#I don’t care how niche it is tell me about it please

[pastafossa]

Charlie Cox experience at Philly Fan Expo 2023

So LET”S TALK ABOUT ME MEETING CHARLIE. I’m actually going to make two posts - this one just about my experiences with Charlie, because they were incredibly meaningful and deserve their own post, and then another one about the rest of the con!

I’m going to talk about Charlie first, because of how amazing the experience was, one of the best I’ve had, especially at the autograph table. I’ve done photos, gotten autographs and such before from other celebs - from niche voice actors I loved to people like David Tennant - but this felt Really Really Big. Obviously, I was nervous as all hell because holy shit Charlie Cox, my favorite actor whose work altered the course of my life. I won’t lie - I’d been practicing what to say to him in case I freaked out, but I’m happy to say that everyone who reassured me it would go great, because he was so, so genuine and kind, were right.

The photo op happened first (and thank you to everyone on tumblr guiding me where to go, cause I was LOST about where that was happening), and that went fast. By that point in the con hall, I’d already ditched my Jessica Jones jacket and gloves cause holy shit it’s hot and I am a creature of snow and ice, and my hair was a mess, but honestly I didn’t care, cause there he is. You don’t get long, but he made the most of it and he was SO sweet. Ya’ll, he asked my name, said my name as he shook my hand, and called me ‘my dear’ in that beautiful voice.

I was literally on the moon, but it was time for the big question:

Will he hold the red thread from TRT?

So in a quiet, nervous, soft author voice, I asked, ‘would you be ok with holding this end of the thread?’

HE FUCKING DID.

HE HELD IT.

HE HELD. THE. RED. THREAD.

I’m fairly certain he doesn’t know about the fic at this point - he wasn’t sure where to hold it until I told him, but he loved that it lit up! AND THEN HE PUT HIS ARM AROUND ME AND I GOT TO PUT MY ARM AROUND HIM BACK.

I’m fairly certain I’m dead in the photo. My soul had left my body. I had ascended. I saw Jesus and he looked like Charlie. I had achieved fic author heights never imagined. My brain filled with enough serotonin and dopamine to sink a ship. I didn’t care that I was hot and sweaty or that my hair was messy or that my cosplay didn’t work out like I’d planned. I had been blessed.

also look at that forearm holy shit

I floated outta that gd room ya’ll. I’m pretty sure @wonderlandmind4​ did the same. WE FROLICKED OUT OF THAT HALL LIKE

But things got even better at the autograph table, and I had one of the most touching experiences ever.

not me tearing up thinking about it.

That line was long, but I kept getting glimpses of him and I could already tell he was enjoying interacting with people, and he was making sure everyone got their bit of time with him instead of letting anyone rush people through. He was so happy looking, laughing and grinning, high fives and fist bumps for kids, chatting with fans. Which made me feel a little more confident.

I know some people wondered if I’d tell him about TRT, and I’d already decided I wasn’t going to. Instead, I really, really wanted just a second to tell him what his work as Daredevil had meant for me, as someone who became disabled around the same time Matt did as a kid, and who related to... a lot of what Matt went through in the show. I’d practiced it over and over again, and there was only a fifty percent chance I wouldn’t start crying while telling him, and I wasn’t even sure I’d have time to tell him depending on how much time we had.

He made time.

I got up to him with my art print holy shit he’s even more beautiful in person and his eyes are STUNNING. He said hi, and asked my name so he could personalize the autograph if I wanted (DUH, YES PLEASE), and he apologized about the line after we shook hands. I jokingly told him it was fine since I’d driven hours to get here. A little time in line wasn’t a bother. He even loved one of the buttons on my lanyard - the button of Matt wearing a heart crown specifically! And as he was writing, I knew this was my chance to tell him. He was still signing, so I just decided to go for it in case I ran out of time.

“I just wanted to tell you,” I said quietly, “as someone who became disabled as a kid around the same age as Matt did—”

And then he did something I didn’t expect, something I’d rarely seen anyone do, famous or not, and something I’d never had an actor or artist do for me.

He immediately set down the pen, leaned in close over the table, and made direct eye contact, while giving me the most genuine, gentle, encouraging smile I’d ever seen.

In that moment, I knew everything in him was listening, that he cared about what I was about to say and recognized that this was important to me, and that he’d closed the distance to make this conversation just... us. It felt personal in a way I’ve never experienced at a con or signing.  

Just like that, I wasn’t afraid to tell him what I’d wanted to.

“And as someone who related to... a lot of what Matt went through, his struggles in the show, and especially the dark parts of season 3,” I said, more confidently now, “I wanted you to know that all the work you put in, the way you played it, the way you played Matt and treated it seriously, seeing that helped me process and heal from a lot of my own trauma and pain over what I’ve gone through with my illnesses. What you did was important and it really helped me. So I wanted you to know that, how much that meant to me, and to say thank you.”

The whole time I spoke to him, he kept direct eye contact, and didn’t look away once. He didn’t get antsy, or look like he wanted me to hurry up (which I’d have understood, cause damn, these are long days for him). He listened, fully engaged and leaning in, his eyes warm and soft and kind but incredibly serious. I’m not sure how often he’s been told something like this—a lot, I expect; his portrayal was just that good, and I know it was important to a lot of fans—but what I was trying to tell him clearly meant something to him. I felt heard, seen, and understood.

Charlie really does care about his fans. It isn’t an act. I’m sure of it now.

“Thank you, truly,” he said, just as quietly but with that honest smile, eye crinkles and all, and seeing it in person, that close up, I swear the room felt ten times brighter. “Thank you for coming to tell me that. It means a lot, the idea that something I did meant so much and that it could help you. I’m so grateful that you were able to come visit and tell me.”

We shook hands after that. He wished me a good day and I told him thank you again, and that was that. The interaction only lasted maybe a minute, but it meant the absolute world to me, as did what he’s done as Daredevil. And now he knows that.

[spidergrotto]

i don’t care how absurd or ridiculous your stories/aus/ideas are i want to hear and read them all.

oh ur throwing a hydra peter and bucky barnes fic my way? i am invested. you want to write a singer peter parker fic? i am sat. you have brainrot about hockey player peter parker? my hand is raised.

random found family idea with characters that have never ever interacted?? my notebook is pulled out and i’m ready to make notes.

an idea that is SO far from canon and makes no sense? tell me more please

you have a really niche head canon and think that it’s too out there?? think again and hand it OVER.

who cares if u sound insane i’ll be insane with you

[mushroom-trafficking]

bing bong ask meme tell me about them please

Benji 1, 18, 39

Max 2, 12, 23

Archie 13, 17, 28

Putting this one under a cut!

Benji:

1. What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

“Rarely is there truly ever nothing to do. There is always something I can busy myself with. The only thing I dislike more than boredom is wasted time. Any time not utilised is time wasted. I can barely withstand five minutes without engaging in something.”

18. What embarrasses them?

“Oh. Wouldn’t you like to know.”

It actually takes quite a lot to embarrass him. Usually he’s the one embarrassing others because of this. It took him long enough to get over embarrassment to just wear the clothes he enjoys so he tried to not let anything get in the way of what he enjoys. The worst thing you can do however is be direct with him, he’s very flowery and indirect about things if you get what I mean. Calling him out on his bullshit works wonders too.

39. How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people? 

“Name me someone who isn’t flawed! We’re all just trying to get by and do what we can, hard to be perfect when around every corner is someone trying to ruin your day.”

The answer is INCREDIBLY easily. He’s no saint himself. He’ll readily ignore quite glaring issues if you help him with whatever it is he wants done. Besides openly flawed people have no right to judge when they’re also working with a flawed idiot.

