#ask ‍ meme. ‍ ‍ do ‍ you ‍ remember ‍ the ‍ coffin?

[burningvelvet]

I finished Moby Dick. So, to continue my former post(s) documenting my thoughts, here we are (spoilers ahead):

captain ahab: i am once again asking hast thou seen the white whale

Narrator, for the 5 millionth time describing captain ahab: "MONOMANIACAL. MONOMANIAC. MONOMANIA."

I was thinking "the homosexual themes everyone talks about are really exaggerated apparently…" and then I got to the chapter about sperm squeezing

Stubb meeting with the French in chap 91 had the exact vibe of a filler episode on a comedy sitcom

there are a lot of moments that reminded me of The Office ngl like i could just imagine stubb in the little interview chair just talking. so much meme material. he's seriously just doing his own thing. the little random characters like the blacksmith and carpenter just talking shit and side-eyeing ahab in the background lmaoooo

Saint George didn't kill a dragon, it was a whale #THETRUTHREVEALED #WHALETRUTHERS

It would have been hilarious if the British people told Ahab that they already killed Moby Dick already before he could get to it. I was so hoping that would happen. Bonus points if it was the Rachel after he'd turned them away.

Ahab discusses the topic of madness a lot. It's almost like he's… mad...

I vote Ahab for the most Byronic hero to ever Byronic… Heathcliff and Rochester have nothing on him… The origin of the Byronic hero, Byron's titular character from the narrative poem Childe Harold, is literally mentioned by name in the novel and had to be a blatant inspiration - it could not be more obvious! (I have yet to encounter the famed Byronic heroes of Russian literature, most notably Eugene Onegin, a work where Byron is also blatantly name-dropped).

Everyone thinking Queequeg was dying and having a coffin made to his measurements and filled with grave goods at his direction and then him literally climbing into the coffin to test it out and then waiting silently to die…. then all of a sudden getting better and saying he chose to recover bc he remembered he had something on his to-do list….. iconic

Ishmael referring to Queequeg as "my Queequeg…" omg. Queerqueg

Queequeg drawing figures like the ones on his tattoos omg… au story where Queequeg is an artist/tattoo artist when???

I was literally saying "AWWWWW" out loud when Ahab and Pip were having their little moments

The irony of Ahab abandoning the Rachel then it coming back for Ishmael… the coffin lifeboat… etc… good stuff…

okay ahab is my man but yeah he was an asshole to the captain of rachel.

also feel bad for tashtego. he wanted that gold doubloon so bad and ahab was like SIKE, MOTHERFUCKER! umm tashtego did not get cut out of a whale by queequeg to deal with ur shit ahab!

Once again wanting a Black Sails/Moby Dick AU… I found this essay about the similarities between Flint/Ahab https://ijms.nmdl.org/article/view/22389/14361

They only have like 2-3 little moments together but like… Starbuck/Ahab kind of outdoing Ishmael/Queequeg there for a moment… chaps 132/134… oh my godddddddddddddd whyyyyyyy

Captain Ahab's moments in chapters 36/37 AAAAAHHHHH you will see me being normal about this

I noted some of my favorite Ahab moments/chapters and they are 36/37/41/70/99/108/109/113/115/116/119/125/129/132/134/135. Like I may seriously just re-read those chapters (no offense to Melville's whale facts, Stubb's jokes, & Pip's insanity)

the end is kind of similar to the great gatsby in the sense that you finally realize the entire novel was actually written for him to cope with his grief-related trauma & then suddenly it all makes sense. the lingering, the sentimentality regarding seemingly insignificant details or people, the meandering/digressing/procrastinating getting to the end, etc.

there are actually several moments -- i don't know if he actually referred to ahab or the others in past-tense specifically, but there were several moments where i felt like i kind of thought he was giving away the end before he did (it wasn't a shock to me bc i read about the end prior, but still)

[m34gs]

In your opinion, what are the five most memorable/iconic traps in the Saw franchise?

Oh boy, friend, what a floodgate you've opened....mwahahahaha. Thank you for this ask, I'm rather excited to answer it! It'll be tough to choose just five, but I can do it! :D

I'm going to set myself criteria, because there are a lot of traps and many of them are very interesting; both in the motive behind the trap as well as the mechanics of it. So, I will be judging based on if I have seen fanart of the trap/how often I see fan art of the trap, if I see other people on social media discuss the trap in detail, if I've heard other people discuss the trap irl, and if the trap makes reappearances in sequel movies (either on new individuals, or as a flashback). I will not be doing large traps; that is traps where the person involved has to complete multiple traps in order to progress through a building and get out, but I will include the individual traps within those traps...if that makes sense (this will probably make more sense when I get to explaining the traps I've chosen). I think that's a fair starting point. We do have 9 movies of traps to work through.

Remember, this is my opinion, and is by no means The Golden Standard. If people don't like my opinion, that is fine, but make they can make their own post about it please.

I'm putting the rest under a cut, because this is Saw. There is a copious amount of gore and torture, and even just discussing it could make people not used to it queasy. (though I'll be doing my best not to be too over the top with the horror talk lol) For trigger warnings, read the post tags first. Also; people should just assume spoilers for any Saw 1-9 are possible in this post.

5. Needle Pit: The Needle Pit starts us off at number 5. Not one that usually gets a whole lot of discussion surrounding it, but I have seen a fair share of memes about how people cringe when they watch this one, and I have actually come across fanart themed for it, usually focused mostly on Amanda, the trap's victim, but still involving the trap itself; so it counts. Because I don't expect people who don't watch to know what all the traps are, I will explain them all briefly.

Here we go: Eight people are trapped in a house where they are exposed to a neurotoxin in the air. The Needle Pit trap is a part of the house, a trap within a trap (hopefully now my earlier distinction makes more sense). A pit full of syringes...with the needles all attached. Among them is hidden a key that needs to be dug out within a time limit. If the key is not found prior to the timer going off, the door it opens will be sealed forever, making one of the antidote doses for the toxin unreachable. The Needle Pit was not meant to be Amanda's trap; it was meant for a drug dealer, as atonement for preying upon the struggles of people addicted to drugs. However, Xavier isn't about to climb down into the pit himself, so he shoves Amanda in instead. Every fiber of my being cringes when she lands in the pit of needles. I've heard a lot of people say they find that one of the hardest to watch.

4. Glass Coffin: The Glass Coffin coming in at number 4! This trap never fails to get me, honestly. I'm always yelling at the screen, telling Strahm to just get in the damn box. He never does. Though it's not as often as some of the others on this list, I've seen this trap referenced in fanfiction, in memes (specifically about Hoffman and Strahm as a ship) and I honestly find it one hard to forget.

Peter Strahm is at the scene of a trap, hoping to catch Mark Hoffman, a Jigsaw apprentice undercover as a detective. Peter enters a room, and in the center of the room is a coffin made of glass with broken glass scattered inside of it. There's a recording to listen to; it tells him to climb inside, but he gets distracted by a noise in the hall. Instead of listening further to the tape, Strahm hides and waits for Hoffman. He shoves Hoffman inside and the coffin locks. It's only after the door to the room shuts behind him that he realizes his error and listens to the rest of the tape. The glass coffin lowers into the floor, keeping Hoffman safe. The walls of the room close in on Strahm. In my opinion, this is also one of the worst traps. In a lot of other ones, the death is instantaneous if you fail. In this one, you can do nothing but watch the walls draw ever closer at a steady pace, waiting to be crushed. It's also one of the most frustrating because if Strahm had just listened to the tape and followed directions, or fought Hoffman in the hallway, or even immediately ran out of the room after shutting the coffin instead of staying to taunt Hoffman, he would have survived. (Strahm and Hoffman are also a ship pairing for the fandom, which is fun!)

