#trying to guess at if a ship will be canon is in the same category as trying to guess future plot events to me

[youkaigakkou-tl]

Omg thank you for translating this manga! I saw your post with the slides for why you should read Yohaji and it was hilarious and made me start. So I wanna know what are your thoughts about the Miki Haru ship? Do you think tanamai will make it cannon (like Hatanaka Ibara cannon i mean) cause i swear its giving more than friends vibe for me but since its a shounen and all...

hello welcome welcome!! another victim hehehehehehe

mikiharu hmmm........ tanamai ships her ocs as much as and maybe even more than the fans, she'll draw ship fanservice all day long on twitter but i think its unlikely anything will actually happen in the story

its like, thematically not what the story is about after all, but i think being concerned about whether a ship will or will not be canon is losing sight of the point! ships are by and for fandom! the very appeal of ships is to explore possibilities that arent in canon, and therefore not bound by the limits of canon!

[welcometoteyvat]

now that i've finally published 820 words of actual writing it's back to complaining. i was looking through some old screenshots and 2022 me was like: i'll join genshin discords i need people to talk to!

people: responds with, i quote, "not feeling that hu tao is definitely grown" when i mention xingtao in response to a prompt asking for people's weirdest ships

been half typing up too many complaining posts lately I need to actually finish a fic and then i'll have something with actual substance to post

[set-wingedwarrior]

My most important sapphic ships post before Pride Month ends

What the title says, studying kept (and still keeps me) busy so we gotta go fast lol

Bumbleby (RWBY)

to the surprise of absolutely no one, they get first place (despite me not going in a particular order) because of reasons. They're perfect. Soulmates. Slowburn of all time. Yin and Yang. Eyes the color of each other's souls. Truest OTP to ever OTP in my book. ∞/10

Konosetsu (Negima!)

I already talked about them in their own post, this scene changed my life leading to my self-discovery and it still lives rent-free in my mind.

Kyosaya (Madoka Magica)

I'd also add MadoHomu but I'm trying to keep it to just one for each fandom. That said, they still make me mentally unwell. I love them, and I did for a long time now. I can't wait for the next movie to come out and suffer.

Ruby and Sapphire (Steven Universe)

These bitches had the first cartoon gay wedding and kiss DO I NEED TO SAY MORE???

Korrsami (Avatar)

Still down the queer cartoons making history path, these two made me insane back in the day because I still didn't understand I was queer and lots of sapphic couple were starting to appear in media, and I remember jokingly say how "lesbian ships were hauting me". All I can say now is "Thank you" lol. Anyway, they were incredibly important and all the people criticizing how little queerness there's in the show will never understand just how massive this scene was.

Catradora (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Friends to Enemies to back to Friends to Lovers. Iconic. I still want a movie with their adventures bringing magic back to the universe.

Hollstein (Carmilla)

My third beloved blonde with a cat gf ship. I miss this web-series every day. Also, Natasha Negovanlis played an immense role in my gay awakening.

Ellie and Riley (The Last of Us: Left Behind)

Ellie and Dina are adorable and I love them, BUT I just will never get over these two. That dlc fucked me up. (also, they're in the same category with Korrasami as "gay ships that hauted me before I realized I was queer" lol)

Lumity (The Owl House)

I remember starting this show feeling it as the successor of Steven Universe, at least to me. We could say that at level of mistreatment from its parent company, it defenitely surpassed it, but at least I'm glad I was right and we got Luz and Amity becoming canon. I love these two and not a day passes without me yelling at Disney for what it did to them.

Bubbline (Adventure Time)

I actually watched Adventure Time fully only recently, but I always loved them even when I watched the show randomly when it appeared in tv back in the day. Getting to see the progression properly just made me love them even more.

Yasammy (Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous/Chaos Theory)

Incredibly recent addition, but I am so glad that I checked out Camp Cretaceous and got into it. It's a nice show and these two are a really cute couple, their confession and especially Yaz's internal turmoil were just so on point. I was really happy to see them go still strong in Chaos Theory, and I can't wait for next season.

Pricefield (Life is Strange)

These two caused me pain in the best possible way. I felt literal heartbreak at the Bay Ending, and I was just as emotional at the Bae one (Bae > Bay Forever) I hope the new game will respect their relationship OR ELSE.

Wow, this is quite the list. I do have an amazing taste, if I do say so myself, ahah!

Well, I guess this is it for now, glad I could make it before Pride Month was over! Knowing myself I might have actually forgotten some though, so keep an eye out for possible updates (what makes me even think that you'd care? lol).

That would be all, be gay and do crimes! Bye!

[kyouka-supremacy]

I really wish there were more fics that delved into how Akutagawa's love for Atsushi is different from his love for Dazai.

Tbh I just wish Akutagawa's romantic feelings for Dazai were acknowledged more and I'm only now realizing it's so weird how nobody really ever brings them up? while it's all so evidently there. I mean, considering Akutagawa to be / having been in love with Dazai is seriously a perfectly feasible, consistent, realistic way to interpret the text without any need to bend or stretch it. It just makes a lot of sense for how his character is portrayed - his obsession with Dazai, his devotion, his desperation to be acknowledged and approved by him - and I think it's quite the important piece to understand his character. His love for Dazai is a significant aspect of Akutagawa's character, and it also explains why he's always been so vulnerable to manipulation by Dazai specifically. In a way, I think Akutagawa being so unmistakingly gay is also coherent with the way he's completely indifferent and even oblivious to Higuchi's feelings for him that lie at the light of the day– although, please note, that's a slippery slope that can degenerate in apologism for the way he abuses her, so I beg to be mindful when considering that.

Akutagawa's feelings for Dazai are in ultimate analysis extremely relevant for how Akutagawa falls and acts in the sskk picture: Atsushi being not the first person Akutagawa ever fell for, so in a way him being more aware of his own feelings than Atsushi is; Akutagawa falling for Atsushi first (and harder), because at this point he already knows he likes men, he already knows what being in love with someone feels like. But at the same time I believe that it's so interesting to explore how his feelings for Dazai are different from what he holds for Atsushi. On one side you have Akutagawa's feelings for Dazai being passive: not in the way he doesn't act after them, of course he does, but in the way he's always passively subject to Dazai's abuse, unable to stand for himself, blinded by his devotion to Dazai and unable to really see the damage he's causing him. Passive in the way that he's created this image of Dazai in his mind, perfect, god-like, static and unnatural, that struggles to evolve and adapt to reality. Akutagawa's love for Atsushi, on the other hand, is aggressive: always actively trying to hurt the other, always attempting to make the other suffer; it really speaks of someone whom, all his life, has always associated love with pain. Akutagawa hurts Atsushi because he knows love means pain, and he hurts Atsushi because he can't allow his love for him to hurt Akutagawa again as deeply and painfully as it's done in the past. It's a little sad. Ultimately, Akutagawa's love for Atsushi being the push Akutagawa needs to get over Dazai at last, something I fear he never really managed to do up to - I believe - at least chapter 53: getting over Dazai as something he gradually achieved after the soul-searching he did during his absence between chapters 53 and 84. Chapter 84 being the one where Akutagawa willingly, readily said “no” to Dazai in a way that was so sudden and surprising for anyone who knows him and that is easy to interpret as Akutagawa finally starting to free himself from the influence Dazai has had on him up to that point. That's why Akutagawa's sacrifice for Atsushi is all the more important and poignant, because him protecting (and dying for) Atsushi was never for Dazai to begin with.

