#Janus structures

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Superhydrophobic particles offer promising method to tackle water pollutants

Emerging pollutants are compounds—microplastics, oils, dyes, pharmaceuticals, plasticizers, etc.—that end up in aquatic ecosystems and can pose an environmental and health risk. These pollutants, which are related to human activities, can be found in wastewater, and removing them represents a scientific, technological and societal challenge. Now, a study led by the University of Barcelona presents an innovative strategy based on using particles of a superhydrophobic nature to degrade pollutants that are difficult to remove from water. The paper by UB researchers Oriol Rius-Ayra and Núria Llorca-Isern, from the Characterization and Processes in Materials Science Research Group (CPCM), is published in the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. The results of the study open up new possibilities for the design of new superhydrophobic materials with multifunctional properties to remove persistent pollutants, a scientific objective that is one of the research group's lines of research.

Read more.

[lemodoe]

ohhhh thats cool as fuck...ookaayy..

[all-seeing-ifer]

found out from the canon aspec podcast character google doc of all places that apparently janus descending has a sequel series now?? so I guess I know what my next source of entertainment is

[arcandoria]

Hi, i was wondering if you could give some insight on to how Warhammer 40K naming conventions work? I have been searching and i have found really confusing info, so if you could help i would be really grateful.😭

Hi anon! Yeah I feel you, I was a bit lost at first. Honestly I can't give you a "100% Warhammer 40k" answer because what I did was look for real life name affixes, look into names that pop up in WH40k lore, and names specifically in Rogue Trader.

This page here was a good start.

Through this link it was a bit easier to understand the use of "van" and "von" (taken from Dutch and German affixes):

This led me to assumption one: While "van" can be for anyone (just like Heinrix became van Calox after being disowned), "von" might be restricted to nobility, specially on the level of a Rogue Trader (von Valancius).

The use of "van" doesn't seem limited to a sector, it can be for anything that is relevant to the character's originated location. You could probably use a Voidship's name for a voidborn.

Then we got "af". Theodora is Theodora von Valancius Massimo af Scarus, an Imperial Sector. A Noble!RT is [Name] Aeos Venria de Vahl af Calixis, another Imperial Sector. In both of these and in other instances, it shows up at the end of the name structure. It also seems to be limited for nobility, based on the characters it appears.

Because Cerys does not come from a known Sector but rather a binary star system, I noticed that some of these people had a planet name right after their name (even if they have "af" at the end).

Faisal Rykadi ab Medineh af Koronus

Vistenza Janus Vyatt ab Aram af Koronus

This got me to assumption two: I don't know if Rykadi was intentional from Rykad, but I enjoyed the idea that it indicates a system origin. So my personal twist came to be and I added "Tallarni" for Cerys Tallarni, to indicate her origins due to lack of a proper Sector, without using "van".

Both these names also make use of "ab", which seems to be patronymic in some cultures:

Assumption number three: Medineh and Aram are probably the founding fathers of these people's respective families. It also shows after the System Origin and what seems to be just a surname.

All of this craziness seems to be most common among nobility. A lot of other characters, even ones who ascended to nobility, have a pretty normal name structure. Abelard Werserian, CrimeLord!RT being Stubbs, Militarum!RT being Scipio-Grimald, etc. So honestly, just do what your heart desires.

Cerys for example was simply Cerys Scipio Al-Rachad before becoming Rogue Trader, since the patronymic "Al-" shows up in some Tallarn Desert Raider characters and matches the ethnic inspiration.

So I guess the break down I settled on was:

[Name] [System/Planet] [Surname] [Patronymic] [Dynasty/Family] [Origin/Sector]

Cerys Tallarni Scipio ab Rachad von Valancius

Which is still not perfect because Theodora, for example, does not follow that by having von Valancius right after her name, though I suppose it could just mean she was born directly into the dynasty.

As a side note and complete headcanon, I like the idea that van Sector might work for Imperium Servants who were disowned, like Heinrix, just like Westerosi give bastards a surname by region. So by joining the ranks of the Inquisition and not just being a regular joe anymore, he got van Calox for maybe working in the Calixis Sector, or by being there when that promotion happened.

[quins-makeshift-menagerie]

Seeing that other anon made me remember that I never actually posted my Typhon theory, SO here we are! My apologies for the overall length of this message, I hope I'm not cluttering your inbox too badly! (That, and I'm sorry if someone has made this theory before. I don't check up here too often.)

SO! Now to my theory.

This Mew, pictured below-- that is Typhon.

So far, there are multiple things we know about both Janus and Typhon, which have led me to believe that this is the case. I will present this evidence below-- it is going to get very image-heavy. I apologize.

Typhon has been shown, on multiple accounts, with a different bone structure, indicating some level of shape-shifting.

You have mentioned before that your design of Typhon has always been final, so I do not believe any alterations in his design to be due to said design being a prototype at any point in time. That being said, Typhon has been shown with both Mewtwo AND Mew anatomy.

As you can see in exhibits two and three, Typhon has the head shape of a Mew and, more importantly, the bone structure of one in exhibit three. Notice the three toes, and the lack of a dewclaw on his hind legs. His overall body shape is clearly that of a Mew.

However, in more recent images (most of which are too bloody for me to post), Goopy's body is clearly more Mewtwo-like, in both skeletal structure and his overall size. To get a better view of what I mean, I recommend that anyone (who can deal with the gore) to take a look at any image Typhon is in, and look at his skeletal leg. But for now, have exhibits four and five.

What I believe this to mean, I will go over in my conclusion.

2. Janus was aware of Typhon's existence.

Janus has told Fuji (and by that extent, us) that he was aware of Typhon's existence. That being, "Yung's other project". We are aware that they thought very lowly of both Yung and his creations, and given her reaction to Fuji when he was first created, I can imagine that her encounter with Typhon went much of the same. It is clear that Janus did not destroy Typhon, however, it is very likely that they believed him to die soon enough.

As you can see in exhibit six, Janus appears to recognize Typhon after he and Nemo sense him, and though at first he is in denial about the whole thing...

...she ends up with the grim realization that she may have underestimated Typhon after all.

3. Despite Janus knowing of Typhon's existence, they either thought he was dead, or did not consider him "complete" enough to fit among the ranks of the other Mewtwo.

Janus indicated that she knew of Bellatrix's existence before she was ever revealed to us as a character. This in revealed in the post made on September 26th, 2023, in which Janus laments about all of the Mewtwo that have been created. Notably, Typhon is not here, despite him being revealed only about a month later on October 31st, 2023. (Though one could argue that he had already been teased before then.) See, exhibit seven.

