my favorite trope currently is villain redemption arcs starting out like "yes...yes...i am respecting your boundaries, and considering your feelings, and genuinely changing my actions and apologizing when i mess up and thus MANIPULATING YOU into thinking i can be trusted! haha! my scheme is working!"

Every time i have no mouth but i must scream re-enters the media cycle online i roll my eyes so hard.. shitty grimdark snuff-fic with minimal worldbuilding only revered for it's disturbing imagery and a fandom insistence that it has to be deeper than whatever we're reading. "oh but its so cool it was adapted into an indie game where the author was a voice actor so its completely faithful" SHUT UP. THAT DOESNT MAKE IT GOOD. I first read this story in the early 2010s. this attention cycle repeats every 2 years or so in various spaces across the internet. I don't think its awful but jfc this work does not deserve the attention and reverence it continues to get.

Especially peeved about this current cycle of ihnmbims regaining notoriety because one of the greatest sci-fi short stories of all time is in the PERFECT climate to get some new attention and its being totally drowned out. It even has videogame adaptations (built into the background with quests + physical locations) and many other interpretations across a variety of mediums, a collaboration between two writers from wildly different social and political climates. There Will Come Soft Rains is beautiful, hopeful, and it absolutely deserves your attention.

Authored by Ray Bradbury and featuring the work of Sara Teasdale, There Will Come Soft Rains follows the death of the last standing family home in a post-fallout irradiated city. This story is stunning. It also plays with pov, giving the reader a childlike and wonderful omniscient outlook on the house in the absence of any remaining humans. The house is personified and filled with herds of mechanical "animals" tending to its final moments.

It is still and serene and breathtaking. I love this story with all my heart. If you want to see/play either videogame adaptation of There Will Come Soft Rains, one can be found in Fallout 3 as the McClellan house, and the other is in Genshin Impact in a Fontainian quest called There Will Come Soft Rains. Both are wonderful adaptations that make careful and conscious changes to fit the story into their own world. While this story is very literal, there are many messages to gather from it, so every adaptation is worth investigating.

I'm honestly surprised there's so few people talking about it right now, with the Fallout show coming out and a brand new adaption of the story making an appearance in Genshin Impact. I love this story and I hope you all can, too.

hi! just wanted to drop by for two things:

a) had to let you know your writing style is BONKERS stellar, so, so good and succinct without undercutting the human emotion within each character you touch; just...you are incredible!

b) I've personally been wondering this for a long while, but have finally decided to just ask: why do you exclusively write canon compliant works? is it because that's what you find most comfortable? is it because you cannot picture anything beyond what's canon? or is it something else? I ask mostly because for a while I have seen many people in the fandom add this to their bios, which kinda turns me off of them (not due to writing, just a preference!), and it's rooted itself inside my brain and, well, here I am.

but I honestly really do adore everything I have read from you, you capture everyone's voices so masterfully I can't help but be enthralled (that Lee Jordan bit for Winter Sun? need more of that POV!).

so, yeah, hope this reaches you well, sorry for bothering! x

First of all, THANK YOU, Anon 🥺 I'm in the thick of a really horrible cold right now, and your words brightened my day. I'm really quite proud of my writing style at this moment in time. I've worked hard over the years at developing a style that balances conciseness and evocation - it's something I struggled with a lot when I first started writing, which you might notice if you read my older fics, so it always makes me genuinely thrilled when people comment on that. (Also, I'm delighted you enjoyed my recent Lee ficlet, I have so much fondness for his character, and hope to write more of him!)

As to why I'm a canon-compliant writer, it actually has very little to do with personal comfort - in fact, I love being pushed out of my comfort zone when I write, it's why my fics feature such a wide range of characters. I almost dislike the word "compliant" sometimes, as it has a bit of a…resigned vibe to it? The reason my works are canon-compliant is because what stimulates me, personally, when it comes to writing fanfiction is envisioning and creating different sides and dimensions to the canon universe. I enjoy the unique challenge that is posed by having to build upon, enrich, and add nuance to the characters and themes introduced to us in canon, while still working within the general parameters of that universe. The recent Winter Sun fest by @harrypocter, for example, has been an incredible writing experience for me - it's been so invigorating to add depth and culture and life to these characters of color, to create rich stories around those small mentions of them we got in the series.

Do I think that the canon universe is perfect? Of course not. I think this is a common experience for those of us who grew up with the series - as we matured, we naturally applied a more critical lens to books that we obsessively loved as children. A reputation that canon-compliant authors often have is that we are completely devoted to the source material and glorify it, when in fact, it's usually the opposite. It's been one of my favorite parts of engaging with this fandom as an adult, reading these incredibly nuanced metas and focused analyses of canon characters and plot lines, and then writing fics that incorporate my newly enhanced understanding. (I'll take this opportunity to rec one of my absolute favorite metas by @ashesandhackles that expertly breaks down all the problems within the series' house-elf-related arc.)

To conclude this wildly long answer lol, it's not that I see myself as trapped within the canon sandbox. Rather, what engages me most is making new things out of the sand. I will add that as a reader, I enjoy AU fic, particularly canon divergence AU, and there are so many truly stellar AU authors out there. One of the great things about this fandom is that because of how enormous it is, there are infinite niches and sub-fandoms. Despite the author's truly harmful actions (I will always support the rights and dignity of trans people and will never monetarily support jkr again), fans put time and care into making this space more inclusive and diverse every year.

Thanks again for the lovely comments ❤️

the so-called "progressive" fandom declaring that donating to Wikipedia is absurd while donating to ao3 is pratically sacrosanct and necessary— all while Wikipedia's donations actively fund orgs that are run by and advance the issues faced by BIPOC and other marginalized groups within STEM fields, but meanwhile ao3 openly admits that they sit on multiple millions of reserve funding that only continues to grow with zero plans on actually using any of the money for anything useful

Go post your fic on wikipedia then??? Seriously, try to do it. I'll wait.

The two sites are completely different platforms: different purposes, different audiences, different financial tiers. When they come up in the same breath, it's part of a conversation that inevitably started with someone who's pissed off at AO3's very existence trying to shame people into donating to something meaningful instead of something fun. It has nothing to do with either site's community outreach record or lack thereof, and suggesting that it does is wildly disingenuous.

On the matter of the OTW "sitting on" reserve funding, they've stated repeatedly that they've been saving this money in anticipation of funding drying up, and as that's continued to not happen they've also stated a willingness to spend that money on various improvements they need both as an organization and to the services they provide. You can check their latest vision statement, posted in July of this year, for a recent example, and there were various related questions for every candidate in this year's board elections.

If none of that satisfies you, sorry. Donate extra to Wikipedia on my behalf, and we'll each keep our favored non-profit website up and running.

starker fic recs 2022

there are so many different flavours of starker!! like WILDLY diverging ones, probably more so than any other ship i’ve read. it’s so fun and versatile. 

but before I go into those different brands, here’s an intro to my favourite authors! i’ve read every starker fic they’ve written and would trust them with my life. 

“author has already arranged a ride to church trust me” anon (aka RTC anon) One of the most well-known authors in the starker fandom. Words cannot explain how obsessed I am with this person. Gorgeous, cinematic prose, original & captivating plot, steaming UST, rich characterisation with the delicacy it takes to handle this kind of ship—they truly have it all. They got me into this ship and are the sole reason I spent forty hours a week for like three weeks straight just reading starker. 

is this thing (an)on  All-round great writing but what particularly stands out is the dialogue, which is so in character I can hear their banter with perfect clarity. Their fics have the range! Plotty ones, smutty ones, twisty little sad ones—all of them worth a read. 

chelicerata  A late discovery for me because they’re not as well-known as the other two but I am literally so glad I found them by Advanced Fic Finding Methods because boy what a gem! I loved all of their fics but my particular favourites will be listed below. 

lovetincture  Very beautiful prose that really explores the jagged edges of the characters.

honorary mention for belatrix because I was trying to keep the list to people who were fairly prolific but I love their two starker fics with my entire chest 

BRAND 1: starting off with the healthy relationship ones (well as healthy as you can get) (mandatorily starring a guilty, self-loathing-to-various-degrees tony, and a cast that fully acknowledges that the age difference is problematic):

Stipulations by RTC anon (70k). Peter Parker’s longterm dream recently went from ‘get into MIT’ to ‘afford going to MIT’. As the time approaches, it’s dawning on him that he won’t be able to pay his tuition and afford the move to Cambridge all at once: he’s out of money, his secrets are beginning to pile up, and desperation has started creeping in... And then one night, he saves Tony Stark’s life. AU - Peter is still Spiderman, but they have a different first meeting. This was the first starker fic I completed and it got me fully invested in the ship, coming from a background of never being a particular fan of age difference. It has me seeing in shrimp colours. Bonus: very well executed alternating POV. Also Tony compulsively buying Peter things. Oh to be filthy rich <3 in reality I’d put him in the guillotine but in fiction it’s nice to live vicariously through them :) There is plot but it’s definitely secondary to the relationship.

Revelations by RTC anon (127k) This fic is a thesis for why starker works. An AU where they get the Gauntlet off of Thanos that first time, on Titan. Peter joins the Avengers and reveals his identity to the public. As usual, villains start springing up, and plot ensues.

Expense by RTC anon (47k, WIP) Peter blinks for several silent, panting seconds, then finally closes his mouth. He seems upset. “You don’t want to have sex with me?” “I don’t pay for sex. And no offense, but you’re like twelve.” “I’m eighteen.” “Whatever.” Tony didn’t actually forget his age, but that’s how this arrangement will work best. sex worker peter parker AU (he’s still spiderman). unstoppable force (tony wants to give peter no strings attached money) vs immovable object (peter can’t accept the money without working for it) vs almost-immovable object (tony refuses to fuck peter). 7/8 completed, tony is still holding up but we are seeing cracks, folks. (i.e. no sex has been occurred yet.) recently updated with ch7 which i havent actually caught up on yet. something about this work just makes me fully insane i cant explain it. the reversal of sex worker dynamics just meshes so perfectly with starker?? peter gets to fuck tony and tony gets to give him money. it’s glorious.

Practical Results by is this thing (an)on (81k) (note: peter is 17) fuck-or-die with a fun twist - they’ve been dumped on sakaar, and the grandmaster has switched the entertainment from fighting to porn. make sure you read the epilogue as well!

Archetype (14k) and then the follow-up WIP Set Theory (108k) by is this thing (an)on Don’t read the description for Set Theory before reading Archetype! They’re both so good. Set Theory in particular had me frothing. I’m so glad I decided to read it even after going like “what the fuck” at the description. 11/10 would give my first born child to anon

Classical Mechanics by is this thing (an)on (44k, WIP) G rated fic but *tiktok sound voice* add a little bit of spice Canon compliant mostly I think. Peter’s in his first year of college and Tony keeps signing up to lecture the courses he’s taking. Hello did someone say professor/student starker?? Such a yummy dynamic especially when layered onto their existing dynamic! Overall light-hearted and fun, has alternating POV, and they go to space! The banter is next level. I’ve reread several times while following along with the update and it’s as fresh as ever.

when the sun came up (you were looking at me) by charonsdescent (93k) All the guilt-laden want of regular starker, with even more guilt from pepper’s death and morgan slathered on top. delicious. a sweet, comforting read. 

the friendly neighbourhood by postelectric (23k) This writing is not only excellent but it has flair. So fun to read.

Baby Put on Heart-Shaped Sunglasses by toucanpie (17k) light-hearted and funny while still hitting all the right notes for me to classify it under this brand of starker as described at the start of the section. 

Better Than by unsettled (41k) The healthiest version of starker I’ve ever read where Peter isn’t aged up from the beginning. Peter and Tony through the years, from Tony’s POV. All-round great Tony meta delivered via his rambling, anxious thoughts. *slaps his back* this boy can fit so much trauma inside him. Knowing and being known, underlined three times. 

here is my hand, my heart by belatrix (16k) You have good prose, then you have literary-fiction-level prose. So gorgeous. Tony’s guilt and self-loathing is, as we say in these areas, dialed up to 11 :) Very soft. Basically, I am insane, thanks. 

if you’d grant my love a pardon by belatrix (3k) *yodelling, from the rooftops* THE PROSEEE. Overall insanely good, clenching around my heart, want to eat it whole et cetera et cetera. Soft, bittersweet, Tony unable to commit to the relationship because he knows how wrong it is, but at the same time unable to keep away. I’m sorry. 

as if even now by Anonymous (collection: “anon’s starker fics”) (31k + 2k epilogue fic) Yeah I’m a dumbass that didn’t bookmark or comment on it at the time of reading so my memory of it is a bit hazy, but the important things are: prose with a flair, funny parts, great rambly Tony dialogue. It’s very good. 

BRAND 2: Darker fics! Ah coming from the person who once swore they would never read underage fic... how the turn tables.. Basically, Peter is very young, and Tony is more than a little fucked up. Not sympathetic for Tony. 

The Scenic Route by lovetincture (3k) This fic was something else. The writing is phenomenal. Looping its fingers through your intestines kind of phenomenal. Post Homecoming, Peter is 15, and Tony is sharply aware that he is doing something terrible. This was my intro to the darker brand of starker and I’ve half memorised it at this point it’s so damn good.

Age of Consent by pallidiflora. (5k) Thematically similar to The Scenic Route, equally as good writing. Also I’m obsessed with the description like: While waiting for Peter's seventeenth birthday, Tony Stark obeys the letter of the law, if not the spirit. ugh. chills!

RSVP series by lovetincture (in total 5k, comprised of 3 ficlets) this one is a doozy. they get together when pete is 16. divorce after fifteen years. the bitterness and the thinly veneered wrongness of it all. tipping into regret? not in so many words, but god.

BRAND 3: established relationship! 

take me out (and take me home) by chelicerata (3k) Yes, I cried. Soft established relationship just takes me out. 

Archimedes and Stoplights by heartbreaknow (1k) More softness! Cue me yelling THEM and punching a pillow. The first time Tony stops in the middle of sex to write down a potential breakthrough he’s just had on a tricky lab problem, he and Peter have been together for about six months.

