#but it’s not how i got into hockey. it literally was fanfiction .

[cornerihaunt]

btw i have a whole cover story for my irl friends on how i got into hockey and no one has ever doubted it because it relies on me being a language nerd

[drysaladandketchup]

hi! sorry you can absolutely delete this if u don’t feel like answering or anything cause this is kind of vent-y (?) and isn’t like… actually a question but i am SO annoyed at some hockey fans and how they decide to treat leon. i am german and i live in america and the way leon gets treated in fanfictions and hockey discourse gives me serious flashbacks on how i am treated here. ik leon speaks perfect english but i wish people remembered that that’s still his second!!! language!!! it’s not his native language!!! sometimes he will come across differently then he actually is!!! his words will get twisted and he will be misunderstood because it’s not his native language!!!! every time he’s described as pissy and arrogant and rude (in a genuinely rude way) a vulnerable german kid living in america dies… 😔😔😔 and then the mattdrai fanfictions (admittedly i have not read that many because im just a not a big fan of the pairing but it was one of the main ships that got me into the fandom) i just hate that he seems to be so villainized (?). i might be biased (i am) lol but i am soo sick of it rrrr sorry sorry this got way too long. you just spoke about it before so i felt like you might understand where i'm coming from. peace

Oh my dear anon, people continuing to personify Leon as arrogant, emotionless, and rude is becoming my villain origin story. I'm happy to vent alongside you. I have talked about this before, and it does still bother me when I see it. Because I'm biased too. I love this guy haha.

Just for context, I'm Canadian, born and raised, and as of yet haven't lived in another country where I've had to fluently speak a second language or adjust to a culture I was not raised with. So I am by no means someone who can speak on that experience. But I'm sorry you've faced that kind of judgment.

I've written my thoughts on this subject before, here and here, so I'll try not to rehash everything I've said in the past. But as you say anon, I do think Leon is woefully misunderstood. He himself has said he thinks he's misunderstood, and that he comes off as too direct at times, that it's, 'probably the German in me.' He speaks English perfectly well, very fluently, and he's been living in Canada so long it would be weirder if he wasn't culturally affected and adjusted in some way. But he's still very much German; socially, culturally, linguistically. You don't just lose one entirely just because you've been exposed to and entrenched in another.

Sometimes he says things that can come off differently in English than probably intended, or at least that are easily misinterpreted by a North American audience, but that's a far cry from being 'pissy', as he's been branded by fans and media alike (also as an aside even people speaking their first language get their words mixed up and twisted sometimes, so I think we should just cut everyone some more slack when speaking maybe?).

And look, admittedly I've called him bitchy at times in my tags, as a joke, because yeah like literally any other person on earth, sometimes he says or does something that is snarky or poking fun or off-brand humour. But that's not inherently bad, nor is it inherently German. That's just part of his personality, a singular behaviour in a singular moment. I don't genuinely think he's an angry or aggressive or mean person. I think he's literally just a human being with multitudes.

His occasional tone of voice or his sometimes blunt way of speaking or his sarcastic sense of humour--things that could at least in part be because of his being German but are also not at all exclusive to or ubiquitous among Germans--is why some people make him out to be this aggressive or mean-spirited person, but like... obviously that is not only not true if you pay even an ounce of attention to him beyond a few choice soundbites and clips, but it's also insulting in general. As you say, people assuming the worst of you simply because of differences in communication or expression is the farthest thing from okay. Insinuating that he's brutish or emotionless or rude because he's German is obviously bigoted. It's xenophobic. Not to mention, as you said, it just makes it that much harder for other Germans to approach this audience without fearing they'll be judged the same way.

Now, obviously I don't know the guy personally, I only know what of him is public, but he seems like the farthest thing from rude or standoffish or arrogant. He really isn't any different from any other player (skills not withstanding), but for some reason he doesn't seem to get the same leeway between his on-ice persona and his off-ice persona, or from one instance to the next. For some reason, he's held under this microscope and reduced to his 'worst' moments more than a lot of other players I've seen. He does anything without a smile on his face or makes even one joke or comment that's less than flattering (or falls flat due to language differences), he's immediately made out to be a bad guy.

And to touch on mattdrai, which I do love a lot--and it's okay if it's not something you're into anon, you don't have to justify what you do or don't like :)-- I've said before that I think Matthew and Leon aren't always written very true to life. And I totally agree with you that the issue I sometimes see with Leon's characterization is that he is written like he's arrogant and lacking in emotion (at least outwardly), sometimes even acting like some overly-aggressive bully, and that's just so far from the reality that we know. And yes, some writers, like some fans, actively point to the fact that he's German to explain that. As if that's just how all Germans are, by nature of being German. Which, as I said and as you know anon, is so many kinds of wrong and horrible.

Yes yes he does dumb things on the ice sometimes and he and Matthew (and others) have exchanged shoves and whacks and chirps over the years. But again, if folks watched literally anything with Leon outside of those moments, they'd know that those are incidents, not his whole personality. I'm not over here pretending like he's never done anything wrong or questionable or stupid, but who hasn't? He's not a villain for that. Just like he's not perfect. We're all human.

Oof sorry anon this response got away from me a bit lol. Sorry if this got a little off topic, but I am nothing if not someone who rants and rambles. This topic drives me nuts; I can only imagine how upsetting and frustrating it is for you, as a German living in America.

But my ask box is always open for venting <3

[t00muchheart]

As I do when I am hyperfixating on something, I have read a LOT of supernatural fanfiction in the last few months, and I get a lot of the titles I read from other peoples’ recommendations or collections on ao3, so I figured I’d share some of my favorites in case anyone else is looking for recs :)

AUs:

Spirit of the West by teen_dean

This is a shock to literally no one who follows me because I regularly bring it up, but it honestly is one of the best things I’ve ever read. The 90s horse girl AU of your dreams (or, if you haven’t dreamed of one, that you never knew you needed). The storytelling is immaculate, the symbolism rich, and it only improves on re-reading

And this, your living kiss by opal_bullets

Poet Dean AU featuring genuinely beautiful comments on language and writing and how we encounter stories and words and what they can do, and also some honestly incredible poetry

where there is darkness by quiettewandering

Lighthouse keepers AU! this one is a bit mysterious and I did scream into a pillow after finishing it. If you know the story of the Flannan Isles lighthouse keepers, it is loosely inspired by that.

Phantasma by thisisapaige

Messy Dean, my beloved. Messy, Stanford-Era Dean, my beloved. Dean breaks off from John and buys a haunted house, and things sort of escalate.

For All You Young Hockey Players Out There, Pay Attention by thursdaysfallenangel

I don’t even watch hockey, but this AU kind of made me want to start. Rivals to friends to lovers all while dealing with the homophobia in the NHL

time has come today series by teen_dean

Team Free Will brings in teen Dean Winchester to help with a case, parallel worlds come into play; every version of Dean Winchester falls in love with Castiel & all the good stuff like that

What Baking Can Do by cowlovely

Baker & Dad Dean fic and Doctor Cas? What more could you ask for?

