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kyowritesstuff · 15 days

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Goldencast - Harry Potter Si-Oc

Being a Hogwarts student is fun.

In theory.

In actuality, having to relive your childhood as someone that you’re not, in a country you have no loyalty for, and with a war fast approaching, is certainly upsetting.

…more than a little upsetting.

Four Hogwarts students decide they’re not going to fall to the war, and in spite of all the prejudices that rule Britain, they decide to do it together.

Now if only they figured out they’re not the only real person in the group...

PROLOGUE

Sky Clarksong boards the Hogwarts Express five years younger than she actually is.

Her not-parents – Michael Clarksong and Emma Smith, both Muggles – wait patiently on the platform while she searches for an empty compartment. She finds one near the end of the train, and hurrying as to not obstruct people on the corridor, she finally settles inside. Lait, her recently adopted cat, rises her head curiously for a second before accommodating inside of her cage, dozing off with a purr.

With a quiet sight, Sky sits next to the window and searches for her parents. Their house is just a few blocks from King’s Cross, and so there was no rush to arrive early to platform nine and three-quarters. In fact, Sky can still taste her morning coffee with milk at the back of her throat, a sweet, caramel aftertaste that’s sure to last till she reaches school.

Humming pleasantly, she waves to her mom when their eyes meet, and lets out a well-practiced chuckle when she instantly smacks her dad in the face to let him know where she is. Getting comfortable on her seat, she takes out her wand – Hazel, dragon heartstring, nine inches, swishy – and, her fingers gliding across its markings, visualizes in her mind’s eye two simple words.

[Magical Prodigy.]

That was Sky’s pick from the list of magical skills. She’s supposedly naturally gifted with magic, because of it. It came with a small cost – being naturally slow in learning subjects non related to magic. As she was almost done with high school at the time, the risk seemed worth it.

Now thirty years into the past, she’s more than assured in her choices.

She has to admit, though, that the sudden change in era and country has left her quite disarmed. First time she saw her parents, she almost forgot how to speak. And don’t get her started on school. History quickly became her least favorite subject, despite having loved it in her previous life. She tried to find solace in Literature, but that was just another disappointment. None of the authors she knew existed in this world, and if they did, they hadn’t written their books yet.

Sad, yes. But all Sky has to do to read proper stories again, i.e. fanfiction, i.e. ao3, is survive the war. Whatever comes after that, she should be able to deal with appropriately.

Or so she hopes.

…that’s why she picked the Magical Prodigy skill, she allows herself to admit, internally. Magic will leave her enthralled, she knows, and the thought of being able to perform it impeccably was a much needed comfort when she woke up in the White Void. But in reality, it’s not to entertain herself. It’s a net. A safety net. If all else fails, either during the war or after it, she’ll always have her magic to fall back on.

She’ll live past her teenage years, that’s one thing she’s sure of. But the way she’ll live, in this wonderful, terrifying, magical new world, that’s what she’s afraid of. What will she work as? Towards what goal? Will she live in a magical neighborhood, or will she try to live in Muggle Britain hiding her magic? Will her new, not-parents be part of her life? Will anyone else?

So many variants and terrifying maybes, and the one thing that remains true in every single one is that her future will be determined by her skill with magic.

So Sky picked the Magical Prodigy skill, and she’s gonna ace every challenge Hogwarts presents her with, so whatever happens to her after school, she can assure herself it’ll be ok. She’s in the world of Harry Potter, her true family only a memory now, but she has magic, and she’ll be ok.

Everything will be ok.

An unexpected, strong knock comes from the doors to her compartment, startling Sky out of her thoughts, and when she whips her head around, she sees…

Rook Brindlestone boards the Hogwarts Express five years younger than he actually is.

Having been Apparated by one of the Brindlestone’s house elves, he’s left disoriented before one of the train’s entrances, it’s scarlet metal shining obnoxiously. Shaking his head firmly, he takes a step towards the train. The world swims around him as he does, but he powers through it and manages to get his luggage up with him with no one’s help.

Once inside, his surroundings seem to clear, and no longer dizzy, he walks straight down the corridor until the very end of the train. Most of the compartments there are empty, except for one housing a girl seemingly lost in thought while staring at her wand.

Wavy brown hair, tan skin, caramel eyes, from what he can see from behind the glass. She’s small and has no colored tie, so she’s probably a first year, like him. He doesn’t recognize her, though, and that might be a problem. When he read The Philosopher’s Stone at the wee young age of ten, he didn’t give much focus to descriptions and mostly made his own guesses on how the characters looked, save except for some key aspects such as Harry’s lightning scar or Snape’s greasy hair. So now, living in the same reality as those characters, he has next to no clue who anyone is.

That leaves two options with this girl: Either she’s a main character he heavily misinterpreted during his childhood, or she’s a side character whose only purpose is to fill up the halls.

Welp. No matter who she is, Rook needs friends. It’s not like he can’t figure out who she is, either. She’s a kid, and he’s a kid, too, so all he really needs to do is ask.

Or, you know, read her mind.

[Natural Legilimens/Occlumens.]

…ok so he’s just looking for excuses to use his Legilimens abilities, but he really needs to practice on someone who won’t immediately notice him intruding their thoughts, or else he might risk his life during the war.

…that probably doesn’t justify using his powers on an eleven-year-old, but. Still.

…has he even knocked on the door yet?

Fuck.

Regaining focus, Rook knocks on the girl’s door, although with much more force than required. He grimaces for half a second, and then the girl inside the compartment looks up from her wand and towards him, properly startled. He offers her an apologetic smile from behind the glass, and patiently waits for her to open the door. When she does…

“Um, hi.”

“Hello,” he says, voice warm. “Mind if I sit with you?”

Slowly, almost calculatingly, she nods. Rook drags his luggage inside and places it atop the overhead racks, next to a cage where a fluffy calico-looking cat sleeps. The cat opens one of its eyes. Rook blinks at it. As he does so, he introduces himself.

“I’m Rook. Rook Brindlestone. You?”

“…I’m Sky. Clarksong.”

…no, that doesn’t ring any bells. Humming, he sits across from her.

“That’s a pretty name.”

“…thanks?”

Seemingly awkward, Sky starts to fidget with her wand. Despite the clear show of discomfort, though, Rook is overwhelmed by a sudden rush of thrill. The first magical person his age he’s talking to. It might be a leftover trait from the Rook Brindlestone whose body he took over, that characteristically childish urge to befriend people of his kind, because in reality, he’s sixteen years old, not eleven. When Sky meets eyes with him again, it is that same excited thrum under his skin which guides his magic out, reaching out towards her in curiosity – and he’s immediately driven blind by a wall of white fire.

Smile sharpening, Rook blinks the sudden rush of emotions out of his system and thinks, privately, to himself: ‘What the fuck?’

“Do you want a brownie?” he says on autopilot, not quite seeing Sky anymore but bright, silver flames.

Sky blinks.

“Brownies?”

“I had my house elves bake them for me.”

“Oh.” And then, almost meekly, she says, “…are they chocolate?”

By the time his vision clears, he’s already taken his brownie-filled tupper out and offering one out to Sky. It is immediately snatched from his hand.

But not by Sky.

Both of them turn to stare at their compartment door, where they’re met by…

Amber Cedargust boards the Hogwarts Express five years younger than she actually is.

Her parents gush over her with all the grace their name allows them to up until they arrive at platform nine and three-quarters, where they let her off into the train with curt nods. Amber doesn’t believe, like they do, that Pureblood families should act all prim and mighty all the time, but decides to humor her parents by bowing to them before setting down the hall, a wry smile on her lips as she does so.

She takes note of all the people she passes by: The curls of their hair, the shape of their eyes, the exact shade of their skin. Once she’s nearing the end of the hall she deduces that Harry Potter must not have yet arrived to Kings Cross, for she hasn’t seen even a hint of either his famously messy mop of hair or the ginger ones of his best friend’s family.

What she does see is the heir of the Brindlestone family, handing off a delectable looking piece of chocolate brownie to a girl she doesn’t recognize. A Muggleborn, then, and a very cute one at that. And given that Brindlestone’s talking to her, she must have some kind of charm, too.

Amber decides, right then and there, that she’s befriending both of them. As so, she approaches their compartment door, left open to the rest of the train. Without thinking, she snatches the chocolate brownie right out of Brindlestone’s hand. This causes both kids to look at her, perplexed.

…well, father did always say first impression should be memorable.

Hiding her surprise at her own actions behind a smirk, she takes a bite out of the brownie. A sweet warmth blooms inside her mouth, and so delighted she is by the taste she can’t help but let out a pleased hum.

“This,” she starts, barely resisting the urge to shove the whole treat in her mouth, “is so good.”

Brindlestone blinks at her. In his eyes there’s a spark of recognition.

“I’m glad,” he says, smiling cordially at her. “But that wasn’t for you.”

Amber merely rolls her eyes, the smile on her face smeared with chocolate. “I know that perfectly well, but I figured since we’re friends now, neither of you would mind.”

“Friends?” Asks the girl opposite Brindlestone, a small frown on her face. It is so unbelievingly childish, the way her hair curls around her tiny, round face. Amber has to resist the urge to squish her cheeks.

“Well, of course!” Amber says, fully entering the compartment and seating herself next to Brindlestone. Smile widening, she reaches a hand out towards the girl, still frowning adorably at her. “I’m Amber Cedargust, and I’m your best friend now.”

The girl blinks owlishly at her. Slowly, frown easing away into an uncertain smile, she takes her hand and shakes it.

“Sky Clarksong.”

“Rook Brindlestone,” says the boy by her side, and Amber finally has a name to one of the many heirs her parents insisted she befriend. She turns to look at the boy – Rook – and, now that she’s so close to him, notices just how pretty he is: Fluffy black hair, dark skin, and piercing, ice blue eyes. And then, of course, now that his compartment partner has approved of her, he offers Amber a disarmingly charming smile.

He’s going to grow up to be a heartbreaker, she knows.

She wonders if she can take advantage of that.

[Metamorphagus.]

“Oh, I already know of you, dear,” Amber says with all the flair she can mend into her voice. “Any wizard worth a Sickle does. You’re the Brindlestone heir. Your family owns the gold mines north of the Thistleberry Forest.” Then, leaning closer to him, eyes glinting with mischief, she asks “The question is, do you know of me?”

To his merit, Rook doesn’t lean away from her, not even an inch. He just sits and stares at her, eyes frowning slightly in concentration.

“…you’re the Cedargust heir,” he eventually says, words coming out slowly. “Daughter of Silver Cedargust and Yvonne Cedargust-Honeywood, owners of the Cedargust Vineyard and the…Honeywood Library?”

Amber allows herself to snort.

“I think you mean the Honeywood Magical Sanctuary, dear. The Ancient Library belongs to the Redsoot family, I’m afraid.”

Rook blinks. “Oh.”

“I take it you’re both Purebloods, then?” Asks Sky, making Amber remember they’re not alone on the compartment. Leaning back on her seat, Amber laughs airily, smiling at Sky with crinkling eyes.

“Yeah, we are. And you’re a Muggleborn, aren’t you? Your clothes aren’t very…witchy.”

To that, Sky smiles bashfully, bringing a hand up to tap her wand against her lips. Amber takes this – and the fact that she doesn’t remember her parents mentioning any Clarksong family – as answer enough.

Rook starts shuffling at her side, and it’s only when he hands out another brownie to Sky that Amber remembers her own – stolen – treat.

Blushing, she takes another bite of it and hopes none of her companions notice her now pink cheeks. Sky follows her lead and tries the brownie, and Amber can only assume her delighted expression was the same one she wore when she was the one trying the chocolate delicacy.

“Oh my god,” she says, dropping her wand to cover her face. “Rook, this is- you are legally obliged to tell your house elves that I love this now.”

Rook smiles warmly and, after he’s lifted Amber’s stuff into a rack above them, gets one brownie for himself. Winking at Sky, he takes a bite of it and says, “Will do.”

Amber feels this warmth of Rook’s extending to her, blooming in her chest like a golden ray of sunshine. She thinks she just chose the best compartment to sit into, apart from the one which would house the Golden Trio, of course. And from the looks of it, both Rook and Sky, all chocolate smiles and wonder, were thinking the same.

Then the train’s whistle sounds, and the three of them are abruptly reminded their compartment has four seats.

“Um, this looks like a very sweet moment but, uh, can I sit with you?”

Alex Aspenvine boards the Hogwarts Express five years younger than he actually is.

His mom had been excited when his Hogwarts letter arrived. His dad, who was completely unaware of her status as a witch, not so much. He got over it quickly enough – a week or two after his letter arrived, he thinks – and was all too enamored by the sight of Diagon Alley to hold any resentment towards his wife after that.

Even now, on platform nine and three-quarters, he’s looking around in amazement, holding tightly onto his wife’s hand. Alex is too concerned with the train leaving without him to pay them any mind.

Nervous beyond belief because of their late arrival, he rushes through the platform to the end of the train, where he knows the compartments are more likely to be empty. His cat, Bandit, lets out an excited trill as Alex all but throws himself through the doors. Alex is too breathless to actually chastise him for it, so he just shakes his cage a little as he searches for an empty compartment.

To his dismay, there is none: None of the compartments were completely filled, as this was the very end of the train, but all were occupied. One compartment to his left only had one person in it, though, so that was probably Alex’s best option.

‘Huh…that guy’s hair is really messy…he has really pretty green eyes, though…’

…

Yeah, no, fuck sitting with Harry Potter.

Again in a rush, he promptly turns to the compartment to his right, where three kids are sitting and sharing pieces of cake. They all look very cute, but Harry Potter is right there and now that he’s facing the way of the doors he can actually see a family full of redheads on the platform just a few compartments down and he really, really doesn’t want to get involved with anything regarding the main plot. Not so early on, when he’s weak like this and on the verge of a panic attack.

And so, he’s left standing awkwardly in front of these kids’ compartment door, waiting for one of them to notice him.

None does.

The Hogwarts Express’ whistle rings sharply around the platform.

Without his permission, his mouth moves.

“Um, this looks like a very sweet moment but, uh, can I sit with you?”

All three kids turn to look at him, momentarily confused. The girl who’s closest to him is the first to regain focus, giving him a blinding smile.

“Well, of course, dear! Sit, sit, the train’s just about to part.”

Alex tries to smile back at her as he comes in, but all he manages is a grimace, shoving his stuff and Bandit’s cage under the seats. He ends up sitting opposite her and next to a brown haired girl, the boy next to the window raising a brow curiously at him as Alex quickly closes the door shut. Heaving a relieved sigh, he finally allows himself to relax. It’s then that the train starts moving, and the girl next to him shuffles to get closer to the window. That’s how Alex is reminded that his parents are people that exists.

Leaning closer to the window himself, he tries not to intrude on the girl’s space while also frantically looking for his parents. To his immense relief, they’re right outside their compartment window, having watched him make a run for the end of the train. The kids opposite them also pile up next to the window, and they all call out to their parents as the Hogwarts Express leaves the station – all except for the black haired boy, who looks out to the platform serene and quiet.

Once the platform gives way to tree-filled fields, they all return to their seats.

“Well, that’s that, I guess,” the girl next to him mutters. Leaning back on her seat, she turns to him and offers him a warm, if tired, smile. “I’m Sky Clarksong.”

“Alex Aspenvine,” is his automatic answer.

“Rook Brindlestone,” says the guy with black hair, smiling politely. And then, finally…

“Amber Cedargust,” says the girl who allowed him in. Now that the train has finally left the station, Alex lets himself study her carefully.

She’s blonde, and unlike him, her hair seems soft and well cared for, sunrays covering it in a golden shine. His own hair rests messy and untamable, a tangle of dusty blond curls pulled up in a small bun. Her skin is light and clear, lips a soft pink color that, were Alex actually the same age as her, would probably ensure her as his first crush. But being older than he should, and knowing things nobody else on this universe knows, the sight only makes Alex wonder if kids are supposed to look that elegant. That…mature.

…it’s probably Harry Potter logic, somehow. Rowling wouldn’t want ugly characters.

…no, actually, she definitely would want them, if only to slander them and have them live through unsavory events. But, still.

This Amber Cedargust is simply far too perceptive-looking. Too cleverish.

This knowledge settles into the depths of Alex’s gut, and he can tell by the way his chest tightens that it’ll be the cause of many restless nights.

That doesn’t stop him from admiring Amber’s eyes.

At first glance, when he got in the compartment, they looked an olive green. Now that he’s paying more attention, though, he can see that they’re actually the color of the sea, threatening to pull him in and leave him breathless. But then, no- her sea-colored eyes seem to swirl, and slowly, almost invisibly, they gain an emerald light.

Amber blinks.

Alex flinches, and the charm is gone.

Amber frowns curiously at him, still sporting a smile, but Alex makes a point of not staring directly at her eyes, instead directing his grey gaze to the bridge of her nose.

Veela.

This Amber Cedargust has Veela blood.

Just his fucking luck.

“So, um,” is his magnificent, eloquently put together conversation starter. “You all Purebloods?”