Janus has no reason to lie to us. They were forthcoming in just about everything else asked of them, so why be obtuse about this? Same with Omni. Omni and Janus are friends, and yet when Omni asked if anything had "happened" before then, Janus doesn't answer the question specifically. If there was another Mew in Janus's world, an ACTUAL MEW, one that could have been considered family-- I do not see any reason that Janus would have to withhold that information from not only their equal, but their friend.

I take this to mean that Janus never considered Typhon to be alive-- at least, not before now. Nothing more than a failed experiment, until she was forced to reconcile otherwise.

4. Conclusion:

Because of the information presented above, I believe that "baby Mew" you showed us is actually Typhon.

Janus very clearly has met Typhon before, but only thought of him as a "project". She met him likely a long time before ever meeting Bella, maybe even around the same time she met Fuji-- meaning that her opinion on clones was not a positive one. Combined with the fact that Janus never considered Typhon to be "as alive" as Fuji, Bella, Zeus, and the others, I doubt they never expected him to be fully sentient or capable of surviving. It is entirely within the realm of possibility that Janus left Typhon to die, expecting that "failed experiment" to simply dissolve away. After all, he "lacks" what Nemo "stole".

Typhon's form is very clearly unstable. I think, when he was first created, Yung attempted to make a Mew. But Mews, as we have seen with Nemo's coma, have very unstable DNA, and Typhon's body was unable to hold itself together. He was always destined to die. He knew it, Janus knew it, and instead of helping him, Janus left him. His body, still, is prone to spontaneously dying-- if that revive stone is any indication. I think that as he grew, his body warped itself into something more "stable", something his DNA was actually capable of holding together-- a Mewtwo.

Him appearing as a mangled Mew instead of a Mewtwo in Nemo's dream is likely his "ideal self". Nemo got the stability that he never had, the body that he never had, and he wants it back. In the real world, he is unable to hold the form that he was born with, and so he must settle for something less. Something inferior. He could have just taken Fuji's body and ran, but no, that's not what he's after. Typhon wants to be a Mew, he is a Mew-- and there's only two Pokémon on Earth that could ever help him achieve that goal.

Or at least, that's what I think.

I wanna eat this ask like a massive bowl of spaghetti mmmmm

[inimitableseal5095]

Janus : *upon seeing that Virgil is also dressed as Snoopy for the costume party* Ugh, you know. This is why you... Virgil, remember. For the last couple of weeks, I kept saying "Can I have a couple of minutes of your time to talk to you about something?" This is what it was about! This evening is "rueened!"

Virgil: Look, I... Wait, what?

Janus: This evening is rueened! The whole evening is rueened!

Virgil: Why are you saying it like that?

Janus: Saying what? I'm just pointing out the party's rueened.

Virgil: You know what? I'm not gonna get sucked into this.

Virgil: *walks away, then comes back*

Virgil: Okay, just so that I'm sure. Really? Are you just trying to piss me off or is that really how you say it?

Janus: What are you talking about? I'm talking about this rueened evening.

Virgil: That's not how you say "ruined."

Janus: What? Rueened?

Virgil: What do you call the remains of ancient Greek structures?

Janus: Ruins.

Virgil: And how would you describe this evening?

Janus: Well, rueened, of course. This evening is rueened.

Virgil: Say "ruined."

Janus: Rueened.

Virgil: Ruined.

Janus: Rueened.

Virgil: Ruined.

Janus: Rueened.

Virgil: Dumbass.

Janus: Well, Virgil. Don't be "cruelle."

[wicked-by-nature--askblog]

Yey!! Glad to help ya!!

You want to ask hhmmm. You said that your Kodanth isn't the one who works with baby changelings. So who does it? Tell me about your Janus Order structure.

Aand i'm crave more information about Juska. Ilove Juska! Pls don't make him dead his such a nice oc!!

If you want to draw... our changelings or Kodanths interacting? More Juska? Or just your guys? I am just a huge fun of your artworks that makes me happy when i see them :3

Yes, so there are changelings who primarily look after the birthstones and whelps at the base, which will be turned into future changelings. I don't really have much info about them yet TwT

And Juska! I'm too tired to think of some new stuff rn, but here's a doodle of him playing with his dog!

Let's see what his fate will be then 😼 if I even have the heart to kill him off?

(And thank you :D)

- HuttuHarakka

[mindblowingscience]

A team of researchers from Jilin University, NYU Abu Dhabi's Smart Materials Lab, and the Center for Smart Engineering Materials, led by Professor of Chemistry Pance Naumov, has developed a new crystalline material that can harvest water from fog without any energy input. The design of the novel type of smart crystals, which the researchers named Janus crystals, is inspired by desert plants and animals, which can survive in arid conditions. Desert beetles and lizards, for example, have evolved to develop surface structures that have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas and effectively capture moisture from the air. Water is attracted to the hydrophilic areas and droplets are accumulated and transported through the hydrophobic areas.

Continue Reading.

[capricornbones]

I never posted here to Tumblr! This is my best work to date.

This post is long overdue, but finally, this long anticipated project is ready to share. Pictures just don’t do this sweet little soul justice for how unique he truly is. This stillborn kitten was born with a deformity known as Diprosopus, which causes two faces to form in the same skull.

Diprosopus is a rare, life-threatening developmental defect during embryogenesis, and a subtype of conjoined twins, characterized by partial or complete duplication of the facial structures on a single head, neck, trunk and body.

Diprosopus often occurs in combination with other congenital disorders, particularly anencephaly, neural tube defect and cardiac malformations. When present, the brain may show abnormalities ranging from partial to complete duplication of brain structures, and/or underdevelopment of brain tissues. Cats with the condition are known as 'Janus cats', after the Roman god.

This was such a strange and yet amazing specimen to be trusted to work with. I’m so pleased with how he turned out and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

[cinnamon-lotus]

do u like characters who haunt the narrative or do they irritate tf out of you? Additionally, which is your fav "haunts the narrative" character <3

So ok. U can't ask me this. I have 0 control over my emotions right now. I HAVE SEVERAL. But i will give u 2 or a few or idk Im writting this without a thought and a structure.

*Coming here after writting my last word. I GOT MAD. I wrote 3 people: Jace Herondale, Julian Blackthorn and lastly and my FAVOURITE ROSE HATHAWAY. (This last one has spoilers from 3 to 6 books, and i left out SOOOOOO MUCH, But I spoilered the biggest plot twists. so dont read it if ur planning to read Vampire acedemy)

*Also realized u asked if i liked characters that haunt the narrative. Its at the bottom.

