#but i do like the idea of it also being a fic repository

[roughentumble]

why do so many ereaders advertise their bright screens. i thought the whole appeal of an ereader as opposed to using a phone or tablet was that it was gentler on the eyes than other screens in your life

[wastelandmoony]

Heyy I don’t know if you take requests or not but I saw you write for both HL and the marauders, and I’ve had this specific fic idea that I cannot find to save my life (and I’m a shit writer) so I was wondering about like fem!hufflepuff!reader during the marauders era, but she has like the ancient magic from HL (maybe voldemort is trying to harness it instead of ranrok) and nobody knows except her 😳😳 and she’s friends with the marauders but she kinda has a thing for remus and he does too but they’re so shy, and somehow her powers get revealed, she gets hurt, angst + hurt/comfort???

Hi!!! I don't explicitly take requests, but I'm also not opposed to them so thank you for submitting one! I feel like this is a little more angsty than you were originally after, so I apologize lol

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Icarian Carrion

Pairing: Remus Lupin x F!reader (no use of y/n)

Warnings: Angst, language, sexual innuendos

Hogwarts, 1978

The Room of Requirement was silent as she inhaled deeply, letting both eyes sink shut. The wand hummed against her palm, a constant almost imperceptible vibration that kept her grounded. She listened closely to the chirping birds, the rustling of leaves, the creak of branches. Exhaling slowly, she opened her eyes and braced for the targets. Quickly, multiple dummies rose from the bushes, and she unleashed her attack one after another. The power flowing through her spanned back generations, handed down by her mother, from her mother before her, her mother before her, and so on, tracing back to the 1800s. She’d known she was different from a young age, having abilities to see things others could not, being able to wield magic far beyond her years; her mother was not surprised of course, being the one to harness identical power, and the moment she was able to fully comprehend the scope of it, her mother sat her down and explained their family history. 

During the Goblin Rebellion in the late 19th century, her great-great-grandmother uncovered a hidden repository filled with ancient magic. To ensure the magic was never able to fall into the wrong hands, she absorbed it, passing it down generation after generation. Her mother instilled in her the knowledge of how large of a responsibility this was, that this power could still be harnessed by outside forces by coercion and manipulation. She would always need to be on guard, and always trust her instincts. 

So here she was, blasting at dueling dummies in the Room of Requirement during her free period between classes. The news had been getting increasingly more dire, and it seemed like James had a new update from his parents on the war efforts almost every other day now. Her mother worried that the day might come when her abilities would be necessary, so she had warned her via owl post months ago to be ready for anything, whether that be fighting back or disappearing completely. There was already a plan in place to pull her out of school and lie low outside of the country should her parents feel that she was in danger. But she refused to run, refused to hide, especially with her friends all eager on joining the Order. The lot of them had vowed to do it after leaving school in a few months, Sirius and James foaming at the mouth for the chance to fight. None of them knew about her abilities, a secret her family had kept for generations, but continuing that tradition was becoming harder and harder because of one person in particular. 

She exited the Room of Requirement quietly, keeping cool and neutral to avoid being caught. As she rounded the corner towards the main stairway, a hand pulled her down the opposite hall.

“What were you doing?” Remus stared at her curiously, the ghost of a smirk on his face.

“Studying?” She choked out, trying her best to sound convincing and normal. 

He didn’t buy it.

“Bullshit,” he rolled his eyes playfully, “don’t lie to me, you’re a terrible liar, love.” 

Fuck. He always knew how to rip at her heartstrings with a single word. She had met the boys during her first year at school, quickly melding into their group seamlessly. They became a tightly knit group, over the years folding in more friends like Marlene, Lily, and Mary. Out of them all though, Remus had always been her closest confidant. They were never far from one another, always drawn in like magnets. She loved him fiercely, a feeling that up until the past year or so she had thought was strictly platonic; ignoring all of the butterflies and skipped heartbeats when he was near. She loved him. She was in love with him. She would rather die than risk their friendship and address it.

Pushing past him to continue back toward the stairs, she huffed. “I’m not lying, I was studying for Defense. Something you could probably benefit from…” she gave him a sarcastic glance, catching his overly-dramatic scoff. 

“Excuse me?” It only took him a few long strides to catch up to her, falling into step as they made their way downstairs, “I’ll have you know that I’ve received top marks in Defense every single year.”

She bit back a grin, walking towards the Great Hall. The distant sound of students eating echoed down the corridor. 

“You’re up to something,” Remus narrowed his eyes suspiciously, just as the smell of lunch permeated the air. He was always so easily distracted by food, something she never failed to use to an advantage. “I’ll figure it out soon enough, don’t you worry.” He smirked playfully, immediately dropping his crusade in lieu of joining the other boys at the table. 

She sighed with mild relief, taking her place beside him.

———

It was stupid of her to assume that Remus had forgotten about seemingly catching her at the Room of Requirement, though hindsight is 20/20 after all. The following week, she made her usual trip up to practice with the dummies again, only this time she had a visitor. The corridor outside the room was clear (she always made sure to triple check), so she quietly whispered the phrase to make the door appear. As she slipped into the room, Remus snuck in behind her, eliciting a swift shove against the wall. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” She hissed, slamming the door shut before anyone else could come in, keeping her palm flat against his chest.

He smiled triumphantly as she backed away, “I followed you.”

She narrowed her eyes, “Creep.”

Remus chuckled quietly, peering around at the Room of Requirement and whistling low in admiration. “This is…something else…”

Sighing, she sat in a chair beside a large wooden desk strewn with papers and books. “I come here to study.” Not a complete lie, which kept the guilt from eating away at her. 

Remus hummed questioningly, staring out at the dueling dummies that lined the magically-created forest off to the left. 

“I don’t think you do, at least not for classes anyway,” he mused, gaze coming to a scrutinizing rest on her. “Tell me what’s going on. You’ve been my best friend for years, I know when something’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong Remus,” she mumbled, heart beginning to beat out of her chest. 

“Whatever it is,” his expression softened slightly, “I can help. Let me help you.”

She shook her head, resolve beginning to chip. “You can’t help this time…”

She watched as he visibly swallowed dryly, “So…there is something going on then, isn’t there?”

For a few moments, they stared at each other, standing at the edge of an impasse. Finally, she sighed, and began to tell Remus everything. 

———

“So you’ve been preparing to fight?” Remus had paled slightly when she explained her end goal. No matter what her parents wanted, she was going to use her abilities to fight back. It could be a turning point in the war, if only she could strengthen and control them fully. 

She nodded firmly, unwavering even after hearing him beg for her to stay out of this. “Do you—do you want me to show you?” 

Remus smiled slightly, eager to see the ancient magic she had described in action. He watched intently as she cast some of it towards the dummies, illuminating the space around them with bright blue light before each dummy shattered into pieces with barely a flick of her wrist. When she finished, Remus stared at her in awe, like a goddess come down to this earth. She blushed at the intensity of his gaze, “Please stop looking at me like that.”

He didn’t. Instead, abruptly spitting out a sentence that froze her entirely.

“You’re so beautiful.”

She stared back at him, “…what?”

Remus shook his head, averting his eyes quickly as he realized what he had said out loud. “I uh—I should go actually. I forgot I told Sirius I’d meet him—“

“Yeah. That’s…fine,” she coughed nervously, “I’ll see you at dinner later?”

Remus nodded, and she didn’t miss the blush that dusted his cheeks as he turned towards the door.

———

London, 1979

Sirius swung his legs as he sat on the kitchen counter, watching as the two of them bickered back and forth. “Oh come off it Moony!” He smirked, taking a sip of his coffee, “Let her go, she’s one of the best fighters we have.”

She shot Sirius a wink, quickly focusing back on Remus’ scowling face. 

“I’m not letting her go off on this completely insane mission for Dumbledore!” Remus snapped, folding his arms across his chest in finality. 

“You’re not letting me?” Her eyes widened, “I'm sorry, but who are you to determine what I may or may not do with my own life?”

Remus visibly bristled, “Your best fucking friend! Someone who cares very deeply about you!”

She hummed, just as Sirius mumbled something that sounded an awful lot like “that’s one way to put it.”

“Well as my best friend, you of all people should respect my wishes. I’m doing the job, and you can’t stop me,” she pushed past him to exit the kitchen they all shared, but not before Sirius could let out a frustrated huff of annoyance.

“Can you two just please, do us all a favor, and fuck already?” 

She stopped in her tracks, Remus freezing as well. Neither of them made a move until she turned slowly to glare daggers at Sirius.

“What the fuck is wrong with you…” she mumbled, finally storming down the hallway and slamming the door to her room. 

Sirius smirked, hopping off the counter to clap Remus on the shoulder. “All I’m gonna say, is that I’m going to James’ house for a few hours. So feel free to be as loud as you want. Get out some of that anger.”

Before Remus could swat him, Sirius ducked and apparated to meet James. 