I always always considered Akutagawa being gay and in love with Dazai to be like. the most evidently queer thing the bsd canon has to offer (and maybe the “you know the reason yourself don't you”, but I guess that falls under the bigger category of “Ryuunosuke Akutagawa is a character that is gay”); but now that I think about it, nobody ever brings it up really. I can guess it's probably because most people - including people who like Akutagawa and ship sskk - ultimately sympathize with Dazai, and even where acknowledging the hurt he's done to Akutagawa, don't really like to dwell on it or explore the relationship between the two of them which is... legit, indeed. Still, I think their relationship and Akutagawa's romantic feelings for Dazai are a very important part of his character that shouldn't be overlooked when trying to accurately portray him.

And the rational part of my brain knows this can't be intentional, knows Akutagawa wasn't written to be read as gay. But there's another I'd dare say equally rational part of my brain that keeps speaking up to say the majority of his characterization - his devotion to Dazai, his (can I say? tender) sacrifice for Atsushi, his mistreatment of Higuchi - really starts to make sense only when you interpret him as gay. So, sorry???

[starrysnowdrop]

Were there any barriers to you establishing your OCs relationship? Perhaps social or cultural stigma? Or a concern that "ships" with that character were already overdone? Or simply a fear of being seen as "cringe"? If so then how did you overcome this?

Ohhh now this is a good one, as this is something that I’ve been told, that I have inspired others to “overcome their fears” of shipping based on certain stigmas in the FFXIV fandom, so let’s get into it shall we? Oh and I will apologize in advance, as this WILL get long.

The Stigmas

Hali x Aymeric

So for Hali x Aymeric, the obvious stigma is that Hali is a lalafell, and Aymeric is not. Though I’ve seen lately that this stigma has waned a bit, especially here on Tumblr where people who infantilize lalas don’t seem to last long, but keep in mind that there is still plenty of lala infantilism on the bird app and other places like Reddit and in game.

For my main ship, that is really the only thing that I see that makes the ship “problematic” to some in the fandom; some people still see lalafells as “child-coded”, despite lalafells being a fantasy race of little people, no different to gnomes, hobbits, dwarves, etc. in other fantasy media, and despite the in game world treating lalafellin adults the same as any other race.

Yume x Zenos

(Yume’s blog: @firelightmuse)

So for Yume x Zenos, but also to a lesser extent Urania (Hali’s Azem) x Hermes, and my other secret ship that I haven’t revealed yet because it’s still in development, these ships fall into the category of being “problematic” because they are Hero x Villain ships at their core, and because Zenos, Hermes, and the secret ship partner are all major antagonists in the story, they have many haters.

Now there isn’t anything wrong with not liking certain characters, as I truly think we all have certain characters that we just don’t vibe with for one reason or another. But there is a problem, however, when people go after villain shippers just because they happen to not like those characters.

Just like with the Lala infantilism problem, villain ships get a lot of hate in the fandom, but for different reasons. I would guess that the main reason is the haters assume that villain shippers either don’t see that the villains have done bad things and/or try to minimize or excuse the villains’ bad behavior. Now I won’t say that there aren’t a few people out there who will truly excuse a villain’s bad behavior and try to make them out to not be as bad of a person as they are written in canon. But I really do think that there’s not as many of them as the haters are likely to believe.

Remember: just because someone is a fan of a villain doesn’t mean they agree with their actions, and a writer is NOT the same as their character. For example, Yume may minimize and/or downright ignore all of the pain and suffering Zenos has inflicted upon not only her, but innumerable others, doesn’t mean that I as Yume’s writer share the same views. I actually consider Yume to ride the thin line between anti-hero and villain herself, just so y’all know.

How to Overcome the Stigmas

So now that the individual stigmas of each of my ships have been outlined, how did I overcome the stigmas? And how difficult was it for me to do?

Well, if you’ve followed me for several years already, you might’ve seen that Hali, my lala WoL, is not the first WoL I have written. That honor goes to Yume, who is a Raen Au Ra and she doesn’t come with the same stigma that Hali does as a lalafell. So I had the privilege for several years of being able to write Yume without the infantilism that Hali would have to fight against in the fandom. But those years gave me enough courage in my own writing to create Hali and to fend off the stigma of lala x non-lala shipping and my own insecurities surrounding it.

Though it was difficult, and it took me a long time to do so, I eventually realized that I was happier and way more fulfilled when I wrote what I wanted to and not what I thought my followers or my friends or anyone else wanted. Trust me, I tried more “popular” and less “problematic” ships before, and even though they were nice at the time, I ultimately dropped them because I realized that I didn’t feel fulfilled, and that I was scared to write for more “problematic” ships because I feared the backlash.

One HUGE thing that I highly recommend is to find yourself a good support system to surround yourself with. Whether that be reaching out to your mutuals here on Tumblr or joining discord servers with like minded individuals, having people there who can help you through your journey in shipping will help greatly! Trust me, I wouldn’t be where I am today without my support system to be there for me when I’m having a bout of anxiety and/or insecurity with my writing.

Another thing that I highly recommend you do is to Unfollow, Hide, and/or Block haters liberally!! Please, it’s for your own mental health and wellbeing to do so! If you’re wanting to ship your lala oc for example, never hesitate to block the lala haters out there! No good will come from seeing the hate all over your feed, because it will just bring you down.

That’s about all I have for now. If you have any other questions on this subject, please do not hesitate to send me a message, DM, or ask!! I am always happy to help with any questions or advice when it comes to shipping! Thank you so much @mimble-sparklepudding for the ask, and thank you all for reading this very long winded answer!! 💖

[lizardboy66]

im deeply bored so here are all of my gay 911 thoughts for your entertainment.

OKAY SO

Idk about 911 being queerbait guys...i dont think it ever was. I think we have entered a new era of fanservice. Usually with queerbait, the creators and people involved in the show are quite vicious to shippers and queer fans generally, and any easter egg or "moment" feels like crumbs to keep us hooked enough.

911 acknowledged the shipping very very early. Like second half of season 2, and there has never ONCE been a joke at the expense of the concept of being gay, or about buck or eddie being queer. It was simply a nod, like "hey, we get it, you want it, thats all good."

Its not 2010 anymore, gay people are accepted and visible in a way that has never been a reality in the past. In fact, gay people, especially gay men, have come to be understood as a fantastic marketing tool.

