#undertow vs

[alexanderlightweight]

hi!!! if you haven't done it yet and are interested, i would love to see undertow magnus having tell ragnor and cat how he accidentally acquired a mate and their reactions

here we go! i hope you enjoy

<3 lumine

—

It isn’t until Magnus is brushing a sleeping Alexander’s hair that he realizes the sudden problem he has.

Alexander fuses sleepily, snuffling the pillow and shifting closer to Magnus. There are creases from the sheets on his cheek and he looks both young and timeless.

Alexander thinks that Magnus has been wooing him towards exclusively, and while most courtships allow for casual sex during, Magnus doesn’t think Alexander is the sharing type.

Magnus isn’t either. Not with this.

So if this is going to work. Then no one that Magnus has slept with during the period of their courtship can continue to live.

Not if Magnus wants this new relationship safe.

And Magnus finds himself suddenly feeling very protective.

—

He calls Cat before his third stop, because the warlock he’s about to take care of is a mutual acquaintance. 

And a healer.

Which means that Cat might enjoy access to her library, since Selene has always been famously stingy with her books.

Cat gives him a look that Magnus hardly thinks is deserved when she portals in across from him.

“I thought we agreed to avoid Selene after Ragnor lost that book to her during the whale migration bet. Solidarity and all that.”

“Yes, well Ragnor also wants that book back and it is nearly his birthday.” 

Magnus doesn’t actually remember Ragnor’s birthday but he’s fairly certain neither does Ragnor so it’s fine. 

They tend to assign each other the closest season as a birthday and that’s worked well enough for all of them.

Cat raises an eyebrow and huffs at him and Magnus sighs.

“You’re better with bloodstains and this could be a bit—“ Magnus wrinkles his nose. “Messy.”

Cat blinks at him incredulously and then she sighs, shaking her head. 

“Ragnor’s book doesn’t warrant her demise, no matter how much Ragnor complains.” Cat adds the last part quickly, already knowing Magnus’ response.

Magnus opens his mouth for a moment to bullshit and then stops.

He’s hardly ashamed of his new lover and while Cat might judge his lack of awareness, she also works better knowing the full picture.

It’s with a slightly haughty expression that Magnus explains and he glowers at her when Catarina starts laughing.

It’s belly deep, her head thrown back as she laughs and it’s only because of how dear she is that Magnus ignores the rather obnoxious display of mirth.

— Magnus very specifically always forgets all the times he’s laughed at her in turn — 

“Oh Magnus,” Cat finally gets out, wiping at her eyes and nose. “Oh only you. Once you tell him, Ragnor is going to create a list of all the  possible clues you’ve missed and spend decades going over it with you.”

Magnus sighs but allows it with good humor. Joy can be a rare thing in their world and Magnus can't begrudge the humor and laughter of one of his dearest friends… even if it is at his own expense.

“Is he part of the queen's court? Or the unseelie king’s?” Cat asks and Magnus shakes his head lightly.

“No, he has no allegiance to any sovereign before me. Alexander—'' Magnus takes a moment, trying to figure out how to explain. “The lake I took him from had claimed him as a protector of sorts. There’s a very powerful, nearly sentient, kind of magic, all through the lake. Different from dominion magic, or from the magic in the seelie realms. It’s what keeps it from being found I think. It created a self contained pocket dimension. A kind of magical ecosystem that used Alexander as a boost and an anchor.” 

“Powerful enough to be an anchor but with no allegiance lines, that’s very odd Magnus. How did he manage to stay unknown to any of the courts?”

Magnus sighs and then finally looks at Cat directly.

“He’s half-nephilim, Cat. I’m pretty sure that he was dumped near the lake when his other heritage came out. The memories are blurry, he doesn’t think he was supposed to survive. He remembers them trying to take his runes and fighting back until he got to the lake.

“The magic there lured him and his pursuers in and then the magic and he boosted each other. A symbiotic relationship I suppose. However accidentally, he accepted the wild magics protection and consecrated his vow to it with angelic blood. 

“Since then he’s stayed in pretty strict isolation there; especially because he can’t portal. He knows the world, he just hasn’t experienced it.”

Cat looks worried now and she looks over Magnus with careful, protective consideration.

“Poor kid, but Magnus. If he needs someone to get him out of there and set him up, there are plenty of warlocks I know who could help.” That she’d force to help if necessary. “You don’t need to continue the relationship unless you want to.” 

Magnus grins at that, because he suddenly knows what Cat’s worried about.

“Ah, I forgot to mention how long Alexander thinks I’ve been courting him. And also the reason why I need to clean things up. Alexander and the magic have tangled so deeply that he’s able to leave the lake and still anchor the dimension. The reason he never leaves is because I was courting him.” Magnus can’t help the wistful sighs he lets out, “he’s waited for me for decades, Cat.”

Cat is watching him carefully, contemplating Magnus’ words as he waves his hands in emphasis. 

“I’m also positive that Alexander has very discerning tastes despite his isolation, because he’s killed every other person who found the lake before me.” Magnus can’t help the fact that he’s preening,  “And he killed everyone who found it after. Apparently, I am the only person who Alexander has ever registered as ‘suitor’ instead of ‘prey’. He also—“ and here Magnus chuckles, something dark and content in the noise and Cat’s eyes soften at the sound. 

“He considered everyone who came after me to be prey still, but he was worried about what I’d think. That I’d consider them suitors, that I’d think he allowed himself to be courted by others. So he killed every one of them even when he wasn’t hungry or interested. And then because he noticed I wear a lot of jewelry, he carved me pendants from their bones. So I could show off that he was faithful and he waited.”

Magnus can’t help the pleased hum he lets out at the memory. 

“He waited for four decades, Cat. For me.”

Cat is smiling at him, her eyes shiny with unshed tears and she wraps him in a hug. Her strong arms that have saved countless lives wrap around him, delicate in their tenderness. 

“I’m so very pleased for you.” Cat murmurs close to his ear and then she lets him go, presses a kiss to his brow and then she turns on the warded cottage with a raised brow.

“Were you waiting for an invitation? Because she did cheat during that bet and steal Ragnor’s favorite book.” Cat says, snapping her clothes into something more… forgiving to blood. “I only let her get away with it because Ragnor forgot to bring me scones from Lady Gray's.”

“Every book is Ragnor’s favorite.” Magnus laughs out, and he’s grinning wildly and laughing because Cat will always have his back. 

And so will Ragnor. After he stops complaining about the inevitable blood stains on his new books. 

Cat cuts into the wards with the precision of a scalpel and Magnus follows her, cauterizing the wards once they’re through. 

There will be no healing here tonight.

—

Cat accepts a cup of tea with a small smile as Magnus laughs and Ragnor’s scolding gets increasingly louder.