He sighed, collecting his thoughts before making the walk down to her room, unable to let her leave on a bad note. The mission she had be asked to lead was a dangerous one, Dumbledore had asked for her personally. Remus wasn’t sure of the entire job, seeing as how he wasn’t involved, but he had a feeling it had to do with her abilities. Dumbledore had found out about them shortly after they all joined the Order, but only because she had let him. She wanted to show him that she could be a weapon, and a devastating one at that; one that the Order could use (or exploit as he put it) to end the war. The notion didn’t sit right with Remus, something he had tried to express multiple times to her with no response other than “Dumbledore knows what he’s doing, Remus”. Knocking softly, he listened for a response.

“I don’t want to talk to you Remus,” she called through the door, immediately knowing he would show up and apologize moments after their fight. They’d been friends for too long, their habits and quirks were as familiar as a reflection. 

Remus sighed, “Please open the door. I just…I need to talk to you.”

The lock clicked, door opening a crack to reveal her stoic face. “Go ahead, then.”

He resisted rolling his eyes, “May I come in?”

“You don’t seem to have an issue dictating my actions, so you tell me.” 

Before he could respond, she turned and sat on her bed, allowing him entrance into her room. Even though no one else was home, he shut the door quietly to create more tangible privacy. She looked at him expectantly. 

“I’m sorry, okay?” He offered calmly.

“No you’re not,” she sighed, “You’ve done this before, and you’ll do it again. I just—I just wish you’d have more faith in me, I guess…”

Remus stared at her like she’d struck him. “Have faith in you? Love, I’m in awe of you always.”

Her heart began to flutter erratically, meeting his eyes to try and find any bit of mockery in his words. She found none.

“How could I not be?” He continued, “You’re the strongest witch I know, and one of the smartest people I’ve ever met—and that’s not even taking into account your ancient power.”

She blushed, giving him a small smile as she looked up at him, “…One of the smartest?”

Remus rolled his eyes, “Fine. The smartest person I know.”

She stood up and hugged him, melting into his warmth as he returned the embrace. “Apology accepted. But please…can you try to not control my every move from now on? I’m going to be a part of this war whether you like it or not.”

Remus rested a cheek atop her head, “I just can’t lose you…and I know how determined you are. I don’t want you to get caught up and become involved in something you can’t come back from.”

“I’ll be fine, I promise. The mission isn’t even happening just yet, there’s still time to prepare. You just need to trust me,” she looked up at him. 

“I promise to trust you if you promise to always come back to me,” he murmured. 

For the briefest of moments, she hated him. Hated the way he made her heart soar, hated the way her fingers itched to trace every scar that marred his skin, hated how her lips craved to discover what his felt like. But more than that, she hated the coward within her, the one that didn’t dare reveal the truth to him. So instead, she buried her face in his chest and squeezed him tightly. “I’ll always come back to you Remus.”

———

London, 1980

Her bag had been packed for over a week, sitting underneath her bed as it awaited retrieval. The war had taken a turn for the worse, all of them living in a constant state of fear for not only themselves but for others. She knew the orders for the mission were incoming; she could feel it. James and Lily had told them all about the prophecy regarding their unborn child, a boy if it was believed to be true, a little boy they were to name Harry. The news had struck her so hard she had almost vomited right there on the Potter’s carpet. Remus’s arm around her waist was the only thing that kept her upright. That night, when they arrived back at the apartment, Sirius went straight to his room without another word, silent and angry. She had sat in Remus’s arms and cried until the tears wouldn’t come, settling for the sweet oblivion of sleep instead. She’d awoken pressed against his chest, Remus choosing to stay intertwined on the couch instead of depositing her sleeping body in her own bed. The memory of his peaceful face inches from hers that morning is the one that kept her moving as she threw the bag strap over her shoulder and apparated to a small house near the Forest of Dean. She thought of him and it gave her a reason to leave; she needed to help save him. She needed to help save all of them. Her non-essential belongings were left behind in the apartment, along with a note for Remus that she placed atop his dresser.

“I’ll always come back to you,” is all it said.

———

Islington, 1995

Remus followed the scent of coffee from their bedroom on the 2nd floor of Grimmauld Place. It was one of life’s simple pleasures that he still managed to hold onto during times like this. As he trudged into the kitchen with a yawn, Sirius placed a mug on the table and smiled softly. 

“Morning, Moony,” he said as Remus sat down, offering a fond look of his own. They were both confined to the townhouse, Sirius in all actuality, but Remus more in solidarity; and though the isolation was sometimes stifling, Remus quite enjoyed the domesticity it allowed them. It reminded him of her. Sirius tossed the Daily Prophet onto the table in front of Remus, another daily habit of his being combing the paper for any news or breakthroughs in the war. He still couldn’t believe it was all happening again…

On the fourth page, about halfway down, a small article caught his attention:

Dumbledore Loyalist Spy Found Dead in Ireland.

Smiling in a Ministry photo below, was her. 

He couldn’t breathe.

He’d spent 15 years searching for her, trying to find any information as to where she had disappeared to that night over a decade ago. Her letter was still in his drawer. Remus would read it every now and then when the memories got to be too much. 

I’ll always come back to you.

He had believed it.

He was a fool.

“Oh my darling, what have you done…” he whispered, hand coming to cover his mouth. 

Sirius appeared over his shoulder to see what was going on, immediately gripping Remus’ shoulder in support. “Fuck…” he whispered, “Moony, I’m—“

Remus shook his head, “He knew…”

“Who knew?” Sirius kept a steadying hand on his shoulder.

“Dumbledore fucking knew she was alive this whole time!” Remus slammed a fist onto the table, rattling the coffee mugs. “Sirius, he knew I was looking for her! He saw it all and said nothing! He let her—he let her die…” His face crumpled as the tears began to fall, dropping onto the newspaper and smudging the ink in their wake. 

“Remus,” Sirius said softly, holding back tears of his own, “I’m so sorry…”

A low growl sounded from Remus, standing up to launch his coffee mug across the kitchen, smashing against the far wall in a spray of ceramic. “He used her! He made her into a fucking weapon that he just—that he just could throw away!”

Sirius gripped his arm, moving around to hug him, letting Remus release a deep sob into his chest.

“I loved her,” he whispered, “I never told her…”

Sirius swallowed the lump in his throat, “I know…we all knew.”

Remus sniffed, “Do you—do you think she did?”

He sat with the thought for a moment, remembering the way Remus and her had always looked at each other, how they would always be within arms reach. He remembered the night he found them on the couch, a week before she disappeared, Remus cradling her closely as they slept. He’d suspected for years that they were in love, but that night had solidified it. 

Sirius met his eyes, a corner of his lips quirking upward, “She did. She might not have realized it…but I think she knew.” 

Remus inhaled a shaky breath, and Sirius moved to sit on the bench. “She loved you too, y’know.”

Remus lifted his gaze, eyes red and glassy, “How d’you know?”

He shrugged, giving him a small, sad grin, “I just…it was obvious. At least to the rest of us apparently.”

Remus huffed out a sorry excuse of a laugh, the two of them sitting together in silence for a moment.

“I miss her Pads…” he whispered.

“I know, I do too,” Sirius threw an arm around his shoulders, pulling him in. Remus reached forward and tore out the article, ripping delicately around the photo so you could no longer see the headline. It was just her. The same eyes he had loved since they were eleven, the familiar smile that she’d give whenever she saw him. She looked older, they all did, but she was more beautiful to him than ever. 

Remus stood from the table and went back up to his room, Sirius beginning to clean up the shattered coffee mug against his friend’s insistence. From his drawer, he pulled out the wrinkled letter, unfolding it to re-read the scribbled handwriting he’d spent years memorizing. Placing the small photo atop the note, he folded it back up, kissing it once.

“You broke your promise love,” he whispered, “but I forgive you. You know I could never stay mad at you for very long.”

Remus placed the note back in the top drawer, and headed back downstairs to help Sirius clean up the mess he had made.

[hotluncheddie]

sorry just one more thing 🫣 I've been obsessed with chubby but still athletic Steve.. like he's truly doughy and round and he still loves being outside and playing basketball and swimming and he likes it even more now in this powerful body that is so completely his ........ you are a repository for all my chubby Steve thoughts so please accept this humble offering.....

oh i am always obsessed with thick round buff chubby stocky strong steve!!!

[please i am so so happy to be your chubby steve repository! keep em comin! its so so fun to get so many chubby steve asks!!! also sorry this is just an series of ideas kinda lol]

i really like using hopper (s3 specifically barkbark) as like body inspo for steve. that strong solid build, broad shoulders, big arms, but always with a good layer of squish.

i think steves legs would be thicker though, and his belly a little bigger, a little rounder maybe. so imagine that for this post, for your lovely juicy anon prompt <3

very into him playing basketball and swimming again, especially if its with the other members of the party. i just love steve being happy, feeling strong and confident and in control of his body. and that vibe just making the people around him feel comfortable, feel safe. hes their big guy. still their protector but now it’s little things, normal life things, not like, monsters.

and eddie? oh eddie would love it.

