#this could go either romantic or bash brothers route

[teecupangel]

This crossover got me last night, assassin's creed × Tomb Raider (2000's remake). It just really catches my attention and makes me go "yeah that kinda checks, hilarious as fuck if Desmond (and possibly his ancestors) going all over the world trying his ass off to make this woman to stop tampering with all this isu and non-isu bullshit and lara thinks he's after them for personal gain."

For me it works bc Desmond gets dragged into so much bs he's just tired and wants humanity to stop messing with these things meanwhile, lara is over here exploring and sadly it goes along the lines of her looking for trouble or trouble comes looking for her.

But I'd like to hear your take on this crossover

It would even be funnier if Lara never knew him as Desmond Miles.

In this scenario, Desmond is actually retired from all the Assassin-Templar BS and is focused on making sure no one is misusing the POEs or have any access to any Isu-related tech or location. So, while Lara has been getting experience (and into trouble), he’d been off taking care of the POEs under Abstergo’s and Assassin's control.

They only start to meet when Desmond starts on his quest to find POEs and Isu-related locations that are still ‘lost’.

So when they first met, Lara is already sorta-kinda famous by her own rights (more or less being somewhere between her Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider period). This way, Lara would have more experience than say if we were going for her Tomb Raider characterization (although Lara and Desmond being allies to survive the shipwreck and all other fuckery on the island would be fun too) and have her focus on solving the puzzles of the world (since Shadow did end with Lara realizing she’s supposed to protect them, not just… solve them).

So in Lara’s eyes, Desmond’s just this dude that always comes in and tries to stop Lara from getting an artifact or finding a lost location. Whenever she asks for a name, Desmond just gives her one of the names of his ancestors because, as far as Desmond was concerned, she’s some rich human who likes to touch things she shouldn’t be touching. There’s gonna be tension between them, that’s for sure, and, most of the time, they’d ally with one another because the other people out for the same thing are not good guys.

Unorganized Notes:

They won’t necessarily be buddy-buddies. At most, they’d end up being allies who have their own agenda. The closest they could be would probably be more in line with Nate and Chloe’s relationship at the start of Uncharted 2.

Speaking of Nate, Desmond likes to use the name Nathan Drake as a reference to how Francis Drake was sorta doing the same thing he was doing right now. In this scenario, we’ll say Francis Drake was an Assassin ally as well considering how Elizabeth I was an ally of the Brotherhood.

Lara knowing Desmond’s real name will be some kind of big moment to show that Desmond does trust Lara in some way.

Will their relationship be romantic in some way? Probably. Probably not. They’re gonna have one of those ‘calling it complicated is an understatement’ kinds of relationship. They do care for one another but their differing priorities will always make it hard for them to be completely on the same side.

Trinity is part of the Templar Order but is separate from Abstergo itself. They barely tolerate one another but both Trinity and Abstergo answer to the Inner Sanctum. The High Council of the Trinity answers directly to the Inner Sanctum and one of the Inner Sanctum members may or may have been a Trinity member before.

Desmond doesn’t know any of that though and he believes the Trinity is just one more asshole organization that is out there to give him a headache. At best, he assumes Trinity is a Templar Order that separated from Abstergo once Abstergo started focusing on profit and controlling the world using money. (He’s wrong though)

Desmond has been to the Croft Manor… Uninvited… in the middle of the night… to steal some Isu artifacts or destroy them. Lara has not yet forgiven him for that one.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Top 5 Characters in ANF Who Would’ve Made Better Love Interests Than Kate

There are a lot of mixed opinions on TWDG: A New Frontier. Some people like it, some don’t, and some people hate it so much that they refuse to accept as canon in the series. Extreme? Yeah, but hey, to each their own. 

One thing that always bothers me when I do my replay of the series and this game is how much Kate is forced on us and even kinda punishes us for not romancing her. Like, no offense, but I’m not really interested in dating my sister-in-law, especially when her husband is actually alive, and even if she wasn’t my brother’s wife, she’s still not a character I have chemistry with, y’know? 

And every time I play, I can’t help but think that almost anyone else in ANF would’ve been a better romantic interest for Javi over Kate, so I decided to make that the list for this week. 

I would’ve loved more choices and for the game to actually show Javi’s canon bisexuality outside of a flirty line with Jesus that most players didn’t even pick. Just sayin’.

I do want to note that if you enjoy the romance with Kate and the relationship between her and Javi, that’s totally cool. Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean you can’t ship them, y’know? I’m not here to try to change your mind or tell you you’re bad for shipping something I don’t because I’m not a dingus. You do what makes you happy, friend. :)

Besides, going off the stats, a majority of players romanced her so if anything, I’m the weirdo. This list is just for fun! 

Before we start, just wanna say a big thank you to @pi-creates​ for helping out with this one! Really appreciate it! Now, here are my top 5 characters who, in my opinion, would’ve made better love interests for Javier than Kate.

5. Jane if the writers didn’t turn her into a dead potato

Oh man, you should see your face right now. 

Wait, wait, stop! Before you click outta here in a huff with your “Kenny good Jane bad” grunts and come yell at me, just hear me out-- this entry is mostly a joke and the other four on this list are serious, okay? 

I needed someone to put at #5 and after talking over some options and going back and forth.... Jane came up as a joke and then kind of made the list. Because really, I thought about it. I was like, “Would I really rather have dingdong “whatever happens stay out of it” potato face Jane as a love interest over Kate? Do I dislike Kate as an option that much?” and Pi and I talked about this for a while and yeah.... yeah I would actually. 

When I said anyone but Kate, I guess I really meant anyone. 

Trust me, I know, I’m just as surprised. I guess this really says a lot about my feelings for Kate. I didn’t know I disliked her this much either.

But for fun, let’s entertain this idea of the writers NOT pulling the ol’ character assassination on Jane and she made it to Richmond with Clementine and AJ because--

Jane: "One time I ate glass because I was drunk and thought it was sugar."

Javier: "I gambled on my own baseball matches and disgraced myself for money."

Jane: “Well, I dragged my little sister around with me after everything went to shit until I finally gave her what she wanted and left her to die.”

Javier: “I wasn’t there when my dad was fighting cancer and when I finally showed up, I was too late and he was already dead, then he turned and I bashed his skull in with a piece of wood.” 

Jane: “I shot a dude’s dick off once.”

Javier: “Oof. I insulted an old lady’s cake and then shot her eye out.”

Jane: “I screwed a guy when I was supposed to be securing a place for some lady to have her baby and it resulted in the death of a teenage girl.”

Javier: “I screwed my brother’s wife.” 

Jane: “...”

Javier: “In my defense, I thought he was dead.” 

Jane: “That’s fair.”

Clementine, exasperated and emo: “Oh my god.” 

....I mean... we might be onto something here, c’mon--

Okay, now onto the more legit entries. 

4. Conrad

Now listen... I know, okay? I know. I know this one can be seen as a bit problematic considering the fact that Conrad, in his grief and anger over Francine’s death, held a gun to Gabe’s head and threatened Javi and Clementine.... plus Javi can literally murder him.

...and if you don’t do anything, Conrad with murder both Gabe and Javi and you’ll get a “YOU ARE DEAD” screen...

But we don’t talk about that because it’s not canon.

I know, but listen... I’m allowed to have ships that are difficult, as are you, and this is my list so... there.

If Conrad was a love interest that’s the route I’d take because I love him and I think a relationship between him and Javi could’ve been so damn good if properly done.

I just find Conrad to be an interesting character with a great arc that you only get to see if you don’t shoot him... which is what most people did, so they missed out. And like, I get it, I get why y’all shot him but maybe next time you play, you could consider not doing that?

So here’s the thing, Javi and Conrad share something-- they both lost loved ones because of shithead Badger. Javi is heartbroken after Mariana’s death, Conrad is devastated after Francine’s death, and they both handle that in different ways. Conrad becomes so focused on revenge and getting into Richmond, that he’s willing to threaten two kids in order to get what he wants but the thing is... that’s not him.

He even says so himself when you keep him alive-- he genuinely apologizes for what happened and will end up coming back to save Javi’s life in ep4. The potential for this to work as a relationship? It’s there... the only problem is that my confidence in the writers handling something like this is low, but let’s pretend they used their time and brains wisely-- ya got yourself a classic slow-burn friends to enemies to friends again to lovers romance and I’m here for it. 

3. Paul “Jesus” Monroe

A lot of people really like the idea of Javi and Jesus and wanted him to be a romantic option, and I don’t blame them. They have chemistry in the scenes they share, and Javi can straight up flirt with him at the end of the season, and it’s super cute... of course, I wish we had more but Telltale was too scared to actually show Javi’s bisexuality outside of that one line, I guess.

But, anyway, this ship has a lot of sweet fanart that we love to see.

The only real reason he isn’t higher on the list is that Jesus is apparently already in a relationship at this point? I guess? From what I’ve been told? Listen, I don’t read the comics, I don’t watch the show, I just go off what y’all tell me. Plus, I believe Kent joked about Jesus having someone in each community during the commentaries so like... that’s a thing?

But let’s pretend that we throw that all out and Jesus is single and ready to be in a committed relationship with our boy Javier here. Like I mentioned above, these characters have a believable chemistry from the moment they meet and I think that has a lot to do with how charming they are by themselves. Those different charms work well together.

I also enjoy how much of a badass Jesus is when it comes to fighting off walkers. Javi has a lot of force that you feel with each hit, while Jesus almost has a lighter but just as impactful hit? I dunno if I’m explaining that well-- basically, Javi strong but Jesus can bounce off walls and do cool shit with weapons that feels effortless.

It’s a combo of fighting styles that I love, so these two fighting together? *chef kiss*

There’s also Jesus’ morality and how he wants to see Javier make “good” decisions, y’know? Sure, he gets pissy if you murder the shit outta Badger, which is mostly just Telltale showing you consequences, but I get it. He sees a lot of potential in Javi, more than Javi himself sees. And unlike certain characters, Jesus doesn’t completely hate you for doing something he doesn’t agree with to a frustrating degree.

If the game gave us the option to pursue Jesus as a love interest, he and Javier would’ve been such a badass couple with a sweet romance.

2. Eleanor

This one might come as a surprise to those of you who know my feelings about Eleanor... as in, I don’t like her. I never forgave her for the shit she pulled in ep4/ep5, and now every time I replay ANF and she shows up? Well, all I really hear is the hissing of a snake.

But, putting those feelings aside and looking at her from a different perspective, I do believe that she would’ve made for a better love interest than Kate assuming that if you romanced her, she wouldn’t rat everyone out to Joan, y’know?

Hell, most people believed that Eleanor was going to be the second option with Kate back when the episodes were coming out, and for good reason. The chemistry is there in the flirting, and their relationship could’ve been super cute.

Of course, Eleanor being a love interest also comes with things becoming awkward with Tripp, but c’mon-- as awkward as pursuing a relationship with your sister-in-law and never telling your brother after finding out he’s alive? Nah, I don’t think so.

Plus, for the first three episodes, Eleanor’s not a bad character. In fact, she’s pretty damn likable, she deeply cares for the group and wants to use her medical skills for good.

And you can tell through the dialogue that she and Javi are fond of one another... well, I guess until they shove the Kate thing in our faces and suddenly Eleanor’s like “oh, I thought you two were a thing??” like... Eleanor, we were flirting and I totally rejected all of Kate’s advances last episode I mean??

If she were a love interest, instead of turning on us, she would... y’know, not do that and instead help us out. We have a couple cute moments like back in ep1 where she’s patching Javi up but this time with a smooch? Super cute.

1. Tripp

Okay but seriously, why wasn’t Tripp a love interest? 

He’s the perfect option. I just-- uuuughhhhh. 

They already have a great believable bromance, so why not take it a step further and make it an official romance? Oh wait, that’s right, ya gotta kill off 95% of your determinant characters, I forgot. Sorry Tripp. 

Well, fuck that. Out of all the other adult characters, Javi has the most chemistry with this man. I believe them more than I believe him and Kate. Sure, they got off to a rocky start the progression of their relationship felt natural with every episode. 

That scene where Tripp is confiding in Javi about his feelings for Eleanor? And in turn, Javi can confide in him about Kate? One of my favorite scenes. I only wish there was an option to tell Tripp he can do much better and set the path for the romance. 

Seriously, I’d probably feel more okay about the romance with Kate if Tripp were the second option. That way, Kate wouldn’t be so forced onto the player, the writers confirming Javi’s bisexuality on Twitter or whatever wouldn’t feel like they were trying to earn points without actually showing representation, and we would’ve gotten the beauty that is Javier and Tripp. 

Also, then Tripp could make it to the end without dying that dumb death of his that no one likes. 

And if I haven’t convinced you yet, then look at these swaps Pi did--

--and tell me they aren’t fucking perfect?? You can’t, because look at them. 

Where’s my Tripp route, Telltale??

---

Honorable Mentions

-If I wasn’t sticking to just ANF characters, Luke probably would’ve made the list because that’s apparently a popular combo and I dig it.  -Pudding... because Javi fucking loves pudding.  -Honestly Max probably would’ve been a better love interest than Kate oof--

---

So, whattya think? Do you agree with this top 5 or nah? Do you have a favorite Javi ship? Let me know, I’d love to hear from you. :D

Next week’s T5F Top 5 Times Lee was the Absolute Best

[lizzybeth1986]

Quick Thoughts on Is This The Real Life or Is This Just A Very Bizarre Fantasy?

