#Why I can't choose a normal ship for once!?!

[5ummit]

AO3 Ship Stats: Year In Bad Data

You may have seen this AO3 Year In Review.

It hasn’t crossed my tumblr dash but it sure is circulating on twitter with 3.5M views, 10K likes, 17K retweets and counting. Normally this would be great! I love data and charts and comparisons!

Except this data is GARBAGE and belongs in the TRASH.

I first noticed something fishy when I realized that Steve/Bucky – the 5th largest ship on AO3 by total fic count – wasn’t on this Top 100 list anywhere. I know Marvel’s popularity has fallen in recent years, but not that much. Especially considering some of the other ships that made it on the list. You mean to tell me a femslash HP ship (Mary MacDonald/Lily Potter) in which one half of the pairing was so minor I had to look up her name because she was only mentioned once in a single flashback scene beat fandom juggernaut Stucky? I call bullshit.

Now obviously jumping to conclusions based on gut instinct alone is horrible practice... but it is a good place to start. So let’s look at the actual numbers and discover why this entire dataset sits on a throne of lies.

Here are the results of filtering the Steve/Bucky tag for all works created between Jan 1, 2023 and Dec 31, 2023:

Not only would that place Steve/Bucky at #23 on this list, if the other counts are correct (hint: they're not), it’s also well above the 1520-new-work cutoff of the #100 spot. So how the fuck is it not on the list? Let’s check out the author’s FAQ to see if there’s some important factor we’re missing.

The first thing you’ll probably notice in the FAQ is that the data is being scraped from publicly available works. That means anything privated and only accessible to logged-in users isn’t counted. This is Sin #1. Already the data is inaccurate because we’re not actually counting all of the published fics, but the bots needed to do data collection on this scale can't easily scrape privated fics so I kinda get it. We’ll roll with this for now and see if it at least makes the numbers make more sense:

Nope. Logging out only reduced the total by a couple hundred. Even if one were to choose the most restrictive possible definition of "new works" and filter out all crossovers and incomplete fics, Steve/Bucky would still have a yearly total of 2,305. Yet the list claims their total is somewhere below 1,500? What the fuck is going on here?

Let’s look at another ship for comparison. This time one that’s very recent and popular enough to make it on the list so we have an actual reference value for comparison: Nick/Charlie (Heartstopper). According to the list, this ship sits at #34 this year with a total of 2630 new works. But what’s AO3 say?

Off by a hundred or so but the values are much closer at least!

If we dig further into the FAQ though we discover Sin #2 (and the most egregious): the counting method. The yearly fic counts are NOT determined by filtering for a certain time period, they’re determined by simply taking a snapshot of the total number of fics in a ship tag at the end of the year and subtracting the previous end-of-year total. For example, if you check a ship tag on Jan 1, 2023 and it has 10,000 fics and check it again on Jan 1, 2024 and it now has 12,000 fics, the difference (2,000) would be the number of "new works" on this chart.

At first glance this subtraction method might seem like a perfectly valid way to count fics, and it’s certainly the easiest way, but it can and did have major consequences to the point of making the entire dataset functionally meaningless. Why? If any older works are deleted or privated, every single one of those will be subtracted from the current year fic count. And to make the problem even worse, beginning at the end of last year there was a big scare about AI scraping fics from AO3, which caused hundreds, if not thousands, of users to lock down their fics or delete them.

The magnitude of this fuck up may not be immediately obvious so let’s look at an example to see how this works in practice.

Say we have two ships. Ship A is more than a decade old with a large fanbase. Ship B is only a couple years old but gaining traction. On Jan 1, 2023, Ship A had a catalog of 50,000 fics and ship B had 5,000. Both ships have 3,000 new works published in 2023. However, 4% of the older works in each fandom were either privated or deleted during that same time (this percentage is was just chosen to make the math easy but it’s close to reality).

Ship A: 50,000 x 4% = 2,000 removed works Ship B: 5,000 x 4% = 200 removed works

Ship A: 3,000 - 2,000 = 1,000 "new" works Ship B: 3,000 - 200 = 2,800 "new" works

This gives Ship A a net gain of 1,000 and Ship B a net gain of 2,800 despite both fandoms producing the exact same number of new works that year. And neither one of these reported counts are the actual new works count (3,000). THIS explains the drastic difference in ranking between a ship like Steve/Bucky and Nick/Charlie.

How is this a useful measure of anything? You can't draw any conclusions about the current size and popularity of a fandom based on this data.

With this system, not only is the reported "new works" count incorrect, the older, larger fandom will always be punished and it’s count disproportionately reduced simply for the sin of being an older, larger fandom. This example doesn’t even take into account that people are going to be way more likely to delete an old fic they're no longer proud of in a fandom they no longer care about than a fic that was just written, so the deletion percentage for the older fandom should theoretically be even larger in comparison.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the author of this "study" KNEW the data was tainted and chose to present it as meaningful anyway. You will only find this if you click through to the FAQ and read about the author’s methodology, something 99.99% of people will NOT do (and even those who do may not understand the true significance of this problem):

The author may try to argue their post states that the tags "which had the greatest gain in total public fanworks” are shown on the chart, which makes it not a lie, but a error on the viewer’s part in not interpreting their data correctly. This is bullshit. Their chart CLEARLY titles the fic count column “New Works” which it explicitly is NOT, by their own admission! It should be titled “Net Gain in Works” or something similar.

Even if it were correctly titled though, the general public would not understand the difference, would interpret the numbers as new works anyway (because net gain is functionally meaningless as we've just discovered), and would base conclusions on their incorrect assumptions. There’s no getting around that… other than doing the counts correctly in the first place. This would be a much larger task but I strongly believe you shouldn’t take on a project like this if you can’t do it right.

To sum up, just because someone put a lot of work into gathering data and making a nice color-coded chart, doesn’t mean the data is GOOD or VALUABLE.

#ao3 #ao3 stats #psa #my words #fandom #I doubt anyone is even going to read this but I needed to get it out of my system and at least try to stop this from spreading #if you know me #you know I get Big Mad about misinformation #don't take anything at face value #do your own research

[mirrrorballs]

swear to be overdramatic and true to my, lover.

pairing / opla!roronoa zoro x gn!reader

warnings / nothing much just an established relationship, tooth-rotting fluff, the normal couple banter, and a first kiss trope that makes me all mush.

synopsis / as the straw hat crew docks at an island, everyone decides to give the place a little tour. as you and zoro are strolling around the area, you stumble across an old photobooth. after a bit of banter, stolen glances, and subconscious smiles, a first kiss ensues.

author's note / OPLA ZORO IS MY NEW FIXATION AHH this prompt just popped into my head last night and it was too cute to not put into writing. so here it is!!

The sun was painted a gorgeous shade of orange as the straw hats finally docked on a new island.

"Alright, crew!" their captain's cheery voice boomed as he clasped his two hands together, calling everyone's attention. "Sanji and I will be looking for supplies and ingredients to last us the next few weeks since we're running out. So, take this time to tour around the island for a while." Luffy said with a smile, placing his hands on either sides of his waist.

Nami simply nodded and shrugged, Usopp excitedly jumped from his position by the deck, and Zoro made his way over to you.

Noticing your boyfriend walking towards you, a smile crept up your face as you walked over to meet him halfway.

Once you were within arms' reach, Zoro took your hands in his. Turns out the smile you wore was contagious, a similar one appeared on his face as he looked at you intently. Gosh, how this poker-faced and stoic man turned into putty because of you.

"Hi" he said, breaking the moment of comfortable silence you two had. Your smile grew wider. "Hi yourself," you replied, lightly swinging your interlocked hands back and forth.

Zoro tore his gaze away from you for a moment to see that the rest of the crew started going down the ship. He turned his head back to you. "We should probably follow suit." he said, tilting his head to gesture to the people who were now on the dock. You nodded lightly and Zoro took it as his signal to tug you along with him to the stairs, both of you still having a hand connected.

You both strolled around the streets, taking the less crowded paths in order to remain unnoticed. The bounty over the straw hats' heads more than enough of a reminder for you both to remain cautious.

"Where do you think we should go?" you asked as you turned to face Zoro. He turned to you and shrugged. "Anywhere is fine, you choose." he said. I want what you want, he thought but chose to leave it out.

Another comfortable silence consumed you both before a small booth with a velvet blue curtain for an entrance caused you to halt. 'Photobooth', the illuminated sign read.

Zoro realized you weren't by his side anymore and looked back to see you looking at something. He followed your gaze until his eyes landed on the booth.

He walked back towards you. "Oh, no. Yeah, no." he said while shaking his head. You scoffed. "Why not? You said I could choose!" you countered with a slightly offended tone.

