#ill edit them in the masterpost later <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[intotheelliwoods]

I was thinking back to this ask and had a moment of..? I think Poptart deserves a good cry, actually..

[cubbihue]

Me: With the askbox closed, I should respond to the ones that won't prompt new asks. That way when the inbox opens again, it'll be when I do all the heavy stuff people will have questions for.

Also Me: -picks the absolute worst timmy ask to answer to-

[alienpupy]

alienpuppy's trangender polyamorous furry oc intro masterpost

might edit this later- making this so people know a minimum about my characters to send asks abt and stuff. feel free to inquire about literally anything regarding these characters at any time, I'm always happy to talk about their story!!

note that these particular characters i've had/been developing for 5 years, and i kind of have a plan to make a graphic novel about them eventually, but its a fun side hobby of mine so no promises or anything. long annoying tangents and discussions of nsfw stuff during this post also jsyk, feel free to skip stuff as you read

So! The main story of my furry ocs revolves around these 4 main characters: Honey, Blaze, Lynx and Dahlia. (i came up with a lot of these names when i was 15 and I'm sticking to them) I'll do individual intros for them later in this post but I want to get some notes abt the setting done first.

Its set in a modern non-magical reality where people are furries, and its important to note that them being animals here is very much an aesthetic and symbolic choice rather than a fully thought-out worldbuilding thing. Their animal species are not analogous to human races or ethnicities, and only selectively affect their personalities or behaviors (for example, they experience heat/rut cycles because i think that shit is hot and has interesting effects on character's attitudes to sex and their relationships, but a dog person and a cat person can and do have babies together in this world and its not weird.) You could say that functionally they are all the same species, just one that varies wildly in phenotype.

Additionally, all the main characters live in a single major city during the "present" of the story. They're all young adults, roughly between 19 and 24 and have varying social/class backgrounds. These guys are very much inspired by my real life and friends of mine, but they aren't 1-to-1 based on anyone, I just put a lot of traits and psychological characteristics of people I like and am close to in these guys bc that makes them feel real to me :3

Also since they're all trans I'll also specify that transition care is relatively easy to access in this world (free healthcare style, like in Canada where I live) and them living in a major city where lgbtq+ people are generally very open and accepted. They do have to deal with the acceptance (or non-acceptance) of their families though.

I'll give them mostly sfw intros here, but I'll probably make another post at some point to talk about their sex lives bc thats a huge part of how I think of these guys. If and when I make that graphic novel, its going to be primarily erotica. They're not all in relationships, but they do all have sex with each other and they each have their own kinks and everything

ACTUAL OC INTROS:

Honey (she/her): Bisexual disabled trans woman, royal poodle, up-and-coming actress and pop-singer, Blaze's girlfriend and Dahlia's childhood best friend. Roughly 5'9-5'10

She comes from a high-society rich family, and was able to transition early, but despite (or maybe because of) her class privilege, growing fame and family's (heavily strings attached) support, she struggles immensely with performance anxiety, pathological perfectionism and gender dysphoria. Basically she's hardcore internalized that if she isn't the most perfect, beautiful and successful woman then she isn't worthy of any of the things that make up her identity and self-worth.

Her disability is purposefully not specific to a real-world health problem, partially because I don't feel at all qualified to depict any one specific disability, partially because it's more or less an extrapolation of a design choice i made at 15. I gave her those translucent skin patches because i thought they'd look cool, and only after did I decide they're probably something more. I haven't given it a name, but it's a degenerative genetic illness that gives her very thin and fragile skin, chronic pain that affects her mobility, and impairs her vision.

When she has any time to herself outside of her career, she does a lot of fancy self-care stuff like baths and doing her own nails, etc. Music and acting is genuinely her passion though. She likes video games but mostly cozy ones. Her animal crossing island is the most curated, decorated, aesthetic thing you've seen in your LIFE.

Blaze (he/him): Bisexual trans man, hyena/pitbull hybrid, Honey's bodyguard and later lover, Lynx's QPP/best friend/roommate and Blue's younger brother. Roughly 6'4-6'5

He comes from a really rough place, growing up in poverty and in an abusive home until he got kicked out and taken in by Lynx's parents when he was 14. He worked many odd jobs right out of high school, eventually working as a bouncer, finding he has a bit of a natural ease working security jobs thanks to his height and size, and eventually becoming Honey's personal security agent (I neither know nor care about the specifics of private security companies, this is a plot device to get the story started and because I think bodyguards are an inherently hot concept)

He's a trans man who's always been alienated by his peers because of his lived experience of abuse, his hyper-masculinisation due to his physical size and appearance, and his queerness. He struggles to let himself be truly be vulnerable around anyone, especially when it comes to expressing his desires. He very strongly feels that unless he is working for it, he isn't worth anyone's attention, and that everyone else's happiness and safety is more important than his own. Abysmal self-esteem painted over with chivalry basically.

His hobbies include reading (usually non-fiction but he LOVES sci-fi and detective novels), working out and cooking! But he doesn't take much time for himself usually.

Dahlia (she/he): Pansexual transfem genderfluid pig, Honey's best friend since early childhood, resident NEET and party animal. Roughly 5'8.

Dahlia comes from a similar (but lesser) place of financial privilege, but instead of being forced to perform perfection by her family like Honey, Dahlia lived through a ridiculous amount of parental neglect. Dahlia has never really had anyone to take care of her, just authority figures to give her rules and let her figure out everything by himself. She started her transition a bit later than the other characters because of this.

She has a bombastic, dramatic personality and as a kid and teenager acted out all the time, often sneaking out of the house and interacting with anyone she thought was interesting. Eventually, once she was a bit older, this lead her to develop a habit of flirting and hooking up with random older guys, which, would you believed it, fucked up her self-image even worse than before! A large part of her character arc is learning that people (other than honey) can actually respect and care for her, regardless of whether or not she's sleeping with them. Her arc parallels nicely with Honey in this way, because while Honey has to learn to not hate herself for not having a cis body, Dahlia is terrified that transition (esp bottom surgery) will make her less desirable sexually (and thus less worthy of attention).

When she's not partying, she plays a lot of video games (she's surprisingly good at fighting games, and FPSs but also plays a lot of more chill games like stardew valley and slime rancher).

Lynx (he/they/it): alloaro transmasc genderqueer fag, mixed species (hyena/lion/goat?) college dropout, stoner, artist (?), works part-time at a gas station. Blaze's QPP/FWB/best friend and roommate. Roughly 5'6-5'7"

Grew up lower middle-class, the adopted son of two trans lesbians (Onna, a lion who keeps her mane after transitioning later in life and owns/tends a small gay bar, and Radia, possum, disgruntled multi-disciplinary STEM academic). Only one of the main 4 to come from a pretty good home, but as all people, he still managed to develop some issues on his own. He's a classic case of ADHD making it impossible to decide what to do with his life mixed with deep trust issues stemming from bullying in elementary school.

He is always making a joke of himself, friends with everyone but close to no one other than Blaze. He sweeps every one of his own feelings under the rug while always trying to help everyone he's vaguely friends with through their own crises (not that he's actually good at giving advice, but he'll offer weed and snacks and a couch to crash on) and still manages to be awful at texting people back.

Him and Blaze became friends when Lynx was 10 and Blaze was 12, and when Blaze was kicked out of his parents place two years later, Lynx's moms were very happy to take in a trans kid in need. They've been living together since, and moved out together for college and work.

