#pretty sure this is just a plot point in glee

[ticklishraspberries]

Gotcha (Billy/Stu)

Summary: Before enacting their plans, Billy and Stu need to be sure they’re physically fit enough to pull it all off, leading to ridiuclousness. (Based on this anonymous prompt, thank you so much for sending it in!! Warnings because there is mentions of canon-typical violence. Hope y’all enjoy the fic!! xo)

“If we’re really going to do this, we should start training,” Billy says idly, like they’re discussing running a marathon rather than a murderous plot.

Stu laughs at first, before realizing that Billy is serious. “Train? Like, go hunting?”

“No, dipshit,” he replies, but there’s a lack of venom in his voice. “Have you ever seen a movie where the victim just lays back and lets the killer stab ‘em? People are gonna fight back, and we can’t afford any mistakes.”

It’s a good point, Stu concedes, and thus begins their ridiculous regime of what he likes to call “Killer Camp”, and even though Billy rolls his eyes at the title, Stu knows he finds it funny as well.

True to its name, Woodsboro has many spots that are thick with trees and shielded by the dark of nighttime, giving them an ideal place to practice. With nothing but two flashlights and two knives, the boys set off into the forest at least once a week. It sort of feels like playing a combination of hide-and-seek and tag, except when you get caught, the other person pushes you to the ground and presses a semi-dull blade to the side of your neck.

Stu has the advantage of being taller, his long legs carrying him through the dirt at a naturally quicker pace, but Billy still manages to catch up to him with cunning, sneaking around the trees and jumping out when Stu thinks he’s clear to slow down for a breather.

And every time, Billy grins down at him, presses the cool metal against his pulse point, and says, “Gotcha” in a tone that makes Stu feel terrified and excited all at once. There’s a strange mix of boyish glee and creepy intrigue that shows in those brown eyes, and it should scare the shit out of him, but Stu trusts him entirely, sometimes against his best judgment.

They aren’t officially keeping score, but Stu has the numbers in his head, and he’s sure that Billy does too. He's behind by just one point, and he intends to even the score tonight.

See, Stu’s not the brains of their operation, but he isn’t stupid. He’s been studying the way Billy behaves on these nights, the pattern he inevitably falls into despite trying to keep Stu on his toes. Because while Billy is pretty smart, most of the victims in horror films aren’t, and it's hard not to fall into that mentality when you’re getting chased through the woods.

Billy always runs to the left rather than straight ahead, and he always finds a place to hide so he can try and strike back when Stu gets close. This time, Stu isn’t going to let him turn the tables.

It’s only been a few moments since Billy darted off into the trees, and Stu doesn’t bother running, just idly creeps through the fallen leaves, peeking behind every trunk.

“Billy,” he sing-songs, unable to keep from grinning.

Billy is always quiet when he’s in this mindset, a stealthy predator. But Stu likes to play with his food, so to speak. The anticipation, the taunting…That’s the part of their plan he really likes.

Just ahead, he sees a sliver of light from behind a tree, like a flashlight half-covered by foliage. He smirks, making his way towards it, but at the last second, he pivots on his heel and finds Billy standing there, eyes going wide when he realizes his trick hasn’t worked.

Stu easily grapples him down to the floor, now that he’s caught off guard.

“Fuck you, dude,” Billy pants. “How’d you know?”

“You’re not dumb enough to accidentally leave the light on,” Stu replies. “It was obviously a trap.”

Although he’s clearly disappointed that his plan failed, Billy grins. There’s a leaf stuck in his hair, and he’s smiling, and Stu wonders how a boy could be so pretty while lying in the dirt like this. 

“You gonna let me up now, smart guy?” Billy asks.

Stu hums, like he’s considering it. “Make me,” he says.

Something in Billy’s face darkens at his words, and Stu worries for a moment that he’s actually going to get stabbed. With surprising ease, Billy shifts his weight and sends them tumbling to the side, but the last thing Stu expects is for fingers to jab into his ribs, making him yelp in surprise before starting to giggle.

“What the fuck, man?” he asks, his own hands darting around, trying to catch Billy’s wrists, but his attempts are easily evaded, and those fingers just make their way beneath his arms, making him clamp his arms down with another high-pitched sound.

Billy just smirks at him. “You told me to make you,” he says. “I figured this was a better method than hurting you.”

‘What a gentleman’, Stu’s mind sarcastically supplies, but he can’t spit it out between his laughter. He doesn’t think Billy has tickled him in years, and the fact that he still remembers his weak spots is both inconvenient and oddly touching.

And although he’s technically beaten Billy at their game, the taste of victory is too sweet to fully let go of, especially because he refuses to tap out from tickling of all things.

Despite the urge to keep his arms glued as tightly to his sides as possible, Stu forces himself to fight back, reaching out to squeeze Billy’s hip.

Billy lets out a startled sound, and his hands falter, giving Stu the leverage he needs to wrestle his friend back down, straddling his thighs and tickling up and down his sides, making giggles bubble from his lips in the most adorable way.

“Asshole,” Billy grits out.

“You started this,” Stu reminds him, moving up to dance over his ribs, sending Billy into a new fit of laughter, thrashing wildly in the dirt. Memories of tickle fights back when they were younger have flooded back, and he remembers how this spot always got Billy to give in.

Clearly, not much has changed, because it only takes another moment before Billy is chanting, “Okay, fuck, stop—!” and Stu obeys, giving him a moment to catch his breath before he leans down, their noses just barely touching, and plucks a leaf out of Billy’s brown, wavy hair.

“You suck,” Billy says.

“You love me,” Stu replies.

They’re so close, Stu can feel the heat rise in Billy’s face when he says it, and even in near pitch-darkness, he can see the flicker of emotion in his expression.

Even when it seems like a bad idea, Stu trusts Billy. He’s known him for so long, has felt this way for so long…He closes the gap between them and presses their lips together, and is shocked when the kiss is immediately reciprocated. He was worried that this would end with a knife stuck in his gut, but he’s much happier with this outcome.

When they pull back, Stu can’t help but chuckle softly, and whisper, “Gotcha.”

Billy snorts and shoves him to the side, standing up and brushing dirt off of his jeans. He extends a hand out, and Stu takes it, rising to his feet.

They drive back to Stu’s house, the radio the only sound. He worries that Billy’s gonna pretend this never happened, or worse, be pissed off at him about it. But when they get inside, wash the dirt off of their hands and faces, and change into pajamas (Stu’s shirt is big on Billy, and he looks fucking adorable in it), he’s pleasantly surprised when Billy crawls into bed beside him instead of taking the floor.

“We’re tied now,” he says.

“I know,” Billy replies. “Don’t get cocky; I’ll get you next time.”

Stu snuggles closer, throwing an arm over Billy’s waist, spooning him from behind. Billy sinks into the touch willingly, like he’s wanted it as long as Stu has. “I feel like we should make tickling against the rules,” Stu adds after a pause. “I mean, I can’t imagine anyone doing that while we’re tryin’ to stab them.”

That makes Billy laugh again. “I mean, you never know. We should be prepared for anything.”

“You’d be fucked if someone tried that,” Stu teases, poking his stomach, making him flinch.

“Oh, fuck off.”

“Maybe I should do it more, try and build up your resistance. Remember, we can’t afford any mistakes!”

Billy swats his hand, still giggling. “Goodnight, dumbass.”

“Night, giggles.”

He doesn’t protest the nickname, nor Stu’s suggestion that this will happen again. Stu takes this as a good sign. He falls asleep to the steady rhythm of Billy’s breathing, hoping that this is just the start.

[spaceorphan18]

Glee Musical Retrospective: 4 Minutes (The Power of Madonna)

Sung by: Kurt Hummel and Mercedes Jones Original Artist(s): Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake and Timbaland

Baby penguin my ass.

I sometimes go back and read 'of the day' reviews, and one of them stated that this episode featured too much music. And I got to thinking, while I clearly don't agree, this is the one that would probably end up on the chopping block. I'm very glad it didn't though, because I think it has more to say than you may think.