• Here are the tags to block if you don't want to see this post on your dash: #long post, #trh quick thoughts, #trh qts, #trh qt reblogs.

• It's...Chapter 10. Often known as the midpoint. I know TRR isn't exactly the most nuanced series out there, but you know what used to happen by midpoints here? Important plot stuff that had buildup and development prior to it happening.

• Funny enough all three chapter 10s so far had something to do with Constantine! Book 1's had him announce he was stepping down and making Liam king, Book 2 had the reveal that the conspiracy against the MC was his idea. And then he actually dies in Book 3 Chapter 10. Now that he's no more, I guess they brought back another asshole dad to take his place.

• PB if you were really in a mood to bring back Bertrand's dad the least you could have done was build it up properly. You had an entire freaking chapter to at least build up on the Beaumont family relationships and issues! Yet all we see is that motorcycle with a hint that never fully gets told and very little besides that.

• Like, the narrative usually takes soooo much time to build everything properly, right? With chapters and chapters of hints? Look at all these things that you built up over chapters and sometimes over books: Liam's issues with his dad...The whereabouts of Savannah...Drake's connection to Bastien...Drake's mom's ranch...Drake's special relationship with his dad...Drake's duel...Drake's secret wedding...oh.

• Screenshots:

Hana: The Abhirio YouTube channel

Drake: @thefirstcourtesan and the BizzysChoices YouTube channel

Maxwell: @itsbrindleybinch

Title: The Beaumont Bachelor Bash

Alternative Title: Proof That Drake Is Undoubtedly Leona's Nephew. Even When He's Trying To Be Nice.

• Now Playing As Bertrand.

Wh - what...?

Okay but this is probably a tiny section and then my MC will come and save the day, right? Right?? I mean it's happened before (one of the most recent times we got a Bertrand PoV was in a Chapter 10, in fact!)

• ...how the hell did a motorcycle fit inside THAT BOX?

• I know, I know. It's mentioned time and again that the package is huuuuge. But that's...not the kind of packaging I'd be expecting for something that large. It wouldn't be SQUARE, at least.

• Okay wait. What was Maxwell panicking and stress-dancing about again? Bertrand isn't cottoning on to this plan as quickly as Maxwell/the LI was implying in that text.

• Okay wait so their great plan for the BBBB was...Bertrand putting away his cutlery and..."roughin' it"? Aren't bachelor/ette parties supposed to be catered to the guest of honour's needs?

Or is "something you want" only meant for Savannah? Because Hana actually read up and did research and tried to cater the entire party to whatever Savannah liked - not drag her along for something that wasn't her thing with "expand your horizons!" as an excuse.

• Like me, Bertrand doesn't fully trust his brother-in-law's motives.

• Wait what.

.• Bertrand is getting a new outfit. Oh he's wearing it already. Okay good. Must be free!

•

WHAT. WHAT. ARE YOU TELLING ME I'M NOT SEEING ESTHER FOR THE REST OF THIS CHAPTER

• I am NOT buying Bertrand new clothes. I didn't buy any last book, and I'm not going to start buying them now. Even if I didn't buy him the swanky maroon sweater last book he somehow wound up wearing it anyway in the finale. I'm sure he'll survive and they'll probably let him wear it for free some other time lol.

• Drake leads the boys to a nearby river, hoping to catch some fish that they can cook for dinner later.

• Bertrand gets...a dilapidated fishing pole. While everyone has prepared enough to get their own, perfectly alright ones. Drake is truly from Leona's bloodline, giving Bertrand stuff that'll make his task difficult (remember how she gave Bertrand a really rough horse to the country fair?). "I just wanted you to believe in yourself", my ass. You're doing this for your own entertainment.

• Also wasn't Maxwell organizing this party? Why does the end result look so much like Drake's idea? Or maybe the boys are splitting the activities between each other or something idk.

•

• That's a...puffer fish?

• The funniest option is the choose to grab Drake because Bertrand calls him "the Aggressively Rustic Drake" haha. It means of course that Bertrand will not get a fish but that's okay, Drake and Liam catch more than enough for dinner.

• But if Bertrand DOES catch that big fish his chest is all puffed out in pride and he notices no one else caught a fish as big as his 😄

• You can TELL Liam chose the next activity, because it's so aggressively Cordonian 😂 You need to shoot an apple with a weapon (preferably a bow and arrow, but the game offers you a rifle and an ornate gun as well).

• Of course I went ahead and shot Drake with a rubber bullet. Sorry Bertrand but I'm sure you can get your Knight-Marksmanship and Honorary Defender of the Realm award in a kinder person's playthrough 😅

• It's a nice scene, quite reminiscent of the first half of Maxwell's armoury scene last book, which involves Maxwell and the MC playing the same game.

• Now that we're done with the apples, it's time to bring out the bubbly!

• "This is not my bachelor party," says Drake when a surprised Liam asks him about why there's no whiskey. Coulda fooled me dude I've never heard of people giving the groom a dilapidated fishing pole to fish with for that kind of thing. I mean like more than 90% of this entire plan seems to cater to your tastes more than his.

• Bertrand (about the bubbly): This is from an excellent region of France!

Maxwell: Which one?

Bertrand: ...Champagne.

😂

• It's now night, so time for some...idk heartfelt man-talk or something.

•

It starts out with the main LI speaking about Bertrand and Savannah's relationship, praising them for how far they've come and there is some emphasis on the fact that they have Bartie. This leads the LI in question (if they're there) to talk candidly about their relationship with the MC and their sadness that they aren't pregnant yet.

- Liam: Speaks of how amazing the MC is and wonders if he's putting her through too much pressure on his Queen with the expectations of an heir.

- Drake: Very similar to Liam's, but this time Liam apologizes for forcing them into this kind of pressure and promises to withdraw it if that's what they want. (Liam will allow it, the narrative won't!)

- Hana: Since neither of the women are there, the conversation goes straight into Liam wondering if he did the wrong thing by placing that much pressure on them, and Bertrand reassuring him that both are phenomenal women and any child they bring up will be a worthy successor to the throne.

- Maxwell: From what @itsbrindleybinch was telling me, there's no discussion about Liam's offer or the pressure from him! The conversation is more centered around his fear that he might screw up in parenting...to which his brother has some of the best responses:

Istg when the writers really allow for those two to blossom on their own, the Brothers Beaumont dynamic is fantastic. I loved both responses from Bertrand.

I'm still wondering why there isn't much from Liam about the pressure he's placing on them, though! I mean, Maxwell and his wife are put under the same amounts of pressure so you'd expect Liam to speak up there too, right? (correct me if I'm wrong, because I can't find a full playthrough of Maxwell's route anywhere).

• The discussion slowly progresses into one about Bertrand's love for Savannah and not knowing how to show it properly to her...to which Drake responds that Bertrand needs to SHOW what he feels and maybe do a big dramatic gesture like the ones you see in romcoms (racing through an airport to confess your love, or confessing it while standing in the rain)...lmao I love how big gestures are something Savannah wants for herself but somehow she can't do the smallest things to help Bertrand feel more comfortable in her own damn home.

• Also I need to laugh at how desperately the writers are now trying to show us how "open minded" Drake is LMAO. TRR Drake looked down on his nose on practically all things not macho (including authentic Chinese food and pink cakes) and now they're making it sound like he's a romcom fan and willing to experiment with a tutu.

• Not buying that serenading scene. I didn't handhold Bertrand into telling Savannah about the Beaumont finances, nor did I handhold him into proposing. He did pretty okay without my help so far.

• The serenading scene has two main components (besides the logistics of communicating and then climbing up to her window) - telling Savannah his feelings and then singing to her. The first main options include suggestions from the boys:

Liam: Very sweet and romantic, with the kind of flowery language you would expect from Liam, and that Bertrand feels so comfortable with that he smiles as he says the words.

Drake: Very much, "I was an idiot but now I've come to my senses and I'm the luckiest man ever because of you" which...sure I can put it down to bias for his sister but now it just annoys me when I hear this. Esp during a time when he's claiming he actually likes Bertrand now.

Maxwell: Is just so fucking funny 😂

Bertrand: Savannah, I'm here because you're my...boo???

Maxwell: Trust me! Keep going!

Bertrand: Ahem. You are my boo, and I'm your...okay I'm not going to say that.

Savannah: What are you saying???

• For actually serenading her with a song you can either choose to go sweet and romantic, or you go "sexy", which tbh seems to be the funnier option because most of it is Bertrand muttering MmmMMmMmmm in place of all the sexy parts. Which is funny considering he and Savannah conceived a child atop an office desk of all places way before any of us even got to KISS our LIs 🤣

• Savannah is happy, Bertrand is happy, the boys are all back in the camp where they'll be spending the night. There's a tiny bit of "foreshadowing" in the ensuing conversation since Barthelemy is mentioned, but very much in a "Dad would be proud of you" way. I put that word "foreshadowing" in quotes coz there is very little it gives us, as opposed to how other things that have received foreshadowing were built up.

• Uh oh. BEAR ATTACK. From Kenna's pet-bear-from-Aurelia's descendant. Who somehow ended up in the woods in Texas 😂

• Drake tries to distract the bear, and Bertrand can either join him or go with Liam and Maxwell who are leading the way to an alternative location.

• We're out in the wilderness somewhere, and getting back to our tents is a diamond option. It's a fun diamond option though, and it doesn't involve me doing any unnecessary matchmaking.

• Liam is the strategist who makes a battle plan. Why don't I get to see him do these kind of things in his actual job PB!! Drake "knows the most woodcraft" and will therefore make a good scout, both he and Liam can draw the bear away, and Maxwell's hitherto-unseen present is now their secret weapon. Bertrand isn't sure about this plan but goes along with it anyway.

• Everything goes as per plan, and Maxwell unleashes the "secret weapon": Bertrand's beloved Cavilieri Novanta 9S motorbike. There's a small hint about him having to perhaps give it away or sell it when his father, well, did whatever he did, and Maxwell somehow traced it and got it back. I'm kinda certain that bike may feature in Bertrand's flashback if he's having one next chapter. Bertrand is emotional AND ecstatic, learning again to control his bike and to enjoy being on it.

• The best part of the bear scene, is when he uses his Duke of Ramsford voice and gives the bear the ole what-for 😂

(Bottom four screenshots from BizzysChoices' YouTube channel!)

• Even the bear could not withstand the severe tongue lashing LMAO. Bertrand has the option of ending this...um...verbal duel by telling his furry opponent to tell his children he has been bested by a Beaumont.

• The bear slumps back home in shame, but Bertrand is worried about what other tests Drake has in store. 'Tests?' Drake says innocently.

•

You're forgetting the part where you constantly blamed Bertrand for everything, knowing full well your sister made her fair share of mistakes. Or the part where you pretty much sabotaged an investigation just to stroke your ego about Bertrand getting her pregnant. Or the part where you repeatedly made it clear that you thought he didn't deserve Savannah. Or the part where you made him cluck like a chicken just before he proposed, just so you could have your moment to gloat. Or the part where you would shoot looks at Bertrand if he even so much as hinted your sister wasn't perfect. Or the part where your aunt kept making snide remarks about him, disrespected him, and gave him a rough horse, while you and your mother and your sister stood by and watched. And NOW you claim that the only person doubting Bertrand is BERTRAND?

Yeah. Well...tldr:

• My gosh. The amount of retconning happening here is giving me a headache.

• Like...I like that Drake can be nicer to Bertrand now and that most of the tension is gone. But let's not act like Drake wasn't knowingly adding fuel to the fire before??

• Anyway, the boys tell Bertrand they are proud of him and proceed to sleep in their tents or wherever they've chosen to sleep for the night.

• PB gives Liam the very, very rare chance to remind Drake that he grew up in a palace. Doesn't mean much, but I'm fairly happy.

• FINALLY. Esther's home and I can finally play as her again!

• If you bought the serenading scene, there are a couple extra lines showing Savannah and Bertrand looking super super happy.

• There's an old man at the door.

• BARTHELEMY???

• Neither of his sons even look like him. And it reads as if Bertrand is less surprised about the possibility that Barthelemy is alive than Maxwell is. What's going on.

General Thoughts:

• Alright, so it looks like this week we will be exploring the Beaumont family history, looking into why Bertrand lost his zest for life and ended up taking care of the estate when all this time his father was actually alive, and how the Beaumonts wound up so poor. There had better be a substantial amount of Maxwell because he's not been getting a lot of attention this book.

• I'm wondering if Barthelemy's return will cause Bertrand and Maxwell's insecurities to rise again, and we'll probably need to help them through that or something.

• Looks like the next chapter might have a young!Maxwell scene or Maxwell's first diamond scene, or both? Idk. I can't say for sure because I don't exactly trust the team on these things.

• There were...elements of the chapter that were good, I'll give it that. Bertrand's got an interesting narrative voice. You can tell it's him by the way he uses titles, by the way he speaks when he is proud of something he has achieved, the language itself that is heavy in its bearing. The scenes were fun from what I've seen. The bonding was good. Problem was...in a better book this wouldn't have been so irritating and such a sign of how not into the most important things about this book the team is.

• Since they had the time and the ideas, why the hell was the buildup to this reveal so flimsy and half-baked? I mean if you're going to give Bertrand an entire freaking chapter, shouldn't you have been using at least that space to have Bertrand speak a little more about Barthelemy? Or build it up earlier? All this time we'd had to deal with Savannah's griping and complaining and Leona's snide remarks, we could have spent learning from Maxwell a little about his family.