This is where i get jaded and cynical, but listen the outcome is the same so stick with me here. Gay pairings and relationships = money is not a groundbreaking concept. It's why they did queerbait. But with stuff like supernatural, it seemed like a far greater risk to make the repressed men kiss than to piss of the queer fanbase. But times have changed. But since the age of queerbait, there has been a rise in gay romance content being made, and being made FOR the fangirls, boys and theys. Think Red, White and Royal Blue, or Heartstopper, or Young Royals, or Our Flag Means Death, or Good Omens. Gay isn't a risk anymore, its a marketing category with a level of guaranteed success. And not just in the global north, Boys Love content has been booming in places like Japan, Thailand, Korea for decades, but never more than now. TV companies in these places figured out very quickly that producing fluffy, comforting gay love stories earns them billions, and have not hesitated to seize this opportunity. My point being, gay dudes sell as fuck.

911 got cancelled and had to move networks. The budget is too high and they need to pull viewership and quick. I think their answer is canonise that ship! I couldn't tell you if that was there original intent, but i do believe that it would be far less lucrative to fuck over their viewer base. I could be wrong, this could be a crazy long game to make the fans trust the show, then pull the rug from under them. But i truly think we are past that point with shows like this.

911 is pure fluff! No one ever dies, if someone is hurt they recover quickly and with no complications, conflict is tame and easily resolvable, and everyone is a sickeningly good person. And the show is also about family, found family, unconventional families. I think originally, the unconventionality of the eddie, buck and chris family dynamic was that it is two men who are not together or married raising a child as coparents and friends. Which is a great story, but even better fanfiction fodder.

I think they are going to do it like the fanfiction. It's the easiest way to bridge the epistemic gap between the current cannon and the reality of both buck and eddie being queer and having feelings for each other. they could try and explain it in their own way, but the fans have already done it, and have clearly agreed on some elements of how this love story plays out, so i think that will be the route they go down. Currently my evidence is that Buck is now canonically bisexual. For some reason a lot of the ships people have have one bisexual and one gay, so the trope is being realised. My next piece of evidence is the catholic thing for eddie. This has literally never come up, its a fan invention, and its in the show now. The eddie and marisol plot line is slightly bizzare, but i think the reason for that is that it is eddie making sense of why he struggles so much to commit to the women he dates. Or its just a bad storyline and isnt very coherent. I guess we will see. My next evidence is the whole set up of Tommy. He is so clearly a way to push eddie and buck together in my opinion. From his introduction, he acts as a wedge between the two that neither of them can make sense of. Very love triangle energy. And my last evidence is all of those goddamn interviews. It seems no one can shut up about these fire fighters getting it on with each other. I feel if they weren't doing it, there would be more effort to shut down the clowning gently, as they have done previously.

In conclusion, i too am a clown. My theory has rocky foundations, a rocky middle and an equally rocky conclusion. I am so tired and delulu right now. I'm with you girlies, this is stressful.

[raisinchallah]

since you are a queerbaiting scholar, I have a question that I don't remember if you've ever covered. Do you think the t'hy'la footnote in the Star Trek TMP novelization could be considered an example of queerbaiting or is it just too iconic to fall under that category?

oh unequivocally like for clarification for people i guess who have a more narrow and specific definition of queerbait i do think it like kind of dodges around the entire central conceit of hoped for "gay representation" or something that is not really the lens i think its viewed thru in 70s fandom the way it was in 2010s as in like the way people frame queerbaiting they want characters to join this pantheon of confirmed gay characters fitting a mold of existing gay characters on tv to some degree and nobody was assuming like from that tease that kirk and spock would be portrayed as a couple in future movies or anything the way the queerbait dance between creator and fandom was portrayed in 2010s queerbait discourse but i think it was probably the first and most high profile attempt to date for a creator to try and mediate the relationship between the media property shippers and ship haters through like a direct communication of like canon material i guess like i would have to go on a pretty big deep dive back into some of the random star trek zines ive looked at to find sources again im struggling to find it right now but i know i read some various responses from fans at the time and kirk/spock shippers did react negatively to the footnote in much the same way people reacted to like ship tease jokes in classic queerbait tv shows on tumblr which i found really interesting people did think it was trying to shut kirk/spock shippers down just as much as people thought it was energizing them and speaking to them it really threads the needle so perfectly by like opening the door to a whole new type of possibility and whatever to the types of people who want that while also in text saying theyre not lovers hah hah isnt that weird which i think some fans also felt uncomfortable about because it was like shining a light on their niche corner of the fandom letting people know there were people who thought the relationship between kirk and spock might be romantic but again ive only read like two accounts of this so i honestly have no clue how widespread each type of reaction was i wonder if it also like re inflamed fights about if they do or dont have sex lol because that was a whole thing which is slash was for people who believed it was sexual vs kirk&spock was like homoerotic friendship to nonsexual romance fanfic and these were bitter fandom divides as well but of course and like this isnt to paint it all in a negative light but i do think the dissenting voices get a bit lost in the history and i thought it was kind of fascinating how similar a lot of the weird mediations felt to like some actor at comiccon 2012 saying well i dont know but it could be romantic you know it creates the perfect vessel for everyone to see what they want thru it so i think in many ways it was groundbreaking queerbait but also tbh did it better than anything else like truly stoking the fires of fan speculation and probably introduced a lot of people to the idea of "the premise" and planted the seeds in their minds to begin with and again few other queerbait texts are out here inventing special words that mean lover for the characters to call each other few people that bold like again somewhat different context but it does kind of feel like a first of its kind broaching into that messy dynamic between fans and the powers that be as they sometimes called them and truly a fascinating iconic piece of queerbait history

ok upon further looking i believe i must have read a scan of "a careful analysis: the roddenberry footnote" by christopher randolph (a pseudonym for della van hise the author of killing time) that was printed in the star trek zine naked times issue #3 but i have been unable to locate an actual link to the full text beyond the excerpts from fanlore here [x]

[yonemurishiroku]

Do you think that the solangelo contains more of a forceful representation, and if so, what is your advice to authors who are trying to make lgbtq+ representation seem more a part of the story/flow with the story then the opposing option?

May 22nd. I'm so sorry, my mind has been going off track for a while. I'm really sorry for the delay. 😭😭

So, regarding Solangelo as a representation, well this is gonna be hard to say lol. This has been circling the fandom since the day of its emergence, and this is certainly not a good time but eh penny for my thought ig.

Now. I suppose I have a very varying definition of representation, but let's not dwell on that. As for now, I can say that I do consider Solangelo somewhat forcefully developed. As in, the term of writing, plot-wise, etc...

It's quite difficult to say. I have no problem with Solangelo as a couple - or their dynamic - per se. Rather, it's the pacing that throws me off. This has been addressed in many posts - Solangelo has a quite... abrupt (?) takeoff. I just felt like Rick did not mean to make them a thing but just a spur of a moment - something small and... promising that you left hanging at the end of the series for reader's interpretation, for whatever reason (This actually lines up with Boo's time of releash I think? The LGBTQ+ literature being unpopular I mean).

In fact, Solangelo's whole developing process happened behind the curtains - as in, we're told, not shown. Imagine. In BOO, their friendship just barely sprouts, and the next time we see them again in TOA, they're already a couple. For the longest time possible, it was left to the reader/fanfic writers to deduce wth happen for them to become a couple in like idk 6 months? (A pretty fast process for someone like Nico imo. but that's just me).