And it's only one of two duets we get between Kurt and Mercedes.

Story Anaylsis

It's really nice to be talking about Kurt again... when is the last time???

So, here's the fascinating thing about this one. Kurt and Mercedes both often feel like they're playing second fiddle - especially to Rachel Berry. And here they get to showcase their amazing talents together. But the thing is - they got this huge performance as a thank you from Sue for making her over in Vogue. (Also - Sue is doing this as an FU to Will, but Sue is savvy enough to know talent when she sees it - and Kurt will remain one of her favorites for the rest of the series.)

The song itself is a little random story wise -- and most likely chosen because it was a highly energetic, more modern hit. It's a song about going out and saving the world in 4 minutes? Honestly - the lyrics are supposed to be about saving the planet, and having the urgency to do so. But I can finagle a few things...

I think one of the things both Kurt and Mercedes are doing here are latching onto the urgency in their own lives. Sue's giving them a chance to shine and they're both going to take it. Neither of them is willing to wait around for Will to give them a chance. So, they'll make their own chances. Which speaks to both their characters, really.

But if I die tonight At least I can say I did what I wanted to do Tell me, how bout you?

I think the lyrics are mostly not the point in this one. But I like this little stanza. It speaks to the two of them briming with their own confidence and jumping at the chance to show, at least the school, what they can do.

I'm going to quote myself from my Kurt meta:

One of the things I really love is how confident both Kurt and Mercedes are in this dance number–with the whole school watching.  Before, both of them were looked down upon, and thrown in dumpsters, and slushied, but now that they’re with the Cheerios and singing Madonna, they really latch on to a growing self-confidence.  Sure, they aren’t there yet, and they have many more obstacles to go over, but just the fact that they’re up there performing, uncaring really what anyone else thinks, is a step in the right direction.

I will say - one of the things that I've often had a hard time buying on this show is that people continually think that these kids are losers. I'd have been so amazed if I saw a performance like this in high school. There's no reason any of these kids get the hate they get except for the fact that the plot needs them to be.

Technical Thoughts

First of all - I love that they arranged this as a marching band song. Not only is it a great interpretation to the heavy sound of the original song, but it's nice to see a marching band used well on screen.

Secondly, they sound pretty good! I love Kurt in his lower register. And Mercedes just owns this song. It's not surprising that they had them switch parts because Amber is much more comfortable with kind of song than Chris and it does show a little bit in the vocal track.

The on screen charisma, though, they both have it. The fact that both Mercedes and Kurt feel so comfortable in their bodies is fantastic. Neither of them are what mainstream society would label as sexy or hot but I love, love, love that this speaks to that -- that these two are both sexy and hot in this number as they play off each other. The choreography on this is the best, and I love that they allow these characters to be in control and confident in their bodies.

Also - sometimes I don't think Chris gets enough credit. Yes, he can be clumsy and fall of a piano (oh we will get there) but sometimes he just owns his physicality in a way that is never commented on is just remarkable.

This performance also has some great reaction shots. I love that Will looks annoyed and almost disappointed. Rachel's 'no comment' was perfect. And I love that Quinn genuinely seems to be enjoying herself. (I love when Quinn gets to be a human.)

Also - super technical thing - but notice all the quick cuts and camera whips? I'm sure that was done purposely to enhance the urgency the song is trying to create.

Fun fact: Apparently, this is the last time Kurt does a duet with anyone else besides Blaine and Rachel until Adam Lambert shows up. Crazy right? Shame that the show doesn't try out varying combinations more often.

vs. The Studio Version: It's the full song! Or more so it feels like they just repeat the chorus a few more times. I do like the second half, though, because they both get into the song just a bit more and it feels even more powerful than the show version.

vs. The Original Song: I love that this song is actually 4 minutes long. It is slightly slower than Glee's version - which makes sense, because that's Glee's trend - to make everything just a little bit faster (I assume to fit into time limit of being on a tv show). As I said earlier, I think Glee's marching band interpretation is really cool - because it's a great in world adaptation of the instrumentation the original song uses. That all said, what is going on in this video? I don't get how this reflects saving the world. *shrugs*

[whatthefishh]

Merry, Happy II

AN: self indulgent fic of the week #3. This is part two of three little blurbs of what I think a friendship with the moon boys would look like during Ramadan (and if reader has an inevitable, obvious, unmistakable crush on them). In no way am I trying to misrepresent the boys from their original presentation of Jewish, and if I have in any way please let me know. This is mainly just focused on reader’s time during this month, not to take away from anything the boys do on their own :).

Tagging some people, no pressure :) @looneytooz @copingchaos @marc-spectors-wife @romanarose @melodygatesauthor @360iris @vaderstherapist @kittyofalltrades @dameronscopilot @xbellaxcarolinax @annautumnsoul @minigirl87 @campingwiththecharmings @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction

Marc

After being close friends with Steven for a while, he let you in on his secret. He kind of had to, considering his extensive sick calls and your concern for his well being skyrocketing to the point where one day you showed up to his apartment uninvited, only to come face to face with Marc.

You had only gone there as a last resort since Steven wasn’t answering your texts or calls, and called in sick for the past few days with no heads up. You were concerned, okay? Plus, you brought him some lentil soup that you made, a shitty attempt at copying your mom’s recipe (but vegan of course).

Marc had swung open the door angrily at your incessant knocking, squinting his eyes as he placed you - Steven’s work bestie and object of his affections. Not that you knew that last part.

You quickly noticed he wasn’t behaving like himself and left uncomfortably, urging him to have the soup before turning on your heel when he barely spoke two words to you and leaving. Steven had called you the next day to talk and clear things up. Pretty soon, it was you and Marc having movie nights at their apartment on your shared evenings off when Steven tapped out after a long day at work. It actually worked out in a way since Marc would gladly watch all the loud movies with shitty plots with you, whereas Steven would start shifting in his seat and asking, “are you enjoying this?”

Since you started fasting, you put a pause on your movie nights, choosing to spend the evenings focusing on the spirituality that's highlighted during the month. The boys understood and would text you asking if you’ve gotten to eat yet on those nights, checking in with you from a distance.

Marc would ask what you had for iftar, joking about how you never shared that recipe for your mom’s soup with him, to which you guiltily sent it right away, not thinking twice about it.

The next day, Marc invited you over for dinner, telling you he’s got all the food covered, and yes, he made sure to get the halal meat this time. So you go, expecting to walk in on the kitchen being a mess and him to ask you to help him finish up. You end up walking in to see that he’s already set the table, and just about to put the warm, aromatic dishes out.

You’re kind of shocked, to be honest, not expecting him to pull this off but your mouth starts watering at the smells coming from the covered pots and you just turn to him in glee, smiling so big at the effort he’s put in. He’s excited to seat you, telling you he’s almost done as he pulls out the Challah bread that you love so much to go with the soup.

Basically, he made all your favourites, including the lentil soup that you sent him the recipe for, which you happily dipped the bread into. After eating, he didn’t let you wash the dishes even though you argued with him about how he never soaks the pots for long enough. But Marc was stubborn and it seemed like he wasn’t going to stop talking over you about this.

“Marc, come on, you cooked all this food, at least let me᠆”

“No no, go sit down, go-”

“Marc, stop, c’mon, you don’t even do them right-”

“Yes I do, yes I DO, WHO TOLD YOU THAT-”

“Steven has to wash them twice, come on just-”

“I GOT THIS”

Yeah, you weren’t going to fight with him after his nice gesture.

[resinfossil]

I keep tossing around this idea in my head for an AU where instead of getting killed Ptolemy gets sealed away or sent to the future somehow and ends up as Mr. Button's apprentice sometime between GE and PG

I haven't worked out all the details but roughly what I'm imagining is this:

Ptolemy's cousin is paranoid that he might have found a way to cheat death, so instead of having Ptolemy killed, he orders the Roman magicians to seal him away

Due to Ptolemy's trip to the Other Place, this actually works

2128-2129 years pass

Kitty has started learning magic from Mr. Button and is trying to find more information on Bart's masters

Mr. Button buys a bottle or similar item that is believed to have a spirit trapped inside with the intent of asking the spirit some questions

Surprise! It's not a spirit at all, it's Ptolemy!

