#this is going to be a rarepair i can feel it in my bones

[chillykitty]

my hand slipped

[solokabuto]

So what are your Fate yuri rarepairs?

Thank you so much for asking!!! I treat fate women like immensely complicate barbie dolls i can roll around in my mind until they slot together in ways that make the deeply ill recovering catholic lesbian in me squeal so you may or may not notice some general themes, I’ll be including hcs and fic ideas in here because my brainrot is terrible rn so have fun with this:

Dobrynya Nikitich x Morgan Le Fay

Now this is largely due to the fact that i noticed similarities in them (white haired mothers that are more than they seem and definitely not who they seem with fucked up daughters that have pink hair and pent up rage) and admittedly I’m not in Tungsuka sanctuary so I don’t have a vantage point on Dobrynya’s personality like at all outside of adorable fanart but they seem like they’d be cute. They’re one of those couples that would largely only exist in au’s where Dobrynya runs the daycare that Morgan drops Baobhan at or something. And the entire story is just Baobhan being terrorized while Dobrynya and Morgan make out in the background.

Okita Souji x Nitocris

That moment when you (living vessel for your brother’s vengeance who immediately committed suicide upon fulfilling your goal due to perceiving the cold embrace of death as warmer than the cruel clutches of your fellow man) come across another girl (a hollow mockery of a human being born and bred to slaughter without a care who relates better to broken bones, sinew, and blood than she does to living beings and can kill her friends at a simple order)and link up (have intense homoerotic discussions about death dying and purpose) over tea and wine (cups of literal blood) and fuck nasty (memento memori style)

Olga Marie Animusphere x Ereshkigal

If you haven’t read Afterlife by nd7878 and you have any form of attachment to Olga or Ereshkigal or see the similarities between the two please read it, it’s amazing and I love it so much it fulfills my Olga Marie cravings very well. Anyways i think these two are cute, like super cute like insanely cute and I’d like to imagine Olga would bring out the more forward and irritable side of Ereshkigal and the two would clash in a way that’s still friendly. I dunno she’d make eresh more lively and make Olga feel more loved. I really love afterlife, please read it.

Jeanne D’ Arc x Barghest

I just think the idea of a woman who already sees herself as an offering, offering herself up to a worthy warrior who desperately wishes to stop destroying things she loves to be incredibly interesting. Especially because in my mind Jeanne would probably have little issue with letting Barghest eat her regularly as long as she recovers decently enough. They’re interesting i have fic ideas for them i think Jeanne would enjoy being devoured gruesomely. The knowledge of having a set place for your body to go rather than being burned and desecrated just to be tossed into the river and washed away. I am far too invested in Jeanne D’ Arc. A part of me thinks she would enjoy having something resembling a proper corpse since she was torched to ash and thrown into a river rather than properly being laid to rest. I have vivid images of their entire routine can you tell u have been plagued by yuri visions for far too long?

Baobhan Sith x Galatea

You know how popular girls in hs always have that one girl that isn’t popular or important or really much of anything to a majority of the student body that they don’t play about? Yeah that’s Galatea to her. They hit it off over sculpting because Baobhan has a general affinity for art that includes her love of fashion and eventually they become friends which is incredibly strange to Baobhan because she is deeply unused to being cared for and loved by anyone that isn’t her mother and even then the way she goes about it is very much not like her mother (it’s okay Morgan you tried sweetie). I just think it would be nice to see Galatea slowly help Baobhan build a healthy relationship with love, loving and being loved. They’d be cute. I also think Galatea would find having her blood sucked to be an interesting experience considering she probably finds the fact she has blood to be quite novel.

Merlin (Prototype) x Morgan Le Fay

With benefits. I don’t know what to call their relationship so they’re just with benefits. Morgan would just vent out her frustration on her while Merlin just takes it because why the hell not, being half-succubus has its perks. Additionally, she’d rely on Merlin to have a few moments of complete thoughtlessness and freedom from the stress and general fuckery of Faerie Britain by just allowing herself to fall for the effects of her beauty. Honestly it’s more so method of relaxation for Morgan then a genuine relationship but I think it’s interesting. They probably have insane conversations about the world that usually end in Morgan forcing her to shut up because she says something she doesn’t want to hear but isn’t untrue. Occasionally in moments of weakness Merlin will ask Morgan if she wants her to take her away to Avalon and leave this place for the faeries she hates so much, and Morgan will always refuse dispute herself.

[returning-spring]

KPTS recs list

Most of these recs are rarepairs or VegasPete, but there are a couple recs for KinnPorsche and KimChay in here! Some Gen fic too.

Note: I read a lot of these fics months ago, so I can’t give any content warnings that aren’t already on AO3. I can only rec the fics, so curate your experience and have fun!!

KinnPorsche

the house don’t fall (when the bones are good) (E rated) by bytheriveriwept

The reality of Kinn is at times a grasping, hungry thing even when he is standing still. Or: Porsche and Kinn are the Theerapanyakun agency's best team. They live in each other's pockets and share their deepest secrets. But when Porsche takes on the role of bait in their latest mission, it throws their entire relationship into a spiral.

playing with fire (M rated) by @fractured-ice

For a long time in Porsche’s life, smoking was a constant.

Safe and Sound (T rated) by @achray1

Five times Kinn was nearly kidnapped, and one time he was.

VegasPete

in the shape of your dreams (E rated) by @t4tvegaspete

“Kinn,” Pete clarified, as he regarded Vegas. “You egg him on. You seek out his attention.” “That’s because I hate him,” Vegas said. “And he’s a scourge on my general existence and I want to make him suffer. Simple.” “He’s also very good-looking.” The words dropped like a pin to the ground. “Did you honestly just say that to me right now?” — Vegas is in a dark place. Pete can tell Kinn has something to do with it.

Comfort (E rated) by @ghost--houses

"Well, that was excruciating," Vegas says as they walk through the front door.

Business Sense (E rated) by duty_free

Vegas uses sex to help Porsche with a deal.

fool’s gold landed on my shoulder (M rated) by @phneltwrites​

Today is the day the minor family attacks the major family’s compound. It’s the seventh time for Vegas. (Time loop fic)

life's too short to drink bad wine (M rated) by @wedielike

When Kinn sends Pete to check out Vegas' undisclosed wine bar, Pete expects to find some dirty dealings. He doesn't expect Vegas' invitation to taste something special and all that it entails.

A Rock and a Hard Place (E rated) by rivers_bend

Pete knows what he wants, and that he'd be an idiot to go after it. But Vegas isn't someone he can resist.

KimChay

lessons in shooting sparrows (T rated) by violetsky

"Can you teach me how to shoot a gun?"

Love's a Two-Way Dream (E rated) by @giraffeter​

Kim stands up as well and slips an arm around Chay’s waist to steady him. Chay’s body melts under Kim’s touch. Waves ripple and rebound through him, concentric rings spreading from Kim’s fingertips. Chay sags into him, half-expecting to float. “I don’t…” Chay mumbles. “What… hmm…” He can’t think. He’s so warm. “Did you…?” “I gave you a little something,” Kim says. His voice is so smooth. Chay wants to swim in it. “To help you relax.” ~ Post-canon, Chay and Kim are back together, but Kim wants to keep Chay all to himself. Forever. He's got some ideas for how to do it. AKA: "The Kimchay Atticwife Fic"

Other Ships

Inevitability (T rated) by @static-abyss (KinnTay)

"We'll always have each other, you know that right?" Tay says, turning on his side to look at Kinn. "It doesn't matter what happens. You always have me."

Built for Sin series (E rated) by @kat8porgs and @queerebrum (Porsche/Kinn/Pete/Vegas)

Someone had tried to strangle Pete. Kinn had a bad feeling about who. He’d known, after all, exactly where he was sending Pete. But, a part of him had refused to believe that Vegas was capable of this. -- Kinn comes up with a plan to get back at Vegas for what he's done to Pete. Or at least, Kinn's dick has a plan.

goodnight (M rated) by @any-open-eye (VegasPorsche)

“You should have come home with me, Porsche,” Vegas says, barely over a whisper. “Just once.” Porsche grips the edge of the table. Fuck this. “You had me on your bike,” he says. “Seems like you could have brought me home if that’s what you wanted.” Vegas grins, and this time it looks less polished. “Do you think either of us would have survived me kidnapping my cousin’s new favorite?” (vegas and porsche are out on a job. they consider lost possibilities.)

no tenderness (E rated) by @veliseraptor (KinnVegas)

He felt dizzy, reckless, his pulse throbbing in his ears. Drunker than he knew he was. “Which one, Kinn? Am I your dog or your whore?” Vegas and Kinn make very, very bad choices.

fuck it all back down (E rated) by @syzyg3tic (VegasBig, VegasPorsche, VegasKen, VegasTawan, VegasPete)

Everything about sex is performative. There is no such thing as fucking without an agenda, at least in Vegas’s experience. He wouldn’t have survived to adulthood if he was precious about shit like that. Vegas and some of the men he sleeps with in his desperate, rage-filled attempts to be loved or hated--either will work.

drain the wellspring dry. (M rated) by @evashougouki (VegasTawan)

“Vegas,” he told him a few minutes after the knots had been tied, “Vegas, I don’t think I like this. Can you untie me?” For a second, when Vegas had looked down at him, Tawan had thought he had seen a flash of anger in his eyes, dark and fathomless. It was gone in a second, and Tawan convinced himself it had never been there in the first place— he was just on edge from trying something new. "Does it hurt?" "No." “Then we don’t have to stop, do we?" (Tawan's trapped in a haunted house of his own making.)

safe (right here in your arms) (M rated) by @toomoonfic (ArmTankhun)

Arm chokes on his own spit. “Um, I’m sorry, sir,” he says, “but Mr. Kinn implicitly told us that we shouldn’t let you watch any of that series anymore. At least not in the family theater.” Tankhun hums thoughtfully. “Do you think Kinn might be more receptive if we put some gay porn on?” he says. “At least Porsche should know what’s going to happen to him if he keeps returning my brother’s longing glances.” or, someone tries to kidnap Tankhun again. Porsche bleeds all over an expensive car. Pol is exasperated. And Arm is perfect, as usual.

Gen

no longer children (T rated) by alone_ghost (Tankhun & Kinn)

"Do you hate me?" Kinn and Tankhun struggle to find their place after Kinn takes over as heir to the main family.

blindside (T rated) by @lu-sn (Macau & Pete)

While Vegas is still in a coma, Korn summons Macau to have a talk with him. Macau's pretty sure everything's about to go to shit.

