#does this merit a ship tag?

[bandtrees]

i know it’s because serirei as a ship exists in part because people just like reigen and getting someone to ship with him is a way to express that, like the reigen feelings came before the ship, and people like to make their popular favs angsty and sad... 

...but it’s SO funny to me that out of the two of them, reigen gets the “troubled mentally ill guy with baggage who’s comforted by his partner” treatment. as if serizawa isn’t the most traumatized character ever put to animation

[crimson--freak]

As an aro person, I’m not unfamiliar with the fact that canonically aspec characters are few and far between, but the way that some people regard people shipping arospec and acespec characters is kind of annoying.

Like you do realise that fanon shipping isn’t always going to reflect canon, right? Shippers aren’t erasing canonically aroace characters by shipping them with others. If characters are aroace in canon, they will most likely continue to be so* even if fans shipped them with other characters.

The way that some people regard aroace characters as “off-limits” from shipping when their orientations are confirmed in canon also ignores the fact that some (e.g. romance/sex favourable/indifferent, partnering, oriented, angled) aroace people do in fact choose to enter romantic/sexual relationships regardless of their orientation.

Also, fandom is pretty much built on non-canonical ships. Some of the largest early slash ships were between characters who were textually straight (or at least not textually percieved as non-straight). It didn’t matter if those ships didn’t become canon, because you can enjoy fanon/headcanons without wanting them to become canon!

I can of course agree though that fandoms are on the whole extremely amatonormative/allonormative, especially with tropes like “everyone has a soulmate” or “Pair the Spares” or “more than friends”, so it can be annoying to see canonically aroace characters treated in that way. However, this is a wider issue not just acertaining to fandom but to pretty much all popular media, so it would be unwise to blame only shippers for the abysmal lack of aspec representation. Instead of focusing on what characters “should” and “should not” be shipped together, maybe the focus should be on creating fandom communities where shipping is not the only goal.

*(of course, there is the problem of aroace characters’ identities being erased in canon, for example Jughead Jones from the Archie comics, but this was an unfortunately terrible choice made by the producers of Riverdale, not by fans of the Archie comics. There is a very significant difference between characters’ identites being erased in canon and fans making alternate fanon versions of characters, and I hope you all can recognise which is worse for aspec representation and knowledge of aspec experiences within wider culture.)

[blainesebastian]

clingy

words: 2,009 ship: austin butler x reader summary: (anon request) “what about austin with someone even touchier than him. maybe fans start saying she’s always clinging on him so she gets self conscious in public but austin notices right away” warnings: none notes: prompt just slightly different from request-- this can be read in tandem with ‘touch’ but isn’t necessary. requests are back open for now :) thanks to anyone who's left me one! appreciate it xx tag list: @killerqueenfan, @karamelcoveredolicity, @elizabethrosecresswell, @gigisworldsstuff, @stylespresleyhearted

Frowning at a few candid photos posted on Instagram, you scroll through the comments. You usually don't allow yourself to go down this rabbit hole because it shouldn't (and doesn't) matter what people think about you and Austin. No one is in this relationship except the two of you, you know that's the only thing that matters...and yet, these comments are burning into your eyes and imprinting on the back of your mind. It's mostly because it's spiteful, they're not fooling you on that, but that doesn't make them any easier to read.

There's a set of photos of you and Austin at a cafe last week that had a patio, enjoying the pleasant weather while you could. Austin is seated in one of the chairs, a pair of sunglasses and a ballcap on as he drinks his iced coffee. You're standing between his legs in the first photo and then you're sitting in his lap the second. Not that you need to justify this to anyone, but the patio was practically empty and you weren't disturbing anyone's afternoon. It's not like you were making out or somehow making this interaction obscene. You're typically seated on Austin's lap, it's so automatic at this point that he'll often find your hand and tug you to sit down on him—zero complaints.

Regardless that these strangers are not entitled to any background information, you know that might change a few people's opinions as they spit out nasty comments.

elvislover: you can tell he's super uncomfortable—like, yikes ericatownton: she literally does not give him a moment to breathe austinfan: #clingyaintcute

There are some bright spots,

austin345: can some of ya'll mind your own business? austin looks so happy in these? i don't get some of these comments shannonhyat: they're so cute! wish i could sit on austin like that, ngl eyeswithwonder: find yourself a man who looks at you like austin looks at Y/N—like she's hung the moon bro

but sometimes those aren't enough.

You've always been the touchy type—ever since your first boyfriend, but maybe it's gone beyond that, you've reached out and squeezed someone's arm while laughing, you're easy to hug to express emotion, and God, definitely super cuddly when you get a bit drunk. People who have never been your friends have called you a flirt or, just like the comments you're seeing, clingy...but you've never really found anything wrong with it. It's one of your love languages, how you best convey how you're feeling—and it's not like Austin isn't the same way.

He's big on touch, ever since you've known him, even when you two were just friends. Always with the hands on your hips, your waist, your lower back, fingers through your hair or playfully gripping your chin or absentminded centers of connection, knees against knees, shin along shin, shoulders brushing. He's never been shy about it...so why all of a sudden do you feel like you need to be?

You have no idea why you’re letting this bother you—Austin has never said anything that’s hinted that he’s uncomfortable, and you know he’d tell you. You really hate that this has gotten so underneath your skin.

You debate on whether you want to mention something to Austin or not, maybe talk about it or just…ask if there’s any merit in thinking you’re too clingy, if you should back off a little? But you never manage to get the words out of your mouth.

Setting your phone face down, you look up as Austin comes in from a night out with some cast members. He had asked originally asked if you wanted to join but you had dinner with your agent that you couldn’t miss (because it’d already been rescheduled twice).

“Hi,” He says warmly and walks over to where you’re seated on one of the stools at the island table. You hum as he leans down to press a kiss to your lips, slow and intimate, body heat rolling off his skin.

He smells like cologne and just a twinge of cigarette smoke, alcohol, intoxicating in a way it probably shouldn’t be. You find yourself closing your eyes as he leans a bit against you, not drunk but definitely tipsy, a lazy smile on his face as he pulls back. You smirk, reaching up to thread your fingers through his wild curls.

“Have a good time?”

“Would have been better with you,” He replies matter-of-factly, slipping his jacket off and setting it on one of the other stools. Austin clears his throat, getting a good look at you for a moment and pauses, “You alright?”

He knows you, lifts his hand to curl his pointer finger and brush it across the crinkling of your skin between your eyebrows. Far too well.

This could be your moment but…it feels foolish to mention it. Not only because Austin’s a bit inebriated and it wouldn’t be right to draw him into this conversation, but because the longer you sit with these thoughts, the more silly they feel. Right?  

“Yeah,” You lie through your teeth, giving him a soft smile. “M’just tired, got a headache.”

He hums lightly, moving to press a long kiss to your forehead. “I can make you some tea.”

You let out a laugh which is mostly air leaving your nose, “You are swaying on your feet,” You cup his cheek, amused and fond, “Shouldn’t I be taking care of you?” You lean up to press a kiss to the bridge of his nose.

He crinkles it but smiles down at you, “What’d you have in mind?”

You playfully tap his cheek, “Bed—maybe a shower.”

Austin purses his lips, seemingly in thought for a moment before he nods—and then ever so quickly scoops you up into his arms. It’s haphazard and ridiculous and you can’t help but laugh as he carries you towards the bathroom,

“Hey! I didn’t mean with me.” And you can’t stop yourself from laughing, Austin teasingly grabbing at your ass. He barely turns the water to the shower on before he sets you down, drawing you into a kiss.

--

It’s been a relatively lazy day which you’ve seriously come to appreciate, it’s not often that you get many of them to spare. You’ve spent the morning with Austin browsing a large farmer’s market, deciding on fresh fruit and vegetables and handmade products that you probably don’t need but are indulging on. It’s fun, calming—it’s in moments like these where you can kinda forget how crazy your day to day lives can be. There’s comfort in that normalcy together.

