#even in s1 they were giving ship vibe

[flamedork]

did I ever tell you the story about when a lady from my work did not believe me when I mentioned that pen and colin were the mains for next season

#someone brought bridgerton up #and I was like ‘bro penelope and colin are going to rock next season’ #and she was like ‘*snort* they’re not getting together’ #and I just #stared #she was so angry #that I could even suggest it #are #people blind? #I read the books solely because I wanted to see if polin became canon #even in s1 they were giving ship vibe #how are people post-s2 denying it #crazy #I can’t wait for their jaws to hit the floor #polin #Bridgerton #trash talk

[sixstepsaway]

so here's the thing

i've seen a bunch of people say on twitter and stuff how... ed's behavior is very abusive and his anger is dangerous and he isn't romantic lead material because of it

and i get where they're coming from

but to me the main issue isn't putting ed in the position of a romantic lead, but not crafting the narrative around his characterization so that it allows for a spicy romantic pirates-in-love narrative instead of...whatever this is.

i'm going to try and explain this. idk if i'll do well but i'll try

the way she show presents stede is as an innocent baby who isn't really equipped for pirate life. he goes into a fugue/disassociative state whenever there's any real violence, apparently, and needs protecting by other characters when things get too rough - for example when ed is telling ned lowe not to take the poker to stede.

that's fine! it's honestly adorable to see a masc character being so soft around the edges and being protected by other characters this way.

(i'm not going to touch on stede's... eh... not great characterization this season rn)

then there's izzy, who is shown as a bit violent, a bit rough around the edges. he's more likely to draw a sword or throw a punch or hit someone with a chair or take a punch like a champ. violence is just part of life for him and that's okay, it just Is, from small things like smacking stede on the ass to bigger things like being wall slammed, it's not all that big or bad for violence to happen around and with him, he tends to give as good as he gets (there's some nuance here but i'm talking the macro themes not the micro of what izzy does vs is done to him)

and finally there's ed

ed is presented as violent (stabbing knives at guys, telling fang to use the snail fork etc) and used to a life of violence, and then in season 2 he's presented as really violent, his anger coming out in dangerous and terrifying ways

and frankly, i'd be super into it if he and izzy were the main ship and that twisted dynamic from the first two episodes of s2 was explored and fleshed out into something deeper

friends to enemies to lovers who fight and fuck. angry pirates who lay hands on each other, who break the whole ship with each other in the heat of passion.

except instead, s2 gives us... abuse. it gives us izzy cringing and lowering his head and trying to protect the kids crew from ed's angry outbursts.

so when stede comes back and he's still soft around the edges and ed headbutts him and it's deliberate, it's... not a great look, and the vibes are a bit skewed

if stede fought back, if when ed struck out at him he struck back, if they fought rather than it being one-sided, if it was friends to enemies to lovers and not presented as healthy, but maybe they can work their way there, who knows, maybe even more like anne bonnie and mary read because hey, they were doing something very similar?

except they were both into it. they were both enjoying the fighting and the fucking and the burning down the house.

stede's not enjoying it.

i cannot describe how much i hate this sequence just because of the way stede flinches

anne and mary don't!! mary jumps at the unexpected bang but she doesnt flinch, she doesn't cover her face like she thinks the vase will be coming for her not the wall and anne? looks so into it

and the thing is that in real life, no, you don't want to date someone who throws shit around, or headbutts you

but in fiction when it's two fucked up people doing this shit together like anne and mary?

that can be fun.

but instead what we've been given is stede flinching and apologizing to ed and then all of ed's...what, semi-redemption???? is done away from the other collection of people he abused, and then he spends some time on a fishing boat wearing a dog collar and everything is fine because he's good now and won't be doing anything bad ever again

and it's just... poor writing. the vibes are rancid.

i spent a really big chunk of time between s1 and s2 defending ed. i kept saying how what he did to izzy by making him eat his toe wasn't abuse, it was a one-off and abuse isn't a one-off thing it's a pattern, and then s2 made it a pattern.

explicitly. explicitly a pattern.

not just one toe but three.

jim saying "you're in an unhealthy relationship with blackbeard"

and all ed offered izzy was a "sorry about your leg" which might've been fine if izzy survived and they could work on this more, but instead that's all the apology and closure izzy will ever get

ed threw a chair and a vase and made stede flinch in fear and stede was right to do that. what part of any of this implies this will never happen again? that stede won't press the wrong button at some point and be on the receiving end? none of it

and if we'd been presented with a s2 stede bonnet who could handle himself and stand up for himself and fight back, then maybe i could imagine that turning into a weird sexy fucked up anne/mary like thing and maybe that could be why they put that episode in, but instead it feels like that episode was going, "look, see, ed's violence is fine because these two are fine with it with each other"

but stede isn't

ed and izzy or ed and stede in an unhealthy battle of a relationship could be such a fun, interesting and downright sexy thing to watch unfold on tv, and could honestly end somewhere far more down the chill end of the spectrum, but that's not what we've been given here

i cannot argue that ed isn't an abuser anymore, and not just of izzy but of the whole crew. he terrified frenchie.

it's not good writing to try and lean into the idea that ed and the pirates are violent and live a life of violence, so it's okay that ed's been violent, while simultaneously presenting his violence as traumatic and abusive, and then less than three episodes later saying oh it's fine now, he's just a little meow meow who can do no wrong, see?

especially considering they had him murdering people at the end of the season. and sure, you can say the english are just cannon fodder and they dont 'count', but they did before. ed explicitly did not kill before, and that included the english, or the spanish, or anyone else. so either they count or they don't, but flipping him on a dime makes no sense.

ALSO

having ed be the son of an abusive man who threw plates at his mother and made her cringe and then having ed kill his father to protect his mother and then a season later having ed become the kind of man who throws chairs and vases and makes his love interest cringe is, again, not bloody optimal

i want to say again i dont CARE about tv always presenting healthy relationships or tv always giving us aspirational goals. i want messy fucked up dynamics and terrible people making terrible choices, and still, to this day, i fucking love ed teach. i would honestly love to have seen them continue with ed's darkness and bring stede into it and see where they went with that, to have stede kill ned lowe and not just bury his feelings in ed but get off on it, enjoy the violence, and see where that led, but no

and so instead all we end up with is a protagonist who is being set up for a lifetime of abuse from an intimate partner, and a romantic lead who abuses his love interests (and yes. izzy is a love interest, he is set up like one and positioned like one and treated like one), frightens his love interests with his violence, is erratic and most of all inconsistently written. he was so sorry about scaring fang as though he hadn't been deliberately terrifying the whole crew for fuck knows how long? what?!

the whole fandom has spent so long saying, "no no, i know stede bonnet irl was a slave owner, but ofmd is using the names and not any real piracy, it's more disney piracy, you know? so that kind of stuff doesnt exist!" and then they flipped around and went "blackbeard is blackbeard and so he is evil and does all these horrible things" and i dont know how to rationalize the two sides of that because it feels so out of place

i'm getting rambly, this isnt a particularly well constructed thought process, i just feel like we were robbed both of a toxic, violent relationship that could be fun to see explored on tv and a soft and sweet love story between two middle aged men exploring their first loves in one fell swoop and there's no way for s3 to bring either of those things back because they got utterly torpedoed by making ed a horrible person

ugh

#ofmd critical #i hate that i'm using this tag now :c #edward teach #ed teach #ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2 #our flag means death #ofmd spoilers #ofmd meta #i guess #izzy hands #stede bonnet

[pray4byron]

Hi 👋

I saw your requests were open again! If you're up for it, would you do a fluff oneshot for Husk x reader?

Iike maybe they're hosting a ball and the Hazbin crew has to get all dressed up and the reader dances with Husk.

Kinda got inspo from the ballroom scene from Beauty and the beast.