“Us two are,” says Rook, nodding towards himself and Amber. “Sky’s a Muggleborn.” Next to him, Sky offers him a smile. To Alex, though, who’s a self-declared expert on introverts and social anxiety, it looks more like a grimace. Rook continues on. “You?”

“Half-blood.”

Amber gains a curious glint in her eyes.

“Half-blood?” she asks, straightening in her seat. “Who’s your magical parent?”

“My mom,” Alex admits, fidgeting in his seat. In his mind, he’s already screaming, desperately trying to remember if he ever read about a Cedargust Death Eater. The only knowledge his memories supply him with, however, is that the wizarding community frowns upon witches who marry Muggles more than they do wizards. “Elowen Aspenvine. She’s, um, a Portraiture Master.”

Amber raises one careful brow.

“A Portraiture Master?” she asks, voice now much more sharp. “Why, I’ve never heard of an Aspenvine with such a title. Only ever Lemongrass. Far as I knew, he was the only Portraiture Master Britain had.”

Alex bristles, or at least he comes close to it. He bites his tongue, though, far too aware of the consequences of making a foe out of a Slytherin-prospect Pureblood heir. No matter how small and cute she may look.

“She’s a polyglot. She works for people all over Europe.” And, feeling a spark of protectiveness too fierce for him to tame down, he adds. “Last month she even went over to Indonesia.”

“Sounds like a good job,” Sky says from beside him. Alex turns to her and focuses on her encouraging smile to try and calm down, even as he sees, from his peripheral vision, Rook turning to Amber and muttering what he thinks is the Pureblood version of ‘easy, girl.’ “I bet she has had lots of good experiences.”

“…yeah,” he murmurs, trying once again to get his memory to work. Clarksong, Sky had said. Had Harry ever encountered any Clarksongs? “She went over to Spain, once. She painted a wedding. The couple was happy.”

“I’m sure they were,” Sky mutters back, just as lowly. “My parents run a café in London. It’s not that big, but people like it a lot.”

“My dad’s a beekeeper. Maybe we could lend you some honey?”

“They’d love that.” Then, Sky’s brow furrows. “Are you from London, too?”

Alex blinks. “Er, no.” Sky’s frown turns vaguely more disappointed, and Alex rushes to make the kid smile again. “But I’m sure we can find a way to mail it to you! You know, magic and all that.” Then he chuckles. It is the most horrible, awkward chuckle he’s ever let out on both of his lives.

“You could use my owl,” Rook offers from across them, apparently done chastising Amber from whatever her little interrogation was. He flashes him a warm, blinding smile, and were he not so obviously a Slytherin-prospect, too, Alex would say it makes him look Gryffindor-ish. “Unless you have one, that is.”

“Huh,” is all Alex says, still not sure how to feel about this weird gang of kids he’s found himself surrounded with. “Yeah, I uh, I think I’ll take you up on that offer, yes.”

Her mom doesn’t own an owl. From what he had managed to gather from her, she has a personal enchanted diary that lets her speak with people all over the world as long as they have a book from the wizarding world and the correct charm. Alex himself had decided to adopt Bandit, a bastard, hyperactive cat, over an owl as his designated Hogwarts pet.

He thought that, with some luck, he would be able to deliver his letters himself.

[Animagus.]

At the time it didn’t strike him that, if his Animagus form were to be an owl or a bird of any kind, he wouldn’t need to send letters to anybody, as he could simply fly over and speak his mind himself. Now in the flesh of a wizard attending Hogwarts for the first time, he can admit to himself that maybe a mammal would be just as good. He’d even take a rat, as offensive as the animal was because of Pettigrew. In the case he couldn’t stop Voldemort from rising again, going about as a rat or a snake might be enough to save his life.

A trill coming from above them breaks Alex out of his thoughts. Sky dutifully stands up and offers Alex a- a brownie? Since when did she have a brownie? Was Alex really so nervous about today he didn’t notice her holding it? Shit, Hogwarts is going to absolutely fuck him if he keeps on like this.

When Sky seats again, there’s a fluffy calico cat on her arms. The cat in question looks around at all of them with silvery blue eyes, and with a meow and a wave of the tail, the cat settles onto Sky’s lap purring.

“This is Lait,” she says, with all the confidence and charm of an eleven-year-old. “We bought her on Diagon Alley.”

In a blink, Amber’s kneeling on the floor and petting at her, cooing and awing at the way Lait presses against her hands.

“Glorious.”

“Ok.”

Then, of course, because he’s a drama queen, Bandit shrieks from inside his cage, and Alex’s got no option but to take him out. It all goes downhill from there.

When they arrive at Hogwarts hours later, all four of them can safely say the ride went much better than expected. Sky and Alex spent most of their time either quietly chatting while looking over their pets or sleeping against each other, despite the nerves of their Sorting growing closer every second. Rook and Amber kept the compartment alive even as their companions slept, talking about everything and anything for the entire ride, playing cards and chess and guess-the-spell. All in all, it was a very enjoyable day, all kids having momentarily forgotten the weight of the war laying ahead.

This comfort keeps them together all the way over the Black Lake, where they all huddle together in a boat and marvel at the sights both over and under them, and through the ghosts’ visit to the first years waiting before the entrance to the Great Hall.

Of course, as the books had predicted, all kids, real or not, are left breathless at the sight of the enchanted roof, showing a smattering of white, twinkling stars against the endless depth of a velvet black sky. It is all so very surreal, the four long tables decorated in the school’s colors, the hundreds of students and thousands of candles lighting up the room. And then, of course, there’s Albus Dumbledore, sitting atop a golden chair and looking over his charges with a smile.

Then there’s the Sorting Hat.

Alex had thought, fleetingly, when they were still on the train, that things went downhill when Bandit decided to be a bitch and scream.

But no. Of course not.

Things go downhill here.

“SLYTHERIN.”

“HUFFLEPUFF.”

“GRYFFINDOR.”

“RAVENCLAW.”

#despite this being titled prologue i'll probably won't write more #i just wanted to introduce everyone to the single most beloved characters ever #my little creatures #they're sososo weird and awkward and unaware of the horrors #i love them <3 #now onto the actual tags #harry potter #hp #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter fic #Goldencast #obligatory disclaimer that jk can go fuck herself #in this house we support trans rights (and the whole lgbt community of course)

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foxfren · 4 months

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Books I’ve Read in August

A mixed bag this month

Cosmoknights by Hannah Templer | 4/5

“Chin up, brave girl.”

An enjoyable and quick read that got me out of a reading slump 🤞 I loved the premise of the book, and the artwork is genuinely so beautiful!! The novel feels like a mix of sci-fi and sports fiction (two genres I absolutely love), and overall had so much fun with this book!

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser & Robyn Smith | 2.5/5

“Oh, whatever. This is the remix!”

The illustrations were wonderful, and I liked the way that hair was used as symbolism throughout the story (although I was disappointed as it didn’t occur as frequently as the title led me to believe). I liked the idea of having a collection of shorter slice-of-life stories with an overarching plot, though I feel that this book didn’t achieve it to its fullest potential; many parts felt unresolved and inconsistent, contributing to a lack of overall cohesiveness. I also didn’t like the way that their depiction of depression and medication was handled (and also left unresolved).

Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Lisa Sterle | 2/5

How close anger and hunger are, really. Like different songs in the same key. They can be hard to differentiate.

A fast paced read that tries to mix dark academia vibes in literature with the werewolf genre. The artwork is excellent, and I loved the character designs and the use of color. Though the premise is awesome, the execution of it is subpar at best. It felt cliche and surface level, and overall lacked substance. That, along with the frequent micro-aggressions, tainted my perception of the novel.

How to Bite Your Neighbour and Win a Wager by D. N. Bryn | 3/5

“I want you to bite me.”

This is a different take on the vampire genre than I was expecting; loved the worldbuilding (low key really dense for the length of the novel!!) and the way that vampirism is more of a medical condition rather than a supernatural one. But while the worldbuilding was strong, the chemistry between the two leads unfortunately was not. I feel like this would’ve been a much better read had the characters been given more time to learn to love and forgive each other.

The Only One Left by Riley Sager | 2/5

The thing I remember most--the thing I still have nightmares about--is when it was all but over.

Ok [cracks knuckles] let’s do this. The beginning of the novel was my favorite, and the author did a wonderful job of setting the scene. However, the atmosphere was not maintained throughout the course of the story. My main issue with this book is its pacing, and the fact that most of the twists felt very randomly dropped in (especially near the end).

The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro | 1.5/5

“To live in sin in plain sight of everyone.”

This is a retelling of a gothic story, but it wasn’t a very good one. Both of the romances involving Emile felt very underdeveloped; whilst Bram was an incredible supporting character, Henri was very lacklustre. Henri is in a position of power over Emile, and reading about his manipulative actions and attempts at forcing a relationship painted him clearly as an antagonist rather than the leading love interest. Also, his poorly written redemption arc very much soured my impression of the novel. The premise is promising, but it’s execution was disappointing.

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson | 4/5

Maybe it’s a matter of tenses. Of grammar. Our love existed, it does exist, it will exist. On the great continuum of time, perhaps it is the tenses that will cease to be. What does the scientist in you think of that?

This has no reason to be so sad 😭 Loved almost every minute of reading this book omg!! I really like the way that different characters represent the past, present, and future of this tiny town. I thought the characters were well fleshed out, and while the pacing was a tad slow, the story actually benefited a lot from that!! Would recommend :)

#fennec speaks #book list #monthly book review #cosmoknights #wash day diaries #squad #how to bite your neighbor and win a wager #the only one left #the alchemy of moonlight #a town called solace

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082112 · 5 months

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Been rotating between feeling aimlessly lonely & sad recently and warm and filled with comfort (truly the it is so over —> we are so back cycle) and hence I have not gone and written the entry I have been intending to (in drafts for over 2 weeks now, although I really hope I will) about life updates and such. So, in short: I am staying at Outer Coast, and I will be in SF starting January for a SWE internship. Woot woot! I got what I wanted!

On the internship: a mix of relief, excitement about the riches (ie a decent hourly rate) I shall roll about in (ie go to a spa and get a haircut), and being in SF. Also a terror: of being in a new place (SF scary) mostly alone, of “selling out” as a callback to my hatred and jealously of those who chose SWE in freshman year, and the truest deepest fear - that this is a step away from throwing myself towards the things I believe I am most interested in and move me deeply - literature, history, physics, the beauty of the world and the fields we use as means to contemplate it. Instead I will be comfortably making money working for a productivity app. Really, there’s nothing wrong with taking a break, and the company is great and apparently has great perks. But I’m so used to the sense that in order to make progress I must constantly and relentlessly throw myself at things (and the fact that I always feel induitably and irreconcilably behind) that the thought of deviating from that makes me skittish and afraid. Ah well - it is truly going to be a good thing, I believe, and I should direct myself more to this belief.

A slight aside - read the Rhodes Scholars 2024 profiles. Was seized by the same old urge to desire it and scrutinize their accomplishments and compare myself to each one. Recognized immediately it probably wasn’t healthy; did it anyway; set me in a weird mood for the rest of the day where once again I was preoccupied with means of accomplishments and the metrics and laurels I could accumulate. Released it by the next day, or perhaps more aptly came to my senses, and now I am able to once again see a life that is beautiful and meaningful and hopeful without the approval of the Rhodes selection committee. Yippee!

Anyway, I was thinking just now about how I find direction and purpose, and how aimless I felt tonight after Netflix partying an anime movie with Eric, and letting myself think and feel bits and snippets of half-thoughts about returning to MIT. It’s not like everything was perfect there, though I remember it only piecewise: that I was often in intense pain, I remember as a fact, physical and emotional and mental, but the actual memory of said pains is partial and ghostly. But the thought crossed my mind just now that I think I felt more (or at least in retrospect now feel) that there searching for the meanings of the world was intuitive and easy; it came in the rush of academics and classes and profound revelations and readings and problem sets, and of course dreams of the future in graduate education and academia. And I’ve had this sense recently that perhaps I am shallow and awful and horrible for feeling this the most deeply (and tried punishing myself, see: almost leaving Outer Coast in spite of myself for wanting a transcript for grad school). But I’m thinking that although academia is nowhere near constitutively reflective of the real world, me resonating deeply with the intellectual engagement found in some parts of academia + higher institutions of learning is not at all a bad thing. That too should be celebrated; I owe myself so much love. But yes, TLDR - it seems, in retrospect, easier to find meaning when presented in contexts where I can intellectualize it deeply, and that is not a bad thing. And yet it is also important in the world here, where I am now, to find meaning also. :)

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alkalinefrog · 3 years

Note

may I request your top 10 favorie lawlight fics ?? I’m really interested

AIGHT BUCKLE UP BUTTERCUP because I’ve got a lot of feelings about these! Also, people have been asking me for fics featuring:

Ryuk shenanigans

yagami sibling hijinks

whammy kids found family

----- from my bingo card I made a while back. Tbh, I put those on the list to try and manifest the energy into the universe hoping people would bring fics to ME about them lmao. I do have a couple that check the boxes though!

Also thank you to everyone who’s been recommending me fics!! You’ve all hit the nail on the head and sing straight to my heart! I’m just slow to make my way through them between work. <3

GOING UNDER THE CUT (rip mobile users)

Aight here we go, in no particular order:

“Change OR the one where L and Light get married” by @translightyagami (I’m so sorry I keep tagging you in these alsfjkalsfdj)

The one I never shut up about and am adapting part of into a comic because it’s just that GOOD. :’’’D Light and L get married in front of Watari and Light’s family back at the Whammy orphanage in England. A melancholy yet painfully sweet tale as Light and L reminisce on their history together while getting ready for the ceremony, and their first night together afterwards. Single-handedly sold me on Kira being intrinsically part of Light to boot.

“the forest holds strange creatures” by @translightyagami (I’m sorryyyyyyy I just love your stuff)

An AU where Light’s a paranormal researcher and L’s a reclusive cryptid living in the forest next to a small town. The writing has a fairytale feel to it, and the romance is so gentle. Light’s bunking at Whammy’s small little house, and Near and Mello are there as little kids pestering Light. It’s ADORABLE. Beyond Birthday also shows up in one of the extra chapters as a creepy cashier at a thrift shop for double the fun!

"Sickness” by BlueberryValentine (more fics on their fanfiction.net account!)

The ultimate hurt/comfort + fluff + angst with a happy ending fic. The first fic I read to get back into lawlight a couple months back! Canon divergence starting during the Yotsuba arc. Light is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer while still under investigation. L has to take care of him, and somewhere along the way they fall in love. It carved out a chunk of my heart but luckily filled it back up with a sweet sort of aching.

“Seeking His Hand” by magic__mind

Historical regency AU! L is a rich nobleman courting Light, a humble farm boy, for his hand in marriage. One of the most romantic pieces of literature that I have ever come across. The prose is pure poetry, and their love so pure! This one also has a special place in my heart for its portrayal of Misa! She’s A)a spy who helps L on his cases, B)totally removed from her co-dependence for Light, C)the bubbly badass she was always meant to be. 100/10 worth the read!

The “Resurrections” Series by Shadow_of_Quill

A modern Orpheus and Euridice story, wherein Light’s spirit leads L back from Hades while he’s still Kira. L is thereby present for the confrontation at the warehouse. Believing that any trace of Light is lost in the man, he executes him right then and there. However, this was a grave mistake, and Light’s soul won’t be as easily revived. (spoilers, they’re both fine in the end) ******* THIS ONE ALSO INCLUDES YAGAMI SIBLING HIJINKS. Sayu plays a HUGE role in bringing Light back!

“Is This The Way It Ends Now?” by Seastar98

The one that checks off ALL the above three boxes!! A “characters watch their own show” fic, wherein the gang receives a mysterious DVD in the middle of the Yotsuba arc. Horrified by what’s to come, Light and L work to make sure their future is brighter than the one they witness. They bring in all three heirs to watch with ‘em, everyone gets character development, and Sayu comes in like black panther in endgame yet again to bring Light back from the darkness! Ryuk pops up in the end and the epilogue and he’s great. The ultimate and most direct fix-it you’re ever gonna get.

“From the Same Star” by Nilahxapiel

This is my only pure “Ryuk Shenanigans” fic, and it’s really really sad :’’’D A short but sweet one-shot wherein Ryuk traverses multiple dimensions, dropping the Death Note at Light’s feet each time. Light and L were always fated to clash, and it’s just as heartbreaking every time.

“Primitive Liars” by Nilahxapiel

This one’s super popular in the fandom for a reason! The only omegaverse fic that I’ve liked! The A/B/O dynamics and their affect on society are super well developed, and the writer manages to keep L and Light very in character while still developing their budding romance in a believable way. This is an AU where somebody else is Kira, and Light’s genuinely helping L and the task force hunt him down. ***** Naomi Misora lives, the heirs come in, and Sayu actually hops aboard the task force!!! DUDE. BRILLIANT. I also just love the exploration of gender and identity that the author weaves in. Lots of LGBTQ rep!