Hobbies include smoking weed, drawing, painting, making/modifying clothes, video games (esp vintage games, but he's not picky) and spending a pretty good portion of time keeping the appartment clean, since Blaze works a lot more than he does (Blaze has higher standards of cleanliness than Lynx does, but they make it work. Lynx rlly appreciates having a friend who can pay most of the rent)

[powerpolyculeshowdown]

CANON POLYCULE SHOWDOWN

this is a contest for canonically confirmed polycules or polycules that have a lot of hints to a possibility of them being canon, even if the authors might not have intended that way!

Beware of spoilers!! Some of these only become polycules later in the media they're from, and some of the descriptions describe a tragic fate for the polycule, so keep in mind there will be spoilers

rules can be found here

bracket can be found here

honorable mentions can be found here

links for all the match ups as they go live can be found in the MASTERPOST. it will be updated each round, but i will also tag every round to make them easier to find

help me w descriptions for the honorable mentions!

Round 2 part 2 finished.

Round 3 will go live on May 19th!

(#canonround2 or #pollycule if you want to search for the polls)

tags:

#canonpolyculeshowdown - for relevant updates and the polls

#pollycule - (yes double L) specifically for the showdown polls, to make it easier to find. doesn't include the prelims cause I only thought to add this after, sorry

#canonpropaganda - for, well, propaganda. ill post asks, reblog posts and maybe reblog reblogs

#honorablemention - for the ships that did not make it in (i will still make a post introducing all of them)

#tournamnt poll - the generally agreed on tag for blacklisting purposes. let me know if i forget to use it! i cant edit polls but it will remind me for the following round

#canonroundN - N being the number of the round we're in. so, for example: canonround0, canonround1, canonround2, etc. from the quarterfinals onwards, they'll also include the specific tag (#quarterfinals, etc). Check the post's tags for that ome if you want to look at all polls from that round!

list may be updated as needed.

if you submitted something that did not get in, nor was it posted as an honorable mention, and you wish to know why, feel free to send an ask.

LIST OF CONTESTANTS:

Nathan/Vlad/Ursula (Hunger Pangs)

Rilla/Arum/Damien (Penumbra Podcast)

Nathan/Gabriel/Annalise (The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself)

Ben/Ryn/Maddie (Siren Freeform)

Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot (High Noon Over Camelot)

Quanxi/Pingsti/Cosmo/Long/Tsugihagi (Chainsaw Man)

Wu Zetian/Li Shimin/Gao Yizhi (Iron Widow)

Caleb/Astrid/Eadwulf (Critical Role)

Sadie/Walt/Anubis (The Kane Chronicles)

Rajan/Wolfgang/Kala (Sense8)

Princess Glisselda/Seraphina/Lucien (Seraphina)

Tess/Jacomo/Margarethe (Tess of the Road)

Logan/Jean Grey/Scott/Emma (X-Men)

Uzui/Hinatsuru/Makio/Suma (Demon Slayer)

Megaera/Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades)

Dianda/Simon/Patrick (October Daye)

Haruka/Michiru/Setsuna (Sailor Moon)

Asmodeus Alice/Clara Valac/Iruma Suzuki (Mairimashita, Iruma-kun!)

Aizo/Yujiro/Hiyori (HoneyWorks)

Kyle/Rogelio/Lonnie (She Ra)

Dashawn/Steve/Jose/Cupe R III/Otto/Arturo/Gregory/Quackers McQuack (Bojack Horseman)

Fluorite (Steven Universe)

Miss Piggy/Kermit/Gonzo (Muppets)

Sherlock/Watson/Mary (Sherlock Holmes movies)

Ichika Hoshino/Saki Tenma/Shiho Hinomori/Honami Mochizuki (Project SEKAI)

Tree Trunks/Mr. Pig/Alien Husband (Adventure Time)

Daniel/Sam/Jack/Teal’c (Stargate SG-1)

Mukai Naoya/Saki Saki/Nagisa Minase (Kanojo mo Kanojo/Girlfriend Girlfriend)

Eddie/Venom/Anne/Dan (Venom)

Peter Quill/Aradia/Mors (Guardians of the Galaxy)

George/Gilda/Thomas (Design for Living)

Leif/Thorn/Kale (Leif and Thorn)

Kieran/Ray/Gemma (Trigonometry)

Eugene/Rapunzel/Cassandra (Tangled the Series)

Jack/August/Rina (The Wicker King)

La’gann/Coral/Rodunn (Young Justice)

Syenite/Innon/Alabaster (Broken Earth)

Enrique/Hypnos/Sofia (The Gilded Wolves)

Max/Jack/Anne (Black Sails)

Pyrrha/Commander Wake/Gideon the First (The Locked Tomb)

Neptune/Venus/Jupiter (We Know the Devil)

Quincey/Jack/Arthur/Lucy (Dracula)

Amber/Reese/David (Adaptation)

Will/Tessa/Jem (The Infernal Devices)

Kieran/Cristina/Mark (The Dark Artifices)

Winter/Moon/Qibli (Wings of Fire)

Camille/Nyra/Dendro (Muted)

Sasha/Anne/Marcy (Amphibia)

Neal/Peter/Elizabeth (White Collar)

Turtle Heart/Melena/Frex (Wicked)

Emiya/Saber/Rin (Fate Stay/Night)

Sofiane/Victor/Luisa (Mortel)

Taylor/Theo/Josey (3)

Jack/Emma/Izzy (You Me Her)

Keiko/Miles/Kira (Star Trek)

Jade/Dave/Karkat (Homestuck Epilogues)

Anzu/Kazuki/Junta (Romantic Killers)

Shikimori/Izumi/Ai (Shikimori is Not Just Cute)

Camina/Michio Pa/Josep/Serge/Berthold/Oksana (The Expanse)

Breq/Mercy of Kalr/Seivarden/Ekalu (Imperial Radch)

Roguish Semiotician/Infamous Mathematician/Player Character (Fallen London)

Alphonse/Seth/Listener (Bittersweet)

Storm/Helen/Mira (Love and Luck Podcast)

Nicky/Joe/Andy/Booker/Niles (The Old Guard)

[thegeminisage]

hey! i checked your writing masterpost and didn't see anything about this, so i thought i'd ask-a friend of mine and i are interested in writing a fic together, but both of us have previously only wrote stuff by ourselves. do you have any tips on writing collaborative work?