You decide to go to the same bistro on the corner from your apartment for lunch, a place that you both have been before countless times because of the great food and rich coffee. Not to mention that you’re slightly obsessed with the beautiful patio outside that’s perfect for a little fresh air and spots of sun. It fills up fast but this is where it pays to be a bit of a celebrity—when Austin calls ahead, they make a table up for him, no matter how busy they are.

Can’t deny that you kinda love that perk as you pick at some fries on your plate next to a finished sandwich, full and content, legs under the table pressing into Austin’s as he talks about his upcoming project. You can’t help but smile as he talks with his hands, animated, excited for what’s to come because he deserves every single moment of it.

There are small moments of enjoyable silence, just sitting in one another's company, the hand that's not eating fries sitting loosely on the table. Austin's hand finds yours automatically, something so automatic that it makes your stomach do a complete flip. Your eyes glance down to the rings on his slender fingers, running along yours, squeezing every so often. A small smile tugs the corners of your mouth and you pick up your iced coffee to take a sip.

"Today was pretty great," You comment after the breeze picks up and flutters your hair. You run your fingers through it, adjusting sunglasses on your face.

"It was," Austin agrees, running his thumb along your knuckles, "You regret that we don't always have time for it?"

You give him a small smile, shaking your head, "No, course not. Just makes it that much more special when we do."

Austin hums, lifting your hand to press a kiss to the inside of your wrist. He then tugs, encouraging you to stand, and you already know where this is going before it happens. This is something you do all the time—you share food or coffee together and find yourself on Austin's lap. Even on this crowded patio, you're tucked into one of the end corners near the lines of bushes for a bit of privacy, your stomach clenches with nerves in a way it's never done before. You can't help but think about all those stupid comments, burning letters into the back of your vision.

You completely tense up, freeze in spot.

Austin notices automatically, of course, his eyebrows drawing together in soft confusion as he looks up at you, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," You reply, too quickly, shaking your head--he can read right through you, Austin's always been good at that.

He lets out a soft sigh out of his nose, holding your gaze for a long moment, blue eyes boring into yours. And yet, you can't seem to move. Curling your hair around your ear, you glance at the other tables, expecting to see eyes on you, maybe people taking candid photos to appear online later...and yet there's nothing. Of course there's nothing.

"You're shaking," He replies gently, standing now from his chair. He runs both of his hands down your arms, squeezing, “What’s goin’ on?”

You almost want to brush it aside but Austin’s locked in now, he’s not going to let you. So you briefly roll your eyes towards the sky, a shaky laugh following, “You’re gonna think it’s ridiculous.”

“I doubt it.” He encourages.

Chewing on your lower lip, you give a soft nod, “Uhm—do you…do you think I’m clingy? Like, as a girlfriend?”

His eyebrows draw together in confusion, unsure of how you’re topic jumping to this and it looks like he might want to smirk but doesn’t because he can tell you’re upset. “I think…both of us enjoy attention through touch, there’s nothin’ wrong with that though. Doesn’t make you clingy.”

He keeps your gazes connected, making sure you hear him, that the words register and you find yourself nodding once. The ghost of a smile tugs at the corners of your mouth and Austin cups your cheek, shifting you into a kiss that lasts a good handful of moments. You know he’s doing it on purpose too, keeping you close, drawing it out.

When he pulls back, he playfully nips at your lower lip, making your smile much more genuine, “And don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.”

You hum in acknowledgement because Austin knows, of course he knows where you were coming from. You’re not sure whether that means he’s been on social media too or can just sense it—you’ve talked about pap photos before, candids posted by fans. It’s never really bothered you until now. It means a lot that he sees you, without having to explain or justify how you feel. You definitely love him for that.

“Now,” Austin says, sitting back down in his chair, “C’mere.” He motions towards himself with his fingers.

You can’t help but laugh warmly, taking Austin’s hand and allowing him to tug you over to him. Sitting down on his lap, perched on his one leg like it’s the simplest thing in the world, you lean your shoulder against his chest. He smiles up at you, hooking a finger underneath your chin to draw you into a kiss. It’s slow and sweet, no cares in the world—especially for anyone who might be looking.

[olderthannetfic]

I feel like that other chart was unintentionally a little misleading once separated from whatever talk or meta I originally prepared it for.

Here's a breakdown of what's going on with category tagging on AO3 currently in March 2024.

The majority of works are tagged with just one tag, but that doesn't mean multi-category works hit every type of content exactly equally. The bar chart shows what percentage of works with a given category tag are tagged only with that category.

As we'd expect, the 'multi' tag often gets added to a work with other categories. Ditto 'other', though not as strongly. Presumably, there are some tentacle monsters who obviously merit the tag, while nobody has ever been quite sure what to do with 'Multi'. (It was kind of a holdover from ancient archives that made a big deal of works with a m/m and a f/m ship. Personally, I use it for my legions of m/m/f ships.)

F/F isn't in that much of a worse boat than the other big categories, but it does objectively get cross-tagged more than F/M or M/M. Combine this fact with the lower absolute numbers of F/F, I think it strongly contributes to the feeling of "Grr, I came here for my femslash, and it was a background ship that showed up for literally one line!"

The red pie chart is comparing total numbers, but it's perhaps misleading because it's going to add up to more works than are actually on AO3.

Works with no category tags are harder to find totals for, and a lot of AO3 stats leave them out, which can also be misleading if you're trying to say X% of AO3 is M/M and you use a total work count that includes the unlabeled ones. I've been guilty of this plenty of times.

Anyway, just some thoughts on how your charts can mislead even when you were trying to be clear.

[theblogwithoutfear]

my question is do people even like or are interested in karen page outside of a shipping context? cause going through her tags on here it's nothing but karen being discussed in terms of shipping her with frank and almost 90% of it is karen x frank content...doesn't that speak to the level of how interesting and compelling she actually is if people are only interested in talking about her when it's time to ship her with frank 😬 and barely anything about the merits of her own character? 😬 just pondering i guess

I mean, it's Tumblr. Shipping is basically this site's bread and butter. Especially given that Karen is a secondary character, it makes sense that most of the posts about her are shipping-related. That's just an issue with the data pool, lol.

You do you, but for me, I prefer to engage with media on its own terms, and decide its merit based on the text itself. While it can sometimes be useful to take into consideration the thoughts of the masses, in general I don't think that's a reliable indicator of the quality of a text (or a specific character, in this case). People are extremely influenced by the opinions of others, and that's only exacerbated in a social media context. Opinions change and shift over time, which is normal. Things that were once beloved have since been panned. Things that were once lambasted are now lauded. Look at the works of Stephen Sondheim, for example; the general opinion of audiences at the time were rarely indicative of the quality of his work (I'm reading his biography so it's on the brain rn, lol). So for me, no. I don't necessarily take into account the internet's opinions when I am engaging with a text.

Personally, I find Karen Page incredibly compelling, both within the context of her various relationships, and on her own merits. Her arc as she goes from a foolhardy, reckless mess to a confident, intelligent, even dangerous journalist is one of the highlights of the show to me. As is her struggle to come to terms with her feelings for Matt and what he does, and the concept of extralegal justice at large. I love watching her work through a traumatic past, continually fall into old toxic patterns, and claw her way out again. To me, that is compelling, regardless of what people on the internet think.

Again, you do you—people are free to like or dislike a character, to ship or not to ship, what have you. But I don't think that the easily-swayed opinions of Tumblr or the internet at large is an objective indicator of the quality of any piece of media—especially when people are predisposed to dislike her because of ingrained misogyny.

[explainslowly]

Day 31 of @spnficrecfest - All time favorites

I have decided to interpret this as "fics that strongly influenced how I think about the canon or how I want to write fic"

a trick of the light on the face of your daughter (and/or your son) - Destiel, Dean/OFC, Dean/OMC The transfem Dean fic that blasted my mind open about the possibilities of writing trans people. Without wanting to disparage anyone (I struggle with the same issue) a lot of trans fic tends to fall into a very didactic tone, overstating everything to the point of boredom. I get where this comes from (the reflexive need to explain many trans people feel in the face of hostile scrutiny) but it does make the works worse. So reading something that was an unappologetic examination of Dean's strange and indirect thoughts about gender felt like a revelation.

