#sorry if I mistagged anyone

[milkyplier]

@skyloftian-nutcase @skyward-floored @silvercaptain24 @silvrash-797 @theecholegend @adrift-in-thyme

I have a prayer request for you. I’ve been praying for @mad-navi lately. She’s sick, and I haven’t heard from her in awhile. I’m not going to lie, I’m a little afraid. I’m trying not to be, I know God’s got her back—and that’s why I’m praying. If you could pray for her too, that would be so amazing. Thank you ❤️‍🩹

[dapperrokyuu]

Alright now that I’ve seen the end Slay the Princess, who’s your favorite princess?

Ill do you even better and give you my top 5/the ones Id love to get if I played the game, just to see their sequences in the end and how itd reflect on that version of the player (literally made a list for fun just before you sent this ask, hehe).

Admittedly, a lot of this is informed by aesthetic and then enjoyment of their routes because I came into (watching Manlybadasshero play) the game after some fandom osmosis–thus, understanding I wouldnt have all my thoughts together within one playthrough. So I cant say Ive devoted my satisfactory amount of attention to speak on the princesses’ narrative presence... But I did rewatch their routes and “Thoughts on this vessel?” sections a bit to formulate a stronger opinion. Here we go...! (Buckle in, fellas, haha ha h a…)

1. Adversary/Eye of the Needle

The Adversary and the Eye of the Needle are very hand in hand imo, and I love the progression into a dragon-like appearance for the latter, especially in combination with the cabin becoming akin to a dragon’s den. This (combination of) routes stands out the most to me (as far as Manly has played) because I personally feel its the one where the princess is the most active and engaged. Whether its being beaten to death or running for one’s life, the route was very exciting for me! And it was intriguing how the princess and player felt the most on equal ground because they are both intent on pursuing some objective. Its just that in this case–and this is how this princess exceeds and is an overwhelming presence compared to the player–the princess is set on a choice they dont care to deny and the player is a creature of the habit called “deliberation,” as narrator aside, in-universe reasons aside, the very structure of Slay the Princess has taught you to constantly pause and consider your choices.

It contributes to the tone of the routes so well! Even if you can sit forever in the Outside World, the game progresses like a split second decision and/or that any time given to you is at the princess’s turbulent discretion. In a game where your choices tend to matter most (which, frankly, they do, its kind of the whole point, but you may not know that your choices are what caused this situation yet, lol), the princess seeming to supercede you and the narrative and the concept of death is!!! Powerful and quite something, lol. And poignant, considering *gestures vaguely but particularly at the Narrator*.

Otherwise, I love how theres apparently many more and amusing divergences in this route (that Manly did not showcase) and the ending is pretty cathartic. And to keep this a bit short, yadda yadda, dragon dens is where they store and protect their treasure and in this case, the treasure is fighting you, yadda yadda, as the vessel of growth, the princess’s embracing of the cycle of violence between you two is her latching onto the only avenue of growth she can perceive (as opposed to escaping–since you didnt offer that option prior–and dying since thats tend to be the stop to the concept of growth), yadda yadda- 

2. Spectre

This princess’s voicework is probably my favorite! The whispering under the regular voice acting is just really neat, doing a great job setting a tone of something delicate, chilling, and unnerving. The princess’s design shifts between cute and scary very well too! Her personality is probably my fave overall; while her “thoughts on this vessel?” section highlights her embodying kindness and understanding, they only exist to an extent that is fair. Which is, well. Fair. And I think it extra emphasizes the understanding aspect, with how the princess is aware of her circumstances and the injustices that have occurred yet is willing to let bygones be bygones. Shes coy, sincere, and pragmatically deadly, which is a full spectrum of delight for me!

The moment that really gets me regarding her character is when you say youre gonna leave her. Other decisions lead you to working together or demonstrating you have no intention to with some form of violence–both resulting in the Spectre just responding fairly. But the “leave” option truly shows that the Spectre doesnt/never intends to act out in malice, since Spectre responds out of desperation to avoid perpetual loneliness, pain, and emptiness. Theres an aspect of “fairness” here too (youre abandoning and hurting her more after having murdered her), but the choice comes after a breakdown and deliberation as opposed to an immediate retaliation. Even then, Spectre laments that she didnt want things to be this way but youve made her worse. Other stand out moments are when Spectre goes, “Youre funny when youre confused. But I didnt give you permission to touch me,” and the player’s moment of patheticness, lol. 

This route really hints onto the meta aspects of Slay the Princess too, which is neat! The whole “want to end the world” convo, Spectre just wanting to go home, reality being what is in front of us vs. static truth/objectivity, whether destruction being one thing leading into another vs. the same thing reborn, glass on the floor, and the narrator being like Spectre as a memory of a person…I dont have much to say here currently–still need to ponder, itd be a whole other conversation, Im a bit tired, lol–but its tons of food for thought that I enjoy! Yay, Spectre!

3. Prisoner

Fun fact: this is a rewriting of the extreme word vomit that was me lamenting over how I was kind of confused about the Prisoner but chose her for the sake of a 5th (note the placing change) and then discovering the absolute genius she is!!! Basically, my only exposure to the Prisoner I had was Manly’s recent playthrough, which contained (what Ill call) the Chained Together variation and didnt even have her “thoughts on this vessel?” section due to the game going into the final sequence immediately after. The Prisoner’s section in that final sequence befuddled me because I couldnt connect much other than a theme of “inevitable change,” and even when I dug up the Prisoner’s “thoughts on this vessel?” elsewhere, I couldnt put it all together…until I watched (what Ill call) the Head Trophy variation in the middle of my initial writeup.

Regarding what I enjoyed prior to recognizing genius, I really enjoyed how the Prisoner conducted herself–her curtness and resignation was very unique. Her form was created as a result of the player cutting off her arm, instilling a matter of fact-ness to her that allows her to slit the player’s throat later (got this from the Wiki, Manly didnt show this part). Upon waking up once again chained and chained even more, I interpreted the cleverness aspect from the Prisoner’s “thoughts on this vessel?” section as being able to come to terms with her situation, play along, and bid her time in hopes that her patience (that she emphasizes) would eventually reward her. After all, the Prisoner was willing to pretend she and the player met for the first time until the player prompts otherwise, even saying they dropped “playing the game”--very meta of her! Thus, I interpreted the Prisoner as the princess completely embodying/accepting her role in the game; she couldnt leave when she defied her role last time, so she was fine continuing to wait this time. As a character who realized they were a character and systematically changed their behavior to attempt a new avenue of escape, I thought that was the extent of the Prisoner’s cleverness and was satisfied…enough.