"Tiny booth in an almost abandoned looking street. It could be some sort of marine, enemy, or pirate hunter prop with a hidden camera or microphone inside." he said confidently, almost sounding proud of his oh-so-smart conclusion.

This guy can't be serious, you thought. "Zoro, love, the apple of my eye. You know I really do appreciate your input on things, but I really don't think any of the people you mentioned would use a photobooth as a prop. Vicious pirates don't just snap photos for fun. And secondly, we're on a tiny little island that you can barely see on a map, any enemies wouldn't just expect us to be here." you replied, holding back a giggle.

Zoro's eyes widened and he cleared his throat. You were right, but he was far too proud to admit that. So he continued the debate.

"Well, Buggy's ear was in Luffy's hat as a spy mechanism. Something similar could occur." the man replied defensively to which you just raised an eyebrow.

"The photo could fly away and someone could see our faces and recognize us from the wanted posters. Next thing you know we have ships on our tail." he continued but all you did was tilt your head and cross your arms, urging him to go on with his desperate attempt at a debate.

"I don't like having my picture taken." he said as a last resort, ideas for any more replies flying out of his head.

"Okay then, I'll just take photos on my own." you shrugged and started walking towards the booth.

Zoro gulped, torn between his pride and a sweet moment with you. "Fine by me." he choked out.

You rolled your eyes before turning around to face him with a pout.

"Seriously? That didn't work on you?" you huffed. Zoro had to hold back a smile at your childish attitude.

Your boyfriend simply smirked and shrugged. "What can I say? I like to stick with my stand." he said.

You walked forward, only a step or two serving as a divider. Your pout morphed into a grin as you giggled, taking his hands in yours.

"Come on, please? For me? We're always at sea and when we're not we don't have a lot of memories like this together." you said. Gaze shifting from your intertwined hands to his face.

His normally hard gaze softened as your eyes met. The way you always looked at him so lovingly that it made his heart swell it almost feels like it's about to pop out of his chest.

Zoro smiled softly, as he rubbed his thumb against your hand. How could he say no to you?

"If it's that important to you, then I don't see why not." he said. If possible, your smile grew even wider as you threw your arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug.

The action slightly startling the mosshead as he stumbled a few steps back before wrapping his arms around your waist as soon as realization hit that you were hugging him.

"Thank you." you said. Zoro tightened his hug before replying with, "Any time."

You pulled away a moment after and started dragging him towards the booth.

You pushed the blue curtain to the side before stepping inside the rather cramped photobooth and taking a seat. Zoro quickly following the action.

You fumbled through your pocket with furrowed brows in search of a few berry. Holding up the coins in front of you triumphantly a few moments after.

Zoro observed you as you pushed the coins through the slot and pressed the button to start.

The screen on the left side came to life and you could finally see what the camera could. The countdown started.

You turned your head to see Zoro looking rather confused as he stared at the camera with pursed lips and slightly furrowed brows. You smiled at the man next to you.

Snap!

The sound signaled that the first photo was taken, pulling your attention back to the camera. The second countdown started.

You took a quick second to fix yourself for the photo, tucking pieces of hair behind your ear before flashing a picture-ready smile for the camera.

Unbeknownst to you, it was Zoro giving you a look of awe, admiration, and love this time. A small smile visible on his face. You just had that effect on him.

Snap!

The next photo was taken. Zoro turned back to the camera at the sound. The third countdown began.

You let out a contented sigh. You turned to face Zoro with a small grin. "Thank you, again." you said before pressing your lips to his cheek, planting a small kiss.

Snap!

The third photo was shot, and Zoro was grateful the photos would be in black and white because he sure didn't want anyone else seeing his shocked face and flushed cheeks. The last countdown started.

Zoro didn't know what came over him. If it was the atmosphere or the current happening. But he was most definitely sure that whatever the reason was, it circled around you. He wouldn't admit it but the moment was perfect to him. You were perfect.

He just found himself pulling you by the back of your neck and pressing his lips against yours.

The action shocked you for a second. But after a moment you closed your eyes and leaned into the kiss. It was the first one you two shared, and sharing it in this moment couldn't have been more perfect.

Snap!

The last photo was shot, though the sound went unnoticed by the two of you this time. Only pulling away after a few more seconds.

You both stayed like that for a while. Staring deeply into each other's eyes. His hand gripping yours that was placed on your lap. Both you and Zoro smiling at each other like love drunk idiots.

The two of you only snapped back to reality after hearing the sound of the photo strip bring printed outside.

You pulled away from Zoro, swiftly moving to the exterior of the booth in anticipation of seeing the pictures. Zoro followed after you almost immediately.

Once the photo strip was fully printed, you quickly grabbed it as your eyes scanned each picture. A smile graced your lips as your index finger traced every one of them, pausing at the very last one.

"You like it?" Zoro asked. You turned to face him. Like is an understatement, you thought. "I love it." you said softly but whole heartedly.

Zoro couldn't help but give you a hearty grin. You turned your attention back to the photo strip in your hand. "It's a shame we only have one copy." you mumbled, but loud enough for Zoro to hear.

"You're right" he replied, nodding. He took a step closer to you. "Both of us having copies would've been nice." he continued, glancing at the pictures. He smiled at this.

"If you want to keep it, it's fine!" you said cheerfully, holding the strip out for him even though you badly wanted it for yourself.

Zoro laughed at this and pushed your hand back gently.

"I have a better idea. Why don't we recreate it instead?" he said with a grin that you simply mirrored.

And so you did.

julia speaks !

SCREAMINGG these two are so cute. This turned out pretty long, but it's not too shabby hehe. Hope you enjoyed :)!!

#opla!zoro x reader #opla roronoa zoro #opla zoro #zoro x reader #roronoa zoro x reader #opla!roronoa zoro x reader #zoro fluff #roronoa zoro fluff

[animentality]

the fun thing about durgetash for me as far as definitely toxic ships go, is that gortash and durge, as individuals, are toxic. but the ship itself? not toxic at all in my take. because as horrible as they are as people, the love they have for each other is actually very genuine. everyone else in the world is dust under their boots except for each other. they truly respect each other and get along frighteningly well and listen to each other and support each other’s atrocities and so, if you ignore the screaming of their victims in the background, their relationship is actually kind of healthy.

to be fair: this is with my version of them in mind lol i know other people have spicer takes where they ARE actively toxic to each other and such, and those are fun too but ive gotten so into the version of them where they both just exude toxicity to everyone in their lives EXCEPT each other. it’s already a trope im very weak to but its especially crazy with them. its like they cancel each other out somehow lol

like i think it takes a while to get to that point of course, to build up actual trust enough to feel even slightly safe around each other, but once they open up to each other the affection-starvation just jumps out. and then despite everything they manage to actually be gentle with each other. and neither of them deserves gentleness of any sort, but they get it anyway, from each other.

so for me durgetash is “toxic” only by virtue of the individuals involved being horrible terrible people, and because they gleefully support each other’s evil plans, and not because of how they actually treat each other, which is actually the closest thing to “normal” either of them will ever experience (and it is still so, so far from “normal” lol)

but it’s still also nice to be in a ship where the discourse is so obvious we don’t even bother lol. yes gortash has a list of human rights abuses longer than he is tall. yes he’s gonna have an evil cuddle with his evil partner-in-crime in their evil bedroom after a long, hard day of being evil. and i’m gonna be thinking about it <3

Anon, you get me.

I think durgetash just works because...they are so blatantly evil.

Gortash tortured a bunch of people trying to figure out how tadpoles worked, and the evidence of his crimes is in the mindflayer colony beneath Moonrise and in the Steel Watch Foundry. His Steel Watch guards literally kill children and innocent families.

The Dark Urge mentions killing (eating?) a BABY. They have killed thousands. They eat human meat. They torture people.

They both started the entire plot by being total pieces of shit.

So what are you going to do?

Cancel them???

The game cancels them.

Gortash literally got cancelled so hard his brain popped.

The Dark Urge dies in most playthroughs. They only become redeemable by literally dying and becoming a new person. Plus their life is so fucking awful, that it almost cancels out how bad they are, because they're a vessel of Bhaal, who can either choose obedience or death.

They are both so outrageously evil, you can't even be outraged.

No one on the entire planet is defending either of them.

It almost defeats itself as an argument, like, you say Gortash is horrible, and I say yeah, man. You say, the Dark Urge is evil, and I say absolutely.

But that's kind of why...a relationship between the two of them IS so good, though.

Sure, there have always been villainous ships, but...something about these jagged creatures having a soft spot for one another...

It just works.

It's...it's taking two wretched beasts, and giving them something human to hold between their claws.

How can you support them being together, but how could you deny them this?