Civil Hands (T rated) by @ameliarating (Pete-centric, brief VegasPete)

There's legitimate violence and there's illegitimate violence. Pete finds a way to live in this filthy world.

I hope you’ve found something new in these recs! I’m thinking of making another rec post in the future. Now for some shameless promo, if there are particular ships or concepts you’ve been looking for in KPTS fics, check out the @kptskinkmeme​! You can request fics on AO3 or Dreamwidth, and if you’re a writer you might find a prompt that speaks to you!

[sin-cognito]

Rarepair New Year 2024 ch20: Papyrus/Sans/Stretch

SFW

Wordcount: 3072

There's no prompt for this chapter because I went way too far with it and it didn't fit anymore so I YEETED it. XD

Stretch hums into Papyrus' deliciously warm mouth, using the distraction to his advantage as he slips a naughty hand under his lover's battle body. Unfortunately, Papyrus is quick to bat the hand away, breaking the kiss.

READ ON AO3

Stretch hums into Papyrus' deliciously warm mouth, using the distraction to his advantage as he slips a naughty hand under his lover's battle body. Unfortunately, Papyrus is quick to bat the hand away, breaking the kiss.

"N-NYEH. NOT HERE," he pants, his beautiful face flushed a delicate golden color that Stretch wants to pepper with kisses.

"come on, baby," Stretch croons, nuzzling the crook of his neck, making Papyrus sigh and shiver. It's so obvious he wants more, and Stretch is hopeful that by pressing the right buttons, he can make Papyrus finally admit it. "i want you so bad right now."

Papyrus trembles as he lifts his skull up, giving Stretch a better access to his sensitive bones, but then suddenly realizes what the cunning skeleton is doing, and he pushes Stretch away with a pout on his face.

"NYEH! NO!" He says firmly, crossing his arms in fake annoyance. "YOU KNOW VERY WELL HOW IMPROPER IT WOULD BE! NEXT TIME, CHOOSE A MOMENT WHEN YOUR BOTHER IS NOT AT HOME IF YOU WANT TO TAKE THE CUDDLES FURTHER THAN THIS."

Stretch lets himself fall on the bed dramatically.

"oh come on, blue won't care! he's a big boy, he's got an idea or two of what we do when we're together in my room."

It's true, Blue is very supportive of his little brother's relationship with Papyrus, and he isn't naive enough to think that all they do is play cards and chill when they're alone together in Stretch's room.

Besides, Blue is busy right now making a cake for Red's birthday party tonight, so between the radio playing loud pop music, Blue's own singing and the noise from all the kitchen utensils he's using to make the cake, Stretch is pretty confident that they could pull this off without him even noticing anything. If Papyrus manages to stay quiet, that is, which admittedly isn't his forte.

Papyrus seems to be able to read his mind, as he sends his boyfriend a deadpan look.

"HE WILL KNOW. YOUR BED CREAKS."

Stretch bursts out laughing. Touché.

That being said, he can't resist being a little shit.

"oh yeah? how would you know when you never wanna do it here? did sans mention anything about it?"

Stretch would feel bad for toying with such a sore subject for Papyrus, but watching his boyfriend go from pearly white to deep tangerine is way too funny. He stares intently at Papyrus as the glowing skeleton looks pointedly away from him, trying and failing to mask his embarrassment.

"NYEH! HE DIDN'T… I'M NOT… THE… I… NYEH!!" He clears his throat and tries again. "HE DID NOT MENTION THE DETAILS OF HIS SEX LIFE WITH YOU, AND I DON'T INTEND TO ASK HIM ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. IT'S ALREADY TERRIBLE ENOUGH THAT YOU PROVIDE ME WITH UNNECESSARY INFORMATION ABOUT MY BROTHER'S… PERFORMANCE IN BED, I DO NOT NEED HIM TO TELL ME ABOUT IT AS WELL."

It's all said in a light-hearted tone, but Stretch knows Papyrus better than this and can feel the frustrated undertones, so he wraps his arms around his lover's chest and pulls him down to lie on the bed next to him. He still won't apologize for teasing Papyrus about it though. It would only give credit to Papyrus' stubbornness, and that's precisely what Stretch is trying to have his boyfriend get rid of.

"papyrus… you need to tell him how you feel," he whispers to his lover in the most careful voice. "you can't keep these feelings bottled up forever, and you know i know what i'm talking about."

"Nyeh… I know, Stretch," Papyrus sighs in Stretch's chest. "But it's not the same as it was with you, I had nothing to lose with you so I wasn't afraid to confess, but with Sans… It's different. He's my brother, how am I even supposed to tell him how much I love him?" He adds in such a small voice that Stretch barely hears him, "that I love him as more than a brother?"

Stretch can't do much besides hugging his lover even tighter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stretch is ready to purr. He's swimming in bliss right now.

Sans' naked body is comfortably snuggled into his chest, and he's caressing his boyfriend's back with one hand while absent-mindedly flicking the ash off his cigarette with the other. It somehow gets even better when Sans starts to pepper his neck with feather-light kisses.

Stretch bends down his skull in the hopes of catching Sans' mouth but the small skeleton turns his face away.

"get away from me with that smoke breath, you stinky bastard," Sans huffs light-heartedly.

"aww, come on, baby," Stretch coos. "one little itsy bitsy kiss won't kill you."

"i'mma puke on you."

"kinky."

Sans snorts. Yeah, he's just as gross as Stretch and loves that kind of dirty humor.

Oh well, it's not the end of the world if Stretch can't get another kiss from his small lover. He got plenty all afternoon as they were fucking the day away while Blue's visiting Edge for a training session. Stretch called Sans the moment his bro stepped into the machine, and Sans immediately showed up to keep Stretch and his libido company.

So that was a nice afternoon, but Stretch is still missing something. Or someone, to be specific.

"so, you got any plan with your brother for tonight?" Stretch asks point blank, feeling Sans immediately stiffen on his chest.

It takes a few seconds for Sans to reply, the silence unfortunately a couple beats too long to sound as casual as Sans is going for. Too bad for the small skeleton, Stretch notices right away when he manages to rattle his boyfriend.

"we're going to an anime marathon at alph's place," he says, then whispers quietly, but loud enough so Stretch can hear, "asshole."

Eh. Fair enough. Stretch is being a little shit on purpose though, so the insult slides on him like water off a duck's back.

"maybe i should host anime marathons too and invite you both. would you and paps like it? it could be fun, and no one knows where it could lead to…"

The implications are too much for Sans, who sits up and climbs down the bed to collect his clothes. Stretch manages to grab his wrist and pull him to his chest.

"you jerk," Sans mutters with a pout, and Stretch is relieved to see that the small skeleton isn't too upset at him. If Sans was really angry, he'd just ignore the fuck out of him.

"yes but i meant it, sansy. how many times have you told me how much you want this? you, me, and your brother, together, snuggling on the couch or in the bed… talk to him, sans. tell your brother, you'll feel better afterward."

Sans sighs and finally turns around in Stretch's hold to hug him back, his small hands clinging to Stretch's ribcage so desperately.

"i can't, stretch. i want to but i can't. he's my baby bro, i can't risk losing him. what if i tell him i love him and he's disgusted and never wants to see me again? i can't."

Stretch hugs his small lover tight, feeling bad that he's the reason Sans is trembling in his arms, but Stretch is slowly but surely reaching his limit as well and doesn't know when he's going to burst.

Something needs to be done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You need to do something," Blue, the voice of reason, tells Stretch one day.

Stretch keeps on munching on his popato chisps, wondering what his brother is refering to. Clean his room? Exercise and lose some weight? Get a job?

Most probably he's talking about the Sans and Papyrus situation.

If that's the case, Stretch more than agrees with him.

If Sans and Papyrus won't confess their feelings for the other, despite them being hopelessly in love with each other being plain as day for literally everyone involved, including and especially Stretch, who's dating both separately, then he is responsible to create a situation where his two boyfriends will be forced to face the truth: they're being stubborn idiots.

The problem is that Stretch has unknowingly created this intricate situation in the first place, by stupidly promising both brothers not to tell the other about their mutual feelings. Sans was the first to let Stretch know about his love for Papyrus, when they became a couple. He wanted Stretch to know that Sans was absolutely okay with Stretch dating his brother as well and would not be jealous. Envious that Stretch got to enjoy Papyrus in ways that the older brother could not, yeah, maybe, but not jealous, not when he could see how happy Stretch made Papyrus. He made Stretch swear not to tell Papyrus about his feelings, as he liked his life the way it was and didn't want anything to change.

A couple months later it was Papyrus' turn to tell Stretch that he had realized his feelings for Sans were more than platonic. The start of his romantic and physical relationship with Stretch was apparently the trigger, as Papyrus noticed he would often daydream about doing with Sans what he would regularly do with Stretch, including going on dates, holding hands, kissing and fucking. At first he would be brushing the mental images off, but as time went on and it became harder and harder for him to be in the same room as Sans and Stretch at the same time, Papyrus realized he couldn't contain his love anymore. He was convinced his brother would only ever love him platonically, like any good big brother would, so he decided to put a lid to it all, and had Stretch promise not to tell anyone, not even Sans, especially Sans. It also meant that the three skeletons couldn't be alone together anymore, as Papyrus was worried he might end up doing something untoward.

Having promised both his lovers not to tell a single soul, Stretch immediately went to confide in his brother about his predicament. Blue, always the provider of good advice, first reacted to the news by bursting out laughing, because really, Stretch managing to date two brothers who secretly were in love with each other without having the spine to confess (despite being skeletons), and making Stretch promise not to say anything was just too much for the small skeleton. Once he calmed down, he immediately advised Stretch to simply be honest with them both and let the truth speak, but Stretch just can't bring himself to do that. Getting Sans to trust him enough to share such a secret with him has been hard enough as it is, and he doesn't want to go back on his word to Papyrus about keeping the whole affair secret. Not to mention that he's already breaking both promises by talking about it with Blue, but he just doesn't know what to do and needed an outside opinion.

Besides, it feels a little hypocritical of Blue to tell Stretch to 'just be honest' when he has the same issue with the Fell brothers. Or rather, the opposite issue? Blue is in love with both Red and Edge, who are already in a relationship with each other, and he doesn't know how to butt in without appearing tactless with his flirting. So Blue should apply his advice first before trying to give life lessons to his little brother.

Feeling cheeky, Stretch says so.

"tell me again when you're dating red and edge."

Blue huffs but doesn't bring back the topic for the rest of the evening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's the day, Stretch has decided.

He's tired of his boyfriends pretending that the status quo that has become their relationship with Stretch is normal or healthy. Stretch intends to put an end to this once and for all.