[i was gonna use this scenario for a micro fic but i’m giving it to u bc i want him to be round and meaty :) ]

i just imagine steve turning his parents garage into a place to weight train. so when eddie comes over, sees the open garage door, music blasting, he’s treated to a sight.

steve in a t-shirt with the hem cut off like 3 inches and the sleeves gone. in gym shorts and tube socks and sneakers. belly hairy and round and out. arms pumping weights and eddie’s cant believe how fucking strong his boyfriend is, has gotten.

like steve on a workout bench, lifting the weights above his head. stomach muscles bunching, making the fat bounce. all of him a little sweaty, grunting with effort. eddie just stands and stares.

and then steve sits up from the workout bench, belly resting in his lap. smirking at eddie standing there frozen. steve stands and shakes out his arms, wiping a towel over his face and neck, down his chest and over his happy trail. then he says to give him a sec eddie ‘warm down stretches.’

and eddie has to watch his boyfriend lunge and bend. watch his ass jiggle and bunch. watch his belly do the same. eddie’s so red, he’s so hard in his jeans.

and then steve finally takes pity on him. closing the garage door and laying back down on the bench. letting eddie stand over him and finish because he can see eddie won’t take long, needs it. and it’s okay because steve knows they can go in and share a shower. and eddie can go again.

steve getting a second order of breakfast and slamming two milkshakes at the diner. talking about ‘bulking’ and how he ‘needs the protein. and like, eddie will agree that his muscles are bigger now. but so is his belly. not that eddie’s complaining, not at all, he honestly kind of thinks steve says those things just because it makes eddie blush. knowing how big he is, how strong, eddie likes seeing how much he can eat.

steve manhandling eddie’s in bed, like he can actually for real throw him around if he wanted. makes eddie’s kind of breathless to think about. they’ve tried so many different positions now that steve can hold eddie up. getting fucked against a wall, belly helping to hold him there. yeah, that was a good one.

but also the sweet lovely ability eddie still has, to just take steve apart. his big strong steve who he can still turn into a whining, writhing mess, just with a few words and soft touches. eddie loves it, it’s so so special.

kissing steves stretch marks. he has a few on his arms, his hips. one special one that stretches over his pec, that’s eddie favourite. steve was embarrassed about them but then eddie spent time cherishing them. and mentioned how steve already has scars, but he got these from being happy. so now sometimes robin has to beg steve to put a shirt on. and steve will, but he loves his new body. he’s proud of all his scars.

<3

(sorry this took a while anon, but please believe me i love getting chubby steve asks)

@scoops-aboy86 u might enjoy :)

[anto-pops]

I've been thinking for a long time about what Mc's and Seb's boggarts could be.

I think or my Mc's boggart is herself. Only evil and power-obsessed. With her old magic she inflicts pain on others and enjoys it. Boggart-MC taunts MC that she is weak and not enough, that she is to blame for Fig's death (and that she couldn't save Sebastian in time fom getting lost in the dark arts.)

Seb's boggart might be Anne, MC (and Ominis), writhing on the floor and screaming in pain while he can't do anything.

Oh and Omini's boggart is probably how he hurts others like he was forced to do as a kid :(

What do you think about it? That would really interest me. I wouldn't mind if you wrote a fic about it either. (but you don't have to.)

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT TAKE, I LOVE IT ! I halfway brainstormed something a little similar a while back and never wound up writing anything for it, but you might have convinced me to with this

I had a similar thought in regards to my MC since she ended up taking the power from the Repository. I like to imagine it corrupts her to some degree and the new version of herself scares the hell out of her. Mix that together with literally everything you've included and yeah, I agree MC would be seeing herself as her boggart, much to her horror.

Sebastian and Ominis' boggarts make perfect sense as well; Sebastian only ever wanted to protect the people he loves, so to be forced to sit back and watch them in agony is his own personal hell. I also read a super interesting and frankly kinda dark take on Soloman potentially being Sebastian's boggart. There was a lot of animosity between them leading up to his death, so I wonder what their home life was like or if Soloman was ever a particularly nice guardian to him at any point (I'm watering down my thoughts heavily with this)

Then I feel like there's a lot to think about in regards to Ominis. Like how would he experience his boggart when it came down to it? Would everyone else see a small, 8 or 9 year old version of Ominis casting the Cruciatus curse ? Would Ominis hear the screams of the Muggle he'd been forced to torture ringing in his ears ? Or maybe it wouldn't even be him- maybe it would be his father commanding him to use the curse, or the animated corpse of his Aunt Noctua whispering that he failed her and let her die alone.

So so many possibilities, I love the unbridled angst it brings with it. I think I'll explore this prompt a little more, you got the gears in my brain turning now. I need a cork board to connect all these ideas brewing jfc

[bbygirl-aemond]

i want to write an hotd fanfic so bad… i’m watching the early GOT show too as well to try and wrap my head around the lore but i fear that my fic will still be very amateur and show that i don’t really have that big of a grasp on the lore and worldbuilding and language around me.. can you give any advice onto how to tackle this? any specific ways i should research or how to remember every little thing to make the story as accurate and correct as possible?

hi and welcome! don't worry, i have been through this exact process within this fandom haha. i was the queen of sparknoting my way through my lit classes in college when i didn't have other time, so i think i've kind of perfected the art of making it seem like you've deeply read something, even if you haven't.

let me give my usual disclaimer that i don't recommend reading fanfic to get a sense of characters or worldbuilding in a new fandom. that's because to a fresh eye, it's impossible to tell what is the author's invention/headcanon (which may be incorrect/ooc) and what is actual canon. fanfic writing should be about indulging yourself and your creativity, not about trying to cater to the most popular opinions even if you don't agree with them. so i really do recommend sticking to canon as much as possible, and being very deliberate about where and when you use fanon as a reference.

i create a tumblr blog for every fandom that i'm planning to write in to serve as a repository for my research and notes. this blog is unusual in that i forgot to make it private and then had too much fun engaging with y'all to go back. but my first posts were all specifically for stormbreak purposes. if you're nervous about putting things out there, you can password-lock your blog, so you're the only one with access. being able to sort with tags for characters, houses, etc. will be super helpful. another good idea is to take notes in google drive, since you can also search for things there and use the outline feature to navigate. the goal is to have one or two places where you compile all of your work that are easily navigable.

a really good starting place for research is this particular asoiaf wiki. i do not recommend any of the others, especially the ones based on individual shows, because those often do not include details that are in the books. i genuinely cannot tell you how many hours i've spent on this wiki. start your research here- look for dates, places, events, houses, relationships, appearances, etc.

meta analysis is also a really good idea to gain knowledge. tumblr or reddit are the places to go for this. it's really important to seek out posts that are both sympathetic and unsympathetic towards characters or houses. the goal is to get a sense of the different opinions within fandom, and decide which ones make sense to you. on tumblr, you can search a term, select for text posts, and scroll until you find big walls of text. (as an aside: if you're doing this, blocking tags related to fanfiction, imagines, xreader, etc. will help streamline your search and filter out headcanons in favor of meta)

lastly, and be careful with this one since it is fanon but not canon: memes! twitter and tiktok are great for these. they're great for getting a sense of vibes, but not for actual canon facts about a character. remember, fanon can sometimes be very distant from or even contradictory with canon, so take these with a grain of salt. i do still find them useful for forming opinions about personalities, mannerisms, and attitudes of different characters.

if you want more info about how i actually planned out stormbreak, i've answered an ask about it here!

[romaine2424]

Weekly Blog August 30, 2023

Let me say upfront that my personal world is quite small, but that doesn't stop random lightning strikes of 'Oh shit' hitting my household. Yikes. I think things have calmed down once again so I can get back to escapism. LOL

I have been writing and updating. The Azkaban Letters Chapter 12 was posted yesterday. I update every Tuesday. The response has been 'meh' kudos wise, but I have some lovely lovely commenters, which inspires me to push ahead. For anyone who's posted a chapter fic, you know what it means to have a few folks comment on each chapter.

What I've been reading:

I've been reading a lot! Mostly very long fics, but then I hit upon a fest I hadn't heard of before that just ended. @ladiesofhpfest! 16 weeks of themed fics! The theme range goes from Vilenous Vixens to Hedwig's Circle of Divas. Most of the fics are less than 5K. Here's the link to the Master List by Weeks/Themes. The final two weeks have to be added to the list. I know one of them is Week 15: Girly Girls.

I have two three recs from this fest, mind you, I've just started reading the stories.

The first is Sparkling Cyanide (1.4K) by @saintsenara.

Summary: Tom Riddle had nothing to do with the death of Hepzibah Smith. Hokey had just had enough of being a slave.

I have no idea how the author fits so much into 1.4k words. But we learn who Hokey is and how she and those who came before her were mistreated by Hepzibah Smith. That wizards and witches have no idea and don't care to know the rich history of house-elves. And they are oh so clever! Cheer Hokey on as she works around the law that house-elves cannot use their magic to hurt their masters.

The second is Look Like the Innocent Flowers (4.8K) by @midnightstargazer.

Summary: Daphne is silly and superficial, the sort who obsesses over makeup and fashion and knows all the latest gossip. Astoria is fragile and soft-spoken, a delicate flower of a girl. When the Carrows take over Hogwarts, the two sisters appear to be unaffected, indifferent to changes that have little impact on pure-blood Slytherins like themselves. But as the Sorting Hat said, "those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends" - including allowing themselves to be grossly underestimated.

