#this applies to a whole bunch of my f/os

[redactedlove]

Imagine your powerful non-human f/o jokily/affectionately calling you ‘foolish mortal’ when you show them affection ^^

[proton-selfships]

So I just read this great post by @kittyandco and it struck a really, really deep chord with me as someone who was also in the selfship community in ye olden days (as in, pre-pandemic olden days).

Now, don't get me wrong, those days weren't perfect either. I still experienced hostility for little reason, and it still hurts me to think about and affects my ability to trust people to this day. And I sure as hell wasn't the only one, or the one who had it the worst. But that lack of good faith that used to be the exception really does feel like the norm now, and it makes interacting way more stressful than it ever was back then. You're expected to read novella-length DNIs and can't interact with or follow anyone without fearing that you missed one of your fandoms on their DNI list and will get shit for it.

(And those pages are often confusing to navigate and use hard-to-read colors, to boot. Seriously, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines should be mandatory reading for anyone making a Carrd or Rentry account)

And that's not even to mention the fear of what you say to someone in a private conversation getting twisted and shared and vagueposted about without your permission. That's something I've witnessed happen to multiple friends of mine. Again, isolated incidents back then, way more common than it should be now.

Meanwhile, *old woman voice* back in my day... What I always think back to was the really popular ask game that would go around, where you could ask whoever reblogged it to come up with headcanons for your F/Os. And people were sending each other asks left and right! People were excited to look up F/Os they'd never heard of to come up with a little pick-me-up for the person in their ask box! And I remember them being a blast to read and write!

Nowadays? If your F/Os are from sources that's not in the media zeitgeist or another limited set of perennial sources people will generally know enough to engage with... Good luck getting anyone to talk to you. (And that definitely goes double for anyone who ships with characters who aren't white men or isn't white themselves, that's a whole other issue that I've definitely experienced as a lesbian.)

I think it's both the growing atmosphere of hostility and social media in general's growing focus on "making content" and "branding" that keeps people from reaching out to each other unless they ship the same kinds of things they do. It's not really a community anymore. And that sucks, because that's a problem that's infected selfship spaces from the social media landscape as a whole

But I think we could still make the choice to see each other as people. Because, at the end of the day, selfshippers don't really have anywhere else to go. We're all just a bunch of people who carry love for characters in our hearts. Shouldn't we be willing to extend that love to each other, too?

(Obviously, this comes with caveats. I don't know if this is just me and my friends, but it also feels like we're all just too tired nowadays to reach out or meaningfully engage with other shippers' work. I'm definitely guilty of going MIA for long periods for that reason, so I'm not going to act like the lack of interaction with my blog specifically isn't my fault there. But in my experience I've seen a lot of that exhaustion come from this, from the walking on eggshells and the lack of reciprocity of the energy you put in, so it all still applies)

[the-silent-hashira]

!!! I love talking about homestuck thank you. tell me about you selfship first? what the story? what are your ghb thoughts? do you have any thoughts about kurloz that go with it? how about the clown church as a whole? have you seen the "playing with the big boys now" animatic because i think of it as a requirement to show others when they like the makaras -🔮

YESSSS, thank you so much!! im actually gonna use a readmore cuz this is gonna be LONG u can also talk to me abt any of my general headcanons or w/e, ive been a homestuck since like 2011 and lived through homestuck canon rp tumblr + the end of the series so i have Opinions^tm

my s/i for my GHB selfship is actually a troll that i lazily gave my own name (Auriel Soleil, since it fits in with the 6/6) but their title is the Producer! they're running a colony thats focused on stripping planets of their resources and registering trolls for those types of jobs, as well as training subjugs on how to successfully control and maintain order by assigning them managerial jobs over these trolls.

they originally started out as a Barzum/Baizli ancestor, but they only have Baizlis sign and part of their backstory is that prior to Ascension they were a very well trained laughassasin who had twin matesprits/kismesis that were psionic inventors, who were eventually culled due to some unknown circumstance(possibly a dispute over patent rights, they were not told)

the way they met GHB was post-ascension they had a prior mentor who was rather cocky about their abilities as they were chosen as one of the best out of their Ascension group, who brought them to a 'party' that he was also attending. at some point, someone spiked their drink with something that was a very intense stimulant, and apparently the carnage that ensued after made the Highblood so entertained that he basically told their mentor to fuck off and decided to have them work for him.

