#maybe this term will catch on...

[newcathedrals]

can i ask you a dumb question how do you classify a 'classic' winnix fic i am so curious

I am so glad someone asked! I am so passionate about the “classic” style of winnix. “Classic” doesn’t refer to when the fic was written (it doesn’t matter if it’s old or not) or its popularity (it doesn’t have to be super popular). It's not a super common term or anything, but I found a pattern in many winnix fics bc I read so much and started thinking of these elements as part of a "genre."

Here are the musts of a “classic winnix” fic:

Not an AU. events line up closely to the progression of the events in the series, no huge divergences. diehard writers even line events up with the real Dick Winter’s book/other Band of Brothers books

If the plot includes time immediately post-war, it often takes place in NJ and involves Dick working at Nixon Nitration

Kathy, Nix’s sister, Nix’s father, and Dick’s family members are part of the plot if there’s any post-war plot

Lewis’s alcoholism is an issue in the plot and in Dick and Nix’s relationship. Nix struggles with some sort of mental health issue: alcoholism, depression, self-worth issues, etc

Nix and Dick both have issues related to their sexuality because of the homophobia of the period. Even if one or both of them have fully accepted themselves, this was a process they had to go through. Almost always, Dick has spiritually reconciled his sexual attraction with his Christianity. Internalized homophobia and societal homophobia are issues that they have to face. 

There are other elements that are definitely not “required” but are super common in the “classic” winnix fic style. Most of the classic style fics will have a few of these elements:

Depending how long the post-war plot of the fic is, Dick and Nix almost always end up farming in the end. Chicken farming, grain farming, and producing animal feed are popular choices. If they end up farming, they always end up in rural Pennsylvania 

Stanhope Nixon is an antagonist and blocks Dick and Nix’s ultimate goals of happiness and peace. He’s an alcoholic, and “gave” Nix the disease through childhood trauma, or even just genetics

Nix struggles to be a father to his daughter, and struggles with this issue. 

Harry and Kitty are Nix and Dick’s closest friends that remain from their time in the war. They’re not explicitly homophobic and accept Dick and Lew as a couple (especially if they’re not outwardly affectionate in front of Kitty and Harry)

Lewis often does not feel deserving of Dick and struggles to accept Dick’s love. Sometimes he thinks that Dick should move on from him and marry a woman, and that he stands in the way of Dick’s “true” happiness and progress in life. Dick has to convince Nix that he’s the one for him, and that making a life with Lewis would make him happiest. 

Bastogne foxhole activities (iykyk)

Some writers pay attention to the speech patterns and slang of the time, and incorporate 1940s language into their writing 

I never get enough of this style! Even though the fics within this “genre” have so many similarities with each other, each writer also brings something new to the style and plot. The longer fics within the classic style also feel the most reminiscent of published novels. Maybe I’ll make a list of my favorites in the classic style (although many are in both of my winnix fic rec posts). The peak of classic winnix is the “What Things We Have Heard Together” series by joissant in my opinion. Some other greats are Fiorediloto’s "The Earth Below My Feet" series and the shorter “Give Me Light, Give Me Life” by an orphan account. But I also find more fics that fit into the "classic" style every day!

[flamingoinkart]

i don't mind the varying art styles at all, it would be fun to have like a warioware-esque game where each mini game has it's own style. my own worry is that the minigames won't have the usual zaniness of previous games

[incorrect-riordanverse]

the problem with all these white authors like rick riordan who are revealing their stances on the israel-palestine apartheid is that they barely do anything but virtue signal when they claim “i’m on the side against war” “i’m anti-violence” “i abhor terrorism.” zero people are going to disagree with you. zero people believe what hamas did is justified. zero people think israel shouldn’t have a right to defend itself against terrorism. but that isn’t what israel is doing when they collectively punish all of palestine, who doesn’t even have an official army. when rick riordan says some wishy-washy bullshit about the violence suffered on both sides of the conflict, and words his whole dumbass blog post like it’s violence that is in any way equal, that literally helps no one. in fact, it’s so damn negligent of the 75 years of violence that palestine has suffered and been oppressed for. yes, there are innocent civilians in israel who are suffering, no one is disagreeing with you. that doesn’t erase the fact that israel is a disgusting state that has used state-sanctioned violence on a systemic scale since its conception, and the oppressed people have responded to that in violent retaliation (because OBVIOUSLY they would). israel is built on the subjugation of palestine, there is no equal suffering between the two.

