#trolley writes

[trolleybitch]

wip wednesday 🎁

let's celebrate the end of nanowrimo with a little work-in-progress wednesday! here's a snippet from solstice that i wrote a little while ago now, with some soft fluffy boys in the snow:

‘I should probably head off,’ Scorpius said, raising his wrist to indicate his watch. 

‘I know,’ Albus said. He took half a step forwards and bit his lip. ‘But you have snow-’ he stretched out his arm towards Scorpius ‘-in your hair.’

Scorpius stood paralysed as Albus reached up and ever so gently brushed a hand through his hair. The December air was cold and he could feel the heat of Albus’s hand near his skin as he pulled back, the very slightest brush of his finger across the sensitive skin just in front of his ear. Albus let his hand drop down to his side but didn’t step backwards. Even in the dim light Scorpius could see the freckles scattered across his nose, could see the falling snowflakes in the reflection of his eyes. 

‘Thanks,’ he managed. His voice was barely more than a strangled squeak. 

Albus looked at him for a few seconds, and Scorpius thought he saw the hint of a struggle in his expression - like he was trying to hold something back. ‘Any time,’ he said eventually, his voice low and soft. He still didn’t move backwards. 

this is my in-progress monster-length scorbus post-cc fic, which is finally nearing completion and will hopefully be coming to an AO3 near you in 2023!

if you'd like to read more, we can play the wip game: send me a word and i'll share a sentence where it appears! i have over 200k words to select from now :)

[trans-androgyne]

“If you believe in sexism against men, you must believe in racism against white people!”

No??? Begging people to stop cobbling together their feminism by copy + pasting racial dynamics onto sex and gender dynamics. You can’t just say “oh, I get it, men are the white people of gender!” and call it a day.

If white people were to be prescribed rigid roles under racism to the point where any minor deviation is severely punished often with violence, then yes, I would say the structure of racism is negatively impacting non-conforming white people.

As a transmasc, though, I am very aware that manhood and masculinity are extremely heavily policed under patriarchy. Those men who conform are on top and get plenty of benefits from the system. But anyone under patriarchy who does not conform to the prescribed roles of “amab = masculine man” and “afab = feminine woman” (sexism!) is in fact very much punished.

A man who wears a skirt or paints his nails is punished. A man who has “feminine” interests or does “women’s work” is punished. A man who shows the wrong emotions is punished. And a man who was assigned female at birth is most certainly punished (for breaking both the rules of man = amab and afab = woman). This is all sexism. Calling it that does not imply that men do not benefit from patriarchy. But it does mean you have to confront sexist ideas you may yourself hold about both women and men.

[chaoticallyfluffy]

Ok consider:

A new hero emerges and the Justice League watches him for a while who make sure he’s not a threat. They see this giant clumsy man who moves like he’s not used to his body, smiles goofily every time he saves someone, and is clearly inexperienced with his powers and they’re all just like. Ah. This is a child.

Except they don’t think he’s a ten year old or however old Billy is at the time, no no. Clearly this hero came into existence shortly before his first appearance, just a few months ago. They don’t know how or why but It’s not the weirdest thing they’ve seen so it’s pretty easy to believe.

But they can’t just leave this toddler with the powers of a god to stumble around and potentially hurt someone by accident, nor go down the wrong path and become a villain. So of course they decide to ‘subtly’ guide him without alerting him to the fact they’re onto him.

They introduce themselves but instead of inviting him to the league they pop by every once in a while to ‘subtly’ teach him about responsibility and power, but also about love and humanity. They try to teach him to enjoy life and that he doesn’t have to act like an adult around them, instead encouraging him to enjoy his childhood even if it’s not an ordinary one.

(Too bad the Justice League suck at subtlety.)

Billy is certain they somehow found out he’s a kid before they even met him, probably because of Batman’s freaky know-it-all powers, but he isn’t very worried as they seem nice and don’t treat him like he’s dumb or fragile. They respect him as a hero despite his age so he lets himself act like a kid around them after a while.