AND I WAS WRONG. DELIGHTFULLY WRONG. I assumed the Prisoner was completely fine with her potentially only means of escape becoming not one, since she didnt seem upset or disappointed. Which was frankly incorrect, as her rude curtness is a result of her being miffed with you. Why? Because her cleverness actually alludes to the fact she had a plan for escape the entire time, and you utterly fucked it up! Which, tbf, she shouldve shown more reaction than curiosity to dissuade the player, but I digress- During the Head Trophy variation, you realize that the Prisoner had a plan this entire time to deceive the Narrator and she succeeds so well because she also got me and got the player. How often do I get got? It was amazing! From the stare as the Prisoner takes the knife away from the player, to the smile before That All Happens, to the wink as it occurs and after, it may speak to an underestimation thats set up due to the Prisoner’s appearance and behavior, but reflecting on all the signs that She Planned This dismantles that perception and reaffirms that the Prisoner is a person with depth beyond what you expect from her and those in her role. As I viewed the Prisoner as a caricature of the princess’s role in the first place (the whole point is that the Prisoner is exactly like the princess in appearance except the chained/locked up aspect is exaggerated), this route is so striking for me with its interrogation of victimhood, how victims are treated/viewed, and how that may be unintentionally stripped of their personhood and reduced (into a caricature of solely “a victim”). The Prisoner puts it quite nicely when the player attacks and she “suddenly” has a ton of fight in her, stating, “Im not a damsel to be helplessly murdered!” …Im not sure if I put it into words the best, but I hope this is understandable. To top off the topic of Prisoner’s cleverness, its a neat detail (I dont know if this is intentional) that the Prisoner does the opposite of what her prior princess form did: the player cut her arm to free her last time, she cut herself out this time and the player “died” the last time, she “died” this time. Beyond recognizing there was a Narrator beyond them she should fool, the Prisoner also reasoned that since having the player kill her is likely not favorable, dying by her own hand might just be fine! The Head Trophy variation is just more poignant when you note that her “thoughts on this vessel?” section talks about how the Prisoner protected herself when others could not but for her plan to work, she has to put complete faith in another.

As 1000% better the Head Trophy variation is in the Prisoner’s route, I do have a soft spot for the Chained Together variation since, from both the Prisoner and the Narrator’s perspective, it must be a hilarious emotional rollercoaster. The Prisoner’s plan failed and shes now stuck with the loser who made it so…for potentially forever! The Narrator probably oscillates between an uneasy concession that while both gods are not dead, they are locked up forever and an utter dread that things may fall apart at any time and thus, the world is practically doomed with no way to change that. The Prisoner doesnt have to decapitate herself, which makes her freedom extra cathartic in the relief she likely felt and didnt expect…and also extra sad in how she found it was nothing but cold and is quickly taken away. Theres also something to be said about how the player joins the princess in her perspective by chaining himself up and that they both inform each other’s perspective, leading to their escape together: (1) since the princess isnt starving to death, the player also doesnt, which is a surprise to the Voices and (2) the player showing up again signaled that change is indeed possible to the princess, perhaps causing the ability for the world to erode around them. Maybe the latter is the Voices informing the player, causing the change…? But I like to think its the initial thought since the cabin could and shouldve have eroded prior to the player’s arrival, assuming the Prisoner understands the concept of erosion…which, I assume she does- Anyways, the route is as emotional as it is kind of wacky, which is up my alley!

4. Witch

This princess is the one I enjoy the most aesthetically. Im a sucker for both witches and cats, what can I say? The allusion to the fable The Scorpion and the Frog really tickles me, and ultimately, whatever decisions made in this chapter are some form of hilarious. Whether we’re both dying on the floor with broken backs or handing a blade to someone who immediately stabs you, its great. I do enjoy the progression into the Thorn chapter, especially with the immediate regret from the Witch and the following reconciliation in Thorn’s chapter, but Thorn is not as funny and aesthetically pleasing as Witch princess for me, which is why she is not here, haha.

Her “Thoughts on this vessel?” section adds a lot of depth to her, since the way the Witch presents herself is very superficial and guarded. Particularly the statement about the Witch making for a “righteous” heart, in combination with her ability to just slip out of her chains. She couldve freed herself at any time, but chose to stay and confront you. Which I feel speaks to the bitterness aspect, as the Witch feels its only “right” to pursue an answer to her pain–whether it be the player’s penance or punishment. The game’s thoughts on bitterness are made even more poignant when you realize the Witch’s ends are either death (hers and/or yours) or a transformation into another state.

5. Tower

This route is just incredibly cool in how she takes over the narrator and the little divergences of the narration’s phrasing to be in her perspective in the voiceover. The progression into that route was amusing for me to think about because I think the shift of perspective that transforms the princess boils down to either “the princess had the might of a god to have defeated you,” “your sudden stop during the fight was a blessing from god to the princess,” and/or “your sudden stop was because your recognized the value of the princess’s life as larger than your own (‘larger than life,’ referring to her bigger form as the Tower and godhood itself).” The Tower calling you disappointing is funny, but what also sticks out is how she said she wanted company before turning into the Tower. Even as the Tower with the ability to just free herself, she chose to wait for you because thats what she wanted, and I think that plays on the relational idea of “What is a god without a believer?” since she’s willing to have the player as a priest or pet, lol.

How this route differs from the Adversary route is interesting, as the Tower is indeed also an overwhelming presence whose decisions matter more than yours not because her single minded relentless pursuit of it but because of the power to overwrite yours. Its a twist on the player’s and princess’s roles until now, but instead of making them equal like in the Adversary, the roles were reversed on who decides and who is forcefully changed as a result of that decision. Of course, you cant take the ability to choose from us, as a player completely, but its about the best you can do, I imagine. And not to mention the “defiling” aspect when you slay the Tower, dragging her down from godhood to an equal (humanity?) or perhaps her original state of someone who responds to your decision as usual… I think this route connects deeply to the meta aspect of Slay the Princess, since this state is where the princess is closest to the “concept of change” and the concept of their true self as a god. It makes the “thoughts on this vessel?” section very poignant because change in itself is indeed a constantly dominant, terrifying, and arguably divine force in its inevitability.

