#why i have posted only rarepair fics

[yiling-laozu-is-loml]

Am just curious.. you seem to like a lot of Wei Ying and others. Each to their own, but I wondered if you didn't like Lan Zhan or Wangxian as a couple or something?

ok so there's two issues with me writing wangxian:

1- I have read so many wangxian fics its insane and that means after reading every five or so fics, I'd come up with a new wangxian fic idea and i'd get scenes and perfect dialogue snippets in my head and they will make me salivate over the very brilliant fic I am planning. And then I get lost in planning an the fic stops being a oneshot and becomes a very fucking longfic instead. So i either start collecting bits and pieces of the fic in a seperate doc until I can completely write the fic before i post. Which is hard. WIPs are hard, I get carried away and then I hit a writer's block for a particular fic and its over.

The reason why I dont post multichapters? Because for the last three fandoms I left, I had big dreams and expectations of my very brilliant multichapter fics and my fandom shifts are so abrupt I have no time to finish a fic i've been working on for months and they end up being abandoned because if i end up in a new fandom, I cant go back and write the characters from my previous fandoms the way i wished to. I can no longer do them justice or put my heart and soul in them and my perfectionist ass thinks thats unfair to my readers. So I stop posting. So now I wont ever post a multichapter until its fully written because its better for people to not know what they're missing out on instead of see an abandoned fic and know EXACTLY what all they are missing out on. I've been hurt like this in my first fandom and istg it was bad. It was a slowburn, angsty 100k worded fic and the main pairing hadnt even kissed yet. the MMC was lusting after another chara while the FMC was catching feelings and the fic just...stopped there, with MMC imagining fucking someone else. I cant tell you how badly my mind refused to do anything but hope and wait for that fic to update and it never did. I was in the fandom for a year before I got into a new thing and ig the pain of that never left?

2- Even if I deprive wangxian-ers of a uniquely plotted new fic, they wont miss out much. There's well over a thousand wangxian fics in various settings, using various tropes. But for rarepairs? There's barely enough full-fledged fics or oneshots. A lot of fics tagged with a rarepair have that as a past ship or one sided thing OR a drabble collection which is cool but not what I am looking for if I go in the tag. So I do this for myself mostly, for rarepair readers, there's not many I cant disappoint by writing oneshots, they're just so happy with anything. I'd know, I am one of them.

Bonus reason: most of my wangxian ideas come to me when I CANT write. like 5 minutes before i pass out into a dead sleep or during an exam or when I am in class or basically any time I cant write and by the time I can, I've lost the drive I had and put it in the back burner for 'fics i may write someday'.

I hope that answered your question. I knew this was coming lol so I answered in as much detail as I could. I do hope to write wangxian fics, actually i am surprised my first fic wasnt a wangxian one tbh because i've been planning several of those but oh well.

Have a great rest of the day and thank you for being kind! <3

[zukkaoru]

skk fans make it so hard to like skk.

[fountainpenguin]

Things that happened in Martyn & Cleo Double Life canon:

Cleo hoping to find her soulmate and start a life with them

Cleo dumping Martyn without giving him a chance to explain his side of the story, but hearing him out when he comes to her later

Martyn watching Cleo through his spyglass and telling the audience she seems safe and happy even though he thinks it's weird she's outside at night

Martyn, after he's had time to consider how he wants to play this, spinning a story about trying to be a provider for her and Cleo explaining that she wanted him, not things

Cleo not being remotely impressed by the "I was providing" sob story, lol

Martyn calling Cleo selfish for choosing to be with Scott because she's supposed to be HIS soulmate and he wants a partner

Cleo willing to forgive Martyn if he meets them halfway

Martyn refusing to meet them halfway because he doesn't think he did anything wrong

Martyn screaming about how Cleo's building bridges with Scott but "When will she think about mending our bridges???"

Martyn explaining to Cleo that he doesn't understand why his Session 1 actions bothered them

Martyn centering his character arc and roleplay on trying to win Cleo back without actually apologizing

Cleo giving Martyn a flower and stating that if he loses it, she'll be real cross with him

Cleo chasing Martyn out of her yard because he tried to put an HOA sign on her base and she wanted to make it clear that she wasn't associated with them and their hate for his base (even though she does think his heart base is strange)

Martyn attacking Cleo after she said attacking is a form of affection to her

Cleo setting boundaries with Martyn and explaining what he can do to get her back

Cleo sighing when Scar set her up on a date with Martyn, but taking the chance to talk to him instead of walking out

Cleo genuinely wanting Martyn in her alliance

Martyn and Cleo giggling constantly when they chat

Scar asking if Martyn wanted him to play a romantic music disc for him and Cleo (and Martyn getting excited and saying yes)

Martyn offering to take Cleo's armor and weapons to the deep dark so he can enchant them and bring them back while she stays safe

Cleo gifting Martyn diamonds, expecting nothing in return but not wanting him to die from lack of a good sword

Martyn and Cleo forming a secret alliance that allows Cleo to live with Scott while being on good terms with Martyn

Martyn expressing frustration that Cleo wants to keep this alliance secret because he wants them to be public allies; Cleo softly shushes him when people approach and might overhear

Martyn telling Cleo that she's putting out a lot of mixed signals because she keeps reeling him in and then pushing him away, claiming he is very confused about where he stands with her

