#as I'm alternating them between IC posts!

[reginrokkr]

I would profusely apologize for spicing the dash up in front of you peeps' cereal in the last day of 2023 and that I won't do it again, but another one is coming.

[sea-salted-wolverine]

In honor of the moose/Iditarod rule 34 chaos post reaching 1000 notes and then Dallas Seavy winning the Iditarod here are all the unhinged stories and things I know about that race

They changed the rules and schedules so you can't do this anymore, but there was a subset of mushers who would race the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod back to back. That's a 1000-mile race followed by another 1000-mile race through some of the harshest terrain on earth in late winter. And the Yukon quest doesn't even finish where the Iditarod starts. To do this required putting dogs in a plane OR having another team of dogs waiting in anchorage and someone to deal with both teams of dogs.

The first woman to win the Iditarod was Libby Riddles in 1985.

Only to have her finish promptly blown out of the water by Susan Butcher who won the race in 86', 87', 88', and 90' while setting speed records the whole way.

Susan did race in 85' but she ran into a moose early and it killed two of her dogs and hurt the rest so she scratched. Dallas got lucky this year.

She was also the first person to mush a dog team up to the summit of Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. This is not what dog teams are intended to do, I don't know why she even wanted to, other than to prove it was possible. I don't think anyone has since.

The race now requires GPS trackers on all the racers and you would not believe the bitchfit everyone threw over those. Mushers can either hop between checkpoints or camp on the trail and it may surprise you to learn that these are the kind of people who have secret camp spots in the woods that they don't want anyone to know about. So now, everyone has acquiesced to the tracker requirement but you must have an account on the race website if you want to see them.

The race has 2 paths that alternate even and odd years with different checkpoints but every year includes a section of race that crosses the sea ice, approximately 50 miles from Shaktoolik to Koyuk. so forget landmarks. point the sled north and hope you're going the right way.

the race is in honor of the 1925 Serum Run and the diphtheria outbreak, but the trail itself is the old freight route which is almost twice the length. also, it's a freight route for hauling freight which means the the racers are going at more or less lightspeed as compared to the intended use.

the most effective way to avoid frostbite on your face is a fur hood and duct tape on your cheeks and nose. Cold-related injuries are rare but far from unheard of. The average number of toes and fingertips among mushers is lower than that of the general population.

The finish line is a massive burled arch in the middle of main street in Nome. There is not a lot going on in Nome at any given time and this time of year is the exception. Every racer who finishes the race gets the same reception, which is everyone in town crowding into the finish chute to cheer them on and the city fire siren going off. The last racer in gets the Red Lantern Award which means that they finished dead last but didn't scratch.

the 2020 race had started and was fully underway when the pandemic lockdowns came into place. as far as social distancing goes, you really can't do much better than being isolated 100 miles into the middle of frozen nowhere but the checkpoints are itty bitty villages with no medical infrastructure and the finish was reportedly terrifying because instead of a crowd to cheer at the burled arch, it was just the siren going off in a ghost town.

there is no way I can tell this story that doesn't sound like I'm making it up as I go. The sign says no sniveling and they fucking mean it.

no really, click that link. here's the YouTube vid (non-graphic, after-the-fact interviews)

[39oa]

top 3 landoscar moments <3

miss risa you have no idea how difficult this was i think this is like 20x the acceptable length of what this prompt called for.

honorable mentions: not one specific moment but any instance of 1) lando constantly giving oscar the opportunity to win in the final round (see winner-takes-all during summer games + 100-point ultimatum in mini golf), i think if we tallied all their wins by round over the course of mclaren pr videos he'd honestly be above oscar by now, 2) lando being obessed with saying OSCUHHHH like it's an actual filler word he's ingrained into his basal speech patterns instead of his legal name, and 3) obviously oscar hearts-eyeing lando's entire existence in general though i think one great moment is the virgin radio uk appearance because why were they still managing to exchange extremely charged eye contact throughout 14 minutes of zak brown sitting between them. brah

other hms include ice bath video just because them making those sounds at each other was objectively hilarious, the cricket match-up (lando getting all worked up like "nice and easy oscar or else i'll take you off in the next race!!!" "i'm just worried about oscar, i feel like he's a silent killer you know" "oscahhh ): let me get you out mate ))):" and then oscar nonchalantly going Well it's only lando bowling i'll be fine. and immediately decimating him with his aussie schoolboy cricket prowess lmfao), suzuka in general but more specifically oscar not being prepared in the slightest to get absolutely doused by lando on the podium after he foksmashed his champagne, and also underrated landoscar moment is definitely oscar submitting the lando P3NI5 photo to a neural network image guesser.

ok let me get onto the actual list but thongs debate too just because lando obviously Knew but was doing it to be a little shit... in general i think what's fun to me about landoscar is that they've become quite natural in a sort of quiet domestic way so i like any moment that shows off their wordless communication, or alternatively oscar's endless level of patience + tolerance toward lando (listening to whatever pre-race music he blasts / silently giggling at his antics during the cake decoration video). like it's kind of funny when lando pretends in any way that he's miles more hilarious than oscar is because 1) he literally has the exact same sarcastic sense of humor, 2) 80% of his humor is a defense mechanism anyway, and 3) he's probably even more baseline introverted than oscar is (omg i could write a thesis on their social media presences but i won't.) and whenever people talked about how carlando were So Funny as teammates and mistakenly ascribed effusiveness to lando's character in response to their dynamic it quickly became apparent later on that carlos was always the one bringing this out in lando and not the other way around so... like i think their humor matches up well just in subtle moments aka the post-double podium video where oscar is like eyeing the way lando is holding his trophy at the start and then lando gets embarrassed and they start giggling while poor andrea is trying to make his speech like If you two don't stop!!

ANYWAY THE LIST:

🥉 twister: not really because it tells me anything wrt aspects of their dynamic but just because it's SO RIDICULOUS AND UNHINGED. first of all it's such a stunning instance of lando being better at something than oscar is but then the something is literally just being flexible so that's already a large enough indictment there (why are you as a man only good at golfing and being a little gaybo... i won't). but like [face-to-face with oscar's ass while folded up like a little pretzel] "what a sight that is" / "OSCUHH" x5 WHILE HIS VOICE IS LITERALLY GOING HOARSE IN THE PROCESS / and of course the most formative "YOUR LEFT FOOT IS NOT GOING BETWEEN MY LEGS!!!" actually dynamics-wise this WAS informative in that it proved to us that oscar will always be the first to lose at gay chicken. amen

🥈 sportbible green flag video: i think this video deserves to be slotted in at #2 because it's from when their teammate dynamic was still somewhat fresh but it proved to me that oscar was capable of Handling lando... like lando was clearly On One here and saying the most genuinely unhinged shit and somehow oscar still managed to find him funny and charming?!?? which i think is important because as much as oscar has always been characterized as chill and accepting there have been instances of him being genuinely flabbergasted and/or frustrated during his prema days which is of course also a reflection of age and natural maturity, but i still feel like specifically with lando he is SOOOOO TOLERANT of all his particularities and FOR WHATTTTTT. but also you can see during the >LOOK AT YOU WITH YOUR STUPID GOATEE ON moment that this was when lando was starting to understand that oscar wouldn't bend to everything he said and could be witty and incisive (silent killer) when he wanted to be and i think this is important as well in determining the equal footing of their dynamic. tbh my favorite moment here is the entire astrology question because of lando confidently assigning oscar piscesisms when that couldn't be any further from the truth. go off king of rejecting logical reasoning

🥇 LANDO'S BIGGEST FAN INCIDENT: this is #1 to me for so many reasons aka 1) i think this was formative to landoscar taking off as a ship in general because it spanned multiple fics but also 2) this was Personally what convinced Me to actually invest in 814 ship stonks because beforehand i was like "ok clearly oscar likes lando as a teammate and lando thinks oscar is a little lame and dry (in a mildly derogatory instead of fond way) and also oscar is just an attentive listener in general so his heart eyes disposition is mildly exaggerated" but then i watched this and it rewired my brain chemistry. the way we were still skeptics in august... 

