#for like maybe 1000 words

[anoctoberpepper]

chapter I'm editing is so clunky and messy. Fanfic gods send relief in the form of good word talk and in-character dialog.

[writeouswriter]

The curse has lifted (finally wrote more than like 10 words on something)

[robintherobiner]

Snippet from myReverse Robin au!! i still have no wifi so i've been trying to do some more writing 👉👈 are there any aus of mine that yall really want me to work on?

He knew her last name.

How the fuck did he know that?

“Whoopsie, cats out of the bag!” Junior chirped, making jazz hands. “Surprise, I know your identity!”

Stephanie stared at him in disbelief.

“You know one of the most well guarded secrets in Gotham and your reaction to letting it slip is fucking whoopsie?” The words fell from her lips before she could even think about it.

As the boy burst into giggles, she considered asking him to knock her out just so she didn’t have to deal with him anymore.

[hephaestuscrew]

Pan-Pan, Boléro, and Minkowski's different responses to loss

I want to compare two key lines of Minkowski's which indicate very different responses to grief:

In Ep29 Pan-Pan, Minkowski breaks down and says "Doug Eiffel is gone! There was nothing we could do to save him. It wasn't anyone's fault. It's horrible, and pointless, and it just happened."

In contrast, after arriving at the funeral in Ep46 Boléro, she says "[Lovelace, Hilbert and Maxwell are dead] to make the fact that we're not gone yet important. They're gone... so that we never forget how important it is that we're still here." 

TL;DR: In Pan-Pan, Minkowski expresses her unprocessed grief through despair and hopelessness. Whereas in Boléro, she is able to find hope in the loss and lead her crew in trying to move forward. I suggest a significant reason of the difference is the presence of Eiffel to force Minkowski to confront and process the sense of loss.

Pan-Pan: "It's horrible, and pointless, and it just happened"

In Pan-Pan, the whole episode is full of anger and despair, but Minkowski speaking about the horrible pointlessness of losing Eiffel is one of the most painful and hopeless moments. It doesn't feel like she's really speaking to the others. She's focused on her internal despair (as suggested by the fact that she goes on to talk about the cracks, which Lovelace and Hilbert aren't supposed to know about).

The only potentially positive thing Minkowski says here is her recognition that "it wasn't anyone's fault". When Hera and Hilbert have been blaming Lovelace, and Minkowski has been blaming herself, it's significant that she acknowledges that sometimes a horrible thing just happens without there being anyone to blame. 

But in this context, and in the tone of voice Minkowski uses, even the lack of blame doesn't really feel like a positive thing. If Eiffel becoming stranded was just pointless and random, if there was nothing any of them could have done to save him, then the next tragedy might be just as unpredictable and unpreventable. Minkowski strikes me as the kind of person who can sometimes fall into the trap of subconsciously wishing that the awful thing is her fault because then at least she'd have control over something. In her train of thought here, the lack of blame is followed by focusing on how horrible and pointless what happened to Eiffel was. The only conclusion she can draw is "it just happened". There's no sense of hope in those lines. Eiffel being stranded just happened, and so do the cracks, and the crew are at the whims of brutal fortune with no meaning to any of it.

Boléro: "They're gone... so that we never forget how important it is that we're still here"

In Boléro, Minkowski can't even say that the tragedy wasn't anyone's fault. For each of the deaths, someone pulled a trigger. There is blame, and some of it lies at her feet. She didn't want to come to the funeral because at first she didn't know what she could say about the deaths she feels responsible for.

Yet even so, this time she finds something reassuring she can say to her crew, a grain of hope she can provide without attempting to diminish the loss: "[they're gone] to make the fact that we're not gone yet important. They're gone... so that we never forget how important it is that we're still here."