The Dean Winchester Beat Sheet - Destiel, background ships The one and only Beat Sheet. Hilarious fic, I remain obsessed with it. What makes this one so memorable to me specifically is that Dean as the narrator does not have a single true thought in this entire work and yet you always know what his stupid ass is thinking. Also the definitive thesis of gay Dean. Especially powerful for opening with one of the most deliberately miserable sex scenes I've read in my life.

i fold in half so easily - Destiel, Dean/Anna and Dean/Lisa mentioned Author often works in a register I privately think of as "very uncharitable reading" which is to say picking what canon is very much saying/presenting as a possibility and taking it to it's conclusion. As such it has the fun quality of making you aware of issues you were perhaps deliberately overlooking before, but now cannot unsee. Also this is tagged fluff and angst which is very funny. Could have gone with fluff and horror, in all honesty.

Waveform Frequency - Destiel The misunderstanding trope taken to it's logical extreme. An exploration of how Cas won't say shit about shit if he can just be around Dean a little longer. The discrepancy between Dean (living his personal romance movie climax) and Cas (living in a horror movie) is very interesting and merits so much more exploration - I have taken a half hearted stab at in Lucid Waking myself, but I want to do more with it still. It's so good.

Tidewaters - Rape, Underage, Graphic depiction of violence - Dean/John (well no but also yes but also no), Dean/Deacon, Dean/others God truly the one and only. A look at what if Dean was even more traumatized, what if Dean knew he was gay and it didn't fix him even a little bit. Influential in the sense that the fact that Dean is closeted is not even in top ten of his issues and this fic is kind of a thesis about that. In many ways I DO read this as a fic that is in conversation with fandom and with popular tropes, even though that is perhaps not obvious from the description.

[guiltyhearts]

Many moons ago, I wrote this post about one of, if not my favorite, ship in the Ace Attorney series. That being Klavier Gavin/Ema Skye, a.k.a Klema. At the time, I said in the tags of the post that I would probably revisit it and add things that I didn't include at the time. Looking at it again, I would say that my feelings remain largely the same... so maybe it's time to add those extra thoughts to the post:

Give me post-AJ Ema and Klavier spending time together at work where they’re more cordial at first. Where it’s awkward because she doesn’t want to say anything insensitive because he’s Been Through A Lot Lately. And he’s polite too but he notices the tension between them, and neither of them know how to get past it. He doesn't want to be treated like glass, and she doesn't want to rub salt in the wound. Then one day he can’t help but make a joke at her expense and she snaps back with a snarky retort. It’s a shift back into familiar territory, but it’s with a new foundation of mutual civility and consideration for each other.

Give me an Ema who realizes that she knows what it’s like to have been deceived by an older sibling who you were supposed to trust implicitly. So even if she finds his attitude utterly grating most days, she can never bring herself to hate Klavier for the mistakes he made when he was younger when he was acting on the advice of someone he trusted. Even if she could salvage a relationship with her sister in the end, it does not erase the years of uncertainty and loneliness or the lingering doubts.

Give me a Klavier who starts paying attention to how his own attitude could rub someone the wrong way, and how his own standard of perfection and success is not necessarily shared by all. He considers how disheartening it must have been for his colleague (and now maybe work friend?) to fail to realize her own childhood dream, despite her best efforts. He had once made a disparaging remark about the forensics experts and how as a detective, Ema has even more authority, so shouldn’t she be more grateful for that? When he remembers the brief pause in her reaction, the hurt and dismay in her eyes that quickly gave way to outrage and the outburst that had followed, he apologizes to her for making the remark in the first place. Maybe he's surprised when she forgives him (and maybe so is she).

Give me a Klavier who feels he has to atone not just for his own mistakes but for those of his brother. It's enough for Ema to see that maybe there is goodness in him. There is a man who wants to do better and be better.

Give me these work friends bringing coffee to each other and sharing stories over them while they're working. Give me a Klavier and Ema that start to spend time together outside work and finding each other to be great company, actually. Making time for each other in their lives to the point where they are a welcome and expected presence. Where it just hasn’t been a regular day if Klavier doesn’t make a lightly flirtatious or self-aggrandizing remark or if Ema doesn’t bring him back down to earth.

Give me a Klavier that encourages Ema to follow her dreams, to try again and again until she has what she wants. Who, if he could, would move heaven and earth to make her dreams come true, but he knows how much sweeter that accomplishment feels when it's earned through one's own merit. Klavier who stops to consider why he would feel that way, why he would want to do that for her.

Give me Ema who's so so happy when she gets the news. Ema Skye, Forensic Investigator. Doesn't it just roll off the tongue? She thinks so, and she's bursting to tell the world. Give me an Ema who finds Klavier and wants to celebrate with him because he's been supporting her through her renewed efforts, and maybe a small part of her still wants to gloat. Give me Ema, whose insides warm when Klavier gives her the brightest and most sincere smile she's seen from him. She must have seen him smile like that before, but here it takes her breath away.

Give me Klavier and Ema suddenly with mixed feelings. Unable to shake the realization that they might not work together anymore. This is a good thing... right?

Give me a Klavier and Ema with tension, but this time it's the tension that comes with unspoken feelings. Feelings that they can't even fully admit to themselves. Of course he's happy to see her achieve her professional dream, so why is he worried that she'll never want to be around him again now that they don't have to be? Meanwhile, she can't pretend that he's still just the 'glimmerous fop' she once couldn't stand. He is still that glimmerous fop she can't stand... sometimes. He is also much more than that, and that 'much more' is what she has come to admire and miss in him.

Give me a Klavier and Ema that try to fight their feelings at first. Maybe there's embarrassment because 'ew, are you even supposed to have crushes when you're 25?'. But at some point it just grows and grows until there is no hiding the stolen glances or lingering touches. Someone has to eventually make the first move. There is awkwardness as there always is when you're in uncharted territory, but they want to go through it together.

Give me a Klavier and Ema filling their shared moments with banter in one minute, and then with companionable silence in the next. Give me a Klavier and Ema who root for each other, tease each other, and still drive each other crazy. Who somehow couldn't get away from the other. A Klavier and Ema who don't want to be apart from each other.

Give me Klema.

[daenystheedreamer]

OH for the ship grid: i had time on my day off and wanted to see what the most popular gay ships on asoiaf ao3 are (so what is popular when you exclude m/f tags and ships) so the following ten for the meme: aemond/lucerys, alicent/rhaenyra, theon/robb, sansa/margaery, theon/ramsay, renly/loras, jon/robb, aegon ii/jacaerys, tormund/jon, sansa/daenerys can’t wait to see where u place these, peace&love 🫶

HERE MY FRIEND again the makes sense axis is a combo of 'does it make sense in canon' and 'do i understand why people ship it' so if it looks a bit weird thats why 🫶 ship discussions udner the cut mwah

aemond lucerys.... look i get it. i do get it. 1) urge for yaoi 2) there are crumbs you can bake 3) cute actors. i understand. im deep in the yaoi trenches i understand seme uke i get it i get it. but also the idea its like Canon or an accurate reading of either character is soo...... lucerys is not a femme fatale or an ingenue. he is a plot device. and aemond.... aemond's 'obsession' with lucerys is more one bred from insecurity as opposed to yaoi lust. but i do get it. one love to the lucemond people. wish u guys would be normal about the UNDERAGE luke actor. he's an adult now but can we not do countdown shit. weird as hell...

rhaenicent #1 its literally canon. its subtext its textual its openly a part of the narrative. the complex web of sexuality, womanhood and patriarchy that seeps rhaenicent is so compelling. alicent as a lesbian and rhaenyra as a butch/lesbian/bisexual/trans/dragongender are genuinely compelling analyses of the characters. #1 foreva

im normal about throbb now<3 i think in canon the theon bisexual analysis is interesting but not super vital to his character. his sexuality and manhood certainly, but i like throbb more cos i like theon rather than on its own merits.