this whole fanmeeting is insane for several reasons but basically it boggles my mind because the entire exchange starts from the moment oscar is DESCRIBING HOW LARGE HIS NECK HAS GOTTEN which means lando is like sitting there quietly cataloguing the size of his body while oscar gets mildly flustered by the nature of the conversation and then lando deliberately cuts in like mate i'll buy you a new shirt and you can tell you can TELLLLL he was sitting on that response making sure it read well in his head. also it's doubly insane because when oscar responds that he'll get him a smaller shirt to strangle him they're both clearly interpreting it in bad faith like "you just want to get rid of me because i'm your competition xD" but then for whatever reason lando decides to make it Exceedingly weird 5 seconds later and his VOICE LITERALLY CRACKSSSS WHEN HE SAYS HE'LL BUY HIM A SEE-THROUGH SHIRT???????? like what's all this then. why did he essentially call oscar fit. why did he default to his little fantasy of seeing Known Bad Dresser oscar piastri in a shirt detailing lando's possession of his affections. genuinely calamitous levels of embarrassing for everyone involved i don't even know what to say.

ok i'll stop but hopefully this was informative <3 i'm so sorry

edit: omg i forgot to mention this but also the iconic silverstone fan stage side-hug and lando's whole face lighting up when he realized oscar was the one initiating physical contact!!!! 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[mcgnagallsarmy]

Top 10 Spuffy fics I’ve read (March 2024)

A Different Kind of (Sunny)hell by OffYourBird [Adult Only]

Between juggling a New World Order, a bothersome Council, wayward magic, and – as always – some much with the confusing time travel, there is never a dull moment in Sunnydale for Liz and Elly. This is Season 6 as it exists in the Jumpverse (beginning with A Different Kind of Hell and followed up by A Different Kind of Wedding). Fair warning: if you have not read the previous installments of the Jumpverse, this will not make any sense.

A Totally Random Occurrence by Herself [NC-17]

The stake slipped from her fingers, and she had to take a deep breath to stave off the dizziness descending on her like a hood over her head. "You—I thought you were dead." A reunion in New York City. Set post-NFA, spoilers for all of BtVS and AtS.

Cavalry by Holly [NC-17]

Buffy and Spike are enjoying life on the open road, but when they learn monsters have taken over Sunnydale, they have no choice but to head back to the Hellmouth.

Dusk Rising by HappyWhenItRains [NC-17]

"It doesn't matter. If Dawn dies, I'm done with it, I'm quitting." What if quitting wasn't all Buffy promised? -Challenge by Loup Noir Glory is defeated. The portal is closed. Except this time, the Scoobies decided to take matters into their own hands. While Willow restrains Buffy, Xander pushes Dawn off the tower. The rest is darkness. In the absence of Dawn, Buffy becomes Dusk.

The Footprints Left Behind by Willow91 [NC-17]

In the wake of an unknown attack on the American Frontier and the subsequent loss of contact with the friends they still had stateside, Buffy and Xander sneak into the country and begin a long, dangerous journey to find old friends and the source of the near apocalypse before it spreads throughout the rest of the world.

For You To Be You by lafillesauvage [Adult Only]

Alternate ending for 7x13 The Killer in Me. What happened after Buffy and Spike returned to an empty Revello Drive following the chipectomy? Well, in this story, Buffy realises just how much she cares for Spike, which leads to some fluffy reconciliations involving chocolate ice cream and Walker, Texas Ranger. She also gets her period, and adult-only fun is had by all.

Golden Hour by kennedynoelle [R]

Response to a challenge set by emilise: Spike never came to Sunnydale during the first few seasons. The first time Buffy sees him is during The Harsh Light of Day, sunbathing on campus adorned with the Gem of Amara. Oh no, she thinks, the pit of her stomach dropping and sending tinglies all over, he's hot. They start dating, Buffy unaware that her new boyfriend is a member of the undead. Of course, she has to find out eventually…

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by fortes775 [NC-17]

Buffy has spent the summer grasping for something just out of reach, but when Dracula arrives at the peak of her frustration, all bets are off. In which Buffy finds her fix, her man, and herself, not necessarily in that order…

Manifest by EllieRose101 [R]

The hardest demons you have to fight are your very own, but a little help can go a long way—if it’s the right kind. (Set after Tabula Rasa but before Smashed.)

Mixed Signals by phoenixjustice [NC-17]

Two people who were never supposed to meet. She had seen everything, up to the Dragon that destroyed everything she loved. He had only the lasting memory of her words of love before he burned to cinders. Could they bridge the gap between them?

[bookofmirth]

Since you think ACOTAR5 may be Azriel's POV at the start of the crossover (and you make a very good case for this), but I'm curious how do you think Gwyn's POV (or Elain's) would work in between his chapters? Both of them were completely absent from the crossover events. We know the next two novels are traditional romances with alternating POVs, similar to ACOSF.

Hello! Since @myfriendscallmeraba had a similar question about pov on my prison post and whether we would "need" Nesta's pov, I thought I would tackle both issues here!

First off, here is my post about how acotar5 might begin, for reference. I know this is what you were responding to, I'm just throwing it out there!

So, I use the term "pov" pretty fast and loose because that's how the fandom refers to it, and because saying "third person close, omniscient narrator who focuses on specific characters" is too much of a mouthful to say every time.

Since acotar is now in third person, there are central characters and the narrator follows some of them more closely, but it is not limited in the way that it was when Feyre was the first-person narrator. In fact, in acosf, we were privy to Gwyn's thoughts:

Roslin, Ananke, and Deirdre were close on their heels, propelling Gwyn to push her group harder. She wanted to be the first. Wanted Nesta and Emerie and her to be the ones who wiped the smirks from Azriel’s and Cassian’s faces. Especially Azriel’s.

This whole section is actually quite removed from most of the characters and is describing the Valkyries' experience of going through the obstacle course. The sentences I have highlighted above are Gwyn's thoughts. They are not being told to us because Nesta is hearing them, and in fact, the whole scene is being told at a remove. It's not being filtered through any one characters' perspective, but is "above" them, so to speak, discussing them all:

More of the priestesses cut the ribbon—Roslin. Deirdre. Ananke. Ilana. Lorelei. Everything Azriel and Cassian threw at them, they took and threw right back.

Since sjm has switched to this narrative style, it's not outside the realm of possibility that the narrator back away from the action a bit, providing us with a specific character's thoughts at one point, and then giving us a broader view of the scene in the next.

In my completely gwynriel and elucien-biased opinion, I think that Gwyn is actually going to be present in the crossover parts, when the narrator follows Az. In that original post, I noted that we have a few gaps in our knowledge right now:

How the IC reacted to Bryce landing and how they decided what to do with her (she went from the river house and with no discussion, UtM?)

How they make use of Merrill's research (which Gwyn is familiar with)

Rhys telling the IC that he had been aware of this possibility

How they react to this new info about their history

And in all of those instances, other characters could/should be present in, besides Az and Nesta.

I definitely think that it's possible for sjm to bypass that whole bit and just give a "previously on acotar: other planets are real" infodump. But even if she were to do that, she could easily incorporate Gwyn and Nesta into the story in the same ways that Emerie, Gwyn, and Azriel were incorporated into Nesta's.

So then the implications for Nesta having such a huge presence in Azriel's book are pretty simple to me; she will be a friend to him in ways that the IC has been unable to. They clearly approach him with kid gloves and are super hesitant to ask him questions they think will trigger his anger. Nesta has proven that she understands Az on a deeper level that perhaps the IC can't. They are too close to him and have been for a long time.

We also saw their closeness in hofas. Az and Nesta's friendship has reached a deeper level than we saw before.

Then there is the fact that the Valkyries and Illyrians are going to keep training together. And my idea for the Prison in the next book.

I think that even though yes, each book focuses on one couple, and yes, there is one main character with a love interest, that doesn't preclude other characters from being important. We wouldn't say that Eris was inconsequential to acosf, or Emerie, or Feyre, or Gwyn. They all had a role to play, and by using third person omniscient, sjm has made it much easier for her to incorporate them without it having to be filtered through the main character's pov.

I hope that this makes sense! I think there's a lot of confusion in the fandom about voice and perspective, but if anything, the way sjm has switched to third person for the series makes it more possible for us to see the bigger picture - including other characters' involvement.

[sophieinwonderland]

I'm the one that left the comment on the post critiquing your take on inner dialogue and plurality that mentioned my understanding of how trains of thought would work and why a thought process akin to Kronk's dialogue with his shoulder angel/devil doesn't seem to imply that he's "plural" in my opinion. I don't really agree with your rebuttal, that in that example he'd be plural due to the pronouns they use, how they interact, have their own memories, etc.

