#almost all the best ships have a regency!AU already

[angstmongertina]

WIP Wednesday Results/Sentences

Once again, the poll has ended, and I feel like at this point, I should just accept that all of the fics are going to be from two fandoms instead of searching for others to include. This is just My Life Now lol.

Thank you to everyone for voting! Snippets and ever less coherent summaries are under the cut!

Oh Brother -- From the shared 'verse with Tea where our delegates' children fall in love. And their siblings are So Tired. SO TIRED, guys. (I wrote more than 2 sentences because i haven't worked on it at all since last time but I'm only sharing two.)

It’s almost a blessing when the next Summit rolls around, where surely one of them will seize the opportunity before his departure to say something. So naturally, neither of them do.

forever i'm yours, forever i do -- The ArtemRosa fic I should probably remove because I work on it as often as I can regardless just because it is my main focus and I've already been here for over a month send help. (2 sentences but some of them are short sentence fragments so it totally counts, right?)

It’s not until she shifts closer, their entwined hands resting on her lap, that he realizes he’s been worrying with the ring, stroking it like he’s reminding himself that it’s there. That she’s here, with him. That she won’t leave. That she’s his.

Spiral Point -- Once again, my 7KPP childhood "friends" AU, because I do love them, even if I am a horrible god to them. (2 sentences)

“It is I who must apologize, my lady. I fear I am poor company to keep at parties.” For a heartbeat, he glanced in the direction of General Falon, his lips curling in disapproval, but she barely noticed over a sudden, inexplicable wave of panic.

That Which Binds Us -- Yes hello working on this is wonderful and also I need to replay FEA again lol. (1 sentence)

She folded her arms over her chest. “Perhaps, but they, unlike you, do not have an added burden of leadership on their shoulders. That responsibility cannot be a light burden.”

Seasong -- Back to the mermaid AU. Which has me googling ocean analogies way too much. Am I leaning into this too much? Perhaps. (3 sentences but we're counting the dialogue as just one.)

“Hello? Who’s there?” The hoarse whisper sliced through the darkness, sharp as a blade. In spite of herself, she jerked, chains rattling at the movement, and bit her lip.

Face to Face -- More Nadia and Thomas (the idiot children ship I have with Tea) because I have lost control of my WIPs. (1 sentence but that somehow became like five because, again, I have no self-control.)

Squeezing onto the steps, he cast his gaze up, and then froze. Vaguely, he heard someone behind him curse, felt the push as they slammed into him, but he barely even noticed. Nadia had always been beautiful. From the moment she had been old enough to begin attending social events, she, tall and striking and the heir to Galerford, had been easily established as Jiyel’s most eligible. Logically, he knew that, and yet… And yet, somehow, he must have never known that at all.

beneath the shroud of night -- So, in my humble opinion, the Blizzardous cards had interesting potential on the story, but the execution was... let's just say mediocre at best. I had some ideas about what could improve the pacing and plot, so this is me trying my hand at it. (1 sentence. I know this looks like the beginning and that's because it was, since in my infinite wisdom, I started this writing "some inane beginning" when I jumped into this WIP. Past me was a dick.)

Shadows were flitting in and out, ephemeral and ever-changing, as a man confessed to murder. It was a suitable mood for it; the moon hung, low and heavy, across the sky, half-obscured by the mantle of clouds casting dark silhouettes over the land.

Officium et Honestas -- The SWTOR Regency AU that I started approximately 23845867927 years ago. I'm actually a full chapter ahead of what I have posted on AO3 but I still haven't touched it in far too long. (1 sentence)

Rhinaa herself might not have noticed her partiality, but if the knowing glances from the rest of the family were to be understood, she was the sole individual still in the dark on the matter.

I perhaps should write more on some of these, but I'm weirdly tired today and I'm already posting at the last minute, so we're gonna call it here LOL.

[bonsaiiiiiii]

100 Weird AU's? Yes.

So, I had these AU prompts on my phone for quite a while, and I was actually thinking about using them. And what better way to do it than using them with the Tracy's?

Reading and reading these prompts again (and under the gentle guidance of @willow-salix ) I thought that these prompts doesn't exactly match the brothers' everyday situation, but what if we push it past its limit? Yes, biting more that you can chew can be a little difficult, but I don't think it will be impossible. And that's where this challenge is born!

Get the Tracy's out of International Rescue's bubble and let them live an everyday situation as normal people! They can also be medieval nobles or even futuristic robots, the choice's up to you! You can choose from soo many things others don't even think about (and not even me, for a while)!

Many thanks to @tag2060 for the cover and @willow-salix for the support (both emotional and 'fic-ical'. I love both of you💚

NOTE: THESE PROMPTS AREN'T ALL MINE. I TOOK THEM FROM A GIRL I'M NOT IN CONTACT WITH ANYMORE, BUT I WAS TOLD I COULD USE THEM. ALL CREDITS FOR THESE AU'S GO TO HER, WHATEVER IS HER NAME (lmao). THE GOLD MARKED ONES (7, 11, 20, 23, 39, 47, 63, 64, 70, 83, 89, 91, 93, 96, 100) ARE ALL MINE, IN SUBSITUTION OF A FEW THAT WERE THERE, SO CREDIT FOR THE GOLDEN MARKED ONES GOES TO ME, BUT NOT EVERY ONE OF THEM.

NOTE²: SOME OF THE PROMPTS CONTAIN STRONG THEMES, LIKE DEPRESSION AND SEXUAL CONTENT. IF YOU'RE SENSIBLE TO THESE THEMES, DON'T DO THEM, NOBODY FORCES YOU IF YOU DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ:･ﾟ✧(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ:･ﾟ✧(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

To participate in this challenge, all you have to do is take one of the AU prompts from the list, one or more (or all) Tracy characters, and post your fic (can be a ficlet, or a series) under the tag #100weirdTracys and #100weirdAUs.

If you don't want to participate, please don't harass/bully me. I made this challenge just for fun, and I don't want for it to feel like something bad. In fact, I don't even regret doing this thing, even if it's strange.

Ah, I almost forgot: this challenge will be over in December, so you have 4 months to choose a prompt and make a fic about it. On December I'll review all the fics, but I'll always be reblogging and reading during these 4 months lol.

If you want to tell me something, hit me up on DM's! I hope you have fun with those prompts and those bois!

(づ￣ ³￣)づ(づ￣ ³￣)づ(づ￣ ³￣)づ(づ￣ ³￣)づ

TO RESUME:

• Swearing is allowed.

• You can write as many words as you want!

• Oc's and muses can pop in too!

• Make sure to tag your fic(s) under the '#100weirdTracys' and '#100weirdAUs' tags, so that I can find them easily.

• Always tag or contact me if you need help with anything! I'll be more than glad to help you!

• If you decide to do the mature prompts (19, 90, just to state an example) please refrain from using a too mature language and don't go further than making up. I don't like that kind of language, so it would be peachy to just avoid writing so they make wild sex behind a bush. Any kind of very mature fic or language won't be read by me, I'm sorry. You can still use those prompts, but don't work their bed life too much.

• Any dialect or first language apart from english is more than welcome in this yard! I would love even to read snippets of foreign language in fics, as long as there's a translation near it, but you're not forced to write in another language. If you don't feel comfortable doing it just don't do it, even if I'm telling you. (For the record, I love Irish so much I could listen to a person speaking this language for hours and you won't hear me complaining).

• I will accept this challenge in whatever form it takes, be it a fic, a drawing, a song, etc. I’m open to anything and I watch everything that comes before me!

φ(．．)φ(．．)φ(．．)φ(．．)__φ(．．)

That said, you can find the prompts down here:���️

 #1 I saved you from drowning!AU

#2 I broke into your house at two in the morning because I was drunk and I thought it was my house!AU

#3 I am a door-to-door seller please buy something!AU

#4 I grabbed the wrong luggage at the airport!AU

#5 I know we hate each other, but a wedding would be more convenient for both of us!AU

#6 I accidentally poured you a love potion!AU

#7 I sent you 12 messages but you left me on read!AU

#8 I am your secret admirer and I leave you anonymous cards!AU

#9 Sorry, but I was first in line!AU

#10 We don’t know each other but let's pretend to be together because someone is bothering me!AU

#11 We pack up to do a funny trip but we end up in Bolivia without fuel!AU

#12 Locked in quarantine and we're bored! AU

#13 I do everything to find out the identity of this superhero and you try to mislead me because it’s really you!AU

#14 I got into a taxi just to find out it was already occupied!AU

#15 I called the wrong number!AU

#16 I got into the wrong car OMG I'm ashamed, but while you’re there why don’t you give me a ride!AU

#17 I found a wallet and my business is to find the owner and return it!AU

#18 I am a street artist and you complain that I play in front of your house at night!AU