at some point they were 'gifted' the colony and attained their title, but the actual point where they became involved with him was over time they began talking more outside of mandatory reviews. they struggled very much with accepting any feelings for him, many pillows were bunny kicked in anger and frustration, but eventually he asked them to visit them and, as a mild germaphobe, spent the first day of that visit scrubbing him clean and giving him physical care.

as for my thoughts on GHB, he is a big scary man who enjoys terrorizing people, and is actually quite (morbidly) funny and likes being around people who are also like that. i DON'T think he likes the Empress or any seadwellers whatsoever, though he obviously understands that his place in the hierarchy offers him more benefit than it would if he turned against the empire.

i also think hes much like Kurloz, hes not a loud man unless hes angry or wanting to actually frighten someone and he is actually quite well composed and socially aware, able to read people very well through observation alone. he is very devoted to his religion, far more than his loyalty to the Empire, and is very strict about the rituals and rules that come with it when it comes to his self discipline.

my opinions on Kurloz as a separate entity is 'hot, terrifying, tore his tongue out for hurting his gf and drank respect women juice.' hes also how i got my girlfriend to be open to more clown stuff and now she f/os like a bunch of clowns, so thank u for ur service in making my gf sorta like clowns. you walked so i could wear facepaint without making her shit her pants.

majority of my headcanons when it comes to clown church is that the kids on Alternia fundamentally misunderstand the actual full scope of the religion itself- even those Ascending like Chahut and Marvus will not have experienced the real world of how the church works, much like how children don't understand the corruption of churches irl.

facepaint is sacred and unique. it must be applied a specific way, with specific tools, and to be seen without face paint is a major faux pas to say the least. only the troll themselves and their moirail/trusted quadrantmate should remove their face paint, in private and with a special cloth and removal materials.

culling is not something that you do on the daily, and its meant to be done in a way that either is funny, 'accidental' blind rage, or in a sacrificial manner during festivals or other such congregational meetings.

i do believe that the church, as an entity, is inherently abusive in this way even if its individual members are not. highbloods are given a lot more leniency, but this doesn't mean that the internal workings of the church itself aren't rife with judgement and personal misgivings about how someone behaves or appears.

having 'minor' deformities that wouldn't get you culled by the empire can be seen as bad, such as polydactyly which normally might not get you culled, but you will receive ridicule for it as 'its funny' which is a common thing to do similar to hazing where a newly recruited subjug will be scrutinized and have their nickname become their 'church name' and something they'll be called until they either leave that colony/congregation, or until they do something that makes them 'funnier' than having a rude nickname.

I HAVE, my moirail showed me and i felt like id been shot multiple times. they also f/o him!

heres the nonbinary icon themselves in all its shitty phone editor glory, they/them or it/its plz!

[radioromantic-moved]

looking at the results of that poll ngl it is quite sad to me how many people think they could not pull their f/os. i know this community as a whole isn't exactly full of the most self confident people in the world but like give yourselves more credit! you are a person with interests and hobbies and charming characteristics and you are just as worthy of love as they are! like. idk. it just feels so much more Real to me when my f/o dynamics are a genuine partnership. you can see how and why these two people got together. and like you should be able to apply that to your real self too! at least some of the time! i know i said i didn't think i could pull some of my list but if you have a whole bunch of f/os chances are good you could pull at least one. and even if you only have a few you're probably very dedicated to them and they would see and appreciate that! idk this isn't that deep it just makes me sad to see so many people putting their f/os on an unreachable pedestal when this community is supposed to be about self-love just as much as it is about character-love. whateverrrrr just my gay little thoughts i guess!

[self-ships-ahoy]

15, 16, and 17!

end of the year selfship ask game 

Thank you so much, Hannah!!

15: Is there any piece of selfship-related content you’ve created this year that you’re particularly fond of? (this can be art, writing, a headcanon you came up with, etc. anything counts!)

