#and like its totally chill to bring crossovers into this post if you want | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sapphicscholar · 6 months

Text

20 questions for fic writers

Thanks for the tag, @lilolilyr!

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

135 fics total!

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

2,436,430 words (jfc hahah)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Ever? Listing them in vague order of when I started writing for them: Supergirl, Wynonna Earp, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Grace and Frankie, This Way Up, Once Upon a Time, Madre Solo hay Dos (just on Tumblr), Abbott Elementary, Hacks, and Julia

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

ALL of them are Supergirl from back in the early-ish days of the show when it was a pretty massive (by femslash standards, I suppose) and very active fandom! It's actually so interesting seeing how absolutely nothing I've written in more than half a decade even shows up, since I've largely switched to smaller fandoms since then.

But the top 5 fics by kudos are:

Stronger Together, a collection of one-shots for various Supergirl ships (with a few gen fics mixed in), which has nearly 5k kudos (WILD to me as someone now in a fandom with maybe 25 people total haha)

Welcome to the Gayborhood, my first ever fic, a looong Sanvers and Supercorp professor AU that still keeps the alien/supernatural elements of canon

6,500 miles away...but getting closer, a Sanvers epistolary fic that my wife and I actually co-wrote and posted 1 letter/email per day every day for many months

Noise Complaint, a Sanvers next-door neighbor AU that, hilariously, given its placement in the top 5 here, is what catalyzed a series of events that led to me very much leaving the fandom (and fandom writ large for nearly a year)

Supercat Sanvers 2020, a Sanvers and Supercat political AU that was maybe one of the last long-form works I wrote before moving out of DC!

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I really try to! Sometimes if it's from a person I know well, I end up responding via DMs, esp if there are questions about what comes next, plotting elements, etc., that I don't necessary want everyone to see while the fic is still being posted, but mostly I try to respond on AO3. I've gotten a bit worse in the past few years just because I'll manage to eke out a bit of time to write, which puts me behind on my work, and then I don't leave myself time to respond, and by the time I DO have time, it feels awkwardly late to do so. But even if I don't respond, I absolutely love/cherish/adore/etc. every single kind comment I've ever been given <3

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Forgoten, but not Gone - a Sanvers amnesia AU set post-breakup that's heavy on the angst with a rather ambiguous ending. I got talked into writing a part 2 that resolves the angst haha, but taken on it's own it's definitely my angstiest ending!

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Huh idk! Most of my fics end on fairly happy, if a bit open, endings. I'm not a big fan of having all the loose ends tied up, and I realllyyyy don't do the marriage/2 kids/white picket fence epilogue, so I guess maybe the political AU has to be up there because it actually envisions a world where a queer woman wins the presidency on a progressive platform, and that feels rather utopian 🙃

8. Do you get hate on fic?

Not in a while, though I used to back in the days, like super vitriolic shit (big fandoms with too-big emotions, man... which has really kept me away maybe forever from those kinds of fandoms!)

9. Do you write smut?

Haha very much so. I've written and posted before about why, but I really believe there's so much interesting character work and exploration that can be done by exploring characters' pleasures, their desires (both thwarted and realized), their fantasies, etc. Obviously smut isn't the only way to do this, but fanfic feels like one of the few venues where it's a real possibility!

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nah, not really. I've written a handful of bring characters x and y into the universe of another show fics, but that feels mostly different. Every so often I'll borrow vague character outlines for tertiary characters in other fics just to see if folks recognize them (had Grace Hanson as a grumpy background character in a Sanvers fic set at PT for instance hah)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Once or twice, but we got them taken down

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah, one of my SG fics was translated into Russian! I'm not sure if it's still up (tbh I can't recall which one; it's been a long time!) I've also had a couple podfics now made of my fics, one of which I still need to go listen to when I get the time!!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yeah! The long-form Sanvers epistolary fic my wife and I co-wrote together, and a group of Supercat authors got together and did a delightfully chaotic round robin, each writing one sentence, then setting a timer for the next person to write the next sentence, etc., until we had Intergalactic Standard Cuddling

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Oh man, I really don't know that I have a favorite! I really appreciate what various ships can offer me at different times - there are certain themes that make sense to explore with one pairing but not at all with another, or certain AUs that work in one fandom but not really in another. Basically, if a show is giving me multiple female characters who interact in canon in ways that go beyond existing near each other, I'm intrigued, and if these characters actually get depth and complexity, I'm probably in! There are, however, some ships that I might not end up feeling fannish/creative about even though I love them as ships (I talked a lot to @trying-to-get-somewhere-real about this recently, actually!), so it's hard to name a favorite when the metrics get all wonky!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

I don't want to say never, but I have a Cat-centric fic that'll end on Supercat that just has a lot of angst that coincided with a period of unexpected loss and grief in my own life in ways that have made it really hard to get back into even now (it just feels so...enmeshed with that moment, even though the timing was utterly coincidental)

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I do a good job with dialogue and getting characters' voices down - I'm really into the character side of things (which is also what gets me invested fannishly in shows! I want a show that cares about developing their characters first and foremost vs. a show where plot takes priority)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Certain kinds of action scenes haha - also I tire easily of writing things that feel repetitive to things I've done/written before (this was more of an issue when I took prompts)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Largely, this isn't something I've had to deal with much outside of maybe a few phrases and sentences from multilingual characters. I've talked before about how it was actually the language/translation barrier that kept me from writing for Madre Solo hay Dos. I don't speak Spanish, and getting a show entirely via the Netflix-provided translations meant 1) I was fairly certain there were some word choice/dialect peculiarities I was missing, and 2) I couldn't catch the rhythms of their speech, the cadence of their voices at least in ways that corresponded to the specific words. For me, voice matters so much, and it really felt like a barrier to not have access to the source language because I felt like I couldn't do these two women justice!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Supergirl

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Oh I've answered this elsewhere with 2-3 works, and tbh I don't think it's changed since then! I'm actually far more interested in others' favorite fics of mine because it's so interesting to think about the question of *what* sticks with a person from yours (it's often so idiosyncratic!!)

I'm getting to this pretty late, so I won't tag anyone, assuming many people already have been, but if ya see this and want to participate, feel free to give me a tag! I always love seeing people talk about their own writing :)

#fandom things #tag meme #fic writer asks

13 notes · View notes

the--highlanders · 6 months

Text

20 questions for fic writers

super late but tagged by @penny-anna, thank you!!

How many works do you have on ao3?

203 apparently! which is like, a lot but also doesn't feel like that many for how long I've been posting now

what’s your total ao3 word count?

1,060,055, and I'm still SUPER proud of hitting a million words. don't think I'm ever gonna write as much again as I did in 2022 (how did I write almost 400k in a year????) but apparently I'm over 100k for this year so. happy with that even though I haven't written nearly as much as I'd like due to like, general life stuff

What fandoms do you write for?

just second doctor era dr who! I definitely get like, story ideas for other fandoms I enjoy, and occasionally I'll idly imagine writing some of them, but never really seriously. I've kinda made an active choice for this to be my niche and I don't seem to have run out of ideas yet so

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

ok I'm gonna cut out like, 'fics' that are actually compilations of prompt fics etc bc I feel like that's cheating but. let's see

in the night i lie and look up at you (when the morning comes i watch you rise)

Sacrificial

Revelations

Vigil

tell me how you'll kiss me when i touch down

weird list tbh! big fan of the first and last one being there but like... sacrificial in particular I was NOT happy with ahgjklfdjgf. I do like vigil tho

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

yes absolutely!!! they fill me with so much joy & serotonin so I like to reply, & also I love love love discussing stuff w/ people in the comments (hi @galacticlamps ahjkgfd). I'm very very behind on it right now but I will get around to them all I promise!!!

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending

oughfkdjg this is tough. I do think if only we could have been brave on time was pretty angsty, I don't usually write fics that toy so much with major character death.

there's a few others but the first one that jumped out at me while scrolling through my fics was i'm trying to reach you (before all the ghosts do). minor character/oc death this time but like. the whole fic was very much born out of the image of its angsty ending, so.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

hm I mean I do write a lot of angstless fluff!! so like, any of those. but I'm gonna go with litany for a reunion, because so much of it is angsty that I think the ending seems happier because of it.