Martyn teasing Cleo by punching her off a cliff and accidentally killing her and feeling so bad about it that he apologizes profusely despite roleplaying as someone who refused to apologize for Session 1

Martyn and Cleo immediately threatening Bdubs together when he said hi to them while they were hanging out, sdkfj

Martyn genuinely apologizing to Pearl for dumping her after Session 1

Martyn hiding under Cleo's bed while she defends him from an enderman attack

Cleo offering to let Martyn move into her house after Etho and Joel grief his base; Martyn saying he might take her up on that

Cleo and Martyn agreeing to move out and base together at Box

Cleo trusting Martyn with the location and resources of her red life base

Martyn rushing to Cleo's aid in the deep dark and trying to turn everyone against him instead

Cleo responding to Martyn's panicked shouts for her to eat by opening her inventory to get food (and drowning because she forgot she was in water)

Cleo hanging back and letting Martyn attack Scott while she does nothing to stop him from doing so, implying as much as she likes Scott, she won't kill Martyn (and herself) for him (and/or she trusted Scott to handle himself even though he ran away while Martyn was shooting at him)

Things that did not happen:

Cleo unwilling to forgive Martyn or consider being his friend and partner

Martyn and Cleo hating each other

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk

[rotisseries]

i have this disease that makes me almost incapable of getting truly invested in rarepair ships because i need the ships i get really insane about to have narrative significance and i call this disease pretentious bitch who hates fun disease because saying i don't care about something without narrative significance makes me sound like a pretentious bitch who hates fun however it doesn't mean i've NEVER had a rarepair i'm invested in it just means that the few i am invested in have narrative significance and they're rarepairs because of other extenuating circumstances. which gives me a lot of privilege over those in fandom engaging in other rarepairs because sure that ao3 tag is updated almost never but at least half of the stuff to pick from is insane character study and convoluted plot. i'm eating once every 6 months but it's a feast every time

[azrielgreen]

There's a reason I always moderate comments but i approved this one so people can see how truly vile it gets sometimes. I'm not arrogant. I don't think the way I write is better at all. Exploring them on an authentic level means exploring this, or any, version of them with wholehearted passion, not that this is the authentic interpretation of them. Writing intense stuff isn't a brag, it's a warning so people can be prepared for stuff like arguments and confrontations. I always over-warn for CW stuff so that, again, people are prepared. I never once have asked people to read it. It's just there and I've tried my best to a) write something i loved and b) thoroughly warn those who might read it. Any interpretation of the characters is valid and worth exploring. It's so sad to see a reeled off list of all the way Steve "should be" and the implication that nothing but strict canon adherence could ever be a passionate, worthy exploration. It's... only fanfic? It's not real. They're not real. Nothing is real and everything is possible and that's supposed to be what's fun about it.

I write the characters very intensely, so yes, they are often out of character, sorry for... warning about that? I write different backgrounds for them and play with the negative space of possibilities and potential and i do this with authentic curiosity and passion because I love doing it and i get very into it. Sorry for warning about that too, I guess? When I first started writing in this fandom, some people pointed out to me that I could CW warn for them being OOC and that was new to me, i didn't think I had to warn for that. I thought people would read the tags, like in other fandoms, and understand that the story would do different things with the characters but it became clear that this was actually solid advice as this was a fandom obsessed with "canon adherence" and policing. So I thought I would CW as thoroughly as I could so no one would be shocked or disappointed and then maybe they wouldn't leave an essay of hate in the comments.

But ultimately, people like this would only be satisfied if I deleted everything and stopped writing. I barely participate in this fandom as it is beyond answering asks and writing. I don't rec my own work. The thing i don't ever want, and this is why it was worrying seeing something like YD becoming "popular", is for people to feel like they *should* read my work without having gone and looked for it via the tags. Without having found it naturally, just by browsing and thinking "that's definitely for me". I've only ever posted for small rarepairs in the past so a couple of comments on a fic always made me so happy. I write for myself and the few others in the world who might like it. I have never written for an audience. If you don't like something I wrote, it's not for you. Genuinely. Move along to the next, no? That's what I would do.

This was so spiteful and targeted. YD is so old at this point, I just don't understand people who do shit like this. I don't bother anyone and I try to be here for anyone who needs me. I CW as thoroughly as I can. I don't think I'm better than anyone. I think every single iteration of these characters is worthy and valid and what matters is how fun they were to write, for the author. I had so much fucking fun with these stories that seeing this miserable little rant seems pointless to me. I don't care if you didn't like it. I don't care if it wasn't to your taste. Writing it was what I wanted. Sharing it is secondary, always. It's fanfiction, written for free in my spare time. I didn't take up space, I didn't trample anyone. There is no reason for this beyond spite.

I am sorry about the vest/jacket mixup, however. Truly, genuinely from the bottom of my heart devastatingly sorry about that. I know it'll take time for people to forgive me and maybe no one ever will, I have to make my peace with that.

Anyway, thanks for loudly projecting your feelings onto me and my work.

💜💜💜

[onnahu]

Batkids as AO3 users

Dick - I don't think he'd be a writer. He just don't give me the vibes, ya know? He would, however, read fics about people he knows. And himself. He's deep in superhero fandom, and at some moment he gets super invested in some rarepair and actually menages to set them up. I also think as a teenager he would stumble upon some E rated fic for someone he knows, then promise himself he'd never touch it again, and then a few years later he reads them a lot, is just super secretive and guilty about it. He does not, however, touch Batman E rated fics with a ten foot pole.

