#there is actual 'lore' to these decisions but i am making a fic :)

[specialbluehens]

as of spring 28, year 1

mira is already at 6 hearts with shane

summer 1, year 1

she will get him to 10 hearts by the time the summer is over

[ghostlynimbus]

Trying to work on the supernatural au timeline just feels like

And/or

[doctorprofessorsong]

Destiel Fic Recs

Let's all pretend that I didn't just do one of these because I have clearly been consuming fic at an alarming rate.

A Beginner's Guide to Communing with the Dead by suspiciousflashlight @huntingthehaggis (Mature, 77k,)

Listen. I am actually mad at all y'all cause this fic has existed since 2013 and nobody told me to read it until now.

Detective Dean Winchester is haunted (literally) by the murder of a little girl. Unable to move on, he makes the decision to summon an ancient creature, Castiel, using forbidden magic. But the murder is only the beginning and he and Cas find themselves in a race against time to fight an ancient evil.

This fic has everything. Immaculate worldbuilding. Trueform Cas. Impeccable humor. Seriously, I devoured it. I'm shocked it took me this long to find it (probably because it's older), but I'm so happy I did.

The Beginning by valleydean (emmbrancsxx0) @valleydean (Explicit, 129k)

A horrorfest Endverse fic, Mallory tackles what happened between the Croatoan infection and Dean and Cas' arrival in Camp Chitaqua. It's canon compliant and it really digs into Dean losing hope and becoming the darker version of himself and Cas falling into addiction and losing his angelic powers. 

It's angsty and brutal and gross in the way zombie stories are. It's also got shining moments of love in the face of hopeless odds. Plus there's a character named River so you know it's good.

I also think watching the degradation of these two characters, and the way their love can't be denied even then is just really a good read. 

Above & Below by murron (Explicit, 45k)

Speaking of older fics to lose your fucking mind over, this fic is absolutely immaculately done. Steeped in canon and set in S6, Dean, Cas and Soulless Sam embark on a journey through the circles of hell. Their mission is to recover Sam’s soul and their brother Adam from the cage.

It's really beautifully constructed with the vision of Hell pulled from various pieces of lore. This is a horror story for sure, but it's not a hopeless one. It's more like an epic mythological journey. And at its heart is the love story of Dean and Cas, and a lot of healing for Dean and Sam.

It's high concept. It's poetic. It's a top tier story to meltdown over.

Sentinel by Followsthebees (Explicit, 15k) @follows-the-bees

A delightful entry from the monsterfluffer bang, Dean finds himself increasingly enamored with a gargoyle on the roof of his work. What he doesn't know is the gargoyle feels the same way.

This has some absolutely delicious smut. 10/10 magical creature porn. But also Dean is so cute and lonely and full of love and Cas us such a delightful little creature. A fantastic time was had by all (me). Canon is integrated in a really fun way in a few places and the humor is fantastic.

Just a complete romp.

A pun regarding the word "bull" by zation @zationao3 (Explicit, series 41k)

Smutty and fluffy and oh so horny, this fic is a fun AU with light angst, a lot of sexual tension, but ultimately it's just a fun ride with a happy ending.

Castiel doesn't have time for attachments, but his money does afford him all the comforts of wealth and a string of casual lovers. When he spots Dean on the back of a mechanical bull, he decides he's found his next conquest - and a very willing one at that.

But after that night, both men can think of nothing but a repeat performance. Unfortunately, they failed to exchange numbers. Even more unfortunately, Dean just happens to be the new contactor engaged by Cas' company and therefore off limits. 

There is some delicious smut in this one. The angst is counteracted with a sweet, soft pining and a profound bond type immediate connection that is a delight to read. 

You Better Not Stay by FriendofCarlotta @friendofcarlotta (Explicit, 17k) 

A fantastic horrorfest thriller, this one delivers jump scares and teen scream delight.

Dean and Cas have been best friends just short of forever and lovers for a year. But now that high school is behind them, Cas wants to leave to find freedom from his fucked up family. Dean can’t bring himself to join him. There’s Sam and the family business.

On the cusp of separation, Dean decides to take Cas on a little date to the abandoned skating rink they used to love when they were kids. Only they aren't alone, and if they're not careful, their last night together could be their last night on earth.

This one is great for the jumps and screams. But it's the soft way they love each other and the vulnerability that make this one memorable. Dean is heartbreakingly earnest trying to impress the man he loves. And Cas is sarcastic and sweet in a perfect balance.

And you're the sky by Desirae (Explicit, 28k)

Quite by accident I have two fics on here following the missed connection/one night stand reappears in your life trope, but they are very different. This one has a lot more roommates to lovers domesticity and some delightful Wings (the show) vibes.

Dean’s best friend, Gabriel, has been grounded due to medical issues. In order to save his small airline, he calls upon his estranged brother, Castiel for assistance. Being a good friend, Dean happily offers up a room in his house to Cas. Only when he shows up, he happens to be the one who got away - a hookup who was going by the name Jimmy.

This fic is soft and sweet. There's a lot of caretaker Dean and domestic vibes. It has the soft vibes of a fic where the two main characters are circling one another and you almost feel like it's inevitable that they will eventually find their way to each other. There is some family trauma, but the angst is largely countered by a lot of intentional healing. Throw in a fantastic cast of characters and this one is definitely worth the read.

Check out my other recs at @riversrecs

[spirk-trek]

I would love to hear your thoughts on kirk's backstory and what happened on tarsus iv, I feel like I've read so many conflicting takes on here and none of them actually match up with the episode (conscience of the king)

Hi anon! The way you worded this makes me think you were just looking for information and not a fic request. Forgive me if I was wrong!! 😅

I think the reason there are so many conflicting ideas is because of how vague it is in canon itself (which is cool, leaves a lot of room for interpretation). Because of this, when I recently wrote a thing about Tarsus IV I also struggled with "research" for it. Here's what I came up with:

!!! Disclaimer! I am not declaring any of this the One True Canon™! This is just my interpretation/speculation based on existing lore !!!