Everyone’s a Critic by Englandwouldfall

Food Critic Cas and Chef Dean meet in a truly unfortunate way. This is worth it for Cas’s reviews alone, but also the Dean-Gabriel dynamic

FROTUS by kathscradle

A President Cas, Restaurant Owner Dean romance that was honestly just a good time

Fix-Its:

take the bones, begin anew by JustStandingHere

This was one of the first fics I read and it is sort of peak disaster™ Dean Winchester. I love a good “I fixed up a house for you and didn’t realize it meant I was in love” fic and this one is iconic

i want to do with you (what spring does with cherry trees) by sobsicles

I ugly cry every time I read this fic. It is a run of Cas and Dean’s relationship in seasons 13-15 and has Dean making a friend and it hurts but also it’s so good. Maybe my favorite Sam line of any fic comes from this fic ("If he thinks what you two do is friendship, then I must just be some guy he happens to speak to sometimes.”)

break the skin (to break the barriers) by sobsicles

Dean gets tattoos, and as he does, he tells the tattoo artist his life story. This is a post-15x19 fic told from an outside perspective and it is so well-done

Dumbassery, Denial, Doing by sobsicles

Listen tbh this list could be dominated by sobsicles and so I am showing restraint by only including three of their works. Their Dean characterization is everything to me and this fic really highlights Dean growing to understand himself better when given the freedom to

Revisions by bizarrestars

THEE what if Dean and Cas got together earlier and Chuck just wrote it out? fic.

a turn of the earth by microcomets

I love a work that explores pre-series Dean, and this one is great. Basically, think what-if later seasons Cas and pre-series Dean met (Strandlines by aeli_kindara is another good example of this premise, but in Strandlines, it is pre-series Cas as well as pre-series Dean).

psalm 40:2 by unicornpoe

On a similar note, psalm 40:2 is a great pre-series Dean, future-Cas fic. I am a bi Dean believer but this fic did sway me toward the gay Dean camp because it’s simply so good.

You Belong Among the Wildflowers by ImYourHoneyBee

Dean fixing his relationship with Jack? You got it. Dean trying to work through losing Cas? Yep. Dean getting Cas back by being stubborn? It’s there.

Who You Gonna Call? by saintedcastiel

Dean has a ghost following him around as he tries to start a life post-series, and for a while, he can’t figure out what’s happening. I love nothing more than Dean telling people he and Cas were married because he doesn’t know how else to explain and this fic delivers so hard

quilts by fleeceframe

A “Cas didn’t confess before getting taken to the Empty” fic. Soft things all around

Miscellaneous:

Fathers & Daughters by sinnabonka

On a different note, this is one of my favorite Claire fics. It looks at Claire’s relationship with Cas and the impossibility of it, and it’s so artfully done.

Bus Loop Madness by batz_in_blue

Literally just a “what if everyone lived, Jack was a toddler, and they all picked him up from school?” AU. I audibly laughed while reading this, and it’s an essential pick-me-up from the heavier fics.

More of my favorite sobsicles fics include: gorging myself on you, still can’t get full (insatiable), and he’s back (with a mind of his own), six hundred sundays (and many more), oh sooner or later it all comes down to faith, things happen (they do, they do, and they do), according to all known laws of life, and profoundly bonded (by law)

Also, honorable mentions to Ninety One Whiskey, which is such a good fic, and Make a Believer Outta Me, which is a Hocus Pocus AU that is honestly just a fun time.

[goldfishontheceiling]

some random reboot headcanons because I just finished season 1 but you can clearly tell who my favorites are

Lauren/Scary Girl is so transfem demigirl to me and I can't explain why

Lauren showed Damien smile HD and/or cupcakes and now he's traumatized

Damien got into science from those grow your own crystal kits

I feel like he has a favorite word

Lauren got Damien a cactus and he named it after the shade of green it was

Raj taught Bowie how to ice skate

Raj has absolutely no storage space on his phone so Bowie's always the one taking photos

Wayne will tease Raj about literally anything but if he notices Raj getting upset he immediately stops

They play wrestle CONSTANTLY (and Bowie has to watch and make sure nobody breaks anything)

Wayne LOVES pies

He actually gets pie for his birthday more then he does cake

Bowie wears perfume (sometimes)

He eventually starts understanding Wayne and Raj's hockey lingo after hanging around them so much

He most definitely took Raj clothes shopping atleast once

Bowie got Raj a fidget slug and he fucking loves it and takes it everywhere

Wayne and Raj started collecting fidget toys after that

Axel keeps having this recurring dream where she cooks and eats her neighbor's cat (this started as an inside joke but I kinda see it)

She cuts her bangs herself

Chase livestreamed himself reading fanfictions about himself with Ripper and Zee (it ended with Chase curled up on the floor crying, Zee trying to comfort him, and Ripper going on a rant about why Andrew Tate isn't an alfalfa male)

Chase has been banned from multiple public places including but not limited to: Disneyland, Disneyworld, every Walmart in Canada, most Targets, about 5 McDonald's, and two malls

Chase has low empathy, while Emma has high empathy, which leads to a lot of disagreements

This mf is like the JayStation of Total Drama of course he makes 3am challenges and dark web videos (and of course has gotten canceled)

His parents most definitely said that "boys will be boys" bullshit

Zee most definitely likes the emperors new groove

Actually, he likes a lot of movies, but he sometimes forgets that he's watching them halfway through

Zee's a skater, and really well liked at the skate park he goes to

Everyone assumes he hates water because of how much he drinks soda, but he doesn't and says that soda is just "more his vibe"

Zee's absosexual and agender with all pronouns

When I tell you Emma has Chase blocked on EVERYTHING I mean EVERYTHING

She has slight anger issues (and trust issues)

Emma really likes sunsets

Ripper has dandruff and I can't explain what makes me think that I just do

He's also dyslexic because I said so

Priya's parents were friends with Sierra and were super jealous when she got on the show, which led to them falling out

Sierra actually recognized Priya for this reason, and got into contact with her after s1 ended

Sierra is basically Priya' crazy aunt

Priya ran away after s2 because she didn't want to face her parents after losing, and she moves in with either Millie or Sierra

Millie makes video essays where she just infodumps

Nichelle is so cupiromantic idk why

MK has been wearing that same beanie since they were 9

They had an emo phase in middle school

Also non-binary they/she/he MK is so real

Julia and MK have so much Twitter beef

Julia sold her crystals after s1 (Damien bought all of them)

If you recognize her in public she will RUN

Blaineley is her wine aunt and you can't tell me otherwise

and some random charts

[cedric-sensational38]

Looking for Inside Out 2 RP Partner!

Hello! It has been sooooo long since I have been on here, but I really want to do an rp between Anxiety and the other emotions in headquarters. I usually am a literate roleplayer, so my responses will never be under a paragraph. I love detail! And I prefer to rp on discord as well. I write like I am writing an actual story.

As for my ideas, I have two that I would like to do:

As Riley gets older, she is accumulating more and more things that she has to worry about, control and plan for. Possibly things like juggling between having a boyfriend, friends, school life, hockey, family.....all at the same time. She has new responsiblilties like driving, maybe getting an after school job, etc. And all of this causes her Anxiety to be working over time, and making it harder for the other emotions to stop her from spiraling. Her Anxiety is getting bigger to handle......literally. As Anxiety quite literally grows bigger and has a harder and harder time controlling her worrying thoughts and spirals, the other emotions have to figure out how to stop her from completely taking control of Riley again.

This idea I actually got from a fanfiction on AO3. What if some kind of strange event happened that resulted in Anxiety, and maybe another one of Riley's emotions, getting projected outside of her mind and into the real world? This one is less developed than my first idea since I don't really know what would happen to cause this or how they would get back into Riley's mind. My partner could either play as Riley or another emotion. If the later, we could decide whether one of us will be Riley as well, or Anxiety and the other emotion just hide from Riley until they figure out how to get back into her mind.