If not, it's totally cool and I look forward to what you put out next! 😊

the timing is funny considering i’m doing the musical for beauty and the beast rn haha anyway this is so cute, and husk is my boo, so ofc i’ll do this for you!!

this gives off the vibes of one of my hazbin hotel oc’s so bad, so i’m sorry if the reader is a little more, detailed(?) than most of my previous works😭

i had so many inspo pics for each characters fits, so i put links to pics on the side for some of them, hope that it’s not too jarring haha

“I’m not too good at this…”

Husk x Reader

Warnings: Fem!Reader (i’m so sorry to my male or other identifying readers😭), Swearing, S1 Finale Spoilers, Chaggie (Charlie x Vaggie), Pentious x Cherri (idfk their ship name), platonic Rosie and Alastor

You checked your appearance in the mirror attached to your vanity one last time, you fluffed out your hair, which Charlie had been so generous to curl for you, and fixed up the edges of your lip gloss.

Ever since the hotel had been rebuilt, a lot more traction came along with it, and Charlie and Alastor insisted on hosting an ‘opening ball’ sort of thing for the reopening for the new hotel.

You dusted off your glittery, rose gold dress one last time (which for reference, looked like this), admiring the gems placed in your hair one last time, before hurrying out of your room, and down into the lobby, which was redecorated for this special occasion.

You see Charlie and immediately go to hug her, even though you got ready with her, as well as Vaggie, this is the first time you really got to soak in her appearance. Her hair was up in a French braid, it suited her oddly well, as for the dress? Her dress was very, well, her — it was princess-y, had some lace, but was a bright pink (which looked similar to this)

“Hey girl!” you said excitedly, as you pulled her to you, you could feel her smile softly in the crook of your neck, you pull back and grin at her, your hands rest on the sides of her arms briefly as she grins back at you, “You look awesome!” You said, she really did, she was very naturally pretty, there wasn’t an ounce of makeup on her face other than a few subtle coats of mascara, which you only noticed due to the lack of distance between you both. “Me? Pfff, stop. Look at you!” She says, giving a bashful giggle, more people begin to fill in, and music starts blaring, you both turn over to see Cherri over at the DJ booth — the guy Charlie had paid had gotten a bit too…high before the gig, so Cherri was a last minute decision.

“I should go, there’s a lot of, important people here I need to talk to, we need to catch up though!” Charlie said with a small chuckle, “Sure thing!” You reply before you begin walking around to find your next victim who’s going to listen to you talk their ear off until you get bored.

As you walk, you see a lot of folks that you wouldn’t expect to see, Rosie and Alastor are talking, Mimzy’s banging it out on the dance floor, and even Velvette decided to show up (the other two Vee’s weren’t invited for…clear reasons).

You see that Cherri took a break from DJing, as Alastor used some of his magic from his new and improved cane to have it do it on its own, after Adam snapped the last one in half.

Cherri’s chatting with Angel and Pentious, who which you never thought would come down for this after being redeemed, and excitedly you go up to them.

“Pen, Angel, Cherri!” You shout out as you approach them, “Hello, my friend, I haven’t ssseen you ssssince the battle! Quite the time, hehe!” Pentious said, giving you a side hug, which was a lot more awkward than you both would’ve liked.

“Heya, bitch!” Cherri said, nudging ya softly, as Angel gives you a small nod of acknowledgement.

“So, Pentious, how are things up in Heaven?” You asked curiously, a bit louder than you would’ve like, having to yell over the blaring music.

“Sssssplendid! I get back rubs every day!” He exclaimed. Odd. But that’s Sir Pentious for you.

Cherri and Pentious go off to have their own conversation, not wanting to third wheel, you more so turn your attention to Angel, who is looking quite bad ass. “Loving the look, Ange!”

He smirks, “You’re rocking your fit too, toots.” he says back, giving you a toothy grin. He had a baby pink blazer on, with a matching crop top underneath that pronounced his fluff, with matching pants and black heeled boots (like this.)

“You seen Husk anywhere?” He asked, glancing around the darkly-lit lobby for the grumpy cat. “Actually, now that I think about it, no, I don’t think I have. Why?” You said, beginning to go back into your memory to remember if you saw him last.

“Jus’ cuz, I know how you look at eachother, it’d be like a little romantic moment. Swaying on the dance floor, holding eachother, eh?” Angel said with a soft, playful grin, nudging your arm.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You say, a soft grin playing on your lips, yes, you do know what he’s talking about, a little too well.

“Sureeee…” He says, a knowing smile on his face, his head turns slightly. “There ‘e is.” He points to the far end of the room.

Husk is there, his shooing Niffty off as Vaggie goes to take her, a bottle in his hands.

“Go get ‘em, tiger!” Angel says, pushing you over.

“Hey.” You smile, Husk looks at you, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Hey, whatcha up to?”

“Not much, just trying to make a point to talk to everyone.” You say, chuckling softly.

His smile remains, before looking away, and then back at you, a…discombobulated look on his face. “Ey, I’m not too great this, ain’t done this shit since I was alive.” He starts, chuckling softly, “But, er…” He holds out his paw to you, a loving, affection smile on his face that tugs at your heartstrings, “Will you, have a dance with me?”

You grin widely, before taking his paw, “Yeah.. I will.”

As you both approach the dance floor, the music begins to slow down, as people take their partners in their arms and hold them close, cherishing a romantic moment.

Husk pulls you in by the waist with one paw, the other hand holding your own, as you both begin to sway.

You look around, too flustered to look at Husk, you smile at the sight of all the lovely pairs.

Cherri’s with Pentious, as he’s tripping over her as she chuckles softly in his embrace, Rosie and Al are sharing a lovely moment as friends, talking amongst themselves, and Vaggie and Charlie are holding eachother close, closing the gap to share an intimate kiss.

Your eyes skim over Husk, it was the first real time you’d seen him in, actual clothes…

He wore black trousers, with a fitted white buttoned shirt, with a red tie and suspenders.

Hesitation was written all over Husks face, you’d never seen him in such a state, he sighed before speaking, “Look, I’ve never been into all this,” he said, gesturing to the scenery before you both. “But quite frankly, my heart beats for you, and I’d really like to work something out for us.” He stated, a soft and… nervous(?) smile tugged at the ends of his lips.

“I’d… really like that.”

Before you both know it, the ball ends, and Husk takes you up to your room, you’re both slightly tipsy, giggling at simply the presence of eachother, Husk stops at your door.

He looks at you before pecking your forehead, smiling proudly to both himself, and you, “Sweet dreams, doll, I’ll see you in the morning.”

#x reader #hazbin hotel #mio’s writing ! ☆ #reqs closed #fanfiction #x y/n #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x y/n #hazbin hotel x you #x you #hazbin husker #hazbin hotel husker #husk hazbin hotel #husk #husker hazbin hotel #husk x reader #hazbin husk #hazbin hotel husk #husker #husker x reader

[readreactrant]

"Love, or Something Ignites" might just be the best goyuu fic ever!!! let me explain!!! (Thoughts and Review)

Some quick context but cuz this review was already going to be pretty long without my flashback sequence so pls scroll down to the red text if you don't want to hear my history of opinions with JJK and its ships.

I've been deep in the goyuu tag since the beginning of the year, which I found kind of strange at first since I watched S1 way back in 2022 and did not give much of af about the whole show.

I kicked my feet a bit at SukuFushi,  tried to like it more, and even searched out a couple of fics but they just weren't giving AT ALL.

At the start of 2023 I watched jjk 0 and I was kinda hyped to get back into the show, but my shipping heart still ached for something to latch onto so I went on AO3 and picked up the first fic I found. Surprise, surprise, it was a goyuu fic featuring role reversal. I wouldn't say I liked it but it did tickle something in my brain I would have explored if I wasn't neck deep in my bakudeku era at the time.