3. Brazen Bull: I brought this one in because if there is ONE trap that most people seem to agree is fucking unfair, it's this one. Not unfair as in "inescapable" (you know I could do a whole nother list just dedicated strictly to those), but unfair as in someone totally innocent is punished for a man's lies. I've seen/heard a lot of people rant and rave about how this trap is bullshit because of that. And honestly, it really is. I hate it so much. Which makes it really unforgettable.

The trap: So, the Brazen Bull takes place in the seventh Saw movie. Bobby Dagen is a man who lied about being a previous Jigsaw survivor for the fame and money. Ironically, he gets Jigsaw's attention and has to go through a series of traps to save not only himself but also the people who lied with him (his publicist, his lawyer, and his best friend). He's been unsuccessful. When he gets to the last part, it's based off the trap he claimed he escaped before...with a twist. He has to pull himself up using chains that he has to hook into his flesh and reach an extension cord. Plug in the cord, and save his wife. His innocent wife who never knew he lied because she only met him after he became an alleged "survivor". His sweet wife who fell in love with him and was just trying to support a man she thought was traumatized from being a victim of Jigsaw's games. If he fails (he does), she will be roasted alive inside the Brazen Bull, which is based on an alleged historical method of torture and death. Most fans I personally know hate this trap.

2. Bathroom Trap: The Bathroom Trap comes in at number 2! Honestly, how could it not? It's the entirety of the first movie. It's the entire reason for Chainshipping. It's got so much fanart, so many references in text posts here on Tumblr, and it's impossible to forget because you'd literally have to forget the entire movie while remembering the rest of the franchise. You don't need to say "Lawrence and Adam in the bathroom" or "The first Saw Movie with the Bathroom", you literally just say "The Bathroom" and the fandom knows what you are talking about. We know. There's so much discussion around it, so much dissecting, so many edits, it's truly one of the most iconic in the franchise.

Lawrence and Adam wake up in a dingy bathroom with no windows and only one door out. They are each chained to the bathroom, on opposite ends. Between them lies a body in a puddle of what appears to be blood. The only way out? Saw off their legs with one of the rusty saws provided and crawl to freedom. What makes this so memorable isn't the trap itself; it's the way it was done. Lawrence knows nothing about Adam, Adam knows he was hired by someone to take photos and essentially stalk Lawrence. As the story unfolds, we learn more and more about them, and we see them start to develop some sort of camaraderie because they are trapped together. The ending, of course, ripped a hole in the heart of Chainshippers. Lawrence is able to escape. Adam is not. (he is alive and well in my HEART)

Honourable mentions: Razor Wire Maze (Saw, 2004) - crawl through a maze of razor wire (barbed wire), Pendulum Trap (Saw V) - crush the hands to stop a pendulum blade from dropping steadily lower and cutting the body in half, Public Execution (Saw VII) - three people, involved in cheating on each other, are in a large box in public; two tied to saws and one suspended above...they must decide which two survive, The Bedroom (Saw IV) - a rapist must gouge out his own eyes using a machine and hold the mechanism in place long enough to prevent his limbs being torn off, Shotgun Collar (Saw III) - a surgeon must keep Jigsaw alive long enough to watch another trap be completed; if his heart stops before the gun collar around her neck is removed, it will blow her head off (this trap also has a ship: the surgeon, Lynn, and Jigsaw's apprentice, Amanda), Shotgun Carousel (Saw VI) - six people are strapped to a carousel and it will stop each one of them in front of a gun at one point; the only way to stop the gun from going off is for their boss (who is forced to watch) to press a button which will drill into his own hand...and he can only save two.

Reverse Bear Trap: No one is probably shocked by this. This is it. This is the iconic trap. It's THE trap. It gets used and referenced multiple times in the series, there is so much fanart of characters in the trap, or even just the trap itself, and it's so easily recognizable.

The trap itself is simple. It's a bear trap that is reversed; instead of swinging shut, it explodes open. A metal piece is placed in the victim's mouth, ensuring that if they do not find the key and get it off in time, their head will be ripped open.

This trap appears in Saw (2004) as the trap Amanda Young is in prior to her becoming an apprentice to Jigsaw. She manages to get her key, unlock the trap, pull it off her head, and escape. It appears in Jigsaw's workshop in Saw III. It gets used on Hoffman in Saw VI; and he escapes even though he is not meant to, as it was meant to be a betrayal by Jigsaw's wife Jill. In Saw VII, Jill falls victim to the trap as revenge from Hoffman, and she dies. But, before all of that, The Reverse Bear Trap is in a short film, the short that predates the entire rest of the series. Referred to often as Saw 0.5 (2003), the original short film features the Reverse Bear Trap as it's only trap. It is actually almost the exact scenario Amanda faced, but with a man named David being the victim instead. It's a 9 minute film that was used to pitch the idea for Saw (2004). It can be found on YouTube, which is where I watched it.

So, yeah, the Reverse Bear Trap is very ingrained in the franchise. Anyone in the fandom would recognize it. There's even people who haven't seen any of the movies who have heard of it.

Hope that was entertaining and not too graphic for you! Thanks for the ask, I had a lot of fun answering!!!

[arialerendeair]

2, 6, and 9 for the ask meme

Catch me forgetting I queue'd an ask meme, lol!

2. What fanfic do you wish you got more response on?

Ooooh, that's a good question. I don't think there's any ONE FIC that I'm like, "I wish more people read this". HOWEVER!!!

I do wish more people would read Into the Unknown, Together - because it's a Figure Skating AU, and there's AMAZING art I commissioned for it, and it's just a short little one-shot I had a ton of fun with! Figure Skating AUs are my beloved (which is why I'm writing another, lol), and I want everyone to read them!

6. Have you written any fanfictions featuring OCs? If so, elaborate!

Hehehehe. Plenty of my Shadowhunters fans will remember the joking game of "Spot the Oberon!" that showed up after I introduced him in a fic! (Have I continued this game into Dreamling? Oh yes.)

To answer the question, yes!! Oberon and Qinemru, two of my OCs, who are quite beloved, have shown up in a number of fics. Dragon Wars (Dreamling fic) and The War for the Dreaming (Dreamling & massive crossover fic) being two of them. They're also main characters in a fic where they end up with Jace Wayland from Shadowhunters titled The Golden Trio - A Trinity of Trouble!

9. What’s your favorite line(s) or scene(s) that you have written?

Oh GOODNESS what a question.

Favourite Scenes (I'll stick with more recent fics so I don't go too far back): The Iceberg Scene in Make It Count, Hob's Dive into Dream's Heart from the Kingdom Hearts Crossover, Hob's Transformation Scene in Hopes and Dreams, The Art of Seduction via Longbow ORIGINAL demo, and... though I could pick a dozen more, when Hob walks through the gallery in A Dream Model!