“They were a perfectly lovely invention!” Ragnor is saying. “They should never have gone out of fashion!”

He’s said the same thing three times. Increasingly louder, as if it will eventually shut Magnus up. 

Cat sips her —perfect as always— tea and summons a box of biscuits.

Normally Ragnor offers them himself, but Cat will allow the discrepancy. They did find him quite indisposed.

Magnus is still laughing, holding his belly as though it might burst as he slumps into one of Ragnor’s large armchairs.

Ragnor seems to have given up and is grumpily sipping his own tea as he gives Magnus a snotty look.

When Magnus has finally, finally stopped laughing, Cat gives a silent sigh of relief.

And then Ragnor opens his mouth, dooming them all.

“If you must know.” He says with an aggrieved sniff, “it helps keep my horns from rubbing against the headboard. It’s quite annoying to have to polish them so often. Valois mentioned they were looking a little worn at the last gathering.”

And Magnus loses it again.

Ragnor had been napping on an armchair when they’d portaled in. Small round glasses perched on his snoring nose, a long flowing nightgown and a nightcap that hasn’t been used in several hundred years. 

It was only several lifetimes spent practicing self control that ensured Cat didn’t burst into laughter herself. 

She makes a note to order and send several bonnets to Ragnor, they’re much nicer than the undoubtedly musty nightcap Ragnor probably dug out of a moth-infested dresser in some half-abandoned cottage he forgot about.

Ragnor huffs and gulps half of his cup before Cat has pity and offers him a digestive. 

“The cheek on this lad.” Ragnor grumbles, “and what kind of present is this! At least it was well taken care of in that witch Selene’s library. If not tragically undervalued, so why is there blood on my bloody book?”

Magnus is going to give himself a hernia at this rate and Cat is both off duty and not inclined to be nice so she sends him a little zap and gives Ragnor the most mischievous smile she can.

Ragnor immediately catches on and good humor replaces his glower.

“Oh? What’s this? Cat, love! Don’t hold out on me. What’s ducky done now?”

“Guess who has to do a little spring cleaning, because he accidentally courted an un-declared kelpie.” Cat says in a rush, fingers snapping her biscuit in her eagerness to share.

Magnus gives a mock groan, “yes yes, laugh at my hubris. But trust me, a little bit of cleanup is well worth my Alexander.”

Magnus has one of his arms flung over his eyes and doesn’t see the quick, tight look Ragnor shares with Cat. Nor the brief joy when Cat simply smiles and nods, giving her assurance that Ragnor won’t need to make too many contingencies.

“And what does this time of new life and purging entail?” Ragnor asks and this time it’s Cat who laughs as Magnus gives them both a sheepish smirk.

“Ah, Alexander may be under the impression that I have been courting him… exclusively.” Magnus winces, “For the last four decades.”

Ragnor fights desperately not to gawp, and to not ruin his tea with incredulous laughter. 

And then he realizes the problem and his laughter fades.

“But you didn’t know.”

Magnus shakes his head, something bitter and angry in his eyes that Ragnor will worry over later. 

With sherry and Cat as backup. 

“That’s quite a bit of cleanup.” Ragnor murmurs quietly. Because Magnus takes fidelity seriously when it’s offered, “better take it to the last five decades, just to be safe. Don’t forget that orgy you told me about, the one in Dubai that you talked about for weeks in the 70’s. Don’t just do memory wipes, make it clean.” 

Magnus nods and Cat sighs despairingly as he summons a notebook and jots it down. 

“My, dear overachieving boys. Magnus should just use a ritual. If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it properly. So we need to be thorough. We’ll have to add some element of a geas to the secret, Magnus can use one of his loose ends to power it. We can’t just murder all of them outright, it’s too conspicuous. Are there any spells that the Council needs done that require past lovers?” Cat looks at both of them sternly, “see how much we can brush under the Council’s cauldron and go from there.” 

“There, there ducky.” Ragnor tuts and sends over a cup and saucer to a groaning Magnus. “There’s not as many as you think. It’s a much smaller mess than if this happened when you were younger and off sowing your oats.”

‘Sowing my oats?’ Magnus mouths incredulously across his cup at Cat and she bites her lip to hide a chuckle. 

“Ah and Camille will need to finally be dealt with.” Ragnor says, so very obvious in how hard he’s trying to be nonchalant. Ragnor is always looking for a reason Magnus can accept and Cat is always hoping it works.

And for once, Magnus doesn’t even notice. 

“You know what, you’re right.” And Ragnor’s gaze snaps to Magnus with a relieved but disbelieving look as Magnus continues.

“She would definitely use any opportunity to get between us.” Magnus looks angry now, instead of the bitter pain that Camille normally brings out. “Putting a geas on her and sealing her won’t be enough.” And then Magnus pauses and there’s a dangerous, confident gleam to his eyes that Cat has mourned the lack of.

“Alexander does look divine in jewelry, and after everything he’s made for me, I should return the gesture. So I’ll need to commission him some.” And Magnus gives a soft, pleased smile. Like some deep wound has finally been healed, “and I have always wondered what the color of Camille’s soul is.”

Ragnor gives a content, pleased smile and nods sharply. “If need be we’ll say you’re cleaning up your court. Camille is a perfect and public example of a traitor being dealt with. There’s always an enemy if you look hard enough.”

[ichorblossoms]

having ttw Thoughts while reading house of leaves but it's nothing that's lead to a breakthrough yet so i'm just like soaking in the vibes

[zoe-oneesama]

What would power ups/redesigns for cannon heroes like Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, and Carapace look like?

I don't dislike Rena Rouge's design aside from the bustier/corset thing, but it doesn't really feel "Alya" to me. Since "Flashback" would be instrumental in investigations, I looked at cartoon P.I. and detective outfits, thus, the trench coat look. I think this kind of power upgrade would be good in a story with a good Lila/Volpina vs Alya/Rena Rouge storyline going on.

I got a little less creative with Carapace's power lol. The premise of how my power ups work is that they're born from a moment - a moment of desperation, anguish, the need for a solution. I can picture a moment where all the heroes are pinned down and a poor civilian, maybe Alya, maybe Chris, has been thrust into the Seine and are unable to keep afloat. In this moment, Carapace's desperation to save them manifests in "Undertow", allowing him to encase the person safely in a bubble of water and float them out of danger.

[glassesfreekjr]

... Why did they build a whole-ass flood bypass out in the Splatlands, anyway? Is it like California rules where it's arid as hell most of the time except for when everyone drowns, or has the flash flooding caused by Big Runs been more of a long-running issue then we initially thought?