Something like that is bound to raise some doubts.

The full picture itself is only revealed - partly, and through second reminiscence, mind you - in TSATS. It's also the reason TSATS feels kinda off to me, ig - the fact that some parts actually misalign with the established canon events, or appear like a patch to cover a hole in the piece of fabric. And some others just straight up fall into the what-the-f-was-in-your-mind-rick category. I doubt it was even Rick's initial plan to come up with TSATS in the first place.

However, it's also worth acknowledging that, whilst it would certainly help, Rick hardly has the capacity to fully-build another 5-book romance for Solangelo. That's as far as it can go (I usually think this to placate myself at the thought of the ship being undeveloped). Nico is not the franchise's protagonist (more like deuteragonist I guess), no matter how far this story goes and how widely loved he is, let alone Will.

On to the advice part.

Please keep in mind that I am, in no way, a professional or good writer, nor do I study sexual orientation and/or identity theory (I barely know the flags). I've also grown up and received education in an Estern (somewhat conserative?) country, so please take whatever I say with a grant of salt.

Now. When it comes to "make it seem more a part of the story", I... actually don't know how to say this...

Just look at the all the BL mangas (Japanese comics) and danmeis (Chinese BL literature) and BL manhwas (Korean comics). I have been reading BoyLove longggg before I even came to PJO, you know? The Eastern fandoms have surprisingly extensive LGBT content for a conservative culture, anw they have been telling and/or drawing stotries upon stories about same-sex couples since the dawn of internet. They don't even need to try. They have the image of a love, a story in their mind and just... go along with it.

You don't make it a part of the story. The story is either about it (much or little), or just nothing at all.

I'm saying making a story about it - rather than trying to incorporate it into the story. Give it background and enough development, it'd progress itself. You don't give it anything, of course it'd feel flat. This goes with any type of romance, not just LGBTQ+.

The problem with Solangelo itself, imo, is not the nature of their relationship (tho I do admit somtimes Rick makes me go wtf), but rather how they're portrayed. And furthermore, said portray in proportion to people's expectation. Solangelo, by all means, is a side-story at best (unless Rick manages to come up with a trilogy about their journey from start to finish idk 🤷‍♀️). People like it, so they tend to expect more from it, but the author's just a human.

I think this is everything... My thoughts are kinda in a jumble as I'm writing this, so feel free to ask if something doesn't make sense... This is also just my personal view lol don't take it too seriously if it differs from yours too much.

Lastly, I know my advice would probably not do much, however I hope for you to find your way to tell your stories the best you can!

[thr4shdoes-selfships]

Soooo...

Intros!

Username:

@/theclowndoes-selfships, now @/thr4shdoes-selfships

Name:

I go by Evan or Vannie, but I also use the name Thrash

Stuff I do here:

Selfshipping, OCs x Canon, etc

( here will be only selfshipping and similar stuff to that. If you want other content. I recommend you check my main, which is @thedancingclowns !! )

But... yeah! I have a self shipping blog now, and... yay!

( Please be aware!! I am legally an adult! But any minor characters I mark as romantic f/o's are in relationships with YOUNGER s/i's!! I know that sounds weird, maybe, but I'm trying to explain that as clearly as I can. With those f/o's, I either make my s/i's younger/towards their age, or I do age ups! I'm not just like: "welp, I'm an adult, but one of my f/o's is this x years old character!" because to me that doesn't sit emotionally right. A similar thing for multiple characters of same fandom, sometimes I will use different s/i's for them because I like too many characters from some fandoms as romantic f/o's and it gets/feels awkward so times. I'm guess I'm kind of like a... f/o multishipper, if that makes sense lol...? :'> plus I still have them as f/o's because I technically considered them f/o's before I WAS an adult, so it felt less weird back then. )

f/o list and more below cut

f/o list!!

Key:

an orange source title means a platonic f/o, a pink source title means a romantic f/o, a purple source title means a familial f/o and a blue source title is a f/o outside those categories, like a qpr, or friends with benefits, etc. noncolored source titles are for uncategorized f/o's, likely new to the list.

(work in progress, give me some time, I'm slow and there are a lot. :'D)

Heavy Shvagenbagen (Metal Family)

Dee Shvagenbagen (Metal Family)

Lif (Metal Family *and familial because of a different oc / s/i*)

Lordy (Metal Family)

Bob (Metal Family)

Sebastian (Metal Family)

*like, ONLY the Younger version of Glam is a romantic f/o. Glam as an adult is a platonic f/o*

Sal Fisher (Sally Face)

Larry Johnson (Sally Face)

Todd Morrison (Sally Face)

Ashley Campbell (Sally Face)

Travis Phelps (Sally Face)

James (Pokémon)

Jessie (Pokémon)

Brock (Pokémon)

Catfeine (Frowning Critters AU)

Catnap (Poppy Playtime *Smiling Critters*)

N (Pokémon Black/White)

Brewster (Animal Crossing)

Eyeless Jack (Creepypasta)

Toby Rogers (Creepypasta)

Jeff the Killer (Creepypasta)

Ben Drowned (Creepypasta)

Tim Wright *Masky* (Marble Hornets)

Alex Kralie (Marble Hornets)

(More Creepypastas I still need to add. The phase is returning :'D)

Bonnie/Withered Bonnie (FNAF 1/2)

Nightmare Bonnie (FNAF 4)

Foxy (FNAF 1)

Shamura (Cult of the Lamb)

Leshy (Cult of the Lamb)

Heket (Cult of the Lamb)

Kallamar (Cult of the Lamb)

Hvitur (Wings of Fire)

Riptide (Wings of Fire)

Flame (Wings of Fire)

HABIT (EverymanHYBRID)

Evan Myers (EverymanHYBRID)

Lady Liberty (Schoolhouse Rock) < yes, I'm confused, too. I don't know how she got here. But she's so pretty ;-;

Bill (Curious George)

Milo Asher (TribeTwelve)

Kevin Haas (TribeTwelve)

The Observer (TribeTwelve)

Vincent "Everyman" (EverymanHYBRID)

Orin the Red (Baldur's Gate 3)

Noah Maxwell (TribeTwelve)

Randall Boggs (Monsters Inc.)

Kat (TribeTwelve)

Also, just in case...

NO, I am NOT possessive of my f/o's... People who also have any of my f/o's are allowed to interact, I don't care? At least I don't think I do.

Please don't interact if you're extremely nonsharing and hate on people who share f/o's... Hopefully that makes sense? I understand nonsharing. But I DO NOT understand nonsharers who go out of their way to harass people who share f/o's.

The rest of my DNI is the same as my main.

ps.

to any fictives/introjects/etc of my f/o's, I am so, so sorry if this blog makes you uncomfortable. I get how selfshipping is seen as weird, and gets weirder under various perspectives... so... yeah. Sorry in advance.

[cancerian-woman]

oooh so i feel like i can guess the answer, BUT how would you rank all of bonnie’s ships *solely* from what we got in canon vs how would you rank them based on fanon/general potential!