I'm fond of a whole lot of pictures I've made this year, even though there was a big chunk of the year where I couldn't draw anything. The ones I think I'm most proud of are the Techmedic Beach Pic and Anniversary Pic. The beach pic was something I wanted to do for a long time, ever since I saw the reference image, and the anniversary one was also for a color palette challenge and just absolutely adorable.

Also....I did write this thing that I'm sorta fond of.... 👉👈

16: Did you pick up a new piece of media because of an F/O this year?

Hmm...well I did watch Encanto through a bunch of YouTube videos XD I still have yet to play O.verwatch, but I have started watching streams of the game every now and then.. Hmm, can't say I actually engaged in new media myself this year.. 🤔

17: How do you and your F/O(s) spend new year’s eve together? do you celebrate in any way? do you have any important new years traditions? (if you celebrate the new year on any other point of the year than December 31 this question also applies of course!)

Well, Medic and I have a sort of little party with the others... Dai Zong and I look at fireworks in February, and he also accompanies me to celebrate today as well. I think all around, my f/os and I try to spend time with friends around this time, celebrating how far we've come and making it through another year with possibilities on the horizon.

[letsgofoletsgo]

This could apply to whole bunch of my f/os, but none more so than caraway

What I’d give for him to be in a more competent series that didn’t end after one season

what are characters you'd "save" from shitty source material if you could

[imagine-your-love-story]

I had one and only f/o for few years now but recently there is an issue. Not with the f/o themselves, I can't imagine parting yet. Especially visually they're perfect fit to my tastes so anytime I try to pick a new f/o I end up unimpressed and I keep having 1 xD There wes no new official content in few years tho, I don't like fandom interpretation and myself... well, I'm unimaginative and naturally apathetic. I don't enjoy the process of writing or drawing and anyway I have little ideas in the first place. Imagines are often too broad to apply or about the typical cutesy couple things like hugs and all which I do like but that's basically all I was thinking about. It's kinda boring now ehhh. I don't even gush to my friend anymore and our whole inside-joke was that she's a #1 fan for my ship :/ Besides like I mentioned I'm already apathetic as a person. I see mutuals getting new f/os constantly and being so excited and gushy and you know I am happy for them but also envious they have so much energy and ideas. Idk how they even get emotionally invested in so many chara's; I watch show after show and I don't even think about those characters after that. My f/o was the only miraculous exception.... now I feel kinda hollow tho

Oh, dear anon, I'm so sorry you're feeling that way.

It's easy to get a certain perspective of what's going on in other people's shipping on your dashboard. But that's just what people are talking about. And the more someone talks, the more it seems like, "hey, there's all this happening, why can't I be like that?"

But you don't see what people don't say. Maybe someone feels the same way as you but they're not talking about it.

Or if they do, it gets lost in all the gushy posts.

Whether you're imaginative and motivated to create content or not, you can still enjoy your f/o. IRL, I can write and draw, but I've never drawn a picture of me and my f/o and I don't really write anymore.

Creating fandom-related content takes a certain type of energy and it's okay if you don't have that.

I also think that love in general is not something that's bubbling and bursting at the seems all the time.

Sometimes, it's you and your f/o just hanging out, co-existing in the same space.

Sometimes, it's you and your f/o taking some time apart so you can rediscover each other again.

As you mentioned, this character still resonates with you. You're still stuck on them and you still want them.

The hollow feeling is coming from the comparison of you and your relationship against that of other people.

It's okay if you don't have a dozen f/os at the same time. One has clearly already made a very prominent impact on you and that's more than enough! :)

It's nice to see that other mutuals have a bunch of new f/os and they're excited and gushing, etc. But that's their ship(s). Not yours. And that's okay.

Your selfshipping needs, wants, and habits may shift and morph based on your energy, enthusiasm, etc. It's okay to not be gushing and excited for new f/os around every corner. You have your f/o already! :)

[knightshade-ships]

Self-Insert Positivity Day!!

I think I’ll just...go through all these questions in order. I can’t really think of any way to really tweak it or improve on it.

What got you into self shipping/self insert content? Who or what inspired you?