Kitty immediately sees the resemblance to Bartimaeus's favorite form and knows that if she can get Ptolemy on her side then Bartimaeus will be that much more willing to help her succeed at getting commoners and spirits to work together

(Of course there is a language barrier between Kitty and Ptolemy, and this isn't exactly something she can ask for Mr. Button's help with, so that part may take a while, but she's determined to make it work)

Not sure where the main plot would go from there, but I kinda want a version of the succubus scene where everything starts out pretty much the same except Ptolemy is also there, but when the succubus shows her true form the expression on Ptolemy's face morphs from polite interest to unfettered glee. He starts peppering her with a million questions that just came to his mind about the connections between a djinni's true form and their powers, why djinn almost never show their true forms on planes visible to magicians, etc.

This throws the succubus off long enough for Kitty to recover and give her her orders, by which point the succubus has decided that maybe this particular summoning won't be too awful and she's better off not being suicidally reckless this time.

Idk for some reason I just want Ptolemy to befriend the succubus (it would be completely platonic, just to be clear. Sooner or later Ptolemy would start summoning her without the magical safeguards like he did with Bartimaeus and his other djinn, which Mr. Button would not be pleased about when he finds out, and she'd just start hanging out in the house sometimes)

[voxofthevoid]

JJK 213 💀

If 212 stabbed me in the heart, 213 has ripped out my guts and poured acid on them. Mother of fuck.

I say this with a measure of glee because I do love a narrative that emotionally eviscerates me.

Spoilers and thoughts under the cut

It’s long and rambling because I’m basically sorting my thoughts out.

The chapter felt pretty short this time, but there sure were some mindblowing developments: Confirmation that Sukuna can use Megumi’s cursed technique (and dial it up to eleven WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT MOTHRA-NUE); Megumi’s ideal vessel status (rejoice, sukufushi shippers, it’s now canon that Sukuna always wanted to be inside Megumi! Too soon? Sorry.); the Angel’s cursed technique in its full glory (I cannot wait to see that animated...eventually); and my boy Yuuji being made into a slightly mashed donut (I joke, but I’ve been nail-biting worried about this since I read the chapter and this will continue till we see confirmation of his survival).

The vessel business

Megumi cannot catch a fucking break, can he? I’m not convinced he’s truly gone, especially because Gege did leave that breadcrump about Megumi having the potential to suppress Sukuna. But that brings me to my major issue with this recent development: if Megumi can suppress Sukuna, it implies sorcerers who can eat his fingers and not only survive but also prevent him from incarnating exist--because what are the chances it’s just Megumi and he just happened to get embroiled in all this? And despite calling him a potential cage, Sukuna doesn’t seem surprised that this is a thing Megumi can do, the way he was with how thoroughly Yuuji caged him. In fact, he seems to have settled on the formula to get into Megumi right after realizing this. All that’s fine, but it raises the question of what, exactly, makes Yuuji special.

I don’t mean it in a “why is Yuuji the MC kinda way” because (a) I love that dude to death and am following the story mostly for him and (b) Yuuji’s emotional arcs have always been a lot more compelling than his powers (or lack thereof), and I think having Sukuna out of him, possibly permanently, is an excellent development as far as his character arc is concerned (more on that later). My issue here has more to do with Kenjaku and the implied alternations they made to Yuuji in the womb: I’d say it’s a fair assumption that Yuuji’s superhuman physical capabilities and unusually powerful ability to constrain Sukuna aren’t natural, and as much as I love the “they just wanted some dick jokes,” I’m pretty sure Kenjaku didn’t conceive and deliver a kid for shits and giggles. Granted, it would kinda suit their personality; however, plot-wise, it’d be a waste.

At the moment, it looks like, while the degree of Yuuji’s ability to suppress Sukuna is unusual/unnatural, other sorcerers are capable of hosting and even caging him. So what exactly is Yuuji’s purpose, at the narrative level and in terms of Kenjaku’s plans? Did they account for Sukuna potentially breaking free, and if they did, what was the point of making a custom vessel for the guy? And is being Sukuna’s vessel all there is to Yuuji (not as a person or character but from Kenjaku’s perspective)? I have a feeling that’s not the case, but I’d need to go reread the manga to try and see why I’m so sure Kenjaku’s interested in Yuuji beyond his potential to contain Sukuna. Either way, I’m curious how the narrative will handle it. Which brings us to--

Yuuji’s survival and future arc

Gege, please.

I am fairly sure protagonist plot armor will kick in and Yuuji will survive (and honestly, him dying at this point would feel pretty damn pointless--I’m all for major character death, but if you’re killing the main lead, make it worth it, ya know?), but fucking how? He’s naturally a lot sturdier than most people, but dude’s got a fist-sized hole in his stomach and got punched through, what, three buildings? He’s got to be on his last legs there. Yuuta isn’t anywhere in the vicinity either. Lowkey hoping for Mumjaku to pop out, but that’s mostly because I have been dying for some interactions between these two since the big reveal about Yuuji’s parentage.

Assuming he survives (he better, GEGE), I’m honestly pretty excited to see how his story will progress from here. Yuuji’s whole thing since the start has been to save as many people as he can and die a good death as a martyr, and with every new trauma the narrative has piled on him, that desire has only increased to the point that it’s now a fixation. The guy seems actively suicidal after Shibuya, and the only thing keeping him from killing himself is the fact that he can’t allow himself to die meaninglessly after all the death Sukuna caused and all the people Yuuji himself failed to save. If the plot had progressed in the direction it had been taking before Sukuna used that binding vow to fuck everything to hell, Yuuji would happily have let the Angel erase him and Sukuna. And he could have called it a good, noble death because he was dying to save Gojou and eliminate a good 75% of Sukuna’s power.

And now he doesn’t have that. His death would no longer serve any greater purpose (...assuming Sukuna doesn’t somehow hop back into him, but that’s starting to look unlikely). To make a difference and help people like he so desperately wants, Yuuji will have to live. I am dying to find out how he’s going to reconcile that with his current mindsent.

Assuming he survives.

Hana and the Angel

I’ve been seeing a lot of hate for Hana after this chapter came out, regarding her decision to rush to Megumi, but honestly, it’s perfectly coherent characterization. It’s certainly a foolish decision, but it’s a completely emotion-driven, considerably panicked one that is in line with everything we’ve seen of Hana so far. She is in no way any more well adjusted than any of the main cast. Her childhood was Trauma Central: Eldritch Horror Edition, and she fixated hard on the boy who saved her despite their paths crossing for a grand total of five seconds. Megumi clearly registered her, since that’s the only way Sukuna would know to use that memory to manipulate her, but he doesn’t even acknowledge her. And there’s no indication they’ve ever interacted since; in fact, I’m rather confused on how Hana even recognized Megumi. Or whether/how she kept track of him all these years, given there’s no indication she was a sorcerer before getting Kenjaku-ed into a coma (presumably) and then hosting the Angel. Yet, she’s convinced she’s in love with him and they’re fated. Hardly a healthy coping mechanism, but it is what it is.

If Hana had a random crush on Megumi and ignored the Angel to fall for Sukuna’s trick (which seems pretty transparent to us readers, but Hana really doesn’t know the actual Megumi enough to tell that he wouldn’t be caught dead doing that pose, sweet fuck, my eyes), it would be some shit writing, but Hana isn’t acting out of infatuation or puppy love but a nearly lifelong fixation.

And it’s probably going to get her killed. I don’t see Hana getting out of that on her own; she hasn’t noticed Stretchy Headman there, and the Angel’s warnings clearly aren’t reaching her. The only way I see this moving forward without them both dying is for the Angel to take over completely--and we know she’s opposed to that, but would she make an exception with death imminent? I hope so. Because losing these characters, especially the Angel, at this juncture would just be a waste.

