fandom back in the day, and the amount of time people had spent with just that one single book meant that more and more discussion of the ways you could read and work with that one book meant there was some very in-depth meta going on there.) (…as you can imagine, the last few years have been a hell of a wild time for me with the show fandom becoming the Hot New Major Fandom, LMAOOOO.)

There's definitely also something there about the old "if someone I follow clowns on a person, my (para)social relationship with them means I feel like I'm doing a social faux-pas by not choosing a side" you mention here too. Tumblr really makes visible the idea of social networks in a way I have to admit I overall find uhhh. Kind of not great. "If I follow someone who follows someone my mutual hates, do I need to perform my support of someone here", that kind of thing. (Answer: no, that is some Panopticon shit, bring in the Foucault. I am only half joking.) Even over an objectively inane Transformers headcanon take, it's the social mechanism more than the content that brings in the pressure I think. Again. Web 2.0 wants everything pushed at everyone all the time to encourage More Interaction, and reducing any sense of wider social circles being removed from you personally is a part of that I think. It's all equal on The Endless Timeline, innit.

I see what you mean about the "feels like" distinction on elitism, anon, now you lay that out- that makes sense. I do think TF fandom is sometimes a bit of a minefield in terms of like, even within certain subdivisions of canon there's so MUCH stuff (and the fandom has, IMO, a bad habit of not bothering to decide what is more or less "useful" in conversations; sometimes tertiary material is… you know. Tertiary. LOOKING AT ALIGNED FANDOM). I think those of us who are sometimes a bit more "canon completionist" do need to approach these things in terms of like- take IDW1 fandom. If someone posts meta about MTMTE based on just material from MTMTE, approaching that in good faith and not going "well it's in continuity with phase one, and THIS phase one comic says [xyz]", but instead seeing it as a perspective that takes that one text as a complete thing in itself? (And maybe considering how that perspective and how it differs from one which looks at the whoooole canon is interesting, rather than deficient, in its differences of opinion.) There are folks who get very snotty about people doing that in a way that is, at the very least, unproductive. (And the folks bringing in their Extensive Lore Knowledge TM by whining stuff from other continuities contradicts a take on a different continuity are just uhhh. Annoying. Those people can just Stop, Please, lmao.) I think understanding that different approaches to what "canon" even is can be interesting rather than something to be "corrected" might go some way to making it feel less… intimidating? Alienating? For folks working with what they like.

As for the confidence in sharing opinions thing… I can only speak for myself but uh. If I have a personal flaw it is unwarranted overconfidence, not insecurity, haha. Let me put it that way. I do think that cultivating a confidence in the idea "I have my own personal tastes, and those tastes are idiosyncratic and do not need to be compared to other peoples' taste, and they are Valid TM" is a skill to be honed and one I think is worth honing, and I think may be a big thing here from my anecdotal observations. I find that many people in fandom don't have a lot of confidence in the idea that you can express not just an argument for "objective" (lol) "quality" but a sense of personal taste? (This is not unique to fandom, at all, but I think fandom has a lot of it, if that makes sense.) Especially because often the things fandom centres around lack cultural prestige. It's why an appeal to being Real Literature TM is the go-to argument for why fanfiction is "acceptable". I think a similar thing can be true of opinions; to let go of the urge to have everyone agree with you 100% of the time and to be "proven" right, you have to feel confident enough to sit in subjectivity and be like. My opinions may be subjective, but that's fine. And you do have to cultivate that! But I think that's where the "I can express an opinion and not feel destroyed if someone flat out rejects it and I can't even disprove their argument" trick kinda lies, maybe. And maybe meta is easier if you've already internalized that, so the possibility people will be like "nope" is less scary?