In another show, or another context, this kind of line might have had an 'everything happens for a reason' tone, which is something I deeply dislike as a response to other people's loss. But it doesn't feel like that's what Minkowski is saying here at all. She isn't trying to make any grand philosophical statement about the ultimate beneficence of the universe, or about how mortality gives meaning to human life. What she says here is working on a much more personal level. It's more about finding something other than despair that the crew can take from what has happened. This tragedy may still be horrible, but it provides a reminder that they are still alive in a context where that's far from guaranteed. Minkowski emphasises that the fact the survivors are alive matters - her crew matters. I'd argue that this contrasts with the 'it just happened' outlook discussed above. 

I don't know how much Minkowski fully feels the importance of them still being there in the moment, but it's something that she can offer her crew, something that she can say in a situation that words can't grasp. I think the moment when she joins the funeral is such a key moment of her leadership. In the end, despite her doubts and struggles, she's there for her crew. Eiffel brought them together for a funeral, but he doesn't know what to say when Hera asks why they have to be gone. Minkowski enters just at the right moment to support her crew and she provides an answer to Hera's question. It's not a perfect answer, but it allows the funeral to move forward. It allows the crew to move forward (even if that emotional movement is somewhat thrown off by a dramatic change in the circumstances). Minkowski starts off the eulogies; she leads her crew in the acknowledgement of what's been lost.

Why such a difference in responses?

There's lots of ways you could interpret the difference between the outlook of these two moments, and there's probably more to say about it though the lens of Minkowski's character development than I'm going to say here. But for me, the main difference between these moments is that, in Pan-Pan, it feels like no processing or recognition of grief has really occurred. When Minkowski says "Doug Eiffel is gone!", it almost feels like the first time that Minkowski has fully confronted and acknowledged the loss. Eiffel has been lost in space for 116 days, but it's only at the end of this episode that Minkowski brings herself to say in her distress calls that he is "presumed dead". Whereas in Boléro, she's already eulogising the dead and thinking about what can be learned from the loss, not even a full day after the mutiny.

Obviously there is much less ambiguity to a body bag (or least there would be, if not for alien interference). But I can't help thinking that the difference between the attitudes towards loss which Minkowski displays in these two quotes is less about the difference in the kind of loss, and more about a situation that prompted and enabled the processing of emotions in Boléro: namely, the funeral. After Eiffel was stranded in space, I think Minkowski probably went months without looking her grief in the eye. But after the deaths of Lovelace, Hilbert, and Maxwell, Eiffel's suggestion of a funeral forces Minkowski to confront her complicated emotions and provides a space in which she can offer direction to her grieving crew.

This is a good illustration of how I think Minkowski and Eiffel complement and support each other in a really valuable way. On his own, Eiffel couldn't provide the leadership that the crew needed for the funeral to work. But without Eiffel, and his determination to recognise the emotional weight of the three deaths, the funeral would never have happened and Minkowski would never have been in a position to provide hope and direction to her crew. When Eiffel was the one the Hephaestus crew were grieving, Minkowski couldn't offer much emotional direction to her crew beyond despair. But when Eiffel is beside her in the grief, saying that the grief deserves to be felt, then Minkowski can find a way for them to move forward emotionally. It's not the deaths that remind them how important it is that they are still here. It's the grief. It's the ability to confront that grief together.

[gigamuffin]

[The Villains] [Landlubbers] [Media links]

You may recognize the name Kaptein Sabeltann in some of my posts and may have wondered "Hey who is that totally sick and awesome pirate?" Well here's a (mostly objective and unbiased) introduction to our main crew!

Kaptein Sabeltann (Captain Sabertooth) himself is the most feared and revered pirate of the seven seas and the self-proclaimed king of the sea. He is known for his love of gold and the ability to literally smell it + the catchphrase of the show "Hiv o' Hoi". He is a stubborn, decisive pirate who expects everything to follow his way. There is a rumour that Kaptein Sabeltann has sailed the seven seas for a hundred years, but this is often dismissed as scared landlubber tales.