• Usually buildup to a lot of these things happen through hints over chapters. But this? Little to none. Maybe like two half-sentences said just before the reveal. It's all kinds of shitty, and it's what happens when the most important Beaumont is a Walker.

• I'm also pretty surprised Liam doesn't get to apologize to Maxwell the way he does to Drake about the royal heir thing.

• So the Walker Ranch chapters started around Chapter 6, and might possibly end around Chapter 12 (with a detour to Auvernal around Chapter 9). That's 5 whole chapters + one more to tour the States itself.

• I know the original idea was to do an epilogue book revolving around the Walker ranch, so there's obviously a lot more clarity in those chapters than in the others. But that is still no excuse. If they were going to change track they should have been doing it properly. There's no excuse for this kind of selective laziness especially when it's been manifested countless times before.

• I also find the whole idea of revolving the epilogue book still pretty problematic. At the core of it that would be more of Drake and his family (which was already happening honestly) and it would mean they are absolutely front and center of everything. If the original idea was to focus fully on the Walkers...yikes.

• Yeah honestly, this chapter was pretty iffy for me. And I'm not exactly very enthusiastic about writing for it, or playing the next chapter.

• Also! For those who didn't see it, this past week I'd been working on an essay about the treatment for Kiara and Penelope in TRR Book 3, and it's here below in case you haven't read it and you want to!

To Be Not Heard: Kiara, Penelope and the Question of Validation.

• Alright! On to the next chapter.

If you like it and want to discuss it, I'd be only too happy to read your comments! 😀

[lostinthewinterwood]

Gen Freeform Exchange 2020

Hey friend!

I’m looking forward to whatever you’re going to make for me—if you want to take what was in my sign-up and run with it, go right ahead!  But if you’re looking for more inspiration/ideas, keep right on reading.

If you’re not my assigned person, and are instead a generous person looking at this letter for treating purposes, I’d be happy to get treats in any medium.

General DNW

Rape/non/dub-con; non-canonical major character death; heavy angst; hurt no comfort; graphic depictions of deliberate and methodical self-harm*; graphic depictions of suicide; anything E rated; gore; heavy gender dysphoria; grimdark; complete downer endings; character bashing; incest; cringe comedy; a/b/o; mpreg; full setting AUs (canon-divergence is fine); graphic eye trauma; graphic and/or permanent hand trauma (unless the setting can provide a more-or-less fully functional prosthetic or equivalent); issuefic; unrequested identity headcanons.

*I don’t include things like, say, punching a wall in a fit of emotion under this. however, something like cutting would not be appreciated.

 General Likes

– I really like plotty fics

– Secret identity and disguise shenanigans, the more layers to them and more absurdity the better.

– Crossdressing for whatever reason and gender disguises, also for whatever reason.

– Time travel and time loops are always fun, especially as a fix-it.  I have a general preference for Peggy Sue style (aka, an older character getting put back in their younger body at an earlier point in the timeline) over the character’s physical body stepping back in time, but either one is good.

– A focus on family and/or friendship, especially characters realizing they’re not nearly as alone as they think they are, and just generally characters who like each other and enjoy spending time together

– Found family; families of choice

– Character studies

– Worldbuilding

All of my requests have way too many tags to relist them here, but if you’re at a loss for what to do, anything in a given request’s tags is obviously fair game; don’t feel bound by them either, since I’m definitely interested in more things than just those which appear in the tag requests.

 Fandom-specific prompts and DNWs

 Mother of Learning

Fandom-specific DNW: physical parental abuse within the Kazinski family, significant exaggeration of canonical emotional neglect/abuse/general family dysfunction, any implication or presence of romantic and/or sexual Zach/Zorian, either Raynie or the rest of her tribe being portrayed as Absolutely Right And Entirely Justified in all of their actions

 Neoluma-Manu Iljatir & Zach Noveda

Solo: Zach Noveda

Zach Noveda & Zorian Kazinski

Fanfiction

I’d generally prefer something set at least in part after the time loop begins, but beyond that I don’t have a strong preference for where in the timeline this might be set.  Maybe something from before Zorian got looped in—maybe one of the iterations where Zach and Neolu just went off across the country having fun the whole month? Zach doing whatever, possibly very early on, or maybe him freaking out a little because what the hell, time travel is supposed to be impossible, and yet—what did he do in the start? Some canon-type shenanigans with Zach and Zorian together because there aren’t lasting consequences to their actions?

Or for post-canon, I’d really like an exploration of Zach, who’s got the lived-time of a middle-aged man and the body of a teenager—how does he relate to his classmates/other people in the real world, where everyone’s growing again?  Maybe something about his lawsuit against his caretaker, or just a little thing with him, Zorian, and How Do You Live Normally, Again?  This Is Hard, or some such thing.

One tag I like especially—though obviously if you didn’t match on it you needn’t include it—is “Character expected to die but didn’t and now has no idea how to live anymore,” since Zach definitely didn’t fully expect he would get a chance to live through the rest of his adolescence/adulthood, and something delving into that would be really interesting!

 Raynie & Raynie’s Tribe

Raynie & Kiana

Fanfiction, Podfic

I love Raynie, and I love the little glimpses we get into her character and her past in canon!

For her I was thinking maybe something after the invasion, maybe her going home again.  I’d love to see a reconciliation between her and her tribe, and a settling of the issues and problems that led to her being sent away.

If I’ve got my timeline right, her brother should be old enough to have reasonable interactions with; I’d really enjoy something dealing with the tension between them, letting them reconcile and build a better sibling relationship.

Alternatively, if we’re going for pre-canon, I’d really enjoy something dealing with her initial arrival in Cyoria and befriending Kiana.

 Cikan Kazinski & Kirielle Kazinski

Solo: Kirielle Kazinski

Nochka Sashal & Kirielle Kazinski

Zorian Kazinski & Kirielle Kazinski

Fanfiction

I’d really like something focusing on Kirielle here—she is, after all, the uniting factor in this set of requests.

I’ve got a few ideas for what could come of this!

-- Kirielle and her mother.  For this one, I’d rather it not be anything where Cikan can be described as “winning” a confrontation—I’d much rather have it be a confrontation where it either ends neutrally or in Kiri’s favor, or a reconciliation when Kiri’s a bit older, coming to understand each other better.  I’d be down for Cikan realizing that Kiri is her own person, and can forge her own way in life, if you can get a story there, but I’m not sure if there’s an in-character way to do so, given how she still relates to Daimen, a successful adult in his own right.

-- Kirielle and Nochka.  They’re adorable and I’d love a further development of their friendship, especially getting to see it grow and develop over the months and years after the invasion.

-- Kirielle and Zorian.  I love their dynamic!  And again here I’d really enjoy seeing their relationship developing in real time, rather than a constantly looping world.  I think it would be great to see either of them defending the other to their parents—and maybe Zorian ends up with custody of Kiri, there’s definitely things to explore there.

-- Kirielle.  I’d be here for any sort of character study of Kiri, really, but I’m gonna prompt a few specific things anyway.

---- She grows up a little, and becomes a student mage—what’s that like for her, especially having received Zorian’s tutelage?

---- She grows up a little, and doesn’t seriously pursue magic—does she devote herself more seriously to art?  Do something else?  Get away from her parents, and get to just be a kid for a little longer than her siblings?

---- By some mechanism, Kirielle gets pulled into the time loop, whether with Zorian, instead of him, or in some utterly unrelated incident. What’s it like to grow older and older in life experience while your body remains stubbornly nine?  How does this change the story?  If you go this route I’d rather looper!Kiri not be erased in the timeline of the fic—ending the fic before it becomes an issue or letting her escape back to the real world are what I’d rather see.

---- For some reason—there’s actually a fair amount that’d have to change here, but shhh this is my ridiculous self-indulgent prompt—Kirielle is the Controller.  How does she react to being in a looping world, with no one else looping she can possibly compare notes with?  What does she do with her time?  Why did the angels choose her?  How does this impact canon—is Jornak even a problem, does the whole Sovereign Gate affair pass much as it was meant to rather than the debacle that became of it in canon?

 Solo: The Ghost Serpent

Solo: Quatach-Ichl

Fanfiction, Podfic

So, these two are just… they’re old.  They’re very old; QI, the younger, is still a thousand years old, and they’ve just seen so much??  I’d love some sort of exploration of the world’s history through either of their eyes.

For the Ghost Serpent, I’d be very interested in what it saw the other Branded Ones do that put it off of them so badly.

For QI, I’m interested both in the world history around him and also how he became what he is—why/how did he become a lich in the first place?  Who was he before?  Why did he get a divine blessing?  What did he think of the gods falling silent?  What was the Necromancer’s War like?

For this prompt, I’d be down for an in-universe document or legend/folktale/fairytale about them, rather than an ordinary narrative. I’d also definitely be down for something like an epic poem or story-song, if you feel so inclined.

  Star Wars Rebels

Alexsandr Kallus & Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios

Fanfiction

I’m a total sucker for the enemies-to-allies redemption arc that Kallus and Zeb have going and really, anything exploring that dynamic I’d be down for.  Post-Honorable Ones is probably better—there’s a bit more to work with there—but mutual respect/grudging acknowledgement from before that point would be great too.

That being said, I would also be super down for one or both of them mentally travelling back in time and whatever ridiculous shenanigans emerge from that—honestly most of my tags can be interpreted as prompts for that, if you squint at least.

  Star Wars Rebels: Servants of the Empire

 Solo: Zare Leonis

Solo: Dhara Leonis

Zare Leonis & Dhara Leonis

Fanfiction

These poor kids, god.  I love them and I love their siblingship and I just, I want more. A lot of the freeforms I’m asking for are geared towards the aftermath of Secret Academy, and Dhara’s recovery and her relationship with Zare throughout that.  Do feel free to bring in their parents, too, though it’s by no means necessary.

Other things I’d be interested in include various types of role reversals and how that changes things—maybe it’s Zare who’s older, with a Force-sensitive little sister in Dhara, or the ages are the same and the Force sensitivity is flipped, or maybe Zare’s Force sensitive as well as Dhara, or the ages and Force sensitivity are flipped, making Zare Force sensitive and older and Dhara not force sensitive as well as being younger.

Another interesting thing would be exploring Zare readjusting to a civilian life; he’s quite conditioned into being so careful and military in his dress and his living space—does he keep that going? Let it fade?  Deliberately reject it?

 Solo: Lieutenant Chiron

Zare Leonis & Lieutenant Chiron

Fanfiction, Podfic

I love Chiron, he’s such an interesting character, and I am Big Sad that he doesn’t appear in any fics on ao3 as of yet.  He strikes me very much as a good man who doesn’t really know most of the bad things his government is doing; he cares about Zare and he cares that there’s abuses of power and murder going on at the academy; he truly, genuinely wants to make the galaxy a better place.

I would love to see a story where he lives through the climax of Secret Academy and, however that happens, is thus forced to question his government from that, since I’m also Big Sad that he died before he had that chance; failing that it would be interesting to have a fic exploring his past and how he came to be part of the imperial war machine, I think.

For him and Zare post-canon, assuming an AU where they both survive, I’d be down to see them rebuilding the relationship they had before and regaining some sort of trust/regard for each other.

  Original Works

Fandom-specific DNW: the word “queerplatonic” being used to describe relationships (writing something that you’d normally consider it is fine!  I just don’t really like the term), fics that are All About Being Trans And/Or Disabled, neopronouns, nondysphoric trans characters.

 Archmage & Apprentice

Failed Chosen One & New Chosen One

Girl Who Killed The Dark Lord & Her New Inherited Minions Who She Would Like To Be Less Scared

Fanfiction

I love fantasy, including space fantasy, and so many of its associated tropes: magic, destiny and fate and the subversion thereof, people being fundamentally human whilst caught up in something far beyond them…

This one’s a bit harder to prompt for, but looking through the tags I asked for should give you a decent idea for what I like; see also the general likes section above.