[fisheito]

They turned my boy into Gary...

tbh it was kind of liberating because if the devs themselves can fall to the ol' gary keytrap, then i, too, can sometimes let my mortal follicles flow downward, and allow myself to lettersmash about gary and/or kary in my accidental overenthusiasm

[clumsypuppy]

man

[izstevns]

here to tell you all my most controversial opinion... i unironically love the musical episode

[lesbiansanemi]

One thing about my cats that kinda makes laugh but also roll my eyes is when people accuse me of having a “favorite.” They’re like “you give Dimaria birthday parties and take her on walks and have way more pictures of her, you clearly like her more than Carmilla” and it’s like. If you spent longer than ten minutes with my cats you would realize that Dimaria is a fucking attention whore. I stop paying attention to her for more than a minute and she starts screaming. The second I sit down she is bullying her way into my lap. As soon as she hears me wake up in the morning she is shoving her paws underneath my door. Carmilla, on the other hand, is like the #1 people hater and biggest bundle of cat anxiety I have ever seen in my life. She hates being picked up, I am granted the honor of petting her like once a month and it’s for like five seconds. I have exactly one friend who is over often enough for her to not hide inside the couch the whole time she’s here. I tried taking her on a walk once and she wailed and cried the whole time and repeatedly flopped onto the ground. I have the most stereotypical pair of cats ever with the fat happy stupid orange one who loves everyone and everything and then the angry spindly black one who looks like a Halloween decoration that came to life. I don’t have a favorite. I just respect that Carmilla would rather die than interact with a human being if she doesn’t have to

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Had to break it to my sister (twelve years older than me) that she herself is an early millennial/late Gen X, that our brother is a Millennial as well, and that those "twenty-something interns" she sees at work are not Millennials (derogatory).

[themumblingmouse]

I wonder at what point Iron Bull "retires" and stops actively leading the chargers.

Krem seems like he's a good bit younger so I always figured he'd be next in charge- but at what point would Bull be willing to admit maybe he should be in dangerous fights slightly less.

[softquietsteadylove]

Poor fisherman Gil getting turned to the same species as Thena for a day because of some wich and now he finds out how Thena finds him very hot in his form

"Thena!"

"Gil?" Thena turned, her hair fanning around her in the water. It was still a distance away, but she knew that voice. Although, she never expected to hear it in this way again. She squinted, hoping to focus her eyes on the far, far distance.

There was a small dot of black, swimming towards her. It was moving quickly, using a thick, strong tail. Its fins were thick, like a shark's, dark against the blue like an angler.

"Gil!" She swam, her tail propelling her urgently. Her arms reached out against the currents, a habit she'd picked up from her human mate.

"Angelfish!" Gil burst in relief as he got his arms around her. They circled in the water, their tails swishing so closely they knocked together. "I'm so glad I found you!"

She blinked, her eyes adjusting again. She could feel the dark scales raised on his skin, the dorsal spines running down his back between the muscles of his torso. Her fins reacted naturally to the way the water bent around his larger, stronger fins.

He pouted as she pulled away. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to find you. It's a whole lot of nothing out here!"

She laughed faintly, although she quieted herself at his distress. "Everything identifiable is further down, love. Sandbanks, current changes, there are reefs and-"

Gil latched onto her again. "Well, I didn't expect to have to come find you like this."

He had a point. Thena let him cling to her, although it was decidedly odd behaviour for a mer. "Indeed--why are you out here like this?"

He groaned, making bubbles rise from the gills on his neck. "I don't know what happened."

She listened patiently as he started drifting downward listlessly, letting his worries sink him a little at a time. She took his hand, also odd for a mer, but assuring him she was there.

"I reeled up this weird looking eel-fish-thing. I was gonna cut it loose, thought maybe it was an endangered species or something. But then I got close, this purple gas came out of nowhere, and suddenly my legs were gone."

"Hm," Thena mused aloud. She could see how that was alarming. It was one thing for her to practice and then perfect splitting her tail into legs. And while it was embarrassing and frustrating to lose that control in times of fatigue, she could only imagine how frightening it would be to experience it completely without knowledge or prior attempts.

"I slid myself off the deck of Titania so I could come find you," Gil finished, practically whimpering at her.

She offered a smile and leaned in to kiss him. "Fear not, my lionfish. I doubt it will last."

"You think?" he asked her as she continued her affections. They drifted closer to the coral reefs below.

She nodded, guiding him more deliberately towards some ledges of coral formations on which they could rest. "Old magic like that is rare, but all the tales of it never speak of anything lasting longer than a moon."

Gil looked down at himself, bending his tail as they managed to hover around the coral and sand. "I wasn't exactly planning on taking a day off work, let alone like this. And Titania isn't even anchored!"

"Gil," she said gently, tipping his chin to kiss him again. It seemed to calm him, and she had to admit that kissing him in this form - feeling the bend of his fangs under his lip - held a certain addictiveness to her. She blamed it on her instincts.

