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sssammich · 2 months

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collateral pt2

author's note: this is a continuation of the 'captive prompt' fic snippet. this story has now taken a life of its own but i'm not sure what the direction is until we get there. consider it a slow burn, angst with a happy ending, with an introduction of a rarepair. endgame supercorp...eventually.

thanks for reading. send me prompts

part 1

Kara heard the starting swell of the music from the live band, the notes from the trumpet flowing out onto where she found herself now: a restricted garden area of the estate, muted slightly with the now closed door behind her. She rushed to the metal railing overlooking the gardens and gripped the top of it, fruitlessly shaking it in her grasp if only to release some of the stifled restlessness inside of her.

As the music continued playing, Kara knew this as the moment that Lena danced with Jack for the first time as husband and wife. How they swayed together in the middle of the dance floor, her floor-length dress swishing from side to side. Her hand on his shoulder, his hand on her waist. The two of them looking into each other’s eyes and smiled. They were a perfect snapshot of a happy, perfect couple on their happy, perfect day.

It was a scene that she didn’t have the strength to witness for herself. She was sure the inevitable wedding photos and videos would remind her, but she’d rather not hurt herself any more than she absolutely had to.

She hastily wiped the tears from her face, shutting her eyes closed to stop the tears from descending down her face and dropping onto her bridesmaid’s dress. She took a deep breath through her nose before exhaling out of her mouth. God, how she wished she had another drink before escaping. Or a smoke. Lena smoked when she was nervous or stressed. She’d even taken a drag just before she walked down the aisle. Kara should have pocketed it or something for this very occasion.

She knew she would need to go back in there soon, but the allure of leaving entirely and starting fresh elsewhere just to give her heart a fighting chance felt more and more appealing by the second.

“If you glare at that poor rosebush any longer, it might just catch on fire.”

Startled by the sound, Kara jumped slightly back from where she stood, her hip hitting the railing as her teary vision found Andrea, one of Lena’s longtime friends from their boarding school days if she recalled correctly, standing there with an arm across her chest while the other rested on it as she held a lit cigarette between two long fingers.

“I wasn’t g-glaring.” She shut her mouth, mad at herself for stuttering. “What are you doing here?”

Andrea tilted her head and held out the hand holding her burning cigarette. What else, she gestured.

She watched the red embers from the tip of the cigarette. Then, “Do you have another one?”

That seemed to earn her a curious arched brow, but Kara only shrugged. Seemingly satisfied, or perhaps not simply not caring, Andrea opened her other hand to reveal the pack of cigarettes and her small gold lighter.

“Not what I would have expected from you, Pulitzer.”

“My name’s not Pulitzer,” she said, her tone defensive even as she took a cigarette and carefully rolled it between her fingers. “And you don’t know me.”

“No, can’t say that I do.”

Andrea deftly opened her lighter with a flick, the golden flame lit up between them as Kara, novice that she was, tried to light her cigarette. Kara placed the butt of the cigarette between her lips and puckered before she inhaled and let the smoke fill her lungs as best she could. Inevitably, unsurprisingly, that one pull was enough for her to cough and barely cover her mouth as she turned away to clear her airways of smoke.

“Did know that, though.”

She wanted to glare away the smirk on the woman’s face. Determined, she took another hit and let the warmth take over, if only to focus her mind. She turned her head and exhaled away the smoke from the corner of her mouth before quickly doing it again.

“You know you can’t get drunk smoking cigarettes.”

She huffed, the smoke coming out through her nostrils as she made a face at the other woman.

Andrea only smiled before she put her hand up, thumb over the pack of cigarettes and lighter to hold them in place, as a show of surrender. “Relax. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

Then, as if demonstrating, Andrea brought her own cigarette to her mouth, the light colored filter sat against the rouge of her lips and inhaled. She stared expectantly at Kara as the smoke settled momentarily in her lungs before eventually the smoke wisps came through the side of her mouth.

Kara watched her, fascinated, even as she let her own cigarette continue to burn unsmoked between her fingers. They stood there in silence with one another, Kara slowing herself down with each drag, the smoke a putrid smell to her senses but it was something to focus on. She looked at the wall straight ahead of her, every now and again glancing at her unexpected companion. Woven between the wisps of smoke between them was what she could only assume was Andrea’s perfume. Something surprisingly fresh, floral. Not something Kara would have guessed for the other woman. Kara might have considered something warmer, darker.

“So which one?” Andrea asked aloud, breaking the silence between them, just as she finished her cigarette, dropping it by her feet so she could squash it with her shoe.

Kara scrunched her face. “Which one what?”

“Which one are you in love with?”

“I—” Her brows jumped to her hairline in surprise before her jaw dropped as she tried to find her voice.

“Lena, right?”

“I’m not—”

Andrea shook her head even as she waved her hand dismissively. “I’m not judging. It doesn’t matter, either way. But it’s her, isn’t it?”

Kara’s face scrunched as she thought about her options. She could lie. She’d been doing it for years, after all. But she was tired. And, at this point, it might do her some good to be honest even if it was just with one other person.

She looked away before nodding her head, ashamed of herself. Yet the confession lifted something up inside of her; she felt lighter, even just for a moment.