Tim - you'd think he'd write Hero RPF, huh? No. He's deep into Formula 1 RPF. He writes, he reads, he's just very active in fandom. Most of his works are some kind of Formula 1 murder mystery.

Jason - he is the one from Hero RPF. He doesn't read it, he just writes it. In various AU's, ranging from some inspired by his crazy adventures to those from classic literature. When he was still Robin, he wrote Pride and Prejudice Superbat fic, that became crazy popular. After ressurection he sweared he wouldn't touch it, but after checking it out once and realising how tragic his writing style was, he rewrites the whole thing. He reads fics from fandoms he does not know the original works of. He finds a fic he likes, and learns things from it. Then he spirals deep into fandom. Like many of Batfam fans I imagine. That's why he doesn't write, because he feels he can't without knowing the original, and he sure as hell ain't watching some kids show called Ben 10.

Babs - I think her beginnings were in something like Twilight of DCU. She would regret it forever. Currently she's involved in some shows she watches when on break from work and Oracle. I'm not really into TV series but maybe something like Bridgertons or The Boys or something like that. She writes only one-shots and is active on Tumblr. She has like a thousand bookmarks and she posts fic recs with the most wild analysis of writing style, plot consistency and just vibes. She stays away from any RPF's, but esoecially Superhero RPF. She's got it enough on day to day basis thank you very much.

Steph - that girl post Robin writes the most sick gore body horror fics change my mind. And she does it in fandom's you would least expected. She also writes Spoiler/Batgirl fics, that are really fluffy but also full of action and actually made the pairing wildly known.

Cass - she reads everything Steph writes for Spoiler/Batgirl. Steph does not know Cass knows she writes them. Cass is really charmed. She tried writing one, but it came out really dark and she didn't like how clumsy it was and gave up on trying to be an author. She reads heavy angst, crack, or Steph's Spoiler/Batgirl fics, nothing else. She's the person that leaves very short but very sweet comments on literally averything she likes.

Duke - that boy is in the same circles as both Tim and Dick. He actually finds out it's Tim that writes his favourite Formula 1 fics as Tim finds out it's Duke that leaves those super insightful comments on them that start's conversations with author and other readers. They have one talk about it and then forcefully forgets about it and continues as it was. He writes Batman and Robin and Robin Gang fics. He's really good at it, and that's how he found Duck Grayson. Not that any of them knows that's the other on the other side of the screen. And yes, he's Steph's beta reader, and she's his. They don't talk about it, it's just how it is.

Damian - he reads Batman and Robin fics but only about himself. He also draws fanart and makes comics about Batman and Robin (himself). Later he gets involved in Teen Titans fandom, then the Justice League one, and suddenly he's a wildly known fanartist in the whole Hero RPF community. And he did draw a fanart for Jason's fic ones. They both don't know it's the other. He also gives aby superhero an emotional support fictional pet. Dick think it's adorable. (He was the one that introduced Damian to fandom.)

[jaystephevents]

JaySteph Weekend 2024

August 9-11

“The Summer of AUs and Feelings”

Official Prompts List

Friday - Stargazing | Soulmates AU | Wistful

Saturday - Swimming | Fantasy AU | Fascinated

Sunday - Heat Wave | Historical AU | Enchanted

💜❤️💜❤️💜 Event Info 💜❤️💜❤️💜

❤️ Your work must be brand new and JaySteph-centric. Your JaySteph can be platonic, romantic, or NSFW. We don’t allow JaySteph-poly ships in order to keep the focus on our rarepair’s relationship with each other, but side poly ships are fine.

💜 You only need to use one prompt per day, but you may use more if you wish. You can participate for as many or as few days as you want.

❤️ You can interpret the prompts as broadly or as wildly as you want. It’s ok if “swimming” has nothing to do with the water, for example, as long as your work relates to the word itself. Swimming in guilt, swimming in sweat, swimming in flashbacks … it’s all ok!

💜 Almost all types of fanwork are accepted. Fanfic, fanart, playlists, mood boards, edits, incorrect quotes. Be sure to read the Rules and FAQs before beginning to create. (I will update those links shortly but you can find them on desktop in the page tabs).

❤️ Your characters can be any race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, trans, and you can add in any extra AUs you want. (We do suggest you consider the why’s and value of making one of the few fleshed-out canon females male if you’re thinking of writing male!Steph, but you’re allowed to do it.) The only thing we don’t allow is poly-JaySteph so that the focus stays on our rarepair interacting with each other.

💜 We will have an AO3 collection for fic posting (you can also post art here, we’ll list directions closer to the event). And, we will reblog your Tumblr posts for your work or make posts for your AO3 works if you don’t want to make your own.

❤️ This is a ship-friendly, censorship-free event open to all. We will use #batship and #dark tags if applicable on work reblogs so they can be filtered out if needed. We want this event to be accessible to everyone regardless of triggers.

💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️ HOW TO POST 💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜

Add your work to the AO3 Collection JaySteph Weekend 2024

If you make a Tumblr post for your works, tag @jaystephevents and use #jaystephweekend2024

If you don’t choose to make a Tumblr post for your fic, don’t worry! We will make one for you and tag you (make sure your AO3 profile lists your Tumblr handle to be tagged).

You can add art to the AO3 collection, too! Here’s directions how. (Scroll to the end of the linked post for the directions.)