“and indeed there will be time” by lawlietismyfavorite

The ultimate soulmate AU. People grow to be 18, then stop aging until they meet their one. L is the greatest detective of not only this century, but of six centuries. And then there's Light. (taken straight from the description!) The prose is absolutely breathtaking; like walking through a dream. Can not recommend this fic enough! It’s got my head up in the clouds and looking towards the stars!

“K” by Dlvvanzor

AU where Light’s a Whammy with the moniker ‘K.’ He and L grow up together along with kiddos covering the rest of the alphabet. A murder-mystery-thriller on top of the romance featuring Beyond Birthday as a main character! Light’s a pathological liar and L’s super into it. They’re the top students at Whammy’s and are tasked with solving a string of homicides happening RIGHT AT THE ORPHANAGE (guess who dunnit). It had me on the edge of my seat, and I binged the whole thing in two days.

i’mMMMM doing more than 10, this’ll just be my ultimate fic rec post 😂

“Change of Circumstances” by wordbombs

Another AU where Light’s a whammy! It’s just a one-shot though, but one of my all time faves!!! I’ve gone back and reread it so many times and drew some stuff for it a couple weeks back. Much more light-hearted than “K”, Light arrives at the orphanage at age four and meets an eleven year old L, and from there they grow up together and fall in love (the age difference is handled really well, L’s not physically present for a lot of Light’s childhood and they bond on a platonic level first). It’s one of the healthiest relationship dynamics that I’ve seen for these two, which is honestly such a breath of fresh air. Matt, Mello, and Near are there too in the background!

“Dial K for Kira” by @kiranatrix

“Light needs some easy money to finance his Kira plans, and notices there’s a big demand for Kira roleplay phone sex. So he figures, “Why not? Pretty sure I’ll be convincing.”He raises some fast cash and plans to shut the whole thing down and get back to writing names, until he gets a request from somebody who wants to “roleplay” as L....“

Taken straight from the description! It’s very VERY NSFW so be warned. I’m too shy to talk about it more alskfjdasldjf sorry BUT IT’S GREAT.

“Dance with Me” and “Birthday Note” by @dotti55fanfiction

These are both one-shots so I’m putting ‘em together! Absolutely adorable tooth-rotting fluff!! “Dance with Me” has Light and L going to a club, while “Birthday Note” features L trying to think of the best present for Light. The dictionary definition of “warm fuzzies.” (Dotti ilu, I still gotta find time to read your longer works)

“you’re a wasp nest” by raisuki (inthegripofahurricane)

Blind!Light AU! Light and L are both college students who meet when Sayu dares L to break into her house. Yagami sibling hijinksssss! Their quippy dialogue is adorable and it’s just a fun time watching them flirt.

“softly now” by smallestbird (jenwryn)

THANK YOU TO THE ANON WHO SENT ME THIS REC. The softest lawlight one-shot to finish off this list! Light and L share an intimate moment while painting their new apartment. The absolute JOY this fic radiates in a short 700 words!! Read it before bed for the sweetest dreams!

These are just my favourites, but read anything by any of these authors and you will not be disappointed! I might make a separate post later for soulmate AUs because... There’s just too many. :’D

-Alka

#Anonymous #ask #fic rec #lawlight #text #when you meet a work deadline and use the extra time to catch up on asks lol

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miezkind · 2 years

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Post 9 books I intend to read in 2022

@awordwasthebeginning thank you very much for tagging me. Here are seven books that I intend to (re)read in the near future.

1) I’m currently reading “The Neverending Story” together with my partner, a childhood fave of mine

2) “Girl, Women, Other” was recommended (and lent) by a friend, I have yet to open it

3) “Drei Schwestern” (Three Sisters) is actually a drama that I’m curious about

4) Re-Reading “Herztier” (~ Heart Animal) for an assignment for University (much recommended!)

5) Reading “Popliteratur. Eine Einführung” (Pop Literature. An Introduction) for background knowledge for my second job, lol

6) “Filmtheorie zur Einführung” (Movie Theory. An Introduction) was also recommended to me, and is very interesting! very good overview on different Discourses(TM)

7) “Nackt unter Wölfen” (Naked Among Wolves) is a University thing again, background knowledge for an assignment on the two movie adaptations

@a-sad-pun, you have the honour of being tagged :D please tell me what you currently read / intend to read this year!

#me being me

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haleigh-sloth · 3 years

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I'm new to manga and while I'm proficient at analysing other forms of literature, I'm finding it difficult to analyse manga, probably because of the artistic component. Do you have any advice on what to focus on when reading manga in order to analyse it well? If this question is too vague, you can disregard it, I am only asking because I find your analyses to be excellent.

Omg 🥺 It’s not vague! It seems like we’re opposites. I’m not well versed in literature, or writing in general, but I am an artist--which is why I love manga. I’ve been reading manga since I was 11 and I’m 24 now (I’m a nerd), so I’ve gotten pretty decent at knowing which panels the mangaka wants us to pay attention to! I’ll give some of the best examples I can think of off the top of my head.

So obviously you know by now that manga is all black and white. We do get some colored sheets every now and then that also have meaning (I’ll link to that post later), and I love when the authors give us those, but for the most part it’s all black and white. If you’re going to try to grasp the tones and meanings behind certain scenes in manga, the BEST advice I can give you is to pay extra attention to the shading more than anything else. Let me use the best examples I can think of when it comes to shading.

So look at Hawks here. Hawks is a hero, yes? A good guy, right?

Well...does he look like a good guy here? I’d say no. This use of shading was absolutely deliberate on Horikoshi’s part. I think we can all agree this was a really dark moment for Hawks (no pun intended). He stooped to a level nobody ever wanted him to, a level Hawks himself never wanted to. This scene being drawn this way tells us that we as readers are NOT supposed to approve of Hawks’s actions here. And NOW, because of the way this scene was drawn for us, all we are left to assume is that something bad is coming for Hawks. Basically, the consequences of his actions have not hit him yet. So even though we haven’t seen those consequences yet (it’s really frustrating waiting ngl), we know that we can expect there to be something dark in Hawks’s future. Many other meta bloggers predict his death, him dying heroically in order to make up for killing Twice. And man, that is very much possible, however I’m still waiting to see what more develops in Hawks’s arc before I make that prediction. Hori hasn’t given me any reason to believe that he’d actually kill off an important hero for the sake of the writing...yet.

Another example, and probably my favorite panel of Shigaraki so far because it’s gorgeously drawn (and sad as hell):

This panel is supposed to make you feel his despair. He’s surrounded by a black, static background, his figure is drawn with an insane amount of detail. You can tell just by looking at it that Horikoshi put a significant amount of effort into this one panel compared the ones that came right before it:

This is same scene, same chapter as the panel above, but the background and shading is totally different. I’m only showing this panel here to point out how important the panel above it is in comparison. One is a panel that is simply moving the chapter forward, the other is meant to stop you for a moment and make you react to it. Horikoshi made sympathetic villains, and that panel of Shigaraki practically begging people to understand was meant to evoke that sympathy from the readers to prepare them for his redemption.

There are probably a million examples from BNHA I could use to show you the importance of shading but I’m going to move over to one of my all time favorites: FMA

So this lovely fellow below, Roy Mustang, is a protagonist in Fullmetal Alchemist. Fullmetal Alchemist is a series with similar values to BNHA. It acknowledges the value of the human life. It acknowledges that once someone is dead, you can’t bring them back. It acknowledges that murder is wrong, no matter the reason.

Also, similar to how BNHA punishes the villains for their quest for revenge over and over again, FMA also portrays to readers the dangers of following the paths of revenge. There are two characters in FMA that show us that danger, one of which is Roy.

This is a big moment for Roy because he just discovered the person responsible for his best friend’s death. And now he’s out for blood. But this panel above tells you that this is a BAD IDEA. Shrouding him in darkness, not showing his entire face, hiding him in the shadows--it tells you that he’s on a dark path now.

Look here, this is kind of similar to how Hawks was portrayed above. Roy is standing over someone who he clearly has power over, someone he is about to kill out of revenge. Envy is a major antagonist in FMA right until his death, but simply because of the way Roy is drawn here, devoid of human emotion because again, you can’t see his face, Envy is almost sympathetic when he finally does die. (BTW, he does not die at Roy’s hand). Roy is a protagonist in this series, but here he’s drawn looking incredibly evil and scary--for a reason. You’re not supposed to approve of his actions. Roy set out for revenge and his narrative consequences came not too long after this chapter. So basically, just like with any other story:

character does something we know is supposed to be bad-----> something bad happens to character as a result

I’ll give one more example from a story that is not similar to BNHA or FMA in the slightest, but still uses that dark shroud in the same manner.

Say hi to Shigure from Fruits Basket. Shigure is kind of...an anti hero? He’s a real asshole. Now Fruits Basket is shojo and the stakes aren’t near as high or dramatic as BNHA so the tone is a bit different. But even with one panel here of this guy’s face, you get that dark, cynical vibe from him. And well, he is dark and cynical. If you read the story from the beginning up until here you can tell that he’s a shady dude (no pun intended again I’m so sorry), and low and behold he is one of the more questionable characters in this series. But this one darkly shaded panel is the introduction to that dark side of him as a character.

Basically in manga shading is tell all for how you’re supposed to interpret a situation. But aside from shading, the SIZE of the panels are also important. Those Hawks panels above took up entire pages. That Shigaraki panel took up an entire page. Those panels of Roy took up an entire page. Obviously the author wants you to pay attention to the story those panels are trying to tell. The words of the characters matter too, but sometimes you have characters whose words you can’t take at face value (*cough cough* Dabi *cough*) so you sometimes have to go off of the artwork alone.

Aside from the manga itself, mangakas also release colored prints along with their series. A lot of times these prints don’t have much to do with the events within the story, but sometimes they do. And I talked here about how Horikoshi really correlated all of his art of Shigaraki with the current place in his arc, and about how now that Shigaraki’s redemption is underway, he’s drawing Shigaraki in such a way that shows him growing closer to his hero counterpart who is currently on his way to save him, and also just portraying him in a less villainous manner than before. This isn’t always the case though. But Horikoshi did it and when that last color spread came out I got so excited I kind of just rambled with excitement lol.

SO I know it wasn’t much to go on but I really hope this helps you a bit more and what you were looking for! Shading is the most important since it’s all black and white, and then panel size is important too.

I hope you read more manga and join us in this hell! Lol

#manga analysis #art analysis #bnha #fma #fruits basket #boku no hero academia #Fullmetal Alchemist #fmab #fma manga #fullmetal alchemist brotherhood #furuba #fruits basket manga #shigure sohma #shigaraki tomura #bnha hox #art #anonymous

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inevitably-johnlocked · 4 years

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hey do you know any johnlock fanfictions, that are very slow burn and at first it's just sherlock being sad that him and john are never going to get together (maybe after the wedding or something) but have a happy ending? (possibly with 100k+ words)

Hey Nonny!

Ahhhh I like to argue that ALL my slow burn recs are especially painful, LOL LOL!! I didn’t have a lot of over 100 K ouchie-burn fics, so I’ve decided to quickly go through all my fics tagged “slow burn” and give you all the fics I KNEW gave me too many feels when I read them because of the burn!! So I hope that’s okay!!

And as always, Lovelies, I’ve certainly missed a lot of fics because of improper tagging or just too many sleepy nights skimming my bookmarks, so feel free to add your faves!

BURN SO SLOW IT HURTS

See also:

Love Confessions / Slow Burn / Dev. Rel. (Fluff Version)

Falling In Love / Slow Burn / Dev. Rel. || [MOBILE POST] (April 2019)

Slow Burn / Dev. Rel. / Falling in Love Pt. 3 (Nov. 2019)

Slow Burn / Dev Rel. Pt. 4 (Apr 2020)

Mutual Pining

Pining Sherlock || [MOBILE FRIENDLY VERSION]

Pining John

A Lifetime Together by LondonGypsy (M, 8,886 w., 1 Ch. || Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Falling in Love, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Pining Idiots, Alternating POVs, Domestics, Retirement) – John and Sherlock falling in love.

You fit me, Sherlock Holmes by orphan_account (G, 10,077 w., 1 Ch. || It’s An Experiment, Bed Sharing, Slow Burn, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Questionable Science) – An unfortunate series of events leads to John accepting being a part of Sherlock's study in physical intimacy. As the days pass by, John realizes he might be in for more than he bargained for. He doesn't entirely mind.

Down with this Ship by FrostedFlame (PinkOrchid) (M, 10,862 w., 10 Ch. || For a Case, Gay Bar, Pining, Coming Out, Slow Burn) – Sherlock drags John undercover to a gay bar - for a case, of course - looking forward to seeing John flustered by their surroundings (since you know, he's NOT GAY). John decides that he has hidden both his orientation and his feelings for his daft flatmate for far too long. He is done hiding, time to be honest with his bloody best friend in the world. He just hopes it won't change anything between them. And then it does.

The Slow Burn by CaitlinFairchild (E, 12,097 w., 4 Ch. || Romance, Emotional Infidelity, Friends to Lovers, Sherlock POV, First Kiss/Time, Fix-It) – John smiles, something small and private and for him alone, and Sherlock just...he knows. With a heart-stopping certainty, Sherlock suddenly knows. It feels like falling off the edge of a cliff. It feels like falling off the edge of the world. It feels like flying.

Merlot by Itsallfine (E, 14,844 w., 17 Ch. || Christmas, Pining Sherlock, Wine, Slow Burn, First Kiss / Time, Love Confessions, Wine, Holmes Family) – Sherlock and John work toward becoming something more as they prepare to host the Holmes parents at 221B for the holidays. Part of 25 Days of Fic-Mas 2015.

Pleasure to Burn by scullyseviltwin (E, 17,863 w., 1 Ch. || Firefighter AU, Firefighter John / Arson Investigator Sherlock, Slow Burn, Pining, Case Fic-ish) – “If you’d kindly stop knocking about in there and destroying all of my evidence, it would be most appreciated!” John groaned and for a moment rested his head against the side of the truck. Of course he was the only captain left on the scene, which meant he would have to be the one to deal with the arson investigator.

Permanent Fixture by vitruvianwatson (E, 18,836 w., 9 Ch || Post-S4, Parentlock, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, They’re Good Parents, Blushing Sherlock, First Kiss/Time, Explicit Consent, Sexual Content, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Big Feelings, Crying, First Kiss, Fluff, Anxious Sherlock, Inexperienced Sherlock, Emotional Communication, Love Confessions) – Now, as Rosie sat curled up against Sherlock’s side, John watched and wondered exactly how he had ended up here. Domesticity had never suited him before, not at any point in his life. His disastrous marriage had been proof of that. But somehow, here in the warmth and safety of 221B Baker Street, here with Sherlock Holmes reading medical jargon to his daughter, Sherlock’s bony feet nudging against his leg, John couldn’t imagine anyplace that would make him happier.

Out of the Woods by SilentAuror (E, 20,471 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Romance, Slow Burn, Flirting, Drunk Sex, Practical Jokes, POV Sherlock, Bottomlock, Possessive John, Pining Sherlock, Frustrated Wanking, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, First Kiss/Time, Virgin Sherlock, Love Confessions, Soft Sherlock, Dancing, Bum Appreciation, Hanging out with the Yard) – Sherlock is fairly certain that John has taken to flirting with him of late, but can't be entirely certain of it. At least, not until a case takes them into a forest, along with Lestrade's team and something happens that will change everything about their lives...

whiskies neat by Ellipsical (E, 20,660 w., 15 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting, POV Second Person Sherlock, Slow Burn, One Night Stand, Rimming, Blow Jobs, Anal, Soldier John, Crying, Emotional Lovemaking, Switchlock) – Home and hearth and whiskies neat, or, alternatively, Sherlock Holmes falls in love.

Ghost Stories by SwissMiss (M, 22,256 w., 1 Ch. || Pining, Holmes Family, Christmas, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Bed Sharing, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, First Time) – Sherlock's parents think he and John are a couple. They might be onto something.

The Sexual Awakening of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson by suitesamba (M, 24,579 w., 10 Ch. || Post-TRF, Case Fic, H/C, First Kiss/Time) – Sherlock owes Mycroft a favour. Mycroft calls in that favor by offering Sherlock's consulting services in a charity auction. Sherlock and John soon find themselves at the country manor of Mrs. Ives-Patton Smarmington III - not very coincidentally a long-time friend of Sherlock's mother - where they are reluctant participants in her Murder Mystery Weekend. It's a play within a play for Sherlock and John, and their roles for the weekend event bleed over into their real lives, waking the sleeping dragons within.

Tomorrow's Song by agirlsname (M, 24,645 w., 5 Ch. || Post-TRF, POV Sherlock, Angst with a Happy Ending, Virgin / Repressed Sherlock, Love Confessions, Slow Burn, Pining, Jealous Sherlock) – How can he think a relationship with me would be a good idea? I am the sort of person to take a break from my life and when I come back after two years, I expect to find it exactly as I left it. In reality I find it shattered to pieces. (I actually equate you with my life. When did I start doing that?)