Kaptein Sabeltann sails onboard Den sorte dame (the dark lady) with his crew: Langemann, Pelle, Pysa, Benjamin, Skalken and a young cabin boy Pinky. They reside in a port called Abra Havn, hidden away on an island surrounded by fog and through a narrow passageway only Langemann knows how to get Den sorte dame through. This place is called “Det usynlige land" (the invisible land)

Den sorte dame (the dark lady). Fun fact her skull actually opens and closes it's mouth, and if you don't think that's cool you're not real. They sail her around for the show at night and in the daytime, she is free to ride in the park itself!

Let's talk about Kaptein Sabeltann's first mate and right-hand man: Langemann (Longfinger) (pictured on the left). He is Kaptein Sabeltann's most trusted man and helps keep the crew and sometimes the captain himself in check. He is the only other person with free access to Kaptein Sabeltann's castle. Langemann is known as "Sabeltann's shadow" because "Where Langemann is Kaptein Sabeltann is close by."

Langemann is very serious about his job and makes sure the usually incompetent crew actually does their duty. But off duty, he knows how to joke, flirt, sing and just be an average guy, which is something he uses to his advantage to spy on landlubbers (one of his main jobs is to fool them for information on treasures). Langemann is Pinky's father figure, and behaves very much like dad in general.

And this is Pinky (Tiny, pretend his english name isn’t real), he's technically our main protagonist and has the overarching plot of the show. Pinky was found on a shipwreck as a baby by Kaptein Sabeltann and his crew (but mostly by Langemann). He grew up in Abra Havn amongst pirates and dreamed of becoming the world's youngest pirate, which is something Kaptein Sabeltann scoffs at. Kaptein Sabeltann only sees Pinky as "the kid that Langemann picked up in that shipwreck" and doesn't take his wishes to become a "real pirate" seriously at all. Langemann on the other hand does try to encourage him to become a pirate someday. He is currently 11 years old in canon. After he realizes he doesn't want to be a pirate anymore he dreams of finding his biological dad, Morgan, instead. This is his overarching plot of the show.

Langemann used to be close friends with Pinky's biological dad Morgan and raises Pinky assuming Morgan is dead. Pinky lives at Langemann's house and often follows him around when he's in Abra Havn. Pinky looks up to both Langemann and Kaptein Sabeltann a lot growing up. Pinky is valued for his ability to read but other than that he is just a cabin boy in Kaptein Sabeltann's eyes.

Now we can move on to the other crew members.

Pelle and Pysa (Wally and Wimp) are twin brothers and huge mama's boys. They can't read, write or count, which is often the butt of some joke. Pelle (Wally) sees himself as the "older brother" of the two, despite being only a few minutes older. He is often very bossy and mean to his brother Pysa. Pysa (Wimp) as his name implies is more of a coward. Other than that they are very similar. They are the stereotypical stooges, comedic reliefs, and love food, especially their mother's cooking. They are always bickering and even have a whole song dedicated to just that.

This is Benjamin (no yeah he's Benjamin in english too we're blessed), he is lazy first and foremost, and boisterous. He usually tricks Pelle and Pysa into doing his job for him. Despite doing very little he often brags about being one of Kaptein Sabeltann's most famous and talented crew members. He often twists words or cracks jokes (often referencing things from modern day, aimed at the adults in the audience) that annoys Kaptein Sabeltann and the crew. He very much prioritizes fun and jokes over doing his job and being serious. If Pelle and Pysa are the physical comedy he is the verbal comedy. Benjamin also has the best eyesight of the crew and is often stationed at the crow's nest.

Finally there is Skalken (Tully, his name actually translates to crust)...... Skalken is the ship's cook, and just by looking at him you can guess he isn't very good at it. Skalken only cooks food that makes the rest of the crew squeamish. He is often on the hunt for rats and cockroaches to put in his "famous" rat soup. According to him, rats and cockroaches are nutritious meals and a necessity to pirates. Despite everyone verbally and physically hating his cooking he just laughs and goes on believing he is a first class gourmet chef. He is our gross-out humour guy. Skalken, like Benjamin, often makes jokes that go over kids' heads, only Skalken has the ability to break the 4th wall.