Art posted on Tumblr must meet Tumblr guidelines. Tumblr supposedly allows NSFW art again?? May be a gamble to post it, though. You can post NSFW art on Twitter and make a Tumblr post with a link (please tag the link NSFW). If you do make a Tumblr post with NSFW art, please post below a cut and tag above the cut for NSFW.

If you post a full-text NSFW fic on Tumblr, please post below a cut and tag above the cut for NSFW.

How to make a read more cut in your Tumblr post - on a new line, type colon read more colon (with no spaces) and hit enter. In other words :readmore(second colon here)

[Alt text for Blog Filters]

@dc-fandom-events @fuckyeahjaysteph @jaysteph-server

Please reblog to help spread the word!

[fabled-lady-twilla]

Hi, I'm Twilla and I'm currently in the process of writing a ShigaDeku Dystopia/Soulmate AU fic that no one, and I mean literally NO ONE, asked for! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Why do I always join fandoms late and why do I always somehow end up loving/shipping the rarepairs in fandoms that barely anyone likes or wants to read about lmao? 🥺👉👈

I just finished reading the latest manga chapter, watched all six seasons, and binged all three movies. I am absolutely BURSTING with ideas of where I want this story to go. I want to at least post the first chapter by the time ShigaDeku Week 2024 is here next month. :)

In my fic timeline, the MHA canon story line doesn't happen until Class 1-A's third year, and since my story is set six years after their graduation, most of the main characters are in their mid to late twenties. My story starts after the Quirk Affliction, a strange illness that begins killing off Quirk-users all around to world, resulting in a massive a death toll that causes civilized society to collapse.

Anyways, here's the general synopsis:

The Final War was over before it had even begun. With the onset of the Quirk Affliction, a mysterious illness that disproportionately targeted the Quirks of heroes over the Quirks of villains, the world was left defenseless as it plunged into a new era of chaos and devastation.

It’s been six years since the onset of the Affliction and the death of All Might. Six years since the world’s heroes, and the society they desperately fought to protect, have crumbled into dust in Shigaraki Tomura’s hands.

From the ashes of this destruction, Japan’s new regime was born. The country was split into three territories, each with its own Grand Commander, united in nothing save for one singular rule: life for those who submit, and death for those who do not.

As Grand Commander of the largest and most plentiful of Japan’s territories, Shigaraki has lived the last six years reaping the fruits of his labors and taking pride in helping his Sensei accomplish his dream. But as of late, Tomura has been having strange dreams of his own: hazy memories of an abandoned park, of blooming wisteria trees, of laughter and freckles and forest green eyes.

Midoriya Izuku, now Quirkless due to the Affliction, has not stopped his pursuit of helping others, despite the world — and everything in it — turning itself upside down. Izuku dreams of a brighter future, and strangely enough, dreams of his long-lost childhood friend, Shimura Tenko.

The same Tenko that Izuku had unknowingly befriended as a young boy. The same Tenko who’d stopped him from jumping off the rooftop all those years ago. The same Tenko that, Izuku realized with horror, was now the monster known as Shigaraki Tomura.

Unfortunately, Izuku learns all too late that having a Soulbond with the King of Villains comes with a heavy cost. Shigaraki seems hell-bent on keeping Izuku as close to him as possible, believing Izuku to be his Soulmate, and thus, Shigaraki’s only true weakness, stirring up an ill-fated romance that neither has prepared themselves for.

As a new calamity encroaches upon them in the form of a mad man attempting to become a god, the heroes and villains must find a way to work together and solve the mystery of the Affliction before it destroys the world and everything they hold dear.

✨ P l e a s e ✨ let me know if you're interested in hearing about this by either, liking, reblogging, or sending me a PM. I'm working really hard to get the first chapter of this out by ShigaDeku Week 2024 in May!

Thank you so much for reading. 💚💚💚

[brucewaynehater101]

The brainrot is hitting hard today…

On the topic of the Drakes, I usually prefer the unconventional but loving parent type (Bruce x the Drakes is my favorite rarepair) but the idea of a de-aged Toddler Tim having no idea what to do when Jason or another Bat does the “ur a baby I’m gonna pick you up” move because his parents stopped picking him up once he started walking is so heartbreakingly wonderful to me.

even with de-aged Tim fics in general, i prefer when he’s a feral raccoon, but just that specific scene is so addicting.

a whole fic exploring the personality of a three-year-old Tim with limited parental context and his dynamics with Jason in particular is mwah.

and then a week later, he’s deaged again but as a 6-year-old and the family has to deal with a brat with too much time on his hands and too little supervision.

3-year-old tim as a victim of neglectful, bordering abusive, parenting

6-year-old tim as a consequence of neglectful, bordering abusive, parenting

also, bonus if 3 y/o Tim just cam saw the graysons fall and only recognizes Dick after Nightwing does something flippy. “Flippy Dick” being his first words since deaging (i think i saw the nickname in a good parents!drakes post ironically)

Yes! I do adore the angst of the Drakes loving Tim, wanting the world for him, and failing. The black and white "Drakes are bad parents" is great for healing and comfort, but the grey area is where I feel a lot of people are with their own parents. The Drakes trying but never being enough is so intoxicating to read. There's usually only bad parents and good parents for the Drakes.

I also love when the Drakes and Bruce share parenting Tim while the kid fights that at every turn. It's hilarious.