Andrea hummed as she wrapped her arms around herself. “There are worse people to pick, if it’s any consolation.”

Kara scoffed. “It’s not. But thanks.”

Andrea then gripped the remainder of Kara’s cigarette and plucked it out of her hand.

“Hey!”

“I won’t be responsible for your nicotine addiction. Let’s go back inside. If you really want to nurse a broken heart, that’s what the open bar is for.”

Kara watched as Andrea snuffed out her cigarette with the same shoe she used earlier and clutched at Kara’s now free hand, dragging her back through the doors. She could protest—should, really—but instead, powerless and resigned, she let herself be pulled back into the fray unaware of how she gripped the other woman’s hand tightly in hers like a lifeline.

When Kara reentered the grand hall, she winced at the cacophony of sounds and smells and sights. She winced slightly, adjusting her glasses with her free hand when she realized that her other hand was still firmly held in Andrea’s. She should let go, and eventually, she did. But if she let her joined hands linger for just a beat longer, Andrea said nothing about it.

She stepped forward and turned her body slightly towards the other woman. “Thanks. For earlier. And if you could—”

“I won’t tell. Don’t worry.”

She nodded, but then paused. “Why not?”

“What do you mean? Did you want me to?”

“No! I mean—I just don’t understand why you’re being so nice to me right now.”

“Would you rather I kick a girl while she’s down?”

She pouted. “Is this just pity?”

“Ah, querida, you’ll know if it’s pity.”

“Then what is this? What are you doing?”

Andrea eyed her intently, then made a point to scan the room until she found what she was looking for. Curiously, Kara followed her gaze and it landed on the wedded couple talking to some random group of grandparents several tables away.

“Helping. I’m helping.”

She was just about to ask why when they heard the clink of the utensils against glass, urging for the newlywed to kiss.

Kara watched helplessly as Jack dipped Lena and kissed her, the grand hall filled with cheers and applause. When she turned to Andrea, the other woman had already been staring at her, as if to answer her unspoken question: that’s why.

“Come on. You need liquor.”

#samfic: collateral #that's the title #make of that what you will #will eventually string these snippets together and form a proper chapter for ao3 #in the meantime pls enjoy or not? or whatever make your choices #samfic #supercorp #superrojas

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comradekatara · 2 months

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okay i just finished reading the yangchen novels and i need someone to talk to me about yangchen/kavik 🙏 does it count as a rarepair because nobody has read the yangchen novels 😭

ikr there are like 5 yangvik fanfics on ao3 which is crazy you guys should be going insane over them. like it should NOT count as a rarepair it’s literally the central romance of these books and it’s hetero (hetroooo jessica that’s her name) how is it so unpopular. i mean kyoshi/rangi being popular is good tho bc i do love to see dykes winning but yangvik fucking rules i am sorry to say. like i think they might be more compelling than the lesbos i can’t believe i am saying that but.

they’re both so insane and in really similar ways (extreme younger sibling complex) and sooo smart and manipulative and scary it’s awesome. i love that yangchen is always making kavik her bitch and she refuses to admit that it’s because his skills are useful to her and she likes having him around so she’s always just like “im doing this to make you suffer >:D” and he fully believes her. and then once he’s finally fulfilled his contract (by literally getting stabbed for her) he’s like “ok well i think i am going to move back home and become a healer now” and she’s like “omggggg NOOOO you CANT go I NEED YOUUUU” like she simply did not consider the being nice and honest approach until she could no longer extort him to get him to work for/with her she’s so fucking funny for that. also I love the line where she’s like “well. he has nice teeth.” what a strangely horny thing to think about someone, like okay you dentally-minded freak.

meanwhile kavik is constantly oscillating between “she is the all-powerful avatar” and “she’s just a sopping wet poor little meow meow. why won’t anyone help her????” and that scene where he tries her tea and it has like. amphetamines in it is so fucking funny. he’s just like damn bitch you live like this???? also that scene where they’re playing sparrowkeets and yangchen is like “oh my god kavik is actually so bad at this game he totally oversold his abilities he’s literally a fucking fool and i was a fool to trust him” meanwhile kavik is sitting there like “wow this is so obvious and i am in complete control of the situation. i love how we are both on the same page about how i am totally fucking playing this guy rn :)” when he spins her around in the air and the rest of their team gets so fucking mad that he’s treating her like a girl and a friend instead of the supreme leader of the universe and they’re just like “um. what. we’re literally buddies. and yes we are also extorting each other. what about it.”

they’re so fucking crazy. and the fact that they never even so much as kiss is even crazier. kyoshi and rangi are like so much more confident with each other and yangchen and kavik (literal heteros) who are constantly dancing around their latent feelings and sublimated desires and for what. they’re both young and attractive the world is literally their oyster. what’s with all the fucking secrecy. oh right. they got that spy grindset. can’t even admit you have feelings because that’s a card that can be played against you. gotta act like you don’t even care about your best friend in the world because they’re a really good liar so what if they’re just faking their affection as part of a long con. never act on your feelings because that’s a weakness that can be exploited. they’re like the gay people of m/f ships but also what they’ve going on goes far deeper than that like they’re literally certifiably insane. both of them.