Max:

2. How easy is it for your character to laugh?

“Eh, not a lot of people are actually that funny.”

Max tends to steer towards dark humour as a coping thing, but not a lot of people find that shit funny. He rarely lets down his guard enough to enjoy the humour of those around him. It’s usually something really daft will get him going. Ya’know like when you send your Dad a funny animal video and he’s crying with laughter when it’s not really that funny? That kinda thing. Once you find that niche you’re in.

12. How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

“Sometimes if I’m lucky the mutt can sort it out, but not always. I gotta be careful on account o’ the whole, ya’know, claw situation. I shredded a shirt once trying to get to a spot on my back. Not my… Proudest moment.”

Max’s death is able to touch him at times, not constantly, but enough. Sometimes he gets lucky and it can sort it out for him! Personal back scratcher! Though if that won’t work he sometimes just fucking rolls around like a damn dog if no one else is around. Catch him rubbing himself on a tree like a bear and watch him run faster than you’ve ever seen in your entire life.

23. How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)? 

“I’ve started tryin’ to just go after the shit I want. I’ve spent long enough not getting what I want from life I think I’m deservin’ of shit finally going my way for a change.”

Envy itself isn’t something Max struggles with often. He’s a former rich kid so he knows how the other half have lived and he’s pretty much over it at this point. Though he is incredibly resentful overall, he’s got a lot of unlearn and get over.

Archie:

13. What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?

“Oh, uh. Hmmmm. BEST? Oh man, that’s hard. I like most colours pretty equally… It’s so hard to pick a favourite… My Ma always said I look good in white… But I think everyone looks good in white! It’s WHITE! Hm. I think. I think it’s gotta be between turquoise or burgundy! But I don’t have much of either at the moment sadly…”

Archie hasn’t really been allowed to explore his options much fashion wise. But now he’s loose on the town there’s nothing stopping him from trying out new styles! He does struggle with picking a favourite colour though, his ideal thing to wear would be one of those colour block jumpers where each part is a different, bright colour.

17. Are they easily embarrassed?

“N…No… (10 second pause) Okay. Yes. I never used to get this flustered back home but out here in the dust it’s… A bit more. Intimidating. I know the wings are a lot but c’mon!! Quit staring!!”

The youngest of three Archie actually had a pretty thick skin back home. Especially being of demonic descent, people get pretty judgy. But that quickly faded getting out into the real world. With any luck he’ll build it back up over time once he’s a bit more used to it out in Red West.

28. Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth? 

“The truth is ALWAYS the best option!!”

Dealing with the ramifications of certain withheld truths, Archie wants nothing but the honest truth. Even if it hurts. Though it’s quickly becoming apparent that the truth is not something post people enjoy sharing around here. Archie only believes in lying for the bit.

[bedtimestoriesforbrokengirls]

The Daily Dad

Things you might want to know, for Dec 19, 2023:

23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9 million users — It’s probably too late and my warnings are pointless, but please kids… don’t give something as valuable as your DNA to a for-profit company that views security as a cost-center. It’s not just the millions of 23andMe suckerscustomers who have lost control of their genetic identity… their family members are compromised, too. Maybe it’s just me, but finding out you’re actually 8% Neanderthal isn’t worth giving the Russian mob the blueprints to your ancestry.

COMIXOLOGY, RIP — I was there at the start, with my little iPhone 3GS, ready to plow through a digital comic collection in Guided View mode. I was certain Comixology was going to save the comics business, and revitalize the audience. Now here we are at the end, nothing has been achieved, and a decade of progress has disappeared into the Kndle app, never to be seen again. Fucking A.

Using the iPad Pro as a Portable Monitor for My Nintendo Switch with Orion, a Capture Card, and a Battery Pack — Okay, I eat this kind of shit up. It’s absurd on a practical level, but it’s the kind of thing I’m likely to try, just for the hell of it.

Here’s what intentionally crashing a plane for YouTube clicks gets you — To paraphrase Robin Williams: the ability to crash a plane for attention is God’s way of telling you that you’re making too much money.

Facebook Messenger Rolls Out End-to-End Encryption by Default — About fucking time, Zuck. I guess he figures the petabytes of pre-E2E conversations that they can use to train their LLM will suffice, so it’s time to let the peasants have their privacy.

Noah Hawley: How 'Twin Peaks' Influenced My Work — If you were between 16 and 30 in 1990 and had any sort of creative impulse, Twin Peaks influenced your work.

What Did It Mean That Howard the Duck Was Trapped 'in a World He Never Made'? — The ‘80s movie and modern MCU cameos don’t do justice to the comic book Howard of the 1970s. He was dark and weird and absurd and (?) sexy and grown-up in a way that other comics on the spinner rack hadn’t been in decades, and I was enthralled.

The use and misuse of evolutionary psychology in online manosphere communities: The case of female mating strategies

The Bizarre Cottage Industry of YouTube Obituary Pirates

Warner Bros. Reverses Course on 'Coyote vs. Acme' After Filmmakers Rebel

‘Now and Then,’ the Beatles’ Last Song, Is Here, Thanks to Peter Jackson’s AI — The song is very good, and the technical skill and care that went into its recovery is just as interesting. The video is just goofy fun, very much in keeping with The Beatles pre-breakup sensibilties. Overall, a delightful and unexpected treat in a year that was full of absolute bullshit.

Apple Now Selling Standalone USB-C AirPods Pro Case for $99

Texas sues Pfizer with COVID anti-vax argument that is pure stupid — I feel like most headlines featuring “Texas” or “anti-vax” should always include “pure stupid” as well.

How TV Executives Ruined Everything

Humane Debuts $700 AI Pin With 'Laser Ink Display' — Do I think this will be a success? No. It’s too niche and weird. But as a signal of life beyond the smartphone, it’s an intriguing development.

DAK and the Golden Age of Gadget Catalogs — As a household, we didn’t receive a ton of mail as a kid… we saw only a fraction of the junk that hits my physical mailbox these days. But every few months, the DAK catalog would arrive, and I knew I was in for at least a night or two of nerdy, consumerist joy. Page after page of discontinued, misconfigured, or too-oddball-for-the-general-market gadgets were waiting to tempt me with deep discounts on things no one really needed. Sheer bliss, I tell you.

How to Stop Your Kids From Ruining Your Apple Music Recommendations

Prince's Purple Rain puffy shirt is up for auction — You’ve gotta figure Prince’s clothes would fit an American Girl doll.

Audible's Moriarty podcast understands what makes Arthur Conan Doyle's arch-villain survive

The Real Reason You (Still) Watch Reality TV

[deceitfuldevil]

1k Follower Sleepover Celebration!

Some may argue that 1,000 is not that large of a number, but I implore you to look up what 1,000 people in a room look like; and you’ll be as dumbfounded as me. I cannot believe that now over 1,000 real people follow me. I will not lie, I have always thought very little of myself and my writing. So hitting 1,000 followers is a milestone like no other to me, and I can’t begin to think of the right words to say to express how grateful and happy I am for each and every one of you for supporting me. Me and my weird, strange, obscure, and niche work. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you all.

Now for what everyone actually wants to read, no more sentimental blubbering for now.

I basically want to put out as many fics, drabbles, and headcanons as possible. So here are 100 different prompts for requesting! 33 smut, 33 fluff, and 33 angst. (1 extra for creating your own prompt to request!) The sleepover begins today, 2/16/23 (12:00pmCST) and ends 2/23/23 (11:59pmCST). 

Smut:

“Never tease me like that again”

“Touch me and you lose”

“You don't have to be so shy around me, you know?”

