Fandom-focused sideblog, with a dash of 'Tony Stark [et al.] deserved better in the MCU and here's my attempt to fix it'. My Fic Ideas My Fics
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me, right around when schedules were being finalized for the holidays: take a break? A day off or something?
my wallet: lol
the schedule: yeah, um, so this place is going to be a ghost town if you do that. You can, but do you really want to leave your coworker to handle it on their own?
me: ...great.
the weather: oh, and here's some fog and and rain and snow to spice things up on your commute!!!
me: ...great
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my brain: write! write!!!
me: one coworker put in their two weeks' notice, another's out on maternity leave and that's not even touching my classes
my brain: W R I T E
me: ...thank goodness for pocket notebooks and quiet commutes
#aaand then said ideas turn into an original story#meanwhile my WIPs refuse to cooperate#thinking aloud#3 am musings
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Here we go again.
WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS

WHO IS USING THIS
AN APP??? THEY HAVE A FUNCTIONING WEBSITE
THE LAST FUNCTIONING WEBSITE
#periodic reminder that fanfic's strongest legal defense is that no one profits from it#AO3 asks for donations to keep the lights on#any apps trying to pass themselves off as it are very very suspect#we've seen this before and it doesn't end well.
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me in undergrad during and after Finals Week, my beloathed nemesis: questionable life choices feat. semiregular cram sessions at the library, dubious sleep schedules, the occasional migraine, and post-exam jitters that got dozens of chapters written
me now: do you really want to run on less than six hours of sleep tomorrow? lol no
#pro of having work: no longer freaking out over student loans and other bills bc I'm A Functional Adult(TM) now#con of being Some Semblance Of A Responsible Adult: trying to cram hobbies into a full-time job and classes and a roughly hour-long commute#the next chapter of TMWSTW is roughly 1k long rn despite my best efforts
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we had one good day as Marvel fans
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tfw The Man Who Sold The World seems to want to start doing its own thing so I have to beating it with a stick going "back! back! this is going to be found family, you do not need more worldbuilding!" but it's not really working because my brain's bouncing like a ping-pong ball between classes and a new job where it's just Imposter Syndrome, Electric Boogaloo
also, the Finn conundrum. Because he plays a key role in Darth Calamity, but TMWSTW's shaping up to feature Ben and Rey, but fitting Finn in? The easy version would be to have him be a Jedi [read: a Force-sensitive orphan who Ben is thrilled to meet because finally, a kid who actually wants to take up his offer for a free ride to the Jedi Academy!!! And has common sense!!!] but can't help but feel that'd be a cheap cop-out on a number of levels. What with one of Finn's key defining moments coming from being a Stormtrooper indoctrinated practically from birth yet still standing up and going "no, this is wrong"— so taking that moment away from him rubs me wrong. But he's not going to have a chance to show up in this AU until a lot later, regardless... Hmm.
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focusing on NHDD!Justin's first life in this one. Mostly experimental because this AU was originally meant to be a character study on the making of a villain [...which got derailed almost immediately], only slightly touching on the vague echoes of his first life. But since my brain hates me, here, have one of the most out-there-probably-not-canon things for this AU yet. Also, for anyone lost about what's going on: a while ago, I did a what-if-this-canon-event-happened-in-NHDD thought exercise. To sum up: because Justin's a) technically reincarnated and b) originally from another dimension entirely, the Soul Stone basically went "you. I like you. you know what, since you have two lives, give me the one you don't even really remember and we'll be even". Which is what ended up happening in the original ending. However... what if Justin had made a different choice?
Just like in that thought exercise, heads up for some pretty heavy themes— this time revolving around the aftermath of implied Major Character Death [which, in this alternate ending, is the result of Justin choosing to sacrifice his second life instead of his first], and different types of dysfunctional families.
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Sometimes, it felt like nothing more than a dream. An oddly long, overly detailed and sometimes confusing fever dream, sure, but the point was, Mercedes Garcia woke up.