Do you get hate on fics?

not yet! but this fandom is pretty chill so.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I am very very sex-repulsed ace it would not be a good time for anybody <3

Do you write crossovers?

not in the sense of like, bringing characters from one fandom into another. if I had the stamina/confidence to do proper longfics I'd absolutely do more aus, some of which are inspired by other media (if you guys could see the fairytale aus that live in my head.), and I /do/ have a daemon au.

the only crossover I've really done is Lifeboat, which is like. still a concept I enjoy. ark/its lore is something so close to my heart, so it was a lot of fun to fuse it with dr who. plus I just like imagining that victoria's dad was surrounded by so so so many unhinged mad scientists. & I also find it very very very funny that the ark character in question is now voiced by david tennant

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that I'm aware of! again like. small and chill fandom. who's going to be doing that.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no, and I don't think I'd want to - I'm a little bit too precious/sensitive about my writing to even have like, a beta reader or anything. I don't think I'd do well trying to co-write with someone. the closest I've come is kind of co-plotting out fics with other people (the plot of the selkie au is as much @ettelwenailinon's brainchild as mine <333)

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I have been so deeply invested in two/jamie for so long that I can no longer untangle it from myself.

What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

the fic I want to write most is a super comprehensive multichapter spanning about two years between jamie getting dropped off at culloden after the war games and two coming to pick him up again for 6b. I have a general sweep of the arc, some summary notes, and pages and pages of historical notes for it. unfortunately I don't think I'm ever going to feel like I've done enough historical research to justify writing it, even if I do somehow magically get myself to buck up into writing proper longfic.

What are your writing strengths?

hm idk! I'm quite pleased with some of my prose/descriptions sometimes. & I've had a few comments over the years saying I'm good at characterisation, which is always nice to hear.

I never really know what's good about my writing tho. not out of any sense of inferiority or false modesty or anything, I just. don't think that deeply about writing in general. the words come out & if I like them I like them

What are your writing weaknesses?

^^^ as I am always saying I wish I could break down the mental block that's stopping me from writing longfic

kinda related but like. I'm definitely a perfectionist and that can paralyse me sometimes when I'm trying to write a first draft.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I need to do it more often!!

my absolute dream would be to be able to translate all my fics into gàidhlig tbh. but I love love love giving jamie gàidhlig dialogue, or even just dropping little turns of phrase into his english dialogue, stuff like that. I definitely feel like there's some space between how I write/characterise jamie and how he is on screen, but to some degree that's a conscious decision. I'm always trying to strike a balance between like, writing him in character and writing him in a way that feels authentic to his time and cultural background. but dropping in bits of gàidhlig is a fun way of doing that (and also of getting myself to write in the language which is definitely good practice)

First fandom you wrote for?

hm I mean technically ig it was the saddle club. I was like 3 years old and I wrote a 'book' about the horses.

in terms of like, actively writing fic with the conscious knowledge of what fic was, probably fic about warrior cats ocs when I was about 11/12.

Favorite fic you’ve written?

old ghost's waltz, always. I loved how it came together, it was my first real dip into doing super historical jamie fic & a sort of replacement for the post-war games longfic I may never write, and it was a response to the phantom piper, which drives me absolutely insane in both good and bad ways. like it gave me so many ideas but god I could fix her.

unsorted is a very solid second though. it had all the historical fic joy of old ghost's waltz (even more so in some parts - the scene with jamie and connie might be my favourite scene I've ever written), and it was just. so cathartic to write as an expression of a headcanon I'd kind of hidden for so many years bc I was worried it wouldn't be well-received. it's my favourite fic to get comments on just because it always feels like a relief to see people enjoying it.

tagging @galacticlamps, @p0stscripter, @ettelwenailinon and anyone else who wants to do this!!

#personal

2 notes · View notes

k3rm1e · 3 years

Text

cuddling headcanons! ★~(◡﹏◕✿)

this is more of a test thing to see if i like writing this way and if this blog does well

other imagines and headcanons won't include everyone i write unless it is specifically requested and is a prompt i really like

includes: wilbur nihachu karljacobs quackity dream georgenotfound sapnap p!tommyinnnit p!badboyhalo p!skeppy p!eret p!philza p!tubbo p!ranboo

cw: cursing

wilbur:

wilbur is a very cuddle-y guy

to me he seems very soft

i always see people saying he would like spooning, but i disagree

i feel like he would do more of a half-spooning thing with his head on your chest or the other way around

mans would DEFINITELY make you run your fingers through his hair

i feel like he would lay on your chest and just *nuzzle* into the space between your shoulder and neck

anytime you tried to leave him, whether it was because he had to do something or you had to, he would whine. so. fucking. much.

It would probably always go something like:

you - i need to piss

wilbur - no <3

but the moment he decides its time to stop cuddling its fine

and if you complain that you’re gonna miss him he’ll just call you clingy and tease you

like??? sir???

all in good fun though, no bad intentions :)

nihachu:

i feel like you and niki would face each other

with your head like under her chin and in her chest (this is a bad description but look at the “honeymoon hug” on the list for better explanation ;-;)

she would always want to protect you

so she does that by like almost guarding you and keeping you close

niki would definitely do the arm thing where she just lightly moves her hand up and down you arm

i’m so sorry if you don't understand that, it just feels like something she would do

if you haven't experienced that it kinda sorta feels like spiders??? but in a good way???

but generally she is very protective

she just holds you so close the whole time

even if she doesn’t want to let you go, she’s more understanding about it

she would be upset but wouldn’t show it because she doesn’t want to make you feel guilty

niki is generally just an amazing cuddle-r (is that a word?) and has a super comforting presence

karljacobs:

karl would definitely keep your head on his chest

the whole time he would just absolutely squeeze the life out of you

he would constantly bend his neck down to kiss your head

and instead of just like leaving his head down so he could kiss you it would just be:

*inner monologue karl* hmmm i wanna kiss them on their head

and he would lean down to do so which, cute

but then five seconds later he would do it again

and again another five seconds later

and again

very cute karl but please sir, your neck is gonna be so messed up after this

when you had to leave he would be upset, but like niki, would try not to show it

except karl is very bad at that and his pouting would be so obvious

so you would feel guilty and layback down with him

immediately he just becomes (●´ω｀●)

like a happy little puppy

karl is just too adorable for you to deny

quackity:

now we all know this, quackity is a huge dork

which is why i believe he would DEFINITELY use your butt as a pillow

not even in a weird way

i just feel like quackity isn’t too comfortable with touch so this is sorta his way of being close to you without it being a whole serious thing

like he still is able to be goofy and comfortable without it being a whole big thing

him doing this would almost always come with a flatty patty joke from you

which always causes him to threaten divorce, even though you aren’t married

while it isn’t a very good position for things like physical touch, it is good for talking and having conversations

for some reason i feel like he’s the type of person to text someone when they’re right next to each other

so while he’s laying down he’ll just send you random photos of himself

very annoying when your phone is spammed, but also good blackmail material >:)

i don’t think he’d be too clingy

obviously, he enjoys spending time with you

but if you told him you need to go do work or something he wouldn’t throw a fit or pout

big q just seems like he’d be more rational about stuff like that

overall a 420/69 cuddle partner

dream:

one word: spooning

mans just envelops you and has no shame

very big: “no you are mine! >:(“ energy

while he’s sleeping he’ll unconsciously nuzzle his head into your hair/the back of your neck

when you guys got to bed patches usually climbs in and you hold her

i love patches so much i could write headcanons just about her

dream always wants to be cuddling you

if you try to leave he won’t pout, there simply isn't a discussion on whether you’re moving or not

incase you haven’t caught on yet, the answer is no

you need to do work? just bring the laptop to bed

he needs to edit? just sit in his lap at his desk, duh

obviously, he knows at some point you guys need to stop cuddling

he just isn’t too stoked about it

when it comes time where he absolutely can’t cuddle with you, i feel like he’d be more chill

mainly just annoyed

georgenotfound:

i feel like george, like quackity, also wouldn’t be too touchy

i’m pretty sure he has a hard time expressing emotions (please correct me if i’m wrong!!) and i think that would crossover to his sleeping habits

i think he would prefer a sort of back-to-back cuddling position

it seems cold, i know

but also he would most definitely kick at you

so every night while trying to go to sleep suddenly you would just feel *kick*

and then instead of sleep you’re suddenly playing footsie

lots of laughter and warm feelings involved

george would probably pretend that you kicked his leg hard or something and act like you hurt him

the first few times you were actually worried

but then after a few months your only response was a sarcastic “cry about it”

which just led to more laughter

sapnap:

sapnap and you would do a sort of leg hug thing

you both you try to go to sleep in a cute spooning-type position

but the moment one of you fell asleep it all unraveled

you would wake up apart but you’re legs would still be touching

sapnap would joking blame it on you

“wow can’t believe you don't wanna be close with me even when we’re asleep”

“it’s not my fault! i can’t control where i end up when i sleep!”