Honorable Mention to...the Damsel!

I really like the deconstruction of her concept, but that also means I feel that liking her is completely counterintuitive to that very deconstruction, lol. Her route is very straightforward in what it does, but it kind of has to be. Meaning it does what it set out to do very well.

This took a bit and is so much more than you asked for, so thank you for your patience and acceptance. Im just bonkers and bananas, so if I have it partially done, I might as well go all the way instead of going in depth on only one, lol. It was a fun exercise in pondering deeper about the princesses and dipping my toes in the ~meta~, but I will also readily say that Im not at all nearly deep enough into Slay the Princess as a whole to be confident on my takes, so this may have just been a session of Talking Out Of My Booty. Nonetheless, I hope this was enjoyable and thank you for prompting me to think about it! The order of the princesses changed throughout this answer, and it may be fun to guess what order they were written in, lol. Id love to hear about your fave/faves if youre interested in sharing as well~! And please, have a lovely day too!!! c:

[stcecelia]

mocumentary-style sitcom about an LDS institute class / student ward about all the shenanigans the YSAs get into. featured arcs include general conference viewing party, attending trek with the stake youth, returned missionaries adjusting to being off the mission, road trips to church historical sites, The Wedding Episode, someone invited their non-member roommate and the talks are kind of weird/its Fast Sunday, Baptism Episode, etc. would ideally include lots of references to LDS cult classics such as The Best Two Years, the singles ward, and such. also one character would have a Tumblrstake / Queerstake blog

working title is just "The Student Ward" but im open to suggestions lol

EDIT: IM SO SORRY I DIDNT MEAN TO TAG THIS AS LDSHADOWLADY I THOUGHT I DELETED THAT ACCIDENTAL AUTO-TAG LMAO THATS MY BAD

fun fact I used to watch Lizzie all the time as a kid (still occasionally do) and I used to think she was Mormon because... LDS hadowLady lol

[pinkfey]

WIP WEDNESDAY.

i was tagged by the lovely @corvosattano and lo and behold i actually have something this time !!

tagging: @malefiicarum @rosebarsoap @lvllns @ladyshar @shadowshearts @liurnia @astarien @kirnet @druidgroves @anoras @shadowglens @calenhads @mrs-theirin @nuclearstorms @flymmcargo @maxthetruman @necroticpetals @devilbrakers @morvaris @hylfystt @shellibisshe and you!!!!!!!!!!!!

i like to call this one "astarion is playing himself and he doesn't even know it. also he's bitchy."

“How did you learn such a skill, anyhow? Picking locks on doors you can’t enter?” she teased.

Astarion grumbled. What was that saying? Stones from glass houses?

“So many jokes from one asking so many favors.”

“One joke,” she corrected. “And one favor.”

Astarion listened close for the ticks of the lock, rolling his eyes. “Eugh. That’s how it always starts. ‘Pick a lock for me, Astarion! Hold my bag for me, Astarion! Rub my back for me, Astarion! Do all the hard work for me, Astarion, while I gorge myself on excess and watch’—Shhhhhhit!” The pick snapped between his fingers pathetically, as if retribution for his outburst.

If Ursula noticed his defeat, she did not reveal it. Gorge myself on excess, she mouthed with a slow nod. She shrugged, took another bite of her apple, and said nothing. Typical of her to let him complain. Some days he couldn’t decide whether she was patient or simply a stonewall. Perhaps both.

Astarion wormed the broken pick out of the lock, grateful it hadn’t been busted, and set to work with a fresh set.

He contemplated an apology—the use of it, that is. In truth, the situation between the two of them was quite the opposite and he knew it. She rarely asked anything of him. Of anyone, really. She defended him relentlessly and she allowed him to drink from her on the regular, and he didn’t need to ask. Picking a lock once in exchange for the kind of security and sustenance she provided seemed more than a fair bargain.

But Astarion was nothing if not frivolous, and Ursula did not mind, so he deigned to feel no shame in complaining, hyperbolic as he may have been. Perhaps embarrassingly so.

“You know you can get up whenever you wish, love,” Ursula said.

He tutted, tossed a sideways glance at her. Torchlight glinted off the recent puncture wounds in her neck as she leaned against the wall. Her good hand held the apple while she tucked the injured one close to her waist. He looked away quickly, lest he be reminded how she found herself injured in the first place. Lest he feel a shred of guilt, or worse: indebtment.

He can get up whenever he wishes.

Hmph.

Well.

The lock wasn’t exactly difficult, was it? He wasn’t doing this for her. On his knees in the dirt? Certainly not. This was a strategic move. He needed her trust. He wanted to see what was on the other side as well. Obviously.

The final tumbler clicked into place and he teased the lock to the side. He shoved the door open with a triumphant grin, only to be met with… Nothing. About ten square feet of dusty floorboards and barren wall sconces. Not even a hint of any secret passageways or loose planks. Astarion’s shoulders slumped.

Ursula poked her head inside and casually scanned the vacant room. “Huh,” she said. “Just an empty storage room. Oh well.”

“Wh—” Astarion started, but she was already marching away. “Are you kidding me?! After all that?”

[befuddled-calico-whump]

✨Content Tagging Guide✨

disclaimer: this is not directed at anyone, nor was it sparked because I've seen anyone mistagging anything. I just like lists and I'm going to make it everyone's problem :)

So you wanna write a story with darker themes, but are mayhaps a little uncertain about all the different content warnings you've seen.

Not to worry! Hopefully this quick guide will clear things up. To illustrate each level, I'm going to use macaroni and cheese as the content example. Without further ado...

cw: macaroni and cheese

^^this warning is very general. It tells the reader the content will show up at some point within the text, but doesn't specify the detail, use, or extent.

cw: macaroni and cheese (mentioned)

They drove through town, past the busy main street, and the factory where the local brand of macaroni and cheese got its packaging.