“You don’t have to be gentle with me, I don’t break easily.”

“You keep acting like a little brat and I’ll take you over my knee right here, I don’t care how many people are watching.”

“I’m not going to touch you unless you beg.”

“You can't tease me like that and expect not to be punished.”

“You look a bit tied up, want me to come back later?”

"You can give me another one, can't you baby? for me, please?"

“You better shut that pretty little mouth before I put it to work, love.”

"Cry all you want… I'm starting to think you're enjoying this."

“Don’t give me that look”

“The only way you’re getting off is on my thigh”

“Why don’t we film it?”

“I'm going to ruin you.”

“Do you think of me when you touch yourself?”

"What's the matter, love? you get nervous when i look at you like this?"

“I thought you said you were going to be good for me?”

“It hurts!” . . . “Good.”

"I know you're mad and all, but I just wanna bend you over the desk right now."

“Aw baby why didn’t you tell me, I could’ve helped you”  

 “Gonna fuck you until the only word you remember is my name.”

“Don’t tell me you’re feeling short of breath now”

“No, I’m the one that’s supposed to be making you feel good.”

“Yeah? you like being treated as a doll, don't you?”

“You aren't the innocent little angel everyone thinks you are, are you?”

“I'll stuff you so full you'll be leaking my cum for days.”

“Show me where you want me.”

“I wanna rip that dress off you.” . . . “Only if you buy me a new one.” . . . “Deal.”

“You want to come?” . . . “Y-yes, I— please—” . . . “Hm, but do you really deserve to?” 

“Stop fucking teasing me and get to it already.” 

“Th-There are people outside this door—” . . . “Well, this isn’t about them, is it?” 

“I don’t like people touching what’s mine.”

Fluff:

“Just to clarify: me holding your hand doesn’t, like, mean anything, by the way. not in that way, at least. unless you want it to mean something. I don't mind. That's cool.”

“Come taste! Tell me if I need to add anything.”

“Why can’t we stay here forever?”

“My lipgloss is all over your lips.”

“That's the first time I've ever seen you smile.”

“You canceled plans for me?”

“Quick, kiss me!”

“That's the sixth time you’ve complimented me today.”

“How mad would you be if I kissed you?”

“It’s hard to sit here and be close to you and not kiss you.”

“My heart is so full of you I can hardly call it my own.”

"I heard what you said...no one's ever talked about me that way before.."

“Here's a spare key so you don’t have to keep coming in through the window.”

“As much as I’d like to stay in bed with you, I have breakfast to make for the two of us.” 

“Not that I'm not enjoying being used as your pillow, but I think we’d be more comfortable in bed.”

“It’s always been you, and it will always be you. Please never forget that.” 

 “Aw, sweetheart you know you don’t have to ask...come here.”

“Your cheeks are really soft.” . . . “Stop squishing them!” 

“How much lipstick is smeared on my lips right now?”

“Wherever you want to go, I promise I'll be with you every step of the way.”

“Is it the alcohol or are your eyes always this pretty”

“Never pegged you for a horny drunk”

“Can you wash my hair for me?” 

“You sent me inappropriate pictures. . . when I was out in public” 

“Can I sit on your lap?” 

“I had a nightmare…”

“Should we make it official?” (I’m thinking Vegas?)

"Should I stop talking?" . . . "Don't, your voice is very soothing"

"Do you want me to carry you?"

"Thank you" . . . "For what?" . . . "For coming into my life"

"C-can you... hold me for a while?" "Of course."

“Is that... my shirt that you're wearing?”

“gods, you're such an idiot.” . . . “and yet, you still love me that way.”

Angst:

"It would be better if you stayed away from me."

"Do you really want me? Or is this just your way of trying to solve your daddy issues?"

"I am here to tell you that I cannot meet you anymore."

“You always push people away. i just thought you’d never do it to me”

“I know I have a heart because I can feel it breaking”

“I hate the way that I don't hate you.”

“I didn't realize it was such an inconvenience.”

“How many times am I supposed to forgive you?”

“All my friends told me you’d break my heart.”

“How could you let them say that about me?”

“You look happier” . . . “I’m not.”

“You still live in the silence between my thoughts.”

“I am in love with a moment we never had.”

“You didn’t just break promises, you broke me.”

"Don't go on that date." . . . "Why?" . . . "You know why." . . . "Say it."

“I don't even remember why we used to fight so much.”

“Why didn’t you kill me when you had the chance?” 

 “Please, for the love of god, shut up for once.” . . . “Why don’t you come over here and make me?”

“I don't like you. I can barely even tolerate you.” . . . “Then why do you keep coming back?”

“You’re annoying, you know that?”

“I don’t need your permission to do anything.”

“Why is it that whenever we see each other, you’re always covered in blood?”

“Don’t pretend to care about me.”

“Us? There never was an ‘us’.”

“What do you want? Because I could care less.”

“Why are you suddenly coming back into my life after I just started to do better?”

“Do me a favor and never cross my path again.”

“You can’t save everyone you know.”

��Take another step towards me and see what happens.”

“I don’t have the energy to fight you anymore.”

“I’m allowed to move on.”

“You can’t save me and then must walk out!”

“I needed you, I fucking needed you and you weren’t there!”

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

ASK TYPES:

🪐 Ask about the author! Ask me anything you want to know about my writing, my personal life, even my favorite (x,y,z)! (these are what I’ll answer stoned) ((see below))

📝 Send in any sort of request from any of the prompt lists at the top, with characters I’ve write for! (Peter Parker, Pietro Maximoff, Baron Helmut Zemo, Druig the Eternal, Matt Murdock, and Valkyrie!) 

🗣 Send me your name and I’ll tell you what I associate with it!

🏹 Ask about one of my WIPs or up-and-coming story ideas and I’ll post a snippet!

+ anything you want to see in this sleepover, just ask!

It’s a good thing tumblr has polls now because now I can ask this: tumblr is a relatively faceless app. . . but would you all care for a face reveal to mark this milestone?

Regardless of the results of the poll, I want to share more about myself with all of you! So what better way to get the most truthful and vulnerable answers than answering asks while stoned? All of 2/22 will be devoted to answering personal asked while high as balls <3

Once again thank you all so much for 1,000 followers, and don't forget to reblog this so my sleepover isn't a total flop lmaooo

Much Love, 

—Skyler

Mutual tags: @mactavishwritings @wannabemurdock @grippingbeskar @galaxysgal @toastybuggy @peterman-spideyparker @yourbucky084

Mutual tags: @mactavishwritings @wannabemurdock @toastybuggy @peterman-spideyparker @yourbucky084 @galaxysgal

Mutual tags:

—Skyler

Mutual tags: @wannabemurdock @peterman-spideyparker @yourbucky084 @mactavishwritings

[broomsticks]

me, seeing if i can bait anyone into diving into BL fandom drama with me 😈

transcript (pdf) here

v interesting episode bringing together some really different perspectives! podcast hosts are australia-based academics who usually focus on china politics—i haven’t listened to any other episodes but they’re definitely on my to-do.

they also brought on an american(?) scholar of chinese history/ art history lecturer at HKU, who reads fanfiction and is interested in chinese tv dramas from the state censorship/regulation pov — and a(n asian?) BL (+ thorki, johnlock, etc) fanfic author 幻想症患者 (love the nick. means smth like ‘suffers from delusions’)

it’s no easy feat to be the lone fanfic writer in this discussion, to have to fairly represent the many aspects to these really complex issues, and there were a couple of rather - honestly not even fandom 101, more like fandom 100-level type questions you’d only get from people with no fandom experience.

on the whole though the hosting was good, you can tell the hosts did a lot of prep on the untamed show and the controversies re. the actor and his fans/his real-life fans fandom

though, on that note, i thought the discussion was a bit muddled between these different groups of ‘fan/fandom’. i have no doubt that everybody in the discussion was clear that these were separate things and which they were talking about at any point in time, just maybe didn’t have the language to signpost/ organize it more clearly, but i could’ve used more structure imo.