“no, no. you don’t have to lie. i see how it is.”

“>:(“

but it's okay!

your legs are the first thing to react in a flight-or-fight situation, so they usually react in an honest way

which is like your legs are both reaching to hold each other!

p!tommyinnit:

i don’t get a very touchy vibe from tommy

i feel like the most he would do is put his arm over your shoulder

not in a flirty way, just in a “hey, there isn’t a lot of space, this will make sitting down more comfortable” way

he will let you sorta fidget with his hand/arm

i don't know if that makes sense but what i mean is that he’ll pretty much let his arm go *flop* so you can control it (by like moving it around or playing with his fingers)

in the beginning he would get annoyed

but eventually he would get used to it and wouldn’t really care

it sounds a bit strange but i personally find it very comforting to just have something to fidget with while watching youtube or netflix in bed with my friends

and it’s entertaining (sometimes i do this to me sister to annoy her :>)

he would act like he didn’t mind if you left him

but holy shit he is so clingy

If you try to leave it’ll just be “no, why??? stay here dumbass”

you would be slightly annoyed when he had to leave but knew he had to film and stream and all that so you would be okay

p!badboyhalo:

you would kinda sit within bad’s lap

like not on his lap, but more of in between his legs

he would have his arms around you

and his phone would be in front of you so you two could scroll through twt or instagram together

or you guys could watch skeppy’s youtube ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

rat would sit in your lap

she’s just;;;;;;;; so adorable

rat is just so soft and fuzzy in your lap and everytime you move to pet her she just melts

rat is the the superior cuddle buddy to any of these block people

p!skeppy:

skeppy, similar to quackity, is a total dork

he would make sure you guys were in a position where he could effectively troll you

so if your head was near his lap he would just flick you or some

“dude can you please stop hitting me in the head”

“it turns out i am not actually hitting you in your head because based on the perpendicularity of the bisector multiplied by the photosynthesis of the dividend, it is impossible for me to do so”

“wtf”

lya is so goddamn sick of you guys

she's trying to get him to actually do something but instead he’s just sitting there throwing paper airplanes at you while you sleep

he’s an annoying asshole but it's okay because he gives you money for absurd reasons

p!eret:

eret has such a comfortable presence

i feel like she wouldn’t be up for cuddling too much

more of like putting your head on a friends shoulder so you can see the tweet their showing you

but they do like to hold hands

holding hands isn’t very intimate but it's also just such a sweet comforting thing

she even holds your hand when you guys are out walking around

like if you guys were getting food somewhere (post-covid of course)

you most likely would get addressed as a couple

and he would just be like”...wut?”

it’s happened so many times at this point you just go along with it

“you guys look like such a cute couple!”

“oh we aren't-” “thank you!”

can you tell that i love eret?

p!philza:

phil always has such dad vibes

i feel like the closest he would get to cuddling is hugs and hand holding

even though cuddling isn’t inherently romantic, he is married to kristen

so i fell he would get most of his touch in with her

but with you he’s just so fatherly

hello dadza

whether you have a good or bad relationship with your father, everyone can admit that philza minecraft is dadza

this is such a dad thing, but tries to hold you hand when you cross the street

no matter the age, he just feels the need to protect you

hugs are similar

uses hugs as a way to comfort you and protect you

just so amazing all around

p!tubbo:

tubbo would love cuddling in any way, shape, or form

if you guys are hanging out at like the park or something and lying down

get ready to become this mans pillow

this is really fun to do with your friends but imagine you guys are hanging out in a field type area (with my friends we hand out in the field next to the cemetery but it can be any open grass area)

tubbo would just use your lap as a pillow the whole time

and when you guys were walking back to his house he would sorta drape his arms over your shoulders (assuming he’s taller than you)

he would do the same thing when you guys were sitting in chairs or at a desk

just drapes his arms over your shoulder with his chin on your head

if it's really late and he's tired he’ll just hug you

p!ranboo:

if you thought tubbo is bad, ranboo is even worse

not even really cuddling, he just likes having a sort of skin-to-skin contact

so handholding and laying on top of eachother

if he’s streaming he will legitimately message ou to just sit next to him

so sometimes if he’s just chilling by himself on the smp you’ll end up on his streams

he’ll have you next to him just because he likes be near someone

and so randomly it’ll just be like “chat, a real human is here, behave”

chat does not behave

(they heavily bully him)

he’s pretty clingy but when you HAVE to leave he’ll understand and just be a bit bummed out

holy shit this took me so long-

if you read this whole thing thank you!

#mcyt x reader #wilbur soot x reader #karl jacobs x reader #nihachu x reader #quackity x reader #dream x reader #georgenotfound x reader #sapnap x reader #tommyinnit x reader #badboyhalo x reader #skeppy x reader #eret x reader #philza x reader #tubbo x reader #ranboo x reader #kermie's headcanons #kermie spent so long on this and is dying

7K notes · View notes

arshipweek · 3 years

Text

AR Ship Week - Rare Pairs

Banner credit

This is the third weekly post in the lead up to Alex Rider Ship Week. Only 2 weeks to go!

This week we’re going to look at rare pairs in Alex Rider fandom.

Alex Rider as a book series is a little unusual in the lack of major, recurring characters with shipping potential. Most characters around Alex's own age appear in a few books at the most. Even Tom and Sabina, the most consistent ones, can't really be described as regulars in the series. The most consistent characters in the books beyond Alex are Jack, Blunt and Jones, and even then, we know very little about them - and in Jack's case, she was delegated to the background for most of the books as well.

Maybe as a result of that, the fandom has defaulted to one major pairing (Alex/Yassen) and some minor ones as covered in the previous post. When even the fifth most popular pairing has only 14 fics out of almost 1100 in total on AO3, it's reasonably safe to say that rare pairs are a way of life in this fandom. To shine some light on some lesser-known pairings, we asked what other, mostly unknown pairings people enjoyed and would like to see more of, and here are some of the responses:

[James and Alex slouching and being teenagers together]

Alex/James (submitted by hellacious/TheInverseUniverse)

Alex/James is just such a pure, fun ship. They can be teenagers together and cause trouble together and goof around like they did at Point Blanc. (This is very much TV verse James). James is also someone Alex’s age who he doesn’t have to hide part of himself from. He already knows that Alex is a spy and Alex can be open and honest with him, unlike most kids his age. They also can bond over some good old fashioned shared trauma from Point Blanc and evil clones. And James is just such a lovable goofball who can be the sunshine to Alex’s more serious disposition, and bring out the side of him that blasts music and fills a kitchen with bubbles.

Tulip Jones/Julia Rothman (submitted by Valaks)

Two powerful women on opposite sides trapped in a man’s world have quite a bit to bond about it seems. Clandestine meetings, scorned attempts at wooing, and Rothman’s disdain for Tulip Jones’ rather....conservative style clash in all the best ways. Couple with a scathing view of everyone’s favorite (and least favorite) male characters there’s only fun to be had in this pairing.

[Yassen and Ian in dark and moody lighting]

Ian/Yassen (submitted by autisticharrow who writes Ian/Yassen on AO3)

The appeal of this pairing is in the untapped potential. We all know how their relationship went down in the series, but what if they had more time together? What could they be if they bonded over their shared interest (Alex) instead of fighting? This is also a fantastic pairing if you enjoy parental!Yassen, since Ian/Yassen allows Yassen to become something of a second parent to Alex.

Crawley/Alex (submitted by Valaks)

One of MI6s best agents who SCORPIA tried to recruit and then tried to kill when they realized they couldn’t turn him...and Alex Rider. This pairing seems like it shouldn’t work on its face but the deeper you dive into Crawley’s past the closer it mirrors Alex’s own career with MI6. That Crawley, Chief of Staff of MI6, the man who “no knife goes into a back without him having signed off”, already shows so much interest in him makes a compelling foundation to what could be at first a mentorship that blooms into something far more as Alex ages and gets his feet underneath him under Crawley’s guiding hand. Sprinkle in some good BDSM to keep him calm and presto, a rare pair.