And that's the main crew of Den sorte dame! I plan on writing another post for the villains, the side characters and the shows themselves in the near future. I will also have a short post with links to some of the media up soon. See you then!

[suntails]

eepy lil guy

[thegeminisage]

perpetual chicken and egg question are you not writing fanfiction because you're depressed or are you depressed because you're not writing fanfiction. write fanfiction and find out today

[i-tzi]

POKEDDEXY DAY 1: BUG TYPE (#988)

Another year, another Pokeddexy!! 🎉

I honestly don't know how much I'll be able to combine because objectively January is kind of a shitty month for me lol

But WHO CARES, enjoy my boys, see you again at the end of the challenge if I'm still alive lol o|-<

[oatbugs]

the forest looks like heaven today i woke up feeling the heaviest weight at the top of my heart

[camellcat]

sighing I've got this creative writing class yeah? and it's, like, whatever, y'know. but I'm coming to realize I have an issue I would've literally never fucking expected in that I can ONLY write doctor who fanfiction. every single prompt we're given I write AT LEAST one.

and I can't write about anything else unless I write a doctor who fic first. it's like a need like if I don't get it out of my head and onto my screen I'll explode and never be able to write again. this most recent prompt I wrote two separate fics and was forced to turn one of them in cause I ran out of time. what the hell

[loelett]

im so pumped about my swap fic im so insane im so crazy i wish it would write itself for me so i can read it RNNNNNN im so crazy im craazyyyyy

[cloudwhisper23]

Tumblr keeps putting me in random spots on the dashboard. I'm not going to be able to find anything at this rate.

[deepfriedpaddymayne]

Hi! I was wondering what you think about Augustin's sexuality esp during the getting pinned down/almost killed by Paddy scene=) I think he seems to enjoy it for a second, then gets annoyed and throws out the wife and kid line. But he also seems SO intrigued by him afterwards. Is he just comfortable in his sexuality?

hello anon first of all I am sorry for taking so long to answer this, it has been sitting in my brain for a long time. second of all mwah smooching you on the forehead for giving me an opportunity to ramble about my special boy

I am gonna preface this with the fact that while we do get a decent enough look at Augustin in the only two episodes we have him in, we do only have him around for two episodes. this means that a lot of my personal way of characterising Augustin is extrapolated from the little information we have, or from what I think makes a nice contrast with Paddy, because obviously those two are meant to be foils/parallels/mirrors/whatever it was that they were gonna do with them before the rewrites. replying to this ask is basically me explaining the process behind some of this extrapolation, because I think about Augustin Jordan a regular amount.

I personally find the way Augustin relates to his sexuality just... fascinating. on my first watch of The Sand Wrestling scene, my first impression was that the guy had to be ridiculously touch starved, because, like. it is undeniable that, even for just a few seconds, he was enjoying himself there. and okay, intricate rituals and homoeroticism and all of those things, but even then, Paddy is literally holding a knife to his throat. that should make you a little tense even if you are into sweaty wrestling with hot poets! and instead, Augustin is relaxing into it. as soon as the immediate fear goes away, he fucking melts under Paddy for a few seconds, and that's when the annoyance kicks in, after which his reactions seem a little more - contained, almost? he generally moves less and starts shushing Paddy, and then when he gets up shortly after he looks SO irritated (which is also so funny imo - my guy was just pinned to the ground with a knife to his throat by a guy who's famously insane and the most negativity he can muster is 'well that was annoying'). but of course, as you point out, after that, he is very obviously intrigued by Paddy - he's SO delighted when he realises that Paddy did just invite him to play russian roulette to prove a point, and in that entire scene he alternates between "my man you are insane what the hell" and "my man you are insane what the hell 👀". and the most obvious explanation for this is, ok, he's just very touch starved. sometimes it's just nice being held, even if that involves being threatened with a knife, you know? BUT WE KNOW HE'S NOT TOUCH STARVED. becuase we see him be physically affectionate with the rest of the French! he's not a loner who hasn't had any human touch in years!