The fan splatband Red Flare District is named in reference to the 190-chapter juggernaut "exercises in gratitude (The Barclay Street Flood)" by @redeyedsheepskull over on AO3. Contrary to what Inkopolis news media would have you believe, the Order vs. Chaos Splatfest was only partly the reason for the mass cultural exodus to the Splatlands. Maybe it had something to do with the fallout after a catastrophic spillway failure submerged a low-class Inkopolis neighborhood in millions of tons of polluted floodwater, I dunno.

RFD changed its name (from RLD) partly to capitalize on the event and partly out of genuine albeit ham-handed tribute.

And here, out in the middle of the desert, is yet another failed flood bypass. The ironic hilarity was too good for them to not write a song about. Fast-forward five years and some still consider the end product to be a tad insensitive.

(sample source list can be found on my YouTube)

[starsarefire824]

Byler Fic Recs

I haven't posted some fic recs in a while so I thought I would!

Here are some ones I love:

In Undertow (M) by olliecoddle (@souverian-are-we): This is my favorite thing I'm reading right now. It's. Just. So. Good.

The Wheeler’s lakehouse was a two-story wooden building with white siding and blue shutters on each of the little windows. It sat on the edge of a large blue-green lake, a long backyard full of tall tufted grass that ended in a wooden dock extending out over the water. Will had been to the Wheeler’s lakehouse twice as a child, once when he was eight and again when he was sixteen. Now, he was twenty-nine and pulling up to the long driveway of the house in his beaten-up Ford Escort, his stomach in nervous knots that he was trying to calm with a half-full can of ginger ale.

or, four months after one byers/wheeler couple breaks up, another gets married. and, of course, will and mike are both the best men. and, of course, there is a plot to get them back together. nothing goes to plan.

one soft infested summer (M) by wheelersboy (@lucasvenkman)" The Stoned Byler to ever be stoned. And it's sexy and emotional and just delicious summer vibes. And I'll forever be thankful for the Director's Cut. 😉

The Party spend their last summer before college together at Summerfest in Milwaukee. Oh yeah, and they're stoners.

My Teeth In Your Neck (T) by @foodiewithdahoodie: Boarding school, sexual tension, and fencing. It's dope.

Mike and Will used to be friends. Best friends! But after one fight they couldn't come back from during the summer, they haven't spoken to each other since. The only time they cross paths is on the piste, with epee swords brandished, as fencing rivals for their opposing boarding schools - Hawkins High vs Lenora Hills Prep. This year is no different, except it kind of is. Something pulls them together and this time they can't escape it. Because there's no Mike without Will and there's no Will without Mike. Simple as that.

the strawberries are dying (T) by @eggowls Rated T: the world needs more historical au Byler fics, and this one is perfect. Beautifully written and an interesting premise. I have to catch up on this one.

At the height of the stock market crash, the Wheelers are the richest family in Roane County and in need of domestic servants to fulfill their estate's needs. In a bout of desperation, they end up hiring the Byers family, much to everyone’s (except Nancy’s, who has a crush on Jonathan) chagrin.

However, in the midst of it all, two outcasted young boys from completely different lives find a light in each other. And—slowly—their lives begin to intertwine to the point of no return.

need, lie, mean, cry (T) by @willow-lark: a good shorty fic with lots of angst!

Nobody needs Mike Wheeler. He probably wouldn't be so mad about it if Will hadn't lied and made him think otherwise.

Let's Go Crazy Together (but not like this) (M) by Julia_Skysong: Byler hate each other and end up sharing a room at rehab. It's awkward. I'm only halfway through, but I'm loving it.

Anger, fear, trauma, grief. One turned to alcohol. One turned to drugs. Now, somehow, they've ended up sharing a room at the same mental hospital. Will and Mike are stuck, forced to work through their issues together, for better or for worse.

things i can't say (T) by @chiquitablanquita. Switched notebook trope, my beloved. I really liked the writing here.

Will’s sketches contain a confession: he’s in love with his best friend. Unfortunately, his best friend’s journal looks a lot like his sketchbook.

If You Stay (M) by Flurryofstarz. A The Proposal AU, Byler edition. It's fucking cute. Impatiently awaiting an update.

Faced with the threat of deportation, career-oriented Mike Wheeler says he's engaged to his hapless assistant, Will Byers. Will commits to the lie while imposing a few conditions of his own. With a skeptical immigration official waiting for them to slip up, the two must work together to fool their friends and families into believing that their once-strained relationship has since evolved into true love.

But what happens when they start to believe the lie too?

Or, the fic inspired by the enemies-to-lovers rom-com, The Proposal (2009).

he could be a bee to a blossom (E) by anonymous: I loooveed the writing. Truly a Tragedy that it's anonymous.

Mike reached down and grabbed something. He was seated on the edge of the bed, curled towards him with his knee resting near Will’s pillow. He had a carton of freshly washed and cut fruit in his hand. “I already went to the grocery store and got, like, a million things. We could probably shelter in place here for a month and a half.”

Mike said it in a way that was not remotely sexy, but it still made something in Will’s stomach heat. He almost felt like purring, kneading his hands into the mattress with satisfaction. [My alpha got that for me. My alpha is making sure I’m healthy and hydrated. My alpha is taking such good care of me.]

A record scratch went off in Will’s head. Christ alive, Mike was NOT his alpha.

(A/B/O AU… And they were roommates!)

Be mine through the Hawkinspocalypse (and I'll be yours forever) (E) by TikaWayward: I love this whole series. It's unique and sexy and well written.

Mike was long. Long frame extended in a stretch. Long limbs shaking from exhaustion. Long fingers clenched around ripped sheets. Long hair damp with sweat, sticking to his long pale nape and freckled shoulders. Even his back seemed long as he tensed. Will had to commit this view to memory, engrave it in his mind forever. Even if it was the only time they ever shared such intimacy, even if Mike had only asked him for help because he was there, familiar, convenient, and they needed his heat to stop as soon as possible. There are goddamned monsters out there Will, I can’t be in heat right now, I can’t! He needed to revere this moment.

Mike truly was the most beautiful creature Will had laid his eyes on. __________________________________________________________________

Or Mike presents as an omega in the middle of his patrol with Will in a monster infested forest.

The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Hawkins (M) by olliecoddle (@souverian-are-we): uhmmmmm, I'm obsessed with this. Rock star angsty Byler.

Will had the same pre-show ritual before every gig he ever performed. About twenty minutes before he had to go on stage, he would lock himself in any confined space he could find. In a bathroom stall, his dressing room, the maintenance closet, he would turn off the lights and hide for a few minutes. Today, though, it was five minutes before he had to go on stage, the clock ticking down, and he had spent the last half hour wandering around the venue looking for Mike Wheeler.