Oooh okay, I��ll start with canon ones then go to fanon.

Beremy: It was cute, puppy love at first but in the end Bonnie was doing all the work & his unassigned but assigned babysitter. 3/10

Bonenzo: in theory he did make Bonnie happy she deserved that. Enzo is very much “one size fits all” type of character if yk. They did get together under Stockholm Syndrome purposes and it was just done lazily? I think they would’ve been more well perceived if they started building them up in s5 or something. Killing him last minute to “trigger” Bonnie’s psychic powers or magic again was just another way to aid in her suffering. 5/10

Bamon: chemistry is great. Damon abandoning Bonnie after she needed him after bonding in the prison world’s was a good moment for Bonnie’s feelings to be shown. Knowing she has issues with abandonment. But, Bamon falls into the same category as Delena. Woman is complicit to all of Damon’s bs and a lot of that happened with Bamon. The writers said ok Elena is gone Bonnie can now agree or side with him the most. There’s Anti-Bamons, then there’s people who genuinely like Bamon and then people who ship Bamon just to free Elena of that burden of Damon lol. I do think they work best if Elena isn’t around. 7.5/10

Stefonnie: you can’t pry Stefan’s protectiveness and kindness to Bonnie in 1-2 out of my hands. He actually tried to make friends with Baroline unlike Damon. Stefan’s history with Bennett’s was another good push there too. And it’s sooo underrated that Stefan was the first vampire Bonnie ever trusted. Plus she had a lil crush on him before Elena got him. I do think they could’ve been something really good in those later seasons. Both tend to play a “hero” role to someone else. Stefan promised he would’ve fixed what he did to Bonnie and idk we needed to see that. It would’ve been nice if we could’ve gotten Damon/Stefan discussing that Bonnie’s forgiveness isn’t so easy to earn. 8/10

Bonora: good chemistry but extremely underrated. They remind me a bit of the wlw Bonkai. Would’ve been a perfect time to introduce bi!Bonnie. I liked that Bonnie encouraged Nora to do something outside of Mary. We never really got those “Bonnie’s beautiful!” By other characters but the way Nora said it continously and wanted to engage with Bonnie. It was so good. Long term and fanon-wise I think they both could’ve learned to grow out of those toxic ties to people with each other. We didn’t get Bonnie with other witches a lot and it was nice to see her with one. 8/10

Bonkai: Chris was Kat’s best on-screen partner imo. Kai brings out a darker side to Bonnie that she tries ignore often. While I think Bonnie brings out emotions Kai hasn’t felt in ages. He’s so fascinated with her in an obsessive but good for tvdu type of way. She’s the only way he sees. Bonnie isn’t a pushover either with Kai. She fights him back, she calls him out and tbh she’s even goofier with him. He pushed her more into her agency than Damon ever did. Bonkai would’ve been great for seasons 6-8. Idk if i would “redeem” him per se bc redemptions aren’t real in tvd but being good to Bonnie and Bonnie only is enough for me. Canon-fanon-9/10.

Bonlena & Baroline: I’ll just do these together. Bonlena had the stronger chemisty 1-2 era of them perfect. You can feel how close they are and need each other. Despite the negative tones with Petrova & Bennett lines repeating you can say they could be drawn to each other naturally. But, Elena does end up ignoring Bonnie so…7/10. Baroline is all about fun but they do support each other and can be protective. Caroline does try to get Bonnie out of doing magic all the time. 7/10

Bonlijah: interesting because Elijah like Stefan and Damon have harmed or betrayed Bonnie. Elijah’s done it twice. We don’t get a lot of them. Bonnie would’ve made him work for her forgiveness. Elijah likes acting on his own needs first but needs to be forced to see his wrongings in a situation and Bonnie certainly wouldn’t let up and make him focus on their errors before continuing. He did have to thing positively of her to face his brother alone. 7/10

Klonnie: based on canon I’d say season 3-4 are would be their best moments. Klaus does like witches. Bonnie had more onscreen time with Tyler!Klaus than his actual body. But Tyler!Klaus did sort of hint he admired she defied the spirits. There’s the power dynamics that comes into play here. Bonnie isn’t afraid of Klaus no matter how much power he wants to enforce over her. I can see them fanon wise strategizing together and Bonnie agreeing to help him if it means her friends are good. Canon wise though if nothing comes between them from 2-4 then they’d have to remeet afterwards. Same applies for all the Mikaelson’s. 9/10

Kennett: they could’ve bonded over magic and they do have more scenes than most BennettxMikaelson ships. Kol called out Bonnie’s death too. He saw potential in her and wanted to work with her….that being said they caused that lady to go crazy on Twitter over a 10 second scene LMAO so despite how i feel about that 10 10 10 across the board. Fanon wise i do think other fandoms taking over Kennett has deterred my liking for them. Dollar general Kennett has nothing on them. But Bonnie unlike Davina would want to see Kol for who he is. No rose tinted glasses.

Monnie/Tonnie: we don’t have a lot of Tonnie but they’re always watching each other / protective gazes when they are allowed to share a scene. This is a ship I can see working through college or when they both left Mystic Falls. For the both of them that isn’t their home longterm. 8/10. Now, onto Matt absolutely not. 5/10. Not just because Matt’s useless, but he doesn’t like the supernatural world for himself. He’s accepting of his friends and for others but it’s not something he’s really into. Bonnie already had to deal with this from Rudy. No need in dating a human or anything longterm who doesn’t like that side of her.

Honorable mention: Batherine could’ve played a frenemies with benefits role. Idk if it was the intention to “fix” Elena’s relationships but placing Katherine in these random moments but it was interesting when it did happen.

This was long and it took me a minute but i hope i answered it the way you thought of!! Thank you for the ask!

[w1f1n1ghtm4r3]

followup fun facts about together, to that promised aquarium

this is gonna be just kinda a disorganized post of random things so uh. dont mind that.

the event title is actually a double reference ^^ its both a callback to 1dt with 1c promising to find time to do things as friends despite getting busier (even if theres no ichika this time), and also a reference to harusakis first kizuna!

colopale you still havent given us that aquarium they said theyd go to. theres a reason i had to do it myself. the fact that theres not an aquarium event in general is a crime tbh i know theres some romantic connotations with a pair going to an aquarium but theres very easy solutions to avoiding that? sending a group of 3+ characters together, having them run into other characters while there, inviting someone else along (even if they cant go, it helps make it feel more like a friend thing i think). i did a bit of the latter two, as you mightve noticed! in general though its just SUCH an obviously fun event theme i cant beleive we havent had one yet

while i am a known harusaki shipper, i kept the story pretty light on the stuff that could be read as explicitly shippy, since when im trying to make fake events, i like to think about how itd work in canon, which means keeping it low on explicit ship content. plenty of stuff that could be taken as ship food (as id like it to be!) but nothing that would alienate non shippers from enjoying the story too.

i actually didnt write shizukasas presence as intended for ship content at all though, but im definitely okay with people taking it that way lol they can be on a date too if you want them to be. my plan with them was simply theyre childhood friends too but dont get to spend time together that often anymore -> their schedules line up with a free day and tsukasa heard about the aquarium from saki, decides to invite shizuku to go there with him as a part of hanging out together -> surprise encounter with harusaki!