#creampuffqueen #asks #yangchen novels #yangchen #kavik #kavikxyangchen #I truly love them so much

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wrathofrats · 1 month

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i have a rarepair. phantom/omega. they do things to me

also prime material for some daddy kink or size kink or virginity kink or mentor/apprentice if that rocks your boat

Felix you can’t keep doing this to me my eye is twitching

Ok I’m not usually one for daddy kink, never have really written it, doesn’t usually strike any matches

But there’s something about fucking omega and aether (and alpha) that have me thinking horrible nasty things

Just, phantom moaning it out by accident? Out of his mind being split in two by omega? Don’t think it’s his fault he whines daddy- into the pillow. He’s honestly probably too blissed out to even feel embarrassed by it too.

And omega latches on so hard to that, he thinks it’s cute, having the little thing wrapped around his cock, clenching down when he whines out the word, hard not to immediately attach himself to it

And if in their next lesson omega makes him refer to him as daddy behind closed doors when they’re done as a reward, then that’s their secret

#daddy quints hello #I apologize for who I am it is once again 5 am #wrath asks

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real-total-drama-takes · 7 months

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Can you rate the Courtney ships mod courtney? Obviously there’s like a million but the more well known ones (gwen, heather, cody, scott, emma rr, bridgette, etc), i want to see your faves

Ok!

Gwourtney - 10/10 the definition of a yuri situationship. I love gwourtney in that context. Well, and every context. I love gwourtney but it’s so unserious. It’s hard for me to look at gwourtney and think that they’ll last longer than a week bc they have different opinions of eternal sunshine of a spotless mind or some bullshit

Duncney - 10/10 I have a huge soft spot for duncney. I shipped it when tdi was first coming out and i still love it to this day. I have so many thoughts about duncney i could write paragraph after paragraph about it. It was not handled well in canon i will be the first to admit that but i just. I lvoe it. Being 9 and watching the duncney kiss live on tv was just. Ugh. You had to be there ok. I get ppl not shipping it or even liking it bc eugh it gets bad but in a time pre-TDA you have to understand it was 🔛🔝

Heathney - 1000/10 MY FAVORITE!!! heathney solos. Heather and Courtney are just perfect together. They’re both a little evil and I love that for them. They would take over the world. They’ve both got strategy-oriented mindsets and they’re both super critical but in very different ways. Heathney is the best of opposites attract and great minds. Heather and courtney have so much to bond over. I have so much more to say but I don’t want to write a whole book here lol

Scottney - 10/10 scottney is good. I don’t love it though. It really feels like an afterthought in tdas. If there had been real effort into developing their relationship, it could have easily been amazing. I will say I love how so much of tdas is Duncan kissing gwen & being like “DO YOU THINK COURTNEY IS WATCHING?” And Courtney’s too busy dating an idiot ginger who eats dirt.

Bridgney - 10/10 Bridgney my beloved. I’m really big on friends to lovers as a trope. Mutual pining on your best friend is just. Oh god its so good. It’s such a rarepair though and i get it, since a lot of other courtney ships are more “dynamic”. But bridgney is so good. I feel like it’s the ship courtney would feel the most “peaceful” in. And courtney would nudge bridgette out of her comfort zone. And i love that for them.

Emmaney (courtemma?) - ?/10 i like Emma/courtney bc i kin courtney and i have a crush on Emma. I think they would be very competitive in a relationship though and that could easily get out of hand tho. I could easily see them hooking up when they’re in law school lol. I never read Emma/courtney fics tbh if anyone has any recs send me them

Courdy - ???/10 where did courdy come from? Courtney deserves better than cody she’s so slay and hes so cringe

Justney (justin/courtney) - 10/10 honestly I feel like this one is criminally underrated. Justin’s crush on courtney in TDA is really cute. The fact that likes her because she’s a strong competitor & is deeply fascinated by her is just… I really like it. It feels like justin appreciates courtney for who she is and loves how unhinged she could be. In this regard they actually have a lot in common and I think Courtney would really like him if she gave him the time of day lol

Alecourtney - 10/10 another one that’s slept on tbh. I like aleheather dont get me wrong but i could easily see Alejandro falling for Courtney’s completely unhinged side. And when courtney said she’s Alejandro’s “gal” its just. It’s cute ok. Don’t come at me.

If you guys want my opinion on any other courtney ships, send me them! I love talking about courtney and all her girlfriends/boyfriends/etc and I’m a huge multishipper so I love everything

#gwourtney #duncney #heathney #scottney #emmaney #courtemma #courdy #justney #alecourtney #total drama #mod takes #td courtney

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mitsvriii · 8 months

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Speaking Out On Genshin “Stereotypes”

This passage talks about p3d0ph1li@, l0l1 b@it, yanderes, 1nc3st, and items related along those listed. If this triggers you, please please do not read. I do not care if you comment hate towards me and what I wrote, it needed to be said. Personally targeting my background, sexuality, and being outright disrespectful in your "comments", however, will result in a block.