Thank you for creating for me!! I’m sure whatever you make will be lovely, and I’m looking forward to seeing it :D

[atopearth]

Ikemen Revolution Part 8 - Kyle Ash Route

I loved it when Kyle just passed by her in the hallway and checked her forehead to see if she was unwell since she was looking pale, it was so cute~ Btw, I already like Kyle a whole lot seeing him from the other routes so I’m probably gonna be super biased for this whole route hahaha. It was so considerate of him when he gave her some warm water and then told her to sleep in the infirmary bed when she cried, I love it when guys wipe the heroine’s tears, so that was extra sweet~😍 Nice to see the alcoholic Kyle protect the heroine from Lancelot when she tried to escape, lol at how he’s in charge of her now though. It’s cool to know that Kyle despises people who so readily throw their lives away (heroine thinking she can escape) and yet he continues these alcoholic tendencies that are probably wrecking his health and leading to him throwing his life away slowly. Now she’s his assistant!~

It’s kinda cute how subtly Kyle tries to care for her. She told him she didn’t like the room that they prepared for her because of how immaculate it was, making it uncomfortable since it was so prepared and so close to Lancelot, so he gives her work to do so that she’d stay in the infirmary for a long time and then he’d let her sleep there on one of the beds. Then, when she told him she couldn’t sleep because she’s not used to this place yet, he gave her some whiskey to warm her up and hopefully feel a bit tipsy so she could sleep better haha, it’s nice to see him trying in his own way even if the methods aren’t the best😆 It benefits him though since work gets done and he gets a drinking buddy for a bit haha. I love how the heroine is trying to cook snacks for Kyle at night so that he’d be too full to drink and won’t have hangovers every night. So cute and considerate hahaha. Kyle with glasses looks niceee! Ummm, that was so adorable! Kyle studying to keep up with medicinal knowledge, the heroine giving him soup and then studying about food whilst waiting for him but then falling asleep, and then Kyle carrying her to his bed whilst sleeping on the sofa is just so cute! They’ve barely met each other but they just feel so comfortable and happy with spending time together, it’s so sweet~ I’m happy that Edgar told the heroine how considerate Kyle actually was since he was taking care of her in his own way all this time without her realising. So cute when she said she’d go sleep in her own room now so that he won’t worry about her safety, and he admitted to her that she was lonely when she jokingly asked if he was🥰🥰

I love Kyle~ he’s so passionate about his work that he even does house calls on his day offs for free! No wonder all the people love him and give him gifts of booze loll. I’m happy that the heroine reconsidered running off haphazardly like that and realised that inherently there’s no difference between the two armies, and she understands that it could spark a war if she ran back and they really started fighting over her. Also cool that Kyle understands her perspective and thinks the same about how both armies are part of the same country and are the same even if they handle things differently. They’re on the same wavelength😊 I love how whenever she feels unsettled and burdened with the fate of whether war will break out because of her, Kyle is always there to cheer her up and pat her head haha, I want him to pat mine too!🤣 It was so nice to see Kyle go drink with Oliver and Blanc and even bring the heroine along haha. I didn’t expect him to have an older brother though...so Kyle only became the Red Army’s doctor because the original successor, his brother died… It seems like he really loves and admires his brother, maybe he’s an alcoholic because of this, and because whenever his father and him chat about his brother, they share drinks over it… Sounds tough…

Omgg drunk Kyle telling Loki hands off on the heroine because she’s his was so cuteee~ I don’t really like it when guys say the girls are their possessions but I’m okay with it because he’s drunk right now, and also because he’s Kyle, yes I’m biased😆😆 Too bad he said he meant it as she’s his assistant and so she’s his in that way loll, poor heroine’s heart fluttered for nothing~ Aww he called her cute though! Adorable! Glad the heroine scolded him for getting so drunk that he fell asleep and nearly squashed her lol, he needs to control himself! Hahahah, Kyle’s pet is a piglet that was bullied by other pigs! The poor thing! HAHAHA when he compared her to the pig and said they were the same since they both eat a lot, get a lot of sleep and are healthy lmao. It’s hard to get mad at him when he so lovingly strokes the pig though lol. Ooh so Oliver is a child during the day and an adult at night, sounds difficult. It’s nice that he thinks more of the heroine after talking to her and realising that she can see Kyle past the superficial drunk he is, since he’s actually very kind and passionate. Lmao at Goo (she named the pig for Kyle lol) running off and her going to catch it though haha. It was so cool how Kyle appeared to save her as if he was going to bash the guys up, but then he runs away with her instead, and it’s so funny how he’s actually really weak and a slow runner hahaha. But he was so cool doing all that, he tried his best within his abilities and did what he could and succeeded, it was great hahaha.

It was so sweet and oblivious of Kyle to apologise to the heroine loll. He thought she was sad/mad that they had to abandon her shoes when they escaped the other day and bought her a new pair! He even noticed that she likes those frilly ribbon types haha. She’s just noticed her feelings for Kyle but he’s always so physically close to her, and always checking if she’s ill whenever she acts weird hahaha, everything that used to be normal became embarrassing haha. I thought it was kinda refreshing when Kyle agreed to bring the heroine with him to the field of the war to treat the injured, and said she’s not allowed to leave his side, because he wants to be immediately there to treat her if she gets injured. He’s not saying stuff like he definitely won’t let her get hurt (although I’m sure he’d protect her to the best of his ability), but he’s being realistic that she might get hurt and I like that😊 I have to admit that it’s so cute how Edgar always gets to see either the heroine embarrassed or Kyle spilling his feelings, it’s so amusing for him to witness it all happening hahaha.

Omgg, I didn’t think Kyle’s brother was involved in that incident where Ray’s magic went out of control (trying to protect the people getting kidnapped by the Disciples of Magic) and people died… It’s saddening that Kyle was there and did his best but couldn’t save his brother with his skills. His kiss was so sudden, I don’t even know how to react haha! It’s great that Ray and Lancelot are working together😊 Lmao at Kyle writing a note on his hand to remind him to tell the heroine he likes her after the war hahahah, it’s so cute and silly, but also serious of him haha. Btw, I’m also glad that Kyle understood what happened with that incident well and didn’t blame Ray for what happened, and instead is happy that he has become the person he is today. Can’t blame Kyle for feeling unqualified as a doctor when he hesitated to save Amon. He has always tried his best to save whoever and anyone he could, and yet at a crucial moment, instead of focusing on saving the guy, he thought about leaving him to die to save other people. I’m happy the heroine told him that anyone would have hesitated and that it doesn’t change the fact that he stuck to his principles in the end. What makes someone worthy is not someone who is perfect, but someone who can get through conflict like this by contemplating, yet still keeping to their principles and thoughts. The way Kyle confessed was so sweet! I loved how he told her how much he actually appreciated her sincerity as his assistant this whole time even though he just kinda pushed it on her, and how earnestly she worked and cared for the patients, and how serious she was on constantly wanting to be even better. I do think it was really cool and admirable of her to do all that. It was also really cute when he admitted that he did get lonely after she stopped sleeping in the infirmary near him because he really liked hearing her voice and her talk about stuff the moment he wakes up. So cuteee~ It was so cute how none of the Black Army guys believed the heroine was dating Kyle until Lancelot said so, since he doesn’t lie about such things😆 LOL at Kyle abstaining from alcohol because he wanted to do it with her tonight and “perform” well hahaha, Kyle you pervert! Well, I guess that romantic ending was more cute and lusty than romantic since they literally just kissed and did it hahaha. 

Overall, I quite liked Kyle’s route. It was nice, but it did kind of lack…impact? It was kind of like, the heroine went along with Kyle with everything he did, slowly came to admire him, whilst he slowly came to appreciate her and her help as his assistant, and they fell in love! The end. The romance was cute, and it was nice to see how shy she was against how oblivious he was until later. But the story did lack substance tbh, it was very…basic? You just kinda see Kyle do basic doctor things and why he became the doctor for the army, and it’s nice to see all that, but yeah it just lacked something to make the route feel more intriguing or emotionally gripping. Their chemistry is all right but not great, I’d say the heroine was more enraptured by his determination as a doctor. I feel like compared to my favourite routes, Sirius had a cuter relationship with her, whilst Fenrir and her got along so well that they were like both best buds as well as best romantic partners, so yeah, Kyle’s route was nice and everything, but not the best, I still enjoyed it a lot though.

[mustlovemustypages]

2018 Letter

Dear potential writer,

*Sigh* 2018 has been a long year, has it not? Yuletide is proving to be a great distraction and I'm very excited to be participating again. Thank you for reading my letter and also thank you in advance for anything you decide to write for me! 

Below are my desired fandoms and pairings along with story ideas that I would love to see written. Please don't feel stifled by my prompts; I've also listed my general likes/dislikes at the very bottom of this letter if you decide to go a different route. 

The Defenders (TV):

Characters: Luke Cage and Jessica Jones

I will admit that my main motivation for watching The Defenders was to see more interactions between these two characters. While I loved all of the scenes between them, I wish they'd had a lot more shared screen time. 

Overall I just want these two kids to end up together. I've been a fan of their relationship before the Netflix shows came out and will continue to be a fan after they have ended.

Story ideas:

Luke and Jessica learning to trust each other again amongst the events of The Defenders, and Jessica sharing a bit more of her past with Kilgrave to help Luke understand what exactly she went through.

Seeing Luke and Jessica's on screen (or imagined off screen) interactions through the eyes of the other characters.

Jessica Jones is a walking poster child for PTSD and I would really like to see this explored more. Recovery isn’t necessary, but having Luke at least realize her suffering and talking/hugging it out would be lovely.

We may or may not be getting a season 2. Feel free to imagine your own post-season 1 with the team, especially focusing on the Jessica/Luke dynamic.

Speed (1994):

Characters: Annie Porter and Jack Traven

I'm a sucker for characters who fall in love during immensely stressful situations. Especially characters played by Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. I'm also a sucker for action movies that have not-quite-believable but really-thrilling-anyway plotlines. Like buses with bombs that go off if driving under 50 mph.

Story ideas:

Regardless of what Jack said at the end of the movie about most relationships formed during stressful circumstances not surviving, I have chosen to believe Annie and Jack would have beaten the odds once again. I'm sure their friends, co-workers, and family would have had their doubts but would have eventually seen that the two were perfect for each other.

I'd adore post-movie slice of life stories where they buy their first place together, meet each others' families for the first time, or even do something as mundane as going to get groceries. It would be so endearingly (and hilariously) normal in contrast to their first meeting.

Annie definitely thought Jack was insane when he flagged down the bus and jumped on. It would be interesting to read that scene from her point of view as well as other scenes throughout the movie as her opinion of him changes.

It would be impossible to go through what these two characters did without it having some sort of impact on their psyche. Whether it be Annie refusing to ride the bus again and Jack offering to drive her to work until/if she recovers, or Jack having flashbacks of the helplessness he felt on that train when he couldn't get Annie unchained.

The Darkest Minds (Book Series):

Character: Ruby Daly

X-Men was my jam when I was younger, and The Darkest Minds is basically X-Men set in a dystopian world with really loveable characters.

Ruby is a precious gem* that needs to be protected at all costs, even if it’s from herself. Liam is such a sweetheart. Book 2 when he gets his memories back had me literally crying. Chubs and Zhu are amazing, and I love the little family the four of them made together. Vida was also really great, and so was Cole… and you get the point. I loved them all.

*Pun not intended but acknowledged nevertheless.

My favorite pairing from the series is Ruby/Liam but sadly Liam is not in the tagset. It would be amazing if you wrote a Ruby/Liam story but if that's not your thing, I'd be equally happy with a gen story focusing on Ruby and Cole, Ruby and Chubs, Ruby and Vida, etc. Chubs/Vida in the background would be even more wonderful!

Story ideas:

Ruby definitely struggled with her abilities and had healthy/unhealthy coping mechanisms. Expanding on this would be great and including any of the other characters' responses to her coping mechanisms would be a definite plus.

Reunions are the best. Write how you would have liked the Liam and Ruby reunion in book 2 to have played out or expand on canon to bring on even more feels. Again, I fully realize that Liam is not in the tagset so don't feel pressured to include him. Instead write about a reunion between Ruby and one of the other main characters (like Chubs)!

I wish there were more scenes exploring the dynamics of Cole and Ruby's friendship and how that impacts their respective relationships with Liam, especially because Cole and Ruby relate on a level that I don't think Liam ever quite understood. One of my favorite parts from the whole series is the scene in the shower where Cole is basically interrogating Ruby for information about Liam. It's a totally non-romantic scene but very emotionally charged and it would be really interesting to read about it from Cole's point of view.

Impluse (TV):

Characters: Henrietta "Henry" Coles, Lucas Boone, Jenna Hope, Townes Linderman

This show became a surprise favorite of mine in 2018, mostly because it's on YouTube Red and I haven't given most of their original shows much thought. Also because it tackles rape and recovery in such a raw and interesting, especially in the context of a sci-fi show.

I just need more Henry Coles. If you want to do a romantic relationship I'd prefer seeing something explored with Lucas Boone or her canon love interest Josh (who was only in 2 episodes but really seemed to "get" Henry). Otherwise, gen stories between Henry and any/all of the tagset characters would be great.

Story Ideas:

Henry will never be fully "recovered" in the sense that one can never truly recover from rape. It will always have an impact on her life. The other characters get that and try to help her in any way they can.

While Lucas is aware of what his brother did to Henry, he has no idea of the real impact. I'd love a story where he learns more about her seizures and the way her anxiety/fears manifest themselves as teleportation.

Hurt/comfort in all forms because Henry has been hurt enough for a lifetime, but she could do with a whole lot more comfort. Either within the confines of season 1 or imagined opportunities for comfort in season 2.

We get the story from mostly Henry's perspective, but I'm sure there is a lot going on in the minds of Lucas, Jenna and/or Townes as the events of season 1 play out.

The Folk of the Air

Pairing: Cardan Greenbriar/Jude Duarte

Holly Black is an evil genius and I bow down to her greatness. Starting off the first book in this series, I never would have imagined that by the end I'd be rooting for Jude and Cardan to be together but here we are.

They are the ultimate enemies-to-lovers and I can't wait to see what happens to them in the second book coming in 2019.

Story ideas:

Maybe I'm being unrealistically optimistic, but despite Jude's betrayal at the end of the first book, I think these two can work it out. Perhaps Jude helps Cardan cope with the stresses of being king and he is able to move past what she did. Or maybe he sees how impossible Jude thought the situation was and comes to the realization that he was the only one she trusted to do it.

Madoc is a horrible father. Jude basically knows this from the beginning. Still, she was genuinely upset in discovering what he had done. I'd love to see her finally release all of that pent up anger - either her using Cardan as a sounding board for her rants or even having her completely breakdown under all of the stress and him comforting her.

We get the perspective of Jude throughout the entire book, but I would really enjoy seeing some of the scenes from Cardan's point of view as his feelings for Jude change.

There is no way that Jude's sister, Vivienne, wouldn't be alarmed when finding out that Jude and Cardan kissed. Jude having to explain her changed feelings for Cardan and Vivienne realizing that Jude is in like/love would be hilarious and heartwarming.