• • •

i especially appreciated huanxiang’s point about how (very grossly paraphrased) there is safety and protection and freedom in nicheness and obscurity and (less grossly paraphrased) drama draws unnecessary attention from outsiders who don’t understand fandom - particularly this bit:

I would be very, very careful to link [fandom trends and phenomena to anything (LGBTQ issues etc) in real life], not that it cannot be done. But please don't do that before like, before you have finished like 100, 200 BL novels or something like that with like a full understanding of the space

understanding before judgment! please! yes!

but also — while n=1 is just that, n=1, but i’d be lying if i said i didn’t giggle a little at the undertone of the cultural value(?) that attention, standing out, is a negative thing and viewed with this like default-aversion/suspicion. idk

that said, my main thought re. this hesitation wrt people who don't belong to this community and understand the norms of this community wasn’t so much kinks and fantasies and premier zhou/chairman mao RPF, but rather not showing celebrities rpf of themselves / creators fic of their characters. neither type of wank is great, obviously, and the two types do often go hand in hand, but i’d almost rather wank be brought into the community than leak out of it

• • •

another point alluded to (not really discussed) on the pod that might be new to western media fandomgoers/ my usual mutual circle is that the untamed netflix tv show originated as original fiction published on a site that hosts both OF and FF both pay- and free-to-read. there were fan translations and all, that were taken down after official translation rights were sold (there is a lot of wank & drama on this issue. a lot.)

a 2019 censorship crackdown on the site, unrelated to (predating) the untamed/xiao zhan controversy discussed on the pod

anyway, point being - the coexistence of the two camps — intended-for-commercialization amateur fiction, presumably sanitized and lowest-common-denominator and all that, and niche not intended for wider popularity-type writing — is fascinating. good to know that they can stably coexist in some form, given how much concern there often is re. commercialization of fanworks that the former will outcompete the latter!

• • •

BY FAR THE BEST TAKE - MY FAVE part of the podcast - was dr angie baecker’s response to the question is BL (response is also applicable to slash fic) subversive?

BL is and can be an extremely subversive space. But I also think BL can replicate a lot of structures that are not subversive. I also want to draw attention to the fact that many people in the LGBTQ community, some enjoy BL, some read it, some don't, some hate it.

when you have largely straight women writing romances about gay couples without having much access to knowledge about what those relationships are like, I think that there is [huge potential] for misunderstandings about queer identities and the LGBT community

It can be really freeing to see [to see the range of different types of M/M relationships], to explore not just homosexuality, but also homosociality

But at the same time, when you have such an emphasis on the male relationships, like everyone in the Untamed is a gay man or in an M/M relationship, that often comes at the cost of erasing a lot of female characters. And so you have this drama that may have started in some ways from the lack of agency given to female characters, but then it replicates a lot of the erasure of women as centres of agency within stories, too. So, I think it can be subversive, yes. And it could be very unsubversive, actually.

definitely some food for thought there. obligatory (and i do mean it!!) preface that fandom is not meaningful activism, does not have to be, you are not a bad person for not engaging with it — but i do wonder… in my view, there’s an element of - ‘with how oppressive the power structures of mainstream media, wider society, etc can be… why not take the opportunity to push back against them a little, here in this space where we can?’

• • •

also had a laugh at dr baecker’s unfortunately prescient prediction, their hesitation, that while I feel like right now we're really on the cusp of a rising trend in terms of seeing BL represented in pop culture - we're only going to see more and more of it -

I am a little worried that there might be some kind of like a foreclosing of this space because there's always this kind of Icarus phenomenon of when something gets too popular, right, it gets clipped back a little bit. So, I do worry about that.

😬 hahaha. that aged well.

• • •

misc pieces of fun fandom drama:

whether character name tags should include diacritics/tone marks! on the side of no: convenience - up until recently, tone marks wouldn’t autocomplete correctly. and for all the incorrectness, it’s not (any more) ambiguous. on the yes side: tone marks are objectively (more) correct. does their omission amount to racism?

it seems like (some sections of?) chinese webnovel fandom apparently have the fandom culture of not messing with the creator’s stated preferences — not just canon ships, but sexual preferences (topping and bottoming). fascinating!! fandom etiquette 👀

[genericcodmwblogname]

Got some character headcanons for mw2(both versions), the headcanons for the og games will have [09] next to them, if it is not next to them it applies to both versions.

Gary “Roach” Sanderson

Scottish-American

5'9"

The pettiest person you will ever meet, i am 100% talking condensed pettiness.

Selectively mute

Deceptively strong, He does not look like it at all but this man regularly throws Ghost across the mat during ‘friendly’ spars. He sees someone taller than him and internally just goes “I could throw them” and then confirms that thought at the next feasible opportunity. Has yet to actually be wrong about that.

Really niche one for Roach is him having the auditory version of a 'photographic' memory, and can recognize people solely by voice even if he's only ever heard someone over a communications system.

Has had someone actually attach a bell to him to try and cause him to unintentionally sneak up on them less. (It did not work for long.) Task Force 141 are the only people who have actually gone through with the threat of attaching bells to him.

There is an inside joke about the bells now.

Related to the above, I personally like to think he earned the nickname roach by being able to disappear the second you blink just like a bug you are trying to catch to take outside.

“Accidentally” added to the XOs/COs group chat and has been trying to leave but he keeps being added back in because he’s seen too much already for them to let him actually leave it. He wants out please let him leave.

The other sergeants in the 141 keep making jokes about him being cursed and he is starting to believe them, Very stressed due to this specifically.

Crochets both as a hobby, coping mechanism, and to keep busy.(alongside his journal)

Does not get hangovers thanks to lucky genetics, uses this to challenge people who annoyed him recently to drinking contests b/c he may not get hangovers but they sure will.

Simon 'Ghost' Riley

The worst cook in Task Force 141.

[09]Took 45 minutes to make a bowl of cheap ramen that ends up being literally just mostly raw noodles in slightly salted water. [22] Can actually cook really well, just pretends not to be able to while on base.

[09] The one who intentionally added Roach to the group chat the first time. Reasons it as Roach already knowing too much and so might as well be in there.

Incredibly touch starved, Soap seems to be the only one he can stand to touch him for more than a minute or two at a time.

Generally uncomfortable in medical.

[09]Will avoid medical as much as possible and take care of his own injuries himself unless hes like, been shot and the bullet didn’t go clean through and the like, serious injuries in his mind. Grazes and light stab wounds, twisted or cracked bones do not count as serious injuries to him but only when its happened to him.

Doesn't drink often, he likes bourbon but that’s pretty much it. [09] ‘Secretly’ Married w/Soap (TF141 does not have fraternization rules in my hcs. do not ask me how they would get away with that, dw about it its fanfiction)

John/Johnny 'Soap' MacTavish

[09] One of the ones who keeps adding Roach back into the group chat. Thinks its funny and knows that Roach would rather go to medical than tell anyone anything that happens in it.

One of the best cooks in Task force 141.

Will drag/carry people[cough 09 ghost cough] to medical if they hide injuries or don’t go themself.