This warning tells readers the content will be mentioned; maybe in dialogue, or in a description, but not explored in detail.

cw: macaroni and cheese (discussed)

"I'm lactose intolerant," he said. "So I can't---well, I shouldn't eat stuff like that."

"But you did anyway?" they pressed. "I'm sorry, just... How did it feel? After?"

"Awful. I really should've listened to my common sense and ordered something besides mac and cheese."

As you'd expect, this warning tells the reader that the content will be discussed, either in conversation, or through a character's thoughts. Discussions can involve the moral implications of the content, how the content fits within the world, philosophies relating to the content, and the emotional or lasting effects of the content on a character.

cw: macaroni and cheese (referenced)

He tapped her shoulder. "Hey, I didn't see you after work yesterday, you okay?"

"Fine now," she said, shrugging. "I just had a bad batch of mac and cheese for lunch."

Very similar to "mentioned", this warning often implies a non-explicit, non-graphic mention of the content.

cw: macaroni and cheese (implied)

He frowned down at the bowl, then averted his eyes, appetite lost by the gooey yellow mass inside, and the heavy, creamy smell wafting off it.

This warning tells readers that the content is not outright stated, but the character's reactions and actions imply what's going on. If you could remove the context from the scene/paragraph in question and make it look like something else is happening, you probably have implied content. Note that there is a difference between simply "implied", and "heavily implied".

cw: macaroni and cheese (fade to black)

She took her seat at the table, queasiness building in her stomach. Her least-favorite food was to be served, and while she knew it would be rude to decline it, she wasn't looking forward to lunch. As the dreaded bowl was placed before her, she picked up the fork, and plunged it in.

Similar to implied, but instead of carrying on through the scene the content takes place in, fade to black builds up to the moment, and stops, often transitioning to the next scene before the content is given any kind of detail.

cw: macaroni and cheese (non-explicit)

For lunch, he was served a bowl of mac and cheese, one of his least favorite meals. He choked it down anyway, and hoped he wouldn't get an upset stomach.

This tells the reader the content will be present in some form, but not described in detail. It may have some active bearing on the character or plot, but won't be particularly graphic. While the character may be emotionally affected after the fact, the content itself is glossed over.

cw: macaroni and cheese (explicit)

The bowl was placed in front of him, steam still rising from the substance inside. He knew what it was before he looked. Mac and cheese. And he'd have to devour the entire bowl of it. He lifted the first forkful, strands of yellow cheese trailing from squishy curved noodles, all the way back into the bowl, even as he raised it to his mouth. Damn, it was extra cheesy. He knew his lactose intolerance just wouldn't hold up.

This is often used as the heaviest warning, telling readers that the content and the characters' reactions to it will be described in detail.

Again, this was something I mostly just wrote for fun, and to dramatize mac and cheese but I do hope someone out there finds it helpful. Let me know if there's a type I missed! :)

[moonlightdancer26]

I'm an ex-marauders fan at this point, but haven't yet worked up the nerve to leave :( Wish me luck.

The marauders fandom promises acceptance and tolerance and lighthearted fun, but as soon as Severus comes up, the previously rosy atmosphere turns downright ugly. I've seen so many marauders fans posting or reblogging about how “your trauma is valid”, how “intentions don’t matter if you hurt someone”, and how “apologies don’t count if they’re coupled with an excuse”… who also go out of their way to justify the ‘prank’ because Sirius didn’t /mean/ to almost kill Snape, and how it’s really all Snape’s fault, and why can’t he get over it already since the marauders clearly became better people (even though Snape never received any kind of apology or any indication that they regretted their behavior)?

And these posts live side by side on their dash? Idk just needed to vent as i figure out where to go next in this fandom (or maybe another one altogether)...

WTF THIS ASK WAS FROM SEPTEMBER 😭😭 I’M SO SORRY I SWEAR I’VE BEEN SO EXCITED TO ANSWER YOUR ASK BUT I GOT TOO BUSY AND ALWAYS POSTPONED IT 😭

Anyway, I totally wish you luck anon. It’s hard switching fandoms and building up the courage to “move to the other side,” but I can tell you that it is 100% worth it when you realise how much the Snapedom differs from the Marauders fandom! As someone who’s been in the fandom for many years, seen what both sides are like, and has a bunch of friends (both online and irl) who don’t always share the same opinion, I can safely say that we are generally far more accepting of different opinions than the Marauders fandom. We tend to steer clear of them because they’re.. very persistent about their opinions and find it amusing to purposefully mistag their anti-Snape posts or to scroll through pro-Snape/anti-Marauders tags and attack the posters. But if you’re not like that and you can accept not always agreeing with friends or fandom members, then we’ll welcome you with open arms <3

And honestly I agree, I’ve seen Marauder stans make excellent and detailed analyses of their favourite characters and articulate their arguments greatly. But then all that reading comprehension shoots out the window when it comes to Snape, and you suddenly see them brush him off as nothing more than a “obsessed incel nazi” and call it a day. I’ve seen similar things happen with Snape fans as well, and I completely understand how you feel.

All I can say is: Just leave the Marauders fandom. Either announce it with a post and say that you no longer wish to be in the Marauders fandom or want to switch to the Snape fandom. Or if you want, you can create another blog altogether. The important thing is that you do it now and get it over with, because simply reading your ask and knowing how it’s negatively affecting you really upsets me. This ask was sent around 2 months ago, so I hope that by now you’ve done something about it, but if you haven’t, this is what I think about the whole situation. I wish you the best ❤️❤️ and if you, or anyone else who’s struggling with anything similar, want to DM me and talk about this, don’t hesitate to do so.

[clingtomefic]

@ashkgray And a few other Frank Fans that I can't remember and don't want to mistag... look hear me out, about Frank. I know one. I've met a guy just like him in real life, and I'm happy to report that they can be redeemed. They can. You just have to scare/beat the ever loving shit out of them. They have to go through a #bad time. An extended period at rock bottom with no power, no options, no hope of help coming.