Now excuse me while I go scream into the void for the next two weeks.

[daisyishedwig]

Fic writers tag

I was tagged by @kurtsascot, thank you for the tag!

And I'm tagging @calsvoid and @lusthurts and anyone else who wants to participate.

1. how many works do you have an ao3?

I have 37 on AO3 and 80 on FF.net, and most things from my AO3 are on FF excluding like 3 fics. I'm including my FF account because that's where I started posting many many years ago and continued to update until a couple yers ago when I transferred to just posting on AO3. There is a lot of fics on my FF that I haven't crossposted to AO3 yet, and some I probably never will.

2. whats your ao3 word count?

AO3 is 217,634 and FF.net is 287,357

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Nowadays, just Glee, though I do have some WIPs for Stranger Things, Captive Prince, Magnus Archives, and Hatcetfield that I do want to post /someday/. When I started I wrote Supernatural. And over the years I've also written Doctor Who, Takin Over the Asylum, Harry Potter.

4. top 5 fics by kudos

Not So Dapper, Dare, and This Isn't Love all tie for first place with 171. Then there is Chance at 164, I'm Never Letting You Go at 157, Don't You Dare at 150, and Don't Tell Me What You're Thinking at 144.

On FF.Net (by favorites) its The Thoughts I Can't Deny at 163, The Unspoken Rule at 120, A Strange Realization at 142, Icy Love at 101, and Maybe We Can Be Okay at 93.

5. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

I certainly try! I'm always torn between giving hints and secrets and wanting to keep everything close to my chest so the closer someone is to guessing a big plot point or asking a question that I can't answer without spoiling, the less likely I am to respond. Which is why I'm better at responding on one shots, because there's nothing to spoil!

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

Ohhhh, probably Say Your Name While Our Tongues Are Tied. There's probably a Blangst fic from back in the day that has a sadder ending, but they're usually at least hopeful. Say Your Name just feels very helpless, like it's hard to envision a world where anyone walks away from this situation happy, you know?

7. whats the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

A Place To Call Home, probably, even though I haven't posted it yet. The Thoughts I Can't Deny probably would have if I'd actually written an ending for it, lol. Tear Down My Reason is definitely very happy, and I Could Touch the Teardrops on Your Face is probably the sappiest ending.

8. do you get hate on fics?

I know I have in the past but I don't remember for what or why, which means it probably didn't really stick with me. And from what I do remember I think it was largely from people who didn't like the characters or ships I was writing about and would come to bitch about that and I'd be like, if you hate Blaine Anderson so much, why are you reading a Klaine fic? I do kind of remember a Kurtofsky shipper coming to complain about how "abusive" Blaine is and I was just like, sure, Jan, when you ship Kurt with the person who threatened to kill him, you definitely have a leg to stand on.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

I don't as much as I used to and I actually tend to skip over it a lot. I've been much more into the emotional aspect and only really write the sex if I feel like it will add to the heart of what I'm writing.

But oh boy did I used to. And when I did it was pretty much exclusively D/s and kink stuff, and even when it wasn't there would at least be some form of powerplay or marking in an otherwise vanilla scene, just so my kinky brain would have something to latch onto.

10. do you write crossovers? whats the craziest one youve ever written?

Only on occasion? Like I'm currently working on a White Collar/Glee fic and a Magnus Archives/Hatchetfield fic. Aside from that it will be more like just an AU or inspired by a different media. So like, Sebastian Smythe is the flash, but other characters from The Flash don't really appear. Or my Mrs. Winterbourne Seblaine AU. Or the Spies Are Forever inspired Seblaine AU I have currently only managed to write 300 words in.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

I have. I remember someone turning the original Icy Love (which I still haven't crossposted to AO3, oops) into a Larry fic. And I know I've seen some of my stuff around any time there's a new website stealing things from AO3 and putting it behind a paywall. But at some point I got to lazy to care.

I did have a scare a litte while ago where I thought someone had stolen one of my fics because someone commented saying they'd read it under the username comewhattklaine before and I was like I have /never/ used that username before. I've used a lot of pennames over the years but never that one and I went absolutely crazy trying to find where someone with that username at stolen my fic. And then I realized that on my old Scarvesandcoffee account, I had used that name, but that website had been dead for so long i'd forgotten about it.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

I feel like I have but I cant for the life of me remember what.

13. have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Yes! @itallstartedwithharry and I wrote Tear Down My Reason together. It was an absolutely incredible experience and I always wish that she had the time to write together again because we worked so well together. I was really good at word vomiting on the page and she was really good at cleaning it up and making it more coherent and actually sounding nice. Which is part of why I still ask her to beta for me on fics that are really important to me because she tends to just get what I'm trying to say better than I do sometimes. Like she's been absolutely incredible with betaing A Place to Call Home for me and I'm so glad to have her because she just makes me a better writer.

14. fave all time ship?

Okay. This one is complicated. Because Klaine was my otp to end all otps for so many many years. Klaine means the world to me, it was so incredibly important to me as a teenager and to me accepting my own queerness and feeling safe to come out to my mom (because we bonded a lot over shipping Klaine) and I have written hundreds of thousands of words about those two.

But Seblaine. Ohmygod Seblaine. I have reached a point in my life where my brain is more interested in the kind of stories those two can supply me. In this concept of quantum entanglement that will always pull them together but never ever let it be /easy/ for them. There's just some ways in which I think they're better for each other, I think in some ways they bring out the worst in each other, but that in turn allows to them to truly see the best in each other too. I think the tragedy of their story as it happened is beautiful and cruel. And I just want to explore every crevice of their brains and to never let them go. At some point, Klaine became too easy. They'll always get their happy ending (at least in canon). But Seblaine never will. And the art that can be made from a relationship like that intrigues me far more.

15. wip you want to finish but doubt you will?

Probably La Pute. Of all my old WIPs, it's the most likely to be finished (because I do have some pretty extensive notes on how the plot was supposed to go). But at the same time, that kind of fic that I loved to read and write when I was young (dubcon, noncon, slave fics, etc.) just doesn't interest me the way it used to.

If I were to psychoanalyze myself i'd probably say that my love for stories like that was deeply derived from my sexual repression and inner angst (largely driven by vast amounts of untreated mental illness) that I had no real life experience to draw from so I just used these dark dark stories as a way to try and release any of those emotions. But now as an adult I've lived through many traumas and general life shittiness and I can now find a release for my inner turmoil in writing about things more close to life instead of having to reach into that level of darkness.

16. what are your writing strengths?

Oh I don't even know. I think probably dialogue? That's what usually comes the easiest to me so it's what I would assume, but I'm honestly not sure.

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

I tell more than I show. Like I try to describe body language and expression in a way that isn't just "he shifted anxiously" "He looked pissed", stuff like that. But I'm just not great at it, so I tend to just tell the reader what a character is feeling more than anything else.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I'm always drawn to the idea of doing it, but I don't just want to like copy and paste the lines into google translate, you know? And I don't speak any other languages and most of the friends I have that do speak the languages I would want to translate lines into (namely Tagolog and French) aren't Glee fans, so I don't want to make them translate for me.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

Unpublished? Inuyasha/Naruto/Harry Potter/Bleach/probably some other things. I wrote a very extensive self insert fic when I was like 9 or 10 that involved all of those fandoms but it never even got typed up and I lost the binder I was keeping it in probably nearly two decades ago.

Published though it was definitely Supernatural.

20. fave fic youve written?

A Place To Call Home was such a long endeavor and something that was very important to me to finish and it means a lot to me to have finally finished it.

Maybe We Can Be Okay is probably one of my most well-received fics considering the dark content and complex themes. And I'm still really proud of it.

And then it's not out yet, but my fic for the I Want You Back day of 10 Days of Seblaine has been a very difficult fic to write but I'm really happy with how its turning out and I can't wait to share it with you all in November.