#19 I caught you watching porn!AU

#20 We're two strangers that start chatting while waiting for the bus!AU

#21 Nosy and sloppy roommates!AU

#22 Old childhood friends who come back after years!AU

#23 I got shot to the arm/leg but you're there to save me and OMG ILY!AU

#24 We’re sitting next to each other on a plane and please don’t throw up on me!AU

#25 We accidentally switched phones!AU

#26 We are both contestants in a reality show and let's pretend to be together because the audience will ship us!AU

#27 I am a wedding planner and my ex’s wedding had to happen to me!AU

#28 I learned sign language to communicate with you!AU

#29 Professional model and novice photographer!AU

#30 Sorry I ran you over!AU

#31 We make out and then I find out that you are my roommate’s boyfriend!AU

#32 I’m quoting aloud the last book of a series and I’m spoiling you!AU

#33 It is a universally acknowledged truth that a bachelor with a large fortune must be looking for a wife!AU

#34 I am a Partisan and you are a fascist!AU(Italy during World War II!AU)

#35 I am the blood of the dragon!AU (Iron Throne!AU)

#36 Your dog is hitting on mine!AU

#37 I’m depressed and I decide to call a hotline!AU

#38 You are my soulmate but I am in love with someone else!AU

#39 Strange encounter at tattoo shop!AU

#40 On my mark, unleash hell!AU(Roman Empire!AU)

#41 I am an Elf, don’t look at me for ears I am ashamed of!AU(The Lord of the Rings!AU)

#42 Maybe my life should be more than just survival!AU(The 100!AU)

#43 I am an activist and I am trying to convert you to the cause!AU

#44 We are occupying the school but you are a spoilsport!AU

#45 All our friends are drunk and we're not!AU

#46 We’ve been together for three months and now you’re telling me you’re a werewolf!AU

#47 X has to go into a rocket to the moon and Y has to train X!

#48 Knight in shining armor and damsel in distress!AU

#49 We reluctantly team up against the zombie apocalypse!AU

#50 I’m a vampire and your smell is driving me nuts!AU(Twilight!AU)

#51 Monsters have attacked the Earth and the only way to save humanity is aboard giant robots piloted by two people who must maintain a mental union!AU(Pacific Rim!AU)

#52 My timer stopped as soon as I saw you!AU(Soulmate!AU)

#53 I need a lawyer and you are the best!AU

#54 I’m a Viking and I plundered your ship!AU

#55 I’m a classic dandy from the Regency Age and you’re just a silly girl from the lower middle class!AU

#56 I’m a policeman and you’re an intrusive journalist and I really shouldn’t give you any information about the new murder!AU

#57 You are a wannabe actress and I am a theatrical director who is losing patience and health!AU

#58 Due to a computer error, X and Y become college roommates!AU

#59 X wants to see the world of Y, how he lives and what he usually does, and ends up spending a night in prison!AU

#60 I attend the yoga course just to watch how flexible the instructor is!AU

#61 I am a bounty hunter and you are my prey!AU

#62 I am a secret spy and pretend to be your friend only to get information about your father!AU

#63 I discuss with you about a thing but you have in mind another!AU

#64 We are forced to be best friends just because our moms were best friends too but you're too bossy for me!AU

#65 We broke up but I never changed emergency contacts and now I’m in the hospital and they called you!AU

#66 I am an angel and you are a demon!AU

#67 I hit you on the balls during a game of paintball and oh my god I am so sorry!AU

#68 We live in a dystopian world where your partner is chosen by society!AU(Matched!AU)

#69 I’m a dragon trainer I’ll prove to you that they are peaceful creatures!AU(Dragon Trainer!AU)

#70 Date at japanese restaurant!AU

#71 You’re a cheerleader and I’m a punk and we live in two different worlds!AU

#72 I was a zombie and I was "re-animated" but you treat me like I’m still a monster!AU(In the Flesh!AU)

#73 I am your son’s teacher and I am calling to talk to you about his conduct, would he also come to dinner with me!AU

#74 I am an Achaean warrior and you Trojan and we are fighting the Trojan War!AU

#75 I met my asshole boss at the bar but I found out he’s pretty cool!AU

#76 It was not my intention to touch your ass, it’s just that the bus is crowded, it’s not my fault ok!AU

#77 I went fishing and accidentally fished a mermaid!AU

#78 I just committed a crime and I need to use you as a hostage!AU

#79 You’re the bastard who always parks in front of my door and in spite I’ll scratch your car!AU

#80 I accidentally went back in time and fell in love with you, too bad you’re a barbarian!AU

#81 I urgently need you to fix my computer but please don’t judge me for my chronology!AU

#82 I work on the cruise ship where you are spending your holidays!AU

#83 I'm out in the rainstorm without an umbrella because the weather forecast was sunny!AU

#84 I hugged the wrong person from behind!AU

#85 Celebrity on the run and ordinary citizen confused!AU

#86 Stuck in a ranch cleaning horse poop but it doesn’t matter because that cowboy is a badass!AU

#87 We got married in Vegas, but we’re total strangers!AU

#88 But, officer, I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I was just smoking a joint, want a hit!AU

#89 X is an astronaut and Y is a weird but funny alien that likes to scream, overreact and laugh!AU

#90 I slept with you for a bet but I loved it and I’d like to keep seeing you!AU

#91 I reveal to some friends that you wear boxers/underwear with green aliens on them but you're behind me and oh gosh total shame!AU

#92 Oops I accidentally entered a busy dressing room!AU

#93 You're a stranger but I keep crossing paths with you and I'm kinda confused right now!AU

#94 X is a medium and Y a ghost!AU

#95 X is a guardian angel and Y wants to die!AU

#96 X accidentally enters in a cat and Y has to rescue it from up a tree!AU

#97 X risks losing the house because Y’s company wants to buy the land!AU

#98 I’m an artist and I need a model do you want to pose for me!AU

#99 I’m not really sick but the new doctor is so beautiful that I found out I have a disease with an unpronounceable name!AU

#100 A strange job application!AU

φ(．．)φ(．．)φ(．．)φ(．．)__φ(．．)

If you find them more practical, I also have some photos down here with all the prompts organized:⬇️

That said, enjoy! Hope it brings you joy and makes you happy while you do it!💙💚🧡💛❤💜💖🖤

[barisifictionarchive]

Author: sarahcakes613

Preferred Name: sarah

Have any events in your personal life ever influenced the things that you've written? 

Oh 100% - I often write little moments and experiences from my life into my characters lives. It's usually the silly stuff, I try not to let my traumas influence my writing because that's depressing af and I don't like writing angst!

That being said, my only chapfic to date is a Game of Thrones story about sobriety and recovery, and the idea came to me while I was sitting in a church basement watching someone I love receive a multiyear sobriety medallion. That story pulled a lot of it's core dialogue and traits from this person in my life and was largely inspired by the pride and love I feel for addicts in recovery.

Do you have a favorite movie? 

I love visually strong storytelling, so the Lord of the Rings trilogy is up there. I also love Mel Brooks comedies, especially Blazing Saddles and Robin Hood Men in Tights.

Who is your favorite author? 

Leonard Cohen only wrote two novels in his life but they're both perfect examples of their genres. In recent years, I've become a huge fan of Cat Sebastian, her queer regency romances are absolutely charming feel-good bites of chocolate.

How did you start getting involved in fanfiction?

I've been reading it since high school, but never felt like I had a fandom story of my own to tell. In 2015, I was heavily involved in the Game of Thrones fandom on Tumblr, particularly for the ship Sansan (Sandor Clegane/Sansa Stark) and began participating in the occasional drabble/prompt challenge just for fun. In 2016, a bunch of us decided to collaborate on a supremely cracky circus AU. I'd already written a handful of things but that was when my interest in writing fic took off. And the ladies I met writing that are still some of my absolute best friends!

How did you get involved with Barisi?

It was VERY roundabout. I watched SVU on occasion back when I had cable and I do remember watching both Barba and Sonny, but nothing about them stuck out to me in terms of shipping, probably because SVU was always a pretty casual watch for me so I never looked at it with fandom goggles. I got really into Raul Esparza's voice over this past winter (I have no idea what triggered that interest, probably a random Youtube find) so occasionally in searching I would see SVU gifsets on Tumblr and was like ah yes, I remember them, but again, never really stuck in my mind.

Meanwhile, sometimes when I'm looking for a new read, I'll choose a tag at random and just scroll for something that looks interesting. This past February I somehow wound up in the tag for Konmari/Marie Kondo, and found the fic Tidying Up by Robin Hood (kjack89). I thought it was absolutely the sweetest dang thing and started adding more Barisi fic to my marked-for-later page. Then in March, I actually started going through them and in one month I read about 200 stories.

What inspires you to write? 

The Barisi fandom is easily the most inspiring group of people I've ever talked to, with all the back and forth on Twitter with ideas and music and gifsets and headcanons, it all sparks ideas! Music especially, I'll see a whole story play out in my head over the course of a four minute song. I'm also often inspired by an aesthetic image, I'll see a pretty photo and want to write an entire story based around it.