When he gets comfortable enough to detransform Billy thinks that’s his identity reveal. The league thinks that he magicked himself a body that’s more of a representation of his true self and fits his developmental age better, possibly as a way to blend in with humans and experience what it’s like to be a normal child. Good for him!

Basically Billy gets a bunch of super powered parents and the Justice League get a newborn man that they think they’re raising from scratch lol

[bluvlet]

contemplating…whatever you were contemplating.

[nootcatt]

TGCF and the Literary Tropes

Okay so this is a long text post, but its something I've been through and discussing a lot.

I’ve mentioned this before, but let me say it more clearly: in my opinion, there’s no such thing as being “doomed by the narrative” in Heaven Official’s Blessing (TGCF) by MXTX. It’s an important distinction because it sets MXTX’s storytelling apart from other narratives where characters are often victims of fate with no real agency. MXTX understands probability, and does not operate by the ‘but what if!’.

For those unfamiliar with the term, “doomed by the narrative” refers to a trope where a character’s fate is sealed or predetermined by the structure of the story itself. Essentially, it means that no matter what the character does—regardless of their actions, intentions, or desires—the plot is already designed to lead them toward an inevitable downfall, failure, or tragic end. It’s a form of narrative determinism, where the story traps a character in an inescapable fate. This idea is commonly seen in tragedies or stories centered around themes of fate and destiny, where even the audience often feels that sense of looming disaster, even if the character does not.

While TGCF is a novel rich with themes of fate and destiny, it doesn’t employ the “doomed by the narrative” trope. Instead, the story revolves around other different ideas, such as “you reap what you sow.” In TGCF, the characters—especially the gods—face the consequences of their own actions. From the Banyue Arc to the final arc, we consistently see this pattern. No character suffers without reason, and no fate is forced upon them by the structure of the story itself. Their actions, choices, and motivations directly shape their outcomes.

In TGCF, fate is not something manipulated by MXTX to move the plot forward or force a tragic conclusion. She doesn’t kill off characters just because it serves the story or because she’s trying to make a point about destiny. Instead, fate in TGCF functions more like an ecosystem—a natural cycle where actions have consequences. It’s a world where what goes around comes around, and every character is accountable for the decisions they make.

Consider the Blackwater Arc (FengShui Di Arc) as an example. Many have discussed this before, so it’s not something you have never come across. It’s a key moment in understanding how fate operates in TGCF. Shi Wudu is faced with an impossible moral dilemma, a classic “trolley problem.” He has to choose between sacrificing the life of a stranger and their family or allowing his beloved younger brother, Shi Qingxuan, to die a death more tragic than anyone can imagine. For Shi Wudu, this is not a simple decision; he has dedicated his entire life to protecting his brother. Older brothers are like parents, to their younger siblings. Shi Wudu does not regret making the decision he did. In the end, he makes the choice to switch the tracks, saving his brother at the cost of another’s life and family.

As the arc unfolds, we see that Shi Wudu must also face the consequences of his decision. He is driven mad by the end of the arc, and his punishment is both brutal and symbolic—his head is ripped off, an echo of the price he paid for his brother’s safety. Shi Wudu made a choice that could be viewed as understandable or even noble, but he also committed a grave wrong. And in the world of TGCF, he reaps what he sowed. Even in his final moments, He Xuan gives Shi Wudu a choice, he can still reverse the tracks and fix it, or die at the hands of the person he chose over him, and Shi Wudu stands by his decision, telling Shi Qingxuan, “Gege will go ahead and wait for you.” He does not regret his sacrifice. He is killed for it. His end is a form of cosmic justice. Despite the tragedy, there’s no sense that he was doomed from the start—his downfall is the direct result of his own actions.