Things I don’t like:

Alternate Universes – For the specific fandoms that I picked, I really like the universes as they are. I’m definitely okay with deviations from canon, but please don’t make Speed into a supernatural werewolf story or the fantasy/sci-fi canons take place in a mundane coffee shop setting. (I don’t mind Soulmate AUs or something similar because those can be incorporated into canon with little change to worldbuilding).

Non-Con/Rape/BDSM/Sexual Violence/Graphic Sex – I like my characters to be happy and everything within ships to be 100% consensual, no question about it (mentions of non-con if it occurred in canon is fine). I also prefer plot over porn, especially with one-shots.

OT3s – Two people per romantic relationship please. Any more than that makes me uncomfortable.

Character Bashing - Unless a character is a bad guy in canon, I don’t want to read hundreds of words about how awful they are, especially if they are one of the characters that I requested. Don’t take it out on the characters if you hate my pairings, just write gen. 

Things I love:

Hurt/Comfort – There is nothing I love more than one character comforting another. The hurt can be physical, psychological, or both.  

Happy Endings – I’m all for the realistic endings… but if they could be plausible AND happy-ish, that would be amazing.

Expanded Scenes/Contorting Canon – Feel free to expand scenes and change up canon to your heart’s content as long as it makes logical sense.

Humor/Banter/Snark – I thrive on this stuff.

Bonding/Building Relationships – Whether it be a friendship or a romantic relationship, I adore reading about two people growing closer together. When characters know each other so well that they can have conversations with just their eyes or anticipate the person’s next move (especially if it’s to the surprise/confusion of everyone around them), my shipper heart is thrilled.

Dark to Light – Seeing a character come out of a bad mindset/situation and get better is so satisfying.

Thanks again and happy writing!

- Maddy @mustlovemustypages (on Tumblr, Ao3 and FF.net)

[releasing-my-insanity]

Rare Pair Exchange Letter

Hey guys, I’m participating in the rare pair exchange and this is my letter. (Also good if anyone really wants to write me a fic. Haha) Under the cut for length.

Hello content creator. I’m glad you’ve joined this exchange. I’m sure I’ll love anything you make. Obviously nothing in here is required except for DNWs. I just like to provide information and suggestions in case they’re helpful. Largely copied from other exchange letters.

General fic likes:

Fluff.

Humor.

Kindness and helping others.

Cuddles and snuggles.

Cozy scenes.

Bedsharing.

Casual touching.

Little soft and/or quiet moments between friends or significant others.

Characters sharing a love of music or movies or books or hobbies.

Pet owners.

Cute kids when those kids are canon children of requested characters.

Living together, either platonically or romantically.

People being really good at what they do and their friends/partners being impressed.

Characters who speak languages other than English slipping into those languages occasionally.

Teaching each other.

Communities supporting each other.

Everyone being accepting of the characters and their differences and/or relationships.

Women who get stuff done.

Bi and Ace-spectrum Headcanons.

Shippy stuff:

Soulmates (both common and creative varieties),

The Soulmate Goose of Enforcement,

Polyamory.

Friends to lovers.

Rivals to lovers.

Annoying each other constantly to lovers.

Established relationships.

Couples knowing each other really well and doing things the other one likes just because.

“Man I really love my wife” guys.

Asking before kissing someone.

Stopping a kiss or a touch immediately when asked.

Surprise kisses in an established relationship.

Weddings.

Platonic/familial stuff:

Becoming friends.

Insta-friends,

Female Friendship

Friends who stay friends (they don’t become romantic and they don’t stop enjoying each other’s company).

Found families.

True companions.

Healthy families of origin.

DNWs:

Any sort of death (Exception under Highway to Heaven.)

Abuse of any sort.

Anything that AO3 has under major warnings.

Unhealthy relationships.

Character bashing.

Explicit sex (implied or referenced sex between consenting adults is fine).

Illness beyond the common cold.

Mpreg.

Non-canonical pregnancy.

Discrimination or bigotry unless in the context of characters working to end it.

Unhappy ending.

General vid likes:

Songs with lyrics are my preference, but if you have the absolute most perfect instrumental song, go for it.

I absolutely adore when songs match with the visuals. Clips that follow the lyrics, a story that is told through the video, or just a song that is chosen because it fits the characters.

Specific lyrics that relate to the pairing > Generic love song.

Music: I like a wide range of genres but I particularly love 20s-40s Big Band, Early Jazz, Doo-Wop, 50s-70s Classic Rock, Motown, Classic Musicals, Tom Chapin, and Postmodern Jukebox.

With fandoms set in the past I especially enjoy videos set to period accurate songs or Postmodern Jukebox in the style of songs from that period.

General vid dislikes:

Rap or Hip Hop (Nothing wrong with them, the beats just tend to hurt my head.)

The screaming kind of music. Again, it hurts my head.

Videos where the song doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the characters, canon, or video.

-

Fandom Specific: (Optional Prompts are mostly fic related)

All Creatures Great And Small (2020):

Fandom Content Notes: It’s a show about vets so there is some animal death. Backstories include mentions of character death, racism, and hinted at abuse.

Pairings requested: Anne/Bert, Dorothy/Mrs. Hall, Dorothy/Mrs. Hall/Siegfried, Helen/James, James/Tristan, Maggie/Tristan

Tumblr Tag for Fandom: All Creatures Great And Small

Fandom Specific Likes: Helen/James/Tristan/Maggie as an N relationship. Helen and Tristan having a very brother-sister like relationship. Helen and Hugh staying friends. Helen and Maggie being friends and having other female friends. James’ chances for success at helping animals seeming to go up when Helen or Tristan is supporting him. Siegfried being accepting of pretty much everything and expressing it in very brisk ways.

Fandom Specific Dislikes: Pregnancy or parenting fics unless the focus is Anne/Bert. Helen and James getting together before she properly breaks up with Hugh. Any appearance of Mrs. Hall’s abusive ex.

Optional Prompts by Pairing:

Anne/Bert: I love Anne and Bert so much. Their whole relationship gives me great joy and Anne is definitely my favorite character. Anything you want to make for these two would be incredible. I’m especially interested in the early days of their relationship, how they fell in love and decided not to fight their feelings. Obviously if you go that route there was a lot of racism they had to deal with, but I would prefer it not be a focus. I’d also be happy to see something set during their marriage.

Dorothy/Mrs. Hall: I would love to hear about their relationship while they were in the Wrens together. Did they meet in the Wrens or did they know each other beforehand? Anything set in canon or later would be lovely as well. When did they realize their feelings? Who fell first?

I am obsessed with the idea of Siegfried being their beard. Maybe he’s actually happy to not find someone else, so he marries Dorothy. Then Dorothy and Mrs. Hall live like the happy couple they are. To outsiders Dorothy and Siegfried are happily married and Mrs. Hall is the housekeeper. But everyone living in Skeldale House knows that Dorothy and Mrs. Hall are in love.

Dorothy/Mrs. Hall/Siegfried: Not exactly a prompt, but if it’s helpful my ideal dynamic for this ship is the Lesbian-Centric Semi-Nonsexual Trouple. I see them as being a healthy triad where each pair connects in a different way and they just enjoy being around each other. I’d love to see how they get together or some established relationship.

I quite like the idea of Mrs. Hall and Dorothy both feeling caught between their growing feelings for Siegfried and their long-running feelings for each other. Meanwhile Siegfried is realizing that he has feelings for both of them and in the end no one has to choose.

Helen/James: I just want to see these two be a couple without having to deal with the fallout of Helen leaving Hugh at the alter. Maybe Helen breaks up with Hugh sooner and she and James share their first kiss at Anne and Bert’s over the puppies. Or they go on a date sometime after the Christmas special. Something that takes place after they’re married would be lovely as well. Although anything going into Helen’s thoughts as she finds herself falling for James would also be fun.

James/Tristan: I saw the clip where they’re hiding from Siegfried and laughing and my first thought was “They’re going to fall in love aren’t they?” I just really love their best friends dynamic and the way they encourage each other into trouble. But I also love how they support each other. I see the romantic part of their relationship as having a lot of snuggles and kisses. For a prompt it could be fun to see them ending up having to share a bed for some reason.

Maggie/Tristan: I don’t have a specific prompt but I really like the idea of their relationship helping them both to grow as people. I’d love to see more of Tristan interacting with David and Maggie falling for how good her boyfriend is with her little brother. Something where they’ve been together for a while and are finally ready to say “I love you” could be very sweet.

-

Highway to Heaven:

Fandom Content Notes: A wide range of injustice and discrimination appear throughout the show. Within the episodes relevant to these ships there’s character death, a suicide attempt, and some ableism.

Pairings requested: Jane | Jennifer/Jonathan, Stella/Mark, Diane/Scotty

Tumblr Tag for Fandom: Highway to Heaven

Fandom Specific Likes: Jonathan is an angel but sometimes he’s still painfully human. (E.G. Getting too emotionally involved with an assignment, his crisis of faith in We Have Forever, his reaction to Mark getting hurt in Going Home, Going Home.) I just really like that Jonathan isn’t perfect and makes mistakes and has strong emotions just like the rest of us.

Exception to no character death: I’m okay with mentions of it in relation to Jonathan and Jane, or Stella, but I don’t want it to be the focus or the ending. I need to see them as angels afterwards if their deaths come up.

Fandom Specific DNW: Ignoring the fact that Scotty is quadriplegic. Making the entire story about Scotty being quadriplegic as though it’s his only trait. Not a hugely important thing, but I would prefer Jonathan and Jennifer not sleep together (except literally) since he doesn’t know that she’s Jane.

Optional Prompts by pairing:

Jonathan/Jane: I am down with basically any story for these two that you want to tell.

How they fell in love. Scenes from their marriage. Missing scenes between the two in Keep Smiling.

What it was like for Jane to become Jennifer and be given the first assignment of helping her husband regain his faith? A missing scene from their two months together.

Something where they meet again later, either between assignments, sharing an assignment, or being reunited in heaven when they’ve both earned their wings.

Scotty/Diane: A Match Made in Heaven is my absolute favorite episode, I would love literally anything based on it. For a video you’re welcome to use content from any or all of their episodes of course, but I would also be just as happy with one based entirely on this episode.

I’d also love the missing scene of their wedding, or scenes from their married life, or something with them being parents.

Mark/Stella: I’d love to see scenes from their time together or something where The Boss lets them see each other again. I would absolutely adore something where Mark meets Stella’s adult daughter.

-

Sesame Street:

Pairings requested: Linda/Bob, Maria/Linda, Maria/Luis, Maria/David, Harriet/Mr. Hooper, Susan/Gordon, Mr. Macintosh/Willy, Maria/Luis/David, Susan/Gordon/Bob, Bob/David/Linda/Luis/Maria/Olivia

Tumblr Tag for Fandom: Sesame Street

Fandom Specific Likes: Mr. Hooper lives. No one ages. The characters making sure to sign for Linda so that she knows what’s going on. Miles and Gabi being best friends. Bob and Maria being metamours and having a very sibling-like relationship. Mr. Hooper refusing to tell anyone what his orientation is. Big Bird basically being everyone’s child. Bob being in both of the above polyamorous relationships at the same time.

Fandom Specific DNW: Anything involving the death of Mr. Hooper. Making Linda hearing instead of Deaf.

Optional Prompts by Pairing:

All of these pairings I’d be happy with anything you want to write but here are a few thoughts.

Linda/Bob: If they had gotten married, what would their wedding look like? What kind of dates do they go on?

According to episode summaries on The Muppet wiki, Bob writes songs for Linda and she teaches him American Sign Language. I would love to see either or both of those things.

Maria/Linda: When Linda first arrives on Sesame Street, Maria is the person who’s the most fluent in ASL and that leads to her and Linda becoming friends quickly. Linda learning some Spanish sign language so she and Maria can both speak Spanish.

Harriet/Mr. Hooper: Based on reading the Muppet wiki, I got the feeling that David’s Grandma Harriet and Mr. Hooper are quietly dating and I would love to see more of that. In season 11 Mr. Hooper, Mr. Macintosh, and Willy took Harriet to a dance. How did that go? Did they start dating after that?

Mr. Macintosh/Willy: My headcanon is that they’re basically the street’s gay uncles. They’re been together for basically forever and everyone adores them. They’re also Mr. Hooper’s best friends. I’d love to see how they got together when they were younger.

Susan/Gordon: I would dearly love some fic about how they met and fell in love. Or a fic about how they decided that they were ready to be parents and that they wanted to adopt. Maybe something with them geeking out together over science.

Maria/David/Luis: The only logical solution to the Maria/David, Maria/Luis relationships. I actually shipped David/Luis before I shipped Maria/David, so I definitely view this as a full triad.

How do they get together? Are two of them together first and then the third joins them? Or do they become a triad all at once? What do their dates as a triad look like? Do the three of them ever go dancing?

How do they decide to get married? To become parents? Does it matter which of Maria’s husbands is Gabi’s biological father or do they only know for medical history reasons?

Maria/Luis or Maria/David: I don’t have anything specific for these, but I thought I would ask for them anyway.

Susan/Gordon/Bob: Did they know each other before Sesame Street or did they meet there? When did they get together? One thing I really like is the idea of them having gone to college together and getting up to hijinks. I would love to see some of that. How involved is Bob in parenting Miles?

Bob/David/Linda/Luis/Maria/Olivia: The ship of my heart. My personal perspective is that every part of this relationship is romantic except for Bob and Maria. Bob and Maria adore each other but their relationship with each other is platonic.