[goat-shoe]

ok, i Rant time

ive been reading this fic Knowing itd be a mess and im just... ive had it with this characterization! aimless rant below ^^;;;

tw for bullying, harassment, abuse, homophobia

so a lot of highschool AUs are just..... Bad? like LOL sorry :x but. youre taking away everything interesting about the miraculous holders, And youre trying to make Fully Grown Adults into children. ??????

n e ways, i found this highschool dropout au,,, im Sure you can guess how i feel abt dugout and tiderdrop together, but personal biases aside (its Icky to me and someday ill figure out why)..... lets read this fic.

(to prove i am Not taking things out of context, heres the whole fic)

FIRST of all, youre ognna notice that the prose is Boring, written in long and uninspired runon sentences. i dont wanna just bash on an inexperienced writer, but if youre gonna be this lazy about it.. who is it for :x

second, headcanoning mariquitas name as the Only spanish name you can think of that starts with "mari"? is just uninspired. mariquita wouldnt Choose a hero name so obviously close to her Real Name.. again im not an unmasker, but this headcanon is ridiculous....

finally, and most importantly.... "he sighs wearily". umm, No actually. he Doesnt. you dont even get an insight into dugouts thoughts other than "im nervous about school >m<"

Needless to say, this and his whiny, whimpering demeanor is incredibly infantilizing,. Furthermore in this context, all it does is plays into the ""yaoi"" trope of a big buff bad big boy x boy who says uwaaah! (i hope it goes without saying, this is Not a condemnation of boys who say uwahh, yall are doing gods work and ily)

cramming tigerdrop and dugout into this trope comes off as (and actually is) incredibly homophobic and harmful. need i remind you, these are real people. i wouldnt be surprised if this author was a fujoshi or something too :x

anyways.

im a dugout fan Because hes reserved, but in this fic, thats being watered down to him just being sad and whiny.

its just so insulting to be written shrugging every 3 sentences. dugout im so sorry theyre doing this to you ;;;

guhh. ill give them points for this cute relationship with mariquita...

but again, the prose is just.. clumsy. and again, all dugout does is whine about change. its not even a realistic portrayal of adjustment disorder :x

speaking of disorders Lol,

we Know how i feel abt tigerdrop, but i tend to actually like fanfic portrayals of him.

but this one is just... Confusing...

(also we have mandatory "describe their entire outfit in vapid detail" LOL i should have made this a bingo)

i havent really been talking about the plot, but heres what it took the author two chapters to get through:

dugout it new in town, hes nervous about the changes. (we dont even know why he misses home??? just, make it up i guess, god forbid a fanfiction Make That part up!!!!!!)

tigerdrop has lived in new york all his life, and he appears to be pretty bored with life (ex: pushes pipsqueak over just because he thought itd be funny, no doubt an allusion to the canal street incident last july)

his characterization is actually really confusing and i think its supposed to be like, Alluring??? but its just disconcerting :x

thats It. Two established characters and empty conversations with others (the mariquita mischaracterization especially drives me up the wall ever since i confirmed my kin with her)

they meet in math class when dugout unknowingly sits in tigerdrops seat..... girl, Literally no one in high school acts like this.

at this point, this fic is no better than glee and the millions of other incorrect and careless portrayals of highschoolers. tigerdrop has some weird banter with the faceless teacher (yet Another reason i hate most highschool fics)

:/ i Kinda saw it coming, but....

tigerdrop apologizing and not meaning it? In character. But, hes just acting like a greaser, and its Weird

dugout wouldnt care! he would not look like "a deer in the Headphones."

i Realize the author doesnt have a beta reader but :x that doesnt excuse pawning off lazy work btw, in case anyone was wondering....

last but probably Most important: this is setting up such a toxic dynamic. tigerdrop is actively pushing the message that dugout is taking up too much space and he doesnt belong. its alienating and shitty. and this is a fic Shipping Them :x

but i Clicked on a dropout fic, so.... should i be surprised :/

like i said. dugout is Already afraid of him.. his body is reacting just to the sound of his voice, not unlike trauma in PTSD victims!

like. guh. this is literally so toxic. also..

take a shot every time you see the word "smirks"

lips ghosting his nose And ear? Lol.....

likely The Worst way to incorporate their miraculous personas :x reading this literally made me nauseous.

anyways.... thats all of the fic thats been posted so far. so to summarize: this is just Icky. its even worse, setting this kind of relationship in their high school years :x imagine if someone treated you this way! youre Not gonna grow up and marry them.

i Cant even.

~ ty for reading <3 ~

[icedteaandoldlace]

✂️

Cut Plot Line

Feels kind of weird to be posting this one since I still don't actually know how I'm going to end this fic (I mean I'm pretty sure I know where it ends, it's just how to wrap it up that I haven't figured out), but Preppy In Pink, my Barrisco-at-Dalton AU, which is narrated by a character who is about 95% Barry Allen and 5% Sebastian Smythe, was originally going to end with a flashforward where the narration catches up to present day. Barry is out of high school and college by this point, and you find out that the whole story was being told during a job interview. Tess Wells (the person interviewing him) had just asked him to explain why there were two different names that he went by (something which is not a huge plot point and is explained away quickly at the very beginning of the story), and he'd launched into a tangent of overexplaining and venturing way off topic. Since the rest of the story takes place in the Glee-verse (with creative liberties), I thought it would be fun to end it with Barry and Cisco transitioning into the Flashverse by getting hired at S.T.A.R. Labs at the same time. It was also going to include a cameo of Iris and Kamilla as a couple who make up S.T.A.R. Labs' PR team, or something of that nature. I had a lot thought out for this epilogue, but I never actually wrote any of it down before I decided it just didn't fit with the rest of the story (plus that's a really long story to be telling someone in a job interview where you do end up getting the job). And for several other reasons, it just feels more right to end the fic with them still in high school. Looking at the O.G. ending written out like this, it sounds way zanier than what I actually had in mind, but still, cutting it was definitely the right decision.

[tuiyla]

this is a random question lol, but what are your thoughts on "Old Dog, New Tricks" and Chris Colfer as a writer (based on it)?

We love random questions around here!

Gonna be honest with you, I haven't seen that episode in full in over two years and it's gonna be another year before I get to it on my rewatch at this rate, so unfortunately I don't think I can go into a ton of detail. As in, a full analysis of Chris as a writer. But dw I won't just leave it at that I do have some thoughts.

I recently heard 5x19 be referred to as a low-rated and badly received episode, which I found curious. I'm not sure by what metric that is but especially by standards of that era of the show I consider it to be quite solid. I don't have strong feelings about the main plots of the nursing home play and the dogs as like, a base concept. Most things depend on execution and it was executed well enough. I wonder what parameters he was given, what could happen what couldn't, but as far as penultimate episodes of seasons go it's pretty much your standard slice of life stakes-wise.

What I can talk about more in-depth and what directly related to Chris as a writer is the character moments he included. At the very least and off the top of my head, there are 3-4 great character moments that tell me Chris paid attention to this cast of characters and took care to keep whatever shred of continuity Glee was still hanging onto at that point. Frankly, Chris seems to have cared more for these characters than the actual writers' room did in these late seasons.

What I'm talking about in particular are these details:

Kurt, obviously. It's understandable that Chris wrote an episode with a major Kurt plot and it was a breath of fresh air to focus on him separate from the main group, even if only for a beat. Two standout moments are a) him standing up to/calling out Rachel, which actually leads somewhere unlike it often does in NYC. See my second bullet point. And b), even more importantly and in a detail that so often lacks from the series, Kurt talking about his mother to Maggie's daughter. Such a small scene in the grand scheme of things but very poignant and the one I remember the most from this episode (sans Santana). That moment really made me go "oh Chris gets Kurt." He cares about this character enough to pay attention to this, imo, crucial detail.

Rachel's is a smaller one but also on two fronts, one on the Kurt of it all and like I said in the way that she actually goes to support him and concedes to be a more supportive friend. This is a lesson Rachel learns a lot but this is among the better executions of it. And the second is her general arc of at least trying to do good things because they're good and not just for optics. Shame this sentiment is limited to this one episode.