I saw one theory asking how could he be redeemed by the reunion? I love this idea. I will find you and tag you soon, random blog that scrolled by a month ago with this good idea. Claim it if you see this before I do. My gut reaction was that he gets divorced/thrown out and then has just five straight years of bullshit. Everything that can go wrong, does. This man needs to be homeless and begging for change and then beaten on a street corner and left for dead. You gotta slam that rat fully and completely out of his dissociative bubble and trap him in the mortal confines of his own body, in order for him to value it, and start to value others. He needs to be made to feel *Fragile*, yannow, temporary. Rock bottom helpless. Fuck him up, my loves. And then you give him the most grueling fucking redemption arc you can think of, do it for me. Make him work with his hands. Put that fucker in an apron flipping burgers in some skidmark diner out in Nebraska, when he finally has his epiphany about life's purpose. Make him build cars in a Ford factory line-up and get the union speeches. Make him Hurt, make him pick himself up, and make him realize he'd been such a shitheel his whole life so that when he finally does attend the reunion, all he can do is cry and hug someone and say he's sorry.

And FlaggBurning, Holy shit, okay? Okay. Yeah. Yeah, when the post went by asking who would fuck Frank, my first thought was Flagg. They would be so utterly incoherent together, it'd be like watching a nuclear meltdown. Frank gets a divorce letter before Margaret ever gets married? Frank still freaking the fuck out and enlisting with Flagg to the CIA at the first chance he gets? Flagg not having the authority to conscript anyone, and takes him AWOL on paper off to 'Train'? These two idiots galavanting across a warzone inventing secret plots to solve and harassing the locals? Oh god. Oh Frank. He'll be missing a fucking finger by the time Flagg's caught with him and they piece it together. This is Bill and Ted's adventure on cocaine instead of weed. These are the guys the 80s action flicks were about except they had to write out all the warcrimes. This is a terrifying concept.

[notebooknonbinary]

Byler Fic Rec Week - Day 1: Post-Canon

These are all lovely post-canon fics, ranging from just after the hypothetical end of the series, to far off into Byler’s adulthood.

No particular order to be had sorry lol

(if I've mistagged anyone please let me know! I'm sure some of the writers on here that I haven't tagged have tumblrs but i don't know/remember them sorry)

The Tweets of Mr. & Mr Byers - by @mrhalloween2ficpage

The Paladin's Promise - by @starsarefire824

i'll be your first, i'll be your last - by agustplz (shout_out_lou)

dance with me while everybody's watching - by @itsromeowrites

It Takes Two - by Turning_tides

i'd rather lie (tell you i'm in love with you.) - by genevievive

you felt enough - by delusionaltogether (Whyyyyy)

friday (i'm in love) - by fizzseed

it's such a feeling, my love I can't hide - by @strangeswift

cheer up, baby - by @perexcri

Bring Your Roommate(?) to Work Day - by sarah_tonin_on_the_rocks

i just haven't learned to be human as you are yet - by adankrivervalleynearyou

let our walls cave in - by @andiwriteordie and @kidovna

make a move - by @astrobei

[chaotic-orphan]

June of doom, day eighteen:

“How long have you been like this?”

Fall // sleep deprivation // blankets

CW: creepy whumper, intimate Whumper, lady Whump, lady whumpee, sleep deprivation, defiant whumpee being broken down, suspension, stress position?

This is not my best and very lazy writing but it’s all I got today

A.N. Thanks to a very nice anon I just discovered that lady Whump is a tag, and I am sorry for not tagging it sooner— I thought lady Whump meant like, a lady whumper, I see lady Whump and I’m thinking of Lady Dimitrescu licking blood off Ethan Winter’s hand — BUT PLEASE TELL ME IF I MISTAG OR DO NOT TAG PROPERLY IN FUTURE I DONT WANT ANYONE UNCOMFY ((and reading stuff they don’t want to by accident that could have easily been avoided if I just tagged it right)) AND I AM SORRY FOR MY FAULT I BOW MY HEAD

*~*~*~*~*

After what felt like an eternity Kara’s hands were freed from being stretched up above her head. The chain was loosened and she wanted nothing more than to sit down, to just relax a moment. Instead she let her arms rest hands pointed down naturally. The pins and needles hadn’t started clawing up her nerves yet, she was fine.

Reuben smiled at her from the shadows of the basement and stepped into the dim light, the length of chain still in his sadistic hand.

“How are you today Kara?”

“Go fuck yourself, Reuben.”

Reuben’s smile just grew. Kara stared at him with impatient eyes. She wished he would just get on with whatever horrible thing he had planned instead of smiling at her like she was a piece of meat.

Reuben wound the chain around his hand, once, twice, three times, shortening the length connecting to Kara’s handcuffs. He tugged it sharply and Kara jolted forward, dragged by her hands and into Reuben’s. He put a hand on her cheek. It was huge, nearly spanning her whole face. He rested a thumb on her cheekbone just under her eye and Kara forced her expression into one of indifference.

“So defiant. Do you not get tired of it?”

“No,” said Kara. “I’ll never get tired of saying no to you.”

Reuben tilted his head, eyes going to Kara’s lips and back up to her eyes again. It made her skin crawl. “I’m guessing you won’t kneel then?”

Kara’s heart stuttered in her chest. Reuben had asked that same question before and it got her to be like this. Handcuffed and chained to the ceiling, forced to stand because she refused to kneel.

“No,” Kara said, although her voice betrayed her hesitance. Reuben hummed in reply, his other hand reaching behind Kara’s head while the hand on her cheek slipped down her face, sliding under her chin and down over her throat. His thumb rested against her pulse and Kara swallowed, leaning her head back only to feel his other hand there, winding itself through her hair.

His eyes sparkled as he said: “are you sure about that?”

“Yes,” said Kara, this time without hesitation. Reuben hummed again and Kara waited.

“Pity. You could have saved yourself a world of pain. Oh well.”

Reuben let go of her throat and her hair and stepped back undoing the chain around his hand. “Some people need to learn the same lesson a couple of times.”

Reuben threw the chain over the exposed rafter in the ceiling and got the chain through in one try. When he reached up and pulled it again Kara let out a startled: “wait.”

Reuben stopped, looking at her with those horrible bright eyes. “You change your mind?”

No. She hadn’t but she also didn’t want to be strung up again by her hands. It hurt standing, her body going numb…

“No…” Kara said, voice quiet. Reuben smiled sympathetically and nodded. “It’s okay.”