They're so horrible, they don't deserve love, but at the same time, seeing profoundly evil people are still capable of love, and humanity is inescapable, no matter how inhuman you are...

Hmmmm.

Yes.

The worse Dark Urge and Enver are, the better Durgetash comes.

That's the wonderful conundrum.

It's honestly such a SHIP, anon.

THE Ship.

#baldurs gate 3 #bg3 #durgetash #dark urge #enver gortash

[byghostface]

//long rambling

There is a vent in the last part (about pro ship:/+ wired shipping + block list) it's naturally negative so reading at your own risk.

So in the new Batman and Robin issue #7 Nika's sister making an appearance, got me thinking of other possibilities for sibling characters to come back.

Mostly I’m thinking about Respawn since he is Joshua Williamson's own character. And He made Respawn appeared in the last issue of Robin(2021), he also brought back Mara in that run too (just some appearance in the later issue).

And now Joshua Williamson is writing Batman and Robin, so naturally he can bring some characters back in this run. He had said in an interview that he might have figured out a way(try) to bring back Maya.

Throwback to 2022 of this old wip/art I made, is about what I think the emo teens of Lazarus squad dynamic would look like.

I imagine Nika and Respaw are irritated/tolerate with each other but would stay for Damian because Nika is Damian's girlfriend and they want to stick together. Meanwhile, Damian likes to include his half-brother in some fun activities (Respawn is acting reluctant bc of his own issues but he actually likes to have friends and feel include).

I haven’t finished this art bc I was going to add more wips (with other characters like Rose and Hawke) to make it a post. I didn't finish this art back then bc I was afraid Talia fans would be mad at me for drawing Respawn.

Trust me, I hate that Talia gets associated with Deathstroke like this, but I think Respawn is a confused/mistreated teen character and Damian (bless his heart and soul) still wants to be his brother regarding the whole mess. I will explain/talk more about my thoughts on Respawn as a character and his situations once I finish these drawings and get ready to post them.

Writing/typing words is harder than drawing for me personally. Drawing is like channeling my energy into a picture and forming an atmosphere and hopefully people will understand what thoughts and feelings I was trying to convey. Writing is using more brain powers to choose the correct and cohesive words, so people would not misunderstand what I'm talking about. Especially when English is not my first language, and even so I normally don't talk(write) much in my mother tongue either…(I'm not a quick thinker, it took me a longer time to think things through, writing literally exhausted me physically and mentally more than drawing.)

It doesn't mean I don't enjoy writing, it's just not my first choice to convey thoughts… but considering I can't draw everything I have in my mind and it takes even longer time to finish any art, I just need to write down things first from now on. Tumblr is the only place I can think of that has this longer text feature blog post and I'm more familiar with this platform format. So I will still be here posting my fan content.

.

(↓Vent, if you want to avoid being block by me then read down below.)

I must say I will forever hate respawn x flatline as ship, cus I know who started this ship and their reasons behind it—Don’t let the new character develop naturally as the story goes, let’s put them in made-up weird situations first so I can prop up my own ship!😍 And get both of the new characters out of the way, since no one would defend them so I can fanon the hell out of them by making them look bad all around!🤞 (What if I stone you first hand🪨🪨💥)

And I will continue to dislike/against any shipping Damian's sibling to Nika. I simply don't like the unnecessary sibling conflict just for romance tropes! So go away boooo I hate you‼️ Not to mention the ignoring of different age range multi-ship hide behind poly… that's straight up proshipping I hate you even more!!👎

Also for people who said Nika should be crush on Damian's mother instead of him… I hate you twisted proshipper rotten smooth brain‼️‼️ She dating a boy her age and has mutual connections with him, why would she crush on her boyfriend's mother instead?? Just because Nika is a big fan of Talia??? So you telling me young ppl can't idolize adults normally without being labeled as romantic nowadays huh??( Not saying you can't crush on adults, but why crush on your boyfriend's mom? ) Your weird ass mind is showing with this ass hc be fr. Again, why would you imagine that? You just wanted to push a fake narrative of Nika being wired so you could have an excuse to make Talia and Damian dislike her (which is not true), but in fact is YOU are the weird one projecting your twist thoughts/hate onto Nika‼️💥🪨🪨

I will start to block ppl who are shipping/liking respawn x flatline (+proshipper) and STILL interact with me, read the room!! My art is not for you weirdos‼️Go away BOOOO💥 🪨🪨🪨💥💥

Can't believe I need to type this all out cuz some of you weirdos will still do these things and think is okay to interact with me and my post/showing in my notifications BOOO👎🪨🪨💥🪳🪳🪳🩴🩴🩴

(sorry for venting about random weirdos/Nika haters again, and thanks for reading.)

#siblings #sibling characters #writing and drawing #flatline #nika #flatline dc #mila #talia #damian #maya #mara #respawn #respawn dc #anti respawn x flatline #anti respine #anti proship #block list #dc comics #born to draw but was forced to write to be better at defending my favorite characters #/j about being forced to write cuz I do like writing #it's just more difficult than drawing for me

[theamityelf]

About Makoto in sdr2 AU how would his dynamic with Hajime would outside and inside trial? Also, I think Makoto would realized he from different class from others because he checked his class ultimate beforehand. Specially when there are two lucky students so they at very least have one year difference because they choose one lucky students per year. Like, why does he and togami here with other teen from different class? What makes Monokuma single both of them? Where are their other classmates? And maybe monokuma still hinting the change of title but Makoto doesn't realized it but some other students would. Like the impostor, if they still alive, would realized Makoto being the only person from different year. Or maybe Komaeda because he's observant. And how about Chiaki? Like, it must be awkward for her because she knew him but couldn't do anything because maybe her program made her register him as student rather future foundation member.

(Yeah, I think the case where he doesn't know he's in a different class than them is the one where he loses the memory of being invited to Hope's Peak at all. In the case where he does remember being invited to Hope's Peak, he knows he's in a different class, but they still have to be told that it's specifically the class right after them.)

I totally agree that it would be great if those students (Imposter, Nagito, etc.) picked up on Monokuma's hinting more than Makoto. I mentioned Nagito specifically, in the other post, because I think Nagito would be the most intrigued by the idea of Makoto having once been a luckster but now being something else. I think Imposter would notice the implication but wouldn't care as much about it. They'd just kind of log it away in their mind, in case it becomes important.

And Chiaki definitely knows everything that's going on with Makoto but just can't tell him.

As for how Makoto and Hajime would interact in and out of the trials, I think (and this isn't even a manifestation of my shipping agenda! I really mean this!) that Nagito would play a big role in that. Especially in the first investigation, which I will get to later.

When they first arrive at the island and Hajime passes out, I think that would be the first meaningful interaction between the three of them. I think both Nagito and Makoto would express concern, but when Nagito commits to waiting with Hajime, I think Makoto will leave.

Presumably, introductions happen very shortly after Hajime faints, and when everyone is dispersed and doing their own thing, I think Makoto would end up paired with Mahiru.

After all, Makoto didn't pass out, he tried to be there for Hajime, and when Mahiru says "It's the boys' job to protect the girls," I can imagine Makoto saying something like, "Oh, right, I'll do my best!" Basically, I think Mahiru would tentatively consider Makoto pretty reliable, at least relative to the rest of the guys. Just a normal, sturdy guy. I could see Mahiru deciding she wants to look around for good photo spots or something of the sort and Makoto tagging along to help her carry stuff.

All of this to say, when Hajime wakes up and goes around meeting people, I think Makoto is with Mahiru, helping out with whatever she's up to.

Makoto introduces himself, like, "I'm Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student. And, that's about it."

Hajime says, "I thought Nagito was the Ultimate Lucky Student."

"Yeah, I think I'm from a different class or something...I looked up the Ultimates from my class when I got my letter, and I don't remember most of you."

"Did everyone look up the other Ultimates?" Hajime asks rhetorically, with a glance at Nagito.

"Hi again, Makoto," Nagito says cheerfully. "Nice to see you're making yourself useful. What are you up to, Mahiru?"

And so on.

I think they would stay in that dynamic (of Nagito and Hajime as each other's first friends on the island and Makoto separately friends with Mahiru or whatever other friendship he forms; I think he would definitely also try to spend time with Imposter, assuming he's Byakuya Togami from his class) for most of Chapter 1. When Monokuma appears, I think Makoto would say something like "There's no way anyone here would kill each other!" and Hajime and Nagito would both think he's pretty naive, but I think Nagito would also encourage Hajime to "Try to think more positively. Like Makoto!"

And, like we've said, sometime between Monokuma showing up and the first murder happening, Monokuma starts hinting at something different about Makoto, which Nagito clocks immediately.