State of Flux by Atiki (E, 24,655 w., 4 Ch. || S3 Fix It, Sherlock POV, Slow Burn, First Kiss/Time, Friends to Lovers, Frottage, Cuddles and Snuggles, Awkwardness, Insecure/Virgin Sherlock, Romance, Humour, Masturbation, Love Declarations, Bottomlock, Brief Suicidal Ideations) – John’s marriage is over and he is finally back home (i.e. at Baker Street, where he belongs). Sherlock is awfully insecure and John is awfully hesitant, and they’re both awkward idiots, of course, but they figure it out. Many First Times happen.

Hitting the Water at Sixty Miles an Hour by what_alchemy (E, 30,568 w., 5 Ch. || Fake Rel., Roadtrips, Slow Burn, Mummy Holmes) – “You love your mother, Sherlock?” John watched the muscles in Sherlock’s jaw jump. He nodded in one sharp jerk. “Then we’re going to her party and making her happy.” John let out a resigned sigh. “As a ruddy couple, you bastard.”

The Kissing Disease by cottonballz_of_death (E, 30,856 w., 15 Ch. || Sickfic, Angst with Happy Ending, Case Fic, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, Jealous Sherlock, Body Image Issues, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional H/C, POV Sherlock, Oral / Anal, Thong, Frottage) – John brings home a boyfriend, shocking Sherlock, who long ago gave up hope that his straight flatmate would ever take a romantic interest in him. In a bid to reconnect with John, he tries to infect himself with a "harmless" virus. Neither of them is prepared for the emotional fallout that results.

An Acquired Taste by kinklock (E, 31,059 w., 4 Ch. || Vampires AU || Vampire Sherlock, Misunderstandings, Bat!Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Humour, Magical Realism, Fluff and Angst, Blood Drinking, Holmes Family, Slow Burn) – At Montague Street when Sherlock was forced to sate his body’s needs, he was at least able to wander about the flat as much as he pleased. At Baker Street, it was mini-bags in a mini-fridge and bedroom confinement.

The Winter Garden by Callie4180 (T, 31,213 w., 13 Ch. || Post-S4, Retirement, Christmas, Slow Burn, Grown-Up Rosie, Parenthood, Rosie’s Cat, Angst with Happy Ending, Holidays, Beekeeping, Magical Realism, Sherlock POV, Sherlock’s Violin, Future Fic, Sussex, Honey, Magical Healing Honey, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Scar, First Kiss, Touching, Mycroft is Dying) – As Sherlock nears the end of his career, he's given the gift of a cottage in Sussex. The honey from the beehives out back is amazing. Almost...magical.

Love or What You Will by miss_frankenstein (T, 31,987 w., 11 Ch. || College/Uni AU || Professor John, Ph.D Student Sherlock, Pining John, Poetry, Falling in Love / Slow Burn, Light Angst, Happy Ending) – John is an English professor who specializes in War and Post-War Literature and Sherlock is the brilliant yet impossible Ph.D. student assigned to be his TA because no one in the Chemistry Department is willing to put up with him. And - somewhere between Waugh and Plath, e-mails and takeaway, novels and villanelles - they fall in love.

Five Times They Kissed for a Case, and One Time They Kissed for Real by fleetwood_mouse (M, 32,406 w., 6 Ch. || 5+1, Slow Burn, Fluff / Angst, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers) – A stolen ring! An artful blogger! And many more adventures for your enjoyment.

carrying up his morning tea by darcylindbergh (E, 34,504 w., 5 Ch. || Post S3, Minor Character Death, Grief/Mourning, Wakes/Funerals, Estranged John, Pining Sherlock, Depression/Insecurity, Slow Burn, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Chronic Pain/Injury, Reconciliation, Awkwardness, Loneliness, Scars, Angst With Happy Ending) – His fingers tremble as he dials and he can’t force them steady. Familiar number, even though he hasn’t used it in two years. He isn’t even sure he should be calling it now, but she’d asked. She’d made him promise.

LHR-HNL by scullyseviltwin (E, 35,066 w., 7 Ch. || Hawaiian Vacation, Post-TRF, Friends To Lovers, Slow Burn, Just Talk Already, Drinking, Mutual Pining) – In need of an endangered flora sample, Sherlock and John must make a trip to an unexpected destination.

The Boy Who Drank Stars by kinklock (E, 36,157 w., 4 Ch. || Howl’s Moving Castle AU || Witches and Wizards, Slow Burn, Magic, Jealous John, Happy Ending, Bed Sharing) – “I’m looking for a castle,” John informed the scarecrow. “A moving one.”Except that, as it turned out, it was not a moving one at all.

A Promise Made to Be Broken by PlantsAreNeat (E, 37,018 w., 7 Ch. || Fake Relationship, Pining, Slow Burn, RST, Eventual Relationship, POV Sherlock) – A young John makes an ‘if we’re still single at 40, we’ll get together’ pledge to a woman who ends up all wrong for him. She keeps reminding him of the promise, and won’t let go of it. John asks Sherlock to pose as his boyfriend at a family wedding, so as to dash her hopes permanently. Sherlock, who has at last acknowledged his feelings for John, reluctantly agrees despite knowing how painful it will be to ‘have’ John, but not keep him.

Right Hand Man by SilentAuror (E, 42,031 w., 4 Ch. || H/C, Injury, Slow Burn) – When John's left arm becomes paralysed after a car accident, Mary asks Sherlock to take him back to Baker Street to recuperate, as she's about to give birth. Despite the fact that the search for Moriarty is ongoing, Sherlock takes John in and takes responsibility for overseeing his rehabilitation as he adjusts to the loss of his arm.

Left by lifeonmars (M, 45,153 w., 9 Ch. || Magical Realism, BAMF!John, Slow Burn) – John Watson is left-handed. He’s tried not to let it affect his life, but as any Lefty knows, that’s almost impossible.

The Real Great Perfumers by shelleysprometheus (E, 45,355 w., 68 Ch. || Case Fic, Alternating POV, Gay Sherlock / Bi John, Canon Compliant with Divergence at TRF, Friends to Lovers, Oral / Anal, Pining, First Kiss / Time, Dev. Rel., Drugging, Body Worship, Bathing, Love Confessions, Travelling, Bottomlock, Cranky Sherlock, BJ’s, Alternating POV, Jealous John) – The case, this case. This extraordinary, fascinating, scintillating case. A house. Designed entirely by its eccentric owner, built by no less than five hundred expert tradesmen in the heart of Marrakesh. A house that had, seemingly not only driven its owner out, but also to his quite unpleasant death. And a perfumer, a chemist no less, the very thought of the secrets that house could reveal, would reveal was irresistible. Sherlock had to have this case ... and it seems, he also had to have John! Part 1 of the Forethought and Fire series

Corpus Hominis by mycapeisplaid (E, 47,709 w., 12 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Case Fic, Fluff, Romance, Frottage, Angst, Anal, Blow Jobs, Rimming, Spas / Massages, Shampoo, Jealousy, Fake Relationship) - John knows the human body intimately. He’s had plenty of opportunity for study as a doctor, soldier, and lover. There’s one particular body, however, he knows very little about. When Sherlock launches himself head-first into a new obsession and they get sent on a case in an unlikely location, the pair discovers each other’s bodies with confusing yet delightful (and sometimes hilarious) results.

The Norwood Love Builders by flawedamythyst (T, 47,798 w., 9 Ch. || Fake Relationship, Case Fic, Slow Burn, Post TRF Angst) – Sherlock and John go undercover to solve the murder of Joanna Oldacre, but things are complicated by the many feelings John has been repressing in the wake of Sherlock's faked death and return.

The Pieces That Fall to Earth by Itsallfine (M, 49,513 w., 84 Ch. || S4 Fix-It, Epistolary, Love Confessions, Slow Burn, Parentlock, Past Abuse, Coming Out, Internalized Homophobia, Questioning Sexuality, Mental Health Issues / Therapy, Angst, Happy Ending) – John and Sherlock have hit rock bottom, but with all their armor stripped away, they can finally speak honestly, seek healing, and find the truths that matter most. An epistolary post-s4 fix-it fic. Now complete. (This fic is rated T except for one very clearly marked and easily skippable chapter, which is rated M.) Part 1 of The Pieces that Fall to Earth

Anchor Point by trickybonmot (E, 49,856 w., 80 Ch. || Truman Show AU || Psychological Drama, Suspense, Slow Burn, Dark Characters / Fic, Alternating First/Third Person, Protective John, Anxious/Worried Sherlock, Tender Moments, Love Confessions, Hand/Blow Jobs, Cuddling, Jealous John, First Kiss/Time) – The world tunes in nightly for Sherlock, the ultimate in reality TV: Sherlock Holmes, a real person with a legendary name, unknowingly lives out his life in a staged setting contrived by his brother. Things get complicated when a retired army doctor joins the show to play the part of Sherlock's closest friend. This fic borrows its concept from the 1998 film, the Truman Show. However, you don't need to have any knowledge of the movie to enjoy this story.

Triage by scullyseviltwin (E, 51,612 w., 14 Ch. || Character Injury, Introspection, Pining Sherlock, Falling in Love, Slow Burn, Sherlock POV, Toplock) – Sherlock’s mind goes exceedingly, devastatingly quiet and gray-blank. When he speaks it’s through a thick haze, it’s through molasses, he’s so disconnected from the words that it may as well be the unconscious shooter speaking.

In the Dark Hours by hubblegleeflower (E, 51,639 w., 12 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, Unreliable Narrator, Closeted Bi John, Angst, Miscommunications, Slow Burn, First Time, John’s Blog / Epistolary, Selective Mutism) – John, wounded and silent, drifts back to Baker Street for healing...and then goes home again. He visits, gets more upbeat, chattier, smiles, jokes... and still goes home again. Sherlock wants him to move back in - it just makes sense - but John shows no signs of doing so. This is the story of how John and Sherlock learn to say what needs to be said when they're both so very, very rubbish at talking.

Spare Change by Ermerness (E, 51,966 w., 14 Ch. || Rich Holmeses AU || First Kiss / Time, Holmes Family, Virgin Sherlock, Anal, First Meetings, Bossy Bottomlock) – The Holmes family is one of the richest and most powerful in England. Sherlock spends his time flying around the world on the family's private jet drinking a lot and shopping at expensive boutiques as a way of trying to alleviate his endless boredom. His mother decides it's time he settles down with someone powerful, wealthy and well connected. John Watson happens to be none of those things.

Coventry by standbygo (E, 52,020 w., 26 Ch. || Dollhouse AU || Case Fic, Slow Burn, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, First Kiss / Time, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, BAMF John, Falling in Love) – “Let me get this straight,” John said, wondering when his life had become a science fiction film. “Some guy orders up a personality, a person, to his specifications, and they program this into a real live person, who has consented to do this, and she goes to this person and acts as his wife, or lawyer, or Royal Marine, or Navy Seal or what have you, and she has all the skills, all the knowledge, everything? Then you say the magic words, and she follows you back to The House, and they erase it all until her next appointment?”

Points by lifeonmars (E, 53,791 w., 42 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || HLV Rewrite / Canon Divergence, Married Life, Pregnancy / Baby Watson, Drinking to Cope, Boxing / Fisticuffs, Clueless John, Angst, Minor Medical Drama, Tattoos, Christmas, First Kiss/Time, Eventual Happy Ending, Love Confessions, Doctor John, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Burn, Case Fic, Drugging, Blow/Hand Job, Emotional Love Making, Parenthood, Passage of Time) – What if His Last Vow never happened? This fic picks up a few months after John and Mary's wedding, in an alternate universe where Magnussen doesn't exist, but Mary is still pregnant. Life continues -- just in a different direction. And slowly, Sherlock and John find their way to each other.

Wars We Fought, Things We're Not by blueink3 (M, 55,204 w., 10 Ch. || Post S3 / Post TAB, Parentlock, Fluff & Angst, Kidnapping, Whump, Post-TAB, UST/URT, 3G, Mild Peril, Slow Burn, Couple for a Case, Protective Mycroft, Infant Death Pre-Story, Friends to Lovers) – Five months after John's world has fallen apart, Mycroft sends the consulting detective and his doctor on a case that neither is prepared for.

A Hundred Crimson Sols by elldotsee (E, 55,536 w., 16 Ch. || Astronauts AU || Mars Exploration / Space Travel, Slow Burn, Shy Sherlock, Scientist Sherlock / Biomed Engineer John, Alternating POV, Mutual Pining, UST, Angst with Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Injuries, Suicidal Ideation, Zero-G Sex) – Will Holmes is a chemical researcher recognized widely for his contributions to the new Mars exploration program. Thanks to his ground-breaking developments, the IMMC (International Mars Mission Corporation) is one step closer to Martian colonization. Will and his team of scientists are headed out on the first of three manned missions before the first group of settlers arrive. Three days before launch, one of the crew has to be replaced. Will panics because...new people. The replacement is of course one John Watson, biomedical engineer and space hottie who was pretty sure he had retired from actual space exploration and was now content to work in the nice, quiet research lab. Can the crew survive this TOTALLY ROUTINE trip? Will they be able to endure each other for the looooooong trip in close quarters? Gonna be a wild ride... prepare for blast off. Part 1 of SpaceBois go to Space

The Book of Silence by SilentAuror (E, 60,056 w., 2 Ch. || S4 Fix It / Post S4, Virgin Sherlock, Rosie / Parentlock, Domesticity, Fluff, Praise Kink, Sex Toys, First Person POV) – As spring blooms in London, John and Sherlock begin to take new cases and cautiously negotiate this new phase of life with John living at Baker Street again. Despite how well it's all going, John struggles to forgive himself for the way he treated Sherlock following Mary’s death as well as trying to figure out how to finally put his long-time feelings for Sherlock into words. Part 1 of The Book of Silence/Rosa Felicia

The Progress of Sherlock Holmes by ivyblossom (E, 62,006 w., 25 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || First Person Sherlock POV, Pining, Angst, Slow Burn, Infidelity, Sherlock Learns About Himself, Happy Ending) – Sherlock struggles with his feelings for John, makes a mistake, and learns just how important he and John are to each other. Non-BBC Mary / John, but it’s a *complicated* relationship.

Hell Sent, Heaven Bound by ConsultingHound (M, 64,381 w, 16 Ch. || Angels / Demons AU || Fallen Angel Sherlock / Angel Cop John, Alternate First Meeting, Slow Burn, Case Fic, John & Lestrade are Friends Before Sherlock, BAMF John, Mind Palace John, Friends to Lovers, John in Denial, Sherlock Picks Out John’s Clothing, Clubbing / Dancing, Mildly Jealous John, Awkwardness, Kidnapping, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Sacrifice, Worried / Anxious Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Immortal to Mortal) – Ex-War healer and current angelic guard John Watson is not having the best day. He overslept, he’s underpaid, and now there’s someone tagging the Council’s building walls. However things may be about to get interesting: there’s an unusual stranger hanging around (the definition of tall, dark, and handsome), a literal underground cult is brewing, and rumblings are coming from hell. Can he keep his neighbourhood safe, how and why is he being connected to all this, and who the hell is Sherlock Holmes?

You Have Drawn Red From My Hands by J_Baillier (T, 67,085 w., 17 Ch. || Three Garridebs, Heavy John Whump, Hurt / Comfort, Pining, Heavy Angst, Case Fic/Adventure, Slow Burn, Sick Fic, Injury, Guilt & Depression, Just Talk Already Please, Medical Realism, PTSD) – John getting injured leads Sherlock on a path of guilt and revelations.

Being John Watson-ish by elwinglyre (E, 69,902 w., 17 Ch. || Bodysnatcher AU || Author John, Cranky Sherlock, Angst, Sexual Tension, First Kiss / Time, Falling in Love, BAMF John, Past Soldier John, Feelings, Inside Someone’s Brain, Shy Sherlock, Sherlock Loves John, POV Sherlock, Switchlock, Slow Burn, Internal Dialogue, Mental Turmoil) – When consulting detective Sherlock Holmes steps on one toe too many at a crime scene, he's consigned to a desk job in an archaic office on the seventh-and-a-half floor of the New Scotland Yard. It’s in this bleak office that Sherlock discovers a portal into the mind of renowned author John Watson. Grander than his mind palace, this new wonderland affords Sherlock new vistas of experimentation. To learn more about the mystery behind the portal, Sherlock seeks out and befriends Watson. But then it all goes wrong when others find the secret portal door—including the man whose brain he visits.

Just To Hold You Close by sussexbound (E, 70,841 w., 18 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting, Sherlock POV, ASD Sherlock, PTSD John, Demisexual Sherlock, Bisexual John, Cuddling/Snuggling, Platonic Cuddling, Enthusiastic Consent, Bed Sharing, Love Confessions, First Kiss/Time, Sexual Tension, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Cuddle Negotiations, For a Case Until It Isn’t, Hair Petting, Sexual Negotiation, Anxiety, Trust Issues, Slow Burn, Panic Attacks, Frottage, Hand/Blow Jobs, Referenced Self Harm / Abuse / Suicidal Ideation, First Kiss/Time, Anal, Autistic Sherlock) – When a woman is murdered and the last person to see her alive is recently invalided army vet turned reluctant (and prickly) professional cuddler, John Watson, Sherlock Holmes is pulled into a world of intimacy and intrigue he never could have imagined. John is a conundrum and mystery: frank yet reserved, tender yet angry, open yet afraid. Sherlock is instantly drawn into his orbit, and begins to feel and desire things he never has before.