Honestly, like a lot of the replies I’ve seen, I’ve been shipping myself with characters and inserting myself into their worlds since before I knew it was a common thing that people did. It seems like for as long as I can remember, with every movie or TV show I watched, or every game I played, I’d find some way to imagine myself right in the thick of things, making friends with the different characters, helping them with their fights...and eventually, in some cases, even dating some of them.

It wasn’t that I had a particularly troubled childhood--I had friends at school, a brother to play with at home, and things at home were pretty good for the most part. But I had--and still continue to have--a very active imagination. Being in the “real world” wasn’t good enough for me; I wanted more. I wanted adventure and action and fun, a chance to make a different somewhere, and self-inserting made that possible for me. I still kept in on the down-low, though. I’m...a little too used to the weird glances and questions people sometimes give, so for the most part it’s just between me and fellow self-shippers!

I didn’t actually get into the self-insert/self-ship community until around October of last year. I’m not even sure what really prompted it--I just remember noticing a lot of blogs at around the same time, openly posting and gushing and sharing content about things that I’d...always done, but had never realized that other people do this, too. It was a great moment for me to realize that I wasn’t alone, and that there was a whole online community who would understand my hobby!

What do you like to do when it comes to self ship/self insert? Are you a content creator, or do you enjoy taking part in things?

I’m largely a writer, and I’ve written all sorts of self-indulgent things for my various ships throughout the years. Most of them were pretty bad, not gonna lie, but I had fun writing them anyway. I kept most of them tucked away in notebooks--sadly, I don’t have much of my older pieces, but I remember filling three separate notebooks purely with a self-insert series set in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (and these were three separate “books”. I’m actually very proud of past me for cranking out that much work, and I envy that level of executive function).

I haven’t posted much recently, but it’s mostly because I have too many ideas of what to write, and not enough ideas of how to execute any of them. I’ve also tried to get back into drawing more self ship content, too--I’m not always confident in my art, but you can’t improve if you never practice!

I really like taking part in the events the self ship community has--takeovers and “to my S/I” are probably my two favorites, just because it’s a great chance to get to know each other and their various F/Os.

How long have you been self shipping or creating self inserts for?

Like I said above, it’s pretty much been going on for as long as I can remember. Most of my self inserts are just me, but tweaked in some way--stronger, or faster, or with some sort of skillset I only wish I had in real life. In my ff.net days, my self inserts were under the very thin disguise of being OCs (I named them after myself 95% of the time, and looking back I doubt this really fooled anyone. But I was 14 at the time, so I convinced myself that this was a Very Clever and Foolproof Thing).

Have you made any friends within the community?

Oh geez, yes! I’ve met so many wonderful and lovely people in the community, and I’m partially scared to list them all out in case I forget someone by accident ;-; But I’ll list of a bunch of notable people that come to mind, either because we’ve talked a lot, they’ve inspired me in some way, I admire them and their blog, or some combination of all three.

@mezzanottespazzatura (Discord friendo and always listens when I constantly bombard her with half-baked AUs xD)

@tayshipping (Fellow AC and Overwatch shipper!!! We don’t talk much but I’d love to change that sometime)

@catbov (We haven’t talked much but I see you in my notifications all the time and I love you)

@raspberrylimerickey (Fellow Grimm shipper, also your ship names are A+)

@justafictionalthing (You’re so nice to me I know we don’t talk much but I love you)

@sun-bea-m (You’ve also popped up in my notifications a lot lately--I see you and I love you)

@comic-books-and-snipers (We should definitely talk more, your blog [and also your old one at @xdigital-hearts] is part of what got me to make my own blog!)

@selfshippingsylveon (I remember you being one of the first blogs I followed and I’m so glad I did, I love seeing you on my dashboard!)

@felixschreave (I’m really glad you liked that Jhin letter, also you said nice things about me in the tags once and I still smile when I think about it aslhlhsdafh you’re awesome)

@shiroeswife (it’s so good to have you on my dash, your blog is 11/10 quality)

@husband-of-lucoa (Your ship[s] with Lucoa and Palutena are A+ and so are all of your adopted kiddos??? Such a good family omg 11/10)

@plucky-belmondo (A fellow friend of Kirby and the Gang(tm)! We haven’t talked all that much but I associate Richter solely with you now and that’s just how it’s gonna be on this earth)

@little-fairyfox-ships (You pop up in my notifications every now and then and it makes me smile because I’m still so flattered you follow me?? That could apply to everyone else who follows me too, though, I mean why are you all here I love you--)

@selfshippingnerd (Dude, you’re one of the first self-shipping blogs I found on this site!! You’re honestly art goals and I love seeing the works you make for your ships!)