This principle also applies to He Xuan. “But He Xuan suffered so much; he deserved his revenge.” That’s the point. He Xuan’s story is not one of a man doomed by fate, but rather a man consumed by revenge. He Xuan, who endured unimaginable suffering and betrayal, chose to devote his existence to vengeance. He had already avenged his suffering by killing the people responsible—he became a Ghost King, devoured the Jinx Demon, and infiltrated heaven. He gained power, status, and acceptance among the Heavenly Officials. Shi Wudu changed his fate so that he could no longer ascend? Here he is, a god (and an elemental god, instead of a civil god like he would have been if his fate hadn’t been switched). He could have lived peacefully, yet his obsession with revenge defined every move he made.

Even when He Xuan had achieved everything he should have wanted—status, wealth, respect—he couldn’t let go. His fixation on vengeance led him to destroy the very peace he could have had. By the end of the arc, when Shi Wudu asks if he’s happy, He Xuan’s answer is a hollow “yes,” fueled by the sight of Shi Wudu’s suffering. But as Shi Wudu points out, this revenge has changed nothing. Shi Qingxuan, despite the tragedies, had lived a better, fuller life than He Xuan. Shi Wudu’s words break He Xuan, driving him into a final fit of rage where he decapitates Shi Wudu and refuses to let Shi Qingxuan die, just to prevent the brothers from reuniting in death. What does he get in the end? Nothing, but the head of Shi Wudu and a life time of brooding in the nether water manor.This act of spite is not the work of a man doomed by narrative fate—it’s the result of He Xuan’s choices, driven by his inability to let go of vengeance.

In conclusion, TGCF does not operate on the idea that its characters are “doomed by the narrative.” MXTX creates a world where actions have consequences, where fate is shaped by the decisions characters make, and where justice—whether deserved or tragic—is always a direct result of their choices. The characters in TGCF are not trapped by an unavoidable destiny but by the weight of their own actions. It’s a powerful form of storytelling that places responsibility on the characters themselves, rather than the structure of the story.

[arthursfuckinghat]

I'm still on chapter two of my second run but I'm learning and questioning a lot about Dutch the more I stay at camp.

The way he flicks from "you were always special to me, Arthur" to "I know you'll betray me in the end, you're the type" in the same day - and how frankly unfazed Arthur is to any of this really makes me wonder what it was really like for him growing up with Dutch as one of his parental figures.

Was it normal for Dutch to go back on his praises so often? Was it normal for Arthur to not take Dutch's words to heart because he knows he probably won't mean it? Did Arthur grow up having to be desensitised to any kind of praise because of Dutch's constant hot and cold reactions? What part did Hosea have in helping Arthur understand Dutch's ways?

Did anybody else see how Dutch (and partly Hosea, he isn't free of blame either) was indoctrinating Arthur through all their years together? How Dutch had perfectly crafted Arthur into being his personal work horse and guard dog?

Even in his final breaths, Arthur did not once blame Dutch for his demise or express any anger, he simply confessed how much he had tried and given Dutch all he had. He was hurt and exhausted and confused, the man who raised him had left him to die again.

He had chosen Micah, a man Dutch had known for not even a fraction of the time he had known Arthur, because Micah tells Dutch all the things he wants to hear.

Whereas Arthur asks questions, offers suggestions and isn't afraid to express his opinion - All the things Dutch dislikes and tends to mock him for (take the 'I insist' conversation for example), he sees it as a question of his authority and his 'faith' ideals.

Dutch seemed to need Arthur so much more than Arthur needed Dutch, was he afraid that Arthur would realise that?

Was Dutch threatened by Arthurs place in the gang?

[poorlydrawngatekeeper]

... So as to not amasseth any questions along the lines of "Wherefore didst thine Tumblr Blogge cometh about?", I ask ye, co-workers, ...Toons, all which find mine Tumblr Blogge and think to thineselves, "Truly, she has lost her marbles with the advent of one such Blogge!", know ye have the ability to simply... turneth away. That all being said, do be advised! Mine Blogge is neithereth a Playgrounde, nor a space that which wouldst be closedeth off for none to explore. Simply leave questions for me, and I shall see to its response. Or deletion. Depending. I do request politeness in such queries, but it does happen to be the Interwebbes...