First subject, rarepairs. A lot of people get made a rarepairs because they either don’t make sense to them or they just don’t like them. They’re called rarepairs for a reason. If the dynamic works (for example, if they don’t canonically despise or hate each other), and both of the characters are of legal age mind you, then it’s fine to ship them. This is the same for teenager x teenager. It doesn’t hurt you or anyone if someone ships, for example, Beidou x Candace.

Second subject, children. I shouldn’t even have to even talk about this in the first place. Just because a character in Genshin is 500 years old, this is pinpointed at Nahida, but is in the body of a child and looks like one does not give you ANY right to sexualize them. A lot of people use Nahida’s actual age as an excuse, yet when it comes to using Qiqi’s age they mostly stay silent. They prey on Nahida because they see her as a naive child, at least from what I have saw. Ao3 fics are a bright example of this, I was unfortunate enough to stumble on many of them.

Our third subject, pick me’s. Ayaka, Nilou, Keqing, Layla, etc are not pick me’s. Ayaka is someone that never had any friends, so of course she’s going to be partially clingy around traveler. Nilou is a dancer, she’s not some obsessive yandere who will hunt down others for the traveler. Keqing and Layla are overworked, traveler has a calming aurora in some ways, and helps them relax. They can be themselves around traveler because traveler never judges them.

The fourth subject revolves around the anemo men. The amount of atrocious things that have been written about them, too. Just because they’re flirty and care for the traveler does not mean that they are automatically in love and obsessed with the traveler. “Oh! Xiao saved us”, “Kazuha saved us from the Shogun!”. Yes, they did so because it’s Xiao’s duty to do so, and Kazuha acted out of instinct so he wouldn’t lose another friend. I’m not stating that they wouldn’t be interested, just use more evidence than they saved us please. It’s not that difficult to dig out context clues.

Fifth subject is shipping the traveler with the older Genshin characters. Zhongli, Neuvilette, Jean, Lisa, etc. Keep in mind that traveler is in a 15 year old body, and everyone that I’ve listed is in their mid-20’s and up. I do not think that Jean would be interested in dating a traveler that not only looks like a teenager, and someone she sees as a friend and companion. Now Lisa is flirty with the traveler, but that’s her personality. She’s naturally flirty as seen doing so with Kaeya, Jean, and Mika. Same can be said about Kaeya and Lyney in terms of a flirty personality.

Six, saying Genshin characters look like children, or they’re revealing in terms of clothing. This game is absolute bait. It’s loli bait, they always sexualize females, the games “jiggle physics” are absolutely a standpoint of this. No child, or anyone for that fact, should have an outfit to when they glide you can see their undergarments. No lawyer should wear a short skirt and a somewhat mismatched crop top. No Shogun wears a short dress with a breast window. No shrine maiden should wear an outfit where there’s a side breast window. Ganyu’s outfit is absolutely ridiculous, no official of a nation should dress like that. The short males look like children, mostly Scaramouche and Lyeny, because again it’s bait.

Subject seven on our list is mischaracterization. Kamisato Ayato is not going to force traveler to continue the Kamisato bloodline. That entire idea is giving “Continue the Redfield bloodline Leon”. Lyney would not be toxic or straight up babyish in a relationship just because of his fatui background. Scaramouche would not give a shit if you left him during his whole God phase. If you’re going to write or say a headcannon about characters do research.

Eight, aging up characters in smut fics. Aging up a child or teenager in any smut fic is literally just someone using the “age-up privilege” to write smut fics about the character. Characters like Xingqiu, Bennet, Chongyun, and Razor are often targeted. Respect the fact that they are minors.

Nine, disliking popular ships within the fandom. It will not kill you if someone doesn’t like EiMiko (Ei and Yae Miko), JeanLisa (Jean and Lisa), and ZhongChi (Zhongli and Childe) for example. Stop saying that anyone who dislikes queer Genshin ships is homophobic.

Ten, making traveler out to be rapist, pedophile, obsessed stalker, etc. Traveler is just someone wanting to find his/her sibling. Stop writing them in a light that makes them seem like a horrible person whatsoever.

Eleven, Dottore and other villains. The amount of people that have been sent rape and death threats on TikTok for liking Dottore is absolutely insane. He's a villain, he's supposed to be bad. Same goes with every other harbringer. Just because they have some redeemable quailties, does not mean that they're automatically good. Morally gray characters exist. It doesn't matter if someone simps or likes Dottore, it's their choice, not yours. It's the same thing as a simping for and/or liking a villain like William Afton, Bill Cipher, Makarov, etc.

Subject twelve or the list, harassing cosplayers. Someone commented to "recreate the GMFU Scaramouche animation" on a cosplayers TikTok. Not only was that request outright disgusting, the cosplayer could've been a minor. I would say if they were or not, but they didn't have it in their bio nor did they mention it in the TikTok. Do not go around calling people "mommy", "daddy", saying "step on me", and items related just because you like the character they're cosplaying so much. They could be a minor and even if they weren't, you using terms such as the ones mentioned could make them uncomfortable.

Thirteen, disses of characters. Most of the time in diss edits or posts, they always put a strong character against one that isn't. For example, Nilou would not beat Ayato in a fight. She's a dancer that fights in a dance style. Ayato is a trained swordsman who know how to wield a sword and polearm, is highly intelligent (not that Nilou isn't smart herself), and runs a group of ninja/assassins. Do research before comparing characters.