Do they ever manage to all share a bed comfortably or are there too many of them and someone ends up on the floor? The six of them go out on date and are mistaken for being three couples so they try to see how obvious they can make it that it’s all six of them. Is it ever hard to parent Gabi when there are six parents?

-

Singin’ In The Rain:

Pairings requested: Kathy/Don/Cosmo

Tumblr Tag for Fandom: Singin’ In The Rain

Fandom Specific Likes: Cosmo being Aro-Ace. The relationship being queerplatonic at least in regards to Cosmo. The characters randomly breaking into song and dance like in canon.

Fandom Specific Dislikes: The common fanon that Cosmo and/or Don had abusive families.

Optional Prompts: I actually don’t really have anything specific here. I just think that the world always needs more of these three.

-

WordGirl:

Pairings requested: Becky/Violet/Tobey/Scoops, TJ/Johnson

Tumblr Tag for Fandom: WordGirl

Fandom Specific Likes: Tobey realizing that he’s loved. Tobey’s robots being sweet. Becky getting to tell Tobey that she’s WordGirl on her own terms. Becky feeling comfortable telling her family that she’s WordGirl.

Fandom Specific Dislikes: Angst. These are children so I’d prefer they not show affection with anything more than a handhold or maybe a kiss on the cheek, unless they’re aged up.

Optional Prompts by Pairing: I’m happy with any kind of cute content for either of these pairings. I would especially like to see a get together.

I also read a fic once where Becky and TJ were allowed to invite their friends on a Botsford family trip to a cabin on a lake. Scoops and Violet couldn’t go in the fic, but I keep wondering what it would be like if they did and Becky was there with her mutual crushes and TJ was there with his.

[suprememeleader-blog]

Hey! I don't know if this blog is still active but I'll ask anyway. 274 and 362 weren't shown to interact much in the series even if they're both in Global Command. What do you think their relationship is like?

I am still active! Just a little slow because I’m facin’ some awful artist’s block. I totally dig questions like this though! Anyway.

There’s only a couple times 274 and 362 appear on screen together — and to top it off, they’re with 100. Wondering when this is? It’s during Kuki’s induction to the Kids Next Door during her flashbacks in OPERATION: H.O.M.E., since My First Rainbow Monkey was with her and during OPERATION: MAURICE, when they’re still very, very little. ( Edit: Also in OPERATION: FUGITIVE, where he's seen as... very afraid of an angry 362, which I'm pretty sure, even though he's Supreme Leader, he sees a lot directed towards him. ) 

Due to Chad’s speech back in OPERATION: E.N.D., I’d like to assume he didn’t really fully lead the Kids Next Door for five years, instead holding a co-op leadership with Numbuh 100. This being — Numbuh 362 is/was top spy during most of her time in the Kids Next Door and it’s likewise Numbuh 274 was a desk officer or something of the like.

I want to assume Numbuh 100 took on several progeny, hence the swarm of younger cadets during OPERATION: MAURICE, to train them to become potential Supreme Leaders. ( And we later found out who made the cut, and who didn’t. ) He has a keen eye for cadets, I think, seeing as though a lot of the reoccurring characters he had ( sans Numbuh 12, oops. ) went on to hold higher positions. 

Aaaaaaaanyway I got severely off topic here.

If anything, I want to assume they either had no relationship, or had a minor one due to their shared time under Numbuh 100… If they had any form of relationship I could see it as platonic, an overachieving older brother wanting nothing more than to ridicule and tease his little sister, or they could be great friends.

There’s also a possibility of it being romantic. Seeing as though they are kids. ( Nigel had a girlfriend and he was ten. ) I’d like to assume Numbuh 362 is about the age of 12 when Chad turns 13 - 14, so there’s not much of an age difference. ( Don’t bash me for the possibility of shipping the kids and teens, I look for those age gaps. )

For me, I usually go with the platonic route — they’d be sparring partners, Numbuh 274 always dumping his paperwork on Numbuh 362 because he wants to go out on missions instead. Her getting mad at him for doing so, etc. Uuuuh, at the end of the day, I still call them friends.

( Most kids think they’re related anyway, with how much they look alike and act alike… oops! Pretty sure The Steve calls Numbuh 362 a ‘ Mini - Chad ’ at the Diplomat Meetings. It does not go over well. )

[alittlefangirlish]

Dear Prime Time Player,

First of all, thank you so much for writing a story just for me! It's pretty awesome! If you haven't noticed, my generalities don't really change. I'm pretty predictable.

What I Like kid!fic (as in, the characters have kids, not the character are kids - toddler age is perfect), crushes/beginning of relationship (the concept of the feelings coming to fruition and both parties going, "WTF is going on? Why am I acting this way around him/her?" is one of my favorite fandom tropes), smut is always good, flirting.

What I Don't Like Incest, bestiality and molestation are my only three sexual squicks, fandom has desensitized me to everything else. Character bashing. Yes, I'm generally a slasher but that doesn't mean I hate the female (or in the case of a femslash ship, male) characters (or, if I do, it's for reasons unrelated to "I ship his/her love interest with his/her best (fe)male friend and s/he gets in the way of the gay sex"). On that note, I also hate when writers completely disregard canon pairings. As much as I don't want them to, they exist. If you're gonna break them up, let us know how it happened. Please. And now onto my specifics!

Requested Fandom #1: Osomatsu-san, Choromatsu/Totoko I found it interesting that Totoko chose Choromatsu to be her manager when she started her singing career. Why Choromatsu of all the brothers?

Totoko's debut episode made me ship Choromatsu and Totoko. (Oops.) But it always made me wonder why on Earth did she pick Chroromatsu out of all of the brothers. What does he have that the other brothers don't? And does this mean Choromatsu actually gets lucky with Totoko?

Requested Fandom #2: Yuri!!! On Ice, Victor/Yuuri, Mila/Sara, Phitchit/Yuuri For Victor/Yuuri: Something future set. Maybe they've adopted a couple kids and they're showing interest in skating? Or even showing interest in another sport and Victor and Yuuri don't know how to handle it. Or maybe even they decide they don't want kids, and just enjoy retired life. Maybe they do exhibition skates, or commentate skating events?

For Mila/Sara: Mickey doesn't have to worry about boys grabbing Sara's attention, because she doesn't even like them.

For Phitchit/Yuuri: First times? Exploring feelings? Phitchit is there to comfort Yuuri after his GPF disaster at the beginning?

Victor/Yuuri: Oh man, these two. I love them and how they love each other so much. I see their love just growing as they spend more time together. And I just want more of them growing older together, and enjoying life without practices and traveling and competitions.

Mila/Sara: I both love and hate how Mickey is so worried about Sara getting with a boy, that I think it would blow his mind if Sara hooked up with Mila and was all, "You were wrong all the way brother."

Phitchit/Yuuri: This would be my main YOI ship if Victor/Yuuri hadn't happened the way it did, and I do love them a lot even with Yuuri's affections being elsewhere. I feel like Phitchit would be the first one to run to Yuuri after what happened at the GPF, and how he plans to comfort Yuuri is up to you. I can also see these two being each other's "first time," maybe while training in Detroit.

Requested Fandom #3: Voltron: Legendary Defender, Hunk/Lance, Allura/Pidge, Keith/Shiro

For Hunk/Lance: Either something Garrison set, or something post S2.

For Allura/Pidge: Girls' Night Out (or In), Space Mall trip, maybe admittance of feelings?

For Keith/Shiro: For them I really just want a post-S2 reunion fic.

Hunk/Lance: I immediately latched on to these two and they became My Ship the moment I watched the show. They are the embodiment of the Friends to Lovers trope and I couldn't help but fall for them. I either wanna see something before or during the Garrison (were they friends prior to joining, or did they meet their first year of school?), or something set post-S2. If you go the post-S2 route, something that really resonated with me was something someone else pointed out once: After the events of "The Depths" (S2E02), the once touchy feely Hunk didn't touch Lance the entire rest of that season. I would really love a fic exploring that. Was it coincidence? Is Hunk scared he would hurt Lance? Does it bother Lance?

Allura/Pidge: I feel like if these two were given proper relationship development, they would become good friends. I can see them bonding over their hate/contempt of the Galra for ripping their families (and in Allura's case, her entire way of life) from her to start, then learning that they have a lot more in common. (Basically finally having that conversation Allura was trying to have in S1E05 when she was trying to get Pidge to admit she's actually a girl, only with much more success since the circumstances have changed.) I also feel that Pidge is much girlier than we've seen in canon (I mean, she wears a dress in flashbacks/the photo of her and Matt), and I think they would bond over that as well.

Keith/Shiro: This is my newest ship in this fandom, after I realized they have a similar dynamic to Hunk and Lance (the Friends to Lovers). I have a feeling their reunion (since that leak revealed that Shiro is alive and well and a battling badass with Matt) will be very emotional. Full of tears and hugs and "I thought I'd never see you again!"s and all that mushy stuff.

Requested Fandom #4: Guardians of the Galaxy, Groot & Rocket, Drax/Peter

For Groot & Rocket: The chronicles of Groot growing up again.

For Drax/Peter: Drax lost his family to Thanos. He forged a new family with the Guardians. All he's missing is love.

Sidenote: I know assignments are going out right before Vol. 2 hits theaters (in the US at least), but stories will be due long after the release. If you want to include Vol. 2 spoilers in your fic, by all means, go ahead.

Groot & Rocket: These two are my ultimate BroTP. The range of emotions Rocket went through when he first thought Groot was dead, and then when he came back to life. And what we've seen of Baby Groot in the Vol. 2 looks totally adorable. But what is Groot's awkward teen phase like? And does he have memories of the events of the first movie (if that isn't touched on in Vol. 2 already)?

Drax/Peter: I'm not gonna lie, the Vol. 2 trailers made me ship these two. I'd love to see these two grow and bond and let one thing lead to another.

Requested Fandom #5: Mystic Messenger, Jaehee/MC, 707/MC, Jumin/V

For Jaehee/MC: Love in the coffee shop

For 707/MC: Making their own space station

For Jumin/V: Either something set in the past, or an alternate future where they get to be together.

Jaehee/MC: Oh, Jaehee, Jaehee, Jaehee. I did not expect her to be my breakout favorite in this game (I really wanted Yoosung!) but I ended up playing her route first and was shipping these two almost immediately. I want Jaehee to stop friendzoning MC and give her the romantic ending she deserves with her as much as she deserves with the boys (the Christmas DLC came close, but still not there!)

707/MC: I have to admit, I hadn’t fallen for Seven at first (I was a Yoosung girl!) but the more I learned about him the more he seemed to be right up my alley, so I quickly switched gears and was under Seven’s spell. I think his little “Let’s get married in the space station!” is cute, but obviously impractical, so instead they decide to build their own little space station here on Earth.

Jumin/V: Childhood friends, how could I not? If you decide not to go pre-canon, then make it where certain canon events (you know which ones) didn't happen so these two can be together. (Also this is my one exception to the "don't vilify the canon love interest rule," because by all means vilify Rika if need be. She's a terrible person.)

Requested Fandom #6: Ben 10, Ben/Kevin, Gwen/Julie

For Ben/Kevin: Ben and Kevin drag race, winner chooses prize

For Gwen/Julie: I'd love to see them fighting some aliens without Ben or Kevin's help.

Ben/Kevin: Ben is a badass, Kevin is a badass, and well… slash goggles go on when it comes to Ben and Kevin. But! This prompt doesn’t have to be all about the slash. They are still two teenaged boys with some pretty badass cars, so this could go anywhere.

Gwen/Julie: While they have been shown to be able to hold their own in canon, they still seem to be reduced to love interests/token girls. Maybe something where the boys get themselves captured and the girls have to save them? Or even something not involving the boys at all?

[lizzybeth1986]

Very Slow Thoughts on TRH Book 1 Chapter 8

• This chapter is meh. It's basically a full chapter of the writers taking the Walker ranch portion of the story, and stretching it like chewing gum at this point. I was pretty much sleepwalking through this one tbh.

• The only interesting bit in this was the Drake childhood scene, but because the initial scenes will always be slight buildup to the actual meat of the backstory - rather than the story itself - its placement in a chapter as dull as this one doesn't exactly do it any favours.

• To avoid seeing these posts on your dash, you can block the following tags: #trh quick thoughts, #trh qts, #trh qt reblogs, #long post

• Screenshot Credits:

Drake: @thefirstcourtesan and the HIMEME YouTube channel

Hana: The Abhirio YouTube channel

I'm sorry I don't have any Maxwell screenshots this time around, since I couldn't find it on YouTube, and I wasn't able to ask permission for screenshots on time. As soon as a video of his route is up on YouTube, I'll try adding the collages with his screenshots up. But I do have a tiny gist of what happens in certain portions of his playthrough, thanks to Tumblr, so I'll put those up as quotes.

• Title: Ride Like The Wind

Alternate Title: There Are Other Things My MC Could Be Riding...But Okay

• We begin with the sisters (yeah Leona and Bianca are back to being sisters now), worrying over how they'll get their cattle to the upcoming auction on time since every ranch hand they'd reached out for help pretty much declined.

• Not only is stubbornness a family trait, but so is the tendency to judge people at face value (I'm looking at you, Leona).

• There are a bunch of parallels between the Walker Ranch situation and the Beaumont house one in Book 1: both for the Regatta and the Beaumont Bash. Only difference is, the writers won't bother to expand much on Beaumont History but throw around every minute detail they can imagine for Drake's family (IIRC, even the mystery in Beaumont House in Book 1 was mostly Savannah related).