The moment his brother is out of the house to go on a date with his two boyfriends, Stretch grabs his phone and texts Sans and Papyrus, separately, to invite them over. He'd usually be open about inviting one brother so the other could avoid the awkward situation, but none of that today! He wants them both here, and he won't take no for an answer.

Papyrus is the first one to arrive, of course, so Stretch leads him to the couch where they proceed to kiss and touch a little. Just a little though, no matter how hard it is for Stretch to keep it in his pants around such a handsome skeleton. It's just that as much as he wants this to be a thing, even he can tell that Sans finding his brother and his boyfriend fucking on the couch would be too much of a shock. He needs to be delicate about this, he's got to play smart. Which is unfortunate, as smart isn't really something he does, usually.

A few moments later, Sans shortcuts straight into the middle of the living room, foregoing any door knocking, and that is precisely what Stretch was hoping for. He grabs Sans' wrist before he can teleport away and shoves him on the couch.

"oh great, you're both here! i absolutely didn't plan for you both to arrive at the same time, but since we're all here, how about we watch something together?" He announces happily, not even bothering to make it sound legit. He doesn't care anymore if one or both brothers guess what he's up to. Noticing how Sans is about to stand up to make a quick retreat to his universe, he hurries to add, "surely you both want to watch tv with me, right? it's not like there's any awkwardness between us that would make you guys wanna bail out, -right-?"

He's a little less subtle than he'd want, but it's all fine because it does make his two lovers take their seat on the couch without another peep. Stretch proceeds to put the last nail in the coffin as he pretends to start sitting in the middle, only to crouch down and sit in front of the couch, leaving the brothers to sit together behind him with no one in the way. He then plays the DVD he borrowed from his good friend Undyne, a movie about two childhood friends who are obviously in love with each other but can't bring themselves to be honest about their feelings, and oh how Stretch wishes he could turn around and take a peek at his lovers' expressions right now…

The three skeletons stay quiet and still for the whole movie, when Sans would usually crack puns and Papyrus would try to cuddle the fuck out of Stretch. Finally, the story ends with the childhood friends confessing their love and kissing, happily ever after, blah blah blah.

Stretch turns around and stares at his two lovers.

"so? what did you think?" He asks and has half a mind to shake one or both of them for an answer when he only receives an awkward silence as an answer. "guys, please, help me out here," he sighs desperately as he rubs his nasal bridge.

Papyrus clears his throat and timidly raises his fist in the air, as if he's trying to be encouraging to Stretch without moving too much, almost like he's scared Sans will notice him.

"NYEH! IT WAS A GOOD MOVIE! I LIKED THE UHH… The uhm… The acting?"

"y-yeah, stretch, it was fun, thanks for inviting me," Sans adds, looking at anything but his brother.

Stretch inwardly screams his frustration. He can't take it anymore and sits on the coffee table so he can face his two lovers. He grabs their hands in his and goes for it.

"i'm done with you two beating around the bush. i love you both, you boneheads, and i want to best for you two, even if that means betraying my word." He then looks at Papyrus in the eyesocket and says, "sans is in love with you."

Papyrus gasp in surprise at the same time Sans leaps to his feet. He'd be out the window already if Stretch wasn't gripping his wrist hard. Stretch feels bad for his smaller lover when he notices his distraught expression. Sans is looking at his feet in utter shame, with tears welling in his eyesockets, and Stretch is worried he went too far but hopefully his next words will help calm Sans down.

"and sans, papyrus is in love with you."

It takes a couple seconds for the information to reach Sans' SOUL, and the moment it does is clear on the small skeleton's face. He blinks a few times, like he can't believe it, and slowly, oh so slowly turns around, carefully lifting his eyelights to barely meet with his brother's.

His mouth works silently for a couple seconds, and Stretch takes pity on him.

"you both told me your feelings for each other and asked me not to say anything," he explains. "but i can't do this anymore. i love you guys and it's dumb and pointless for me to keep such a secret that isn't helping anybody. so you can be mad at me for breaking my promise, but i won't regret doing this."

Feeling that he got through to his lovers, he joins their hands that he was still holding, letting them sort out their feelings without butting in. He stays silent as Papyrus speaks up first, his voice wavery with emotion.

"I… do like you, brother. No, I… I love you. I love you, Sans."

Sans looks like he's going to cry, except this time from happy tears, as he lets himself be pulled into a tight hug that he immediately reciprocate.

"i… love you too, papyrus. stars, i love you too," he whispers.

Stretch watches with the utmost fondness as his lovers hug and share their first kiss together, and he can't resist wrapping his arms around them both, smooching wherever he can reach.

After a couple minutes of silently hugging, Sans starts to giggle uncontrolably between the two taller skeletons.

"this is perfect," he snorts. "i'm turning into my ultimate form."

Stretch looks at him, puzzled, while Papyrus can immediately tell what's going on.

"what?"

"SANS, NO."

"i'm finally becoming a sansdwich."

Stretch bursts out laughing while Papyrus curses them both and calls for a divorce.

It seems like neither brother really minds Stretch revealing their secret in the end.

[oldmemoria]

caught up with cringetober because I literally forgot to do it, individuals and explanations under cut

Day 1: Heterochromia I’ve come to the revaluation that my sona is already cringe as hell considering not only can his entire body change color but he also has differently colored eyes as a staple of his design. They’re usually yellow and blue but this time I color picked the blue from the trans flag and the mint from the Vincian flag for this color palette, it turned out really pretty :)

Day 2: Self Insert Now she isn’t my self insert anymore, but back in the day when I was at “peak cringe” she definitely was. This is my warriors OC Icypelt and I have a post going over part of her story on my profile somewhere. She’s been through a lot and I think her modern design is very pretty :)

Day 3: Unnecessarily complex fit/design Spider scene is kinda infamous in my brain for having wayyy too much detail but I love them and I think this might be my favorite one out of this batch, super cute, the pose is really cute and the colors are nice and fits her really well :D

day 4: Angel x Devil inevitable MCR reference ik, Helena and Revenge, love them dearly. Poor revenge man this one is cute and looks like a sticker!!

Day 6 (I skipped day 5 because I didn’t want to open up ms paint today): neko i kinda hate this one but cat Gerard yay

Day 7: Pinterest base at first I wanted to draw hobie in place of Gwen but I remembered that I haven’t really drawn Mikey with her even though they’re supposed to be friends so I drew her instead. Idk. The height difference is not accurate because of that but Jumping Spider is small because he’s based on a jumping spider and those are tiny who would have thought

Day 8: tumblr sexyman i have never played undertale a day in my life i just know a lot of people wanted to jump sans’ bones

day 9: Crossover ship/rarepair OH BOY THIS ONE GOES KIND OF HARD AND IM EMBARRASSED ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY KIND OF WORK FOR EACH OTHER UM MIGUEL OHARA X CLOTTED CREAM COOKIE IM INSANE OMG-

day 10: fursona i already have a fursona I already drew and yes I colorpicked from the lesbian flag how could you tell /j

Day 11: Yandere LYLA is technically canonically a yandere because spoiler alert she tried to kill Miguel’s fiancé via overheating her in the shower (essentially literally boiling her like a lobster) because she was “in love” with him (she said if she did have autonomy and had feelings the would be in love with him but she doesn’t but idk who knows I don’t).

day 12: niche interest ik MCR isn’t exactly “niche” but the black parades story in particular has always caught my interest and I have my own interpretation of it and a whole kind of story I’m still developing and character arcs and headcanons and interactions and yeah you get it, death in particular has evolved into god knows an OC on his own I just keep him attached to MCR because… it makes more sense that way, ig-

day 13: creepypasta does this count- whatever grimdark is just the same thing as a creepypasta- I’m not really in the MLP fandom anymore but it was my first ever “fandom” I was actually apart of. My first hyperfixation if you will. I wasn’t in the grimdark part of the fandom because I was too young for it but I was actually watching the izzzyzzz grimdark video and I was like “oh” and drew a rainbow factory Rainbowdash. Honestly I should draw ponies more they’re fun to draw

Day 14: candygore (?) im not good at drawing candygore and since I was rushing this o didn’t do it as well as I thought I can, but it still turned out pretty cool

Day 15: song lyrics aaaa inevitable hesitant alien drawing this one turned out so cute!! The colors and the sparkle eek so cute aaa action cat lyrics I’m breaking down right in front of you I’m sorry

planning on doing the rest of the month now, maybe not exactly on time since I’m still in school but I’ll try to get 31 drawings out by Halloween. Love the idea of cringetober because I just love all things cringe. Ack this is so good

[not-poignant]

I remember reading some asks that when you were in Guardians fandom, people were always correcting some stuff too, that they though is wrong or smth. And I feel like especially after so long writing your own universes, those very "smart" anons are really annoying. I just hope that they won't suck any wind from benith your wings and you don't spend much energy on answers to their asks and that you know always know - your writing is your own and we are fucking blessed for reading it <3

Maybe I just have forgotten so that I can mostly remember the good things (haha) but aside from people always having a bone to pick with me calling Pitch's daughter Seraphina, Rise of the Guardians was generally pretty chill!

I think back then there were a lot more 'why are you depicting Bunnymund this way?' or 'Why are you making this choice?' which as open-ended questions I really don't mind answering!! Even when it's obvious that the person who's asking the question doesn't agree with my depiction, then I can explain myself, vs. someone just anonymously coming in to go 'hi you are wrong' when... I'm not O.o

Different fandoms have different feels to them, kind of like visiting different countries! DnD / FR as a fandom seems to have a pocket of vocal people who want to prove they know more than me about DnD / FR to which I'll just say - you all know more than me, you win, here's your trophy, now let me write my fic the way I want thanks and learn how to read tags/author's notes :D That being said, the folks who don't care about that shit and just want to enjoy Astarion being railed / living his best-worst life have been the BEST and I really enjoy how thoughtful they are and how cool their comments are. There's some super engaged folks in this fandom who have really great takes on things, and I enjoy that side of it a lot.

Rise of the Guardians was incredibly creative. Like, to this day, I know one fanartist who went to work at Dreamworks, one who does official art for Hearthstone and works for Blizzard (her dream - and I still have her fanart of Gwyn in my house!), plenty more who went on to become professional artists, comic writers, writers, animators etc. I think the visual art and style of that show attracted so many people who love art, which was fun. We also had antis, but whatever, I feel like every fandom has those if you're active in the fandom.