My comment was again, my understanding of how some people have mental trains of thought. I think it's important to note that everyone thinks/rationalizes differently. Some without words at all but rather things like the perception of the world around them and emotions. They may not think "that's a beautiful photo, I wonder who took it and when. I wish the lighting was a bit better" with those words but they actively feel those things. However the absence of an inner dialogue doesn't mean someone who processes this way without words can't experience something like DID, if that makes sense. Just as someone with it might use "I" and "me". It was hard for me to understand at first how one could "think" without thinking, but I'm mostly going by my understanding and the experiences of people I know and that was also true in my comment as I know others have thought processes like that (and ppl seemed to agree). Which I know isn't a credible source, just different perspectives I've heard based on how different individuals think and process.

It's also normal to my understanding to not only use first person pronouns but also "we", "you", "us", etc. It doesn't mean you perceive yourself as having more than one identity or are otherwise interacting with a different identity with agency and such. I can't imagine that not being normal. For some, it seems thoughts can alternate between feeling like a monologue and dialogue, particularly if you're facing inner conflict or have multiple thoughts on something. I think factors like neurodevelopmental disorders can play a role in this.

A train of thought might interject while someone with a singular identity is thinking about something or having an inner conflict. Someone may think "I think I want ice cream" and another thought might be like "you should have dinner first" and a third may interject as someone remembers something like "wait remember what our doctor said about lactose?". But those pronouns are kind of interchangeable depending on the person, and the memory of the interaction with their doctor brought forth by a train of thought is still their memory. It didn't come from a third party it's just them whereas in someone with alternate identity states, it would be sourced from an alter that is autonomous at least in some regard. I mean is it not possible for that to just be one person at war with themselves? I won't understand how everyone's mind works but that just seems normal. You're you but your thoughts may offer a perspective you didn't initially consider or reference a memory- your memory

So with Kronk again, the back and forth may seem like a dialogue but the difference is that it's sourced from one identity. Might not seem that way but it seems the angel/devil is still his personified inner dialogue. They all experience the same things, have the same memories, and while maybe having different "personalities" everyone has different sides of themselves. Yknow like the evil Kermit meme? One side of you saying to pick up the fallen ice cube and the other saying "you/I/we should kick it under the fridge". Still one person. That's my understanding but again brains work differently even in those with a singular identity state. I hope that's coherent enough (I struggle to condense my words oftentimes) but it just makes sense that a lot of people who think in words would experience it that way? Between what feels like a monologue/dialogue but still being one identity?

These are some fair points.

I would agree that people do just think differently sometimes. And having an inner dialogue or using these sorts of pronouns aren't necessary for plurality. It can even be possible for singlets to have an inner monologue that uses "you" pronouns.

Before going on, for what constitutes a person, I want to being up John Locke's definition of personhood, defining a person as...

a thinking intelligent Being, that has reason and reflection, and can consider it self as itself, the same thinking thing in different times and places

This is what I tend to mean when I say headmates are people.

This is also a general criteria I use for differentiating between multiple and singlet experiences. (With the caveat that plurality is a spectrum and there's a gray area in the middle for median systems.)

A headmate in my opinion follows the same pattern.

1. A headmate can think 2. It's capable of reason and reflection 3. It can consider itself as itself the same thinking being in different times and places.

The first is a bit redundant. Criteria two can't really be true if criteria one isn't. These two though are able to rule out a lot of psychotic hallucinations and dream characters from personhood, as most aren't capable of self-reflection.

The third criteria is actually two in one. It's being able to recognize yourself in different times and places. But it's also being able to distinguish yourself in different times and places.

To recognize when an action is yours and when it's someone else's.

Another layer to this is that it inherently implies some sort of persistence and autobiographical memories. After all, you can't recognize yourself in the past if you don't have a past.

With this context in mind, I'd like to step back to the Kronk point.

So with Kronk again, the back and forth may seem like a dialogue but the difference is that it's sourced from one identity. Might not seem that way but it seems the angel/devil is still his personified inner dialogue. They all experience the same things, have the same memories, and while maybe having different "personalities" everyone has different sides of themselves.

I don't actually agree that they have the same memories.

At least not entirely.

See, they'll each remember the same things happening. They'll each know the general events. But they'll each relate to memories differently.

If Kronk were to recall the conversations he's had with the Angel and Devil Kronks, he would likely recall it in terms "I said this, The Angel said that, the Devil responded this way," etc.

Kronk wouldn't consider their thoughts or actions to be his own. And this would go both ways. If you asked the Angel about things Kronk did, the angel would likely recall those in terms of Kronk doing those things. He wouldn't have a feeling of "I poisoned Kuzco." Because he didn't. Kronk did.

What is happening here can best be described as compartmentalization dissociation. The Angel, the Devil and the core Kronk are dissociated from each other, and don't view the actions of other members as their own.

"Trains of Thought"

I don't believe you're using this term the way most people would use it. When the majority of people refer to having multiple trains of thoughts, they're referring to an ability to think multiple things simultaneously.

What they aren't generally referring to is these "trains of thought" having their own intelligence, identity and recall.

You don't have a "train of thought" that thinks of itself as a separate entity from you, and will still remember things it told you a week later.

If you do have multiple "trains of throught" that are able to think for themselves, have their own distinct sense of self and autobiographical memories, and are self-conscious being able to recognize themselves as separate agents, I think you should consider that maybe your "trains" were people all along.

[llumimoon]

Pssst Cal in a dndads Voltron AU which teen do you think would control each lion? ,':) (yeah Hermie is included here lol there's 5 lions after all!)

BABA YOU DONT EVEN KNOW ... I ALREADY ASSIGNED ALL THE TEENS LIONS BEFORE. I'VE THOUGHT ABT IT TWICE NOW WITH LIKE A MONTHS LONG GAP BETWEEN..... You came to the right place is all I'm saying JWBEVAJHAHAHA

Okay lets get the most obvious one to me out of the way, which is Link in the Yellow Lion. Like. First of all the fact that Yellow is A LEG and also Yellow representing kindness .... I think he really does support the team and grounds them in many aspects. Also Yellow is bulky like a dnd paladin LMAO it just makes the MOST sense to me? Yellow also being the color I associate with Link so maybe that gives me a slight bias lmaooo

The rest are. LESS clear to me. I HAVE already settled on an arrangement I'm more or less okay with but I could make a lot of arguments for alternative placements !! I will also admit maybe the places I settled on are a little color biased?

The Lions DO kind of have traits associated with each one except its. much less clear in some cases than others and I had to be a little flexible bc in my opinion NONE of the teens r like . smart enough for the Green Lion JWBECWUAGAHAA like they're all smart in their own ways and I do bend some rules a little to make their smarts work as an argument but I feel like Green is more book smart than anything which makes it difficult.

Uhmmm everyone else from here on out has at least two lions I could argue for and then I'll say which one I settled on? But like if you disagree thats totally fair LMAO like I said many assignments can be considered

Scary I mainly thought about the Black or Red Lion... There's the whole. Scary's the leader! Thing and also the idea of power corrupting... but also she can be pretty impulsive which is why I considered Red, also her tendency to have fire based magic mishaps LMAO I think Scary shows a lot of growth and inner reflection and also she has good insight on how the others seem to be feeling even if she doesn't always act on it or use it in the right way, so I could see that as the markings for the beginning of a Black Lion learning to be the leader type arc? Also to be honest shes the Main and practically Only contender for Black so she ends up getting it by default.

Hermie I think could be the Blue or Green Lion. I don't actually remember if they say IN THE SHOW what the Blue Lion stands for, but like. I've read so much Lance fanfic LMAO that to me it stands for Flexibility and what is Hermie if not flexible. Maybe too flexible? In the sense of. She will fill any role that is needed or given to her, like water will. I also thought Green bc to me Hermie is a character who is VERY in his head. Like they overthink to the point of looping back around to stupid again but also shes always playing mind games with other people. Hermie seems to always be one step ahead or at least is good at pretending they are. Also you can say the nature stuff is Hermie in his poison ivy era. Green is also pretty small and easy to damage which lines up with how fragile he is in a fight and maybe you could make an argument for the camouflage being like shapeshifting? idk. Anyways I decided on Green I think.