JACE HERONDALE. I know everyone says Will and i get u, but mine is Jace. I read him when i was a freshly teen I GOT OBSSESSED Im still are.

He suffered SO MUCH for just existing (kind of like Sebastian but thats another talk). When there was a little calm, another thing happened. Her lover turned to be her sister, then her stepmum didnt wanted him,the Lucian started to take him as a stepfather -kind of the same he was to Clary-, Also fxing Valentine, realzing he is a experiment, thinking he is A DEMon, but that was just the real brother of Clary. Being controled, HE DIED once, and almost twice by Simon AND HE WOULD HAVE LET HIM. He was stabbed 2. People he loved died and he still was fighting FOR HIS GIRL. All of that to, us readers, realize Clary rejected his proposal and NOW FUCKING JANUS IS TRYING TO STEAL HIS GIRL CAUSE JANUS IS FUCKINGG HAUNTING THE NARRATIVE TOO.

JULIAN BLACKTHORN, omg, omg, omg... This boy... He doesnt haunt the narrative, he fucking haunt MINDS. OURS. He started being a stepfather AT 12. I need to reread this ook again and again and again, to be as obssessed as i am for Jace but, Julian endured SO much and still found peace having Emma unable to touch her, because she reminded him everything was normal. AAAAAAAAHHHH. Stop it. Sometimes I might be at doing wahtever and then I remember how he didn`t have a driver lisence and had to get the groceries delivered and carried them uo to the institute. Stop it.

SPOILERS

BUT NOW, MY ONLY ONE. THIS MEN DOES NOT HAUNT THE NARRATIVE. NARRATIVE HAUNTS HIM. WELL

ROSE HATHAWAY. She is from Vampire Acdemy from Richelle Mead.

There is No girl like her.

Bitch, I need to breath.

She is a damphir, she is born to be a guardian. To guard her best friend Lisa, a princess from the vampire royal family. At first u see her having this amazing conection with her and then u learn about the bond, al because that accident.

Now she gets soooooo in love with DIMITRI, her guardian/warrior teacher. And something happens to him. He gets bite and transform to Strigoi. But they made a promise. For who is tranformed, the other will end that sufferable life.

NOW HERE IS WHEN I CRY.

She left. she left even when she was getting crazier because of the bond. She left her STUDIES. IN HER LAST YEAR BEFORE GRADUATING. GUYS U SHOULD NEVER LEAVE UR STUDIES. BUT SHE DID. BECAUSE OF THE PROMISE.

She fucking left USA to go FUCKING RUSSIA TO KILL HIM. She is there as always fearless, but almost dead herself for having to kill him. SHE MET HER FAMILY AND FOR SOME TIME SHE THOUGHT ABOUT STAYING WITH THEM. BUT SHE HAD A PROMISE.

So she left, and when she found him she couldnt kill him. She just couldnt.

"Roza, you forgot my lesson. Don't hesitate" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

U just cant understand me. U just cant. I HAVE NONE TO TALK ABOUT ROSE AND DIMITRI.

And then Dimitri kidnapped her and he drunk of her kissing her and making her mind foggy. But when she is most wake up she fights and gets out. She summon the ghosts to make him slower, at the end she stands at the bridge, on top the railing. She would rather die than become strigoi.

She still asks him, just for trying, just out of love, "why should she stay together with him" He says because he wants her.

Strigois wants things, poeple. They are used to rutines from the past. They just want to posses and have.

when she falls she knows she woul catch her, because there is this things they still have. the same mechanism. So she has a stake in her hand when he puts her back on top of the railing not realizing the stake. AND SHE KILLS HIM. SHE SATBS HIM WHILE SHE SAYS "I LOVE YOU".

DIMITRI THE SAYS , "THATS WHAT I SHOULD HAVE SAID".

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

NOW HE IS DEAD. DEAD.

ONLY TO DISCOVER, HE DID NOT. ROZA DID NOT STAB DEEPER ENOUGH. SO HE SURVIVED. NOW HE IS HUNTING HER.

But then she finds she can turn him back TO LIFE, but for that she creates A PLAN TO KIDNAP FROM THE MOST GUARDED JAIL A ROYAL MEMBER WHO TRIED TO KILL LISA.

SO THEY DO THAT. SHE PLANS EVERYTHING KNOWING FUCKING WELL THEY WILL EXPELL HER IF THEY FOUND OUT BUT SHE DOES NOT CARE. SHE WILL FIGHT FOR HIM. A WHOLE BOOK OF THIS AND MORE ILLEGAL THINGS THAT ROSE DOES FOR HIM JUST FOR HIM TO BE COME BACK ALIVE AS A DAMPHIR -the last thing was that lisa had to be the one to stab kim with thius new stake sin she had the spirit.- AND SAID HE OWES LIS. LISA. DEFUCK U R ASYING. SHHUT THE FUCK UP. GET THE FUCK OUT. I HAVE NEVER, NEVER, BEEN SO MAD INNMY LIFE. I THING SOMETHIMES ABOUT THIS AND I AM FUMING.

DIMITRI DEVOTES THEN HIS LIFE TO LISA AND REFUSE TO TALK TO ROSE. BECAUSE OF HOOOOW TRAUMATIZED HE IS ABOUT ABUSING Rose and killing innocents as a Strigoi.

SHUT THE FUCK UP.

I PITY ROSE. IMAGINE DOING ALL THE WORK BEING THREATED MILLION TIME STO BE EXPELLED KNOWING WELL THE OTHER ROUT THE FEMALES DAMPHIR ENDS IS AS BLOODWHORES, JUTS FRO DIMITRI TO CARFE ONLY FOR LISA.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE DISAPOINTED IN MY LIFE. AND THIS IS NOT THE END.

NOW THERE IS THE LAST BOOK WHERE HE HAS TO HELP ROSE TO ESCAPE BECAUSE SOMEONE ACUSSED HER OF KILLING THE QUEEN. U KNOW WHY HE DOES HELP HER? BECAUSE LISA TOLD HIM.

I WANT TO STAB HIM MYSELF.

And blabla at the end he stop guiltying himself and loving Rose but blablabla like im so mad about before. its just i became a monster.

U GUYS DONT UNDERSTAND)

Btw, the song Little Girl Gone reminds me so much of Rose in her adventure to try and kill dimitri. Hear the lyrics.