Santana! Of course, my beloved. Chris Colfer singlehandedly gave me PR Santana, who I hold onto dearly and fight in the name of, against all the lawyer Santana stuff. It was a great direction for her character to take and I'm grateful Chris gave us this, even if we never hear from PR Santana again. More thoughts on PR Santana here. The Pezberry shenanigans are also great. And we have a detail here, too, with the brilliant Santana line "in high school ... I was voted best shoulder to cry on and most likely to poison someone", which tells me that Chris gets Santana, too. Love that. God the feels I have about that line lol.

I also have to shout out the Sam stuff, maybe not in general because frankly I don't remember but at least one detail. Chris seemed to be the only writer to remember season 2 Sam and the way he was working hard to protect and support his family, and the impact that must have had on him. Later seasons lean into Sam the himbo, but, tbh, not in a way I find particularly charming just because they really emphasize his... carelessness, I guess. His immaturity, that's a better word. So he's not the himbo from season 2 but someone a lot less capable and more of a caricature version than he used to be, and that's not the direction in which it should go. BUT, that said, Chris takes the time to examine this with Sam and takes care to remember how Sam had to grow up too quickly, how he did have to be mature before. I don't think it goes anywhere but that's on Glee much more than it is on one-off episode writer Chris Colfer.

Writing characters well has been my primary focus for as long as I have been looking at media critically and Chris Colfer succeeded on that front for sure. These are the main things I remember from the episode and the main aspects of it that make me look back on Chris' writing fondly.

I've been meaning to check out Chris' books or just anything from him as a writer because I am curious. In interviews, he's always so quick-witted and good with words. The main thing, apart from Old Dogs, that I think about in terms of Chris as a writer is his Variety tribute piece to Naya. It's not only a heartwarming (and -wrenching) piece but damn you can tell the man's a writer. A good one, at that. He just has that instinct, based on this piece. Where the words flow and the arc of what he's saying makes sense on a deeper level. So yeah I'm curious, and maybe I'll rewatch Old Dogs earlier than planned just to view it from that perspective this time around.

[spaceorphan18]

Glee fandom wears section 1 and 2 blinkered glasses and that’s why we get season 1 or 2 episodes votes and character votes higher than the vastly superior 4 or 5.

Discuss?

Ha, Nonny, I love you

Look, I can't speak for other people. Everyone comes at it with their own subjective view point. And I'll preface the rest of this by saying -- hey, there's nothing wrong (when it comes to Glee) with liking what you like. You do you boo.

I personally think Season 1 and 2 are the best written seasons of the show. It's was when RIB were alone in the writer's room, and while Glee has always kind of been a hot mess in a lot of ways, I think when there are only three writers vs the revolving writers room that happened as the show went on, there's a focus there that just isn't in there in the later seasons. ...and part of it is because Ryan Murphy became distracted with other things, and part of it is because the network wanted more, and part of it is the glee project and so on and so on and so on...

But I do think, from a quality POV, Seasons 4-6 hold up very well, and (as you already know how I feel on the matter) were better than the garbage fire of Season 3.

But here's my thing. I think there are a lot of elements at play in things such as the episode tournaments.

I think there are people who prefer the original concept and the original characters, and when the show deviates from that, it feels jarring and not what people are used to. I've done a lot of analysis and a lot of reflecting over the years -- which has helped shape my view point, tbh. But I think a lot of people come at this from only watching the show once or twice and in some cases, some people haven't even finished it. Don't fully understand that - but it's not my place to say how someone interacts with media such as a tv show.

And the first half of the series feels familiar in a way that the second half doesn't. The second half is a sequel, essentially, and even at the time, after all these newbies and all the break ups, there were a lot of people who just noped right out of it. And that's fair, I suppose. I can say I definitely wasn't happy at the time -- even if now I love Season 4.

I also think - Glee relying on being a musical show - there's a sense of emotional attachment to things like the songs. I'll bet you most people can't really name the plots of each episode, but they can tell you what songs they were in. I'm pretty sure episodes like On My Way are bumped because of things like Cough Syrup and most people may not remember how much of a hot mess that episode is.

And, there has been a shift, too, in who is watching. There are a lot of new people and a lot of young people and they just relate to things in a different way.

The only thing I'm side-eyeing (and lowkey conspiracy theorizing) for specifically the episode tournament, is the push back against Season 5. There seems to be an effort to make sure none of the Season 5 episodes win, and I do think there's something going on there. But... at the end of the day it's an internet poll that doesn't mean anything, and no matter what goes on Original Song or Prom Queen will probably win the whole thing, so it's not like there will be any new revelations come out of it.

[tka-trashfire]

I’m actually on break-of-sorts! There’s extra free time in my days, and I can do what I want with it! (Even better—after a couple days spent zombie-ing in front of a video game and tv shows—my brain even kinda wants to do things. How refreshing flsdafjsa;)

So! A fic author interview, which the lovely @lynne-monstr tagged me in half an age ago. :D

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

327, apparently. God knows how many have been let loose to swim in the sweetly-orphaned seas.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

863,428.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

How Impolite, How Imprudent (The Walking Dead, Beth/Daryl) - 1,108 kudos.

Stripped (Death Note, Near/Mello) - 720 kudos.

let’s embrace the point of no return (Guardian, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) - 669 kudos.

Hoping's Free (The Walking Dead, Beth/Daryl/Rick) - 639 kudos.

The Married Ones (BBC Sherlock, Sherlock/Watson) - 625 kudos.

Mostly this is just… happening to write for popular ships sometimes, I think, rather than any reflection on the actual stories themselves.

Although, The Walking Dead ones were very much just posted at exactly the right point in time—AKA right when the folks who were gonna be reading Beth-centric stories were turning up to find it…and when there really weren’t many. I remember finding it really fun to write for that ship, in no small amount because it felt exactly like writing for my usual rarer pair stuff… but with bonus readers. XD

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always plan to. They make me so happy! Unfortunately, my brain makes replying to comments a whole lot more complicated than it actually is… meaning I put it aside for when I’ll have the energy/capacity… and then my executive dysfunction sneaks in and eats my good intentions for breakfast. ;;

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don’t really write angsty endings very often. I guess… against the world? Probably? That’s pretty miserable through-and-through, and is definitely lacking my usually compulsive need to find a happy note to end on.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

…everything? XD

Honestly, my first thought was to crib off Lynne’s answer and say a story that goes real sad before it gets happy. But… that just makes me want to say my Reunion Dinner GaoQiao break-up fic (In the space of your leaving), except… I haven’t actually posted the final chapters for that yet. Meaning it’s happy ending is currently hypothetical, and it’s therefore disqualified from this category. 😂

In which case, I guess… maybe Hoping's Free, actually. I wouldn’t have thought of it, except that I was doing the sort-by-kudos thing, which made me look at it again. But it’s probably a better answer for this than my usual fluff, if only because it was written in this almost grimly hopeful tone that was very intentionally at odds with the canon I was writing from (TWD). (And was probably influenced by the fact I was sitting there writing a “pregnant at the end of the world” story whilst hugely pregnant myself, ha.)

7. Do you write crossovers?

As in, non-fusion crossovers? Where you have characters from both things interacting? Not really, to be honest. I used to, a fair bit, although I’m not sure I ever actually posted any of them. I just recently stumbled across some unfinished drafts for some Harry Potter x Bleach stuff, which was honestly fascinating to look at because I would not think of something like that now.

I do still write a bunch of fusion-style crossovers, though. Like, I’m plotting constantly plotting those bastard things. (Seriously, constantly: my poor SO cannot engage with a show or a video game with me without knowing that I’m probably sitting there thinking about where Qiao Yifan would fit into it jadlf;jasdfl.) Unfortunately, it’s just… a lot harder for me to actually finish those stories. Or sometimes, even to start them. They’re definitely one of those cases where I need to get much better at just… dropping my worldbuilding glee into a tumblr post or something, sigh.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Once. So very long ago that I don’t even remember what it was about, just that I had the sweetest group of friends who made it immediately less devastating for my rejection-sensitive ass (thereby saving me from quitting fandom not long after I had discovered it). <3

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

So much smut! Mostly the kind with a whole lotta feelings.