Favourite Line: In Never Judge A Shadowhunter By Their Scent, there's a line that goes like this - Every step the omega took closer was a nail in the coffin that Magnus had built for himself by allowing the omega to stay for as long as he had.

In the context of the scene that line just HITS FUCKING HARD and I've always loved the poetic nature of it.

(Also every Dreamling love confession I've written, because I'm addicted to those.)

~!~

Ask me questions!

[kerra-and-company]

Gonna send some asks for that gw2 meme 3 for Casca!

3, 6, 11

Gladly!! Tyty! Casca hours :D

3. What person impacted them the most?

There's several people who've impacted her immensely, but for this question? Brook. The two of them bonded incredibly quickly after coming to the fahrar and are best friends to the point of near-codependence as they grow up. They eventually end up mates as well. Brook is--and as far back as she can remember, always has been--pretty much the most important person in Casca's life.

Brook's fascination with human spirituality and religious belief is why Casca doesn't shun or scorn it, even if she doesn't believe in it herself. Brook's constant presence in her life--and the fact that they also use magic, though they're not the only other 'bandmate of hers to do so--is a not-insignificant part of the reason that Casca is so incredibly determined not to hide or be ashamed of her own magic. Brook was captured by the Flame Legion along with her, and the hope of getting out and saving them was her main reason for not giving up.

On the flip side of that, Casca spent a good eight years or so after she finally managed to escape the Flame Legion thinking that she'd been too late and that Brook was dead, and it was incredibly devastating. She managed, eventually, to rebuild something from the pieces of her life and take on mercenary work (for sketchier third parties at first, then later down the line for the Pact). She made some friends. She, interestingly enough, fully avoided dealing with her feelings towards the Flame Legion and didn't try to seek out revenge solo, which might not be what you'd guess if you'd known her before everything went down. She knew Brook wouldn't want her dead (and neither would Ari or Pol, who she was also pretty certain she'd lost), and her anger was so intrinsically tied to her grief that if she did let herself focus on it, she wouldn't have been able to even kind of handle either one. It was this weird kind of limbo where she wasn't okay and she knew it, but also thought this would be as good as it ever got.

Finding Brook with the Olmakhan in the Sandswept Isles was the best thing that could ever have happened to her, as far as she's concerned. She loves them fiercely and entirely. But it also released that hold she had on her anger. She's not big on second or third chances anyways, never has been, and that was the nail in the coffin. Any interaction with Weylon--who had betrayed their warband to Flame in the first place--that she had from that point forward was going to go immediately and violently south.

6. They're now a heart NPC/part of a string of quests. What does that involve?

As a renown heart NPC, I think you'd get baby!Casca and the rest of the Storm Warband running investigative trips into the Flame Legion in the Iron Marches. Ari would be nearby Casca and you could talk to both of them. Casca would complain about being asked to make a more solid map of the territory and Flame presence for the higher-ups, and you'd be able to help either by reading documents and bringing her information or by dealing with some of the nearby Flame Legion yourself. You'd be able to find the rest of their 'bandmates scattered throughout the area doing their own thing, and they'd all come back every once in a while and have ambient conversations with her and Ari.

11. How accurate is their reputation/image compared to how they really are?

Somewhat, I'd say? The most well-known side of Casca is the reputation she gained as a mercenary over the years. The estimation of her capabilities is pretty accurate, but the estimates of both her emotional volatility and tendency towards chaos are Not accurate.

[xmoriartea]

With Rahadin dead and bagged and lunch being had, surely things could be normal for like two minutes in Vallaki...

But then we started to hear things.

Mostly, they hit the Forbiddance and died instantly. Others landed on rooftops and were attacking with range or clawing at windows.

Un Issue.

We cantrip'd them to death, told the guards to drag corpses to the church, and marched back to the gates for another Chat™

Remarkably, we did manage to convince 20~ of the 40~ body troop to side with us. Strahd was promising them gold and land - we could do the same. And we weren't going to eat them if they failed us ever.

The other 20~ who didn't seem to buy our sales pitch immediately sic'd the undead on the 20~ who did and so we quickly flew back out with Tanner's spellwork and guarded the turncoats as they attempted to reach the gate.

Turning the cyclops a second time was pretty good, so we just kicked away some basic undead, escorted them into the city, and then turned back around to kill the cyclops cause REALLY. This attack and turn thing was getting old even for us.

One of them did try to grapple an Arabelle, but they were easy enough to take down - to the amazement of our wall guards yet again.

Alkali told the remaining army their choices would be remembered whenever death found them, we took out trebuchet two, and back into town we went. Just another day.

We got the New Troops™ a little bit settled with a very tired Ismark and the guard, told them they were going to earn their safety an honest way.

And maybe? appointed their unofficial leader as the future coffin maker? Unclear.

But Alkali decided they needed to learn more about Ravenloft. Rahadin's corpse wasn't likely to tell her shit, but there was another servant of Ravenloft in town she had actually endeared herself towards: Russell, the housekeep of the Ravenloft Guest House.

While casually memeing on the lads of Ravenloft as we went—

So we knocked on his door and asked to come in for a chat. Alkali has been nothing but nice to him, even gave him money from her own pockets when the vampires forgot humans need money to buy food and shit when they left him there.

So we asked a little about Ravenloft, what he knew of the keep, and what he knew of who was there. He did share some very enlightening tidbits, but he also didn't know as much as we did of certain situations, so not super reliable.

HE DID ALSO assume that when I said I had 'seen Strahd's wing of the castle' that I had potentially boned down with Strahd and not just MAGICALLY SPIED ON HIM so Alkali was a little fucking insulted.

He is NOT on the list of vamps she's into, thank you.

We thanked him for humoring us - not helping at all, no, he didn't help us, never, no way that heinous slander could get back to anyone with fangs - and left him to lock up and stay safe, promising no vamps would be showing up anytime soon.

But there was still a Rahadin in a bag.

And with the rational influence of her friends, Alkali agreed she probably SHOULDN'T animate him. Better to just destroy his body, curse his soul, and do the thing that would have pissed him off most: Let him be forgotten.

So we swung by the Inn, asked Savid if he wanted to watch Rahadin burn (and ho boy did he, Rahadin killed his mother when he was an infant and probably slaughtered what remained of his family like, two weeks ago) and went to find the old elven wizards.

And you know. Despite being exhausted and running on magic fumes, asking if they wanted to burn Rahadin's body was like a triple shot of espresso straight to the bloodstream.

Alkali dumped his body unceremoniously onto ground outside their hOmE (Alkali may have encouraged Ismark to grant them Bluto's old shack WHOOPS, fuck Kasimir) and everyone got to work. Elves and others were on pyre duty Alkali got to Ceremoniously cursing.

It was a fucking sight, I'm sure. Rowan left and came back with beer at some point and it was a little party. You know how friends just sit around and drink with a dead body that's being carved up and painted witch archaic primordial curses.

But once the curses were settled into bone and soul, Alkali dragged his body to the pyre with bare minimum mage hand help from Patrina and Tanner/Luvash. Being a symbolic bitch, she laid one hand over Rahadin's throat, and another over his eyes before she stepped back.

Savid, Patrina, and Kasimir all looked at each other and at the same time, 2 fire bolts and a bonfire sparked on the pyre and Rahadin was lost in the flames.

There was more drinking, some more wild sparks of angry fire from some of the elves whose lives had been ruined by this bastard, and we watched him burn.