Now, as for the first investigation. (I'm not saying who dies first or how, because if I'm going to think through that exact chain of events, it'll be in a different post.) In the first chapter of canon SDR2, Nagito kind of insists on investigating with Hajime, and that's Hajime's first/formative experience in investigating the murders. In THH, Makoto's first investigation happens the way it does because he's the one under suspicion, so he has to investigate to avoid being the one they vote for. (Of course, I don't think Makoto would have been complacent about the investigation if that hadn't been the case, but those conditions are still important to acknowledge.)

What I'm imagining is a scenario where Nagito has noticed both Hajime and Makoto separately and is kind of trying to test both of them. He thinks they both have protagonist energy and wants to see which will prevail. So while Nagito does still probably play a role in the first murder and help the killer to confuse things about the crime, I think he would also specifically frame Makoto.

After all, if there's a mere lucky student who has ascended to the ranks of the true Ultimates, as Monokuma implied, Nagito wants to see him prove himself (...under a great deal of pressure, because also Nagito is kinda jealous).

So he frames Makoto and investigates alongside Hajime. Pushing Hajime toward actual clues and confusing Makoto as much as possible.

And then in the trial itself, I think Hajime will have found more physical clues and will supply more of the just-knowing-stuff-beforehand answers (like what an octagon is), but Makoto will have more testimonies from witnesses and gathered more spot-the-difference type evidence (like the Hifumi glasses thing in THH). They both do great with their respective areas.

Chiaki and Makoto are the best at keeping things going when the conversation lulls, and Chiaki and Hajime are the best at cutting through the noise when people get a little too set on a single argument. Chiaki is very involved for both of them.

(Nagito is awed at the teamwork and competency. Makoto has fully won him over, and of course he still adores Hajime.)

And I think when Makoto finds out Nagito was deliberately framing him, his feelings would be hurt, and Hajime would still feel betrayed, also, by Nagito turning out to have plotted to start the killings. And I think they would talk to each other about that. It would drive them together as friends. I think Makoto would maintain that it was all Monokuma's fault, even if he feels hurt by what Nagito did, and Hajime would agree that Monokuma is the real enemy but still very much not let Nagito off the hook.

And in subsequent chapters, when Hajime tries not to care about Nagito, I think Makoto continuing to openly care would kind of give him permission to actually deal with the hurt and anger and care he still feels for Nagito. (Chiaki would be right there with him, in that regard; these two care about everyone, and Hajime is the one who, while he does care about the others, doubts them a lot, too.) Makoto kind of slides incidentally into the role of Hajime's optimistic friend once Nagito loses his trust, and I think Hajime doesn't trust Makoto quite as much, as a result, but they still gravitate together.

In future investigations and trials, Hajime, Makoto, Chiaki, and Nagito are the main players.

(Boy, I hope this brainstorm answered your question, but you can send another ask if it didn't, lol!)

#danganronpa #makoto in sdr2 au #makoto naegi #hajime hinata #nagito komaeda #komahinaegi #komaegi #komahina #hinaegi #mahiru koizumi #ultimate imposter #chiaki nanami #hinanami #naenami #komahinaenami #naezumi

[obsixwi]

How to Order From Antique Beast

I've noticed a number of people have various Antique Beast items, primarily the Black Cat Headdress, on their wishlist. I've also seen instances where these headdresses are heavily scalped on secondhand websites, so I just wanted to put out a PSA - Please don't buy overpriced secondhand Antique Beast! They still open up their shop regularly, and while it was quite difficult to snag items the first couple of times post-2020 that they reopened their shop, the demand seems to have returned to normal, and it's not nearly as difficult to buy items before they close the shop again.

The way Antique Beast works is they will send email list subscribers an email one day before their shop is set to open. They will also update the website to include any one-offs or new releases. They will then open up the webshop at the scheduled time and close it once they reach their maximum quantity of orders.

The easiest way to make sure you don't miss updates is to subscribe to their mailing list, which you can do here! It's also best to create an account so that your mailing information is saved for faster checkout. To create an account, click here. If you can't read Japanese, Google Translate is sufficient for helping navigate the website.

Buttcape of Stephano.me also has a tutorial on how to order from Antique Beast from 2017, which you can read here. It includes information about signing up for the newsletter and how to register an account.

You might be wondering, "Ok, if there's already a tutorial, why are you making this post?" For one thing, since this tutorial is a few years old, people may not be aware of it if they're a newer lolita! Another reason is because I wanted to add a few notes on faster checkout and customization.

As I noted before, sometimes Antique Beast will post one-off items on their shop. If you fall in love with an item deeply and want to be first in line for checkout, you can enter items into your cart and enter your customer info before the shop opens. Once you reach the shipping selection page, there won't be any options to choose from until the site officially opens, so you can hit refresh until a shipping option appears - from there you can just check out regularly!

Another thing that's not talked about a lot is that Antique Beast offers size customization and fabric customization. To ask for something to be customized, just leave it in the notes section before checking out. For sizing, they can only offer a limited amount of increase or decrease from the original garment, presumably because they're working from one pattern. For fabric options, you can ask for different colors (I've seen multiple colorways of the Cat Headdress) or different types of fabrication! So far I have asked for items to be made in velveteen and organza, and I've also seen pleather variations of items. Since these fabric options aren't available to purchase on the site directly, just add the item that you want customized into your cart, and make a note of what you want changed in the notes section.

According to the FAQ, you can also customize the types of trim or ribbon on an item, or you can ask for things like sleeves to be made like that of another item. You can also do things like ask for skirt versions of dresses, ask for a headband or comb instead of ribbons, etc.

If you make a customization request, the owner will email your back within a few days to confirm your request, as well as the price, since there is typically an extra charge for custom items. She may also email back to verify how you want something to look. For example, when I asked or an organza headdress, she asked for details about how I wanted it constructed and how translucent I wanted the final version to be:

The owner uses translation software to write emails, but I've never had a problem communicating with her in English. She will also include an estimated time of departure for your package, which usually takes around one or two months. The amount of time it takes for the package to reach you depends on the shipping method you choose.

Hope that helps anyone who had questions about how to purchase from Antique Beast!

#egl community #lolita fashion #gothic lolita #obsixwi #antique beast

[ingravinoveritas]

Really normal for Georgia to post pictures of herself and David captioned #mumanddad and then pictures of Michael and David captioned #mumanddad (I'm eating drywall)

I am honestly flummoxed at how many people do not seem to realize how very not normal and far beyond any typical "BFF" thing all of this is. (Not you, of course...just speaking in the broader, more general sense...)

I've seen people compare Michael and David's dynamic to that of Pedro Pascal and Oscar Isaac, and while I admittedly don't know much about them, I have been in fandoms for a long time now...and I've never seen anything like whatever is going on with Michael and David, and Michael/David/Georgia.

With today's Insta story, it's not just the #mumanddad hashtag that did it for me, but also the song choice: A cover of "Happy Together" by The Turtles. In particular, she chose this portion of the song to use over that story:

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you For all my life When you're with me, baby, the skies'll be blue For all my life...

I think it bears repeating that it was Georgia who started calling Michael David's "other wife" in 2021 and who has quietly been dropping these little hints into all of her recent Insta stories. It's Georgia whose instigating paved the way for David to call Michael his wife--not once, but twice, one in recent memory. And it's Georgia who not only doesn't mind people shipping Michael with David, but seems to be tacitly encouraging it. Because if this was all PR--and I've talked on my blog previously about how I believe plenty of things she and AL have posted in the past are--it would be on an entirely different level to involve Ty in it.

(This also adds credence to my previous speculating about all of this leading to something, as well as the possible reason why Ty deactivated his Instagram just before GO 2 came out...)

Again, at this point, it seems to me that the people who still want to say Michael and David are just "besties"--because they think they're defending MS and DT's "straight" relationships, without looking at the larger picture of what is actually happening--are choosing not to see what is right in front of them.

It truly is something, though. I imagine this will not be the last time Georgia frames Michael and David as a couple, but how she's going to do it next is something I can't wait to see...

#eloquentmydear #reply post #michael sheen #welsh seduction machine #david tennant #soft scottish hipster gigolo #georgia tennant #at this point the subtext might as well be a billboard #truth disguised as a joke #throuples are totally cool now #or 'v style' as i now understand it #there's something slutty in the state of denmark #living the polyamorous dream #and it's david tennant #bless #ineffable lovers #discourse

[my0vershareworld]

𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

Pairing: Espadas x GN!Arrancar reader

Genre: Fluff, Headcanons, Romantic.

CW: Rudeness.