Then he yanked the chain and Kara’s hands were dragged up over her head again. He kept pulling until she was on her tippy toes then stopped. The position put pressure on Kara’s shoulders and it felt like they were going to pop out of their socket.

“Wait—“ Kara said again, panicked. “Wait last time my feet were on the floor…”

Reuben came over to her and cupped her cheek in his hand again. “I know, but clearly I went too easy on you. You didn’t learn that you can’t say no to me. So we go again. Increase the intensity until you finally give in.”

“Let me go you psycho!” Kara yelled, pulling at the chains but Reuben just laughed and stepped back.

“I think we can go a bit harder to get that defiance out of you, hmm?”

Kara’s eyes widened in fear. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “No. No! Wait—“

Reuben pulled on the chains again until Kara’s feet didn’t touch the ground and she cried out. Legs kicking trying to reach the floor. Now it felt like her whole shoulder was going to be ripped from her torso and she tried to pull herself up to alleviate some of the tension.

“Fuck! FUCK! Fuck! Let me down! Let me down! I’m sorry!”

“Will you kneel for me?” Reuben asked sweetly, tying the chains off and Kara’s answering glare burned a hole through his skull. She stretched her legs, flexed her ankle trying to scrape off the ground anything to take the pressure off her shoulders.

Reuben approached his suspended hostage with a wicked grin on his face as Kara tried to kick out at him, then cried out at the jerking motion on her arms. Reuben put a hand on her waist, keeping her straight.

“Easy, easy. The more you struggle the more stress you’ll put on your arms. Try to keep still.”

Kara found his eyes with hers and she took a deep breath through her nose, trying to relax. “There you go, very good, Kara. Good?”

Kara despite her situation nodded slightly. Reuben’s smile grew more genuine. “Good.”

Then he pulled her waist with him back as he stepped back towards the door and Kara struggled again, trying to kick out at him but he kept pulling her. The chain pulled taut so it was just Kara’s body moving now and she was nearly horizontal with the ground before Reuben let her go.

Kara’s body fell like a punching bag and hit off the opposite wall with a scream as she was turned in circles, trying to right herself but seeing only the world swirling. By the time she was right again Reuben had left and she was alone.

That would have been fine if he had continued to leave her alone. Everyday he would come in and ask if she would kneel for him, and everyday she would curse and tell him no. Sometimes he would nod and walk out, leaving her alone. Other times he would twist her body in the chains and let her loose to spin.

She would have thrown up if she had anything in her stomach, but Reuben hadn’t fed her since she had been here. Sometimes when she was on the cusp of sleep he would come in loudly and just sit and watch her struggle to kick or hit him, struggling like a pig on a hook ready to be carved up.

She didn’t know how many days had passed. Didn’t know how much more she could take of him and being strung up, exhausted, defiant and weak.

She was crying silently to herself when he opened the door again. She flinched when the door closed again and Reuben cooed, walking over to her, a hand on her cheek, wiping away the tears.

“Kara, Kara, Kara…” he said. “I hate to see you like this. How long have you been like this? Do you even know?”

No. She didn’t know. It felt like eternity and too short a time all at once. She didn’t know which end of her was up at this point.

“Aren’t you tired, hmm?”

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. She was tired. She was so fucking tired. She just wanted to sleep. She wanted to not be suspended from her arms anymore and Reuben was the only thing that could give her any relief.

Reuben stepped closer to her and whispered: “you know what you have to do if you want to be let down. Are you ready to do it?”

Kara let out a sob as she nodded. Reuben shushed her, told her it’s alright. “You did so good, Kara. I’ll get you down.”

He was gentle with lowering her to the ground. The minute Kara’s feet touched the solid floor she fell, her legs buckling beneath her from disuse. She put her hands out to catch herself but before she could Reuben caught her. She looked up at him to find something insidious and triumphant gleaming in his eyes.

“There. Now. See? Beautiful. Perfect. You’re kneeling for me, it’s not that bad is it?”

Kara didn’t say anything in reply. Reuben’s hands went to her face again palms caressing her cheeks. “You did so good for me. Let’s get you some food and some sleep, okay?”

Kara nodded numbly in reply. She couldn’t stand so when Reuben picked her up she didn’t mind it. Didn’t mind how close he was and that he was the reason she was put through all this torment the last couple of days.

Reuben brought her to a couch and lay her down on it and Kara nearly fell asleep as soon as her head hit the arm rest. Reuben told her not to so she struggled to keep her eyes open. When Reuben came back he had blankets in his arms that he threw over her and Kara snuggled into them, too weak to protest anything.

Her arms felt so weird. Her entire body was numb. Her brain stupid. She just needed to sleep and she’d feel better.

Reuben sat with her until she had fallen asleep, thumb rubbing circles over her temple soothingly. When she finally succumbed to sleep he smiled again, tucked her into the blankets more then kissed her forehead.

Kara was everything he wanted, and more. That defiance in her… he was going to shatter it all and watch her break so beautifully. Though hanging for a week out of sheer determination and force of will was not a good sign for him, he could wait. He would always wait.

Now that he had her, he would never let her go.

[saetoru]

About that entitled ass post about x reader, op was definitely wrong but a small point was made.

I agree with your response but I'd like to add that, unless you've stated that certain characteristics or features will be present in reader, certain kinds of ambiguity is necessary, especially in appearance.

To make a character completely void of any backstory or personality is just bad writing period but to add an appearance is a little ...

As a black reader, reading about certain things that are supposed to reflect the reader is genuinely disheartening. I'm talking about things like referencing imagery of lighter skin (such as refering to readers skin as pink, pale, creamy, etc) or something like a character running their fingers through the reader's hair or having a hair washing routine that can be done in the time it takes to have a regular shower. I know with people with big bodies, having descriptions of small, light bodies is also disheartening.

Bc, once again, unless it's been stated that those are a part of reader's appearance, it's a little unnecessary bc it shows that although it's x reader it's definitely not for us.

I don't expect writers to write about specific events or characteristics about different cultures and such bc that can also go south REAL quick if you aren't properly educated or aware but a little diversity never hurt anyone

I know that some people do this out of genuine dislike of darker skinned/bigger people but I know most people do it out of genuine ignorance.