sansaery ❤️ i enjoy sansaery as a way to explore sansa's character and specifically her as a lesbian. both characters are fun and interesting but its high up cos it has a special place in my heart<3

im not really into thramsay i have no thoughts on it. one love to the thramsays though u guys are warriors. i think it has wayyy more sub/textual basis in canon than throbb

renloras is just canon so i dont have much thoughts on it. its sweet! make me sad. rip babes loras you would have loved gymbro culture.

jonrobb is meh to me idk 🤷‍♀️ theyre fine as brothers and there's not much analysis to be had of their relationship beyond that. one love to the brocons ig. cousincons

aegon x jace is beyond nothing to me sorry 😭 but thats mostly cos im not super into the dance or hotd beyond rhaenicent. i get why it exists but there's little to no basis in canon to bake nor does it have much analysis. one love to the jacegons of course

JONMUND... okay book jonmund is meh whatever but show jonmund is real to me. jon post canon is operating a cozy bed and breakfast with tormund in alaska beyond the wall. one of my fave crackships. he's kissed by fire!

daensa🍋❤️ i love u daensa. very important to my bi!dany and lezzo!sansa thoughts. song of ice and fire 🫶

[shivunin]

Fanfic Writer Questions

Tagged by @greypetrel - thank you so much! 💗

I know this has made the rounds already. If I tag you and you've already done it, please feel free to tag me in the replies or disregard!

Tagging: @nightwardenminthara @vakarians-babe @transprincecaspian @star--nymph @blightbear @inquisimer @dreadfutures @scribbledquillz

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

43

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

688,185

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Published? Just Dragon Age. But I have some unfinished/unpublished Mass Effect and Baldur's Gate stuff as well.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

All of these are Cullavellan fic:

Your Fate for Mine (129,681 Words | E)

More Than Memory (5,214 Words | E)

Search Your Hands (13,581 Words | E)

Unyielding (3,083 Words | M)

The Epaulet Mate (7,303 Words | E)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, though more slowly than I used to!

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

Ooh. Probably The Scourge of Sundermount, though it wound up less angsty than the original ending (in which Cullen and Lavellan are turned to stone forever)

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

I'm a sucker for a happy ending, so this is much harder to answer! I am avoiding answering this with the obvious innuendo haha. Maybe In Any Life? I feel like the vibe of that last chapter is so very soft, with a spring breeze blowing through the window in the house Fenris and Maria made together c:

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I've gotten some snarky comments, but never outright hate (thankfully!)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes--not sure what is meant by "kind." M/F and F/F--soft and gentle, hard and fast, mildly kinky, plot-relevant and pwp, etc. A variety of smut, haha.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Not really. Crossovers aren't really my jam, but if I wrote one it would probably be Inquisition characters in Mass Effect (like a genre switch thing, not picked up and dropped into our solar system).

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

When I was like 13 on FF.net, yes. It's why I stopped writing fic until I was 28.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of!

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

Only in a sense! I have a few pieces sharing an OC with a friend that were largely rp first before I set them down as a narrative c:

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

God. Don't ask me this haha. My first DA ship was Fenris/Hawke and it still lives so closed to my heart, but Cullen/Lavellan got me into the fandom and Zevran/Tabris brought me someone very dear to me. I don't think I could ever judge any of them by the merits of the ship alone at this point!

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Hmmm more than I'd like to admit :/ Probably The Red Crossing Arrangement, which is an arranged marriage/Halamshiral still belongs to the elves AU. It took so much more world building that my ability to write it slowly petered out. The odds are high that it will remain at roughly 80k for the foreseeable future (unless I suddenly want to get back to working out trade routes and governance and commerce, which is what did me in; I'm good at world-building culture on account of the degree and all, but the semantics of daily life don't really interest me as much) (tragically, this means the Adalene and Elandrin fix-it portions of this story may never be published :C and this does honestly make me so sad :C)

16. What are your writing strengths?

Voice and characterization/internal dialogue. I've been told that the canon characters I write feel very similar to canon and that's something I'm really proud of c:

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Physical space. I forget to define the setting very, very frequently. It's the next thing I want to focus on in my writing, actually, when I get back into it!

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

Eh. I think it can add flavor, especially in fantasy settings where the cultures and worlds are built dissimilarly to the real world. I don't think there's anything especially fun about not being able to discern what's happening in conversation---I think it's most effective when it's a handful of phrases that repeat (hello, I'm sorry, I love you, etc.) or when followed by a translation of some sort. As a lover of Latin, I especially find google translations very unreliable and often incorrect. Better to just italicize it and indicate it's another language, imo.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Code Lyoko

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Oof. It depends on when you ask me this haha. For the moment, I think I'm loving As Two Reflected Stars a little extra right now c: I just love wound-tending and idiots in love and this is definitely both!

Blank version below!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5. Do you respond to comments?

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

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

8. Do you get hate on fics?

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

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

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

16. What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

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

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favorite fic you've written?

[godlesslittlecreatures]

Creature’s Petyr x Catelyn Masterlist, Part I

I've read it all...so you don't have to. 

I was delighted to get back on this app and find that there was demand for something like this. Even in the time since I started compiling this list, I've seen a few other lists going around, which makes my previously-closeted-PxC-shipper heart fucking sing. Y'all, I am not exaggerating when I say I very well may have read every single fic ever written for this pairing. That's both a fool's errand and impossibly easy considering the sheer lack of content, as I'm sure you know yourself if you're reading this post. 

I have stirred the dust at the very edges of the internet in my desperate, months-long search for quality content for this pairing. And believe me you, I'm no stranger to the disappointment of seeing something tagged "Petyr Baelish/Catelyn Tully Stark" (I encounter this issue more on AO3 than anywhere else, really), only for it either be an ancillary detail of the story, straight up nonconsensual, or an attempt by a butthurt ficwriter to punish two characters that so many people in the fandom seem to, at best, grievously misunderstand. Mistagging has caused me many an hour of eventual disappointment and cost me many a precious hour of my life that I will never get back.

But, even after wading chin-deep in all the shit this fandom has to offer, I have found gold. I'm here to prove it exists, if you only know where to look.

But Creature, what makes a fic good? How do you ascribe worth to something so subjective?

I've been told I'm a harsh critic, but this is less about literary merit than it is assessing quality as it pertains to the ship. Of course, many of these DO have some kind of literary merit, or, at least, are enjoyable to read. I grade a fic based on the following rubric, let's call it the Four Commandments of Petelyn Fic :

any acts of a sexual nature MUST - and I cannot stress this enough - be consensual. Do what you do, write what you write - I'm not here to police anyone's work. But don't put a pairing in the ship tag if anything that would earn it that slash between the characters' names is happening against either party's will. I simply will not read it. 

Petyr and Catelyn must have AT LEAST 2 face-to-face, one-on-one conversations. If you're going to use that damn slash, it doesn't have to be the principal element of the story, but it better feature in the foreground of the story, at least. It cannot just be a background detail that's mentioned once, off-handedly, at the end of a 63 chapter fic (true story, y'all). Better yet, it should have significant bearing on the plot, not unlike the way the relationship between the two does in canon - but that's a tall order, apparently. 

I alluded to this earlier. As an extensions of the first tenet - I do not want to feel the heat of the writer's hatred for the two characters through the story. So, SO often will people throw this pairing into some kind of canon divergent something or another and thrust them into each other's arms as a punishment for their Crimes in canon. Cat is Big Mean to Jon, so she gets the boot from Ned and ends up with Caricature of Petyr Who Lacks Any And All Nuance That Made The Character Interesting In The First Place to pay for Her Sins. I'm reading a fic because I like the characters, and I like the idea of them together (or, in many a case, him pining after her), not to stand beside someone on their moral high ground as they punish the two with each other. Again, not here to police anyone's work, so if you hate them both and want to take them to task by forcing them into some kind of relationship, be my guest! But don't expect to find your fic listed here. 

I have my own personal preferences (submissive Petyr, as I am not attracted to dominant men and genuinely don't think he would fill the dominant role in this relationship; I'll always prefer to read something requited, but that's even rarer a find; I'm not entirely crazy about AUs but can make exceptions, etc.) but I am trying to keep this as objective as possible. This list includes a pretty wide range of stuff, all of which I've enjoyed enough to reread at least once.