HIIII this is such a good question wow <3 i hope u don’t mind if i just throw out a bullet-point list as stuff comes to me instead of putting it in a more organized order!! obviously everyone is different especially wrt creative stuff so take it with a grain of salt but cowriting @cambionverse 11 yrs (holy shit) with my beloved @callowyn leads me to give u the following advice:

USE GOOGLE DOCS. like yeah fuck google or whatever always keep personal backups yadda yadda but i cannot stress enough how helpful it is to literally be able to see each other cursor’s in real time when you’re speaking about a particular section. it’s also fun to watch each other work, sometimes lovingly, sometimes lovingly but also with loving antagonism. there have been times when i’ve written faster bc i knew cally was watching and if i stopped typing she’d get bored or type dick emojis into the paragraph or something because she is <3 a menace

write down everything. the older and busier you get the truer this is. i can’t tell you how many times cally and i have decided on a plan of action only to forget it by next week’s writing meetup, and then be RELIEVED to discover a set of notes (or baffled when it turns out the notes were too vague to be useful). google helps with this bc you can leave notes all over the place. make as many notes as you can. no much thing as too many. make outlines. make an entirely new doc to take notes on what you talked about. save chat logs, if you’re not using something that saves them automatically. you will thank yourselves later.

the triangle my beloved. if you’ve been through the writing masterpost you may have seen this bad boy. i did not invent this, but i do live by it! idk it seems like really great advice. the nice thing about cowriting is that sometimes you can shore each other up on the “knowledge” point (knowing what you’re doing) because you can brainstorm together, but your projects can stall if you’re not matching each other in “enthusiasm” (commonly misinterpreted as “inspiration,” blegh, don’t get me started) and “time” (time to work separately AND TOGETHER, which busy adults sadly do not often have ASK HOW I KNOW or maybe don’t actually it’s so tragic that we’re always so busy). (”time” can sometimes also mean “spoons” or “energy” for people who are mentally ill or work demanding jobs.) some people write better solo and trading things back and forth some people write better when they hang out in the doc together so they can’t goof off but if one of you doesn’t want to work on it because they aren’t excited or can’t work on it due to time constraints the other one of you can’t pick up all the slack by themself. like with any collaboration you will sometimes need to be very patient with each other and very honest with each other (in a nice way!) so nobody is stringing anybody else along. if you can’t or don’t feel like doing something, just say so, and be nice about it when your friend can’t or doesn’t feel like doing something either. remember, you’re friends before you’re cowriters.

decide on who gets what workload. cally and i are very lucky to have complementing skillsets - i’m pretty good at laying down a first draft quickly, but i absolutely despise editing. she’s slower on the first draft, but she edits wonderfully and likes doing it much better. everyone will be different. sometimes she drafts scenes i’m not really excited about and i edit scenes she’s tired of looking at. maybe you’re better at porn but your friend is better at angst. maybe you’re good at dialogue but your friend likes to write action scenes. it’s good at have a rough plan going in, but don’t feel weird or bad about altering it as you see fit. especially if there’s like, only stuff left that one of you is “supposed” to do - the other can jump in and help finish up. on that note...

keep a checklist? this sounds weird but it’s been very helpful for cally and i when we unfortunately go a long time between writing sessions. at the top of the doc is just a little bullet pointed list like this one full of things like “fix the plothole in this particular scene” or “take a character out of that scene” or “rewrite this part” or “make that part sexier” or whatever. it helps keep track of where you are and what you’re doing because it can get chaotic with even just two people in the doc.

WRITE IN ORDER (or something). speaking of chaos!! so, a fun story that will haunt me until the end of my days is how in envesseled there’s this guy aaron birch who we introduced in i think the second chapter. but because we wrote some of the scenes before we actually GOT to the second chapter and because both of us were doing things separately, we wrote every time he came up in the narrative like it was the first one. “aaron birch, who claire and ben had met in the grand canyon on an angel hunt” was an explanation that showed up not once, not twice, but SIX TIMES. ironing out those mentions to make them consistent was a nightmare, because we had to read through like 50k to find them all, highlight them, and then edit the scenes around them to make sure what we got was the mostly-final product. i know not everybody CAN write in order, not everybody likes to, but when you’re cowriting, ESPECIALLY for longer fics, you need to do SOMETHING to check for consistency and make sure you don’t have two totally separate ideas about where the exposition’s supposed to go, even if it’s just a chronological readthru now & then. the sooner you catch errors such at plotholes and exposition snafus the less horrific they will be to fix.

decide on a process. so, this is my process, which you don’t need to read, but in general it goes brainstorming, outlining, reoutlining, blocking, drafting, editing. some people start with writing, some people start with inspiration boards, whatever. if you two have a different process from each other, deciding which order to do things in might be tricky - maybe you can get on voice chat and work on the inspiration board while your more outline-loving friend takes down notes for the brainstorming file or something. but you won’t start without a plan. if you’re like me you may even find satisfaction in writing it down step by step so you can cross it off. first inspiration pictures. then an outline. then doing this bit, while my friend does that one. you get the idea. don’t go overboard or anything, though - the point is to help you get started, not just put it off with productive procrastination forever because you aren’t sure how to do it. 

just fuckin go for it & have fun!! as with anything, the more you cowrite with your friend the better you will get at it. there may be kinks (hah) at first and mistakes will be made but eventually you will settle into a pattern. (the longer the fic is, the more time you have to get this down pat.) and of course, fic writing is done for free, for fun, and so is hanging out with friends. so make sure you’re having a blast doing both cuz that’s the entire point!!!!!

this is pretty unorganized but i HOPE IT HELPED. good luck to both of you, i bet you’re gonna ace it <3

[fic advice masterpost]

[heatherwitch]

hi! i’ve been struggling with a lot of negative thoughts lately, especially during this social isolation period. do you have any tips for dispelling mental negativity?

Hello! This is a tough time for us all, and it’s completely understandable to be dealing with an increase in negative thoughts and emotions. I’m fairly well-practiced at social isolation/staying at home for long periods of time due to chronic health issues, so I’ll talk about what helps me!

Take care of physical needs.

I challenge you to spend five minutes making yourself more comfortable. Here’s some things you might do:

Change clothes/into something more comfortable. 

Wash your face, neck, arms, etc. with a wet washcloth. 

Brush or comb your hair.

Brush your teeth.

Put on lip balm or lotion. 

Drink some water (at least 3 mouthfuls). 

Go to the bathroom!

Pay attention to sore/stiff areas of your body. Stretch and do what you need to in order to feel better. (Also fix your posture and relax your jaw!)

When was the last time you had fruit or veggies?

Do you have glasses? They could probably be cleaner. 

Get some fresh air, even if you need to hang your head out the window.

Next level physical needs:

Take a bath or shower. 

Go for a walk if you can, or move around your home (dance, yoga, shuffle around in your blanket cloak, whatever).

Set some hydration goals.

Follow your medication schedule.

Eat balanced meals, however that looks for you. 

Go to bed a bit earlier, even if you can’t fall asleep keep the phone put away and just relax. 

Quick mental recharging:

Watch a cute video.

Watch a favorite movie/episode.

Change your surroundings; hang out in a different spot, change the lighting, even just rotate on your bed.

Play some music and fully listen to it. The full song, do nothing but listen. I love turning off the lights and chilling with my headphones in. OR taking a shower with the lights off and the music playing (just be safe!)

Put the phone down for a bit. Even if it’s a designated timeframe (5 minutes, 10 minutes, an hour, whatever.)

Write down whatever is bothering you. What are your thoughts? What’s triggering them? Often getting it down can help us release them. 

On that note, do things without your phone. Create, read a book, watch something with your phone in the other room. It’s a wonderful tool, but sometimes it can be too much!

Long-term mental recharging/goals:

Learn one new thing every day. It can be as simple as googling random facts or as complex as learning a new subject/topic/skill. Watch DIY or how its made videos. Just aim for learning one thing per day. 

Clean/tidy one thing per day. Made your bed? Moved the dishes into the kitchen? Put all the wrappers/whatever into a pile for later? Cleaned the entire house? Great! Just one thing, big or small. 