also both of them were scoring quite high on the form when i decided to lock in the lineup (tsukasa was absolutely sweeping the 2* category, and while shizuku wasnt winning anything, she was a pretty popular choice) and theyre very easy to work into a story together and also into a story that is focused on harusaki (╯▽╰ ) the benefits of siblings and unitmates

(tsukasa 2* poll sweep at the time of me solidifying my lineup)

the event and gacha names actually both came to me one night while i was about to fall asleep. struck by inspiration so strong i had to grab my phone and write them down in my notes app. and they actually worked very well! also heres the transparents of the logos if you want them i guess

the card/skill/costume names also mostly came to me in similar ways, in the last couple nights before i finished everything. i think only saki, luka, and shizukus skills didnt come to me that way.

while the rui fish in tsukasa card might be obvious, theres actually more animals referencing other characters too! theres a group of three fish in sakis card that are the colors of the rest of leoni, the sneakiest of the bunch, and also not quite as sneaky but maybe not as obvious as the rui fish is the airi and minori sea slugs :)

i did think about giving tsukasa fish to be emu and nene too, but that many differently colored fish in a 2* seemed like too much, so i didnt do it... at least of the units involved, 2/3 of them are fully represented in some way!

and now most importantly probably, is that this is in fact my second pass at an aquarium event! the original one i started back in 2022 and......... i think you guys can figure out why i couldnt just reuse it when i decided to go for making an aquarium event again this time.

yep, youre seeing that right. 4/5 of the characters i chose are the same as what ended up being 1dt, all i got wrong was the vs. thats pretty crazy, honestly. im still not fully convinced colopale isnt just stealing my ideas after val3 happened too /j

it was also saki focus actually! i had written out a rough idea for the story back then too, and while theres some similarities to the current one, it obviously went through a lot of changes when revising the lineup and also with everything that has happened in the story over the past two years. it was definitely a bit more explicitly shippy than my new attempt, although i still tried to keep the shipping stuff toned back somewhat

i only ever made one card for that set though, just lukas 2*... but thats the original reason i made the old 2* backgrounds! its always those fake events throwing me into the graphic design trenches (fist shake) i had been trying to do a more canon-accurate style to......... mixed success. its not terrible, but i definitely could not have done the full set like this. theres a reason i did promised aquarium in my own style!

the original theme for the set was kind of like..... performers at an aquarium? along with living water sculptures of animals. it was a fun idea, but i think i was much better suited to doing the underwater scenes of promised aquarium and also we have plenty of performance themed trained sets already ^^

considering i also technically kept her from the original set (plus she was also winning the vs poll), i gave her a higher rarity card this time around for fun. and also because i knew none of shizuku tsukasa or luka would have super significant roles in the story, and i thought it would be fun to design a lim hairstyle for her!

one final random fun fact: the thing that kicked me into gear making promised aquarium was the fact that haruka wasnt on beautiful sound. i was just a little mad that they had an underwater set WITH A PENGUIN COSTUME and there was no haruka. sometimes petty beef brings out my craziest motivations and then i proceeded to spend the better part of a month planning and making it happen.

[freshvanillapng]

I've seen many posts about people missing how common asks used to be so I have been trying to send about an ask a week. Now I send this ask first anytime I follow someone as I really don't want to bother anyone, so I'd love to know if you enjoy receiving asks and if so what kind of asks. Not having energy for asks or being comfortable with them is perfectly okay.

The categories I have in my ask notebook that I file under are in colour. Please feel free to make your response as long as you want or private (the asker cannot directly respond to private responses).

Self, Job/Work: please let me know what you are comfortable with from eh idk just ask it to nothing personal at all.

Baggishield/Tolkien, Dragon Age, Johnlock/Sherlock, ineffable spouses, other fandom: Please let me know what fandoms. I think my main fandoms and ships are Bagginshield/The Hobbit, Sherlock/Johnlock, Dragon Age Inquisition, {Pippin/Faramir Merry/Eowyn}/The Lord of the Rings and I dip my toes in a few that I currently can't remember but ships I don't engage with the canon of at all are: Good Omens but only for Crowley/Azirapheal, Stranger Things but only for Steve/Eddie , The Witcher but only for Geralt/Jaskier, and Ladybug and Cat Noir but only for Adrinette .

OC's, art/drawing, their writing, blog specific only

Story snippets ideas and prompts: Do you like receiving them?

Pets: I'd love to know all about them

Garden and Hobbies: What type of gardening and/or hobbies?

Like being tagged in things: If so what kinds of things?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

omg this is such a good idea, thank you so much! i agree, i remember asks being HUGE on this site years ago but they definitely seem to have dropped away a little bit :( this is an incredibly kind thing to do <3

self: ask away, anything im not comfortable i will just say i guess? (so sorry thats SO vague) work: absolutely but be warned that if you ask about my degrees i will ramble at you fandoms: we have so much in common, ABSOLOUTELY. the only one of this list i no longer engage with is sherlock. ones i am actively engaging with are the hobbit, lord of the rings, tolkien (ships - bagginshield, samfrodo, gigolas, and most popular ones), dragon age (ships - i engage with most here aside from anders/hawke and solas/lavellan. i dont hate them but i dont engage with them out of personal preference. my canon playthroughs are surana/alistair fenris/hawke, lavellan/cullen so i tend to rb more of these). i do the EXACT same with the other fandoms you listed off the top of your head lmao.

only other thing here is that i post A LOT about my dnd campaigns.

ocs, art/drawing, writing: ask me about my dnd characters and i will cry tears of joy. asks about all of these are beautiful

story snippets ideas and prompts: i wouldnt class myself as a writing blog but i do try my hand in it from time to time so these are more than welcome!

pets: yes please! i have a tortoise whom i love dearly

garden and hobbies: yes please!

like being tagged in things: go ahead! any cool art or writings. also quizzes are fun hehe.

this is such a lovely system and thank you for sending! of course i might reply with an ask of my own~

[writteninscarlet]

Hi! How do you ship with Wanda? ^-^

I guess it just sort of… happens? Is that a good enough answer? 😅

But really, I suppose chemistry is the top thing. I suppose that’s what everyone says really! But it is true. I mean, I’d say most of her interactions aren’t of a romantic shipping nature and most if not all romantic style threads and ships that I have come about through lots of other threads or memes. She’s definitely a ‘friend’ muse more than a ‘girlfriend’ muse in the eyes of most, which is nice, too. She loves family and friends, and you always need rivals. It’s fun to build a friend and confidante relationship, it’s a lot of fun. So yeah. It’s nice to have a thread or two, maybe some memes back and forth. Wanda likes to tease, and sometimes that can be taken romantically, but she’s also often just curious about what will happen.