OMG I just realized u asked me if i like it or not. Well u can tell for how i wrote that up there. Well. I do love characters that haunt the narrative. I also fucking irritated abot it. They make me suffer. but their endings are more satisfactory (unless the endings are sad endings too¿? like the existance of its own characters. Thats how i feel.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

A team of researchers from Jilin University, NYU Abu Dhabi's Smart Materials Lab, and the Center for Smart Engineering Materials, led by Professor of Chemistry Pance Naumov, has developed a new crystalline material that can harvest water from fog without any energy input. The design of the novel type of smart crystals, which the researchers named Janus crystals, is inspired by desert plants and animals, which can survive in arid conditions. Desert beetles and lizards, for example, have evolved to develop surface structures that have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas and effectively capture moisture from the air. Water is attracted to the hydrophilic areas and droplets are accumulated and transported through the hydrophobic areas.

Read more.

[uwmspeccoll]

It’s Fine Press Friday!

Today we feature work from Claire Van Vliet’s (b. 1933) legendary Janus Press. Designating Duet was designed and printed by Van Vliet in West Burke, Vermont in 1989, in a limited edition of one hundred and seventy-five copies and features two poems by Sandra McPherson (1943-2024): Putting Your Name in Your Blues and Names Not on Quilts. The quilt motif is built through Van Vliet’s trademark interwoven concertina structure, and printed on Fabriano paper as well as handmade papers by Katie MacGregor. Mary Richardson and Judi Conant built the solander boxes; Tamar Thorne and Id Kohl completed the cutting. The type, set by Nancy Southworth, is Weiss bold. The colophon, appropriately, is signed by everyone involved – “in friendship.”

Both poems consider the power of names – names voiced in song, thereby enchanted with “new intimacy” and those unsewn in the intricate artistry of quilts: “Would it be like / scratching your name / in your own garden? — / notarizing leaves?” This is the second of three works by McPherson published by Janus. Van Vliet designed 1985’s Floralia, and 1995’s Beauty in Use. A publisher herself, McPherson founded Swan Scythe Press in Sunnydale, California with fellow poet Walter Pavich. McPherson died last August, at the age of eighty-one.

This book comes to us from the collection of Jerry Buff (1931-2025).

Check out other posts about Claire Van Vliet and Janus Press!

See another book featuring MacGregor’s handmade papers!

See more Women’s History Month posts!

--Amanda, Special Collections Graduate Intern

[angelr-fish]

NPMD characters if they were in percy jackson cabins?

I do this thing where I always end up crossing over my hyperfixations so I NEEDED to do this.

Peter Spankoffski - Child of Athena

Peter is quite obviously a nerd, and while he doesn't come up with many strategies, he does have a some qualities in common with other children of Athena. (he is also the only one to notice that the building was not structurally sound)

Ruth Fleming - Child of Dionysus

Ruth loves theater, so much so that she'll do anything to be around it even though she cant be on stage. he is also the god of fertility which kinda fits yeah

Richard Lipschitz - Child of Hecate

now this one is kind of a stretch, I had a very hard time placing Richie somewhere. I landed on this one because Hecate is the goddess of "magic, witchcraft, the moon, graves, ghosts, necromancy, and sorcery." now while that is a mouthful most of those is what led me to this in the first place. magic and sorcery? that is some anime shit and Richie loves anime shit. now graves, ghosts, and necromancy that one was more of a stretch for me, I mostly chose it because he dies first. yes very big leap. in this little universe I've created for myself there could be a tie to this as to why Richie is the one who interacts with max first idk I'm rambling here.

Stephanie Lauter - Child of Jupiter

we are bringing in the roman gods now. Steph is a child of Jupiter because there is no way she isn't a child of the Big 3. I chose Jupiter specifically because she is often seen leading the group and if i were to chose a character she was similar to it would probably be Thalia. as for the roman thing well its just another way for max to forbid Pete from liking her cause of the camp rivalry. This is quite ironic in the same way it is in the show because....

Grace Chasity - Child of Janus (Huntress of Artemis)

yep grace is also a roman kid, kind of like how she's the exception of being a nerd in the show. I chose Janus specifically because he's the god of "beginnings, gates, transitions, duality, doorways, passages, and endings." Grace is the catalyst to the entire show, she unintentionally causes a lot of the issues that happen so I thought that slightly fit the doorways and passages part cause she kind of leads them through this maze. Grace has A LOT of duality to her. she is a nerdy prude through and through and yet, she does so many things like touching herself and lying to the police! next, she causes the ending of Max Jagerman's life as well as the end of his afterlife so that part fits. as for gates, she just talks about the gates of hell so much and I thought it was kind of funny. being a huntress is kind of self-explanatory though. I mean being abstinent and immortal? sign this girl up!

Max Jagerman - Child of Ares

I really don't even think I need to explain this one. 1. Competitive, its in a Ares kids blood to be competitive, lets be so real right now. 2. Daddy Issues, Every Ares kid has them, I mean why wouldn't they? they are all constantly competing with there siblings for just an ounce of his attention or approval and it just fits in my eyes 3. Bloodlust? have you seen this guy? he killed like 4 people! 4. Fuck Clivesdale

okay that's all I have of the main characters, but I might work on some of the others. or maybe even just Hatchetfield characters in general

[edupunkn00b]

Amusements and Merry-Go-Rounds

A six-sided polycule isn't always easy to negotiate. And then there are days when it is. Logan, Janus, Patton, Remus, Roman, and Virgil enjoy a day at the amusement park together.

Written for @naminethewitch as part of the @tss-camp-and-coffee Camp Cartoon writing event. Enjoy! WC: 3829 - Rated: T - CW: a little suggestive. More fluffy than the cotton candy.

The weather forecast had predicted storms, but the fluffy white clouds dotting a bright blue sky had come too late for most who'd been scared away by the threat of rain. The Coney Island amusement park was, not quite dead, but was missing its more typical crowds. The group had chosen a perfect day to play a bit of hooky from work and enjoy the unseasonable pleasant May day.

“You got the tickets!” Hands clapped together in front of his heart, Patton grinned, bouncing lightly.

Chuckling, Roman moved behind him and wrapped both arms tightly around his belly. “Sure that’s enough, Pocket Protector?” he laughed, a fond smile curling up one corner of his mouth.

One hand carefully tucking his wallet back into his front pocket—“That wouldn’t stop me from pick-pocketing you, my dear,” Janus had murmured—Logan gripped over a gross of bright white tickets in his other.