Requested by Anon: hi! can I please request the espada with a s/o who is also their fraccion? : )

A/N: more noi stuff for me to do NICEEEE

Coyote Starrk

he needed someone calm and collective..and a fraccion who act like a friend to him.

he just lonely

he started to have feelings for you when you care about him so so much is..it feels good.

it feels good enough to have someone by his side as a friend. but even at best a lover who will love him the way he is

he's lazy most of the time. plus he barely even have anything to order or make you do anyways. so he mostly just sleeps with you. and most of the time Lilynette don't wake him up when he's sleeping with you since she don't wanted to ruin his sweet time with you. plus sometimes Lilynette even sleep in between both of you.

he's quite passive with the relationship with you and mostly just go with whatever you wish.

he loves you. loves when you're always staying with him. loves when you care about him so much. he loves everything about you. he never once have a day when he regret choosing you as his fraccion.

Baraggan Louisenbairn

Barraggan is regal, egotistical, and full of pride so he needs someone loyal and cherish him for his powers.

He does not hesitate to tell you that he's the leader of the relationship. which is right because he's the dominant one in the whole relationship.

he started to have feelings for you when you treated him so good. and you're just good looking. at least you don't look ridiculous like the others.

he put the duty of holding his zanpakuto to you and you only.

he usually and normally brags about his power to you a lot. no reason he just like showing off plus you're always by his side anyways.

he loves the loyalty you have for him. he will keep you safe forever and ever.

Tier Harribel

Harribel is calm, taciturn, level-headed, and analytical, preferring to not engage in combat. so of course she do want someone calm and understanding.

Harribel cares for her Fracción a lot. she just cares for you a lot more specifically.

she started to have feelings when you're just so adorable and loyal to her. she never met such an adorable person.

it feels good to have such an adorable little fraccion like you working for her like this. she can't handle how adorable whenever you smiled. it makes her heart beat so fast it hurt.

when she's with you she usually just hold you close to her unless you aren't comfortable with it. she loves cuddling with you and her 3 other fraccions REALLY ship both of you to death. they're literally the reason both you and Harribel got together in the first place.

honestly her 3 fraccions the moment they knew Harribel likes you they will literally follows you around to caught you being bad or talk shit about Harribel. they don't want Harribel to be caught in danger or anything bad if she got with you. they done enough investigation and think that you're literally perfect for their Harribel that's why later on they tried so hard to get both of you together.

she's passive with the relationship. she just goes with whatever honestly.

she loves you. she adores you. you're fucking adorable and so cute to her. absolutely will 100% protect you to death. and so would her Fraccions.

Ulquiorra Cifer

Ulquiorra is a very cold, callous, and dispassionate figure, and is rather aloof, brooding, and indifferent. why the hell wouldn't he don't want some calm, collective, understanding, and smart Fraccion for himself?

he loves when he don't even have to be or sound so demanding when he order you to do something nor ask much questions about his orders and do what he wish. it doesn't frustrated him like how the others do.

he started to like you when you just never or did find him weird like the others. and he likes that you never minded how blunt or how he don't understand feelings. instead you explained a lot of stuff to him.

it feels good to have someone as useful and perfect as you.

he'll mostly just always keep him close to him since he don't wanted to lose you ever. you are the most perfect being to him.

he honestly is more on a dominant side in the relationship and he will be in most control of the stuff you two will be doing. unless he really don't know what to do.

he loves you. he don't even know why. he just do. you mean so much to him and he never knew the reason why. but all he knows is that you're the reason he knew love.

Nnoitra Gilga

Nnoitra is extremely crude, sadistic, and lecherous..but secretly he just soft. he do want a fraccion that's quite obedient to him and understanding of him and can handle him.

he loves bragging to you how he wanted to be the most strongest espada and will beat whoever get in his way and kept reminding you that you're lucky he didn't decided to kill you the moment he saw you

he actually started loving you when you're just so..soft and kind to him no matter how much he actually hurt or insults you. you're just always so stubborn to him. you should already have left him alone but you didn't and continue to be by his side no matter what happened. it makes him feel good honestly. but sometimes he just wish you will finally leave him since he wasn't the bestest choice for you to choose.

it feels good to have such a kind and soft person that he can be soft and vulnerable to. he never felt this kind of feelings. it makes him feel weak. yet he can't deny that it makes him feel nice too. he fucking hates yet loves the feeling of it.

he's quite battle-hungry most of the time so he will fight some random arrancars to prove dominance and make you watch him so he can show off.

he honestly try to be as dominant as possible in the relationship yet he always ended up as submissive in the relationship. he always go with whatever you wanted because of the fear of losing you if he do something more worst than insulting you nonstop.

he loves you. the softness and tenderness in your touch is so..great. it feels so cold when you touch him yet..so warm. it makes him all fuzzy and soft inside. you see him blushing a lot whenever you touch him so softly and tenderly like a vase that can break at any moment. and he surprisingly let you.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez

Grimmjow possesses a brutal, impulsive, and excessively violent personality or overall just a wild animal so of course he wanted someone who will listen to him without any problem. yet still a little chill and someone who he can sometimes just casually hang with and someone who can just handle him.

he'll say whatever he wants with you. he's an honest and straightforward man he won't lie and won't go around his own point. he just straight to the point man.

he started to like when you're just soft and honestly just chill and kind to him no matter how animalistic he acts towards you or others. you're always there for him and isn't afraid of him. it frustrates him at first but he got used to it then find it..sweet later on.

it feels good to have such a person to just hang around and always free for him just to talk about whatever.

this man is absolute dominant in the relationship. he'll do and say what he wanted and always in charge. but there's still time he's soft and vulnerable to you.

he loves you. he loves your softness and kindness towards you. it frustrates him when you're so soft yet he can't deny that he fucking loves it at the same time. you're such a pain.

Zommari Rureaux

Zommari cultivates a calm, serious and contemplative personality so..yes he wanted someone similar to him. and even better someone that cherish and love Aizen and justice like him. you will get along with him better if you do like those 2 things.

he likes meditating and would not like you to bother him when he's doing it. unless you wanted to do it too.

he genuinely just likes bragging about how much he love justice and how much he cherish Aizen. honestly if you like those things you'll probably going to get along with him very well.

he starts to like you when you're just as crazy about the things he like and how well he get along with you. not a lot of people get along with him well because of his love (obsession) with justice and how well you handled him with it.

it feels good to have a person beside him that he can talk and obsessed over about justice and Aizen.

this dude it just. passive honestly. he'll just chill and go along with whatever.

he loves you. the way you like similar things to him. the way you always participate in things he like. is nice really.

Szayelaporro Granz

He is highly narcissistic. he'll love someone who will cherish him for how smart and kept reminding him of how he's a perfect being in every possible way.

he likes experimenting and he would not like you to join him nor help him at all. he's afraid of you ruining his work and experiments he's doing.

he loves bragging to you about how perfect and smart he is. and you always agrees with him and cherish him for it.

he started to like you when you're just seemingly always by his side and always cherish and talk about him. is rarely about you that sometimes..he wonders about things about you.

it feels good to have a cherisher like you by his side.

this fucking man is honestly dominant in the relationship. he's in control of everything because no matter if you're his lover he still thinks you're dumber than him..so you gotta deal with it.

he loves you the way you are. the way you're so kind and amazing and always cherish him.

Aaroniero Arruruerie

Aaroniero is Somewhat cruel and sadistic..yet insecure of himself. he never wanted a fraccion if he was honest. but he was force too because of Aizen. he didn't know why he picked you. he just randomly did.

the thing he immediately order you to do is stay away from him as much as possible.

he likes staying away from you. just. please don't touch him please the poor man is insecure.

when you tried to get closer to him he will immediately yells at you to go away. but the more you kept trying to talk to him the more he just..let you. he didn't knew why are you so..stubborn and wanted to talk to him this much.

he never have such a person like you who wanted to talk to him this much ever before. he enjoys your company honestly but he hates how he enjoys it.

he started to like you when you're just so..soft and kind to him and always by his side..he hates how you treat him so well like he's an actual being that deserves every good thing.

it feels good to have such person to keep him accompanied. he loves you.

your tentacle husband is submissive in the relationship he'll do what you wanted him too since he's so afraid and scared of losing you.

he loves you. no matter how you looks. if you're kind and soft to him and aren't scared of him because of his appearance? he's in love with you.

Yammy Llargo

Yammy is a powerful, yet dense so he'll probably wanted someone who just can help him with stuff and probably someone who can cook him food that he can eat.

honestly i genuinely dont know what to do with him

#espada #espada x y/n #espada x you #espada x reader #bleach headcanons #bleach fluff #bleach x y/n #bleach x you #bleach x reader #{ 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔯𝔫𝔢𝔯 𝔬𝔣 𝔪𝔶 𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔡 } #I RAN OUT OF IDEA FOR YAMMY FORGIVE ME

[neopentane5]

Okay, I know most people don't care about this, but I'm still going to say something.