Commemorate by unsettled (1k) Tony's had enough birthday parties to last him a lifetime. He can skip it this year, right?

Subversion by is this thing (an)on (1k) Literally the most perfect suit kink fic. I’ve ascended to another dimension.

Anything You Want by LearnedFoot (2k) “Um, you know how you keep asking me what I want?” “Mmm,” Tony agrees, forcing his orgasm-hazy mind to focus. This is important. “Yeah. Um, well, what if what I want is for you to, uh, be rougher?”

BRAND 4: vanilla starker. college or AU Peter, aged up to at least 20 years old. age difference is still a thing but without the powerful undercurrent of guilt and general fucked-up-ness as in brands 1 and 2. 

Refraction by chelicerata (16k) Post Endgame Peter drops into a universe with a slightly different, younger Tony Stark, who’s not Iron Man (yet). The whole package deal! All the angst and the humour and the softness and THEM! The tragedy of him being in love with someone else that’s not quite you! chef’s fucking kiss

Things That Can Destroy Me by romanticallyinept (12k) Peter is a very established adult here, and he meets Tony just as he’s revealed himself to the world as Iron Man. Cute and fun. 

Waste My Time Dreaming (Of You) by romanticallyinept (9k) Light-hearted, great banter. Or, the one where Peter’s putting himself through college working as a barista by day and Spider-Man by night, and Tony just wants his brain. Well, more than his brain. But it’s a good place to start.

Pete’s Eats by bloodgutsandstarbucks (9k) Fluffy and funny. AU — Peter’s a college student, Spiderman, and runs a cooking channel on Youtube, where he gets wine-drunk and thirsts over Tony Stark.

Landslide by spqr (8k) Peter jumps into the quantum realm with his heart in his throat. He steps out in 2018, on the edge of a lake he still has nightmares about. A hundred yards away over the water, the lights in the lakehouse are on. Soft and sad with a happy ending. Gorgeous prose with a creative twist. 

before i lose my cool, do you know any fics that would be good for a newcomer for doc and etho stuff? Preferably no shipping, and its for someone who hasn't watched their stuff (brain no work) but they still want to read about them. (Can be doc no etho, or etho no doc stuff.)

Okey, well! There's two flavors of fandom for Etho and Doc that are good to know going in. There's regular Hermitcraft fandom for both of them of course, there's NHO material specifically, and then for Etho, there's Last Life / 3rd Life fics.

The NHO was a group in season 6 (? could be 5) where Etho, Doc, VintageBeef and BDoubleO100 were all a group together and did stuff. Sometimes people write them shippy, sometimes it's all angst. If you've ever seen any fics about BDubs being consumed by The Jungle, it comes from this. During this season, everyone dropped out except Doc. There's some running jokes in the seasons that different people scared the NHO off [Scar says the Vex did, I think Ren says his faction did at one point]. Most of the fandom thinks they were consumed by the Jungle in some fashion.

Etho has been in both 3rd Life and Last Life, death servers where you're given a certain number of lives. Grain and many other EmpiresSMP/Hermitcraft folks have also been a part of this. Etho doesn't get that much interesting screen time out of 3rd Life outside of generally being a part of Dogwarts, but his relationship with BDubs in LL really exploded.

With that background out of the way! Some fic recs:

My Docm77 Recs:

The Parting Glass by Sekrap, which I have recommended before and will recommend again, is about Docm77, his creation as an unfortunate creeper into a creeper hybrid, how much he loved his dear NHO, and all the self-destruction he went through when they vanished. Now, with BDubs literally falling out of the sky in season 7, he will do anything in his power to get them back. This is a multichapter fic, completed, sits comfortably just over 60k words. Has some good characterization, and interesting plot points. By the time the prologue is over, Grian and Ren become major players on the plot, but I'd still say Doc is the main character.

Incarnate Inchoate by underoriginal is another that I keep recommending to people, and have made fanart for. Its a DSMP/Hermitcraft crossover in which a lot of Hermits make an appearance, but for which Docm77 seems set up as one of the major foils for Dream. At the very least, he is a major side character, with some cool backstory. That being said, he is still very obviously a side-character. Fantastic characterization when he makes his appearances though. Unfinished, currently at a comfy 30k with 11 chapters.

dog at the door by fluffy_papaya and iamsolarflare is about Docm77 picking up Ren on his way to season 8, and finding out maybe the guy in the van... isn't...... Ren........ He seems to be talking a lot about a thing called Dogwarts, and there's a lot of ice going around.... oh dear. If you haven't heard of this one, I'm surprised. It's wildly popular, and is the trend-setter for "fics about Doc and Ren having a complex relationship that get really angsty when 3rd Life / Last Life is involved." Very well written! I have my personal hangups with it but, I would still definitely recommend it. I binge read it in like... one evening. Finished, 29 chapter, and a sprawling 66k words.

friendly fire by slimetek is a fun little one-shot romp where Grian, Ren and Doc decide to have a very friendly and totally not competitive fight with Zedaph, Impulse and Tango just to see who'd win. Mind the tags, it gets gory, but respawn means there's no consequences for our actions, it's all in good fun! Decently in character for everyone involved, since outside of the graphic detail of some of the deaths, it's pretty in character for regular hermitcraft shenanigans. Doc is an absolute beast and he gets to punch someone's face in, which is always fun. Completed one-shot that sits at a cozy little 600 words.

this thing is real by Bee_4 is a one-shot fic about Doc and Ren, and the aftermath of season 8. For context if you need it: Doc and Ren had a Hermatrix plot where, basically, season 8 was a simulation. This is them kind of taking a moment to process that information, and all the mental angst that entails. I have drawn fanart for this, it is very nice.

Hound's Tooth by Silverskye13 if you didn't know I write fics sometimes I'm so sorry if this is obnoxious but you asked for Doc-centric fics and I did write one. In the category of "Doc is a little fucked up over Ren going off to play death games with half the server", Doc is coping with the fact that Ren has gone to Last Life, even after 3rd Life left him traumatized. It is, at its heart, about how trauma leaks onto everyone near the traumatized, and how no matter how much you want to be the shoulder for someone to cry on, you cannot burn yourself to keep them warm. Also, he has a lovely doggo companion Wren, who he goes on a fun adventure with while he tackles this. It is completed, sets precariously on 58k words, and is 12 chapters long. Uhh... [scoots it onto your doorstep with a stick]. I tried really hard to make the characterization good. Up to literally anyone but me if it made it, I really can't tell with my own writing.

My Ethoslab Recs:

Anything To Hear You (Say It One More Time) by mgrnn is a short 4 chapter fic which takes advantage of the popular AU where permadeath is a thing and respawn doesn't exist. Etho has a very tragic accident in the woods, and deciding he doesn't have enough time to make it back home, or for help to make it to him, calls BDubs just to hear his voice one last time. I would say he's a major secondary character in this, in that the first chapter and a half is his POV, and the rest is the friends trying to rescue him. It's got some decent Etho characterization? It's a good fic, but the circumstances for it are wildly outside of anything that would happen in "canon" hermitcraft, so it's really dealer's choice on whether you think it's truly good characterization. I think it's a good fic either way!

Nothing but Flowers by nho is about the curious incident of Grian being possessed by myceleum in an eerily similar way to BDub's devouring by The Jungle, and all the drama Etho goes through as it unfolds. Etho and Grian are the major two characters, but I'd say it mostly focuses on Etho's POV. It hasn't updated in a few months, :'D ahhh.... I believe it's on haitus, godspeed and good health to the author! It's at a luxurious 44k words, and 13 chapters.

cherish my corpse (i'm not rushing to leave) by boxhoy is an Etho-centric one-shot about Etho dealing with Big Moon. There's no dialogue, it's mostly Etho's thoughts, and him dealing with the increasing mania of everyone else on the server. Very somber and introspective, and kind of tragic - as most things associated with Big Moon are.

event horizon by BananasofThorns is a one-shot set in Last Life where BDubs dies and Etho, a god of void, loses his composure about it. It is one in a series of fics by Bananas in which various MCYTers are gods of different domains, which manafest in a plethora of ways. This is one of 3 Etho-centric one-shots, and all of them pretty interesting!

[This space is reserved for yet another fic I cannot find, because I’m a travesty. There’s a really cool AU fic where Etho is the main POV character, and Decked Out is the main world setting. He finds and kills ravagers, and the King [Tango] has to face the consequences of having Ravagers running through his kingdom. Loved the fic, it was my first Etho fic I read. Cannot for the life of me find the damn thing now.]

And that's all I've got right now! I know some of these have made previous lists and I apologies for re-recing, if you've read those. I'm currently out of town, and haven't had the time to really dig into AO3 to find more good fics. It's been a year of a week ahah.

I hope you enjoy these!

Fanfic recs for the first quarter of 2021!

It’s been a long time since I made a fic rec post, and we’re diving back in with a big list of fics from the first quarter! Even long after the publication of the book and coming up on two years out from the release of the show, this fandom is still a neverending gold mine of fics. Here are some I’ve enjoyed that were completed from January through March 2021!

cafe au vin by @mortifyingideal   Rated G

One Valentine’s Day Fic To Rule Them All...I’m not going to say more because this one is such a delightful surprise to unwrap. Uproariously funny and clever

the devil and the deep blue sea by @waywarder  Rated M

Calling all sea creature nerds, and anyone who has ever taken a date to the aquarium and talked too much about fish for several hours. It’s a delight to see the personalities shine through so clearly in this AU!

The Discord Servers of Hell by @ineffablelawr Rated T

Hell has discord and it turns out exactly how you would think. Really cute Fun With Formats fic!

Faster than a Speeding Bentley by @moondawntreader Rated M

An incredible AU that had me laughing aloud to a degree that frightened the neighbor’s cat. Crowley gets bitten by a mutagenic snake and becomes a superhero, and the care and thought and creativity given to his superhero identity is just magnificent!

The Fine Print by @fremulon Rated T

Read it for the life-giving office job catharsis, read it for the nonstop, top-tier jokes, read it for an amazing example of an AU with similar plot beats to the original GO in a wildly different setting, just read it!

For a Sheep as a Lamb by @brightwanderer Rated T

I feel like this fic takes the T rating as a challenge, and the results are so much fun

A Good Old-Fashioned Cock-up by @brightwanderer Rated M

DIFFICULT not to shriek while reading, Aziraphale’s bit of bastard on full, glorious display

an institute you can’t disparage by @mortifyingideal Rated G

prepare yourself for the post-pandemic weddings of all your acquaintances with this absolute romp

Let’s Build a Vivarium by @waldosakimbo Rated G

WaldosAkimbo is out to make me emotional about demons again and doing a fantastic job. Super funny and touching!

The Magician in the Bushes by @caffeinechic Rated T

A fabulous meet-cute featuring The Amazing Mr. Fell and Caterer Crowley, you can HEAR Sheen and Tennant saying the dialogue in this I swear

One Golden Glance of What Should Be by bulfinch Rated T

A really beautiful through-time collection of vignettes themed around Crowley’s snake eyes, haunting and lovely

The Ordinary World by @antikate Rated E

How do you write about an impossible grief? and how do you come back from it to find an impossible joy? Idk but Anti_Kate has done it and it’s an absolute page turner (Next Chapter clicker?) on top of that

The Private Collection by @entanglednow Rated E

Pure, Grade AAA (or perhaps XXX) absurdity, outrageously funny

Reptiles of the Mind by CiderApples Rated G

a gorgeous, ambiguous slice of post-apocalypse life

rumours (and other things that thrive in the dark) by @forineffablereasons Rated G

this is CANON now, I love this backstory on Crowley’s traffic jacket and the mixture of sweetness, humor, and longing

and truth (and other things that thrive in the light) by @forineffablereasons Rated E

….and there’s a delightful sequel in which the jacket reappears for some Very Good Times

Shiver At Your Touch by @mintly Rated E

Crowley and Aziraphale go wild on one of London’s biggest tourist attractions, and their banter is pitch-perfect and supremely adorable

Sometimes a Snake is Just a Snake by AstroGirl Rated T

I’m a sucker for a fake advertisement, and this fic has truly excellent bickering wherein Crowley bemoans his image being used for commercial purposes

Treasures of Heaven by @heavens-bookshop Rated G

A new favorite outside POV fic, this is so, so charming and makes me pine for the times of coffeeshops past!

two if by sea by @theseedsofdoom Rated G

I am now desperately longing to be wandering around a foggy island off the coast of Maine

Vapour in Your Love by @antikate Rated E

This fic is so funny it makes me want to scream, read this while drinking a beverage at your OWN PERIL

A Polka Dot Drabble

Fandom: The Suicide Squad (2021), DCEU

Characters: Harley Quinn, Abner Krill (Polka Dot Man)

Completely stolen inspiration from @fluffy-lee-boa and their post ! I'm so sorry, I had to, the idea was SO FRICKIN CUTE!!! First fic in a while, and it's short and super fluffy, so I hope y'all like!

Abner Krill did not look people in the eyes. Anyone: humans, animals, monsters... no one.

"How many you got on there?"

Abner lifted his eyes to the general direction of Harley Quinn, seated beside him on the flight back home.

"How many what?" his soft voice asked back.

"Polka dots," Harley poked one on his arm.

"Oh, um.. I don't know."

Switching perspectives here for a second; Harley was always one to please. If she felt the love, she gave the love. Abner needed a little. He was looking real low to her. So, she sat next to him on the plane on purpose and kept shooting him smiles and glances in hopes he'd look back. No such luck, so she then had to ask.

"Let's find out together. I'm sure you're dyin' to know!" Harley pressed, teeth in full show with an eager smile. She turned herself towards the Polka Dot Man, tucking one leg beneath her opposite thigh to more comfortably sit.

"N-No, I don't really-- I don't like being-- Harley!"

"1 2 3 4 5 -- What?" she inquired, high-pitch in tone. Her eyes were wide to feign innocence. She had started veering her fingers down towards the dots on Abner's side and stomach when he called her name.