Another big way is just letting me know? I get very nervous suggesting ships because if I could, I would ship wanda with everyone. And I mean, mostly in a romantic way but in other ways too. I love when there’s a relationship - whether romantic, familial, antagonistic, it just gives an edge and deeper meaning? It’s fun to build on things and have some intimacy? But I always worry I’m pushy and again, most muses wouldn’t see her in a romantic light so I’m definitely ‘afraid/nervous’ of approaching it first. A lot of canon characters have her in the ‘good friend/family’ category. But I swear I’m nice! so if you want to try a ship of any kind just let me know.

I honestly don’t have any top ships or otps for Wanda. And no real relationships I’d turn down I guess…? Except some canon muses she’d never go near I suppose! I’ve loved and disliked all her canon ships with her in their own ways. And I’m open to canon ships - but again, only if there’s build up and chemistry, same as with non-canon relationships. For me, the relationships in canon have happened and are in her past - the door might open again, but it’s not a given.

Even in canon her ‘type’ varies. It’s definitely about feeling accepted and knowing that she’s liked. She’s made wrong assumptions before. So there’s no exact character typing that will make it happen. It is just chemistry. Or talking to me.

I’ve tried shipping calls before. I could make one again? But I feel pushy doing that too haha.

[usagimen]

SHIPPING INFO. | answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

what’s your otp for your muses?

Considering Sayuri is an OC it's very up in the air. I do enjoy her with Naoya considering she is meant to be very Zen'in coded in militaristic style. Nanami is a given, you will die from the angst && gladly enjoy it. UhHH Uro, she was so cool, Sayuri would have loved her had it not been a battle to the death && them in the Heian Era together would have went hard. In the right circumstances, Gojo would be interesting but this has to be intensely plotted as the Kobayashi Clan rejects the Gojo Clan with a violence like no other. Hiromi is certainly another person I high key ship her with since it's hysterical he is a lawyer while she is the personification of divine justice. Ask me about cross-over ships then it gets really fun.

what are you willing to rp when it comes to shipping?

I'm a pretty go with the flow person, I do like meatier plots, more in depth things to better entwine the muses together. It's basically we're in this hell together, superglued attach, so tell me what you want.

how large does an age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

Sayuri is 27, I cannot see her dating anyone below her age group. She's fine with older partners granted she is made for that type of shipping due to being an old woman in a young body. Otherwise, don't be weird or icky, I will find you thus proceed to maul you.

are you selective when shipping?

Yes and no, I am only selective when knowing my partner feels the same way. Otherwise, continuing to tease ships, go from hot to cold, or make your muse the central theme of a ship is a quick way for me to say thanks but no thanks.

how far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered nsfw?

If there are nips out on both side, it's time to put it under a read more, thank you.

who are other muses that you ship your muses with?

AHhHHHH oh, cross-over ships I have for her is Cregan Stark, Aemond Targaryen, Myseria, Shadowheart of BG3, Blackwall of Dragon Age Inquisition, Josephine Montilyet.

does one have to ask to ship with you?

No and yes, you can send in flirty things, suggestive things, hell even on sunday idc if we do nsfw. Sometimes it builds to a ship, otherwise, if you want to solidify it and actually become partners, then yes - just pop into the DMs to beat me up or demand we become locked in together.

are you multiship?

Of course but exclusive to one canon, with ocs, you're my friend && we're in this together ~

are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

I do love shipping, I don't like there is a general dislike that one shouldn't be shipped obsessed. Yes, write romantica, erotica, whatever your dreamer little heart desires because it's fun. Just be mindful, kind, and respective that's it. That being said, I sometimes fall into that category cause I too have a soft marshmallow heart. Sometimes my little blob brain is just, hahahahahaha kissies, anyway! that's a good question. My only thing is that the ship is meaty, then I become utterly enthralled by it since there is an actual excitement between both parties. I do not like to be the only active participant in a ship that is trying so hard to make it work, it feels like a waste of time then, so I guess that's how I do become ship obsessed.

what is your favorite ship in your current fandom(s)?

I'm a little freak that'd get pitch forked but uh, sukugo is probably a great love of mine

finally, how does one ship with you?

Just bash the door down via DMS and go: CEREZA HOLY FUCK. That's it, that's all it takes, you now have a rabbit like woman who would die for you.

tagged by: I stole it from @ak4rin💕💕💕💕 tagging: do crime, steal it

[hirazuki]

Tagged by @skaelds -- thanks for the tag!

1.Three ships?

Hmm, I’m going to interpret this as romantic ships, because I have much fewer of those than platonic ones; otherwise we’ll be here all day XD I don’t really have any ships in Tolkien (like, I’m cool with all the ones established in canon and a handful of fanon ones, I’m just not particularly invested in any), so:

Ulquiorra/Orihime (Bleach) Erza/Jellal (Fairy Tail) Sesshomaru/Kagura (Inuyasha)

2. First ever ship?  

Probably Lymond/Phillippa (The Lymond Chronicles)

3. Last song?

The Sea and a Pearl by Junna yes, I’m stll upset about how the series went but the opening song is so catchy damn it

4. Last movie?

I rewatched both Phantom Rouge and The Last Mission, for Hunter x Hunter research purposes 👀

5. Currently reading?

I’m about to start (re)reading the Silmarillion, the entire HoMe, Fall of Numenor, Nature of Middle Earth, and select parts of LotR and the Hobbit -- ideally in that order -- in preparation for some much overdue fic writing and possibly text-supported blorbo analysis because if I see one more take of a certain flavor, I am going to start a cult to Melkor

6. Currently watching?

I’ve been rewatching Space Battleship Yamato in the background while drawing (tbh mostly for the music; I can’t find the soundtrack anywhere and it is gorgeous); and in terms of currently-airing, I’m following Vinland Saga S2 (it’s beautifully rendered but I miss Askeladd SO MUCH), Boruto (I can always rely on Narutoverse to be there for me ♡), and Revenger (still forming my opinion on this one).

7. Currently consuming?

Coffee and water. I should probably actually eat something solid but basic self-care this past week has been at an all-time low.

8. Currently craving?

The attention span to sit down and just. finish editing even just one of the seven different fics I’m working on so that I can actually post something  T___T

____________________________________________________

15 Questions 15 Mutuals

Rules: answer the questions and tag fifteen mutuals.

1. Are you named after anyone?

Saint Alexios; very traditional and typical of my family to name me after a saint. Me? Not so much a fan. I have a very love-hate relationship with my name.

2. When was the last time you cried?

I rarely cry, like once every few years, but I fulfilled my quota this past Wednesday ✌️

3. Do you have kids?

Absolutely not.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Lmao every sentence. Even when I honestly don’t mean to use it, I end up sounding like I’m being sarcastic XD

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

The way they move, primarily their gait. I’ve realized that I recognize people by the way they walk and hold themselves rather than their faces or other more conventional aspects *is actually a dog in human form*

6. What’s your eye colour?

Debatable. I, personally, think it’s green, but I’ve heard others say blue and/or grey.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

I don’t really care for scary movies, so I guess happy endings by default; but honestly, any media that is narratively coherent and consistent and delivers satisfactorily.