[chamerionwrites]

In full seriousness I think it’s valid to dislike a story for all kinds of reasons, including “it’s just not my jam.” Where I get deeply irritable is when people say “XYZ is a bad story (often with the implied or explicit corollary “and anyone who writes or enjoys such a story is bad”) because it asks me to care about and/or show interest in understanding characters I find annoying/unpleasant/weak/otherwise flawed, and/or generally makes me uncomfortable.”

This is because I unironically believe that pathological unwillingness to sit with discomfort is (1) the death of empathy and curiosity, (2) an extremely powerful tool for oppression, and (3) a serious societal problem especially in societies that benefit from said oppression.

[hungharrington]

https://twitter.com/crazyclipsonly/status/1734564257205789002?s=46&t=7bNIYySNK7hQ6YWwlVUrAw

JAAAAY this guy is Steve coded 🤭

HAHAHA not the pure excitement dissolving into disappointment…. i truly believe u could pavlov steve so easily by doing the same thing every time you blow him, give him a handjob, etc - like you always say, “alright there, handsome?” or touch the nape of his neck and he wouldn’t even REALISE he’s making associations until you do it at an inconvenient time— like when he’s trying to pick your apples for the week and you scratch lovingly at his neck and ask him if he’s alright handsome and steve’s suddenly like woah whATS HAPPENING?? WHY AM I POPPING A BONER RIGHT NOW??? his concerned face looking to you for help and well, you’re just giggling your wee heart out :) being like “wow, didn’t realise apples got you going babe” and he’s deadpan like “what have you done to me”

[eriquin]

Time Travel AU The Trolley Problem master post

Since I'm going to be posting this serially on tumblr until I figure out a good name for it, I'm gathering all the links here.

Summary

Steve Harrington goes to sleep sometime after the apocalypse and wakes up in October of 1983. He remembers what’s going to happen. No one else does.

Part 1: Pancakes Part 2: The Bet Part 3: The Game Part 4: High School Part 5: Nancy Part 5.5: Robin Part 6: Jonathan Part 7: Dad Advice Part 8: Back to School Part 9: Spinning Eddie a Story Part 10: Failing to Convince Eddie Part 11: Eddie Reconsiders Part 12: The Sword Part 13: The Book Part 14: The Plan Part 15: School Daze Part 16: Fight with Carol and Tommy Part 17: An Attempt at Reconciliation Part 18: Sunday Part 19: The Demogorgon Part 20: Finishing the Fight Part 21: The Party Grows (apparently I posted this on December 3rd and forgot to make a note of it. I've screwed up the posts entirely. This is what I get for not keeping up with my notes.) Part 22: In It For Real Part 23: A Hasty Exit and a New Plan Part 24: Monday Part 25: The Party Part 26: The Wizard and The Paladin Part 27: The Storm Part 28: Eleven Part 29: Tuesday Part 30: No Quick Breakfast Part 31: Wayne Part 32: Trap building Part 33: The Ambush Part 34: The Pool Part 35: Heather's Party Part 36: Chief Hopper Part 37: Clean Up and Deal With It Part 38: Wayne Returns Part 39: Back to School Part 40: Nancy's Suspicions Part 41: Tommy and the Boys Part 42: Insurance Part 43: Hopper's Investigation Part 44: Robin and Steve Part 45: Hawkins Power and Light Part 46: Grounded Part 47: Will's Decision Part 48: Lost and Found Part 49: Will's Brainstorm, The Terrible Plan Part 50: The Kids Are Not All Right Part 51: The Suspicious Lab Part 52: The Bait and The Trap Part 53: The Vanishing of Will Byers Part 54: Wayne and Hopper Part 55: Claudia's Sympathies