Then S2 happened and it all just sorta clicked for me. Before then I'd mainly been a SukuIta believer, I didn't frequent their fics but I DID gobble up their twincest doujins like I was starved when I had the time. 2nd cour of S2 coming out practically sealed Goyuu for me, I'd always felt there was a bit of something I saw between them but Yuuji screaming out for Gojo in that last frame...just...*chef's kiss*

I didn't go back to rewatch S1 where a majority of their reactions were like some diehard fans would but the clips and screencaps I've come across now and again are enough to solidify for me that yes! They are made for each other!! (Hope the wrong stsg fans don't find this ◉‿◉)

I'd really love to go on and on about their dynamic but this was supposed to be about my February fic of the month, "Love, or Something Ignites" by lainebee.

Like I said, I've been deep in the tags and the only others I think that come close to this one are "No Sanctuary" by eddie01 and both world's sequels.

Now I'm not saying there aren't other good ones, like I'm just halfway through the hundred and something AO3 pages of their ship tag, so there's a lot I've yet to see. Still, this is a sorta subjective review and I just hope to spread the word of this masterpiece and maybe meet others who've read it so we can fan together in the comments.

(Now that's all out of the way, there will be mild spoilers and also warnings for; omegaverse, mpreg, and voyeurism so let's hop to it (✿^‿^)

The fic is set in a historical Japan au where Yuuji and Sukuna are brothers, with Sukuna being much older and ruling over a kingdom in the south. Thing is, he's constantly at war with the Gojo clan cuz these two mfs are just built like that in every verse. Shit happens and they come to a truce and as a sign of goodwill Sukuna offers Yuuji, his recently presented omega brother, as a gift (I honestly thought Yuuji was like 16 or 17 but he's 19 so like whatever idc (╥﹏╥)

"So what's the problem?" you might ask, well aside from the obvious marriage of convenience plot, Gojo doesn't give a fuck, he's still hung up on Geto (kinda tho, it's complicated but they aren't in love) and he's pretty much intended to go through it for show.

But that's not the end; not only do our boys have no feelings for each other and have never even met, but THING IS... Sukuna has demanded a public consummation cuz he's a bastard like that and we love him for it. Worry not there's no fucking on a stage for everyone to watch...just fucking in a 'room' for a handful of witnesses to watch from behind those dresser screen things (vocab not working lol).

The fic is definitely kinda long and tho there are some slow-burn vibes a lot of it essentially takes place in ONE FUCKING DAY. My first assumptions going into this were, "pacing issues???" and "oh the author is going to either insta love them, make them fuck and spend the rest of the fic doing fluff, or they will fuck with some angst then spend the rest falling in love."

Color me surprised when yeah, they did fuck but that was one or two chapters from the last of about nine.

You expect this kind of shit to feel rushed as fuck but the writing is so fucking divine that you never feel like putting it down. There's always so much going on but time is never wasted dwelling on one subject for too long, it's fast, it's funny, and the characters and setting are constantly giving the energy you know and love from the original show but probably two times better.

One of the things I noticed a few GoYuu writers struggle with is accurately reflecting Gojo cuz he's actually an enigma and arguably one of the most complex characters in the show with a broad range of emotions. He doesn't particularly fit one kind of vibe whereas for everyone else you can pick one or something close to it. Gojo on the other hand goes from one end of the spectrum to the other pretty quickly and that's super hard to capture and explore, especially when it comes to the shorter smutty fics (Not complaining too much tho, I live for the E rating.)

I love the direction the author chose to go with him, and it feels so true to his character, his immature but his teasing doesn't feel over the top or come off as exaggerated. His status as the strongest is just told but shown to us with the way he behaves and I like that we get instances of him getting work done despite knowing he's a rebel. It reminds us that yeah, he's working to make the clan the way he wants but he's just going along with what he has to in true Gojo fashion.

Yuuji, is totally something else, it's implied that he actually killed people...and I don't think we got a paragraph of him feeling guilt over it but that's somewhere toward the end so forget it. Yuuji is the absolute sweetest here and I adore every scene he's in along with how bratty he tends to be with Gojo. It's not frequent and most of the time he's pretty respectful but when he's not...Yeah. His inner thoughts and his conversations with most of the other characters really bring life to the story and you literally feel you're right there with him through it all.

Then there's the smut...oh. my. fucking. GOD. It's absolutely delicious. If you were iffy about it being omegaverse, I beg you to actually consider it cuz all probably more than four thousand words of it are fucking precious.

I had no idea I'd be into sex with some commentary when I began reading but the conversation from the characters picked was spot on and even added to the spicyness.

My favorite part is when Yuuji moans like a fucking pornstar and the zenin guy (forgot his disgusting ass name) goes "The boy is a whore."

Like boohoo bitch just say you wish you were getting all that, I wish I was (╥﹏╥)

If you're still iffy about the Omegaverse trust me it's not that big of a deal, the focus is mainly on Gojo and Yuuji trying to find some mutual ground to get on so the consummation isn't fucking awkward but by talking, joking, and getting to know each other something even more starts to blossom.

There are definitely traces of insta love but I personally see it as a weird mixture of attraction and possessiveness but this book is just like the prelude to the main course which is the second part in the series which I'm not done with yet but fucking hell...all the intrigue and tension that you will find in Love, or Something Ignites, gets doubled with more angst and mystery in the second fic, along with goyuu being stupid as well as stupidly in love.

So give it a try, and if you have, let me know what you think. I'd usually say where the tiny flaws are but for this book there are none...unless you count Yuta being Maki's mate instead of Rika's but that's my personal hill to die on. Let me know if there's a fic you want me to write about and I'll maybe get to it

Well, that's all from me today, it's 3 am and I'm fucking exhausted.

#anime #fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 struggles #jjk #writeblr #goyuu #gojo satoru #yuji itadori #jjk smut #jujutsu kaisen #gojo x itadori #fic rec #fic reviews #masterpiece

[sennqu]

ok i am ready to be spicy. so i made this post the other day (or yesterday what is time) without tags: (with some slight word changes)

"oh, I get it now. I think I understand a big reason why the "Mike is in love with Will but just doesn't want to admit it because he has internalized homophobia" is such a popular fandom opinion. Because then Mike's behavior becomes "obviously" romantic since this take assumes that he's aware of his behavior.

The take that he's "simply oblivious, simply doesn't know his feelings are actually romantic in nature", which -- in my opinion -- is much more heavily supported by the text, is... actually kind of scary to consider from a "wanting the ship to be canon" perspective. Because it's pretty much close to saying that his feelings are actually just platonic after all because that's what Mike thinks they are."

So, I have been thinking very hard on this for a while because I do think that this is why there is a sort of...friction? anxiety? in the general vibes of the fandom with regards to how byler can even work out in S5 after the events of S4.

In my opinion, I think that the second take -- Mike is oblivious -- actually lends itself well to the prospect of official, no ways around it endgame byler better than the first one does.

Because imagine it: Mike doesn't have to suffer through thinking he's wrong or he's a mistake or that he's not conforming to society's standards before coming to terms with his feelings. He just has to realize he's in love with his best friend, and that his best friend is in love with him. Mike is going to be the out, loud, and proud person of this relationship. He just has to figure his shit out.

First, what do we know about Mike so far and what can we take away from it? and why is it not "internalized homophobia"?

The biggest evidence for me against the "internalized homophobia" take is in S1 when Will was being called names by Troy and friend. Mike physically retaliated. He didn't look ashamed; he looked angry. Because they were insulting his missing best friend right in front of him. He was not internalizing these slurs. What he was doing was defending Will, who was the target of this hate. He prioritized defending Will, who wasn't even there, over cowing to displays of homophobia.