To me, it makes most sense for Jim to be sent to Tarsus IV with his mother, and for her to be a civilian scientist/researcher of some kind. I find it very hard to believe the massacre could have taken place if Starfleet were present, which would include George Kirk, Jim's father. George is said to have been absent often due to his work (SNW), so it wouldn’t be strange for him to be separated from his family (this is also just normal in Star Trek in general, i.e. Sulu [AOS] and like… everyone with children in TNG).

A more recent Trek book called Drastic Measures seems to back this exact idea up (depends who you ask which novels are canon, and this book was written for Discovery so take it with a grain of salt).

Sam would, in the TOS timeline, be 10 years older than Jim (~23). That would make it unlikely he'd be tailing after his mother to remote colonies. It's much more likely he was concerned with his own career/family/life.

So, in summary of those points, I think it was just Jim and Winona. Jim is between 12 and 14 years old, and his mother was a civilian researcher (the novel I mentioned earlier made her a xenobiologist, probably for plot reasons).

Something I do see exaggerated sometimes is the method of killing in the massacre. An antimatter chamber appears to be what was used, similar to A Taste of Armageddon, so it would not have been mass carnage or a big dramatic fight in the end. Just... zap. 

SPOCK: "He was certainly among the most ruthless, to decide arbitrarily who would survive and who would not [...] and then to implement his decision without mercy. Children watching their parents die. Whole families, destroyed. Over four thousand people. They died quickly, without pain, but they died.”

However, these are also quotes from the episode, so I can see why people might think the massacre itself was more violent: 

- JIM: “Four thousand people were needlessly butchered.” - LEIGHTON: “I remember him. That voice. The bloody thing he did.”  - JIM: “Are you sure you didn't act this role out in front of a captive audience whom you blasted out of existence without mercy?” - KARIDIAN/KODOS: “Murder, flight, suicide, madness. I never wanted the blood on my hands ever to stain you.” 

There was a revolution of some kind, probably brought about by people easily radicalized out of hunger and desperation.

- KARIDIAN/KODOS: [reading] "The revolution is successful…” - SPOCK: “There were over eight thousand colonists and virtually no food. And that was when Governor Kodos seized full power and declared emergency martial law.”

If Kodos already had his ideas about eugenics, which it sounds like he did, he would have seized this as an opportunity. This would make him an even more solid comparison to Hitler, which they were definitely going for to at least some extent (this was written two decades after WWII which many involved in the making of star trek were deeply affected by if not veterans themselves).

Because of the above quotes, I also think there’s merit to the idea of there being multiple formal executions where Kodos gave his infamous “speech” each time rather than just once (this would be another reason Jim would remember it enough to write it down), rather than one massive execution of 4,000 people. However, this quote could be interpreted to mean the opposite:

SPOCK: “Kodos began to separate the colonists. Some would live, be rationed whatever food was left; The remainder would be immediately put to death.”

Arguably, the even more traumatic suffering would be the period of starvation and upheaval leading up to the massacre. To me, a 3-6 month period of slowly worsening starvation as the food supply shrank and shrank to nothing would make the most sense.

One aspect I don't quite get is that Kodos's body was supposed to have been "burned beyond recognition.” Since we know from Conscience of the King his death was staged, then this fake death can’t have been pulled off in the midst of Starfleet intervention upon arrival (they would have taken him into custody to stand trial rather than kill him on sight anyway). Burning yourself to death is a highly unusual form of suicide, so I’m not sure if that’s supposed to allude to him being fake killed in the carnage following the execution when the people didn't react the way he wanted or expected? My only theory is that there was unrest and rioting for the period of time between the massacre and Starfleet arriving with relief, and he used that to fake his death once he knew he would be put on trial.

Anyway, this is super long so I'll cut myself off there. Hope that answered your question, sorry for being crazy! If anyone has anything to add, please do!

[artistnerd24]

(TLDR: I’m depressed that Jaiden is gone and now it feels like a huge chunk of my enjoyment of the server is gone. I completely respect ccJaiden’s decision to leave and am happy that the stream where I found her playing Qsmp led me to find such an amazing fandom and such a talented creator who I want to still watch in the future (seriously though, I would not have found her incredible animations if it wasn’t for that stream). I will probably be taking a hiatus from Qsmp though because now such a huge part of my experience is now gone and I realized how I’ve been prioritizing this over real life which has been damaging my mental health. I don’t know if I will return to the fandom or not (I probably will because I am way too addicted but it depends what life shows) but if I don’t, thank you Qsmp for allowing me to be part of such a great experience :D)

… just heard the news that ccJaiden is leaving the project and that qJaiden is dead…

I hope that ccJaiden feels better, I know how overwhelming Qsmp can get and I respect her choice to leave very much…

But… is it okay if I just feel very depressed now? Jaiden is who got me into QSMP, she has been my main for months and I loved her and her content and was planning to make so many animatic, arts, and fics about her (in fact she was one of my biggest driving motivators for it). She was truly such an amazing character. I loved her lore, I loved her personality, I loved Bubbleduo, I loved the Jaidens, I loved the idea of her and Empanada meeting… I just loved her character… she and her streams helped me feel better a lot… it’s the main reason why I’m still in the fandom… but now… with her gone I actually just feel like a huge chunk of my love for it has been ripped out, and I’m just sad. I’m sad that we lost her and everything that could have been in qJaiden’s future…

But hey! If it weren’t for me discovering her through a Qsmp stream that was recommended to me, I probably wouldn’t have become a fan of ccJaiden’s animations and probably wouldn’t even know about such an amazing creator! I’m happy that ccJaiden was able to be apart of this server and that now she will be able to do more stuff that she loves and doesn’t overwhelm her.