8. Any special talents?

Scary levels of organization. Can recognize people from the sound of their footsteps. Dog magnet. When I walk/move, I apparently make no sound and terrify people, even if I’m not trying to be quiet at all.

9. Where were you born?

Greece

10. What are your hobbies?

Drawing, writing, cosplay, swordsmanship.

11. Have you any pets?

I used to have a zoo, but time happens and..... as of this past week, there are none left. It’s been rough. (I live with my sis and she still has hers, so there are still fur babies in the house, but. it’s not the same.)

12. What sports do you play/have played?

I used to be big on soccer and basketball way back in middle school and high school, but none since then. I do practice martial arts, but none that fall into the sports category.

13. How tall are you?

About 170cm/5′6′’ ish.

14. Favorite subject in school?

English. Who knew that all those years of successfully bullshitting literary analysis would lead to online blorbo appreciation?? XD

15. Dream job?

Once upon a time, I dreamed of having a job that let me travel the world, allowed me to work with archaeological artifacts, and provided me with a skillset that I could also apply to my creative endeavors and other hobbies (i.e., objects conservator with a focus in metallurgy/metalsmithing).

Now, I just want something that requires minimum contact with other people/the public, is interesting enough to not bore or irritate me, and that leaves me with enough time and energy at the end of the day to pursue my own interests. Oh, and that pays a livable wage! Unrealistic, I know XD

.

Uh, I don’t think I have 15 mutuals ^^; so I tag: @baked-hylian, @cruelfeline, @nomadicism, @chellekumari, @strangefellows, and anyone else who wants to do it! Do it only if you want, of course! :)

[quickdeaths]

2. drabbles, 18. shipping, 5. dash commentary, 21. your current RPC, and 30. Your Choice, because I am a menace (affectionate).

2: drabbles

I think I used to like them a lot more than I do now, but I'm trying to find that energy again. I'd prefer not to give specifics publicly, but while it sounds silly and stupid, I once had a friendship that I thought was important dissolve literally over a drabble. Basically, they took issue with certain choices I had made, but didn't tell me or ask me to change things, and the resentment simmered until things were said that couldn't be taken back, and that was it.

It's definitely a dumb story that is more about communication than anything else, but I still sometimes worry about writing a solo thing in that paired RP context and if I'm canonizing something that I shouldn't or taking too much narrative control. I know you and I have stuff planned, and I'm excited for those for sure, but outside of that, I'm not quite sure where I stand, I guess.

5: dash commentary

It's all good, I don't mind it. I'm reluctant to participate IC, and even more so to ever like, start it, but I think that's indicative more of my own awkwardness than like a "stance" on it. I actually do think it's a fun way to have short, silly, and generally noncanon interactions. More often than not, I prefer doing that kind of thing on discord (you would know), but on dash is good too. More OOC commentary just falls into the general OOC category for me which is like, some is okay, too much is too much.

18: shipping

Big fan! I love shipping! I think part of it is I just love writing romance, and part of it is that shipping is a good excuse to get invested in your partner's character and want to build long-term stuff with them. I don't think that's the ONLY way, of course, but it's a good one. It's nice to have the opportunity to really sink one's teeth into long-term development with stories that stretch over a large amount of time, and showcase characters changing and their relationship changing.

That said, I seldom have many ships, even with having a lot of characters. I like ships that have development and build, rather than just skipping straight to "they're dating now and they kiss a lot." For me, it's important to make the relationship feel 'earned' through the narrative. I don't think that's something that always exactly lines up with what other people are looking for, and it might be the case that they see the slow burn stuff as not particularly interesting, or think there's not enough progression, which is a shame, but everyone has their preferences.

And, speaking of, the other big barrier for me is my general preferences. I am very heavily inclined towards f/f shipping, and I think that's only become stronger over time. I feel like male characters are so centered in almost every fandom, and it's simply gotten to the point where I just want to push them out of them way to pay attention to the girls everyone ignores instead. I still remember multiple incidents on another blog where friendly acquaintances would come to me like "I know your character is a lesbian but would you be willing to relax that for my character?" and then pitching me on things like "I know your character is a hardened ex-military lesbian space pirate, but wouldn't it be cool if she totally went heart eyes over this male character and became a sexy housewife?" There's a presumption of "availability to men" with female characters that I don't really like, and interactions like that really crystallized for me the feeling that some people only find shipping interesting or worthy of depiction if it involves one or more men.

At the same time, I know tumblr (like most fandom spaces) has a deserved reputation, and f/f is by far the least popular of the three major types of two-character shipping, and there's only so much I can do about that. The fact that a lot of fandom spaces treat f/f shippers like unhinged psychopaths or pushy, predatory infiltrators or (worst of all) fetishists is a reason why I'm slow to ask about ships. I don't want to give the impression that my interest is limited to shipping, or that I seek out partners with the express purpose of shipping, or that it's an expectation that, if not fulfilled, will make make me upset or something. It's a bit of a downer explanation but, despite the fact that I love shipping, I think it will always be a (very treasured and cherished <3) rarity here unless people are willing to match my freak (slow burn sapphic romance).

21: Your current RPC

It's okay. I've said before that I personally consider an RPC to be less like "everyone who writes in the same fandom" and more "the people you personally surround yourself with." In that sense, not many complaints - I run a tight ship. Beyond that though, thinking about the RPC in the way most people think about it... Eh. The most popular characters generally aren't characters I especially like, and a lot of my faves are very, very underrepresented, which is a shame. I've heard that the fandom was like Really Bad at various point, but it seems mostly? fine to me these days.

There are other fandoms that I'd like to get into, due to having AUs and such, but they seem much more difficult to get into. I would certainly like to do more Persona stuff and Genshin Impact stuff, since I have some AUs already, and would be happy to do some for characters who don't already have them, as well, but especially with the Genpact stuff, it seems hard to break in and find people who fit the vibe and are interested. Who knows? I'll keep trying.

30: Your choice - fanon interpretations

I'm in favor of them! Canon is never going to be all-encompassing, so everyone has to fill in the gaps themselves, and sometimes the process of doing so, or considering more carefully the available canon, or just deciding what you would prefer yields necessary changes to the canon. In my case, I've made a lot of changes (large and small) to Maki just to get her to a place where I feel like her story is consistent and in line with what I think about her. As well, I used to write Hana from Overwatch (still do, but not as often) and for those who were around in that fandom like, 5-6 years ago or whatever, they might remember "Gremlin D.Va" as like the big fandom meme about her. I thought those memes were amusing, but didn't at all square with her "canon" characterization, so my thinking was to kind of use those fanon memes as some influence and inspiration on things, but make sure the context was suitable for a serious portrayal, and that I wasn't sacrificing tone or storytelling on the altar of funny memes.

What I would say is that if some piece of fanon inspires creativity in a writer, they should go with it, even if it requires a bit of shuffling around. If a piece of fanon is just "this character said he likes tomatoes once, so now his Whole Thing is tomatoes! Tomatoes..." and you find that reductive or boring, just ignore it. That said, if a character has a lot of canon-divergence or fanon interpretations in your portrayal, I do think it's nice to spell that out somewhere so people get it going in.