What about that "It's not my fault you don't like girls" line? Surely that means he's repressed and internalizing some shit? Yeah, and maybe he was just talking faster than his mind could think? Mike ends up clarifying this line and gives away the actual thing that's holding him back: heteronormative thinking. He talks about getting girlfriends as part of growing up as a young man. He says this like a neutral piece of information.

Let's talk about Mike's fears. So far, all of Mike’s insecurities are about being needed, being useful. It's not conforming to society. It's not fitting the mold. If he feared that then he'd have done what Lucas did and joined a popular group. But what did he do? He leaned into his DnD hobby and even started dressing differently, growing his hair out too. S4 Mike is not afraid to be an outcast.

What he does fear most is people leaving him behind. That's what he says about/to El, and that's practically what he says to Will as his excuse for being weird at the airport. The knock-off outfit, the flowers. That wasn't him trying to be straight so he wouldn't be outed as gay or in love with his best friend or whatever. That was his attempt at saving his relationship because he does love El and he doesn't want to lose her too. But they are incompatible. He doesn't realize he doesn't love her romantically but he does love her. That's why he's struggling. Because he can't differentiate between the two.

Lastly, he says to Will: "I feel like I lost you". Which means he felt like he already lost Will. Loving someone and losing them is something Mike never wants to happen again because it already happened once, twice, three times before with Will. Once when Will vanished, the second time when Will got possessed, and the third time when Will moved away. Mike's issue isn't about loving Will and fearing he's gay; it's about losing Will again.

The bolded part is the one I want to highlight because it's the most important piece of the puzzle imo. I am willing to bet that not wanting to lose Will again is going to be a huge part of Mike’s arc in S5 and is going to lead to him finally realizing his feelings. I honestly don't think Will's confession is going to figure into things at all until Mike's realized his feelings. Because the audience has to see Mike fall in love with Will before he figures out Will loves him back. The audience should not be made to think that Mike only falls in love with Will because Will's in love with him.

But how will Mike realize exactly the difference between his love for Will and his love for El if he's this goddamn oblivious? How will the process even start? El has to break up with him. No other way around it. El has to tell him straight up that she does not believe he is in love with her. Only then can Mike be free to even think about what romantic love actually means to him. I imagine this is where he and Nancy will actually get to talk about something substantial again, when he asks her what being in love means. and that will further get the ball rolling. And I believe however his arc plays out, we will get to see Mike and Will definitively end up together.

Because Mike loves Will so much. He isn't quite aware of what this love is yet but he has it in abundance. That is why he was the only one apart from Joyce who pushed for finding Will initially; that is why he is always the first to apologize when he and Will fight; that is why the best thing he's ever done was ask Will to be his friend; that is why he lashed out at Will at the roller rink; that is why he was so over the moon about Will's painting and Will's words in the van that he ironically didn't even see Will crying; that is why he only said his monologue after Will practically told him to.

Will is and continues to be Mike's most important person. Once Mike realizes he's in love with Will and the feeling is mutual? Homophobia can go suck a tail pipe because how dare this concept make the love of his life feel like a mistake? Mike is going to kiss Will as soon he realizes because he is not going to let anyone make him wait a minute longer before kissing the boy of his dreams.

sneaky edit: the underlined parts are links to other analyses i've done before regarding Mike's behavior. Analyses over the airport/roller rink scene, him being oblivious, his love for El, etc!

#this is.... very long #absolutely the longest post i have ever written #it's not as concise or as pinpointed as i wanted it to be #but that's fine. I'm laying it all out there #ku blarghs #strangely blogging #byler #this is a great starting off point for my planned predictions post too #and as is the norm for my posts... links abound... #also i know i am very confidence and 100% hope personified in this post #because i am. i am confident. not about the specifics. but i am 100% they are going to kiss #you guys can be worried about it being canon it's ok. i have enough confidence and hope for all of us lmao

[bisexual-panic]

there are people already hating on Mobius’s possible wife (it seems like he has a family) because it once again stops their ship

i’m praying for the actor/actress that plays his partner because the fangirls were horrible to Sophia di Martino in s1 (even though she is the cutest person to ever exist)

i’m hoping that mobius has a partner and kids because he gives such a dad vibe and Loki and Sylvie are their aunt and uncle that show up sometimes and definitely teach the kids how to commit crimes but that’s just in my little fantasy

i want mobius to have a husband because it would make some lokius stans go mad (i say some because their definitely really sweet ones out there) as they would finally have to admit they don’t want representation they just want to straight white men two kiss

my theory though is that Ravonna and Mobius are married, at the end of s1 we see that she is working as a school teacher and Mobius seems to sell jet skis (of course he does) and that definitely could be a pairing

#loki series #loki season 2 #loki laufeyson #sylvie laufeydottir #mobius #ravonna renslayer #anti lokius #tagging because it seems fair #ravonnius #mobius/ravonna

[buckybarnesss]

Can we start a discussion? When it comes to Teen Wolf & Shipping. Do you know of any other age difference ships that don't get as much pushback that Sterek does? Such as Marrish, Because despite the antis complaining against it it's still in the top 3 ships of all time.

haha so we've chosen violence this morning.

@dear-massacre and i have brought this up before.

teen wolf is not the show to be watching if you're looking for "unproblematic" content. age gap ships have always been like at the bottom of issues with the show lol.

sterek is the ship that has always gotten the most push back. mostly because of it's exposure and the way the show queerbaited the fuck outta it. it's the one most people are aware of even if they haven't watched the show. therefore, it's the one that gets the focus.

hold on to your butts.

now i didn't watch s5 till the show had ended but people did find the age gap concerning and gross between jordan and lydia despite lydia being 18 at the time.

lydia turned 18 in season 4. natalie and her discuss this at the lake house i believe in time of death. this makes the birthday we see for lydia in party guessed her 17th birthday.

parrish tells jared in riddled that he's 24. by the time of 5a which takes place during the first semester of lydia's senior year 2012 she would've still been 18 and he would've been 25 because 3b was the first semester of their junior year 2011 so 5a is a year later.

jordan and lydia have a 7 year difference. while their age gap is concerning because of the power dynamics jordan wasn't grooming her and it wasn't illegal. i think the writing shifted to try to imply that they were drawn to each other because of the banshee and hellhound connection.

jordan giving those andy dwyer vibes.

now let's take a look at thiam. a pretty popular and accepted ship.

theo is the same age as our core characters. he is in their grade and knew them when he was young.

our baby beta liam was a freshman when he was introduced so that makes him a sophomore when theo is introduced in 5a.

by the time theo and liam become frenemies the age difference between them is basically the original age difference from the pilot presentation script as derek and stiles.

aiden and ethan were both romantically and sexually involved with lydia and danny in season 3 despite making it clear they were only pretending to be high schoolers. they may have been in their early 20s but they were adults fucking minors by deception.

danny's whole dating history is suspect too due to it being implied he had an older boyfriend and he was seen going to a gay club. like what. he's supposed to be the same age as our core gang. he did have a mild thing for matt though who was at least a peer.

there's also harris being shown to be at the rave with a much younger woman (21 he says). like bruh. this is never addressed.

mason and corey. liam and hayden. stiles and malia. lydia and jackson. allison and isaac. scott and allison. lydia and stiles. scott and kira. paige and derek.

those are all age appropriate actual canon relationships. i would also add derek and braeden too.

no one gives one episode wonder heather shit about kissing stiles nonconsensually either.

derek's age is never canonically given but like c'mon. in s1 he doesn't act that much older than scott and stiles. he acts like their peer.

jeff and the writers did age him up a bit because they realized they made derek 13 when he was involved with kate. they were uncomfortable with him that young and instead pushed it up to near 16. (still fucked).

