#again I'm looking through the 15-20 beginnings of this project and I'm like

[elektroyu]

I'm seriously starting to consider to not take the general story crafting 101 too seriously... and just do whatever. In the end the only criterium that's important is if I personally like my story by itself. Or even just that I was able to completely write it.

There are so many things out there that don't follow the general structures, or that aren't even a single coherent storyline at all. The only reason I want to make it structurally waterproof is because I think that's the only way to make other people maybe approve of it. MAYBE. It's because I think if I don't follow the rules I'm going to get criticized or made fun of for it. But honestly, there's no guarantee that even a single person other than myself would even read it. So why the heck am I trying to bend over backwards so much for something that probably won't even matter?! 😂 It doesn't make sense. I should treat this as an effing fanfic and do whatever feels right, have fun with it, COMPLETE IT, even if it's not coherent or this or that fundamental rule is not followed. It DOESN'T need to make sense. Really WHO.CARES?? The answer is NOBODY. A story's purpose is not to make others like the fkn author lol. I really should stop trying to treat it like that. Amirite or

[johnbly]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by the @boltlightning the myth the legend

1. how many total works do you have on ao3? 31

2. what’s your total ao3 word count? 137,304

3. what fandoms do you write for? mostly potc, but i did toss out that one roland fic the other day. also at some point hornblower and his dragon will be published. i promise bolt. i will not abandon justinian. he also likely wouldn't allow me to anyways. he is likely just outside my window at this very second

(putting it the rest under a cut as this is a bit long)

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

a birthday dinner for two (tears of themis)

i would do it again (tot)

partners in everything (tot)

party in the mansion (fe3h)

learning to trust (fe3h)

of the five, learning to trust is definitely my favorite and the one that i think actually deserves the kudos. like not that the others are bad but tot is up there because of fandom popularity and then the other 3h once was for an exchange

5. do you respond to comments? usually!

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? i was gonna put one of the potc fics here but it feels more bittersweet than angsty so i'll return to my hubert and edelgard pov azure moon fic that i remembered from last time (our paths end here)

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? i'm p sure last time i did this one i did one of my tot fics which makes sense bc they're basically the only happy ones but i don't think i'd published this one yet? who knows. anyways partners in everything

8. do you get hate on fics? thankfully no but i did get a somewhat rude one that one time

9. do you write smut? only fade to black here and i don't think i've ever posted any of that anyways. don't hold your breath on this changing but also if you're following me expecting that kind of content to begin with you are. in the wrong place

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written? i don't usually but i have done hockey aus for two separate fandoms (3h & pb) so there's that. i wouldn't consider that too crazy though

11. have you had a fic stolen? / 12. have you had a fic translated? / 13. have you ever co-written a fic? keeping these stuck together with a no for me as well. i did do a back and forth writing thing with a former friend but that was for a personal project

14. what's your all-time favorite ship? i am not really a big shipper! i went through my charmed tag the other day so i guess i can say piper/leo bc i was very into them when i was watching. if we can extend ship to being not necessarily romantic then we all know that The Horny Lads have rewritten my brain

15. what's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? great question! i can't think of any bc if i don't think i'll ever finish a wip i likely. don't want to finish it

16. what are your writing strengths? i'm good with dialogue especially banter and since i refuse to write fics where i can't get into the head of the pov character i'd like to think my characterization is solid

17. what are your writing weaknesses? society if i could describe things without suffering. i will blame the aphantasia

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? i'm not sure i've given it much thought since i haven't done it before. i'd def be scared of messing something up

19. first fandom you wrote for? my first ao3 fic was for pb but i know i did fics before that. i'm gonna guess hp since that was my first fandom

20. favorite fic you've written? look i have to hype this fic up bc it has an audience of like five people but i put a lot of love and time into my fernand character study (the fallen knight)

i tag @writingbyricochet (not sure how much fanfic/ao3 you do since your blog is mostly original worksso feel free to ignore this/adapt as needed) and @philcoulsonismyhero and whoever else wants to do this!

[comfortscripts]

I Won't Say I'm In Love ¬ Chris E.

Plot - After getting the part of Meg in Disney's live-action Hercules alongside Chris, the chemistry your characters feel seems to be predicting your own fairytale. Guess Disney is a matchmaker

Genre - Fluff ☁️

Pairing - Chris Evans x Actor!Fem!reader

Notes/Warnings - Age gap (Chris is current age and reader is early 20s), just full of cheesy moments basically and possibly horribly written (so don't be shocked if I redo it). This is written at different points of production/filming so there will be scene/time change markers.

Word Count - 2k

As an up and coming actress, staring in a Disney movie was like winning the lottery. The moment you got the news, tears of joy flooded your cheeks and you practically glowed for the rest of the day, radiating happiness. Everyone was telling you how this opportunity was going to change your life, but you never realised how right they were.

First Script Reading

You arrived onset for the first true step of this movie coming together and you could feel the nerves filling your bones in apprehension of meeting the cast and crew. As you walked into the large room of people, you were immediately welcomed by Kenneth, the director.

"And there she is, Y/N L/N. Our Meg."

Walking over to the man himself, you gave him a small welcoming hug. Kenneth was always a sweetheart and always enthusiastic about his projects, you were lucky to be working under him.

As Kenneth got brought into a different conversation, you went in search of the food & drink table for some tea to calm your nerves. Reaching the checkerboard table, you noticed him. His sheer size made him unmissable, having bulked up for the role of a demigod but it was piercing eyes that made you almost lose your footing. Chris Evans, aka Hercules, aka the man who played your love-interest.

You were no stranger to who he was but part of you had been so wrapped up in being cast that you forgot that he was the man who were paired up with onscreen, your long-term celebrity crush. You weren't prepared for this interaction so you tried to busy yourself in tea-making, hoping he wouldn't clock your presence.

"Oh hey there. You are Y/N right?" Part of you melted at the way your name sounded coming from his lips. Turning to look at the Bostonian man, he offered a smile. "I'm Chris. Kenneth told me loads about you and I'm excited to work with you."

"That’s me!" You responded in an animated manner before mentally hitting yourself to act more professional, like he had. "I've been a fan of your work for a while so it will be really lovely to work with you."

Before either of you could make another attempt to chat, Kenneth's voice rang through the room calling everyone to take their seats and begin the read.

Filming Rescue Scene/First Meg + Hercules Meeting

Today was the day. The first time you had to work on camera with Chris and god, you felt a zoo take home in your stomach.

Deciding that it would be best to try and stay professional with him was impossible to accomplish. The actor just exuded a magnetic energy, which paired with his flirty jokes and friendly personality caused you to be constantly reminding yourself of why it can't work.

'He's like 15 years older than you for god's sake! He is just being nice, not like he would actually go for someone like you'

Smoothing out your dress as Amir, your makeup artist, adds some finishing touches, you are finally ready. Even though this scene requires you to look a bit dishevelled, somehow you still looked smoking hot in the long royal purple dress.

"Looking good doll" Not even needing to face the man, you know it's Chris who is complimenting you and making it harder, once again, to stay somewhat professional.

Feeling the blush rise to your cheeks, you decide to be a bit bolder today.

"Oh shush Evans, I always look good but I must say, the armour is quite handsome on you." You retort taking in his full costume. This man looked like a God rather than a demigod but saying that was just a bit too bold for today.

Adding a smile, you walked towards the main set where Hercules attempts to save you. It may not be real but it was nice to let the illusion of Chris rescuing you play around in your mind.

Filming 'I Won't Say I'm In Love'

The three months of shooting had gone by in a flash. And your friendship with Chris had flourished, dangerously close to more than friendship. You'd be lying if you denied having feelings towards the muscular man, the feelings were full force and far too powerful to stay hidden but you only had to make it through another couple weeks. After shooting was over, you could go and erase the feelings before press started up but till then, bottling up the emotions you held was the only way to preserve your heart.

The set was beautiful and everything was just running so smoothly for this scene. It was your big character moment and also your solo, you felt the pressure but sheer amounts of excitement overcame any nerves present.

Waiting around the side-lines whilst the crew set the final props in place, you couldn't help but recite the lyrics in your head and link them to your own situation. You weren't in love with Chris but you are definitely on your way, and just like your character, you couldn't admit it. Whilst her reasoning was more based off being stubborn, the common factor was that admitting you loved someone was daunting and could mean that you lose them.

A heavy arm falling across your shoulders snapped you out of your depressing analysis trance. The scent of cologne and cinnamon washed over your senses as Chris appeared by your side. He brought a warmth with him physically and emotionally whenever he was near, leaving those emotions to flutter and beg to be admitted.

"So are you ready to profess your undying love for me?" He joked, not realising that he had made your heart stop and your breath catch in your throat. If only he knew the truth within his words.