Nile/Yassen (submitted by Valaks)

Enemies to lovers, a potential mentorship that blossoms into something more, a fling between two hyper competent assassins with something to prove - this ship takes many different courses and brings with it the intrigue and political drama of being SCORPIAs elites. Nile and Yassen have both been the youngest SCORPIA has ever trained, risen to be her best operatives and both have a backstory of failure that Rothman loves to twist to get the best results and most interesting reactions (even if it is a knife in the back to the other). All highlighted by the added contrast of hot and cold - Nile’s hot temper and bright personality against Yassen’s brutal cold and calculation clash in all the right ways, especially when a deeper look shows the streaks of their past: Yasha’s warm sentimentality and the underlying chill of Nile’s determination to prove himself. The ship can be as simple or complex as you want but at the heart of it all are two men trying to survive against all odds.

[Alex on the left and Julius on the right, both wearing the yellow Point Blanc jackets]

Alex/Julius

This is a fantastic complicated relationship with conflict, pseudo-selfcest and maybe even redemption. There’s lots to explore with Julius’s identity issues from having been raised to shape his personality around Alex’s, and not having the same face that he used to. Julius and Alex have a lot of shared trauma to bond over, as despite Julius’s villainy he’s still a child that was brainwashed and forced to be his Daddy’s soldier.

Alex Rider/Artemis Fowl (crossover pairing)

Part of the appeal of Alexmis is that, here you have these two individuals who’s personalities/stories meld really well together! A snarky spy and collected criminal mastermind working together to save the world, who wouldn’t love it? But it’s also deeper than that--they both have had really stressful, horrible experiences in their lives, and have been constantly forced to survive nightmarish events in order to save the world, often without much thanks. These events have left their mark, but the two could relate to each other, and hopefully grow to find a more peaceful life together. They’d look after each other, and both could learn a lot from the other--they just have the potential to get along wonderfully!

***

That’s it for this week! Do you have a favorite rare pair of your own? Share your love for them in the upcoming AR ship week!

#alex rider #ARshipweek #alexmis #....#.....#mod posts #meta

29 notes · View notes

ninety6tears · 4 years

Text

king-of-exchanges letter

Wooo kingofexchanges is happening again!

I’m a big fan of SK but only somewhere in the middle of my consumption/obsession; with King being heavy on self-referencing and crossover-friendly treatments, I’d be happy for you to mix and match any of my requests, as long as you can see from my goodreads page that I’ve read the relevant stuff.

Basic preferences: I read everything from G-rated to explicit PWP. I love pastiche for lit fandoms but something that feels more off the beaten path of the original style can also be fun.

I love: Angst, pining, subtle UST, first times, or established relationships with some level of conflict to be resolved. Intense friendship stories. Protectiveness in close relationships as well as in those that wouldn’t obviously appear to be protective at first. A character or characters experiencing a type of attraction that isn’t the status quo for them. Relationships that had a falling-out and neither of them ever really got over it. Characterization that focuses on the nature & nurture of who people have grown to be and the unique ways they take care of or need other characters. Insecurity/hangups over worthiness. AUs of all varieties.

I can handle: underage, dubcon, noncon, torture and incest. Character death. Love triangles. Infidelity.

Do Not Want: Fix-its without sacrifice/troubles. Soulbonding/magical soulmate tropes. Disputes centered around marriage as a show of commitment ("If you were really serious you'd have proposed by now rather than just wanting to live together" and all that). A/B/O, mpreg, or any body fluid kinks. More than a mention of Alzheimer’s/dementia.

Christine ‘83 (FIC):

Arnie/Dennis

Arnie/Christine/Dennis

---NOTE - The movie is more fresh in my mind for prompting purposes but I have read the book, so feel free to run with this request for either version. I do like the dark humor Carpenter brings to adolescence without mocking the angst of being a teenager, not that King isn’t morbidly funny in his own right.

We get very little of them together before Arnie starts to go all possessed but we can tell their friendship has lasted a lot of changes over the years. That hospital visit over the holiday (which I remember was more bittersweet, less tense in the book?) feels like the last time Arnie remembered that he's supposed to be a big part of Dennis’ life. But even before all that, there’s a nice dynamic where Dennis is protective of Arnie and really thinks highly of him (and huh, maybe sees something in his looks other people don’t) when it’s not socially advantageous for him to retain that loyalty, and I’d like to get more of that. Maybe they’ve fooled around once or twice? Maybe Arnie was the one who got weird about it, afraid of the eventual rejection, or they’re both just too repressed? I like the triangle with Leigh too, if you wanted to get into the confused jealousy/conduit attraction thing, just nothing that completely dismisses any meaning of her relationship with Dennis if it’s referenced at all.

If Dennis was the one Christine got dangerously jealous of (either because something happens between them or she just knows) how would that go down differently? Or what if the car decides she wants to be shared by them, and maybe likes to watch them do things to each other (take that however you want it to mean) and either their closeness makes the two of them eventually snap out of it, or they all just become a weird evil threesome? I'm also into the idea of some other fantasy/sci-fi AU in which Christine is something or someone else entirely but is still threatening in some paranormal/inhuman way.

Crossover Tags (FIC):

Peter McVries & Ray Garraty & The Stand

Peter McVries/Ray Garraty & The Stand

---I’m interested in how these two would fit into a story with such an elemental moral war. Both are reckless but McVries more prone to hopelessness and nihilism; would he be tempted to join Flagg without outside influence? Would he just kind of wander around with no sense of purpose until Ray found him? It could also turn the existential misery of The Long Walk on its head, with them losing their families and possibly realizing too late the preciousness of life that way. You don’t have to get into much philosophy or plot either; I’m kind of into the everyday pain-in-the-ass minutiae of the post-apocalypse and people finding ways to laugh about their circumstances and reach for each other in their grief. Feel free to write it as full-on crossover with some of the canon Stand characters appearing.

Larry Underwood & Richie Tozier

---If you have some other idea of where to put these two together, go for it, but I had this idea of Richie hosting an occasional interview special for up-and-coming musicians and Larry being invited on when the single’s just out and being so nervous to meet this famous personality, and maybe they get drunk or high together before or after the interview (bonus points if Larry can hardly get in an answer cause Richie gives him the giggles). They’re kinda both assholes so they get along? They’re both assholes so they kinda hate each other? I didn’t nominate it as a shippy treatment but if you’re really sad I didn’t, hey, stuff happens when people party.

The Dark Half (FIC):

Alan Pangborn/Thad Beaumont

Alan Pangborn/Elizabeth Beaumont/Thad Beaumont

George Stark/Alan Pangborn

---I thought the surprising friendship and trust that takes hold between Thad and the officer who initially believes him to be a cold killer was one of the better aspects of this novel, and the way that connection is so soon polluted by Stark's insurmountable connection to a part of Thad’s psyche is chilling and more than a little sad. I would love to get a shippy treatment of their immediate companionship and/or the inevitable disturbance of it. If you wanted to make it a poly thing with Elizabeth, with all three of them not really pausing in the midst of all these maddening things happening to question opening their marriage to someone they find comforting, I would be interested in how that might underscore the events.

And when it comes to George/Alan...yeah, I want darkfic, potentially outlining Stark’s role in putting Alan off Thad in a more sinister way, whether it’s poisoning the well of Alan’s (sublimated? not yet acted on?) desire and affection for Thad by being sleazily flirtatious in pointing it out, or going to a darker noncon place with all the mingled disgust and misplaced attraction that might provoke. (In the context of this prompt, I’m not super into the gross-out factor of Stark being at the stage where his skin is falling off, but if you can’t somehow set it at an earlier stage it would be better to just not mention it.)

Also, I realize Alan has a family, but you can deal with that however you want; his wife can just not exist for the purposes of the story, but even infidelity wouldn’t put me off if you’re taking the character that far out of a healthy mindset.

The Long Walk (FIC):

Peter McVries/Ray Garraty

---Since we’re never in Pete’s head, it would be great to get anything detailing how his initial distance from Ray quickly erodes into the protectiveness he obviously can’t help over him, if there’s a spark of empathy there even before the first time Ray saves him, or what he’s really thinking or trying to say at some of his more cynical and cryptic moments. I wonder what it was that Parker said to him to imply he thought he and Ray were “queer for each other” and how this apparently was covered without McVries feeling the need to deny it?