If you are interested in either scenario, please let me know!

[thatsnotbuddies]

📚

FLYERS HEIST AU

Instead of hockey, they just go on heists and steal shit. And, like, they're not the greatest at it and things always go laughably awry but somehow they always find a way out at the end.

I swear to god I will find a way to fit every guy into this story. So far I've got:

Danny B as the guy that gives them the targets (a la Charlie of Charlie’s Angels). TK as the guy who can charm info out of strangers (or fight it out of them, either way works). Seeler and Dlo as the muscle (ty Amy for the inspo).

Beezer and Frosty they send out to do scouting or whatever because they can look just Just Some Guys but sometimes Beezer goes wait which guy is our target again? in his earpiece or he and Frosty get way too into a dumb hypothetical argument while they're sitting around (How many ducks would it take to kill a full grown rhino?) and lose track of their target - to the exasperation of the guys in the comms truck.

Rookie task team which has like Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Cam York, Jamie D, Egor Z.

Coots who's a real vet at this heist thing. Nothing the young guys get themselves into surprises him because he's seen it before. He just sighs and goes to bail them out, thinking about how he can't believe he used to get into shit like this with G and Jake and Simmer and– anyway. No time to be nostalgic, half the rookie task team just accidentally locked themselves in the bank safe. Z do not blow it up to get them out.

Laughts is the same. He's been at this for a long time. He knows the city like the back of his hand, every shortcut and every secret passageway. Somehow has connections you wouldn't even think to ask about.

Sanny who got dragged into this because TK showed up at his house and said get in the car I need your help and he's been a part of every heist since.

Tippy idk but there will be a scene where's in a casino looking hot exactly like this:

And I have not forgotten about our beloved goalies I just haven't assigned them something yet.

tl;dr flyers but it's ocean's 8 meets fahc (iykyk) (if u don't, literally don't worry about it)

'explaining the plot of a fanfiction that I haven't written but daydream about' ask

[msmargaretmurry]

lmao some people on twitter are acting like matthew tried to sneakily shiv beddard in the kidney and not like he shoved him a bit lol. last playoffs did irreparable damage to steve dangle i fear he is obsessed with matthew like leave her alone get a job

oh yeah lol he's definitely a bitch eating crackers to some people. literally doesn't matter what he does, they will decide that it's the worst thing a hockey player has ever done. i choose to believe these people are simply at the beginning of their own personal haters to lovers arcs.

(i do also however think often about that video where that minnesota radio(?) guy was asking filip gustavsson what he and matthew were talking about on the ice during one game, and filip was like "nothing really, i asked him how brady was doing, because we played together in ottawa, but then he got pulled into the scrum, but afterward he came back over like 'wait what was your question?'" and the radio guy was like "haha i really thought he would have been saying the nastiest stuff!" so i really think the sports media men are out there writing their own little sexy antagonist matthew tkachuk fanfictions in their heads, lmao.)

[agerefandom]

10 Favourite Regression Dynamics

I’ve made lists of some characters I headcanon as regressors, and characters I headcanon as caregivers: and I love a good ‘character and reader’ dynamic, but here are some canon dynamics that I LOVE to add age regression to! 

Important note: these aren’t necessarily romantic ‘ships’ and they might not be healthy age regression dynamics but they’re dynamics I find it rewarding to write about! 

1. regressor!Will and caregiver!Hannibal (NBC Hannibal) 

Starting strong with a regression dynamic that is not healthy but it is such an interesting thing to add to their existing codependence! Will gives me such agere vibes and Hannibal’s existing trauma around his big brother history make this such an interesting dynamic to explore. It definitely tilts the power balance faaaar in the direction of someone who will take the opportunity to do terrible things with it, but that’s basically what you’re signing up for with any story about Hannibal Lecter. 

2. regressor!Jack and caregiver!Bitty (Check Please!) 

No one exudes stronger caregiver vibes than Bitty: I’m definitely a supporter of this as a double-flip pairing (with both regressing and caregiving) but I want the sad hockey man to get cuddles, goshdarnit, and you know that Bitty would just be the sweetest most thoughtful caregiver and I just gah they’re already such a good pairing with such canonically developed communication as a couple and I would love to see that skill applied to something as vulnerable as regression 

 3. regressor!Harry and caregiver!Sirius (Harry Potter) 

If anyone deserves a chance at a second childhood, it’s Harry Potter. And I think that when he connected with Sirius as a young teen, he really saw that possibility. I think it would be so sweet to see Sirius actually able to give Harry that full parenting: both at the age he is now, and all the ages that he missed. I just strongly feel like Harry is a regressor, and as much as I like writing him with peers supporting him, I feel like he deserves a real parent figure who can support him in that role in and out of regression, especially in his teen years. 

4. regressor!Jon and caregiver!avatars (Magnus Archives) 

Okay, this is more of a whump thing than a good dynamic, but I just want to see little!Jon dealing with avatars when they’re being nice to him, and it’s like 90% manipulation but it’s also a bunch of monsters being sweet and you can kind of read it as genuine if you squint. I’ve got a vision and it includes literally any of the not-quite-human characters of the Magnus Archives, ranging from the mostly-sweet (End!Gerry) to the completely-terrifying (Bouchard). 

5. regressor!Tony, caregiver!Pepper (Marvel) 

This is the first pairing that ever made me run to write regression fanfiction, and I do believe that I would not be an agere writer without them. Ironically, I’ve never finished and published any of my fics about them, but they have my whole heart. Taking Tony’s earlier unthinking dependence on Pepper and bringing it back in a healthy way, with limits and negotiation and emotional vulnerability, showing how much they’ve grown as a couple? Yes please!! 

6. regressor!Cullens, caregivers!Carlisle and Esme (Twilight)

I am such! a! sucker! for immortal beings finding a way to reclaim the concept of time and childhood. Carlisle and Esme canonically find a lot of value in being parents, and considering that they’re such a range of ages, I think that regression is a neat way to create that dynamic, and I just like big groups of regressors in a family and it scratches all of those interests in one!! 

7. regressor!Morty, flip!Rick (Rick and Morty) 

It’s the toxicity for me!!! I make no claims that this would be a good thing, but also I enjoy writing about the things that trigger Rick’s ‘oh shit I have feelings’ mode and you can’t tell me that regression would not key into that, both in his own experiences as a flip and then having to face it as part of Morty’s trauma. And Morty simultaneously trying to get away into independence but getting drawn back by Rick’s kindness in this single circumstance ties into all of the terrible themes of the show. 

8. regressor/caregiver flips Dean and Sam (Supernatural) 

Speaking of codependence, I cannot choose which of these boys is more symbolically resonant to have as a regressor, and both of them certainly have enough trauma to make it a viable coping mechanism. I think they have the art of balancing each other down to an art: especially in the early seasons, you can really see that process in the way they take turns being the Angry one. Writing about that balance in the context of regression is an interesting concept, and then the way that Dean relates to caregiving versus needing care, and Sam’s desperation to be the reliable one... it’s just a lot of tasty angst to play with alongside the sweet opportunity for a childhood without the war they were raised to fight. 