Everyone said it was a miracle she'd survived the accident, but Mercedes couldn't shake the strange flash of orange and 'so you've decided, little outsider?' that was the last thing she remembered before she opened her eyes.
It sounded fantastical, the sort of thing that happened in movies— but then, Justin Hammer's entire life seemed to have been a strange mix of Gossip Girl and comic books.
But this was the real world, where Mercedes had missed her own graduation, and now had her own astronomical hospital bills on top of rent and student loans to worry about. Not to mention her incredibly freaked out parents, who hadn't been exactly happy about her choice of college to begin with, and were now even more freaked out over the fact that she'd be moving to the on the other side of the state for it.
As if it were any different to how it'd been before the accident, when she'd been lucky to see her both parents for more than three hours a week between school, her part-time job, and helping care for Abel. The cynical part of her that she hadn't thought even existed before the accident muttered darkly about free babysitters, but she knew they cared about her. Even if they'd never really had the opportunity to show it, not when her baby brother needed everything they could give— but she had never doubted they cared about her.
It's just... Mercedes needed the distance. Like, sure, she could've gone with community college and taken things from there— but even since before the accident she'd been itching to get out. Sure, tiny shoebox apartment to tiny shoebox dorm wasn't much of a difference, but at least she got the chance to be normal for the first time since Abel had been diagnosed.
So she went to college, like almost everyone her age, and called home during the weekends, and let herself fall into the rhythm of classes and finding another part-time job and trying not to think too hard about the occasional flashes of deja vu she'd been having the entire time.
College was much easier than high school had been, and Mercedes wasn't sure how much of it was practice being on her own versus the lingering remnants of that weird dream. It made her head hurt if she tried to think about it too much— because if it hadn't just been a coma dream, then what was it?
And if she cracked open Pandora's Box, the questions would never stop. About why it'd been much easier to interact with her classmates now than back in high school, or why economics felt so intuitive. The specifics of some of the study habits she'd picked up seemingly overnight, why her patience seemed to have dried up since the accident, or, hell, how a girl who'd only ever shopped at thrift stores was able to blend in with the trust fund kids on campus. Why it'd suddenly become so easy to say no, after a lifetime of bending over backwards saying yes.
So Mercedes tried not to dwell on it. She took things one day at a time, a week at a time, called her family, and tried not to be exasperated when her roommate moved out partway through the year to live with her boyfriend.
And then things started to get really weird.
The first time it happened, she was at work. A tall, heavily muscled and tattooed man wandered into the cafe constantly checking his phone. Which shouldn't have been anything out of the usual, but he also kept looking around. A lot. She'd assumed he had planned on meeting someone, but his increased desperation as the cafe entered its rush hour told her he'd been stood up. Before she could ask if he needed help, however, he swept away without a backwards glance.
The second time, Mercedes had finished her last class of the day. A very tall cosplayer with an eye-catching leather jacket swept into the biggest lecture hall on campus just as she was heading out, and she had to swerve to avoid bumping into him because he refused to look away from his phone. Which, rude, but he was probably a new transfer for the computer science class that was scheduled to start in a few minutes so she didn't think much of it.
Not long after that, she saw a stranger during her usual grocery run. Which normally wasn't very notable, but he had the most memorable prosthetic she'd ever seen, and stared at her when she asked if he needed help. In her defense, he'd looked lost and one of her first jobs had been restocking shelves, so it really was just habit to ask!
"No, I'm...looking for someone." He finally answered with a slightly raspy voice, and she gave him a polite smile.
"Oh. Good luck, then." She said lamely, and speed-walked to the nearest self-checkout because the sooner she could forget about the embarrassment of her customer service autopilot kicking in, the better. Abel would never, ever let her live it down if he got wind of it.
The last time... was when Mercedes wondered if the stress of finals week had maybe gotten to her after all, because hallucinating portals in her bedroom was new. And that was before multiple people tumbled out of it, ruining her freshly-washed sheets in the process.