This is a direct conflict between dave and me, which has nothing to do with my ship. I don't know why dave and you want to put personal problems into the ship tag.

First of all, you have violated my privacy by taking the screenshot of the chat record.

Second, you're an adult, and you think I'm insulting you by sharing nsfw just to have fun with people who share the same interests?

You think you're good and I'm evil? I am now telling everyone that dave removed me from the discord server so that she could find a screenshot of my chat history out of context to attack me, and I can't do anything to fight back.

I used to say these things to you because I trusted you, and you used them as a knife to stab me.

Would any normal person not be offended by the betrayal of his once best friend?

I was really tired, I was just doing what I loved the whole time, I swear to God I didn't do anything wrong to anyone, I was the one being harassed and gaslighted, and now I'm being attacked.

And I don't have the slightest right to be angry and fight back, do I? I'm really too tired to argue with any of you, and if you choose to believe her and think I'm a heinous bad person, then go ahead and just block me.

I repeat,

1. I'm just doing what I love and I'm forgetful.

2. No one wants to watch arguments. Everyone goes online to have fun.

3. I didn't take a screenshot because dave removed me from the server and prevented me from defending myself.

4. Everyone is standing on their own point of view to accuse each other, I am a good person or a bad person, at least you need to identify yourself, not from other people's mouth to know me. If you think that you have no ability to think, and what others say is what it is, then I can't help it. Your best option is block me.

#call of duty #call of duty mw3 #makayuri #cod yuri #vladimir makarov

[literaticat]

Hi, Jenn! I was wondering: I know supply chain issues are still a thing, but how much lead time do publishers usually need for a YA book? I heard you need to finalize everything a YEAR before publication? Is that still true?

This is not a supply chain issue per se, it's always been the case that there needs to be a long lead time. Typically the due date for a (non-illustrated) book is around a year before pub date. Ideally, it's then able to be made into galleys/ARCs around 9 months before pub date, and it's ready to print, absolutely no more changes, around 6 months before pub date. A typical timeline might look something like this:

Book sells in mid-late 2022 with a mid-2024 pub date. Contract comes late 2022, and edits ensue in January 2023. There are a couple back-and-forths, final draft is due June 2023. Book goes into copyediting in June, and there are a couple rounds of pass pages where mistakes can be fixed, etc, in July/August, and it is proofread and absolutely done by October 2023. Then it goes into the long queue for printing. Once it has printed, sometime in early Spring 2024, then the final books get shipped back to this country (literal ship. very slow boats.), sent to warehouses around the country, and then distributed to bookstores and wholesalers, each step of which is a whole weeks-long process, and god help us if something happens to a ship or a truck or whatever along the way.

And then in June 2024 - Happy Book Birthday!

Meanwhile also in January/February 2023, the cover is starting to get talked about, the author gives input, they choose an illustrator (or whatever). By June there are sketches, by the end of summer the cover is final, by September the ARC is being distributed (the ARC is generally made from first pass pages -- ie, there still may be some mistakes -- they can't wait for the final-final. That's why they say "NOT FINAL" all over them).

Why does the ARC need to be done 9 months before the book is out? For two reasons: Bookstores need a lot of lead time. The catalogue for Spring/Summer 2024 probably comes out in August/September 2023, and the publisher's sales team is selling Spring/Summer 2024 titles to bookstores in Fall 2023. So all that marketing material (like ARCs, the catalogue copy, the cover, etc) all needs to be in place BEFORE the sales reps get out there and bookstores start placing their orders. Also, review outlets want at least 6 months lead time as well, and we REALLY want reviews!

It might vary a bit by publisher, but this would be what I'd consider a perfectly normal, average timeline for a novel. It *could* certainly be LONGER — and probably WOULD be longer — for a picture book or anything illustrated, and the supply chain issues and whatnot of last year did mean lots of things got pushed because even with a generous timeline they simply were not ready when expected.

It couldn’t really be a SHORTER timeline and still be a normal book: If it were to go faster than this, it'd be a "crash" book -- this can happen for sure, I've had books come out and be on shelves the same year that they got offered on -- but it adds a layer of expense and drama that publishers are not undertaking unless there's a very good reason.

ETA:

Also bear in mind: Yours is not the only book. So while all this is happening for your book, it's also happening for dozens of other books at the same time -- and still more books are at some other stage in the process while this is happening for you. I think it's easy to think like "ugh, why does everything take so long" -- and this timeline might give you some insight, but it still feels like a very long time! -- but remember, it's not like "oh, we have this one book we are working on, let's take three months getting it from point A to point B because we are slowpokes who like to screw with authors" -- rather, it's "we have dozens (or for a huge publisher across many imprints, HUNDREDS) of books coming out in the same season, and ALL of them need to be ready and to a place at a certain time, and it keeps happening, month after month" -- it's like a whole logistical dance that takes many people to pull off, and frankly it's amazing to me that it works as well as it does as often as it does.

[nightingaleglow]

@sapphicmarauding : april 24th - april 30th: i am the shape you made me. filth teaches filth.

ship: pandora/lily warnings: mentions of violence, murder, blood

"I- I didn't mean-"

Pandora doesn't know where she is, and in the darkness she can barely make out the shape of Lily sitting next to her on the edge of the batthub.

"It's okay. The power has gone out so there's only cold water. I brought you back to my hotel. You're okay."

"No." Pandora breathes out heavily. "He was going to kill you."

"I know."

"He wanted you dead- I had to- I couldn't let him-"

Hushed whispers, heavy breaths and quick panicked words in the coldness of the bathroom. Pandora doesn't remember how they got here, how no one had seen them. Her memory is filled with a haze of flashes of blood and screams, but above all Lily's bright red hair. Why is it that out of everything, she can always remember Lily? It shouldn't be like that, should it? The victims, the murders, that's what should be on top of all her thoughts. Not the thought of Lily's sweet red lips softly pressed against her own. Never that.

"I wouldn't just let him kill me, Pandora." Lily says calmly and shows Pandora a knife she had hidden in her backpocket. Did she have that with her all that time?

"No" Pandora gasps again, and her vision blurs with tears. "Why- why would you do that to me? You had the chance- why didn't you do something?"

"I wanted to see what you were capable of."

"That's - but that's cruel." Pandora says softly, and she shouldn't have expected anything else. Why she forgot for a second that Lily isn't anything but a cruel psychopath, she doesn't know. Maybe Pandora hoped she would be different, that if Pandora tried, she would choose a different path. How foolishly childish of her. Lily wants nothing else than for Pandora to be a killer too. And it scares her, the thought that Pandora is starting to lose herself now. That Lily had turned her into something cruel.

"You're cruel." Pandora repeats again. Lily Evans is cruel, Lily Evans makes you into a war, she fills you with rage and blood until you can't escape anymore and forget what you're on earth for; to live or to die or to kill.

Lily had told her once: "The world is cruel, so why can't I be?" And Pandora had simply said: "The world is cruel, so I want to be good."

Sitting here, washing the blood out of her hair, those lines were blurred more than anything.

And how can Pandora keep believing that Lily is inherently cruel, when she is sitting here, gently washing Pandora's body because the sight of blood freaks her out? How can she, when her touch feels so light on her skin, and she can feel the heavy pull of it all the way deep into her bones? How can she, when Lily is currently the only thing bringing light into her life?

"I'm not the one who snapped his neck and then proceeded to stab him until everything was covered in his blood, just to make sure he's dead." Lily snaps her out of her thoughts.

Pandora cringes at the mention of what happened earlier. Had she really done that? All of that to protect Lily? Would she have done the same for Emmeline?

Cruel, cruel, cruel, a voice in her head repeated.

You're no better than her.

Pandora doesn't want to be cruel. She escaped everything to not be cruel. She wants to be soft, she wants her touch to turn things in gold. She wants to be who Emmeline made her, she wants to be a wife, a mother, she wants to be civil and normal. But maybe this is what she was always meant to be. Covered in blood, carrying violence in her hands that once knew how to love, preferring sins above all.

"You're not filth."

"But you are. And you're touch has contaminated me. I am the shape you made me. Filth teaches filth."

Pandora doesn't know what she's trying to convince herself. Deep down, she already knew this part of her existed too, buried deep down underneath all the shame, the bits of goodness she thought she once was capable of maybe never existed at all.

When Lily opens her mouth next, her entire time has changed. She doesn't speak like she usually does, words viciously spat words full of poison or resentment, sentences full of ego and cruelty. No, when Lily speaks next, it sounds like she means it.

The words fall gentle from her lips, a little sad, but lovely all the same.