"Well since you are clearly waiting for me to confess, maybe I will but don't get your hopes up Oldie."

Mocking pain, he mumbles an 'ouch' before letting out one of his booming infectious laughs. Part of you wished you could be honest and just kiss the blue-eyed actor but flashes of how terribly it could go were all you could see. Thankfully, you were called to set.

The song went through without a hitch, feeling yourself embody Megara and connecting with her heartfelt conflict meant that your performance was better than you could've imagined. Images of you and Chris danced through your head as you sang the angsty song, seeping your own stubborn emotions into every word.

Allowing your gaze to drift towards the side of the set, appearing to look off into the distance. Your eyes meet Chris' captivating ones before reciting your final line.

At least out loud I won't say I'm in love

Realising your mistake, you quickly broke away from the Bostonian's encasing gaze. All the emotions swirling around your head wore you out and that final slip up of emotion made bile rise in your throat. Fear took over at the idea of Chris seeing through your hidden feelings.

Final Scene/First Kiss Scene

This was it. The last scene you had to film before wrapping up the movie. This was also the scene you had been fearing.

Hercules and Meg were finally getting together, sharing a kiss and solidifying their undying love for each other in front of the Olympians themselves but that was not where you and Chris were.

After realising your slip up with the lyrics, you had been limiting your time with Chris, which was easy enough given how busy you both got. But your heart ached every time you avoided his affections, every time you raced back to your trailer after finishing a shot. Chris saw your avoidance but whenever he would attempt to fix it, you ran. Overall, both of you were left in this weird purgatory state of wanting to be near each other but not being able to.

"And action!"

You turn to look up at the Gods and Goddess surrounding and congratulating Chris on being a hero. A forlorn look takes over your face as you weakly congratulate the hero, knowing that no one is listening.

"Congratulations Wonderboy, you'll make one heck of a God"

As you walk down the step of Olympus, Chris turns and reaches out to your hand, stopping you in your tracks.

"This is the moment I've always dreamed of" Chris recites, looking at the Gods before turning his gaze to you. "But a life without Meg, an immortal life, would be empty."

His heartfelt words causing threats of tears in your eyes as he places your hands within his. The moment filling the both of you with unfiltered emotions.

"I wish to stay on Earth with her" He states, pulling you into his chest for an affectionate and protective hug. "Because I finally know where I belong."

As the words leave his lips, the two of you embrace in each other and connect lips in the passionate moment. Falling into the kiss, almost forgetting you're meant to be acting. Sparks are tingling through all your senses as you feel Chris extend his arm so it is laced around your lower back. Cheers from the fellow Gods and extras brought both of you back from your love filled moment as you reluctantly pulled away from the man that your heart was yearning for.

"And cut! That was fantastic"

Extras, crew and Kenneth started busying themselves with sorting out whether they got everything done but you and Chris stayed in each other's arms, neither wanting to walk away from the connection. The silence between you was tense and heavy, filled with emotions radiating off both of you. You cleared your throat and readied yourself to break away from the embrace, already feeling the cracks in your heart start to widen.

"Y/N, why have you been avoiding me?"

His blunt question froze you for a moment, alarm bells ringing in your mind as you fought between whether to tell him the truth or figure out a quick lie. The idea of lying to Chris seemed to send aches through your body so you risked it.

"Because I started to fall for you, which is ridiculous so I distanced myself to save the heartbreak and embarrassment."

Your heart stopped for a everlasting moment as you realised the gravity of what you had just admitted. Mentally, you were preparing yourself for the inevitable rejection but your heart was waiting. Waiting for him to tell you that you get a happily ever after.

Chris stood there with his arms still encasing your figure, disbelief painted his face as his ocean eyes swirled with emotions and comprehension of what you just confessed.

"Chris, please say somethin-"

The final syllable was taken from you as Chris collided your lips in what could only be described as ecstasy. His soft lips melting with yours as you deepened the kiss, wanting to enjoy every moment of intimacy he could supply. Months of yearning was communicated through this passionate action. Fireworks erupting, hands roaming in an attempt to get closer and desires being fulfilled.

Pulling away, Chris leant his forehead down so it was connected with yours. "I have been falling for you since we met but I never thought you could feel the same way. Thought you'd think I'm too old".

"You idiot, I feared you'd never see me in that way because I'm so much younger." Both chuckling at your shared idiocy, you broke away and gazed at each other, taking in the new feeling of honesty and love.

"So I guess you really did profess your love for me" The older man joked with a teasing eyebrow wiggle, causing you to roll your eyes in feign annoyance.

"Maybe but at least out loud, I won't say I'm in love"

Offering a sly smirk, you grab the tall man's collar and bring him in for another kiss.

Meg and Hercules got their happily ever after, whilst helping you and Chris get yours. Maybe Disney is a matchmaker.

[marvelmusing]

Making Time

Mobius M Mobius x Reader

Part 1

My Masterlist • Series Masterlist

A/N: Not sure if many people want this but I like the idea of working for the TVA & Mobius is kinda funny and charming. I really hope I don’t start to regret this once the rest of Loki comes out

Whilst all the desks at the TVA were practically identical in the impersonal corporate sense, Mobius’s desk was a lot nicer than yours. Having been at the TVA for longer than you, he’d gotten everything sorted into a comfortable space, whereas your desk was scattered with papers and mugs you’d always forgotten about. There’s a incessant knocking against wood nearby. Your head perks up from where you’ve been sorting through files on the floor beside Mobius’s chair. You spot Ravi, a fellow assistant, leaning over the top of the cubicle.

“Hey [Y/N].”

“Hi Ravi.” You reply, returning to your sorting.

“Where’s Mobius?”

“Erm, France, 1549.”

“There’s been a development in the Loki Variant case.” You nod,

“That’s why he’s in France.”

“This is a new development.” He hands a file to you, and you skim over it quickly. Laufeyson. Variant L1130, AKA Loki Laufeyson, is charged with sequence violation 7-20-89. You look up at him.

“Thanks, Ravi.” He smiles at you,

“No problem.” You stand up from the floor quickly. You pass through the TVA corridor’s before opening a Timedoor. You step into it, emerging in 16th Century France. Mobius is stood nearby, he looks up at you in surprise.

“Mobius. You might want to take a look at this.” You hand him the file. He looks over the front page, before nodding.

“Thank you, [Y/N].” He says, stepping forward, and placing a hand on your arm. “Let’s go, we need to hurry.” You both pass through the Timedoor.

You both rush through the corridors of the TVA. You skid to a stop at the reception desk, a smile brightening your face when you recognise the receptionist.

“Hey Casey!” He looks up at you in surprise.

“[Y/N], hi!”

“We’re in a bit of a rush. Has there been a variant brought in? Tall, dark hair, most likely carrying a sparkly, blue cube?” Casey picks up the Tesseract from a drawer beside him.

“This?”

“Yes! Where is he?”

“They just took him into the courtroom.” You both set off running, and you call out,

“Thank you, Casey!”

You open the door to the courtroom, and Mobius hurries inside, taking tentative steps so as to not draw attention to the the two of you. You follow closely behind him. He slides onto a bench, with you taking the seat beside him. You’re knees bump together slightly, but he pays it no mind as his focus remains on Renslayer.

“We're not here to talk about the Avengers.” She says, looking down at Loki.

“Oh, no?” He asks her.

“No.”

“What they did was supposed to happen. You escaping was not.” Loki laughs at this,

“Right. Not supposed to happen? According to whom?”

“The Time-Keepers?” She offers.

“Oh, the Time-Keepers. Right.” He scoffs. “Well, perhaps I should speak to these Time-Keepers, gods to gods.”

“I'm sorry, but they're quite busy.”

“Oh, they are? What are they doing?”

“Dictating the proper flow of time.”

“I see. Right. And then what do you do?”

“Dictate the proper flow of time according to their dictations. How do you plead?” You watch Loki as he smirks, holding his hands out.

“Guilty, of this.” He grasps his fists a few times, confusion clear in his actions.

“What’s going on?” Renslayer asks, looking for side to side.

“Hang on. Everyone quiet.” Loki reasons. Hunter B-15 laughs,

“He's trying to use his powers, ma'am.” He slams his hands down on the podium in front of him,

“Damn it! Why won’t it work?”

“Magic powers? They're no good in the TVA, Mr Laufeyson.” Renslayer tells him. “The court finds you guilty, and I sentence you to be reset. Next case, please!” She calls out, as is there’s a colossal queue waiting.

“Reset? What does that mean? What, is it bad? What does it mean? You ridiculous bureaucrats will not dictate how my story ends!” Loki exclaims hurriedly, as the Hunters surrounding him begin to drag him away.