Related to the journal he takes everywhere, he also has one that he doesn’t back in his bunk room that is specifically for sketching. Normally sits by ghost’s bedside when ghost is hurt badly enough to have to stay in medical. [09] ‘Secretly’ Married w/Ghost

[callivich]

i like to think that moving to the west side Does change mickey in some ways, as much as he insists that he doesn’t want to change. i think he becomes sort of insecure after a while - ian, who was once this destroyed and unstable person, goes to the gym and grows tomatoes now! and everyone is always running and drinks fancy coffee and mickey acclimates to it but feels kind of out of place, like, he can’t tell a basil plant from parsley and he has a little bit of a beer gut and he has less than exemplary manners and it Gets to him in some ways.

like, Ian is so happy here, does he prefer these west side guys and their rippling abs and their white collar jobs and their good manners? does he prefer polite folk who can stomach his stupid home-grown tomatoes?

i guess this bounces off the concept of mickey being embarrassed about silly things like burping too much! it was never something he’d think about in Passing but now Ian looks so Concerned and it feels sort of Gross and He feels gross so, yeah, maybe a little part of him is ashamed.

maybe this is niche and ooc! but i like to think about the vulnerable part of mickey that he doesn’t express who experiences silly childish feelings and little insecurities because he Is human

Interesting thoughts anon! 💖 I’m not sure I agree that Ian was ever destroyed - I think his life changed drastically from how he originally envisioned but destroyed sort of implies that it was ruined forever, and I don’t think that’s necessarily a true description of Ian. And working out was something he always did, I don’t think going to the gym would be a new thing because he was always doing some form of working out in canon.

I’m not sure we see Ian being 100% happy with the West Side in canon either. Excited, totally, but I think we see hints that he will struggle with the adjustment like Mickey will. (E.g. he wants to try the new things like the gym and the pool but he finds he doesn’t know things - like how to work the treadmill or that he needs a towel in the pool, which I think hints at the fact that Ian likes the idea but hasn’t thought much about the implications of living on the West Side - or I could be digging a little too deep here….)

I can see Mickey feeling awkward and uncomfortable on the West Side, after all - we see that in canon. What’s interesting about those scenes is that as soon as he realises Ian doesn’t want him to change, he’s fine with living there. I don’t think he cares at all about what people think but he cares a lot about Ian’s opinion. And there is some insecurity there which is always interesting to analyse. I think you’re right that Mickey would struggle with adjusting to the West Side but I think Ian would go out of his way to make sure that Mickey knows Ian doesn’t want him to change. Their discussion was important and I think Ian would have taken that on board.

(Also, not sure if the beer gut mention is a headcanon or a comment on s11. If it’s about s11, I have to disagree. Mickey/Noel Fisher was very fit and slim in that season. The writers seemed to want to write a narrative of him being out of shape in contrast to Ian but it didn’t really work because Noel was looking so in shape 😅)

I hope you don’t mind that I disagreed with you on some points. I’m always interested to hear different people’s takes, so this isn’t me not wanting to get asks. I like discussing stuff, so always feel free to send messages. And to everyone else, I always love to hear other thoughts so please share them!

[tiffanytoms]

how does it feel knowing no one likes your new story?

Woof. 😳 A little bit unnecessarily cruel, don’t you think anon?

I’ll go ahead and answer this ask like it was a serious one and not just meant to try to dissuade me from continuing to write (again).

So obviously there was that whole fandom blowup back in March — I’m sure I don’t have to explain it to you, since I’m quite positive you are one of the people who started it — so yes, I knew that there would be a whole bunch of ppl who felt like they couldn’t publicly interact with my new story out of fear of being retaliated against themselves. I get that, and I wouldn’t wish this sort of treatment on anyone, so I want my readers to continue doing whatever makes them feel safest of course. This is so many of us’ happy place and taking care of one’s mental health is so, so important. No story is worth getting bullied over. 👍

But that aside… I’m pretty sure I mentioned from the very beginning that this would be a niche story? When I talked about my next fic ideas back in April 2021, I think not a single person asked for my Dark Lily idea. Everyone wanted Dark James, or the Bachelorette AU, or the bodyguard AU.

Sometimes a writer will write a story that they know might not be popular just for themselves. I wanted to read a story where Lily has complete power over James and isn’t afraid to use it, and (as far as I’ve been able to find) no one’s ever written it before… so I am 🤷‍♀️

You don’t always have to do what everyone else is doing, think what everyone is telling you to think. It’s okay to do weird things that you want to do.

So please, for the thousandth time: just block the ‘dark Jily’ tag and leave me and my readers alone and find something that will make you happy that isn’t tearing other ppl down.

Hope you feel better soon.

[lermisv4]

Unpopular fanfic opinion - PLEASE tell me how much my fic sucks

I take it as constructive criticism. I used to have this guy (before he vanished from the internet) who would look at every chapter I wrote scene by scene and tell me what he thought I did wrong and how he would do it different. Talking about walls of text here. AND I FUCKING LOVED IT. We would talk over PMs about each and every detail of what I was writing.

Yeah, I like it when you tell me what your favourite scene was, but that does NOTHING to improve me as an author. Those conversations did. I keep seeing people saying “don’t say negative stuff in the reviews unless the author asked for it which is extremely unlikely” but guys? Really? You get reviews?

Do you know just how much of a priviledge it is to get any kind of readership at all? I have a hard time with tagging. I write niche BS. All my readers vanished from ff.net and when I crossposted my stuff on AO3 nobody even took a second look. And it’s not just my stuff. I have seen some incredible fics that basically nobody gave a chance. Talking about novels with ten reviews at most.

Some of my most popular fics are now trash by my standards, shit I wrote back when I was 13 and I had no real grasp of the English language and could not tell canon from fanon. And I was so fucking grateful when people called me out on that. I wonder why nobody called my OCs Mary Sues because that’s what they were. Why nobody called me out on how incoherent I was. Stuff I saw years later.

But now I have no readers. Period. The rare few people who see my stuff tell me it’s good. But that’s not what I want. I want that long, LONG discussion because that motivates me to write. I want the reader to nitpick, to take my fic and tear it apart and tell me I’m wasting my time on that scene and it was unecessary, tell me how fake it all seems. Because I did have those kinds of readers, and they made me better.

Because they cared enough to read through and tell how to get better. And that is a goddamn priviledge that I’m broken to have lost.

So please, tell me how much I suck. Please.

[rindecisions]

Stranger Tales: Part 9

A poll based Stranger Things fanfiction

Read all of Stranger Tales on AO3

After careful consideration, he finally picked one. He wanted to use Metal Queen, due to it being the closest to Corroded Coffin’s style, but ended up choosing Cherry Bomb. He figured Velvet would prefer something a little catchier. He couldn’t say he necessarily liked the song, but the lyrics were fun at least. Keeping his guitar unplugged, he listened to the song on repeat, trying to learn it.

—

Thursday was a day of consistent discouragement on Steve’s end. By his lunch break, he’d all but given up on trying to get a date.

“God, you’re mopey,” Robin complained as she walked in the back.

Steve just grunted in response and put his forehead on the table.

“If you really don’t want to go to the show this bad, you don’t have to.”

“It’s not the show,” Steve said into the table. “I have no problem going with you.”

Robin glanced at the board she’d stopped using a couple hours into their shift, with five marks in the ‘You Suck’ column. “Why are you so stuck on getting a girlfriend, anyway?”

“I haven’t been single this long since elementary.”

“This long… being?”

Steve paused and started counting on his fingers in front of his face. “About seven months.”

“Okay…” Robin pulled up a chair and sat on it backward, crossing her arms on the back and resting her chin on them. “Guess how long it’s been for me?”

Steve shrugged and looked up at her from the table.

“Seventeen,” she said plainly.

“Days?” Steve quirked an eyebrow.

“Years.”