i've seen it discussed on the subreddit (🤮) and people seem to deluded themselves into thinking derek was older when he and kate were involved. ding dong they are wrong.

visionary tells us plainly that derek and paige were sophomores (hello scott parallels) and kate got her nasty hands on him not long after paige died.

i think after sterek the most discussed age gap issue discussed is derek's seduction/enticement of erica. it was definitely out of pocket and questionable behavior on his part but it is rarely brought up by the antis that erica jumped him and kissed him nonconsensually later. or the manipulation and rape by deception jennifer commits.

notice a theme? people age up derek to try to say what kate did wasn't grooming and statutory rape and deny that what jennifer did was also rape. they'll deny derek any and all victimhood while turning it around on him calling him an abuser towards stiles and basically calling him a pedophile because of the sterek ship. antis really want to make a canonical victim of multiple instances of sexual abuse into the abuser.

or worse they'll call real life people these things over a fictional ship.

where have i heard this kind of narrative before i wonder? 🙄

besides, derek only does the steering wheel thing in retaliation for stiles using his body as enticement for danny without his permission. stiles is the one who did the bad thing and crossed a boundary. it's not nice or really acceptable for derek to harm stiles like that but there's context to the action. it wasn't random. it was pointed. he never does anything like this again and in fact spends a vast majority of his time trying to protect stiles.

nothing sexual or even overtly romantic occurred between derek and stiles in canon. their only crime was having too much chemistry.

the antis are mad because people ship sterek and it's not even canon. it's all fanon. sure i'm of the belief a deep connection and attraction is there between them but it's all subtextual and never acted on by either party.

let me reiterate this: antis are mad over a hypothetical ship of two fictional characters that never happened in the source material.

besides, by the time the show ends and i mean the last, last scene there's been a 2 year time jump. when the show ends it's 2015. stiles would've been 20 fucking years old and by the time of the movie he's in his 30s.

i think by then he'd be allowed to ride derek's dick off into the sunset if he wanted.

#my blog #thoughts on teen wolf #teen wolf #sterek #rape mention

[raayllum]

I remember starting the show because my friend told me about Callum and Rayla and how cute they were together. But after binge watching all 5 seasons, I just feel like the writers don’t really give a damn about them, in many ways, compared to other couples. But, to be fair, I have lots of issue with the writing. But, to me, the primary idea was to make Callum and Claudia a couple (no, I don’t ship them together), because they actually have a background, development, even chemistry too. So, I don’t understand why the writers changed their minds on this (please, tell me if they ever addressed this issue). I just think that him moving on from a childhood love, like that, out of nowhere to Raylla was again a bit odd and out of nowhere. Because nothing indicated that in the first 2 seasons. Same goes to Rayla too. And, in S5 they have acted more as friends than anything else. It’s just weird. What’s your opinion about this? And again, I don’t ship Callum with Claudia, it’s just my opinion after watching all seasons.

Thank you for sharing your feelings, I definitely have been in fandoms where the Big Ship (canon or fanon, in show or in fandom) have just not been things I could click or with or understand, so you have my sympathies. The crew has gone on record saying that Callum and Rayla being a couple was not originally the plan (we don't know if there were any endgames being considered for either of them as alternatives, but I lean toward no) with Janaya and Ruthari presumably being the main couples. This changed in 2x04 with the lightning flash and moment the two share on the boat, "everyone in the room saw it" (legit quote from showrunner) and they began to write and develop it. It is unknown if they went back to add or shift anything in S1 (we know the crew works on seasons simultaneously) but it wouldn't surprise me given the vibes

I definitely can't promise to change your mind (I'm obviously a big Rayllum shipper and I have been since S1, so I'm clearly coming at it from a different perspective) but I do have some metas that do address what you've brought up, I'm gonna link them below and then do a quick summary in case you understandably don't wanna read all that!

Rayllum and Loneliness (Post S3): a meta about how it is likely (now confirmed in supplementary material) that Rayla grew up pretty friendless and a deeper dive into how Rayla is/was the first person Callum had who was unequivocally his peer and his friend (as Soren bullied and Callum's crush - as well as other things - made him and Claudia have a fair amount of distance.)

Callum and Claudia: You Already Did (Post S3): On what appeal the ship has, why it may not appeal to others, and why I don't think Callum and Claudia were actually that close pre-S1, the various factors why, and why they were doomed to fall apart since 1x02.

How/Why Callum's feelings for Claudia and Rayla Were Overlapping (Post-S3): Exactly what it says on the tin, mostly because he is obsessed with Rayla lowkey in S1 (trying to get her to laugh three times in 1x05, taking a flirty tone with her when they aren't arguing in 1x06, etc) and then outright devoted in S2, trusting her over Claudia in 2x03.

Rebuttals to Rayllum Reservations (Claudia, Pacing, Etc) Post-S3: Pacing, emotional intimacy, platonic development and romantic feelings, etc. Probably the simplest meta and the most on brand for what you're (presumably) looking for, but the other metas I think uh do contribute nicely to explaining why Rayllum is what it is and som of the reasons it appeals to people.

It's also honestly not surprising to me that in S5 they just feel like Friends (hopefully best friends) given that a decent chunk of the Rayllum fandom, myself included, are on the aromantic and/or asexual spectrums, and don't really care if they're Romantic as long as they're Life Partners. (Aspec Rayllum tag here) Callum and Ezran are two of the, if not the, most important people in Rayla's life, and Rayla and Ezran are two of the most important people in Callum's life. To me, romance / devotion / whatever you want to call it intermingling makes sense. One of the things I've loved most about S4-S5 is the fact that whatever they are, they have each other's backs, and they care for and protect each other, no romance required, which hits different since they do both also have romantic feelings for each other. It's just not a pre-requisite for them and a lack of it is never something they'd hold against one another. In other words:

Chemistry is also something that's hard to pin down sometimes - like all shipping preferences are subjective, but evaluations of chemistry tend to be in particular (for example, I don't really think Callum and Claudia have chemistry in that way, but that doesn't mean that they can't or they don't).

That said: platonic Rayllum tag here and foils Rayllum tag here, and I hope whatever parts of the show you do enjoy, well, give you joy.

#rayllum #thanks for asking #anonymous #shipping

[voxofthevoid]

I'm rewatching jjk s1 and jjk 0, and it hit me just how different gojo overall vibe towards yuji and yuta. like maybe it's just me, but 27!gojo is slightly different from 28!gojo?? like try the opening scene when both yuji and yuta were tied in that room in the early ep. I felt like with yuji, gojo is more soft? when introducing him to the jujutsu world, and his overall behavior to yuji was warmer? but when with yuta, it feels like he was still himself, but he kept his distance? like he wasn't as affectionate with yuta, unlike when he's with yuji? idk maybe it's bc I'm looking at it from my goyuu tinted glasses but it hit me and I just had to ask you if you noticed that too?

I've had goyuu goggles stapled to my face since Gojou went "Personal space? Never met her ❤️" at Yuuji in Episode 2, so I may not be the most unbiased person to ask. That said, I don't think we're making something out of nothing either.

His level of warmth, for lack of a better word, to Yuuta and Yuuji is different, especially at first. I think it's partly to do with circumstances. Yuuta's depressed and suicidal; he's practically radiating misery. I genuinely don't think Gojou's good at handling that with any kind of grace. He tries! And he does zero in on something that they share (loneliness) and makes Yuuta give life/school/people another chance. But Gojou's overall approach comes across as an even mix of compassion and practicality. The overall effect is a little detached.

But the real difference, I think, comes from something Gojou himself states early on in the story. He simply "likes people like Yuuji." That's not to say he doesn't like Yuuta and co. or the other first-years, but the student he has the most chemistry (shipping aside, I'm not even using the term in the romantic sense here, just as a measure of how two people's personalities interact) with is Yuuji. And the line I quoted above has to do with Yuuji's choice of death, while the sealing-room scene happens before that, but that chemistry is there from that rooftop conversation itself.