Unfortunately, you cannot bring up including people who don't fit typical beauty standards (pale/light skinned, long straight hair, thin/slim bodies) without people telling you that not everyone has to cater to you.

But the thing is, we're not asking you to cater to us; we're just asking you to include us in your vision of reader. You don't need to add specifics of everything regarding different races or cultures but you don't need to add specifics that exclude them.

And then when we go to create our own stories that do envision us, we're met with so much hatred and backlash about it like that one deleted comment on op's post.

I'm sorry for ranting about this but it so frustrating sometimes when people don't understand this. I brought up something similar to this topic once before and got death threats in my mentions for weeks (that's why this is anonymous)

ALSO, I'm not accusing you of any of the things I've mentioned in this ask. Based on what I've read from your work so far, the reader is actually someone you can enjoy reading about without feeling excluded when appearances are mentioned

Btw I adore your rich boy gojo series and would love to continue reading your work ❤️

im afraid you missed my main point and also, u are talking to someone who is literally a POC so i am definitely not in need of a rundown of how important it is to write reader in a manner that does not perpetuate western beauty standards. writing a reader that is inclusive for people in a manner that doesn't solidify western norms is important, but writing a reader that is an all encompassing fit all type of thing in terms of personality and decision making is not

its not that their point ab mistagged gn! readers and white/western physical features weren't valid—it was, but it was sprinkled in their main point that writing reader with personality is an oc and is not belonging in the tags and writers should focus on writing generic hcs instead. they used the issue of race and gender and other minoroties to support their idea that readers have to be ambiguous from all fronts, and that is a very twisted way to use actual real issues to justify your tantrums ab not liking dialogue or what the reader chose to do. my point that i was trying to make is that writers are entitled to write however they please as long as they tag what features of reader are set there. if they mistag that, then yes, that is something you should bring to their attention (politely) because then it misleads ppl to think this fic includes them. but that also is not done through a rant in the tags because that does not belong in the tags

quite frankly, to pair racial and gender representation issues as comparable to not aligning with the choices a reader takes to develop as a character and to put those two on the same boat takes away from the issue of inclusivity. inclusivity of a reader does NOT equal to how they think, process, feel, and progress in the storyline. not fitting in with the actual character of reader is incomparable to racial representation issues and misgendering tags and etc. the latter are REAL issues. the first is simply complaining bc u did not see urself in a plot

the actual problem with their rant was that they were using REAL issues to justify entitled complaining and that is why i did not validate them in that. yes writing reader as white and not tagging it is an issue. yes giving little to no thought to poc readers in writing is an issue. yes mistagging something as gn! while using gendered terms is an issue. but they should not be the backbone to an entirely different argument that essentially censors people

[rayshippouuchiha]

You ever start reading a fic and halfway through realize the tags were incredibly misleading? Bc I was just reading an MCU fic tagged "Team Please-for-the-love-of-god-talk-to-each-other" or something similar, and I was like "oh so this is a middle-ground kinda fic. Usually I prefer straight-up Team Tony fics, but I can deal with this😊". So I happily started reading, but then it turned out that in the fic Tony "hadn't read" the Accords before the airport battle, and they had sneaked in clauses that dictated life imprisonment in the Raft for anyone who fit the superhero criteria and didn't sign them, locator cuffs for anyone who did sign them, and even experimentation on the mutants/superhumans???? People were blaming Tony for the whole ordeal left right and center, even Tony himself, and if they weren't blaming him they were insinuating he had to set aside his "pride" and apologize to Team Cap in order to "fix things". Then Tony had to practically beg Steve to forgive him for "not listening" in Siberia in order to get his help to rescue Peter, who was taken to the Raft and had also joined Team Cap's POV about the Accords. And in the middle of all that, as if that wasn't enough, someone actually tells Tony to get over the murder of his parents bc "thousands of others also have dead parents, big deal"??? That fic was blatantly anti-Tony and pro-Team Cap, to the point that I had to stop reading less than halfway through.

Like, I don't begrudge anyone who likes Team Cap fics, to each their own, but what part of that sounded like Team "They're All Equally At Fault"????? That was one of the most decidedly pro-Team Cap fics I've ever seen in my life. I'm BEGGING people to please for the love of god TAG TEAM CAP FICS AS SUCH, IT'S SUCH A BIG SQUICK FOR ME I HAD ACTUAL SHUDDERS I HATED IT NO NO NO STOP I CAN'T TAKE IT IT FELT LIKE VICTIM BLAMING IT'S TOO MUCH FOR ME

Sorry for the rant but I just- it hit me so hard, it made me feel awful for some reason, I had to tell someone who might understand

Oh oh wow yeah I fuckin hate when shit like that happens because at a certain point you're kind of like "not trying to be a bitch about it but I do feel like this mistagging was done at least semi on purpose??" and then you feel kind of paranoid and stupid about thinking it's that deep but you just can't help it???

But yeah I've run up on mistagged stuff like that before too and I hate it even if I understand how it can happen.

[some-teeth-in-a-trench-coat]

Hi i just saw that you tagged my art as “undescribed”, i actually do write pretty detailed image description as alt text on all my current artworks. I would appreciate if you didnt mistag it since that would make it filter out from ppl following you, who might have the tag on their block list.

Oh sorry! Unfortunately the app hides the alt text from me sometimes so the occasional mistags are hard to avoid, but now that I'm on desktop I can see it, fixing the tag right now! Thanks for correcting me!

Here's the post for anyone who missed it the first time: https://www.tumblr.com/some-teeth-in-a-trench-coat/738129864799977472

[gallavichfanficlibrary]

hi! looking for a fic set post 3x12 with flashbacks to pre-3x06? it has switching pov — post 3x12 bits are written in third person and pre-3x06 are written in second. i searched the second pov tag on ao3 but i can’t seem to find it 🥲 thank you

Hi! We're very sorry but we can't find it. It sounds extremely familiar, all the admins agreed that they have read it at some point but we just can't locate it. It's either absolutely mistagged or it's something so obvious we'll be very mad when we find out :D

Can anyone help? If not, we'll keep looking.

Edit: This is Proof Of What You Want, thank you @manquebusiness!