Get a hobby that doesn’t involve screen time. Knitting? Crocheting? Weaving? Sewing? Reading? Poetry? Gardening? Baking? Drawing? Painting? Creating? You don’t have to be good at it, learning is the fun part anyways! You also don’t have to do it every day, but you’ll hit a point where you’re aimlessly clicking between multiple apps and not enjoying any of it--that’s the time to return to your hobby. 

Figure out a schedule that works for you, and be gentle about it. 

Example: I fluctuate quite a bit with what time I’m ready to fall asleep, and I give myself a certain window that I can stay in bed (generally 10 hours is what I need). If I wake up before then, great! I can stay in bed until the window, but then I at least need to get up and take care of my needs before going back to my bed. But if I’m having a bad health day, that’s okay. You know what level of commitment you need to get benefit out of having a schedule. (TL;DR my schedule shifts with my needs, and that makes it work for me). 

Stay connected. Text people. Call them. Video chat. Send snail mail (if safe to do so). Message them. Let them know when you’re thinking of them. 

Related posts:

Bedridden witch: Stale energy edition

Magic to replenish energy

Rejuvenating witchcraft

Mentally ill witchcraft: For your symptoms

How I recovered from depression influenced by chronic illness

Spoonie witch masterpost

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Fic masterpost

(last edit: 14 Mar 2021)

So I’m still working on the next chapter of Adversity - it’s taking a bit some time but I do hope it comes out worth the wait.

In the meantime, I figured maybe there would be some merit in organizing the links/fics that I’ve written here in tumblr (and their links in Ao3/ff.net) since I’ll probably be writing a bit more.

(Post to be updated from time to time)

Lin/Tenzin pairing

Adversity

Multi-chapter, work in progress, AU, pre-LoK, 

Latest status: up to Chapter 12 uploaded in A03

Blurb: Lin and Tenzin are both at the height of their respective careers – she with the Metalbending Police and he with the Air Nation. Questions about their future begin to arise and things come to a head when Lin responded to an emergency call. Would her job take them from each other forever? Eventual happy ending. Alternatively: The one where Lin and Tenzin had to go through adversity like Lin's dangerous job, a near-death experience, temporary separation and memory loss, unplanned pregnancy and Tenzin's responsibilities before they end up with a family.

Tumblr chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Ao3 link  |   Ff.net link

Contentment

One-shot, completed, AU, pre-LoK

Blurb: Ever since she made it to Chief of Police, she found that she was able to take more control of her schedule. Nonetheless, quiet Friday nights at home like these were rare. Alternatively:

The one where Chief Lin Beifong and her last airbender spend a typical night at home.

Tumblr post

Ao3 link  |   Ff.net link

The Airbender’s Wife

Multi-chapter after Contentment, work in progress, LoK AU

Latest status: up to Chapter 11 uploaded in A03

Blurb: Korra arrives in Republic City to reside at Air Temple Island to begin her Airbending training.

As excited as she was to leave the compound in the South Pole, she was wary of living with her Airbending Master and his mysterious wife. The airbender's wife, who, Korra realized, she has never met before. Alternatively: The one where Tenzin throws caution to the wind and chooses Lin over repopulating the Air Nation.

Tumblr chapters:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Ao3 link | Ff.net link

The Right Beifong

One-shot, completed, post-LoK AU

Blurb: For all the bad blood between them, there was no one else that the Beifong sisters would trust with their secrets but each other.

One might argue that guilt may have motivated Suyin’s actions. Lin learned not to question it, not when a secret has remained undetected for more than a decade. Who knew that it would all unravel in a hospital room in Republic City. Lin Beifong was expected to mother an airbender. What if she did give birth to an airbending Beifong?

Tumblr post

Ao3 link | Ff.net link

Harmony Tower

One-shot, completed, pre-LoK

Prompt/headcanon: What if and why does Lin smoke?

Tumblr post

Grey Eyes

Two-shot, completed, pre-LoK AU

Prompt/headcanon: What if there was a secret airbending child and what if Tenzin learns about it after the break-up

Blurb: He broke up with her then she destroyed part of the island.

He regretted it but she had already left.

He tried to look for her but she managed to evade him.More than a year later, by chance, he was drawn to a baby picture in Chief Toph Beifong's billfold.

Alternatively, Tenzin finds out about his airbending daughter in the Earth Kingdom.

Tumblr parts: 1 | 2

Ao3 link

Respite

One-shot, completed, end season 3 AU

Prompt/headcanon: Soft/protective Lin taking care of Tenzin after he’s hurt post-Red Lotus encounter (Married AU)

Blurb: Chief Beifong had seen a lot of blood and death in the years that she had been serving in the force. She was no stranger to injury as well (she’s a Beifong, no one would have expected any different).However, nothing could have prepared her to see her pacifist husband bruised, bloodied, battered and at the brink of death.

Tumblr post

Ao3 link

Blended

One-shot, completed, Modern AU

Blurb: Republic City was known to be a melting pot of cultures.

This was where people go to for new beginnings and to search for happy endings.

People were relatively more open-minded here compared to other cities or nations.

However, not everyone's road to happiness is straightforward - Lin Beifong in particular believes that, by now, true happiness for her is elusive.

A modern AU with no bending where Lin finds herself with three kids, where Tenzin is Mr Big Shot CEO, where Mako is an overprotective son, where Ikki endears herself to Lin, where Bumi is the cool meddling godfather/uncle and where Pema is out of the picture.

Tumblr post

Ao3 link 

Parapraxis

One-shot, completed, pre-LOK AU

Blurb: Parapraxis: a lapse of memory or mental error, such as a slip of the tongue or misplacement of an object, which, in psychoanalytic theory, is due to unconscious associations and motives; commonly called a “freudian slip.” | Alternatively, the one where a wrong title and a wrong name were said in different occasions and Lin could not complain about the outcome in the end.

Tumblr post

Ao3 link

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

Lin/Bumi pairing

Happenstance

One-shot, completed, pre-LOK AU

Blurb: Alternatively, the one where Lin Beifong's happiness started on the night of what was supposed to be her wedding: an encounter with Bumi during his brother's nuptials that turned into something more.

Tumblr post

Ao3 link

Arranged Legacy

One-shot, completed, pre-LOK AU

Blurb: By some ill-conceived agreement, the eldest of Toph Beifong and the eldest of Aang were arranged to be married. Neither wanted to but they felt that they had to. Could they find companionship with each other? Could they rise above their circumstance and prove once an for all that they were worthy of their parents’ legacies? | Alternatively, see Lin and Bumi come together and make the best of their situation - and maybe create their own legacy.

Submitted as part of the 2021 Avatar Pro-Shipping Rare Pair Challenge

Ao3 link

On an unrelated note:

I've created a ko-fi acct.

[apparitionism]

Mercury 11

This is basically just one scene. It was going to be more (and this scene was going to be better), but I’m being fussy about what follows it, so I figured some content, sooner, was better than more later. (Some previous content: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, and part 10.) I was additionally having a little hiccup of trouble figuring out exactly how to start this part... but “in the middle of things” is usually a good rule, particularly when the “things” in question are important, so “in medias pie” it is!

(P.S. to anon who asked about a masterpost: That’s too much housekeeping for me. But you’ll find I’m diligent with tags, plus my tumblr has search and an archive, so you shouldn’t have to scroll too much. Also, much of my stuff can indeed be found on AO3, where I move it after posting on Tumblr, usually with copy and/or content edits, depending on what seems warranted. Thanks for asking!)