Yuuji's not only remarkable in terms of how he can suppress Sukuna, but he's also fucking crazy for just...adapting to it all without so much as batting an eye. That seems to fascinate Gojou, and I think it plays a significant part in how he treats Yuuji during their initial interactions.

#anon #i love my anons #goyuu #any time i answer an ask about goyuu or jjk in general #i look at the final result and go 'oops that got long'

[adhd-merlin]

I love exploring new ships bc it gives me more perspectives on the characters and I get to see how different kinds of love change them as a person. So.

all this to say do you have any good starter recs for merwenthur 🙏✨

Hey :) I've only been in the fandom a few months and I mean it when I say I haven't read much Merlin fanfic (I've spent way more time here on tumblr than on AO3).

But since you asked me, personally my recommendation for a starter Merwenthur fic would be Choose and Choose and Choose by fleete.

I think it's the fic that got me actually interested in this ship in the first place, and also probably the only longish Merwenthur fic I've read (though it's only about 11k word).

You might have read it already, because it's the one Merwenthur fic I keep recommending – in which case you can skip the next few paragraphs (sorry). But I'll put another couple of links at the end if you want to check out more stuff.

fleete's fic is about the three of them getting together, and the "triggering event" is Gwen jokingly confessing to Arthur how she kissed Merlin after he almost died from drinking poison that one time. And Arthur has... an interesting reaction to that revelation.

You know when you read a fic and it just makes something click for you? This fic did so for me, and it just happens to tick many of my boxes in terms of tropes, too.

I love the characterisation; the three of them didn't feel too OOC even when they were doing things they never would in canon.

I liked the slight awkwardness around sex of Arthur and Gwen, because they're medieval 20-somethings who only recently lost their virginity to each other, and I found it realistic and also kind of endearing. I liked the tenderness and the vulnerability of it.

I liked the dynamic of the whole triad, but especially between Gwen and Merlin because in this fic it feels like their S1 friendship again and it's clear that they care about each other a lot, and in some Merwenthur I've read their relationship feels a bit like an afterthought at times, coming second to Merlin’s relationship with Arthur, or Arthur’s with Gwen.

I don't know, I guess The Vibe in this story just felt right to me, and I loved it to bits.

A lil excerpt:

Before this, Merlin was a comfortable presence at Arthur’s side. He was like Arthur’s right arm. Or maybe, more precisely, like one of Arthur’s old battle wounds: occasionally annoying, but a familiar part of his body. And now. Merlin seems to have acquired his own body. And a pair of lips. Lips that Gwen kissed. It’s absurd how little time it takes for his mind to spin Gwen’s original, innocent story into something more tawdry. He pictures Gwen sitting in Merlin’s lap, rubbing her thumb under his chin, pushing up until he consents to let his head fall back. Gwen would pull down Merlin’s stupid scarf, admire his Adam’s Apple, feel the beat of his pulse under her fingers, and stroke up and down his throat while Merlin breathed open-mouthed at the ceiling, probably aroused and nervous. Would Merlin be nervous? Arthur thinks so. 

@merlinemrys has also published some Merwenthur fics on AO3, as well as @flight-of-fantasy, who's recently updated their Merwenthur fic. They both might have more to rec.

If you've read or will read fleete's story, I've tried my hand at a sequel, because personally I needed more.

Also!! There's going to be a merwenthur fest soon (!?) so keep your eyes peeled for that 👀

#i fell asleep while typing this yesterday at 1am i hope this makes sense #sorry if I keep reccing the fic that triggered me into writing ~30k words of fanfic after 8 years of nothing #it will happen again #''Merlin seems to have acquired his own body. And a pair of lips.'' #< I love this bit #AND A PAIR OF LIPS. #merwenthur #mergwenthur #arwenlin #merwenthur revival #asks

[wowthatsextra]

since you said you're watching dc too, what characters from the o.c. do you connect with what characters from dawson's creek? or ships or other elements or whatever bc eg that scene in s1 when joey talks to her dad in prison really reminded me of ryan visiting trey in s1/his plot with his dad in general (but pls don't spoil anything for me, i know a few spoilers like i know about jacey bc the first few episodes i watched were the s3 ones where jacey starts but i don't know too much yet, like small spoilers are okay but... yeah i think you get the idea, sorry for rambling !)

No worries on the rambling, I understand what you mean. I'd be sure not to give out huge spoilers!

Joey's dad is a pretty cool catch and it definitely reminded me of the OC too.

For starters, I think Jen is totally Marissa coded (or Marissa is Jen coded). They both have the whole traumatized "bad" girl thing and a lot of things about their story arcs is similar. Marissa also has a lot of similarities with Audrey from the later seasons (also one of my favs).

While the dynamics are completely different, I do think that Dawson and Joey have a Ryan and Marissa quality to them as everyone including their SO's around them can sense that there is something between them even if that drives them nuts. (I think you can say the same about Sethmer and Jacey too but I connect it with RM and DJ more) There are some Pacey and Joey moments that remind me of Sethmer- some Sethmer/Zach scenes actually parallel with late S3 and S4 Jacey/Dawson scenes. Actually S4 Sethmer and S4 Jacey have direct parallels.

While the former is much more rocky and messed up, Mitch and Gail give me Sandy and Kirsten vibes. They actually have some direct parallels, like Mitch's passion for a restaurant.

Now some random observations. Now that I think about it, S3 Taylor has shades of Abby Morgan in her. Seth's Nana and Jen's Grams have some similarities. There's a reveal in early S3 of DC that reminds me of Lindsay. Jen has a storyline in S3 that is totally Sethmer. I also think that I can draw parallels with the college storylines!

Sorry if this wasn’t what you were looking for with all the mentions of the later seasons! Hopefully we'll talk more as you watch :)

#thank you! #jen lindley and marissa cooper my beloveds #honestly this ask also reminds me of how everyone in the oc is always complaining that their town is too dramatic #and everyone in dc in s1 is like - why is this town so boring (it isn’t but that's what they think) #and it's also making me grateful that the oc never had a serious triangle in the main group #bc i can't imagine seth&ryan OR summer&marissa actually fighting over the same person omg thank God they avoided that trope #dawsons creek was messy with the triangles lol #dawsons creek #the oc #ask #ryanatwoodenthusiast

[appocalipse]

I haven't even watched s3 of obx bc I knew they would make Jiara a thing that killed the show for me. It's a bit like ST where everyone gets to cross date but are still bffs at the end of the day. Like Kie and Pope dating at first, Pope and JJ being best friends I just know realistically Pope would feel hurt by Jiara, but it's never going to be addressed, you know. Plus, I don't even see Kiara as heterosexual. She screams closet lesbian to me, lol. Also, what is it in shows that make found family friendships into everyone likes each other romantically, but there is no drama?

And you're right. JJ got the Steve treatment this season where his entire plot revolved around his love life and nothing else. Ugh, both my boys suffered so much, and after s4 of ST, I couldn't sit through another show where my fav was being treated that way again.

I loved s1 soo much. s2 was already a bit meh but tolerable, but s3 I just knew I wouldn't like. As soon as they started to lose focus on the characters and included ridiculous heist plots, it was over. Maybe I'll give it a chance, but idk if I'm strong enough (lmao that sounds so dramatic)

YES! Kiara absolutely screams closet lesbian to me too! Especially after the way Pope and Kiara "broke up", I honestly thought like, okay, now it's finally going to happen. And it would have felt way more realistic to me if she started to slowly realize who she really is from that moment on. It would have been a much, much better storyline too! Like, her parents, how the Pogues would react, all the things that would have been interesting to watch, much more interesting than good old "rich character A falls for poor troubled character B, who thinks they're not good enough".