This may all seem like it goes without saying, but you'd be surprised. 

My credentials? A degree in TV and Film. I've read the books, and have studied the first three seasons of Thrones so closely that if I close my eyes I can watch full scenes in my head. I've been writing fic, fiction, television, and short films for 12 years, and reading and watching for nearly twice as long. And, most importantly, I'm a feral goblin who is batshit insane over these two. 

This list features fic from every corner of the internet - AO3, Tumblr, Live Journal. I unfortunately have been very hard-pressed to find anything that suits my fancy on FF.net, but if anybody has any recommendations (in line with the above), I intend for this list to be a living document.

And no, before anyone asks, I do NOT ship Petyr and Sansa. Respectfully, please keep that far the fuck away from me.

So, without further ado, here's a list of a very picky Petyr x Catelyn girlie's favorite fics.

An EXCELLENT starter kit. This is a three-part series that's currently updating. There are other things going on outside of them, but the relationship is essential to the story, thanks to the Cat POV chapters. This was the gateway drug for me way back when I still felt shame for shipping these two, and I love it still to this day. I love this series so much that, when I received the update notification for a particular Catelyn chapter in the middle of my college graduation, I dropped everything to read it. It moves fast, the political landscape is explored thoroughly, the divergence from canon is both plausible and interesting, and if you're not into smut, it's pretty fade-to-black.

Another one I read just after I'd taken the plunge down the rabbit hole. This is a notable exception to my general aversion to AUs - it works here, the real-world transpositions are not only believable, but clever! It features some pretty complex and subversive relationships between the characters; the PxC is certainly a critical, foreground element, but not always in the most immediately obvious way. Definitely had me Giggling and Kicking My Feet throughout. Refreshing is certainly a word. Obligatory smut advisory on this one, though.

Yes, I know, but hear me out. If you want to sample the best of the PxC wares the internet has to offer, you're gonna have to get down and dirty with Google's 'translate website' feature. This one is WORTH IT. I still tear up every time I read this. I have a particular soft spot for it because it reminds me of a short film I wrote/directed in college about my own experience with rejection and first love.

I believe this one is locked (meaning it requires an AO3 account to access), but making an account is both free and worth it. Yes, I know Winds is never coming out, but in my own delulu canon, this is it, this is the book. End series. Roll credits. 

Short as hell, you get the idea, but still fade-to-black if smut isn't your thing. It's hard to find good, dirty fic for this pairing. I do not currently have the mental bandwidth to be the change I wish to see in the world, but I will gladly support anyone with more patience than I.

Another locked one...oh no, I guess you'll just have to make an account.

Locked, again, but you know the drill. I believe it's by the same writer as the above. Always haunted by things that invoke Ewan McGregor's line in Moulin Rouge! - "thank you for curing me of my ridiculous obsession with love."

Not PWP but smut with themes, a favorite subgenre of mine.

Wholesome fluff to temper the fires of the above.

I think this may have been the very first one I ever read. Short and sweet, I revisit it pretty often.

Unfortunately, Tumblr only lets me add ten links at a time, so this is Part I of a multi-part series. I'll keep this post pinned at the top of my blog and add a link to succeeding parts in the comments.

I intend for this to be a living document - if you have any recommendations, my inbox is always open. Happy reading, my fellow PxC shippers :)

[ineffable-snowman]

Fic Tag Game

Thanks for the tag @dark--whisperings!

How many works do you have on ao3?

fifteen

2. What's your Ao3 word count?

400,883 (holy shit)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

right now switching between Star Wars and Good Omens

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Maybe Someday - 841 kudos, most of them thanks to @plumbum-art's wonderful comic Date Night, which "resurrected" this little fic of mine.

and then my four MCU (sambucky) fics:

Trouble Man - 841 kudos, too!

Pet Psychopath - 712 kudos

Partners, Accidentally - 561 kudos

Co-Workers with Benefits - 509 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes. Because if I write a comment, I like to hear from the author. It doesn't have to be much but it just makes me happy to hear that my comment made the author happy. And I think interaction is important to keep a fandom "alive" (even if often I don't know what to say but I try).

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't write angsty endings. But I'm a little worried that people won't agree with me that Match Made on Earth has a happy ending.

7. What's the fic your write with the happiest ending?

As I said, they all have happy endings, but the ending of Four Chord Songs and Sentimental Lyrics is particularly sappy. I was wondering if that love song in the last chapter was *too much*, but then I thought: nope, it's Anakin, *too much* is his personality trait.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

This year I got two very rude anon comments on one of my Obikin fics accusing me of horrible things. The accusations felt pretty generic and did not fit to that particular story at all, but they still left me a little shaken. Fortunately, the people in the Obikin discord were really kind about it and helped to cheer me up.

Back on FFNET I received the occasional "ew, they're not gay, why would you write that?" Also there were some people who were angry at the way I wrote Obi-Wan, saying things like "how can you say he's your favourite character and then characterise him as weak/flawed/incompetent... and make so many bad things happen to him?"

BUT, all in all, fandom has been a positive experience and the many good interactions far outweigh the odd rude comment.

9. Do you write smut? What kind?

Does one awkward sex scene per multi chapter fic count? (No.)

10. Do you write cross-overs?

No.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so, not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, a long time ago on FFNET when I still wrote Harry Potter fic.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Yes.

14. What's your all time favourite ship?

I feel like Obikin is the "correct" answer because I always come back to them.

15. What's your WIP you like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Step into Christmas with me. So far, I've managed to add two chapters every season. If I continue at that pace, I might finish it in two more years...

16. What are your writing strength?

Beginnings and endings.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

The long middle parts that always become too long and repetitive.

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

Okay, I have Opinions on this!

I don't like it and don't see the merits of it. It often just feels like the author wants to show off their language skills. But as a reader it takes me out of a story. I don't want to check footnotes or use google translate in the middle of reading.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Just for myself: Harry Potter. Posting online: Star Wars.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Servants of the Force is definitely not my best writing but it's still my favourite fic anyway because I've never put so much effort into a fic before and I'm proud that I finished it.

---

I'm not sure who has already done it. tagging (no pressure!): @underacalicosky, @demonghost, @somethingsteff, @ineffableobikin, @fulcrum843, @howlbrooklyn, @kingdomvel

[hiyyihrts]

Just as many of us are thrilled to see rep in s3, many, many women were thrilled at the idea of representation for themselves in s2. It isn’t unreasonable for them to notice the discrepancy in how one actress was treated in comparison to the s1 and s3 white female leads, and it takes nothing away from your love of Nicola / Polin to allow them to express their feelings about that without trying to gaslight them.

It wasn’t the pandemic that made Netflix not do a couple’s poster, or one for Simone alone, or deny requests for joint Johnny and Simone interviews. It wasn’t the pandemic that had Netflix do that and give the EW article to other characters, rather than Simone, Simone and Johnny, or heck, Simone, Johnny, and Charithra. No, y’all essentially got a Polin shoot for s2. Which, yay for you, but think how you’d feel if this season it was all Benedict or Francesca promo instead of Penelope. Wouldn’t you think Netflix was wrong? That it was fatphobic? I would. I therefore think what they did for s2 reeks of racism.

It wasn’t the pandemic that had the writers compare the Sharma sisters to horses, literally, horses in a horse race in s2, and pit them against each other for a white man.

I could go on, people post receipts of this all the time, and you don’t need to take it as personally as many have, but don’t gaslight fans who saw it. Don’t encourage white fans to dismiss the people who are deeply hurt by it. No one is saying not to celebrate what y’all are getting, but there is a discrepancy and pointing it out and demanding better is a good thing that in no way detracts from the fact that Nicola / Polin / s3 is getting everything and more than y’all could ever ask. It’s gross to tell woc to shut the fuck up and be grateful when they got so much less than what the selling point of the show (diversity) promised.