Mercury 11

“But this pie,” Myka said with her mouth full.

“Has rendered you ill-mannered and inarticulate,” Helena said. “Interesting.”

“And here I thought demolishing cars was gonna be the entertainment,” Pete added.

They all had to work hard to be heard over the soundtrack provided by the derby: the roar of engines, the sharp bang and crunch of metal colliding with metal at speed, the shouts of extremely invested spectators. Myka had been paying some attention to it before she embarked on this trip to pastry-girded key-lime paradise. She hadn’t had any idea that bliss was in fact a combination of citrus and... whatever other things it was combined with, here in this very-nearly-literal slice-of-heaven pie, but Pete was right: this had been a really educational trip.

Ida said, “This is closer to what I’d call a show.”

“Here in Wisconsin?” Pete asked.

“Anywhere. Is she always like this about pie?”

“I’ve only known her five years,” Pete said, “but I think it’s safe to go with ‘never in her life has she been like this about pie.’ Or maybe anything.”

“Well,” Helena began.

“Don’t say it,” Pete advised.

Ida temporized, “She doesn’t need to. Everyone understands innuendo. And subtext.”

Myka didn’t care, not even a little—not about the kind of show she was putting on, not about how innuendo-y and subtext-y Helena was getting with regard to what Myka might find heavenly in other contexts—as long as nobody took this miracle of a pie away.

She certainly hadn’t expected this to be the outcome when she, Helena, and Pete had taken the lengthy walk—thankfully, in their normal configuration, with Myka reclaiming her “run interference” slot between Helena and Pete—to the site of the demolition derby, some distance away from the fairgrounds proper, accompanied by what had seemed like an additional fair’s worth of people. Were these things really so popular? Maybe Pete was right, maybe “the IRS” should sponsor one in Univille. For purposes of general sociability, because for all Myka didn’t like the place, she did still care what its denizens thought of her, and if—“Bet these’re cow pastures in real life,” Pete had said, interrupting her speculation. That prompted Myka to start taking careful note of where she was placing her feet during that long walk along not a path as such, but rather through grass that had been marked at irregular intervals with spray-painted arrows.

“You’re so prissy,” Pete said.

Myka shrugged that off. “Maybe. But cows. Or rabbits. Nobody with sense in their head want to walk in anything they leave behind.”

Helena said, to Pete, “Are you as unnerved by bovines as you are by lagomorphs?”

As a dig, it seemed mild, even polite, but Pete reacted as if she’d reached across Myka and slapped him. “Leave me alone! I’m not scared of anything unless it’s freakishly huge!”

They were passing the cars’ inspection area: the same spray paint had been applied to a piece of plywood, leaning against a fence enclosing those cars, to spell “INSP AREA.” It could have meant “inspiration area,” Myka supposed, but people with clipboards had seemed to be inspecting rather than inspiring, or being inspired... she tried to think of another word that began with “insp.” Nothing came to her.

“Size-wise,” she told Pete, “the bumpers on that Sable over there must be giving you nightmares already.”

Pete looked where she’d indicated. He did a cartoon double-take. “Are those even legal? I think I just found my horse.”

“I like the Pinto next to it,” Myka said.

He scoffed, “Nobody likes a Pinto.”

“The ponies enjoyed a brief vogue when I was a girl,” Helena mused, as if to herself. “Would that the car were painted like those...it’s a shame that a pinto—and, in fact, a sable—shouldn’t resemble their namesake animals in some way.”

Myka said, “I guess we can call my Pinto a Palomino, then. The color’s why I like it.”

“That’s not a good reason,” Pete said. “Not for a demo derby.”

“It’s a great reason. Look.” Myka pointed toward a corral ringed with bleachers. “There’s a lot of mud over there, where I assume they’ll do the demolishing, right?”

Pete nodded. “Mud slows ’em down. Safer, plus it’s a better show. Upset it’s gonna be such a messy show, Miss Prissy?”

“My point is, the Pinto’s yellow, so I’ll be able to keep track of it through the muck, while it does its demo-ing. Or gets demo-ed. As I watch it happen, because I’ve got a horse—almost literally—too. Do you want me interested or not?”

He glanced at the Pinto, then looked back at Myka. “Not sure,” he said, like he thought she was trying to trick him.

“You wanted us here so bad you won it,” she reminded him.

“Mostly wanted to make you suffer.”

“Then I think your win is more of a ‘win,’ because I refuse to suffer,” Myka told him. “Not about this.”

She was holding Helena’s hand. She had been, for the entire walk, “because I didn’t get to on the Ferris wheel,” she’d said when she first reached for the contact, her voiced reason in response to Helena’s questioning did-you-not-recently-express-objection-to-public-displays eyebrow, and it was true as far as it went. But what had compelled Myka to make the small display, really, was that she’d needed something, and this was simple. Uncomplicated. Something to bank against whatever was going to happen later, in the hotel room. Which she was, she had to admit to herself, doing some pre-suffering about. Because she didn’t know.

Helena declared, as if to assure Myka that she too felt both the simplicity and the need for it,  “I’m not suffering either. Not about this.”

She gripped Myka’s hand tighter. It did feel good. Myka echoed the pressure, and one corner of Helena’s mouth curved up.

Pete rolled his eyes. “You two are gonna wish so hard that Myka won that duck bet.”

“It was a bet that concerned ducks?” Helena asked.

Myka grimaced. “I’ll tell you later.”

“I wonder,” Helena said, jauntily, “whether the poultry competition might include a Rouen or two.”

“I’m gonna regret this, but: okay. That’s a...?” Pete prompted.

“Giant mallard,” Helena said, with even greater cheer. Pete groaned, and Myka found herself wanting to kiss Helena: for being clever, but also as yet another instance of that bankable, uncomplicated touch. She almost said that out loud—“I want to kiss you,” simple, like that—but she understood that if she did, she’d have to deal with Pete about it. Because of ducks.

“Well, I don’t see any of your probably-made-up freak-ducks around,” Pete said. He added a taunt of, “I do see the two of you practically sittin’ in a tree, though.”

“Mature,” Myka said.

“Water off a Rouen’s back!” Helena announced.

Her insouciance made Myka again want contact, like a kiss, but more than that—but still simple. Basic. The most basic.

Pete must have seen and read that thought as it crossed Myka’s mind, crossed her face, for he said, “Jesus, Mykes, just jump her and get it over with. Get yourselves behind the bleachers and take care of business.”

Nobody had taken care of any behind-the-bleachers business, of course, but Myka had kept on holding Helena’s hand, even as they sat on the uncomfortable aluminum of those bleachers and listened to engines rev in preparation for entering the corral. Pete had taken it upon himself to explain the derby’s rules to Helena: “...and they all go in and they have to hit another car every minute, or maybe it’s every two, but anyway if your engine bonks out you get a little while to try to restart it but if you can’t you’re out, and they break that piece of wood by your window to show that you...” Myka listened with one ear, but mostly she concentrated on not finding a reason to loosen her clasp. The interlacing of their fingers had moved from “this feels good” to Helena’s barely fleshed bones pressing too solid against Myka’s, giving rise to an uncomfortable ache... but that ache was no reason to let go; rather, it was a reminder not to. Bodies, real ones, felt pain. So Myka sat on aluminum, listening to engines rev, not letting go. Banking it.