“It's not your story, Mr Laufeyson. It never was.” She tells him in a bored tone, a little harshly you think.

“You have no idea what I'm capable of!”

“I think I might.” Mobius stands quickly, making his way past you. “Have an idea of what he's capable of.” He adds. Renslayer considers him for a moment,

“Approach the bench.” He steps forward, and you hear him offer a soft,

“Hi.”

“If you're thinking what I think you are, it's a bad idea.” She hisses.

“Okay, I'm just chasing a hunch.”

“Anything goes sideways, it's on you.”

“Okay. I feel like I'm always looking up to you. I like it. It's appropriate.” You roll your eyes at him, as you stand and take your place beside him. Loki continues to struggle against the hunters. He looks Mobius up and down.

“And who are you?”

“I’m going to burn this place to the ground.” You hear Loki growl.

“I'll show you where my desk is, you can start there.” Mobius remarks, and you can’t help but smirk. He glances at you, sending you a winking once your eyes meet. You roll your eyes at him again. Loki slows his walk, looking across the railing out into the TVA. You and Mobius stop to look at him.

“Have a look.” Mobius tells him, gesturing towards the view. Loki approaches the railing, staring out at the city in front of you.

“I thought there was no magic here.” Loki asks, a frown of confusion on his face.

“There isn't.” Mobius replies.

“That's not real.” Loki decides.

“It is, and, unfortunately, so is all the paperwork. Good tinder for your fire, though. Come on.”

“This place is a nightmare.”

“That's another department. Now that department I'll help you burn down.” You shake your head at him, smiling. The three of you step into the elevator. You stand on one side of Mobius, with Loki on the other. You press the button for the appropriate department. The faint tune of elevator music fills the temporary silence, before Mobius turns to Loki,

“I’m Agent Mobius, by the way.” He holds his hand out for Loki to shake. Loki looks down at his hand, with no plan to shake it at all. “This is my associate, Agent [Y/N].” You offer him a small smile with a nod, as his eyes briefly acknowledge your presence. You’ve always liked how Mobius refers to you as his associate, rather than assistant. Unlike the majority of the TVA. Loki turns his attention back to Mobius,

“Are you taking me somewhere to kill me?”

“No. That's where you just were. I'm taking you some place to talk.”

“I don't like to talk.” Loki lies.

“But you do like to lie, which you just did.”

“Because we both know you love to talk. Talkie-talkie.”

“How long have you been here?” Mobius sighs,

“I don't know. It's hard to say, time passes differently here in the TVA.” Loki frowns at this,

“What does that mean?”

“You'll catch up.” The elevator door opens and the three of you step out. You remain close to Mobius’s side, with Loki trailing behind.

“So, you're part of the TVA's courageous and dedicated workforce?”

“Yes.”

“You were created by the Time-Keepers.”

“Yep.”

“To protect the Sacred Timeline.” You hear the mocking tone in his voice. He’s not believing a word of this.

“Correct.” Loki laughs.

“Is that funny?” Mobius asks him, as he heads down the steps towards the door. You both look back at Loki as he exclaims,

“The idea that your little club decides the fate of trillions of people across all of existence at the behest of three space lizards, yes, it's funny. It's absurd.” Mobius considers him for a moment before saying,

“I thought you didn't like to talk.” He opens the door, gesturing to Loki. “After you.” Loki passes you and walks into the room.

“I’ll wait until you’re done.” You say, meeting Mobius’s gaze.

“You don’t have to.” He insists.

“I’ll wait.” You’ve caught Loki’s attention, his head turning to examine you after hearing your voice for the first time. You watch as Mobius walks into the room, and you close the door behind him.

You’re not stood for long before Hunter B-15 approaches. She attempts to brush past you. You hold your arm out,

“Mobius is in the middle of an interrogation.” You protest. “You can’t just interrupt.”

“Stand aside, Variant.” You clench your jaw, a prickle of fear in your chest as she pushes the door open.

“What are you doing?” She calls out to Mobius.

“My job. Is it yours to interrupt?” He replies. His eyes fall on you as you give him an apologetic look. He shrugs lightly in response.

“We have a situation.” She tells him. He sighs,

“There's always a situation.” He turns to Loki,

“Don't go anywhere. It was just getting good. Spirited.”

You hover by the door, as Mobius and B-15 head further along the corridor to talk. You hear the two of them bickering momentarily before Mobius returns.

“We’ve lost another unit.” He tells you. You sigh,

“Are we going to wrap this up then?” You ask, he nods as you open the door. He steps inside and you follow him as he calls out,

“Okay, Loki, I think we can finish up tomorrow and just pick it...” He trails off, and you look around for Loki. The room’s empty. You watch Mobius slip his hand into his pocket, before leaning his head back with a sigh, “Mischievous scamp.” You both rush outside, Mobius calling B-15 back.

“Wish I could say I was surprised.” She retorts.

“Yeah, I wish you hadn't interrupted us.” Mobius adds, annoyance lacing this tone. The two of you jog alongside the Hunters she’s gathered.

“Me? It's my fault?” She exclaims.

“He can't have gotten very far.” You reason, attempting to prevent an argument.

“Split up. Prune on sight.” She orders.

“No, no pruning, no resetting. He can still help us!” Mobius argues. Your group splits up. You wander through the corridors for awhile before deciding to return to the projection room. Once Loki realised he can’t get far he might decide to hide in there. Turns out, you’re right. Loki is perched on the steps at one side of the room. You glance as the projector, the bold ‘End of File’ standing out from the screen. He holds the Tesseract in one hand, the blue glow casting a shadow across his face.

“I’m guessing you know that won’t work here.” You say, keeping a safe distance between the two of you. He nods,

“Not through a lack of trying.” You sit down on the steps, glancing at him for a moment before staring at the wall.

“Did he give you the: your only purpose is a side character to develop other people on their path to greatness, speech?” He looks up at you sharply. You meet his gaze, “I suppose that’s a yes.” He nods. You sigh, “I know it sucks, but I have to admit it does put things in perspective.”

“Perspective?” You nod,

“That the only reason why you did the things you’ve done, is because it was meant to happen. Because the all knowing space lizards decided it. But you’re out of the timeline now, Loki. You can do whatever you want.” You watch as he considers your words. “That’s not me giving you the okay to kill me. Or Mobius, don’t kill him. Anyone else, I’m not too fussed.” You joke. A small smile flits across his face. “I’m going to call Mobius now, he’s the better option over B-15.” Loki nods, and you retreat outside the room. You pull out your phone and dial for Mobius,

“Mobius, I’ve found him. He’s back at the projection room.”

“Do not approach him, [Y/N]. Do you hear me? I’m on my way now.” You agree, and wait outside the door. Mobius rushes down the corridor, grasping hold of you. “Are you okay?” You nod,

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” He pauses, checking you over for a moment, before nodding and opening the door to reveal Loki. You wait outside as they presumably have a heart to heart. It’s not long before Mobius is back by your side, with Loki in tow.

“Say hello to our newest team member.”

If you’d like to be tagged for this series just let me know!

[yvesdot]

NANOWRIMO 2021 - BINGO!

I have far too many writing priorities to focus on just one, so here's my compromise: listing them out in bingo format and doing a bit for each. At the same time as all this, I'll also be editing FC near-daily and keeping up with my Patreon. I'll update this post daily with what I worked on. Good luck, NaNoers, and best wishes to my fellow Rebels!

EDIT: NaNo is over in my timezone! Read through all my updates below, along with my final wordcount (I won!) and an updated bingo, below that cut.

NaNo ask game・my askbox

NOTE: I'm not marking the bingos bingoed until the end of the event; I don't want to consider something 'done' until I've literally run out of time to do it. Then we'll see how much I did and whether I think I've finished.

DAY 1: 8211. Spent 12 AM to 6 AM writing The Proposal and editing KAY Chapter 1 to send out for critique. The Proposal is about halfway done now, and I'm happy with my edits. Managed 10 minutes of FC edits right before midnight-- what a mess my middle is.

DAY 2: 1733. Busy day-- got some important Life Things done! Just enough time to write for about 45 minutes straight; 15 minutes fixing up FC's editing doc, then 30 minutes for this week's Patreon post.

DAY 3: 3063. Spent 40 minutes right at 12:00 AM looking over critique on KAY's Chapter 1, then another 30 or so throughout the day, then a bit more time editing The Proposal. The draft isn't as bad as I thought it would be! Still only 1/2 written, but what's there seems fun. I didn't know whether or not to count time I spent at a physical critique for KAY with other writers, but for now I won't since I simply do not seem to need it.