"It--," he gulped down any further words he was planning on spouting.

"You ticklish or somethin', Abby?" Harley leaned in a bit closer to Abner's ear when she asked, a squeak of giddy energy following her question. She started poking again, this time watching his face more closely as opposed to focusing on the dots.

"Noho!" Abner choked out and his arm cinched to his side.

"No??" Harley gasped, "Uh ohhhh," she drew out, now switching to pinches, "Liar liar pants on fire!"

Abner was... a bit stunned, to say the least. Why did he invite such playfulness? What was he doing different from normal that Harley picked up on? Why was he laughing? Why did his insides want to crawl to his outsides?

"Whoops! Gotta restart the count! Geez, Abby, pull yourself together or we're never gonna crack this case," Harley used a few fingers now to press and wiggle into every polka dot she set her sights on, even a few spaces in between.

"Stop!" Abner whispered, "W-Wait-- HA!"

His arms were frozen at his sides, unable to make much use out of them. His laughs were coming out in giggles and in breathy gasps and hissing.

"Okay okay, ya big baby," Harley lifted her fingers from the fabric of Polka Dot Man's suit but kept them poised an inch above his sides, ready to strike again.

Abner had wound up rotating himself so he was facing Harley, in the midst of his shuffling and laughter. Probably not the best position if he wanted the tickling to stop. But something in him told him that was his best chance at his defense.

"Nohoho no--Noho!" Abner jumped in his seat when he saw Harley's arms move in. Harley herself was chuckling away, finding Abner's childlike laughter extremely endearing.

"You two gonna get it over with or what?" Bloodsport over on the other side of the plane semi-shouted.

"I'mmmmm gonna getcha!" Harley teased Abner, flexing her fingers and rotating her wrists to mimic another tickle attack.

Abner raised his hands on instinct to cover his reddening face and smiling mouth. He couldn't handle the teasing, nuh-uh, no way, no how.

Harley took the lead and she shot her hands to Abner's now exposed belly. Both hands, fingers digging in wildly. Her thumbs even found their way towards the small man's dips in his hips while the rest of her fingers kept working their magic.

Abner lost it. He fell forward into his own lap, effectively trapping Harley's hands right where they were. His snickers shook his whole body. Loose pleads were gushing from his lips, largely silenced by his budding laughter.

"Someone's a little tickle bug," Harley cooed, wrestling her hands free but not without landing some more pokes along the dots covering Abner's back as he recovered.

Abner remained totally hunched over, catching his breath. His insides were bubbly again. And he knew it wasn't from the parasite eating him alive.

Blinking his teary-from-laughter eyes open, Abner slowly righted himself in his seat. His deep brown eyes were trained on Harley's knee but he slowly lifted them up. He shut them once more with a prepping wince before opening them again. He looked right at Harley's brilliantly beaming face and he found himself smiling no longer from the tickling she inflicted on him. He then looked towards Bloodsport, then Nanaue, then Cleo. They were all smiling at him in one way or another.

"Heh," he let out a happy breath, sucking it back in when he glanced Harley's way again.

"Thank you," he mumbled, bashful again but happy.

"Anytime, Abby," Harley pinched his cheek affectionately.

No more mother for right now. Not one of them was. His friends were all beautiful and handsome and cool. He could look them in the eyes now, that's for sure.

Hello! I'm new to the fandom, and I want to start reading fics, could you please let me know which fanfic is THE FANFIC of The Untamed/Mo Dao Zu SHi (MDZS)??? You know, that one fic EVERYONE know and everyone has read

Oh, dear.  I’m really not plugged so much into the fandom, so I miss a lot of that kind of chatter.  Here are a few (completed), favorite stories just off the top of my head.  (The concept of the fandom story to read makes me feel balky, because it’s like being asked to choose your favorite child.  I love all of them, and some just appeal to me more on some days than others.)

modern au:

❤️ The Simplest Way Forward by harriet_vane (E, 71k, wangxian, my post)

humor & juniors:

❤️The Absolutely True Story of the Yiling Patriarch: A Manifesto in Many Parts by aubreyli (T, 20, wangxian, my post)

time travel fix-it:

❤️ Looking at You Always, All Ways by Keysmashed (T, 29k, wangxian, my post)

post cql:

❤️ I hope that you will come and meet me by feyburner (M, 28k, wangxian, my post  here)

canon verse casefic:

❤️a stone to break your soul, a song to save it by rikke (my post here)

students at cloud recesses:

❤️ You Are My Euphoria by tangerinechar (M, 18k, wangxian, my post)

burial mounds life:

❤️The Yiling Wei Clan by scifigeek14 (G, 45k, wangxian, my post here)

Amnesia:

These Things Stay the Same by notevenyou (E, 30k, wangxian, modern au, amnesia, my post here)

~*~

@fanguuuhhhrl said, “imma interpret this question as “must-reads if you’re a part of this fandom” and for me they would be:

pigtail pulling by protos_metazu_ison (G, 4k, wangxian, for one shots, my post)

the vermillion ribbon by unforth E, 233k, wangxian, for novel length alternate canons, my post)

vagabond by xantissa ( E, 66k, wangxian, post canon case fics, my post)

tempo rubato by spodumene (E, 108k, wangxian, for modern au, my bookmark)

and of course everyone knows this, everyone’s favorite post canon series:

❤️Joy In the Midst of These Things by glitterbombshell (T, 51k, wangxian, my post)

like these just scream CLASSSSICCCS to me and based on the number of kudos and hits too i think they are

~*~

@strangelingincarnate suggests: 

Certain Obscure Things by hkafterdark (Modern AU, E, 32k, wangxian)

Lead Me On Through by mrsronweasley (E, 55k, wangxian, arranged marriage)

Lay us down (we're in love) by mme_anxious (T, 5k, wangxian, modern au) 

The Space Between by lazylira (M, 4k, wangxian, WIP, ft. Ace Lan Zhan)

You'd Break Your Heart to Make It Bigger by mrsronweasley (E, 33k, wangxian, post-canon)

~*~

@exo-neukdae-minyeo​ says:

❤️and so my heart beats wildly by lily_winterwood (E, 106k, wangxian, modern au, my post here)

~*~

@mikkeneko reminded me of

And Time Is But a Paper Moon by sami (M, 139k, wangxian, my bookmark)

~*~

@fairfax-verde adds:

❤️ A Civil Combpaign by Ariaste (T, 31k, background wangxian, humor & juniors, my post)

~*~

@blusocket says, “Gorgeous prose and tenderness abound!”

Linger in the Sun by etymologyplayground (T, 39k, wangxian, post-cql, casefic, my post here)

❤️this river runs to you by sundiscus (T, 53k, wangxian,  modern-with-magic au, my post)

and adds that @littlesmartart has great illustrated fic recs in their drawtober tag!

~*~

Nonny said this one is “different than the rest of recs because it is a canon divergence which happens in the pre-canon times. Wwx & lwj are betrothed at 14 and the story is described from LWJ's perspective as he spends a year in Lotus Pier to get to know his betrothed. It's very sweet, how LWJ's description slowly change and you can experience with him innocently falling in love with WWX.”

sweet chaos by eachandeverydimension (G, 86k, wangxian, arranged marriage)

~*~

@invisible-mirror says this one is a must-read modern au:

Unstrictly Ballroom by Ariaste (T, 48k, wangxian, modern au)

~*~

@parlerenfleurs would like to suggest

the recluse at the end of the moonlit path by b_ofdale ( T, 29k, wangxian)...  Reincarnated Wei WuXian and Immortal Lan WangJi, a delicious read!

~*~

@mondengel would rec:

❤️SanRen by Kyogre (T, 88k, wangxian, my post)

❤️a stone to break your soul, a song to save it by rikke (my post here)

Kiss Me Here, Again, Again by pastelaliens (E, 5k, wangxian)

Six Centimeters by Keysmashed (G, 2k, wangxian)

Breaking Through by Suspicious_Popsicle (E, 34k, wangxian)

two guys r in love thats literally it by victortor (M, 11k, wangxian, my post)

Response by Aki_no_hikari  (G, 12k, wangxian)

Pampering by Aki_no_hikari (E, 5k, wangxian)

Cryptids are not Permitted in the Cloud Recesses by crossdressingdeath (E, 96k, wangxian WIP)

~*~

Nonny wants to recommend authors (I’m not going to link them all, I’ll hit my limit... many are up above^)

etymologyplayground, sarahyyy, chinxe, besanii, malkinmalkout, Attila, catbrainedschemes. Other really great popular authors: fakeplasticlily, occultings, kuro, mrsronweasley, so_shhy, moonsteps, defractum, uchiuchi, pupeez4eva, beeswaxing, and ofc rikke! 

One Punch Man ship reviews bc I’m bored

WARNING: BIG ONE PUNCH MAN WEBCOMIC AND MANGA SPOILERS

GenoSai: do I even have to say it?? They compliment each other so well and are already besties. They make me so happy and I love their love. Genos literally came into Saitama’s life and brought so much new life and excitement when Saitama thought he’d never get any. Genos gives him love and appreciation all the time and never abandons him. Saitama isn’t connected to his feelings, but he cares about Genos and would do just about anything for him, to keep him safe. Genos constantly teases Saitama and Saitama grumbles and takes it with some banter, Genos is super emotional and Saitama does his best to comfort him, they fucking love shopping together and just hanging out period, they talk about the dumbest shit and somehow they still understand each other with the one brain cell they both share. It takes Genos forever to realize his feelings are deeper and Saitama has to be TOLD by their friends that he should fucking realize his feelings already. Just...I could keep going but I’ll stop! 2718873737839439/10 (let’s not talk about the age gap btw, 6 years isn’t bad and Genos is a legal adult.)

FubuSai: the stereotypical straight ship ppl gravitate to. Eh. I can see it, but at the same time I feel like they don’t completely compliment each other. Are they a hot couple? Duh. But I feel like their pride and communication issues would get in the way. 4/10

TatsuSai: hnghhhh. Someone mentioned this before, can’t remember who, but Saitama literally thinks she’s a child in canon. So that just....makes it gross. Same problems as FubuSai but worse. I’d rather see them as hesitant friends w a weird bond. 0/10

SonSai/SonicSai/idk the ship name: eh, toxic. Cant see them getting past communication issues and pride, again. Plus Sonic wants to kill his ass. Also, I just feel no romantic tension?? Even in fanfic it just falls flat for me. 3/10

MumenSai: a favorite!! Wish I saw it more, it’s very cute. Mumen is so kind and would absolutely be there to help him w self esteem and just help him be a better person period. And Saitama would have a cute little kind guy to tease and open up to. I could maybe see Mumen’s kindness getting on Saitama’s nerves when he’s in a bad mood bc Mumen almost never snaps and Saitama feels shittier, or maybe Mumen being mad at Saitama for being kinda lazy at home while Mumen is working his ass off and he’s like babe I just got home, please stop playing the fucking game and pay attention to me I have a concussion again. Prob too nitpicky on this one, heh, but 8.4/10

Genos x Sonic: wtf? As a crack ship, sure. That’s hilarious. But as a serious ship, 1.3/10 bc I could MAYBE see them bond over their love of my chemical romance or sum.

Anyone x Puri: -128382839287473828739219833468282/10. Fuck Puri.

TatsuKing: eh. Indifferent on this one too. I can see them getting along and Tatsu being the mean but supportive gf in public, but a sweet gf in private. King could be like her calm oasis of video games and sweet blonde shy bf. I sway more towards ace/aro King and queer non binary Tatsu, but this is still good. 6/10

FubuPsy/Fubuki x Psykos/idk: hell yeah!! This series NEEDS more wlw ships, both for me to project onto and to cry over. Prob my fav Fubuki ship, cuz they’ve known each other since they were young and had a tenuous friendship. I didn’t use to ship it until I saw that scene in the wc after the MA arc (u know the one) but here we are. They’re big personalities so any interaction is bound to be chaotic at first, but I really think they’d work. Pride put to the side, Psykos could be someone for Fubuki to finally rely on other than the Blizzard Bunch, someone to confide in, a badass partner to fight monsters with, talk about nothing for hours with, be a super fashionable #girlboss couple with, and someone who would really see her for who she is-especially w Psykos knowledge of her from the past. Hell, Psykos might even know her better than Tatsumaki. Fubuki could be an anchor to her like she currently is in the wc, providing a quiet comfort and making her open up little by little. Would prob be toxic at first bc of the MA arc and their desire for power, but is a very good ship I think. 9/10

Speedal/Sonic x Mumen: an old fav! Sonic would have a hard time not hating Mumen at first bc he’s the picture definition of a hero, sum he hates. But hanging out with him would show him Mumen is a GOOD guy genuinely and he’d be like ohhhh shit I’m in love w this man. Mumen would thoroughly appreciate someone to make him live a little, break some rules and stand up to ppl when they talk over him. He’d DEFINITELY be upset when finding out Sonic is an assassin, but would prob be conflicted bc he knows Sonic is a good person despite that. Would prob make Sonic give up on killing for them to be together. Sucks bc of the assassin thing and bc they haven’t met in canon! So we’re not sure how they’d interact with each other, sigh. 7.4/10

Okamaitachi x Bushidrill: a very underrated ship! To be clear, I headcanon Kama as a trans woman and so does most of the fandom. Anyway, very sweet and already built as a friendship bc of their partnership under Atomic Samurai. I can’t remember who writes fic and makes art of them on tumblr but AAAAA it’s so good! Very sweet. Basically depicted Bushi as a nervous himbo who’s honest about his feelings but scared to say them and Kama as a sweet lady who’s crazy about Bushi. Very sweet. Want more of them!! 6.1/10

OneZon/Zombieman x One Shotter: never even thought of the ship till I saw @megidolan art work! Very wholesome, and from what little we know of Shotter we know he’s a sort of nervous yet strong willed guy, and Zombieman would totally help him calm down bc he’s so chill. I could see them sharing cigarettes and talking shit on heroes while cuddling u know? 7/10 only because I don’t see enough of it but very good concept.