Steve looked like he was in deep thought. “But aren’t you seventeen?”

“Yes,” she said patronizingly. She rolled her eyes when it seemed like Steve still wasn’t getting it. “I’ve never had a date, dingus,” she stated firmly.

“Oh…” Steve sat up and stared at the table. “That sucks.”

The counter bell chimed, and Robin got up. “Don’t beat yourself up about it too much.”

He groaned as she left.

—

Friday came, and Eddie was about as prepared as he could be outside of just practice. When it got close to nighttime, he packed up his guitar and went to the Hideaway. It was only 7 pm, but he knew Velvet always showed up a few hours early, so he let himself in the back door.

“Oh, good,” Velvet’s disembodied voice carried over as soon as he entered. “I was worried you’d forgotten.”

“Nah,” Eddie shrugged. It always surprised him that she knew it was him without even looking.

“Did you figure out what you’re doing?”

“Yep,” Eddie held up the cassette as he walked around the corner, where she was putting on her vibrant red wig at a vanity.

“Great.” She fixed the front of her wig. “Just tell me it’s something recognizable and not some niche metal song.”

“Yes, it’s a well-known one,” he rolled his eyes.

“Good.” She smiled at him and took the cassette. “Let’s see what you’ve got in mind.”

Eddie followed her to the stage; the heavy curtains were still drawn and sounds of men enjoying sports could be heard from the other side. He walked up to the microphone and adjusted the height, making sure it was off.

“Track?”

“First track,” he responded simply, flipping his guitar over his shoulder so it was in front of him.

She nodded and put the tape in a small stereo. “Move the mic away from the curtain so I can watch you.”

Eddie did as asked, and got situated so he was clearly visible from Velvet’s position.

“Ready?”

Eddie nodded firmly, and she smiled before pressing the play button. She recognized the song as soon as it started and was pleased with his selection. And just as she’d hoped, Eddie knew what made a good show and didn’t need him to do his full routine to know he was going to do just fine. Velvet turned off the music, making Eddie pause in confusion. He glanced around awkwardly. “Was it bad?”

“Not at all,” she chuckled. “I saw plenty, and I’d say you’ve got it.”

Eddie smiled and swung his guitar onto his back. “So now what?”

“Have you come up with a stage name yet?”

“Uh,” Eddie reached into his pocket for a crumpled piece of paper. “I came up with a few but figured you should choose, seeing as you’ll be the one announcing it.” He held the paper out to her.

“Oh, boy…” she said sarcastically, taking the paper and uncrumpling it. There were four names written on it in his oddly bubbly handwriting.

More fics by Rindecision

[thenamesblurrito]

imagining the shenanigans for the crossover is hysterical. TFA! arcee realizing theyre all kids and is delighted to teach but also "oh god theyre all kids???? how huge are adults???" ultra magnus slowly turning to look and minimus with horror upon realizing he's not done growing.

shockwave and megs and the cons think the heights wont be so bad. shockblast makes their lines grow cold because "WOW YOURE BIG. SORRY." SNAP! lugnut realizing that TFA!megs is a grown ass man and keeps defaulting to dad mode on accident.

the frumbles realize TFA! soundwave is fully grown but only a year old. little sibling acquired.

I think about crossovers literally All The Time and yes yes all of this

TFA Arcee would have no problem keeping up with these kiddos, she’s a badaft warrior grandma who could probably teach them some things about swordfighting, but also they’d have to be careful not to crush her on accident

Minimus would at first respect Magnus, look at him as a possible role model, but the more he learns about TFA’s Autobot society the more utterly disgusted he’d be. Legal tyranny is still tyranny! The same critiques he has of SNAPs Stratocracy are applicable to TFAs society! How dare the Magnus! I also think Orion and Optimus would get along fairly well? I mean the Autobot faction looks significantly different and Orion would… not like that, but Optimus is cool and seems to be figuring things out as he goes which is deeply relatable. But also talking about the Autobots means mentioning Missy is a flier which would be incredibly strange to TFA

And speaking of TFA fliers, the JETTWINS ARE SNAP STARSCREAMS PARENTS HELLO??? Can you imagine SNAP Starscream meeting these silly goofballs who are smaller and maybe younger than him and mentally comparing them to the clanky old grandpa vibes Jettwins who raised him and just bluescreening from sheer nope?? And the clones—TC and Skywarp would be so insulted but also find it hilarious that this random other Starscream is so pathetic he doesn’t even have siblings and had to clone himself with space magic only to end up with bad copies who don’t even listen to him. Like. SNAP TC and Skywarp take one look at their counterparts and are permanently assured of their own value and competency in comparison to those weirdos

SNAP Lugnut telling TFA Megatron that he’s being very rude, you should put that cannon down before you take somebody’s optic out, watch your attitude kiddo or there’s no dessert tonight. He doesn’t even normally parent like that he just finds TFA Megs much less agreeable than his own darling punk child. This alternate universe guy would be a bad influence! Not to mention just being huge in comparison to TFA Lug

And boy oh boy the TFA cons would not be happy to hear that Shockwave has no affiliation with the faction! That the faction is, apparently, made up of just six ish utter idiots for some reason, and they aren’t even conquering and ruling as is the Decepticon way! What is wrong with these giants?? Are they even Decepticons??? And the SNAP cons would think the same thing, like you are exactly the kind of oppressive function-based regime we are fighting against, get fragged! Galvatron would try to squish TFA Megs like a cockroach after an hour of conversation

SNAP Soundwave would be kind of insulted that his counterpart is a Decepticon but would ignore it in favor of immediately kidnapping him and making him a minion—sorry, minicon. And the TFA minicons would be like miniconception… the sheer chaos and squabbling that would occur. Insane

Crossovers give me life I love them I need them and the sheer utter mismatch of TFA vs SNAP makes it a particularly entertaining crossover to think about. Please someone prevent me from going full niche self indulgent and coming up with proper crossover content and/or somebody else do it for me

[emustockings]

handful of worldbuilding tips

Probably the most important: explain your ideas to somebody else. On the one hand, it works like how computer programmers will talk to rubber duckies--the act of explaining it aloud will both solidify your ideas and help you naturally notice holes in your own logic. I highly recommend taking it one step further though and talking it out to an actual person because they’ll naturally ask questions to learn more and might lead you in directions a reader would be interested in that you plum didn’t even start to think about.

Research better not harder. As a writer, you’ll probably be interested in the first-hand experiences of your characters, so oftentimes you’re not researching what’s there as much as you’re trying to figure out what it’s like. Tailor your research accordingly. For example, if I’m researching blacksmithing because my character is a blacksmith, it’s less valuable for me to just find lists and lists of dates or materials and more valuable for me to look for actual accounts of blacksmithing, historical recreations, and different methods throughout history.

Why is your world the way it is? What is your worldbuilding doing for the story? Here’s something that might be a little counterintuitive... Obviously, the real world doesn’t always have A Reason for things to happen, but you’re not creating an actual world here. You’re telling a story, and the glimpses we see of your world will be confined to that story. Therefore, it’s helpful not to just throw out worldbuilding randomly for the sake of only creating a world that’s servicable--instead, tailor the way your world works to emphasize the story you’re telling, its themes and its characters. Treat the world like it’s a character too. Readers will be a lot more forgiving of potential holes in worldbuilding or plot if it all has an internal logic or aesthetic or emotion that makes sense to them, that ultimately still serves the story anyway.