But as for me… I might take a hiatus from Qsmp for a bit…

If you look at my posts you probably knew how much I love Jaiden’s character and how she is probably my favorite thing about the server besides Gegg but he’s gone too…

There is a part of me begging me to not leave this fandom. I’m still in love with so many other characters’ stories like Tina, Tubbo, Phil, Bagi, etc.. But there has been so many times that situations and other events also just overwhelmed me and made me detached from real life and now with one of the main strings keeping me attached to the server gone… I don’t know if I want to still stay or not, so I think a hiatus would be good for me to just think things through.

Qsmp is truly such an amazing experience and like Jaiden said, Quackity has done so much and made something so very cool, but I think I just need some time away from it. Get back to real life again you know? I will probably be back, I’m way too addicted to these Minecraft cubitos leave, but in case I don’t… it’s been amazing to meet you guys and thank you for letting me be apart of this experience, it was incredible :)

[allbluedepths]

This was originally part of the ship bingo post, but it spiraled out of control and became a very large pile of thoughts. So instead, the Wings of the Emperor AU is getting its own ship dynamics post for Shanks, Mihawk, and Benn because it's sorta its own thing, and I'm having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to even tag for it because none of their relationships fit in neat boxes very well.

(Wings of the Emperor AU is my early Red Hair Pirates era AU where Mihawk chooses to not become a Warlord and ends up not joining, but semi-sailing with the Red Hair Pirates. It mostly focuses on Mihawk's early dueling years with Shanks, his interactions with the Red Hair Pirates, and eventually getting swept up into their sailing shenanigans. TL;DR: I had the thought of "who would Mihawk be if forced to answer the question of 'who am I beyond just being a swordsman'" and it all spiraled from there.

For the record, some of the earlier posts aren’t 100% accurate anymore — big one being that I traded the “Mihawk was almost Shanks’ first mate” bit for something else — but this is an indulgent ship post, not me correcting my own lore post LOL.)

So, here’s a pile of thoughts to get my brain in gear to actually write more of the fic itself, haha. : )

This AU is… complicated? I'd say it's endgame Mihawk/Shanks/Benn triad in a very non-traditional relationships way. For example, by the time Mihawk semi-joins them and turns down the Warlord position, even Shanks and Mihawk don't have a concrete romantic relationship, and theirs is still the closest to that, haha. I guess it's best classified as:

Shanks and Mihawk: close relationship bordering on romantic; there's mutual interest, but their definitions of romantic also don't match "standard" definitions of romance, so it doesn't always read as that to others. Rivals/partners with a romantic flair?? Since Mihawk turning down the Warlord position and choosing to join them comes with a good chunk of other upheaval, there's a conscious decision to not really label anything, but they're on the same page of being mutually interested.

Shanks and Benn: hellooooo complex intertwined captain-first mate relationships. The fun duality of being both incredibly simple and incredibly complex. I'm team "many working captain-first mate relationships basically become life partnerships", and they're probably the prime example of that. Inconveniently for tagging purposes, it's smack dab in the middle of "&" and "/" relationships for AO3, so… eh, the vibes are vague. The details past the fact that they're basically each other's most trusted person stop mattering at a certain point.

Benn and Mihawk: Complicated, haha. By far the side of the triad with the most development to be had; right now, it's more like they're separate sides of a V polycule, rather than a triad, but the foundation's there. An odd, unexpected friendship turned an even more unexpected camaraderie as the years go by and Mihawk's around more and more. Absolutely no one outside of them (and occasionally Shanks) can really parse out what's going on here. Again, just over the line of what I'd tag as "&", and develops veeeeeery slowly over the years in its own undefined way.

…That ended up as a whole ass wall of words, haha. Shorter summary if you're looking for general relationship shifts:

Mihawk sails with the Red Hair Pirates (~6 years after the RHP start): only Shanks/Mihawk are semi/almost-romantic

Sailing time until Dawn Island: Shanks/Mihawk slowly get their shit together; Shanks/Benn inch toward maybe another realization or two, Benn/Mihawk "two introvert cats" bond starts really kicking in

Post-Dawn Island: Shanks/Benn get their shit together (thank you, realizations about mortality)

The decade-ish between Dawn Island and current canon: It's a polycule between an Emperor, an Emperor's first mate, and the World's Greatest Swordsman. Who cares if it makes sense to anyone else; it works for them, lol.

If you read this far, thank you, and I hope you enjoyed an unexpectedly long analysis drop for an AU I haven't posted for in a while and mostly exists in my brain right now, haha!

[raayllum]

Can we expect any chet in your Snake Boi fics? 👀

For Snake Boi Callum fics I have

i can't help it: in which Kpp'Ar gets out of his coin and at first, mistakes Callum for Viren

i asked god to take the damage out on me: Callum does the same spell Viren did to save Soren in order to save Ezran

some say in ice: Callum uses the blood freezing spell in order to protect Rayla.

it still floats: Soren POV fic on Callum's selective loyalty (and what it means to be adjacent to, but not directly, have it)

CHET plans are being reserved for my fanon S6 fic "Teach Me How To Name The Bigger Light" (4/26ish chapters done? Maybe?) as anyone who follows me / my theories will not be surprised by much of the lore or endgame plot decisions.

However, if you do want some CHET fics, there are some lovely ones written by other people:

Post-exchange fic by @zuppizup

Post-exchange fic + 5 related drabbles (scroll to the bottom of the screen to start at the beginning) by @jelzorz

prelude / buildup by @mandaloriandragontrainer

exchange & aftermath by @rayllurn

the exchange & the aftermath by @lawchan89

these art pieces by @chimpukampu in order: 1, 2, 3

As well as a few by me such as

My own post-exchange fic

the originator, featuring like 12k of buildup and AU as of S4 but I'm still very proud of the fic as a whole

loosely adjacent post-s5 drabble

a post-s4 speculative (s6?) prelude

10.2k oneshot that's not CHET but it is about callum being all "i'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe" (post-s4) about dark magic so it was 100% written as a CHET prelude, canon confirm (and one of the reasons 5x08 made me do a lil happy dance)

As you can see there is quite the little collection, and I am excited to add to it one more time - as getting to said scene and being able to write it again to reflect how the theory/scenario has matured and evolved since its first inklings - god, a full three years ago? - is one of the reasons I'm most determined to actually make my way through writing all of fanon S6.