Normal I think I'm biased bc he's my fav and Lance was my old fav and I already made a post before about how I think they're similar and would get along and ANYWAYS LMAO I think its clear I gave him Blue. Something something, the legs being the support of the team something something water meaning flexibility but also ice can be stubbornness something something how I associate Normal (and lowkey the Doodler) with water (a whole nother thing to get into u can ask me to elaborate later) etc. I also played around with the idea of him in Red as Scary's right hand bc . shakes them . I think it could possibly fit but not as well? Fire isn't really Normals thing. I also briefly considered him for Black bc Normal is usually the one pushing the group towards a certain goal, but also his plans kind of never end up going through so I was like hmm not sure about that one. Blue I think is the best fit for him in the end which is why everyone else ended up where they did.

TAYLOR. Ok process of elimination you probably already figured out that I chose Red for him BUT I also considered Blue and Green. Green is fun bc you can play with his roughish abilities, like hiding and sneak attacks. His knowledge is more obscure facts and survival skills but I think it's enough to be a contender! I cannot explain the Blue stuff its all vibes in my head but trust me . I think also leaning into, Blue and Yellow are the legs that support and stabilize the team thing, Taylor is actually pretty good at keeping a cool head all things considered. Red, yes maybe slightly process of elimination but COME ON ITS BIG SWORD AND ALSO FIRE POWERS!!! Taylor would love that shit. Also going zoom zoom fast. Also the Red Lion is the second in command/right hand of the Black Lion and it just fits Taylor's protagonist vibes LMAO I think he usually is off doing is own thing which is also very Red Lion.

So to summarize: Scary Black, Taylor Red, Hermie Green, Link Yellow and Normal Blue.

Again I could totally see the justification for shuffling them around a bit but this is the assignments I settled on? The colors lining up is also nice I will not lie. I also could see an alternate universe where Normal is Red, Hermie Blue and Taylor Green, I think thats my second most favorable arrangement.

LMAO SORRY I DIDNT MEAN TO MAKE THIS SO LONG I'VE JUST THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT IT BEFORE. AS YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE. I take sorting my characters into categories VERY seriously 😤 enrichment for me.

[angelinthefire]

Solitudes: director's commentary

So this is a thing I do now, post commentary on my fics. I've been sitting on this fic for a long time and I'm excited to finally talk about it!

Read the fic here

Chapter 1

The title of this fic is a reference to “Two Solitudes”, a novel which I’ve never read, but which is a point of reference for Canadian political science, about the fundamental division between Quebec and English Canada, and the two never being able to connect or understand the experience of the other.  And that’s one of the inspirations for this fic, exploring the degree to which Dean and Cas understand each other and misunderstand each other, and their attempts to communicate what they want from their relationship.  I do believe that Dean and Cas understand each other and connect and relate to each other to a large extent, and far better than some fans give them credit for. Sometimes I see the “Don’t go/Ask me to stay” dynamic exaggerated to an extent that I believe no longer makes sense, given their friendship.  At the same time, there is an underlying tension and disconnect between them. They don’t have a perfect understanding of each other. And that still matters quite a lot. 

The other source of inspiration for this is that I haven’t written anything where Dean is the one with a handle on his feelings and wants to initiate something, since like 2013. And that I’ve never written anything set in season 12, despite that season having the perfect setup for Dean and Cas getting together.  And I was thinking, how do I push things further than what happened on the show? I usually like my fic to feel very situated in canon, and since Dean and Cas didn’t actually get together in s12, something else would have to happen, something to push Dean over the edge. Something that would also push Cas to make a realization.  So that’s how I ended up with the idea to lock Dean and Cas in a room together, with Dean thinking that Cas is dead, and Cas unable to do anything but watch. In my head, the alternate title for this story is “The Pear Jiggler fic”. Just stick them in a box and fuck with them. We also often talk about how Cas never gets to see how Dean reacts when he dies, so that was a fun thing to do as well.  And I just love a good bottle episode. Something that’s just all character-driven. 

In terms of characterization, one thing that’s very important to me is that Cas knows that Dean cares about him. He’s not some poor soul who thinks he’s on thin ice all the time, or thinks that he has to be useful to be loved. He understands that Dean cares, but the misunderstanding is the degree to which Dean needs him in his life.  Cas does have a drive to be useful, to solve problems, but it’s internally motivated. He has to prove that he’s useful for himself, not for Dean. Even when Dean gets pissed at him, Cas doesn’t take it too, too personally, because he does still know that he’s important to Dean.

For Dean, the emphasis is really on the way he retreats when threatened, emotionally. When he behaves badly, it’s partially because he’s worried, but also as a defence mechanism. He only puts words to his feelings when he has nothing left to lose. 

It’s been a while since I’ve written a version of Cas that wasn’t fully tuned in to his feelings for Dean. One of the more fun things about this angsty fic was having Cas thinking about Dean wistfully, and not imagining that Dean might be in love with him, or that his feelings are anything other than friendship.  I guess the other option was to write mutual pining, Dean and Cas both being aware of their feelings but neither realizing the other feels the same way. But for me, the realization that what they feel is love is a really fun part of the story, so I wanted that moment for at least one of them.  Of course, Dean isn’t fully there yet either. Like he knows, but he’s not 100% there. But it’s just caution that’s holding him back. A lot of the time in fic, when it’s Dean’s POV and he knows he’s in love with Cas, there’s a whole big self esteem thing that holds him back. And I never really buy that. Plus it’s unnecessary.

I’ve noticed that in a lot of my fics, I get Dean out of the driver’s seat of the Impala, or out of the Impala entirely. It is about getting him into a new situation, making him feel off-kilter in some way. Switching up the status-quo. 

I’ve been playing the Sims quite a bit, mostly building homes, and therefore looking at a lot of fancy real estate postings for inspiration. I find brutalist architecture quite compelling in its own right. I wanted a setting that feels foreboding, but still like a place where someone might actually have lived. A room with very little in it that could provide distraction. And a space where light plays an important role, which it does in brutalist buildings, I think. I do find it unlikely that a desk and chair would have survived, but Dean needed something to smash up, so. And the fountain wall is there to create a sense that the building is being taken over by something, it has something growing in it. 

The monster itself isn’t consciously based on anything. It’s what it needs to be for the story. Whatever lore I made up only exists to support its function in the story. Even the way Sam kills it, just serves to underline that it’s unique and powerful, and therefore able to keep Cas contained.

Chapter 2

I didn’t have the idea to do the split-screen until I was well into planning the fic. To emphasize the division between Dean and Cas, their mismatched perspectives. For a second I considered just having two unbroken columns, so that the reader would have to decide when/if to go back and forth, but that would have been kind of confusing. And ultimately, Cas is reacting to Dean, so you need to keep going back to Dean to understand Cas.  I wrote Dean’s side first, as the independent variable. Deciding where to break, and switch to Cas was a bit of a back-and-forth process, because it had to work both in terms of story and in terms of rhythm.  One thing I liked about this is that I didn’t have to decide whose POV to write in. Unless a story is strictly one character’s POV I usually plan out scenes from both of their perspectives and then decide which one is better to take for the story, and sometimes that can be kind of tough. 

Of course, the entire conceit of this scenario is that it’s a metaphor for their relationship. Or it takes the tension in their relationship and brings it to the next level. They’re together, but there’s something preventing them from fully connecting. They understand each other, but they misunderstand each other at the same time. And it’s by making that disconnect physical that they start to kind of be able to deal with it. Because it gives Cas a perspective on Dean that he didn’t have before. They don’t fully resolve their problems by the end, and to be honest I wouldn’t want them to. But they make some progress. 

I had fun with the imagery for this. Dean and Cas sharing the same space, being separated by light, and by illusion.

Dean’s alcoholism figures very heavily in this. But it is not addressed as a problem for him to overcome. I neither feel equipped to write a story about alcoholism per se, nor do I want to. A running theme throughout a few of my fics is that Dean and Cas do not fix each other. They keep being the same fucked up guys. And I think getting Dean to a place where he wants to deal with his substance abuse problems would require a lot more story behind it. 

The withdrawal is there to make things that much more horrible for Dean, not to actually deal with alcoholism as an issue.. And it adds an extra sense of threat. I didn’t do a ton of research on what happens when someone goes through withdrawal, I just looked up a timeline for symptoms (it can start after just six hours! I didn’t know that before). And I confirmed that someone could die from withdrawal. 