What is your favorite fic that you have written? 

Oh my god Karen you can't just ask someone what their favourite fic they've written is. There are definitely multiple answers.

The fic I'm proudest of is Gods Grant Me the Serenity, the Game of Thrones chapfic I mentioned - it's "only" 20k but it took me 3 years to write because it was sometimes so painful to explore that relationship.

I also really love a gen/non-ship fic I wrote called The Holy or the Broken, which is a series of vignettes that explores each of the Avengers and their relationship to their own Jewish faith. Because all the Avengers are Jewish. I said so, and therefore it's true. I loved exploring aspects of my faith through fic, and the response was extremely gratifying.

My favourite Barisi fic that I have written is "I'll use you as a focal point (so I don't lose sight of what I want)" because it's the first one I wrote. When I first started exploring Barisi, I found the Archive on Tumblr and had a look at the prompt page. I saw one that really spoke to me but I was reluctant to do anything with it, because I was like, do I really want to start writing for a totally new fandom that I'm only just barely in? But then I went for it, and I haven't looked back!

What is your favorite quote from a fic of yours?

Oh man, you expect me to remember what I wrote?? The cheesy answer is all of it is my favourite, because I'm actually quite proud of my writing.

This may not be my #1 favourite, but it's definitely one that stands out, from my Barisi story Perfect situations must go wrong:

"Don’t you get it, Rafi?” Sonny asks, his voice so low it’s almost a whisper. “A life bond like ours, it’s a living thing. The beginning of our story is just that, a beginning. We chose the steps that came after. How can you say none of that was real?"

What is your personal favorite fanfic? (Can be any fandom)

OOF. In Barisi, well, I did just post two whole full rec bingo cards on Twitter, so I have a LOT of faves, but A Healing Year by anni_scovill is one of my favourite fics of all time, Barisi or otherwise. Throwing it back to other fandoms, the story Kiss the Girl by Jillypups is the definitive Game of Thrones modern AU Sansan. It's also the origin of the tag you've almost definitely seen floating around, "tale as old as time, burn as slow as fuck". I'm not a big fan of kidfic but Jillypups wrote a really engaging and realistic original child character who steals the show in every scene she is in.I have a few other favourites in other fandoms, some a little spicier than others. I can rec fic all day long, to be honest! If anyone ever wants recs outside Barisi in Supernatural, Teen Wolf, Game of Thrones, or Marvel, my DMs are always open!!

Anything else you would like to add? 

I'm extraordinarily honoured to have been asked to do this. I've been a published Barisi author for just under three months and in that time I've already written 50k words over 27 stories. I have 32 stories in the Game of Thrones tag and that is after six YEARS in the fandom. When I say you all are the most inspiring and motivational bunch, oh boy do I mean it!

A question you’d like to ask another author?

When I finally finished Gods Grant Me the Serenity, I swore I'd never write another chapfic, or at least never begin posting one until the entire thing was done. How do you keep yourself motivated to keep updating ongoing fics? How far in advance do you plot/plan? Tell me all your secrets for being a successful chapfic writer!!

[fuhadeza]

she-ra s2 spoilers ahoy

I have a feeling there’s going to be a bit of disappointment from, er, certain quarters in response to season two, so I thought I’d jot down my thoughts - if you felt disappointed, this might help! (I never thought I’d be deep enough into a ship to write a post like this, but here we are, goddammit.)

Obviously, spoilers for season two ahead.

So, yeah: there was way less catradora in this than I think anyone was expecting. I spent the whole time thinking, surely they’re gonna have a proper interaction here, or there, or right at the end, and there wasn’t really anything like that. (I think what there was there was super good, mind you. if I weren’t a shipper through and through I’d be very satisfied with this season :D)

But then I thought about it some more, and actually I don’t think it’s disappointing at all. Here’s why! (Note: I’m not predicting anything. There are countless ways the rest of the series can play out, many of which I haven’t even thought of. But given what we’ve seen, I think at least some of this is going to be on the mark.)

Let’s start with the obvious: even if there wasn’t anything concrete, the subtext was still there, through and through, and it was constant. Adora spends most of her time this season worrying about Catra. In episode 5 (White Out) she goes straight for her when the fight starts. They even swapped out the trailer line (”You’re never going to win”) for the much more overtly shippy “Looks like you’re mine now, Adora”. Episode 4 (Roll With It) is based entirely around the concept that she can’t get Catra out of her head. The show hasn’t dropped the ship, not even remotely, it’s just on the backburner for now.

And that’s because this is only half a season. Thinking of season one, we didn’t get any of the really overt romantic tension until Princess Prom and Promise, episodes 8 and 11 respectively. The bulk of their relationship arc in season one was in the second half. I have a feeling the same might be true here. (This goes for other things, too - the finale definitely didn’t feel as, well, finale-ish as you might have expected. But it’s only a mid-season finale. I’m a fan of the fewer-episodes-more-frequently model myself, but this is then the downside.)

That said, I think there are (at least) two important catradora moments in season two. Namely:

At the end of the D&D session in Roll With It, when everyone else is doing their impressions of Catra, Adora shuts them all down by saying “none of this is right”. It’s presented as being about their plans, but it seems pretty clear to me that she’s actually objecting to their characterisations of Catra (she is also visibly exasperated earlier on with both Bow’s and Glimmer’s versions of Catra). It bothers her that her friends see Catra as a one-dimensional villain, because she obviously doesn’t.

Catra spends the whole season trying to be driven only by hatred. Towards the end she breaks down, twice: once when she shares the blanket with Scorpia and once with Shadow Weaver. Ignoring Shadow Weaver for now, what exactly is the purpose of Scorpia’s unrequited crush? I think it’s there to force Catra out of her shell, force her to acknowledge that she still has time for things like friendship even though Adora abandoned her. I think it’s possible that Scorpia, in the role as The One Who Understands Feelings, will recognise that Catra is still hung up on Adora and, maybe, force Catra to admit that, too. (With bonus lessons on how to handle having an unrequited crush respectfully. Which, as an aside, is basically what Scorpia and Sea Hawk were bonding over, right?)

You might note that neither of these moments are particularly romantic, or necessarily even about catradora directly. But that’s the thing: Catra and Adora need to have character development independently of each other, because as it stands their relationship is too fraught to really progress. We can’t just have them interacting with each other, because they’ll never get anywhere. That’s why these moments are necessary. Adora doesn’t want her friends to think of Catra as nothing but an enemy; Catra is setting aside her single-minded animosity towards Adora and allowing herself to have friends again. Those are both important steps to them ever reconciling. Season two didn’t build catradora up too much, but I think it put down some important roots, and with a bit of luck we’ll see the first buds as early as season three (to belabour a metaphor).

Finally, I said I wouldn’t make predictions. Here are some Not Predictions:

Catra’s redemption arc will come earlier than we think. Partly that’s because she doesn’t do anything really bad in season two, and I think if there was ever going to be an acceleration towards rock bottom, it would be now. (I am gritting my teeth in preparation for being proved very, very wrong.)

Catra will have abandoned the Horde for good by the halfway point of the series...

... but won’t necessarily team up with the rebellion until later. Personally I’m hoping they copy a page from the Official Best Redemption Arc In Television History and we get Catra’s version of the AtLA episode Zuko Alone.

And finally, I think there almost needs to be a moment in which Adora and Catra defeat Shadow Weaver together. They’ve both had their hollow victories alone (Adora when she ran away, Catra when she overthrew Shadow Weaver). Catra has already had that victory turned back against her, and I expect Adora is in for something similar in season three. I don’t really see what other satisfying conclusion there can be to that character arc.

I have more thoughts, but they’re getting increasingly disjointed, so I’ll stop here. Hopefully this was interesting to some of you!

(also if you need an extra catradora fix, I am one epilogue away from finishing my regency AU. just saying.)

[noona-clock]

Confusion & Coincidences - Part 3

Genre: Regency!AU

Pairing: Yongguk x You

By Admin B

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

It had been a week since you’d finished reading Pride & Prejudice, and you were already itching to pick it up again. You had enjoyed it even more than Sense & Sensibility, and you hadn’t thought that at all possible!

But ever since turning the last page, the characters had stayed with you. You wondered what Lizzy and Darcy’s life was like now. They were most certainly happily married as their love for each other had blossomed so fully by the end of the story. But did they have children? Did Lizzy ever feel lonely in so enormous a manor as Pemberley? What about Lydia and Wickham? What about Jane and Bingley?! Kitty and Mary?! Charlotte and Mr. Collins?! Oh, god, what about poor Charlotte?

You were currently scribbling your thoughts down to your own cousin - thankfully, not one so repugnant as Mr. Collins - since she had written to you about purchasing the novel not too long ago. She had surely finished it by now, and since no one else you knew had read it, you were keen to discuss it with her.

Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. The Earl of Blackman had mentioned it during your extremely awkward run-in the other week.

But you weren’t about to seek him out to talk about it, now, were you?