"I'm not a good person, Pandora. I never was and never will be. I don't know how to be good. But you? When I look at you, I instantly know what a good person is."

Pandora wonders.

How can she so blatantly say that, when Pandora is sitting there covered in a strange man's blood, and Lily is the one taking care of her?

#i saw your post the other day so i felt like writing something for sapphic marauders and then it actually fit into my fic perfectly #scene from my killing eve inspired pandalily au #fic: limitless #pandalily #pandalily fic #sharing snippets

[handsofred]

20 Questions for fic writers

I was tagged by the writing goddess @renmackree

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I currently have 62

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

720,399

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Teen Wolf

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

My top five are:

Air Mail - (1,662 Kudos) - Sterek, Soldier Derek, Daddy Derek, School teacher Stiles, Letter writing, First meetings, Slow build,

2. Silent - (1,660 Kudos) - Sterek, Deaf Stiles, Wolf Derek, Mates, Kidnapped Stiles, Alive Hale family, Hurt Stiles,

3. This is Stiles, he is mine - (860 Kudos) Sterek, Alpha Derek, Were-cat Stiles,

4. Ownership - (858 Kudos) Sterek, Were-cat Stiles, Mates, crack, misunderstandings, Alpha Derek,

5. New Orleans - (856 Kudos) Sterek, Zombie apocalypse, Wolf Derek, Human Stiles, Misunderstandings, Derek takes care of Stiles, Hurt Stiles, Road trip,

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do respond to most, when I remember to check my inbox. But I also don't respond to some if they are quite similar to others.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh god, I have no idea.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I have a few fics that end up happy, I normally try and end them on a happy ending. (Pun intended)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have had a few comments which seemed a bit hateful/hurtful. But I normally ignore those.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do and oh god...all the smut, I'm pretty sure I'd write any kind you wanted me to try my hand at.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I have not written a crossover.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have indeed, and when I got the request to do it, it made me so happy and giggly. It was a translation request for my fic : Baby smiles.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Once upon a time, but it wasn't a proper co-written fic, it was more that both our names were on it, but I wrote it while the other person came up with ideas.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

That is like asking who my favourite child is if I had children. I can't choose.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Cookies Daddy!, we need more cookies! - It has seven chapters and I last updated it back in 2014. It's a sweet thing, single father Stiles who owns a bakery, but I don't know, I just kind of ran out of juice for it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Banging out a few thousand words sometimes when I'm in the zone.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Not writing at all for ages and not updating for a while too. But also I don't really plot out my fics so I write them as I get inspired which can make some down time between chapters.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I don't mind it, just as long a there is a translation for the dialogue if it isn't in English for me. I have done it myself and normally put the translation of the words in the notes at the end of the page. I know that there is a link you can add in which can make the translation come up when you hover over it, but I have no clue how to do it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

My very first one was for Adommy.... Adam Lambert and Tommy Ratcliff....that was a very long time ago and under a completely different name.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I have a few that I've really enjoyed writing, one of my current WIPs : Signal in the sky: is up there as a favourite, I kind of not want to write more and update it because I don't want to leave it, but I have got a new chapter nearly written fully for it which has some drama in.

low pressure, not required, only if you're feeling it: @endgame-sterek @youneedmetosurvive @greyhavenisback @xxstacksonqueen @colethewolf @lucky-bishop @lunar-eclipse-tales ( I know some of you may not be fic writers, I had no idea who is on here anymore, so I tagged at random.)

#handsofred #ao3 #fic #writing #teen wolf

[h-a-r-t-k-e]

Husk x reader

- 5'2  yall can choose how you look.

  -Husk POV-

It was a normal day in hell. If you don't consider that, I'm at a bar? Casino whatever the fuck this place is called. "Ha! Read em and weep boys. Full h- Woah, what the hell. What the fuck is this place"

   -time skip after introducing and all that other stuff that happened-

   -Y/n POV-

I was just working my shift at the bar. Going from table to table, taking orders, getting catcalled. Ya' know the usual.

When I finally took my break, I saw the princess of hell on TV, and she was... singing? What the hell is that about. Happy Hotel? Hmm, maybe I'll check that out later. I need a new place to stay anyway. My apartment keeps getting broken into.

    -After shift-

I was on my way to the Happy Hotel. Which, by the way, is not incredibly hard to find due to how big the building was, plus the glowing sign that read 'Hazbin Hotel' don't know who changed the name but whatever I'm goin' anyway.

When I got there, I knocked the Mario theme on the door cause it had been stuck in my head since the beginning of my shift.

When I finished, someone answered the door, laughing. He was freakishly tall, and I recognized him as the porn star Angel Dust.

Once he finished laughing, he yelled to Charlie, saying she had another guest, and walked away.

"HiI'mCharlieandohmyluciferIjustcantbelievewehaveanotherguestratherthanAngelDustohIcanshowyouaroundandintroduceyoutoeveryoneifyoudlikeomgomgomgwehaveaguest"

    Translation to the madness I just wrote: Hi I'm charlie and oh my lucifer I just can't believe we have another guest other than angel dust oh I can show you around and introduce you to everyone if you like omg omg omg I just can't belive we have another guest

Once she finished her... sentence? That she spoke way too quickly. I responded, "Hey, I'm Y/n, and sure a tour would be great." I said with a smile on my face.

"Okay, follow me." She said, clearly still excited. "This here's Vaggie Co- owner and my girlfriend." ( I just love this ship, alright. No one's changing my mind, sorry, not sorry. )

Once she was done introducing me to Vaggie. She introduced me to Angel. Then, she walked me over to a bar? I thought this place was supposed to rehabilitate sinners. Whatever, I like alcohol and the bartender is kinda cute. I'm definitely flirting with him later.

"Hey, Husk! We have a new guest!" "Hmpf" was all she got as a response. "Hey, I'm Y/n." I said. "Names Husk." He said, finally bringing his head up and taking a drink of booze.

"Hello Charlie dear. Do we have a new guest I see?" I heard a radio voice behind me. I turned around to see the radio demon. Hmm, I didn't know he worked here. "Alstor pleasure to meet you, darling." He said, holding his hand out. "Y/n, nice to meet you, Alastor." ( I know most people make Y/n afraid of Alastor, but to be honest, I don't see a reason why Y/n should be afraid of this used tampon motherfucker. )

   -After eating cause I suck at those types of scenes-

After eating, I decided to go to go try and flirt with Husk. "Hey, Husk, right?" "Yea whaddya want?" "You~" I said flirtatiously. His face dusted pink, and he began stuttering a response. Clearly has never been flirted with, but I can still work with this flustered cat.

"Soooo~? Is that a yes~?" "Hmpf." is what I got as he covered his face. "I'm taking that as a yes~?" I said, grabbing his hands off of his face and leaning in slowly. Which he didn't refuse, he even started leaning in a touch. Our lips met in the middle, and he seemed more shy about it than I did, but I didn't care.

And yes, I know there will be those people out there who are like 'But you just met him' and 'You're moving too quickly.' Look, love at first sight, just shut up and let me enjoy life, mkay'?

But we parted, and he was quick to hide his face in his hands as, even under his fur, you could tell he was red as a tomato.

I chuckled a bit and grabbed a drink, and walked over to the other side of the counter to try and get this cat out of hiding.

   -682 words not including beginning introduction and this end thing. Hope yall enjoy and feel free to request in the comments, I will try my best to get to them, but I am only human and busy sometimes.-

#hazbin hotel #husk

[celaestis1]

20 Questions for fic writers

Thank you for the tag @three-drink-amy @inexplicablymine @myheartalivewrites and @cha-melodius

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

27, which seems somewhat meagre compared to many others!

2. What’s your AO3 total word count?

679,928

3. What fandoms do you write for?

RWRB and Star Wars

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

RWRB Screw Your Courage to the Sticking Place (and forget macbeth is a fucking tragedy)

Star Wars Smoking Hot

Star Wars Stars and Oceans

RWRB Blooming Lovely

Star Wars The Set-Up

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! I never delete comments from my inbox as it always perks up my self-esteem if I'm flagging. So often though I literally don't have words to reply so it's just 'thank you for reading and commenting!' or ❤❤❤

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Stars and Oceans. Classic post-Order 66 Star Wars featuring a Codywan (fem!Obi) storyline so it's ... pretty bleak. BUT it is also part 1, so part 2 is much less angsty.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Blooming Lovely. Link below.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No? I've had one where someone commented ''I wish you hadn't done xyz" which threw me a bit bc ... dude. The back button's right there.

Oh, tell a lie, I once had someone tell me my female OC was too much of a feminist and they didn't like that. It didn't feel particularly insulting though.