It’s not that I don’t write other things—I write so many other things—but smut comes with this bonus setting for me, where it’s just a hundred times simpler than anything else (especially when compared to anything that tries to grow Real Plot—see Question 7, so help me). And that just makes it wayyy easier to actually, y’know, write. And finish. And edit. And post.

(Not that sex can’t be complicated, or complex, because of course it can! But it’s still easier than so many other forms of human interaction, y’know? Or… maybe it’s just that sex is the perfect chill-switch for my brain, and that’s carried over into how I use it for writing, too? Who knows!)

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope. At least, not to my knowledge.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yesss, and it’s always exciting! Translators are the best. ♥!!

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

I’ve planned to! Life got in the way, alas.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

What’s an all-time favourite anything, precious?

Whatever’s bouncing around in my head in the moment, generally. Although, that said, I do keep returning over and over and over to GaoQiao in a way that definitely should give it some kind of special status, so… there’s that. XD

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Hey, that’s quitter talk, Question 14. Anyway, everyone knows I’m trapped in a fandom until I’ve had all my WIPs wrung out of me. (That’s how it works, right? Right?)

More seriously, though, I… am not really sure. There are definitely some WIPs I am constantly thinking I should just give up on and post as partly fleshed-out outlines—because I love them, but I’m not sure I have the spoons to genuinely finish them.

Like, uh, haha, y’know—the insane FangWang fairytale-esque thing, the structure of which was very purposefully built off Propp’s functions (the, uh, narrative elements of a folk tale, per Propp’s Morphology of a Folk Tale stuff), because… I’m a raging nerd who re-falls down the folk tale rabbit hole at least once a year…? I do really love that fic, so very much, because there’s so much going on in it (actual witches! changelings and neurodiversity! Lin Jie baggage! FangWang being insufferable and wonderful and full of feelings! fae folk being terrible! fae folk being So Fucking Right! trials being passed! trials being failed! homely cooking, and magical needlework, and grumpy softhearted healers chopping firewood, oh my!) But also… there’s so fucking much going on in it, dear god.

It’s probably my best candidate for being flung up as a dot-point fic, but… I remain swimming in a sea of self-delusion, haha.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think… I really like getting in the guts of things, when it comes to writing about characters as people-in-bodies. (Which… is a sentence I keep re-writing, but it’s not getting any less unhinged any time soon, so it can just stay there as-is.)

I really like that sense of grounding, anyway: of being grounded in skin and bones and body-connected feelings, which is… mildly hilarious considering—therapist noises intensify.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Executive dysfunction.

Uh. Yeah, so, I’m super bad at internalising that grammar exists for Reasons, and that those Reasons are that other people don’t necessarily think or read with the apparently weird rhythm that I do. And that means… y’know… that my own shit needs to confirm to at least a baseline of some kind or else it’ll become kinda unreadable. (I am getting better at it, I think. I am. It’s an endless project. Commas are my own personal hell.)

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I do kinda get why people might do this, because baby-me was pretty enamoured with it.

Now that I’m no longer Baby, however—at least, not when it comes to this—it’s not really something I would do. I’m also more likely to politely exit back out of stories that do choose to do it, although that’s mostly because it tends to be one of those markers that says Things about whether or not I’m going to jive with a story. (As a boring-ass adult with too little functional time on her hands.)

(On the other hand, I am deeply into terms of address/honorifics being kept and used. They can provide such a rich dose of information about intimacy, familiarity, and all the rest of it. That said, I tick-tock back and forth like a busted clock on whether I think they should be translated or not.)

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Animorphs, probably, although I didn’t know what a fandom was at that point. My first posted fic was for Stargate Atlantis.

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I’m going to find a way to write that sedoretu Gao Yingjie/Fang Shiqian/Wang Jiexi/Qiao Yifan story if it fucking kills me.

(Also this random Gao Yingjie/Qiao Yifan & Su Mucheng/Wang Jiexi partner-swapping thing that’s been living rent-free in my head for literal years, but which has never actually been written down as anything more than a one line note. C’mon, story, get out of my head and onto some damn paper!)

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written

We play favourites in this house! Also… I’m just really bad at making those kinds of choices.

But—you know what? Fuck it, in the days this draft has been sitting here, I gotta say, I’ve kept thinking—probably the older the ginger (the spicier it gets). It’s peak rare pair, but I had such a blast writing it, and it’s one of those odd things I actually enjoy re-reading, too. <3

[thosetwofirefighters]

fic origin story

thanks to the lovely @mooshkat for the tag! <3

what was your first fandom (reading and/or writing)? glee lmao (it haunts me tbh)

what was the first story you ever wrote (even if it was never posted) and what made you decide to write it? i'm a creative writer through and through (got a degree in it and everything), so i've been writing since i was little, but the first fic i ever wrote was a horrible (and i mean horrible) novel-length fake dating drarry fic that has now been purged from all platforms oop

not sure what made me want to write it, but i'm pretty sure i wrote it over winter break my sophomore or junior year of high school? so probably boredom lol

what's a piece of advice you would give to your younger fic-writing self? don't publish fics until they're finished! when it comes to fiction, editing is my strong suit tbh, and i will change around so many things in my stories by the time i'm done with them, and i used to write and post chapters before i even knew where the story was going, wrote myself into holes and awful plots, etc. now, when i write longer fics, i keep them to myself until i know everything is as i want it to be

what's an early fandom interaction that stuck with you (be it a nice comment, a friend you made, a fic that got a lot of feedback etc.)? tbh i don't remember much of my old fandom interactions, partially because i did a lot of fandom things with people from real life (my childhood best friend is who introduced me to fic), so this isn't really an early interaction, but every so often, i look up the fics i've orphaned instead of deleting just to smile at the fact that people are still reading and commenting on them today <3

post a sentence or two from an older fic and a sentence or two from a newer one (if you want). there's no way in hell y'all are getting even a word of an old fic from me, sorry not sorry! /lh

buuut here's a lil snippet from my fake dating wip!

“Eddie,” Buck says, allowing himself to find comfort in his best friend. “I’m so worried.” “I know, Buck,” Eddie replies, running a hand up and down Buck’s back. “Come on.” He takes Buck’s hand and pulls him up the stairs, pointing at a dining chair. When Buck sits, Eddie goes to the kitchen, and Buck doesn’t even have it in him to joke that Eddie shouldn’t be anywhere near their food.

i feel like everyone else has probably already been tagged so sorry if i'm late but no pressure tagging @the-likesofus @lilbuddie @alyxmastershipper @jacksadventuresinwriting @ajunerose

[klaineownsmysoul]

G/Lee practically limped to thr finish line at end of S6.. they had a reduced no. Of eps coz of decreased viewers.. they had nonsensical and absolutely ridiculous SLs.. Dalton burning?! Dedicated eps for a spoilt brat who non one liked, seriously who looked at that character and Said oh he's so inspiring!... Why are there rumours of reboot swirling is beyond me..

I believe the industry term you are looking for with regards to glee's ratings towards the end is "dumpster fire." Oddly enough, that term also covers the storylines and plots those of us who were left had the distinct displeasure of enduring. "Clusterfuck" would also be applicable here. Everyone I knew IRL - including my bff who turned me onto the show in season 1 - had long since abandoned it, which is why I was pretty sure it was just like me and 3 other people watching by the end.