I think they did us dirty. Kiara shared at least a kiss with each of the boys in the group, and that always bothered me cause now it seems like the writers were kind of just testing the waters to see which ship the fans liked best to go with that. Jiara has no chemistry in season 3, it feels like a bad fan fiction to me.

Some people say Kiara and John B was never a thing, but s1 Kiara definitely gave off the vibe she liked John B as more than friends, definitely. Even the way she was so against John B bringing Sarah into the group was written in a way that gave that impression all the time.

Season 3 is an absolute nightmare. Not only because of Jiara, but the ridiculous plots they decided to explore. Season 1 was good because yeah, they were teenagers trying to bite off way more than they could chew, so everything they did had consequences. It didn't feel so unrealistic as it does now. John B and JJ got arrested. Pope had to decide between college or helping his friends multiple times, and in the end not everything was okay because of that. I actually loved how the show kept telling them nope, you're just kids, you're not going to outsmart the police or a filthy rich grown man.

Sorry, this ended up way too long, lol. But thank you so much for this Sandra, I honestly need to get this off my chest 🫠 love u.

#amy answers #moots (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤ #<3 #jj maybank #obx

[sofyachy]

Watching the end of Good Omens Season 2 felt like watching the moon landing, and I think I've finally figured out why. It's not the first time there have been outed queer characters on TV shows. It's not the first time there's been a queer love scene / kiss on TV. That alone isn't ground-breaking.

But for my entire life, I've consumed media that put the hetero couple into the main spotlight with token queer background characters, a lot of them killed off in a "bury your gays" trope. Or I've watched an ongoing series and developed queer ships that always left me a little disappointed when the romantic tension I perceived on screen was quashed with the introduction of a chemistry-lacking hetero love interest, or even simply brushing off the characters as "they're just good friends, because No Homo."

I've gotten used to this. I've come to expect it -- to always look deeply into the subtext, analyzing what's going on underneath the dialog and actions. Are these characters gay? Here is my 20-page literary analysis paper in which I go over every line, every detail, to argue that there's justifiable reason to believe something there that's not blatantly spelled out in words. (I literally did this with Hotspur in my graduate-level Shakespeare class because I absolutely needed someone to agree with me that this married character was so very, very gay, despite a surface-level "no homo" reading.) And it's still never "proof" -- just my opinion, which I can shout into the void until I'm hoarse.

And isn't that just what we do in slash fandom? We write our own endings. We refashion the stories we love to override that little disappointment that the original work gives us, as much as we still love it.

With Good Omens, there was already a strong fandom pairing Aziraphale and Crowley. I read the book after watching both seasons, so I can't say how strong that fandom was before those came out. But one of the things that struck me about the book was that there wasn't nearly the same vibe between the characters as there was in the first season. Hell, they weren't even the central characters of the book. And while the book says that people assume Aziraphale is gay, it's quick to say "but he's not; angels aren't sexual." No homo.

He and Crowley are...maybe friends? Associates? But there's certainly no scene with Crowley crying into a bottle of whiskey after Aziraphale disappears in the way he does in S1. It's like Book Crowley isn't allowed to have queer feelings because No Homo, especially not when he's maybe-friends with a maybe-homo. And it's not really surprising, considering the book was written in the '80s -- when gay rights was pushed back 20 years due to the AIDS epidemic.

And even with S1, it wasn't blatantly spelled out that either of them were queer. The aforementioned line about a gay Aziraphale didn't make it into the script (though he does refer to himself as "the Southern pansy"). We got some excellent scenes to rile up the fandom with somewhat-romantic dialog and actions. Still, on the surface, the reaction could still easily be "Hey, that looks maybe-possibly kind of gay? If you look at it just right. Here's my 20-page essay explaining why they're gay." And at the end of the season, Aziraphale and Crowley simply dine at the Ritz. Nothing explicitly gay there, unless you dig for it.

And then Season 2 said, "Hold my beer." And we got a full season of slow-burn romance at the forefront. The business with Gabriel was a ruse; the whole thing was about Aziracrow and their relationship from start to finish. We started out with the expected subtext, suggestive dialog, surreptitious glances. I remember thinking, "this is nice; I'm glad we're getting more time to just enjoy these two on the screen together." And then it kept building, and building, and building.

And finally, Episode 6 gave us "YES, HOMO." And after a lifetime of never seeing one of my ships amount to anything on screen, there it was, in all its devastating glory. They went there. That's what felt like the moon landing to me. It's something that seemed so far off to be impossible until it wasn't.

#good omens #slash #no homo #yes homo #yes really Hotspur is gay and I will die on this Shakespearean field of battle with him.

[jakowskis]

Day 14 - Favorite friendship(s)?

highkey i dont rlly ship anything entirely platonically in tw, i think they all could have the capacity to be involved (lot of 'ooh... why not? could be fun' from me fhsdk), so these aren't even rlly brotps, they're just the ones where im particularly fond of their bestie vibes.

and those would be (and in no particular order this time)...

gwen & owen (he's her gbf in s2 <3 theyre so bestie coded. i love the enemies -> fwb -> best friends pipeline too. brilliant)

martha & owen (i think theyd be a cute couple too actually but i rlly love their friendship + i think it’s good for owen. also woah a doctor who actually pays attention to martha lmao!)

tosh & owen (their early s1 friendship where she actually called him out when he was bein a shithead + when theyre giggling together when we first meet them... i wish we got more of that. sigh. they could be nerd besties and yet ;-;)

tosh & jack (i love them in cjh 🥺 theyre def one of the healthier relationships in the show. there's still some stuff, but they don't have resentment towards each other and that makes them an outlier dhsfkjds everybody else Does. theyre sweet)

tosh & gwen (girlies!!!!! i would love to yuri them and i do sometimes but tbh they do give me mostly platonic vibes they just have a rlly sweet thing going. i wish they were closer. booking a spa date for them)

gwen & ianto (also besties they adore each other. welsh bi besties babey!!!)

gwen & jack (theyre soulmates but i mostly like it platonic. i like whatever hetero queerbaity shit theyre doing and i like that they dont choose each other in the end. theyre so real.)

tosh & ianto (but also 😌 my lil crack otp)

owen & andy (another 'but also 😌' but their canon friendship is also rlly rlly good)

#tdot #txt #CUTTIN IT CLOSE W THIS ONE thankfully i typed this up yesterday i jus got distracted playing minecraft fsdhfkjdsk

[justanotherhh]

ramble: thing is, im actually not sold on huskerdust as a romantic couple atm (in future? who knows) but i do like whatever foundations loser baby set up for their general dynamic as a whole and i can work from that with whatever direction the canon chooses to go in, which is proooobably romantic, considering the cues (but again, who knows)

this as a microcosm of general things that at times have me go "hmmm" about the first season, which most of the time (not always, but mostly) comes down to pacing. husk isn't a character with much focus in s1. his dynamic with angel, while not not set-up could be seen as a "yeah, we'll put those two together," rather than feeling totally organic. most of husk's and angel's dynamics before loser baby have been about husk not wanting angel in his space and then not much (anything?) between ep4 and ep8 that wasn't at least partly group-based

i could pick up on other non-huskerdust related things that came out of the blue and went quite quickly, especially in the latter half of the season, where the jump from "six months" to "one month" to "now" felt kind of jarring

but in the end 8 episodes is indicative of general show culture these days where it seems everyone has to fight tooth and nail to even get that much per season, when really hazbin hotel s1 wanted at least 12 episodes in order to have more time to breathe and set up character dynamics not at breakneck speed, and heck, maybe 8 was the original goal. i doubt it though, hiiighly doubt it