"Okay, okay, you're right," he sighed, again releasing his excess air via his gills. Even they were lovely.

He looked around them, now able to see a few mers in the area, further from the surface. "I had kind of hoped I could ask someone if they had seen you, but no one was around. And if I did see anything even resembling a mer it just...swam off."

Thena smiled again. Her mate was truly adorable. "I can see why."

His gills puffed. "What does that mean?"

Her eyes drifted down from the rich colour of his eyes to the exposure of his collar bone. Usually, he was preoccupied with covering himself, even at home, more often than not. But she had a full view of his chest, the perfect blend of muscle and fat. His dark scales encroached on it, harmonizing with the lovely colour of his skin. His upper abdominal muscles bulged, a line running down them until his scales from either side of his back met and formed the upper beginnings of his tail.

"Angelfish?"

She darted her eyes back up to his. This was not the time for her to be appraising his appeal as a mate. "You look a little...sharklike."

"Really?" he looked down at himself. Of course, both of them next to each other, the contrast was visible. His tail and fins were thicker, more cartilage than thin membrane stretched between spines. "Huh."

Thena squeaked, her own gills bubbling as he reached down and ran his thumb over the webbing of one of her fins. Red bloomed across her face.

"Whoa," he commented mildly, comparing the feeling of her fin and his own. He ran it between his thumb and finger, like he did with hers. "That's such a weird sensation. It's like...I dunno, I've never had an extra limb like this."

Thena was unable to offer comment, too flustered at having him explore her so liberally.

"So," he looked at her again, completely unaware of how badly he had flustered her. "Is it bad?--how I look, I mean."

"Oh," she gulped, her gills breathing for her. She resettled her tail, hoping it wasn't vibrating from the stimulation. "N-No, not necessarily."

"Is it, uh," he made a face, also resettling himself to 'sit' with her (in a sense), "uncommon?"

She pushed her hair over her shoulder and out of her way. "No, Gil, it's...well, it isn't common. But it's in no way unfavorable."

He looked around them again. They were getting a few looks by passing mers, both individuals, and even mated pairs passing through. "You sure?"

"Indeed," she murmured, also eyeing those who paid them special attention. "Intimidating, perhaps, but not unfavorable."

"How is it good to be intimidating?" he asked, and it reminded her that he felt sensitively about his size as a human, too. He was such a gentle soul, he didn't like it when other humans assumed he was of an unpleasant disposition.

Her sweet human.

Thena sighed, taking his hand again, clasping it between hers. "To other bulls, I mean, Gil. You are an intimidating rival to other males."

"Oh," he made another face, and then his eyes went wide, "oh! Wait, you mean, like...I'm-"

"A fine specimen," she finished for him, no matter what it was he would have said. She huffed, "and believe me, the others here have noticed."

Gil raised a brow at her. He took another brief look around, although she was happy to note that he didn't seem to really notice anyone. "Really?"

"Is it so unbelievable?" she challenged. She rose from their relaxed position on the smooth coral overhang, dusting up the sand below. "I'll have you know that mers are very selective about potential mates. You cut a very promising prospect."

Gil rose to join her, easily only having to beat his tail once for every two of hers. "You know I don't care about that, hon."

Thena followed another mer taking notice of them with her eyes. In fact, she let her whole head swivel, making sure they knew they were not unchallenged. "It is not up to you, I'm afraid. Those interested will take notice whether I want them to or not."

She hissed at the passerby, just to really send a message.

Gil chuckled next to her. "Now you know how I feel all the time."

Her gills puffed again as he turned her gently to stop glaring at others and look at him. He brushed his thumb against the necklace permanently corded around her neck.

Thena happily leaned in, angling her shoulders forward as her tail swished happily. Kissing wasn't foreign to mers, but it wasn't the primary mode of conveying affection, either. This was much more human, but she had no qualms.

Gil kissed her eagerly, their fangs clicking together a few times in their vigour. His arms wrapped around her, his fingers tracing the spines along her back bone. She really had to tell him that he was quite handsy as a mer.

She purred as they separated, her hands on his cheeks, him still holding her as close as their tails could allow.

"It's quite a vulgar display, isn't it?"

Thena turned, hissing and splaying her fins at whomever it was that felt the need to comment, no matter who it was. "Away!"

It was two other mermaids, eyeing her with displeasure. It was not unlike having to confront human women on land, though. Defending her territory as a mate was always the same, legs or tail.

The two waved at Gil. "Do come find us if you tire of her."

Gil let his offense at the suggestion show on his face. His lip curled up in a snarl to show off his impressive fangs. "Trade a pearl for a rock, you mean?"

The female's jaw dropped.