@magi-roses-draws19 (Every now and then I have to stop myself from rapidly liking/reblogging everything you’ve posted because I just really like your blog, you’ve got excellent taste)

@thadeeliv-si (We haven’t talked all that much but I smile whenever you pop up in my notifications)

@come-along-here-and-spin-with-me (You’re just??? So nice??? We should talk more but tbh I get nervous to because I really admire your blog and I don’t know why you follow me ashlfdhasldfh)

@the-ruby-eyed-rat (I JUST remembered I have that Pokemon ask you sent me sitting in my drafts still ;-; Thank you for sending me asks even though I keep getting distracted by shiny things before I can finish them)

@theno-lifequeen (Thank you so much for sending me numerous Skitty pictures whenever I start getting sad on here, it honestly makes my day and I appreciate it so much <3) (Also I’m amassing an army and soon my Skitty forces will crush my depression into the ground)

And to all of you reading this, even if I haven’t tagged you: I want you guys to know that I appreciate all of you so much, all of your ships are canon, and your F/Os love you even more than I do! Have a great day, everyone!!

[mariposalass]

Cafe AU Main Post (The Cozy Place Cafe)

Okay, this is probably a big silly long post of nonsense, but I’m really serious about making this Cafe/Coffee Shop AU a thing big time. Having been to my fair share of hanging out in Starbucks, Coffee Bean, and smaller cafes (including my time in college), I can safely say that I would love to imagine an AU where me and many of the fam bunch run a cafe in the awkward love child of FRIENDS, The Office, and Parks and Recreation.

So if you don’t mind the madness that will ensue here, then click and read this thing:

So, Mari’s family runs this cozy cafe for quite a long time in the heart of (insert name of whatever city in the godforsaken world). Harry and Kairi are obviously still adopted into the family, at just ages 9 and 5 respectively here. The cafe’s name is The Cozy Place, lame name based off the Good Place TV show (might change it someday).

The Space Grumps himself, 12th Doc, is the main manager of the joint; sure, he’s a grumpy old Scottish fart who always feels that he’s surrounded by idiots (customers and employees alike whenever they give him a hard time), but he’s quite a lovable goofball once you get to know him more. Loves to listening to rock music (although he wouldn’t let you in on it), wears shades occasionally, awful in being not socially awkward, carries a fob watch at all times, and doesn’t do hugs. He’s basically the kids’ mentor to teach them the ropes and one of the oldest members in the staff.

Kirby is a loyal new employee in charge of cooking food along with Michiru & Ron and taking orders in the afternoon shift, but since he’s new to the job and a little baby, he’s pretty slow on doing his assigned task. And he has a tendency to occasionally eat what food he makes, still, he’ll try to resist the temptation for the most part and is always happy to see customers new and old.

Michiru and Ron handle much of the food preparations like pastries (with the head baker Jacob Kowalski), salads, sandwiches, pastas, soups, and more. Michiru is the Lesbian Team Mom who is kind, friendly, and always there to talk to, though she can be sneaky in speculating the everyday madness within the team, holds shipping guessing games during off hours, and she can handle such madness so much before she could snap back in sharp anger. Her girlfriend Haruka, their friend Setsuna, their foster daughter Hotaru, and the Inner Senshi are regulars to the cafe; sometimes Michiru would give the Outer Senshi something to eat for the day ahead before the next shift starts. Meanwhile, Ron is the witty sarcastic joker who never fails to multitasking the stuff he’s given, although he does have insecurity issues being mostly underappreciated by his own family and he does have concerns over his siblings being more off-kilter than he is (mostly with his older twin brothers Fred and George). It got a little worse when his sister Ginny tried to flirt with Harry and Ron had to reprimand her in front of the public out of concern; since the incident, she has moved from trying to get Harry’s attention to dating an unknown person instead.