This is a great canon missing moments fic for 7th year. Daphne is very much a Slytherin (as is Astoria). She's made a decision to protect her sister and those that the dark side wants to hurt. We're treated to the beginnings of Astoria/Draco, the subtle communication between Slytherin women, including Narcissa, and how such a beautiful witch can use her wiles and magical powers to help bring down the Dark Lord that most of her house admires.

Oh, and this author also wrote Lily's Cat (sniffle) for the fest. Really sweet.

One more rec, and it's Drarry, and it's a Series, and it's long. I'm guessing that many of you have read the Blood Magic (340K) series by Houseofhebrideanblacks(AO3) and Thestralsofspinnersend(AO3). The series is made up of 3 distinct fics in feel though definitely intertwined. The first fic, A Half-Life, A Cursed-Life (49K) is very tough to read. It takes place quite a few years after the war, and Auror Harry is so so broken. At the very end, though, there is a spark of hope as Healer Draco takes action.

The second fic, The Forest (88K), is my fav. Definitely the balm to ease the pain of the first one. And the third, Misunderstood Creatures (198K) is amazing in love, action, and lore. Truly a great Drarry series that should be on every Drarry fan's list to read.

One note of interest is that the Authors wrote for their character, and it's seamless.

Please remember to give love to these stories! Comments are always appreciated.

Resources:

Today's resource came from @maesterchill on the Main Drarry discord server. The Fic Writer's Guide to Formatting (An AO3 Repository) by @anisaanisa. I cannot tell you how excited I was to finally learn how to do coloured text in AO3 and so many other things! Geez just so happy for this resource.

UpComing Fests of Interest (okay to me):

H/D Kidfic Fest: Prompting is Sept 16th-29th.

H/D Owlpost 2023: Sign-ups Aug 18th - Sept 8th.

Harry Potter Rare Pair Fest IV (@hprarepairfest): Claiming now open!

Oh wow, I think I'm done! Have a great week and remember to have some fun in our lovely fandom!

Rom

[deadheaddaisy]

hey, your WIP ideas sound really interesting! I would like to hear more about fight text and hating Harris please

Ah, thanks for the interest! 

Let’s start with “Hating Harris” (because oh yeah, I do hate that prat). This is a canon-divergent, possibly AU fic where Hoshi is also from Section 31 - although not an agent, but an assassin. An assassin who is less than pleased about what Malcolm’s been forced to do. There will be a bit of back-story, but suffice to say that he has no idea she also belonged to S31, and probably not that she’s out for revenge. Because in my world, Harris needs to feel fear, and know why he’s feeling it. Assuming he survives, that is...

“Fight text” is a repository of fight scenes I write down when they pop into my head, and then see where (or if) I can use them in any fics. So far I’ve used examples of Hoshi in a fight, in my asks, so here’s a bit of Malcolm that I plan on using in a holodeck scenario at some point. 

His head dropped forward for a moment, then came up sharply, and his entire body went on alert as a group of Nausicaans materialised around him. The swords came up into a defensive pose, and he began to move. Hoshi watched in admiration as the small tactical officer flowed through a battle against his much larger opponents, spinning and rolling, attacking with the swords, deflecting, occasionally leaping into the air in smooth motions that sent him flying across the stage in giant parabolas, landing sure-footedly as he brought up his weapons to block, parry, or land a sneak attack. 

Archer and Trip looked stunned as they were treated to a side of Malcolm they had never witnessed before. Sure, they had all been part of his self-defence classes, but no one had ever seen the tactical officer in real, physical action until now; no one had ever seen his martial arts skills being put to the test, or witnessed just how flexible and fast he could be. It was an eye-opener. T’Pol simply watched calmly, while Hoshi was transfixed by the sheer beauty of his movements as his lithe body spun and twisted and bent like, yes, a reed in the wind. 

Thanks for the ask! 

[bereft-of-frogs]

✨ Fic Writing Review 2023 ✨

@aurorawest tagged me in this an age ago but there was always a chance (however slight) that I'd maaayyybe finish something else before the end of the year (I did not) so I held off. But! It's time for the 2023 review.

Words and Fics

103, 870 words posted

Technically only 1 fandom, but then like...3 subfandoms? (Star Wars: Fallen Order, Prequels/JA-era, and A New Dawn/The Last Padawan)

14 fics

1 ongoing WIP, 2 multi-chapter, 10 oneshots, and 2 chapters added onto my OC repository, 2 series

most recent drop: we are made of our longest days

longest: technically the whole of the dark ocean duology at 50,304 but also just part 2: to stand at the edge of the sea (25,752)

shortest: found a tape that was blank (1,392)

Top Fics by Kudos

closure, and the lack thereof (98)

omens and all kinds of signs (72)

with teeth, we've come this far (66)

(dark ocean duology) part 1: the deep sea is a haunted house (63)

(dark ocean duology) part 2: to stand at the edge of the sea (59)

and some love for the bottom 5 because my favorite is among them: 1. a shadow resides by night (13), 2. follow me into the endless night (16) 3. p.s.: wipe the salt off of my skin (30), 4. I feel like I'm borrowing all my time (33), 5. take in a breath, fill your lungs (34)

My fandom fic events in 2023

just the usual whumptober taking up most of my autumn

Upcoming Events and Projects for 2024

for 2024 I think I'm going to try out like a 'leapfrog' method, where I focus on finishing a first draft, then let that percolate while I work on the next first draft on the list, then backtrack for the second and so on...I think this makes sense. I liked focusing on one project at a time last year and I'm hoping that gets me to make progress on the 4-parter that I really, really want to write and keep putting off.

omens and all kinds of signs (chapter 3)

manipulation/hostage thing (?) (part 1)* - I really need a better working title for this, this is not actually describing what's going on

the haunting presence / serial (part 4)**

the haunting presence / serial (part 3)**

manipulation/hostage thing that turns into an undercover thing (part 2)* - god these working titles are just so pithy aren't they

the haunting presence / serial (part 2)**

the haunting presence / serial (part 1)**

omens and all kinds of signs (chapter 4)

We'll see where that brings us in the year....and if I get derailed haha. If I make it through this I have a sick!fic in development and a myriad other bullet points of vague ideas, inspiration lightning might strike on one of them.

Last word: I spent the first third of 2023 so convinced I would never write again and in a not-great place, to clear 100k posting on ao3 was truly a relief and sharing all of this with you all has been a joy. Thanks for being there and I hope everyone has a happy New Year!

Rules & Tags below the cut! ***(ok let's be real, you all know me, I didn't actually tag anyone because I'm a mess of social anxiety and I always feel like I'm bothering people with tags (even though I am NEVER bothered by tags, but I can't apply that to myself for some reason, in my own mind I'm just uniquely annoying, but we don't have time to unpack all that--) but anyway, I put the rules there and the summaries for the two mystery upcoming fics if you want to see those or reference the rules!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

I am too shy to tag anyone but if you're looking for an excuse to post some stats and goals use this as an open tag!

That should probably be one of my '2024 goals' to get less shy. ah well.

*This is a holdover from the 'psychological' whumptober prompt, I started it in October but knew it deserved more time and energy that I could give it on a deadline. The sort of core of the first part is my take on a 'fandom staple': the Haxion Brood finally gets the jump on the crew and they get entangled in a plot that's perhaps unnecessarily complex due to the interference of a...like 'HR consultant' Sorc Tormo hires, who attempts to manipulate them into carrying out their dirty work. Part 2 (it's a duology again folks!) picks up a bit after the end of part 1. Because to get out of the part 1 situation they end up owing someone a favor, and the calling in of that favor sends the crew on an undercover mission to a super-secret Imperial construction project. Clearly still developing some stuff, I don't have a working title or a good way of summarizing events, but I have a lot of dramatic scenes and everything pretty well outlined.

**Ah, my four part serial killer drama that I have been saying I've been saying I was going to work on for months. Years. This is going to be my year, I swear it! 'Why are you writing it in reverse order' it just makes more sense to work backwards, and part 4 I have the most clear plot outline for. Yeah it's fairly straightforward in general, a mysterious serial killer stalks Jedi through 4 generations. Possibly inspired by My Literal Nightmare, aka 'someone is secretly living in your house' (aka phrogging??? I learned there was a term for it while doing research for nanowrimo, I just thought I was being paranoid and sleep deprived during an insomniac period a few years ago lol) (it's a long story haha). But yeah this mysterious murderer who seems to not really exist at all, and vanishes like a ghost for years at a time.

[krill-joy]

I posted 2,067 times in 2022

654 posts created (32%)

1,413 posts reblogged (68%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@delusion-of-negation

@tomwambsgasms

@madronasky

@ferrousferrule

@autisticandroids

I tagged 514 of my posts in 2022

#liv watches supernatural - 36 posts

#boysposting - 32 posts

#good news 2022 - 30 posts

#the boys - 17 posts

#youtube - 16 posts

#stackula - 16 posts

#dracula daily - 10 posts

#cobra kai - 8 posts

#dndads - 4 posts

#destiel - 3 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#who often choose surrogacy because pregnancy would present a potentially fatal risk (and because adoption agencies discriminate against peo

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

i don't really think that john winchester was homophobic in the loud, overt, slur-using, "those people" kind of way. i think he was homophobic in the quieter way that a lot of peoples' parents were/are- the idea that anyone he knew, especially his kids, being gay was just not a possibility in his mind. it was a given that his kids would date girls, have wives, and that assumption, that expectation would be so sharply clear to dean and so deeply ingrained that it is just part of what he is supposed to do/be for his father/his family.