Stardew Valley is mostly very mild, because it's intermittently very quiet and there's so many different pairings, and I've always written rarepairs. Generally people who enjoy that game are pretty low-key, and they're some of the nicest folks I've met in like anon asks and in comments! Love SDV peeps and it's been a pleasure to come back to the fandom.

Dragon Age: Inquisition was... lol. Lol. Well, look, I made some amazing friends through that fandom who I still know today. It attracted actually a surprising amount of older fandom folks who brought a lot of knowledge about how to write fic, so the fandom is drenched in really good fic, really good art. There was a ton of fucking drama, and some of the most acephobic rhetoric I've ever seen came out of this fandom, including asexual block-lists where people hunted each other down on Tumblr with things like 'have you blocked this person yet they're asexual' in anon. So like... DAI was a RIDE. The people I met in that fandom as friends I'll treasure. The actual fandom itself was a trash-fire depending on where you were. There were definitely a couple of BNFs in this fandom who made it their job to just hate other people, especially if they were ace and liked writing an ace Dorian Pavus. That was the first time I learned that blocking is good for the soul.

The Beast that Chose Its Own Bridle is a tiny fandom made of people who all love Felix and Mildmay very much :D

Detroit Become Human was a weird experience and it felt like a weird fandom. It was I think Korean or Japanese fanart that actually inspired Eversion, since that's where the first reverse!AU fanart (at least that I saw) began. But the comments could be weird, the anons were sometimes weird (not always, but sometimes! Especially in the beginning - and I just think first impressions really count lol), and I remember joining a Connor/Hank Discord where the most active folks were very quick to tell me how I should write my story, which was like - I like that they liked the story, but I've never had people try to show how much they like something by trying to change it into something they like more in quite that way before? I didn't really feel like staying in the fandom, tbh, it's extremely cliquey, especially all the folks that have like 400 names for the different versions of Connor, and it feels like it has a steep learning curve if you want to join the 'club.'

It was also the story where I had to do the most heavy lifting on BDSM education. Like, this fandom felt very BDSM naive *overall* - there's obviously exceptions, but I had to literally change how I was writing the story to explain more things than I normally would have done in a fic like that, because I was just getting so many 'why would Connor want to be humiliated during sex' anons and comments which was like okay, okay, let's actually do some 101 brochure stuff with this (the chapter where Connor calls Luuk and they talk about Connor liking being humiliated was not meant to be a whole chapter dslkfjas).

In fandoms like Thorki I could assume that the majority of readers would sort of get that even if it was a kink they didn't like - it was still just a kink that people can like and/or help others out with explanations. So it's possible D:BH skewed young and/or just not BDSM experienced! Which is fine! It's just I've noticed it here the most of all the fandoms I've been in. There were folks who knew kink really well who didn't need any explanations there at all, because I tend to over-explain a character's reasoning at the best of times, but yeah.

These are all like... deeply personal experiences influenced by the pairings I'm writing and how deeply I'm going into each fandom! I was tag-tracking in RotG / D:BH / DA:I, so I saw a lot more stuff, I think.

There's other fandoms I've been a part of but not really written for much or at all, like Thorki (love it there) and Sebaciel re: Black Butler (love it there too, but we lose a lot of writers because of antis), and also Murderbot (really weirdly cliquey in a 'oh... I see' kind of way, which might explain why a small pocket of people are writing most of the fics - because they're the only ones allowed in their Discord lol). Murderbot fandom is why I didn't end up writing Murderbot fanfiction sdalkfjdsa

Anyway, fandoms are weird, personal spaces that should be heavily curated! But I can't stop anons coming into my inbox with certain 'flavours' of question per fandom unless I turn off anon and honestly where would be the fun of that :D :D :D

[thatringboy]

New NEW Rules Post

I am so sorry for posting in the main tags in so many fandoms

So apparently the last time I opened up for writing requests was in 2021. Crazy.

Anyways, here we go with the update on my rules for requests

Under a read more because this got longer than I expected, all tagged fandoms are ones I've written for before!

What I will NOT write:

Non-con/Dubious Consent

Self-Harm

Yandere Themes. I do not negotiate on this one.

Your OC x someone else’s OC unless I have permission from both creators separately

Incest. I do not negotiate on this one.

Discrimination of any kind. I do not negotiate on this one.

Explicit Spoilers (depending on the request, I’ll tag as a spoiler if I really want to do the request, but to be safe, no spoilers)

Multi chapter stories (however, if you really want something to be in multiple parts, PM me with more details. I’m pretty flexible about this one and would love to partner with you about writing a full fledged fic)

What I will write:

Character x Character

Character x OC

Reader insert

Headcannons

Rarepairs

Found Family situations/Platonic pairings

Fluff/SFW

AUs/Fandom Crossovers (If I am not a part of one of the fandoms in the crossover, that doesn’t mean I won’t write it, but I’m gonna need more information so please PM me with info)

Theories about upcoming content (will tag as spoiler but is not the same as the above)

[For the items with the words “I do not negotiate on this one. “ at the end of them, that means that the request will automatically be denied and you will be blocked if the request contains forbidden topics/themes. Any request breaking rules that I have not explicitly said can be negotiated will be denied]

If you want a request that is NSFW, I'm not against it as my ao3 will surely show you the smut I've written before, however: All requests are to my discretion.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or send an ask to clear up anything!

You can send in requests in my PMs or in my ask box!

I hold the right to refuse any request without giving a reason as to why. If your request is denied and you are not anonymous, I will let you know. However, I do not owe you an explanation as to why.

Fandoms I will write for:

(bolded titles means you can find previous fics I've written about this fandom here on tumblr or on ao3 under the same username @/thatringboy. other fandoms are ones I have written for but not posted here or on ao3. I'm also open to exploring new fandoms!)

Percy Jackson

Demon Slayer

My Hero Academia

RWBY

ATLA

Genshin Impact/Honkai Star Rail

Hades game

Cookie Run Kingdom

Buddy Daddies

Heaven Official's Blessing

Six of Crows/Shadow & Bone

Twisted Wonderland

Arcane

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for an Otaku

Wuthering Waves

Jujutsu Kaisen

Dungeon Meshi

Pokemon

Legendborn

Leviathan

[willow-lark]

not most people (but it's you) - wheelclair

took a break from my byler week fics to try something new and jot down a quick wheelclair drabble!! this one is dedicated to @booksandpaperss (💕🫶) who i was talking to a bit ab wheelclair aus the other day,,, ngl i'm becoming obsessed w these 2

As Mike watches, Lucas lifts his hand in a gesture that Mike knows all too well, with an uncertain smile on his face as he wiggles his fingers every-so-slightly in a wave.

Mike is tempted to reach up and pull down his window shade to cut off the interaction, to ignore Lucas and feed into the hurt lodged deep within his gut that he’s never actually let go of, and nursed for all these years. But—Lucas isn’t doing anything to hurt him, in truth. Did he really ever? Intellectually, Mike remembers the barbed words, the harm both he and Lucas caused each other. But it doesn’t feel like those things matter so much right now. It didn’t seem to matter this morning, when Mrs. Harmon paired them together for their new history project, and Lucas stuck his hand out in the aisle between their desks and Mike took it in truce. Somehow, even surrounded by meatheads and having assimilated into the ranks of all the thug-headed jocks that leech off the walls of Hawkins High, Lucas has retained the good faith that Mike remembers in him, putting loyalty above all else, and trusting those he cares about.

Lucas was always a lot nicer than Mike was, he thinks. Lucas doesn’t snap at people unless he has a good reason. He’s only got a bone to pick with people if they hurt someone he loves. Not like Mike, who gets angry at the people he cares about for no reason, uncompromising and mean even when he doesn’t mean to be, demanding that everything goes exactly his way.

Once, Lucas was Mike’s closest friend. Once, Mike would have reached for his walkie to radio Lucas, and they would look across at each other in their windows and talk late into the night.

Now, though, Mike lifts his fingers in response, and sends across his own tentative smile.

...

“Hey!” calls a voice behind Mike, who slams his locker shut and whips around. He didn’t sleep well last night, staring up at the ceiling with a pounding heart, mind all caught up in thoughts of what was and what might have been. It is only Lucas, leaning casually against the row of lockers in his crisp letterman jacket, grinning at Mike with that same easy smile he’s always had.

“Hi,” says Mike, grumpy, sudden butterflies in his stomach doing their damn best to flap all the way up his esophagus. He doesn’t look nearly as put together as Lucas does right now. The Hellfire t-shirt he’s wearing definitely needs a wash, and so do the jeans that he’s worn every day for the past two weeks.

“You want to come over to mine after school today and get started on this project?”

“Okay,” Mike says before he can fully think it over, but as he does he realizes he doesn’t really have an excuse not to. Corroded Coffin was supposed to get together and rehearse tonight, but Gareth’s home sick with a violent flu and Eddie called yesterday that he wasn’t going to be able to make the drive out from Indianapolis to visit like he had planned. “I was going to have rehearsal today, but I don’t anymore.”

“Corroded Coffin, right? That’s a sick name, man.”

“Oh, I, uh, I play guitar now.”

“Awesome,” Lucas says, and claps Mike on the shoulder. “I’m driving Erica home today, too, so let’s meet in the parking lot after class lets out. See you later!” and he strides off to whatever class he’s supposed to be at next period. 

Mike stands there, noise of the bustling hallway swelling around him. He can still feel the warmth of Lucas’s hand on his shoulder, an old and familiar touch. Mike’s not that touchy of a person. Most people, he’d snap at. 

Lucas isn’t most people.

hm. i May have to write more of them bc wheelclair is quickly shooting up my list of fav rarepairs. high school au wheelclair is something that can be so personal. like. they're so???? n e ways if u read this far i hope u enjoyed it!! mwah. xoxo.

[39oa]

Talk Hockey To Me

tagged by beloved @txstars T__T <3 thank uuu as always

1. The thing that got you hooked on hockey

it's hard to pinpoint one moment because i honestly genuinely believe that it's the best sport in the world just in terms of pure mechanics and objective viewing enjoyment and live crowd atmosphere so it's easy to get hooked once you actually watch it... i've been on and off with hockey fandom itself and took a few years away from tumblr until recently but i'd say it was a mix of just watching games + discovering fandom spaces on tumblr/reading fic on ao3 + having a decent home team at the time + canadian tax etc.