Alkali played with the fire color, turning it black as she's prone to do with Thaumaturgy, and the elves got to see her bioluminescence in the flame light. Patrina seemed Intrigued™ (and tbh Alkali would hit that only to piss of Kasimir).

By time night fell the fires had died down some. We extinguished the flames and got to work with gathering the ashes of the Barovia's favorite war criminal. Strahd doesn't seem like the flower sort, but maybe he'll appreciate the ashes of his right hand when we come to visit?

Because I and my cleric are terribly nosey, Alkali asked Patrina and Kasimir for their sides of the story the night he resurrected her in Ravenloft (and the night Alkali sent Anastrasya to go kill an intruding elf).

They had tried to be sneaky, but it was clear the house was looking for someone who had escaped somewhere (shocking) and soon enough, Anastrasya found them. She cornered them, took some chunks out of Kasimir (maybe he's missing a few more fingers than when they first met, who can say), but another Bride found them first and it turned into a bit of an argument from there.

Patrina had been able to parley with Ludmilla who supported not just out right murdering the two. Which Anastrasya was vehemently against, as was Rahadin when he appeared on scene. Patrina couldn't secure a meeting with Strahd, but a deal was struck. They would be left under house arrest in Vallaki - out of sight out of mind.

Alkali kept a straight face the whole time and no one questioned her involvement in that night despite several mentions of knowing what transpired before she'd been told. Whoopsie.

After dinner, she pulled Rowan aside and asked him to identify the pastries she had, if he could. He tried to touch them and she hissed at him, but he said, no. He couldn't. She then asked him to heat up 10 of her 12 Dream Pastries.

They hung around the kitchen, she tossed some cheese on top to further disguise them, and they let them warm up and melt. Rowan tried to nibble a crumb and she slapped his hand, warning him that no. These were definitely not for the party. These were bad hag pastries.

He dropped the crumb, added some other appealing spices to it, and let Alkali take her crimes away.

With her box of warm pies, she and Mina split up to the two ends of town to set up Forbiddance perimeters again. Before casting the ritual on her end, she got up on the wall and got the attention of the army by slamming her spear into the ground a few times with Thaumaturgy. Then she called her anchor forth, tied the box to the spiritual weapon, and let it deliver her Gift as far as it could.

"A reminder that not all who rule do so with an Iron™ fist."

Typically she's not actually big on deception, she finds she can be much more persuasive through other means, but if there's a chance she can put an army put of commission non-lethally for a bit? Why not.

While she and Mina did their rituals and the waves crashed protectively around Vallaki once more, Tanner and Kalina did a quick check in with Ismark, and we all met back up at the inn. With magic to spare and questions to answer, the usual suspects joined Alkali upstairs to scry.

One day she's gonna learn she's never Happy™ after scrying on Strahd.

Plans were in motion, they were dealing with setbacks, but he and some frilly fuck (Sir Octavian?) seemed Satisfied with everything. Frilly fuck left and someone else entered ...

Rahadin. Rahadin walked the fuck right back into the throne room like I didn't have his goddamn ashes in my inventory.

He reported on his death, how I filled his stupid lungs with water, and promised "the fish bitch would die."

(Ludmilla at Strahd's side remained impassive and god I wanted to know what she was thinking so bad oh my GOD.)

But they seemed... Pleased. Maybe a little delayed, but they were convinced that Rahadin's return would be a surprise, giving him some freedom in the next few days.

He seemed a bit... younger which seemed odd, but back and breathing and gods below I'ma drown this bitch again.

The scry continued some more, Ludmilla and Strahd talking about renovations for a guest room. She encouraged him to eat and fucking wheeled out a gilded tank with a merfolk inside and y'all.

Alkali's getting pissed with the fish tanks.

But they fed on him, left him alive, and Alkali pulled herself out of the scary when they started to make out because

Gross.

She does not want to see Strahd getting it, thank you.

So we discussed our options in our little inn-war room and tried to figure out how the fuck Rahadin was alive. That was a level of necromancy none of us expected.

We sent word to some of our friends, the Marticovs and Eva and Merrick, and tried to gauge how well things were standing on their ends.

Eva seemed fucking fine, bat shit old woman.

And then Alkali had an idea. She touched the scars on her throat, thought about the mer she'd just seen, and asked her favorite biomancer if there was a way to safely poison their blood against vampires.

So, just to see that they could without adverse effects, Tanner pulled out his medical supplies and injected Alkali with holy water. It tingled, but it didn't hurt. No idea how it might work if something took a bite, or how long it would last, but it was something.

Holy Water is easy to come by with two clerics and a paladin. We can make more, and with a few doses per vial? Not a bad ace to have in our sleeves.

We further discussed what we should do from here and it was settled. Mina would prepare Heroes Feast for the next morning and tomorrow...would be our last in Vallaki under Strahd's rule.

We'd leave come dawn the following day and take the fight to him.

Bit of a Note™ to end an otherwise successful day on. But that's Barovia. And having been warned that Ravenloft potentially knew of her brother... Alkali wants this done with.

We then had to uh... warn the elves Rahadin was not as dead as we wanted him to be. Which went over about as well as expected.

Patrina and Alkali got into a bit of a tiff, but nothing unexpected (Alkali may not repair this... But it's not the worst it can be (that she might yet do)).

Retiring for the night, Alkali sent 3 more sendings out, not to allies per se, but to some ladies and lords of Ravenloft.

She and Escher had a little chat about poetry, how she had a book for him and how he hopes one day she'd attend his lessons.

Volenta complained of how Boring some people were being with their work, and how she hoped to dance and drink with Alkali again soon.

And then Ludmilla.... Ludmilla who stayed at Strahd's right hand through her scry. She asked Ludmilla if she still had family in Vallaki. Things were struggling here, Alkali told her, and she would love to check in on them for her.

Ludmilla promised her she had no family left to check in Vallaki...and bemoaned the limitations of Sending. She did so hope we could talk in person soon.

Dangerous, to say the least. But a potential in at Ravenloft we could use? Fuck the classic invite from Strahd. We'll take our invite from his wife.

They all prepped for bed and Mina hugged Alkali as they talked a little about her brother this time. They teased Hadal from a distance, and they went to bed in the safety of the dome with little to disrupt their sleep but dreams of ocean and divine light.

Across town, Tanner was not so protected as his friends. And the man Alkali described from the scry on Strahd appeared in his dreams. He warned Tanner of dangers outside Vallaki, bidding him and his to stay within the walls, showed him visions of the party dead.

And Tanner... being Tanner, didn't take kind to strangers in his head. He started to fight back and an arcane grapple began to take place as Tanner tried to cast on Octavian within the dream.

We're not sure how well it worked. Tanner woke with a psychic migraine, but it did, mostly, end the dream. And potentially spooked Octavian - or at least gave him a focus for his weirdness.

Being gross and cute newly weds, when Tanner told Kalina of the dream and that he'd take care of this Octavian, her response was only if he managed to beat her too him.

Killing a dragon does Wonders for a gal's confidence.

Having no idea about any of THAT, Alkali started his morning as per usual with Forbiddance and... well...

Just another gosh darn day in Barovia. Can't wait for it to be the last.

[lilolilyr]

Hello, I hope you are doing well, for the ask meme, The Old Guard + 1, 13 and/or 16!