For Dean, chapter 2 is about making him sit with his misery. Unlike every other time he’s lost Cas on the show, there’s nothing to distract him here. And that’s one of the things that pushes him to vocalize his thoughts and feelings..  As well, anger, guilt, fear and love are all very much intertwined for Dean. And that’s accentuated by the situation. So he says “I hate you” before he says “I love you.” But then, as his motivation to survive kind of drains away, his defensive instincts do as well. 

For Cas, it was about forcing him to accept that things are outside of his control. There’s no more desperate moves, he can’t throw himself on his sword. Like Dean, there’s nothing to distract him, he’s forced to stop and reflect on what’s happening. He has to face what he means to Dean.  When Cas says “I’m not worth it” - that’s something that came up when I was freewriting dialogue and it just felt right. But I spend zero time unpacking it. Again, it’s one of those things - Dean and Cas are both fucked up, they both have their problems, and this experience doesn’t change that. In fact, it probably makes him worse. Another aspect of Cas’ powerlessness is how he relates to his human body. Not having it, or not being able to use it, makes him more possessive over it. 

Still on the topic of Dean and Cas not being able to fix each other, you see that when Dean says he’s in love with Cas, and it finally clicks for Cas. It doesn’t solve anything.  I did really want to make the point that the two of them being in love doesn’t change anything in terms of their plans or obligations. And it doesn’t really change much about how they relate to each other either. I’ve said before that their friendship and their romance are indistinguishable imo. And the other side of that is that Dean and Cas are both more than their relationship, and the pressures and stresses they face mostly come from outside their relationship (which is a fact that fans lose sight of sometimes). Whether they’re officially In Love or not, they want to be together, but there’s other forces, both internal and external, keeping them apart. 

I hope Dean lying down with Cas’ dead body works. It’s super melodramatic, but it’s also kind of gruesome and I like that. I also love the idea of Cas being jealous of the illusion of his dead body. 

Chapter 3

A dynamic that I really like in storytelling is when The Big Event in the story is not the thing that pushes the characters towards the resolution, but it primes them for the next little thing tipping them over. I do that here, and I kind of do that in Life Skills too. It feels more real to me, and it creates more space to explore the ending imo. So Dean tries to go back to normal!

The fight in the parking lot was probably the scene that was the most fun to write. Like it’s still frustrating and angsty, but it’s kind of funny too. 

And yeah, Cas still feels trapped. The repetition of the gray and green imagery reflects that. He still feels powerless, and it just takes one more shove to get him to open up about it.

Dean has a bit of an impulse to be controlling here. First of all, because I do think it’s in character, but also because I think it’s fun. Like I don’t like to go super-toxic with Dean and Cas, but there’s a measure of toxicity. Again, they keep being fucked up. For Dean, I just touch on it briefly, but I think one aspect of his upbringing is that love has to be proven. Like, he loved his father, so he did what was asked of him. If Cas loved Dean, then he would do what Dean asked of him - this is the main concept that underlies my read of Dean’s reaction to Cas collaborating with Crowley in s7.  For Cas’ part, he doesn’t really register that there’s anything wrong with Dean’s behaviour, or he reads in the best intentions. Which is a fun idea to me. 

I really grappled with whether or not to have a sex scene as part of the resolution. It felt formulaic to do so. There wasn’t a story that I wanted to tell with their sex. But on the other hand, I know there would have been a time when I would have been disappointed to read something like this and not get a sex scene out of it. They go through such intense emotions, it only seems fair to the reader. Ultimately it came down to the fact that there wasn’t anything else that I wanted to say about Dean and Cas. 

I kind of grappled with the end in general. Usually, I write fic with a particular ending in mind. For this one, the journey was the focus more than the ending. But I think the ambiguity works. Nothing is fixed, but they’re trying.

And that’s what listening to the tape at the end is about. The tape is Dean’s way of trying to communicate with Cas. But Cas didn’t really get it before. Now Dean is trying to help him to understand. I considered including lyrics at the end. But the scene isn’t about the lyrics, the lyrics could be anything, it’s about the fact of them listening together.

[lucidiferneedssleep]

Okay, so. Since I haven't posted this already, this is the main idea I had for DreamCycle before I start writing it:

Basically, DreamCycle is a DreamTale alternate in which, rather than both Nightmare and Dream being Guardians, they are instead appointed Gods, the sons of the original Gods. Other characters I imagined would be of similar origin in different fashion would be Ink, Error, generally just the OutCodes. I'm gonna dive into Sovereign Rift (SR), which is a variant of DreamCycle in which Nm and Dream are Kings, rather than just normal Gods protecting the sun and moon. In SR, rather than there being different universes which you can jump between, all the AUs are instead a whole bunch of neighboring countries. (Shhh it's not Empireverse. They were also all born out of the original Gods, such as Nim, who will be going under the alias 'Gaia' for this.)

(The main Gods in this case would be the parent of each respective God. YES, the CQ siblings are canon to this idea, so Geno, Fresh and Error all have the same creator-mom. Reaper has a dad. Ink has his adoptive caretakers because his actual mom is very dead, and very much THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE????? like bro. OP much? Yada Yada you know this part)

The twins were created with their mother's magic and instructed to care for the country of Ignicia as their mother tended to separate places at the same time before falling ill to erosion. (The cause of that erosion is a plot point later on, so I'll explain that when I get to it.)

Nightmare and Dream were created with two separate elements, both needed to spark life. The warmth of the sun's rays and the waves of the water. Sun and Moon, created to rule day and night. Nightmare was a drop of the same energy he could control, water, a goopy little puddle, ice cold. Dream was a ball of hot, hot fire. The two were each given an apple at their birthplace, told that the magic-infested fruit would build them a body just akin to their mother's, who was a remnant of the tree of which the fruit had been plucked.

(This basically granted them the ability to freely switch between two forms: One based on the apple, a fire-like figure for Dream, and the usual goop for Nightmare and then their 'passive' states, being the one they usually used to not expend as much energy keeping their magic protection up.)

Dream, being only seconds older than Nightmare, was awarded the title crown prince. Despite his usual childish nature, he proved to be a good leader as they both grew. With their mother growing more and more absent as years passed by, they became forced to take the responsibilities of the kingdoms into their own hands. Nightmare was working hard at being Dream's right-hand-man, but struggling under the apparent distaste the people had for him. Dream was reveling in the glory of his throne, but often was crushed under the sheer weight of the heavy crown he was appointed.

The main plot point is the twist that during a friendly duel turned traitorous battle, there's the first 'incident'. But rather than Nightmare turning on Dream and slaughtering a village as what happens in the original universe, Dream lunges a spear lit afire right through his skull without thinking. Then he feels the most guilt he ever has within his life. It wasn't meant to hit him, it was meant to scare him. But now his brother was dusting hurting because of him, so he immediately took to trying to heal him like he usually did when they fought. Except Nightmare refused. He ran off, his skull becoming slathered in a gooey substance as his vision faded. He wound up back at his own temple, dunking his head in the healing waters of the moon, vowing to never forget the day.

Later the same year, he fled the country, instead gathering the castaways, the forgotten and the unwanted by the strict leaders of Dream's Empire Ignicia, creating his own nation: Oscuro, Kingdom of Darkness. Swallowed by evil. Nightmare would forever be an empty shell, only half of what was of his childhood self, but his Moon remained in a form which obscured his past and hid his hurt parts. This meant war.

Through the rubble of the war marched out many other separate neutral parties, either wishing for peace or for their own benefit through taking no sides of the large war.

Such include, for the Gods:

Geno, Omnipotence and Time

Reaper, Death

Error, Destruction

Ink, Creation

Fresh, Illusion (Parasitism)

Other third parties could include for example Swap (Revolution and revolt, justice) or characters like Cross and Orphic, but that's the main idea

The main leading plot points would be:

- The rebellion against the 'Universal Law' with humans not being able to talk to Gods

- Dream's obsession with power (Savior complex and narcissism that was engraved in him after being told he's this great ruler his entire childhood and needing to meet up with those standards, else he lose his purpose in life. Yeah, self-esteem issues who?)

- Nightmare's desire for revenge ("You're not my brother anymore" is def gonna be said at some point and I will undoubtedly cry.)