100 notes - Posted March 19, 2022

#4

it's always funny to be reading a fic that describes cas changing into a very specific outfit, and you realize the author must have seen a pic of misha wearing that outfit because it is so specific but also so not congruent with cas.

121 notes - Posted March 27, 2022

#3

no but really what i love about the deep as a character is that you do have sympathy for him and see so much awful stuff happen to him while he also steadfastly refuses to grow as a person or acknowledge that he has done really shitty things.

like, he is a really good example of how someone can be both victim and victimizer and that you can't just view him as one or the other.

199 notes - Posted June 4, 2022

#2

i was disappointed to learn that brendan fraser's acclaimed new performance has him donning a fat suit to play a 600 lb character. also, ugh, aronofsky? yeah, i'm not surprised he takes a cold, weird, hateful approach to the topic.

"If you look at The Whale as a fable, its moral is that it’s the responsibility of the abused to love and forgive their abusers. The movie thinks it’s saying, “You don’t understand; he’s fat because he’s suffering.” But it ends up saying, “You don’t understand; we have to be cruel to fat people, because we are suffering.” Aronofsky and Hunter’s biblical metaphor aside, fat people didn’t volunteer to serve as repositories for society’s rage and contempt. No one agrees to be bullied so the bully can feel better about themselves — that’s a self-serving lie bullies tell themselves. This is an externally imposed martyrdom, which negates the point of the exercise."

211 notes - Posted September 15, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

if anyone is considering reading/listening to dracula in one continuous go either during or after the conclusion of dracula daily, may i recommend the audiobook that includes Alan Cumming as Dr. Seward and Tim Curry as Van Helsing?

265 notes - Posted July 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[greatunironic]

Just wanted to say how much I love the titles of all your fics! They all fit the mood perfectly. Do you have a system for picking your titles/ particular pieces of media you tend to draw from the most?

aw thanks!!

i pull from a lot of places: music, poems, plays. by and large, i tend towards lyrics (just looking through my posted fics, it’s about five are poems, one is from a movie, one is from a play, and one is from nothing at all, while the rest are a variety of songs, or plays on songs).

i have a habit where, whenever i hear something i really like, like a lyric or a turn of phrase, i’ll try to immediately write it down somewhere — usually in my notes app on my phone but my day planner and work notebooks have also become a repository for this too — i’ll take screenshots, tear out a magazine article, anything really. and then when i start getting the germ of an idea i start flipping through all my little mad woman scribblings + images to put together a kind of mood board out of stuff i’d seen before, and then new stuff too. often i’ll find a title through this somehow, either some pre-existing nugget that’s been squirreled away in the back of my mind, or something new i’ve discovered in the process of adding new songs to a playlist, that kind of thing.

i suspect this is a holdover from my training in the theater while working with new plays and bringing all sorts of stuff to the table for our teams to work collaboratively together while creating the piece, and it’s just something that i’ve adapted to my fic writing process as well.

also probably partly because of a long standing joke with my brothers where we’ll hear something (often silly) and immediately announce, “name of my new band” — if any of those assholes ever find me here, i maintain that double zinger up the middle could’ve made it big — but now it’s my brain going “name of my new fic”, though to be honest i very rarely start a story with a name already in mind.

very occasionally, a story + a title will end up being much more closely entwined — all the missing girls is sort of like that, in that i had a vague idea for eddie being alive in the upside down, thought about him finding barb alive there too somehow, immediately remembered the olivia gatwood poem, and then my brain was off to the races, about bringing all the missing girls back.

but so i suppose the long and short of it is: i have lists of things i think would make cool titles, and after i plot/finish a fix i often get lucky in finding something there that fits the bill!!

[kiingleoturtles]

1,3,9,10 and 12 for the three fic ask game

Okay, let's go:

1. which three fics occupy your top posts? Tell me a bit about the inspiration behind them!

Shopping Trip started off as me just wanting to write some funny silly gay stuff and is my most popular fic haha.

Satisfaction is my second most popular and is my most self indulgent fic by far so kudos to that (pun intended) for doing so well.

And then rounding out the top three is Tongues And Teeth which has done way better than I ever would have expected. So that's quite nice actually.

3. which three fics best represent your views about love / relationships?

Satisfaction for definite. Maybe because it's my favourite fic / pet project but I feel like across the various different relationships I portray (whether platonic, familial, romantic or otherwise).

Although I haven't written much of To Be Loved so far, that's also definitely going to end up being another one representing my views towards that. Maybe it's because I have so many ideas to do with Martel's relationships with the various other cast members and that some of her characteristics are based off of my own but I feel like that's also going to be one with those views presented.

Okay so I can't properly start publishing my third choice because it will be part of a prompt fill week for most of the early chapters. However the current nickname for it is the Heatwave-verse and it has my second most random polycule I've created (aside from the Lesbutches in Satisfaction). But I guarantee that will also end up being a good representation of my views on relationships.

9. oops - your entire fic repository has to be permanently deleted, but you can pick three to remain. which three fics are you saving and why?

Satisfaction, my doc for the prompt fill week that Heatwave-verse is in, and Solstice (which is a lot longer than what's currently posted) because they're my babies.

10. which three fics were you most nervous to post? why?

Solstice because it's original stuff and I'm awkward. Ready for Love because, once again, I'm awkward and anxious. Also Tongues And Teeth because of how dark it is.

12. pick three fics that feature the same trope. what do you like most about writing that trope, and / or how did you do that trope differently in each story?

Satisfaction, Ready for Love, and Solstice all have the Found Family trope because I'm a sucker for that trope, but it varies a lot across the three. In Satisfaction the characters are growing closer as everything happens (and Greed keeps adopting children), whereas Ready for Love there are some characters who were already in a found family but it expands, and Solstice starts off as just Dawn and Dusk having each other until they meet Moonshine (ooo spoilers/teasers hehe).

[totowlff]

hello, welcome to my blog! 

this is my masterlist for all my texts already published here, whether fics or one shots

some information below:

this blog is basically a repository of texts about toto wolff (a.k.a. our austrian lamppost), so don't expect to find texts about other people. however, they may be mentioned for context, plot, or narrative purposes;

despite being a person very attentive to details, everything that happens in my texts is purely fictional.

english is not my first language, however, i have the help of my dear friend ally (@formationlaps​), who helps me in correction and revision of all fics;

if you wanna read my works at ao3, click here;

all texts have warnings of possible triggers at the beginning, along with the synopsis and the author's notes. if you believe there is any trigger not mentioned at the beginning of the text, send me a message.

my ask is always open for feedback, requests or simply to chat.

click below to check out everything i've posted up to september 18th, 2023

almost 30 years after his last formula 1 world championship, elisabeth lauda's father decides to invest in the struggling mercedes f1 team. she joins him as his business partner in the investment. little does she know that it will change her life forever.

see the masterlist of star-crossed here.

cassie aldersey has a life that she loves. she has a great job, a busy social life, she travels a lot — it’s not the life she was intended to have, but she’s always been one to eschew tradition. after a date gone horribly wrong, she realizes that there is something that she’s always wanted, deep down — a child. thankfully, she doesn’t need a partner to have one, with medical science being what it is. She embarks on the journey alone, initially, but a friend of hers — who happens to be her boss — volunteers to be her donor and co-parent. how will cassie’s life, relationships, and friendships change on the way?  

➝ wasting precious time

after a completely disastrous date, cassie makes a decision that will change her life.

➝ fighting vainly the old ennui

cassie is determined to have a child on her own. but something tells her she needs an opinion on this.

➝ a simple equation

starting treatment is not easy for cassie. nausea, headache, fatigue become part of her routine and a person realizes it.

➝ worth the yearning for

the meeting was arranged in a cafe in the old part of oxford. she had no idea how he would react to her answer.

➝ making the rules

the time has come to settle the legal issues related to their child. and the meeting with the lawyer revealed some problems.

➝ for the sake of having you near

after two weeks of injections, tests, and ultrasounds, the day finally came to collect cassie's eggs. however, that day would be marked by something else.

➝ who do you keep in your head

while cassie was doing her part of the process, it fell to toto to do his part. however, he couldn’t help but feel guilty about it

➝ hope

the most awaited day for cassie and toto has arrived. it was time to try for a child. for real.

➝ as if i could ever keep a promise

we don’t always get what we want.

➝ crossing the line

that night, cassie was only sure of one thing: she needed toto.

➝ boundaries

so this is how eve felt after eating the forbidden fruit?

➝ jackpot

what are the chances of a dream coming true on any given friday?

➝ realization

the first steps towards something new are always the scariest, but at the same time, the most amazing.

➝ like susan and lucy

with the pregnancy progressing healthily, cassie decides it's time to tell one of her most trusted people about the baby. unfortunately, she wasn't alone.

➝ bliss

toto is grinning like a goofball. and it didn't go unnoticed.