9. regressor!Erik, caregiver!Christine (Phantom of the Opera) 

Okay, this one is like ninety percent for the aesthetics, because you do need to do some handwaving over canon to make it fluffy. But Erik needs reparenting, and flipping the relationship from the original dynamic with Erik as a kind of father-figure is a nice way to reclaim the story from the original gothic maiden themes. 

10. regressor!Dave, caregiver!Roxy (Homestuck)

All hail my Ride Or Die regression dynamic!!! It’s basically canon and I stand by that! Dave called her mom and said that it feels nice to think of her as a mom because he had such a mixed experience with his own parental figure. And she’s got her own complicated feelings about parenthood and guardianship, but says that she likes it when Dave calls her mom, and it all just makes me very happy.  

This has been my TEDtalk on my favourite regression dynamics!! Thank you for coming!! 

[the-great-knight-gay]

List of favorite versions of these characters

List of my favorite iterations of different characters:

This is an opinion:

Spider-Man

I just love how nuanced and developed this take on Spidey is. All are great in their own terms but I have personally felt more of a connection to this Spidey more than anyone else, with only Andrew Garfield's coming close because I just love that the whole mannerisms are just so real.

He experiences anger and sadness and so many other negative emotions. He doesn't have to be the happy one all the time because that's unrealistic. It has a more grounded apporach than Tobey Maguire's Spidey but not as much as Andrew Garfield, giving the perfect balance for a quality comic book movie character. It's not too campy but has just the right amount.

The main problem is the fanfiction writers treating him like a five year old when he is not. This is a developed and mature character. How everyone just treats him like a baby is beyond me. His last appearance had him try to murder a man with his bare hands (and a weaponized glider). There was no baby in that scene.

Next up it's Batman.

This one has so much potential. I don't have as much to discuss but I just feel drawn to it for some reason. The incredibly dark, emotional feel seems to just work for Batman and Robert Pattinson just nails it. The only other one that comes close is Christian Bale who unfortunately puts me off with two things. The design and the voice.

You can't tell me Batman sounds like he gargles with battery acid. Also... hockey pads? Really Nolan?

Next up... Percy Jackson. (Reminder that I am only putting in live action ones as I have not seen the Lightning Thief play but I have been told it's great)

This one is no contest.

While Logan Lerman was actually a perfect casting for the 16 year old Son of Poseidon, his performance was slightly bogged down by the movie he was in. Logan and the Lotus scene was probably the only thing I would ever like about the movies. Walker on the other hand, while we have only seen him in trailer as of right now, is the perfect Percy. I don't care about his looks because the entire reason PJO was created was to send the message that anyone, whether they have dyslexia or ADHD, can be a hero. The whole part of Percy's design doesn't matter, just as long as he looks like Poseidon. That's the only part that matters. Just like how Annabeth's design doesn't matter as the whole idea of it was that anyone can be smart, despite being discriminated against for their appearance. THIS LITERALLY MEANS IT MAKES MORE SENSE FOR HER TO BE BLACK RATHER THAN BLONDE. STOP BULLYING LEAH YOU RACIST NERDS ON THE INTERNET. NOT THAT I'M HATING ON NERDS THO I AM ONE AND THIS ARGUMENT IS LITERALLY TO DEFEND THE ULTIMATE NERD.

Anyway back to Percy. Walker is Percy Jackson. Anyone seen Secret Headquarters and The Adam Project? It's like seeing Percy come to life. Anyone who says 'Ever had your ass beat by a twelve year old nerd with an inhaler' in that tone is Percy Jackson. His entire mannerism just is the chaotic energy of Percy. Plus, Rick Riordan has said that he has encouraged Walker to embrace anger in the show rather than just be the stereotypical morally superior protagonist. THIS PERCY WILL SHOW EMOTION AND ANGER AND EVERYTHING. THAT IS PERCY. From the start, he has always had a slightly darker streak, from manipulating Procrustes into lying in his literal death bed to manipulating the tears and poison of the misery goddess (No idea where the fandom got the idea of blood bending that's not part of the scene)

Honestly, all I've heard from this kid is just Percy Jackson. He is Percy.

For the final one we have Superman and Lex Luthor.

This is the best ever Clark Kent I have seen. He shows both the alien side and the human side of Kal-El so well. Henry Cavill was amazing but we never saw really saw Clark enough. More of the Kal-El side. This is probably because of the lack of appearance due to all the weird problems with the DCEU which was disappointing as he was gearing up to take the new favorite spot for me. Welling on the other hand, had so much time, evolving and developing this character that is was just hard not to see Welling when I hear Clark.

Despite the lack of suiting up (Which was fixed by the Season 11 comics and Smallville Tie-ins) he managed to bring the essence of Superman into the show so well. His time as the Red-Blue Blur and The Blur managed to show both his heroic side and his darker side, adding a much more emotionally invested side to the character. Rather than just making him the morally correct character who can do no wrong and assumes the best in everyone like most people think of when they see Superman, Smallville's version shows him as a person making him have flaws, doubts, anger, emotion and so much trails.

His friendship and rivalry with Lex, paired with Tom Welling's amazing chemistry with Michael Rosenbaum, created such amazing on screen banter and added a new layer to his character, giving him a large parallel to one of his greatest enemies.

Both started off wanting to be just good. The main difference was parentage. Clark was lucky to get Jonathan and Martha. He may have had some hiccups with Jor-El but Jor-El at least wanted to give him a good path. Lex had Lionel. Lionel was abusive, via neglect and hate. Lionel was the real reason why Lex had no hope of becoming a hero. This came into play heavily in the earlier seasons of Smallville.

Smallville was always a three act play.

Act 1: Season 1-3

This one focused on fathers and sons

So much of this was about Jonathan and Clark, Lionel and Lex, Henry Small and Lana, Jor-El and Clark, even Gabe and Chloe for a bit.

Act 2: 4-7

This one helped develop the characters through their interactions with each other while building the Krypton sub-plot.

This was how Lana's relationship with Clark and Lex grew and fell.

This was how Chloe grew to be one of Clark's most trusted confidants.

This was about how Clark and Lex's friendship started failing.

All the while, we finally were introduced to actual characters from the comic books other than Lex, Lana, Clark, Pete and Clark's parents.

We saw The Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, Green Arrow and Black Canary.

We were introduced to Lois Lane of all people which gave everyone my favorite version of the character, rivalled only by My Adventures with Superman and Superman and Lois.

We saw Brainiac, Bizarro and Supergirl.

This truly marked the end of the fathers and sons arc with Jonathan suffering a heart attack and Lex truly becoming the villain after murdering his Father, a fate he had tried so hard to stop in the earlier seasons.

Then we got the final act.

Act 3: Seasons 8-10

This was the act where Clark truly became a hero. He stepped out of the shadows as the Red-Blue Blur. He took on Doomsday. He finally defeated Brainiac. Lois and Clark became a thing. We saw his dark side as he became The Blur, with his trenchcoat and we saw him evolve past his dark side and then finally, he donned the cape.

This was truly the greatest version of Superman.

Now you must be waiting for the Lex one.

Of course it will be Smallville's Lex.

Michael Rosenbaum was PERFECT.

He will be the only Lex I ever see.

His take on the character was just so emotional and perfect.

His relationship with Clark and his slow descent to madness and evil but just perfect.

That day on the bridge changed his life but it also changed all of ours.

Everyone who saw Smallville knew that Clark and Lex would become enemies and yet it still hurt.

Let's be honest, this scene broke everyone.

This was when there truly was no return.