2. Your first ever fandom friend

ngl i think most of the people i first met in hockey fandom eventually moved onto bts (or k-pop in general) lmfaooo but i met @regularseason when i was in 11th grade making connor mcdavid gifsets and now i am somehow 25 years old. we have seen so much on this vast internet together ❤️ 

3. The jersey you would most like to own

MOOTERUS BROS RISE UP ☝️🐮  absolutely my favorite jersey of all time i genuinely don't think any other design comes close. i also really love the stars rr 2.0 but i finally bit the bullet and bought it so that's out... another top contender would be sabres goathead 🐐 and maybe mighty ducks era pkariya, also i think the sharks rr 2.0 with the spin on the seals logo is sooo cute and i love the og sharks logo designed by terry smith as well... specifically the classic late 90s teal jersey. and my fav regular home jersey of current teams is the kraken :')

i have way too many opinions on jerseys honestly. if i could pick some from my warmup jersey database then i lovelovelove the habs 2023 bhm and pride designs (i have apparel for both of these...), the leafs indigenous celebration design, and the kraken women in hockey design. gorgeous girls!!!!!

4. YOUR player (you only get ONE so choose wisely)

:saluting_face: there is only one guy for me... jr21! (real talk like a big part of why i got into the stars and came back to sports tumblr was because of him despite having 0 geographical ties to texas LOL. admittedly there was some superficiality involved at first in seeing an asian guy achieve top-line star status against the restrictive pains of bones hockey but then i was like oh your game is actually efficient and understated as hell? and it kind of spiraled out from there. my favorite deceptively abnormal "boring" guy!!!)

5. A pairing that deserves more fic

i will echo 2124 💚 but i am part of the problem for having 4 partial aus in one doc and not actually writing anything of substance for them... otherwise there are a ton of rarepairs i could argue in favor of but i feel like i'd sound insane. where is the otter/woll boston goaliefic... where is mitch/nrob with robo being vaguely horrified but trying to be supportive of his brother's poor decision making skills. where is my sabresfic and kidsline shenanigans in general......... also if we're going back to the stars then 2141 honestly have so much untapped potential wrt Why Are You Both So Weird Can You Please [Redacted] About It. but you get the gist i'm sure!!!

6. Your favourite on-ice moment

my memory does NOT go that far back. whatever is the most embarrassing thing to have ever happened to some guy i hate is good enough for me

THEN

link someone else's art/fic/etc that you love & think everyone should check out

immediately the first thing that came to mind is that i still think zoe's 2129 primer is one of the most fantastic and comprehensive labors of love this fandom has ever seen... truly one of the major backbones of starsblr. honestly despite hockey fandom not being quite what it used to be on here i think there are sooo so many great creators making stars content and i am immensely grateful to all the gifmakers + artists + writers who constantly feed me no matter what time of year it is!!! i'm kind of shy but you know who you are... TT__TT

AND

link something you made & are proud of & want people to see

\o/ i desperately do not like any of the things i make and i am already grateful to the people who have looked at my measly creations before so thank you!

tagging @regularseason @iamidentical @pupuhintz @slagkovsky @supersoftsports... apologies if you've already been tagged and no pressure as always but pls feel free to if you'd like ❤️

[m4gp13]

Day 1: Love Language / Crush

Ethabaster (Ethan x Alabaster)

Word count - 1321

@them-awesome-rarepairs

-

Ethan flopped down onto his bed with a long, low groan. How long had he been in the Mt Othrys training rooms? Two hours? Three? He hadn't noticed his body's protest against the gruelling workout regimen until he had to adjust his place in the room due to the decreased visibility through the window when the sun started to set. And now his body was determined to pay him back for the hell he put it through. Served him right. He was a Nemesis kid through and through. Every single fibre of muscle he contained burned as if he’d been swimming laps in the Phlegethon.

He'd just toed off his loafers and dropped them to the floor when his door burst open; eliciting another groan from him. He dragged a pillow to him from further up the bed and slammed his face into it.

"Good evening, my favourite lieutenant," Alabaster said as he strutted inside. The door clicked shut behind him.

"Your only lieutenant," Ethan corrected, murmuring against the pillow.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Al shuffled over to the bed but Ethan stopped him from going any further with an outstretched arm pointing a finger in his vague direction.

"No shoes on the bed," he warned and relaxed when he heard his general sigh and undo the velcro on his sneakers. The mattress creaked and sagged under Al's weight; making an indent that caused Ethan to droop towards him. “Can I help you?” he asked.

Alabaster shifted on the bed so he was leaning over Ethan’s back and combed his fingers through his hair. “Just wanted to make sure you’re still alive after your little romp through boot camp today,” he said, his voice softened to a melodious purr so at odds with his smart-ass answer.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Ethan groaned into the pillow under his face. “I just lost track of time.” Al pressed down on a spot on his head that made him half melt into the comforter. “You should be grateful, anyhow,” he said after getting some more air in his limp lungs. “It’ll be your battles I’m training for.”

“I know,” Al chimed. His hands worked their way down the back of Ethan’s head, his neck and his shoulders until Al’s thumbs were rubbing circles into a knot of tension between his shoulder blades. “And I am grateful, for your information. But if you want to fight my battles you’ll need to make sure your body still works when we come to them.”

“My body works fine,” Ethan said, half expecting Al to ignore him due to the muffling effect of the bedding obscuring his words.

“It works fine now,” Al said. “Or it did three hours. Or it will when I’m done with you forty-eight hours later.” He punctuated his point with a deep prod of his thumbs into a muscle that may as well have been bone with how firm it was. The intense relief spilling out of Ethan’s mouth in a broken groan silenced any protest he might have made. “But not when you spend hours running yourself ragged until you’re a limp noodle on the bed.”

“Limp noodle, huh?” Ethan managed to wrench an arm out from under himself to elbow Al in the ribs. He remained undeterred in his pursuit.

“Oh,” he said, his smug grin audible in his voice, “We’re playing dirty now, are we?” He swung his leg over so he was straddling the small of Ethan’s back and pulled his hands free. Replacing them was Alabaster’s entire body weight pressing down against him while his arms came around to hug Ethan’s chest.

“Hey!” he huffed out; bouncing Al on top of him with his spasming laughs. “You’re crushing me!”

“Pretend I’m a weighted blanket,” Al said as he propped his chin up on the back of Ethan’s head.

“No. You feel like a boulder. I’ve already done weights in the gym.”

“Which is why you need this.”

“More weights?”

“No.” Al wrapped his arms tighter around Ethan’s chest and an infuriatingly comforting warmth bloomed along his back. “I’m just wringing all the tension out of your muscles. Like water out of a towel.”

“So I’m a wet towel now? Don’t I feel loved.”

“Come on,” Al whined. “You can’t keep working yourself to the bone like this! And if I need to flatten you to keep that from happening, then so be it!” He pressed his body further onto Ethan’s and worked some more tension out of his muscles.

“Stop yelling,” he groaned. “The whole army will hear you.”

“Good. They’ll know not to let you in the training rooms anymore tonight.” Ethan glared up over his shoulder but all the ire he’d mustered up was a weak defense against the face he was met with. Al wore a familiar sheepish smile that dimpled his cheeks and narrowed his gleaming eyes, which seemed to sparkle even brighter against his tawny face. The colour of it deepened from the warm pink undertone overtaking it. The heat rising in Ethan’s own face told him he’d soon have an embarrassingly deep blush to match and he turned around to rest his head back down on the bed.

“Whatever,” he huffed, burying his burning face in his forearms and relishing the cooling effect it had on him. “Just get it out of your system.”

Grinning, Al buried his face in the crook of Ethan’s neck and murmured against his furiously hot skin, “You know I love you, don’t you?”

In spite of himself, Ethan leaned into the touch and even reached his hand back to card his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair. “I know.”

“And you know how much you worry me, don’t you?”

Ethan sighed. “I know.” It was the only reason he hadn’t shoved him off and kicked him out of the room already. For all his persistence, if Ethan seriously told Al to get lost he would have begrudgingly agreed and left him alone. And then Al would have been sitting in his room all night with a bouncing leg and a wandering mind.

“You know I don’t mean to worry you,” Ethan said. “Just trying to help out.” The two of them rarely told the other they loved them, not in so many words, but they knew how to express it. Al had a lot of anxiety about his role as general, Ethan knew this very well, and there was little he could do to alleviate the burden on his shoulders. The only real power he had was over himself and he intended to use that power to give his boyfriend the best damn lieutenant an army could use. Which, of course, involved putting himself through his paces in the training room until he physically couldn’t.

Al’s only response was to murmur a little, “Uh-huh,” and start kneading the overworked muscles of Ethan’s biceps. The press of his body was firm, insistent, and yet as gentle as ever. His thumbs dug into the tight knots Ethan had wound up in himself, nudging them until they loosened and fell away, while the rest of his body pressed all the tension out of him to leave him lying limp under his boyfriend’s weight. It was this that told Ethan his efforts did not go unnoticed and his feelings did not go unreciprocated. Ethan’s ‘I love you’s were etched into his actions. Al said his ‘I love you’s with his hands.

Ethan responded by leaning back to press a light kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek. “Just so you know,” Ethan told him, “You’ll never be able to stop me from helping you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Al said, a smile audible in his voice. “Just like how you’ll never be able to stop me from helping you.”

With Al’s weight crushing him in the most gentle way and his warmth seeping into the very air around him, Ethan wasn’t very inclined to stop him.

[bulkyphrase]

Halloween Fic Recs 2023 Week 4: Other ships

Not much longer till Halloween! This week's stories are from a variety of ships - not necessarily rarepairs, but not enough spooky fics to make up an entire rec list.

The End of All Things by cakeisnotpie (Clint Barton/Phil Coulson, Mature, 17,801 words)

Summary: Clint Barton could always see ghosts and monsters, and now that he's a ghost hunter with his partner Natasha, he's about to come across a house that is well and truly haunted, one that seems to be waiting for him. A seriously spooky bit of horror completely with monsters and ghosts and creepy-crawlies and nightmares just in time for All Hallow's Eve. Happy Samhain, ya'll.

Monsters 'R' Us by Not_You (Clint Barton/Phil Coulson/Natasha Romanov, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Mature, 20,183 words)

Summary: Phil Coulson is one of the last of the old school monster hunters, and finds himself in the company of a werewolf and her human.

Bite Down by avesnongrata (@avesnongrata) (Maria Hill/Natasha Romanov, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Explicit, 5,224 words)

Summary: "I could change your life, Maria. And all you need to do is trust me." Seasoned monster hunter Maria Hill is tasked with tracking down a dangerous supernatural creature in the heart of the jungle. Her hunt does not go the way she planned.

The rest are below the cut!