I normally don’t get involved in this kind of stuff but your post was in the Kanthony tag, so I felt it merited a response, knowing how much it would hurt people. People who have already been deeply hurt by Bridgerton and the fandom. This isn’t some kind of shipping war, it’s so much more important, and I’m dismayed at how callous the fandom is being about all this.

I haven’t and will never say that people can’t be upset by the blatant differences in how the seasons have been promoted. Nor have I said anyone shouldn’t talk about it or to be quiet about it. I see now that it was wrong to say the pandemic influenced what went on, bc people have sent me things since indicating that there very much is a lot of racial differences and unfair treatment for both of the leads the last season. It’s true Simone and Johnny both were paid dust, and to have the sister’s stories altered and changed is not something I agree with. I’m not trying to encourage anyone to do anything. The only thing I don’t agree with and I’ve said before is making it seem like any of these actors chose things that production did. I wish Simone and Johnny were featured more in this season and got more than what they did in the last! It’s Netflix and Shonda that are the ones pushing these things and deciding what does or doesn’t happen. Blaming the actors for it doesn’t do anything because they don’t have a say in what is or isn’t done, that’s all Netflix and Shonda. I don’t understand throwing vitriol over couples and actors who don’t decide things. I don’t agree with anyone doing that. And I’ll make it clear now that I don’t agree with Netflix or Shonda or condone anything they’ve done that has hindered Johnny and Simone in any way, shape, or form, or has caused fans to come after them for starring in a show and playing characters that people connect with and love dearly. I wish there would’ve been better representation than what we were given, and I hope the future seasons have even better representation and they take the criticism over racist descriptions and lack of promotion to their heads and it actually clicks that what they did wasn’t fair or right.

[blainesebastian]

cold hands, warm heart

words: 2,883 ship: austin butler x reader summary: Austin looks back at the car and you’re cold now, snow seeping into crevices from your tumble. “Why does everythin’ have to be a struggle with you?” “Just lucky I guess,” You toss back. warnings: NSFW notes: a bit of bratty!austin, basically just wanted to write about snow and a variety of angst prompts. I used 3, an adapted 11, and 15 from this list. tag list: @killerqueenfan, @austinbutlermischief , @elizabethrosecresswell, @gigisworldsstuff, @stylespresleyhearted

It’s winter quiet, the kind that becomes its own type of sound when it settles around you and seeps into your bones. It’s your favorite part of the year, when it snows, the cold nipping at the tips of your fingers and biting at your nose. You prefer this weather so much over the sweaty stickiness of summer and know that plenty of people would call you crazy for that. But this is where the bundled sweaters come in, the anticipation of holidays, fireplaces crackling, icicles and snow. You’ve always loved the snow.

At least, you loved it when you weren’t stuck in it.

You tilt your head a little, as if that attempt will allow you to see out and around the hood of the car that’s popped. Austin’s behind it, checking the engine, even though you’re sure he has no idea what he’s looking at any more than you do. You snuggle down into your seat, your breath beginning to puff gently in front of you as the heat in the car slowly dissipates.

Glancing out the passenger window, you watch as snow falls in big, thick flakes.

As much as you want to blame Austin for all of this, you know it’s not entirely his fault.

Here’s the thing—it’s not like you didn’t know what you signed up for. Austin’s always been a flirt, he comes by it honestly, a typical Leo man. You’ve made jokes about it to your friends and family. But at the same time? You make comments like that because you know Austin is a decent man, he wouldn’t intentionally hurt you and despite gossip mongrels, you don’t think he’s a cheater.

But flirting? Absolutely within his wheelhouse, as easy as breathing, practically automatic when you’ve got him in a larger crowd. This is an innate power you think he’s learned to use if needed, that a well-placed smile or a kind gesture can open plenty of doors.

You don’t think Austin is manipulative, but rather, so genuinely captivating that it knocks people’s defenses right down. And because it’s so natural, Austin just brushes over when it’s thrown right back to him.

It’s taken you a long time to realize that your friend, Marcy, is not as genuine as she should be—especially when she spends half of this party that you’re at flirting with your boyfriend.

What aggravates you more is that Austin completely ignores it—either he doesn’t realize it or it doesn’t bother him enough to say anything.

Deep down, you know he probably doesn’t think much of it, that it doesn’t merit causing a scene when it means nothing to him, when he’s with you. But that’s not how things feel and you can’t stand the look on your friend’s face, that it seems like she’s getting away with something. Like she actually has a shot with your boyfriend.

Grabbing your coat, you abruptly decide you’re leaving, the front door closing all the way before Austin realizes you’ve disappeared from the party. He grabs his coat too, haphazardly closing the door as you adjust your beanie, making sure your scarf is covering your neck and tugging your gloves on.

“Y/N.”

You let out a huff, “Save it.”

Probably a bit harsh but you’re feeling particularly raw, deciding that the weather has let up enough that you can walk home. It’s just a few blocks anyways, fresh snowfall but nothing that should be too icy? Safer than the roads, you think. You’re not sure if it’s going to snow any more tonight, not too cold.

“What are you doing?”

You motion to the sidewalk, finishing buttoning your coat and stuffing your hands into your pockets, “Baking a cake,” You snap, “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m walking home before I say something I’m gonna regret.”

You begin walking and you think the conversation might be finished…at least until you both get back to your place. But you suppose you should know better, you do know Austin better, because you hear the car engine start and suddenly he’s driving up alongside you.

He slows the pace, rolling down the window so he can talk to you, “C’mon, it’s freezing—get in the car.”

“Why don’t you go see if Marcy needs a ride home?” Seems you’re going with petty tonight on the menu.

“This wouldn’t even be a problem if you wouldn’t insist on makin’ it one.”

You scoff out a laugh because really? Shaking your head, you don’t waste your time with a response. The car engine stops and you almost look over your shoulder to see if Austin is heading back to the party, but instead move forward along the sidewalk towards your destination. And then suddenly, your boyfriend is in front of you, crouching down to pick you up, throwing you over his shoulder.

“Oh my god,” You struggle, “Put me down! Austin!”

This is so ridiculous and if you weren’t so pissed off, this situation might actually be comical to you. Austin’s tall, this is easy for him, and it’s nothing he hasn’t done before. He thinks that this is some sort of plan— putting you in the car like the baby you’re pouting as. There have been plenty of times when he’s had you in his arms and you’ve enjoyed it.

This is not one of them.

“Austin I am so serious—”

“Just get in the car, I’m not letting you walk home—”

You’re so mad that you don’t even think about your next move, you just dip your chin and bring your teeth together…biting his hand. Austin gasps, instantly losing his balance and ungracefully lets you go. You land in a big heap on top of a snow pile in the grass, winter getting to the soft skin of your wrists, neck, and under your coat. You sit up, a flutter of amusement in your chest because you feel like no one would believe you if you tried to talk about how this night was playing out.

“I can’t believe you fuckin’ bit me, are you serious?” Austin yells, definitely angrier than before and you can’t help but let out a sharp laugh,

“You dropped me.” You huff, attempting to move your hair out of your face with your gloved hands, “I told you to put me down.”

“And that means you bite me?” Austin asks around the same time someone comes out of the party, watching the both of you from the steps because you haven’t gotten very far—

“You two alright?”

Austin and you glance at one another, exhales leaving like puffed smoke in the air. He straightens his shoulders, shaking out his hand and you pull yourself up from the ground, attempting to brush snow off your clothes.

“Yeah,” You reply as he says, “Fine.”

The person on the steps does not seem overly convinced but they leave you alone, walking to their car.

Austin looks back at the car and you’re cold now, snow seeping into crevices from your tumble. “Why does everythin’ have to be a struggle with you?”

“Just lucky I guess,” You toss back, taking your beanie off as you stomp through the crunching ice to get into the passenger seat. No use walking home now.

Austin gets in the car and closes the door, turning the heat on as he begins to drive. He takes it slow, the road conditions not the best but it’s that part of the year where snow and ice take their turns on top of snowplows and salt trucks. As he clears a block, turning onto a small hill that leads down towards your place, thick white flakes begin to flutter down.