DAY 4: 2585. 20 minutes right at 12 continuing to read through The Proposal, just because I really find it that engaging. Of course, it is MILF4MILF. Later in the day, around 45 minutes writing up this week's Patreon post. Gotta go fast!

DAY 5: 1258. Friday, which is the toughest-- have to write just before Shabbat, and all I managed was the Patreon post.

DAY 6: 1800. Saturday. Came home and managed some more Patreon.

DAY 7: 2510. Spent the day getting all sorts of things done, but barely any time for writing; just Patreon again. Speaking of which: Patreon post is done! About winning NaNo and my journey there, of all things. Really wish I could get a little more Forest Castles in ;__; Hoping tomorrow I can do that as well as a little satirical piece I'm writing.

DAY 8: 3689. I returned to mortālēs and hit the end! It's all written! I may not know just how to attack editing it, but it's there, and that's what's important. Also managed to get my satirical piece in! No FC, though...

DAY 9: 2050. So thrilled to report I have returned to editing Forest Castles! This bit is like a difficult knot; it'll take me a while but will be very satisfying when I have it done. I've realized I spend a lot of time (30 minutes each way) on buses, so if I just take the first bus ride of the day to work on FC, I should in theory have no trouble hitting 15+ minutes of work on it a day. We shall see. Used this editing to begin cobbling together the next Patreon post (busy busy busy...) Hope to hit 50K by the 15th, though it looks like that'll be difficult.

DAY 10: 1881. Got some more FC editing done, then re-read/edited In Her Arms and did a little submissions research. It's a busy week, so I'm letting myself off the hook for not OAing today.

DAY 11: 2467. Some more light mortālēs editing, IIRC, and quite a bit of Forest Castles fun-- I watched Olympic-level sabre fencing and took some notes! I want to give Red, Avner, Eliza, and Ahava all their own distinct fencing styles.

DAY 12: 1151. How I wish I could've done more today. It was really just a bit of Forest Castles work and some waffling over other projects ;___; But, hey, Shabbat starts at 4:40 PM now. I'm going to have to kick myself into gear if I want to hit 50K by the 15th!

DAY 13: 2270. I think I managed a reasonable amount for Motzei Shabbat (post-Shabbat evening)! Posted this week's Patreon post and edited patterned seats, which I like but am worried nobody else will care about. The goal is 8K for tomorrow... we'll see if I hit it.

DAY 14: 8755. No, that is not a typo. I held an OHHOW stream (thanks to those who came!) and visited many more, and I wrote an unbelievable 8K+ words, from patterned seats to FC and finishing up with my Tell Me About The Nonbeliever outline.

DAY 15: 6695. I opened the day by writing out a new idea I've had recently (no title yet!) and later worked on an upcoming interview I have with beloved author Yah Yah Scholfield! I've just got to send the line edits back to them and we'll be releasing it ^__^ The bulk of my writing, though, was centered around my transition diary and the Nonbeliever outline from the other day. Finally, I spent a little time transferring some notes for FC into a Patreon post draft, so people can see how I've been developing that worldbuilding! No wonder I HIT 50K TODAY! Unimaginably thrilled.

DAY 16: 3402. I finished up that interview, worked a little more on the Patreon FC post, and edited more of my FC notes. I also streamed again today! Thanks so much to everyone who came ^_^ Nice to get back to normalcy.

DAY 17: 4611. A complicated bag of non-writing. Updated here, edited/submitted some flash fiction pieces, worked on my parallel post for Rebecca. Managed to work long enough to get a bit ahead on Shabbat this weekend!

DAY 18: 3523. Finished the parallels post and advertised a bit for the Blood & Breath zine overall (GET YOURSELF A COPY!) and began a short side story for Forest Castles.

DAY 19: 2402. Finished the side story at 1:00 AM. Help me! Then it was just a few more minutes of editing it left and right. I'm happy with the content; not so much with the syntax-- I'll have to take another look at it eventually. Did what I wanted to do, though, and great numbers for Friday! Shabbat started at 4:36 PM today.

DAY 20: 3200. Not thrilled about this number! Cleaned up some loose threads from the end of the week + worked on the TMATN outline, but wound up accidentally deleting the original parallel post and then funking up my 4tw word count and panicking over both. Took a lot out of me ;___; I hope to get more done tomorrow, so that I can get ahead on my 100K goal!

DAY 21: 4473. So happy! Not only did I hit a very high goal, but I also finished the TMATN outline! I'm sure it has some snags, but those are for later me to check out.

DAY 22: 3431. Today I hit 75K total! Of course, I am purposefully ahead about 1.8K of where I need to be to hit my goal of 100K, since I want to leave some wiggle room for Thanksgiving and Shabbat and Chanukah. Started working on the Hexagon outline just to move a bit further around the bingo board, and am quite enjoying it thus far.

DAY 23: 3188. Not ideal, but I got a bit done for Exhaustively and am attacking it in a new way.

DAY 24: 5538. Was accidentally moved to transsexual literary critique of an odd quote on writing, and decided to count it (since it'll go up somewhere eventually). Also did some Exhaustively work and got closer to finishing the mythical dialogue tags Patreon post.

DAY 25: 3901. Quite a bit of Exhaustively editing, and admittedly a lot of time spent fixing up my Twitch channel now that I have reached Affiliate status! Thanks so much for coming by ^__^

DAY 26. 2251. I broke 90K! Of course, I've purposefully kept ahead just for a day such as today; I knew I'd be writing less due to Shabbat. I'm very happy with what I did get done (mostly the Hexagon outline) and I hope to find some way to squash most of the rest of my bingo into tomorrow. We'll see how that goes... I was hit with some details of a new idea while on stream, so I might have to fight a few instincts.

DAY 27. 2900. I do wish I'd managed just 500 words more, but in fairness, the words came slowly-- I was working on a brand new short story for a weekly contest (couldn't be helped! plans to the wayside! inspiration takes no prisoners!) and I needed to think hard about it while writing. Broke some new research grounds and hit upon something quite nice and seasonal.

DAY 28. 4562. Finished Dressage-- that's the new short story that's shaking everything up. Edited some more Exhaustively, with my butt kicked into gear due to Max goose-books's birthday coming up in December-- I'll be binding it up into a paperback just for him!

DAY 29. 3354. Got some critique on and made some edits to Dressage. Edited Exhaustively right up until the end. Spent quite a bit of time cleaning up my Hexagon outline. HIT 100K!!!

DAY 29. 2721. Went over two problem bits in Exhaustively-- if Max signs off on them, the whole thing is finished (again)! Then switched to writing this month's Patreon Newsletter, since of course I wanted to reach the end of NaNo first. Happy NaNo! Updated bingo below, and an explanation below that.

Edit patterned seats: Done! It lacks spark, though; lacks that vital why did I write this?. I'll have to go to classic Bradbury sci-fi to see how he handled this issue.

Edit Exhaustively: Done! All that's left is to format it, put out an interest check, print a proof, etc.... This is a quite limited run, so I'm trying to relax a little ^__^

Write mortales: Done! I wrote all the way to the end, erotica and all. A writer I've shared some insecurities with wrote on the draft I handed them, you've embraced male nipples!

Write The Proposal: Begun! I've written approximately half of the draft. Another erotica, and one with a really cohesive plot; I quite like it. Hope to write more soon.

Submit Tragic Accident: Done! And several weeks to get a response, so all I have to do now is wait.

Submit YouTube Comment: Done! I got a rejection, and I'm glad I reached out. This is a really weird, niche piece, and I expect to get a hundred rejections before I find the exact right place.

Submit In Her Arms: Rethunk! This piece just isn't ready to go out. I love it, but I got a critique on it and just about nothing is working in there.

Outline Nonbeliever: Done! I'll go over it again sometime in the next few weeks to polish it up.

Outline Hexagon: Begun! Not remotely perfect, but making tons of progress on the plot.

Finish dialogue tags post: Begun! I hadn't touched this behemoth in months, and I added some words to it. I'll have to go back and re-read Your Father's Son (which I want to do anyway) and add in the relevant quotes from there... and then we'll be done!

FINAL WORDCOUNT: 103,574 words.

[causewealwayshaveeachother]

CONFRONTING ALEX ABOUT HIS SECRET GIRLFRIEND?!?! 🤭😱🛑 LIVE! NOT CLICKBAIT

LAST VIDEO: We discovered Alex has been SNEAKING OUT to meet up with his SECRET GIRLFRIEND!!!!!