She’d been banking it, still, when Ida arrived, asking, “How did we ever live without the ability to text?” (Pete had said, as they sat down, that he would text Ida to join them, “because maybe she’s done with judgy-judge-judge and can bring us some leftovers.”) She’d looked at Myka and Helena—specifically, looked at their joined hands. “Well,” she said. “Another distraction?”

“Maybe,” Myka acknowledged. From something freakishly huge...

“How are you?” Ida asked Helena. “Did your summit go well?”

Helena smiled at the word. “As well as such a thing could. I suppose one might call the outcome détente,” she said. Myka, too, had smiled a little at “summit,” but as for “détente”... well, there was a lot to be said for that in the relations between several of her nearest and dearest. But she wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea of any relaxing of tensions between Helena and Emily Lake’s girlfriend. “It’s been a very strange two days,” Helena went on to say.

“That isn’t news to me,” Ida said, which prompted in Myka another Amen, sister. Ida added, “But I’ve got something that will make everything better.”

“Fruit spreads?” Pete asked, with great hope. He pointed at the small hamper she held. “That looks like something.”

Ida nodded. “Something. But better than fruit spreads.” From the hamper, she produced—with a “ta-da!”—the key lime pie. Pete gave a gasp that Myka judged both overdramatic and unwarranted; it was just a pie, albeit one that nearly matched her Pinto for color; if she’d thrown it at the car, no one would have noticed the spatter, not that she was in the habit of throwing pies at cars. This one hadn’t been thrown at anything, but it did look a little the worse for having traveled in close quarters: not show quality anymore. Given the crumbled edges of its crust and slightly dented surface, it might have been any pie at all. Ida then handed out plastic forks and paper plates, and if anyone near them in the stands around the fenced patch of mud recognized the picnic as larcenous, they kept it to themselves.

Pete took his fork up with his usual enthusiasm, dug in, took a bite, then closed his eyes. “This pie is freaking awesome. In an ‘I could literally die now’ way.”

“I told you, you literally can’t beat it,” Ida said.

While Myka had respected that particular “literally” when Ida said it yesterday, she wasn’t sure she believed it today in any kind of existential sense. Hence her astonishment when she found her own first bite to be... was “rapturous” outsize, as a word or an idea, to apply to the experience of eating pie? It didn’t matter what word she used, though; she wielded her fork with even more gusto than Pete, and she felt a niggling worry that this was, for her, unseemly, yet the combination of the unprecedented pie and the certainty that it was nutritious was irresistible. The mouthfeel alone was enough to knock her out—unctuous, yet with a sharp slash of lime-presence tanging on the tongue... she’d noticed Helena ignoring her own serving so as to watch Myka. “What?” Myka had asked. “It’s good for me.”

“I am prepared to offer to any and all attending deities,” Helena had said, amusement animating her face, “my prayer that your recently espoused belief does not wear off.”

“I’m prepared to livestream it so everybody on the planet can testify later that it happened,” Pete had enthused. “Also so Claud’s head explodes when she sees it.”

And so it was that the only words Myka had managed to come up with in her own defense, “But this pie,” had caused everyone to express even more opinions in the matter.

Fortunately, however, they let her keep eating. “I feel like I’m somebody else, how much I’m enjoying this,” she now said, not bothering to pause before scooping up another forkful.

“Interesting,” Helena said again, and her tone told Myka that something was waiting to be interrogated there... but she was extremely unwilling to turn her attention away from the pie.

Meanwhile, the cars destroyed each other. None of it mattered to pie-intoxicated Myka, except the Pinto, a little, because she could in fact keep track of it in the muck. It was surprisingly agile, “her” Pinto. Or Palomino. And if the derby had engaged only her eyes, that would have been fine, but exhaust and mud and the crowd’s sweaty enthusiasm hung heavy in the air, congesting her nose and clogging her lungs; she resented that it interfered with her experience of the pie. Its rich citrus viscosity was similarly condensed, on her tongue, but far more pleasurable... but wait, she thought, thickness... a dictionary-page memory... “fr. L in- + spissus slow, dense”: “Inspissate!” she exclaimed.

Pete and Ida both said “What?” and Myka looked up from her plate, ready to explain about “insp” and areas—but her neon pony caught her eye at just the right, or wrong, instant for her to witness its driver’s failure to recognize a danger for what it was: it received in that moment a dramatic T-boning from a seemingly unthreatening even-more-compact car. She yelped and upended her plate, which landed face down on the aluminum at her feet. It had held one last bit of inspissated key lime and... whatever else it was combined with, a last bit that she’d told herself she wanted to savor, but that she’d in all honesty been about to shovel into her mouth with abandon. She made a decision that was really no decision: she lifted the plate, scraped the spattered filling up with her fork, and willed herself not to think about dirt.

“Not one word,” she said, her mouth again full, to Pete and Helena. “Not one word out of either of you.”

Neither said anything. Myka chose to ignore their thunderstruck expressions, because she still had that precious morsel of pie in her mouth.

“Good choices,” Myka told them once she’d swallowed. She licked her fork. She took note of Helena’s expression as it shifted from shock to avid appreciation of her licking her fork.

TBC

Again, minimal tags, but here, an essay might mention things like strongly held beliefs, and how our strongly held beliefs shape our behavior, and why we so strongly hold the beliefs that shape our behavior, and that it is indeed interesting when a shift in belief (about anything: from sugar’s nutritional value to who we actually are) leads us to engage in behaviors that make us strangers to ourselves—regardless of whether we know of that estrangement at the time it’s occurring. When you think about it, in terms of selfhood, each of us might be said to be a cult with exactly one member. (I realize that doesn’t entirely hold up, but I’ve spent a little while thinking about it.)

[lilaclilabear]

Voltron Playlist Masterpost (Updated!)

henlo! i decided to make a new playlist masterpost including the playlists i made for voltron bingo because i cant find and edit the original masterpost

VOLTRON

sorry, none of them are on spotify, but ill make these on spotify eventually!

1. langst 

youtube / spotify

2. we are a good team || klance

youtube / spotify

3. sweet like cotton candy || allurance

youtube / spotify

4. you made me better || lotura

youtube / spotify

5. under the same sky || hunay

youtube / spotify

6. you saved me || sheith

youtube / spotify

7. nights by the sea || shance

youtube / spotify

8. in love with my best friend || hance

youtube / spotify

9. we simply exist || plance

youtube / spotify

10. the world can come later || shallura

youtube / spotify

11. defenders of the universe || team voltron

youtube / spotify

12. im sorry i left || adashi

youtube / spotify

VOLTRON BINGO (Sheith, Round 1)

click on the titles to view the post + some scenarios associated with the songs!

1. fun

youtube / spotify

2. abandonment

youtube / spotify

3. history

youtube / spotify

4. i will never give up on you

youtube / spotify

5. patience

youtube / spotify

6. soulmates

youtube / spotify

7. pining

youtube / spotify

8. rescue

youtube / spotify

9. devotion / belief

youtube / spotify

again, feel free to tell me if you wanna see any other ship/theme on here :>

[tianamulan]

So I really really really love podcast and I thought I would make this masterpost of podcast recommendations!! There’s a little bit of everything, and I’ve organised it all, so I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll like! I mention possible content warnings, episode lengths and amounts, good places to start, etc. I will update this post as I find more podcasts! Enjoy~

Fictional Podcasts

Limetown: 6 episodes, 30-40 min each. Crime Investigation of a town whose residents all mysteriously disappeared one night. Has sci-fi elements. Possible content warning for animal abuse/testing in episode 3, and deaths throughout. End of episode 2 is also potentially disturbing. 