This is now up on ao3 under the title The Trolley Problem

[trolleybitch]

trolley does nano days 10-17!

well. remember how a couple of posts ago i said that everything was going suspiciously well and i expected a disaster to strike? OH BOY did i predict the future with that sentence!!!!

after a delightful day 10, i then spent most of the evening/night of day 11 in hospital a&e. thankfully i didn't need surgery but i spent the next few days in a lot of pain and severely sleep-deprived, and then days 15 and 16 gradually getting better thanks to a bunch of medication and shitty christmas movies. that makes 5 whole days where i did no writing whatsoever, and my beautiful 3k headstart has been destroyed :'(

i'm feeling pretty much back to normal now, just slightly achey and bearing a giant bruise on my arm from badly-administered blood tests, and i have finally been able to have a proper work-and-nano day today with a count of 2193. my stats tell me it'll take 2108 words a day to catch up, so let us all manifest an absence of further medical issues and a smoother path to the end of the month!

[amarriageoftrueminds]

I found an old meta post of @hansbekhart 's where they were talking about what public transport would've been like in Brooklyn in Steve and Bucky's day, suggesting someone might like to have a try and combining two maps to show both the subway and tramway / trolley system.

And as a meta nerd I thought I'd have a crack at i!

So here is Steve and Bucky's Brooklyn

just-subway, just-trolleys, and both subway + trolleys:

[avoidcrow]

Captain, editing my part of our fanfic: Also do you want to keep the UK spellings? Because the first thing I have seen is the word 'neighbours'

Me: Just kill me

[bluvlet]

some random scenes from a trolley problem fic i will never finish writing

[curiosity-killed]

I think my biggest question for the whole trigun universe is how so many goddamn pianos made it into space. My second question is about Knives’ pipe organ on a spaceship

[sezja]

Morning

(Note: This story is set before Jeryk started identifying as a boy.)

"Thaffe."

"Mm..."

"Thaffe! C'mon, wake up!"

Reluctantly, Thaffe drags his eyes open. It's early, so early - but not so early Jeryk isn't already wide-awake and impatient, clearly having waited exactly as long as she means to for him to wake of his own accord. She's kneeling on the floor by his bed, arms folded on the edge of the mattress, eyeing him with a fierce intensity in her green eyes.

She's cracked one of the shutters open, and Light spills into the room, as glaringly insistent as she is. It pins a halo on Jeryk's frizzy golden hair... and makes Thaffe consider retreating back under the blankets where it's safe and dark.

Something of the thought must've shown on his face, because Jeryk frowns. With all the wounded betrayal a seven-year-old can muster, she declares, "You said you wanted to come with me this morning!"

He did say that. He remembers saying it last night, while they were whispering conspiratorially under the blankets so Jeryk's parents wouldn't hear - it'd seemed like a grand idea: watching the morning shift miners ride off in the trolley while the rest of the town slept. Jeryk's been doing it for a week now, sneaking out of bed. Thaffe had finally asked what his friend was up to - though maybe he should've guessed all along. And he'd let himself be talked into coming along this morning.

But it'd seemed like a better idea before he realized it'd mean getting out of bed so early.

As he hesitates, though, Jeryk's lower lip quivers.

"Fine, I'm coming," he grumbles, tossing the blanket off and blinking in the Light. Jeryk grins, revealing two proud gaps in her teeth, before bounding eagerly toward the door.

"Come on, come on, we'll be late and we'll miss it!"

Still bleary-eyed, Thaffe follows in his excited friend's wake through the house, letting her chatter about the trolley wash over him. Ardin, Jeryk's father, is already awake as well, working on some small project on the kitchen table - he spares the children an amused glance as they pass through, lifting an eyebrow at Thaffe's presence, but he says nothing to halt them. Thaffe had wondered if Jeryk's parents - his own foster parents - knew what their child was up to every morning.

Evidently, no one's surprised.