You let out a slow breath, looking out your window—you’ve always been fond of winter trees the best. Of course summer in full bloom is beautiful, and the colors of autumn are charming, but there’s always something about bare winter trees that hold intricate layers of snow that are breathtakingly striking.

A shiver courses down your spine and you go to reach for the heat dial but Austin’s hand is already moving, making sure that the vents are pointing in your direction. Admittedly, it melts not only the snow on your coat, but the ice you felt in your veins leaving the party.

Maybe you…overreacted a little, “I’m sorry.”

Austin glances over at you before keeping his eyes on the road, carefully making his way down the hill, “For biting me?”

A small smile tugs the corners of your mouth, “No.”

He scoffs but even in the darkness of the car you can see the corners of his lips tilt up—and then the car skids. It’s not too fast, not completely out of control, but you can tell Austin can’t stop the wheels from swerving a bit down the hill. You gasp as it gains a bit of momentum towards the bottom, the only thing stopping the vehicle is the guardrail blocking off a section of woods.

It’s a firm bump, enough for you to hear your heartbeat in your ears and feel it in your throat.

“You alright?” Austin asks, his hand coming up to touch the back of your head. You nod, “You sure?”

“Yeah—you?” He attempts to start the engine one, twice, but it stalls. Undoing his seatbelt before humming at your question, he opens the car door. “Where are you going? Let me just call triple A.”

But he’s really going to do the whole thing where he looks under the hood, like secret answers will be printed on machinery.

This is definitely both of your faults but you’re getting cold again.

You’ve seen plenty of horror movies that start out this way—stranded car near the woods, the dead of winter…you frown as you take a longer look out the window and watch the snow fall before opening up the door.

“C’mon let’s just walk, I’m freezing. We can send a tow truck for this in the morning.”

Austin sighs and zips up his coat like he’d rather not, but it’s a better option than messing around with the car’s engine while it continues to snow. You reach for his hand to help him step over an embankment of snow near the tire, looking down past the woods where the street opens up again. Only a five-minute walk, doable.

Austin winces a bit and you look down at your joined hands, a soft laugh slipping out of your lips, “Sorry, that your injured palm?”

“Can’t believe you drew blood.”

“I did not.” You snort, starting to walk with him. You help balance one another out so that there’s no slipping but the new falling snow definitely doesn’t help. For once you’re incredibly thankful that you went with winter boots instead of something fashionable for that disaster of a party.

It’s quiet for a short while as you get to the bottom of the hill and find your footing, making your way to the sidewalk so that you’re off the road. You continue to hold hands, even gloved you’re able to run your finger along his knuckles. He squeezes, a silent communication between you both.

Luckily, it doesn’t take too long to get back to your place, taking your keys out of your pocket to quickly unlock the front door. You shake off the cold the best you can, both you and Austin moving inside and to the living room.

“Good thing I got this thing fixed,” You shiver, toeing off your boots and turning the fireplace on. It takes a moment before it flickers to life, licking at panels of wood.

You slowly take off your gloves and scarf, sniffling, your fingers shaking as you attempt to undo your coat as well. Austin comes up beside you, adjusts the fireplace setting so it’s a bit higher, more heat. He then turns to look at you, a soft smile on his handsome face.

There are still snowflakes in his hair, melting as you reach up and touch some of the strands.

“You’re shakin’,” He murmurs, helping you undo your coat, sliding it off. He carries it to the front door to hang it up to dry, coming back in. He reaches for you, running his hands along the shoulders of your sweater which feels kinda damp. No doubt from falling off his shoulder and into the snow. “Want me to make you some tea or somethin’?”

You shake your head, sniffling again, “No, it’s okay—I’ll warm up.”

Austin hums lightly, hands moving against your arms now, “I can help with that.” He watches you for a long moment, fingering a strand of hair behind your ear. He takes in a soft breath, his thumb brushing over your lower lip, “M’sorry about before, about your friend.”

You let out a soft noise that kind of sounds like a strangled chuckle, “You’re just sayin’ that because you want to kiss me.” A tiny bit of a joke, you do hear the genuine inflection in Austin’s tone.

He smiles, “Possibly.” He paints his lips over your forehead and your eyes flutter closed. Austin draws his thumb along your jawline, his other resting on your waist, “I mostly just ignore her when she’s like that,” Which is…something you considered, “But I didn’t realize it bothered you.”

“It does bother me,” You tilt your chin to look up at him. And you realize this is a conversation you really need to have with your friend, since she’s the one who always starts this mess in the first place.

Austin nods, “Won’t happen again, promise.”

And even though you want to pout, you can’t quite do it standing in front of him, the shadows from the fire flickering on the strong lines of his face. You lick your lips, looking down at his, before kissing him.

“Still want to help warm me up?”

Austin smirks against your mouth, his hands slipping up and under your shirt.

It doesn’t take very long to lose layers of clothing, Austin moving towards the couch to grab a few pillows, blankets, tossing them on the floor in front of the fireplace. Very Hallmark channel; makes you laugh, and he wraps his arms around your waist and presses kisses along your shoulders, your breasts, down your sternum and stomach.

A fluttering heat begins in the center of your body, spreading thick and heavy like molasses, a tingling that pulls down.

You run your hand through his hair and suddenly Austin picks you up just enough to lie you down on the floor,

“What is it with you pickin’ me up today?”

Austin settles between your legs, grinning, “Don’t act like you don’t like it.”

The heat of his body along your inner thighs drives you a little crazy and instead of dignifying that comment with a response, you lean up and kiss him instead. You slide your hand between your bodies, reaching for him, wrapping your hand around his length. Austin lets out a slow moan or a sigh, his head falling to rest in the crook of your neck.

You turn your head, pressing a kiss to his jawline, relishing in the way he sounds as you move your hand, make him hard.

Austin slides your thighs further apart with his one leg and god, you’re wet already, his own fingers slipping inside of you so easily that it makes you squirm. He works you open, until your legs are trembling for a completely different reason that has nothing to do with the cold.

“Now,” You whisper, “Please, now.”

Austin smiles against your skin, kissing you, tongue slipping between your lips as he slides into you. You hike your leg up, giving yourself a bit of an angle, having him go deeper as he moves. The movement is fluid, your fingers digging into the skin of his back, all that pressure building inside and pulsing out. Your head tips back when you cum, dragging your body a bit against the carpet but…you don’t even care, feels so good, even when Austin has to quicken his pace to finish.

You squeeze your eyes shut, feeling a bit sensitive, closing your legs a bit tightly as he shifts. It’s around his body but he doesn’t seem to mind.

“Sorry,” He brushes that apology on your shoulder, a few kisses.

Austin is silent as he eventually gets up and even with your eyes closed, you know where he’s headed. He comes back with a warm washcloth, cleans you up, cleans himself up, pressing his lips where he can reach on heated skin.

“Think I have a brush burn on the back of my shoulder,” You let out a soft laugh, Austin shifting slightly. You follow through with his movement, leaning up so that he can pull the blanket where it needs to be. You rest easier on top of it, smiling up at him.

He grabs another blanket from a nearby chair, comfortably settling next to you, raking his fingers through your hair.

“Much warmer now, right?”

You hum, satisfied, sleepy— “Much. Would keep checking on that though, just in case.”

Austin smirks, stretching his arm across your stomach, the fire crackling as snow continues to fall outside, “That can definitely be arranged.”

[olderthannetfic]

Tagging question: if I write a fic where Character A and Character B are reincarnated and fall in love in multiple lifetimes, and they go from F/M to F/F to M/F to M/M, does that go in the category for Other or for Multi? Technically there's not multiple pairings present, just the one. It's just that that one has a different gender configuration at points.

--

'Multi' means multiple gender configurations.

But you should tag it as whatever you conceptually see it as and based on how you usually tag.

I think the 'multi' category was really a holdover from old archives and quickly became obsolete on AO3, so if I had a fic with two types of ship in it, I'd just tag those two. I usually use multi for my m/m/f, personally.

If I wrote a fic like you describe but there wasn't any porn and one version of the characters gets a lot of the screen time and matches canon, I'd just tag with the genders from canon. Another similar fic might very much merit all three of f/m, m/m, and f/f.