The Vapor Variant by 88thParallel (CanadaHolm) (M, 72,684 w., 18 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-THoB, John Whump, Protective Sherlock, Guilty Sherlock, Anxious/Worried Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD John, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Suspense, Virus, Sickfic, Big Brother Mycroft) – They stood face to face in the middle of a clearing. The dim light of the moon barely allowed Sherlock to see the glassy terror in John’s eyes and the sweat that glistened off his forehead. His nose was bleeding again, blood dripping in a slow stream from his right nostril. They were both gasping for air, John’s eyes locked on Sherlock’s. There was no recognition there, just wild animal fear. Time stood still for an eternal few seconds, and Sherlock took a shaky breath. “John—”Spell broken, John spun and bolted back into the woods. Still heaving for air, Sherlock took off after him.

Summit Fever by J_Baillier (M, 78,802 w., 18 Ch. || Mountain Climber AU || POV John, Angst, Tragedy, Suicidal Ideation, The Himalayas, Mountain Guide / Doctor John, Mount Climber Sherlock, Loneliness, Drama, Suspense, Slow Burn, Injured Sherlock / Sherlock Whump, Pining John) – After graduating from medical school, John Watson followed his heart to the Himalayas. Ten years later, he's a haunted cynic working for his ex-lover's trekking and mountaineering company. Will leading an expedition to Annapurna I—the most lethal of all the world's highest mountains—shake John out of his reverie, and who is the mystery client added to the group at the last minute?

Thermocline by J_Baillier (M, 83,557 w., 14 Ch. || Scuba Diving AU || Adventure, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Marine Archaeology, Asexual Sherlock, Horny John, Relationship Drama, Technical/Scuba/Wreck Diving, Slow Burn, Underwater / Medical Peril, Doctor John, Hurt Sherlock, Anxious Sherlock, John POV, Protective John, Body Appreciation) – John "Five Oceans" Watson — technical dive instructor, dive accident analyst and weapon of mass seduction — meets recluse professor of maritime archaeology Holmes. As they head out to a remote archipelago off the coast of Guatemala to study and film its shipwrecks for a documentary, will sparks fly or fizzle out?

The Summer Boy by khorazir (T, 94,706 w., 6 Ch. || Post S3/Post TAB/Alternate S4, Friends to Lovers, Flashbacks, Sussex, Bullying, 1980′s Kid Sherlock, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Inexperienced Sherlock, Grief/Mourning, Pining Sherlock, Background Case Fic) – About half a year after the fateful events at Appledore, Sherlock and John embark on a private case in Sussex. For Sherlock, it’s a journey into his past, bringing up memories both happy and sad that he has locked away for almost thirty years. For John, it means coming to terms with the present – and a potential future with Sherlock. Part 1 of the The Summer Boy series

Given In Evidence by verityburns (M, 97,884 w., 19 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF, Angst, Drama, Case Fic, Romance, BAMF!John, Submissive Sherlock, First Kiss, Humour) – Coming back from the dead can be a complicated business. With a new case on the horizon, rebuilding a life is one thing... rebuilding a friendship quite another. For Sherlock and John, things may never be just the same...

The Cost of a Wish by slashscribe (E, 102,493 w., 12 Ch. || xxxHolic Fusion || Spirits / Ghosts and Magic, Love Confessions, Slow Burn, Soul Mates / Fated Lovers, Adventure, Immortal Sherlock, Powerful John, POV John, Frottage, Wish Granting, Angst with Happy Ending, Nightmares) – John has been plagued by a secret his entire life that has made him feel hopeless until he meets a mysterious, seemingly omniscient man named Sherlock Holmes who owns a wish-granting shop. Their meeting sets off a series of inevitable events that will change the course of both of their lives forever.

The Wedding Garments by cwb (E, 105,390 w., 36 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Alternate Future AU || Alternate First Meeting, Dating / Arranged Marriages, Romance, First Kiss/Time, Heavy Petting, Cuddles, POV Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn / Falling in Love / Dev. Rel., Nervous/Anxious Sherlock, Jealous/Cranky, Hiking, Vacation Homes / Honeymoon, Sherlock’s Family, Horny John/Sherlock, Patient John, Massages, Hand Jobs, Assassination Plots, Hand Jobs / Oral Sex, Case Fic, Emotional Love Making, Bath Time Fun) – This is the story of a young consulting detective who wants nothing to do with marriage and an army doctor who wants to find true love. It's 2020 post-Brexit England and the British government is encouraging arranged marriages. Candidates meet through state-run agencies and date in hopes of finding love (and tax benefits). Sherlock doesn't need or want a spouse, at least not until John Watson shows up. Hesitant to give in to his more carnal urges because of the way they derail his mind, how will Sherlock progress toward the more intimate aspects of a relationship? The answer lies in a very special wedding gift.

Maintenance and Repair by patternofdefiance (E, 106,650 w., 71 Ch. || Future AU, Augmentation || Augmented John, Depression, Body Modification, Slow Burn, Worldbuilding, Sci-Fi, Self-Care, Body Dysmorphia) – John wants to explain the rush of sensation and data, which is just another form of sensation (or is it the other way around?). John wants to say:Augmentation circuits report temperature, pressure, various forms of quantitative input. Sudden changes are reported as pain, since sudden changes are dangerous, and pain is the quickest way to encourage reflexive extraction. But all John can manage is, “Nng.” Because this sudden touch is not reporting as pain. Part 2 of STATIC

Eyes Up, Heels Down by CodenameMeretricious (E, 107,845 w., 43 Ch. || Sports Equestrian AU || Fluff, Angst, Humour, Rider!Sherlock, Groomer!John, Show Jumping, Slow Burn, Happy Ending) – Sherlock is a top eventing rider currently training at Baker Farms. John is the new groom who's been told to steer clear of the surly rider and his horses. Part 1 of Baker Farms

between each beat are words unsaid by darcylindbergh, hudders-and-hiddles (T, 107,998 w., 215 Ch. || Epistolary, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Angst, Happy Ending) – On their wedding night, John and Sherlock gift each other with the things they each said when the other could not hear, the things they each put down where the other could not see: a collection of writings that illustrate the way their love for one another has grown over the years. Part 1 of between each beat

A Further Sea by i_ship_an_armada & ShinySherlock (E, 125,492 w., 23 Ch. || Historical Pirates AU || Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Doctor John / Pirate Captain Sherlock, Sailing, UST / RST, Masturbation, Action / Adventure, Mild Angst & Peril, Romance, Shaving, Molly/Janine, Bottomlock, Hand / Blow Jobs, Past Drug Use, Slow Burn, Mild Violence, Facial Shaving, Happy Ending) – Here be a tale of adventure for both body and soul, but beware if ye be not of stout heart, for this be piratelock, ya savvy? Luckless ship's surgeon John Watson takes a chance, and finds himself eye to eye with The Ghost, the scourge of the seven seas and a definite thorn in the side of the blaggard, James Moriarty. But when John finds there's more to this most cunning pirate than be meetin' the eye, he has to choose... is it a pirate's life for him?

The Bang and the Clatter by earlgreytea68 (M, 137,049 w., 37 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Baseball AU || Slow Burn / Dev. Rel., Possessive/Obsessive Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock, Mutual Pining, Body Appreciation, Depression, Closeted Sexuality, Family, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Ogling Each Other, Anxious Sherlock, Panic Attack, Drunkenness, Talk of Forever, Big Feelings™) – Sherlock Holmes is a pitcher and John Watson is a catcher. No, no, no, it's a baseball AU. Part 1 of Baseball

Colors by Quesarasara (E, 140,537 w., 17 Ch. || Pleasantville-Inspired AU || Soulmates, Colour Bonds, Alternating POV, Angst, Fluff, Pining, Case Fic, Medical Procedures) – Everyone on earth is born with eyes that see in black, white, and an endless series of greys. When you meet your soulmate, you finally see the world in color. We're all searching for the person who brings color to our lives. John and Sherlock are no exception. Part 1 of The Colors 'Verse

The Adventure of the Silver Scars by tangledblue (NR [M], 142,458 w., 41 Ch. || S3 Fix-It, Post-HLV/ Post-TAB / Canon Compliant, Case Fic, No Baby, Angst, Humour, UST, Slow Burn, Angry John, Reconciliation, Not Nice Mary / Leaving Mary, Dependent Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Caretaker John, Fist Fights, It’s An Experiment, Virgin Sherlock, Dancing, Drugging, John Whump, Pet Names, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Scars) – It’s been thirteen months since Mary shot Sherlock and John finds he’s still pissed off about it. Sherlock had thought everything was settled: John and Mary, domestic bliss. But when John turns up at Baker Street with suitcases, the world’s only consulting detective might not be prepared for the consequences. A new case. Some old scores to settle. Certain danger. Concertos, waltzes, and whisky.

How to Build a Heart out of Ashes by Teumessian (E, 144,931 w., 31 Ch. || Changeling AU || Slow Burn, Drug Use, Mentions of Child Abuse / Bullying, Mentions of Student/Teacher Relations, Uni-Age) – In an AU where a small number of the population become Changelings at a young age, at 17 John Watson believes he's destined for Normal life but then the Change takes him and he is sent to the Baker Institute. There he meets Sherlock Holmes.

Performance In a Leading Role by Mad_Lori (E, 156,714 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Hollywood / Actor AU, Secret Relationship, Falling in Love, Slow Burn, Romance, Coming Out, Fluff and Angst, Pining) – Sherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto. When they are cast as a gay couple in a new independent drama, will they surprise each other? Will their on-screen romance make its way into the real world? Part 1 of Performance in a Leading Role

Mise en Place by azriona (M, 161,004 w., 28 Ch. || Restaurant (Kitchen Nightmares) AU || Sherlock is Gordon Ramsay / Celebrity Sherlock, Restauranteur John, Harry Plays Prominent Role, Alternating POV, Mutual Pining, Cranky Sherlock, Bed Sharing, Slow Burn) – John Watson had no intentions of taking over the family business, but when he returns from Afghanistan, battered and bruised, and discovers that his sister Harry has run their restaurant into the ground, he doesn't have much choice. There's only one thing that can save the Empire from closing for good – the celebrity star of the BBC series Restaurant Reconstructed, Chef Sherlock Holmes. Part 1 of Mise en Place

Sketchy by serpentynka (E, 184,053 w., 83 Ch. || Post-TRF, Post-Mary, John Whump, Slow Burn Love Story, Case Fic, Art, Porn With Feelings, Switchlock, Travelling, Career Change, Family Secrets, Illness / Health) – What (and who) will be left when nobody cares about your Work? A slow-burn fic with cases, places, mistaken identities, unfair choices, essential changes, violent feels, blatant lies, fearless portraiture, family secrets, high-risk bespoke gifts, durable friendships, bedtime stories, foreign travel and tongues, sickness (and health), and the significance of things which are slow to unfurl -- but cannot be ignored. Oh, and...porn. Part 1: Sherlock takes on an obvious case (barely a 4) and meets someone who will force him to re-examine what it means to see. Part 1 of Sketchy

Proving A Point by elldotsee & J_Baillier (E, 186,270 w., 28 Ch. || Me Before You Fusion || Medical Realism, Insecure John, Depression, Romance, Angst, POV John, Sherlock Whump, Serious Illness, Doctor John, Injury Recovery, Assisted Suicide, Sherlock’s Violin, Awkward Sexual Situations, Alcoholism, Drugs, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Body Image, Friends to Lovers, Hurt / Comfort, Pain, Big Brother Mycroft, Intimacy, Anxiety, PTSD, Family Issues, Psychological Trauma, John Whump, Case Fics, Loneliness, Pain) – Invalided home from Afghanistan, running out of funds and convinced that his surgical career is over, John Watson accepts a mysterious job offer to provide care and companionship for a disabled person. Little does he know how much hangs in the balance of his performance as he settles into his new life at Musgrave Court.

#steph replies #johnlock fic recs #slow burn #pining sherlock #Anonymous #long post #my fic recs #fic rec sunday

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thetypedwriter · 3 years

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A Curse So Dark and Lonely Book Review

A Curse So Dark and Lonely Book Review by Brigid Kemmerer

My gosh, I feel like I have enormous feelings about this book.

So, I had seen this book for awhile bestow the shelves at Barnes & Noble and while it drew the eye, it also didn’t entice me right away. I must have read snippets of the backside summary a dozen times before I finally succumbed and purchased it when the store was having a buy one, get one 50% off deal.

Lame, I know.

That being said, A Curse So Dark and Lonely surprised me in a lot of pleasant ways and at the end of the experience it was a book I genuinely enjoyed reading, despite the flaws throughout.

First off, somehow, in ways that I don’t even fully understand, I did not realize that this was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

You might ask, seeing the title, the reviews on the back literally calling it a retelling of a classic fairytale, the summary itself, and the basic premise, how did I not realize what the true nature of this book was?

I genuinely have no idea.

I really don’t.

It’s so flabbergasting that I don’t even have a proper answer for you other than Beauty and the Beast was not my favorite Disney movie growing up and that I probably should have spent more time checking out what bargain books to buy before I laid down the cash.

Oh well.

That being said, retellings of classic fairy tales has been a fairly popular phenomenon in the YA literature scene (and popular culture as a whole, really) for the last couple of years and while I can see the appeal, it was never something that beckoned me.

I’m not a huge fairytale fan to begin with so a retelling of the original doesn’t hold much sway in terms of intrigue and buy-in.

If I had known what A Curse So Dark and Lonely truly was, I never would have bought it. Frankly, it’s a little sad because I genuinely would have missed out on a very fun and engaging read. Fortunately enough, however, my dumb actions actually paid off in good luck this time around.

The whole premise is exactly what you’ve probably surmised up to this point: an enumeration of Beauty and the Beast with some modern fanfare and twists and turns along the way.

Rhen is the current Crown Prince of Emberall, a country in some parallel world to the one that you and I currently exist in. With a series of twists, the main protagonist, Harper, is unwillingly hoisted from her homeland of Washington D.C. to the magical world of Emberfall, which unfortunately is not all that magical with a looming war on the horizon involving a neighboring nation, rumors of a savage beast that has wreaked havoc on the country, and a wicked witch that delights in torment and carnage to sadistic glee.

Soon enough, a high school dropout with cerebral palsy soon finds herself in the imaginary role as the Princess of Disi, an allying nation that has promised aid and troops to Emberfall and potentially betrothed to the Crown Prince, Rhen.

To make matters more complicated, Harper finds herself often in the company of Grey, the lone soldier of the Royal Guard and Rhen’s constant shadow, a figure she soon begins to trust despite herself.

With a war on the horizon, the ever-present threat of the witch Lillith, the haunting promise of the beast’s return, and evolving feelings, A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a lovely concoction of both fast-paced action, romance, humor, and fantasy. This whole book gave me a pleasant buzz from start to finish.

The plot itself, while recycled at its core, is fresh enough with the modern flare of Harper being from D.C. (Disi-this still makes me laugh), representation in the form of a character with a disability like cerebral palsy, interesting and complex relationships, and opposing enough with the threat of Lillith and future battles that it never seemed pithy or banal.

While the world building is...mediocre, I don’t think it was amazing nor do I think it’s awful, it’s a useful enough background for the characters and their emotions to take place, which honestly is the real focus throughout the entire novel (although the author did take some liberties by inputting in things like the castle automatically regenerating food-how much more deus ex machina can you get?).

Kemmerer’s writing style is also fine. Nothing groundbreaking, but also not writing I find abhorrent or even unlikeable. She comes across as a typical YA author to me in terms of her vocabulary, her figurative language, and her writing style.

The real focus, if you haven’t caught on by now, are the characters.

I genuinely like all three main characters quite a bit, which, if you regularly read my reviews, is quite the anomaly.

Rhen I find to be strangely complex. While he fits the mold of the brooding, arrogant prince that actually cares deeply for his people and his country quite well, I also found him more interesting than just the archetype of the royal son.

He’s surly, dark, and quite temperamental. While he does care deeply about his people, he’s often selfish and petty. Honestly, he shouldn’t be very likable at all, but it’s for that reason alone that I do like him.

I like that while he might be a good ruler he’s not necessarily a good person and I like the dichotomy and the conflict that implicitly comes with that struggle, a struggle often shown to the readers and the two other characters he’s closest with: Harper and Grey.

In addition, often in YA I feel like authors constantly feel pressured to make romantic love interests “perfect” which to me, translates to being stereotypical and boring. Very often my favorite characters are the ones who are flawed and complicated-just like Rhen.