This just cemented what everyone knew would happen.

This was truly the greatest pair in TV history.

They've come a long way from this:

Knight out.

[thehomelybadger]

26 Questions about Run at the Cup.

Hi!

Since I just finished off my 33 chapter Arcane/CaitVi Hockey AU fanfiction, I asked folks for any questions that they might have about the universe (or just for me) around the fanfiction. So I thought that I'd pull them all together, answer them in one big post, and then direct folks here.

These questions are mostly pulled from twitter or discord, and are asked anonymously. If you're new to it/have never heard of it, you can check out the fanfiction here:

My asks are always open if you want to pepper me with more questions - I literally love talking about my process and creating stuff. But yeah, let's get the ball rolling!

These questions have spoilers up to the epilogue (chapter 33) of Run at the Cup.

One of your original goals for RATC was to include a sex scene in every chapter, and you later decided that didn't suit the story that it ended up being. How far, exactly, did you stray from that goal?

I think the first disc stuck to the format of smut-a-chapter pretty well, but as soon as I got to chapter 7 and 8 in my planning, I really had to take a step back from the idea of smut-a-chapter. Part of doing that was a friend of mine pointing out that another fic - breakneck - already was a smut-a-chapter offering, and the other part was around chapter 7 and 8 was when we really got a look at the Landsman abuse and I wanted to focus more on telling a story of healing instead of a sexual relationship. It felt the best narratively for Vi to take a step back and appreciate boundaries, and at that point we were 100% of the rails of the original vision. I also had my friend Felix - he drew the art for the fic - point out that the story was way more important than the smut when I complained that sometimes I just wasn’t feeling up to writing smut.

Caitlyn obviously makes a point to never sleep with another hockey player except for Landsman and Vi. Vi rather vocally does not have that rule. Are there any players we see in RatC that she has a history of that nature with?

Ahh, crucially, Caitlyn and Vi both adhere to the rule of no teammates. I actually think both have had flings  with hockey players, but probably not anyone that we spend much time hanging out with. I hint at Sarah Fortune and Vi having a past-tense fling that I never really expanded upon, and at one point I wanted to write some Caitlyn and Evelynn one night stand stuff that never really felt right after I abandoned the whole smut-a-chapter premise.

There are so many characters in ratc, and so many povs, how did you get into each of their heads and give them all their own voice that stayed consistent throughout the story?

So one of my other hobbies - other than hyperfixating on a fictional hockey team - is dungeons and dragons as a forever DM. My rule for creating NPCs is to give them a ‘pillar’ - essentially one solid character trait that I can lean back on when viewing things through their lens. Claggor, for instance, was always trying to teach and never raised his voice. Poppy was always going to be cheerful and loyal. Leona was always serious, except when dealing with Diana. Mylo was never serious, until there was a weak moment. All of those ‘pillars’ helped shepherd me in the right direction - the only characters I didn’t really have a pillar for were the hockey announcers, who’s entire personality can be summed up as ‘hockey announcers’.

When did you realize this was going to become Big™ , or was this all the plan from the beginning?

If I ever knew when anything was going to be big in terms of wordcount, I’d be much more successful at writing. The real time I knew was somewhere in Disc 2 when I had written like 3 10k+ word count chapters in a row. I remember thinking ‘oh, shit, I’m fucked’. What’s crazy about this is that I still feel like I left some story threads on the table - I could write 80k more of just Sumprats shenanigans, easily. In terms of Big as in popularity - dude I have no idea when I knew. I still don't really believe it.

Which was your favorite smut scene to write?

Oh man - hands down the hotel smut scene in the Summer Isles  - though that’s technically cheating, because the smut doesn’t actually happen. But I can see it like a shot in a movie - the slow tracking shot over the discarded clothes with some energetic, strumming guitar over top while we see the bed come into frame, the pan over and continued tracking towards the bathroom - all this evidence of wild sex. If the question is ‘which smut scene that’s actually smut’, I’m going with the phone sex scene - it was good to finally get these characters admitting how much they liked one another.

How did you pick and choose which LoL champions (not from Arcane) you brought into your world? As there are so many available and ones you picked seemed to work so well. Was it 'character is hot/cool and I just want to write them', 'I need a champion that would play hockey/act in x way' or any other way

A variety of reasons! Illaoi was included solely because my wife thinks she’s super hot, but for me it became characters I really liked, characters I could see the personality of, and characters I could ape the kit of in some way. Ahri being charming and evasive, Illaoi’s tentacle-like poke checking, Diana being good in close, and Leona being a hard hitting defender were all nods to the league kits, among others. Basically, when I was filling out the roster and was out of Arcane character slots, I started grabbing characters based on what role I envisioned for them on the team and backfilled from there. I’m glad I did their personalities justice!

I'd love to know, if it isn't a bother for you to explain it, the process behind you deciding each character's position on the ice and skillset. I'm basically in awe of how you took each character from the show/game and made them each a particular type of hockey player. But you might have talked about this already so no worries if it's too repetitive!

It all depended on what I wanted to write for the most part, and I approached it from two angles - what was most interesting for me to write dynamically, as in action wise, and what was most interesting for me to write emotionally, as in what they brought to the Sumprats as a whole. I leaned on a lot of sports knowledge that I’ve accrued over my 31 years around the sun, and figured out what archetypes would be most fun and narratively satisfying to convey. So, as an example - Claggor’s soft and assured ‘we’re gonna get you out’ from the show was a big big reason why I made him an enforcer - the quiet confidence and clear smarts. Poppy being undersized but a major bruiser in the game led to her entire personality and playstyle. Ahri being a winking and confident figure in LoL lore led to her being a flashy and charming person with a lot of scoring - etc etc etc. It came together fairly organically!

If you had to pick another sport as the medium to tell the story, which sport would it be? Ik you were intending on making it a hockey story with lesbians vs a lesbian story with hockey, but do you think the sport and play of hockey specifically were integral to how to told the story/the journey of the characters?

This is such a tough question to answer, because I’m not sure I could’ve told it with any other sport. Hockey is inherently chaotic, and the beautiful thing about it is that it comes down to players - you can have a grand strategy, but sometimes it’s just ‘our player is the best on the ice’ and that’s enough. I think there’s probably a pretty awesome Rugby story in here, maybe - or football/soccer - I can see their roles with Caitlyn as an attacking midfielder and Vi as a sweeper or something, but both of those are far more team focused. Also, hockey is lesser known of the major sports, and I felt like talking about how goofy it sometimes is to folks who might not know about it.

What did you learn during/after writing this that you didn't expect?

Such a good question. I learned that I love writing big casts of characters and I learned that I have a knack for conveying what I see on the page. I also learned that I can tell a story that goes every way possible in terms of POV and style, and that having a bunch of threads to tie up is an awesome problem to have. I also learned that I’m somewhat fragile as a creator, and that taking steps to protect myself from having my feelings hurt doesn’t make me selfish - just makes me human.

If you had to support a team yourself (not including the Sumprats), who would you support and why?

Can you imagine Bilgewater Schooners twitter? Can you imagine how batshit insane it must be? I’d be 100% on board with that franchise.

Why wasn’t there more Grapes content?

You all weren’t ready for it. The world still isn’t ready.

Is there something you wished you could've explored more but didn't get the chance?