[duckprintspress]

Created Works Round-Up: December 2023

Duck Prints Press’s monthly “created works round-ups” are our opportunity to spotlight some of the amazing work that people working with us have done that ISN’T linked to their work with Duck Prints Press. We include fanworks, outside publications, and anything else that creators feel like sharing with y’all. Inclusion is voluntary and includes anything that they decided “hey, I want to put this on the created work’s round-up!”

Check out what they’ve shared with us this month…

Songbird in the Demon's Hall by Boomchick / Lucy K.R. / @boomchickfanfiction

fiction || tian guan ci fu/heaven official's blessing || m/m || xie lian/hua cheng || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 14,966 || complete

summary: Xie Lian lives as a prisoner and performer in the mansion of a mortal lord until demon king Hua Cheng arrives and upends the nightmare Xie Lian has only begun to understand.

other tags: Offscreen death and violence, starvation, captivity, food, hurt/comfort, recovery

AO3 - TWITTER

​

Quality Assurance by D.V. Morse/NursingGeek / @nursinggeek

fiction || the ink that bleeds || f/m || amihan chanthara/lucien allard || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 1,023 || complete

summary: Ami is working on getting some Christmas cookies made for her customers when Lucien arrives. He does always try to be helpful.

AO3

​

Another Mess to Clean by D.V. Morse/NursingGeek / @nursinggeek

fiction || hermitcraft smp || no ships || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 1,331 || complete

summary: As she worked on the lighting for the path connecting her base to the Deep Frost Citadel, Pearl briefly considered the merits of adding some spruce leaves or even some of the other colors from her landscape, when she heard a familiar sound that made her instantly crouch.

AO3

​

A Whole New Adventure by D.V. Morse/NursingGeek / @nursinggeek

fiction || supernatural || m/m || castiel/dean winchester || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 766 || complete

summary:

When Dean had agreed that Cas could get Mary a pet for Christmas, he thought he'd been pretty clear. A pet. One. Singular. Having one additional species in the house was going to be challenging enough.

So a cat and a dog, well, kitten and puppy, were a bit more than Dean had bargained for.

AO3

​

Secret Recipe by D.V. Morse/NursingGeek / @nursinggeek

fiction || secret life smp || platonic or familial || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 973 || complete

summary: Just because their task was to be a Secret Santa didn't mean Cleo needed to bake Christmas cookies. They'd like to roll back time and tell their past self that, because this was turning out to be more trouble than it was worth.

AO3

​

Erasure Interruptus by D.V. Morse/NursingGeek / @nursinggeek

fiction || doctor who || no ships || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 1,154 || complete

summary: Wiping the data storage from an x-ray machine might not be the weirdest job Melissa had ever had, but this was definitely the weirdest day.

AO3

​

Collecting the Temporal Toddlers by D.V. Morse/NursingGeek / @nursinggeek

fiction || doctor who || poly (multiple genders) || twelfth doctor/jack harkness/river song || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 1,138 || complete

summary:

River Song could be a lot of things. "Reporter" wasn't her favorite, but with the Doctor missing in 1957, it would have to do.

AO3

​

Anglerfish by S. J. Ralston / @mindfulwrathwrites

fiction || original work || no ships || mature || graphic depictions of violence, major character death || 13,743 || complete

summary: A deep-space cargo vessel picks up a distress signal 700 light years from anywhere and diverts to investigate.

other tags: Horror, Sci-Fi, panic attacks, suffocation, POV character losing their grip on reality

TUMBLR - LINK

​

reaching for that civil dawn by Shadaras / @shadaras

fiction || original work || platonic or familial, m/m || teen & up || creator choses not to use warnings || 5,391 || complete

summary: When Chun Tao arrived at Luo Manor, Zhang Fei was kneeling on the ground, covered in the ashes of what had once been a rich merchant’s home.

Despite Zhang Fei's murderous reputation, Chun Tao knows him well enough to ask for an explanation instead of attacking indiscriminately—this isn't his usual style. Still, Chun Tao doesn't expect to join Zhang Fei on a revenge quest after hearing what he has to say...

other tags: Wuxia, Reluctant Allies to Co-Parents to Lovers, Aftermath of Violence, Magic Cat

AO3

​

Hooded Falcon by Shadaras / @shadaras

fiction || dmbj (sha hai) || platonic or familial, shippy gen || wu xie and hei xiazi || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 1,836 || complete

summary: Hei Xiazi tries his best to take care of Wu Xie as long desert days blend together.

other tags: Slice of Life (DMBJ Style), Desert Expedition, Grounding Touch, Introspection, Cartaking

AO3

​

Perfection by Terra P. Waters / @terrapwaters

fiction || stranger things || f/f, f/m, poly (multiple genders) || jonathan byers/chrissy cunningham/steve harrington/nancy wheeler || mature || no major warnings apply || 18,617 || complete

summary: Chrissy Cunningham is surprised when Jason Carver asks her to the Homecoming dance Junior year. After all, the voice in her head insults her every chance it gets. When Jason starts saying the same things, well, they have to be true, don't they? With help from new friends, Chrissy realizes she doesn't have to put up with Jason's abuse any longer. The thing wearing Jason's body doesn't agree.

other tags: Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Domestic Violence, High School, School Dances, Period-Typical Homophobia, Eating Disorders, Post-Season/Series 01, Bisexuality, Bisexual Female Character, hearing voices/unreality, vomiting, domestic abuse, insults, passing out/losing consciousness, gun violence, internalized homophobia, fatphobia

AO3

​HAPPY READING!

[flutishly]

At a family-adjacent event, someone from the other side of the family (who I know fairly well at this point) asked me "Have you ever read Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall?" She knows that I love reading and like talking about books, so it wasn't completely out of left field, but given how much I adore Wolf Hall, it caught me off guard for a moment. Yes, I replied, it's actually genuinely one of my favorite books.

She then started talking about the reasons she mostly hated it. And it wasn't from a perspective of dismissing my love or tearing it down. She talked about how much she admired the writing and about how much she disliked the characters. "He's such a difficult main character," she mused. Yes! I cried, he is!

The whole time, we had this conversation while explicitly coming from different places in terms of engaging with this piece of art, coming from different generations (classic Boomer versus Millennial), and seeking different satisfaction from the art itself. She had just finished the book and I read it years ago, when it came out. But even though we had fundamentally different experiences reading the book, we forged a fascinating conversation. We argued over the literary merits of having such a flawed, difficult protagonist, about what it means to like that (as I do), and more.

And it's these sorts of conversations that I think are sorely missing from fandom. This debate wasn't an argument and it wasn't passive acceptance of someone else's other opinion with no pushback. There were aspects that were obviously just down to taste, but other things were interpretative or contextual. When I compared Wolf Hall as a contrast to the film "A Man For All Seasons", she brought up "Anne of the Thousand Days". Our interpretations were different. Our experiences were different. But that didn't prevent us from finding the contact points.

I love being able to engage with art (as should be pretty obvious by this entire blog). I love watching or reading something and going "ah yes, here is something I liked" and then discussing it. I also often like saying "ah yes, here is something I deeply disliked". My dislike usually doesn't negate my like (if I have it) or even someone else's like (if I don't). Today, gifmakers will often bristle at the idea of tags that don't fully embrace the characters or scenes depicted in the gifs. But for me, part of sharing something is having that discussion. If I'm sharing a gifset, it's because I like it and I want to be able to address something particular in that gifset. Sometimes, I find a relationship compelling without necessarily shipping them; does that mean I can't/shouldn't share something that comes from a place of viewing them romantically, while elaborating on that thought? Maybe, maybe not.

"Make your own post" is the common refrain, but that's exactly what I find missing. Smaller fandoms sometimes manage to have these conversations, but there's a sense that it's always the exception. Fandom revolves around the love of a thing, often leaving little room for truly nuanced discussions of what does or doesn't work for others. Ultimately, I'm surprised and gratified to have found exactly what I was looking for at a child's birthday party, discussing a book I really loved between the salad and the cake. I just wish I could have it within my other fandom communities as well.