Will needed to talk to him.

or, the party has a band. will and mike make out on stage. for the bit, of course. it causes problems.

I’m a Wreck (Without You Here) (M) by @talkingtothelights. I'm only on the first chapter but it's so heartbreaking and emotional. Good shit.

Mike has been living 2,200 miles away from his family and hometown for the past fourteen years. He rarely visits, but when he receives heartbreaking news, he’s forced to return home for a funeral. It’s in this unfortunate chapter of life that Mike must come to terms with the consequences of abruptly running away from home and perhaps reconnect with the one person he’s tried his damnedest to forget about.

not strong enough to be your man (T) by @perexcri. The prose is fucking beautiful. I really enjoyed this one.

He swallows down a flurry of all the things he wants to say – every moment and untold truth and aching thought that’s bruised his mind for years – but it comes out so plain, so stark and oddly-jagged in the silence following the lighting, taking up space where thunder should be:

“I meant it, Will. You’re not an inconvenience.”

Will shakes his head and turns.

Mike wants to feel like he's meaningful, like he's an active part of his own life - worthwhile.

It's a good thing Will needs him now more than ever.

Right?

Make Believe (E) by FlurryofStarz. One of all time favorites. Amazing slow burn and super interesting a/b/o dynamics. Mike centric. I cannot wait until the plot point I think is going to happen is revealed. 👀

There's absolutely no way to know what a person will present as ahead of time, but Mike's never been more certain about something in his life. Will Byers is going to be an Omega--a male Omega--and the second that happens, he'll lose everything. Some knothead Alpha like Troy or James will claim him as their own and no one will be able to stop them. Luckily, the Party has a plan. It might be complicated and unconventional. It might not even be legal, but it's something and that's all Will really needs. Something. And Mike's more than willing to try it if it means saving Will.

But what if Will isn't the one who needs saving?

*** if you’re listed here and want to be tagged let ms know!

[belle--ofthebrawl]

i'm kind of obsessed with that rain/dew/aeon ficlet you've just posted, and the line about that probably being aeon's first time hearing rain so assertive struck me A LOT, and since your pinned post says requests are open...

would you be willing to write a little something about rain and aeon, with rain getting all assertive, and maybe a little bit mean?

Pairing: Rain/Aeon

Rating: Explicit

Tags: Mean Rain, Trans!Rain, Vaginal Sex, Temporary Erectile Dysfunction, Rain using his powers for evil (positive) (for rain anyway), Fantasies vs Reality.

Summary: Rain treats Aeon('s dick) like a stress ball. Aeon experiences performance anxiety for the first time in his life.

[albatris]

albatris oc showdown round 1 poll 2

Beth Undertow vs Baker Undertow!

two friends from my little known project..... Undertow!

Beth:

she/her

vengeful ghost haunting her still living husband

was a powerful necromancer

loves heavy metal

wails and screams and throws things around to get attention

dramatic bitch

passionate and committed

Baker:

he/him lesbian

reverse vampire, whatever that means

recharges in sunlight

chronic fatigue syndrome

cheery and easily-flustered

busybody

amateur magician

[transmechanicus]

Unironically i think there's gonna be a second absolute clusterfuck of an american civil war and its not gonna be some clearly defined north vs south nonsense its gonna be like county by county pockets of like 5+ fast and loose factions and the Dividing Issue is gonna be about bodily autonomy wrt Trans Existence, Abortion Access, and Universal Healthcare with obv the undeniable undertow of racism and antisemitism bc we didn't Fucking properly fix anything after the last civil war, and there will be a slew of war crimes committed by corporate mercenaries, this keeps me up at night.

[splat-oc-tournament]

Character info:

Wasabi (@dj-tak0wasa):

He's a quiet sea slug-inkling hybrid who mains splatlings and cannot stand to be mean to anyone unless absolutely necessary (he'll always say sorry before destroying people in ranked matches). Also uses they/them sometimes and has a little tail and honestly i think thats all i'd need to know

DOLL FINZ (@slopplio):

A group popular in Splatlands' rave scene. They combine thumping Octarian synths with bitcrushed guitar samples for a more unique feel. Angel is native to the Splatlands, but Remora is an ex-elite octoling who was accidentally abducted by Grizzco employees during a negotiation mission with the Salmonids. They host underground concerts near Undertow Spillway and illegal tournaments with modified weapons and banned specials. Angel considers Deep Cut to be their biggest rival.

[schittscreekficrec]

Year-End Self Recs

We also wanted to share some of our favorite works of each other’s from this past year! Happy New Year!

julie: wish i was the moon tonight [david/patrick, T, oneshot]

the lie between your teeth [david/patrick, M, multi chapter]

if i’m not beyond repair [david/patrick, M, oneshot]

coming home to you [stevie budd & david rose, T, oneshot]

so bitter and so sweet [david/patrick, E, multi chapter]

as close as pages in a book [stevie/ruth, T, oneshot]

charms and feigns [david/patrick, M, oneshot]

shine like silver [david/patrick, T oneshot]

what a way to make a livin’ [david/patrick, T, oneshot]

liv: Cat-ch Me If You Can [david/patrick, T, oneshot]

Undertow [david/patrick, T, multi chapter]

In Case of Emergency [david/patrick, T, oneshot]

9 to 5 [david/patrick, T, oneshot]

MURDER in Schitt’s Creek [T, oneshot]

a little more warmth [david/patrick, T, oneshot]

Luster [david/patrick, T, oneshot]

jette: Cloudy with a Chance of Reindeer [david/patrick, T, oneshot]

I Don’t Wanna Talk [stevie & david, T, oneshot]

May Your Days Be Merry and Bright [david/patrick, alexis/twyla, T, multi chapter]

ali: Stuck on Your Heart [david/patrick, M, multi chapter]

Don't Look Down [david/patrick, G, oneshot]

David vs the PSL [david/patrick, T, oneshot]

[alexanderlightweight]

Hi! Have you done a first meeting for the kelpie!au? Would love to see Magnus' first reaction to Alec and realizing he accidentally acquired a partner but definitely wants to keep him

i have!!! here you go i hope you enjoy it

<3 lumine

—

Magnus isn’t sure what has his magic so on edge. So vibrantly agitated that it’s almost impatient in the way it begs his attention but then stalls, as if unsure what to do or where to go.

It’s strange but it’s hardly dangerous, so Magnus ignores it and focuses on finishing his chores.

There’s a dead seelie that requires discreet disposal.  

Magnus isn’t normally one to use the same place too often, but something about the particular lake he portals to has always beckoned to him. Between the fact that the lake is hidden in a naturally made rift and using some rather clever warding magic, the lake has remained undisturbed for decades.