Mumarou/Mumen x Garou: a lot of ppl are gonna hate me for this but....I don’t like it. I’ve tried! I just—idk. I’ve read so many good fics about them that make me like it a bit, but the concept is just eh. I think their relationship is, in most reps, really cliche angsty stuff. I wish I could elaborate I just...gah! Basically, there’s better ships for the both of them imo. Sorry!! 4.3/10

Sonic x Flashy/SonFlash: yes!! Prob my fav Sonic ship. They have soooo much tension, it’s almost worse than Genos’ tension w Saitama. Flashy LITERALLY poisoned Sonic so that he wouldn’t be forced to kill him at the ninja graduation. He cares. They’ll never say it out loud, but they care. They have someone who understands what they went through in each other and someone they’re both so similar to, yet so different from. Sonic is more vocal about his expressions and let’s people know it while Flashy often keeps things to himself, they could really influence the other to be more this or that. I could see a lot of comfort with these two, and not much is needed for relationship development; they already have so much unspoken between them after meeting for the first time in years. Love it. Wish I saw it more! 10/11

KingSai: wonderful! Out of the few ppl Saitama is close to, def my second fav pick for a ship for him. There’s a post saying how Saitama doesn’t cut King off when he’s going on rants about games and stuff bc he’s talking TO Saitama, not at him like Genos tends to do on accident. They’re already great buddies! Saitama could find a shy gamer man who he can talk to about manga and stuff and also a passionate bf who could break out of his shell w Saitama and be himself with no lies. King can have someone to protect him, duh, someone who finally understands his weird sense of humor, and someone to shower him in the love and kindness he deserves when Saitama is in the mood to be all out like that w his affections. Plus he’s Saitama’s anchor and brings him back down when he’s super anxious and depressed and tells him what’s up that he needs to fix without sugarcoating it. Would def have a bunch of inside jokes and go on dates that are just staying inside playing video games all night. Domestic af. 10/10

Fubuki x Mizuki: my first wlw Fubuki ship! Hard to find but very good. Mizuki is this big ball of kindness, energy, and raw power that would make Fubuki go ‘Ohhhhhhh, big pretty lady make brain go brrr.’ I could see Mizuki grounding Fubuki when she’s in over her head, giving her random gifts bc she saw sum and thought of her, doing a marathon run and wildly waving at Fubuki in the crowd, and all around being a dependable woman confident in herself and in love with a mysterious esper. Prob a little shy when it comes to anything physical bc she loves Fubuki so much and is overwhelmed by the realness of being w her. Fubuki gives Mizuki advice on ‘acting like a proper hero’ or whatever and though Mizuki thinks she doesn’t need it, Fubuki still helps her a lot w her career and being taken more seriously by others. Would give Mizuki someone who loves her for who she is and would go wild on her in private when she can be open about her affection, would be someone Mizuki could exercise with and listen intently to Mizuki’s physical knowledge, and would absolutely bandage her when she’s all banged up. Hnghh love this ship. It’s only behind the FubuPsy ship juuuuust a little bc they haven’t met in canon so we can’t be sure about their interactions and stuff. 8.8/10, I love WOMEN

Batarou: how could I go this far without mentioning them?! They have SOOOO much tension in the centichoro fight, like come on. Both snarky assholes who are huge softies one the inside, Badd being the more logical one (still a himbo, tho) and Garou being the more chaotic one. Probably take forever to admit their feelings bc they’re so prideful and stupid <3 flirt through constant wrestling matches and it takes Genos saying ‘they should kiss already, they’re getting on his nerves’ for them to finally realize what’s up. (@rayadraws has a great au where Garou Genos and Badd are a chaotic friend squad and Genos is the only brain of the group, haha. Very good au y’all check it out!) Would constantly pick on each other affectionately and switch into concerned SO when the other is hurt like the big teddy bears they are. Raise Zenko together for sure. Garou would fumble being romantic and Badd would find it both hilarious and cute. 11/12

Zombie mask/Amai x Zombieman:

So. I don’t like Amai Mask and I used to hate him, BUT the webcomic and fic have really helped me calm down on him (he’s still a dick tho), so it’s easier to want to ship him and stuff. Bc of Amai’s anger issues and controlling behavior, I could see this relationship being super toxic and icky—but I think they have some form of understanding that pulls Amai back from being a complete dick, you know? Start off as fuck buddies and slowly form something else from spending companionable time together other than screwing. Zombieman pulls Amai back from his angry fits and soothes him over with his logic. Talk maaaaaad shit about heroes, but only when they’re alone because Zombieman knows Amai will talk loud af about the heroes they’re roasting and Zombie doesn’t wanna stop a fight from happening. Zombieman loves making Amai flustered and has a secret check list in his head of all the things that get Amai red faced. Loves to listen to Amai rant about things for hours and loves to watch his face go through almost cartoon like expressions as he talks. He won’t admit it, but Zombie loves to be spoiled by Amai’s shit tons of cash and often takes rides in Amai’s limos when he wants to smoke and think to himself. Amai has a hard time realizing how his feelings have changed, but gets hit hard with it when he wakes up to Zombie making them breakfast one morning while wearing Amai’s underwear. Amai also loves to spoil Zombie and takes him out to restaurants and buys him cool new weapons on the weekends. @batneko has pretty much gotten me into this ship and I strongly suggest looking at their works! 7.9/10

DemonKnight/Genos x Zero/Drive Knight: I’m pretty sure this used to be a crack ship before the past like 10 manga chapters—and now here we are! Not a fav bc 1. ZERO LEFT GENOS TO SELF DESTRUCT AFTER THEY COMBINED TO FORM THE FUCKING JET HE WAS JUST LIKE lol bye SO LIKE if he left him to die that’s super hard for me to forgive and ship grrr 2. Disregarding the manga’s canon and looking at the wc, while I love the little trip they went on where Zero demonstrated his abilities and helped Genos kill monsters, it’s super sus. He knew alllll of this info on Metal Knight and was super supportive and understanding when Genos said he needed time to think. Like,,,what are his intentions? We know so little about him—is he trying to trick Genos or was he being sincere? THAT STUFF ASIDE, they’re a really fun ship. They’re both huge fucking nerds and can keep up with their talk on robotics for hours, they’re both cyborgs so they understand each other’s pain, and they’re both super cool and angsty. I think they could really settle into a deep bond that can go platonic or romantic, just depends. Genos needs more ppl in his life so hell yeah! Plus, he can really let go with Zero bc they don’t have that teacher/student relationship and Zero, if he’s really a sincere and kind guy like in the wc, can be there for Genos and listen to him. Don’t have much to say on this ship other than @wellthisisembarrassing makes GORGEOUS art of them! 6.3/10

Webuiko/Suiko x Webigaza: YEAH I KNOW THEY HAVENT INTERACTED IN CANON AND WE DONT KNOW MUCH ABOUT THEM BUT HEAR ME OUT. Webigaza—cool af determined cyborg idol who’s surprisingly down to earth when talking with Child Emperor. Suiko—sassy and honest fighter who doesn’t take shit and is very passionate. Suiko would go to talk to Web then immediately freak out bc aaaa she’s way prettier than she thought, she can’t do this! Web would have to gently encourage Suiko to talk and at first is like ‘ah man, must be an adoring fan, ugh I’m so tired. At least she’s hot’ but when Suiko snaps out of her shyness Web is like oh! She’s super cool wtf. Always bump into each other during fights and help each other get fixed up, Suiko using her muscle power to lift Web’s pieces (and give Web a great view of Suiko’s muscles holy SHIT) and Web would patch Suiko up. Not to be stereotypical, but they’re def a masc/femme couple. I love the idea of this ship soooo much and I really hope they interact! 6.6/10 only bc they haven’t met 😭😭😭 look them up on here! There’s some great art of them by a few blogs

Dr. Kuseno x Bang: pretty sure @baldyborg came up with this one! Super cute. Just two old dudes finding a nice friendship in each other, maybe after Bang helps carry Genos to Kuseno’s after a day of fighting. Bang would find Kuseno to be a very cute little nerd man and would be sooo impressed by Kuseno’s mad scientist skills. Kuseno would be super impressed when seeing Bang in action too. They’d prob talk as soon as they meet each other and Genos would be in the background like you guys it’s been an hour, please fix me I’m on the verge of death 🧍🏻Bang would give Kuseno advice on training techniques to teach Genos and advice on making his bodies more martial arts ready or sum, meanwhile Kuseno would give his take on how to be kinder to Garou so that Bang would learn to repair the relationship with a gentleness he’s seemingly lacking (yes I’m talking about the chapter where he and Garou start fighting and Bang is just not doing enough to reach out to Garou, he’s being a callous old man! So yeah I’m still mad about that). Genos and Saitama would prob be out on a date and Saitama would be like oh theres Bang, wonder what he’s doing? Then Kuseno would walk up and kiss Bang and Genos and Sai would be shocked like SIRS 👬 Genos would tell Bang he doesn’t need another adoptive dad and Bang would be like....ok.... I see them retiring in a cottage together and Bang would become a huge softie. Yes I’m actively ignoring chapter 141 of the wc, shut up. 7.6/10

TankTop master x Mumen: they have a nice friendship going on in the manga right now! Just bros supporting bros. Tank is the picture definition of a muscly himbo and Mumen is his cute passionate bf. Also workout buddies af!! Don’t have much to say other than pretty good ship, just not a fav. 5.2/10

To sum it up—

GenoSai: 2718873737839439/10, Batarou: 11/12, SonFlash: 10/11, KingSai: 10/10, FubuPsy: 9/10, Fubuki x Mizuki: 8.8/10, MumenSai: 8.4/10, ZombieMask: 7.9/10, Dr. Kuseno x Bang: 7.6/10, Speedal: 7.4/10, OneZon: 7/10, Webuiko: 6.6/10, DemonKnight: 6.3/10, Okamaitachi x Bushidrill: 6.1/10, TatsuKing: 6/10, TankTop Master x Mumen: 5.2/10, Mumarou: 4.3/10, FubuSai: 4/10, SonSai: 3/10, Genos x Sonic: 1.3/10, TatsuSai: 0/10, anyone x Puri: -1283828319833468282/10

If there’s any ships I left out, it’s bc I don’t know them, don’t wanna talk about them, or just don’t have an opinion strong enough. Also, I know there are some poly ships like Genos x Saitama x Fubuki, but I’ve read only one fic about that (it was pretty good, here’s the link https://archiveofourown.org/works/5406992 ) so I don’t feel like talking about it. Hope no ones offended! All my opinion here :)

Fandom: SCP

Rating: Angst/ Mature

Readers Gender: n/a, third-person

Present Characters: Dr. Bright, SCP-590 (TJ)

Trigger Warnings: Depression, attempted suicide, amnesia, forced mental disability, cursing, death by cutting, heavy derealization and depersonalization.

Notes: I been thinkin' about this a lot and my hand just happened to slip on the post button. Summed up, Dr. Bright has the day off and uses it to visit and spend time with his brother.

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This is a suicide fic, please don't read if this could affect you negatively

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At first, there was light, not welcoming, but all the same as it had been every morning; the only exception for today, being that he didn't have work. It was such a seldom occasion to have even a day to himself like this, sitting up and stretching before collecting clothing for the day and trudging into the bathroom.

He simply used a hand to clear a spot in the fog of the mirror examining his face wondering if his little brother would even recognize him- TJ was happy enough to have the company, but whether or not he had the mental capacity to understand who it was visiting him Jack was unsure... Dressing and not even bothering to put anything away as he left for the day.

~~~

The halls seemed longer than usual. Twisting in ways they should, curling in on itself and stretching to infinite lengths. Was there a breach? No, there were no alarms, no breaches or codes being called, and his fellow researchers walked the lengthy corridor just fine. Speaking of, he smiled half whimsically at them watching his odd behavior. Just Bright being Bright before he continued on his way to SCP-590's TJ's cell.

Jack was hesitant a moment before letting the door slide open and stepping inside the cell, the door falling shut as soon as he walked in. He watched his brother in the corner scribbling absentmindedly on paper humming a broken tune he'd made up himself; Jack glimpsed over the cell walls, taking in any new pictures hung up for display.

He called for his brother, "Tj..." Too quiet. "TJ." Cringing at how out of place his voice felt. Or his host's voice- tucking his amulet under his shirt to protect the younger boy from accidentally touching the object before greeting him with open arms after finally catching his attention. Tj looked at him with squinted eyes, tongue brushing his bottom lip thoughtfully before grinning "hello!" He slurred, racing over to happily accept the embrace. Jack giving a weak smile and humming softly "what're you drawing this time?" Letting his brother tug him along to the table he'd previously been sitting at.

They'd sat for a good few hours, Jack listening to his slurred speech and often not understanding what was stated, but going with it anyway. He'd done this- TJ could hold a conversation so well, but now his vocabulary was limited to basic words and phrases. Being so secluded to himself didn't help his vocabulary either... but nonetheless, Jack sat and listened to every butchered and mispronounced word he had to say, nodding along, laughing, and overall just having a good brother bonding. Sticking around for lunch and eventually leaving when he couldnt hold himself together anymore. Patting his brother on the head while he gave a disappointed pout "you come back?" He hummed, looking up to the stranger before him. "Of course i will, i always do" his brother still seeming upset "last man say that-" and Jack frowned. He said that, Jack said that. He had always been there- of course TJ couldn't understand anymore... turning abruptly and leaving as quickly as he could.

.

.

.

He waited for the door to shut behind him completely before letting his body give out and collapsing against the cold metal. His legs buckled and he slid against the door to the floor slowly allowing sobs to rack through his chest, hiccuping between breaths trying to focus on anything- anything at all to calm his racing thoughts. But everything his blurred vision took in only reminded him more of what pained him. He did this- he had done this to his brother. Ruined his life right alongside his own; Oh why couldn't he just die?

When Jack had finally found the strength to stand, he stumbled to the bathroom, knocking his shoulder on the door frame and catching his balance on the counter. He needed a shower. His skin His host's skin felt uncomfortable. looking down at their hands felt wrong, mind spinning slightly out how unfamiliar he felt to himself. His hair, his eyes, his face, the sound of his own labored breathing was all wrong. He didn't even feel in control of himself anymore, watching from the back of his head mindlessly as they fumbled around the corner, momentarily staring at the razor he had used to shave his stubble this morning. His pinky poking at it thoughtfully, watching it move away from him before reaching for it entirely; Grasping it tightly before making his way to the tub and yanking the shower curtains out of the way only successfully riping them from the rod. Eventually, he settled into the cold porcelain-enameled steel, reaching forward to plug the basin and turn on the water. Cold, Hot, he didn't care. Clothes and all getting soaked as the water rose into his shoes, against his shins, and pooling against his stomach. He half hazardly pulled his tie loose from how hard breathing became, leaning back into the water till the liquid crept up his neck. He inhaled, staring at the ceiling, and for a moment felt blissfully in control.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been laying here, eventually craning his head to watch the water pour over the rim of the tub. His right hand still fiddling with the razor. He'd killed himself a few different ways. Today though, this felt right. Using his teeth to pull up the sleeve of his left arm, moving to trace the razor's blade against his skin, barely breaking the surface and leaving irritated lines in its wake. Eventually though, he pushed harder into the flesh, breaking skin and admiring the blood that dripped down his elbow and painted the water. Back and forth and back and forth, drawing lines deeper and deeper into the skin. He could tell when he hit an artery, shuddering in pain but continuing anyway. Jack only stopped when his vision blurred and his head spun wildly, losing grip on the razor and letting it sink into the tainted water, his arms dropping to his sides. He chuckled quietly, letting his head lull back while he fought the sudden exhaustion he felt. He tried keeping focus on the lights above his sink, watching them swarm between the original four, then eight, then four, then two, then as they blurred together as one and went dark. Letting himself momentarily slip into death's arms and rest at last.