Hii thank you <3 I'm doing well, hope you are too!

For the TV ask? If not, I'm sorry but idk which other ask meme it is :}

What originally drew me to it

I... don't remember for sure, but I think this is a fandom came first situation? Or at least I saw gifs or heard about canon gays or sth (maybe just that there are immortals, I like immortals lol), I think I watched it pretty soon after? I first watched it August or beginning of September 2020

The non-canon pairing I find the most intriguing

Idk whether Andromaquynh counts as entirely noncanon what with Andy/Noriko being canon in the comics... But I think I'll say Andronilynh anyway, I love the ot3 and their dynamic is definitely intriguing! I'm always here for ot3s, and young Nile coming in from her modern life (and a life she has to leave behind), age-old and exhausted Andy, and then of course Quynh... They could fuck each other up worse, but I prefer to think they'd help each other heal!

A scene/moment that makes me really emotional every single time

The entire flashback sequence around the iron coffin. Especially on rewatches also how Happy they are together before disaster strikes... My heart! *cries*

Thanks for the ask! <3

Personal post - do not reblog

[heeliopheelia]

Greetings. This is the doctor. 💙 Anon has just passed away after reading Jake Sim's "All about you". However she wishes for me to tell you about the very long thing she wrote about the fic

"Just laying in my coffin after reading All About You. THE SLOW BURN. My dog looked at me VERY weirdly after I kept shouting "KISS HER ALREADY" to the phone. Jay being the grumpy mushroom he is. Hoon just being Hoon. I love Yeji and Chaer in this. THE GROUP NAMES. How do you get the creativity to make those.(give me whatever drug you on to write those). The pace of the story was perfect cause it was neither too fast for me to not understand and neither too slow. I laughed my ass off at all those memes(and I sent them to my sister, to which she asked if I needed therapy)."

- 💙 (jk it's still the doctor)

Omg babe don't scare me like that 💀😭 Ahhh I remembered I loved making that smau!! It was my first work ever posted on tumblr so it was kinda nerve wracking at first but I ended up lowkey getting addicted to it 🫣 I'm so happy you like it, I'm kinda scared to go back and reread it bcs I'm terrified of the grammar mistakes in there 💀💀

Oh and actually I think it's funny cause the main factor for me to even think of making that smau was the ungodly amount of memes saved on my phone LMAO

[accelsynchros]

meme ( accepting )  › how does your muse deal with being alone? do they thrive or struggle?  › asked on anon!

badly lmao. while bruno doesn’t initially remember what it was like to be wandering around in a ruined world, there’s that gut feeling, and being alone is just Not his thing. as vanni, he was so used to being with his team, and even when the machine emperors came, Z-ONE found him pretty quickly, so he wasn’t alone for long. 

as antinomy, he gives off this vibe of being a cool lone wolf who is there to massively flex on other people because He Knows Even Better Synchro Summoning, but it’s not that antinomy was a cool lone wolf, it’s that he was bitter from knowing the ruined future, so he was closed off in an attempt to protect himself from more emotional damage. he came to the conclusion that it was a Good Idea just not to form bonds, because People Die And Leave Him and sure, it’s not intentional, but it hurt nonetheless. notably, in his flashback, it shows that those many coffins have OTHER PEOPLE in them. the iliaster wasn’t always just 4 old dudes being sad, it was a LARGE GROUP of survivors who slowly died off, and that was awful. ( aporia was found when their numbers were few, because even aporia’s flashback shows coffins being lifted and placed wherever ). 

and then, placido runs antinomy off the road, and antinomy gets global amnesia, and bruno doesn’t know what it’s like to watch everyone around him die, but he has a natural instinct to Protect Yusei From Dying, and that’s not just rooted in Z-ONE’s programming. that’s part of antinomy’s fears of being alone. 

after finding himself Clearly Not In A Black Hole, bruno isolates because he thinks he Has To, because he believes team 5ds probably hates him, because he betrayed them- no matter how you slice it, he challenged yusei to a DEATH DUEL, they were on a death course where SOMEONE HAD TO DIE. imagine if yusei hadn’t drawn a third tuner, that would’ve been a DISASTER. to teach yusei a way to beat Z-ONE, antinomy RISKED THE VERY REAL CHANCE THAT YUSEI WOULD IN FACT, DIE. if that isn’t a betrayal of bonds, i don’t know what is. 

but the tldr is bruno doesn’t like being alone. with all his memories of the different aspects of his life slapped together, he’s actually rather codependent, so while he can force himself to be functional, he’s actually miserable and that’s that. 

[walkingshcdow-a]

Incorrect Quotes eric & rudyard

Incorrect Quotes | Accepting!

Eric: How do I deal with my enemies? Rudyard: Kill them Eric: That's a bit extreme, I was hoping for a more passive solution Rudyard: Kill them only a little?

[distorieds]

tag dump.

[millenialfanfictionaddiction]

👑 Being Seijoh's Manager 👑

🏐Miss Manager Plays Volleyball🏐

*not me using any excuse to use all the Seijoh gifs

Seijoh 4/ Aoba Joshai Team x Female Manager/Volleyball Player

Warnings: swearing

A/N: This is a request from @foxysdump!

The undeniable talent you hold YN

Not only are you freaking awesome in every single way possible

But now you play volleyball too 😱

Seriously tho, how cool!

Let's just say you are the captain of the Aoba Joshai's Girls Volleyball team 🙌🏻

The Queen of the Court?

Nah we wouldn't want to impose on Oiks

But seriously, everyone knows who you are 😍

Everyone adores you

You are smart, kind, funny and an amazing team leader

You are friends with everyone in school

Including the Seijoh 4 ✌🏻

Well mostly Iwaizumi, Makki and Mattsun

A certain SOMEONE 👀 gets a bit jealous of you

I wouldn't whom ever that could be 🤪

NE WAYS, you hang out with our favorite dream team often

So when Iwaizumi brings up that the team needs help to prepare for fall prelims, you happily offer your assistance 😊

They immediately take it

Iwaizumi because he knows how helpful you will be

And Makki/Mattsun because they know it will grind Oikawa's gears 😅

So when you show up before everyone else and start setting up, it's not a surprise

I mean you are driven

ITS ABOUT DRIVE, ITS ABOUT POWER

God someone take tik tok away from me 😃

Back on track

Ok so you are setting up when a certain someone just happens to be walling through

You 👉🏻 😇🙋‍♀️

Makki/Mattsun 👉🏻😗 🎶

Iwaizumi 👉🏻😐😑

The rest of Seijoh 👉🏻🍿🧎‍♂️🧎

Oikawa 👉🏻😳🤨

Mans is going through denial

"What is she doing here?"- jerky-kawa

Iwaizumi 👉🏻😠👊🏻

"IWA-CHAN" 😭😭😭

"I invited her Shittykawa so be nice!"

Honestly you don't know what just happened

It kind of feels like a fever dream 😅

This team gives me whiplash

Anyways, Oikawa will stare glare at you the entire time

You've done nothing wrong

You help Yahaba with his form

Kindaichi and Mattsun with their read blocking

Even Mad Dog is listening to you 😲

Makki and Kunimi are laughing with you about a meme

Meanwhile Oikawa is off sulking

Like come on YN, you really think you could just waltz into HIS practice

We need a plan 📕

What's one thing Oiks loves more that Milk Bread?