If you wanted to write them both somehow surviving, I would love to see how their relationship remains in the aftermath; maybe they don’t exactly end up together because they associate each other with this traumatizing thing, and they have an essential but troubled friendship because of it (and maybe they end up fucking a couple times but don’t really talk about it).

In the realm of more absolute alternate universes...a bigoted boarding school atmosphere, an aggressive correctional camp, anything where a compulsive make-out might happen in the bunks or the showers and then be stiffly denied later on sounds like a backdrop I’d love for these boys if you want to do something bleak-but-not-as-mortally-bleak.

I prefer to think of McVries as having complicated depression that doesn’t just stem from girlfriend problems; I’d prefer you mention the incident with Priscilla as little as possible, but any focus on Pete’s scar is totally fine.

The Stand (ART):

Larry Underwood/Lucy Swann

Lucy Swann/Larry Underwood/Nadine Cross/Randall Flagg

Nadine Cross

---My attempts to prompt for art for these tags may be unhelpful but I’m really into Nadine’s scary paranormal bond with Flagg, the imagery of her hair and Flagg’s tainted handsomeness and everything haunted about her and her life, and how the love triangle with her and Larry and Lucy is really a quadrangle of temptations and baggage beyond the usual moral pressure of romantic entanglements. They’re all figuratively in bed together whether they like it or not, but I could see that presented more literally in art. I also would like anything associated with the individual permutations (Larry/Nadine, Larry/Lucy, Larry/Nadine/Randall?). Desperate/melancholy embraces, or moments of almost touching. That ghost leering over Nadine’s shoulder in her moments of getting too close to tenderness.

#stephen king #christine #the dark half #the long walk #the stand #it

1 note · View note

dipulb3 · 3 years

Text

2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 packs big character in a small footprint

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/2021-mercedes-amg-gla45-packs-big-character-in-a-small-footprint/

2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 packs big character in a small footprint

Even with the large wheels, the GLA45 is pretty unassuming in daily operation.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

The first-gen Mercedes GLA45 AMG sucked. It was an expensive heap that was perpetually uncomfortable and looked about as good as it drove. Thankfully, Mercedes-AMG learned some lessons over the years. Now, the new-for-2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 is a fully realized compact luxury crossover with a bonkers little powertrain tucked under the hood for good measure, making for one hell of a second act.

Gobs of power

Carlike handling

Well-appointed interior

Don’t Like

Rides a little stiff

Low-speed driveline wonkiness

Tiny trunk

The original GLA-Class looked like a surprised hatchback wearing tall shoes. The gist is the same this time around — the second-gen GLA-Class is still basically a hatchback with a lift kit — but I think the look is more cohesive. The wide-eyed countenance has been swapped out in favor of something a little more streamlined, but I think the GLA45 looks best from behind, where a short overhang and those ever-present quadruple AMG tailpipes make for some aggressive aesthetics.

The GLA’s interior no longer feels woefully cheap. There is no tiny little screen floating atop a menagerie of dated buttons; instead, everything is mounted nice and low, and borrowing many different design staples from larger, more expensive Mercedes models means the interior feels far more precious than before, even though the dashboard is still mottled vinyl and there’s still a fair few instances of hard plastic scattered around. Being an AMG, I’m not surprised to see carbon fiber making an appearance on the dash and door panels, but thankfully, there isn’t so much of it that I feel like I’m headed to Hot Import Nights. Pair it with some more premium touches like proper metal on the optional Nappa-leather-wrapped steering wheel ($400), and you’ve got quite the nice place to spend some time.

Small cars need to prioritize function, since there isn’t a whole lot of excess space floating around. The 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 has some solid interior packaging in this case, with a sufficiently deep cubby under the armrest, large door pockets and a big storage tray ahead of the cup holders. The crossover’s roof is pretty flat, which means back-row occupants have plenty of space, and it feels much airier when the $1,500 panoramic glass roof is thrown into the mix. Rear-seat storage options are limited, as the middle seat doesn’t convert to a folding armrest (unless you pay $360 for the privilege) and the door pockets are a little small, but folks in the back do get cargo nets on the front seat backs along with two USB-C ports and a 115-volt two-prong outlet, which is nice. However, despite being a hatchback, cargo space is on the paltry side; the GLA45’s 15.4-cubic-foot trunk pales in comparison to that of the Volvo XC40 (20.7), Audi Q3 (23.7) and BMW X1 (27.1).

Under the GLA45’s hood lies one of my personal favorite automotive engineering marvels: the M139 engine. Capable of making in excess of 400 horsepower in some current European-only applications, this high-strung turbocharged 2.0-liter I4 is built in its own high-tech corner of Mercedes-AMG’s Affalterbach engine facility, and it deserves that royal treatment. While the noise wavers somewhere between “angry beehive” and “angry farm equipment,” the 382 hp and 354 pound-feet of torque this engine delivers in the GLA45 is pitch-perfect.

It’s a strange engine, too; sure, it’ll sit down low in the revs and spit out torque as needed, but there’s a little bit of old-school Honda VTEC action happening here, because the M139 loves to rev. It will sit between 4,000 and 7,000 rpm all day, generating more motive force than any Michigan backroad can tolerate. The GLA45’s eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is hit or miss, though; while it delivers nearly instant shifts (and a little extra tailpipe theater) under heavy load, it’s not very smooth at lower speeds. If you feed it just a little more throttle than necessary, especially when the stop-start system is activated, it’ll lurch forward clunkily. Some sharp stabs of the throttle are met with a “hurry up and wait” attitude, too, as the transmission hunts for the gear it wants and then takes its sweet time bringing it up.

The rest of the GLA45’s driving experience is largely mode-dependent. The car is surprisingly chill in its default Comfort setting. The standard adaptive suspension is still sports-car stiff in this mode, but it’s smooth enough on nice roads to where I could envision long trips being more than manageable. Flip the switch to Sport and the GLA45 is ready to party; body roll disappears underfoot, the steering weight increases to nearly comical proportions and the transmission finally knows what gear it wants to be in ahead of time. It’s far too aggressive for any road that wasn’t paved yesterday, especially in post-snow Michigan where thaw cycles put smaller potholes inside of last year’s still-not-fixed large potholes, but it’s still a dang hoot.

Even the fuel economy isn’t the absolute pits. The EPA rates the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 at 20 miles per gallon city, 27 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined. For a nearly 400-hp performance car, that’s not bad at all, and in real-world driving I’m able to get surprisingly close to 30 mpg on the highway. A light foot will get you far.

The GLA’s cabin is properly upscale, and if you’ve been in any other modern Benz, it should feel pretty familiar, too.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

Whereas the first-gen GLA-Class felt like more of a technological punishment, the opposite is the case with the 2021 GLA45. MBUX, the automaker’s latest and greatest infotainment system, is standard, residing on a 10.3-inch touchscreen with redundant physical controls on the steering wheel and center console. It’s a fabulous system, with a menu layout that doesn’t take long to master, responsiveness even shortly after a cold start and all the usual embedded frippery like a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The “Hey, Mercedes” natural-language voice recognition works brilliantly, as well. Charging comes by way of four USB ports total — a USB-C by the cup holders, a USB-A in the center armrest and a pair of USB-C ports in the back. Make sure your cords are up to date, though, because the USB-A port up front doesn’t support smartphone mirroring. Embedded navigation is a $1,295 option, and while it includes the neat augmented-reality turn-by-turn display, it may not be worth the scratch if you’re a smartphone fanatic.

While safety tech might not be at the front of your mind in a performance car, Mercedes-Benz makes sure it’s there — provided you feel like paying for it. Standard driver assists are limited to blind-spot monitoring, forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking. Plunk down $1,090 to add a surround-view camera and parking sensors, or drop $1,700 for full-speed adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, active blind-spot monitoring and route-based speed adaptation.

Don’t like the touchpad? Great! With MBUX, you can basically ignore it.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

Despite all the fresh stuff plucked from higher branches on the Mercedes-Benz tree, the 2021 AMG GLA45 isn’t all that expensive. It’ll cost $55,550 including destination to get your foot in the door, and most of the available options are contained in inexpensive upgrade packages. My tester piles it on, including uprated leather, metallic paint, larger 20-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof and the navigation package, leaving the factory with a $62,150 window sticker. Not too shabby.