“We shall see,” he said, only the smallest quirk to his lip indicating he caught Roman’s gentle teasing. “I believe Re’s stated goal is to, and I quote, ‘hit every ride ‘til we puke?’”

“Yeah, but we don’ hafta pay for every ride,” Remus cut in, eyebrows dancing.

“Ah-ah-ah!" Patton tutted. "No sneaking on the rides! We’ll pay fair and square.”

Remus shrugged, taking Patton’s hand and twirling him out of Roman’s grip. “Well, some of the rides here are free.”

“Not in public!” Virgil cried, cheeks scarlet. “We’re at Coney Island for Way’s sake,” he added in a stage whisper. “There’re kids here.”

“Now, now, my dearest Emo,” Janus soothed, tucking his hand at Virgil’s elbow. “You know he’s only joking.” He gave Remus a long look. “He’s only joking.”

“That’s not what you said three years ago behind the old derby track,” Remus laughed.

Failing to completely conceal his blush, Janus lunged toward him. Remus only laughed harder and pretended to hide behind Patton. “Can’t fault me for telling the truth!” he said, sticking out his tongue.

Desperately trying to scowl, Janus snapped his teeth but that only made Remus lean closer.

“So how ‘bout them Dolphins?” Virgil drawled, reaching for a strip of tickets from Logan.

“Ooo! Ooo! Ooo!” Forgetting his attempts to tease Janus, Remus clapped his hands together and pointed toward a five-story structure that more closely resembled giant Tinkertoys than an amusement park attraction. A dozen helmeted people were already within, hanging from harnesses and climbing through a convoluted series of brightly-colored obstacles. “I bet I can get to the top of that and down again before Ro’s even got his harness on!”

“Oh, you’re so on!”

Janus hooked his arm through Roman’s. “But you promised me we’d race Logan on the Eden Raceway. You didn’t forget, did you?” he asked, his faux pout rapidly shifting into a smirk when Roman’s mouth hung open.

“I can do both,” he said.

Patton grabbed Remus and Virgil’s hands. “If the three of you are going to race go-carts, we'll go check out the Spoooook-o-Rama,” he said, dancing his shoulders back and forth.

Virgil winced, eyebrows raised high as he met Remus’ eyes. “Uh, I dunno, Pat…”

Brushing Patton’s knuckles against his mustache, Remus nodded slowly. “It is actually pretty spooky in there, Pattycake.”

Patton laughed. “You’ll be the scariest thing in there,” he grinned. Squeezing both their hands tight, his smile wavered for just a moment. “Just don’t let go, okay?”

Remus bowed with a flourish and brushed a soft kiss against the back of his hand. “Never.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Pat,” Virgil agreed. He gave the others a little salute as Remus grabbed a strip of tickets from Logan and they sauntered off toward the haunted house.

Tucking the remaining tickets away in his cross-body bag, Logan smiled at Janus and Roman. “I suppose that leaves us free to take on the metaphorical checkered flag.”

“It certainly does,” Janus purred, hooking his other arm through Logan’s. Happily sandwiched between them, he led them toward the raceway. “Care to make it interesting?”

~

“Okay, you ready, Pat?” Virgil asked. Fingers laced together with Patton’s, he shot him a crooked smile.

With the shadowy structure looming in front of him, Patton’s returning grin was now a little shaky.

The ticket taker accepted three tickets from Remus and watched the trio for a moment before shrugging. “No refunds,” he said, sounding bored. “But there’s an emergency exit half-way through.”

“Thank you,” Patton said, smiling at Virgil before giving the ticket taker a little nod. “We won’t need it.”

“Easy squeezy!” Remus curled his arm around Patton’s waist and gave him a little squeeze. His face went serious for just a moment as he met Virgil's eyes and nodded.

Virgil nodded back, determined.

Remus grinned. “We got ya, Pattycake.”

Together, they passed through a long, dim corridor. The hallway swallowed the light from outside, the tiniest glimpse of sunlight bleeding in at the edges behind them. The walls were painted black, with swirling neon ghouls and tentacles and glowing globs of… something appearing to drip down from the ceiling. It was dark, but Patton could still see well enough to make out the tiny white edges of his fingernails and his boyfriend’s bright smiles.

“Black light?” he asked.

“Yep,” Remus nodded, the shock of silver hair hanging over his eyes glowing.

Patton smiled, a little steadier. “Cool.”

Each step creaked, with some of the wood panels a little wobblier than the others. “You… you don’t think we’ll fall through, do you?” Patton asked, eyeing the warped wood floor.

“Nah,” Virgil murmured, holding tight to his hand. “It’s just built to sound rickety,” he said.

“Yeah,” Remus laughed and kicked the curved spot where the floor met the wall. It clanged dully. “Back in high school, Ro and I used to come here all the time when we cut. This is nothing like the old one. It just fell right apar—”

“Re!” Virgil hissed. “Ixnay on the isasterday!”

Patton pulled them both close. “Nah, it’s okay,” he said to each of them. And himself. “Maybe they learned and built it better this time?”

Remus paused then, face serious. “They did, Pattycake. I was on this job, remember?”

“You—I thought you were joking. You helped rebuild the haunted house?” Patton’s eyes glowed under the black light.

“Sure did!” His Cheshire grin would’ve been creepy on anyone else but it warmed Patton from head to toe. Just over Remus' shoulder, he caught sight of a familiar curved tentacle wrapping the ruins of a wooden ship.

He pushed back Remus’ sleeve and traced the edges of the matching tattoo wrapped around his forearm. “You really did.”

“Mm-hm,” Remus hummed, leaning close. He kissed, then nipped his nose, grinning at Patton’s giggle. “I did.”

Virgil laughed, pulling them deeper inside. “Oh, we’re in for a good time, then,” he said. “Let’s go!”

~

Strapped into his seat behind the wheel of a Daytona Blue ‘racer,’ Logan adjusted a pair of prescription safety goggles he'd brought in his satchel before checking his mirrors.

“Love, you do know these aren’t actually Formula One race cars?” Janus murmured from the car next to him. Skinned in gleaming gold with sharp black racing lines, his car resembled an aerodynamic bee. “They probably won’t break 30 miles per hour.”

“I am aware,” Logan said, nodding with satisfaction after his safety checks. “One can never over-prepare.”

Roman laughed from the car on his other side. He revved the engine on his own candy red machine—the sound effect no doubt generated from midi files on the electric go-carts—and grinned. “Just watch how fast I can make this beast go. I shall lap you both before either of you have even gotten started!”

“Now, now, Roman dear,” Janus winked. “I thought we all agreed to no bedroom talk today.”