Praise 👏🏻

We will win him over

So when Iwaizumi asks you to set for him, you glance to Oikawa

"Hey Toru-"

That's good YN, using first names is good 👍🏻

"Do you think you could show me how Iwaizumi likes his spikes? I mean you really are the expert"

Like you could have just asked Iwa YN

He's right there like 🧍‍♂️

But it's a process, trust is

"Pff, I suppose"

Stage 1 is complete 🏆

Next we include him

I have a great idea 💡

Let's have a practice match!

Team Oikawa vs Team YN 👏🏻

Battle of the captains!

Oikawa happily agrees

Mattsun and Makki are stunned 😲

Iwaizumi is rolling his eyes 🙄

You choose teams

Everyone wanted to be on Team YN

This made Oikawa SO mad 😅

You get Makki, Maddog, Yahaba, Mattsun and Watari

Solid Team YN, solid 👌🏻

Of course Oiks is up to serve first

His serve blasts past you

No chance anyone could get that rocket 🚀

It's fine, we use the opportunities we are given

"OMG TORU THAT WAS AMAZING! CAN YOU SHOW ME HOW TO DO THAT?"

Remember how Noya responded to Oiks serve in season 2

Give us that energy YN 👏🏻

"Well I mean I can try"- Oiks

He starting to come around YN

The nail in the coffin comes during the second set

Of course, you are graced with one of Oikawa's beautiful setter dumps

God we all love to see them 🙏🏻

"Holy CRAP! That was so perfect Toru! I'm so bad at dumps! I'd love to learn from a pro like you"

Lay it on thicc YN

Don't worry we forgive you 😘

Oikawas is just like

"👁👄👁 ummm yeah I guess that was pretty great. I mean people expect greatness from me!"

Barf 🤮🤮🤮

Iwaizumi, Mattsun and Makki are all rolling their eyes 🙄🙄🙄

But Toru is now completely team YN 👏🏻

"Iwa-chan, why didn't you being YN earlier to our practice? It's clear she can use all the help I have to offer"

You have to push Oiks out of the way before he gets a concussion YN 🙅

Kindaichi is holding Iwa back again

Makki and Mattsun are laughing 😂

Kunimi is totally recording the whole thing 🤳🏻

Oiks has his hand around your shoulders

He's planning bestie dates for after practice

What did you expect YN 😘

[mr-carnival]

Man do you ever just look at your old art, especially the unfinished drawings, and ask yourself why didn't I have more fun with that? I was so obsessed with having to have a super clean line-art style that 90% of the time I wouldn't even finish a piece. My Folders are filled with more WIPS than finished pieces. Like ??? Why did I hold myself back? All the colors had to match and be blended with each other in balanced harmony. Now because of my health this past year and a half, I can't draw for hours on end like I used to. To say It's been hard would be an understatement. It didn't help to see all these videos/memes on Instagram about "art regression" or " my art style is un-evolving." What the videos were Implying was perpetuating the unhealthy ideal that almost every artist struggles with about perfection, as well as the thought; "Well why should I make it all, if it can't be what I want it to be?"

Now usually I don't let comments from people on the internet get to me. But I was in a very vulnerable state, not knowing what caused my health to drastically drop. So at first, I just gave into them and I felt this intense separation from one of the most special things in my life. Art. My characters. My safe place.

The real nail in the coffin was I even had some old friends/artistic peers imply I was slacking with my art, it stung. I wasn't "trying as hard as I used to" or the classic " I know you can do better." At first, I was sad and angry. But it dawned on me, that they were only repeating a pattern. This is what others have said to them, and now what they say to themselves.

Anyway, I think Looking back on this journey I've realized just how hard it is, to struggle with illness be it mental or physical whilst being an artist. The pressure we put on ourselves can break us. And we can't let it. No one or nothing should tell you, you're not doing it right. Because it's not true. There's no wrong way to create.

Instead of being frustrated with ourselves, when those self-doubting thoughts creep in. Realize those first things that pop into our heads aren't our thoughts, it's just what we've been led to believe. And remember that no matter where you are in your artistic journey you have the ability to inspire others in a positive way. Your art is one of a kind and that's beautiful.

[layzeal]

4 8 10 :3 and 28 if you're inspired!

mdzs/cql ask meme!

yayy ty friend!!

4) top 5 favorite (non-wangxian) ships?

FIVE?? oh man i'm not sure i even have that many? there's songxiao which gives me life (tho it might be cheating since their parallels with wx is what makes them to compelling to me), 3zun in all its VASTLY different iterations (nielan for childhood friends whose time interrupted by tragedy, xiyao for secret and deep affection cultivated through time that not even cruel betrayal was able to break it, and nieyao for toxic exes whose hatred hurts everytime they remember how much they used to admire and trust each other) and, um............... i think that's it? i'm not a very shippy person rip.... i could include xuanli in there, but mostly bc they’re already established

8) three headcanons: one that you believe so strongly it's pretty much canon, one that doesn't make much sense but it's very dear to your heart, and one that you don't think is close to canon at all but would be interesting if it was.

demisexual WWX; I TALK ABOUT IT SO MUCH even though i Know it's not the autorial intent, the vibes are just. so so strong. one day i will Actually write down a post about it, but acespec wwx is soooooo fitting for him

uncle-figure lan xichen 🥺 we have no reason to believe lan-da had any hand in sizhui's development at all, but idk, their mannerisms are so similar and he indeed was quite fond of baby a-yuan (if u look at AD canon which i do). it's just very sweet to me

THIS IS JUST A JOKE BUT. LISTEN.... IT'D BE HILARIOUS IF IT WAS TRUE

10) what character did you end up liking way more than you thought you would?

jin guangyao!!! this definitely came from reading the novel afterwards, since after finishing cql i rly didnt like him. as much as much of an amazing job that Zhu Zanjin did as JGY, what really drives me to his character is pretty much everything that was cut in the live-action, which is a shame. anyway, we stan an awful little man who has made terrible choices out of fear and paranoia. hope you're having amazing hatesex in that coffin, king

28) make some mdzs memes, go!

i can't come up with anything in the spot, so i'll just link to my favorite one from a while back

[mllekurtz]

14 and/or 22 for the weird writer asks meme! <3

14. Do you lend your books to people? Are people scared to borrow books from you? Do you know exactly where all your “lost” books are and which specific friend from school you haven’t seen in twelve years still possesses them? Will you ever get them back? I do lend my books to people! I do it much more infrequently now that 1) most of my friends are online and 2) I usually buy ebooks instead of physical books. I used to enthusiastically drop books in people's laps because I love to share the things I'm excited about, and yeah, I had a list of all the people I gave my books to when it became hard to keep all the loans straight in my head.

I like to think I have a healthy relationship with physical books. I've never truly venerated the book as an object (yeah, I'm an amateur bookbinder, but appreciation is not the same as worship), and working in publishing put the final nail in the coffin of my being precious about paper and ink. After all, you put all your efforts in the words themselves, and holding the bound object is just the last part of a long process. With all the due exceptions, as long as they're not out of print or ridiculously expensive, books can be replaced. The story is what's important, the reader is what's important; I'd rather never see a beloved book again than keeping a friend to enjoy a story I love.

22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

(this got long so it's under a cut!)