And of course if I missed anyone's fic or drabble or art piece, feel free to add it in the replies/reblogs - I'd love to see/read it! <3

Bonus: my favourite meme I've probably ever made

[tennisthemedhatesex]

Listen. I am just an endless death note AU generator. Currently I have the following going on:

Coffee shop AU but starting slightly before Light becomes Kira: Light meets this mysterious stranger who was tired/felt like adding weirdness to the world one morning and didn't choose a false name for his coffee orders, and it becomes this sort of running joke/game between them with Light trying to figure out his name or various lore about him and L finding this extremely amusing. But then Light finds the death note. L joins the case. Neither of them know this about each other yet, and as Light and L begin to suspect each other they're still keeping up the charade of casual friendship and a half-joking challenge while it takes on a whole additional dimension and they're catching feelings. Hell on earth for poor Light. They have chess sex at one point.

Death Note Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) AU: my personal favorite but extremely niche. Basically ghost L but. a Specific Flavor. Not only do I steal the rahd lore, but there are some Details (muahaha etc.) You don't need to have seen rahd to enjoy it. Here's a playlist but you could not get me to post the actual fic yet under torture

Modern day AU but the main way that this effects the plot is that Light is majorly into competitive Microsoft Excel and L is secretly the world champion that he's had an intense rivalry with ever since Light started.

Another ghost L thing but in this one L possesses Light's body after his death and now they have to Share

Similar to those time travel AUs where Light and/or L gets sent back and have to decide whether to make different decisions except it's the task force (excluding L and Light) and they have to decide whether to try to prove it and arrest him or try to help him and whether they should let Light know about this or if that would be a death sentence. Lots of problem solving, lots of decision making, Light gets to unmask <3 (This one was inspired by (but different from) a tumblr post I should add a link to if I can find it)

One where I mess with the lore so that Light is transforming into a shinigami due to the number of people he has killed (symbolism etc) but this starts right before his confinement so he has to try to hide it and it generally messes up his plans horribly because. Imagine being under constant observation by the world's greatest detective but you're literally transforming into a death god while trying to hide that anything is unusual about you at all.

"Characters watch the show" but it's characters get transported to this world and exposed to modern fandom. This takes place during the warehouse so Light's alive but Mikami is there. They're just yoinked out of there. There is another version of this that takes place during Yotsuba Arc instead.

Along similar-ish lines, a blatantly comedic fic where L reads explicit rpf about L and Kira in front of Light at one point during Yotsuba Arc and Light gets really mad about it leading to intense debate of what Kira would be like in bed, among other things. Keep in mind Light does not have his memories but he does have strong opinions on the topic, for some mysterious reason that Light tries really hard to justify to himself

And more. I love making things worse for my poor little meow meow specifically because I understand his brand of problem solving on a spiritual level and I like to watch it play out. But also because pushing Light to his extremes and seeing how much it takes for him to snap is like crack to me. Mentally putting this guy in saw traps.

[crimeronan]

I love political and tactical fantasy shenanigans so I'm very 👀 over that appearing in the princess luz au in some way. There's so much you can play around with, like the public opinion, who gets supplies for not just the castle but the civilians, or runs this or that, and how the different coven's are run (i read a v neat theory that the abomination coven has more opportunities because of Darius, for example), any new covenhead will have to untangle the mess and horrors of their predecessor, and bringing in new people to run a section or help support a coven that's surprise surprise being held together by string and luck because the previous head was incompetent or didn't care enough. Or both.

Like the plant coven's plantations that are mentioned once in Hunting Palismen that guard the remaining palistrom trees. That'll need to be dealt with so more witches can recieve palismen, and then they'll need someone to carve them(possible lead in to Hunter getting intrested in palisman carving? ovo CLAWTHORNE CLAN APPEARANCE MAYBE??). Not to mention the overhaul of the education system, of which TERRA is apparently in charge of, which explains a lot, actually. How many buildings on TBI aren't built to sustain the boiling rain and rely on magic or pure luck to stay standing because the construction coven either didn't bother to do their jobs or they simply couldn't because they didn't have the resources and time, so those who have the most money get priority?

Not to mention taking care of monsters! The empress coven can't be too different from the emperor's coven yet, so they're not very efficient(because they're a cult and that's how they function) and someone has to address that and Lilith is too used to the system to recognise the problems by herself. Maybe Luz makes it law that all coven's now must have a head coven and a vice head of sort, so all the power and decision making doesn't rest with only one person?

Sorry, I'm rambling, I just love this kind of stuff, I go a little insane over it. Adding on all the characters being very stupid or very crazy or both makes for a funny time.

YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH!! THIS IS ALL SO GOOOOD these thoughts are all so good. at first i didn't want to plot a big long story about what exactly luz does to solve some of these issues, bc watching and dreaming addressed everything so well... but the circumstances of this AU have changed enough that i'm getting invested anyway. like. how DO you dismantle an empire when you also have to pretend that that empire is normal and fine and that your fragile allyships with power-hungry coven heads are fine and that your so-called "divinity" isn't based on the bullshit lie of a genocidal colonizer. HOO BOY.