Cheeks brighter than his car, Roman sputtered before finally finding his words. His response was drowned out by the countdown spilling out from the PA system.

Smirking in delight, Janus lowered his helmet. “I’ll be sure to wait for you both at the finish line,” he said into their speakers and took off a quarter second before the starting light flashed green.

~

“So Logan just hugged the inner track the whole way around.” Roman made a zooming sound and, gripping a Pepsi can, traced the arc of the Eden Speedway racetrack through the air. Then he picked up a yellow mustard bottle. “And Janus was just on his tail the whole time.”

“Nice,” Remus nodded, taking another bite of his cheese fries.

Giggling, Patton clinked their cups together.

“And where were you, Princey?” Virgil asked from the other side of the table.

Roman rolled his eyes, a tiny smile belying his feigned annoyance. “I played Prince Charming in one play in the eighth grade!”

“You’ll always be our Prince, my dear,” Janus murmured, pressing a kiss against his temple. “Now,” he said, winking. “Finish telling them all how I won fair and square.”

“’Fair and square?’” Logan sputtered. Brow furrowed, still he allowed Remus to draw him close, fingers carding through his hair. “You drove me into the railing!”

“Yes, precisely. I’m fair and you squarely lost the race.” Janus deadpanned. “Fair and square.”

Logan finally cracked a smile when Janus solemnly took off the ‘Best Boyfriend’ bracelet dangling from his wrist. Cradling it in his hands, he presented it to Logan like an offering, head bowed. “You would have bested us had I not run into you, my dear.”

“I would have,” he muttered, taking the bracelet with a tiny grin. He admired it for a moment then took out his phone. “My GPS registered a top speed of 49.87 kph.”

“Impressive,” Janus murmured, leaning over to see the graph. The line marking his speed rose up steadily—until it suddenly went jagged, then flat-lined at the end of the race. He grinned. “Care for a rematch?”

Before he could answer, Remus shoved one more bite of his fries in his mouth and leapt to his feet. “I want in on that, too. After Ro and I tackle the big boy,” he said, pointing up at the Sky Chaser.

“I accept your challenge, Brother mine,” Roman said, slowly rising from the bench. He stood, shoulders squared, then flipped his hair, looking grimly up at the climbing tower. “This victory shall redeem my honor previously sullied by my earlier defeat.”

“And you wonder why we call you Princey?” Virgil drawled, a fond smile hidden behind his drink.

“Enough yappin’, let’s go!” Remus laughed and dragged his brother away mid-retort.

Worry flashed over Patton’s face as they watched the twins race to the entryway. “That obstacle course is safe for them, right?”

“I am certain they will be safe,” Logan reassured, eying the other climbers already half-way through the course. “Helmets, harnesses, friction gloves…” He nodded. “They won’t be allowed to participate without the proper protective gear.”

“And the course will be safe from them?” Virgil asked, chuckling when Remus’ whoop drew their attention of the far end of the maze. A blur of green launched up from the lower level and Remus was left hanging by one hand on a horizontal beam ten feet in the air.

“Ha!” His voice carried over the distance. “Beat that, Ro Bro!”

Roman quickly caught up, shimmying over a bar and leaping up to reach a series of crossing rings over his brother’s head. “Beat what?”

Logan chuckled, turning in his seat to better watch. “That… I’m less certain of.”

~

“Yes!” Remus crowed, arms raised over his head triumphantly. Hair plastered to his head with sweat, he panted just as hard at Roman as they staggered out of the obstacle course exit. He pointed at the big screen overhead, announcing their finishing times. “Point oh-four faster than you, old man!” he laughed.

“I’ll get you next time,” Roman pledged, hand over his heart even as Patton dabbed at his forehead with a cloth dipped in ice water. The cloth came away pink from a tiny cut near his eyebrow. Frowning, he pulled Roman over to a nearby bench to take care of his—minor—wound.

Remus sidled close to Logan, one arm circling his waist. “You know what this means,” he said with a little shimmy.

“Oh, you’re not really going to hold him to it, are you?” Roman cried, pushing up to his feet only to have Patton draw him back down.

Patton tutted. “Not done with you yet, mister.” He looked up at Remus. “Hold him to what?” he asked, attempting to watching both twins at once.

Without answering Patton, Remus leaned down and whispered in Logan’s ear. Logan’s eyes widened, a faint pink spreading over his cheeks. Remus pulled back and met his eyes.

“I… I would not be opposed,” he said, biting back a smile when Remus whooped. He passed his extra tickets to Janus, the only other of their group to have brought a bag.

“Alright then, see ya,” Remus said, grabbing Logan’s hand and heading toward the shore. “We’re gonna go investigate the boardwalk a bit.” He winked at Logan. “Well, maybe a little longer than a bit.”

Virgil, Roman, and Janus exchanged a bemused look.

“Okay!” Patton called back, patting Roman’s forehead dry. “We’ll meet up before sunset!”

Arm still tightly wound around Logan’s waist, Remus called back over his shoulder. “Yeah! You and I still have a date with the Cyclone, Pattycake!”

Swallowing hard, Patton looked up at wooden tracks towering over the rest of the amusement park. “Uh-huh,” he said.

They all watched as Remus and Logan disappeared into between the rides, then looked back at each other. “They’ll be busy for a while,” Virgil chuckled. “What’s everybody else in the mood for?”

Janus passed a strip of tickets to Patton before turning to Virgil, hand open. “You are taking me on the carousel,” he said, one eyebrow raised. “It was closed last time we were here together and you promised.”

“They’ve rebuilt the entire thing since then,” Virgil said, laughing.

“And?” Janus fixed him with an impassable gaze.

“Okay, then,” he said and waved to Roman and Patton. “I suppose we’re going on the carousel."

Smiling triumphantly, Janus rested his hand on Virgil’s forearm. “Where are you two headed?” he asked.

“Oh. I dunno…” Patton blinked, giving Roman a little shrug before sliding close on the bench. “Did you have someplace in mind?”

Roman grinned, leaning over to steal a kiss. “I most certainly do.”

~

“Isn’t it easy to get lost in these?” Patton asked, Roman’s hand gripped tight in his.

They stood outside a heavy velvet curtain, Hall of Mirrors blazed across the top in what appeared to be old-fashioned Edison bulbs. They flickered gently, a repeating pattern Patton picked up after a few moments of staring.

“Perhaps a bit,” Roman admitting, bringing Patton’s hand up to his lips. “But then we’d just be lost together, mí amor,” he murmured in that voice, the one that turned Patton’s heart to jelly. “What better way to while away an afternoon than that?”