Story ideas usually live in the hivemind, aka discord chats or servers. Once an idea develops and starts to turn into a proper outline, I create a channel for it in my private discord server where I can chuck ideas on my phone when I wake up at 2 am. Once the fic is done, I move the channel into the graveyard.

This is what the graveyard looks like btw (not all of it):

(If you're wandering what is essek-thoughts, I was too, so I checked: they're notes on a better man than me. idk-shadowgast is the early stages of all this science i don't understand)

I keep using discord even when I start working on the fic properly in Google Docs; all the random thoughts I have when I don't have access to GDocs go there, as well as most of the darlings I kill while editing. (I also download copies of my docs in my hard drive very often, because 1) I was born in the '90s and I don't trust the cloud 2) you never know when you'll need to go back in time and search through an old version of your work.)

I usually break down the fic into scenes and/or chapters, depending on its length; I use various headings to make an organised outline in the sidebar. I've also started using the summary function to write notes to myself (future developments, changes I need to track, the tags that I add as I go, things I need to remember to say in the A/N and so on).

This is what my outline for the emergency contact au looks like right now:

It's not very detailed because the structure is very straightforward and the chapters are short, but I would usually have nesting headlines so I can keep track of scenes I need to go back to, flashbacks and so on. The days of the week are a necessity because I often have to refer to something that happened "three days ago" and I wouldn't remember when that would have been. I also need to remember that offices are usually closed on a Sunday, and so on.

I also often leave comments to myself and/or my betas throughout to highlight the parts that need attention. And this is it, I think? It might sound convoluted but it's actually a very straightforward process that keeps me from messing up and forgetting ideas.

[stark-tony]

today is my 22nd birthday so i’m celebrating by reccing 22 of my favorite fics and giving my general thoughts about them.

atla

 i'm still here by owedbetter (77.7, T, zutara) "You see me."And somehow, that makes all the difference.

thoughts: One of the first zutara fics i ever read and it’s still one of my absolute favorites. The characterization of all of the characters is superb and the gradual development of zuko and katara’s relationship is amazing.

 such selfish prayers by andromeda3116 (47.6k, T, zutara)  Katara's ambition, so long set aside for the good of others, breaks free and sets fire to her soul. Or, Katara has a vision of her canon future, casts it aside, and becomes a world-changing politician instead.

thoughts: while this fic is a zutara fic, the majority of this fic is centered on katara and her helping rebuild the world after the war and it does an astounding job of portraying just that. and honestly this probably has my favorite characterization of katara i’ve ever read in a fic.

 Southern Lights by colourwhirled (501.8k, M, zutara) A world where the Avatar has disappeared from memory. Where Sozin’s Conquest was successful. Where the unsteady order of the empire is threatened as members of the royal family are picked off one by one and lines are slowly drawn in the sand.One last chance for peace forces an unlikely alliance between a homesick waterbender, a carefree Air Nomad, a runaway Earth Kingdom heiress, and the fire lord's inscrutable son. Together they must learn to shed old enmities and become the balance they seek to restore to the world.OR:The avatar has four heads.x[[Chapter 4: "And always, his eyes, cautiously watching her. Even when he thinks she isn’t looking. It drives her mad"]]

thoughts: when i say i was unable to put this fic down i genuinely mean that. like i’m pretty sure i was hooked from the very first chapter and i never looked back.

bnha

  stickers and stars by aloneintherain (1.9k, G, gen) “Aizawa, are you sure I’m the best person for this job? There are a lot more qualified people on campus. People who have been teachers for years, and—”As All Might spoke, Midoriya Izuku crawled the length of the couch, ducked under All Might’s arm, and made himself comfortable on his lap. All Might’s hands rose into the air, as though unsure of what to with his arms now that he had a toddler curled against his stomach like a cat seeking the warmth of its owner.“Um,” All Might said.

thoughts: is it not enough to say ‘baby deku’ and leave it at that?

 Butterfly by aconstantstateofbladerunner (198.8k, T, gen) The first over-night trip off campus since the training camp was supposed to be a fun break from more intense work back home. But between a bleak introduction to chaos theory, a chilly reception from the locals, and the looming threat of a villain attack, Izuku has too much on his mind to properly enjoy the fresh air. But those worries are a light breeze compared to the hurricane that accompanies what he finds on the outskirts of town.Or rather, what finds him.

thoughts: it’s incredibly well written and the horror aspect is so good. also the dad might in it is top tier.

villain eradication plan 5C: let them attack budding heroes mothers, wait appropriate time for mother to defeat them (3.4k, G, toshinko)  Targetting the civilian families of hero students should be cakewalk. Pity they decided to go with Inko first.Or the one where Inko accidentally defeats the League of Villains.

thoughts: this fic is basically inko accidentally being a badass and it’s as hilarious and awesome as it sounds

 see it all in bloom by aloneintherain (57.2k, T,  tododeku, kiribaku, momojirou, bullying) Midoriya looked over the occupants of the room with butter soft eyes. “We should do this again. Seeing everyone in one place … it’s like we’re back in school again.”Todoroki said, “It feels like a family reunion.”(Social media fic, counting down the five months to Class 1-A's ten year reunion.) 

thoughts: this series deals with social media + the lives of class 1a after they become pro heroes and it is amazing.

 remember from here on in by aloneintherain (8.1k, G, gen) Aizawa glances from All Might to Midoriya quickly. It sounds impossible—he’s never heard of a quirk that can be handed down like a family heirloom—but at the same time, it makes perfect sense. Midoriya’s inability to use his quirk at the start of the year. The strange, familial relationship between All Might and Midoriya. The slow malnourishment of All Might’s body, like his power was being siphoned away.“You’re …” Aizawa begins.“I’m All Might’s successor.” Midoriya’s proud but shaky voice rings clearly down the empty corridor.Aizawa finds out about One for All. 

thoughts: this fic deals with one for all being revealed to aizawa + midoriya getting more quirks and it is amazing

could i but teach the hundredth part by terra_incognita (5.2k, G, gen) Ito Matsu knows three things about her neighbor, Mr. Yagi: he's very skinny, he's very kind, and he has enough children to overthrow the Japanese government.Or:All Might is retired, but his former students keep coming up with reasons to visit. 

thoughts: this fic is so lovely and i adore it so much

mcu

 the talk by parkrstark (3.1k, pepperony) “Wait, man, what’re you doin’?” Rhodey asked, leaning forward.“Giving the kid his talk before he goes off to college.” Duh.Rhodey blinked. “At 3am when you’re probably too drunk to even spell your name, months before he actually has to leave?”“Yeah.”Rhodey blinked again. “Okay.”

thoughts: this fic is absolutely hilarious and poor peter is suffering throughout all of it

 call you home by Madelinedear (19k, G, pepperony) sometimes family is who you're born with.and sometimes family is a spider boy, a rich not-dad, and a kickass aunt.(or; tony, may, and peter find a place in each other's lives)

thoughts: to me, this fic is the tony may co-parenting fic. like i honestly don’t think that anything can ever top it

I Never Lived 'Til I Lived In Your Light by losingmymindtonight (38.4k, T, pepperony, character death)  As the world shifts to make space for Morgan Stark, everyone around her shifts, too. (As it turns out, this also includes Peter Parker's sleep schedule.) 

thoughts: this fic is both fluffy goodness and heartwrenching angst and it handles both beautifully.