i love love love political worldbuilding fic that explores things like infrastructure and different political dynamics and schisms in fantasy worlds, that was ALSO one of my fave things when i would write homestuck ancestor fic. plotting out what a galactic war might look like and how resources were distributed and how empire weaponry could be commandeered and how propaganda on both sides would function.... MMM. my bread and butter

i think the thing i've put the Most thought into toh-wise is the abomination coven, simply because i am a darius girlie and think about darius All The Time. like i think that the abomination coven has opportunities because there's a lot of capitalist stuff going on, because darius has taken a very libertarian-seeming hands-off approach to running his coven. but you can't apply 1-to-1 real world politics to it because actually, darius """small government""" deamonne is letting people get away with having fake abomination coven sigils and repeatedly break the law and game the empire's systems... all under the guise of "i don't know anything about that. i'm just lazy"

i had Extensive palistrom tree lore (and tragedy) planned in the darius & prev gg fic i outlined, i don't know if i'll ever write it in full but MMM the palistrom trees and the bat queen are on my mind Constantly. also tucking these construction coven thoughts into my back pocket for later use because i hadn't thought much about the infrastructure of the isles' buildings but you're RIGHT. living in portland oregon there's CONSTANT vicious local debate about rebuilding our bridges and older buildings and coastal evacuation plans for when cascadia ruptures, bc most of that wasn't built with a 9.0 earthquake in mind. could definitely pull from. All Of That. LOL

[utilitycaster]

Big D20 and ACOC fan here. The "they won't get the rich lore" argument just also feels so ridiculous from a technical standpoint? Like, CR fans watch long ass episodes, the campaigns for it span over a hundred episodes lmao. I'm pretty sure they're actually primed for lore retention and are fairly used to intricate plot points. I personally can't wait to see Matt take this on and bring in more viewers.

Right! Like...firstly, fans of Critical Role, or Matt, do tend to be massive fucking nerds, and CR in particular is pretty heavy on lore so assuming the worst of them is pretty dumb. Secondly, as I said, there's very few resources for this lore other than watching (requires a subscription) or reading the transcripts of the episodes - and I want to be clear, I don't blame the D20 wiki editors, who have as far as I know been minding their own business - but the people hyping up the rich lore have done nothing to bring that canon to potential new fans, instead just tsk-tsk-ing and saying "you wouldn't get it." Thirdly, I'm going to take a wild guess and say again that Matt and Brennan have gone through the lore together and are going to set the stage adequately for new viewers.

Which is the big thing that I think the people attempting to say "you wouldn't get it unless you've continuously been in the fandom specifically for ACOC for three straight years" are fully missing (and which your ask here does take into account appropriately). Dropout needs subscribers. That is their business model, and D20 is one of the shows that brings in the most new and continuous subscribers since many of the other shows, while great, are unscripted quiz-style shows and permit a more, well, drop in and out style of viewing.

The past few D20 seasons have not been pulling in the same viewership, and we can speculate why that is but it ultimately doesn't matter. They are specifically bringing in a popular and well-known DM, having a group of experienced roleplayers, and returning to this specific beloved setting on purpose to do so - both to mine the overlap in fandom between D20 and CR and perhaps expand it, reach out to fans of Aabria or Anjali, and perhaps bring back in people who watched A Crown of Candy but haven't kept up since. A lot of the discussion truly feels like it paints Matt as "asshole who wandered on set and seized control over my blorbos" and not "person who was very deliberately invited to DM this particular season and has the explicit blessing of Brennan, Sam Reich, and anyone else involved in the decision-making at D20." (I honestly don't know if the D20 powers that be are aware that there's a cohort of D20 fans who just passionately hate CR or Matt but the thing is, if I were a hypothetical executive who was, shall we say, plugged into the fansphere? I'd pick the setting of Calorum specifically so that we retain its passionate fandom, even if they don't like the DM, while also bringing in new fans. It would be the smart business decision, and also pretty funny.)

But also...look. I am certainly not above criticizing fan theories based on poor understanding of lore, or when people are like (smug voice) "well I'm a lore muncher so combat doesn't interest me", or when they respond to thoughtful meta with irrelevant projections. But if someone wants to watch Critical Role and make liveblog posts of "hell yeah, Fearne just stole that guy's watch, iconic" without going deep into the lore? That is absolutely just as valid a form of fandom as writing meta, or fic, or creating fan art, or cosplaying. The same goes for any other show. If you want to get into lore discussions and meta then yes, you should be relatively up on the lore, but if you just want to hang out and enjoy the show? You can show up to episode 1 absolutely cold and pick it up as you go along. It's fine, and anyone saying otherwise is an asshole who does not have good intentions.

[100-yardstare]

I've been thinking about my fic "The Real World" that I wrote in 2014, and the AU I had going on. It has so much potential as a concept and I really just want to ramble about it.

For those of you who haven't/don't want to read it, "The Real World" was basically a Wreck-It Ralph and (very lowkey) Tron Legacy crossover where Programs were allowed into our world, hence the title.

Here's some tidbits on what gave me the idea and some extras in 2024:

When I wrote it, I was focusing on isomorphism and the Bolzmann brain, and rolled with the idea of sentience appearing and manifesting in a digital space. Basically the characters in WIR and other game characters are "alive" because, unbeknownst to humans, their programming has resulted in spontaneous consciousness.

They are a type of AI, yes, but they are also "alive" in a sense that they are biological (albeit artificial) entities. I tried to hint at this in my sequence where my main character/insert finds "the code", but the platform expresses an actual DNA sequence that a human or programmer can manipulate.

Since game characters are created and artificial entities, they are of course beholden to their programming (as in what makes their personalities and memories/backstories) but because you could argue they are based on fictional characters in the real world, they have their own autonomy and can make decisions on their behavior.

A friend and I came up with a concept called "Shell Programs". Later in my fic's lore world, people (specifically a corporation, oops) takes the discovery of Program's as entities, and creates artificial "bodies" that a human mind can insert themselves into. Touches on the basis of transhumanism and the ability to swap the real you for another body. Think on the lines of Ghost in the Shell, but instead of being a cyborg you can physically be a Program entity.

I can imagine after the events of my story there is a lot of political and scientific turmoil, good and bad. Maybe on the lines of Blade Runner type stuff.

I really like brainstorming this idea so if you want to chime in or send me an ask I am all ears!