Fourteen, hate the VA (voice actor), not the character. This happened with Tighnari's original English voice actor. A lot of people stopped playing him and hating him. I understand if you cannot play the character anymore because you relate to what happened with the original voice actor's victims, if so I am deeply sorry for you, but please do not completely bash the character for something the voice actor did.

Fifteen, calling Genshin characters pedophile's because they work and look after children. Baizhu was called a pedophile because he worked and took after Qiqi. Most of the talk has been died down, but it went wild for a little while. Kaeya does not like Klee romantically just because he held her hand, stepped in so no one would upset her, and helped her preform in the play in the previous summer event. Baizhu and Qiqi have a father-daughter relationship and Kaeya and Klee have a brother-sister relationship.

Sixteen, incest. Kaeya and Diluc. Kaeluc (Kaeya and Diluc), shippers are holding onto the scuffed Chinese translation of Kaeya's hangout with their life. They're adopted brothers. That is incest. If they were step-brother, half-brothers, and full-blood brothers that would be incest, too. Same goes for Ayato and Ayaka, Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet. Just because you are adopted does not mean that liking your adopted or non-adopted sibling is okay by any means.

Seventeen, cultural representation and colored representation. Everytime we get cultural representation in a Hoyoverse game, some of the fandom always makes fun of it. Yun Jin's singing, the instrument, which was a traditional Chinese instrument, in Blade's trailer that "sounds like a mosquito". You ask for representation and then when you get it, there's always people that make fun of it. There are only seventy released playable characters at the moment, and out of all of them there are only five that are colored. That is a ratio of fourteen non-colored to every one colored character. And half of the time they get whitewashed or their skin tone gets lighten in official art and events. It’s not that we don’t get some representation, it’s just that Hoyoverse takes it away or straight-up refuses to give it to us.

That is all that I have on my mind for now, I may add more later if anything comes to mind. Thank you for reading if you did.

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thethirdromana · 1 month

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DS9 Rarepair Week: Courtship

Message sent to Lwaxana Troi, Daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Riix, Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed, from Colonel Kira Nerys, Commander of Deep Space Nine.

Dear Ambassador Troi,

I hope you’re well, and will excuse me writing to you like this. I wanted to let you know that Odo has left for the Gamma Quadrant to be with the Founders, and, we all hope, to set them on a better path for the future. I’m sorry to say that we don’t think he’s coming back, or not for a very long time.

I thought you should know, as under Bajoran law, at least, this makes you legally a widow. In Bajoran tradition, this news is usually accompanied by a fruit basket. Apparently on Earth they send flowers, and the Ferengi send latinum. I don’t know what they do on Betazed, but as Bajoran milaberries are good this year, I thought you might like the fruit basket even if it isn’t your tradition.

May the Prophets guide you,

Kira Nerys

Message sent to Kira Nerys, from Lwaxana Troi.

Dear Colonel Kira,

I am most grateful that you chose to let me know. What sad news for all of us who loved him! Of course, it is without a doubt a virtuous and noble deed, but sometimes a man can be a little too virtuous and noble, don’t you think?

I enjoyed the milaberries immensely, and the moba fruit too. It was too kind of you to think of such a gift. I should warn you that the gift of a fruit basket has quite a different meaning on Betazed; it is the traditional first gift of the Betazed courtship process. You gave poor Mr Homn quite a shock!

Of course, I know that wasn’t your intention. However, the traditional gift from a mature woman to a prospective young swain is an item of clothing, and I happened to come across this dress that I think would look simply darling on you. I just had to buy it. I won’t be offended if you don’t like it.

With esteem,

Lwaxana Troi

Dear Ambassador Troi,

It goes to show the importance of ambassadors, in helping to avoid this kind of cultural misunderstanding. I never was much of a diplomat. I guess I’m going to have to learn, now Captain Sisko isn’t around.

The dress is beautiful. You have an amazing eye. I didn’t realise we’d spent enough time together for you to know my taste in clothing.

The lilacs are in flower on Bajor. I hope the bouquet I’ve enclosed makes it to Betazed with most of the petals still attached.

May the Prophets guide you,

Kira Nerys

Dear Colonel Kira,

You must call me Lwaxana; this isn’t an ambassadorial reception, after all.

Regarding the choice of dress, being a telepath has its uses. I think when you’ve spent so much of your life forced to wear a uniform, or whatever is most practical to fight in, it can be a great pleasure to wear something beautiful and impractical for a change. I hope now that the war is over, you have more opportunities to enjoy yourself. The Cardassians took so much from you, my dear, I hope you live life to the fullest now you’re free to do so.

Betazed, like Bajor, is a beautiful green planet, full of gardens. I think you would like it here. The lilacs arrived in perfect bloom, so I have taken the chance to send you a muktok plant. The flowers are lovely, but their real beauty is if you shake them gently.

With affection,

Lwaxana

Dear Lwaxana,

Please call me Nerys!

I love the muktok plant. I’ve put it in my office, and asked Keiko O’Brien how I should take care of it. She said lots of water and sandy soil – is that right? The chiming of the flowers is so peaceful.