~~~

At first, there was light, not welcoming, not like how it was described in near-death experience stories- It was painfully artificial, forcing Jack to close his eyes, moving to roll over as he recalled recent events with a sullen look. His senses were still coming back to him, blinking till his eyes focused enough, clenching hands till feeling came back to the unfamiliar skin, wading out the numb ringing in his ears till he could hear the vent above him hurdling cold air across the bed. He grimaced tasting nicotine on his new host's tongue, eventually pushing himself up to look around the room and sighing before starting the next day as he always had.

shepard/garrus?

oh boy, sorry for the late response! I always end up posting these things and then going to read/take a nap/play a game or something. anyway writing this up took two hours, i hope it is even slightly interesting to read. cut because this is looooooong

What made you ship it?

I think I was interested in this ship before I even played ME. I was just like “I know Shepard is a character and an alien named Garrus is a character, and people draw porn of them together.” because I think it’s reasonable to say it’s one of, if not the most, popular ship in the fandom, or at least in ME’s tumblr fandom? and the way people talked about it, I knew their tropes were #banter, #battle couple, #partnerships, and... and as we’ve learned from royai, I am a bit weak to those tropes (assuming I like both of the characters). the way people talked about them also from a “best friends” angle—which is sort of forced in-game in a way that seems strange to me now—was also a plus in its favor at the time. (if they get together, I do see their friendship/companionship, in whatever form, in some ways integral to their romance—unless you’re playing full far-right renegade who’s like a xenophobe and hate-fucking Garrus, I guess?—but Bioware also kind of shoehorned Garrus into that best-friend role and that’s a topic for another day.)

What are your favorite things about the ship?

(my friend will hit me if I say “partnerships” again) I’m gonna talk about the way I play my Shepard now, because so much is dependent on the unique Shepard. for Lydia’s journey over the series, I see a large part of her journey as basically a study of her (often self-inflicted) loneliness. and she never entirely breaks her habits of self-isolation, but the events of the series force her to be vulnerable in a way she would prefer not to be in front of a crew, or, y’know, ever. Garrus becomes an integral part of that story to help her break her out of these bad habits (all of the crew does, particularly also Ashley for my Shep), but to my eyes, the story of “Shepard and Garrus’s relationship” is also one of mutual respect, burden-sharing, and sanity and morality checks.

I don’t think of their “mentor” relationship in ME1 very often mostly because I don’t think it was done particularly well, but for all its faults, I do like how naturally the jump from “subordinate” in ME1 to “ally” in ME2 felt; once you meet Garrus on Omega you feel more on the same footing as two friends greeting each other because you’ve both recently been through trauma and the sight of a friendly face in a station full of hostiles is so unexpectedly welcome that it lets them both hope things will be okay for a minute. starting from that moment, Garrus becomes one of the few people who can see “under” her mask, I guess: partly because he’s one of the few combatants from the SR-1 who knows Shepard well and sees who she is both on the field and onboard the SR-2, with the ability to compare both to the times of “before you died”; partly because he has trauma response training and recognizes it in others even if he doesn’t in himself; partly because his loyal personality makes him sensitive to wonder how she’s dealing with being resurrected; and also partly because they’ve both gone through similar things. namely, getting your squad killed and blaming yourself for it, and it possibly being your fault (BioWare is inconsistent on what Shepard’s role was on Akuze, but in ME1 she has the chance to reply that she was responsible for getting them out safely, and failed).

necessity forces Shepard to adapt to things like being effectively forced to work for terrorists; being isolated from her support system; being resurrected and feeling like a stranger in her own body; later, getting decommissioned for making an incredibly difficult call to save the galaxy; watching your homeworld burn; being forced into a political role negotiating high stakes you don’t know how to play; being told you’re the spearhead of a galactic war; doing all of this without a full crew complement; the list goes on. those are all, on their own, incredibly isolating, traumatic experiences, and my Shepard’s not emotionally sane at the best of times. (emotionally stable, perhaps, only in the most literal of terms, at least on the surface. she’s like a rock when shit hits the fan. emotionally sane, no, for that reason and more.)

the tables have turned, and Garrus ends up becoming a large part of helping her regain agency in most if not all of those things: in ME2 he was a former crew member she trusted, and he was eager to work for her and be distracted from his failures on Omega. over in the battery, he is himself recovering from a major injury (like Shepard) and going through the aftermath of a bloodbath he feels responsible for (like Shepard), working on a crew that holds him at arm’s length, that he also... arguably... didn’t have much choice in joining (like Shepard—I’m assuming he wasn’t held hostage and joined voluntarily after waking up, but lbr this is unconfirmed). their reasons are different and varied, but they don’t realize until much later that they have found each other at the most opportune time, providing a sense of stability for each other, and also, frankly, sanity and morality checks.

in ME3, he steps into this role more fully because he’s become more disciplined, is doing work firmly in his wheelhouse, and paired up against Shepard struggling with their positions somewhat reversed from ME1: him more confident and her now completely out of her element, floundering with her place on a galactic scale. without Garrus—and Chakwas, and Joker, and Tali, and later the loyalty of the entire SR-2—the story of ME would be a tragedy, and it would end shortly in ME2; it’d be the story of how my Shepard slowly went insane being forced to fight boogeymen under a terrorist banner. Garrus isn’t, like, the keeper of her sanity, but their ability to check each other, and see themselves in the eyes of each other, provides stability and occasionally a bit of a wake-up call to both of them. when they’re both vulnerable, they both feel most seen, and most understood, by an alien that listens.

one angle of this ship that highly interests me at the moment, along with the above, is that while it’s not illegal for them to be together, it’s still... a really bad fucking idea lmao. (I could make the argument that it’s a bad idea for Shepard to be in any relationship with their crew but I think there are a few ships—Garrus, Tali, any Alliance crew at all—that realistically would be huge political clusterfucks.) so overcoming personal insecurity and fear of the unknown to acknowledge interest in each other, and the desire to become an item, getting roadblocked by a reality wake-up call with the fact that 1) she’s his boss, 2) Garrus comes from a society where station matters, like, sort of a lot and it even determines your job and how much legal power you have, 3) the potential political blowback (which would be ENORMOUS because lbr the hierarchy may not care about what turians do in off-hours but they WOULD care about the superior/subordinate thing, the human thing, the fact that they’re doing this while a war is going on. basically one of their best agents is on the Normandy to negotiate their interests and they’re basically at the whims of their relationship the whole time)... it’s a lot! all of that sort of makes it tragic, but I’m curious to see how they’d overcome it.

anyway, all of that is where I’m coming from when I think or write about this ship, but there’s a lot more I’m not mentioning here. there are a lot of juxtapositions that in my head that I’ve either added or extrapolated from canon that also interest me about this pairing. Garrus is a former cop, as is his father; Lydia is a poor kid who used to be in a gang out of necessity. Garrus is a turian with often traditionalist thinking; Shepard is a human who has much less sociopolitical power than him, even if she is his superior on the Normandy. both of them are roughly as old as the First Contact War, when their people were at each other’s throats not thirty years ago. Garrus idolizes Spectrehood while Lydia hates it, feeling it was forced on her. they can’t eat the same food. and yet despite all of that, and the fact that they need translators to communicate, they manage to understand each other when a lot of the world around them doesn’t.

god this is not even the full list of it. anyway I could go on but I’ll stop there lol.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

oh jesus, so much. I’m a grouchy and picky shipper, be warned.

pining can always make my ships more interesting, and imo it’s a consistent part of any ship of Shepard’s, considering it’s wildly inappropriate and unprofessional for her to be fucking any subordinate, so I think more consideration could be given to shakarian in the “we shouldn’t be having a thing and oh also you’re an alien and I’m kind of scared of both your government and your body” angle! I hope to explore that a bit with a fic I’m writing (if I ever finish it, god).

I hate the flavor of fandom!shakarian where Shepard romanced Kaidan in ME1 then felt “betrayed” when he’s confused and hurt on Horizon, so she gets with Garrus as like... revenge? idk. and then Garrus usually develops this bias against Kaidan as a sort of author mouthpiece (which is inconsistent with his characterization cause Garrus is nothing but pleased to have Kaidan back on the SR-2 in ME3!) and takes up the anti-Kaidan crusade cause K ~questioned the commander~ (since when does Garrus fall over himself defending a superior from criticism?) like, idk. I think Garrus can be sensitive to the fact that that reuniting must’ve been painful for Shepard, but also be aware that it was also really painful for Kaidan because all of Kaidan’s complicated feelings about Shepard’s resurrection were, realistically, things Garrus should’ve felt too! this trope is very popular but just feels like manufactured drama for drama’s sake, idk, I’m also not big on love triangles so. I would much rather people just rescue Ashley on Virmire and avoid the whole thing rather than have previously-romanced Kaidan around in ME3 for the sole purpose of forcing him to watch Shepard/Garrus being happy together tbh.

I think full goody-goody paragon Shepard is too preachy to make a good partner for Garrus and full shoot-anyone-in-my-way renegade Shepard encourages and emboldens his worst tendencies (and Castis Vakarian is right to disapprove of them). most people end up playing some combination of both, or if they do settle in one camp or the other, usually there is some sense of realism where Shepard doesn’t play nice/naive or play mean all the time, so it’s rare I see either of those kinds of extreme Shepards depicted, but in general if there is a Shepard that is so far in one direction it seems illogical to me that they ever stay together.

I think wanting a mShep romance for Garrus is a pretty welcome idea in fandom, but adding onto that, I think Garrus should’ve been romanceable in ME3 for players who changed their minds on other romances or want to play slow-burn romances! we had it for Kaidan—and should’ve had it for Ash—so (pounds fist on desk) Garrus too imo!

I hate the canon get-together because Shepard walking into the battery and asking “do you want to fuck” feels very tailored to the players who want to romance Garrus, not to who Commander Shepard is, imo. it lacked all of the subtlety and depth of some other romances—until the scene of Garrus coming to her cabin with a wine bottle, at least, cause I do like that scene, but anyway, I dislike the actual get-together.

just in general, I’m a stick in the mud, so my favorite iteration of this ship is where Shepard is resolutely professional, and the challenge of it becomes him getting her to open up, not the other way around. like, I think on some level every iteration of Shepard is a bit of a lunatic/eccentric, because you have to be to do the things they do, but I like to see their flirting with less of her calling him “big guy” (not sure where that came from, is that in canon? I must’ve missed it, but personally I don’t like it) and more of Garrus making wisecracks in the canteen while he’s talking to Joker, but he’s looking at her out of the corner of his eyes and he really said his joke with the aim of making her laugh, and as she’s reading her datapad she hears him, and even when she wants to chuckle she stops himself and just smirks cause she doesn’t want to give him the satisfaction of a laugh, but he sees her lips twitch and feels his heart flutter. that. I want more of that.

oh lastly, I hate “Shepard takes Vakarian clan markings” in any iteration. there is no canon relation to turians being poc—in fact I’d argue they have sociopolitical privilege real-world bipoc do not—but the concept of social face markings, face tattoos, etc., is rooted in non-white cultures and with the fact that 1) turians had a literal civil war over the territories those markings represent, 2) we don’t even know if marriage is how markings are shared or if non-turians are ever invited to wear them in the first place, 3) most of the art of this trend, lbr, is of mostly white Shepards in wedding dresses and blue face paint... all that combined just makes me frown and scroll faster every time I see it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bipoc Shepard with Vakarian face markings in fic/art, and that to me is very telling (not because they should have them, but because bipoc fans who make bipoc Shepards usually recognize when a racially-coded trope is uhhhhh not so great to appropriate for someone not of that group).

L0ne St@r 2x12 Hate Watch

DO NOT REBLOG THIS ONE - thanks, I’m trying to fly under the radar with my negative opinions here

Usual disclaimer, and I mean it this time: If you watch and love this show, that’s great and I hope you continue to enjoy it. Please don’t read this - simply go about having a lovely day.

If you do love this show and T*rlos and are braving this anyway - do not come in here. I mean it. This is not a T*rlos friendly zone. I do not ship it. Please enjoy your ship in peace and harmony. I have no intention of getting into arguments with anyone, I will simply ignore you.

I have done everything I can to avoid this showing up in the tags, whatever the LS tags are. Don’t send me hate on anon because I’ll delete them; I don’t care if you think I should stop watching the show, I’m not gonna. I like to suffer.