[Website] [Soundcloud] and in iTunes store.

The Message: 8 episodes, ~15 min each with a 30 min finale. A message from space needs to be translated, and our main character Nicky is podcasting the whole time. Obviously very sci-fi. Diverse cast, including a non-binary person! It’s pretty intense, and because the narrator talks directly to you which includes warnings it could be a little distressing but it’s 100% fictional. Content warning for hospital situations and characters on their deathbeds.

[Website] and in iTunes store.

Life After: 10 episodes, ~30 mins each. This is made by the same team as The Message. Ross works for the FBI, and has lost his wife recently. He’s obsessed with listening to audioposts that she made on a audio-social media site. Content warning for cults and hacking.

Available in iTunes store.

Steal the Stars: Currently airing, as of Aug 2017 they have 4 episodes out. It’s about government officials who are guarding and studying an alien who crash landed on earth years ago. There’s also a love story.

[Website] and available in iTunes store.

The Truth: Every episode is different! Often very dark, but some are more light hearted. Very very visual. My favourites include Starbursts, The One about the Dead Dog, and It’s Your Funeral (Pt1 & Pt 2).

[Website] [Soundcloud] and in iTunes store.

D&D Podcasts

Okay just hear me out before you scroll past this section. I have never played dungeons and dragons in my life, I’m not even a fan of fantasy. But I really love these podcasts. It takes time to understand the rules, but it’s so worth it. The stories told are so original cuz everything can change by the role of a dice, and the characters have free will and don’t have to listen to the narrator. The people in these podcasts are so passionate too. But if you are sure that it’s not your cup of tea then you can move on now.

The Adventure Zone: 3 brothers play D&D with their dad. They’ve just finished their first Campaign as of Aug 2017, so you’ll have a completed story if you start now. There’s 69 episodes, each around an hour or so long, so it’s a lot of content to get through. They’re goofy as all hell. It takes some time to recognise the voices if you don’t know the McElroy brothers (they make other podcasts I mention later). Merle is a dwarf cleric (essentially a priest), Magnus is a human fighter, and Taako is an elven wizard. The Dungeon Master (DM, person who tells the story of the world and plays all the non-main characters) is super talented, lots of great voices. The fantasy in this is very non-traditional, so not like medieval britain, so there’s things like trains and space travel and a costco. Hilarious, very original, and emotional. Also the music is sooo good here’s the soundcloud for just the music. also there’s a pretty active fandom if that’s important to you.

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

Sneak Attack!: 4 player game with 5 friends (including a married couple). As of Aug 2017 they have over 100 episodes, and bonus eps, all about an hour long. Sherwood is a gnome druid (basically a forest wizard) who is antisocial to everyone but animals and plants. Greaek is a dwarf fighter who introduces himself to everyone he meets he’s a good boy. Brenna is a half-elf bard (musician) who plays the banjo and bagpipes and gets into lots of arguments with Greaek, who is her irl husband. She’s the voice of reason in the group. Akio is a human wizard who dreams of owning a noodle shop, and owns a chicken named Alfredo. Also he’s a necromancer. The DM is amazing, and the whole group is just really nice and wholesome? 

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

Science & Culture

Radiolab: Beautifully edited, usually about science/tech but mostly about telling a good story. Most episodes are about 40 mins to an hour, and there’s also shorter mini episodes. Good episodes to start with is Colors, Laughter, and Escape!. My favourites include What’s Up, Doc?, The Living Room (content warning for death and illness), Debateable, On the Edge, and Cities.

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

Reply All: Podcast about “the internet”, but it’s much more than that. Their content is all over the place. Episodes are typically 35 mins long, with the occasional longer ep. This is a podcast I would start from the beginning to get used to the format. Today’s The Day and Hello? are two of my favourite audio pieces ever, they make me so emotional, but I don’t think you’ll get this feeling unless you’ve listened to their ‘normal’ podcasts and gotten to know the hosts. This podcast is very good about content warnings for episodes, both at the start and when they’re about to discuss the content.

[Website] [Soundcloud] and in iTunes Store.

Flash Forward: Used to be called Meanwhile in the Future. Each episode focuses on a possible or not-so-possible future, first starting with a dramatisation of what that future would be like (usually news report kinda stuff), and then an in depth discussion with real experts about how possible that future is. In the first season the episodes were about 15 mins but now they’re up to 40 mins long. A good place to start with would be from the start! All the episodes are great in my opinion, but for examples of the range of topics discussed, you can try Sunward Bound and Don’t Lie to Me.

[Website] [Soundcloud] and in iTunes Store.

Imaginary Worlds: About fictional universes and our relationship to them. Episodes usually between 20-30 mins, and often topical to a recent event. My favourites are The Year Without a Summer (about Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, and volcanoes), Rolling the Twenty Sided Dice (about D&D, would highly recommend if you are unsure about the aforementioned D&D podcast), and In Defence of Captain Hook (about Peter Pan, the last 5 mins of this podcast is amazing).

[Website] [Soundcloud] and in iTunes Store.

Invisibilia: This podcast is about human behaviour/psychology. Episodes are an hour long. I would recommend The Personality Myth to start (but also starting at episode 1 is good). They are usually good about content warning but obviously they often talk about mental health so do with that what you want. As of August 2017 they have just finished their 3rd season.

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

This American Life: The most annoying thing about this podcast is there’s only ever the last 4 episodes they’ve aired available at a time, but you can “save” the episode you like on iTunes. It’s about american culture and stories and stuff, sometimes a little hit or miss for me but I’m also not American but there’s still a lot of great episodes. The episode that just came out in August 2017 “We are in the Future” is Amazing, about afrofuturism.

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

Sawbones: This podcast describes itself as “a marital tour of misguided medicine”. Dr. Sydnee and Justin (not a Dr.) McElroy talk about the history of medicine and all the weird stuff we did in the past to try to cure people. Sydnee has the most knowledge in this pair and Justin is mostly there to ask questions and make jokes. Very fun tone throughout usually but obviously they take time to talk about more serious stuff. My favourite thing about it is just how much this couple love each other.

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

Oh No Ross and Carrie: Two friends go out to investigate fringe-science stuff so you don’t have to. They have joined cults including Scientology, have their pets get psychic readings, and try juice cleanses and soylent. I’d recommend any episode that covers something that you’re interested in! Episodes are typically 40-60 mins.

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

Comedy

My Brother My Brother and Me (MBMBAM): The same 3 brothers from the Adventure Zone. Justin, Travis, and Griffin have been making this podcast since 2010 and they give “advice” but mostly just laugh at their own jokes. They answer a lot of Yahoo questions, you know the type. Here’s a taster for their type of humor. They also have a new TV show, and the first episode is available for free, which can help you put a face to the name/voice. They’re never rude or mean but can be very dirty boys so don’t listen w/out headphones. Also probably in public with headphones cuz u will laugh out loud for SURE.