For Kid Tim fics, I can't really stand when he's turned into a "so cute but so sad" version. That child is a gremlin. Therefore, I love when authors hint at angst/abuse, but Tim doesn't realize that something is wrong. For him, that's normal. Why would he know the difference?

The nickname "Flippy Dick/Dickie" is cute and I adore a chaotic 6 year old Tim. A lack of supervision for children (who have issues with impulse control due to their brain development) equates to Tim doing whatever the fuck he wants and not respecting authority. He gets to make decisions for himself because that's how it's always been.

On the same note, fics that have Bruce noticing Tim's lack of supervision and then forcing restrictions on Tim freak me out. Yes, a child should not be making such decisions and should not be alone at such ages. However, Tim, in these AUs, has years of experience doing so. Forcing him to follow Bruce's rules without choice disrespects the systems Tim has built up to protect himself. He should have continued autonomy. The goal is to support him. They should allow Tim to slowly integrate himself into the Wayne family as someone ensures he's getting food regularly, has an adult to rely on, and has all his needs met (however Tim chooses to meet them).

If Tim chooses to relinquish his control over every aspect in his life for some help and relief, then absolutely. Despite this, Tim will need to be treated as closer to an equal than a child due to his experiences. He is still a child, but he's been making choices for himself for a while. He should have the respect and autonomy to continue making decisions in regard to his own being.

I guess I got on a rant, lmao. Anyways, de-aging fics that highlight Tim not being able to hide his chaotic nature as well are amazing

[sneppu]

To all Snape Centric fic writers

my next Snape fanfic fanart will be featuring a rarepair - but a fun one, I think!

But speaking of fanfic fanarts: Are you a writer who writes primarily Snape focused fics?

If so, there is a very very high chance I have read and enjoyed your work. (even if it's a rarepair, even if it's oc x snape, no matter the genre or pairing, no matter the skill level, even if it's unfinished, even if its deeply unserious, I cannot stress enough that i probably read it, and i probably REALLY liked it.) Thus far, I've been asking directly on a03 comments, but that's not ideal, So I'll ask here:

Are you alright with someone (me, it's me) making fanart for your fics in the future? If so PLEASE let me know. Your work has made my days much brighter, and so I would like to show that appreciation this way, IF it is alright with you. (comments and kudos alone just dont feel like enough!)

If you feel comfortable with this, I would appreciate so so much if you would reply to this post and let me know! the reason why its not as ideal to ask this on a03 as opposed as here, is because I would like to be able to tag you in your fanart and link it directly to both you and your work so that you can more easily see it, instead of only linking to your work in the post and then commenting a link to that same post in your fics, as that ends up feeling a little clunky.

TLDR; This sideblog was primarily meant as a place to post my fanart of YOUR writing, so I would like to determine which of you are alright with that, and additionally, if it would be ok to tag you in the post when said fanart is made. Thank you!

I would appreciate if this post was spread around so that more writers can find it, if possible!

[theheirofthesharingan]

Hello, may we know what are your thoughts about ita/saku

I dislike ItaS*ku. A lot. Detailed answer below the cut.

I don't understand this ship and it's the only Itachi ship that makes no sense and that I cannot tolerate. Everyone else he's shipped with acknowledged him in some way, understood him to some extent, and thematically they were compatible. Even if I see Itachi and Sasuke's relationship as perfectly, strictly platonic, I understand why people see the potential for more in them and why they want to explore this in their fics or art. It's the same with ShiIta and KisaIta and the rarepairs like KakaIta and ItaDei. But ItaS*ku is a pairing that makes zero sense to me.

Itachi is perceptive, thoughtful, puts his own needs aside, takes up the responsibility when he does wrong and tries to change his approach, doesn't need and ask for other people's help, and has self-respect. Sakura is the complete opposite but in a bad way. She isn't perspective, is selfish, her own needs come first - the world can go to hell, and has no self-respect. They aren't a match in any way. Their "polar opposite" isn't endearing under any circumstances.

She has a "girlboss" like personality or that's how she's presented. She's badass, a quick learner, strong, powerful etc., but she's not compatible with Itachi just for those reasons. To make them work as a ship, Sakura's characterization would have to change enormously. She'd have to be completely ooc for that.

In canon too, she saw Sasuke change his mind about Itachi, and while Naruto and Kakashi at least acknowledged it, Sakura never bothered to know about the truth. He, too, never acknowledged her presence except for a scene in one of the movies. In canon, never. She was nonexistent to him and he was just Sasuke's enemy to her. Why would I really ship them together.

With Itachi's other ships there's love, understanding, and compassion, and/or at least some thematic relevance which Ita/Saku entirely lacks. It's not the case of 'she's too good for Itachi' as many of her fans want to claim in regards to both Itachi and Sasuke. She's not a bad character and I like her, but ItaS*ku doesn't work as a ship.

I'll be tagging this post properly, so if anyone comes here with flaming response they'll be blocked. In case you read it this far, feel free to ignore if you ship these two characters or are a Sakura fan.

[copper-16]

been thinking about your platonic andrea + lola fic especially since andrea missed the last penalty that took atletico out of the CL. would you ever write a fic about that?

idk andrea feeling really guilty and pulling away from the team and lola reminding her that she’s more than just her bad moments on the pitch?

:)

The way this ask made me GASP...I posted this fic OVER a year ago and someone still remembers it? I cannot explain my excitement, especially because it's such a little niche/rarepair fic. It makes my YEAR when people still remember those silly little fics I made. If rarepair or platonic stuff was more popular I would probably have a million fics to write, honestly.