Grey is also a character that I thought would be more simple than he actually turned out to be. I originally thought Grey was going to be the stoic, soldier type and while he is, I also really enjoyed seeing his lighter side, his sense of humor, his love for children, and the deadly loyalty that binds him not because of a curse or a spell, but because of his own stubbornness and dedication to the decision that he made and the refusal to break it.

I found this honor code fascinating and his adherence to it almost obsessive. His loyalty to Rhen is both baffling and intriguing and often it was the best part of the novel for me.

Which brings me to my next point: Rhen and Grey’s relationship is hand’s down the best part of this book. It’s a complicated relationship and, therefore, really fascinating to read about it. They have a serpentine history involving Grey being the one to let Lillith into Rhen’s chambers which sets off the whole curse business in the first place.

However, as Rhen says later on in the book, it was his choice to keep Lillith overnight and to pursue romance, not Grey’s.

There is guilt, blame, affection, loyalty, ownership, friendship, frustration, anger, sacrifice and more to their relationship. Their history stops them from being true friends, as do their roles as prince and guard, yet they are the only companion the other has for seasons upon seasons.

At the end of the day, Grey is all Rhen had for a very long time and it shows.

Their relationship was always so engrossing to read about due to its complications and its nuances. Very few YA relationships, especially that of platonic male friendship, gets even near the level of depth and grey (I couldn’t help this pun) area shown between Grey and Rhen. Their relationship alone is a huge draw for why I found this novel so captivating.

I did wonder for a while if perhaps there were more than platonic feelings involved, but I could never quite put my finger on the true nature of their relationship or their feelings towards each other, which I find absolutely amazing. Their relationship is messy and complicated, just like real life relationships are.

That leaves the third piece of the puzzle: Harper.

Out of the three main characters, I like Harper the least, but I do still like her. I like that she’s strong and tenacious, not in spite of her cerebral palsy, but in addition to her already present bravery and ferocity. She’s headstrong, stubborn, kind, merciful, and compassionate.

My dislike from Harper stems from the fact that she’s a little too perfect, especially compared to Rhen and Grey, who I found to be much more convoluted characters.

Again, harping (hahah) back to stereotypical YA, other than her cerebral palsy, I don’t think there’s anything in particular about Harper that makes her complicated, flawed, or especially interesting.

She’s a good girl willing to give it all up for a country she’s only known for a few weeks even though her mother’s dying at home and her brother is most likely involved in some kind of gang violence.

The best scenes with Harper are the scenes were she is struggling to choose between the two worlds and weighing her options, as at some points it does depict her as selfish and wanting to go home, even though she knows it would doom thousands of people.

But of course, this is all taken care of later when she realizes D.C. isn’t her true home any more and that Emberfall has become where her heart lies.

Lame.

Kemmerer made Harper just a little too pristine for my liking, which is why she ranks lower than both Rhen and Grey when on paper she is by far the best in terms of personality and character traits.

This especially grates on me when Kemmerer tells us that Harper is fantastic instead of letting us glean that for ourselves. I really dislike when an author tells me instead of shows me that someone is brave or kind or amazing or whatnot and I feel like there were enough instances of Harper being all of those things without having needed Rhen or Grey to point it out all of the time.

I also do feel like there is some weird shaming regarding things typically seen as “feminine” in relation to Harper and why that makes her “better.” For example, Rhen talks often about how no girl ever has ever done what Harper has done, like attacking him.

I’m sorry? You’re telling me that Grey has kidnapped hundreds of girls and not one of them before Harper tried to attack them? In any form? Really?

I find that preposterous.

Other instances of Harper being unique in this fashion is also sprinkled in, like how most girls apparently only care about the dresses and the jewels in the castle, but not Harper. Or how most girls would be crying from a scar on their cheek, but Harper is just upset that she misses her target.

I get what Kemmerer is going for, but these force-fed characterizations really bothered me and were the most irritating thing about the book.

Being feminine or caring about stereotypically feminine things like jewelry or dresses does not mean that someone can’t also be strong and brave and fierce. I dislike a lot of the subliminal messages in the novel in regards to that.

In terms of romance, again I have to ask myself when the trope of the love triangle will die. Perhaps it never will. Perhaps it will live on for eternity, forever immortal and present in nearly 90% of YA literature.

The love triangle between Grey, Rhen, and Harper doesn’t bother me so much in this novel as I feel like it isn’t truly focused on very much, which I appreciate. I understand that Harper has feelings for both Grey and Rhen, but her feelings make sense. I don’t feel like Kemmerer is just foisting a love triangle onto the readers for the sake of having a love triangle.

It felt somehow...natural.

In addition, most love triangles suck as they’re very one sided, usually in terms of the female’s POV.

In this case however, the love triangle is influenced by Grey and Rhen’s relationship, where the lines are very blurry and for a good portion of the book I thought perhaps they were in love with each other and Harper.

Frankly, I would have been ecstatic if this was the route Kemmerer had taken. Not many YA authors go down this route, but examples like Mark/Cristina/Keiran from The Infernal Devices and Niall/Irial/Leslie from Ink Exchange are actually the only examples I know from YA literature so this would have been so welcome and anticipated.

If Kemmerer had gone down the route of looking into a polyamorous relationship I would have been over the moon. I don’t think she is sadly, but polyamrous relationships are still so few and far between in YA that it would have been utterly captivating, especially as she has all the ingredients to do so.

Or, I thought she did.

Until it’s revealed at the very end that Rhen and Grey are brothers. Or, at least half-brothers.

Yeah.

It’s super unfortunate.

I’m genuinely disappointed that this is the route Kemmerer decided to take it as it seems so grossly safe. It’s almost like an intense male/male relationship can’t exist unless it’s romantic or they’re brothers and I despise that.

Hence, why I have also decided that I won’t be reading A Heart so Fierce and Broken. I want to keep the memory and the interesting relationships between the three characters as it is: interesting.

I have a very strong feeling that if I read the sequel that will all be shattered.

When all is said and done, I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to reading it and I wasn’t expecting very much, but it met all of my expectations and more.

I am sad that I won’t be finishing the series as a whole, but I know that the direction it's going will only make me frustrated and annoyed and I would rather preserve the positive emotions attached to A Curse So Dark and Lonely than ruin it with a sequel that I know won’t meet the expectations I have.

Perhaps that’s unfair to say, and rightly so, but I know myself and I can see where the sequel is going and I’m almost certain that I won’t like it.

So in this case, I’m going to quit while I’m ahead and savor the moments I had reading this novel in all its fairy-telling glory.

Recommendation: If you love Beauty and the Beast, fairytales with a modern twist, interesting characters and interesting relationships set in a fantasy world where the music never stops playing and a savage beast runs rampant, than this book is calling for you.

I didn’t know that I needed this novel in my life and now I’m so glad that it is. Captivating from beginning to end, if you’re anything like me and a sucker for interesting romance and strong, nuanced characters you won’t be able to put this down either.

Score: 7/10

#a curse so dark and lonely #a heart so fierce and broken #brigid kemmerer #popular fiction #Popular Books #teen books #Teen Romance #teen fiction #book review #book blog #Book Recommendations #book rec #ya fiction #YA Book Review #ya book rec #book blogger

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septembercfawkes · 4 years

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Why Story = Cause and Effect (And How to Utilize That)

Stories are about cause and effect. That's what makes it a story. There is a famous example of this in the writing world:

"The king died, and then the queen died."

This is not a story. It's just stating what happened.

"The king died, and then the queen died of a broken heart."

That is a story. Why? Because it has cause and effect.

All great stories need to have some level of cause and effect. Otherwise, they aren't really stories. (Well, there are maybe some exceptions, but more on that later.) Readers don't want to read about random, unrelated things (most of the time); they want to read stories.

At the starting of a story, the main character should have (near-future) wants and fears. This helps draw the audience in by getting them to look forward to significant, potential consequences, or in others words, stakes. This also gives the character motivation for making choices.

When we make choices, they automatically lead to consequences.

- If I refuse to exercise, I won't have an athletic body.

- If I choose to eat a bunch of sugar, I'll get a sugar high.

. . . which means they have a cause and effect.

Not all causes and effects come from our own choices. We don't live in a void. There are other people who also make choices, there are illnesses, natural disasters, cultures and societies, the laws of physics, etc.

At the starting of the story, the main character is going about his or her life, making choices, until a cause (the inciting incident) challenges the established normal, calling the hero in a new direction. Cause and effect.

From that moment on, cause and effect will get more important in the story. Or at least, it should.

As a story goes on, the consequences and stakes should get bigger and bigger or more and more personal, so that we have that rising action or escalation, that is vital to a good narrative. If the consequences stay small, or even get smaller as the story progresses, it's not going to be a satisfying book.

Still, occasionally I run into manuscripts that are largely lacking a nice sense of cause and effect. Instead, they are just things happening. And I've sometimes found it missing within my own projects. Perhaps this concept seems so simple, that we never give it a second thought.

You see, too often as writers, we think in sequential events, not consequential effects.

Sure, you can escalate conflict without having cause and effect. Maybe in the beginning, your protagonist is sad she didn't get invited to a birthday party. Then in the middle she has to win a state sports competition. Then at the end, she finds out she has cancer. Technically, that is escalation. So it can be easy to fool yourself into thinking the story is gonna be great. (And then you'll likely be confused when it's not quite satisfying.)

Sure, unrelated conflicts like this can escalate. And the conflicts matter--in that moment, for that time. But because they don't tie into other things, they aren't as meaningful, they don't hold as much tension--hope and fear--or stakes. They can almost never draw the audience in as intensely, because the audience can't anticipate or care about what might come next--it's not connected.

So it's almost always better to escalate conflict by amplifying cause and effect. The protagonist is sad she didn't get invited to a birthday party, and so she plots revenge. Carrying out these plots reveals a new side of her to her friends and family, and so it strains their relationships, and so they plan an intervention, and so the protagonist gets sent to a youth camp she hates, and so . . . and onward.

It's sort of like the butterfly effect. One conflict kicks us off (the inciting incident), and through cause and effect, it builds and builds and builds until it's huge by the climax. That's what's satisfying.

As a Southpark creator teaches, writers shouldn't be saying "This happens, and then this happens." They should be saying, "This happens, and therefore this happens."

This gives the story a sense of cohesion. This is because cause and effect tie everything together. While hooks and stakes and tension get readers to look forward, and draw them in. Cause and effect is the bridge from immediate past, to present, to those futures--linking every event in a chain. When events are connected, the audience cares, because they can predict.

Ideally, each segment of the story is feeding into the next one, which is bigger. Each act in a story, is feeding into the next, bigger one. Personally, I like to think of it as a small fish feeding a bigger fish. Act I is the small fish, but it feeds and nourishes Act II, which is the medium fish, which feeds and nourishes Act III, which is the big fish. Or if you don't like to think of acts, think of it as the beginning, the middle, and the end. Each fish is swallowing up the smaller fish before it. The little fish feeds into the big fish.

All easier said than done.

BUT, the more you understand this, the easier it eventually becomes to brainstorm and structure a story. Because if everything is feeding into something else, then you are largely looking at how one cause leads to other effects, which are in turn causes to other effects, which are in turn causes to other effects--and on and on until you get to the climax. So it's not about just trying to come up with ideas from a blank page, it's about looking at what you already have for potential consequences.

In the process, you will find that there are multiple potential outcomes for the same event, so the question doesn't become "What do I have happen next?" It becomes "Which do I have happen next?"

In such cases, consider these things:

- Which effect is most interesting?

- Which effect carries the most meaning?

- Which effect carries the most tension?

- Which effect leads to the most future effects or the biggest problems?

- Which effect has the strongest connections to the other effects in play?

- Which effect is most relevant to the theme?

- Which effect best plays into the character arc?

- Which effect forces the most change or growth?

- Which effect best fits the story I'm telling?

Also, take into account the story structure you are using (if you are using one). It can guide you on what to pick. If it's time for me to have a pinch point, then I should pick the effect that fits as a great pinch point. If it's nearly time for The Ordeal, then I should pick the effect that leads into that.

It's funny, because often when we learn about such things, we don't want to feel "boxed in," but in reality, all of these things are just tools to help us navigate and make satisfying decisions, which leads to stronger stories. And better yet, they will actually lead you to brainstorm stronger, richer, more powerful ideas, leaving you to ask "Which happens next?" and not "What happens next?" Because the most effective brainstorming doesn't happen in a void. It happens when you have guidelines and pull from what you already know about your story. Because if anything can happen, then nothing really matters.

Cause and effect are key to satisfying stories--from the first bits of brainstorming, to tying up the loose ends during the denouement.

Consider: One Cause that Leads to Multiple Effects

It's also worth noting (and helpful) that one cause can actually lead to multiple effects in the story. For example, the inciting incident may affect each key character differently, leading them to make different choices, which lead to other effects. It need not always be one to one (one cause = one effect). In fact, often it's capitalizing on multiple, possible effects that makes a story more riveting, more of a page-turner. But even as you branch off from the same event, ideally, each of the effects are still going to play into, connect, and affect each other.

For example, in The Hunger Games, the Reaping in District 12 is the inciting incident, but it affects Katniss, Peeta, and even all of Panem, differently. Katniss decides she will do everything it takes to try to survive for her sister. Peeta tries to accept that he'll die, but he wants to die as himself--while doing all he can to keep Katniss alive. Katniss also can't wrap her head around the fact that she'll be in the arena with Peeta, who once saved her life. The Capitol is first impressed by these tributes, and then enamored with their "love story." What Katniss does, what Peeta does, and what the Capitol does all feed and connect into each other--leading up to the climax, which incorporates all these elements and affects each key player differently--what the Capitol views as an act of love, the Districts view as an act of defiance, Katniss views as an act of survival, and Peeta (also) views as an act of love, but just as importantly, an act that shows the Capitol can't change him--all of which affects the second book in the series, so their story continues to build . . . and build . . . and build.

Escalate cause and effect to satisfyingly escalate the conflicts.

Look for opportunities where one cause can lead to multiple, significant effects.

This sort of thing can be particularly key in writing sequels. Many sequels fall flat because they try to create something entirely new, instead of allowing what happened in the last book to feed into the cause and effect trajectory of the next book. They simply start a new thread, instead of allowing the end of the last book to have a ripple effect on the world. (This of course depends in part on the type of series you are writing.)

Possible Exceptions

In certain forms of highbrow literature, a lack of cause and effect is the point. Some people have argued that because life is random, stories should be random too, with just things happening and no real meaning. There is probably a place for that kind of outlook, but if you want to write commercial fiction or genre fiction (which is what my blog is pretty much all about), this is often a terrible approach. Also, while we don't have control over everything in real life, cause and effect is real. And our personal choices do have consequences.

Some types of stories need less cause and effect than others. Like perhaps in humorous slice-of-life stories. I think Napoleon Dynamite is a good example. A lot of it is just funny stuff happening. BUT, I bet if you watched it again today, you'd notice that there actually is a bit of a story structure to it, and some through threads of cause and effect. And if you do write this kind of story, it needs to be super entertaining for your target audience to be successful.

And many stories that don't seem to have much of a cause and effect in the plot, actually have powerful cause and effect in the character. As the plot happens, it effects how the character grows, so that she arcs in a significant way by the end. So the cause and effect mostly exists on a more personal level.

But, with that all said, the majority of stories will be more satisfying when they really utilize cause and effect on a plot level.

How Does this Affect the Writing Process?

It's funny, after I wrote a draft of this post, I read Story Genius by Lisa Cron (which I definitely recommend), and in it, she talks a lot about cause and effect (and nails it). But she said something I've personally felt for a while: The more you utilize cause and effect, the more you will likely need to write your story in order. Because if you are fully utilizing cause and effect, then what happens in the previous scene affects the next scene. Some writers like to jump around, writing whichever scene they want to, and then plug that scene in the appropriate spot, and take a pass at completion to link everything together. If that works for you, who am I to say it's wrong?

But for me, and the way I write, I admit I have found this confusing. How do I know all the effects a scene at the end of the book needs, when I haven't yet nailed the cause-and-effect trajectory of the middle? So I generally prefer to write down the ideas I have for future scenes, and maybe even snippets, but I don't really "write" them until I get there. Do what works for you, but I thought this was worth mentioning.

#Writing tips #writing tips and tricks #writeblr #writing reference #writing advice #fanfic #writing a book #cause and effect

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madonna-la-cardinalessa · 4 years

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Another tag by my beautiful friend @tiffany-of-wales which I am glad to do finally :D

Flower tag:

jasmine; what mythical creature do you wish actually existed?

Unicorns. And I also believe that what we call mythical creatures once did exist and somewhere still do.

lavender; soundcloud or vinyls?

May I say CDs instead? I always like to have a CD booklet and like own the CD, putting it in my cupboard and say “ Look, I own this.” – not only on an online platform.

primrose; what book does everyone right now need to read?

Hmmm. Everyone? I do not think every book if for everyone but I recommend classics from Goethe, Schiller, Lessing and Shakespeare.

lunar mist; do you like wearing other people’s shirts/jackets?

I share some clothes with my mom. But if I had a boyfriend rn I would love to cuddle in his hoodies at times I think^^”

bird of paradise; what was the best thing that happened to you this month?