.
aaaand you can see where I ran out of steam for this.
tl;dr: Cabal, upon discovering Justin chose to sacrifice his life to obtain the Soul Stone, collectively went "fuck that, we're getting him back" and promptly set to tracking down where his soul went off to. Are they confused as to why all the sensors/Soul Stone keeps pointing them to some random universe where there's no magic or superheroes or aliens? Yes, but that's not about to stop them. [You decide if they chose to save their world before tracking Justin down, or if they ditched their universe entirely because what was the point of saving it if it didn't have Justin in it?]
There's going to be a lot of confusion at first, as Mercedes Garcia is most definitely not Justin Hammer, but I figure Cabal'd cotton on pretty quick as to what happened. And then, things get pretty dicey because there's multiple emotional bombshells to navigate, some less fun than others.
Some ideas for how it'd go from here:
Option 1: Cabal in Mercedes' World
Very introspective, with multiple emotional bombshells going on back-to-back, basically:
The "you're not our friend" realization, wherein Cabal looks at the twenty-something college student who apparently has their friend's soul but looks at them with no recognition whatsoever. This is the point where most people would leave her alone, but... we're talking about a hyperaggressive and overpowered friend group with dubious morals. So, for the sake of this thought exercise, Cabal ends up [re-]befriending Mercedes. Which leads to:
The "you're not the person who was the heart and soul of our group [but oh god I can definitely see the resemblance]" bombshell, feat. Cabal discovering just how much of tire fire Justin Hammer's mental state was, specifically because Mercedes is visibly much, much happier than he ever was. Which, as it turns out, is a very low bar, as Mercedes is a hot mess who spent the vast majority of her short life going "can't complain, my family is going through a Very Hard Time right now without me making it worse. but really, I'm Fine :)" but she definitely loves said family, and she's so optimistic it's painful to watch.
Sure, some of it could be chalked up to the fact that she's much younger than the Justin they knew, but... still that habit of always trying to help people. Of being an older sibling, a chronic mom friend, and always asking if they're hungry and offering what little a broke college student can afford.
Interspersed in this is the "you chose to abandon us/did we ever really know you?" emotional SNAFU, because there's bound to be grief and resentment over the fact that, well, a dear friend chose death over sacrificing a past life who, tbh, nobody in Cabal would've really missed in the long run. Like, by this point they know Justin was a reincarnated soul, but 1) they found this out via the Soul Stone going "hey idk what to tell you, they're the one who chose this life over the other one ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ don't take it up with me", and 2) this means that, on some level, Justin chose an honestly not-great life over his friends.
On a funnier note: the "...so, now what?" moment, because, well, Cabal is not about to lose their friend again.
And here's where things get entertaining in a hurry because at some point, they're going to suggest everyone moving in together. Hey, it's practically tradition by now, Justin was the one who started it with all his safehouses! Besides, it's only logical to share space with someone you trust, more efficient and cost-effective. Only, well, Mercedes' parents are going to [understandably] freak out over the idea of their twenty-something daughter moving in with four rich men who showed up out of nowhere and are apparently asking to have her live with them rent-free. That all of said guys seem to be like twice her age does not help, and all of them are Very Very Dangerous. Ivan especially looks like a parent's worst nightmare, but none of them are the type of guy you'd want to meet in a dark alley, so...
Slightly Fun Moment Two: Tony Stark shows up sometime during this mess. Cue fireworks.
Option 2: The 'It Was All Inside Your Head' Ending
Wherein it turns out that Mercedes' life after waking up was a Soul Stone-induced dream, because it wanted Justin to know, acutely, what exactly they're giving up if they were to pick their first life. Only, Cabal barges into Justin's dreamscape to tell him he's in a coma, please wake up, and now he has to choose which life to return to.
It would be a hard choice, because with Mercedes' memories so fresh in his mind, there's honestly not much going for Justin Hammer's life other than Cabal and Tony. There's no amount of money that could possibly make up for losing the family who cared about her, for instance, and the constant threat of alien invasions and whatnot isn't exactly a selling point. On the other hand, Justin's imposter syndrome is on a scale comparable only to Tony's genius, so... not a fun conversation for anyone involved.