“Y/N!” your mother called up the stairs, startling you so much that you scribbled a jagged line across half of your writing paper.

“Oh, drat!” you murmured as you hastily set your quill down and attempted to wipe it off (to no avail, obviously). “What, mama?!”

“Get dressed for an outing, my dear,” your mother replied.

“...An outing? Where are we going?”

“To pay a visit to Mr. Kim.” Her tone was one of exasperation as if you were supposed to have known this already.

“Mr. Kim? Whatever are we paying him a visit for?”

You heard her let out a sigh before she marched up the stairs, coming to stand in your bedroom doorway. “To see the Earl, of course.”

Your head jerked back in surprise, and you turned around to make sure your mother could see just how confused you were. “Why would we go see the Earl?!”

“Because I changed my mind. You have absolutely no prospects, and apparently, you have absolutely no desire to find yourself a husband. He’s our only option at the moment, and I am desperate.”

...Of course. You should have known.

“Mama, I am not going,” you stated with the simplest but utmost conviction. Because you weren’t!

You absolutely and completely and totally and utterly and vehemently refused to go.

So... tell me why you found yourself bouncing along the road in your family’s carriage not even an hour later. On your way to Mr. Kim’s estate.

Because your mother had a very specific talent for breaking you down. Mostly because she was stubborn and had a habit of continuing to bug you until you gave in.

Which is exactly what had happened tonight. You had refused to go, and your dear mama had kept saying ‘but I am desperate.’

‘You need to get married eventually.’

‘It’s not like you’ll be getting engaged tonight.’

‘It’s just a social visit!’

And then finally, ‘I’ll give you two pounds to buy as many books as you like.’

So, really, it was less of a talent for breaking you down and more of a talent for bribing you. Which worked almost every time.

What can you say? The prospect of a good book is a powerful thing.

When the carriage rolled to a halt in front of Mr. Kim’s stately manor, you followed your mother out, murmuring your ‘thanks’ to the footman who assisted you.

As it usually did when you were about to engage in social activity with anyone outside of your family (or Alice), your heart began to beat just a bit quicker. A knot of nerves formed in your stomach. Your palms became slightly wet, and you silently thanked the societal gods for the fact it was proper for ladies to wear gloves. Most of the time, you hated the restriction. But when they successfully hid your nervous, sweaty hands? They were most certainly a good thing.

You liked Mr. Kim, of course. He was always very friendly, and he never once made you feel uncomfortable. But you despised small talk, and all these social visits consisted of was small talk. It was really quite painful, and you had suffered through too many in your lifetime to count.

Mr. Kim’s butler escorted you and your mother into his drawing room. The man himself stood from his writing desk to greet you, a shining smile gracing his lips.

“Welcome, my dear ladies,” he said kindly. “Please, sit.”

He gestured to a sofa, and you followed your mother in perching politely on the edge. As much as you complained about your mother, you found you always somewhat copied her in these sorts of situations. She knew what she was doing, and she was just so comfortable talking about this and that and the weather.

At a ball, it was much too easy to get lost in the crowd of people and not worry about someone noticing you weren’t socializing or dancing (though the Earl had done a fine job dispelling that notion...). But when you called on someone like this? When it was just you and the other person, sitting across from each other? There was no way to hide.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Mr. Kim asked with slightly raised eyebrows.

“Oh, we were just in the neighborhood, and my dear Y/N brought up that we haven’t seen you since the ball!”

Okay, well, that was just not true. But your mother knew what she was doing, so you simply grinned.

“That’s right! What a delightful ball it was, don’t you think?”

“Oh, very much!”

The two of them jabbered on about the ball, discussing the refreshments and the music and the dances and everything which made you want to curl up into a ball and cast the world away.

“Although my cousin didn’t really seem to enjoy himself, but that can’t be helped.”

You could feel your mother’s posture straighten. “Oh, that’s right! Your cousin was there, was he not? Well, why could it not have been helped? He doesn’t enjoy balls?”

“No,” Mr. Kim chuckled. “He’s quite a shy fellow. Doesn’t really like to meet new people, and he doesn’t dance if he can help it.”

Your mother reached out her hand and set it on your knee, patting you there gently. “Sounds familiar to me,” she said with a barely hidden sigh.

“You know, the two of you are actually quite similar,” Mr. Kim pointed out after turning his gaze on you. “You would probably get along swimmingly!”

Oh, great. That’s the last thing your mother needed to hear.

The words ‘I highly doubt that’ almost escaped your lips, but you held back, simply pulling your lips into a slight grin and nodding your head.

“Where is the Earl?” your mother asked. You had to applaud her for how casually she spoke because you knew she was dying on the inside. “We didn’t get a chance to really converse with him at the ball, I would love to get to know him a little better.”

“Ah,” Mr. Kim said with a disappointed sigh. “Regretfully, he has gone back to London. He was only here for a brief visit. It appears he prefers the bustling city over the serene countryside.”

“Well, that doesn’t make sense!” your mother laughed. “If he does not care to socialize, why live in a city surrounded by people?!”

“I suppose we could say the same thing about us,” Mr. Kim laughed. “Just the opposite.”

“Ah, yes, you are right. How clever you are, Mr. Kim!”

As the two of them rattled on and on, you couldn’t stop your brain from wandering. The mention of the Earl going back to London had sparked another connection in your brain.

You thought of when Mr. Bingley suddenly went back to London in Pride & Prejudice. Of course, he had gone because his sisters forced him to. They had surmised he was falling in love with Jane Bennet and wanted to destroy any chance of the two engaging in a romantic relationship.

This was, obviously, not the reason the Earl had left. In the book, Jane was over halfway in love with Mr. Bingley and so was disappointed to find out he was no longer residing at Netherfield in Hertfordshire. You were certainly not halfway in love with the Earl; you had spoken to him once! You barely knew him at all!

...But, still. It was a little odd.

As one would expect, you thought about what happened after Jane and Lizzy found out Mr. Bingley had left for London. To be quite honest, you’d sped through the book so eagerly, the timeline got a bit jumbled up. You were fairly certain you remembered, but you wanted to be sure.

You sat on Mr. Kim’s sofa as politely as you could, trying your best not to fidget and contributing to the conversation with at least a hint of thoughtfulness.

But you let out the most relieved, inward sigh when your mother announced you had better be on your way.

You nodded your head and dipped into a small curtsy, thanking Mr. Kim for his time before following your mother out to the carriage.

As soon as its wheels halted in front of your home, you practically leaped down to the ground and strode inside.

After springing up the stairs and locating your book, you flipped through until you found the chapter relaying Mr. Bingley’s departure. Your eyes flew across the page until the words jogged your memory.

Of course! After learning that Mr. Bingley was now in London, the Bennets decided to ship Jane off to London, as well, to spend some time with her aunt and uncle.

Well, that was good news. There was no way you would be going to London just because the Earl was there. Your mother didn’t actually believe you stood a chance with him, surely. It would be a colossal waste of time to send you to London seeing as she had no idea you’d spoken to the Earl; as far as she knew, you’d met him at the ball and so ended your acquaintance.

Yet another relieved sigh escaped your lips as you set your book down and flopped back onto your bed. This anonymous female author could write a good story, but she wasn’t writing your story. You were most decidedly not going to London.

Your mother appeared suddenly in your doorway, popping her head in and advising you to call on your handmaid to pack your trunk.

“Pack my trunk for what?” you asked.

She replied without missing a beat.

“We’re going to London.”

Part 4

[blouisparadise]

Upon request, here is a rec list of bottom Louis fics where Harry andLouis reunite after an extended period of time apart. In some of these fics, they’re in a relationship already when they reunite, but in others, they see each other for the first time in years and have not been in contact during that time apart. As always, these are listed in order from shortest to longest. Happy reading!

1) A Gentleman’s Arrangement | Explicit | 5205 words

Harry has been in the countryside, Louis has been trapped in town awaiting the London season, and three months apart is far, far too long. (Regency AU)

2) Baby Honey | Explicit | 14744 words

When the next great war strikes, all alphas have to ship out. Alex leaves a little more behind than some of the others.

3) 210 Days | Explicit | 16341 words

Harry is in the army and Louis is back in New York. Together, they get through Harry’s six month leave by sending a series of letters back and forth. They’ve done it before, and they can do it again.

4) Howls Like A Beast (You Flower, You Feast) | Explicit | 16775 words

“You don’t love me,” Louis had said, utterly blasé as he callously fractured the heart of a Harry that was just barely eighteen. “I do,” Harry had insisted pleadingly, green eyes already watering. Louis had rolled his eyes, exasperated and flippant in the way only beautiful, young boys could be when faced with the affections of a baby prince. He had run his finger down Harry’s cheek then, had forced him to look into his eyes as he delivered the final blow. “You’ll change your mind once you’ve seen more of the world,” Louis had teased, pressing a brutally delicate kiss onto Harry’s lovely, pure cheek. “Once you’ve been properly defiled.” He had whispered filthily, delighted by the gasp he heard, the frantic pink blush that had rested high on Harry’s cheeks, the power he had felt at knowing he could make the Crown Prince squirm.