[loadednachosao3]

hello hello! I want to preface this by saying that I absolutely love your writing, and I have DEVOURED all of your fics with relish. I did want to ask, for my own peace of mind only, your internal process for tagging consent/lack thereof? simply because a lot of the scenarios you've put together (which i adore and find EXTREMELY hot) i would credit as VERY MUCH full-on noncon. my working assumption is that you use the rape/noncon tag for situations where there is NO enjoyment whatsoever, which i can sort of see the point behind? it's only that it caught me off guard when I first cracked open one of your fics, and it kept nagging at me/made me feel a bit of unease, so I felt the need to ask. Either way, I hope you're doing well!

heya! so this is actually something I think a LOT about when I try to tag, and honestly, I'm not sure if I always get it right! like, I think I really should add the noncon warning to WBWH already...

it's like, I think that noncon vs. dubcon evokes a certain uhh... mental image in most people? so what we know in fandom as dubcon is, IRL, pretty much exclusively rape. but when you're searching for a fic -- as I understand it, anyway -- the people who are looking for noncon are looking for more, as you said, complete non-enjoyment or something much darker than dubcon, I guess? whereas dubcon has, in my experience, historically been used even in situations where it's like "this is rape, but they enjoyed it after a while, ergo dub."

it's honestly less about what I would personally consider non/dubcon and more what I think my audience would consider it that way, I guess? because I wanna be mindful of tagging in a way that leaves it both accessible to people who would enjoy the content, but not triggering to people who wouldn't... and it's tough! when you write things dark like I do, it's hard to figure out where the line should go in the sand!

that being said, if anyone ever feels like I've mistagged anything, please do let me know! I'm just kind of fumbling around in the dark for a lot of it, haha. better to be safe than sorry! apologies if you or anyone else have come out of my fics feeling like I fucked that one up!

[genloss-soundtrack-bracket]

WELCOME TO THE GENLOSS SOUNDTRACK BRACKET

We here at genloss-soundtrack-bracket are here for a great time. unlike the sorry fate our hero came to (but we won't talk about that) so we want you to have an easy time making your favourite tune a winner!

about the blog and it's owner

genloss-soundtrack-bracket is currently run by @gay-crows-in-a-trenchcoat (they/them) so if there's anything you'd like to know more about, or chat about, go check their blog (look I'll be honest talking about myself in third person is weird, come talk to me about the songs or some strange thing up with the blog or if I've got something wrong or mistagged (I don't bite, promise))

have any propaganda, or maybe you just really want to talk about this specific part of a song in the soundtrack thats as amazing as that cheesecake? go click on the ask button labeled 'goo goobie' (I don't know why it's that either)

this is all for kicks and giggles, so please don't bring any negativity and hate around these here parts, this means no exlusionary behaviour (terfs, transphobes, homophobes, racists, ect arent welcome here, else we'll just call you a cop, mkay?) and no hate at anyone who may like a song you don't

VOTER FRAUD IS FINE TO DO

rounds, generations and more (polls)

the first round of TSES (The Social Experiments Soundtrack) polls is complete (go look at the results here)

the second round of TSES polls are complete (go check out the results here)

the third round of TSES are complete (go check it out here)

the fourth round of TSES is begining on November 5th, 3pm aedt (check it out here)

the fifth round of TSES will be out soon :)

if there are more soundtracks with upcoming generations the polls will be linked here

other things (FAQ (sort of) and more)

this blog is not run by any of the original generation loss team, it is not our intellectual property (if you have any issues over this blog please talk it out with me (@gay-crows-in-a-trenchcoat) in dms, NOT any of the people or ccs involved in the original media)

"what if I want to know when a poll is out but blog notifications aren't my thing/ I may not see the notification?" just send an ask here or DM/ask me @gay-crows-in-a-trenchcoat! We can set up what you would like to hear about (e.g. new poll, new post, poll results, ect.) and I can DM you when those things are posted!

"I noticed something about the blog that may have been done by mistake/ the owner is unaware of, can I send an ask about that?" you can send an ask or DM about anything you think we may be unaware of! (due to me being quite accident prone I may reblog things onto here that were meant to be on the other blog, if I am aware but the post is relative enough to the blog it will be tagged 'not a poll' sometimes I just don't realise and there's no harm in pointing that out! :D)

"I want something tagged but there's no tags already existing on the blog/I'm unsure if you'll tag it" if there's something you want tagged just ask! unless you're asking to tag things so you can avoid seeing them when they're a major part of the blog there's no tag too outrageous!

"I have other questions that aren't on the FAQ, what do I do?" send an ask here or to @gay-crows-in-a-trenchcoat or DM me, there's no way the FAQ can cover everything so don't feel bad about asking questions :)

tags

(any other tags will be added later)

#winners <- these are the poll winners and posts announcing such

#genloss <- anything involving generation loss, it could be a poll or just a post

#genloss soundtrack <- something to do with the genloss soundtrack

#genloss spoilers <- posts that involve potential generation loss spoilers will be tagged with this (although if you have this blocked I am unsure why you would be looking at this blog)

#round 1 polls <- posts and polls from round one of TSES

#round 2 polls <- posts and polls from round two of TSES

#round 3 polls <- posts and polls from round three of TSES

#not a poll <- posts that don't involve polls (could be an ask, accidental reblog, ect.)

#polls <- its a poll!

#propaganda <- people want you to vote their songs! this tag involves reasons why :)

#genloss [song] <- what songs are mentioned in the post (specifically from the genloss soundtrack)

#//[trigger here] <- if there is any potentially triggering content in the post it will be tagged with this e.g. #//repetition (please let us know if there is something you'd like tagged with this)

#<-prev [comment here] <- this means that the post is a reblog of something with text in the tags (the arrow will always point to the previous tag)

[feeshies]

just in case anyone is curious:

i still like the kane chronicles and i have a lot of nostalgia for the series, but i haven't had a lot of time to revisit the books.

and also i'm kind of disheartened that it's impossible to participate in the fandom without wading through an onslaught of mistagged semi-related content. i only expect it to get worse when the pjo series comes out so i'm cutting my losses.

i will definitely continue making art and stuff for my favorite characters and maybe some oc stuff when i get around to it. but as far as making tkc my #1 thing, idk my heart hasn't been in it. i'm sorry if this disappoints anyone.