➝ midas’ touch

this is the first time cassie has traveled to vienna. it's also the first time she's announced that she's pregnant to her child's co-parent's family. what can go wrong?

toto wolff is a skeptic about love. after several failed dates, he definitely doesn't want to know anything about relationships anymore. however, when a friend bridges the gap between him and one of his more mysterious employees, he decides to try again. little does he know that woman is taking him back to the classroom.

➝ initial orientation

during a dinner at ava’s flat, toto discovers a very interesting secret about her.

➝ teaching methods

curiosity got the better of toto and he's back at ava's apartment, ready to play her game. he just need to know if she was looking for someone to play with…

a story of love, betrayal and much regret.

➝ regret

the proposal could not be refused. the challenge was simple. the problem is, you didn't expect to bitterly regret it.

➝ anger

you left toto’s office heartbroken. but, unknowingly, left a broken heart inside those glass walls.

➝ guilt

you thought that after everything that happened, you would never return to a paddock in your life. but fate had other plans.

➝ sorrow

getting over a love is not easy. however, the mission becomes even more difficult when you have a christian horner to torment you with it.

➝ joy

you thought it was impossible to be happier than you already were. however, you were wrong.

whoever holds the microphone is not always the one who has control of the narrative. and you discovered it in the hands of the most powerful man in the paddock

➝ punishment

request: i would really like to read again a jealous Toto for the reader.

➝ domination

after a bad race and a confession, it was up to you to turn that little game you and toto played at your favor. it was your turn to dominate.

stories that may (or may not) have a sequel

➝ comments

you posted a certain tiktok with toto and the comments got out of hand. now, he wants to understand why he's being called 'daddy'.

➝ king pleasure

request: can we dare asking for a jealous toto?

➝ bet

request: could you write a one-shot where the reader rewards our daddy wolff for the mercedes double podium?

➝ pillowtalk

request: a one shot where Y/N and Toto are in bed talking and, even though she doesn't understand anything, she asks him to speak in German until she sleeps.

➝ monaco nights

request: an one-shot where toto and reader have a discussion but he kind to her even if he is angry at her.

➝ saved by a perfect kiss

to guarantee a year of good luck, you must kiss someone at midnight. the problem is that you have no one to kiss.

➝ after party

request: we could get some drunk Toto? 

➝ beware the trap

request: could you right a short fic of toto telling the reader everything will be okay and it will all work out, don’t beat yourself down? 

➝ somewhere in the haze

when your race for generational talent came to an end, you didn't expect to be so shaken. however, you also did not expect to be supported precisely by your great rival.

➝ a thirsty tuesday

producing content for mercedes' social media is always a challenge, especially given the demand. however, having a desired boss is always a good asset.

➝ ohne leuchtturm

request: could you write something angsty where the reader and toto had a previous relationship but broke up/divorced due to him never being home and then one night [...] they encounter each other at a bar in her hometown.

➝ le temps fera les choses

request: you could write a story where toto and reader are divorced [...] drunk toto calls reader and just rambles about life and how he misses her and everything, or if you wanna go further...

➝ break the rules

you're there for business and that's all. however, after your presentation, you meet a mysterious man who makes you question all your convictions.

[measuringbliss]

<3

OKAY THAT'S SO NOT FAIR!!!

I wrote a video script on Edelgard (specifically why I find her fascinating but also why as bisexual representation, she doesn't escape the usual "queer=evil" trope inherited from the Hays Code, which feels weird to talk about for a Japanese game but the American soft power probably shaped at least slightly some cultural expectations around the world and also, people didn't wait for the Hays Code to demonize sexy people)

Anyway I think I'm too lazy to actually turn it into a video? I'm not in the most rationally bestest of places to edit a video right now. I'll see what I do with it.

I didn't want to rant about that though

I want to ramble about Glee but I actually have no idea what to say because the fandom as it currently is feels... very weak.

Weak in multiple ways:

- lack of content. I guess it was more popular on LiveJournal, but I just can't find much stuff on Tumblr. That's what I miss from the Harry Potter fandom, you had multiple repositories for meta, you had multiple places for discussion, even your local language community was probably pretty well developed. Was some of the meta reaching? Absolutely! But it was fun, and there was A LOT. Fanfic wise, there was so much choice, and there still is! Obviously, there's still a lot, but it doesn't feel the same with the author just insisting on being a pain. I was invested in that fandom, and there was *always* new stuff coming out. Even your rarepair had GOOD content. It's something that is thoroughly lacking with the Glee fandom, even though it had a huge presence. Nowadays, only two ships have any visibility on Tumblr and that is Klaine and Brittana. Which, great! Gay canon couples, we stan, whatever. But as soon as you step outside of this, it is THE VOID. Good luck finding one (1) satisfying fic for your ship. I had to resort to using ffnet for the first time in years to find interesting stuff! *FFNET!!!* And I do realize that both source materials are completely different and HP lent itself much more to analysis and mysteries and stuff. Whatever you think about She Who Must Not Be Named, HP inspired a lot of us to just... write! I have a novel-length HP fanfic that I just kept wanting to write for, and even though I eventually gave up and wrote a summary of the last few chapters, it inspired me in spite of my ADHD. Nowadays I'm not inspired except for horny stuff, because I'm a horny gremlin. There hasn't been any other fandom like it, and a lot of works deserve much more than what they get. Even awful movies deserve people writing meta and stuff. But fandom on Tumblr is chaotic af and HP motivated a lot of people to create communities around it, specifically for HP. It's something that we'll probably never get again and it's sad.

- so yeah the Glee fandom feels weak firstly because there's practically no content. The second thing and I touched on it a little bit, is that the content isn't varied at all. Only two ships are considered, and the activity is almost exclusively gifs sharing. I've seen the show, I know what they look like!!!! I guess Tumblr was key in making gifs a major component of fannish activities but I'm pretty much not sensible to that. There's a few metas out there but even then it's only for those couples. And I know that the Glee community used to be huge and DIVERSE, because the show itself mentions several times SHIP NAMES and in particular, Faberry is joked about in later seasons even though it's not canonical (notably with Kitty saying something like "If you're going to go all lesbo, get it on with Quinn, I heard that the whole world is cheering for you") . Like, "Furt" (Finn/Kurt) is mentioned in S2. Season 2!!!! There was a big fandom and it got so loud that the show kept referencing it (and fanservicing it, hello to the Quinntana hookup, a surprise to be sure but a welcome one). But this content is nowhere to be seen. Ffnet is the main hint that there was something, but Tumblr is empty. I guess they were all on LiveJournal? I know there were heavy ship wars (Brittany literally mentions IN THE SHOW that she can't get with Sam or Artie–I don't remember whom– because there's hords of fangirls who ship her with Santana and they'd make his life hell) and I understand how these conflicts could sour people on the show (hello Hannibal Twitter fandom from 2020 or 2021) but it's still so weird to expect to be able to interact with resources and reflections and even just reviews... and you don't find anything. It's weird! I had the same issue with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but

1. Actual books have been written about Buffy and its fandom and there's a term for that kind of stuff, Buffystudies I think.

2. Buffy aired as the modern conception of Internet started setting in, so fandoms didn't have such centralized spaces and I understand it can be difficult to find them today. It was still very lovely to stumble upon that Spike/Xander fanfic archive.

Also, Buffy had naturally more interesting stuff to think about because it was, from the start, shrouded in prophecies, metaphors, and the likes.

Glee fanfics are all about their Starbucks AU. I'm exaggerating, but also kind of not? Not judging on these AUs, but it's not something I seek out.

So lack of content, and lack of varied content. I have nowhere to go to talk about Furt, Seblaine (well Seblaine does have its fans here) and so on. The Glee fandom also seems to be VERY homogenous. Everyone hates Will Schuester because he's a creep. Everyone hates Finn because he outed Santana. Everyone hates Finchel because they're Finchel. Everyone loves Furt, "but only as friendship". "The S4 newbies suck." "Shooting Star is an awful episode." "Sue should be in jail." and so on and you just see THE SAME. DAMN. OPINIONS. EVERYWHERE.

(Doesn't help that the show itself never knows if it's honest or satire, and YOU CAN'T EXPECT THE SAME THINGS FROM BOTH. Yes, Sue never goes to jail. YES, WILL IS INAPPROPRIATE. THAT'S THE POINT. DO YOU KNOW MANY TEACHERS WHO STASHED DRUGS IN A STUDENT'S LOCKER JUST SO THAT THE STUDENT WOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE GLEE CLUB?! OF COURSE NOT. OH MY GOD. People always talk about realism with this show and you motherfuckers, HANNIBAL IS A MORE REALISTIC SHOW THAN GLEE. Outside of being homogenous, Glee discourse is so asinine. The writing is so inconsistent that wildly different interpretations of the characters are completely possible. I–Ugh! Fiction discourse is already bad most of the time, but if you don't get how the source material prevents you from applying real-life values to it, your media literacy is pretty damn low. I will concede and repeat that the show's writing didn't do it any favor. Even the first episode never knows if it's a parody or a heartfelt drama. Goddamnit.

The show is still entertaining by the way.)