If you’re gonna use fantasy or sci fi metaphors to explore a problem in our own world, please actually understand how that problem works LOL This is a huge pet peeve of mine... You don’t HAVE to write a political story if you aren’t actually interested in politics (and therefore know nothing about them cough). If you need themes, you could just as easily write closer to what you actually know or care about, like the experiences of individual characters or, idk, mycology or whatever niche thing you’re into. Even if it’s a made-up world you should still be writing about what you care about most if you want the story to shine authentically.

It’s helpful to know more about your world than will actually appear in the story. If you know the hows and whys of your world you can play in it more comfortably and with a greater sense of consistancy. That doesn’t mean you need to explain everything you know--in fact, it’s helpful to focus only on what’s relevant to the story. Your reader won’t get everything you’ve got, and that’s ok. That’s normal. Practice discernment to keep things tight.

Sometimes you gotta trust The Cool Factor. “There’s no reason for this giant monster to look like this... but it’s super cool.” Keep it. It’s cool!!!! Everybody loves cool shit!!!!!

[chryzure-archive]

🥺🤡😈✨💋⛔👀🎉🤯 For those fanfic asks!! <3

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

the inherent tenderness of cleaning the blood off another… of caring for them after they’ve gone on a murder spree… of tending to their wounds…. OH, also comforting someone after they’ve been possessed. THE POWER OF LOVE OVERCOMING CURSES AND SPELLS ALSO, BUT IT’S EXTREMELY DRAINING AND IT ENDS WITH BOTH CHARACTERS CLINGING TO EACH OTHER FOR DEAR LIFE, TAKING SOLACE IN EACH OTHER!!!

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

she would shoot jacks for her own entertainment btw

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

oh, for sure. pretty much any sort of angsty foreshadowing is playfully mean, but the most recent example is probably the way i kept hinting at azure never drinking / eating in the october fic. initially it seems it’s out of his stress for chrysi, but obviously that’s not the whole truth…

also, whenever chrysi ignores jacks’s advances before she realizes he has feelings for her… it’s so mean! it hurts him! it’s very fun to watch everyone yell at her for not acknowledging his feelings :)

basically, everything is playfully mean when you enjoy writing painful scenarios 🖤

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

hmm, my writing is the exact kind of heartbreaking that i adore, mixed with a wry sense of humor 😌

💋 First kiss fics. Love em or hate em?

i personally love writing first kiss fics w chrysi in particular, since she will have a first kiss with someone and then take about six more months to admit her feelings for them. she’s so fascinating in that regard.

chrysijacks first kiss fics are esp hilarious since it’s like. jacks going “oh my god… i’ve found my one true love…” and chrysi’s like “alright so back to business, since i felt absolutely nothing when we kissed 🖤” guys…

⛔ Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

it’s not that i’ve scrapped them, it’s jst more of the fact that i don’t know if i’ll ever have the time to write all of them, buuut i think most notably would be my ella enchanted chrysijacks au… i’ll probably jst post the scene where she almost stabs him and leave it at that. all the other snippets i’ve written will go in my unfinished folder 🤧

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

obviously i’ve said this before, but i’m working on the jacks origin story fic as of right now. it’s about jacks and his friendship with chrysi and the way it all devolves as she hides her disease from him + as she falls in love with azure. i also explore the deal he made with the fallen star after azure and chrysi both die and how that correlates with his fear of being unimportant and his fear of dying.

basically, i’m character-studying jacks and writing yet another angst soulmates story with chryzure.

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success?

if it makes me want to wail into my pillow as i write it (affectionate), and if it gives me a clear mental image of the scenes playing out, AND IF I ACTUALLY FINISH IT… it is a success 🖤

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

hmm… i think action might be the hardest for me to write? i’m a very visual writer (everything is like a movie in my head), and it’s hard to get camera angles / shot-editing / a visual medium to explain disorientation across in a written medium instead.

in the same vein, i find adventure to be a bit difficult too… i can’t explain it, but action-adventure has never been my niche. i like a slower pace in my writing. lots of character moments rather than scenario moments!

[olindabell]

The Knight and the Necromancer

chapter 1/?: The Skull in the Wagon -- read on ao3 or below

fandoms: bones x dungeons and dragons

pairings: seeley booth x temperance brennan, jack hodgins x angela montenegro, lance sweets x james aubrey

summary: when a cannibalised skull is thrown from a bridge in waterdeep, necromancer temperance brennan and paladin seelie booth are tasked with assembling their adventuring party and hunting down the prime suspect, the lich gormogon. 

warnings: general fantasy violence, angst, slow burn, description of dead bodies.

notes: this is incredibly niche but personally i’m obsessed with it. i hope that if anyone reads it they enjoy it! 

No one likes being woken up in the middle of a deep trance, especially after two days of unearthing the skeletonised corpse of a frost giant halfway up the frigid Sword Mountains. This was the first decent trance Temperance had had in days – an empty, dreamless trance – and instead of waking up a few hours later to the comforting grey of predawn light, she opened her eyes to a loud and insistent banging on her front door.

The racket grew louder as she took the stairs two at a time. ‘I’m coming!’ she yelled, but whoever was on the other side of the door was not so easily persuaded. She sighed, realising she knew who it must be.

She pulled open the door just as Booth’s hand came down for another bang. She ducked out of the way, his hand just missing her face.

‘Careful, Booth!’ she said.

‘Gods, you look terrible,’ he laughed.

‘I was trancing.’

‘Well, trance time’s over.’ He shouldered past her and into the tower. He was fully dressed, plate armour reflecting the candlelight, shield on his back and sword on his hip, fingerless white gauntlets clinking.

Temperance rubbed her eyes. ‘What do you want?’

‘There’s a skull, Bones—’

‘Don’t call me that.’

‘—thrown from a bridge in the smithing district, into some noble's wagon.’

‘Get one of the crown wizards to have a look. I’m on a dig at the moment.’

‘That little giant in the Sword Mountains?’

‘It’s the best-preserved skeleton in the realm, Booth. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.’

‘Please.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘You’re an elf, you’ll live for another six hundred years.’

Temperance rubbed her eyes. ‘Did you wake me up just to argue with me?’

‘No, I woke you up to come and look at this skull.’

She glared at him. ‘You won’t leave unless I come with you, will you?’

‘Nope.’ He leant against the dining table, then gestured to her black silk robe. ‘I’ll wait while you get dressed.’

#

Waterdeep was never quiet, not even in the dead of night. Merchants stumbled in bleary-eyed from the docks, followed by sailors in worn leathers and private guards clinking with crude weapons. Servants from noble houses bustled to-and-fro, decked in the coats and colours of the houses they served, worrying aloud about scrolls and groceries and clothes for the laundry. Drunks hollered their way out of taverns, fight pits, gambling houses, brothels; the smells were so distinct – dwarven ale or elven wine – that a passer-by could tell a fellow’s preference halfway down the street. And in the centre of the smithing district, the salty air warmed by the furnaces on all sides, knights of the City Watch were stationed in a circle around a wagon, holding the murmuring onlookers at bay. Seelie Booth didn’t have to say a word to anyone; the guards took one look at him, nodded, and parted to grant him access. But all of them lowered their eyes to their feet at the sight of the high elf striding behind him.

Temperance was used to such treatment. She knew humans found high elves unsettling, for a number of reasons: their agelessness, their aloofness, their seeming emotional disconnect from the outside world. She knew she was disliked because people saw all those things in her. Plus, no one liked how comfortable she was around dead bodies.

A nervous apprentice wizard pointed Temperance towards the skull. She shouldered her way around a noble in purple clothes, who was yelling at some of the City Watch. The skull was partially lodged in the thick wood of the wagon’s front. No flesh remained, only pale grey bone.

‘What’ve you got?’ Booth asked.