That I finished my bachelor’s thesis. I learned so much and I hope the work was worth it so that I pass it and get a good mark!

gardenia; what’s a promise you’ve recently made to yourself?

That I will try to get things done now that I have time during Corona.

lion’s fairytale; would you rather be the sky, the ocean or the forests?

Forests!

whirling butterflies; would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

Definitely not Ö.ö

marmalade skies; do you plan your outfits?

Yes!

apricot drift; how do you feel right now?

Bored. I don’t like the current situation.

everlasting daisy; what’s the last dream you remember having?

Omg this night I dreamed sm shit, I swear. I was horse riding at night in the forests (no sane soul would do that lol) and found a deserted planetarium.

queen’s cup; what are you craving right now?

Getting a good mark on my bachelor’s thesis xD Oh, and I hope that I will be able to visit Rome this year – we had to cancel the Rome trip that was planned in a week for obvious reasons..

lavender dream; turn ons/offs?

Dangerous vibes/ being clingy and/or wimpy.

water lilly; when was the last time you cried?

Last week I think. Maybe the one before that.

lily of the valley; did the one person who hurt you most in your life apologize?

No.

winterberry; do you bite or lick your ice cream?

Depends, actually I do both.

honey perfume; favorite movie ever?

Hände weg von Mississippi (2007), Die Wilden Hühner (2006), most Studio Ghibli movies.

desert rose; do you like yourself?

Yes, I do.

snapdragon; have you ever met or seen in person a celebrity?

Yes, I did.

night owl; how many countries have you visited?

Only 5.

heliotrope; have you ever been in a castle?

Many, many times. I love visiting castles and monasteries.

creams and sky; what’s the craziest/bravest thing you’ve done?

Riding nearly every day into the woods with my high speed thoroughbred? xD Does that count? My girl is FAST.

lantana; what’s on your mind right now?

My horse Poly <3

pumpkin patch; what’s your zodiac sign?

I’m a Capricorn.

tulip; name 5 facts about yourself.

1. Even though I may look like it, I am no party girl at all.

2. Since childhood I had to deal with envy towards me which is why I never had many friends.

3. My best friend and I broke up several times – we’re both stubborn but we love each other a lot.

4. My love for history started with a documentary I watched when I was about 14. It was about vampirism in the balkan states. And it manifested with watching “The Tudors”, since then I knew that I wanted to study history – and now I do.

5. Without my friend Sandy I would have never settled down in church history during the Renaissance.

daphne; do you believe in karma?

Absolutely.

queen of the meadow; ever been in love?

Never with a person from this time period, no. I hope I will in near future tough.

wisteria; whom do you admire and why?

People who don’t spend their time with overthinking what other people might think of them.

angel’s face; what was your favorite bedtime story as a child?

The tales my father invented for me.

remember me; did you make someone laugh today?

My dog when I offered him a bit of my banana.

iris; do you believe in ghosts?

Yes.

lilac; if you could go back in time which time period would you visit?

That is hard. Renaissance Italy sure is fascinating but 17th century Europe comes to my mind more often, it’s weird.

caramel kisses; would you want to live forever? why/why not?

Maybe not living forever, But I would not mind at all staying young and beautiful as long as I live xD

primula; what makes you sad?

What mankind does to the world, to the earth to it’s creatures: plants and animals. I think we deserve to suffer and die out.

rain lily; was today typical? why/why not?

No, since everything is upside down thanks to Corona.

queen anne’s lace; who do you trust the most?

Myself.

Lady’s slipper; what did you have for breakfast today?

Toast with Nutella and fennel tea. <3.

forget me not; do you have any regrets looking back in your life?

I wished I had done more social things during my teens. I was always studying and reading with my head in the clouds. I wonder how things would be different now when I had been in relationships earlier etc.

lunaria; what’s your favorite fictional universe?

Torn between LOTR and Harry Potter.

violet; favorite tv show?

Borgia, now and always.

sunflower; share a favorite quote.

Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.

snowdrop; what does your ideal day look like?

Getting up early, go seeing my horse and take a long ride into the woods. The weather would be cold but sunny. After having a nice lunch with my mom I would relax in the afternoon and then go visiting my best friend, for dinner we would have sushi and watch a nice movie together like best friends do. When I got home I would watch an episode of Borgia to relax and then go to bed <3.

tiger lily; do you have any hobbies?

Reading, writing, history, horse riding, dreaming…..

peony; share a small random book passage that means something to you.

In Neil Gaiman’s Coraline when Coraline is about to find the last child’s soul and the other crazy old man says: “You’re too clever and too quiet for them to understand. They don’t even get your name right.” I feel that sm.

tea rose; what’s something you always wanted to do but were too scared?

Partying maybe? I am a very shy person and would feel uncomfortable but I am afraid I miss something always staying at home at night.

honeysuckle; do you usually date people your age or older/younger?

Mostly about my age, but I like the guys to be older than me tbh.

sweet pea; who means the world to you?

My horse Poly.

love in the mist; best books you’ve ever read?

Actually I really enjoy Ludwig von Pastor’s History of the Popes. It may have it’s flaws but I it is really good researched and I appreciate all the notes and footnotes. Even though it’s academic literature it is still enjoyable to read.

foxglove; who is your favorite cartoon character?

Sailor Moon! If that counts as a cartoon.

magnolia; coffee or tea?

Tea, I have one right now.

crown imperial; would you rather be extremely rich or extremely loved?

Can’t I have both?

snowflake; are you a dog or a cat person?

I love both but probably more a dog person.

bell flower; what is your biggest addiction?

History.

cosmos; do you ever think about the galaxy?

Yes, we are so small, aren’t we? And yet mankind pretends to be so special and to know everything. How pitiful.

moonflower; what’s your favorite color?

Fir Green.

freesia; do you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings? why/why not?

I think so, yes.

sundrop; are you a morning or a night person?

A morning person.

poppy; have you ever dealt with a mental illness?

Yes, but I try to lock it inside.

clover; how would your friends describe you?

Calm but clever.

dandelion; do you consider yourself and extrovert or an introvert?

Introvert.

lilly; what’s something you love watching/reading but you are too embarrassed to admit you do?

In romance novels I am always waiting for the s*x passages lol xD Probably because this kind of thing is missing in my life atm xD

anemone; describe yourself in 3 words.

Astute, spiritual, special.

lotus; best memory as a child?

The holidays in Bavaria. Nothing was more beautiful.

angelonia; what is your eye and hair color?

Smokey grey, blonde.

dahlia; do you like crystals?

Yes.

buttercup; if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

Let everything bad for the environment disappear.

baby’s breath; what’s your hogwarts house?

Slytherin.

calendula; biggest pet peeve?

Pollution.

blanker flower; would you rather go to a cocktail party with your best friends or stay home and read a book/watch a movie with your pet?

If you read everything till now you will now – stay home with my pet and watch a movie/read a book. xD

blazing star; share a secret.

Why would I?

carnation; would you rather live longer or happier?

Happier.

petunia; who’s story is your biggest inspiration in life? why?

I stopped looking for rolemodels but try to live and be the best I can.

bluebell; do you wear glasses?

Nope.

And I tag everyone who wants to do this :D

#about me #me

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janiedean · 5 years

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After joining tumblr, my dream of becoming a published writer is forever broken and ruined. It may be drastic but I cannot imagine a future in which I'm a happy writer, knowing that what a large amount of people think is that you can't write about a gay character if you're not gay yourself, you cannot have a poc character if you're not poc yourself etc. It's frustrating and sad. That's what tumblr taught, along with simultaneously complaining all the day about the lack of rep

anon, let me tell you something first and foremost: tumblr is not a good audience when it comes to original fiction and if that’s what you want to do, delete tumblr from your perspectives.

now, I’ll go and say a lot of unpopular things before addressing your concerns, but here we go:

people on tumblr don’t read. or better: either they read fanfic which then they decide to consider the same thing as published writing, and like... while there’s a lot of fic that’s better than some published writing technically, the fact that they say it about classics or stuff they’re supposed to study in school shows that they have no idea of the basic difference in between the two media... or they read YA that gets hailed as the Next Best Thing In Literature when at most it’s a good YA and at worst it’s mediocre stuff that looks revolutionary because they haven’t read the fifteen other things that YA has taken inspiration from. at most they read harry potter when they were kids and never moved on from it, as showed by the fact that it’s 2019 and I still have to see people arguing about sn/ape being BAD OR GOOD when he’s the standard gray archetype, and if you can only think of sn/ape when you think about a gray character and you still haven’t made sense of his moralities or lack thereof, then you haven’t read anything else; (never mind that once I read writing advice like SORT YOUR CHARACTERS INTO HOGWARTS HOUSES LIKE FFS SOME OF US HAVEN’T READ HP THAT’S NOT A UNIVERSAL ADVICE FOR CREATING A CHARACTER’S BACKGROUND)

as people on tumblr don’t read, their understanding of how you write or anything else related to the craft is pretty much useless - like, the only thing each single writing manual agrees on is that if you want to be a writer you have to read a lot, because how are you going to deconstruct tropes (to say one) if you don’t know how those tropes work? or how are you going to play into them if you don’t know how they work regardless? I can’t write a tolkien deconstruction if I haven’t read all of tolkien’s writings back to back ten times at least, I can’t write a good novel about vietnam veterans in the early eighties if I don’t read all the history books on the topic I can find and at least ten tomes about how war-related ptsd in veterans works and possibly a lot of books written by vets themselves. I can’t write a stephen king deconstruction if I haven’t read stephen king back to back ten times either. which shows they think original novels are like fanfic - like, I personally have researched the shit out of things for fanfic, but I wouldn’t ask anyone to do it for a thing they do for free. like, if I see badly researched italian reinassance AU fic I won’t gaf if the author just wrote it based on the anglosaxon tv shows about the borgias around because I can’t expect them to read ten books about the topic to write a thing they don’t get paid for and that just people in fandom most likely will touch, but if it’s a published author that gets paid for it I’ll expect that at least they’ll do some research if they want to write stuff somewhat realistically. people on tumblr think that writing a novel requires the same effort as fanfic, as in, not much when it comes to background work, which is ridiculous, because that’s the difference - with fanfic, unless I write a detailed AU or smth, the author already did that work for me. I just have to expand on it and trying to understand the characters. like, it’s nowhere near the same thing;

which means that people have gone with this concept that ‘you can’t write X if you’re not X’, which is honestly ridiculous and counter-productive because it shoots down any chance that you, as an author, might actually understand what people who aren’t from your background feel like. also, I personally think that if you want to do that and you want to be good at it you need to a) find a way to relate to your characters that goes beyond your differences, b) talk to people from the category you don’t belong to. now, if I had to write a 50k short romance novel about two guys falling for each other at a record shop without too much drama happening, I’d probably just write it myself, some people who are actually guys into guys, ask them to read it, tell me if I fucked it up, get them to explain me how I fucked it up and run it by them until I’m done, but admittedly I don’t need research to find out how people run a record shop. if I had to write a story set in europe but idk there’s a zombie plague and one of the protagonists is a black american tourist I’d go ask someone who is black and american and possibly from the area I decided that person is from to give me background info on how I could write this person etc. and then run it by them after I’m done. if another of the protagonists is idk polish (because there’s not many polish people in mainstream european fiction outside of polish authors), I’d find a polish person to do the same thing and run it by them etc., because I’m not a black american nor a polish person but I still want to write those characters etc. but I mean, let’s say it’s the zombie apocalypse - can I make sure people connect with both of them because they’re surrounded by zombies and as all human beings in existence they don’t want to die? most likely I can. meanwhile I’ll have learned a lot of things about both categories because I talked to people belonging to them;

or, let’s say I want to write some story with a large cast where I decide that for the purposes of it straight character falls for a trans character and it ends well because fuck that I want people to be happy. I’m not trans, but I do know people who are. I’ll definitely talk to them running stuff and ask if thing X is offensive or not etc. because of course I’m not so I can’t know for sure, maybe I’ll stick with the straight POV or maybe not but I’ll definitely run it by them to make sure the thing is actually well-planned/not in poor taste, and meanwhile I’ll have learned a lot about the topic that I might not have known before, which is good because it means I know more about experiences I don’t have which is, guess what, how the entire point of writing stories is. you want people to empathize and feel for characters that might be not the same as them, that’s exactly your damned job, but if you don’t do it yourself first how do you assume others will?

all these people who think you can’t write a gay character if you’re not gay are the same people who think that if you’re a straight woman you can’t write about two men being in love/fucking but you should be able to do it about f/f pairings because since you’re a woman then you have to guess how that works out of that, which shows that they have no idea of how anything works - like I argued with half of tumblr on this topic so whatever, but as a straight woman I think I have more aesthetic tastes in common with a gay man since we both want to fuck men and we both are familiar with handling that equipment, so I’d find it easier to write about that rather than about the contrary as I don’t generally find women attractive in that sense except for like two very specific people who are not a very common aesthetic in general. but like, assuming that in virtue of being a woman then you have to know how it feels to be attracted to women while you can’t possibly do 2+2 about how gay men are into each other when technically you’re into men yourself shows exactly how these people have No Idea Whatsoever of how attraction works, never mind how empathizing with someone else works, never mind of how writing things with research behind it goes;

also, assuming that if you’re X then you can’t understand Y is extremely damaging because it means you can never understand other people’s struggles and that’s......... worrying? I mean, it’s an incredibly dangerous (and calvinist) position to say that if someone is X and so doesn’t know how it feels to have a specific kind of issue then they can’t get it not even intellectually. idk, I’m straight so I can’t possibly understand or relate to why would lgbt+ people want to marry and adopt kids/have their children recognized/have the same rights as I do? are we serious? so if idk I wanted to try and change some bigot’s mind about it when I see that they’re just parroting bullshit and they haven’t thought about it I shouldn’t even try because they’re a bigot and they’ll never understand or change their mind? so people who used to be bigots, then found out their kids or their kids’s friends were lgbt+, listened to them, realized they were bigots and are now allies/supporters couldn’t have done that because at some point they used to be bigots? how the hell do you want people to change or to be an activist or change the world if you don’t believe that people can change themselves or worse that you don’t believe that people coming from any background can’t understand people coming from another background? that’s not how it works. I mean guys ffs I read a bunch of nonfiction lately about endemic poverty in the center of the US out of personal interest and I’m as far from the US and any of those situations as it goes (I’m not a veteran, I never was not taught to read and write even if I finished high school, I never lost 90% of what I had after getting sick, I never needed to hop on a train illegally to go places, I never had to sell my own plasma to buy lunch, I never needed to live in a tent when I was going to middle school after my parents had to move to a totally different state and I never had to go live in a trailer after my house was sold by a bank before I couldn’t pay off my loan, I don’t have a five year old child that won’t be insured because she was born with a pre-existing medical condition), and like... I cried while reading some of them? because I could envision it and I felt like the system failed them and I hate reading about people being failed by a system that should support them, and I swear I’m not a US person who comes from that background whatsoever. I could probably write you a full novel about how immigrants in Italy have it like shit whether they’re legal or not because I worked in the field for two years and one of my oldest friends has immigrant parents and she was born here and she can’t use her ID to travel in europe only because she still doesn’t have a citizenship and she’s been waiting for years to get it. I’m not an immigrant in italy but I’ve known enough, seen enough and heard enough from them that I could most likely do it and it wouldn’t be badly researched. like, you can’t tell people to not tell stories if they want to do it with respect and not wanting to make it about themselves only. that’s bad writing. but if you care about the people you’re giving rep to then you should try imvho;

now: I suppose that you’re belonging to categories that are Not Minorities given how the ask is worded. (same as me more or less unless you consider atheists a minority but nvm that.) there’s a lot of writers around that are Not Minorities and most get published more than people who are actually minorities. people saying that you can’t write X if you’re not X and X = minority are pretty much telling you that you shouldn’t use your spotlight to give people rep when you could and you could do it reasonably well if you do your research and talk to those minorities. so they’re basically going against everyone’s interests because you could learn things and become a better person and make sure your readers empathize with your characters and more rep is always good esp. if well-done. I personally think that people should write about what they want - there’s topics I wouldn’t feel comfortable touching because idk if I could do that well and things I really wouldn’t want to write about so I most likely never will -, but that they should also go for what they want if it’s what they believe they can do. so if you feel like you want to write gay characters or whatever go for it and then find yourself a sensitivity reader or ten before you send your book around instead of worrying about what kids on tumblr who are still arguing about snape’s morality and think that writing the divine comedy is the same as self-insert fanfic think, because they will never create shit for anyone, you might. and you’ll have automatically done more than people who complain about everything but wouldn’t produce one single piece of fiction themselves and wouldn’t most likely waste ten minutes of their life researching the fiction they want to write.

tldr: if you want to write professionally, influence people and give the world good stories, don’t give a fuck about what tumblr says because it’s people who most likely will never read your books anyway unless you want to write the next YA saga that has the same six archetypes of characters in which then the only slightly problematic white cishet dude will be without further ado compared to sn/ape and everyone is going to get sorted into hogwarts houses and people will fight about that rather than giving a damn about whatever message you wanted to pass. don’t give a damn about tumblr and do your thing anon, no one deserves to have any perspective ruined because of this hellsite’s opinions on anything. ;)

#long post for ts #janie rants #guys don't take this as me bitching about HP but I'm honestly tired that It's The Only Book Ppl Read Around Here #peace #janie writes #fffff i hate tumblr #writing advice #i suppose #Anonymous #ask post

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sometimesrosy · 4 years

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Anonymous said:I love how you went from "Bellarke is boinking this season" to "Bellarke doesn't have to boink" We love self awareness. We love development. At least you now know they will never get any of it and they will stay friends BUT of course egoistic freaks like you who don't want to accept that they are wrong will say they are endgame. It's sad man!