So many things. So so many things. This is why RATC is crazy to me in hindsight because I felt like I left a lot of meat on the bone when the fic is like 300k long and is one of the longest CaitVi fics around. SarcastCity and I joked about a whole sequence where Mylo strikes out with a bunch of women, I didn't get into the Evelynn sub-sub-subplot, I barely scratched the surface on MOST of the K/Da stuff that I wanted to do, CaitVi adopted a dog at one point, there was an entire anti-police side of the fic that I just cut because it didn’t really fit into the vibe of the fic (you can still see foreshadowing of it in early chapters), there was originally going to be an entire other side to the water reparations where we’d see grainy footage of Silco and Cassandra arguing about it and that’s how a lot of it was revealed - before I decided to make Powder more of a central figure in the documentary. The entire fic changed in a bunch of little moments. Art is cool that way - it kinda leads ya where you need to go sometimes.

Who was someone that you enjoyed writing a lot that you didn't expect to?

When I put Graves into the fic, I never would’ve expected to fucking love writing him as much as I did. As soon as I wrote his first book snippet, I knew that I needed to stop immediately because if I wasn’t careful he’d take over the entire fucking fic. Second place was every scrap of podcast content - it’s so addictive to write this meta-narrative bullshit about your own world building. It’s just giving you a reason to talk about your own fic in universe and I had to stop myself from writing 13 more Taylor Swiffer sequences. Lastly, twitter was always a blast to get going. Shout out to everyone who loaned me their likeness for that!

You’re a pretty big basketball fan Badger, and knowledgeable at that, is there any reason you chose Hockey besides you also liking it? Like, did you feel the “action” would be better?

There are no sanctioned fistfights in basketball, which was a huge L. In all seriousness, I considered a basketball fic before going with hockey because, while I love basketball with my whole badgussy, hockey has so much more meat on the bone with regard to playstyle and expression. You have hitters, shooters, goalies being weird, you’ve got gum chewing angry people and hockey stadium chants. Hockey is a vibe that I really was excited to convey, and basketball - to me, anyways - has less of a physical aspect to it and it’s a little less entertaining to write about. Baskets happen all the time in ball, but in hockey, a goal is celebrated by everyone on the ice, everyone gets a fistbump, and the action stops while the crowd gets to rewatch it over and over. You don’t get any better than that for narrative drama.

You've talked some about the sumprats superstitions, but who is the most superstitious and what are some sumprats superstitions

Ashe is probably the most superstitious, but all sports players are superstitious to some degree or another - especially hockey people. I think every time Leona tapes her stick up, she has to unwind the first piece once - because that’s the way she did it when she scored her first goal. Claggor probably wears the same style of socks that he had when he was 18. Riven’s skates are a size too small, because she believes it makes her faster. Graves needs Caitlyn to tap his post before every game he’s in net otherwise he won’t play.

What was the hardest part for you, as a writer, to get through?

The entire fic came together relatively quickly, honestly. I wrote it in less than a year and most of the time in big 2-6 hour chunks of my day. I think the most challenging thing from a craft standpoint was the Landsman Scandal - because it had so many moving parts and I was using a character invented solely for that sequence in wewon1, and you needed to like her and buy into her right off the bat. I also needed to balance out how heavy the chapter was with moments that the reader could breathe around - I didn’t want to evoke a desperate, awful thing, but I wanted to inform. It took a few days of serious brainstorming before I got it the way I wanted it, and even then I was making edits in the posting window of Ao3. But in terms of actual hardness to write - the run up to the finals was really tough to get through because I felt like not much was happening narratively and I really needed to work at it to get it where I wanted it. The actual physical typing of the story wasn’t hard, but the games were annoying me a lot - they always felt too slow or sluggish or poorly conveyed. The thing I’m most proud of looking back is definitely the Powder chapter - I wish I had done more of that.

Why is Landsman so hot? Why did you have to make Landsman so hot? Should I speak with my therapist about this?

Oh yes. Immediately.

The story focused on Cait and Vi but as a whole was a story about team dynamics - little pieces like Hot Girl Shit, characters we would consider unremarkable as irl players like Poppy or Mylo, the gradual push of Graves to Ekko as main tendie - that grew into their own stories. Was this a case of supporting cast offering spontaneous great idea opportunities that you went along with, or was it always planned that X character would get X storyline?

I didn’t really set out with these storylines in mind, but one of the things I wanted from the get was this line to be true: “Usually, it’s the people who sit five, six seats from the starting lineup that give you the edge. Our job as leaders is to make sure that when those folks’ numbers get called, they’re ready.” - Vi, chapter 4. I wanted to basically reinforce that idea by having the players grow into something that was stalwart and could be relied upon, and just let the characters kinda swirl around with that idea. I didn’t realise that Ashe would wind up being so important but I kind of fell in love with her as I wrote her game - same goes for Riven’s speed and Darius’ faceoff potential. 

Which supporting character that isn’t Mylo ended up being your fave?

If it’s cheating to say Sevika, then I loved Poppy. Every scene Poppy is in I just had a blast writing, but gum-chewing, constantly glaring, scowling while insisting she’s smiling Sevika really leapt off of my keyboard. If I allow myself to take credit for any one thing, it’s casting Sevika as a coach.

if Vander hadn't died and had become the Sumprats coach instead of Sevika, would Vi still have been drafted by them and how would she have felt about it? 

Woof. It’s hard to see Mel hiring Vander, but say that she did and Vander coached Vi - adult Vi, 32 year old Vi with all she feels towards him - I can only really see it as Vi demanding out. She wouldn’t have the ego to get him fired, but I don’t think she’d be willing to play for him after everything. I also think the Sumprats are nowhere near as good with Vander as a coach - in my head Vander was good enough to drill Vi’s lessons into her head but had no idea how to keep a team intact, and that was Sevika’s specialty - the ‘us vs them’ mentality is all her.

I'd love to hear anything about your writing process. When you do it, how you think and feel about it, etc.

My writing process begins with having a very patient wife who puts up with me being glued to a screen for 6 hours at a time while talking to myself - usually in funny voices or imitating crowd yelling. I also do a lot of my dialogue in the shower where nobody can judge the faces I make - most of Caitlyn’s speech and the podcast dialogue came from me showering and yelling to myself, getting hyped up, and trying to remember lines. I basically do my functional adult tasks with the sequences I want to convey running on my head in a loop, until it’s time to sit down and crank it out. One part of my process that I don’t recommend is that when I sit down to write, I don’t get up until the chapter’s done. For me it’s a straight shot or it doesn’t get done at all - I need the entire flow to work on that one sitting. It has the side effect of my wife watering me and feeding me while I’m glued to banging words out onto a screen, and occasionally I’ll come up for air to refill my water battle and talk to her about her Animal Crossing island or something - anything - that isn’t hockey lesbians, before I go back to my cave.

obligatory question about which scene you were most looking forward to writing

So, chapter 32 was basically in my head the entire time I was writing the fic - everything between chapter 2 and 32 was me impatiently jiggling my leg waiting until I could write the Won’t Back Down song from the crowd. But the more surprising bit was how much I was looking forward to the karaoke scene - I wound up putting it off a few times in the fic until I was finally able to lock it down right after the Landsman Scandal, which felt like a great time to put it - just the idea that we all could use a break - as readers and characters in the story - and then we get one. Also, Pray is a fucking HILARIOUS song and I love that I got to use it.

if caitlyn and vi were to have a dog in this universe, what kind, what would they name it, and what would jinx choose to call it instead

This was actually a cut plot point at one time - the dog adoption sequence. They have a boxer named Bowser who has three legs, and Powder calls him Leonardo because it’s not his name but he squints sometimes like DiCaprio, and one time he ate an entire cheese pizza.

actually, kind of bouncing off my other question, are there any scenes that weren't originally planned that you really like?