Magnus feels content and welcome in the wild and natural beauty of the very well hidden lake, a feeling that is rare and so all the more valuable.

It’s all the more strange that it's one of the only places that Magnus can consistently dispose of annoyances without worrying about evidence.

Because Magnus has tested it, nothing that he ever gets rid of resurfaces, as if the tranquil lake holds an abyss beneath her waters.

It feels right, to throw the bodies into the stillness of the giant lake and use magic to drag them quickly to the bottom.  Magnus isn’t sure what consumes the bodies, but he knows it’s efficient and that the sprites and fauna thrives off of both the bodies and his magic.

It’s a slow day and his list of necessary things is done, so Magnus summons himself a blanket, takes off his shoes and socks, and dips his toes into the cool, blue shallows.

Magnus takes a moment and just breathes in the wild magic of the air and the scent of shadow lilies that bob in the shallows.

There are little fish that chase the glints of sunlight through the shallows. A few braver ones nibbling shyly at his toes. 

It tickles unexpectedly and Magnus can’t help his reflexive jerk. It scares away the fish and Magnus’ toes catch on a sharp rock with a sting and a little bloom of pink before the water washes it away. 

Magnus heals it without a thought and as the fish return, he lets himself relax back into the warm sun. It takes several minutes for his spine to tense and his instincts flare with alarm and Magnus knows someone is watching him.

There is a very focused presence on him. Magnus’ instincts can feel the intensity and weight of his watcher to his bones.

He opens his eyes slowly, preparing magic and blinks.

There is a very gorgeous, naked fae in front of him. He’s covered in small scars and what might be runes and his long hair is in a tangled braid, twined with vine and bone.

He’s so utterly perfect and he’s glaring at Magnus. 

An enticing pout sits on the downturned curve of his mouth as he wades closer. Each step bares more of him as water sluices off his muscles and Magnus leans back on his elbows, enjoying the view.

“It’s been over four decades.” Magnus is told calmly but grumpily. “I appreciate you valuing me so much. But I am tired of waiting. Consider me wooed.”

The man is in front of Magnus by the time he’s finished speaking and he drops a small bag before he climbs —naked and dripping wet— right into Magnus’ lap and sits down like it’s his due.

 Like he belongs there.

Magnus finds that he does not mind. 

Any of this.

Magnus’ mind is working quickly to piece together an idea of what happened. But he has to be careful as he tests his theory. There’s no safe way to make a mistake with a fae and the one in his lap will be gone if Magnus gets it wrong.

“And did you enjoy it, my wooing you?” Magnus asks and he puts a proprietary hand on the man’s ass, pulling him closer. Muscles tense under his grip and Magnus clenches his fingers hungrily. 

It earns him a pleased hum of agreement and damp fingers petting down Magnus’ silk sleeves, tracing the way the silk hugs Magnus biceps. 

“Do I get to know my lovely boy’s name?” Magnus asks, still slow and careful as he figures out just what is his to take. 

“Alec. Alexander, for you.” Is murmured against his cheek like a confession, like it’s a gift. As if that part of him now belongs to Magnus and Magnus feels the shiver of power in his words. 

Cool lips brush his jaw and Magnus is hanging onto his control by a thread. 

—Ragnor had better be bloody thrilled than his stupid little lectures on ‘self-restraint’ and ‘no sex with fae until you know what the cost is’ have been drilled into Magnus’ instincts—

“I’m Magnus, darling.” Magnus pets Alexander’s flank with his free hand and chuckles when his muscles jump at the touch. “Sensitive, aren’t you?” He asks and then reminds himself not to be distracted. He’s still not sure exactly how this misunderstanding happened. 

“I owe you a gift for taking so long when you’ve been so patient. What should I get you, hmm? Tell me.”

It’s better to be as direct with fae as possible. Magnus needs to keep his wits as much as he can until this thing between them is settled. 

Alexander pauses from where he’s been clumsily trying to rip off Magnus’ clothes.  And Magnus really needs to figure out if this is a sexy thing, or a ‘you owe me your heart literally’ kind of thing. 

Quickly.

“You’ve been wooing me for decades.” Alexander says, voice puzzled and his gaze continually slides from meetings Magnus own; to looking hungrily at Magnus torso.

“Why would I need more gifts when you’re finally here? You’ve fed me for years and you finally let me taste your blood!” Alexander gives a huff of outrage, face dark as he tugs harder on Magnus’ vest —grumbling at how complicated the whale bone pearl buttons that Magnus loves are. 

“I don’t want an apology gift! I want to know how you’re going to finally bond with me when you have all of this on?” Alexander complains as he finally gives up on the buttons. It's so sincere and endearing that Magnus has to fight back laughter.

He succeeds only because this is not a laughing matter.

And because Alexander will not take his frustrations over a slow courtship being laughed at well. It’s easier than it should be to refocus and it’s only because the thought of fucking Alexander steals away his breath.

“Oh, this is for you. Luck and protection, the others are for later, this was the first.” Alexander says now that his hands are avoiding Magnus' abused  buttons. 

And Magnus finds that he would sacrifice every single tailored waistcoat in his extensive wardrobe to get those hands back on him.

Instead Alexander reaches up to his braid and unhooks a small pendant. 

It’s a bone carved with runes and it’s not newly carved. It’s several decades old and the magic it’s steeped in is Magnus’ magic. It literally projects a bloodthirsty aura but when Magnus holds it, all he can feel is the protective energy it pushes into him, a flip of fate lingering in the bone. 

It takes a moment and then Magnus understands.

Magnus killed with magic, disposed of the bodies here with magic and Alexander accepted what he thought were courtship offerings before harvesting and devouring those kills.

Which means that Magnus accidentally started one of oldest and primal unseelie courtship rituals.

Specifically with the implied intentions of exclusivity, as well as presenting himself as the dominant suitor as a provider and caretaker for Alexander. 

As the bigger predator.

As the greater threat.

And Alexander wants Magnus. 

Wants everything that Magnus has accidentally asked for and he is actively irritated that Magnus has made him wait so long. 

But he has waited. Waited willingly for decades while Magnus unknowingly wasted time where he could have had this patient, good boy always in his lap. 

Years Magnus shouldn’t have had to suffer being alone and thinking no one would ever want everything he has to give. 

Years where he didn’t believe anyone could want him. Let alone want him enough to wait. 

Years being too much, when for Alexander he’s enough. 

Years where everything Magnus has ever craved and been denied, was waiting for him. 

Longing for him. 

So even though Magnus can still break the ritual he doesn’t want to. 

Instead he smiles.

Alexander wants to submit to Magnus and who is Magnus to deny him that pleasure when he, himself wants Alexander to submit,

Magnus will never let Alexander find out that their courtship was an accident. He’s going to bind Alexander to him, as if it was his purpose all along, and then Magnus is going to keep him.