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

Dynamic Banter: Two dudes talk who also mostly just laugh at their own jokes. They like movies a lot. Here’s a 8 min clip where they talk about alternate titles for Tom Hanks’s classic film Big. Episodes are usually about an hour long. 

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

It Feels Like the First Time: Three guys are watching Lost, the 2004-2010 TV show about people who crashes on a ~weird island~. If were planning to watch/rewatch Lost and want to listen to more than 1 hour of three guys making jokes about the show then you should listen to this podcast. As of August 2017 they’re halfway through the final season, so there’s plenty of content for you to catch up on. This podcast comes out weekly and talk about 2 episodes of the show at a time. 

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

The Mortified Podcast: People read their childhood/teenage diaries outloud in front of a crowd. It’s embarrassing and cringe-y and hilarious and relatable and will make you more empathetic to your younger self and the kids and teens in your life because it’s hard out there. Episodes are about 25-35 mins long, usually featuring 2 different diary reads on a similar topic, like Prom or Summer Vacation.

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

Miscellaneous 

Terrible, Thanks for Asking: Nora McInerny is the host of this podcast. It’s about how terrible things are sometimes in life. Nora and guests just talk about the horrible things that have happened to them, like death of loved ones, abuse, mental illness, etc. Obviously, it’s not a casual, feel good listen, it is not for everyone and I would advise some people to not listen to this ever, but it’s emotional and raw and important. The episodes are 40ish minutes long.

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

Nancy: This is a relatively new podcast, as of August 2017 there are 19 episodes. It’s about the LGBTQ+ community and issues, hosted by Kathy Tu and Tobin Low. The first episode, for example, is about Kathy’s coming out story, and how she needs to constantly come out to her mother who isn’t listening to her. These two hosts are really fun, and so are their guests, and i’m sure that LGBTQ+ listeners will relate to their conversations.

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

Strangers: Podcast host Lea Thau tells stories about strangers. Or at least they’re strangers to you. It’s not as depressing as “Terrible Thanks for Asking”... usually. Episodes are anywhere between 20 and 50 minutes. Her “Love Hurts” series might be a good place to start, although it isn’t her typical episode structure, but it’s all about her interviewing exes about why they didn’t work out. This podcast is usually good about content warnings.

[Website] [Soundcloud] and in iTunes Store.

Mystery Show: Podcast host Starlee Kine solves weird mysteries like what is Jake Gyllenhaal’s real height, or a video rental store that disappeared in 1 day, or the owner of a really really cool belt buckle found on the ground years ago. There’s only 6 episodes, and there won’t be more. They’re between 25 and 70 minutes long.

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text: The tagline for this is “What if we read the books we love as if they were sacred texts?”. Hosts Vanessa Zoltan and Casper ter Kuile discuss one chapter of Harry Potter per episode, and analyse it using techniques usually reserved for religious texts. The hosts are Religious and Divinity scholars. Episodes are half an hour long, and as of June 2017 they are about halfway through the Prisoner of Azkaban.

[Website] and in iTunes Store.

[raining-v-coffee]

Naruto AU fic recs

One step can change everything.

~ My notes       * Multichapter

A Game of Two Halves

The kyuubi had a secret. A splendid, delicious secret that it held close to its heart: Kushina and her lover had made a mistake.

A Snake In the Grass, a Wolf At the Door Mature

Orochimaru is on the edge of breaking when someone unexpected pulls him back to solid ground. When the time comes, he returns the favor.

What the Deep Sea is to a Puddle

5+ AU Headcanons rambling (sort of) fic: Naruto + AU where Minato survives the sealing?

Learn to Be Content

5+ AU Headcanons rambling (sort of) fic: Naruto + AU where Team 7 gets a different sensei?

Ibiki's Apprentice

The Academy's teachers thought they were getting one over on the Hokage, graduating an ill-prepared Naruto while Iruka was sick. The Hokage knew he was getting one over on the entire village when he assigned Morino Ibiki as Naruto's Jounin sensei.

Seal Shatter

AU/AR, mid-Chuunin Exams on. Orochimaru fails to seal the Kyuubi's chakra in the Forest of Death. Naruto interferes with Sasuke's curse mark. And what's wrong with the Hokage? Read and review, please!

An Invincible Summer

When Naruto is five, he's gutted by a drunken civilian and presumed dead.

Six months later a girl with ash pale hair and dark blue eyes enters the Academy.

Team Seven

Kakashi wanted to grab those little brats and wrap them all up in blankets, dump them somewhere soft and fluffy and summon his dogs to guard them and sit on them and keep them there. Then he could relax, read his book and listen to the most creative curses and rants his cute little students could come up with. One-shot. Because Wave should have enough of a wake-up call.

How to Win Friends, Influence People *

And Start Your Very Own Secret Ninja Organization. Three months into Naruto's training trip Jiraiya must leave him behind to go to check on a situation in Iwa, leaving Naruto to his own devices. Naruto thinks everything he did makes perfect sense, Kiri thinks he is a cult leader and Tsunade thinks she doesn't get paid enough to deal with this. 100 drabbles format.

~ Sooo good.

The sound of pulling heaven down *

For a ruthless assassin, Genma's got an embarrassing weakness for little kids with big sad eyes. Still, Minato's son shouldn’t have to grow up alone and hated—not when Genma is more than willing to provide a family, crazy and chaotic though it may be.

~ Super cute fic

The Accidental Sensei *

One little mix up in the Hokage's office sends Mitarashi Anko to the Academy with a vague mission-- one she takes to mean teaching Genin Team Seven! From one mix-up comes headaches for a copy-nin, a coming revolution in ninja education, and a far too amused Hokage! v 3.1- Edits via the commentary comb over

The Daddy Thing *

Kushina's early demise changes everything. Who said that mothers were more important than fathers?

Tsukumogami: The Living Seals WIP

A young Naruto finds the Uzumaki Clan Temple of Masks and is introduced to his clan's history by the chakra imprint of his ancestor, Mito Uzumaki. There he will learn the secret to the kinjutsu that led to the destruction of Uzushiogakure. (Fuuinjutsu!Naruto)

One Eye, Full of Wisdom WIP

Kakashi survived his losses in spirit as well as in body, and having learned both wisdom and intellect from his experiences, he now seeks to pass those traits on to his students. Story emphasis is on tactical fighting, mind games, adventure, and the occasional bout of humor. GenFic, no story stealing OC's or creepy romance between children. Current Arc: The End of Team 7.

Come to the Sand Side (We Have Ramen) WIP

Naruto and Gaara hit it off after the chuunin exams, and a slight twist of fate leaves Naruto questioning whether he really has a place in Konoha or not. Gaara comes to miss his company, and comes up with a plan- a plan to lure Naruto to pledge his loyalties to Suna, where, according to the Sand Siblings, he really belongs. Featuring eventual Suna-nin!Naruto. No romance.

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men WIP

When Naruto decides to skip past the Kage Bunshin and picks another jutsu to learn from the Forbidden Scroll, Madara - who'd dearly love to kill the brat - is left scrambling to salvage his plans.

Family Reunion Extended Version WIP

When Naruto left the village for the first time on the mission to guard the bridge builder Tazuna, he ended up finding something unexpected across the battlefield...a living relative.

To my Masterpost of Naruto Fic recs <3

I also have rec lists for Harry Potter and Doctor who.