5) (Quiet Like A Fight) Fingers Laced Together | Mature | 17480 words

The one where Harry is gifted a hybrid and it’s a whole new world for the both of them.

6) The Oldest Magic Word | Explicit | 18055 words

Louis gets called up to play Seeker for the English National Team and when he gets there, he finds out that Harry Styles, his old school crush, is the Team Healer.

7) Ever Fixed | Mature | 41521 words

Three years ago, Harry was happily married, successfully heading the largest technology company in the world, and raising his young daughter. After he loses nearly everything in the aftermath of his daughter’s lost battle with a rare brain tumor, it may take three strange and yet very familiar visitors – and a man from the therapy group Harry keeps refusing to go to – to get him back on track.

8) Falling Into Place | Explicit | 40754 words

Louis and Harry spend nine years apart but inevitably find their way back to each other.

9) So Much We Didn’t Say | Explicit | 52083 words

Harry’s near fatal accident exposed the cracks in his and Louis’ eleven year marriage. A serious error in judgment by Louis shattered it completely.

10) It’s A Long Way Down | Explicit | 52658 words

It’s June 2013, and the legalization of gay marriage is the most discussed political issue in the country. As a member of parliament Louis Tomlinson has decided to do everything under his power to keep marriage between a man and a woman. Little does he know, a boy with green eyes and pink lips from his past is on a mission to change his mind.

11) I Hunger For Your Beautiful Embrace | Explicit | 57276 words

Legatus Harry is governor of Capua and Dominus of his estate. He governs with a firm and harsh rule and has never been known to be soft. That is until Louis comes into his life. A beautiful slave who creeps into Harry’s house and heart. But in the times of Ancient Rome, when sex, wars, and death are the entertainment of the times, life and love are rare commodities.

12) Don’t Tell the Gods (We Left a Mess) | Explicit | 71556 words

Note: Mentions of Bottom Harry.

After a misunderstanding with Liam’s mother, Louis agrees to accompany his best friend to a family wedding and pretend to be the world’s best boyfriend. But their simple plan goes awry when he learns that Harry, ex-boyfriend/ex-love of Louis’ life, will also be in attendance. (aka: fake!boyfriends with a twist ft. bromance, romance and cake.)

13) Your Name is Tattooed on My Heart | Explicit | 86809 words

Louis is ready to find the love of his life, but first he has to stop falling for the punk rocker next door.

14) Fucking Animals | Explicit | 116686 words

Louis is the frontman of an equal rights-movement, author of a book about beta-omega marriage and the struggles of being born and boxed into a personality you don’t necessarily feel you fit. The notion that an omega must want to be with an alpha or else he or she’s just settling for less, is bullshit.

But, fucking hell.

15) You Drive Me Crazy (But It Feels Alright) | Teen & Up | 102036 words

Note: Mentions of BH.

Bridget Jones’ Diary AU.

16) All I Want | Mature | 289307 words

When Harry and Louis got together it wasn’t under the best circumstances. Louis was taken by another. But go figure that the way they ended up together is the very same way it ended. And Harry left Louis. He left him with a lot more than he thought. A story about how people’s misconceptions almost destroyed a love that went beyond measure.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and our full rec list here.

[thornfield13713]

For the huge ship meme- Lizzie/Darcy (either from the Temeraire AU or canon, whichever you like!)

I am going Temeraire AU. Because I can.

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - Well, they end their short story about to be married, so probably the rest of their lives, given Regency divorce laws. Given that Lizzie is in a dangerous profession, though, that might not be quite as long as for their canon counterparts.

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - It seems to have taken a few weeks for Lizzie, after she got to Pemberley, and only a few days for Darcy, back at Netherfield.

How was their first kiss? - Angsty. Given Lizzie’s conviction that, as an aviator, this relationship was already doomed, Darcy’s belief in her not being interested in more and the way that scene is implied to end...this was a much, much more painful one than their original canon.

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Darcy, the first time. Which Elizabeth refused for reasons of Duty and it was all very dramatic. Elizabeth, the second time, did not so much propose as belatedly rescind her refusal after seriously pissing off Darcy’s aunt.

Who is the best man/men? - Probably Mr Bingley.

Who is the bridesmaid(s)? - I feel that Wollstonecraft would not have been allowed to, despite being the obvious contender, and Jane is married now, and thus would be confined to ‘matron of honour’.

Who did the most planning? - Probably Darcy, for reasons of...there’s still a war on, and Lizzie is a bit busy fighting her part of it, or at least involved in quite a lot of briefings and so on, to say nothing of the fact that she’s getting knighted around the same time.

Who stressed the most? - Probably still Darcy, who has to explain himself to his entire family, almost all of whom don’t approve of the match (Georgiana and Colonel Fitzwilliam being the exceptions.), plan the whole thing and deal with the fact that his wife is probably going to go off to war pretty soon after the wedding.

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Lady Catherine de Bourgh. For what you might call obvious reasons. She was not at all pleased about this, as it denied her the opportunity to haughtily refuse to attend.

Sex:

Who is on top? - Elizabeth. This one is non-negotiable and applies to all versions of Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth is always, always on top.

Who is the one to instigate things? - Generally Elizabeth. She’s a little more comfortable doing it than Darcy is, at any rate, as she’s probably received better sex-ed.

How healthy is their sex life? -  Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? -  Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? - I do not know what the average is, but these two strike me as liking to draw things out a bit, when they’re together at all, which won’t be all that often until the end of the war with Napoleon.

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - Darcy strikes me as the sort to be conscientious about making sure Elizabeth doesn’t come less often than he does. This is not the same as ‘equal’, though.

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - I lean towards maybe three? One for Pemberley, one for Wollstonecraft, and one spare. Which sounds very callous, put like that, but it’s a practical number to have, and any more than that doesn’t seem practical.

How many children will they adopt? - None, adoption is not yet recognised under English law.

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - The nursemaid. They’re Regency gentry, after all.

Who is the stricter parent? - I lean towards Elizabeth. If Darcy’s behaviour towards Georgiana is any indication, he’s going to be wrapped around their kids’ little fingers very soon.

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Again, probably the nursemaid, as that’s rather what she’s there for and Regency child-rearing was like that, at least for people of this class. Except for whichever one goes into the Corps, in which case their captain does it.

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Still the nursemaid.

Who is the more loved parent? - Hard to say. Darcy is probably around more, since he’s not being sent hither and yon on military business, and he’s shown to be pretty affectionate with his loved ones. On the other hand, Elizabeth is likely still affectionate, but also a more easily idolised figure due to her role in the war and adventurous career.

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Darcy’s more likely to get involved with conventional schooling, since he knows the rules there rather better and also it’s the Regency. Within the Corps, probably Elizabeth.

Who cried the most at graduation? - Neither of them. They neither of them perform for strangers, after all.

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Probably Elizabeth, as she’s more likely to be in a position to do so. Darcy can, of course, as local landowner and likely magistrate, but Elizabeth is more likely to get involved directly rather than just quietly making charges go away.

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - The cook at Pemberley, or whoever runs the officer’s mess wherever Lizzie happens to be.

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Darcy. In the Corps, it’s rather expected that you will eat whatever is put in front of you.

Who does the grocery shopping? - Probably Mrs Reynolds the housekeeper.

How often do they bake desserts? - Never. The staff at Pemberley probably do so quite regularly, though.

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - The average diet for Regency-era gentry was somewhat meat-heavy, so probably the former.

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Darcy. He will not have made said dinner for the aforementioned reasons, but he will definitely have one planned. Lizzie has her own ways of surprising him.

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Probably Lizzie. She’s much more used to going out to eat, usually in the sorts of places where Darcy wouldn’t normally go, whereas Darcy has eaten at people’s homes or at his club, and not many other places besides.

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidentally while cooking? - Neither of them. Because neither of them cooks.

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Neither of them. At Pemberley, they have a fleet of maids, and while Elizabeth keeps her own room at whichever covert she’s stationed at relatively neat, that’s not the same thing.

Who is really against chores? - Neither of them. It’s never really come up. Elizabeth probably had to help a little at home before she went to the covert, but that was a very long time ago.

Who cleans up after the pets? - I am going to continue with, probably the servants.

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Nobody. Anybody caught doing that at Pemberley would be in for a severe tongue-lashing from Mrs Reynolds and possibly dismissal.

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Elizabeth is a little insecure about the fact that she has no idea how to play the proper lady. She’s never felt especially inclined to try, but that lack of knowledge is something that makes her uncomfortable when asked to play hostess.

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Once again, the maid.

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Elizabeth. She doesn’t often get hot baths in the field, and she’ll take advantage of them for as long as she can when she’s at home.

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - I am going to say Darcy, because the scene of him with his dogs in the 1995 adaptation was adorable.