The 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 doesn’t really have much true competition. Its diminutive footprint puts it a class below other higher-powered luxury utes like the BMW X3 M40i and the Audi SQ5, and there are no analogous variants of the BMW X1/X2 or Audi Q3 — the BMW X2 M35i could be close, I guess, but it’s closer to the slightly less peppy GLA35. That’s probably for the best, though, because any automaker would have a hard time topping the GLA45’s equal doses of entry-level luxury and flat-out powertrain insanity.

Climb in the driver’s seat for the latest car news and reviews, delivered to your inbox twice weekly.

0 notes

theonceoverthinker · 7 years

Text

My Weekend At Once Con (Part 1)

...All I can say is wow. ...Just WOW. I'm sitting at my desk at work, just trying to figure out how the hell I'm supposed to go back to normal after this weekend. I'm equally parts at peace, freaking out, and so tired that I'm ready to crash and burn. And I'll tell you all why. ()()()()()()()()()()()()() About Me ()()()()()()()()()()()()() Before I start, I feel like to really understand my feelings about this con, you need to know a little bit about me first. That said, I'll make it fast because I know that's not what you're here for. 1. I'm the weirdest mix of introvert and extrovert that you can imagine. I want to talk to everyone, but at the same time, I'm so freaked out by it, but at the same time, I'll actually do it and jump in. 2. I'm what I call an omnishipper. If it's not incestual, I ship it at least a little. That said, I don't love all ships equally. I play favorites, and can even rank them per character. For example, I like Swan Queen, but I like Captain Swan and Dragon Queen a lot more. I like Violet Believer, but I like Henriella more. You get the drift. 3. I'm pretty positive about the show, and unless it's coming from a place of love, I hate saltiness, towards the writers, towards the characters, etc. I have likes, dislikes, and concerns of course, but there’s a line that I just don’t care to cross where it stops being fun, 4. I say I'm sorry way too much. 5. I recorded hours and hours of audio and video footage. It is all pretty flawed, but I promise, it's real. 6. Now, I'm going to reference questions, but I'm going to specifically focus on mine, since this is my con experience I'm reporting about. Look, I'm biased. It's human nature, and I'm literally writing this less than 24 hours after getting back.That said, if another question or comment really spoke to me, I'll do my best to include it here. Also, I'm doing my best to quote my questions from what I actually said, using the questions as I originally wrote them as well as my own memories, but I'm not trudging through my footage to get them. 7. Apart from Once, I've never really seen the special guests in other works. I saw Jen's play, The End of Longing back in May, but that was about it. This convention has convinced me to go forward and watch more of their works!

Okay, no more waiting! Here we go!!!

()()()()()()()()()()()()() Thursday ()()()()()()()()()()()()() I drove to the con on Thursday. I took a half day at work to finish packing and wait for my carpool buddy. We'd met on a Facebook page called "Once Upon a Time NJ Con," a Wall Street of sorts for the convention run by two lovely ladies. If you're looking to go next year, I can't stress enough just how good this page was. We arrived that evening for preregistration, and after my own adventures in the hotel down the road, I was all ready to get going. My roommate for the evening and I were on line, and already, there was so much excitement to be had. I met a beautiful young woman with crimson hair and a beautiful Swan Queen necklace who had Steven Universe buttons (A rare crossover of fandoms), and after we talked, I affectionately called her "Buttons" for the entire weekend. I entered the vendors room and took it all in. I immediately scoped out everything that I wanted, promising myself that I wouldn't spend too much money. ...You'll see how that ended up later. Thinking quickly, I immediately bought a Captain Swan shirt. There was a mug that looked like Henry's book that I promised myself I would buy on Sundays, but that was it. Don't get me wrong: I WANTED other stuff. The artwork table looked so nice, but I was sure I'd be selling my life savings for it (Something I was proven wrong about on the car ride home). Also, there was a big model of Emma's bug also available for purchase, but for like $50. It's funny because I was actually about to give my model of the bug (which was about 1/10 of the size of the one available here) to a Tumblr friend who I had grown really close to over the course of six months. Really, there wasn't much to say after that. Once my roommate and I had our fill of the Vendor's Room, we headed back to our room, chilled out, and then went to sleep, eager for the con to truly begin. ()()()()()()()()()()()()() Friday ()()()()()()()()()()()()() I've always been an early bird. That wasn't going to be an exception here. My first event wasn't until noon, but I was up at seven, and out the door by eight-thirty. My roommate, or at this point, ex-roommate, and I parted ways, but promised to meet up during the con. Thankfully, this is one of those stories where that actually happens. She and I at times were each others greatest forces of support and friendship in what was already a really friendly convention. We get there, and bond with a couple of people. Eventually, I ran into my carpool buddy and her friend. We killed time talking, reading books, and examining cosplays. Michael Coleman (Happy) and Chris Gauthier (Smee) passed by the lobby a few times, and I actually said hi to them, one time each. I was totally freaked out, but still, it was fantastic! Eventually, the theatre did open up, I parted ways from my friends, and went to my seat. I gotta say, knowing no one (for the moment, at least), it felt really lonely to be waiting for seatmates. Thankfully, a young teenager who had a GA ticket came by and provided a fun amount of conversation! Creation's house band Samurai Fish, accompanying Michael Coleman and eventually Gil McKinney (Eric) opened up the show. I never expected to like classic rock versions of my favorite Disney songs, but they were a lot of fun. XD Gil McKinney's panel, which I thought would originally set the stage for the rest of them, ended up, while doing it to some extent, being its own separate beast entirely, but in the best way possible. I compare it more to a stand up comedy routine than a proper panel. Gil walked around the room, commenting on guests, guessing kid's ages, losing a $20 bet that he would remember a guest's name, and even Face Timing with one of the guest's friends. I was blown away by how charming he is. There was a bit of a Q&A, but it only took up about the last five minutes of his panel. Fortunately for us con-goers, Gil would show up to a LOT more events and do a full-on Q&A the next day with Lee, Chris, and Michael. After Gil came Chris Gauthier. Let me tell you, I was hyped. I had been preparing questions for NJ con for six months now, but from the second I saw his name on the guest list, I knew what I wanted to ask. Chris' panel was more of a traditional panel with one big twist: Instead of going up to the mic, Michael, dressed as the Evil Queen (Heels included!), was going around with the mic to bring it to guests for their questions. This added a fun level of quirkiness to Chris' panel that I and the other guests really appreciated. Ready for my question? Well, at first, I wasn't. Believe it or not, I was terrified at first. But, I told myself that I wanted this and that I could do it. Michael eventually took a seat in the row in front of me, extended the mic to me, and I started to speak. "The last time Smee and Killian interacted in the present timeline, it was before Smee got his memory back and remembered that Killian sold the Jolly Roger and left his crew to go save Emma. What do you think that Smee and the rest of the crew think of their former captain now? Are they happy for his redemption or are they bitter at him for their abandonment?" Chris' response (To quote the man himself, "A little of both," and was followed by a more thorough explanation of why he thought so) was detailed, charismatic, and spoke of how much thought he puts into his character. By the end of it, I really wanted to see Smee on screen again! After Chris' panel ended, we next went into a Trivia Game. I actually participated in the last set of 30 contestants and made it to the top 15! Not half bad, especially because the question was from "Tallahassee" and Season 2 has always been my weakest season. I actually talked to two of the three winners after the contest, and both were scrambling to use their $200 winnings! XD The panels resumed at three sharp with Michael! Sadly, he was not wearing a costume, but what he lacked in that regard, he more than made up for with a bright and cheeky personality. I actually asked him, while something I never explicitly wrote out, about how he came up with the idea for the "Happy Little" series that he has been putting on for the past few conventions. He explained his reasoning in three parts, but I'll just tell you my favorite: He likes wearing dresses! The final panel of the day was the one and only Raphael Sbarge (Archie). What I like about Raphael is how he answers his questions. I'll demonstrate what I mean by discussing my own. So, my question was "In the Once Upon a Time fandom, shipping to many is as natural as breathing. However, Archie was never brought into a romantic relationship over the course of the series, or at least hasn’t been up to this point. Do you have and ideas of a character who you would have liked for him to chirp off into the sunset with?" Rapahel's response? "Who do you think he should end up with?" Now, it is definitely flustering to be asked a question in response to your own question, but give the man credit, that is brilliant when it come to responses. It does a couple of things. First, it's kind of like having a conversation with him. Raphael gets to react to what you think. Second, it buys him more time to respond, which, for a celebrity being put on the spot, is pretty clever. Now, that was the end of the panels, but not the end of the day, not by far. First came autographs. I'm going to hold all of my thoughts on autographs until the end of this series of posts, but for now, I'll say this: They were LONG. Second came...Dani. So, I've been chatting with a friend on Tumblr for close to half a year now. I always admired her posts, and we actually bonded over convention preparations. And she was coming to Jersey Con for Friday night and all of Saturday! I swear, I was just as excited to meet her as any of the celebrities appearing here. After the autographs, I messaged her to meet me in the lobby, and she responded immediately that she was on her way. And for the first time ever, we met. Readers, it felt like a scene in a movie. As soon as I saw her, I knew her, she knew me, we rushed to each other,...and we hugged. Fiction itself is seldom as beautiful. We went up to her room, talked about a million and one things, shared stories and pictures, and then... Part three!!! You may have forgotten in all the excitement, but there was a brand new episode of Once Upon a Time!!!! It is incredible watching a show you love with someone who is as big of a fan as you. The episode in and of itself was pretty great! So, the episode ended, and with a million and one thoughts and theories, Dani and I headed down to the final portion of the day: Karaoke! Karaoke was hosted by Michael, Chris, Karen David (Jasmine), Beverly Elliot (Granny), and Gil McKinney. In it, our talented stars sang and danced alongside the lucky people chosen to sing pop, Disney, and rock songs! I had entered for Shut Up and Dance With Me, but sadly I was not selected. That said, the person chosen was quite talented. Some numbers that stuck out to me were "These Boots Were Made for Walking," "Sweet Caroline," "I Want It That Way" (Which my friend performed in), the aforementioned "Shut Up and Dance with Me," and "How Far I'll Go." The energy of the crowd was really something to see. Us Oncers definitely know how to rock a house! I bid Dani adieu and left during the final number because at that point, I was dead tired, and of course, I knew that I'd have to be at my best for everything that was to happen tomorrow... Nice cliffhanger, right? Stay tuned for Part 2!