[wormtime123]

AAAAAAAAAAAA DRAMATURGY EPILOGUEEE

I love the lengthy wrap up of so many loose ends, the slow mend of things torn and that utter contentment to be found with people just existing right there. This is going to be my go-to comfort fic for found family to re-read over and over and over and over

Now I wanna pick your brain on all the bits; worldwalker shapeshifting Gem? Its so coool I love it. When did you decide to give her and others (Scar, Cub?) powers? What did Cub actually do at the end of Grumbot there? What was your favorite part of the epilogue to write? And which part was the most emotional for you? (tough question, I know I can't choose between Pearl & Gem's or Pearl & Grian's conversations)

WHEW dear god thank you for presenting me a pass to go insane on a silver platter. i’ll be putting my answers under a read more so i don’t explode people’s feeds with nonsense

most of the magic decisions made are based ~mostly in what i know about canon, i just ended up filling in some blanks and playing around with what’s already there! i’m endlessly fascinated by gem’s dimension-hopping (empires isn’t addressed in dramaturgy, but i operate on everything she said about her powers in e2) and i think the idea that she can open portals at will and freely travel between worlds/universes in a way that other players can’t is amazing. then the shapeshifting just made sense to me in how she changes her appearance around to fit into whatever character she wants to take on in each world.

cub and scar lore i’m a lot less familiar with since i only know of certain clips about their vex deal, but i kind of treat it similarly to gem in that i assume they can shift their forms around (ie. how often scar changes to fit a character like gem does, cub going from old man to s8 e-boy skin) and have a peculiar knowledge around portals (ie. the big dig, scar using his “wizard portals” to travel between seasons.) however i think gem has a different kind of expertise working with portals with how often she dimension-hops, so those two were kind of just doing unethical science at the rift to see what stuck lol.

the rift on its own is its whole thing in my Fanon Brain, but i have a strong image of it as a living, breathing entity that sucks things in and spits them back out in other spaces indiscriminately. dramaturgy scar describes it as hungry and i think that’s about as apt as it gets. stuck perpetually wanting to consume yet unable to hold anything in. then one of my biggest plot problems to solve was making the story line up with grian’s lore, aka grumbot (prime) getting tossed in the canon timeline ominously hinting at the other grian’s crimes, so i asked myself how dramaturgy hermits could have weaponized the rift and that’s where i landed! i admittedly don’t have a specific answer to how cub would have aggravated the rift enough to make it go hogwild in chapter 10, but i personally just imagined him figuring it out at one point or another by throwing shit in until something worked

dear god this is already getting long but epilogue!!! my answer for favorite scene to write is a little anticlimactic but i love writing all the evo flashbacks. if you couldn’t tell i am completely evo enamored. i love the strange, off-putting, nostalgic innocence of “something unpreventable and life-altering is about to happen and they Don’t Know.” i love them working together to get to the stronghold and entering the end portal thinking it’s going to be another task of teamwork as always and then just *silence* on the other end. amazing incredible tragic love it

(also on that note i loved writing the scene atop the mansion. just one last hermit acting entirely too normal while subjecting pearl to cursed knowledge before we go)

and lastly for most emotional to write i’d definitely say the scene at the hobbit hole! i’ve had that one as well as the sleepover at impulse’s in the back of my mind for so long i’m just glad i got it out. getting there was like the end of an era for me. everything with grian and pearl finally being back together but still not quite on the same page. i think pearl seeing grian so taken aback in the face of the tangible proof of his actions and mumbo’s feelings was the straw that broke the camel’s back, because at this point in the story pearl’s finally willing to see herself in mumbo’s situation. she’s finally realizing how badly she needs this specific closure but grian’s too busy going ???my actions… have consequences? i can’t just run off into the night with no negative impact on the people around me?

(which is of course also a matter of a warped sense of self-image and understanding emotions, but grian will go on murder sprees in the 3rd life time loop box before exercising an ounce of self-reflection, more at 11.) and only after seeing pearl shaking like a sad wet chihuahua clutching this random notebook of his like it’s the sacred texts does he really start to grasp how genuinely bad it’s been for her. like that would have been obvious to anyone who’s normal but whatever. i love studying skyblings like bugs

ANYWAYS. i hope you enjoyed this thought dump and thank you again for the ask i owe you my life

[djarins-cyare]

Okay. So I am fucking halfway through Be-All And Endor (reading on AO3) and I am screaming! The relationship you have built?! The scene descriptions?! All of it is fucking incredible! This is easily one of my favourite Din fics ever and I really just wanted to say thank you for writing this right as I got to the moment I didn’t know I need in my life, because this exists “Ni kar’tayli gar darasuum” and it’s beautiful.

When I say I had to shove my face in a pillow to screech like a pterodactyl and not wake up the house, I mean it! That entire chapter was nerve-wracking and the fight scenes?! I’ve written a few for a different fandom and these are at the level I aspire to achieve. The detail alone is phenomenal and it feels like I am right there forced to make a decision on what to do in order to save our favourite beskar-wearing bounty hunter.

So, as I go back to AO3 and the rest of that chapter, thank you. Seriously. The love and passion you had while writing and researching this fic paid off so much because it is so beautiful to read about the language and the lore in the SWU that we never get to see in fics. I can’t put into words how much I love this.

@desert-fern

Fern! Omg ✨thank you✨ for this fucking beautiful bout of inspiration! I woke up to it this morning and it was the best start to the day 🥰

I’ve been seriously lacking in motivation lately, but hearing someone has enjoyed my writing to the extent of inadvertent Jurassic creature mimicry… I’m so grateful to know you’re enjoying it!!

I find fight scenes so difficult to write. All the ‘camera angles’ and character movements to properly document so the reader can follow along, ugh. It’s weirdly mathematical and logistical before it can become creative and beautiful again. One of those things they never tell you about writing, that it takes both sides of the brain. Anyhow, I’m glad you were able to immerse yourself successfully and enjoy the heartfelt reward at the end!