Between the Shadow and the Soul by Yeetmeaway (Romanogers, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Mature, 151,121 words)

Note: this is a sequel to the amazing For Whose Love I Rise and Fall

Summary: After receiving Shield’s cure, Steve’s memory of the past seventy-five years of being infected with Hydra’s virus has been wiped clean. He's grateful for it— it's better to forget the suffering he caused as an infected monster, but as he navigates the unfamiliar world he has woken up in, it becomes clear that his past isn't done with him. Troubled by disturbing dreams and by strange, lingering feelings that he can't explain, Steve struggles to navigate exactly who and what he is now. But a new threat emerging in the wake of Hydra’s destruction has a strange obsession with Steve and his new partner, Natasha Romanoff. The mere presence of this threat promises to destroy what little ground Shield has gained in this war and if Steve and Natasha can’t stop him, they stand to lose far more than just their lives.

you know i didn't want to (have to haunt you) by dharmainitiative (@rocketnebulas) (SamBucky, Teen And Up Audiences, 46,052 words)

Summary: Sam Wilson is an amazing realtor. He works hard, he takes care of his clients, and he can sell any house he puts his mind to. Unless, of course, the house happens to be haunted by an irritating, standoffish ghost who died in 1940. Then things get a little more complicated.

The Way Out Is Through by samwontshare (Attaining) (@samwontshare) (SamBucky, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Explicit, 12,097 words)

Summary: Sam and Bucky's love story in Wakanda is interrupted when Sam contracts a virus that makes him crave human flesh. Bucky will do anything to keep him safe. And fed. Instead of The Blip, Thanos' minions brought the zombie apocalypse. (Aka a Sambucky zombie romance. Happy Halloween!)

Best and Last of All Things by anactoria (@anactorya) (SamBucky, Mature, 7,481 words)

Summary: Just a couple of guys, holding each other together as the world falls apart. (Alternatively: Fucking zombies.)

batteries and holy ghosts, buried in my bag of bones by starvels (dinosaur) (@starvels) (Steve Rogers/Tony Stark/Janet Van Dyne, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Mature, 8,102 words)

Summary: “You don’t sleep anymore," Steve says. “Yeah, I guess not,” Tony agrees, smiling like that’s funny somehow. Steve hates it. “But Jan does and she could use some company.” Steve’s eyes close again. Jan. Sharp, unnerving Jan. Jaundice yellow and grave-dirt-black magic Jan.

D.I.Y. (Demons In You) by RedTeamShark (WinterHawk, Explicit, 37,828 words)

Summary: Clint and Bucky are ready to take the next step in their lives and buy a house together. And when the opportunity arises for Clint’s small Youtube channel to get a big sponsorship on a home renovation series, it seems that the stars are aligning for them. Buying and remodeling an older house is a much bigger project than they expect, and old houses hold old secrets. Have the two found a place to live and love together, or is forever homea bit more literal than they ever intended?

Historic Features by flawedamythyst (@flawedamythyst) (WinterHawk, background Stony, Teen And Up Audiences, 19,254 words)

Summary: “Electrical surges with no source, and music coming from the air, and that damn baseball game no one was watching, and I swear I sometimes hear voices right on the edge of hearing when I should be alone,” said Tony. “What does that sound like to you?”  “Sounds like-” said Steve, then hesitated. Tony gave him a pointed look. “Sounds like a haunting,” he finished, reluctantly.  “Oh no,” said Clint, in tones of mock-horror. “Ghosts!”  Bucky laughed and kissed him. “Man, I hope they’re friendly.”  Clint and Bucky are haunting the new apartment that Tony bought in Brooklyn to try and impress Steve.

The Ghost of a Chance by atothej (WinterHawk, Major Character Death, Teen And Up Audiences, 2,341 words)

Summary: The Asset's only constant companion is the ghost that haunts him.

The Road Less Traveled at the End of the Line by NarutoRox (@muteelfmoonmoon) (WinterIron, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Teen And Up Audiences, 27,889 words)

Summary: To say Steve is surprised to wake up haunting his loved ones after sinking his plane into the ocean would be an understatement. To say he enjoys it would be just plain cruel. For starters, there’s the ‘minor’ problem of said loved ones being unable to see or hear him, which is bad enough. Things only get worse when he finds out Bucky is alive, but held prisoner by the very people he and Steve had fought against, leaving Steve to watch as HYDRA slowly tries to unmake his best friend. Then there’s Tony, Howard’s genius son, whom Steve loves dearly and may or may not be a little protective of after watching him grow up under Howard’s less-than-stellar care. Steve doesn’t know if they keep him sane or drive him crazy, but he does know that Bucky and Tony are the two most important people in his world. He also doesn’t know if it would make his life easier if they knew each other or not, but it doesn’t matter; they’ve never met, are on opposite sides of the world, and other than being cared about by Steve, have nothing else to do with each other. Until Tony is kidnapped by the Ten Rings…and HYDRA thaws Bucky for a mission…And Steve decides it’s about time these two met.

Take My Hand (Don't Fear the Reaper) by dracusfyre (@dracusfyre) (WinterIron, Major Character Death, Not Rated, 6,693 words)

Summary: For the ITAB prompt:  After Afghanistan tony became a part-time grim reaper assigned to the winter soldier, since Bucky has a messed up head he can see tony.

[welcometothejianghu]

Small Fandom Summer Update

I felt like running the numbers on Small Fandom Summer, the thing where I'm trying to write a fic every 1-2 weeks, schedule permitting, for a fandom that has fewer than 1000 English-language works in it on AO3. Bonus points for rarepairs!

It's been going pretty well! Here's what I got so far:

The Rightful Ruler (少年歌行 | The Blood of Youth - 106 total works, 50 English) - Lei Wujie/Xiao Se (25 total, 4 English - and of those four, this is the only one that actually contains content for this pairing)

The Doctor is In (心宅猎人 | Psych-Hunter - 25 total works, all in English) - I tagged it as Jiang Shuo/Qin Yiheng (22 total), but it's really just Qin Yiheng/Original Male Character (the only one!) with extra Jiang Shuo voyeurism

A Single Explosion (终极笔记 | Ultimate Note - 652 total works, 509 English) - Pangzi & Xiao Ge (64 total) or Pangzi/Xiao Ge (68 total), depending on how you read it

Dog (伪装者 | The Disguiser - 1,382 total works; 128 English) - Ah Cheng/Ming Lou (517 total, 39 English)

And I am green, and you are wood (沙海 | Tomb of the Sea - 1,303 total works, 519 English; 老九门 | Old Nine Gates - 650 total works, 270 English) - Qi Tie Zui/Zhang Rishan (167 total, 98 English), Liang Wan/Zhang Rishan (44 total, 38 English), Liang Wan/Qi Tie Zui/Zhang Rishan (4 total, all English)

Stay (괴물 | Beyond Evil - 1,165 total works, 877 English) - Oh Jihwa/Yu Jaeyi (8 total, 6 English, and so far as I can tell, mine's the only one where they bone)

Little Spear (少年歌行 | The Blood of Youth) - Sikong Qianluo/Xiao Se (11 total, all English, and mine's the only one rated above Teen)

动须相应 (棋魂 | Hikaru no Go - 653 total works, 129 English) - Shi Guang/Yu Liang (233 total, 77 English)

One Quiet Night (킹덤 | Kingdom - 218 total works, 191 English) - Lee Chang/Yeongshin (105 total, 89 English) and Lee Chang/Seobi/Yeongshin (6 total, all English)

Not that I usually play around in huge fandoms or anything, but it's been kind of startling to get in there and realize just how much of a ghost town some of these places are.

Then again, this has been good for me, in a way. I hate the sensation of feeling like I'm screaming into the void, so it's been a worthwhile lesson in accepting from the start that I'm basically going to be screaming into the void, and then doing it anyway. Like, maybe someday, some weary future traveler will stumble upon these leavings and be grateful that there are twenty-five total stories for them to read instead of twenty-four. But for right now, if I want validation, man, I should not be expecting to find it here.

Anyway, we'll see what else I can get up to. Besides repeats of the above, fandoms that might get swept up in this project, depending on my mood, include 七爷 | Qi Ye (408 total works, 308 English), 손 The Guest (230 total works, 132 English), 君子盟 | A League of Nobleman (84 total works, 35 English), 风起陇西 | The Wind Blows from Longxi (26 total works, and if you exclude crossovers, it brings the number down to 8 total, none of which are in English).

Here's to making someone, somewhere out there obscurely happy.

[goatsandgangsters]

shadow and bone episode 7: suddenly the kudos emails I’ve been getting from ao3 make a lot of sense

also you know what was NOT on my bingo card for this season? getting CONTENT for my TINY LITTLE RAREPAIR DOMINIKOLAI HEART?? 

previous liveblogs should you require more thoughts yelling flailing etc

……okay one more belated comment on episode 6, because I was so floored by the existence of dominik and the intense homoerotic eye contact that I forgot to process dominik calling young nikolai a “quiet wisp.” dominik. dominik he has undiagnosed adhd. they hired you as a whipping boy because it was the only way they could think to make him sit still or shut up dominik. dominik he merrily chattered your ear off for your entire childhood dominik. he recreationally caused explosions with you dominik.

OKAY! HOLD ON! THAT INTRO! A BODY OF WATER BEING FROZEN AROUND A ROCK??????? HAVE MY DEMON IN THE WOOD PRAYERS BEEN ANSWERED? DID I JUST NEED TO BE PATIENT??????????? are we perhaps going to tie the destruction of Keramzin into his own childhood trauma, thus linking together these two events as a loss of innocence and commentary on the cycles of violence wrought from the desperation Ravka creates? is that too much to hope for?

“The tracker is not to be touched by anyone other than me” oh is THAT why my ao3 email every day has a SIZABLE CHUNK of kudos on my Malarkling fic? I’ve been wondering at that one getting more attention than I expected, I really didn’t think it was gonna have much readership

I really like the costume design for his grisha, the richer gem tones are really nice

I knew I’d have to see it based on the episode title, but oh my godddddd do I really need to see this flashback again? it was in THE FIRST FOUR EPISODES of season 1! every single episode! burn it down aleks I have seen this meadow way too many goddamn times

OH OKAY. MALARKLING TETHER SCENE????????? I understand the kudos emails, I understand the kudos emails. “I knew there was something I liked about you,” he said, like a liar. or maybe he’s not lying, we all saw that electricity in season 1. oh my god. the wheezy fucking laugh of disbelief I just made. “DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT YOU’RE THE ONE IN CONTROL HERE”???????? I understand why I’m getting so many kudos now on my kinky Malarkling smut, I understand it.