 Lazarus, come forth by iron_spider (47.9k, T, pepperony) Tony's mind is a chaotic mess but he remembers the moment—remembers his death, remembers the red hot pain and Peter screaming, Rhodey rushing to his side. How he knew he’d never see Pepper again—but they’d fixed it. They’d fixed the world, erased the lost time, set things right—and the kid was back. The kid was crying, the kid hated him for doing what he did, but he was back. He was alive.Tony Stark was dead. But now he’s breathing again, trying to think, gasping, hands tracing the box surrounding him, covering him, suffocating him.He’s in a coffin. He’s under the ground. He’s under the fucking ground.(Tony Stark dies defeating Thanos. But then he comes back to life. He has to find out how, why, and how to live again. And how to deal with the changes in the people he's coming back to.)

thoughts: although this fic was written and finished pre-endgame but to me this fic is the fix-it fic for film.

Identity Saga by KitCat992 (400.7k, T, pepperony) An organically developed, platonic slow-burn of Avengers-fam dynamic with a heavy hand of Irondad & Spiderson. Throw in an overdose of whump, a couple of cunning villains and a big-bad hiding in the shadows, and you got yourself this hot mess.

thoughts: i just love the avengers dynamic in this series and the whump is medically accurate which is amazing.

college applications: the biggest meme by sagemb (3.3k, T, pepperony) Tony covered his face with both hands and screamed very gently. “Can I just bribe the school to let Peter in?"

thoughts: this series is absolutely hilarious and i love it

hp  

 The Changeling + Armistice Series  by Annerb (586.6k, M, hinny, rape) Ginny is sorted into Slytherin. It takes her seven years to figure out why.

thoughts: this fic is absolutely golden and i adore it so so much. the characters are so well written and the worldbuilding in this fic is fantastic and it actually has an original aspect of hogwarts (aka the parlor) that i practially consider to be canon at this point. also the depiction of slytherin house + house unity in this fic is just *chef’s kiss*

 boy with a scar by dirgewithoutmusic (208.7k, T, hinny, romione, jily)  A series of "what if" rewrites of Harry Potter, books 1-7. Cross-posted from tumblr (ink-splotch).

thoughts: every single one of these fics are exquisitely written and i wish that i could experience the beauty of this series again for the very first time.

  Hogwarts, to welcome you home by gedsparrowhawk (FaceChanger) (11.1k, G, ginny) “You understand, Professor,” Harry began, after a moment, “that I don’t have my N.E.W.T.s. I never even finished seventh year. Between everything, I never had a chance the first time around, and then afterwards there didn’t seem to be much point. Hermione argued for it, of course, but I was so tired of Britain. So technically, I am completely unqualified for the position.”“Quite a way to begin an interview, Mr. Potter,” McGonagall said, dryly.Or, three years after the war, Harry Potter becomes Hogwarts' newest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

thoughts: this is my favorite harry as dada professor i’ve ever read. no doubt about it

 And the Unethical Binding Contract by justafandomfollower (14.6k, G, gen) AU. What if the Triwizard Tournament took place in Harry's first year, not his fourth? 

thoughts: this fic is beautifully written and i love the relationship that forms between harry, cedric, krum, and fleur.

Regulus Black and the Way Things Changed: A Not!Fic by imaginary_golux (8.8k, T, wolfstar) What if Regulus Black, and not Severus Snape, ended up being the turncoat Potions Master of Hogwarts?A not!fic written in bullet points, ignoring the Deathly Hallows entirely because they annoy me.Beta by my immensely patient Best Beloved, Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw, and by the delightful starbirdrampant.

thoughts: this fic may be ooc at some points but it’s so funny that that makes up for it

spn

 Broadway Musical by Griftings (12.5k, M, destiel) This is the day that marked the Holy and Blessed Union of Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle.The merging of prominent bloodlines is always a grand occurrence, but breeding pedigree hunter families like Winchester and Harvelle is something to be rejoiced. It is also something to be meticulously planned, which thankfully the Host is very good at.Or, the romantic comedy where Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle are destined to get married, Castiel is given the task of playing matchmaker and fails terribly, the entire Heavenly Host becomes a sitcom audience, God warns against male pregnancy, and Jimmy Novak is incredibly unimpressed with angels in general.

thoughts: this fic is quite possibly the single most funniest thing i have ever read. like i was straight up cackling when i was reading some of the scenes.

  Down to Agincourt by seperis (1 million+, E, destiel) There is no such thing as a guarantee when it comes to war.The outcome's known. Why try? Return your rusty sword to battered sheath, bow your head and bend your stubborn knee. Why take the field when you cannot win the war? But Harry -- he went down to Agincourt.

--Harry Takes the Field by bratfarrar (AO3 link here.)

thoughts: this fic is an absolute work of art. the characterization dean and cas and all of the ocs is astounding the world building is immaculate and the writing is so detailed and in depth. a fair warning though to the first time reader as this fic can get very confusing at times but trust me it is worth it. 

[darkdenim]

😘 i can't remember if i sent this in but for dana

ASK MEME | international kissing day. still accepting because time doesn't exist and i can do what i want even when the day is over.

         things had been rough since eddie went missing. the manhunt had begun, the jocks were out for blood, and the air just felt thick with ... something nobody could explain. corroded coffin still held their usual practices, more out of a need for some kind of normalcy rather than actual practicing for gigs, and dana always spent that time making sure the guys were all right. not that he couldn't check any other time, considering how close they all were, you rarely saw any of them without the rest -- but when they did have to separate and, you know, get sleep in their own beds occasionally, dana always checked in afterwards.          this afternoon, though, dana was over at gareth's, wanting to really check on him and spend a little more time with him. gareth had been through shit with the jocks, jason in particular, and dana was just worried. he stopped and bought a pizza for them to share, picking gareth's favorite toppings instead of his own, and he'd been there on his friend's basement couch for about an hour before there was a lull in the conversation. it was just a quiet moment, a silence between close friends who knew there was never any pressure to actually talk the entire time they were together.          dana chewed gently on the corner of his bottom lip, looking down at his can of soda, fingertip idly tracing the letters printed on it. they were both going through heavy emotions, and there was hardly any doubt that those thoughts were hanging in the air. the blonde leaned forward and set his half-empty can down on the table, then sat back, swallowing slowly before turning his head to look over at gareth in the silence. there was so much written on the other male's face, in his eyes, and while dana could see that, he also saw something else -- the curls in his hair, soft cheeks, the gentle curves of his lips.          his heart practically ached.          the blonde shifted a little, bringing a hand up and reaching out to carefully touch the side of gareth's face, turning the male's head so they were looking at one another, letting his hand cradle his bandmate's cheek as affectionately and warmly as possible. dana's thumb slid over gareth's bottom lip very slowly, his gaze searching the male's face in the continued silence. there were so many things he could say, wanted to say, but nothing felt right, nothing felt like it would be the same --          dana swallowed hard, then leaned in closer, closing his eyes and letting his lips meet gareth's own in a slow kiss, capturing them up deeply, eyebrows gently knitting together at the feeling of being this close to him. it was beyond words, just feelings, everything they'd been through together and separately, everything that was going on now -- and dana so badly wanted to tell the boy in front of him that he was so much more important than he realized. he mattered. he was doing so good, and dana was so proud of him, always had been.          he just hoped this kiss would make gareth feel that way.