They stepped aside as a giggling trio of teenagers dashed inside and a gust of cool, air-conditioned air washed over them. “Hmmm… it feels nice in there.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Roman murmured, brushing another soft kiss against his wrist. “Shall we?” he asked, drawing the curtain to one side. The laughing teenagers were already out of earshot.

“We shall,” Patton agreed and stepped inside and into a circular room, every wall a mirror. At least… that what it looked like.

Laughing, Patton held Roman’s hand tight and shifted back and forth, watching their reflections dance and scatter. “It’s like a diamond,” he whispered.

“Ah, mí amor,” Roman murmured, pulling Patton close. “There is no diamond in the world that could sparkle the way you do.”

A thousand blushing Pattons giggled with him. “How do you always know just what to say to make me go all tingly down to my toes?”

Roman bowed deeply and an army of suitors mimicked his movement around them. “It’s easy when I’m with someone as wonderful as you.” Keeping his eyes locked on Patton’s, he bowed his head and pressed a soft kiss against the back of his hand. “Let’s explore,” he whispered.

At Patton’s nod, he rose and scanned the room. One of their reflections looked just a little different from the others and Roman pointed at the thin shadow between them. “Perhaps we can find a quiet corner to continue this conversation?”

“Are you sure talking’s what you want us to do with our mouths?” Patton asked, tugging him down for a hungry kiss.

After several moments, Roman broke away, breathless. “I—I— I thought…” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat, struggling to keep himself from pulling Patton back into their kiss. “I thought ‘not in public?’”

Patton grinned and led him closer to the gap they could now see between the mirrors. “We’re not entirely in public in here…”

~

A bouncy tune washed over Virgil and Janus where they sat curled together in a big gold and white carriage. Broad enough to preclude anyone else riding next to them, and with a wide aisle behind them, the space felt private, secluded, even when the rest of the carousel filled up.

Virgil sat with his head on Janus’ shoulder, Janus’ arm wrapped around him. With Janus' hand dragging gently through his hair, Virgil felt himself drifting into a rare peaceful state.

“It turned out to be such a lovely day,” Janus said, voice low.

“Hmph,” Virgil grunted, burying his face in the crook of Janus’ neck. “Too much sun.”

Janus chuckled. “Should we find our beloved emo a parasol at the shop by the exit?” he asked. “There’s always a little shop.”

“Was that a Doctor Who reference?”

“Agh!” Janus gasped. “Do I look like Logan?” Hand pressed to his heart and mouth open in exaggerated offense, Janus genuinely looked more like one the twins but Virgil kept that little tidbit to himself. For now.

“No,” Virgil laughed, curling his arm around Janus’ belly. “But I know you two’ve snuck downstairs for Doctor Who marathons the past two Christmas Eves.”

“That doesn’t at all sound like something I would do,” Janus lied, not bothering to hide his smile. “It’s a horrid show. Simply can’t stand it.”

“Mm-hm.” Virgil stifled a laugh.

“Wait a minute—“ Janus looked back at him, one eyebrow cocked. “How do you know it’s a Doctor Who reference?”

“Hey, you, two!” Patton’s sweet voice rang out from the other side of the carousel.

Janus chuckled, brushing a kiss against Virgil’s ear. “This isn’t over,” he whispered. He waved at Patton and Roman as the carousel slowly eased to a stop. “I trust you two had fun?” he asked.

Virgil stood and offered a hand to Janus as he stepped down from the carriage. “The fresh hickey on Roman’s neck makes that a safe bet,” he whispered as Janus leaned close.

“Indeed,” Janus murmured. “It appears all we need now are the, ah… boardwalk explorers.”

“They were sure gonna explore something,” Virgil said sotto voce and Janus hid a laugh behind his hand.

“And there they are!” Roman called, pointing at the pair as they made their way down the path, hand-in-hand.

Remus was barefoot, boots hanging from his shoulder by their laces, and Logan’s hair was noticeably less… styled.

“Had fun?” Janus asked, smirking at the pair.

Remus nodded and leaned his head on Logan’s shoulder, a wide smile stretched across his face.

“Well, yes,” Logan said, rubbing the back of his neck. “The, ah… beach is quite invigorating this time of year.”

“Oh, is that what we’re calling it now?” Roman said, shaking his head with a laugh.

“Great! Everyone’s here!” Patton clapped his hands together. “The sun’s starting to set. Time for one more ride?”

Remus snapped out of his daze and pointed to the giant wooden roller coaster at the other end of the amusement park. “Are we ready for the big one?”

~

The wait for the Cyclone was blessedly brief and the sky still blazed a brilliant pink and orange by the time the group reached the front of the line. “Who gets first car?” Virgil asked, eyeing the back row.

“Me and Pattycake!” Remus shouted, grabbing Patton’s hand and clambering into the first car. “It’s the best view and since it’s your very first roller coaster ride…”

One hand still clinging to Remus’, Patton hesitated before sitting down.

“Patton, dear,” Janus murmured, touching his arm. “You know you don’t have to ride in front if you’d rather not.” He drew Roman a little closer. “If we twisted their arms, I suppose we could convince the twins to ride together,” he added with a crooked smile.

Virgil strapped himself in and Logan paused before he entered the car next to him, waiting to see what Patton would decide.

“Nah, I…” Patton peered over the edge of the railing at the tracks below. “I think I’ll be okay.”

“Of course you’ll be okay!” Remus cheered, tugging him closer. “You got this, Pattycake!”

A spark of bravery filled his chest and he nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Yeah. Yeah,” he repeated, sucking in a deep breath. He climbed into the seat and buckled in. “I’m ready!”

“Indeed,” Janus murmured and slid into the seat next to Roman. “Stuck with me, I see,” he said with a smile.

Roman leaned close to whisper in his ear, lacing their fingers together. “What a perfect place to be.”

With a jolt, the ride started, the old wooden tracks rattling as each car engaged with the pulling mechanism. As they inched up to the very top of the track, the entire amusement park and the beach beyond it filled their views. The Atlantic Ocean glistened gold in the distance, the setting sun at their backs and casting the peaks of each wave in soft pink. From this far away, the sand appeared pristine, soft and inviting. Not even dark yet, the beach was already dotted with a smattering of bonfires.

“We should bring marshmallows next time,” Patton said, squeezing Remus’ hand. “We ca—“

The rest of Patton’s words came out as a shriek. Their car tipped over the apex, the others soon following. Zipping up and down, wind whistled through their hair, swallowing up their happy screams. The Cyclone wasn’t the tallest roller coaster on the East Coast, nor was it the fastest. It didn’t even go upside down.