Ben, I think this is more than 10 book lines you squeezed in. anyway, “you have a bad habit of acting the fool and calling it heroic” IS an underrated book line, thank you Ben for your service and your post-it note covered books and your list of favorite quotes

stop calling each other cousin, it’s weird. IF YOU HAVE TO GO BACK LIKE 40 ENTIRE GENERATIONS UNTIL YOU HIT YOUR COMMON ANCESTOR, I DON’T THINK IT ACTUALLY COUNTS AS COUSINS. I THINK MOST PEOPLE ARE RELATED IF YOU GO BACK THAT FAR.

like obviously we know his prime motivation is not wanting alina to have enough power to tear down the fold, but I DO actually like that he’s arguing from the angle of “what’s going to happen to her without you” because. like. yeah. it’s good, it’s that thing he does where even when he’s arguing for his own ends, he’s NOT WRONG about what he’s saying. he’s using something totally true to make his point. he knows exactly what losing someone important will do to a person. let’s revisit those mal luda parallels we were making in season 1 with this new content/context

I really just don’t know why, of all the people on this show, Archie and Ben have more sexual tension than any other pair of characters. none of the canon ships can hold a candle to …. whatever these two are doing anytime they’re on screen together

RETROACTIVE PREFACE TO THIS BULLET POINT: I wrote this whole spiel about Appreciating The Ambiguity Of Nikolai and Alina’s Relationship, only for that to immediately dissolve a scene later, BUT WHATEVER, HERE WERE MY FEELINGS: I’m really pleased by how they’re doing Nikolai and Alina’s relationship this season. I love that the exact nature of their dynamic is sort of open to interpretation with what/if there are Feelings Feelings, but the trust and warmth and genuine friendship between them is still palpable. like, I have A LOT of feelings about these two and I’m in the “queerplatonic soulmate” camp with them, the “love has many forms and sometimes love is stronger if it’s not romantic” camp, but in a very adamant THAT ISN’T LESSER THAN IF I SHIPPED IT ROMANTICALLY way, like I am DEEPLY FEELINGS about them, because I think they see through each other and understand each other intrinsically. they’re both characters who have been given A Role To Play as a figurehead and I think that when they’re together that’s the one space where they can set those roles aside and find comfort with the only one who really understands the weight of Being A Figurehead (and I think too much emphasis on romantic pining would get in the way of allowing them that vulnerability with each other, and I like The Vulnerability Space more than I like Romance). I’ve never Queerplatonically Shipped something this passionately, but god I have feelings in my hEART about them!! and I like that canon sort of…. lets you go shippy if you want to go shippy, and it lets me go Queerplatonic Soulmate because I want to go Queerplatonic Soulmate

I’m Fucking Feelings About This Scene, they’re both so good, THEY CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER SO MUCH EVEN THOUGH THEY’VE ONLY KNOWN EACH OTHER A SHORT WHILE!!!

me, writing an entire paragraph about how I like that the show kept the nikolina relationship ambiguous. dominik, five seconds later: sO THOSE ROMANTIC FEELINGS YOU HAVE. me: god fucking dammit. you two, kiss instead. it’s time to make nikolai lantsov canonically bisexual. the people have waited long enough.

okay well as long as I’m paused to tell you My Many Many Headcanons About The Delicate Ambiguity of Nikolai’s Love Life: despite me yelling KISS, my actual default interpretation of Dominikolai is not childhood sweethearts but that there was either a) pining that never got acted on, and then it was too late, or b) nikolai not even realizing until he’s older and dominik’s long dead that in retrospect, Those Were Feelings, bc I think that’s a very first queer love mood. anyway, I will be choosing to interpret dominik asking after alina as being infused with some jealousy, because poor dominik has been quietly carrying a torch for Years  

DOMINIK IS CLEARLY IN LOVE WITH HIM, LOOK AT THIS EXCHANGE. “a king who won’t shut up.” feelings about it, thank you!! much as I have fun with nikolai’s self-aggrandizing humor, I do love that the self-aggrandizement is covering for his very self-deprecating inner monologue

Mal fixing the thing that’s clanking by retying the rope is SUCH a good quiet character moment, it’s the kind of quiet character moment I love, it’s one of those small little actions with a character alone that tells you so much about them, I LOVE THAT WE’RE TAKING MORE TIME FOR QUIET CHARACTER MOMENTS THIS SEASON, I LOVE THAT DESPITE DOING THREE ENTIRE BOOKS WE’RE GIVING THE STORY MORE BREATHING ROOM

this long shot of mal’s face while hugging nikolai has got me like ;____; ARCHIE IS REALLY GOOD, he’s doing “man heading willingly to the gallows” SO fucking well!!!!!

“then I met you and for the very first time I thought this is the life”? oh, we’re even feeding the malolais this episode (malolai? is that accurate? sounds better than nikmal). crumbs for ALL the multishippers of Ravka!

nikolai’s face like “iiiiiiiii also envy Sturmhond’s life. oh god, mY PATH IS ALSO SET. OH GOD.” you can watch in real-time as Mal’s talking that Nikolai is having a whole-ass realization that he’s actually king now oh god

THE “DESERVE HER” HITTIN REAL HARD NOW THAT I ACTUALLY LIKE MAL. god, I will say, “you can’t win unless you kill your love personally” is one HELL of a fucking trope. that is narratively delicious. that is juicy as fuck. but the question remains: do we actually follow through on this emotional set up? or will it all be a convenient bait and switch? Will We Be Brave Enough To Stick To Our Narrative Stakes?

David is So Fucking Cute

oh don’t stop his heart for two minutes, that’s CHEATING! it’s ALWAYS BEEN CHEATING! if you set up emotional stakes and then TAKE A SHORTCUT AROUND THEM, you are SHORT-CHANGING THE WEIGHT OF YOUR OWN NARRATIVE!

“SO WHAT SHOULD WE AMPUTATE” oh david. you’re iconic.

hm. turning Epilogue Narration into Dialogue. that’s Suspicious. are we….. are we perhaps………. making the brave writing choice?

OHHHHH WE’RE TURNING NIKOLAI’S INNER MONOLOGUE INTO A DRAMATIC ROUSING SPEECH, I’M HAVING FEELINGS ABOUT IT!!!!!!

god there are truly SO MANY book lines in this season, WAY MORE than season 1. it’s making me glad I have as good a memory as I do for Sentences. because I’m constantly like AYYY THAT LINE. AAYY!! THAT LINE!!!! AYYYYYYY THAT LINE!!!!!!

my boy my beautiful boy my beautiful perfect boy, I love him so much

also are we gonna have time to volcrafy him? is that coming soon?

“that your religion would deny you satisfaction” “there is other satisfaction” and on that day pekkathias was born and everyone felt confused about it

“HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED” kjshdfgkjhfdg god Archie’s comedic timing / dark humor is SO good this season

“fOR REAL NOW” how is this scene simultaneously so funny and so Deeply Uncomfortably Emotional

AND THE STAKES ARE RAISED

Dominik helping an injured Nikolai along :3333333

YOU KNOW, WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MORNING, “DOMINIKOLAI CONTENT” WAS NOT SOMETHING I EXPECTED I’D BE EXPERIENCING. DID NOT SEE THAT ONE COMING. I know Nikolai mentioned a Dominik a couple episodes ago but I was like “don’t put your clown shoes on, it’s just a guy with the same name” but for once! for ONCE! the shoes were not clown shoes. and here I thought I was gonna have to use that guy from the WWI period drama Paddy did in order to make a very niche Dominikolai gifset. NOPE, I CAN JUST GIF THE GODDAMN SHOW! insane! this is insane to me!

Vladim having an amplifier tattoo instead of bone is a really cool concept

also cool concepts: 1. expanding the fold to cover your battleground, THAT IS A FUCKING STAKE THAT YOU ARE RAISING, I’m extremely excited about it 2. the nichevo’ya popping up and grabbing the volcra by the throat, I love it. this escalation is exciting as hell.

[Volcra munching] OH I LOVE NETFLIX SUBTITLES. NOT QUITE AS GOOD AS [TENTACLES SQUELCHING WETLY] OR [OMINOUS SYNTH MUSIC] BUT YOU DO LOVE TO SEE IT

that now that was an ENTRANCE Inej!!!

“BIG FAN” I love Nina

“NO NO NO NO NO! NO HEROICS!” have you ever seen a man more in love than Dominik I-didn’t-catch-whatever-last-name-the-show-gave-him?

TAMAR AND NIKOLAI HUG!!!! one of my beefs with the later books is that there’s not enough…. friendship between Nikolai and the twins. BUT THERE SHOULD BE. THEY HAVE A LOT OF HISTORY.

Zhaban siblings Squalling together with each of them having only one good arm is Really Good, and I might have to finally forgive Adrik for the crime of being super annoying in King of Scars

Dominikolai shooting together is Really Good, and I don’t know what crime it’s going to make me forgive, but I’ll find one and assign that as my recompense. lack of Oncat, maybe.

me every single time Dominik does Literally Anything in this fight sequence: no don’t be a hero, you’ve already been doomed by the narrative from the start!!!! I know I’m going to watch you die in Nikolai’s arms, I just don’t know WHEN

has anyone in the history of storytelling ever said “cover me” in a heterosexual way? I Think Not

watching Lewis Tan do stunts is EXACTLY as beautiful as I’ve heard. he really does have a beautiful fluid way of moving

THIS COUNTRY GETS YOU IN THE END BROTHER!!!!! SOLDIERS DID NOT CRY, PRINCES DID NOT WEEP, NIKOLAI KNEW THIS, BUT THE TEARS FELL ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

if you’d allow me to put on my literary analysis hat for a moment, I will say that I do think it’s thematically more important that Dominik was originally killed on the Fjerdan front, because it taught Nikolai the ordinary everyday ongoing horrors of Ravka, and the casual violence and loss of life that everyone is subjected to. It’s important that Dominik represents the “every man” killed in the mud and bleeding in the snow, as so many have. That he was just one more death of many—on a regular day, in a regular war, not even particularly noteworthy except to the one person who cared about him—in an endless and ongoing war that treated the entire country as cannon fodder. if you’d allow me to take off my literary analysis hat for a moment, I will say I CANNOT BELIEVE I GOT A MINI-DOMINIKOLAI ARC ON MY ACTUAL TV SCREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

…………david what ARE you doing DAVID YOU DON’T DIE UNTIL RULE OF WOLVES, DAVID WHAT ARE YOU DOING DAVID DAVID DAVID DAVID DAVID

if you’d allow me to put on my literary analysis hat for a moment, I will say that I do think it’s thematically more important that David was originally killed BY FJERDAN BOMBERS, THUS DEMONSTRATING THE SENSELESS ONGOING VIOLENCE OF RAVKA’S WARS—

I am actually going to give props for the camera lingering on Enemy Inferni dying and the other two being gutted about it. most things don’t usually show The Bad Guys mourning their losses, I am going to give a point for that

okay Jesper taking Sankta Neyar’s advice and using his buttons as bullets is Very Good

alright well Dominik’s dead, time to shift into Kazolai mode

augghhhh Nikolai casting that finally look at where Dominik’s lying as they leave, even though he’s out of frame of the camera

we don’t have a lot of time left in this episode, are we going to follow up on the very Demon in the Wood intro sequence, or have I been BAITED AGAIN. hAVE I BEEN DECEIVED. LIED TO. TRICKED. are we not doing that thing I said about the loss of innocence and the cycles of violence, because like, I had a point with that. they need to listen to me, because I have POINTS about THEMES and how to dO STUFF WITH THEM

The visuals on the firebird light streams is VERY good with the red and the wing-like formations

oh god the silence on the end credits oH GOD

anyway, that was some genuinely incredible extended fight choreography that didn’t skimp on the emotional moments in favor of the action, I had a good time

[battlekilt]

Dear Anon,

I've decided not to publish your ask in full because I do not want for some content to appear in some tags; it just isn't nice. Not that you didn't say anything mean, just, I try to leave out anything that isn't 100% positive participation about a ship or thoughtfully articulated about a character out of where it is likely to show up in said content's tags. Sometimes, I forget to do that, and I have to go back and censor.