Thena snickered at both the jab and her reaction to it. They turned sharply, flapping their tails forcefully in their exit. Thena was happy to send them away without their satisfaction. She circled on the spot a few times, displaying her unwillingness to back down.

Gil reached up to pull her down to him again. He was amused. "Are mers always so...forward about mates?"

Thena gave one last withering look in the direction of the two intruders. "Not always that forward. But I did tell you--you are a desirable prospect. And those without a mate would happily make an offer to you. Clearly my presence is not an obstacle."

"Well," Gil pulled her close again, despite or perhaps in spite of how they were just scrutinised for it. "How should I convey I'm a taken man--or mer, I guess."

She smiled, pressing her lips to his again, if briefly this time. "Only for a day. And just stay close to me. I will handle any potential interlopers."

"Well," he drawled. He was having fun, now. "If I'm so intimidating looking--what with my shark fins and all."

He spoke lightly of it, but it wasn't that common, and it did make him entirely too appealing to the eye.

"Maybe I should put it to good use," he nuzzled her cheek, making sure to settle himself next to her ear. "And make it clear that I'm happily mated."

Thena did her best to resist the urge to flutter like a jellyfish. She nuzzled into him in return, again indulging in such affections based on her merly instinct (she told herself). "It should be obvious to anyone. You are far too alluring a specimen to be without mate, after all."

"Is that so?" he raised an eyebrow at her as she trailed a finger down his open chest. "Well, it's a good thing I'm so 'alluring', as you put it."

She pursed her lips, awaiting his reasoning. But she blushed as his fin caressed hers in a way she refused to believe was accidental. "Gil!"

"I'll have to be, to be with the most beautiful mermaid in all the seven seas."

[tj-crochets]

Still no craft updates on account of I feel Bad* but I did get like half a beanie crocheted this weekend? I also have a bat that's haunting me. In that there's a bat design I desperately want to turn into a plushie not in that I am being literally haunted by a bat. As far as I know I am not haunted by a bat but to be fair I'm not confident I'd know? *my heart rate got high enough that made me cough but my asthma was flaring up enough that cough launched me into an asthma attack, which raised my heart rate even more, so basically I used my emergency inhaler and then was on the floor for a while. Feels bad! Do not recommend. I'm okay though just tired

[andersdotters]

Oddly enough, in terms of love languages, I don't think Diluc would have physical touch ranked at the bottom.

[gar-a-ash]

After getting absolutely lost on page one of my text book for two days and wondering how the fuck 9/4 - 1 = 5 I'm going to drop calc and go back to it in a later term. I cannot figure out the math there. Khan academy you're my only hope.

[clumsypuppy]

if escape rooms as team building exercises became popular im not sure if id be more excited or terrified

[leftoversludge]

psych has been pissing me off so hard, man, i cannot stand this slapstick and food comedy their going for in these later seasons and the onllyyyy story line i give a damn about right now is lassie and marlowe, i want a wedding episode and more lassie centered episodes i dont even care man. they did gus so dirty with the way they're making him just food crazy like its actually so not funny i get a pit of cringe in my stomach when that or like some stupid slapstick thing happens, they really just dumbed gus down and made him like a vat of catch phrases and thats so sad. also i want chief vick in more episodes, its really falling off man, season 1 through maybe three were pretty solid, it started sliding off in 4, came back around in 5, some strong episodes in 6, but now in season 7 its dreadful, just put lassie on the screen and call it a day, he is actually the saving grace of the show. they also keep doing henry dirty too with minor implications that contradict his character, i dont have any examples off the top of my head, i just know im mad about something. jules and shawn remain pretty constant, but i do feel like jules needs more, shes starting to feel watered down like shes just "shawn's girlfriend" although it doesn't always feel that way... i think im just mad about her treatment in that clue episode. what can improve this show: more lassie, more marlowe, less weird food shit (but maybe thats just bc of personal issues idk), and more beach murders idk. also they haven't done a tiny shawn flashback in a while like what is going on, you had a formula that was working and now you stray? right when it could possible be your only saving grace?? i think what i really want is a lassie spin off where it becomes a noir detective show or an old western, either or. if noir detective he would have to be smoking in basically every scene, and shawn is there but like in the way mr. yang and mr. yin were in psych's over arcing story line, and each season would be 50 episodes long and there would be 100 seasons and he dies in season 99, season 100 is marlowe uncovering his murder (bc he couldn't just die of natural causes, he would rather kill himself) and rediscovering herself, and yes that season is also 50 episodes, each episode is an hour long.

[hms-incorrect-quotes]

Heart: If I run and leap at Mind, he will most certainly catch me.

Heart [running towards Mind]: Coming in!

Mind: No! I’m holding coffee!

Mind: [Drops coffee and catches Heart]