[emletish-fish]

Johnny and Daniel and thematic journeys. Daniel vs the monster and Johnny vs the self.

This rant was inspired by a discussion with @arabianflowers ​ on this post.

TV is a visual story-telling method, so lots of hugs/smiles/closeness in one dojo vs lots of solo practice in another dojo is a quick visual short-hand for telling the audience something about the environments/priorities within those dojos. Cobra Kai is trying to tell us something about these two men by framing it this way.

Season 4 makes it clear that these two need to blend their approach and have a lot to learn from each other.  Johnny teaches with more physicality and Daniel teaches with more philosophy and the kids need both. 

Short answer; I think this plays into the red-oni/blue-oni,  hot and cold, red and blue thing they have going on with Johnny and Daniel.  Johnny being a warmer sensei vs Daniel attemtping to be coolly logical and philosophical  ties into this red/blue theme. 

(I do not at all think this is deliberate or intentional on the part of the characters at all.  Can you imagine Johnny’s reaction to being told he has the cuddliest dojo and he’s the snuggly sensei?)

Longer answer -

This actually ties into something thematic in their overall arcs so far.

Daniel is on a daniel vs external foe (and evaluating how to fight that foe. eg examining his connection to and understanding of miyagi-do, what he is willing to sacrifice to win, price of victory, nature of evil, what is justice etc etc. All good moral and juicy questions that the show is in the process of answering.)

Johnny however is on an internal quest. It’s Johnny vs Johnny all the way down.  Can he overcome his toxic masculinity, overcome his past, and learn from his mistakes? Can he build successful relationships despite past failure. Can he atone? Can he have an improved relationship with his son? Can he break the cycle and be a better teacher/male role model than what he had as a youth?

Daniel’s story is about overcoming a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. Johnny’s story is by nature more interpersonal, so that is why there is probably a greater focus on his interpersonal relationships as a result.

Caveat - it’s much easier to analyse stories when they’ve been completed and you see where all the loose threads end up. Cobra Kai is still in progress, so predictions are all just based on my best guesses. 

So yeah, it’s hard to predict where this is going to end up - but two thematic journeys are taking clear shapes.

Johnny and Daniel are mirror characters and foils for each other but they are on very different thematic journeys.

Daniel vs the Monster -

Jee, for someone who idolises a pacifist, Daniel does love to provoke and escalate fights, doesn’t he?

But that is kind of the point.

From season 1, Daniel’s driving action has been geared towards trying to defeat external enemies. First Johnny, then Kreese and now we are entering a new and probably final Daniel Vs Terry arc.

Terry is the ultimate big bad for Daniel.

Terry is the monster lurking in the traumatic shadows of all the things Daniel has suppressed.  Terry and the experience of everything that went down in Cobra Kai III are behind Daniel’s trust issues and his less noble actions. Terry is the undertow that pulls him towards escalating conflict.

In season 1, Daniel sees an instant enemy in Johnny NOT when he comes into the dealership. (There, faced with the man himself, Daniel can be magnimous and generous and tactful and kind).  No - the second that Daniel decides that Johnny is his ENEMY is when he sees the Cobra Kai sign.

Daniel is really fighting the snake - but it leads him to seeing enemies in people like Johnny and Chozen, when the real monster is just lurking off to the side.

And it’s so interesting that Chozen and Johnny and Daniel are all going to work together in season 5. I’m so curious as to how this dynamic will play out. 

The two people who seemed so bad and terrible to young Daniel will actually be his greatest allies and assets if he can learn to work with them.  We know that as soon as Daniel stops seeing them as enemies and starts seeing them as people, he can be the open and generous person he is in his heart. He enjoys their company and has fun with him. (We don’t get much carefree daniel).  And as of season 4, he’s acknowledged that there are things he can learn from both of them.

Daniel sees that Johnny and Chozen were messed up kids who were subjected to toxic idealogy when they were younger, and not inherently bad people or monsters.

he’s not a monster. he’s just a guy with a lot of demons.

He is much more forgiving of them as individuals - but also much more strident about his mission in ridding the valley of Cobra Kai. 

 But how much is Daniel willing to sacrifice to win and how far will this take him away from the Miyagi principles?

We see Daniel really lose sight of Miyagi principles in season 4 when he proceeds to do the opposite of what Mr Miyagi would do - all to beat  Cobra Kai and Terry Silver. 

(And I am predicting that season 5 will take us further down this rabbit hole.)

but this has been a building theme since season 1. Daniel drives all the escalation in season 1 and 2.  Aside from the dick graffiti, Johnny doesn’t instigate any of the drama and is much more reactive to Daniel.

Bizarrely, Johnny strike-first Lawrence is also more likely to be the one who reaches for de-escalation. eg the season 2 dojo confrontation and the season 4 battle both have Johnny attempt to diffuse the situation without violence.  He’s unsuccessful, because this is not his strong suit, but it is so interesting that the attempt is there.

Anyway, a pattern is forming.

In season 1 Daniel tries to fight Johnny indirectly through various means and close his dojo.

in season 2 he tries to out-karate him and open his own dojo to show everyone a better way.

(teaching karate is almost secondary to the goal of destroying cobra kai though ‘showing them a better way’, which is why Daniel’s storyline is more geared to  that, and has more philosophy etc.  The focus isn’t on the interpersonal relationships, but on daniel as a teacher.)

In season 3, Johnny is no longer the enemy and new villian has taken centre stage. Kreese is running the dojo, and Daniel tries to fight kreese indirectly and get the dojo shut down through various means.

Season 4, Daniel tries to fight Terry and Kreese by out karate-ing them at the AVT,.

I’m predicting season 5 will have Daniel once more trying to fight Terry through various means, rather than direct karate confrontations.  But in each season, the stakes get higher and the villians get stronger/badder/more evil, and Daniel has to make more compromises with himself and his values to confront them and the toll it takes on his family and his life gets bigger. 

Daniel is driven to fight the snake, often against his better judgement.

Daniel’s story is all about exploring how to be a pacifist in a violent world with violent foes, and what is the true meaning of justice and honour and mercy?

Daniel fighting an external foe means that he has his eyes on that goal and he loses sight of the bigger picture. Which is why he can use children to further his cause but justify it to himself as being for their own good.

Because Cobra Kai is terrible and Daniel will save them from it by using what saved him.

Miyagi-do.

and Miygai-do is a solo practice for self-betterment, it’s for defense only, it’s good.

and cobra kai is bad. 

so the ends justify the means.

I mean, that’s clearly where we are at right now.  Daniel is going to be obsessed with taking down Terry next season, and I’m just wondering where that obsession will take him.