+++

Did I say they were boinking this season? Did I say they don’t have to boink? I’m not sure I remember saying either. What I have said is that Bellarke is canon and is a SPECTACULAR love story. That they are in love. And yes, they are endgame in whichever way JR ends up writing them.

I have also said that I don’t agree with fandom’s definition of a canon romance, which limits a love story to kissing/confessing/boinking, which are NOT what a love story is about. Because otherwise, Pride and Prejudice wouldn’t be a love story, instead of being like the preeminent love story of western literature. I personally think this story is more about a marriage of true love soulmates than it is about boinking or hooking up. I’m sure we’ll get kissing confessing and a love scene. I think that Bellarke will get a happy *for the 100* ending, which might not be all that happy, but will be them getting to live life on their terms. Which. Is happy. They need each other. They are endgame. Regardless of shallow story elements like kiss/confess/sex. Those are SCENE, not story. Scenes combine to tell the story. They are telling the story and holding off on kiss/confess/sex... or teasing at them, with cheek kisses, mouth to mouth, near confessions, everyone sees it, 2199 calls, and camera shots that LOOK like they’re doing it when taken out of context, even though they are not.

Did I say boinking might happen in previous seasons? Yes. And then when things happened that didn’t go there, I reevaluated my theories. I went back and looked at the narrative, I paid attention to how it worked out and I adjusted what I thought was the story being told. I decided it is less like our more usual romance stories and instead an epic love story of the Pride and Prejudice or Penelope and Odysseus variety. Boinking is not the point of those stories either. The story that we’ve been getting lately, especially since season 4, confirms those theories. The farther we’ve gone, the more this story is going down the path that I thought it was, but yeah, the deeper path, the long game story. I miss details sometimes, I get them wrong. Sorry. I am, indeed, not perfect, and I am not a magic 8 ball who can tell the future and read people’s minds across a continent. BUT, I think I’ve figured out a lot of the deeper story that JR is telling. Not always the plot, the details, or the scenes. That’s okay. I like to watch those things and be surprised.

That’s all I’m doing, nonny, trying to understand the story on the screen. Not just where I think it will go, but also what story JR is actually telling. I mean, it changes, because I’m watching as it airs, so the end has never been written as I analyze the various seasons. So not only am I guessing what the ending could be, I’m guessing how JR and the writers are going to want to go. It’s not like a novel, in which the ending is already written and the earlier chapters have been edited and revised to make sure it all fits that end. Although, I must say that each season HAS been written like a novel, and the endings are already in the first episode, so that HAS been THOROUGHLY edited and shaped by the whole cast and crew to fit the end. You’ll find that while my hiatus speculation can get wild (and I’m not going to stop that because I enjoy it) my spec during the season slows down in the beginning and then picks up as I get more canon to make sense of the story and where it might go. Because once a season starts, there is an individual story being told and there’s something to analyze, not just speculate on.

But you DO know don’t you, that speculating how a story is going to go, and not getting it right is not actually a sin. It is not WRONG of me to get certain aspects of speculation wrong because speculation is something called “guessing.” I might be making an educated guess, based on the narrative and tropes but it’s still a guess. What’s WRONG is treating other people badly, harassing them, calling them names, sending nasty anons. WRONG is not having a theory and not having it pan out. That’s just incorrect, maybe only partially incorrect, more information to adjust your theories and, you know, part of what makes watching a story fun, because you DON’T know what’s going to happen. IF i end up being wrong about Bellarke being endgame, which I don’t think I will be, I will NOT apologize for shipping them or thinking they are endgame. Because there is no crime in that. There is no wrong behavior in believing they will get together and following that story on screen. I know it is a correct story because there is evidence from the text, whether or not I get the ending right. I have been RIGHT far more than I’ve been wrong, but you’ll never notice. And when I am proved RIGHT about Bellarke endgame, I’m pretty sure you won’t apologize to me about sending this nasty anon, because I don’t think you have the strength of character to admit when you are an asshole.

I think understanding myself, what I can do, and the limits of my abilities is called self awareness. Speculating on whether or not a ship will boink, is not actually egoistic. Paying attention to the story on screen is not egoistic, either. I’m trying to tell you what I think the larger story of The 100 is, and how the seasons/episodes/scenes fit into that. This isn’t about me. It’s about a story that I’m NOT telling, someone else’s story. It isn’t even about what I want. When what I want doesn’t coincide with what the story is, I adjust. I reconsider. I accept. Like the time jump. I. Did. Not. Want. But I recognized that there was some good to be had. And I like the story they went with. That’s not egoistic. Egoistic would be to say that the time jump was bad, JR was a bad writer, and he was doing it just to punish me and my fellow shippers and he would never get Bellarke together because he’s an evil mastermind who’s sole goal in life is to screw bellarkers over.

You can see the egoism in that, right? That you want a story that he’s not telling, so therefore it’s all about what you want, how you feel, and how he’s personally ruined your life by telling his own story that goes in a different direction? How DARE he tell his own story and not consider YOU.

Let the man tell his story.

I think you call me egoistic because I believe in my skills that I’ve worked for DECADES to build. I think you call me egoistic because when people tell me I’m wrong, I evaluate the statement and my actions and decide for myself if I’m wrong or not and then I back up my position with evidence to show that I’m right OR I say, oh wow that’s a great theory, and then without apologizing for being wrong (because being wrong on a theory is not something to apologize for, it’s something to ADJUST when you get a better theory) I shift on over into the better theory and start going off on that.

You want me to SHAME myself for not predicting the future of a tv show. You want me to subsume my own thoughts within the groupthink of fandom which is predicated on the entitlement of thinking that JR OWES you the story that you’ve collectively decided is the correct story. And it doesn’t matter that you think you own the ships and characters and shows and CREATORS, which is TRULY egoistic, dear center-around-which-the-universe-revolves-nonny, but YOU’RE WRONG.

Not about the outcome of the story (although you’re wrong about that too) but about thinking that you OWN JR, you OWN me and my thoughts and interpretations, you OWN Bellarke, or CL, or B/E whichever ship is the one you think should turn out how you want, or you OWN fandom. You don’t own any of us. We get our own stories, our own theories, our own posts, our own opinions. Just like you get yours.

The entitlement of thinking you have a right to shame and silence someone else for not fucking thinking what you think about a goddamn ship on a goddamn fictional tv show which is supposed to be for goddamn fun means that you,

in a word,

SUCK.

buzz off anon.

#antis

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pfenniged · 5 years

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Can you explain why Anne Elliot is your favourite Austen heroine?

Surely! (This literally took like, two and half hours of writing and editing. What is my life).

Background:

So, essentially, to get into this analysis, I have to preface this with Persuasion being written in 1817, near the end of Austen’s life and published six months after her death. Really, if you compare the type of satirical protagonists she was writing at the beginning of her career (see Northanger Abbey, which convinced my entire English Literature 2 class in university that Austen was insipid despite being prefaced as a gothic parody), to later, Pride and Prejudice, to Persuasion, I think it really traces the development of Austen as a writer (Austen referred to her in one of her letters as “a heroine who is almost too good for me.”)

Not to say she didn’t have more ‘mature’ protagonists early on; Elinor Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility is really my second favourite protagonist from Austen’s works, and she is essentially the one person in the Dashwood household who keeps everything together; without her, the entire operation would fall apart. It’s the reason why she’s the ‘sense’ in the aforementioned title.

But where Anne Elliot differs I think, is that Elinor, despite being the ‘older’ sister, is never really seen as being devoid of prospects in regards to her future and marriage, despite the family falling on hard times. Anne, on the other hand, is actually a marked difference from Austen’s usual protagonists. Whereas her other protagonists are usually concerned with climbing the social ladder of society (or essentially, scorning the playing of this game in society, but still knowing it’s expected of her anyway (See Lizzie Bennet), Anne is from a noble family that due to her father Sir Walter Elliot’s vanity and selfishness, is on its descent down on the social ladder, a caricature of the old, outdated, titled class in a world of new British industry.

Sir Walter Scott, and the Changing Ideal of The Gentlemen in Society:

This is another place where Jane Austen differs in her characterisation and brings up an important contrast that is lacking in her other work to an extent in terms of her other main heroines: while the other heroines are more concerned with upward mobility through marriage because that is what society has expected of them, Anne Elliot’s father (who’s will dominates her own), is concerned with DOWNWARD mobility. The idea that he will be seen as ‘lesser than’ for allowing his daughter to marry someone she loves.

The difference is, is where you have CHOICE to an extent in a burgeoning middle class family, even if you were marrying for money, you have that upward mobility. You have opportunities. When your family is so focused on maintaining the facade of an untouchable deity, you are literally frozen into that mold, even if you want to be a part of that changing world and changing model of what should be considered an ‘ideal’ match, or a modern pairing.

While unadvantageous matches are dismissed in other Austen works, it is often due to the person having some fault of character (I.E: Philanderer, drunkard, etc.) that’s obviously not going to change anytime soon, and what someone is, to an extent, able to control. People are able to control whether they cheat on someone or not; people are able to control showing up and embarrassing themselves at social functions if they have an inkling of self-awareness. And these matches are usually rejected outright because of the family’s concern for the daughter’s feelings (See Lizzie and Mr. Collins, for example, even though it would be an advantageous match (-INSERT LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH QUOTE HERE-)

But the sad thing in Anne’s case, I think, is that it shows the dying breed of noblewomen, who, once they get ‘older,’ have nowhere to go but down socially if they don’t become a ‘spinster’ or completely devoted to their family household and name. These older, more distinguished families during 1817, were slowly and surely becoming more and more obsolete, and I think it’s VERY astute of Austen to recognise that. Men could now make their fortune at sea- they COULD be “new money.” More and more, these noble people who didn’t work and didn’t have a profession besides being a member of the landed gentry, were becoming more and more dated in the movement of England towards mechanisation and the new Victorian age of industry.

‘Captain Wentworth is the prototype of the ‘new gentleman.’ Maintaining the good manners, consideration, and sensitivity of the older type, Wentworth adds the qualities of gallantry, independence, and bravery that come with being a well- respected Naval officer.

Like Admiral Croft, who allows his wife to drive the carriage alongside him and to help him steer, Captain Wentworth will defer to Anne throughout their marriage. Austen envisions this kind of equal partnership as the ideal marriage.’

Meanwhile Sir Walter does not present this same sort of guidance for the females in his life. He is so self-involved that he fails to make good decisions for the family as a whole; his other two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, share his vanity and self-importance. While Anne is seen as a direct parallel with her good-natured (dead) mother, she still has to deal with these outdated morals, before coming her true self. She still has to learn to support her own views, even if they are contrary to those in a position of power in her life, and essentially, dominate her day-to-day dealings and her actual character of how she defines herself.

Becoming One’s Self: Learning Self-Assurance and The Positives of ‘Negative’ Qualities:

The one thing I do love about Anne is that she doesn’t have a ‘weakness of character,’ contrary to Wentworth’s bitter words which are clearly directed at her when they first meet again after so long. That’s one thing I usually see (predominantly male) commentators say Anne’s fault is as a female protagonist is as simple as a reading of the title; namely, that she’s too easily persuaded.

However, that’s an overtly simplistic view. Often people directly correlate an individual being persuaded as simply being ‘weak-willed.’ Anne Elliot is anything but. She constantly rebels against the vanity of her father and the stupidity of her sisters, at the same time being aware of the social structure in which they must operate. She is the individual at the beginning of the novel who is dealing directly with money; and while this was at the time often seen as a ‘man’s’ role, it is Anne taking control of getting their family back into good stead and out of debt after her dippy father gets them into debt and remains completely useless throughout the entire procedure except to complain about who they might let the house out to, simply because they ARE ‘new money.’ She IS open to new roles in society, and new conventions.

This leads directly to the biggest criticism levelled against her at the beginning of the novel: that after being dismissed by Anne, Captain Wentworth basically publicly declares (because #bitteraf) that ‘any woman he marries will have a strong character and independent mind.’

The funny thing is, Anne already has these. She never lacked them. ‘What ‘persuasion’ truly refers to is whether it is better to be firm in one’s convictions or to be open to the suggestions of others.

‘The conclusion implies that what might be considered Anne’s flaw, her ability to be persuaded by others, is not really a flaw at all. It is left to the reader to agree or disagree with this. ‘

Anne is not stupid in that she is convinced or persuaded by any Joe Schmow who comes along; she considers the opinions of those she respects. She ultimately comes to the right decision in marrying Wentworth later in life, but it’s understandable how a nineteen year old would doubt this decision when advised by those adults around her. It is now that she is older, in considering other people’s opinions, that she is more likely able to come to her decision herself, rather than letting other people’s opinions overweigh her own.

‘Anne is feminine in this way while possessing none of what Austen clearly sees as the negative characteristics of her gender; Anne is neither catty, flighty, nor hysterical. On the contrary, she is level-headed in difficult situations and constant in her affections. Such qualities make her the desirable sister to marry; she is the first choice of Charles Musgrove, Captain Wentworth, and Mr. Elliot.’

Ageism: Austen’s Hinting at an Age-Old Philosophy against the Modern Woman:

At twenty-seven, Anne is literally considered a woman ‘far past her bloom of youth.’ She is constantly surrounded by younger women, both demonstrating interest in her father and in Wentworth. While ageism wasn’t clearly developed as a recognised societal practice in the 19th century, I think it demonstrates, when Jane wrote this so close to her death, and having never married herself, the pressures on women in society even later in life. This is seen more bluntly in the character of Charlotte Lucas in Pride and Prejudice, but I think the fact that people constantly remind Anne of something she cannot control could arguably draw parallels to social status and how birth status cannot be controlled, by a more modern reading of the piece. Women cannot control ageing, any more than a man can control being born into a lower class. But while men could continue to marry for upward mobility or money (up to ridiculous ages and with ridiculously younger wives), women don’t have that luxury once they are ‘past their prime,’ even if they also have the avenue of upward mobility through marriage (see Charlotte Lucas again).

Lost Love, aka THEY TOTALLY MIGHT HAVE BONED BUT PROBABLY NOT:

“There could have never been two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison, no countenances so beloved. Now they were as strangers; nay, worse than strangers, for they could never become acquainted. It was a perpetual estrangement.”

The best thing about Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot’s love story is that we already knew they WERE in love; as opposed to all her other stories, which involve individuals arguably falling INTO love rather than HAVING been in love (Looking’ at you, Mansfield Park), Wentworth x Anne Elliot was a THING. They were a hot and HEAVY thing.

I essentially have nothing to add here except that makes their entire story 10000000x more painful when they clearly still have feelings for one another and have to run in the same social circles.

That is all.

Separate Spheres: AKA LETS ALL HELP EACH OTHER MMKAY AND BE EQUAL PARTNERS IN LOVEEEE:

Lastly, Austen also considers the idea of ‘separate spheres.’

‘The idea of separate spheres was a nineteenth-century doctrine that there are two domains of life: the public and the domestic. Traditionally, the male would be in charge of the public domain (finances, legal matters, etc.) while the female would be in charge of the private domain (running the house, ordering the servants, etc.).

This novel questions the idea of separate spheres by introducing the Crofts. Presented as an example of a happy, ideal marriage, Admiral and Mrs. Croft share the spheres of their life. Mrs. Croft joins her husband on his ships at sea, and Admiral Croft is happy to help his wife in the chores around the home. They have such a partnership that they even share the task of driving a carriage. Austen, in this novel, challenges the prevailing notion of separate spheres.’

As mentioned before, from the beginning of the novel, as a noblewoman, Anne is already crossing the line of separate spheres by undertaking financial and legal matters since her father is essentially too much of a pussy to do so (this antiquated ideal of gentlemanly qualities). She has already made a discreet step into the public domain by her actions, without ever really truly making a bold statement.

By the insertion of the Crofts within the narrative, it really foreshadows how this sort of relationship can work as equals, and how such an amalgamation of the spheres should not be looked down upon. It’s a subtly progressive message that none of the other books really deal with (besides perhaps a tad in Sense and Sensibility with Elinor), and I love her all the more for it. ♥

#I love how this slowly degraded into meme language and then I gave up #help me #it's 2:30 in the morning #Jane Austen #theory #literature #literature theory #Anne elliot #writing #reading #regency period #future reference #personal #answers #Persuasion #captain fredrick wentworth

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