Season 5 was dropped from the usual 22/23 episodes down to 20 and season 6 was limited to 13 eps and held until mid-season: that doesn't really inspire a lot of confidence in the direction of the show, does it? If show quality is any measure, it was pretty clear that RIB was done with glee by that point. They were completely checked out and just wanted to get this over and done with so they could move onto other things. Between them not caring, RM's love affair with his golden girl LM (more on her later), and his immature vendetta against the best thing he accidentally did - Klaine - there was very little to enjoy over those final 13 eps. When you focus so heavily on a main character who is as unlikable, selfish, and just downright horrible as Rachel, shit gets old real fast. I'm also pretty sure they had some kind of competition going in the writers' room to see who could come up with the worst storylines that allowed them to continually push Klaine to the backburner. Every week it was some new bs to focus on that wasn't their core couple: an out of left field sort of "romance" between Rachel and Sam that ended just as fast as it began but made sure to suck up plenty of story and song time while it lasted, that awfully stupid plot with the screechy 11 year old that made no sense at all but was the focus of an entire show, Kurt getting to do exciting things like holding Rachel's purse for her and continuing his lot in her life as second fiddle and ego booster, and let's not forget adding in a whole bunch of new kids no one asked for as the show moved back to a place (Lima) that no one wanted to see again, and of course the piece de resistance: the terrible horrible no good very bad thing with Blaine and DK.

Anyhoo...to your question about why rumors of a reboot are swirling around now? Its fairly simple I think: another stop on the LM Redemption Tour and a trip back in time for RM to his biggest hit. 2 birds, one stone. LM's career and image have taken a massive hit over the last couple of years and so why not go back to the role that made her a household name and work with one of the few people who not only tolerated her awful behavior but seemed to actually reward her for it with whatever she wanted, no matter how much the overall product suffered. RM could use a hit and so why not reboot his biggest and most lucrative one? The problem is that people are a little more hip to things now: consider the massive backlash he got when RM posted that little rumination about a reboot a while back on Insta. It was so bad he ended up deleting the post so you would think he'd have learned from that but apparently not. If he's involved and if the show goes forward with something resembling the idea posted in the blind - focusing on a Rachel-like character - that would be the easiest and quickest no I've ever uttered. No second thoughts necessary. No hemming, no hawing. Just No. No No No.

How would that be any different from the show we watched the first time around? I've had enough of Rachel to last me 3 lifetimes so there's no effing way I'd want to start a new show that I know going in will center around someone as insufferable as her.

No Klaine = no me. Its a simple equation. I don't think C would ever want to work with RIB again so no C = no Kurt so I'm out. You cannot recast them because no one else will have the chemistry that C and D shared as Klaine which is what made them special. We all know there are people out there capable of giving Klaine well written and meaningful stories to tell but those people do not include the ones who created them in the first place. The idea of someone else getting praised and cheered online for giving Klaine the kinds of moments they deserved would be such a massive hit to the oversized ego of RM that I don't see it happening.

I truly don't know who would watch this except for the Rachel and LM stans who think both are perfect angels. This is a bad idea that doesn't need to happen. Its nothing more than a pathetic attempt to relive old glory and the irony of it all is that the person wanting to go back is the one responsible for the original show's own downfall.

[strideofpride]

hypothetical for when you’re in the mood: had cyrus not had that connection to get blair into nyu at the last minute, what do you imagine blair would have done for the next year following her graduation from constance-billard? because i’m pretty sure application deadlines to other universities would have long since passed by that point (and blair was apparently so overconfident that she didn’t apply to a single backup school) - so i’m really curious what you think she would have done had nyu not essentially fallen into her lap?

Wasn't this a plot point in 221? I think Blair was planning a socialite gap year before Cyrus got her into NYU. I still think she would take a gap year, but I think she'd get bored of socialite stuff soooo quickly and would instead scheme her way into a high powered internship somehow (remember when Kurt from Glee somehow ends up working at Vogue for no real reason??? Like that except it actually makes sense for Blair). And then because she's Blair, she learns nothing and only applies to one school again but this time she gets in <3 (I feel like she's just like...banned from Yale? I don't really understand how any of that is supposed to work in the GG universe, but let's say she just goes to Columbia this time because the writers were always going to keep her in NY for plot reasons anyway)

[mayasdeluca]

How to put my thoughts together...

The first thing I will say which we saw in the opening scene and then later after the call when Maya was trying to send an apology text, is that although Maya and Carina are still not on the same page, Maya doesn't nor does she want to take her anger out on Carina and is trying to get them back to good...you know except the one thing Carina says will do that.

I also agree with you and your other Anon that Station 19 has too many side projects to give 100% to any of them; jack of all trades, master of none so to speak. I wonder if the reappearance of Diane is because Vic wants to transition (like Diane did) to a firefighter therapist especially since...I mean is she okay health wise or is that something the show was like meh, we told this story long enough and dropped it?

Maya falling was not unexpected to me but I hate how the when it is convenient for the show, they ALL leave on the call and no one will be around to find her. Shouldn't someone have stayed behind and be on desk duty? It's obvious they're gonna have Jack save the day. Like he goes back to the station because he forgot something and sees they're out on a call, sees Maya's turnout on the floor, hears the treadmill going and goes upstairs to check and finds Maya. And when Maya does get better, they'd probably ask Jack for his sperm to try again for a baby because he saved Maya's life. I mean the show IS that predictable.

Onto Greys...that I sat through thinking Carina would be in more than 30 seconds or that they would bring Maya in once I saw ALL the station 19 cast in the credits.

Was it really a big deal when Lucas told the interns he was a Shepherd, no. Is he really a Shepherd, no. And by that I mean that name doesn't make him a surgical prodigy since I suspect his mom is Nancy who is an OB-GYN (which is probably why he knew Addison best) and the rest of the family are just doctors not all surgeons. Like when Meredith showed up and said she was a Grey or when everyone found out Jackson was THE Avery but no being Lucas Adams doesn't make you anything special.

Shit or get off the pot with Link and Jo, this is ridiculous now. You broke up Link and Amelia for nothing. And why are Winston and Maggie at odds, their fighting makes zero sense and is causing drama where there doesn't need to be. And all the interns hooking up with each other except for Mika and they won't bring back Helm who would be the perfect match for her.

And lastly, I just find it amusing that Harry Shum Jr. who started as just a back-up dancer on Glee with almost no lines has pretty much the biggest TV career of all the Glee alums.

I agree, Maya is definitely trying to process things in her own way and trying her best to navigate things with Carina at the same time but it's obviously difficult because it's not the way Carina wants her to and Maya is doing it on her own terms. The communication is still off so that's why they're still stuck in this mess that they're in.

Yes, they have too many characters that don't really have a specific purpose but I do like how they had Vic discover hers in this recent episode. But there are still characters that are kinda just there...like Jack and even Ben lately and Travis' whole mayor thing that just take up time with stuff that isn't necessary. I don't know how they're going to bring Diane back into it. I would be shocked if it's specifically for Maya even though I'm sure she's going to have to do a full recovery physically and emotionally before heading back to work but I'm sure Jack will have to get therapy too if he's now thinking of returning to work after working with the fire camp girls so who knows. It does seem like Vic's health issues were either dropped or are magically fixed now.

Yes it's frustrating how they always do things like that to fit the plot line/story they're trying to tell. I'm almost positive it will be Jack though because like you said they are going to make it a point to have Maya forgive him in the long run but I really hope they don't do the whole sperm thing again, that would be ridiculous and so stupid if they didn't learn their lesson the first time. I'm still hoping Carina is pregnant anyway and we won't have to worry about that.

I was super disappointed with Carina's appearance on Grey's...like that's really all they had her do? They really just don't know how to utilize her and it's so sad because they used to be able to so well. I don't get what changed. Once I saw that Danielle's name wasn't listed in the guest star credits I knew they weren't going to continue it and it was going to be a let down. All the "crossovers" between the two shows are now.

Yeah Lucas is getting a little annoying with the whole Shepherd thing. It feels like they may be doing a slow burn type thing with Jo and Link but who knows. I'm glad they dropped the idea of him with Jules but I still don't get why they messed up Amelia and Link. They clearly aren't invested in Amelia and Kai because Kai just comes and goes whenever they please. Maggie and Winston are so forgettable and the angst isn't even believable because I feel like they're just there half the time and you don't even realize. It came out of nowhere this fighting between them. Ugh I know! Is Helm gone for good or what? She forever deserves better.

Haha I know right? Good for him though because Mike Chang was so underrated and he was so underused! And now look at him.