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - This wasn’t yet as big a Thing in the Regency, so I’m going to say neither of them.

What are their goals for the relationship? - Marriage is less a goal than the starting point in this case, but they’re both hoping to make this work despite the obvious pressures put on their relationship by Lizzie’s work for the Corps.

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Neither of them. Both of them strike me as early risers, and Darcy canonically admits to keeping ‘country hours’, rising early and going to bed early. He might sleep till noon while in town, but he doesn’t strike me as the type.

Who plays the most pranks? - Not sure either of them do, but if one of them is going to, it’s probably Lizzie.

[sybilius]

3 15 25 and 27 if you didn't already do that!

drunk!fic 

Answered here

Mpreg

have read | would write | have written

It’s not a personal kink or interest of mine – and especially when it’s romanticized I can find it a little squicky. Pregnancy just mostly sounds tiring and annoying to me. The exception (as where I usually find my exceptions, because I read pretty much everything under the sun for that ship), was a fic in FrostIron whose name I don’t remember. Because Loki already has the capacity to get pregnant, it worked for me. I thiiink in pretty much the only A/B/O fic I’ve ever liked, which was a Mad Max: Fury Road AU, Max was pregnant with Joe’s kid (that was definitely non-con). But the pregnancy was actually more so the squickiest thing about it for me, as I hate the thought of whether or not to keep a child conceived in rape. I liked the AU mainly because it reversed gender roles and had Omega!Max has one of the wives, and Alpha!Furiosa. But I think it’s not a stretch to say that’s the only A/B/O I’d really enjoy.

(speaking of which, how on earth did “undercover in a gay bar” make the list but “A/B/O” isn’t on there??? like not all A/B/O fics are mpreg just saying)

Circus AU

have read | would write | have written

This one just seems to be rare in the fandoms I’ve been in! I actually heavily considered writing a Circus AU for Hannibal/Hannigram. That combination of bizarre and almost terrifying beautiful entertainment with a potentially shady and exploitive family is a really Hannibalesque concept. I’d read this but I’d have a strong preference for it to be played as creepy and have exploitation be exposed. 

Historical AU

have read | would write | have written

Historical AUs can be good!! I got partway through a Hannibal-is-Jack-the-Ripper AU which was great. Really a big part of historical AUs tends to be romanticizing the era in which they are set – so for instance regency/royalty oriented historical AUs can often annoy me if the trope is played as straight.

The best ‘historical’ AU I’ve read was an Otzie the Iceman AU (yes, seriously) that @zenthisoror wrote about Death Note. I still think of that as one of the most amazing AUs I’ve ever read.  

Historical AUs often take more research than I’ve beeen willing to do…I suppose you could count northfic as historical AU in some sense, but it doesn’t really displace Blondeyes from time at all. I once considered writing a Death Note pre WW1 physicists AU but it was more work than I could possibly take on. 

GET MY OPINIONS ON FANFIC TROPES

[porchwood]

Gadge Day Reflections: My Journey with Gadge

This might be a bit of a rambling mess (I’m running on so much anxiety and so little sleep), but here goes:

I’m the kind of girl who sees romantic ships everywhere - the stray word, the slightly too-long look, the almost-unnoticed touch - and pounces on them. Which is why it’s rather painful to admit that I didn’t see Gadge as a ship till it started cropping up in the fanfics I read, and even then I didn’t understand where the pairing had come from. (This was circa 2012, by the bye. All three books were out and the THG movie was in theaters.) I remember wondering at one point why people would ever put Madge and Gale together and being mortified that Madge bringing the morphling after Gale was whipped hadn’t given me proper shipper pause. It wasn’t so much that I’d overlooked the scene or its significance; rather, I identify strongly with Katniss and she hated the implication (made by Haymitch, who I’ve never been able to stand) that something might be going on between Gale and Madge, and somewhere between that and the wretched post-whipping Galeniss, the notion of any sort of relationship between Gale and Madge vanished like wisps of vapor. After all, Madge was Katniss’s friend, so it made sense (to me at the time) that she would make a courageous gesture to help Katniss by helping Gale.

At this point in my little shipper head, Gale was little more than an obstacle to Everlark, especially since I was still in that purist “T-rated canon post-MJ fics only” stage, which meant at the very best, Madge might show up in Katniss’s nightmares. My very first fic - which started as a joke with my sister and quickly turned into a legitimate premise - was Something Good: a gender-reversed (canon post-MJ) Everlark story loosely based on The Sound of Music - naturally, with no Madge whatsoever and Baroness!Gale as a major obstacle.

And just before I could post the first chapter of that fic, in a twist that even I couldn’t have predicted, I was unexpectedly, abruptly, intensely inspired to write an Everlark version of “East of the Sun and West of the Moon.”

“What has this to do with Gadge?” you may ask. For starters, it was the first time I had to be a grown-up and write Gale (in spite of my feelings) as Katniss’s friend, however briefly, as they part in the woods in Ch 2. And then I wanted Madge to come over and say goodbye in Ch 3, which meant that someone had to go and tell her that Katniss was leaving. And that’s where all the trouble started. ;)

Gadge exited Stage Left of the WtMiverse at that point (some four years ago) but they were still dancing around the fringes of my fics, for those with eyes to see. I’d discovered a passionate fondness for AU!Gale, who was easy to make a relative of Katniss and therefore no longer an obstacle-to-Everlark, so I had no trouble writing said Gales as attractive and deeply fascinating (i.e., the gamekeeper cousin in The Threshing Floor and Eomer!Galen in The Steward and the Bow-Maiden), but of equal importance, I think, was the fact that I was starting to envision and even imply Gadge relationships on the fringes of those fics. In Threshing Floor Haymitch accuses Peeta of never noticing Wessex girls till Katniss showed up in the field and makes a special note of “Viscount Undersee’s girl [riding] across your field in her petticoat at Midsummer,” which I always assumed was something to do with Hawthorne the gamekeeper (be it to impress him, get his attention, or meet him for a lover’s tryst), but as I never went back to write the epilogue I’d intended, the question was never answered. Bow-Maiden was supposed to have an epilogue too (”The Bride of Ithilien”), in which a Tolkienesque wedding night would be preceded by Eowyn!Katniss receiving new bride counsel from Queen Anniwen and - guess who? - Madriniel, princess of Dol Amroth and new wife of Eomer!Gale. (Heck, somewhere in there I was determined to write my own version of Marion Chesney’s delightful Six Sisters series, in which Regency era social divide!Gadge was very much on the docket, particularly as Madge would be the only one with prospects for a decent society marriage!)

And then a whole dump-truck of very bad life stuff happened to me (there’s no other way to say it :/) and all things writing fell away for a very long time. I managed to produce a little more WtM from the mire but trying to write anything at all was like trying to walk on a broken leg. (It still is, for the majority of the time. :( The prolific enthusiasm has never come back.) But some way, somehow, from the depths of that morass, I got an impulse to write Six Months to Strawberry Time, or rather, what I thought would be the entirety of the fic: one quick spiky Gadge oneshot to show Madge becoming Gale’s hunting partner (something I’d intended for the WtMiverse almost from the beginning but which wasn’t supposed to come up till Everlark visited the district in spring, by which time Gadge might also be in a romantic relationship...). 

I felt pretty good about the oneshot (for so I thought it would remain) and figured I’d leave the fic in-progress in case other quick oneshot-esque chapters presented themselves...and then this July, as I was trying desperately to work on Honey-God (and binging on adaptations of Jane Eyre, for which we might be partially able to blame my roommate), Strawberry Time suddenly roared to the forefront of my mind in thorough, lavish detail and demanded to be written. Which put me in an awkward place all around, but these were the only words that had come to me in many months and so of course, I had to chase them.

Three months later Strawberry Time is sitting at just under 40,000 words (and counting), and I can only be grateful to the Gadge devotees for letting me crash their party so late in the game and apologetic to my Everlark readers, to whom this fic (and especially my Gadge Day queue) must feel like a massive betrayal. I most assuredly didn’t plan to start a massive multi-chapter Gadge fic but I’m curiously glad that I have - in part to finally explore these characters and their dynamic (and let me tell you, having to write Gale honestly telling Madge about his feelings for Katniss was hard as nails) but also because opening the door in the other direction - into Twelve rather than the woods - has provided a delicious opportunity to follow all the parallel rabbit trails, from Primko’s windowsill courtship to Rooba’s mythical bacon buns. Strawberry Time has already given me opportunities to drop hints about future (and significant past) stuff in the WtMiverse that would never have fit into WtM itself, and of course we’ll soon have Gadge kisses (and very possibly Gadge smut ;D) as the icing on the strawberry cake.