all this to say i have a lot of grace for wherever the show does take things if it's trying to push so much into whatever time it's been offered with the ever-hanging (but perhaps slightly less-so post-strikes?) uncertainty of cancellation after 2 seasons. the conditions to create a story and then get that story out there... suck. and it's harder for 8 episodes (or even 12) to hide flaws than a 22 episode season of yore (with its own issues as construct but still... easier to disguise blemishes and take their time)

on the flipside helluva boss seems content to just keep trucking at whatever speed it's on, doing pretty much what it wants to do, but without any Big backing a la amazon and with everyone involved doing 100 other projects at the same time. so... sometimes it does things well, sometimes less-well, but overall just... vibing. 25ish min episode at a time every 3-5 months. granted i haven't experienced the personal pain of that yet, having started it in january, but on it goes and i'll be suffering soon enough

for very different reasons im pretty forgiving of pacing-related stuff that might (has and probably will again) come up in either show. more than anything they've got very visible constraints, so im happy to fill in the blanks with fandom -- for example if huskerdust is written as romantic by the end without developing properly, ive seen ample cool ideas and fanarts that give it more texture and breadth and/or i'll simply look at other things with the characters that aren't shipping them together -- because mainly they're just very fun shows with a bunch of messy queer characters in them, with some great singing and voice acting. the universe of these stories is so open and welcoming to play in, im just in it for a good time

also, in the end, no they're not that deep (except for when they want to be), but they're also a still-rare example of queer genre tv for adults that isn't that deep, but still incorporates relevant queer narrative themes in fun, moving, often complex ways, especially genre tv where lead characters tend to be queer until proven otherwise and this queerness in and of itself is well-written and nuanced. like yeah, i am in it for plots that hopefully stick the landing in the end, but if they don't they were still a very fun, inviting time that had me as a target audience and this a rare privilege to have with a bit of fun fiction

what am i saying in the end? loser baby is a banger, thank you for the song and all the other songs. i think angel dust and fizzarolli should hang and make out and talk about terrible bosses sometime, but the likelihood of these shows having a crossover with all the weird copyright stuff around these days is probably minimal. it's fine. (argh)

(im saying this post also isn't that deep)

#hazbin hotel #helluva boss #altho angel dust and fizz would break on each other like matchsticks... rip to you both #i think ultimately what im saying is: i really like these shows #having a good time with them #and they'd have to go Really off the rails for me to not have a good time with them

[jandjsalmon]

2023 FFRC - March🍀

Can you believe it's already April!? Crazy. Though you'd never know it here though, because my backyard still looks like Hoth. It's horrific. It's supposed to snow again tomorrow too. I just want to sit in my hammock.😢

Anyway, I hope you've all been doing well. MotherMaple (who just had a birthday btw🥳) recently came down with covid for the second time - so if you know her and love her, if you could please send her positive healing vibes, I would appreciate it (as her bestie who worries - I'm a worrier). Thank you!

Moving along -- our most exciting news this month was that my beautiful and talented daughter and her basketball team won Provincials (essentially our "State" Tournament). Go Spartans! The first time in our High School's history! I've blurred out the faces of the other girls to show you below - but here's a fun piece of trivia: two of the girls (the redhead and the brunette just to the right of my Bethy) were the girls who dressed up with her for Halloween 2017 as Betty, Veronica, and Cheryl - Mr. Aguirre-Sacasa even retweeted their photo back in the day. I'm so glad they're still all friends (though they're all smarter than I am because none of them still watch Rvd)

Okay - so getting back on track - as all of you should know by now, I'm a regular participant (and low-key assistant) at the @fanfic-reading-challenge - additionally, for the last couple of years, I've been tracking all the fic I read and I've reported back here once a month with some stats and some recs, and a little bit of boring stuff about my life. That's what this post is.

Below the cut are my March stats and some fun fic recs. I read nearly 2 million words this month - over 550 chapters (of various lengths), and 178 stories. I've been tackling the challenge tasks and am nearly done the 'extreme' mode. I'm still struggling with a few of the categories, but I think my goal this year is not only to complete the Regular/Hard/Extreme modes - but to complete every task. I'm at 212/309 so there is still some work to do.

March 2023

As for my recs for you! Try these - you might enjoy them. They are Wavier because that's what I've mostly been reading - and if you've never read the pairing before, let one of them be your first foray if you are on the fence. Don't be on the fence. Come ship with me! 🖤🖤

--*--

An Unkindness by Agmo (Wavier - E 3/3)

Summary: Finding out that he is Wednesday Addams' soulmate goes about as well for Xavier as anything involving Wednesday Addams does.

Why you should read: Soulmates are my jam. This was originally a one-shot and even though my heart kinda ripped out of my chest where they ended it, the author surprised us with two extra chapters - AND IT WAS AMAZING. There is so much growth. Soulmates are my favourite when it's not a given that everything will turn out. Characters are still beings with agency. This story has room for this growth - and I could not recommend it more. Probably one of my favourites of the year so far.

--*--

For the Rare and Radiant Maiden by @drollicpixiefanfic (Wavier - E 6/6)

Summary: Xavier Thorpe didn’t exactly expect Wednesday to use the cell phone he purchased for her. It was a ridiculous idea, a whim, a fancy. But something had compelled him to try. So, it was with some shock, two weeks into their break from Nevermore, that Xavier’s phone buzzed on his nightstand. In which, Wednesday discovers her cell phone camera, though only filtered through a black and white lens and Xavier finds himself even more under her spell as a darker side of him begins to seep through his well maintained façade.

Why you should read: I'm always a fan of a good Post S1 fic and if you can give it to me in a Xavier pov then I'm probably going to love you forever. This one was really really fun - deals with Wednesday's stalker - and has a bit of that Dark!Xavier that Ajax mentioned in S1.

--*--

In the night, I dream of woe so true by @sebikitcat (Wavier - G 7/7)

Summary: “Wednesday? What are you doing in my art studio?” It’s a stupid question, she decides. “What are you doing in my dream?” A more relevant counter. “Your dream? I thought this was my dream. Wait, are we dreaming?” Or the one where Wednesday finds herself unwittingly sharing dreams with Xavier over break. Fluff ensues.

Why you should read: SHARED DREAMING! And it's SO FLUFFY - it's the epitome of Agnes Gru squishing her fluffy unicorn. I love it.

--*--

dark doo wop (series) by @donutcats (Wavier- G - 3 fics)

Summary: It’s the way she texts him first, only a few short days after everyone has cleared out of Nevermore; and really he wasn’t even expecting that. It was meant to be a joke, adding his number and saying he’d settle for a text. But there it is. A new text from Wednesday Addams.  A simple picture of a dark and eerie fatalistic painting torn to shreds. ‘I believe some paintings are improved by the act of destroying them,’ reads the text sent directly after the picture, ‘which you should definitely take note of.’ 

Why you should read: Again - I LOVE post S1 fics where we get to speculate how Wednesday navigates modern technology and communication with Xavier. The stories are short so you can read them all in one go. Do it!

ANYWAY - I'm always looking for new fic recommendations, so if you have any stories you think I'll love (whether you wrote them or your friend wrote them or you came upon them accidentally), please drop me a line or send me a dm. I've found SO many awesome fics through recommendations from others. I'll read almost any pairing and any fandom. Shoot me a link!🖤

(lastly- I'm a little bit in love with this gif of Xavier waving - and I've been purposely flooding my dashboard with Percy for reasons - so the wave might become a theme for my year).

Anyway -👋🏼 Hiya -I'm happy you're here! I hope you have a wonderful April and I'll see you back here in a few weeks! Happy reading! 🖤

#jandy's fanfic reading challenge adventure 2023 #reading fics with jandy #fanfic reading challenge 2023 #2023 fic reading challenge #2023frc