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aaaand guess who forgot to post said headcanons until now, whoops.
me, almost a month ago: hey, here's some headcanons about NHDD!Justin that came to mind at 3 in the morning because neighbors have an incredible speaker system and are clearly itching to show it off
life: —and here's finals and job interviews and btw homework's due tomorrow! lol good luck
me: but at least writer's block isn't an issue, right?
life: lol
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me, almost a month ago: hey, here's some headcanons about NHDD!Justin that came to mind at 3 in the morning because neighbors have an incredible speaker system and are clearly itching to show it off
life: —and here's finals and job interviews and btw homework's due tomorrow! lol good luck
me: but at least writer's block isn't an issue, right?
life: lol
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me, during a power outage: welp there go today's plans for studying for the final
my brain: ...
me: oh no
my brain: hey remember this very very niche AU snippet for NHDD where Justin Hammer goes through 1.5 existential crises to get the Soul Stone? The one where he ends up sacrificing his first life to get it? Well what if it'd been his second life instead?
me: THIS is what somehow sneaks past writer's block? Not a new chapter for any of my other WIPs that've been waiting for years, but this???
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me: c'mon, focus, this essay's worth over a quarter of your grade
my neighbors: let's show off how cool our engines are! Who needs mufflers, anyway?
my brain: hey how much of a bureaucratic nightmare is jurisdiction in a world where the Empire fell? ofc smugglers don't really care beyond who to bribe, but bounty hunters operate in a quasi-legal capacity and have a vested interest in knowing who to not piss off
me: gdi
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Chapter 3's up!
...aaand the more I write for this AU, the more I wonder if I should rename it because this fic's the angst-free [or, well, 1000% less angst] version of Darth Calamity.
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me, earlier today: yay, I finally got a drop of inspiration for a new chapter of one of my Star Wars fics!
me now: ...wdym I forgot which theme song it had and am now struggling to pick a chapter title
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Ursula Major
midterms + season winding down = STRESS
so, here, have something I’d forgotten I’d saved in my drafts for By Dawn’s Early Light, which is one of the many AUs that’s had me hitting my head against writer’s block for a while now. So if it feels weird, that’s why.
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They were surrounded: Whiplash’s power core had been shot out partway through the fight, leaving him stuck on the defensive with only backup power against two and a half squadrons of HYDRA elite that’d been scrounged up from gods-knew-where and operating on intel far too accurate for anyone’s tastes.
“I told you to upgrade your specs,” Tony ground out as he fired his repulsors and tried to ignore the way his gauntlets were a few minutes from overheating. He’d be able to make do with the leg thrusters, though it wouldn’t be comfortable for anyone. “Told you to double the plating, but nooo. ‘Better maneuverability’, you said. ‘I don't use a flying tank because I’m original’, you said. Now what?”
“Oh, shut it, this isn’t as easy as it looks,” Ivan growled before Uncle James cut in.
“Keep gossiping, it’s not like I’m being shot at or anything.” He drawled, and they all cringed as the distinctive ping of enemy bullets hitting his arm rang over the comms even as he continued. “Y’know, back in my day, I’d have gotten evac’d by now. What’s the holdup?”
“This is a shitshow and a half.” Ivan groused, “on my way, old man. Think you can you hold out for five minutes? Brat, cover me, I won’t be able to get there otherwise.”
And then JARVIS spoke, completely upending the situation with four simple words:
"Hera has been activated. ETA, two minutes.”
.
Tony was the first to break the momentary silence.
“Well, shit.”
.
“Tell me that’s not what I think it is.” Ivan said immediately, with admirable aplomb.
“JARVIS, did you have to tell her?” Tony asked in a pained voice, but Ivan ignored him as he continued.
“You made her armor? I thought she didn’t do fieldwork!”
“Neither did I, it’s supposed to be for emergencies only and she hates flying—”
And then Hera touched down.
.
In retrospect, maybe giving Juno armor wasn’t the best of ideas.
Maybe, just maybe, the enormous scepter had been a bit much, and the wings were definitely overkill now that he saw them in action.
Mistakes were made that day.