Originally, there was no Melvika - it was a Melora subplot. But then I wrote that initial conversation between Mel and Sevika where they meet and Sevika passes her test and I thought to myself ‘oh.’ Every single Melvika moment was unplanned but I loved crafting it, showing this little love story in the margins of the page that was slowly and steadily unfolding.

Did you decide to change any major plot points after you'd started writing?

Two major ones: First and most impactful, there was going to be a riot in the original story that led to the team rallying behind the city - it was going to be this sequence of each of the Sumprats walking into the practice facility saying ‘have you heard, yet?’ that tied in what actually happened. But it felt tonally out of place and I was already really invested in exploring the abuse aspect of the fic, so I scrapped it - it’s a story worth telling at some point but the feel-good underdog sports fic wasn’t the place to explore that space. Another more impactful thing that certainly won’t be surprising to some: Vi’s injury was initially going to be a career ender. When SarcastCity and I started talking around the end of Disc 2, I actually told her that version of the story - that Vi’s knee is busted irrevocably and Caitlyn has to win without her, and the two have to find their way towards one another in a bittersweet finale without hockey to unite them. SC talked me around on that one - made the case that Vi and Caitlyn deserved to play hockey together for years and years, and after thinking about it for a while it really truly felt like I was being sad and dramatic for sad drama’s sake - angst for angst’s sake isn’t something I wanted to play into. So I changed it and it’s a lot, LOT better as a result.

How did you keep everything in order? Did you have an outline?

Calling it an outline is kind of insulting to other outlines, I think - I had an unhinged and fucked up google sheets document that listed the players, positions, and general vibe of their character arc, but I didn’t totally stick to it. I also had a chapter title list that I also changed a lot - I mostly knew my end point was ‘Caitlyn skates for 20 minutes and they come back to win in Game 5 with an injured Vi’ and worked my way to that point.

Thank you to all who submitted questions! If you have more, feel free to drop me a line.

-Badger

[new-berry]

What are your fav fanfictions?

Who is your OTP?

What's your 3 biggest pet peeves about reading fanfiction?

What is your fav fic that you've written?

What fandom and pairing was your first uploaded story?

What is your most hated and most loved genre to read/write?

Any tips on how a non-writer can write their first fic?

I’m so terrible at recs! My fave ever is “skies of couple colour” by Betty. My fave footy one was a Kylian Mbappe / Hakimi which the author think made private. Sad. But I get not wanting to link yourself to Hakimi.

I have vexed people for what might be decades now (I have dipped in and out of fandoms since far too young now far too old. It’s great. I have a long streak if DGAF) by not having OTP’s. I have characters I like so I’ll try an Anthony Gordon fic and anything with one of my NUFC guys but I’ll try them with whoever. Even in like. Sherlock Holmes fandom I would have read Sherlock with John or Irene or that cop.

Anthony/ Kieran or Frank or DC-L or Bruno G? I’ll believe in anything.

I don’t mind spelling or where you put capitals (if you like capitals) the only think I literally cannot read is wall of text. I beg you: paragraphs.

I am not a fan of women being fridged or some evil harpy that has trapped a man. I also don’t like the “accidentally got her pregnant so now me and my actual love have a baby” but I’ll read anything. ABO? Sure more? Why not. AU? Teeny bit bored of coffee shops.

Of wait anything with young kids when the author has clearly never been around young kids? Pet peeve kids who go to bed and stay asleep.

Mind the warnings but my fave of mine:

A fun one first:

I did fall in love with sexy wolffish Bruno.

Not even losing lasts forever

My first posted story included Marty McSorely. He was an enforcer in ice hockey so like the hard man, literally his job was to fight. And it was my favourite way to write a hard man, good giving and game.

Absolutely wiling to go down, get fucked, fuck someone. The hard man with a core of marshmallow for those he loves? An eternal fave trope.

Fandom is fun and community for me. I don’t read things I don’t like! I just stop. I frown if they are shitty to women but I just close the tab.

I love a rookie/ mentor fic.

I love a hard man taking care of those he loves. I love a twisty threesome where one is on the outside. Porn and yearning.

I genuinely think you should just put it down on paper (as it were, type on the screen). If you are thinking of the story you are already a writer! You already have the hard bit out of the way, so just write the first image that comes to mind and then tell me so I can read it. :)

[streaminn]

barring hockey enid, do any of the enids read/write fanfictions?

i can see bg enid reading tooth rotting fluff while weeping and wondering what could've been

bodyguard enid definitely does indulge during her highschool days but her coping went to drinking when she got out of her service

streamer enid however? is a degenerate, every viper/reader fic? she has read. And sometimes, when that runs out, she begrudgingly goes through the viper/helios fics and cringes at how edgy her character is

She even made her own actually, under a psuedonym because its lowkey embarassing to write fanfiction of the self insert of your wife but yknow what, wednesday finds it funny so its A-OKAY

(she also has read any and all wednesday addams x reader. She's taking this to the grave because one, wednesday is literally just a text away so why is she doing this and also she gets flustered at the content at times)

for context, wednesday in the streamer enid au is this really popular horror actress and author so having content around her isn't so surprising

[weavingstarlight]

Well now I gotta ask how that AU's going. "Fangs in the Dark" sure is a title! I'm excited to hear about it, and I hope you're having fun! (You're not the only one, apparently another friend is doing a *hockey team* AU.)

Ah, so it's not a full AU (yet) -- "Fangs in the Dark" is a one-shot focusing on Minish, Chief, and Ordon. I haven't worked on it in a few months but it's literally the first piece of fanfiction I started writing. I read a bunch of That Broken Promise and just got possessed by the urge to write.

I'm having a lot of fun writing now, and working on this started me down the road to making more writing, making more art, and finding community. So, thank you for the inspiration! I think I'll pick this WIP back up, I like where it was going.

Here's the first paragraph of my doc: "Blackness. At first Minish wasn’t even sure he was truly awake – his eyes didn’t seem to want to open. He blinked, then blinked again, and slowly it dawned on him that his eyes were open. The darkness around him was so complete, even his night-piercing eyes could detect no light. His nose wrinkled and he felt his lips pulling back from his mangled teeth, an anxious response he couldn’t control. All he could smell was dirt, and damp stone… and iron?"

[sohnric]

🍓🥤❄️ 🏜️ for the ask game!!

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

funnily enough, ive been writing for around 10 years now 😭 i actually randomly stumbled upon wattpad when i was 11 and then when i was 12 i got super into 5sos bahahha. I think everyone gets into fanfic when they stumble into a fandom and well, after reading a bunch of 5sos fanfic i decided to write my own because i just thought it would be fun!! aand here i am 🙂‍↕️ i wrote fanfic for many diff fandoms but then i kinda stopped for around 2 years and picked it back up when i got into kpop and got into tumblr !!

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

everyone knows i am the biggest fan of beam @sungbeam so i have to recommend mainly her masterpiece night terrors and my beloved flight risk. @yojeongin 's it's too bad you're married to me is a literal masterpiece i think about it daily. @dkfile has amazing AMAZING fanfics always but the soulmate service has a very special place in my heart. and if you had to ask me about my favorite fanfic of all times it would absolutely have to be pussy blocked by @luvdsc 🩷

i also have a ficrec blog @03230 so anyone reading this should read all the fics from the beautiful big brained ppl on here and support them with a reblog!!