Will I ever write Gadge outside of the WtMiverse (ex. Jane Eyre, Beauty and the Beast)? I truly have no idea. Depression is relentless and brutal, and I had to claw my way to the surface just to produce this Gadge Day queue. But Gadge presents a delicious dynamic all their own (as do Marko/Prim and Jack/Raisa, if you’re me :D) and once they’re a part of your shipping lineup, you start getting besieged by plot bunnies you would never previously have thought twice about - bunnies that could be made to serve other pairings but into which the perfect pairing fits like a key in a well-oiled lock. Which gets you wondering if maybe you should start spending more time with that pairing that fits so well into all these wonderful plots...

I know this isn’t really a “why I ship Gadge” piece - I tried to write one such and this is what came out, and I’m far too tired to try again - but I really hope it will suffice, if for no other reason than to begin to explain to folks following me why I crawled out of my dark hole and spent an insane amount of hours tagging and scheduling over 100 Gadge-centric posts for the blog I haven’t worked on in many months. Thanks for letting me ramble. *hugs*

[summerfitzy]

courting miss sætre (6/6)

Fandom: SKAM Ship: Noora x William Summary: Miss Noora Sætre has ambitions of spinsterhood; Mr. William Magnusson has other ideas.

(The wildly anachronistic regency era au that literally no one asked for)

Notes: Thank you so, so, so much to everyone who’s followed this story! It’s been insanely fun to write, and it means SO much to know that other people have enjoyed it too. Noorhelm and historical romance novels are two of my very favorite things, trying to combine the two with this fic was seriously like my Dream Project -- every like and reblog and comment on this story made me over the moon happy, I love this fandom more than words <3 <3 <3

ao3

“I’m never forgiving my parents for this,” Eva declared.

Noora only had a few things left to pack; she’d started upon returning to the Mohns’ townhouse last night, before Mr. and Mrs. Mohn had even hinted that she’d need to leave as soon as possible, and had risen early to finish. “Eva…” She’d expected the dismissal. Keeping a scandal in their home, as their daughter’s principle companion, would do their reputation no favors.

“I haven’t forgiven you either.” Sitting beside Noora on the floor, Eva shook her head at the ground, loose hair spilling about her cheeks. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about Mr. Magnusson!”

“As you tell me everything?”

She flushed, her cheeks doing their best to match the red highlighting her waves. Then she cast a contemplative glance at Noora’s luggage, like she was considering unpacking it article by article. “Not everything,” she admitted. “But only because I don’t want you to worry.”

Noora raised both eyebrows at her.

“Oh, fine,” Eva ceded. “We both need to work on communication. Which would be easier if you weren’t leaving London.”

She couldn’t argue that, so she shrugged instead. Everything would be easier if she weren’t leaving London, leaving her publisher, leaving Eva. Noora swallowed. Everything would be easier if she could return to the beginning of yesterday night, when she was still sharing secret smiles with William from opposite sides of the ballroom.

“You’re really taking a ship to the Continent? Alone?”

“I have money saved.”

“I wasn’t concerned about the money.”

Silence stretched between them, filled only by the traffic beyond the window, the murmur of Noora’s folding.

“Noora...” Eva started, then hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t want to marry Mr. Magnusson?”

“I can’t.” She shook her head. “We don’t fit.”

Another hesitation. “I—” And another. “I don’t think I can marry Jonas.”

A new silence took shape. It felt more fragile. “Really?” Noora asked, handling the word like glass.

“I’ve known him for such a long time.” She exhaled a slow breath “And it’s always been such a given that we would marry eventually. Eventually always seemed so far off, but now it’s here, and—we still don’t fit.” She exhaled again, as though she could breathe out months of stress at once. “I know he’s your publishing contact, and that he knows your secret…”

Noora shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.” Not really. She was already leaving town, already had her newest draft finished and out of her hands. She could correspond with her publisher directly. And if Jonas were truly spiteful enough to release her name out of anger at Eva… “Have you told him yet?” Well, then she would hear from abroad.

Eva shook her head. “This afternoon.”

Ah.

Still navigating the glasswork and shards the seemed to surround their conversation, Noora finally dared to ask, “Because of Mr. Schistad?”

“Partly.” Eva chewed on her lower lip. “I like him.”

And Noora could say that she didn’t trust him, that she didn’t believe he had any genuine intentions of marriage. But Eva sounded serious, and she was in no position to caution anyone about social ruin just now. “I had that figured out.”

“And you like Mr. Magnusson.”

Noora looked down into her nearly full luggage. She had that figured out too.

She had her private cabin sorted on the steamer, her luggage set down by her cot, a regular stream of letters promised by Eva, and her head in her hands when a knock sounded on the door. “Ma’am,” a heavily accented voice called. “We have your husband on board asking to see you.”

Her head and heart leapt up in tandem. “My husband?” Her legs ached to move but couldn’t break through the sudden ice that had settled over her kneecaps.

“I told him you only booked a cabin for one, but he reckons you’ll make do.”

Noora chipped at the ice in her knees, muscle by muscle. Perhaps they had the wrong room, the wrong woman. Perhaps a lunatic was waiting on the other side of the door. Perhaps—

All at once, she was on her feet, stumbling towards the door, wrenching her grip around the knob.

William stared down at her from beyond the threshold, his hair mussed by the ocean breeze, his eyes rimmed with dark circles.

Noora stared back. He was here.

The thought must have slipped out of her mouth, because William answered, “Miss Mohn told me where to find you,” before stepping into her cabin and closing the door behind them.

“Eva told you?” When, how, why? (She already knew why.)

“This morning. I came to call on you.”

Noora didn’t cross her arms, but wrapped them around herself instead. All the better to hold her resolve, herself, together.

“You were just going to leave?” William said. He tacked an inflection on at the last word, but it still sounded like more of an accusation than a question.

“I can’t stay with the Mohns anymore.”

“And you can’t marry me.”

She could barely breathe; it had nothing to do with her stays or the cabin air. “No.” Everything to do with the intensity of William’s crackling, brown-eyed gaze.

“That’s slum,” he said, still not blinking. “If you don’t want to marry me, have the guts to say it. Don’t hide behind can’t.”

“But”—they’d already gone through all of this, she’d already spent a night tossing and turning over it, she couldn’t do it again—“it’s true.”

William’s jaw shifted. “What’s true is that I can’t let you go.”

“I don’t need you to let me do anything,” she protested, more out of ritual than feeling, because of course she needed him to let her go. She couldn’t stand to otherwise. Just the motions of stepping onto the boat and closing herself into her cabin had struck a wound straight through her soles.

“That’s true too,” he acknowledged. “Which is why I booked a ticket on this steamer.”

Noora’s mouth opened. Nothing, not even breath, came out.

“You think that my reputation, your past, your book’s notoriety, matter to me. They don’t. And I’ll move to bloody France or Italy or India with you if that’s what it takes to prove it.”

Her lips fell another fraction apart. William brushed their lower curve with his thumb before catching her cheek in his palm.

“We have to be together,” he murmured. “Say that we should be together.”

Noora’s head had gone messy and muddled the moment he had appeared. Every inch of it, from her scalp to her tongue to the flushed skin that William kept cradling. “You’d travel to the Continent without a piece of luggage?”

“I don’t need luggage as much as I need you—to challenge me, to laugh at me, to do whatever the hell you want to me, as long as you’re here. And you need me. People need people.” William’s focus didn’t waver. “Say you’ll marry me, Noora.”

She turned her head, just far enough that her lips could close against the side of his palm. Almost a kiss. People need people. She’d tried so hard to convince herself otherwise—that she didn’t need anyone beyond her few friends, that no man was worth the risk of betrayal and scorn and heartbreak. And yet…

First, she nodded. Then she lifted her hands, guided his face down to hers, and kissed him outright.

(William’s grin tasted better than drinking chocolate.) 

They hurried off of the ship, minutes before it set sail from the harbor, two tickets wasted. Two grins; two beams; two hands twined. 

One long, rickety carriage ride later, they arrived in Gretna Green, found the blacksmith’s shop, and paid an obscene amount of money for an immediate anvil wedding.

“Forasmuch as this man and woman have consented to go together by giving and receiving a ring, I, therefore, declare them to be men and wife before God . . .”

A golden ring glinted on Noora’s third finger.

The hammer rang down on the anvil.

William’s growing smile swept across hers, propriety be damned. 

If their inn bedroom was small by Noora’s standards, it had to be minuscule by William’s. It boasted a bed just large enough for two, a smudged window overlooking the cloudy village square, and scarce space for anything else.

“We’ll stay somewhere nicer on our honeymoon,” William informed her. He came up behind her to wrap his smooth hands around her hips as they surveyed the cheery yellow bedspread, before nipping her warm, racing pulse.

“Honeymoon?” Noora arced back into her husband’s—her husband’s—touch and chest.

“Mhm.” He kept kissing his way down her throat, mapping its thin, pale skin with his mouth. “France.” He grazed her neck with his teeth. “Italy.” She covered his knuckles with her palms. “Anywhere. Your choice.”

Her choice. Marriage had long seemed like just the opposite to Noora—a lock and key that would forever steal her independence and agency. How strange that she couldn’t glance down at the ring adorning her finger without smiling; that hurrying from that steamer with William had felt like a prisoner’s escape from the gallows.