In today's exclusive livestream we confront him about the DECEPTION and BETRAYAL!!!!!!!! Going live at 12:30 PM today!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Mercer Family is one of many multi-million-subscriber family youtube channels on YouTube. It documents the lives of Diane and Charles, and their two children, Alex and Annabelle. They definitely don't have a third child who got a restraining order as soon as they went off to college, and while we're here, their son is also definitely 100% straight.

finally living up to the level of stupid to be expected from "it came to me in a dream" (not a joke; it did)

teaser trailer for an au that may end up just being a pile of plot summary but isn't that what aus are all about anyway?

ao3 tags: family youtube channel au, Crack, i think, it's legally crack if it's a ridiculous premise played straight right, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Panic Attacks, Gay Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms), Coming Out, Bad Parenting

wordcount: 1109

Head-on shot centering a blonde boy in his teens lounging on a chair. He is looking to the side, head propped up on his fist, and seems bored and irritated. One of his arms is draped over the back of the chair, and his fingers fidget against each other. He is wearing a black snapback, zip-convert pants, a pink sweatshirt and a ripped jean jacket. (ALEX MERCER)

A voice comes from off-camera. (DIANE MERCER, ALEX'S MOTHER)

DIANE MERCER (OVER-ACTED AND DRAMATIC)

Alex, do you know why we want to talk to you?

ALEX MERCER (FLAT TONE)

No.

DIANE MERCER (OVER-ACTED AND DRAMATIC)

Do you have anything you might want to share with us?

Alex rolls his eyes slightly.

ALEX MERCER (FLAT TONE)

No.

DIANE MERCER (OVER-ACTED AND DRAMATIC)

This is your last chance to just come clean!

ALEX MERCER (UNDER HIS BREATH)

Okay.

Alex turns his head to look directly at the camera.

ALEX MERCER (FLAT TONE)

I'm gay.

Alex stands up and books it out of the room. A gasp comes from behind the camera and the feed abruptly cuts off.

--

Alex walked swiftly down the rain-slick sidewalk towards the studio, duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Raindrops fell lightly around him, dampening his shoulders and hat. His breath came quickly, and his hands shook, and his feet fell heavy against the ground. He tried to time his breathing to his footsteps, focus on the steady one-two-one-two-one-two and block out anything else. The studio was a 20 minute walk away. He had been walking for five minutes. The studio was 15 minutes away.

Alex being gay wasn't news to his parents. It wasn't even, particularly, a problem to them, on a moral level. He was welcome to run around kissing whatever guys he wanted, so long as it never made it back to anyone who reported on the goings-ons of the members of the Mercer Family Youtube Channel. Because having a gay son wasn't nearly as marketable to Family Youtube audiences as having a rebellious, straight, fuckboy son.

Alex stuck his free hand in his pocket, clenching the other harder around the duffel strap, and walked faster, trying to force the panic attack he could feel approaching down through the slap of his feet against the concrete.

The studio was 12 minutes away.

Alex could feel his jaw clenching, his brow furrowing, with anger. Because what the fuck right did his parents have to exploit him and his siblings, make them spend hours acting out "caught on camera!" clickbait videos until it looked just the right balance of perfect and unplanned, make up secret fake girlfriends and set up elaborate photoshoots and then fucking- try and make him pretend to admit to having a secret fake girlfriend who doesn't exist! Who they made up for him! On live camera, for "authenticity" like the fact that they're doing it live is gonna hide how fucking staged the whole goddamn thing blatantly is.

Running around the house with cameras all day filming him and his little sister just trying to live their goddamn lives, making them pretend to break rules so they could pretend to get in trouble so they could pretend to be being punished so they could post it on youtube. Who even knew what would happen if they actually broke the rules. It'd probably still end up on youtube, they'd just have to spend 6 fucking hours reenacting any part they managed to do out of view of one of the billion cameras they've got filming every goddamn room of the house.

Alex blew through the doors of the studio, past the chairs under the loft where Bobby and Reggie were tuning their instruments, past the couch where Luke was looking up at him from the song book, directly into the bathroom. He slammed the door, locked it, and sank down against it, directly into a panic attack.

--

Bobby and Reggie exchanged glances, putting their guitars down and crossing to sit with Luke on the couch. "What do you think happened?" Bobby asked, lowering his voice like Alex might hear them through his panic attack. Reggie hated this part of being friends with Alex - knowing he was just a wall away, hurting, but not able to help - knowing if he tried he'd only make it worse. Having to just wait it out and hug him after.

"Didn't his parents want him to do some youtube thing today? He said he'd be like an hour late." Luke glanced at the bathroom, then his gaze jittered over to the clock as his face twisted with concern. "It's been, like, 10 minutes." His knee shook up and down and his fingers tapped at his biceps. Reggie leaned his shoulder against Luke's, and on his other side he saw Bobby casually folding his legs pulling his legs up onto the couch and crossing them crossing his legs so his knee pressed into the side of Luke's thigh.

"It was a livestream," Reggie piped up. Now he remembered - Alex's parents wanted to do a livestream for "authenticity". Alex hadn't said what for, he didn't think. "Maybe he got- like, a surprising question he didn't know how to answer...?"

"Yeah, I mean, a livestream's gotta be pretty stressful," Bobby agreed. He leaned forward to look at Reggie. "Do you remember if he said what it was about?"

Reggie shook his head. "He just said it was a livestream thing." Alex had mentioned it casually as practice was ending a few days ago - "I'm gonna be like an hour late on Saturday, by the way. My parents want me to do a youtube thing? A livestream or something. More authentic if it's in the middle of the day I guess." Luke had given him a little light-hearted shit about skipping practice to be a hotshot youtube star, and Alex had snapped back lightheartedly enough. It hadn't seemed like Alex was expecting it to be a big deal, but then again, it never did, did it?

The three boys sat on the couch for another twenty minutes before they heard the toilet flush and the sink running in the bathroom. Then, Alex emerged. Shaky and pale, damp strands of hair hanging around his face, but brow set in determination. "Hey, bud," Luke began, probably about to attempt delicacy in asking what the fuck happened, but Alex spoke over him, staring fixedly at the Sunset Curve banner hanging across the room.

"I'm gonna sue my parents for emancipation. Because fuck this." He turned to them, a hysterical grin starting to pull across his mouth, chest beginning to shake with laughter. "I just came out as gay on livestream. Fuck everything. Can an emancipated minor take custody of an eight-year-old?"

[snezhana-peykova-brighton-blog]

Self-directed project - Pecha Kucha

1. We are patterns within patterns within patterns. My project is about the inner war of reconnecting with our spiritual self and recognising the structure of our inner universe in the outside world through the lens of Celtic tradition.

2. I'm using Teodor Hristov’s latest music project “Variations on a theme by time”. The music depicts the idea of different stories happening at the same time - variations of the same thing and uses Celtic elements.

3. My aim is to use skills I developed in the first semester to create both abstract and figurative visuals as a representation of the spiritual and the material world.

4. My goal is to communicate the ideas and feelings conveyed by the music in order to create an audio-visual experience for the audience. I want my work to reflect the idea of the connexion between the spiritual and material world by using Celtic tradition as a starting point.

5. The music video for “Spiders” by System of a Down shows the idea of the world of dreams affecting our experience in the material world. Ancient art and symbols are used in the dream world.

6. Visuals for the material world would be simple with little changes focusing on the idea of pointlessly searching for yourself as time passes. The blindfold conveys both the idea of being lost and the need to look within to find yourself.

7. In this music video for the song “A factory for dreams” the band is shown waiting in different locations as time passes. I’d like to use a similar approach when showing the passing of time in the material world.

8. In contrast I want the visuals for the spiritual world to be diverse and dynamic, illustrating the inner war of searching for the self.

9. Nature played an essential role in Celtic tradition. Rituals were based on the changing of the seasons and astrological events. The main visuals in the spiritual world will be nature inspired.

10. The first Celtic symbols used to map the world arise from within as dreams, visions and physiological entoptic phenomena where patterns seen by carefully pressing the eyes or in prolonged darkness, are sent by the visual cortex to the retina allowing us to see the structure of our own brains.

11. Later Celtic art developed into spirals, keys, and knots. Spirals are found on all scales in nature from galactic arms to molecular bonds. We all carry our own unique spirals the spiral muscle of the heart and our fingerprints.

12. Key patterns can be found in nature as well, the closest analogue to them are the folds of the brain.

13. Elements of nature are usually incorporated into knotwork. as knots are generated by one's imagination, they show how our inner states shape our outward world. Knots imitate life in its state of operation and show how we live in a choir of inter-sustaining life.

14. In order to stick to the idea of variation of the same theme, I'm going to use the same visuals for each music piece but apply different editing techniques and visual effects. You can see an example of visualizers using the same source material for different songs.

15. I'm going to split the screen in two to show the material and the spiritual world at the same time. I'll treat each side as a separate outcome to create an even bigger contrast between the two worlds.