I wasn't ever planning to write about them again - but I pumped something out solely because I was so excited by you mentioning it 😭 It's not a full fic necessarily which is why I'm just posting it on here.

I Try, I Try

Andrea misses the penalty, crushing Atlético Madrid's dream of playing in the Champions League. Crushing Lola's dream of playing in the Champions League. The defender struggles to cope before she receives an important reminder.

If there was one thing that would have motivated Lola to save every single one of those penalties, it would be the sight of Andrea on the pitch after missing her own. It was burned into her brain it felt like, the image of the younger girl right next to the celebrating Rosenborg team, her head in her hands. 

Lola was absolutely disappointed after the loss. But she had been lucky to have a long career, to have won a Champions League trophy, to have experienced so many losses and victories. But the defender was still young, and it was a different kind of pressure and expectation to be the one to take the final penalty in a shootout. Especially one where the result determined if they had a shot at playing on the international stage. 

And Andrea hadn’t even flinched when she had been selected, insisting that she was ready. She was putting on a brave face, Lola could tell. 

But it was that kind of strength and the right attitude that made good players great ones. The keeper was proud of her for being a team player and fighting till the end, even if it wasn’t their day. Even if she wanted to cry, the blonde made her way around to her other teammates, patting them on the back and holding back her clear upset. 

Lola simply wished it didn’t have to end this way. The younger girl had been nearly catatonic in the changing room, on the bus ride, on the plane. 

It had been Carmen who had taken Andrea home, given that the two of them lived in the same apartment building. Lola had pulled the older defender aside, asking her quietly to keep an eye on their younger teammate. 

When the keeper asked Andrea if she wanted to come over to her and Christina’s apartment, she only received a muted head shake in response. The younger girl could barely even look her in the eyes as she brushed the keeper off, though not unkindly. 

It had taken less than two hours for Carmen to call Lola to come over, her voice filled with worry. 

The older woman rode a strange line sometimes, wanting to respect Andrea’s boundaries while also understanding that sometimes people didn’t always exactly say what they wanted. She did feel a certain responsibility to protect the defender from the harsh realities of the world, but she couldn’t solve everything. 

Personally, she hated the fact, even if she knew that she held no control over it. 

She makes it to Andrea and Carmen’s apartment building in record time, meeting her former partner by the door to the younger girlfriend’s apartment.

“I could hear her crying in her room when I was making her some food and I…I don’t know. She hates being alone, it feels more like she’s trying to punish herself than process,” Carmen said with exasperation, but underneath her tone is thinly veiled worry. 

“You probably aren’t far off,” Lola acquiesced, turning her head briefly to look at the door. “I’ve got her, you can go back up to your place. Don’t forget to ice your knee,” the keeper said with as much captainly authority as she could muster. Carmen rolled her eyes good-naturedly, saluting her teammate somewhat mockingly before she turned to head back up to her own place. 

Lola lets herself into Andrea’s apartment, and despite the fact that the defender’s door is closed, she can hear the muted sounds of crying that ring through the space. She doesn’t even hesitate, striding over to the younger girl’s room before she opens the door gently, poking her head in. 

The soft crying noises shut off abruptly, the entire room entering into a precarious stillness. Lola felt her heart sink at the evidence of the girl’s sadness, even if she knew it was there. 

The older woman doesn’t even bother with asking for an invitation, she simply moves into the room, climbing into Andrea’s bed with her. 

This bed held a million memories, at least for the keeper. Late-night conversations and confessions, the loudest of laughs, a safe space for tears. The mattress greets her warmly, sinking under her as she moves her body closer to Andrea’s, placing her hand gently on the defender’s back. 

“Lola, go away,” Andrea insists, attempting to sound more firm than she felt. Her words come out sounding more like they are from a tearful child, not that Lola cares. 

“It is okay to be upset Andrea, it is okay to cry,” Lola tries, but the blonde still shifts away from her, and the sound of a stuttering breath punctuates the silence around them. 

There is a pause before the younger girl speaks again, her words dripping with rage. 

Not for the team, but rather for herself. 

“It is my fault that we lost. I shouldn’t be crying over something that I had control over.” 

Lola sits up slightly after hearing her words, placing her head in her hand, her elbow pressing into the mattress. When she speaks, her voice is firm, with little room for argument. 

“No, it is not.” 

The sheer force of her words is enough to make Andrea pause and relent in turning over slightly to peer at the dark-haired woman. 

She expects Lola to be looking at her with anger, with frustration. 

First, she lost them an important game, all because she couldn’t shoot a ball into the net properly. Like it wasn’t her only job to do exactly that. 

And now, she was acting like a child, hiding in her bed when all she wanted was a hug and a reminder that she wasn’t the worst footballer in the world. 

She was older now, and she needed to grow up and be realistic. There wasn’t time for all of her big, unnecessary emotions. 

But Lola isn’t looking at her with anger or frustration. She looks more apprehensive and concerned than anything else, and Andrea turns over more fully to face her. 

“I’m so sorry Lola,” she whispers, crushed by the thought that she was the one who ended not only her dreams, the dreams of the team, but Lola’s dream. 

The keeper shakes her head instantly, her expression filling with sympathy. 