- The consequences of the war among the people and other nations (universes)

- Ink's non-emotional state and how it changes with time

- Error learning to discern right from wrong because he's a nervous, angry wreck throughout the thing

- The breakage of the "Universal Law" resulting in the tree being killed and Gaia nearly dying bc of it, instead burying herself underground until it became so much that the wilting tree's instinct turn on her own sons to absorb the magic that is being taken away because of mistreatment of the Gods

-Fresh's subplot of creating a whole cult of people he can feed off of through his parasite

- Geno's prophecy of doom because he's seen wayyy too much, poor boy needs a break

- Nightmare creating his own nation after leaving Dream's in reluctance to his rule and taking in refugees who don't think they're treated right (Nightmare's gang would be his highest ranked generals ofc)

I THINK THAT'S ALL. I spend a reeeeealllyyyy long time on this. But I'm excited about what you guys might think! Me and a close friend are working on starting the actual book so we might release an actual start to the story at some point, if ya'll want it <3333

Thanks for reading!!

Some concept art:

Next post:

[amaranthhiding]

Empty Earth - Chapter 22

by Hiding Amaranth

Empty Earth Chapter 22 is online on AO3! Jack POV for this one. :)

Cover by the author (original post with both covers)

Empty Earth Words: 97,192 so far, Chapters: 22/? Relationships: Dean/Cas, Sam/Rowena, Jack & Dean, Jack & Crowley POV: Alternating (Dean, Sam, Jack, Castiel, Rowena, Crowley, Naomi, HunterCorp Dean, Michael, Kevin, Balthazar)

Tags: Post-15x18, Fix-It, Epic, Plotty, Action/Adventure, Apocalypse, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with Happy Ending, Splashes of Humor, Empty Rescue, Protective Dean, Angel True Forms, Consensual Possession, Enochian, Magic, Witch Sam, Queen Rowena, Rebellion in Hell, Samwena First Kiss, Destiel Being Chaotic

Summary: After Castiel's confession, Dean carries a spark of hope telling him this can't be the end. This spark is the strongest weapon for Dean, Sam and Jack in this final war. The enemy is God. The battlefield is an Earth devoid of humans, a Hell in rebellion against its queen, and a Heaven betrayed by its creator. And the stakes are everything and everyone they have ever cared about. Read Empty Earth on AO3!

Excerpt from Chapter 22 under the cut

The caped stranger ran through the dark tunnel much too fast for them to keep up. It was only thanks to Jack's angelic senses that he saw the man come to a stop somewhere ahead. He managed to prevent Mary from crashing into the wall with a warning hand against her shoulder. A quiet curse near them meant John hadn't been spared from that fate.

A light appeared, and Jack saw that the stranger held a small flashlight between his teeth while drawing another one of those chalk sigils. The outline of a door appeared in the wall of the tunnel, and a short press of the man's hand sufficed for it to open outwards.

One after the other, they stumbled out into the blinding brightness of someone's heaven on a sunny beach. The ocean was impressive and slightly intimidating with its size and the crashing waves. Jack had only ever seen such a large body of water in the split second it had taken him to fly across it in his frenzied escape from his own guilt. Standing right in front of these massive plains of blue reaching all the way to the horizon was on a different level entirely.

"Close the damned door if you got any sense!" the stranger called out to them and Jack turned hastily to press the door closed behind John, watching it merge seamlessly into a changing cubicle.

The man didn't wait to see if they complied, already running further ahead through rows of white sun chairs and colorful parasols.

"Doctor Badass, wait!" Jack yelled, attracting the attention of a woman who must have been the owner of this heaven.

"Who the fuck are you people?" she asked them, sitting up on her sun chair. "You're ruining my vibe here."

Jack noticed only then how much they stood out on this beach, fully dressed among people in swimwear, running when everyone else was just lounging and relaxing.

"I'm sorry. We'll stop ruining… your vibe. We were just leaving," he hurried to explain, throwing a look at Mary and John behind him. Mary seemed confused, John annoyed, but the caped stranger didn't slow down, so Jack had no choice but continue their frenzied run.

They caught up with him in front of a wooden booth selling ice cream, where the man was creating another one of his strange chalk doors on the side wall. He waved them inside and they were once more surrounded by darkness.

"All right, enough of this nonsense! Who or what are we running from?" John asked, his voice echoing in the silence of the tunnel.

"Jack, you said Dean is hurt? Where is he?" Mary talked over him, and the worry in her voice was audible.

Jack never had a chance to reply to either of these questions, though, because Doctor Badass cut him off.

"Listen, there's a time for answers, but this ain't it. Gotta shake off the God Squad before they can track us to Homebase."

Read Empty Earth on AO3!

If you'd like to be added/removed from my taglist for Destiel and/or Samwena content, let me know in a reblog, reply, or personal message. :) @samsrowena @cactus-79 @typicalrowena @panthera-dei @butch--dean @thefandomsinhalor @fanficlounge @cocklesdestielfiction @destielficbasket

[epicsteddieficrecs]

Epic Steddie Fic Rec (February 5th-March 5th 2023)

Damn, has it already been a month? Time flies! I've had a few busy weekends, I've been away from home for a few of them, so that's why the momentary absence. I hope you enjoy this!

I just want to take a moment to mention that I'm selling some "fandom" bookmarks that I've made! If you like the Avengers, Captain Marvel, The Madalorian, Baby Yoda, or Star Wars, I have some fabrics for you! You can find the info here!

Complete

🖤 it's brutal out here by ithinkicouldloveher (Modern AU, Teacher Steve, Soulmates | 16K | Explicit): or, steve harrington hasn’t yet found his soulmate, but between his best girl eleven jane, the whirlwind that is robin buckley, and a wily group of third graders, he’s got plenty enough on his plate. that is, until another single father by the name of eddie munson stumbles into (the wrong) class.

In Cabin D by blueeyesandpie (Post-S4, Trans Male Eddie, Cabin fic | 6K | Explicit): Steve and Eddie take the party camping...and end up with a cabin to themselves. They've been together a while, but this is their first chance to do anything; they take full advantage.

sun down, you’re up by tkhwh (PWP, Trans Male Eddie | 1,6K | Explicit): Eddie wakes up with Steve plastered against his back while he’s still inside of him after a long, long night. Looks like he has a long, long morning ahead of him too.

All Day Event by Lynn1998 (PWP, Trans Male Eddie | 7K | Explicit): Steve and Eddie are meeting up with Robin and Nancy at the fair. It’s impossible for them to go anywhere without putting their hands on each other.

🖤 we can love each other (i've been told it's okay) by deadratz (Post-S4, Friends to Lovers | 15K | Explicit): Eddie has wondered for a while if Steve knows what kind of signals he sends. He’s wondered if Steve realizes what kinds of things he implies while talking about his failed dates. Eddie ignores it because that’s safer than addressing it. Until it’s clear ignoring it isn’t doing anyone any favors. (Alternatively: Is it gay to sit in your boy best friend's lap while you talk about how bored you are with heterosexual sex? Depends on who you ask.)

Reach Out by VenusDoom3 (No Upside Down AU, Canon Divergent, Getting Together | 5K | Explicit): “I didn’t know how much I’d miss you until you were gone. Right before you left, I kinda… figured some things out about myself, but I didn’t know if you’d… but I missed my chance to find out.” Without knowing he intended to speak, Eddie opened his mouth, vaguely surprised at the dusty rasp of his voice. “You didn’t know if I’d what?” “Y’know.” His face flushing even more deeply red, Steve smiled awkwardly. “Be interested.”

"You ever been in love?" by HairMetal666/ @hairmetal666 (Canon Divergent, Post-S2 | 12K | Teen): It's fall 1984 and Eddie starts passing notes with an anonymous classmate. It changes his life

🖤pulling your strings by Thorinoakentwig/ @thorinoakentwig (Time Loop AU | 14K | Teen): He wakes up to the melody of Kate Bush and the sound of Dustin and Lucas arguing about what sounds like who would win in a fight between Batman and Superman. It’s like ice water dripping down his spine and Steve jerks up wide eyed and horrified as the kids look over at him in confusion. (Or: Steve lives the same day over and over again trying to save his friends)

Let's Be More Than Strangers by DrowningByDegrees/ @drowningbydegrees (Canon Divergent, Season 3, Fake Relationship | 19K | Teen): It’s meant to be a one-off favor to Robin, Eddie passing himself off as her boyfriend. Robin gets to hang onto the secret of why she never so much as bats an eyelash at the guys who come into Scoops Ahoy. Eddie gets more ice cream than he knows what to do with and the opportunity to pull one over on the former King of Hawkins High. Unfortunately, it all works just a little too well, and Eddie finds himself continuing to come back. Before any of them know it, Eddie is annoyed to find he’s pining over a straight boy, Steve is drowning in guilt as he falls just a little bit in love with his friend’s boyfriend, and Robin would really like them to figure out their nonsense before she dies of secondhand embarrassment.