Many, many mistakes were made.
.
There was screaming. And explosions. Lots and lots of explosions.
Tony might have even pitied a few of the poor bastards, if they weren’t HYDRA assholes. As it was, he and Whiplash exchanged a single look before sprinting to Renegade and ducking for cover as Hera made her wrath known.
.
“Remind me to never piss her off,” Ivan muttered to Tony as he cautiously peeked over the ridge and surveyed the carnage. “She was scary enough without the armor, dammit, she shouldn’t be able to do that.”
“Like you’re any better before you have your coffee.” Tony replied, but silently agreed as they made their way to the extraction point... or, at least, what was left of it.
The entire base was leveled. Sure, he’d tried to make sure everyone he cared about could take care of themselves, but...maybe he’d been a little too enthusiastic with some of the modifications. Then again, it was his mom they were talking about, but there was no way they’d be able to get the intel they’d been looking for now.
“I missed a board meeting for this—”
“Ivan, you and I both know you hate those damn things, why are you complaining—”
“—I’m going to have nightmares of this for weeks, brat, don't try me.” Ivan snapped, and swore softly under his breath as they continued their slow march. “I am not happy about this, it was a mess from start to finish—”
“We are in agreement,” a cool robotic voice said, and they didn’t jump only because the outline of the Hera armor contrasted greatly with the devastated landscape around them. “Whiplash, Renegade, I can carry you both to the drop point. Iron Man, can you fly?”
“Give me a few, but yeah.” He flexed his hands experimentally, making a face as he felt the heat still coming off his gauntlets. “Maybe ten. What happened?”
Despite the digital modifier, Tony could hear the smile in his mom’s voice. “HYDRA was attempting to collaborate with some upstarts trying to make a name for themselves. And here I had thought we’d heard the last of AIM.”
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ye olde Stress(TM) Reaction strikes again, aka the start of this was sitting in my drafts for weeks because my brain hates me apparently:
.
“So...considering how last time went, why are we being dragged into this?” Steve Rogers heard Clint ask, and he tried not to freeze or blush, and, if Natasha was anything to go by, failed miserably at both.
“I mean,” Clint continued and it took far more willpower than it should have to not glare at the teammate who regularly ate whipped cream out of the can because he should not be sounding so amused, “after what happened, why are the Avengers being invited, again?”
Alright, that did it— but before Steve could do more than turn to give his teammate the same glare he normally reserved for when Loki destroyed the top part of his uniform again, Agent Coulson gave a very tired sigh and spoke.
“Partly because multiple ambassadors liked your response time when the pink elephants made an appearance on the premises, partly because von Doom specifically requested you all. By name.”
Across the table, Tony gave an incredulous scoff as he leaned back and crossed his arms. “And what, you’re letting a literal dictator call the shots?”
“Grumpy because he mentioned you too, aren’t you.” Clint smirked before Agent Coulson could say anything else, and Steve really, really tried not to scowl. Honest.
However, he couldn’t help but notice the way Tony’s expression went suspiciously blank, and something in the pit of his stomach clenched as Tony shifted in his seat a little.
“Okay, so maybe we weren’t finished before Loki interrupted. I didn’t hear any of you guys complaining.”
“That was you ‘gathering intel’?” Natasha asked, and Steve pointedly ignored her sidelong glance, “I thought you were looking pretty friendly there. Way more emotion than we’ve ever seen from von Doom before, anyway.”
Steve couldn’t help but snort. Understatement of the century, Steve hadn’t missed the venom in von Doom’s glare. If not for Loki barging in when he did, there would have been an international incident, and Steve wouldn’t have regretted it one bit.
“As... controversial as he is,” Agent Coulson rubbed his temples for a moment, “Latveria’s a very hot commodity right now, and State Department’s pushing for trade agreements. We can’t afford to alienate him.”
Everyone looked at him, and he fought to keep his shoulders from rising up. “If he’s got a problem with one of my team, don’t expect me to play nice.”
“My hero,” Tony rolled his eyes and so missed the way Clint’s shoulders shuddered, “Steve, I had it under control.”