Outside, the town feels strange: quieter, emptier than Thaffe's used to. Jeryk continues babbling, leading the way, untroubled - all that matters to her is the trolley, of course. The heart of town is a little busier: weary miners making their way to the trolley, hauling themselves and their tools up the ladder to find a seat. They talk among themselves, too quiet for Thaffe to make out, but he recognizes most of them, even through his drowsy haze.

There's Guthjon, who winks at the two of them as he spots their approach. "Ah, poor Thaffe," he says, leaning down over the trolley's railing. "She's got you wrapped around her finger already!"

"Thaffe wanted to see the trolley today, too," Jeryk says cheerily, ignoring - or not noticing - the tease. "So I brought him along."

"He looks fit to doze off on his feet, poor tyke," another miner says, laughing. "We'll never make a miner out of you, lad!"

He's too sleepy to think of a proper retort, and when he opens his mouth to do so, he only yawns - and the moment is gone. He can't claim he's not half-asleep, not when they're both standing here in their bedclothes anyway. Jeryk might be wide-awake and bushy-tailed, but Thaffe plans to go right back to sleep the moment she decides it's time to go home.

"Right, out of the way, you two! Jeryk, you know the rules." That's Skuli's father, Thaffe realizes with a jolt - surprised, though he's not sure why. Magnus is one of the senior engineers now, now that many of the mystel have begun packing up and leaving Twine behind. There are few engineers present this morning, and he supposes Magnus could just as easily be there to see off his wife, one of the miners heading out for the day. He gently waves them off.

He doesn't have much time to ruminate on it, though, before Jeryk seizes his hand and hauls him up the stairs of the scaffolding above the trolley. "We have to stay out of their way," she informs him, matter-of-factly, taking the stairs two at a time, never mind her short legs (or Thaffe's bleariness). "Otherwise the Talos will step on us!"

Thaffe's not sure that's true.

But he's not sure he wants to find out, either.

Besides, it does give them a good view of the trolley: the miners all sitting together on the car, chatting among themselves as they wait for the last stragglers to make their way over - some of them looking just as tired as Thaffe himself, and with a full day's work ahead of them! Magnus and his wife, Agna, share a quiet conversation while they wait, while Magnus performs a perfunctory check of the rails.

And then the Talos stirs.

It's easy, Thaffe thinks, to grow accustomed to the hulking thing from a distance. Every child in Twine knows to stay well away from the tracks and the Talos, if only because the Stoneworks will have their hides if anything damages the golems. He's mostly seen them from a safe distance, then, returning the trolleys home and setting out with the next batch of miners; he's never seen them quite so close. This one steps out from beneath him, shaking the ground with every step, rattling the scaffolding.

Jeryk beams, clapping in eager excitement.

Thaffe finds he's grinning too, clutching the scaffolding and leaning over to watch the Talos step ponderously into position. Each step makes the earth tremble, like a pulse - the pulse of Twine itself, the heart of the town. The giant takes hold of the trolley as it does each morning, looming over it, ready to set off.

Thaffe realizes he's holding his breath.

With a great sparking of the trolley's wheels, the Talos pushes onward, heaving the miners off to their work for the day. Jeryk bounces to her feet, cheering it on, clapping as if they've just witnessed a performance rather than the same mundane process the miners carry out each morning... but maybe she's right, after all. Maybe there is something special about the trolleys. Thaffe still feels the Talos' footsteps in his bones, long after the golem has vanished into the distance.

"See? See? Isn't it incredible?" Jeryk's eyes are bright; her cheeks flushed. "I told you you'd like it!"

"You did," he admits, ruffling her messy hair. "You did, at that."

"So you'll come tomorrow, too?"

With the excitement fading, he finds he's still sleepy; he wants very much to climb right back into bed and sleep 'til Jeryk's mother comes to wake them properly. The idea of getting up so early again makes him want to yawn again. But the eager glitter in Jeryk's eyes and the memory of the Talos' steps thrumming in his veins are compelling, too.

So what he says is, "Of course I will."