“Andrea, it is not your fault. There were 120 minutes, and four other penalties besides your own. This doesn’t rest on all you, I promise,” Lola points out, but Andrea cuts her off with a humorless laugh. 

“Yes, but if I had just made my penalty, my one job, we wouldn’t be here,” she counters, averting her eyes from the older woman. 

“And if I had saved more of the penalties, or the goals, we wouldn’t be here either,” Lola comments, but it doesn’t seem to do anything other than upset the defender more. 

“That is different, and you know it. Nobody expects a keeper to save a penalty, but it is the job of the players to score,” Andrea’s voice is forceful, as though she’s trying to convince herself of the words. 

“By the time we made it to penalties, we had already failed our job. All of us, the whole team, not just you. Just because you are the one who went last, doesn’t mean that our failures for the whole game lay completely on your shoulders,” Lola argues, and when the blonde doesn’t say anything in response, she continues. 

“This is not your fault. We all miss penalties or make mistakes on the job. I can’t even begin to count how many mistakes I have made in my career Andrea, truly. As much as I hate it, it’s a part of the game. And it doesn’t matter how many times it happens, or how old you are, you are allowed to be upset over it. It doesn’t make you immature or weak to cry or feel upset,” the keeper emphasizes, and when she sees the younger girl’s lip begin to wobble, she knows that she’s hit the root of the problem. 

“I’m twenty years old, I shouldn’t be acting this way over a penalty,” she sputters, and Lola settles herself back on the mattress, pulling the younger girl into her. 

“I don’t care how old or mature you are, you are allowed to be upset about things. I am twenty-nine years old and–” Lola starts, though the defender is quick to interject despite her sadness. 

“Aren’t you thirty-on–” Andrea is cut off with a hand that quickly covers her mouth, smothering the rest of her sentence. 

“Shush, I am in my twenties and I haven't finished speaking. As I was saying, I am older than you and I still cry about things all the time, when I feel the need to. It is natural and it is normal, just like it is to talk to other people around you. There is no rule book that says you must go through this alone because you feel that you are the one at fault for the situation. All you are doing is punishing yourself when I promise, you don’t have to,” Lola reassures, Andrea now tucked into her side, her head laying on Lola’s chest. 

There is a pause as silent tears slip down the blonde’s cheeks, as the words of the older woman wash over her. 

“I am so sorry Lola,” she emphasizes, and it’s the repetition of the word that causes the keeper to look down in confusion. 

“Why are you saying sorry to me?” She asks, a little lost on why Andrea needed to apologize to her specifically. 

“You are further along in your career, these chances aren’t always easy to come by, and I screwed it up. I blew your chance this year, and who knows if we’ll have this opportunity again,” Andrea’s voice is small, emotion caught in her throat. 

“I’m so, so sorry. Please don’t…” 

The blonde’s words trail off, but the unspoken part of her sentence is heard loud and clear. 

Please don’t hate me. 

“I could never, I promise you that. You are my teammate, but more importantly, you are my friend. I am proud of you each time you step out onto the pitch, and I consider myself so lucky to be your teammate. We win together, and we lose together. I love you far too much to ever let something like football come between us, even if it is an important match. It’s just a game, and you are…tan especial para mí,” Lola vows, feeling the younger girl curl further into her side, a sigh of relief leaving her exhausted body. 

And it was true. The defender meant so much more to her than anything that football might bring or take away, and she would much rather prioritize that than over something she knew could slip out from under her at any moment. 

“Te amo pequeña,” the older woman murmurs, leaning down to press a kiss to the crown of Andrea’s head. 

The younger girl snuggles into her further, tear tracks down her face finally beginning to dry as she settles into the taller woman. 

“Thank you Mama Lola. Te amo,” she whispers as she drifts off, disappointment now accompanied by the knowledge that she would overcome this. 

And by the fact that she didn’t have to do it alone.

[olderthannetfic]

It´s a pity that most rarepairs only ever have short fics. I mean, I do get why that is, but I WANT TO READ MORE.

On the other hand I just posted an 8k fic in a ´fandom´ with only one twenty-year old fic and am thus marinating in the expected ´Who did I put all that work in for?´ existential crises.

I KNOW it will fade and I know that there will be people reading my fic (including me, mostly me.) - and maybe some of them will even write their own - eventually perhaps even longfic. Guess it just is what it is.

--

[critter-rarepair-reccs]

Welcome to Critter Rarepair Reccs!

Hey y'all! Welcome to Critter Rarepair Reccs, a recommendation list aimed at fics written for ships that are largely under-represented, appreciated, and loved in our fandom! Now, let's address the elephant in the room first; rarepair is a misnomer here, knowingly. Some of the ships eligible to be recc'ed on this list might not be ones you'd consider a rarepair! So, the more proper welcome would be-

Welcome to Critter Underloved Ship Reccs

For brevity's sake, the URL is staying, though.

Now, it goes without saying, but before we get into the details here, let's get one thing clear: this blog is dedicated to spreading love and appreciation to fanworks and their creators. Ship hate of any kind will not be tolerated and will result in a block.

With that said, let's talk about the criteria for an underloved ship and why we're defining it the way we are.

Definition & Explantion

There is one qualifier for a ship to be eligible for this list: less than 100 fics were written for it and posted to Ao3 during 2023.