🖤 Ahoy, Big Boy by ChronicRabbit/ @chronicrabbit (Canon Divergent, Season 3 | 80K | Explicit): Scoops Ahoy. America’s favorite place to cool down, and quite possibly the lamest summer job under the blazing Indiana sun. Especially if you were former High School royalty, brutally rejected by each and every university you’d applied to and promptly cut off by your shitty parents in an effort to teach: “some goddamned responsibility.” Between accidentally intercepted secret Russian communications, a meddling preteen matchmaker with no collarbones, and increased proximity with Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson, a measly $3 an hour plus tips is nowhere near enough to deal.

WIP

Burning Love by FluffyChicken (Modern AU, Firefighter Steve | 9/12 | 39K | Explicit): Firefighter Steve Harrington meets one Eddie Munson and their lives change forever.

🖤 better by you, better than me by palmviolet/ @palmviolet (Canon Divergent, Season 1-2 | 20/? | 106K | Mature | Warning: Violence): November 1983. Between unpaid bills, the supposedly straight jock he’s seeing, and letters from his convict dad, seventeen year old Eddie Munson’s got enough to worry about. But when Will Byers goes missing, it sparks a chain of events that will show there are more depths to Hawkins — and to certain people in it, like infamous Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington — than he realizes. / or, the excessively long slow-burn in which Eddie is involved in the Upside Down from the very beginning.

🖤 here be dragons by pukner/ @pukner (Canon Divergent, Autistic Steve & Eddie | 3/? | 19K | Explicit): Eddie Munson has kissed a boy, and now he has to handle the fallout. He’s got to grapple with the fact that he likes boys, likes a boy, and the harrowing fact that he may have inadvertently broken said boy’s heart. (Part 3 of off-script)

Reboot by plutosrose/ @plutosrose (Modern AU, Actor Steve & Eddie | 3/10 | 10K | Explicit): In 2012, Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson film a scene in the teen drama Normal Stuff that launches a popular ship on ao3. By early 2013, they aren’t speaking anymore. In 2024, Robin calls Steve with an offer to reprise his role as Andy Hartley in a reboot of their old show, with one important update–his character gets together with Eddie’s.

🖤 Steve Harrington’s Radical Fun Time Babysitting Service by Humanities_Handbag/ @humanityinahandbag, Invader_Sam (No Upside Down AU, 90’s | 23/? | 88K | Mature): Alternatively: Steve accidentally starts a babysitting service, falls in love, panics [in bisexual], and gets himself a boyfriend. (Part 1 of 90’s Music Store AU)

[recurring-polynya]

Request Time!

I am sure this is a categorically terrible idea, but I am too squirrel-brained to pick a writing project to work on, but also I'm tired of not writing and additionally, I am puffed up on my own hubris from hitting 1M words on AO3, so let's gooooooooo!

I am taking requests from now until I get tired of this! I promise I will write at least one thing! I do not promise when that will be!!

This is a fanfic event

I will do the ones that speak to me the most. It’s not first-come, first-served! If you have a good idea, send it in! It's fine to send in more than one!

I delete the requests that I don’t accept.

No theme this time! Anything goes!

Here are some tips:

I do have anon asks on, but if you log in, it means I can ask questions if I need to, plus it makes me feel like we’re friends when I get a name with the request.

Ideally my short fiction comes out between 1k and 2k, so we’re usually talking just a scene or two. I am notoriously bad at sticking to this.

You can see all my previous short fiction here. (Each yearly volume has a table of contents in the first chapter). Try not to request things that I’ve done before, unless it’s explicitly a continuation. Alternatively, you can check out some of my previous request tags like 500 Follower Drabble Weekend or What If Requests

You can request extra scenes from my existing fanfics.

The best requests are specific enough to be inspirational, but not so overconstrained that you’ve basically written the whole thing yourself. Specifying a set of characters is okay, but it’s better if you add a setting or a scenario or a mood. Think about what the description would be if you had to post it to ao3 yourself.

If you read my blog and/or my fanfic, you will probably get a good idea of which characters I love and the kinds of things that delight me and the things that do not. I primarily do these requests for the benefit of my regular readers, so if this process is biased towards them, that is by design.

Here's a list of stuff I am probably going to say no to. If you feel like you know me really well and have a killer idea that you think I'll love, go ahead and hit me with it, but otherwise, please don't.

Reader/x (this is a hard no, don't even ask)

Kidfic

Any ships that are captains/their lieutenants or Karakura Kids/shinigami. No Aizen ships period.

The only endgame romantic ship I will write for Renji or Rukia is Renruki. I might be open to some explorations during their separation years or like some weird AU thing that's Wrong on Purpose, but in both these cases, you're getting undercurrents of Renruki for free, whether you want them or not. The only Byakuya ship I will write is Byahisa. Friendships and other kinds of non-romantic relationships are always welcome!

Anything featuring Sternritter, aside from as villains. Actually, same goes for Nnoitra and Szayelaporro. Mayuri also on extremely thin ice, but I have a lot of Mayuri-loving pals on this site, so I might be convincible with the right prompt.

I am not explicitly ruling out NSFW, but you gotta give me a good hook, I’m only good at writing smut if it’s weird. The only smut I will write is Renruki. Also, my smut is always super consensual, no exceptions.

Send your requests to my Askbox!

[asirensrage]

WIP Tag Game!

I was tagged by @themaradwrites for this. Thanks! I'm a little afraid lol

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs

Tammy Thompson Takes on the Upside Down (Stranger Things. Steve Harrington x OC)

Erudite!Eric - a study in intimacy (Divergent. Eric x oc)

Matt and Billy and OC make 3 (MCU. Matt Murdock x Billy Russo x oc)

Tammy - Alternate POVs

there’s a heaven above you (oc x the lost boys)

Halloween Challenges/Prompts (various)

the weight of all my sins Naruto ideas (various including Kakashi x oc)

Something Missing (something strange) (Gaston x oc)

Divination as a Diversion (Hermione Granger x The Darkling)

Serendipity - Wick fic (John Wick x oc)

cassia and varro (Spartacus: Varro x OC)

Reality is Fictional (who even knows. Various)

Saudade - May you be cursed to never find peace (Tokyo Revengers, OC x various)

Dig My Grave (take my hand). It's just a quirk. (My Hero Academia. Dark fic. Dabi x OC)

An Offering and The Sacrifice (Demon Slayer. Rengoku x OC)

Tokyo Revengers Oneshots

KNY Oneshots

Alpha (original work)

The question is timing (Naruto/KNY crossover. Sakura centric)

JJK - Balance (Jujutsu Kaisen. Various)

plane ideas and sleep deprivation

poetry (original work)

The Good In You (MCU. Steve Rogers x OC)

Prompts (various)

Soulmates (various)

AU Oneshot Ideas (various)

Dark Drabbles

Joyce Summers. Assassin. Conman. Thief. Mother. (BtvS. undecided)

A Slayer in Hawkins (Stranger Things/BtvS crossover. undecided)

Quest for the Ages (Divergent: Eric x OC Quest)

dreaming of falling (Divergent: Eric x oc Quest)

well well look who's at it again (SoA. Jax Teller x oc)

season 2 (SPN. sequel to Crossfire Sam x OC)

season 3 (SPN. third in Crossfire series - Sam x oc)

Ice Ice Baby (Stranger Things. Eddie x oc Emma)

favours (leverage. undecided Eliot x oc or Quinn x oc)

For the Children (Leverage. Eliot x oc)

Between Discord and Rhyme (Teen Wolf. Derek Hale x oc)

Riptide (Spencer Reid x oc)

Skywalker rewrite (Star Wars. various)

Les Tres Geckos (From Dusk til Dawn. Richie x oc)

Coffee Shop AU (original)

Fae Mafia (original)

this isn't even all of them...

tagging: @arrthurpendragon @faithfire @rey-of-luke @mabonetsamhain @chickensarentcheap @residentdormouse @renhoeku @comatosebunny09 and anyone else who wants to join in/share

[sergeifyodorov]

I'm a new jets fan and I am sooo curious about your post about the locket room being toxic. is it just a vibe or is there actually known fueds between players?