I am so fascinated by both Daniel and Sam’s black and white thinking and how it affects their choices. Sam has been able to grow through hers because all the kids are wiser than the adults, and I hope Daniel will follow her footsteps.  I am hopeful that through the course of fighting Cobra Kai we will see Daniel eventually reconnect with himself and rediscover a more complete understanding of Miyagi-do.

Daniel’s story is about our connection with our own values and how this is tested by external circumstances.

Daniel’s story is driven by his need to defeat an evil, and that is why we get such a focus on his devastated face at the end of season 4. Because evil won, and he lost and now a snake is going to coil all around the valley and a new generation of vulnerable young people are going to be indoctrinated with poison. 

But how does Johnny react to this same loss?

They are on the same team with the same goals at that point, after all.

While Daniel is devastated by this horrendous defeat and what it means for the big picture (Cobra Kais all over the valley and generation lost to a toxic idealogy that he knows destroys lives, Mr Miyagi’s legacy trampled into dust)

...  But Johnny’s son is looking sad and lost even after his dojo winning, so you know, Johnny’s much more pre-occupied with that.  Plus he’s had a falling out with Miguel, so that’s weighing on him too.

His biggest stake in the AVT are all mostly personal; a knee-jerk desire to get back at Kreese, and prove that he’s equal to Daniel and get Robby out of the crazy dojo are all personal motivations.

He DGAF about the All Valley or the nuances of karate philosophies in a general sense, he only really cares what is going on with the people close to him.

Because Johnny’s story is about connections with people.

Johnny vs Himself

Johnny, at the start of the series, is a very isolated character, but it seems to be largely self-inflicted.  He pushes people away. He’s estranged from his son. He has no immediate close bonds with other people.

He’s a trauma-ridden mess. an alcoholic. a loser.

Johnny struggles to genuinely connect with people because he hauls so much baggage into every interaction.  But through the simple, surprising state of being NEEDED by Miguel, Johnny begins to change.

(I will also argue that Johnny, even though he didn’t realise it at the time,  needed Miguel just as much as Miguel needed him  - and that’s a big part of why their relationship has always been on more equal footing than Robby and Daniel’s). 

Miguel needs something very simple from Johnny - karate instruction. And karate is something that Johnny feels confident in giving. He is able to give Miguel this piece of himself and it goes well.  He isn’t rejected. he feels like he’s helping the kid. and it feels kinda nice, to have someone to help and a reason to get up in the morning.  Teaching Miguel becomes a big priority for him. 

and once again, karate is kind of secondary.

Daniel teaches karate to fight Cobra Kai.

But Johnny teaches karate to build connections.

In Johnny’s lessons, we get a much bigger focus on the interpersonal relationships between everyone in the dojo, but especially on Johnny’s role as a teacher and how he develops this relationship with his students.

We see him initially copy kreese exactly, but very quickly he learn to soften the drill-sergent nasty stuff and he reaches out them as fellow losers, and take pride in their achievements and stand up for them at all valley committees, and it’s all part of his journey towards being a better sensei/better mentor than the one he had.

He clearly wants to be better than kreese.

And there’s the rub, and the tension.

Because try as Johnny might,  he has so many toxic and embedded patterns from his time with Kreese - and sometimes he is not even aware of them until it is too late.

Johnny’s biggest struggles mostly boil down to him trying to break his toxic cycles, move past his inter-generational trauma, and be better that any of his father figures.

And when he succeeds, it’s great. (Back half of season 2, Johnny kicking kreese to the curb because he could see what a negative effect the man had on the kids. the fact that he could do for the kids what he couldn’t do for himself and was finally able to stand up to his abuser because he thought they were being mistreated.  Johnny fully breaking with his indoctrination and fumbling to try and show his students a better way, more merciful way  - that was peak Johnny for me. A real high point in his journey.)

And when he fails, it’s tragic.  (The downward spirals, the season 4 insecurity leading to all manner of poor life choices, and the way his inability to overcome his trauma affects the younger generation, especially Robby and Miguel.  These boys both want him, and Johnny wants to rise to the moment and meet both their needs but he often fails and then hates himself for failing and withdraws. but that doesn’t do anything to help either boy.)

This is why Johnny’s biggest foe isn’t an external enemy.

Johnny’s biggest enemy is himself.

His inner kreese, the voice that whispers ‘you lost, you’re worthless, you’re nothing’. The insecurity and toxic masculinity and the need to be tough and the aversion to showing an vulnerability, the hyper-vigilance to threats and the overwhelming need to  over-compensate for any weaknesses are all things Johnny learned from Kreese alongside Strike Hard- Strike First - No Mercy. (A philosophy that no doubt has had an irreparably negative effect on Johnny’s life).

Whilst Mr Miyagi gifted Daniel a path to inner peace, what Johnny received from his Sensei was inner turmoil. He needs to constantly fight his inner demons and he doesn’t always win. And listening to his inner kreese causes some of his biggest mistakes with the kids.

But Johnny’s mistakes as a sensei can’t hold as candle to his mistakes as a father.

Robby and Johnny’s desire to connect better with his son has been driving the action in Johnny’s story since we first met the kid back in season 1.  I would say most of Johnny’s narrative drive is centred around him trying to improve himself and build better relationships rather than fighting external foes.  

Final thoughts:

so yeah, because Daniel’s story is all about how to fight and enemy bigger than yourself and how to stay peaceful in a world of violence and how to find balance  - his teachings are much more philosophical to mirror that sort of journey.

But because Johnny’s story is all about moving past inner demons/past experiences to build meaningful connections with others, his dojo has a much heavier emphasis on those interpersonal relationships and more found family vibes - because that is the sort of story that is going on there.  

It also leads to this wonderful dictomy, because Daniel is teaching more pacifist teachings whilst engaging in fighting  external foes. He’s got a much more active and aggressive character journey.  Daniel is much more rigid in his approach to most things, and his attitude to his students is no exception. He needs them to meet the Miyagi ideal because Daniel is fighting a war, and Miyagi- method is the weapon he is sure will win. 

(Oh Daniel, what a wild ride this season will be for you!)

Whilst Johnny teaches assertiveness, he’s actually far more passive in his personal life and has to work up the courage to reach out to people.  He’s more likely to question his own actions and second guess himself and change his approach depending on the circumstances.  He’ll respond if provoked, but we very rarely see him instigate fights (and will only really do so if he has some personal stake.  like, the only example I can think of is beating up the sleazy dude who was trash-talking Carmen back in season 2 and the bikers who insulted Tommy). He’s less invested in the karate war as a battle of ideas and much more focus on the people.