#once upon a time #ouat #ouat con #creation con #once upon a time convention

5 notes · View notes

shelleyseale · 5 years

Text

Hit List: Shelley's Top 3 Picks in East Austin

Happy New Year to the Trading Places Village! To start off 2019 with my first post of the year, I thought I would introduce you all to my neighborhood (that is, when I'm not off vagabonding somewhere else in the world!). My hometown is Austin, Texas — and I live in the weird, quirky, artistic neighborhood of East Austin, just east of downtown. I love my neighborhood, which has really changed and grown a lot in the last 5 years. Sometimes Austin experiences too much and too rapid growth, and it's hard to keep up with it all. It's also sad sometimes seeing the old places close or get forced out. But despite all the changes, there are many places — both long-time, established traditions and exciting new things that have come in — that I love in my neighborhood. Here, then, I share my "Top 3" picks across various categories of places to eat, drink and be merry in East Austin: TOP 3 TACOS: Tamale House East, 1707 E. 6th

One of my all-time faves. I lived down the street from the original location further north; once I moved to the east side, they opened this east side location too, right down the street! Coincidence? I think not! Owned and run by the Valera family since 1958, they make mouth-watering tamales along with a great selection of breakfast and all-day tacos, mole, enchiladas plates and more. A fantastic, fun atmosphere with cool décor inside, and a chill little garden patio as well. They have live salsa from The Brew every weekend and lots of other events, including music and Frida Fridays. Check it out, you can’t go wrong! Full bar, open breakfast through dinner. Joe’s Bakery, 2305 E. 7th Great family-owned place that’s been there since 1962. INCREDIBLE tortillas and migas, cool old-school atmosphere, and a great front counter Mexican bakery selection. Their migas are the best in town, according to me and my friends Mando Rayo and Jarod Reese who wrote the book on Tacos of Texas (literally!) Only open for breakfast and lunch. Taco Flats, 2500 E. 6th This vintage Airstream food truck is right across the street from my condo complex. It’s behind La Holly bar (owned by the same folks), which makes for a fun place to combine for drinks with your tacos. They have a pretty interesting menu of unusual and gourmet tacos. Great outdoor space as well. TOP 3 BREAKFAST SPOTS: Counter Café, 1914 E. 6th This place is honestly the BOMB for breakfast. Personally I love their benedicts, but the Steak & Eggs and Quail & Eggs get pretty high reviews from customers. Their biscuits are also pretty damn good and very authentic Southern. You can’t go too wrong with lunch here either. Only open for breakfast and lunch (their burgers are great, and could crossover into that category below).

Photo courtesy of Launderette Launderette, 2115 Holly St. While Launderette doesn't serve breakfast every day — only weekend brunch — that brunch definitely rates as one of my top picks anywhere in Austin. If I didn’t have Launderette in this section, I would definitely put it in the “upscale restaurant” section below, so consider this a dual entry. Comfort food in a cool setting, to-die-for cocktails, and a pretty good happy hour. Don’t miss it when in Austin. Juan in a Million, 2300 E. Cesar Chavez Another long-time, family-owned East side fave. The patriarch of the family, Juan himself, is usually there shaking customers’ hands and asking how things are. This is super hole-in-the-wall, but don’t let that put you off. There are usually lines to get in for weekend breakfast (they also serve lunch every day). Huge plates; in fact, they are well known and were featured on the Travel Channel for their “Don Juan” — if you can eat the whole thing, your picture goes up on the wall. I have a few friends whose mugs grace those walls.

TOP 3 BURGERS: Hi-Hat Public House, 2121 E. 6th This is one of my favorite casual, comfortable neighborhood spots. They always remember me there, and have a definite cast of regulars. It’s also one of the best burgers on the east side, and on Thursdays you can get a burger and a pint for $14. If you don’t come for the burger, you can check out Taco Tuesday (two tacos and a pint for $12), Wine Wednesday (half-price bottles), or their weekend brunch with live jazz. They also have live music many other nights of the week. Justine’s Brasserie, 4710 E. 5th This is one of my favorite places on the East Side, for way more than the burger. It would definitely go on my list for top upscale restaurants if it didn’t always get raves enough about its Royale with Cheese (named from Pulp Fiction) to make this category. Besides that fine burger, they have the most amazing French Country Bistro comfort food, a beautiful outdoor patio and lawn, and a full roster of parties and other events. They always throw the most happening soirees during any big Austin festival like SXSW.

Photo courtesy of Justine's Brasserie Arlo’s, 1700 E. 6th This food truck is where you want to go if you’re vegetarian/vegan and craving a totally satisfying, juicy, cheesy, drip down your chin burger. And non-vegetarians will love it just as much, I promise! Their Bac’N Cheez Burger is tha bomb; I don’t know how they do it, but it hits the exact right spot for any burger, vegan or not! Trust me on this. A side of sweet potato fries makes it perfection. The truck is parked at The Grackle bar, which is a mighty fine place to grab a drink and hang. TOP 3 BARBECUE JOINTS: Franklin, 900 E 11th