Later, she might admit to him she felt freer now than she had in years. In the meantime, she turned around to return his kiss.

Noora gave her fingers over to his dark hair as William spread his grip along the small of her back, tugging her even and ever closer. She plundered his mouth with her own, demanding everything that she had almost denied herself: the softness of his lips, the hard need in his kiss, the intimacy of his smile. Giving it all back again and again and again.

Her chest and breath and heart strained against her corset. She hadn’t laced it terribly tight, but her dress had still turned stifling somewhere between the blacksmith’s shop and their bedroom; altogether too small and much too hot as William ran his fingertips along its cornflower blue silk. Never tearing his lips from hers, never allowing his tongue to stray from the desperate rhythm it had struck against hers, he moved his fingers up her spine, loosening her stays lace by lace until the silk sagged against her bodice. One step away from William, and it would slip from her chest completely.

“Tell me you want this,” he murmured into her mouth, his rasped voice proof of all the breath she’d stolen from him.

Noora nodded her chin against his, brushed her lips against his, and then inched away. Within seconds, her dress had sunk into a puddle at her ankles. Clad in only her white chemise, she stared up at William. He stared back. Then Noora was stumbling the buttons of his shirt undone and hurrying its sleeves past his shoulders, until it had joined her dress on the dim floorboards. She’d felt the firm plain of his chest a dozen times over now, but had never seen its bare, pale span before. The hard lines and muscles that hid beneath his clothing. Noora shook away the ridiculous impulse to kiss her way from his collarbone to his stomach; they had world enough and time.

For now, she lifted her eyes to meet William’s once more. Gaze heated with something close to reverence, he scanned her—her parted lips, her heaving chest, the silhouette that he could doubtless make out from beneath her undergarments.

She thought he might help her out of her chemise now, but his hands went to her bun instead. William pulled pin after pin from her hair until her blonde locks gave way to gravity, falling to her shoulders in soft, scrambled waves. The corners of his lips rose into an even broader smile as he combed his fingers through her freed hair. “I’ve never seen it down before.” His breath felt like candlelight on her skin; one touch away from burning straight through her.

Noora didn’t have to ask whether or not he liked her loose hair—she could feel his appreciation in the next stroke of his lips. Losing his grip in her hair, William kissed her as though he’d like to inhale her.

Clutching the nape of his neck, Noora breathed him in right back.

They spent the next four days in their musty inn bedroom, ignoring the cramped walls and creaking floorboards; ignoring everything but each other.

“We’ll just lie here for one more day,” Noora said each morning, her blonde hair spread about her pillow and her legs tangled with her husband’s.

And each morning, William replied, “As you wish, Mrs. Magnusson.” He murmured the words into her mouth the first day, her stomach the second, her neck the third, and her inner thigh the fourth. Always smiling, no matter how hard the rain poured beyond their window.

(Needless to say, William Magnusson’s elopement caused quite a stir across London's drawing rooms and scandal sheets—not to be rivaled until the sudden, altogether unexpected betrothal of Mr. Christoffer Schistad and Miss Eva Mohn.)

[soldieronbarnes]

So...

if I were to participate in the Stevebucky Big Bang 2017 (and I’m not saying that I am, but I’m thinking about it), which of these fics that I have either sort of already started or at least outlined would you most like me to write:

this town is only gonna eat you - a sort of fantasy/crime/mystery shrinkyclinks fic in which Steve move into Bucky’s old apartment after he is reported KIA, and ends up seeing what he thinks is a ghost and tries to investigate what happened to the previous tenant

ain’t no god on these streets - an urban dystopia au set in a world in which the air is rather polluted and the rich have taken to living in skyscrapers above the toxic air whereas the poor ground-dwellers desperately scramble to survive, and Bucky, who has lived in one of these ivory towers all his life, uncovers a terrible secret, has to flee,meets Steve on the ground level and they both try to save the world

Anatomy of a Scandal - a regency fake relationship au in which Steve, who has been disgraced through an unlawful marriage, returns home and can only be reintroduced into society if he has someone of siginificantly higher standing take him to events....enter Bucky, who owes him (and who totally isn’t head over heels in love with him.....)

Walking the Plank - a pirate au, in which Steve is taken hostage on a pirate ship and discovers to his great horror that the Captain is no other than his childhood best friend sailing under Hydra’s flag

the yet to be titled Almost Human au, in which Bucky is the bitter and cynical police officer who lost a friend and his leg in a shootout thanks to the goverment assigned androids, and Steve as the new android assigned to him who is more human than either of them expected

held me down in this starless city  - a fantasy au in which Steve is what essentially amounts to a busboy in the city’s classiest brothel and gets picked by the general of the armythat’s just taken over the city to be his courtesan...even though Steve has no idea what he’s doing. whoops.

maybe you were the ocean when i was just a stone  - a modern au in which they go from being fuck buddies (mostly without the buddy parts) to falling in love and everything would work out a lot faster if Bucky only got his head out of his ass

?

[meggannn]

3, 9, 33 for the fanfic ask meme, please!

whoops, sorry i went to bed early last night so i’m just getting to this now!

3. Favorite fandom?

my favorite fandom tends to be the one I’m most engaged in at the moment, but BioWare fandom is so full of dramalama I can’t genuinely say it’s my favorite lol. though I have made tons of friends in DA/ME and I love diving into all of the amazing fanwork here, which is something I haven’t been able to do in a long time and I do genuinely appreciate the fact that it’s a place I feel free to contribute to the pile without feeling like I’m intruding on a members-only club.

some favorite past fandoms that have inspired me a lot to write, or otherwise shaped my fic or helped me grow as a writer and reader, are:

harry potter (when i was real li’l, it was technically the first fic i ever wrote, and tbh, no matter how terrible it is, i will always come back to hp fandom if it comes calling -- i loved the feeling it came with being a part of a fangroup that became cultural, not just thing exclusive to nerds)

pirates of the caribbean (the first fandom i ever really wrote “serious” fic for at 12 years old, AKA i spent more than five minutes on it, however terrible it was)

yugioh (the first fandom i engaged in actual discussion and i feel like it was the first to expose me to social justice, which is a bizarre thing to say, but i also made a lot of older friends that made me start thinking about writing seriously as a career, or at least as a serious pastime)

sherlock (i didn’t engage in this as much as i read, and i had to wade through a lot of bullshit, but there was a lot of talent in that fandom that inspired me to try out new styles, so i can’t regret it)

and legend of korra (RIP, but that was the first time i really started feeling somewhat confident about my fic. i was getting and giving feedback, which was an amazing thing to be apart of in the book 1 heyday)

9. What is the longest fic you’ve read?

do series count? i know a fic that is two series long – the revival and identity series – and it is by far one of the best fic i’ve ever read across fandom, and also the longest, at ~500k-ish words. also uh it’s yugioh, but everyone should know i’m a nerd by now.

runner-ups, and i am working almost entirely off of memory here in the “oh yeah i remember that fic was long” mental database and then going to check the word count as i type:

embers (mass effect), 280k

the grey morrow, another series (sherlock), 213k

a handful of dust (mass effect), 180k – and i might be cheating because i actually cannot remember if i finished this one, i think the author has updated since i reached the last chapter which…. was a while ago…

blue sky (portal), 170k

nenju (samurai champloo), 130k – which is AMAZING BY THE WAY AND MADE ME CRY

a ton of other ~100-200k sherlock fics that are all merging in my head atm

ETA WAIT another runner-up is also ghost by @theherocomplex which is around 220k atm!!! wow and now that i think about it i could’ve sworn there is some other 200k~ish shakarian longfic i’m forgetting but honestly i’m so tired my brain might have made it up and it was probably just that one

33. Least favorite AU tropes?

I think I already kind of answered this one here and here, but to summarize, my least favorite ones are alpha/beta/omega or vampire, werewolves, slavery, any sort of AU that involves biological or animalistic sub/dom tendencies. I’m also generally not usually interested in AUs that don’t have canonical narrative significance. for example regency AUs, partly bc I’ve never been a fan of period dramas, but also because oftentimes I don’t feel there’s any new understanding or angle to the characters or ship that’s explored in this AU, or at least if there is, it’s rarely explored in a way that engages me. (and I understand that’s not really the point, the point of writing is for fun, not to always to ~bring some new awareness~, and that’s totally fair.) for an example of what I mean by “canonical narrative significance,” I mean something like a First Contact War Shakarian AU – it’s a bit cliche at this point, but I also think it’s fascinating because it puts these two otherwise allied characters, who are very alike in their skills and sense of duty and honor, on opposite sides of a war that is neither of their fault. that kind of stuff is fascinating to me. another good one is the Hawke-never-existed AU, because it forces Varric (and the reader) to confront uncomfortable truths about the nature of DA2 and Varric’s straight-from-his-mouth-onto-the-page narrative.

fanfic ask meme