which leads me to go, ok, well, then he's got to be very repressed. because that scene is quite sexual, blah blah blah homoeroticism of violence, while the rest of the affection we see him share with the others reads, at least to me, as very platonic. SO there is definitely some layer of repression going on - but I don't think it's a blanket repression of his sexuality. he's too confident later, when he goes up to Paddy and basically asks him if he's single while smoking his slutty little cigarette, to be someone who altogether panics at the concept of being into men. so WHY does he seem so irritated in the sand wrestling scene, and why does he throw in that line about having a wife and child? and I think the answer is that Augustin is a fairly controlled person. take the very composed confidence with which he shuts down Paddy's quoting TS Eliot at him, take the way he explains very flatly that they are used to following orders, take the fact that what he says to Paddy after the russian roulette is that they are here to defeat fascism, such a weirdly rational, to-the-point reaction to that entire interaction. he's upset in that moment, but he's getting himself together. he is very upset later, in episode 5, when he realises they've been betrayed, and even then, he keeps it together when he realises what Halevy is going to do, enough to encourage him and get himself out of there. Augustin is good at keeping it together, but here is the other thing - I think it's a facade. I think he's actually EXTREMELY intense, and this controlled rationality is not natural, it's learned. I am not sure why he would - though, again, I would guess that being gay in the 30s and 40s does all sorts of things to you - but I think he's taught himself to keep it together. and I think that's WHY he's so fascinated with Paddy, because Paddy is all but controlled. Paddy is a lot less insane than most people frame him as, but he is a wild, unbridled flood of emotion - especially when Augustin meets him, after Eoin, when the lines between feigned and real insanity start to blur. and I think seeing someone that's both so similar and so different from him is both scary and intoxicating for Augustin. imagine you spent your whole life teaching yourself to control your emotions and keep it together and then you meet a guy that's you, but whose heart is on his sleeve and constantly bleeding. terrifying, sure, but MAN, it must be a sight to behold.

and I think if you look at the sand wrestling scene from that angle, it makes it all make sense. he goes from the first moment of panic to elation to annoyance - and I think the annoyance is mostly at himself, because he's caught himself slipping, he's caught himself experiencing that rush of fear and adrenaline and probably attraction with a little too much pleasure. and that's why he says that he has a wife and child - not really because it's the being gay that he's repressing, but because he's kind of panicking at that flood of emotion (I personally believe he's lying in that moment - I know that it's possible that his file saying otherwise was just a mistake, but it's waaaay more interesting to me if he's lying. and, for what it's worth, the guy doesn't wear a wedding ring, on his hand or around his neck or anywhere else the costume department could have put it on him to signal that he's married). but later on, when he goes up to Paddy that evening, he's had enough time to kind of rationalise that emotion and slot it in a "well, yeah, that was kind of hot, but that's normal! regular body reaction to being pinned down by a hot man. nothing to unpack here", which obviously, insane thing to think, but it probably works for him, and I think that's why that relaxed confidence is back (of course, kinda too late by this point - my man is insane and now he's smitten).

so, tl;dr: I think Augustin is comfortable in his sexuality in the sense that I don't personally think he has too much of a problem with being attracted to men, but I do think he has a problem with, sort of, intense emotions and desire that he can't really control, and that's why he gets kind of irritated in that one scene. at the same time, he probably does want to break out of that strict control he's put himself in, which explains why he's immediately so taken with Paddy.

[musical-chick-13]

*sigh* While this wouldn't be the RAREST pair I've written for, it would certainly be close.

[dahldahlbills]

nano day 7

total word count: 1085

made it through the first week!!

[tempests-bards-and-birds]

wow the barbara-centric fic i was writing that was meant to be haha funny crack surrounding the whole thing of her being Oblivious to venti's identity has morphed into angst surrounding the questioning and potential collapse of the faith and religion that she has built her entire life on only to find out that maybe her god isn't so different from her at all and that maybe they're both suffering and imperfect in similar ways and that. yeah wow who could've guessed that this would happen