“Nay, lord Stark.” Thor cut in, and Steve did not miss the way Agent Coulson’s eye twitched even as Clint got a very sudden and convenient coughing fit as the resident alien continued, “I am afraid you did not. I may not be familiar with Midgardian politics, but I do not believe duels are as acceptable here as they are back home.”
Everyone paused at that, and the silence was abrupt enough to startle Doctor Banner out of his reverie.
“Wait, what happened?” He asked, looking up from his tablet, and Steve couldn’t help but envy the fact that he was exempt from this. Sure, the risk of having the Hulk at a UN function would have been nothing less than a recipe for disaster, but at least Steve wouldn’t be suffering though this alone— case in point, this entire debrief.
“Oh, just how Tony almost caused an international incident last time.” Natasha said and Bruce made a strange face for a second before he peered over his glasses to look at everyone else around the table.
“Well, is Justin going to be at this next one?”
All eyes were now on Tony, who scowled and looked away even as he replied, “It’s one of the annual year-end fundraisers, of course he’s going to be there.”
Agent Coulson let out a slow breath. “You are certain you cannot convince him otherwise?”
Tony’s shoulders hunched almost imperceptibly. “It’s tradition at this point. Everyone knows I’m going to be there, so he’s going— and I’ll save us both the time, the man’s about as stubborn as I am.”
“You’re sure about that?” Clint asked, gaze suddenly sharp and the look he shared with Agent Coulson and Natasha abruptly reminded Steve of the exact circumstances in which Iron Man was born.
“The number things I’ve seen him accomplish out of sheer spite is...” Tony trailed off, before he shook his head and looked around the table. “It’s something. Pretty sure the only reason Hammer Industries didn’t come out with another element after I did is because it’d be breaking the laws of physics, and even then part of me was half-expecting otherwise.”
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me: realizes that the program I just got accepted to + work = Even Less Time And Energy To Write In The Very Near Future
me: uh-oh, should probably at least digitize my notes on some of my WIPs or something
me: sees the latest bs going down feat. Idiots Monetizing Fanfic In A Country Whose Justice System Is Very Pro-Corporations
me:
me: ...despite not having touched alcohol for more than a handful of times in my life, I suddenly understand the need for a strong drink
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Fellas, fellas
Why on earth are you BUYING PHYSICAL BOOKBOUND COPIES OF FANFICTION????
ACTUALLY WHY ARE YOU EVEN BOOKBINDING FANFICTION TO SELL?!?!?!
IF ANY OF YOU DO EITHER OF THESE THINGS, GET OUT!! I AM NEVER SPEAKING TO YOU AGAIN.
In all seriousness though, authors on AO3 have begun to pull their works off of the site to avoid getting sued by people stealing their works to make a pretty bound book for profit. Entire accounts could be shut down as well.
Listen, I’m all for saving favorite works by printing them out and putting them in a binder, or learning how to make a fancy book for a fanfic, but making books with actual fanfiction in it to sell is where I draw the line.
Literally the entire point of AO3 is that you can read it FOR FREE.
It is DISRESPECTFUL for people to make money off of hardbound copies because guess what, the original creators of these fics get nothing. We are literally only writing fanfiction for our own pleasure.
Buying and selling book-bound fanfiction is also ILLEGAL YOU DUMB SHITS. It’s an immediate violation of copyright law. The original fan work will get erased from the internet.
Fanfiction is already a legal grey zone since they are works being written about are protected by copyright. Copyright holders can in fact go after writers as well as the person who sold the fanfiction.
This also goes for people who steal fanart and, claim it as theirs, and put a price on it.
Don’t make it worse.
Bookbinding fanfiction for profit is literally ruining things for everyone. DON’T.
#are you kidding me#fanfiction is free because it's the only way it can exist#does nobody remember Anne Rice and the fandom days of yore?#i keep my fics accessible to the public but stuff like this makes me second-guess myself#tfw your underground niche hobby meets Capitalism(TM). Next step's called Everyone Involved Gets Sued#don't do it. just don't.
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