• Even in moments of dire need, Leona HAS to slip in snide remarks about people she barely knows.

Slight variation on the third option, if you're married to Drake. The other two highlight either the fact that the MC spent most of her life as a commoner and could think on her feet, and the second establishes that she has at least some riding experience. Leona pokes fun at you for both, but has the sense to not deliver much of her unwanted opinion for the third (besides stating they don't have much of a choice).

• The MC also highlights the benefit of bringing the others along: Hana and Liam have a lot of riding experience, Drake is 'capable' and 'outdoorsy' and for some reason Maxwell is known only for his enthusiasm (even though Beaumont House HAS horses and a stable and the Brothers Beaumont would have had SOME experience at the very least 🤷🏽‍♀ [Didn't the Beaumont Bash involve letting in a couple horses into the house? I doubt those horses would even be there if those two didn't know how to ride and manage them]).

Hands down my favourite line in this chapter (Liam's king voice one comes a close second). I really love this because in stories like TRR/D&D, there's always that divide between nobility vs commoner, aesthetics vs utility...and in dialogues like these you can really see that difference. It reminds me a little of one of my favourite scenes from D&D Book 1, where Briar looks at the MC's embroidery and wonders aloud how a pretty piece like this would be of any use to anyone.

• The suede is fine but there's too much going on with the rest of the outfit for me to really admire it. Our LIs obviously don't agree with me:

Drake and Liam have the same dialogue, Hana and Maxwell have different ones. (in Maxwell's he tells her he is ready to "serenade my amazingly dressed, darlin' wife").

• Everyone gets their horses (Bianca gives King Liam a gentler horse so she doesn't end up indirectly harming a king, and Leona gives Bertrand a rough horse on purpose. Because Bertrand has to be on his best behaviour he agrees despite his initial fears).

• Hmm. Chuck finds out about the lack of help via a rumour. Hmmmm. Bertrand gets as skittish as his horse until the MC and Bianca remind him that they might as well take all the help they need.

• So the task is to ensure that the group reaches the big fair on time (or before) so that the sisters have enough time to prepare for their auction. Since they're short of staff and have a lot of cattle, every minute counts.

• There are roughly 3 tests that can ensure we get there on time if we pass:

- help move a group of stubborn cows from the six dozen we're taking to the auction (you can either say giddyup or scream out silly idioms that they won't understand). If you don't say giddyup, Drake will say it for you.

- Move the herd of cows away from a mud patch on the way. Drake suggests a move he and Savannah used to do as kids called The Cyclone, where 1-2 people get in the way of the herd and the riders come from another side to steer them away. This ensures that they get the cows away from the mud patch. This one is the most time-sensitive of the three, because if we fail this one a lot of time gets spent in getting the cows that fell into the mud patch out of the muck and onto the path again.

- Get a cow wandering through the stream out of it safely using a lasso. The problem arises when the cow starts fidgeting while you're taking them back. Here is where your suede outfit has an advantage, because if you choose "grip the pommel with your hands" and almost fall off the horse, the sturdy outfit will ensure you're safe.

-

All of this results either in you getting the cattle to the auction way before time with an hour to spare, or so late that they reach after the auction itself has begun. In the second option, Leona is nervous about their chances but Bianca insists that they did better than they could have done alone.

• Some stuff that you learn/that happens on the way:

- Chuck calls Leona Miss Walker, so is Walker really Bianca's surname rather than Jackson's? Jackson is also referred to as Jackson Walker. So whose nickname was it initially?

- Wild West Nicknames:

* Maxwell can either be Mad Maxwell or Maxwell 'Calamity' Beaumont. Both nicknames from the MC speak of his tendency to veer towards chaos, or his boundless energy.

* Liam is simply called King Liam because PB is fucking lazy.

* Drake is called The Lone Ranger by Hana, and Hana is called Lucky Lee by Drake.

* The MC can choose her nickname - Cow Boss, Jewel of the Prairie and Wild [Surname]. The second is a nice callback to both one of Valtoria's House mottos (Jewel of the Earth) and a name that Maxwell gives to a caviar dish for the Beaumont Bash (Jewels of the Sea). Personally I think the second one is a better parallel since the Beaumont House situation was already a precursor to what is going on with the Walker Ranch.

-

Well yes Liam, on people.

That aside...Jesus Christ is this man adorable.

- Alright, so much as I can't stand Leona? At least she has a legitimate ax to grind with Cordonian monarchy. Why the hell is CHUCK being like her and acting all condescending?? The closest thing to a 'noble' he's been around was Savannah and they barely even had anything together if we go by what Savannah says. What is he, the shit stirrer of Walker Ranch?

-

I have two points to make about this:

1. Constantine...is a fucking asshole. Most of us knew that. I think TRH just seems to be expanding more on that.

2. Sooo...exactly what was Constantine like before the Nevrakis ppl did what they did coz at this point he sounds like an utter failure in every way imaginable. His wife seems to have serious issues with him at this point, he's too busy fighting to spend any time with his kids (well. at least the one the writers remember), has neglected his friend Hakim, doesn't have good political relations with anyone, screws over the King Guard who he gave a Guardian of the Realm honour to earlier, for saving his life...after the man has died.

3. Leona pretty much doesn't seem to care about anything else besides the money Bianca could have been bringing in. It's the main thing she mentions when we first meet her, and it's the front and center of what she's telling us now. What Bianca was going through, the fact that her kids were left behind in an environment that was seemingly not a good one for them - she hasn't mentioned this so far in any of her more obvious complaints towards the nobility. I mean, is that the first thing you think about when your sister returns to her maternal home after such a devastating tragedy? Really??

4. The other funny thing is...she complains about not getting compensation from the royalty yet forgets that for a whole year or more when Bianca and Leona were not there for her (not their fault obviously, since she likely never told them)...it was a noble family's money that supported Savannah and Bartie. The money of the same Bertrand Leona is now enjoying lording over. I guess she would only know this if she were actually giving her sister's children the time of day, and I have hardly seen her do so, so far.

• Once we reach the fair and the sisters have moved forward to where the auction is happening, we are allowed to check out the rest of the fair. Cue diamond scene!

• I kinda think of this as a Group-LI kind of diamond scene - one where you spend time with the characters, but not separately. In a usual group scene they interact and do stuff together before you get time alone with them, but here, the group interactions are minimal and you get time with each LI in different situations. If you are married to said LI, the dialogues are obviously more romantic.

Drake: Opts for bull riding. He's shocked at the number of waivers he has to sign before participating, has a tough time atop the bull BUT manages to stay on longer than the rest. The rest of the group cheers him on as he comes out victorious, and the MC can either be baffled at his daring, or try it out herself.

The MC who is Drake's wife can opt to kiss him just before he participates and tell him to be safe.

Maxwell: Asks us to join in a tandem pie eating competition with him. The MC and Maxwell can either easily win, or be disqualified for starting a pie fight. Either way, the experience is a blast.

As Maxwell's wife, you get to kiss him after you've won/gotten disqualified, and tell him how his ability to make you laugh and have fun is exactly why your marriage is so amazing. (as Maxwell puts it: "never a dull day and more pie eating contests than you'd expect").

Hana: Has found a dressage-trained horse, and is happily getting the horse to do a perfect figure-eight. What follows is a heartfelt conversation about what home means to her, all the possibilities she can now freely explore, and the changes she has experienced. You can either tell her about her tendency to be competitive (something she apparently did not know herself...uh, yeah, sure), or her love and loyalty towards her friends.

As Hana's wife, you can kiss her, tell her you're falling more and more in love with her each day, and Hana gets to tell you that for her, home is where you are.

Liam: Has learned how to make a lasso from a local at the fair. He speaks of how places like these make him feel like he perhaps may understand his own people better, even if these activities are not what the court would expect or approve of from a king. He can show a few rope tricks to the MC, like catching a chair with a lasso, or be 'captured' by the MC.

As Liam's wife, there's the opportunity to flirt either by using the lasso on Liam, or asking him to tie you up.

• Savannah gives an update from Bertrand on how the cattle drive has gone, and Drake brings along some Texas barbeque. The group love it, but the MC finds it a little too much on the spicier side (bold of you, team TRH, to think I can't handle the seasoning in Texas when I have numbed my tongue on bird's-eye chilis!).

• Gah. The paps again. But this time, we're prepared and able to put a positive spin on our trip to Texas (this is either a romantic getaway to ensure we conceive a child, supporting a local business, attending the wedding of a noble) and the paparazzo runs with it. Chuck comes to our 'rescue' a minute later and Savannah is very appreciative.

• Tensions continue brewing beneath the surface between Bertrand and Chuck. Chuck tries to bond with Bartie, who is naturally a friendly child, and Bertrand isn't able to hide how he feels about this. You get to either deflect the situation by telling Bertrand to show Bartie how a "Beaumont high-five" works, or by telling Chuck not to cut into Bartie's animal petting time.

• Savannah complains. Only improvement is that at least this time she mentions that she's spoken to Bertrand and even then he feels he has something to prove (gee, Savannah, I wonder why. It's not like your AUNT has anything to do with that, for sure!)

• "Whatever's going on with Bertrand, I hope he figures it out before our wedding". 'Because I sure as hell don't care', Savannah forgot to add. Like...the root of his current insecurities is right in front of her. Right in her family. Leona has been rubbing it in that he is a 'useless noble' ever since he's been here (even giving him a skittish horse on purpose) and not once has Savannah ever said a thing - either in front of Bertrand, or secretly to us in all the times she's been complaining about him. That's a...surprisingly cavalier attitude for someone getting married to this guy in a couple days.

• Seeing Bertrand, Savannah and Bartie as a family leads the MC and LI to talk about their own search for a family. Nowadays I generally tap over a scene like this because I personally find the MC having the option to be upset and sorry for herself about not being pregnant, a little annoying. I wouldn't under normal circumstances, considering what this book is about (in fact I would be quite happy) - but I think I'm allowed to feel sore over the fact that the MC unfairly gets the space to feel about this the way others can't. So yeah, for me scenes like these are not worth talking about.

• We're back at the ranch, where the group laughs and reminisces over the last trip some of them (Liam, Drake, Savannah) took to the ranch, and the strongest memory we here about is of Jackson, Drake's father who was once Constantine and Eleanor's security detail.

• In our second childhood diamond scene, we are taken back to their last visit to the ranch, where a rather unwell Eleanor is protected by Jackson, and where the children witness a fight between the king and queen. Drake and Jackson have a conversation in the stables later, where the father evades questions about Constantine and Eleanor from a very worried son, and instead chooses to ask him questions about his future. Here are the things I could glean from the scenes:

- Bianca doesn't get a younger sprite here even though she is present in the scene, and there's a chance that they're maybe saving that for a flashback scene for her (?)

- Eleanor's meant to appear unwell, tired and very unlike herself in this sequence - and even if we've just met her it's quite clear that something is off with her. She is shown looking weary a couple of times, and Jackson says "easy does it" at one point. She shows a lot more frustration towards Constantine than in the last scene, calling him out for his paranoia and asking him if his questions (about her wanting an alliance with Auvernal) are an order from the king rather than a request from her husband. Even Constantine points out that she is not herself.

- Other than Auvernal being her maternal home, what else do we know about her connections there? (besides that telling quote by Bradshaw about Eleanor always graciously welcoming them - which interestingly seems to leave out Constantine). I feel like the upcoming trip there next chapter is going to give us an insight into that.

- There is a heavy emphasis on Liam and Drake's friendship, and Drake's feeling of 'responsibility' towards Liam...which I think is kind of a pointer to the whole question of him returning to court after the assassination and staying with Liam when they're older. Even his conversation with Jackson has the latter mentioning that he would be of the most help if he keeps Liam and his parents happy during their time in the ranch.

- The ending itself shows a significant shift from Drake's attitude towards Liam in the first half (playful, friendly, wants Liam to be safe around his mother's home) to the last (protective, determined to cheer Liam up and more reflective). This scene is clearly a Drake scene through and through and the approach is very different from the first set of childhood scenes. This might be how childhood solo scenes will be dealt with from now on.

- Jackson also mentions not being able to speak openly about the problems between Constantine and Eleanor, and Liam tells us later on that he was kind of a confidant to both of them. Jackson also mentions in the stable scenes that he is responsible for keeping them alive but not for their personal problems. The perfect King Guard. Constantine is an ass for denying his family compensation (but also I wonder if there is more to that story the way they frame it. I hope they don't try to force another of those "it was for the good of Cordoniaaaaa" excuses the writers always keep ready for Constantine.

- If Olivia was so suspicious, why were they leaving her behind?

- There are significant differences between the Drake playthrough and other playthroughs in terms of certain scenes. One lies in the options little Drake can make with regards to his future. The third options in both playthroughs show indicators of his future. If present-day Drake is single in your playthrough, it will focus on his desire for a simpler life. If he is married now, then the flashback will include this:

The other two options are Drake speaking about wanting to be a King Guard like his dad, and wanting to stay Liam's best friend. The King Guard thing obviously doesn't happen, the second one happens because Liam almost died. The third one is more clearly a pointer to Drake's future.

- Another significant variation if you are married to Drake is that you have a conversation with him after the scene is over, about his thoughts on his child becoming an heir to the throne:

Reminds me of the conversation we had at the American bar. On the one hand, I like this because as an outsider in the court and someone close to the security detail at the time, he would think of Liam's life very differently. Kids are impressionable, and ostentatious shows of wealth in front of a kid who cannot afford that much can definitely sting.