9. Do you write smut, if so what kind?

I love writing smut, and I feel like I have improved so much in recent years. I like most kinds, but not hate-sex or cheating. Don't like reading it and don't think I could write it.

10. Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Hmm, yes and no. I like taking characters out of one universe and transplanting them into another. I have two of these on the go at the moment; a Firstprince Discovery of Witches AU and a Codywan His Dark Materials. But I don't cross the characters over, so Henry and Alex won't be running into Matthew and Diana.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Once, had a fic cross-posted without my permission and I wasn't happy. Thankfully it was taken down immediately once I contacted the person who'd done it. I think they thought they were being nice?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

@inexplicablymine baby, current WIP, Firstprince, and y'all are NOT ready.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I have regular obsessions with ships! I love, and always will, Firstprince and Codywan. But I'm currently eyeball deep in a Buddie rabbit-hole and absolutely head-over-heels for some Wheel of Time ships too so I don't know if I could ever choose one favourite.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Probably one of my Star Wars ones - there's a Sithywan fic that I have the bare bones of a plot for but so far it feels flimsy to me.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and inner monologues of characters. I like to think I'm good at landing characterisations.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Ad-libbing or ad-hoc writing I struggle with but also conversely plotting? I can have these amazing ideas that usually start with dialogue between two characters and then can't always follow through in creating a narrative around that scene.

Also sometimes I think I rely on a Deus Ex Machina too often.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I'll normally try to just add in the odd word if canon, 'mijo', etc. I try to avoid long sentences unless it's a fictional language anyway (Mando'a) or it can't be avoided. Then I very guiltily use Google translate. For slang I do try and research multiple sources rather than Google though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Justice League, the DC Animated version which was a very good cartoon actually.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

It probably has to be Blooming Lovely. It's not often I write something totally joyful and angst-free so it felt like an achievement!

tagging @tintagel-or-cockleshells @dumbpeachjuice @cricketnationrise @happiness-of-the-pursuit

#red white and royal blue #ao3 #firstprince #star wars #codywan

[pink-strawberry-kissess]

Going for angsty aeon on the ship ask: 9, 40, 49 ✌️

9. What do they dislike most about the other? Why?

it's hard for me to answer this because i feel like they both find each other's negative traits as something endearing/tolerable. leon consistently looks the other way when it comes to ada and her job. so it's like- yeah he doesn't like it but he BARELY tries to stop her. ada even thinks that leon does gross things lol, "oh leon- please tell me you didn't go down that chute" leon: yeeting himself into the trash chute. even if he does gross things, ada is like- yeah okay whatever. i guess for ada whenever he's a slob. girlie didn't even wanna pick up a pearl necklace cause it was in dirty water.

40. Do they have any regrets in their relationship?

ada def not being able to give him a normal consistent life. not being able to be honest with leon, even if it's for his own good. leon regretting not just going after her. he always chooses duty before anything else- which is what ada loves about him. but he so often puts others before himself. he should be able to pick something for himself for once!!! let him choose ada!!

49. Do they keep secrets from each other?

absolutely. ada moreso on her side, and some of it purely because she's unable to keep track of her fabricated life. i still like to think that she's unable to remember most of her childhood because of the trauma. (if leon can't remember most of 2004 by the time it's vendetta 2014 (someone fact check me) then it's completely possible for ada to not remember basic details of her childhood.) even though they do- i still feel ada keeps more from him that leon does. he tells her the important things though.

#ask heart #heart answers #sarndonic #ada wong #leon s kennedy #leon kennedy #aeon #leon x ada #leon kennedy x ada wong #leon s kennedy x ada wong #ask game

[theone-with-thestuff]

Power Rangers: Zedd⚡️

(Movie 4 of the Power Rangers 2017 movie sequels that never were)

Unboarding his ship at a sedate pace, Lord Zedd reaches the large frozen block of ice. With a single touch of his metal-clawed hand, the ice cracks and breaks with red corrupted energy. Releasing the green clad prisoner that was trapped inside. She falls to her knees, pained and tired, until she notices who released her, eyes going wide.

"My lord, it has been so long!"

"I know. Join me, Rita, join me like you did all those millenias ago. And together, we will finally bring order to the universe!"

For some unknown reason, Rita hesitates for a moment, but the answer is as clear as it ever was. She had already sacrificed too much to stop now.

Having defeated and incapacitated the Rangers, Zedd approaches the Zeo Crystal and, with a touch, releases a wave of red corrupted Grid Energy into it.

"Finally, the power of the Zeo Crystal is mine!"

Rita, still holding down a beaten Yellow Ranger, watches eyes wide as the plant life around them start to die as the energy of the Zeo Crystal is corrupted, simultaneously cutting the Ranger's connection to their suits. Trini, witnessing the destruction screams at Rita.

"Is this what you wanted, Rita!? Death and destruction, is that all you're good for?"

"No... No this is for order. With the Zeo Crystal we can bring life to any system, heal the dying stars of my planet-"

"Order??? I saw Zedd's order on Eltar. Planets in ruin, people enslaved and starving. Is THAT your order?"

"N-no..."

Still reeling from the discovery of Zedd's true depravity, and realizing how far she had fallen from her initial goals... Rita sees a glow in the hands of an unconscious Tomi. Her old Green coin, now reforged white, starts floating and gliding towards her.

"After all this time, after all I've done..."

The coin is now right in front of Rita, floating just a few inches before her. She grabs it, feeling its energy coursing through her once more. Rita's magic in combination with the coin capable of overriding Zedd's corruption of the Grid Energy. A new suit slowly covering her form as she glares and and starts running in Zedd's direction with fierce determination.

"YOU LIED TO ME!"

Rita knew she wouldn't survive this attack... But the least she could do was to fix one of the many mistakes she had done throughout her life. She'll prove the coin hadn't made a mistake choosing her all those years ago. Prove that SHE WAS WORTHY.

"It seems you'll die as you lived, Rita! A traitor and disappointment!"

"Maybe. But at least, I'll die as a Ranger."

And then... Rita's golden blade made contact with Zedd's neck.

Another blood red wave of crackling energy escapes the crystal.

"I still can't Morph! Why isn't the crystal going back to normal?! Zedd is gone, shouldn't that have fixed it?"

Rita draws a ragged breath.

"No. The crystal has been unbalanced by the corrupted Grid Energy. The waves are going to to keep growing stronger and stronger until the Crystal reaches its breaking point, and then... Well, I'm sure you can imagine what happens when the source of all life is destroyed."

Trini's eyes go wide.

"What can we do?"

Rita chuckles as she lay on the ground, eyes unfocused and blood leaking from her wounds. The Ranger suit that had briefly covered her was now slowly retreating.

"The crystal would need to be rebalanced with a wave of pure Grid energy the likes only a fully morphed Ranger can provide."

Trini looks down at the dull yellow coin in her hand.

"My coin still isn't working."

"I suppose I can help with that."

Rita uses the last of the magic that had kept her alive to spell Trini's coin. Allowing it to bypass the corrupted Grid energy and Finally Morph.

"After all, you always were my favorite, little yellow."

The yellow Ranger takes a last look at her old enemy's dying body.

"I'm not going to survive this, am I?"

Rita gives her simple one word answer as she draws her last breath.

"No."

Trini lets a single tear fall before she starts running towards the now visibly unstable and struggling Zeo Crystal.

She could hear the screams and pleading from her friends as they saw what she was doing.

But she keeps running.

Each increasingly powerful wave of dark red energy lashing and pushing against her.

But she keeps running.

The energy burns as it hits and courses through her body, the force of every wave growing stronger and faster as she gets closer to her goal.

But she keeps running.

Trini feels the crystal absorbing her Grid energy, her suit disappearing piece by piece. Then her coin, slowly disintegrating.

"Thank you... For being my friends."

The world goes white.

The Crystal has stabilized, and has reformed stronger than before.

Lord Zedd has been defeated and his legions have been beaten.

The town and the world have been saved.

The heroes don't celebrate. Not today.

_____________________

An awesome new series of commissions made by the super talented @samurairdk showing what I think could have been the 2017 movie sequels!

Zedd, having tracked the dragonzord as it returned from Eltar, reunites with his long lost ally Rita in order to invade Earth and finally take control of the Zeo crystal so that he may control all life and death in the universe.

I imagined this sequel as slightly different than the rest. Instead of focusing solely on this team of Ranger, it would delve in the history of Rita and her team and what caused her to turn against them. This movie would also mark the end of the Mighty Morphin team and suits.

#power rangers #power rangers fanart #go go power rangers #power rangers 2017 #power ranger movie #yellow ranger #lgbtq rangers #trini #trini gomez #female tommy oliver #green ranger #pink ranger #blue ranger #red ranger #white ranger #rita repulsa #lord zedd