I feel like it's the kind of fandom where different opinions were shushed or something because EVERYWHERE, I see the same exact comments. Oddly enough, the Glee subreddit seems to be the current healthiest place for the fandom? Which is weird because you know. It's Reddit.

Like I don't know, with the Hannibal fandom you could (before The Event) totally say that Hannibal (the character) sucks, that Hannibal is great, that S3 is totally the worst, or the best, that Will/Brian is more compelling that Hannigram, etc. There was some kind of lightness where people didn't care too much and there was a lot of weird (and lovely, because weird is good) stuff and VARIETY.

The Buffy fandom has more defined mindsets (you're either Team Bangel or Team Spuffy, either you love S6 or you hate it, but everyone agrees that S7 sucked to some degree) partly due to its age, but there's still a variety of content. Hell, there was a lot of stuff that was discussed and envisioned that would get you harassed for years if you so much as talked about it today.

I don't know, I feel like fandom sucks nowadays.

Well seems like I had a lot of things to say, in the end.

[tired-beholding-bitch]

"jon has no idea how to take care of someone but GODDAMN he’s going to try" bestie tell me everything immediately

hello hi hello!!! you will be delighted to know that's the safehouse longfic I should totally be writing actually! I haven't touched it in a while but! I should be!

it's my love my darling my repository of Jon thoughts and also probably the only one I'm working on currently that has potential to practice my fight writing skills - they aren't communicating well <3 naturally <3 it's a mess <3

mostly it focuses on healing and recovery and the aftermath of the Lonely, as well as being the food-as-a-love-language fic since the common thread is Jon cooking as a way to express his feelings because what are words, and on firsts and general tenderness. also the separation anxiety is real.

I'm atm halfway through chapter 2, and the titular food for it is palak shorba, a spicy, creamy spinach soup that can be garnished with ginger and/or fresh cream and lends itself well to warm you up after, say, a cold autumun day spent perusing the wares of the local farmers' market. for example. a totally random example.

here's an extract bc ily

There are other traces of the Lonely, in him, that are much harder to shake.

The way he'll get quiet all of a sudden, withdrawing into himself like he can't bear to be aware of his surroundings anymore, flinching away at unexpected noises. How he'll press his lips together, conflicted, annoyed but trying not to show it when he needs space but won't say it – more times than not, he'll end up snapping anyway, worn down to almost nothing by the grating sound of other people's voices.

Usually it's towards him. It makes sense – they share everything, these days, spend all of their time together.

Jon tries to not let the sting of it sharpen him in turn, draw out a defensive response. It isn't difficult, when his eyes widen in horrified regret every time, apologies falling from his mouth like bruised flowers. The guilt eats away at him for days after, brings him to stretch himself too thin yet again, in a loop feeding on itself with constant inevitability.

He starts recognising the signs, after a while – his answers getting shorter, his hands shaking.

He forces himself to ignore the rising anxiety that chokes him every time Martin isn't in his direct line of sight, then, and casually leaves to do the dishes, or fold the laundry, or have a lie-down in the bedroom, and after an hour or two he'll come to him of his own accord, a bit more relaxed, and Jon will be able to breathe again, and pretend he hasn't been straining to hear him in the other room, afraid he'd vanish the moment he couldn't see him anymore. He never does, but Jon can't help himself, low-grade distress buzzing along his nerves like swarms of ants under his skin, making him restless.

He never tells Martin.There is no point. He can't ask more of him, can't take more from him than what he has, not when he's terrified he already is taking more than he would ever be allowed, if things were different.

[bilgisticallykosher]

Superheroes in Retail

Aka Oh god I am the maple syrup drowned enemies

Masterpost | AO3 link

Hey, remember that time Lime posted a fake fic titles meme, then I accidentally posted half of this as a reblog because tumblr mobile bamboozled me and then I said I'd post this after no content November but then didn't realize December was now?

Warnings: Blood and bruises.

Word count: 1,140

Virgil had definitely seen and experienced a lot in his short life. He'd crashed a local parade in costume, spreading a wave of chaos and fear throughout the city, block by block. He'd faced down a horde of black Friday shoppers the day after an accidental two-for-one coupon had been printed in the circular. He'd even come in third place in a talent contest that he hadn't even entered in the first place. 

But now, well, he was in a Situation. It deserved the capital letter. He'd just been innocently stocking shelves, on the late shift as usual, trying desperately to fade into the background so customers wouldn't bother him, to no such luck. He visibly cringed as he heard the damnable automatic doors open and someone call out to him. 

"Ex...cuse...me..." the customer wheezed out. Virgil sighed to himself, assuming that this idiot had run all the way to the store to get his late night bulk maple syrup that was on sale to put onto his breakfast foods, or use as moisturizer, or chug shots of, or drown his enemies in, or whatever. Maybe he'd just ask Virgil several times where an item was, while staring the giant signage for said item dead-on.

He plastered on his best customer service smile, which he was proud to say was not that good, and turned. 

"Hello, how may I help oh my god." And there, clutching onto the caution wet floor sign (which, it wasn't, he had no idea why they left it by the entrance,) was one of his mortal enemies. 

Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic, but it was one of the heroes that was always trying to best him and save innocent people and prevent him from doing his evil deeds and blah, blah, whatever they were always prattling on about. He knew, in fact, that it was SuperNerd, or whatever he was actually called, because he was still in costume... mostly.

The right arm of his suit had been completely torn off. On top of that, he was bleeding from several different cuts, and had a big gash on his leg. From what he could see of his face, it looked like he had a nasty bruise, too. He had bruises other places, and looked generally roughed up, and his costume frayed. 

Virgil gulped. Okay, so there was no way he knew who he was. Even if he did, Virgil had no impact on why he was so beaten up right now. This was just a coincidence. An unfortunate coincidence. A very big, bad, unfortunate coincidence. 

He idly wondered where Dudley Do-Right and His Royal Whineness were, and damn, that was a good one he'd have to remember that for another time. The trio was almost always together, whether staking out a place, or working together to defeat him, and wasn't that a little overkill, he was only one guy. Although, it was also kind of flattering that they needed the three of them to take him down...

But in the meantime, his harrowed hero was still there, starting to slump over where he stood, one eyelid flickering, ready to close. So, Virgil did the only thing he could think of.

"Hello, sir, welcome to Kalmart, I see you're in need of some assistance," his customer service smile, already strained, twitched a little as he watched the hero jolt at his loud, firm tone. He tried to ignore his instinct to jump behind a building to protect himself from what was sure to be an incoming attack, but then immediately gave in to that instinct as he ducked into the next aisle to grab the first aid kit that was hanging there on the wall. 

He speed-walked back, and all but shoved the kit into his hands as he repeated the 'difficult customer mantra' to himself. CALM; be Calm, Apologize, Listen, and get a Manager.

"I was assaulted in a villainous attack, while attempting to protect the city, and am in dire need of medical assistance." If he weren't so sure he was out of it, Virgil would have sworn that he was being deadpan on purpose. 

He cleared his throat and took a deep breath in and out. Calm. "I'm sorry that you're inconvenienced." Apologize. "If you could describe your problem to me, then I could do my best to resolve it." Virgil watched as the hero blinked slowly, then his head lolled to one side, as he peered his eyes together, squinting at him. 

"I'm sorry that that's happened to you, sir," Apologize again for good measure, "and rest assured, we'll make sure you get the medical treatment you need," Listen, "I'll just need to get my manager, he'll be more than happy to help you." Get. A. Manager.

"Wh-" But Virgil had already swiftly turned around and walked away. As he headed towards the breakroom, he stopped by the customer service desk where his manager was tiredly explaining to a woman that she couldn't get the product she wanted, because the factory had temporarily closed, therefore they didn't have any in the store. 

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt," Virgil interrupted, not sorry at all, even as the woman glared at him, "but there appears to be a superhero bleeding out by the paper goods, if you'd like to take care of that." Remy leaned forward, peering past the shockingly long line considering the late hour, until he spotted the hero, still dripping onto the tile. 

"Well, do you know when they're getting it in, then?!" She huffed, "I came all the way out, it was a forty minute drive, just for it, could you call me when it comes in?"

The effect was instantaneous, Remy stood bolt upright, already stumbling out from behind the counter.

"Bitch, why didn't you page me, this is important, I swear if you're pranking me, I'm moving you to the customer service desk for a year," he pulled out his personal store intercom, hitting an extension, and slammed the 'Sorry, we're closed' sign down on the counter. He ran, speaking into his device, calling for someone with access to an outside line. 

Virgil shoved his hands in his pockets, continuing the leisurely stroll to the breakroom. He pushed through the door, then swung around to the phone, letting it close behind him. He picked up the reciever, punching in the extension for store-wide announcements. 

"Maintenance," his voice was light and smooth, "please report to aisle ten for a biological spill, maintenance, aisle ten for biological spill, thank you." As he hung up, he knew Remy would probably get him back for that, but, he flopped into a chair, kicking his feet up onto another one, he decided it was worth it. 

-----

Fun game, try and pick out which of these things are based on my real life job in a supermarket.

Taglist from the Repository and from anyone who expressed interest in the concept in the original post.