I would love to visit Betazed some day. If everyone there is as kind as you, then it must be a wonderful place. The station is very quiet these days. I’m sure I could get away for a vacation without anyone minding too much, even as the Commander.

Or perhaps you’d like to come to Bajor? I’ve enclosed a painting of one of my favourite places. It’s of a waterfall on one of the tributaries of the Holana River, and this artist captures exactly how peaceful it feels to be there.

Nerys

Dear Nerys,

It sounds as if your muktok plant will be well taken care of.

I’ve instructed Mr Homn to hang the painting in my bedroom, so I can see it every day. What a wonderful place to be able to call your home. I’ll make sure to let you know whenever I’m next in your part of the quadrant.

Uttaberries are now in season on Betazed. I wasn’t sure if you’d like them best fresh, candied, in an uttaberry tart or as uttaberry jam, so I’ve sent you them in every way that I can think of. They’re a little sharp on the outside, but softer and sweeter on the inside than you might expect. Dare I say that they remind me of you that way?

With fondness,

Lwaxana

Dear Lwaxana,

I have to come to Betazed when the uttaberries are next ripe! They were so delicious. I’ve been eating uttaberries with every meal for the past week, and I’ve been thinking of you. I wish we’d gotten to know one another sooner, but better late than never.

Quark had a shipment of antiques from the Gamma Quadrant for sale yesterday. I was worried I was going to have to shut it down but it turned out, for once, that everything was above board. So I bought these earrings for you. They’re silver, with a kind of volcanic stone that I don’t think is found anywhere this side of the wormhole. Wear them, please, and think of me when you do.

Nerys

Dear Nerys,

The earrings are EXQUISITE. I’ve barely taken them off, and as instructed, I have thought of you, my dear, and often. You’re right that we should have gotten to know one another sooner. If I have a fault, it’s that I focus too much on men, and I certainly did that on my visits to Deep Space Nine. It takes a woman like you, Nerys, to remind me of what I’ve been missing out on. You are kind, intelligent, thoughtful, and – if you don’t mind an old woman like me saying so – very beautiful.

The uttaberry season is over now, alas. It’s always so brief that they’re at their best. But the roses are in bloom on Betazed now, so I’ve enclosed some handmade soap, to bring their scent all the way to Deep Space Nine.

If this message goes too far, please forgive me.

With love,

Lwaxana

Dear Lwaxana,

Thank you so much for the soap. I’ve been using it, and imagining myself in a garden on Betazed with you.

I wasn’t sure what to say to your last message. But someone once told me that there’s a Betazed tradition for exactly this circumstance. I’ve enclosed a fruit basket for you. I hope I won’t shock Mr Homn too much.

If you’d like to give me another dress, maybe you could come to Deep Space Nine, and give it to me in person?

Yours,

Nerys

#star trek #DS9RarepairWeek #kira nerys #lwaxana troi #kira/lwaxana

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mottlemoth · 1 year

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So I’ve been hiding a lot. I’m really sorry. Being back on Tumblr makes me feel like it’s fine to share some of this - I’m sorry if it’s weird to hear - I’m just having a tough time and I need to be honest.

Various things are happening to me in real life at the moment. It’s been one thing after another, and there’s more to come. Usually I turn to fandom for a support structure and an escape from stress, but I’m realising that sense of comfort has been missing from my life for a few weeks now.

I came to OFMD from a small rarepair with a very close and very supportive community. I absolutely wasn’t prepared for the kind of things I’ve experienced in the last few months on Twitter. The OFMD community there has a lot of problems right now, one of the most worrying being a lethal lack of awareness that fan writers are fans. We’re writing for fun, sharing our work for free. But we’re being ripped apart by people who’ve had years of practice at criticising showrunners for creative decisions they don’t approve of. The abuse is largely motivated by jealousy - any author who picks up too much kudos or appears on too many rec lists becomes the next target, and it’s usually cloaked under a false banner of social justice. It’s happening over and over again. It’s transparent and it’s exhausting, and the things being used to justify the abuse are so tenuous that I often can’t believe what my actual eyes are reading. I’ve been accused of misogyny for writing Edward ‘Shoot-The-People-Who-Teased-Me’ Teach as reacting emotionally, therefore “female-coding” him, therefore sexism. I don’t know how to cope in this kind of environment.

I’ve been through endless rounds of coaxing myself to try to relax - to forget about the paranoia and the toxicity, and shut up and get on with writing because I have a duty to finish this fic and everyone’s waiting for the next chapter and if I don’t hurry up and post it then I’ll get Tumblr messages saying “when can we expect the next chapter” and - suddenly I realise, wait. I’m not actually obliged to do any of this.

This is my hobby.

I am 100% allowed to stop doing this at any point I want to.