Hermione is the dutiful by the books barista who wouldn’t dare to break the rules in everyday life and in work but does do it anyway in mild amounts. One of the well-read of the staff (outside Mari, Philip, the Doctor, and Michiru), has an adorable awkward relationship with Ron, manager of the library in the cafe, and knows nearly all drink recipes by heart and mind.

Harry is the kitchen manager of the cafe: responsible for checking & ordering ingredient supplies and running the kitchen, Team Dad, knows how the business works, normally chill guy to talk to, but man this guy has a temper! He’ll crush you with brutal honesty if you’re being a jerk. Has a crush on Issa (who’s a regular frequenting the place as a journalist working nearby, to which he responds through shy blushing and ducking under the register), best (overprotective) brother to Mari and Kairi, and bad customers & employees’ worst nightmare. Harry never lets them to get away with it and will make bad customers to leave and bad employees to do kitchen chores as a punishment should they get out of line.

Kairi is the resident latte art maker: people never forget the creative doodles she makes on their drinks (thanks to her art degree) & her calligraphy-like way of writing their names in the cups, up and about in fulfilling orders, and always there to give you a smile. Dates Sora the barista, and can be too much of a chatterbox at times.

Sora and Riku also work as baristas: Sora is the adorkable excitable bean and Riku is the calm & collected dude. The kids’ childhood friends, and since Sora & Kairi are dating, Riku will tease the two out of fun and Mari & Harry often join him as well for the same reasons. Sora finds it really awkward to deal with that they’re working altogether under one roof, although Kairi doesn’t seem to mind it in ever.

Marina may only work in the cafe part-time on weekends and holidays and being mute can be an obstacle for her when it comes to getting orders, but she’s a dedicated employee willing to help out, has a patience of a saint, and is quick in taking orders on paper like a soldier at war, although her usual self-sacrificing habit can be taxing on her mental health and it does worry Mari, the cafe staff, and her adopted folks a couple of times. It doesn’t even help that Ventus also works as a part-time employee in the cafe too, which leads to tons of adorable crush moments between the two as they help out the business. Mari’s family wants to make sure that the cafe is safe for everyone to come over and to work in regardless of religion, race, sexuality, disabilities, etc., and especially with Mari being autistic and Harry being a survivor of child abuse. The cafe taking in Marina and a few others further strengthens this belief even more and they are hoping to find and train more employees with disabilities in the near future, as well as treating them right as they do with Marina.

Mari is the assistant manager to the Doctor and the actual heiress to the business, but she’s basically the heart of the group: ensuring that the whole place doesn’t burn and running efficiently as heck. Will mince you with harsh brutally honest words if you dare to cross her, the customers, her family and friends, and everyone else. Quite smart for her age, though her Asperger-induced social awkwardness can be a weak point and it frustrates her a lot.

Philip is another new hire to the cafe and is low key having a noticeable crush on Mari, but he couldn’t spill it out. He and Mari don’t usually see each other often due to him working in a different shift, but there are multiple times when the cafe is understaffed and needs more back up during the more intense rush hours, and he is assigned to the same shift as Mari’s schedule: that’s when sparks do fly between them and it gets adorable and awkward at the same time. Their mutual friend, Theodosia Burr, is a regular taking up Law and she highly suspects that Philip is hiding his feelings towards Mari, hence her constant nagging on him to go on a date with Mari (which is not happening, yet).

Issa, as said above in Harry’s section, is a rising star journalist whose work place is near to the cafe, and that fact is helpful for her whenever she needs to get something to eat or get her coffee fix. Her frequent visits has become more awkward on Harry’s part as he began to develop romantic feelings for her as she does, but he’s such as nervous wreck that he would duck and hide whenever he sees her face to face for longer than he wanted to. Ahk’s her co-worker in the news agency in this AU: not too crazy for coffee but enjoys the ambiance of the place and does like other food & drink offerings as well.

As for everyone else? They’re all cafe regulars, the same applies to nearly all the self shippers and other f/os I know of. Sure, some of them can be rowdy at times, but they’re not that terrible compared to the ruder customers the cafe rarely gets. It’s because the cafe won’t tolerate any crap from the nasty customers and they simply avoided the cafe anyway.