Anyway, I digress.

There are several points in your message that I 100% about the association of shippy content and the popularity of... a specific character, who unfortunately gets the short end of the stick in terms of characterization.

Admittedly, I also avoid centric fanfic about that character for similar reasons. I also tend to circle around the edges of the character's social circles. Add-on to my confession: I don't read a lot of fanfic. I have a lightyear long list of pickiness. Though, mostly it is that I invest my transformative time on trying to write my massive fic.

There is some contemplation among some people I know who feel similarly, and discussion of trying our hands at making a Discord server for that same character that we hope we will have a different community tone.

And yeah, those who ship both ObiRex and Rexwalker do tend to be stuck in a sticky middle. It is similar to how people who like both Clones and Jedi are often… in the middle, especially if there's an added weariness for Jedi/Clone ships. Too many Clone fans hate the Jedi, and too many Jedi—specifically film (mainly R0TS) Jedi fans—just don't care about the Clones. There's a similar vein among those who like the specific character referenced above, but: do not ship them with X or ship them with Y—or may only ship the character with either under very specific circumstances. There's a growing number of people who hate this specific character because of how the character's fans treat others—both other characters and other fans, and now some of us are trying to rehab this character for those people who have some trauma responses to this highly popular character. It is most unfortunate.

There is more that I can say, and I was glad to hear from you. Your thoughts are not alone.

Closing: it is a disconcerting feeling really loving one character who is arguably one of the main characters, he's the main Clone of the prequels, mainly TCW, and feel like EVERY SINGLE ship for him are all rarepairs. ALL. -frustrated squawking noises-

If you wish to discuss privately, feel free to DM me and we can talk there. Know that you are not alone. I've found a handful of people who feel similarly in places.

PS. I feel really stupid trying to censor names. Didn't censor the two Rex ship names.

PS2. Also, lulz @ the wording, "I found out about you." It tickled my funny bone, and my irrational paranoia.

[rollercoasterwords]

hiya hiya hello !! no. 19 for the siken prompt game please <3

hello hello hello i love this one!!

19. i take off my hands and i give them to you.

from this prompt list!

ok u are going 2 have 2 bear with me for this the idea JUST popped into my head but it is a rarepair emmeline/alice:

hate doesn't heal, but it calcifies. that's the one thing emmeline's learned, after fifteen years of hospital visits. she can walk through the door to the janus thickey ward time after time after time and still feel the vitriol like an old break. like a bone healed wrong. something that aches when it rains.

"hello, alice," she whispers, and alice stares at the ceiling, eyes as cloudless and blank as a summer day. emmeline lifts a hand, smooths a lock of hair from her face. alice blinks, and emmeline closes her eyes and tries to remember the spilled-water sound of alice's voice, of her accent, of the way she'd say hello.

"oh! healer vance--we weren't expecting you today."

emmeline sighs. opens her eyes. turns to face the nurse.

"sorry," she says, with an easy smile, "i've had a new development in my research. something i wanted to try."

"oh, is that so?" the nurse smiles encouragingly, moving towards the door, "shall i fetch mr. longbottom, then? he's just in a routine checkup, but we can always reschedule..."

and there it is--the old, familiar ache of hate. it still surprises emmeline, her body's determination to cling to bitterness.

"no--that's alright. alice and i will be fine here for now."

the nurse nods, smiles, moves towards the door.

"well, you just let me know if you need anything. i'll be right down the hall."

emmeline nods, and turns back to alice as she listens to the door shut. once they're alone, she releases a breath.

"well then, love," she whispers, lifting a hand once more to stroke gently over the soft contours of alice's face, "let's get started, shall we?"

the magic is complex, precise, finicky--the sort of thing that requires immense concentration, unwavering control. emmeline has been studying and practicing mind-healing for years, and even so she finds her hands trembling, fingers cramping where they're locked around her wand. but she doesn't stop.

she never stops.

one day, it will finally work. one day, the years spent toiling over research will finally pay off, and she'll press her wand to alice's temple and whisper the magic words and watch the light bleed back into her eyes. and she'll throw her arms around alice and cry until she can't breathe and alice will hug her back and stroke her hair and say in that fond, bemused way of hers,

what's all the fuss about, then?

but not today.

today, like every other day, emmeline casts until her hands shake, until she can no longer hold her wand steady. she drops her arms into her lap, and alice stares out the window, giving no indication that she's even aware of emmeline's presence at all. emmeline tries very hard not to feel like a stupid girl in a blue dress, holding a bouquet of baby's breath and forcing her face to hold a smile as she watches alice fall to earth through the church doors like a shooting star, like a snowstorm, like the most perfect breath of a spring breeze. she tries not to feel invisible and foolish, a girl watching the only thing she's ever loved walk down the aisle in a veil, smiling so hard her teeth might crack, proclaiming her love until death do us part.

it would take more than death, for emmeline. if alice could only have seen her, there's not a force in the universe that would have wrenched them apart. emmeline would crawl out of any grave the world could dig and right back into alice's arms; she would pour the blood back into her wounds and stitch herself shut and love alice forever, in death and in life, in sickness and in health and in war.

but alice never looked.

alice never saw.

emmeline died a slow death in a blue dress, and alice kissed frank longbottom and took his last name.

and look where it got her--dragged into a war. dragged into a mother. dragged into a prophecy and then back out, dragged into the funerals of all their friends, dragged into the basement of a death eater's house, dragged into the crucio, crucio, crucio--

emmeline knows that she isn't being fair.

emmeline knows that she shouldn't hate frank, that what he took from her was never even hers to begin with, that the war was just as much alice's crusade as his. she knows that alice was never one to be dragged, that she was her own joan of arc, a martyr and a hero and teenage girl jumping headfirst into a battleground because she truly believed she could make a difference.

still, when the nurse asks,

"do you want me to fetch mr. longbottom, see if it works on him?"

emmeline shakes her head.

"no," she says, "that's enough for today. back to the drawing board, i'm afraid."

she leaves the janus thickey ward. she returns to her lab. she researches, she experiments, she adjusts her calculations. she returns to alice, time after time after time, telling herself every day that this time something will change. this time something will be different.

at night, she goes to bed with aching hands.

[alenislarens]

Hi I was scrolling the trek rarepair post lol and I am absolutely fascinated by your Chakotay/Sam Wildman rarepair, pls tell me more! 🖖🏻

oh, sure! i think the long & short of it boils down to the fact that they're both so kind, and there are many ways in which that appeals to me.

anyway, walk with me my friend -

my main chakotay pairing is always gonna be janeway/chakotay, but i generally tend to be most interested in those two when they're being deeply toxic with each other. there can be fluff woven in there, but the base code of those two for me is always gonna be messy. in a way i love! but messy nonetheless.

a chakotay/sam wildman situation is sort of my antidote to that whenever i'm in the mood for something different. from what we see of our gal sam, she's grounded, reasonable, and kind. just a pretty chill person. contrast that with chakotay's dramatic ass antics. i just sort of love it! she doesn't strike me as the kind of woman who would have the temperament or the time to deal with his nonsense, and i find that kind of fun. where janeway meets and matches his intensity, i feel like sam would draw him into something quieter and more gentle. and that's a dynamic that i find interesting!

there's also something i like of an arc where chakotay goes from a man who would die for the people he loves to a man who would live for the people he loves. with sam being a mother, she has no choice but to live for the people(/person) she loves. there's something in there about him living in the past and her having no choice but to constantly be in the present because of naomi that i find super interesting.

i also feel like he'd be so good with naomi! and so kind to sam as a single mom! theoretically the xo is your people person on the ship who deals with all the interpersonal business, and even though we rarely got to see it (side eye @ the voyager writers) i do feel like he was good at it. i think he'd be good with them. also i am personally weak for a man who's good with children so, you know. if i'm the only person paying attention to this rarepair i'm gonna do whatever i want with it and one of those things is letting chakotay hang out with a kid. i think it'd be good for him!

another thing i'm generally interested in wrt: voyager is the push & pull of when to hold out hope vs. when to give in and accept that you're probably never getting home. sam is a great little window into that conflict. she's married, and still loves her husband deeply. but she also has a child and her first priority has to be caring for naomi. in what ways does that mean opening herself up to the support systems around her? in what ways does that mean letting go of the hope that she'll ever see her husband again? does that make her feel guilty? there's a lot in that conflict that i'm very into from a story perspective.

and also because i am always gonna be a j/c gal deep in my bones, there is something delicious to me about our man chakotay staring down the open wound of his feelings for his captain and choosing to engage with something else. maybe even if there's a part of him that will always love her? maybe especially if there's a part of him that will always love her? end of the day i am what i am and i do love that particular flavor of quietly devastating drama. the looming shadow of a complicated past is always gonna be something i want to sink my teeth into!

but like. two people who could meet each other exactly where they are, with all their complications and flaws and failings, and choose to connect anyway? and choose to be kind and gentle with each other in the midst of a terrifying and impossible situation? simply because that's what human beings do? because it feels nice to love and be loved? sign me up baybee!