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

I will turn this ask towards what I personally dream of writing bahaha. I think i fulfilled my dream theme with partners in crime a little, since this idea has been in my mind for literally years. but i am kind of basic and i really dream of writing a hockey player au and a podcast host au one day !! (both are a wips and in my drafts and both for eric so..lets hope i get to them one day haha)

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

ooh i think all writers enjoy long reblogs that really analyze all the details and small things and say exactly what parts the reader enjoyed i also love it when they screenshot the part and tell me their thoughts abt it it makes me feel so 🥰🥰 but i also love hearing that the members acted just like themselves/that people reread my work and think about it often!! that is always very encouraring. I do however appreciate all feedback 🩷🙂‍↕️

ask game!

[bropunzeling]

i think the research u do for fics is insane... thinking deeply about the logistics of soulbond/omegaverse/cisswap mattdrai where they invoke a partner clause like... policy writing IS fanfiction actually... would u ever consider diving into the logistics of the partner clause...

hello anon! what a funny/good question haha. this got uh long so under the cut are some thoughts about that (also, like, spoilers for linger if anyone cares)

want to set the table by saying (a) im SO not a lawyer, law school VERY not for me, i know a lot of lawyers and they all terrify me (affectionate) and (b) i do not really do much research beyond my ongoing love affair with hockey reference dot com (and stuff to inform characterization ofc!) -- but i think the existence of the idea of these like, bond clauses (explicit in the omegaverse one, may come up if i write more soulbond) comes from a general question that i think about whenever im writing an au concept which is: how would this one wacky change (people have another form of sexual presentation! people can have half physical half mental all emotional connections to another person!) influence other aspects of life besides me smashing my ken dolls together?

obviously the trappings are fun - reality tv! inane pop songs! if people can get bonded do they also have weddings? how does this influence pbs documentaries. but i often think about things from a public policy perspective because it's what i know lol. and with those examples in particular, my thought process was -- here's this thing that can romantically and sexually entangle people, but there's also a physical component. bonding in omegaverse or soulbonds often changes you/has some sort of tangible impact if you’re separated -- you get bond sick, your heat cycle changes, that sort of thing. there would probably be some sort of sociopolitical movement to protect those social structures because you can't have people getting physically fucked up if they aren't allowed to follow/bring a partner with them! maybe it was a given in many cultures and laws developed to formalize social structures. maybe in the us there's some sort of landmark federal legislation to provide greater protections in the 60s and 70s. maybe the un has a body of international standards.

and in any/all of those cases, it would be something that would get bargained in something like a sports cba because in a world where these kinds of intense bonds are possible between members of your same-gender league, inEVITABLY capitalism will run up against those off ice bonds, and people would feel strongly about keeping their partner with them!

also in linger specifically, i knew i wanted the main conflict to be this sort of, matthew vs his body, matthew vs his identity as an omega/what he perceives being an omega to mean, matthew's desire for independence and control vs his desire for physical and emotional connection and leon. and when i was first trying to figure out my way into a plot (especially how to handle The Trade) and spitballing on twitter, a friend was like what if alpha/omega relationships were a really big deal legally? and the idea of bond rights sprung out of that because it was the perfect narrative tool to be like, here is this tangible economic and occupational consequence if matthew gets bonded. here is a real thing that will happen that will cause him to lose that sense of control over his own life. here is the Threat that is always sitting in the back of his mind. and even though it hopefully comes across that like, leon doesn't think of their relationship that way, he wouldn't actually force matthew to stay close if matthew didn't want to, matthew doesn't know that! he's seen bond rights used before! he doesn't want it to be him! and then that really drives the conflict of the story, because he sees holding himself apart from leon as this way to achieve not just emotional independence and self-control, but also very literally control over his own career.

so yeah idk! world building! not only does it provide color and depth but hopefully it can drive conflict and plot as well!

(also tbc there is no such partner clause in the girl!leon verse, they are just being very savvy about contracts and cap capacity and eventually gonna finangle their way to the same team through guile and playing hardball)

[theresa-of-liechtenstein]

it wouldn’t be the linda fairbairn extended universe without air caledonian! (enlarge for better quality. notes below)

(a320 illustrations provided for free personal use)

i spent almost eight hours total doing this and i do not regret a single minute of it 😮‍💨😮‍💨

the liveries

literally fought for my life with the clipping masks 😵‍💫

this is my attempt at a ‘retro’ livery which was sort of teased in late 2022

it combines a few elements that saw some vogue in the 70s (the cheatline, or the stripe running down the fuselage) and the hockey stick (the cheatline being carried up into the tail, which i…sort of did…to incorporate it into the saltire) combined with an element that didn’t really become popular until after the 70s (the ‘eurowhite’ color scheme that forced me to invert the saltire)

if caledonian’s origins can be traced back to regional flights in the very late 70s, slowly growing the fleet until acquiring the A320 to expand its range, i’d want it to have a sort of ‘retro’ looking livery. the original planes probably wouldn’t have been white, though. most likely aluminum

i used helvetica for the name of the airline on the side of the fuselage, which also happens to look very similar to the font of choice for philippine airlines. i did not realize this until after i’d exported it because my dad looked over my shoulder and commented.

this is their ‘redesign’ livery and the last one before the acquisition. i’d previously depicted a version of it back in 2021 but when i tried it for size parts of it looked so horrifying that i had to change it up a bit

caledonian has always existed in my head as some mix of ‘national carrier’ and ‘budget airline’ swinging a little more toward the latter for purposes of the lfeu so the bold color scheme and billboard style is honestly inspired by airlines like southwest (thank god they’re not shit brown anymore), easyjet (easy go… and thee air caledonian blueprint), and spirit (highlighter planes)

the saltire was literally me messing around with brushes and realizing like hmmmm. this actually looks pretty neat! now i know i’ve been saying air caledonian’s probably a budget airline, but as stated before, it’s also got some elements of the national carrier thing going, which is why i’m so insistent on the saltire motif

not to do with the livery but i also think since cal exists in that grey area they do have certain elements of a Not Low Cost Airline (like business class vs economy seats…i mean you’re not lying flat in any of these planes lol but you can have a kit if the pilots didn’t burgle the socks out of them) and that could have financially hurt them which would make selling out to swiss more appealing and less wounding that a ‘national carrier’ is being chopped. idk how this works though. im playing with airlines like dolls

the uniforms

i love designing uniforms. actually i love uniforms in general. i miss wearing a school uniform i did not have to think about what to wear on a daily basis. i could commit time to silly fanfiction and my meager attempts at making my own drawing style

qantas did not have tailored uniforms for differing body types until 2016 but this is fiction and the chief pilot of air cal is canonically a #GirlDad. we have tailored uniforms here. and a hat/tie variant. and a skirt option.

i reasoned since air caledonian is a scottish airline it should have formalized cold weather uniform requirements and i saw some rly cute pullover sweaters (think they were on easyjet pilots) so those went in

also the reason hats are required with the trench coat is for easy recognizability. this is indeed a policy at some airlines. martin crieff does have a point here.

oh also i darkened the jackets and trousers lol i just felt like it looked better

i think that’s all i wanted to say…