This is possibly the most famous name in Texas barbecue, visited by many a Travel Channel and Food Network show and written up in the New York Times. Aaron Franklin, truly is a master, and even has his own TV show. Jimmy Kimmel, Anthony Bourdain and President Obama have eaten here. This place is as old-school as it gets; hasn’t changed much in a decade. It really does live up to the hype, and the line can be hours long. It opens at 11 am every day (though people queue up long before that), and stays open til they sell out. La Barbecue, 2027 E. Cesar Chavez Located inside the Quickie Pickie (a great small market to shop as well), this gets my vote for fave Austin BBQ. It’s owned by spouses LeAnn Mueller (of the famed Mueller BBQ family) and Alison Clem, and there’s usually a line out the door here as well. Personally I love their pulled pork, and they also do these amazing sandwiches with their homemade jalapeno sausage topped with barbecue. You might go into a food coma afterward. Kerlin BBQ, 1700 E. Cesar Chavez This food truck gets consistently good reviews for its barbecue and sides (which are way above the ordinary), even though it’s relatively new. Their sampler platter is a favorite, and they also sell kolaches which are fantastic. It shares space with Vera Cruz tacos, which is a phenomenal place as well. TOP 3 ASIAN FOOD SPOTS: Dee Dee, 2500 E. 6th I can’t tell you how excited I was when this WONDERFUL Northern Thai Street Food truck moved from Cesar Chavez (already close) to right across the street from my complex! This is not only the best Thai food on the east side, it’s also hands-down one of the top 2 or 3 Thai food spots in all of Austin (If you want to know my other go-to restaurants, check out Sway and Titaya’s). This food truck is run by husband and wife team Justin & Lakana (she is from Northern Thailand). The name Dee Dee means “good good” in Thai — and yes, it is that good that you have to say so twice. Seriously, if you like Thai food, stop in here. They only have a few things on the menu, but wow, do they do those 3 things spot on. Their food can be pretty spicy (it’s authentic, after all!) so don’t be afraid to ask them to dial it down a notch or two if you want. Ramen Tatsu-ya, 1600 E. 6th Since the first of these restaurants opened in North Austin, it was immensely popular, always with looooong lines out the door and waits of up to an hour or two. So you can imagine how freaking excited East Austin was when we found out that it was coming into the defunct Qui restaurant space, left from disgraced celebrity Top Chef Paul Qui. It just opened in summer 2018, and if you like ramen, DO NOT MISS IT! They have a pretty fun story, too — the owners and co-chefs, Tatsu Aikawa and Takuya Matsumoto, were hip-hop DJs when they met. Their mission is to bring Japanese soul food to Austin.

Photo courtesy of Ramen Tatsu-ya Kemuri Tatsu-ya, 2713 E. 2nd Along with Thai food, ramen is by far my favorite Asian food. Fortunately, there are two of the best ramen spots in town within walking distance of my loft (see above). Kemuri is really fun and unique — it serves a kinda crazy combination of Texas and Japanese food, like brisket ramen. They also have things like authentic Karaage chicken, and a great menu of Chinmi “exotic and rareties” that is rated for its weird factor by rating each one from Not Funky (Kenny G) to You Nasty (James Brown). The décor is also a fantastically oddball mix of old Japanese signs and other relics with Texas kitsch (it used to be a barbecue place, and lots of those items remain). Great back garden/patio that usually projects films on a wall. Just a weird, fun place with really incredible food and cocktails. TOP 3 UPSCALE RESTAURANTS: Juniper, 2400 E. Cesar Chavez This has been open a couple of years now, in a newly restored mixed-use center that’s home to Blue Owl Brewing, SpraTX graffiti/art shop, and a host of art and design studios. It’s refined Italian, with a seasonal menu that varies according to the ingredients available from the local farms and purveyors that they source from. Worth a little splurge (higher priced, but not crazy expensive). Monger’s, 2401 E. Cesar Chavez This is one of my go-to places for either a nice dinner or when I’m craving seafood. One partner runs the kitchen while the other runs the small seafood market where you can buy amazingly fresh fish, shrimp and other items to cook, straight from the Gulf Coast. They have a fantastic raw bar, and lots of great shareable plates. If you love seafood, I highly recommend this place.

Photo courtesy of Monger's Suerte, 1800 E 6th Opened in 2018, this is a fancy Mexican restaurant that deserves recognition. The ambience and service are great in my experience, and the food is above average in a city chock-full of Tex-Mex food. It’s a great place to stop for Lucky Hour (as they call their happy hour) from 5-6 every day. TOP 3 CRAFT BREWPUBS: Hops & Grain, 507 Calles

Photo courtesy of Hops & Grain This was the first micro-brewery in East Austin, and it’s my favorite. Not only do they have great beers, a good inside area and outside patio, and food truck; they are also very community oriented, with lots of events from trivia nights and live music to beer and yoga days. Dog friendly, tours and tastings, and all around great people! Tours of the brewery are given on Friday at 5pm and Saturday at 2pm and 4pm. Tours are FREE, & last about 45 minutes. Lazarus Brewing, 1902 E. 6th This is one of the newest brewery additions to the thriving East Austin craft beer scene, and extremely popular. It’s housed in a beautiful building, with a super cozy atmosphere and very dog-friendly. They serve not only their beers but also housemade root beer and kombucha, and they serve tacos if you’re hungry. Blue Owl Brewing, 2400 E. Cesar Chavez This brewery stands out because they do sour mash brewing. I haven’t quite acquired the taste for that, so honestly I don’t frequent this place. But when I feel like something different, it’s great, and it is a pretty wonderful little spot. Honorable Mention: Zilker Brewing, 1701 E. 6th TOP 3 WATERING HOLES: La Holly, 2500 E. 6th This spot has a groovy neighborhood vibe, and the owner Simon Madera is a super friendly guy who’s often behind the bar. They specialize in spirits from Mexico: tequila, mezcal and the harder-to-find sotol, raicilla and bacanora popular south of the border. Nice beer garden patio out back, with the Taco Flats food truck.

Photo courtesy of La Holly Whisler’s, 1816 E. 6th This has hands-down been my very favorite cocktail bar spot in East Austin since the day it opened. And yes, I was there the day it opened (in fact, actually before hand, for their soft pre-opening). The hand-crafted cocktails, and the bar/service staff, are all way above par. But the building and setting itself is also way cool, built completely with all kinds of salvaged and reused materials. It’s pretty fun to just wander around and check it all out. Upstairs you’ll find Mezcalería Tobalá, a mezcal bar which is really serious about the spirit! The very excellent Thai Kun food truck is also parked here (Whisler’s doesn’t serve food). Kitty Cohen’s, 2211 Webberville Rd. I like this place so much I had my birthday party there. It’s a really fun 1960s Palm Springs, Dean Martin/Frank Sinatra kind of vibe. Its big draw is the great yard/patio, with a shallow pool that guests can sit along and dip their feet into — refreshing! Be sure to check out the bathrooms, even if you don’t have to go. TOP 3 LIVE MUSIC/DANCE SPOTS: White Horse, 500 Comal St. This is absolutely a must-go spot, not just on the East Side but for anyone visiting Austin. It’s a true Texas honkytonk — but total Austin style. Don’t think twangy country-western music; the nightly live music here is all about swing, rockabilly and blues. It’s a super hip yet casual place, with good strong drinks that are cheap by Austin standards. There are always a lot of great dancers, and they do lesson nights as well. A guaranteed fun night out!

Photo courtesy of The White Horse Ah Sing Den, 1100 E. 6th I’ve loved this place since it was East Side Showroom, which was started by a mother and daughter team. After years of that super cool steampunk saloon, the team decided to give the place a new look, vibe and name. Ah Sing Den is named after the Victorian London opium den that was frequented by the likes of Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle. It’s super swank, the décor is to die for, and they make some of the best cocktails in town. A full menu of Asian-inspired dishes won’t leave you hungry, and the calendar of live music and other events will entertain. Esquina Tango, 209 Pedernales St. This is a lively tango and salsa place, owned by an Argentine husband and wife team. They offer a host of dance and Spanish language classes, with live music, dance parties and festivals almost every weekend. Check out their calendar before heading over to see what’s on. TOP 3 VEGAN EATERIES: Counter Culture, 2337 E. Cesar Chavez

Photo courtesy of Counter Culture Super innovative vegan fare, this place is the go-to fave not just in East Austin, but the city as a whole, for many veg-heads. It’s housed in a hard-to-miss bright blue building, and also serves beer and wine. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’ve seen local celebs here (Giancarlo Esposito and Matthew McConaughey), as well as kooky pets on the animal friendly patio, including a parrot perched on a customer’s shoulder and an iguana on a leash. The Vegan Nom, 2324 E. Cesar Chavez The home of the “Rock’n vegan tacos,” if you are veg and craving a taco, hit this food truck up. Right across the street from Counter Culture, at the super-cool Soma Vida complex (you might want to stop in there for yoga or a massage, or daily co-working passes if you need that). Mr. Natural, 1901 E. Cesar Chavez This place has been around forever; it is THE long-time, go-to, natural and vegan food place in Austin, with several locations including east. They’ve been around since 1988. They offer a “choose your own” deli area (focus on healthy Tex-Mex, but not limited to that), bakery, and market. They also have a lot of community events such as yoga and meditation, On the first Sunday of every month they feature an All Vegan Brunch Buffet. Read the full article

#Asianfood #Austin #barbeque #bars #breakfast #brewpubs #brunch #burgers #cocktails #dancing #dining #drinks #EastAustin #eating #food #hitlist #livemusic #restaurants #tacos #Texas #vegan

0 notes