But the rattling of the tracks, the faded, splintery-looking wooden railings and the dented, faded paint on the cars pushed the feeling of actual danger into Patton’s heart. Pulse pounding in his ears, he gripped Remus’ hand tight and screamed.

Before he knew it, the cars rolled to a stop at the landing platform. Patton panted, stuck to his seat.

"You okay there, Pattycake?" Remus asked, gently stroking his hand.

Eyes wide, Patton turned to him and grinned. “Wanna go again?”

[voluptuarian]

HBO Rome has its share of problems as a a historical show but they don't often bother me because a. I had fair warning beforehand so could adjust my expectations accordingly b. I don't know that much about the political aspect of the era so there are definitely some major inaccuracies that I just blissfully don't notice 😌😌 and c. its representation of just the general flavor of Roman culture delights my shallowest expectations so much that it makes up for most the show's other shortcomings.

There's graffiti on every wall and a shrine on every corner, Pullo is negotiating transactional favors with the gods, people can't get work bc slaves'll do it for free, there's elaborate religiously-tinged swearing, despite installing himself as dictator Caesar still has to get the priests on his side so they'll make sure the bird-movements they interpret are favorable to him, "uuugggh we conquered Gaul and made it part of Rome but we never considered the fact that those ugly dirty Gauls would actually end up in Rome afterwards," the news announcer with his oratory gestures and sponsorship messages keeping a mostly-illiterate crowd informed, getting to see the shiny religious/political center of the city as an artificially maintained island in the midst of a surrounding seedy, smelly, swampy, under-structured and overpopulated reality (something something "Greece's republic vs Rome's shithole" or however that quote goes), the glimpses of larariums in the houses and people attending to them in the background, Rome only functional because it can make a new colony to parasite from every 3 years but then everyone loathes the idea of having to live in The Provinces, uh-oh sister-in-law got wasted at your party and knocked over the bust of Janus now your business is hexed and you'll have to do a bunch of sacrifices if you want that sorted out, Servilia is out here cursing her ex with erectile dysfunction, slavery is mundane and normal and comes in every flavor-- from Atia's slaves who she beats and berates only to cry on Merula's shoulder like a child, while the latter definitely has some sort of genuine loyalty and affection for her mistress (if, perhaps, only pityingly), Caesar and Posca and Servilia and Eleni and their close relationships bordering on genuine friendship, Pompey telling his slave he must be "lucky" not to have to make his own decisions and Octavian telling that young prostitute he feels sorry for her having been taken from her home and made a slave by Rome but having no qualms or questions at all about the process/institutions that caused it, the antagonistic, friendly, competitive, conspiratorial relationships between the slaves themselves, within and without various households-- you've got people who are devoutly religious and people who definitely aren't and people who are ritually devout while living dogmatically outrageous lifestyles and people who absolutely think a host of gods and spirits control every facet of the world and life but still don't care and Octavian with his "some sort of divine cosmic power definitely is at the root of everything but it has no real interest in us or our lives" and Gaia confessing to murder on her deathbed even though she knows it will tarnish her relationship and memory forever because she genuinely believes the gods will torment her for her crime if she doesn't--

They really, really committed to trying to show people in the past dealing with the same insecurities, appetites, and big-and-small-scale woes as modern people while still representing them as living in a vastly different world from our own-- and one represented through huge, beautiful, detailed, living-feeling sets and set dressing 😍 -- with hugely different attitudes and mores and didn't feel the need to strip that layer of alienness to make things more easily digestable or "believable" (which is, frankly, tv talk for "not challenging to an ignorant viewer's ill-informed historical understanding," something I consider unforgivable) to a modern audience. They did that so much that I think the only time I've seen it done better was in The Northman (which is craaaazy to say) and there are few other shows or movies I can think of that come close to matching that effort. It's what I love best about the show and I think one of the things that made it such a standout and has made it a classic since.

[linearao3]

Do you have any recommendations for the best fanfics you’ve read? Reylo or Six of Crows

Thanks so much and happy thanksgiving

Thank you! Sorry to be late answering but I hope you also had a happy Thanksgiving/Thursday.

As to recs— well, I am waiting to travel so I will try to keep things brief. Reylo favorites: Tactical Surrender by @destiniesfic has A+ action and very faithful characterization, as well as very fun OCs and excellent chapter structure. the Sword of Prince Hector by @englishable brings to the surface and wrestles with some of the latent moral questions of Star Wars as well as larger questions of punitive justice and atonement. (Their modern AU, Janus, is also what brought me around to modern AUs in general.) @again-pls has an unfinished canonverse AU, Ego Eris, that is wonderfully light on its feet and has some of the best depictions of the Force I’ve seen. (I don’t believe there are currently plans to finish it, but it remains a very enjoyable reading experience and there are elements of this fic I have genuinely mistaken for canon.) Take Me by @slipgoingunder makes excellent use of country music, both lyrically and as a scene, to create an immersive AU. Honestly, the reylo fanfic pool is so enormous that sheer numbers dictate an excess of writing talent. I do recommend bookmark-hopping over sorting-by-kudos for finding what you want.

In Six of Crows, I must of course immediately mention @whatanybodygets; I was slow getting to Adagio but now I blab about it to people who aren’t even in the fandom, and save the undone years is also absolutely smashing and makes me weep. (I also really like how the AU translation of Inej’s relationship with Heleen focuses on sexual control as the violation of autonomy.) @darol’s The DeKappel Heist (and other tales) does a truly delightful job of reminding us that Kaz and Inej are streetwise, savvy, talented, and also idiot fucking teenagers, god bless. @rainstormdragon has many excellent fics but I will call out in particular Wraith, which looks directly at the ugliness of the violence that Kaz and Inej inflict and throws it into relief by changing the balance. There are a number of fics by @alltheworldsinmyhead expressly designed to fuck you up but I’m very partial to pour away the ocean. Often fanfic relationships can find themselves falling into preset lines of behavior and reaction, and I love the rawness of Inej’s jealousy. I could go on, but I’ll just wrap up with @pyrrhlc’s fic hybrid signal, which features some wildly inventive and evocative magic, and a Kaz who can have his feathers stroked.

I don’t know why Tumblr won’t let me add the Tactical Surrender link! But I hope you find some good reads, and I’m sorry if you’ve already read all this; it’s kind of just what was top of mind.