@demoniccheese83 @thatgaydemigodnerd @arya-skywalker @rainbowbowtie ​ @aceawkwardunicorn @lookingforaplacetosleep @katelynn-a-fan @dwbh888 @royal-stormcloud @thefivecalls @brain-deadx0 @the-grounded-raven @just-your-typical-trans-guy @grouptalekindnesssoul @the-hoely-bleach @anvil527up @fanficloverinthesun @idont-freaking-know @entitydark @llamaly @psychosnowfox @picazos-angsty-typist @enby-phoenix @callboxkat

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV: A Synthesis of Aether

#FebHyurary Day 17: Food + Day 18: Music

A/N: So I had too many ideas for yesterday, but knew for today touching on Synnove’s aether synesthesia would work well, and then I said, “DT YOU FOOL YOU CAN COMBINE BOTH DAYS FOR HER AETHER SYNESTHESIA.” And lo: a fic! Mostly dialogue, I haven’t done a dialogue heavy ficlet in a loooong time so I feel a bit rusty, but this was a fun exercise!

RATING: T WORD COUNT: 1455 WARNINGS: None!

---

[Installing SCAEVAN SYSTEMICS operating software.]

[Installation successful, running update cycle.]

[Updates complete. Archive Node Unit 453 now online. Please specify primary user.]

“Synnove Greywolfe.”

[USER: SYNNOVE now registered. How may I assist you today?]

“Please stand by for audio recording.”

[Standing by.]

The node’s lights dimmed from bright grass green to soft seafoam as it partially powered down, its northern and southern hemispheres slowly rotating in opposite directions.

Synnove lowered her hand and glanced over at Rereha. “All right, you can babble now,” the Highlander said.

Rere took her hands off her mouth to tug at her braided pigtails and beamed at her. “Whatcha doing?” she said, in the sing-song tone of someone feeling exceptionally nosy, rocking back on her heels.

Synnove rolled her eyes and set her hands on her hips. “Y’shtola’s working on a compilation of aetheric synesthesic perceptions as a downtime project,” she said. “She asked me if I was willing to contribute, to which I obviously said ‘yes.’ But because I’m not often able to spend much time in Revenant’s Toll that doesn’t devolve into Warrior of Light or Ironworks business—”

“—audio recordings you can send or give her are more convenient.”

“Careful, Rere, or other people will begin realizing you’re smarter than you pretend to be.”

The lalafell gasped. “Madam, you wound me!”

She received a satisfied smirk in reply as Synnove added, “And what better way to create an audio recording than with my new archive node?”

Rere pulled herself up onto Synnove’s desk, sitting on the edge and kicking her feet back and forth as she leaned back to rest on her hands. “Did you liberate it from the Ironworks?”

“I purchased this fair and square, I have a bill of sale from Jessie herself.”

“Nero’s OS?”

“The fact you know that term is vaguely frightening, but the man does have an unparalleled understanding of Allagan technology and if you tell him I said that, I will hang you by your toes from the edge of the Steps of Faith.”

Rere mimed locking her lips.

“Hand me that stack of paper, please.” Synnove pointed to Rere’s right. The lalafell snagged it and dutifully handed it over.

The arcanist shuffled through them, humming tunelessly as she did, before she came across the correct page. “All right,” she said, mostly to herself. “Start with Y’shtola’s list of baseline sensations today and go from there.” Louder now: “Begin recording.”

[Audio recording now live.]

Synnove automatically straightened her spine and rolled down her shoulders in the same way she did before she began a lecture for the fourth-year arcanist students. In a clear, strong voice: “Synnove Greywolfe recording for Y’shtola Rhul on the 18th day of the Second Umbral Moon, 11 Year of the Seventh Astral Era, on the subject of synesthetic perceptions of aether. I personally perceive aether, in addition to visual manifestations, as both taste and sound. Occasionally, one sensation will dominate the other, and certain sounds and tastes aren’t exclusive to one elemental type.

“For this recording, I’ll describe the overall generalities I associate with different elemental aether; variance is high depending on factors such as location or origin, in terms of ambient or crystallized aether, or in the case of spells, if they are being performed correctly or are altered in some capacity.”

“How to spot the catastrophic boom just before the boom becomes catastrophic and it’s too late to do anything about it.”

Synnove sighed. Rere giggled.

“Y’sthola, remind me to recalculate the angle needed to ensure Rere lands in Silvertear if thrown from the highest tower in the Toll.”

“Hey!”

“You’d be fine, Hydaelyn likes you best.”

Rere pouted, lower lip pushed out to the point of exaggeration, which meant she wasn’t actually offended.

“To get back on topic: fire. Fire aether most frequently tastes like hot spices, such as peppers; coffee; red meat, such as buffalo; bitter chocolate; cherries; wine. Sound tends to be uniformly brass instruments such as horns and trumpets; very occasionally it can sound like metal striking metal.

“Earth aether is auditorily simple and gustatorily complex. The sound of earth is always rhythmic and steady, if not outright drumming; the sensation of it echoing follows fairly often, too. Taste runs a huge gamut: savory or sweet seasonings, such as cumin or cinnamon; white meat, such as pork; most vegetables, particularly green or starchy vegetables; certain fruits such as apples and figs; bread; cheeses; stews; whiskeys.”

“I’d call most of those foods ‘homey.’”

Synnove frowned thoughtfully. “That’s a fair assessment,” she said after a moment. “Earth aether tends to ‘taste’ comforting.”

“Does that mean Tyr is the ultimate comfort food?”

“Does that mean you want to go flying out of my office window into the harbor?”

“I’m going to shut up now!”

“See how long that lasts,” Synnove said under her breath while her sister smiled beatifically. “Where was I… Ah, wind.”

The Highlander frowned. “Wind aether is another oddity, taste-wise. Mint tends to present quite frequently, along with sweet chocolate, white grapes, vanilla, white wine, arak, olives, and scallions. Thankfully when it seems to be a combination of flavors, it’s complimentary…” She shook her head. “Sound is similar to flutes, chimes, whistles. Bit stereotypical, honestly.

“Lightning…” Synnove paused, frowning again. “Sound tends to be similar to specific string instruments such as violas and cellos; deeper sounds. Low notes on a piano or harpsichord, sometimes simple humming or vibrations. Taste does not tend to be strong, but most frequently has manifested as berries and/or stonefruits. Alcohols such as gin, palm wine, ouzo, and brandy.”

“That is not the element I’d consider boozy,” Rere said idly. She had lain back on the desk and was staring up at the huge arched ceiling of the tower office, twiddling her thumbs.

Synnove shrugged without further comment, already looking at the next item on the list Krile had transcribed on Y’shtola’s behalf. “Water is what one would think would be boozy but I have legitimately never tasted ‘boozy’ water aether before. Tropical fruits dominate; in terms of savory, as horrifically stereotypical as it is, seafood. But almost never in a way that makes sense, I once found a water cluster in a bluefin tuna’s belly that tasted like Coerthan oyster confit.”

“I remember that, you made the weirdest face.”

“I still can’t find the words to describe just how fucked up that taste versus visual dichotomy was. In any event, water aether also sounds like string instruments, mostly harps, dulcimers, and brighter pianos. Also, a very specific drum… Rere, what’s that staccato-sounding drum the Flames have been using in their parades of late?”

The lalafell picked her head up. “Snare drum?”

“That’s the one. Timpanis on occasion, too. And finally…ice. Sound leans towards woodwind instruments like the clarinet and piccolo, as well as bells. Any bell. Taste…hmm. Slaw, fruits that freezes well, fruit juices, Thavnairian sweet tea—”

“That is not tea, that is an abomination.”

“—some melons, cucumbers, white rum, wintergreen.”

“I still can’t believe you’ve never come across ice aether that tastes like the Bismarck’s root beer float.”

“They introduced it to the menu last year.”

“So?”

Synnove sighed that heavy, gusting sigh everyone who spent longer than thirty minutes with Rereha learned. “Y’shtola, I see a note here about Primordial Light and Dark, but I’ll do that in the next recording along with variations and discrepancies, as first, I need to beat my sister over the head with a grimoire—”

Rereha hopped down from the desk and ran for the office door, shouting BYE Y’SHTOLA I LOVE YOU BEST over her shoulder as she did.

“—and second, I’m hungry and now is a good time to break for lunch. Recording end.”

[End of recording. Is there anything else on which I may provide assistance?]

“No, that will be all for now—ah! Before I forget. Please create new nodal designation of own choice.”

[Clarification requested.]

“Pick a name for yourself.”

[…]

[Accessing imperial Allagan databases for repository of birth certificates. Scanning records.]

[Archive Node Unit 453 rename complete. Archive Node Unit 453 is now Kleio.]

Synnove smiled, pleased. “It’s nice to meet you, Kleio.”

[…Thank you. Database scans are currently inconclusive as relates to instruments in modern usage versus those of Allag. What samples are available to provide edification?]

The Highlander cocked her head, staring at the silver-and-green node for a few long moments, before another smile, this one slow and delighted, crossed her features. “I have a few orchestrion rolls that include solos and chamber music that you could listen to while I have lunch, and I can provide lists of which instruments are used in each piece.”

[That would be satisfactory.]

“Perfect! Let’s get you set up…”