Eddie Diaz for calm and strength and to centre ourselves:

Hate, as always, under the cut:

Let's do this fucking thing, I've heard bad things about this episode

And I already know I'm wrong about the arsonist which is ANNOYING but maybe also too obvious so that's okay, I also know who the arsonist is and all the main plot points but I’ve still got to watch it to really appreciate the subtle nuances of the episode:

Oooh Billy

I ship it

Billwen for the win

This show is so dumb

Billy is smarter than Owen, maybe he should be the captain of the 126

I miss his lightning scars though

He's TWO HOURS LATER FOR DINNER

TK is looking as bland as always

They seriously waited for two fucking hours for this guy

Maybe should've put some deodorant on before going to dinner there Owen

You know I can't imagine the OG doing a storyline as dumb as this

So Carlos' dad thinks it's someone who works at the 126 or just a firefighter in general?

Well gosh darn it, it looks like Owen fits that profile exactly!

At least we get some Judd early in the episode and I love him

Angela Bassett is executive producer on this show as well? I hope she gets paid cash money for this

Billy is the red herring and I fell right into their trap

I just really wanted it to be him

Ooh Grace was listening

Oh it's 100% the arson investigator and Billy is 100% turning Owen in, I love him

Billy is amazing

He's my favourite character on this show

I hope he's not working with Owen to get the arson investigator? I hope he's actually this devious

I want him to be THIS DEVIOUS

Why the fuck does Owen wear that hoodie everywhere

TK is now having a little bitch fit

"they can't do that, can they?" he asks in a monotone, his face blank and devoid of expression

TK's real real dumb

Oh ho ho is this the shoving scene

IT IS

God Ronen CANNOT ACT

Okay so while I think it is wildly unbelievable that they would send TK's boyfriend to tell him that his father had been arrested by HIS father – it seems like a conflict – I would like to say that Carlos is being calm and reasonable

And TK is acting like a little BITCH

This is escalating quickly

Oh TK you so dumb

THE SHOVING

Wow

FOUR TIMES

Wow

Your fave is problematic, yo

Carlos deserves better than this whiny little piece of shit

And now, an interlude while I rant:

Let's talk about how Eddie Diaz yelled at Buck once in a supermarket and the fandom has never forgotten it; how his character has been villainised despite everything else going on in the show at the time, for that one fucking scene – let's talk about all the fics where Eddie hits Buck, or punches him, or rapes him – because you know those fics exist – let's talk about the "Eddie is violent" narrative that parts of this fandom like to push because Eddie yelled at Buck, one time, once, in a supermarket

Totally ignoring the fact that at no point at all, in any other episode he’s been in, has he been violent towards Buck, at all - let’s talk about how the street fighting arc was out of character for Eddie, because he was struggling to cope and looking for an outlet - let’s talk about how Buck and Eddie moved past that whole storyline and strengthened their relationship; how they built a family together, how they’re a team and they have each other’s backs no matter what, and how, not once in the entire show, have they ever been violent towards each other or pushed each other around in anger - NOT ONCE.

And let's talk about this scene, where TK, ya boy, ya sweet tender boy, just shoved the man he says he loved four times, violently, in front of people at the firehouse.

I betcha any money he doesn’t get tarnished with the Eddie-Diaz-is-violent brush, because he can do no wrong. He’s the fan favourite, and this is totally glossed over by the end of the episode and nothing will ever be said about it ever again.

Because wow, you guys. Wow. If this was my ship, I’d be pissed.

Back to the hate watch:

And I know that whole fight is for nothing because I know the plot twist – I know that the dads are working together in order to reveal the real arsonist, the investigator – so they've basically turned their children, who are in a relationship, against each other?

Also why is Billy allowed to be watching the interview?

Goddamn do we really have to show the gruesome burn victim photos

I really want Billy to be devious by the way, and not in on the plan

Oh here comes TK, looking like the little bitch he is

God he's a fucking awful actor

This is the dumbest plotline ever

Equating OWEN STRAND WITH THOR? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?

BLASPHEMY

THOR IS THE GOD OF THUNDER

OWEN IS A DUMBASS

THE TWO ARE NOT EQUAL

Uh oh here comes the evil investigator

Do either of these men – Owen and Carlos' dad – stop to consider that what they're doing has kind of an impact on their children, who are currently in a relationship? No? Okay

Because this is one hell of an awkward situation

Does Owen genuinely think that Billy is the arsonist?

Interesting that the arson investigator wants any info Owen didn't give Carlos' dad, and he turned off the cameras/mics etc

This show is stupid

Arson investigator also knows that the sons are dating, interesting

"And you can pound sand!" oooh great comeback Owen

This episode is so BORING OMG

Why the fuck am I watching a shitty Law & Order knock-off when I should be watching a bonkers 911 episode

Oh no Judd's at Billy's

I really do think Billy Burke is good looking and it is a flaw of mine, I don't know what it is about him and he really doesn't look that good in this show but I really love Billy Burke okay

And I WANT HIM TO BE DEVIOUS

Oh Judd

Oh Judd thinks Billy is the arsonist

See this is why YOU DON'T LIE TO THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU

Oh he punched him

God damn everyone is violent in this show

Judddddddddddddd

Uh oh here comes trouble to the "vagrant's" hospital room

Oh it's the arson investigator, their little bluff worked, incredible, amazing, flawless etc

Wow how amazing

It was the ol' switcheroo

Judd punched Billy for nothing

TK and Carlos nearly came to blows for nothing

Now Owen is allowed to watch the interrogation? They'll just let anyone watch those things these days

OH MAN ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT BILLY WAS IN ON IT WITH OWEN THE WHOLE TIME?

Damn it I wanted DEVIOUS god damn it

Fucking cowards

"I assumed it was probably a trap at the hospital which is why I went there anywhere"

But why is he lighting fires

A FEW MONTHS?

A man is dead

Pure theatre

So annoyed that Billy isn't devious

But the Billwen ship sails on, clowns 🤡

Do we think the arsonist has the hots for Owen? 100% yes, right?

He's very happy to see him wink wonk

This doesn't even feel like an episode of 911, it's so goddamn dumb

"I knew you had darkness in you too" – that dude definitely wants to fuck him

Why is he lighting the fires?

They're so dumb

"And now I'm going to repay the favour" – he's talking about YOUR SONS

WHO HE KNOWS ARE TOGETHER

Wow these two dumbasses really have no fucking idea do they

OH HE'S BURNING HIMSELF ALIVE

Wow this is graphic

What the fuck is up with this show and the horribly graphic scenes lately?

That dude is dead yo

"Take away everything that's important to me" AND HE CALLS THE FIREHOUSE FIRST

THE FIREHOUSE IS THE FIRST FUCKING CALL???

Oh okay it did blow up and TK was there so I'll allow it

But hey look on the bright side – Owen gets to remodel again!

And isn't that what he's the best at?

Yo your firehouse is on fire dudes, better call the fire department

Does Judd apologise to Billy or no

Oh here we have TK and Carlos and their perfect love

And Carlos is the one apologising?

No.

Please tell me no

Carlos you are allowed to be pissed at him – ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME

"nobody has to apologise?"

YOUR BOYFRIEND PUSHED YOU AROUND

Oh my god

Wow

Okay.

Look I'm just saying that to me this would be a GIGANTIC RED FLAG but wtf do I know

I'm just saying because I have to – if Carlos was a woman and TK did that? Whole different story gang

Whole completely different mother-fucking story

This show, wow

Wow.

Wow. This is bad.

Domestic violence happens to men too, just saying.

Wow I'm so annoyed that I've paused it to type furiously and rant that wow, they're just not acknowledging that TK was totally out of line? Okay. Wow.

And everyone's just fine with it?

Oh they're just figuring out that he set more than one fire

Maybe there's something else you care about other than the firehouse, Owen

Maybe?

BILLY IS THE ONE WHO FIGURES IT OUT

See this is why Billy is the best

Oh no TK and Carlos are in danger

Oh it's so romantic isn't it? They're gonna fuck now that everything is okay

Wow he left a lot of bombs in Carlos' house

Damn Carlos is hot

No smoke alarms?

That fire has really taken ahold there guys

I'm gonna assume you do have smoke alarms and he disconnected them

Wow he really covered all bases didn't he

Put the bombs in the bedroom as well

RIP Carlos' nice house

"I love you too" after I violently shoved you around today

Oh who needs a fucking fire department when you've got Owen fucking Strand right?

"Carlos" he says flatly. "How are you doing?" he asks in a monotone

"I should've had an extinguisher in the bedroom" DUDE NO ONE DOES

And if TK wanted one in there, he's the fucking firefighter, he should've checked when he moved in instead of assuming like a dumbass

God this show is dumb as fuck and I hate it so much

Billwen for the win

"just a couple of crap magnets" fucking a-men Judd

This show sucks

Oh no TOMMY OH NO

WHAT'S HAPPENING

OH MY GOD

WHAT THE FUCK

What the fuck

Is he dead?

TAKE OWEN AND TK INSTEAD

I’m going to say one more thing about this T*rlos storyline - if they’d done this to Buck & Eddie in the OG, I’d be fucking devastated. Like... if Buck or Eddie pushed the other around the way TK pushed Carlos around, I’d be absolutely gutted. It’s really horrible that they went down that path - whether it’s OOC or not, and you can probably argue that it is - they shouldn’t have included the scene like that in the show. 

It just raises a whole slew of questions, like... is TK violent? Is Carlos used to being pushed around in relationships? Is the show saying that it’s okay that they got a little physical because they’re both men? Domestic violence is never okay, and this is kind of... saying that it is, in certain circumstances?

That is problematic as fuck and such bad writing.

These two are in a relationship where they are living together and supposedly love each other, and this is how the writers choose to portray it? If you’re a T*rlos shipper and you’re upset about this episode, I get it. It’s really fucking terrible that they included that scene - and I would bet cold hard cash it’ll never be addressed again.

This is why LS is a bad show. It’s shitty writing. Shitty storylines. Characters who are interesting are shoved into the background and glossed over in favour of the male white characters. The OG doesn’t have this problem - for everyone complaining that Eddie hasn’t been featured as much this season (and yeah, I hate it too) - you can’t complain that the characters of colour don’t get equal screentime. 

With LS - it’s the Rob Lowe show, and everyone else is just in the background. And that’s why it’s so frustrating to watch - they have a great cast, and this could be a really good show, but it’s just not.

Do you think the LS writers patted themselves on the back after this arc and were like, "yeah we nailed it, we're amazing?"

This episode is -1,000000/10. This show should be cancelled.

Two god awful miserable fucking episodes to go.

Diaz to cleanse:

Fic Recs: Thunderbirds

A while ago I did a Scott!whump Fic Rec.  This time there’s no theme.  Just Thunderbirds!  Characters and genres vary wildly.

Got put in the mood to do this the other week, and after trawling through all my AO3 bookmarks/FFN favourites, and then the archives themselves because I’m terrible and forget to save fics, here are a bunch of my personal favourites.  As always, only complete fics feature (there are many fantastic ongoing ones, but I’m lazy and don’t like having to update fic statuses).

This list is also long.  100+ fics long.  So it’s under a cut to save everyone’s sanity.  There’s also a spreadsheet version of it that I’ll make available if you wanna search by character/genre/universe etc.

Ratings are all using AO3′s Gen/Teen/Mature, so for FFN “K+” fics, I shoved them in either Gen or Teen, depending on my personal opinion.  Likewise, genres are done using FFN’s method for conciseness, so AO3 ones I just kinda guessed.  Only the major characters are listed.

I’ve tagged (attempted to tag, tumblr please behave) authors where I know their tumblr.  If there’s any I haven’t tagged that anyone knows, let me know!

And one last thing before the recs: If there’s anything in particular you want recs for, whether it be a character, a theme, a trope, a fandom, etc. just let me know and I’ll see about putting one together!

Δv/Δt by @tb5-heavenward [Gen; Family; John, Scott; 4k] Deceleration is a function of velocity over time.

A Break In Routine by @loopstagirl [Teen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Scott, Virgil; 15k] They put themselves in danger time and time again. That doesn't mean they can always walk away from it again though.

A Father by rosefields [Gen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Scott, Jeff; 3k] Scott Tracy has been under a lot of pressure since his mother died. But he can cope, it’s not a problem. Jeff know that, his oldest is strong and capable and he doesn’t need his father. Right?

A Guide to Valentine's Day (and how to exploit it) by Silverstar [Gen; Friendship; John, Penelope; 1k] In which John and Penelope pretend to go on a date to make the most of the discounts offered on meals for couples, because Valentine’s Day is about all kinds of love, including the platonic kind. A Seed Once Sown by @darkestwolfx [Gen; Friendship/Humour; Ned, Tracy Family; 4k] Believe it or not, they did have a garden on Tracy Island. It looked a little like a… tip. And that was being kind. A Son By Any Other Name by @space-baegel [Teen; Family/Angst; Scott, Tracy Family, Penelope; 83k] [AU] Cursed as a child, Scott Tracy lives a life in which everyone he encounters must follow all of his given commands. A Summary of Events by PanicPixieDreamGirl [Teen; Family; Tracy Family, Kayo; 3k] This is best described as ‘a look at how IR might function in the real world’ except obviously it’s not quite the real world because it’s several decades in the future and also after a war. A Typical Morning by @louthestarspeaker [Gen; Family/Humour; Tracy Brothers; 6k] The Terrible Two are scheming, Virgil just wants to be sleeping, and the brothers are faced with a bit of a situation. A typical morning in the Tracy household.