16. I will start the project by scrying while listening to the music and document the visions dreams and patterns that I see. I’ll develop the patterns into spirals, keys and knots which I’ll use both for the material and the spiritual world to show the connections between them.

17. Then, I’ll film the scenes for the material world.

18. I'll do scanography for the material world as the outcomes make the model seemed trapped. It is also an easy way to create distorted images.

19. I'll film the visuals for the spiritual world and use practical visual effects to create a dream-like atmosphere. I'll project and film some of them again.

20. I'll put everything together using all the work I've created from the beginning. My plans for the project may change as I wonder process and decision making to be informed by experimentation. My aim is to create a layered body of work, always thinking about how I can take it further until it feels right.

[thatblondeperson]

So another reason I see people degrading Steph for or hating on her for comes from the way that fans seem to hypersexualize her or slut shame her which is so great to see in the glorious year of 2020...thought we were past this, y'all. It's a very bizzare thing too because it's so out of touch with reality.

For starters I've seen a lot of people shame Steph for getting pregnant in the first place. As if it's solely her fault. (Another trend, just blame everything bad on Steph regardless of how many other people are involved... 😒) As if Steph wasn't in an incredibly unhealthy relationship with a guy who was clearly in his early 20s. I don't think they ever explicitly mention Dean's age, but he does not look like a teen. And given the way we see he treats Steph, I'd wager that the pregnancy was more his fault.

He just seems like the...irresponsible type.

But sliding pat the fact that it's totally never ok to shame a young girl for getting pregnant, I'm gonna discuss the more frequent negativity which seems to be even more out of touch with what's even happening in the comics.

A lot of people rag on Steph for her excessive flirting, and her tendency to try and pressure or push Tim past his comfort zone. In all honesty this is just completely rooted from a self-projection perspective. While Steph does flirt pretty heavily in the beginning, it's done still in a lighthearted manner. She's 15 after all, and doesn't know how to get this boy's attention properly. The relation she's been in and the ones she's seen growing up weren't healthy, and definitely showcased leaning in favor of the men. Stephanie was probably taught that the best way to get a boy's attention was to act flirty and persistent. Men like that right??

And as OP mentioned, Steph wasn't even INTERESTED until Tim kissed HER!! Teasing aside, she knew he had a gf, but that changed when Tim kissed her. She figured that meant he liked her and she developed a crush.

How Steph gets blamed for coming on too strong when TIM FUCKING STARTED IT is beyond me. Hey look, Steph getting blamed for everything again trend.

I had a few friend who went so far as to say that Steph's actions were on par with sexual harassment and this is another common trend. Which, ok, I at least see mildly where people are coming from, but this also comes into that self-projection I was mentioning.

A lot of fans like to project this image of naivety and a babyish nature to Tim. Since he's so tiny, and just the goodest of boys, he couldn't possibly ever want anything to do with sex! Ew, icky! Can't damage the boy virgin, he must remain pure and perfect!!

There's talk that Tim was absolutely mortified when Ari tried to seduce him, but in all reality he was very respectful and even told her he WANTED to take that step, but just wasn't ready. So this idea that Tim is terrified of sex and boobies and hates anything to do with it, is just incorrect. Was Tim surprised/shocked? Yes, but he handled it maturely and respectfully because he loved Ari.

So when people bring up this panel about how naive Tim is cuz he thought holding hands was how you made a baby...like seriously?

He makes no mention of that. It's clearly just Steph trying to lighten the mood a bit. Tim's not this innocent baby who thinks he knocked his gf up, he knows how babies are made.

This is a common thing from Steph, that type of lighthearted teasing that she does and part of me thinks it comes from a place of her just constantly trying to cushion all the blows that she keeps receiving in life. Much like other depressed or pessimistic characters in media, Steph is sarcastic and snarky. Joking and teasing her way through a lot of things which I think is more a reflection tactic than anything. It's not inherently mean either. I don't know who needs to hear this but lighthearted teasing between friends, and poking fun at each other is normal. Those are typically your best friends as they are likely the most honest and straightforward with you when you need them to be. The most I see Tim protest this is with a mildly annoyed "Steph...". I don't know where fans started perpetuating this idea that Tim despised being teased or that he hated how mean Steph was to him...I think it's still that self-projection, MUST PROTECT BABY mentality with Tim...

I'm not gonna lie and say that Tim adored it every second, but he teased Steph a fair amount back. The one that always comes to mind is where he tricks Steph into thinking he fell and then ends up holding her upside down off a building...now I know she was safe but I would consider that alone as a lot meaner than any of Steph's teasing.

As far as the assumption that Steph only wants to fuck Robin...jeezus...I mean she genuinely cared for him and aside from maybe a couple vague advances, at no point does she ever excessively try to pressure Tim into having sex. Steph imo is just as hesitant as Tim is in that area. Initially in the beginning she seems more open, but she simmers down quickly because she realizes she doesn't need to do anything like that to convince Tim to stay around. Her mother was likely sexually abused by her father, Steph experienced sexual harassment, and Dean clearly took advantage of her in some way or another and dropped her once she became undesirable...Tim stuck around, he saw Steph's worth as a person which was new for her.

Early instances like this to me are a fluke thing as things like this did not come up again. This is really the most forceful Steph ever was with Tim. She made a move that he clearly wasn't reciprocating. Given any of their other encounters together, I don't think anything serious would have happened had this scene not been interrupted. Tim would have stated that he wasn't interested, maybe gotten mildly condescending, and Steph would have snapped at him and they would have moved on.

There are of course the other mild instances where Steph makes a barely even mild sexual comment, or issues where she doesn't seem to have a lot of shyness around Tim...but I would call neither of these anything to lose sleep over.

I mean at best the panel above shows the vaguest innuendo I've ever seen in my life, and it's not even an innuendo. It is before they were official though, and Steph might have been a bit forward, but in a very flirtatious, teasy way. Not in an "I MUST ENTRAP AND CORRUPT THIS BOY" way.

Even this panel ^ which was always described to me as Steph asking Tim to watch her change...which she doesn't. She simply invites him in and he declines. It's not this big deal it seems to frequently be described as.

Steph definitely has her flaws, and coming on as strong as she did with Tim is a vague flaw. She's 15, I'm not gonna chastise her for not knowing how to properly handle a crush, especially since she mellowed out fairly quickly once she and Tim were dating, and she realized she didn't have to flaunt herself in the way she thought she had to to get his attention.

The closest she ever gets to asking him to bang is the above panel where she's on top of him, and it's such a halfassed attempt if it IS a legit one. Past that, they never really talk about sex. At no point do that have any moment similar to Tim's with Ari. Steph doesn't pressure him, and he doesn't pressure her. She never complains that she can't "bang" him, and neither of their self worth of each other is rooted in whether or not they can "bang". The idea that Steph is only interested in Tim if she can fuck him is just such a blatantly wrong and out of touch perspective of their relationship that it's almost laughable.

The next closest they get is maybe 1 horny inner thought from Tim in RR, and then in convergence when they actually make plans to sleep together at the end of the world, but end up happily cuddling instead.

Steph is not this hypersexual slut that antis try to make her out to be, and anyone who wants to slutshame her can go through me.

I'm sure this wasn't very eloquent, and @incoherentbabblings helped to find many of these panels, and a lot of her opinions are in here as well, and I'm sure I repeated myself a lot, but eh. I'm just 5000% done with antis reaching and making up shit about Steph to turn her not only into an abuser but a sexual harasser as well.

(Commentary and thoughts on the problem with certain anti tags and frankly anti tags in general, be warned)

I'm going to be honest, there is nothing that infuriates me more than those who attack a ship, or a character as abusive for the reason of banter, poor writing verging on character assassination or astonishing reasons as one character being created to be a beard for the other.

To give an example, the TimSteph ship has attracted a lot of hate recently because apparently one of the two is abusive towards the other (mostly Steph).

Now, I'm not against preferring another ship to that one, such as StephCass or TimKon, or feeling that Steph has basically had a lot of her agency taken away recently, reducing her to just Tim's girlfriend and that causing people to distance themselves from the relationship, those are all fair enough reasons to not really like the ship. Even feeling like there is no chemistry is a reason, that I disagree with, but can respect.

What I can't respect are some of the reasons given for hating the ship.

To give an example, one tumblr outright stated that part of the reason (though not all of it) they hated Steph was because she was created by a homophobe (Chuck Dixon who IS conservative at the very least) to serve as beard for Tim.

Ignoring for a second that Tim is explicity sexually attracted to women (though considering the run that made that clearest was FabNic's version of Red Robin, I can understand not knowing about it), Steph was originally created to be a one-off character, it was fan popularity that caused her to return AND become a love interest for Tim. Even ignoring that, Tim was dating another girl named Arriana, which didn't work out for various reasons, the least of which was his constant absences to perform his duties as Robin.