Of course, there’s a link between writing good fight scenes and writing good smut, so hopefully in a couple of chapters you’ll be channeling a pterodactyl again 😏🔥

You have my undying gratitude for sending me your thoughts, it’s a fucking privilege to write for lovely people like you 💖💖💖

BONUS FACT: The fight scene below was an inspiration for chapter 20 of Be-All And Endor! It’s rare in the show, but I love it when Din actually engages in weaponless fisticuffs 🥵

[undeadbanjos]

So... About the Engie theory

Don't.. Don't shoot yet.

So. If you read ALWY you saw the chapter I posted today.

The chapter that had the base of my idea for

Who the hell is this guy in the lore?

If you haven't read ALWY. Well. I don't blame you. It's ending with 80 chapters. Yes I'm insane. And this might sound stupid. But oh well.

Here's the basis.

This moment was the start of it. The moment you, the captain are holding on to Mark for dear life. The moment you are making the biggest decision of the run. The moment where

Actually, where everything went to shit in the first place.

What made me start thinking was something Mark said during the in space explaination

Which yes, that is the center of what Mark's CU boil down to as like... A theme.

But BEFORE that. He says this:

He goes on to say that with the multitude of different universe, this can be the bridge to all of it coming together. That while, yes this story takes place in the future, this moment.... may not That Engie, creating the warp core and catastrophic worm hole is what created this entire cinematic universe. That our Engie, dangling over the rift in space time with you holding on to him, is accidently creating universes in which you and he, have a role. His personalities split, and so do yours.

"Okay Banjos you lost me."

Hold on. Hah. Hold on. But seriously.

Mark says in this that Actor, Wilford, and Dark are more so different parts of his personality. And well.

Engie has his moments that represent... All of them.

Engineer Mark is the most complicated character, probably the one we spend the most time with. He has multiple arcs. Sometimes we come across us and he's gone mad. Sometimes he's melded well within the universe he's in. Sometimes he's murderous, sometimes he's overly confident, sometimes he's a big ol sweetie heart.

No. No. I'm not saying Engie is actor. That's already debunked. Look up at the last screenshot silly goose.

I'm saying Actor is part of Engie.

And so are the rest of them.

"Well what about Illinois, Magnum, Murdock, Yancy-"

Okay okay yeah. I don't have evidence to back up all of those. And they might not be connected. But. I... I always found these parts of Space Part II...... A little weird.

You as the captain can break Mark into doing whatever the hell he's doing and just.

Remember.

I think these are just parts of him thrust into different stories. Not full blown parts of his personality. But

Another Mark. In another situation. In another what if-

This is.... Making less and less sense. But I think the very basis is there.

It's... Something. Im not stomping my foot and saying

This is it and I don't want to hear anything else.

And I mean. This is just based on things that Mark said. I am very likely not the first person to like. Pioneer this. I really didn't want to bring it up until I did in my fic.

And now THAT'S done so.

I dunno. Discuss. Yell at me. It's just a theory

A SPACE THEORY

Okay I'll see myself out

[mischievouschan4]

Ok I just want to send a hug and an apology for ever leaving you and Transference, it's amazing!!! I just read it, some of it again, and I am wordless with admiration, feeling like I have a thousand questions but am unable to articulate them. Alone the grey Jedi teachings... Please can we talk about that, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Omg dude, DOOOD!!! Srsly no need to apologize ever! Hahaha I am so easy, like, I'm just happy you're enjoying the fic! 😭🥰💕💕💕 (But your compliments are super nice!!!!!!!)

As for Grey Jedi lore (a hot topic for some people, I know), I have LOTS of thoughts! I've watched so many video essays about this on YouTube and have become heavily influenced by this one lol. It has a few main points I really want to incorporate into Transference:

The video talks about how the Jedi live this ascetic lifestyle where they deny themselves everything (pleasure, strong emotions, love, etc), which is the exact opposite of Sith's "life in the fast lane" mentality - the video has a great quote "the Sith are willing to exchange suffering for life affirming experiences...[to get the full spectrum of life]". This includes embracing all of those ugly emotions that the Jedi swear off. Realistically, I strongly believe moderation is the way to go. If I think about my own life, I'd get bored in one situation and burnt out in the other, so Grey Jedi philosophy represents that middle ground when it comes to using the Force in a healthy, sustainable, "happy" way. From a character perspective, I think the story of Star Wars told in the Prequels (and maybe the Clone Wars show?) just really showcases how hard it was to actually follow the Jedi Code? Our main characters were so miserable because they had to keep fighting against their natural inclinations to care/love/think. Obviously, there are characters who uphold the stereotypical Jedi lifestyle impeccably (Yoda, Mace, the rest of the Council, etc.), but not every Force user feels that way (Dooku, Qui-Gon, Anakin, and especially Obi-Wan - all of his characterizations in the books are of him struggling with his feelings)! Why should they continue to deny themselves? It's like being subjugated to a school of thought that was only imposed on them just because they were born a certain way (if they weren't Force users, they would be free to love and marry and have kids without judgement).

Obviously, I do think full Sith mentality isn't healthy either, if you're constantly seeking more power, more strength, more more more, it's like an addiction that spirals. The Sith see power as the path to freedom so they can bulldoze through anything and anyone that challenges them, but in that pursuit they actually lose their rational thought sometimes to the pull of greed. On the other hand, Jedi see freedom as freedom of the mind. If you can completely separate your decisions from your desires, you've conquered the possibility of making "bad" or "wrong" choices. But emmm... yeah, who does this? I think this is a great example that shows that neither side in isolation is sustainable.