We landed on this metric for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it casts a very wide net for pairings while still narrowing the field a fair bit. The gulf of works between flagship pairings, endgame pairings, and some of the larger side/non-canon pairings is significant. Secondly, we wanted to take a look at how the fandom is currently, which is why we pivoted away from using the Wildflower System ( @cr-summer-wildflowers ) of excluding any pairing with more than 500 fics total. There are a number of pairings that were extremely popular at one point in time, but these days get far less love and attention. Let's take Widofjord for example. They have almost a thousand fics total and were in the Top 10 relationship tags for Critical Role on Ao3 for a long time. But last year? Only 27 fics were written for them. They have, functionally, become a rarepair.

So, to be fair to ships that exist in that same, nebulous space, we're looking at totals from last year, not lifetime.

For illustration purposes, here are charts (compiled by the wonderful @spottedenchants ) showing how many fics were written for each PC/PC ship last year.

Ineligible Ships

Which ships, then, don't qualify under that definition? It's not a terribly long list. PC endgame relationships, primarily, a handful of non-canon pairings, and some prospective endgame ships. For simplicity's sake, we'll break them down by campaign.

Campaign 1: Perc'ahlia, Vaxleth, Pikelan, Perc'ildan

Campaign 2: Shadowgast, Beauyasha, Fjorester, Widomauk

Campaign 3: Imodna, Dorym, Ashrym

If one of these pairings is secondary or background to a fic, that's alright! But the fic shouldn't focus or center on them. It's also worth noting that polyamorous ships that include one of these pairs are also alright! Shadowidomauk, for example, only had 61 fics written for it last year, so they're in the clear! The same goes for Dashrym, as another example, as they've only ever had 36 fics written for them.

It is also worth noting all accepted submissions must be respectful of character’s canon sexualities; for example, we will not take fics that feature an M/F pairing of a lesbian character, even if said pairing fits the “rarepair” criteria.

The caveat to the above would be queerplatonic fic! There will be an option on the submission form to specify, to avoid confusion due to Ao3’s lack of a designated QPR relationship tag!

So when does the list open for submissions?

Very soon! February 7th, next Wednesday! The opening theme with be Fluff, and that list will be posted a week later, on Valentine’s Day, February 14th! I hope we’ll see you then! 🩷

[perseidlion]

Potentially controversial opinion but the way to reduce the number of fics being deleted and to increase the number of fics that you want to read is to:

Support WIPs if you like the concept, even if it's just with a bookmark (bonus points for reading along and commenting on every chapter, even if it's just with emojis)

Comment and tell the writer you love it and WHY, or just express thanks for them writing it

Share the fic with others and encourage them to comment

Appreciate fic writers instead of taking them for granted

Recognize that fic writing is gift culture and not content creation and that writers get zero compensation for writing other than interaction with readers

Request the kinds of fic/dynamics you'd like to see rather than demanding anything. (IE: You write so and so together so well! Have you ever thought of exploring X? Or: This backstory is so interesting. Would you ever flesh it out more? Or: I'd love to see your take on X.)

NOT

Guilting writers for deleting a fic and saying it's a crime or that you feel "cheated" if someone takes down their work

Making a writer feel guilty because some hypothetical somebody somewhere who never told them so might have liked that work

Criticiizing fic to the author's face or in public (either constructively or not) when feedback wasn't explicitly asked for. (Discussing the merits of a fic in private is fine)

Only shouting about fic in private and never telling the author you love their work

Only reading completed fics and never commenting/otherwise supporting. There are plenty of valid reasons to only read completed fics, but realize that if you don't support fics as they're being written, you will get less of the kinds of fic you like and fewer fics will be completed

Generally acting entitled to fic

Whining that you hate when fic writers do X or that there isn't enough of X dynamic or otherwise trying to dictate what authors should and shouldn't write

Just be positive, folks! Fanfic is a community. I will churn out thousands of words a week if people tell me they're enjoying it. If I get no interaction, that fic is a lot more likely to never be completed or even deleted.

You don't have to unconditionally support all fic writers. It's totally fine to just to kind of like a fic and not comment (though if you read it all the way through, I think at least a kudos is warranted.) But if you DO love it, please please please tell us so, even with just a heart emoji.

The silent enjoyment of fic with no expression of that to the author is what slowly kills fandom - as does positioning us as content creators who get something simply by posting, or by criticizing what and how much we write.

This is especially important if the fic is a rarepair, or a weird concept, or otherwise offbeat. If it's your kind of thing and you don't see very much of it, shout about it! I've definitely deleted or abandoned fics that were a little weird because I felt embarrassed by the fact that no one else was matching my freak.

[heartfulselkie]

Look

If you see a post that is clearly for a certain ship and decide to reblog it - it is completely unnecessary for you to add tags along the lines of "I know this is for X ship but..." / "wow you can just tell they don't have chemistry" / "you can totally tell character A is thinking about their true love character Z instead of the one they're with here!"

Why?

Because its just plain rude!

How many times do we need to have this discussion? Someone put their time and effort into making a post/fic/art/whatever for a ship they enjoy! So what if its a rarepair or pairing that deviates from the main ship? If it's not to your taste then don't talk shit in the tags!

Or better yet just don't reblog it if you don't like it that much!

There's plenty of content available for the mainstream/canon ships for you to enjoy. So stop stomping over and making fun of the ships other people like. It's rude to the person who created something for a ship they like only to get someone saying "yeah I know this is about X ship but I'm going to talk about the real ship instead!"

Why does this continue to be a problem?

Some of you need to grow up.