Access Denied // The Subject of Virgil by @gumnut-logic [Mature; Angst/Hurt/Comfort; Virgil, Scott; 5k // 8k] He found a way. All Alone by @loopstagirl [Gen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Scott, Grandma; 5k] Scott reaches breaking point for looking after his brothers so Grandma Tracy takes charge of the situation, and her son. Babies and Brothers by @loopstagirl [Gen; Family; Scott, Jeff; 3k] He may grow into the world's most protective big brother, but even Scott needed time to get used to the idea of younger siblings. Back Story by @thunderbirdcarebear [Gen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Scott; 6k] That rock slide while rescuing Kat Kavanaugh has left Scott with more than just a few bruises. Bedtime by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family; Scott; 1k] “They’re my family.” Bring Our Starman Home by @lenle-g [Teen; Hurt/Comfort/Family; John, Scott; 28k] When a meteor hits Thunderbird 5 while shields are down, the Tracy family think John is dead for sure. Scott has prepared himself to fly up in TB3 with Alan to retrieve a body, for John couldn't possibly still be alive after that... could he? Bruised by @gumnut-logic [Gen; Hurt/Comfort; Scott, Virgil; 2k] Sometimes the prescription is simple, if unexpected. Buckle by Teobi [Gen; Family; Scott, Grandma; 1k] She finds him sitting at his father's desk, when everyone else has gone to bed. Candy Strippers by Chobrowny [Gen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Scott, Virgil, Gordon; 1k] The boys are unintentional candy stripers, visiting a childrens hospital in IR gear. Career Day by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family; Outside PoV, Alan; 7k] It is Career Day at school for eleven year old Alan Tracy. He has just lost his father. Who will he invite? Communications by nhsweetcherry [Gen; Adventure/Humour; Tracy Brothers; 4k] Random, short snippets of conversations between the guys. Some funny, some more serious. Coping Mechanism by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Hurt/Comfort/Angst; Virgil, Gordon, Scott; 7k] “I get you guys are busy and I’m spoilt that you all visit when you can, but honestly, this isn’t about me. This is out of character for Virg.” A pause. “And I miss him, okay?” Dare To Hope by i_amnerd [Gen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Scott, John; 1k] Not for the first time, Scott wishes that little brothers came with some kind of training manual or instruction booklet. Denied by @thunderstorm-bay [Teen; Family; Gordon; 4k] Gordon is frustrated after "Deep Search" and "City Under The Sea". Different by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family; John, Kayo; 2k] John Tracy is different. Dinosaur Dilemma by @godsliltippy [Teen; Action/Adventure; Gordon, Alan; 14k] Never in a million years would International Rescue have thought they would be rescuing victims from dinosaurs. Alan's excited, Virgil is... well, Virgil, John's out of his element, and Gordon is terrified. Edge of the World // Here Be Dragons by Corbyinoz2 [Teen; Hurt/Comfort/Adventure; Gordon, Virgil, Scott; 47k // 114k] When returning from a rescue mission, Thunderbird Two is attacked by an unknown force. As Virgil and Gordon plummet towards the ocean, their chances of survival will depend, as it always does, on each other. Every time it snows by allandmore [Teen; Hurt/Comfort; Scott, Gordon; 5k] A simple mountain rescue goes wrong for International Rescue. Gordon battles the elements and his memories, and Scott has a tough decision to make. Exhaustion by @sugar-fiend [Teen; Suspense/Angst; Alan, John, Scott; 9k] A rescue mission in space is interrupted with deadly consequences… Expected & Unexpected by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family; Gordon, Virgil, Scott; 1k] He had brothers. It was inevitable, but sometimes unexpected. Facts of Life by Kaeera [Teen; Drama; Scott; 5k] There are some situations – lying on a floor in a pool of your own blood, for example – that really put things into perspective. Famous Last Words by @loopstagirl [Gen; Family; Scott; 2k] All Scott wanted was for everyone to be quiet so nothing else could go wrong. That was apparently too much to ask. Fires of Adversity by NKala99 [Teen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Alan; 39k] Not everyone is supportive of Alan’s new and improved attitude towards school. First Times by @loopstagirl [Gen; Family/Humour; Scott; 3k] In which Scott forgets the speed of Thunderbird One, Virgil and John come up with a new form of torture and Gordon is after revenge. Just a normal day in the Tracy household then. Five Times Alan Flew Another Thunderbird by Silverstar [Teen; Hurt/Comfort/Family; Alan; 61k] ...and the one time he didn't. Five Times The Floor Was Not Lava by Silverstar [Gen; Humour/Family; Tracy Brothers; 5k] ...and the one time it was. Flat Packed by @hedwigstalons [Gen; Humour; Scott; 600] A simple mission leaves Scott minus two brothers and plus one headache Game On by @loopstagirl [Gen; Family; Scott, Virgil; 12k] As their future Field Commander, it was up to Scott to make sure his brothers were ready for duty - physically as well as mentally. Grudgingly Human by Yarnaholic [Mature; Angst; Scott; 4k] Scott faces some old demons while trying to talk down a man standing on a building ledge after a rescue. He Is, They Are by ThatGirlSix [Teen; Family; Tracy Brothers; 90k] Fixing what was wrong with their family was going to take longer than the span of a Disney movie, but they'd get there eventually. They lived on an island. It wasn't like there was anywhere else to go. He's WHERE? by @loopstagirl [Gen; Family; Virgil, Scott; 1k] Virgil's reaction to finding out that the Hood is in Thunderbird Two... His Part by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family, Angst; Scott, Virgil, Tracy Brothers; 4k] It started off as a mild annoyance. Holiday From Hell by @loopstagirl [Teen; Family, Hurt/Comfort; Scott, Virgil, Jeff; 158k] It was supposed to be the break they all needed to put the last year behind them and take a step forward. But things never do work out that easily for the Tracys. Homecoming by @loopstagirl [Gen; Family; Scott, John; 2k] There are times when only a big brother can help. When something seems to be on John's mind, Scott steps up to the challenge. I Dream of Genie by @godsliltippy [Teen; Action/Friendship; Penelope, Gordon; 50k] Penelope stumbles across a treasure that could bring more frustration than she bargained for. Illusion of a Saint by AlternateReality1 [Teen; Spiritual/Suspense; Scott, Hood; 92k] There’s an enemy admist their ranks. He’s hidden in plain sight. The question is… when will the illusion be shattered? In Enemy Hands by Claudette [Gen; Adventure, Drama; Scott, John; 62k] When the secrets of International Rescue are offered for sale to the highest bidder the Tracy family must act quickly. However, their secrets are not the only thing that is at stake. In The Trunk by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Scott, Virgil; 1k] “Why don’t you ever listen to me?!” It Wasn't Me! by @janetm74fics [Gen; Family; Gordon, Scott; 3k] It's not like it isn't the first time Gordon had accidentally hurt one of his brothers, but this time? When his dad doesn't believe him Gordon decides to find the one person who will make everything better. John Tracy hated taking public transport by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Friendship; John; 2k] Every trip he buried himself in his own world whether it be his work, research, a good book or even a movie. He shut the world out and more importantly anyone who sat next to him.  Sometimes this was not possible.  Because sometimes they spoke to him. Just Another Rescue by teddy0bear [Gen; Family/Adventure; Scott, Virgil; 16k] A rescue turns into a hostage situation Just Let It Go by @angelofbenignmalevolence [Gen; Family; Scott, Gordon; 1k] Scott was just trying to get a little work done. Alan and Gordon were working on Alan's schoolwork. What could possibly go wrong? La tarte aux pommes d'or by Yarol2075 [Gen; Friendship; Scott, Mechanic; 400] Scott needs to thank the Mechanic - it really shouldn't be so hard. Labyrinth by TB's LMC [Mature; Horror/Supernatural; Scott; 12k] One minute Scott Tracy’s at Mobile Control directing a rescue. The next, he’s in a fight for his life. Line 'Em Up Bartender by @madilayn [Teen; Friendship; Scott, John, Colonel Casey; 800] Scott, John and Colonel Casey find a way to cope with one of Jeff's speeches at a Charity Function. Living Like Kings by CLynnB [Gen; Family; Tracy Family; 35k] The world wants to know more about the Tracy brothers. So Lady Penelope takes it upon herself to show the world just who they are. Through YouTube. Making Changes by @madilayn [Teen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Tracy Brothers; 17k] Jeff Tracy has gone missing and International Rescue has to make some changes to cope with this. Merman by @janetm74fics [Gen; Family; Gordon; 700] He'd always wanted to be a merman. Ever since he was old enough to swim and read, his life had been filled with the sea and the things in the sea. A twist of fate may just give him that wish. Missing Scene: The Uninvited by Juud18 [Gen; Family; Scott; 2k] In between Scott being found by Lindsey and Wilson, and the scene where Scott, TinTin, Virgil, Brains, and Wilson and Lindsey are sitting at the campfire. Mission Impossible by @loopstagirl [Teen; Family/Adventure; Scott, Gordon; 55k] Being selected for his first solo mission should have been exciting for Captain Scott Tracy of the Air Force. But there was something else at play. Something dangerous and deadly. Something that could cost him more than his life. Monsters in the Dark by @loopstagirl [Gen; Family; Scott, Virgil; 3k] Scott was used to checking for monsters to keep his little brothers happy. He just wasn't so used to actually dealing with said monsters. More Than I Bargained For by puppetonalonelystring [Teen; Action/Hurt/Comfort; Scott; 13k] Scott attends a Yale reunion party thinking that it cannot turn out any worse than the last one. Unfortunately, things are never simple for the Tracy brothers - when things turn complicated for Scott he has to depend on his brothers to help sort the situation out, or the secrets of International Rescue will be exposed Never Too Late // Never Too Lost // Never Too Long by @loopstagirl [Teen; Hurt/Comfort/Family; Scott, Jeff; 58k // 75k // 138k] As the family deal with grief, Scott must face his fears and grow up, whilst Jeff battles between being dad and being a successful businessman. But what will it take to bring the two of them back together again? On Their Side by @gumnut-logic [Gen; Family/Humour; Colonel Casey, Gordon, Virgil; 1k] She trusted these boys with a great deal. Once In A Blue Moon by WhatHaveWeDone [Teen; Hurt/Comfort; Virgil, John; 3k] It was an aligning of the planets when John and Virgil got to work together. Out of Your Mind // All in Your Mind by @loopstagirl [Teen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Gordon, Tracy Family, Hood; 75k // 149k] They can defy the odds and snatch people from the jaws of death on a daily basis. But sometimes, not all dangers come in a physical form. Over and Out by @thunderbirdcarebear [Gen; Hurt/Comfort/Family; Scott; 5k] An incident at an earthquake rescue leaves Scott frustrated when he’s injured. Parameters by @drdone [Teen; Family; Scott, John; 1k] “Just pretend to be my date” with John and Scott - in a non-shippy way. Picnic by ThatGirlSix [Teen; Family; Gordon, Virgil; 13k] Every Tracy has a type of job they hate, be them car crashes, hotel fires, mine collapses, whatever. Gordon absolutely hates tornadoes with a passion. No, really, he hates tornadoes. His life would be so much better if they never did another tornado job ever again. The rest of the family is starting to think so, too. Plus One Tracy by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Humour; Tracy Brothers, Kayo; 2k] So which Tracy is right for you? Pranks and Tempers by shadowfox8 [Teen; Angst/Family; Alan, Scott, Gordon; 8k] It was only supposed to be an innocent prank, but Gordon didn't bargain for more. Questions Like A Whirlwind by @darkestwolfx [Teen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Scott, John; 6k] He couldn't put it into words. He wasn't sure they'd understand if he did. He felt like a child, he felt like a murder, he felt… like he'd lost something and had no clue how to put it back in place by himself. Rescue by taralynden [Gen; Hurt/Comfort/Drama; Scott; 26k] On the way home from a rescue, Thunderbird One crashes and it’s up to Scott’s family to save him. Scott Series: Fallen Brother by QuestRunner [Teen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Scott, Alan; 11k] In a rare chance to bond with his youngest brother, Scott takes Alan with him on a simple mission to repair a damaged satellite. With tempers running high, the boys find themselves arguing over the roles they play in International Rescue. When Alan slips off a cliff, it’s up to Scott to save his brother and mend their broken relationship. Scott Series: Hidden Pain by QuestRunner [Teen; Hurt/Comfort/Family; Scott, Virgil; 4k] Scott suffers from a mysterious pain in his abdomen, but continues to push the limits on and off the field. Scott Series: Negative Split by QuestRunner [Teen; Family/Adventure; Scott, Virgil; 6k] Scott recruits Virgil as his fellow running partner for an upcoming 10K. When a mission takes a turn for the worst, Scott must put his running skills to the test before his whole world comes crashing down around him. Second Helpings by mcj [Mature; Family/Romance; Gordon, Alan, Grandma, Tin-Tin; 10k] Gordon Tracy's point of view of a VERY precarious romantic situation! Second Round by @darkestwolfx [Gen; Family/Humour; Virgil; 4k] All he wanted was a shower. Why did shopping have to be so complicated? And why did he always end up going? Next time, Scott could be lumped with the responsibility, smaller craft or not. Shattered by @singmetothesun [Gen; Hurt/Comfort/Family; Scott, Gordon; 2k] One Tracy brother leaves his feelings bottled up, until the smother hen catches him out. Shiver // Smacked by @loopstagirl [Teen; Hurt/Comfort/Family; Scott; 44k // 4k] When one of the Thunderbirds is infecting with something deadly, will the rest of the Tracys be able to save one of their own? Or are they about to be torn apart by grief again? Sidelined by @drdone [Gen; Family; Scott, Alan; 1k] Scott's sidelined for the time being and decides to ask Alan about college. Six Point Five by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Humour/Hurt/Comfort; Virgil, Scott; 1k] “So, Mr Tracy, on a scale of one to ten how would you rate the pain you are in?" Sky Candy by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Humour/Family; Virgil, Scott, Gordon; 4k] It was a pterodactyl sized bird. Possibly an elephant with wings. Sleeping Wounded by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Scott, Virgil, Fischler; 14k] Scott Tracy punched Langstrom Fischler. Sometimes by @loopstagirl [Gen; Family; Scott; 1k] Sometimes, Scott hates being the oldest. But are there some hidden perks... Stuck Like Glue by @drdone [Gen; Family; Scott, Virgil; 2k] Scott is stuck to Virgil like glue. Literally. Summonings by @loopstagirl [Gen; Family; Scott, Jeff; 2k] Alan isn't the only one in trouble at the beginning of Spring Break in regards to the 'birds. Swamped by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family; Virgil, Gordon; 1k] So here he was standing in his undershorts on top of his 'bird in the middle of the ocean for all nearby female aristocrats to see. Take a minute by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family; Virgil, Scott; 2k] A mechanical fault forces Virgil to take a minute in the middle of the Australian Outback. Terror After New York by @loopstagirl [Gen; Family; Scott, Gordon; 2k] It was all over. The rescue complete and everyone back safe and sound, finally. Yet it didn't seem as if everything had yet been put behind them entirely. The Antarctic Incident by @space-baegel, @tb5-heavenward [Teen; Adventure/Drama; Tracy Brothers; 9k] Thunderbird Two goes down in the middle of an Antarctic blizzard. The Assignment by Kaeera [Gen; Humour/Drama; Scott; 10k] Twelve year old Scott struggles with a writing assignment. Honestly, when you have four younger brothers, it can be hard finding time for yourself. The Bite by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Angst/Hurt/Comfort; Virgil, Scott; 1k] “I need my big brother, not his sacrifice.” the devil vs Gordon Tracy by @tb5-heavenward [Teen; Family; Gordon, Scott; 6k] Being a discussion about the namesakes of some lizards. The Fire by mcj [Mature; Family; Tracy Family; 22k] “Sometimes all you need is a little quiet reflection." The Hardest Thing by eriphi [Gen; Family; Scott, Jeff; 5k] How do you manage a billion dollar business and parent four growing boys at the same time? It takes something serious to make Jeff realise that he isn’t managing as well as he thought. The Most Dangerous Game by @godsliltippy [Teen; Action/Adventure; Scott, Gordon; 23k] Scott and Gordon find themselves unwilling participants. The One Where John Gets a Hug by Silverstar [Teen; Hurt/Comfort/Angst; John; 21k] Spending months by yourself has never been advisable behaviour, and John's never been good at asking people for help. Or: the Tracys learn the magical art of communication, with a load of hugs thrown in for good measure. The Proof is in the Jello by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family/Hurt/Comfort; Gordon, Alan; 3k] “Call it what you want, but I’m not going to let you rot in that room.” The Silent Conversation by mcj [Teen; Hurt/Comfort; Scott; 5k] The sound of sirens, a flash of light and waking up under a pile of rubble. How can Scott survive knowing help just might not come? The Spider Incident by Silverstar [Teen; Humour/Family; Virgil, Tracy Brothers; 5k] It takes a certain kind of bravery to save the world... it takes a different kind of bravery to remove a spider from the shower. Or: there is a spider, and the Tracy boys are disasters. The Splinter by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family; Virgil, Jeff; 1k] Now he had backup. The Venetian Venture by @tb5-heavenward [Teen; Romance; Gordon, Penelope; 11k] Penelope takes Gordon on a mission to Venice the waffle house blues by @akireyta, @tb5-heavenward [Teen; Family; Tracy Brothers; 5k] Wherein a bunch of boys sit around a restaurant, eating breakfast food and dozing on and off and talking about life. To Raise Havoc by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family; Havoc, Hood; 1k] They had to come from somewhere and he was more than she ever expected. Tomorrow Never Knows by Silverstar [Teen; Hurt/Comfort/Angst; Gordon, Alan, Scott; 110k] Things had not gone according to plan, to say the least. Now they were trapped on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere with no hope of rescue and increasingly slim chances of survival. To make matters worse, the Chaos Crew had shown up. This was not going to be a fun week. Triple Jeopardy by Purupuss [Teen; Drama; Tracy Brothers; 217k] One inventor and one set of plans. But triple trouble for the Tracys and International Rescue. V.T. Green by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family; Virgil; 23k] “Did you discover this, Brains?” He frowned. There was something familiar about this. Maybe they had discussed it recently. “Oh, no, this is V. T. Green. The man is brilliant.” We'll Be Home For Christmas by @gumnut-logic [Teen; Family/Friendship; Virgil, Tracy Brothers; 68k] The boys can’t fly home for Christmas, so they have to find another way. Weathering the Storm by tiylaya [Teen; Adventure/Angst; Scott, Gordon; 102k] When an unexpected storm shipwrecks a holidaying Jeff Tracy and three of his young sons, they’re thrown into a situation far more dangerous and complex than anyone initially realises.