Additionally, the Sith believe that constant conflict/strife make you stronger, so they are constantly testing and pushing their limits to the extremes to ensure they are as powerful as possible (a lot of it coming from strong emotions like hate and anger, which are TOTALLY HEALTHY to express). I think it ties really nicely with this famous video about the quote that goes, “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times” (G. Michael Hopf). I feel like the Jedi Order was kind of just going through this degenerative process during the Prequels Era - the long peace had allowed them to become kind of complacent in their use of their Force. Basically, they had established a "safe zone" of Force use with this HUGE buffer away from anything Dark Side related that kept anyone from Falling accidentally, but also restricted people from reaching their full potential. So in Transference, Obi-Wan needs to break through the "norms" established by the Jedi in order, he needs to push himself to the point of struggle, in order to prepare to train Anakin (who is just Boss level skilled). But I don't think the struggle is purely physical for Obi-Wan (as I portray it for Maul), it's more mental and spiritual for him? Specifically, how deeply he explores the Dark Side and how uncomfortable that makes him based on everything he's been taught.

This video also delves into Nietzsche's Master Slave morality (with religious themes), which is SUPER interesting. Idk if it'll make it into Transference because it's a bit sophisticated for my brain to comprehend, but essentially, the Sith align with Master morality and the Jedi align with Slave morality. Master morality being that it is the duty of the strong to rule over the weak because they need that "guidance". We can see this embodied in the structure of the Empire. On the other hand, Slave morality values things like kindness, self-sacrifice, obedience, etc., which Nietzsche argues is just what those who are not strong enough to rule have tricked themselves into thinking are good traits. AKA that the Jedi are so focused on dogma only because if people deviate or question the Code, then it'll become clear that they don't actually have control over anything. The Jedi Order according to Nietzsche would be full of conformity and suppressing talent for the sake of maintaining equilibrium within the pack (that buffer previously mentioned). Transference is about Obi-Wan showing the Council that it IS possible to step outside that established boundary and not Fall because Jedi with strong convictions are able to stick to their principles even with temptation all around them. I don't think I'm explaining it very well, but the video is great!

ANYWAYS, just my two cents on this topic in another essay for you, Wibz 😅 Hope it wasn't too much! My take is that if you incorporate ideas from both sides, life is balanced and you're not miserable. Obi-Wan will finally allow himself to be pissed about everything that happened before 😌 I'd love to shout at you anytime about Grey Jedi!!!!

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

MORE QUESTIONS

what other fandoms do you enjoy outside of ASOIAF?

Lmao, the big list of Things Misa Enjoys

I very much enjoy anime & manga. I got infected with those brain worms back in high school, & they simply will not leave. Particularly into Sailor Moon, which I haven't stopped thinking about since 1999, (I have OCs for that & a fic I'm gonna one day sit down & plot out beyond This Is The Vibe. I have a few things floating around in my brain, but I just haven't made the time to do anything with it. Maybe since I'm at reception for 6 hours I'll do that 🤷🏻‍♀️) & JoJo's (I also have OCs for this one, but no fic. I do have a homebrewed ttrpg system to run a JoJo's campaign with, though. But I need to finish statting enemy Stand Users & some character design. Also it's not a priority because I have an asoiaf campaign trilogy to finish running). I don't read or watch anything with the quickness, so I haven't watched a ton of newer anime or made that much of a dent in my reading of Berserk, but I do enjoy both newer stuff and Berserk. I even have a couple figures from Demon Slayer, which is probably my favorite newer series? It feels very nostalgic to the series I grew up watching.

I was into the Netflix Witcher series, but I haven't been able to bring myself to finish season 3. No amount of Joey Batey tits or confirmed pansexual Jaskier can really build my hype back up when I've heard the last bit of s3 sucked & I know I probably won't watch season 4. I have collected all but the last book of short stories though, so once I've worked through more of my books I need to give a fair shake before donating I plan to start those & get into The Witcher proper.

The Elder Scrolls is very good & fun, & I know the plots of all the mainline games even though I've only ever actually played Skyrim to completion. I have...I have so many OCs for that. And a fic I'm slowly working on that tells the story of the Dawnguard DLC by way of Lapsed Viglant Of Stendarr & Werewolf Vampire Hunter Are Forcibly Adopted As Serana's New Parents (and also I am confirming Serana as, like, eternally 19 because she feels very teenagery/early 20s-y to me). Fun fact: two of my current very close friends (my Platonic Wife included) were made by way of TES (and then another friend was introduced to me by a TES friend). So, thanks for your service, Todd Howard. Y'know, I guess.

It feels very "What are your hobbies? / Magnets." to say, but, like, dolls in general. I've collected porcelain dolls since I was little (but that collection got pared down massively when I moved from Texas), & I'm currently working through a clean/restore/dress/display of my old Bratz dolls. I've also dropped real adult money on dolls to (out of box, bc it sparks joy) display in my apartment. Specifically the Sasha (my best girl) Rock Angelz repro I waited almost a full year to see drop, Heather Greyson from Shadow High, & The Pride Bratz (I had a giftcard). I need to finish cleaning my old Bratz before I drop money on more though. So I know my shelving situation, lmao.

I am not not into Dragon Age, but I also complain about it all the time. I refuse to engage with it in a multimedia way. What I cannot learn by playing the games/have told to me in those games is simply not for me to know. Just...the way the franchise is handled & how it feels very obvious that Bioware wants to tell an incredibly specific story (while still allowing for character creation?), all the lore decisions they're making that feel like retcons/throw away everything I got invested in early (hello the dwarves & the dalish & Alistair's everything), & the increasing non-optional nature of the comics & books...it brings my blood to boil. The games are fun though! I have fun playing the games! And my personal Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor trios can be pried from my cold, dead hands!

I'm gonna be real, I know much more about Th Old World Of Darkness than Vampie v5, but I am into Vampire The Masquerade. This is, again, a "I have learned everything in bursts of hyperfixation that last a varying length of time," but I would very much like to take one of my two special vampire boys out for a spin one day. Because they're there! They exist & they are appropriately melodramatic, & I love them. Evil, fucked up, Hecata thug & flouncy, Catholic For The Aesthetic Toreador music producer my beloveds 💕