Temperance squinted at the skull. ‘Male, half-elf,’ she said. ‘I can have a closer look at the lab. Did anyone see anything?’

‘Driver thinks the skull was thrown from up there.’ Booth pointed to a brick walkway above the road.

‘What’s it for?’ Temperance asked.

‘Connects two of the smithies,’ Booth said. ‘Same owner. But anyone can access it, there’s a ladder in that alley over there.’

‘I’ll meet you back at the lab, then.’

Booth sputtered, ‘You’re leaving?’

‘I need my equipment to have a closer look. And don’t you have witnesses to talk to?’ She gestured to the yelling noble.

‘Hang on–’

‘I’ll see you back at the lab!’ she called over her shoulder, before disappearing into the crowd.

#

Temperance was fond of a lot of things, but her lab – and she considered it hers – was her favourite place in all of Faerûn. Many mages used the space, but all of them deferred to her, respected her, and most importantly, left her alone. Of course, they deferred to Camille too, and some of the other department heads, but she tried not to let that bother her.

This late in the night, the lab was empty. Temperance waved her hand in front of the rune lock and the doors swung inwards, revealing a pale stone room with a thick glass ceiling. Unlit braziers lined the walls; Temperance made a gesture in the air and spoke the Elvish word for flame, and the braziers burst into life. The centre of the room was raised, and sleek obsidian tables perched above the rest of the room, giving the platform a dark, imposing air.

Wards lined the edges of the platform, but Temperance simply stepped over them. Once she was next to the central table, she let out a breath, the stiffness evaporating from her jaw. The silence, the cool air coming through the glass ceiling, the flickering candle flames, all of it comforted her. Here, she felt at ease.

She placed the case with the skull on the table and pressed open the latches, but before she could lift the lid, something pinged in her ear.

Booth’s voice radiated into her mind. ‘Hey, Bones, borrowed a message spell from one of my guys. I’m on my way to the lab, do you want me to pick up Zack on the way?’

Sighing, Temperance said, ‘That would be helpful, thank you.’

Lifting the skull from the case, she placed it in the middle of the table, then conjured a few floating lights directly above it. The liquid black surface of the obsidian table rippled as the lights swayed gently in the air.

Soon, Temperance was lost in her work. She etched runes into paper, chanted powerful words. Her hand pulled components from the pouch on her belt, ashes and plants and powdered glass. The room grew thick with her magic, a smell like burnt sugar and pollen, a haze like heat. The world outside faded away, until all she was left with was the bobbing lights, the inky black table, and the pale skull in the centre of it all.

‘Bones!’

Temperance jumped. Booth was standing at the bottom of the platform, Zack by his side. ‘Were you trancing again?’

‘No,’ she sighed. ‘Just focused.’

‘Well, unfocus.’ He paced at the edge of the wards. ‘Will you let me up?’

‘Zack can do it,’ she said without turning around.

Sighing, and the patter of Zack’s small feet up the platform stairs, followed by Booth’s clanking. Zack appeared at her elbow, drawing over a stool and climbing up for a better view, his gnomish stature too small for the table.

‘What do you see?’ Zack asked.

She handed him a magnifying glass and a petal from a daisy. ‘You tell me what you see.’

Temperance waited, and Booth paced, while Zack examined the skull, his spell tome hovering in the air next to him, obeying his murmured commands to turn the page or read a passage aloud. Temperance avoided the book; she knew Zack never wanted to follow her into necromancy, his mind too broad to be focused on a single pursuit, but the animated book that flew around him had always made her uncomfortable.

After some time, Zack looked up from his work and said, ‘Teeth marks.’

Temperance said, ‘Very good, I concur.’

Booth said, ‘What?’

‘Teeth marks,’ Temperance said. ‘The skull has been gnawed on.’

‘You mean…’ He looked around, then whispered, ‘a cannibal?’

‘Yes, exactly,’ Zack said.

Booth turned pale. ‘The Lords of Waterdeep aren’t going to like that.’

‘Most people don’t like cannibals.’ Temperance removed her leather gloves and dismissed the lights. ‘I’m going to trance in my office. Please don’t wake me until morning.’

‘What? No!’ Booth scurried after her. ‘We need to meet with the Lords, start gathering clues.’

‘You go talk to the Lords.’ Temperance lit the candles and incense on her desk and removed her emergency cushion from its shelf. ‘I’ll be here when you’re done.’

‘We’re partners, remember? That means we do these things together.’

‘I’m tired, Booth.’ She shot him a look. ‘I spent the last two days unearthing remains halfway up a mountain.’

He put his hands on his hips, huffed, then said, ‘Four hours, and then I’m back, alright?’

‘Yes, four hours.’

He left the room, muttering under his breath, his armour clanking and banging with each stomp. Temperance sat, cross legged on her cushion, and quickly slipped into trance, into a void of thought as black and liquid as obsidian.

[maddipoof]

Hey mara!! I love the name mara, it sounds super gorgeous <3. Your celebrations are super fun as well, I requested a ship for one of your previous ones and I still re-read it sometimes!!

Could I please get Arabella this time around?

I tend to overdress most of the time, I don't mean to, it just happens 😭I have long and curly dark brown hair that I almost always leave untied. I love wearing makeup, my favorite is a good red lip!

Here's some outfits that match my style-

https://pin.it/1CVjjjx

https://pin.it/3qhDGF7

Here's a general description! -

I'm fairly introverted and it takes me a while to warm up to people. I love reading, my room is filled with stacks of books. I adore adventures, witty and playful banter, pulling harmless pranks, joking around and having indepth discussions on anything and everything. I love helping out and people come to me to vent or for advice and comfort. I'd consider myself really smart and I'm very ambitious; I love being the best at everything I do. I daydream a lot and I'm a hopeless romantic. I love romantic gestures and domesticity sm!! My love languages are acts of service and quality time.

Thank you very much! I hope you had a safe flight ❤️

🥺🥺 wait that’s so sweet, i love that you reread it <3 and thank you, and i’m so happy that you’ve come back again, it makes me really happy

So usually, with the pranks and all, i’d like to say marauders, BUT! nay nay

i’m expanding my horizons so i think you’d fit well with the Newsies, yes yes a niche audience i know, but! let me explain,

I think you’d be one of the girls that walks by every morning and they all tip their hats to you because they’re such little gentlemen, BUT! you don’t buy any of their papers then, you wait until you run into one of them by chance and then he goes home like “You won’t believe who i sold a pape to today” and theyre all like “Her? No way” but yes way and you keep running into each other and every day you stay a little longer and your conversations get a little deeper and all of a sudden you’re friends with all the other newsies too. And when the strike happens, you’re right there supporting them. I think you’d be not like Pulitzer rich, but you’d have nice silk dresses and not have to work in any sort of manufacturing child labor situation.

You and Sarah would be best friends and helping all of them figure out how to stay afloat during the strike and helping them save up after once they get more money. You like that they feel comfortable enough to ask you for help but also just to come to you and talk about how they feel, like with the strike but also about anything at all.

And then you’re first newsie, your bestie, you fall in love because it’s my hc and i need you two to be happy <3 BUT it starts by him saving up some of his money to be able to get you snacks, like you see him in the morning and you buy a paper and he gives you a candy bar with it (like Charlie and the chocolate factory but romantic)

OH MY GOD AND COOKING TOGETHER what’s more domestic than that. Like you’re taking care of the dinner for the big meeting and he’s helping you get everything ready. then when they sing with medda and that part where Jack sings to Sarah? yeah that is you, it is romantic and it is love

(and if you want to tell me what you think just tell me on anon if you’d like, i don’t want you to ✨reveal yourself✨ like the phantom of the opera if you don’t want to)