Season 5 has set up Johnny taking a break from the karate scene and peacing out from the drama so he can focus on Robby and Miguel, whilst Daniel goes down the fighting-terry rabbit hole.

And I’m excited to see where the rabbit hole goes.

[manysmallhands]

#Uncool50 Index page

Having made a post indexing my #FearOfMu21c posts, i thought that I might as well index all the #Uncool50 posts too, in case anyone wanted to have a look thru those. This was a challenge posted last year on twitter where those taking part had to pick their 50 favourite singles since the punk era. As well as doing this, I took it upon myself to write a post about each of them, which i eventually stockpiled here (for want of anything else to do with them). A quick word of warning: unlike my posts this year, they were often turned around to short order and consequently i'm less happy with them than the ones i did this time.

Anyway, after we found that most people weren't really interested in picking anything much released after 1985, the organiser (my twitter friend Arron Wright, or @nonoxcol as he is there) decided to do a purely 21st century challenge this year, which is where #FearOfMu21c comes in. But anyway, these were my #Uncool 50 picks. They're listed in no particular order, other than 11 pts were given to the best five songs, with the top one getting an extra point too (as noted below).

1. Abba - Knowing Me, Knowing You

2. Tom Tom Club _ Genius Of Love

3. Dexys Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen (11 pts)

4. Madness - Michael Caine

5. .The Blue Nile - Tinseltown In The Rain

6. Strawberry Switchblade - Since Yesterday

7. Suzanne Vega - Marlene On The Wall

8. Madonna - Dress You Up

9. Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait

10. Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love

11. New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle

12. Talulah Gosh - Steaming Train

13. Public Enemy - Bring The Noise

14. Tears For Fears - Sowing The Seeds Of Love

15. Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart

16. The KLF - Last Train To Trancentral (12 pts)

17. The Orb - Orb In Dub EP

18. Stereolab - Super Electric EP

19. A Tribe Called Quest - Check The Rhime

20. Nirvana - Oh The Guilt

21. Pulp - Lipgloss

22. Underworld - Cowgirl

23. Ween - Freedom Of '76

24. R.E.M. - At My Most Beautiful

25. Sleater-Kinney - You're No Rock n Roll Fun

26. Jeffrey Lewis - The Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song

27. Amerie - 1 Thing

28. LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum

29. Electrelane - To The East

30. The Go! Team - Doing It Right

31. Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over (11 pts)

32. Eux Autres - You're Alight

33. MGMT - Flash Delirium

34. Warpaint - Undertow

35. St Vincent - Cruel

36. Sharon Van Etten - Serpents

37. The Soundcarriers - Boiling Point

38. Tullycraft - Lost In Light Rotation

39. The Clientele - On A Summer Trail

40. Trust Fund/Joanna Gruesome - Spilt 12" EP

41. The Juan Maclean - A Simple Design

42. Faith Healer - Again (11 pts)

43. Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta

44. Little Mix - Black Magic

45. Grimes - Kill Vs Maim

46. Solange - Cranes In The Sky

47. Muna - I Know A Place (11 pts)

48. Fred Thomas - Voiceover

49. U.S. Girls - Rosebud

50. Jeanines - Things Change EP

[peppermint-candy]

Undertow era vs his recent ig post

BEAUTIFUL. STUNNING. PERFECT.

Ignore the watermark because look how pretty he is.

[ukeinglyquo]

I want to share my AvA fanfiction I made a few months ago. (This was made before AvA VI was even announced so it's really outdated.)

[grandhotelabyss]

I somehow never got around to Amis* despite the overwhelming Anglophilia of the milieu that produced me: I probably should have read him in college, but I was too busy reading the Victorians and postmodernists. His love for Bellow and Nabokov is intriguing though- i’ve often thought that one of the main weaknesses of *American* literature is the opposite tendency, a predilection for periods of extended self-loathing about the fact that we can’t really produce these intricate and elegant novels of settled hierarchal society the way that the English can- so I’m curious to know what the opposite looks like. And yes, the downbeat stuff on MLIR, Parklife and The Great Escape is generally the best Blur (although I dig the upbeat stuff too!)

*father or son!

Right, the complex that starts with Henry James's book on Hawthorne, is carried through those midcentury critics I mentioned in our James-Melville conversation (as well, significantly, both Gore Vidal and Joan Didion), and extends to the late-20th-century laments over the absent social novel of both Tom Wolfe and Jonathan Franzen. The historian-journalist streak, as opposed to the poet-prophet—except that, as we established, both Melville and James are large enough to contain both.

One way to see Amis and his cohort, again with a pop music analogy, is as the literary version of the British Invasion: American "rock" with its diverse influences (mainly Jewish rather than black, in the novelistic case as opposed to the musical) reimagined through the lens of post-imperial Britain. Here they differ from the later and belated phenomenon of Britpop, with its initial nationalist riposte to America's indie-grunge turn, deliberately de-Amerifying rock.

Thomas Meaney, reviewing Inside Story when it came out, distinguished Amis's style from the English realist tradition and made the Bellow-rock connection:

The magnetism of Bellow for Amis’s generation of English writers is well attested: Hitchens, Ian McEwan, and later Will Self and James Wood, all found something in Bellow’s high-calorie sentences that they couldn’t get at home. It was perhaps, above all, the permission to dispense with the rationed intensity of good mid-century British prose – the clean, spare, simplicity of George Orwell’s diction that reached its apotheosis in VS Naipaul and has been gently ironised by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Amis ran farther than any of his peers in the opposite direction: towards a maximalism that he has never abandoned or so much as questioned. His head-swaying to American street-wise rhythms, albeit leavened by English classicism, is the literary version of Mick Jagger crooning “Hoochie Coochie Man” at the Checkerboard Lounge with Muddy Waters, or Daniel Day-Lewis, son of Cecil, shouting, “I will find you!” in deerskin breechcloths under a waterfall in The Last of the Mohicans.

Other than Austen—a genius and so above rules or considerations of taste—the English social novel doesn't interest me much either; I've never gotten anywhere with Thackeray or Trollope, mildly dislike Fielding, cheer on Woolf's polemic against Bennett. I prefer their Romantic visionary prose tradition, which, in figures as distinct as the Brontës and Dickens, as Woolf and Lawrence and Forster, turns what appear to be social novels into myths and gospels. On this basis, I've never read Kingsley either; he doesn't really seem to "export." Martin, however, loved Fielding and Austen and has a definite undertow of the traditional English satirical social novel (Meaney's "leavened by English classicism") for all the visionary coloration he borrows from inherently aclasscal Americans.

Anyway, the chapter I'm now writing in Major Arcana, one of the last, is titled "Et in Arcadia Egirl," so I should probably stop pretending I am not also in part writing a satirical social novel.