“But you have a duty to the people who’ve--”

Look, I get that this isn’t something anyone wants to hear, but... no. I don’t. I’m an exhausted thirty-something sitting in her pyjamas after work, having a cry because my hobby somehow turned into a full-time job on top of my already miserable full-time job. AO3 writers don’t have a duty to do what they’re doing. Fanworks are literally a gift of time and energy from a complete stranger. I’d love to be able to ignore the people being abusive towards writers, but I can’t. And, again - this is my hobby. I’m not obliged to ignore the abuse and just get on with the task. If I’m upset, I’m allowed to stop. (Let’s say I joined a knitting club. Let’s say some of the members were routinely vicious and awful to anyone who got “too good” at knitting, and none of the other members ever hit them with any consequences for their behaviour. I don’t have a duty to stick around at Toxic Knitting Club, even if I never finished that pair of socks I started. If the club cares about its own survival, then it needs to make the environment feel safe and welcoming. It can’t just expect people to ignore the nastiness.)

OP, I blanked your name and pfp from this message because I don’t want you to get grief. But I’ve searched for your username in my email inbox, and found that this is the first time you’ve ever spoken to me. You’ve never reached out to chat or be kind or make friends, but you’ve reached out to prod me when you think that I’m being tardy with delivery of your content. Chapters 1 to 43 appeared at least once a week, sometimes twice or even three times a week. Did it cross your mind that maybe there’s a reason why chapter 44 hasn’t dropped yet? Did you think, something must be wrong, maybe I should ask if they’re okay? No, you just came to bang on the vending machine. I’m sorry if this is an uncomfortable lesson to learn, but the writers in your fandom aren’t staff. We’re guests. Tonight, when I get home from work, I have the option to run a long bath, have a cry and play The Sims until I fall asleep, or the option to sit down at my desk and write something for you, even though I might get harassed and bullied for it. You haven’t tipped the scales in the direction you meant to.

I don’t know how to even begin concluding this post.

I’ve been struggling ever since I was dogpiled back in September. I feel very lonely and very tired. Twitter is an awful bloody website and it’s structured around division and argument. I’ve been feeling better since I came back to Tumblr. My breaks at work are now spent scrolling through pretty GIFs or cool meta or funny things about Izzy, rather than drama, and it’s helping. So... I don’t know, OP. Don’t start being like this here. I’m fighting so hard to find reasons to stay in OFMD. Life is rough at the minute, and I want to spend my free time feeling happy and safe with people who see me as a friend, not a vending machine. I’m doing everything a professional writer does, but for no pay, with no protection or support from a publisher, and I’m fitting it around a full-time job. That’s... well, that’s the situation. That’s the situation all your fan writers are in, however well they seem to be handling it. It’d be great if you could reflect on that.

TLDR; this is my hobby, and I work on my hobby when it feels fun.

#personal

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olderthannetfic · 5 months

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Any suggestions for when it seems like the other writers of a rarepair haven’t found your fic? I feel very awkward and I’m very proud of what I wrote but I’m a little sad that very few others seemed to have found it, I guess. I feel like I missed the “window of discovery” since it’s been over a month and there are very few (200~) hits. It’s a pretty active fandom on ao3 and I’m a new writer to it (missed the peak but here for the still lively comedown!) I don’t know, I guess just keep writing, right? I just want to chat with other people about our special guys and maybe get some writing advice and feedback if I’m lucky. Like I’m afraid they’ve read it and think it’s terrible but maybe it’s more likely that they just subscribe to each other and don’t trawl the tag regularly. My fic is probably not to everyone’s taste but the grammar and characterizations are sound (according to me and handful of commenters I’ve had, something something survivor bias, if you managed to get through the whole 10k of a fic you probably think it’s good). I guess I should just be happy that for the number of hits I’ve had, there has been pretty good engagement. It would just be cool to know the 6 other people invested in this specific pairing think it’s worth reading. To be clear— I don’t mind that I haven’t become instantly popular on ao3, im just wondering how to find my target audience when I know that my fic is near-last in the kudos sort (which maybe doesn’t matter as much for rarepairs?)

All you can do is write more fics for the same ship/fandom. People who are interested will at the very least find the new ones. If they like what they see, they'll find the old ones.

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toffyrats · 3 months

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my professional opinion on every hamilton ship i have seen in this accursed media

starting with the ogs and working down to the quote unquote rarepairs.

hamliza: 7/10 obviously didn’t uh. go very well! they’re domestic and cute and i never have any opinions on canon ships because they’re explained in the og media yk 😭

lams: 6/10 what kind of a name is lams. anyways i could probably make an entire post about this pairing and how much i actually enjoy it but how mischaracterized and ruined theyve been… as a concept theyre great but the fanon interpretation sucks im sorry

mullete i think its called: 5/10 WOW these names are bad. its mid. i don’t mind it. idc. dont love it don’t have any problems with it either. 100 percent grey area.

jamilton: 4/10 i just don’t like enemies to lovers it’s just a preference i’m sure it’s actually fine. jamilton lovers always have the best art so its fine

jeffmads: 8/10 this. has problems. as all things do. however i love their dynamic and they act like an old married couple. james following thomas everywhere and being pathetic is frankly hilarious. took off points for the fact they might actually be funnier platonically

jamilmads: 4/10 this feels like jamilton fans realizing jeffmads actually kind of makes sense and adding james for no reason

hamburr: 2/10 get away from me. get away foul beasts 🤺 (i think its like a 4 in reality but the fans are off the rails)

literally anyone/peggy: 2/10 whether it be lafayette, laurens, whoever i don’t see it. she’s just besties with everyone leave her alone

angelica/hamilton: 4/10 angelica girl your standards should be so much higher. yeah i don’t like this one

revolutionary polyamory: 4/10 this is referring to hamilton laurens laf and herc i believe. its ok. i dont rly like it. its eh.