Writing Tag Game

Thanks for the tag @cleverblackcat and @tejaswrites!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

12 as of now, though some of them are parts of the same story and I might weave them all in a single work one day, but I decided to split them due to time skips and changes in tone. I don’t know when I’ll be able to bridge all the gaps but I still wanted to share what I wrote, so I ended up creating a series with a couple of installments.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

140 699 words

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Watch the Skies - 125 kudos

Vatna of Two Falcon Hold as a companion in Dragon Age - 8 kudos

Mirrors and Braids ex aequo Rattle the bars if you like, but I chose to enter this cage - 7 kudos

Aval'var, it means - our journey ex aequo Avvar History Reconstruction - 5 kudos

4. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes, I do respond to almost every comment and I really appreciate receiving them. When someone comments on certain aspects of the story, I usually try to explain some of my choices, like why I decided for that character to react in such a way, why I deviated from the canonical storyline, or why I included those lore tidbits. It allows me to share my perspective, my reasons for writing the story in the first place.

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Well, I have started writing an alternative storyline for my Avvar Inquisitor, Vatna, in which she becomes a part of the Jaws of Hakkon, which ought to be super angsty, but it has no ending yet.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Do limericks count? They’re fun but each is five verses long.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I had, in fact, the first fic that I wrote was a crossover between Dragon Age and Puella Magi - it’s just not published on AO3 and probably never will. It's pretty crazy, that’s for sure, given how wildly different those two pieces of media are, though strangely, I found a few of thematic parallels that compelled me to explore them for a while.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, and I hope I’ll be spared from it. My writing is not perfect by any means, and I do welcome constructive criticism and corrections, but I probably wouldn’t deal well with hate comments. Mustering motivation to write fics is hard enough as it is.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

No, not really. I have written some scenes that focused on sexual interactions, but they weren’t quite smutty, if that makes sense, as the POV character is a sex-indifferent asexual.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No. I write in English, even though it isn’t my native tongue, so I could probably translate my own fics if I wanted, but I didn’t feel like it so far. If someone approached me with an offer to translate my fic into a language I don’t speak, I’m not sure what my reaction would be, as I’d like to know how they present my characters in the translated version. Translation is a tricky craft, and there are many ways to express a single concept. Sometimes, a translated work has a completely different tone from the original.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yeah, I wrote Fool's Gold with Toshi Nama as a part of Discord server collaboration, in which her Warden, Farin Brosca, and my Inquisitor, Vatna Einarsdotten, meet up to investigate a red lyrium smuggling operation in the Frostback Mountains. It was a fun challenge!

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I’m not sure, I don’t focus on shipping that much.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I probably won’t get back to finish my unpublished crossover xD But I enjoyed thinking about the possibilities, and I did have the general storyline thought out, but I don’t think I could finish it. For one, it would take a lot of time and motivation that I don’t have, and if I ought to pick a project I would like to see till the end, it’s the story of my Avvar girl.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I’ve been told my worldbuilding is well-thought out. I do have the benefit of writing fanfiction, so there’s no need to built a world from ground up, but I do expand upon what’s presented in the original work, and I greatly enjoy it. I wonder a lot about the unexplored details, like when I’m writing about the Avvar, I imagine what kind of holidays they could celebrate, what cultural taboos they might observe, what is their main source of food, how their families could be structured, little things like that, which, hopefully, create a compelling picture together.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

My pacing is probably not that great, when I think about what I’d like to write, I don’t really ensure that each story beat is nicely spaced out, that there are no sudden accelerations or decelarations of plot. I do have a general plotline in my head, for the most part, but when it comes to writing, I focus on individual chapters. 

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I think it has its time and place, but I believe it should be done sparingly. I wouldn’t be excited to read a super long dialogue in a language different from the one that the work is written in, and I won’t include such things in my fic. It disrupts the flow and doesn’t benefit the story very much, in my opinion. If it’s necessary for the plot or characterization to show that someone speaks in another language, I think it’s enough to use a foreign word or a phrase from time to time, hint at its meaning through context, and describe how the communication barrier affects the characters.

My main character, Vatna, does alternate between her native tongue (Avvar, which is I represent as Icelandic/Old Norse) and a second language (Common Tongue, which for all my intents and purposes is equivalent to English) so I do include some lines in a different language, but I keep them short. Usually, it’s just a single word whose meaning can be easily inferred from the surrounding text. More often than not, I signify the language barrier through other means. Sometimes, Vatna slips into her native tongue for a longer moment, and she may even have conversations with her fellow Avvar, but the actual dialogue remains in English (i.e. Common) - instead, I use the narration to show that the language barrier is ever present, like describing the reaction of accompanying characters.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Dragon Age

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

My favourite is Mirrors and Braids, a part of the Saga of the Avvar-Daughter series, which focuses on Vatna’s reaction to the loss of her arm. Though it’s not really a “fun” story by any means, I am quite fond of it. It was somewhat cathartic to write.

Tag list under the cut

@samuraisaucefrites @dreadfutures @crackinglamb

“Your fic's value is not defined by how popular it is! If you had fun writing it and you like it, that’s all that matters! That means it’s good!”

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Let me propose a scenario.

In this scenario, you have been invited to a potluck. Everyone is to bring a cake. You can bring the same flavor as someone else. You can be as detailed or simple as you like. It can be gluten free, or be loaded with sugar.

With these parameters in mind, you bring your cake. You know it's a good cake; others have eaten this exact recipe before from other bakers. Hell, even people you know personally have had this cake that you made in the past. You add it to the table.

You go around and eat other cakes; as many as you know you can reasonably stomach. You find the creators to compliment them. Everyone is eating cake, some very similar, some WILDLY different, but everyone is eating. You can see it.

The night goes on. You don't hear about your own cake. You don't see your cake on anyone's plate. Nobody even asks you about your cake.

The potluck ends. You return to the table to help clean up. Many cakes are completely gone. Cakes identical to yours are more than half gone.

Your cake sits with only a couple slices taken. You can see one at the top of the trash.

You know the cake is good. But all that work was for nothing, not only because the food was wasted, but nobody cared enough about your cake to even ask about it.

-----

So, here's the thing about fanfiction: most people aren't posting for the fun of it. If the story was just written for "fun" and for the author's enjoyment ONLY, it would stay in the drafts. If the fun was just from writing and reading, what would be the point of posting?

Things are posted because the authors want to SHARE them. There is validation in being told your work is good, that someone enjoys your ideas and your writing, even if you KNOW already that it's good.

Hell's sake, I have an ENGLISH degree, but I still look for comments on my stuff every damn week. I KNOW my work is good value. Hell, not to toot my own horn, but I'd even go so far as to argue it's INCREDIBLE. Some of my greatest work to date has come out of HLAL. 

But do I get the same number of hits as other authors in the same category, writing similar kinds of relationships and scenarios? I went to the liberty of going into the All Might/Reader tag and sorting by date posted and grabbing a few numbers.

My fic, at the time of typing this, has 1169 hits. 13 chapters. That's with bi-weekly updates. Doesn't sound bad, right? Let's compare that to other fics uploaded around the same time (without names, just ratings, no particular order, with the only ship being All Might/Reader).

987 hits. 1 chapter. E

701 hits. 1 chapter. G

1235 hits. 1 chapter. E

3064 hits. 1 chapters. M

602 hits. 1 chapter. G

2451 hits. 1 chapter. E

621 hits. 1 chapter. T

696 hits. 1 chapter. T

Do you see the problem? Do you see the comparison I'm trying to make?

Now believe me when I say, I KNOW there are people out there with non-existent viewer engagement with their own All Might/Reader fics in comparison to me. But if you're any good with ratios, you can plainly see that the number of hits I have in comparison to these others is GROSSLY disproportionate. You can see that even rating doesn't play all that much of a factor. The average view count for all of these fics, for just ONE chapter, is almost 1,300 hits.

I haven't reached that in THIRTEEN. CHAPTERS.

Thirteen. Chapters. For a series I have been working on for three. Years. That I have been advertising on both Twitter and Tumblr nonstop, every time a new update comes out.

"But Dylawa, your fic is a series; you didn't include the view count from all your fics in HLAL."

Okay I'll do that. Gladly.

The total hit count for the entirety of the HLAL series, over 20 fics, amounts to 32,204. Average that out among the 20 fics, and you have 1,610 views per fic. That's it. If we take individual chapters into account, currently 89, 388 hits per chap. 

Notice how that number still doesn't hit the LOWEST viewed fics I mentioned above that were just one chapter. Uploaded once, then never touched again. All within the same month long timeframe that my latest fic was first uploaded.

Mine has been updated. Theirs has not.

This doesn't even take into account those that have less engagement than I do. If I'M miffed about someone tweeting, "You should just have fun writing and not worry about the engagement," imagine how those authors with 30 hits since March are feeling.

That's why "be happy you wrote something you like!" is shit advice. If you made a cake for a potluck, & nobody ate your cake, but everyone else ate a little bit (or a lot a bit) of other people's stuff-- which was damn near IDENTICAL to yours-- you'd be pretty damn upset too.

And ALL OF THAT that I just wrote, is JUST about the validation factor. I didn't even dive into how those numbers impact the potential for word about said fics to get spread among fandom, how that could result in new followers, and the domino effect of just mere conversation.

This is why I'm ALWAYS reblogging my advertisements for my fic. This is why I'm ALWAYS bringing up my Patreon. Because no one else will do it (but those of you that do, I see you, ilu, but there's like, two of you out of a hundred followers).

And it's not WORKING.

The number of hits, kudos and comments-- it all GENUINELY means something beyond just making an author feel good. It's unbelievably disingenuous to tweet "just have fun!" when there are other factors to consider.

We DO have fun. But why bake a cake if no one else is eating it?