okay i am going to state that the majority of this is hearsay/gossip, but here's a few things i can state fairly confidently

evander kane (noted ex-jet and ex-shark, current oiler) was not liked in the locker room, at least by dustin byfuglien (who i will shortly refer to as "buff," a nickname of his)

buff was an F/D for the jets/thrashers, and an alternate captain for them as well as a perennial all-star. there is an actual photo of him flipping off evander, so this feud is the least alleged thing about the Jetsuation (jets situation). right before the pandemic buff was granted a leave of absence and then a contract termination -- the rumours about this are twofold; one, that his body was breaking down (he was frequently injured so there's almost certainly truth to this) and two, that he was Not Friends with blake wheeler/mark schiefele

mark schiefele was essentially a co-captain, from what i can tell (now that wheeler is a] stripped of the captaincy b] a ranger and c] not long for the nhl, i imagine they might Name him), and is known to be firstly, an evangelical Christian (no hate, but, like, if you don't work in the church and your christianity is more than two lines in your wikipedia page? harshes the vibes) and secondly, kind of an asshole.

blake wheeler was, up until the 2022-23 season, the captain of the jets. they stripped him of the C in the offseason. he was good friends/allies with schiefele. he is apparently at least a democrat though so that's cool. what's uncool is the uh

THE PATRIK LAINE SITUATION

it's 2016. the jets have sucked ass and now have the second overall pick. they pick patrik laine, a winger with a great shot and some serious star potential

laine is a favourite pretty much instantly, scoring 36 goals as an eighteen-year-old rookie and 44 the year after. he's not twenty and arguably one of the best players winnipeg has ever had. quiet, even-keel, fashionable.

there's some contract struggles in there, including a stint where he went to switzerland as an rfa, but he comes back, signs a very short contract, we move.

gets hurt in december, before he comes back from it he's traded to columbus.

a little bit later, rumours come out -- blake wheeler (also a winger) was jealous of his skill, wanted the ice-time and the glory, and mark schiefele, the best centre on the team, wanted to play only with wheeler, not laine. rumours say the two of them bullied him to his face, talked about him behind his back, and the then-coach (paul maurice iirc) just sat there and let it happen (although maurice has stated he regrets not intervening). after this, laine allegedly requests a trade

so yeah

beyond The Patrik Laine Situation there's just rumours of them not liking each other at all; on paper they should be a comfortable away playoffs team, a 3-seed or a comfy wild card, but in practice they're a wild-card team at best -- they were up there in the division for a few months last year, but seriously crashed and burned as soon as january rolls around. there are seemingly yearly soundbites of them going "well, we just don't like each other all that much," and everyone always seems to want out (although that might be winnipeg the city more than winnipeg the team.)

i will leave you with one old alleged anecdote: some reddit guy once went to a party (or a concert? maybe a restaurant or club?) where the jets were, and instead of socializing, talking to each other, they were apparently all just sitting around in silence not really lookin at each other at all

[bluepeachstudios]

What’s your favorite fic in your Please Just Let Them Hug series? Is there a concept or missing scene in that sorta structure that you haven’t done yet, but want to?

There are SO many oh my god. My favorite that I've done so far was definitely Aftermath, which was originally based off of a comic that Ibby started, then I started writing the short story, and Ibby finished the comic based on what I'd written! It was very fun.

Please Just Let Them Have Ice Cream also very good. That always bothered me so much as a kid they just DROPPED their ICE CREAM?

I have a lot of missing scenes and concepts that I haven't done yet. What happens after they get home from being separated in dimensions, (Donnie not talking about SAINW but having nightmares galore, Leo talking about how fucking scared he was when he couldn't reach his family, Mikey talking about literally having to kill an alternate version of his father? And then y'know. Raph made a friend and went on a motorcycle journey so that was fun. LMAO

I have one half written about the time between "Tales of Leo" and the next episode, which I believe is the Green Man episode? Another missing scene I wanna do is Mikey and Donnie getting comforted by Splinter after being scared about nearly. Being frozen to death in a truck just to be shown off and displayed to a bunch of humans who are just gonna be like "ooooo neat corpses! :D "

I wanna do Leo breaking down during his post-exodus arc. I want him to show vulnerability even if he can't voice it or fix it, and I want Mikey to big brother him about it.

I wanna write about them all processing having lost their first and only home they've ever had, how they all handle it differently, with Donnie being more upset at the loss of progress and supplies than anything sentimental, with Leo mourning the loss of memories, of Raph being angry about the loss of their sense of safety, of Mikey being upset about his stuff but not the house itself. He can make a home anywhere his brothers are.

I want to write about immediately after Prodigal Son, when they can all sit together and eat and rest for a moment. They're all so exhausted and scared after that and Leo just goes "I'm going to take care of this" and he does and it feels like Leo's not only back, he's grown so, SO much in the time he was gone. He's really their leader now.

I want to write more tot stories with them, or even just young teen stories with them, like the origin of the "sewer sweet sewer" sign! Because they all know how to weld, Raph and Leo know how to do blacksmithing, I'm almost certain they all learned it together. I like to think that was their first lil project they did all together.

I have a lot of thoughts on Please Just Let Them Hug, basically. I have so many thoughts.

[spiritsncrystals]

GX FAIRY TAIL/GUILD AU REVAMP POST

since my ass was bad at properly compiling this stuff and I'm interested in doing something with this au again sooo this post just serves as a reintroduction to the concept and with a list of the assigned Magic, there are a few characters i never really settled on their magic even now so if there are any exclusions that'll be why some also have a combination which I'd chalk up to it's an au I can mess around if I want. Anyways! THE CONCEPT/GENERAL OUTLINE: While i call it a fairy tail au it doesn't really follow the plot of fairy tail mostly just borrowing it's magic systems and world-building (not to bash on the plot it's more just a personal decision) hence the alternative name for this au just being the guild au instead of a school Duel Academia is a guild, instead of duellists they're magic wizards and so on and so forth the plot's similarities lean toward certain important gx events but play out a little differently. like you'd still have stuff like SOL and Haou but the way they happen changes. if anyone wants further clarification feel free to ask and i'll go in-depth in a separate post. with that ot of the way let's get to the magic assignments and with a small explanation to why if applicable

REQUIP MAGIC - JUDAI (and Haou too) - I Figured this was the best parallel for the Elemental HEROs what with the many combinations and whatnot considering there are SEVERAL different requip armours it felt right. I say Haou too for the obvious reasons as there's not really much reason to change it other than the sorts of armour used. DRAGON SLAYER MAGIC - MANJOUME (Lightning) RYO (METAL) FUBUKI (FIRE) - Manjoume might seem like a little bit of a weird decision but cmon he's Manjoume Thunder it'd be fun (also in the time between this new post and the old post we now have armoured thunder dragon lvl 10 so that's pretty cool incentive) Ryo seems the most self-explanatory what with the cybers. and foobs getting fire bc of red eyes ICE MAKER MAGIC - ASUKA - This takes more from her manga deck n all but there's also just the fun dynamic of Fubuki being fire and her being ice MEMORY MAKER MAGIC - MISAWA - you could argue about something else being more fitting but idk i kinda enjoy this for him SATAN SOUL - EDO - mostly because some of the Destiny HEROs have that demonic kind of appearance (Dogma, Bloo D, ect) and idk there's something fun to it as a ploy to E HEROs being the requips CELESTIAL GATE MAGIC - JOHAN - this just makes sense. 7 keys for each of the CB an extra special one for RD and you can even throw in Crystal Protector and Vanguard too for some fun dynamics

YUBEL: i had a lot of different ones down for yubel due to plot reasons for the original but mostly crash and black magic i'm still hoping for it to be an amalgamation of stuff but what hasn't been really landed on yet just like the kind of magic where they're powerful enough to decimate someone but yet still have some sort of believable innocence (since part of their plans in the au does involve them infiltrating the guild at some point) PEOPLE I HAVE IDEAS FOR BUT NOTHING SOLID YET: SAIOU - I would imagine it to be something similar to Kana's cards but with Tarot cards instead not exactly sure of the ins and outs yet KENZAN - something of a mix between beast soul and animal soul take overs?? just with a more reptilian focus bc gotta keep the Dino DNA in tact O'BRIEN - gun requip might be an option but just a hard maybe atm I'll write more on bits later down in separate posts but that's basically it for now again feel free to ask for more if there is anything od interest