washington/anyone: 1/10 HES THEIR DAD LEAVE HIM BE

lafferson: 3/10 daveed diggs squared. it makes me giggle a little bit other than that no emotions but hate

mariliza: 2/10 i really hate the trope of shipping two canon love interests with each other it makes no sense

hamilmads: no rating bc this one is just confusing to me wtf.

philidosia: 9/10 i am so biased on this one. so very biased. this was my otp back in the day. everything was about them. save me dear theodosia szin animatic. theyre my everything. the angst possibilities are insane and i love it. docked off one point just because of fanon interpretation, i have a very specific dynamic in my head and it is NOT that

#this is gonna get me either shot down or get ‘real’ put in yhe tags we’ll see #hamilton #ugh do i have to tag all of these……#hamliza #lams #mullete #jamilton #jeffmads #jamilmads #hamburr #lafferson #mariliza #philidosia #uhh yeah i think thats fine #hamilton musical #ships

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ofduskanddreams · 11 months

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On rarepairs vs. crack ships.

This is something that I've noticed ever since I joined the fandom, but recent events have finally prompted me to make this post: Azris (Azriel x Eris Vanserra) is not a crack ship. They are a rarepair—a ship that makes up only a small portion of the total fanworks.

A crack ship, as defined by Fanlore, is "a ship that is highly ridiculous, bizarre, disturbing, and/or unlikely to ever become canon. The characters don't have any chemistry, never interact, are in different canons or timelines, are different species, one is an inanimate object, etc."

I think the most common reason Azris is mislabeled as a crack ship is simply that people aren't aware of the difference or the connotations that the term "crack ship" may carry. I wanted to make this post to help clarify things.

I agree that Azris is unlikely to ever become canon because the books make it clear that SJM has other plans. (I don’t want them to be canon, but that’s my personal opinion.) However, this doesn't mean Azris is canonically implausible as the universe currently stands. Eris and Azriel have several significant interactions in the series. If SJM were to hand the series off to another writer who wanted to make Azris happen, the building blocks would already be there.

Eris catches Azriel spying in Autumn and the following day he meets with Rhys, Kier, Azriel, Mor, and Feyre in the Hewn City to forge an alliance. (ACOWAR CH. 26)

The infamous High Lords meeting where we learn just how intense Azriel's hatred of Eris is. (ACOWAR CH. 45)

Cassian and Azriel tracking Eris across the Continent when he's captured by Briallyn, culminating in Azriel rescuing Eris from Koschei and the mortal queen and bringing him back to the Night Court. (ACOSF CH. 64 - 71)

This isn't an exhaustive list, just a few examples. Azriel and Eris also have a shared history stretching back centuries before the books take place. On the point of chemistry—hatred is a passionate emotion and the series makes the animosity between Azriel and Eris very clear. Enemies to lovers is one of the most popular romance tropes for a reason, I don't think I need to elaborate on that point.

That covers the "unlikely to ever become canon," "never interact," and "don't have any chemistry" portions of the definition.

The "highly ridiculous, bizarre, disturbing" part of the definition is where the negative connotations may come into play. (I'm going to branch out from just Azris now.) Again, I'm fairly confident that the majority of the fandom is unaware that "crack ship" carries these implications. I would certainly hope that people aren't willfully misusing the term to denigrate certain ships.

In this fandom specifically, where all of the major canon ships are M/F and the vast majority of fanworks are also primarily dedicated to het pairings, the distinction between crack ships and rarepairs is vital to help build and maintain an inclusive community.

Queer ships in this fandom (Emorie, Gwynlain, Azris, Cazriel etc.) are often called crack ships when they are, in fact, rarepairs. Again, I really hope that this is primarily due to a misunderstanding of the terms. It hurts to see a rarepair in which you see yourself and your relationships represented being associated with the terms ridiculous, bizarre, and disturbing. It will hurt regardless of the intention of the person using the term.

tl;dr just be mindful of your words.

A/N: this post expresses my views on the issue. if my content is associated with those who do not share them, know that my content is there against my wishes.

#azris #acotar fandom #acotar rarepairs #acowar #acosf #fandom culture

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solokabuto · 2 months

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So what are your Fate yuri rarepairs?

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

Dobrynya Nikitich x Morgan Le Fay

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

Okita Souji x Nitocris

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

Olga Marie Animusphere x Ereshkigal

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

Jeanne D’ Arc x Barghest

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

Baobhan Sith x Galatea

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

Merlin (Prototype) x Morgan Le Fay

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

#there are more #many more #by my brain is currently knee deep in Jeanne/Barghest bloody yuri so I can’t think of them #I hope you enjoyed these as much as I enjoy being plagued by visions of them #fgo #fate grand order #baobhan sith #barghest #morgan le fay #dobrynya nikitich #jeanne d'arc #okita souji #nitocris #galatea #um are there more #olga marie animusphere #omg I’m so sorry for forgetting you pookie #I have delivered the Yuri #merlin (prototype)

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