Speaking of FabNic, it was his run as writer for Robin that is most often brought up when giving reasons to hate Steph and call her abusive. A run that was basically a rush job, when Dixon left DC again for unrelated reasons, where FabNic proceeded to write Steph hire Scarab of all people to fight Tim non-lethally after promising Batman to make him better. I'm going to be honest, I hated the idea of this to begin with, but someone pointed out how stupidly out of character Steph hiring Scarab was given that A) she would definitely not have the contacts to pull it off, and B) Scarab was the entire reason Steph got fired as Robin, resulting in a lot of trauma for her and I have to agree.

Combined with Steph being portrayed as unusually incompetent and her motivations being glossed over and it really reads like either A) FabNic had a vendetta against her character, meaning her character was hurt again almost immediately after being finally getting a break and having her incredibly spiteful death retconned or B) he was in such a rush due to being brought in to write the final arc of Robin in a hurry when Dixon left, that he didn't think his ideas through, and just wanted to get rid of Tim's supporting cast quickly and finish things up for the next writer to have a clean slate, causing him to write that mess of an arc.

To anyone unfamiliar with FabNic's work, the exact same thing happened in Red Robin when the Nu52 was about to happen, so he ended up butchering an entire arc he had planned, Tim's character suffering from an abrupt shift in coldness again when he was getting better and left the series on a frankly unsatisfying cliffhanger. So, I can completely see that as being what happened.

Now as for those who say that Steph's banter with Tim is cruel and abusive. This is something he canonically said very shortly before their relationship started.

So Tim definitely gave as good as he got.

Though this is nothing to what he once said to his first girlfriend, Arianna.

Not that I believe for a second Tim is actually sexist, but his banter can be unusually and unintentionally aggressive at times.

Now I'm not going to say a word about most of Yost's Red Robin run, but what helps is that Tim is not being portrayed as being in the right with many of his actions and gets called out as such, plus he was written pretty clearly to be in a mentally bad place.

Otherwise I and probably a lot of Tim's fans, hate the Batman jr. Character arc every writer (but Dixon ironically) seemed to have fixated on him having, making him become positively humourless for quite a while (especially in Teen Titans, but to be honest there are many fans of the YJ team who hated that run.) Which basically started with Steph and his dad's deaths by the way.

I'm not going to deny Tim and Steph had their fair share of drama before War Games, most notably the power imbalance caused by Tim knowing Steph's name, but being unable (yes, unable) to give her his. Tim had a reason for not telling Steph, Bruce making him promise not to, and he kept that promise even with the YJ team, and even made it clear that Steph couldn't know if they entered a relationship. That's all fair enough, even if Tim had a nasty habit of reminding Steph he knew her name while they were out in the open, putting her identity at risk and knew she hated it.

The stalking was caused when Tim implied he personally knew a girl they rescued, causing Steph to realise just how unbalanced their relationship was, since Tim could be cheating on her without her knowing due to the double life (and had in fact done so to his previous girlfriend Arianna, with Steph).

Which lets be honest, is also completely understandable as their relationship couldn't work long-term without it being equal knowledgewise.

Think about it, you're in a relationship with someone who refuses to tell you his real name, you may be able to recognise him without his mask on, but have no idea he goes to the same school as you since he makes sure to avoid you while simultaneously keeping an eye on you.

Tim himself realised this, since when Batman leaked his secret without his permission, he eventually made it clear he didn't blame Steph and that he should have been open with her when it began to trouble her.

As for Steph coming on to him when he had a girlfriend and wasn't interested, well this is what caused her to crush on him...

He had just been traumatised by being trapped underground with Cluemaster (brrr.) So kissing her in relief when he had a girlfriend was understandable, but it's also understandable that Steph thought he was interested in her especially since he never mentioned a girlfriend.

Amd Tim clearly cared for her in some way regardless judging from this page when Steph was kidnapped a few issues later.

As for Steph only being in love with Robin... the problem is that Steph made it clear once that she didn't care if Tim quit and she'd love him all the same.

So, no, I don't think Tim and Steph was an abusive ship, it might not be your cup of tea, but it's certainly not abusive, especially when written by a writer who isn't being rushed or got a lot on his plate.

As a side-note, it's worth noting that due to how the Tumblr Search Engine works, people not looking for Anti Tags, and instead quite the opposite, still end up finding them on occassion, so yes, they have a right to be annoyed and complain in private conversations.

I'm sorry if this devolved into a rant, but many anti threads have a nasty habit of focusing only on the bad, even when that bad isn't consistent characterisation. Whether we like the Character or not, we need to remember that having so many writers means that the Character will be screwed up occasionally. How many times has Batman learn not to be a jerk only to return to be a jerk almost immediately? How many times has Green Arrow gotten his act together only for another writer to have him return to cheating on Black Canary again?

We have to concede that any character can be screwed up by the wrong writer and we shouldn't hold that against them, especially when the stuff we don't like doesn't consistently happen.

[marvelmusing]

Making Time

Mobius M Mobius x Reader

Part 2

My Masterlist

“1985, huh?” You say, looking up from the briefing Mobius has just handed you.

“Yeah, maybe we’ll spot a delorian?” He jokes, making a Back to the Future reference. You smile at him, remembering when you’d first mentioned the movie. You hadn’t been at the TVA long, to your knowledge.

You’re sat in one of the cafes, explaining something about the timeline to Casey, and you make an offhand reference to the movie. To which, Casey looks even more confused. You glance at Mobius, who’s been sat next to you, watching your teaching with a smile. You offer them both a small smile, at yet another reminder that you’re from somewhere very different from the rest of them.

“Neither of you have seen it have you?” Mobius shakes his head.

“Not a lot of chances for watching movies when dealing with the timeline. Should we get the chance, I’d love to.” It’s a few days later when you give him the chance.

“Honey, I’m home.” You hear Mobius call out, which brings a smile to your face. Whilst you had your own apartment, you much preferred staying with Mobius, like you did when you first arrived at the TVA. You hear him set down a pile of papers in the kitchen, before making his way into the lounge where you’re sat waiting for him. “Hey.”

“Hi.”

“What’s all this?”

“Back to the Future. I went through my file, and managed to find a version that I watched that was uninterrupted. Then I isolated it, and copied it onto one of those cassette reel things, so that it’ll play on your mini projector.” You pause, before adding, “I probably put too much effort into this but, I thought we could have what my time considers a movie night?”

“A movie night?” Your face falls slightly, feeling embarrassed by your suggestion.

“We don’t have to-“ you start. He shrugs off his jacket and settles down next to you.

“Did I not tell you I wanted to watch it, should I get the chance?”

“Well, yeah.” He gestures to the projector.

“Let’s get this show on a roll.” You grin at him, before quickly pressing play on the projector. Mobius leans an arm on the couch and pulls you to his side. “You finally have clearance to access to your file, and you use it to watch Back to the Future?”

“What else was I supposed to do with it?” You joke.

You and Mobius head to the cubicle where you left Loki this morning. You spot him wapping against the desk with a magazine.

“Training going well?” You ask him. He leans back in his chair, attempting to look casual.

“Yeah.”

“Is that my jet ski magazine?” Mobius asks him. “Put it down. Gear up. There's been an attack. Let's go.” He hands Loki the jacket he’s been carrying. You set the briefing down on the desk, and follow Mobius. Loki trails behind you. “Put it on.” Loki shrugs the jacket on, adjusting the collar before posing.

“Nice.” You tell him with a smile.

“Good. Yeah, smart.” Mobius says distractedly. You soon reach the Timedoors, where a small group of hunters have gathered to wait. B-15 opens up the briefing.

“C-20 and her team went dark shortly after they jumped into the 1985 branch. All signs point to another ambush. We've grabbed enough temporal aura to know it's our Loki Variant. But which kind of Loki, remains unknown.”

“They're the lesser kind, to be clear.” Loki specifies. B-15 sighs,

“Let me see the back of that jacket.” Loki does a small turn, showing the group the back of his jacket, where the bright orange letters reading VARIANT stand out. Everyone is the group shares a small smile. You’re glad you don’t have to wear one of those anymore.

“Very subtle. Well done.”

“I don't want anybody out there to forget what you are.”

“Oh, your only hope of capturing a murderer?”

“No. A cosmic mistake.”

“That's enough.” Mobius interrupts.

“Lovely.” You hear Loki murmur.