- Hmm. Hmm. So Liam's sacrifices only become important to Drake when his own kid might face the same challenges? Until then he will yap about how much luckier Liam is and how everything revolves around Liam? How girls were after Liam and not him (yet the one girl who did like him, he eventually treated like trash)? How he thought of Liam as "leading the MC on" by spending time with her when they first met/during the social season? (that's an actual dialogue he says, in Book 3 Chapter 16). Added to this is the fact that Drake stayed in the palace for free, as Liam's friend, and hardly had to do much (he freely roams around the cities Liam has to visit for diplomatic reasons, he can opt out of court events when he wants, he doesn't even have to dress the way others do - even the MC that doesn't buy outfits has to wear a gown that represents her sponsors/duchy for official events). Now when it's convenient for Drake he chooses to think about the flip side? When that flip side should have been the most obvious to him, the Prince/King's best friend??

• The setup for the next chapter comes in the form of a letter from Auvernal, asking the MC to meet them. Well. It's not Texas, so I'll take it.

General Thoughts:

- I don't have a lot to say about this chapter. There's not much really. It's boring and bland and even the nice Drake childhood scene at the end can't save it.

- Bianca's little line about not wanting to harm a King on her ranch...I feel like part of it may be concern because Liam was after all her son's best friend, and part of it may be wariness because of Constantine? But a lot of this is definitely me reading too much into this one little line 😅

- It does have some decent callbacks though:

* Team TRH FINALLY remembers that Hana has done dressage, which was shown to us as far back as TRR Book 1 Chapter 13. Brava!

* The whole premise of a family struggling with money problems and us offering help and getting the job done, is very reminiscent of the pre-Beaumont Bash sequences where we were scrambling together appetizers, helping with cleaning and setting up the ballroom for the big event. It's kind of ironic because the Beaumonts were in this position once, and now at least 3 books later they are involved in helping the sisters get the cattle drive going.

* The pie fight in Maxwell's section of the diamond scene has some similarities to the food fight in the fondue party scene in Book 2.

* Hana's response to eating barbeque strongly resembles how she approaches eating sloppy joes in Book 1, at the beach party. Back there, she is nervous about sampling the food because it is messy, and here she initially asks about utensils to eat it with, to which Maxwell says "you have ten of them!" referring to her fingers.

* The Jewel nickname for the MC, which we've seen versions of before in Book 1 and Book 3.

* A lighter version of the MC-Drake conversation in the Drake x MC playthrough can be found in the American bar scene in Book 1, where he speaks about how his parents always tried to get him things for his birthday but Liam's parents always went many steps ahead simply because they could afford it.

* Drake being called the Lone Wolf by Hana, which was something the MC could opt to dub herself in her interview at the Derby in Book 1? (a bit of a stretch I know but I'm having fun with this okay 😂)

- Could a kind anon (or not-anon) tell me if there is a reference behind 'Lucky Lee'? In fact behind all the names except maybe the Lone Wolf one for Drake. I couldn't find any hehehe.

- Now that we're going to Auvernal, I think we'll find (paywalled) clues there that might tell us more about Eleanor. Those clues about her changed behaviour and physical condition must have been placed exactly here for a reason.

- Usually Chapters 9 or 10 have been chapters that dealt with some aspect of Constantine and his family (his abdication + news of his impending death in Book 1, discovery of his involvement in the conspiracy in Book 2, and his death in Book 3). So now would be the perfect time to discover the truth about Eleanor and her relationship with Constantine, and what was troubling her.

- One theory I have is that Eleanor's being slow-poisoned, and these may be symptoms of what she is having. @thefirstcourtesan mentioned that pregnancy could be a reason too, and it would be another connecting factor with the MC. One thing that I do feel a little certain about is that this trip to Texas may have been a little while before she died.

- How is it that the narrative has absolutely no memory of the fact that Leo was once heir to the throne? I can imagine him not being very close to Liam-Drake-Maxwell or being a teenager who didn't want to be around his father (esp if that father is acting the way Constantine does in these scenes)...but not even a reference? A mention? You have the time to draw an entire sprite of little Savannah who pretty much has very little to do with this part of the story (or any part of the overall story) but Leo isn't even mentioned? Sounds a little fishy to me.

- I possibly wouldn't have minded Savannah's complaining and lack of proactiveness with the Bertrand situation, if their entire storyline didn't revolve around her being this "perfect angel" Bertrand has to be worthy of, and Bertrand's mistakes repeatedly being pulled up while Savannah doesn't have to answer much for the occasions where she is irrational or hasn't made good decisions. What we're seeing now is just an extension of this particular storyline.

- You can tell that the original epilogue series was meant to revolve around the Walker Ranch coz whatever we're seeing here is probably way way more than we have seen of Cordonia so far. There are frantic attempts to tie this to the overall plotline, but within the larger picture it makes very little sense.

Like I hate the paparazzi in the series and even then I found myself agreeing when he pointed out that it was weird that half the Royal Council was roaming around Texas.

- Speaking of the Council I wonder what the other court ladies were doing while we were at the fair. Sleeping off those hangovers?

- There could be other childhood/flashback scenes coming up. We will need an adult perspective, so Bianca might get one. Olivia needs to be seen as important and relevant to the plot (plus Constantine was shitty to her too), so she will get one.

- I wonder why Bastien had such a loyalty and attachment to Queen Eleanor (as stated in Book 2 by Regina) if he actually wasn't that close to the royal couple then (Jackson seems to fulfill that role here). I'm pretty sure they're probably going to ignore/forget that little detail.

- Will Hana and Maxwell get flashback scenes? They should, and there are ways you could incorporate that even if they weren't involved as much. Maxwell's could (FINALLY) focus on what happened to his family fortunes and you could slip in a little something about the palace there. Hana's could focus on her family and also have Lorelai catch up on Cordonian news/talk to her Cordonian relatives. Liam needs a solo scene of his own too, because after this I'm pretty sure his life takes a turn for the worse. If Hana and Maxwell (but esp Hana) don't get one...that's going to be extremely disheartening because they deserve way more attention than what they're getting now. I'm sincerely hoping we see more of their childhood memories too.

- You know what I'm REALLY looking forward to? Writing TRR 1's Chapter 8 QT. I'm very fond of that chapter and have a whole bunch of points to make about it 😀

- Until the next chapter, everyone!

[alittlefangirlish]

Dear Chocolatier,

First of all, thank you so much for writing a story just for me!

To start, some of my general likes/dislikes:

What I Like kid!fic (as in, the characters have kids, not the character are kids - toddler age is perfect), crushes/beginning of relationship (the concept of the feelings coming to fruition and both parties going, “WTF is going on? Why am I acting this way around him/her?” is one of my favorite fandom tropes), smut is always good, flirting.

What I Don’t Like Incest, bestiality and molestation are my only three sexual squicks, fandom has desensitized me to everything else. Character bashing. Yes, I’m generally a slasher but that doesn’t mean I hate the female (or in the case of a femslash ship, male) characters (or, if I do, it’s for reasons unrelated to “I ship his/her love interest with his/her best (fe)male friend and s/he gets in the way of the gay sex”). On that note, I also hate when writers completely disregard canon pairings. As much as I don’t want them to, they exist. If you’re gonna break them up, let us know how it happened. Please. And now, my specifics!

Requested Fandom #1: Backstreet Boys, Brian/Nick or Howie/AJ

For either pairing: Backstage hijinks? Tour bus loving? Or maybe a high school, college, or workplace AU?

I love both of these pairings and either would be lovely for me (if you even wanted to include both pairings, that would be amazing but don't feel like you have to do that!) I'm a major sucker for AUs over straight canon, but if you prefer to write canon, please please please do not have any of them cheat on their wives. (And if there is smut, set it when all parties involved are at least 18, thanks.)

Requested Fandom #2: The Sims, Pascal/Nervous

He's always looking toward the stars for love, but the love he needs is right down here on Earth

This is a prompt for these two that has been floating around in my head for quite a long time. Pascal, being the Knowledge Sim that he is, is fascinated with the stars to the point that he hasn't had time to forge many friendships on Earth, Nervous being an exception. And Nervous, wanting to settle down and have a family, as well as Pascal being his only friend, may develop feelings for Pascal and want to be a second father to Tycho (and yes I see Tycho as the "canon" name for Pascal's baby).

Requested Fandom #3: Voltron: Legendary Defender, Hunk/Lance

Anything either set during the Garrison days, or even post S2.

(I know S2 won't release until about a week or so after assignments go out, but I will be watching it very soon after and will definitely have watched it by the time stories are revealed, so if you get a plot bunny from it, go wild!)

I love these two! They are the cutest pair and everything about them hits all of my shipping buttons, because they are good and pure and best friends and that it all I ever want in a ship. Anything you want to do is fine with me. Just please age them up to 18 if there is smut involved.

Requested Fandom #4: Mystic Messenger, 707/MC or Jaehee/MC

For 707/MC: Making their own space station

I have to admit, I hadn't fallen for Seven at first (I was a Yoosung girl!) but the more I learned about him the more he seemed to be right up my alley, so I quickly switched gears and was under Seven's spell. I think his little "Let's get married in the space station!" is cute, but obviously impractical, so instead they decide to build their own little space station here on Earth.

For Jaehee/MC: Love in the coffee shop

Oh, Jaehee, Jaehee, Jaehee. I did not expect her to be my breakout favorite in this game (again, I really wanted Yoosung!) but I ended up playing her route first and was shipping these two almost immediately. I want Jaehee to stop friendzoning MC and give her the romantic ending she deserves with her as much as she deserves with the boys (the Christmas DLC came close, but still not there!)

Requested Fandom #5: Pokémon (Games), Bianca/Hilda, Lillie/Moon, N/Hilda, or Shauna/Serena

For Bianca/Hilda: "Where have you been the last two years?"

The thing that got me about B2W2 is that all the major players from Black and White (Juniper, Bianca, Cheren, N, etc) return except for the player character. Where did she go? What did she do? And what does Bianca do when she finally returns?

For Lillie/Moon: Return to Kanto/Alola

I don't care if it's Lillie returning to Alola, or Moon making a trip to visit her in Kanto, I just want to see these two reunite and have Lillie gush to Moon about all her adventures in Kanto, and how much she missed everyone, especially Moon.

(Also, while I did use "Moon" and the canonical tag is "Lillie/Moon," I prefer the name "Selene" for the player character, but you don't have to call her that if you don't want!)

For N/Hilda: "The Pokémon wanted to see each other again, yeah."

I will admit that I wasn't one of those who was shipping N and Hilda from the get go because I saw N as a villain and my thought was how much of a jerk he was and how could anyone ship them together because he didn't deserve her, etc. etc. And then the end of the game happened and N does his 180 and it was like the heavens parted and shone a spotlight on these two and I saw it and it was good.

Now that that's out of the way, I can see these two definitely not realizing their feelings for each other, and using Reshiram and Zekrom as an excuse to reunite. (N can say that his Pokémon wanted to see hers - I played White and White 2 so N took Reshiram and Hilda took Zekrom, but if you wanna swap them and use Black/Black 2 canon go ahead.)

For Shauna/Serena: Let's go see the fireworks again!

Ah the fireworks scene. The moment of every Boutiqueshipper's (and okay, BrightTomorrowShipper's, for that matter) heart. I know that was the scene was the moment I started shipping them, and maybe they make it an annual thing, seeing the fireworks together and things progress from there. Bonus points if you include the fully evolved starter that she gives you in post game (I started with Chespin so I got Froabble the Froakie - now Greninja, but if you wanna include Chester the Chesnaught or Kinniekins the Delphox instead, feel free to!)

Requested Fandom #6: Osomatsu-san, Choromatsu & Ichimatsu or Jyushimatsu & Osomatsu

For either pairing: Typical hijinks! More along the lines of the show.

One of the things I love about this show is the crazy relationship the brothers have with each other (which is an exaggeration of the typical relationship siblings have: casual teasing with the unspoken brotherly love the six have for each other). I'd love a fic exploring that. And like my Backstreet Boys request above, if you want to include all four of these guys in the fic, go ahead!

Requested Fandom #7: Original Work, Female Boss/Female Secretary, Male Soldier/Male Soldier, or Female Alien/Female Human

For Female Boss/Female Secretary: "I always saw you as an equal and not a subordinate"

I'm not usually a fan of the "boss/subordinate" pairings, but I can definitely get behind two equals meeting in a work situation. I can definitely see the boss character treating her secretary as an equal, and that's where the feelings stem from.

For Male Soldier/Male Soldier: Wanting to reconnect after being discharged. 

When you're in a situation such as wartime, I'm sure you bond with your fellow soldiers. I can definitely see a couple of platoon mates (is that the term? Sorry, I've never served.) wanting to reconnect once they both go back to cilvilian life, and seeing where things go from there.

For Female Alien/Female Human: "How does your anatomy work?"

You could take this one to be just pure PWP, or if it ends up leading to something more than that go for it! One thing that's always got to me about stories involving aliens is that, for simplicity's sake, they have matching anatomy to humans (aside from the skintone being green/blue/gray/what have you). That just seems unrealistic to me, so something where the alien's anatomy is significantly different (to where both parties need to explain how things work) would be fantastic!

Requested Fandom #8: Futurama, Fry/Bender

"No one can love you like I do"

The thing that I've always loved about these two and their relationship is that Fry is always the exception to every rule Bender has about humans. He hates them, except Fry. He wants to kill all of them, except Fry. And it just leads me to believe that, ultimately, they would both realize that there was something special between them all along.