“Here's the deal.” Mobius begins. “When we get out on the branch, we're not just looking for a Time Criminal. We're looking for a Loki. A variation of this guy. A type we should all be very familiar with, because the TVA has pruned a lotta these guys, almost more than any other Variant.” He skims through a few of the Loki Variants that the TVA have caught before. “And no two are alike. Slight differences in appearances, or not so slight. Different powers, although, powers generally include: shapeshifting, illusion projection, and my favourite-”

“Duplication casting.” Loki interrupts

“Illusion projection.”

“No, they're two completely different powers.”

“How?” You ask him.

“Illusion-projection involves depicting a detailed image from outside oneself, which is perceptible in the external world, whereas duplication-casting entails recreating an exact facsimile of one's own body in its present circumstance, which acts as a true holographic mirror of its molecular structure. But you already knew that.” He explains. You catch a glimpse of Mobius’s smirk before he says,

“Okay, take a breath. Noted. We're gonna break into two teams, including myself and Professor Loki.”

“Why?” A hunter stood beside you asks.

“Because whoever this Variant is, we haven't been able to find him. So let's bring in an expert.” Loki looks around at the group before adding a quiet,

“That's me.”

As the hunters prepare themselves, you hear Loki ask, “Do I get a weapon?” You laugh lightly,

“No chance.”

“Well, I'll have my magic back. Is no one concerned about that?”

“Of what?” Mobius asks.

“Me betraying you.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“You know that we’ll just catch you again.” You tell him.

“And how's betraying us gonna get you any closer to the Time-Keepers?” Mobius adds. Loki leans forward, his attention fixed on Mobius.

“An audience with the Time-Keepers is on the table?”

“Keep that focus.” Mobius tells him. The three of you follow the hunters through the Timedoor, and out into 1985 Wisconsin. Your group makes their way through the crowd of the Renaissance fair before entering a large tent. It’s dark inside, with only a few lanterns to light your path. You watch as B-15 bends down to grasp examine a helmet left abandoned on the floor.

“So he's taking hostages now?” She says, turning to Mobius.

“The Variant's never taken a hostage before.”

“Maybe he's upping his game.”

“Or he pruned her.” One of the hunters remarks, you frown at his callousness towards his colleague.

“A Loki couldn't have gotten the jump on C-20.”

“I think you underestimate, actually...” Loki begins.

“Fan out and search for her. And hurry up, we're at three units until red line.” B-15 orders. Mobius sets a hand on your arm, and the two of you head to the exit.

“Come on.” He says to Loki.

“Wait. If you leave this tent, you'll end up like them.” Mobius stops beside Loki.

“What do you see?”

“I see a scheme, and in that scheme, I see myself.” Loki begins to ramble about an old Asgardian saying.

“Two units. He is wasting our time.” B-15 interrupts.

“Okay. Come on, Loki, make a long story short.” Mobius encourages.

“We need to look for C-20.”

“That's exactly what the Variant wants you to do. It's a trap. He's waiting for you outside this tent.”

“Should I secure the reset charges?”

“No. He wants me. I'm the key to his plan. He knows that I'm stronger. And he rightly believes that together we can overthrow and rule the TVA. But that's not what I want. I have a new purpose. I'm a servant of the Sacred Timeline. And knowing what I now know about his tactics, I can deliver you the Variant, but I need assurances.” He says, looking to Mobius. You glance up at Mobius, frowning slightly. Surely he isn’t believing what Loki’s saying? His eyes catch yours and there’s a small twinkle in them. You hide your smile. Loki circles around Mobius.

“Yeah?” Mobius offers.

“Assurances that I won't be completely disintegrated the moment the job has been done.”

“Right.” Loki leans forward, before whispering,

“We'll need to speak to the Time-Keepers at once. They're in graver danger than we realized.”

“He's lying. Just playing games. There's no one out there.” Mobius calls out to the group.

“Reset the timeline.” B-15 orders.

“You had me for a second. My ears are sharp too.” He points at Loki’s chest. You follow Mobius out of the tent.

“Well that went well.” You remark, hearing Mobius sigh. He runs his hand over his face.

You’re tucking into your lunch when you spot Mobius. He picks out a drink and a salad before making his way over to you. You give him a small smile,

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

“How did it go with Renslayer?” He sighs, leaning his head back, before getting comfortable in his seat.

“Well, our Loki hasn’t been deleted yet.”

“That’s good then?” You offer. He sighs,

“Yeah. Though he’s getting more and more talkative.”

“You did say he loves to talk. Where is he now?”

“I’ve left him with the archives, hopefully he’ll be reading for the next few days. Or at least long enough for me to finish lunch.” He begins to eat his salad. Just then, Loki scampers in looking like a manic puppy.

“I found something.” Mobius shakes his head, keeping his attention on his lunch,

“No, I said don’t bother me until you've read all the files.”

“I have.”

“Every file?”

“Yes.”

“Pertaining to the Variant?”

“The answer isn't in the files, it's on the timeline. He's hiding in apocalypses.”

“Which apocalypse?” You ask.

“Any time in history? There's, like, a million of 'em.” Mobius adds.

“Ragnarok. Are you familiar?”

“Yes. The destruction of Asgard and most of its people. I'm sorry.” Loki pauses looking down.

“Yes, very sad.” He immediately perks up again. “Anyway, it got me thinking. Nexus events happen when someone does something they're not supposed to do, right?”

“Well, it's a little more complicated, but, yeah.”

“Great. And then that thing they're not supposed to do, cascades into a whole range of other things that aren't supposed to happen.”

“And so on and so forth, until eventually, a new timeline branches. Yes?”

“Chaotic alterations of a predetermined outcome.”

“Exactly. So, let's just say...” He picks up the salad bowl from in front of Mobius.

“Mm-hm. What are you doing?”

“...your salad is Asgard in this scenario.” Loki continues.

“It's not Asgard, that's my lunch.” Mobius complains, the pouting clear in his voice. You lean forward, a hand on your chin to hide the smile at Mobius’s reaction.

“It's a metaphor. Just hang in there.”

“I want that salad.”

“And I could go down to Asgard before Ragnarok causes its complete destruction and I could do anything I wanted. I could, let's say, push the Hulk off the Rainbow Bridge.” He picks up a salt shaker and puts a large sprinkling of salt across Mobius’s salad.

“There he goes.” You say, feeling rather invested in this metaphor.

“The salt's Hulk?” Mobius asks, clearly not as enthusiastic as you.

“And I could also... Set fire to the palace.” He picks up a pepper pot and shakes the pepper across the salad.

“No, just stop. Don't set fire to the palace.”

“Okay? I can do whatever I want to do, and it would never matter. It wouldn't go against the dictates of the timeline because...” He sets down the shakers after nearly emptying them both. He heads to the table behind you. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, God!” Mobius sighs.

“You!” Recognising the voice you look up to see Casey looking very confused.

“Nice to see you. I just need this for a second. Thanks.” Loki picks up Casey’s carton of juice, before sitting back down at your table. “Because the apocalypse is coming. Ragnarok, Surtur will destroy Asgard no matter what I do.”

“No, don't do...” Mobius sighs as Loki empties the carton over the remains of the salad.

“There's the apocalypse.” You say with a sigh, offering Mobius your bag of chips.

“That's the apocalypse?” He asks, taking a handful of chips from you with a smile.

“Ragnarok obliterates the salt. Ragnarok. There it is.” Loki gestures to the ruined salad with a proud smile.

“What am I lookin' at?”

“Okay, it was a clumsy metaphor. But you see what I mean. It doesn't matter. It could be any apocalypse. It could be a tidal wave. It could be a meteor. It could be a volcano, a supernova. If everything and everyone around you is destined for imminent destruction, then nothing that I say or do will matter, because the timeline's not gonna branch. Hence, the Variant could be hiding in the apocalypse and do whatever he wants, and we wouldn't know!”

“Not bad.” You offer.

“Take me to a real apocalypse, to Ragnarok, I'll show you.” Mobius chuckles,

“Yeah. So you can run away back to your homeland? No.”

“No, I'm not going home. We can go anywhere.”

“I'm not taking you for a stroll along the promenade, much less an apocalypse.”

“Oh, Mobius, come on! What could possibly go wrong? We gotta properly test this theory.”

“Well, here's a fun theory. You lure me out into the field, and stab me in the back. And that's a theory I don't wanna test.”

“I'd never stab anyone in the back. That's such a boring form of betrayal.” He most definitely would stab someone in the back.

“Loki, I've studied almost every moment of your entire life. You've literally stabbed people in the back, like 50 times.”

“Well, I'd never do it again, because it got old.” You both laugh at this. Mobius looks at you, and you shrug.

“Might as well try it?” You offer. Mobius nods,

“Okay.”

“Okay, look, you don't trust me, you can trust one thing. I love to be right.” Loki adds. That certainly isn’t a lie.

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