#//in Quill's older posts they talk as if their parents are both alive

[historianofgalar]

How did you first met your husband Miss Runa, and where is he right now?

I first met my husband when we were both 26 at a party that neither of us wanted to be at. I was low-key drunk and flirting with him, and then we exchanged numbers. I thought it wouldn't really go anywhere, but we became friends and started dating around 8 years later. We then got married when we were both 30, and then had Quill when I was 33.

He isn't with us right now. He died at 41 from an illness. It was sad to see him go, and I'm able to cope with it now.

[otterskin]

Pet Peeves in Thor Stuff

Inspired by a few posts doing this, so thought I’d vent and get it out here.

1. MCU Loki’s Name

I don’t care what the fan-run wikis say. All the official MCU material, including the text of the actual movies themselves, call him Loki Odinson or, for a brief period, Loki of Asgard. Loki Laufeyson is the name of a character from Marvel comics, and him having that name makes sense for that character’s backstory, which is very, very different from ‘adopted at birth and a late discovery’ MCU Loki. Incidentally, Norse Mythology Loki is not Loki Laufeyson, he’s Loki Laufeyjarson, which is a matronym because Laufey is his mother in most Norse Myths.

Loki in Thor 1 was Loki Odinson, Avengers was Loki of Asgard, and he certainly seemed fond of Odin again in Ragnarok and officially reclaimed the title Odinson in IW. He’s called Odinson over and over again in official Marvel publications such as the illustrated dictionary. Please stop using the wrong name. It’s weird and wrong to assume his name MUST default to his birth-father’s upon discovery of adoption, no matter what he’d been called his whole life. Especially when I think it’s pretty clear that Loki vehemently rejects any relationship with that namesake. He literally murdered Laufey to prove to Odin he had only one father, I don’t know how he could be more clear about his preferences.

And yes, I do think that this invalidates the fan-wikis as good sources of information. If they can’t get a name right, you probably shouldn’t trust anything in the article below it. Stick with canon publications.

2. The Transformation Spell

And heck, while we’re on this page, yes, the spell keeping Loki Asgardian is Odin’s. I don’t mind fanfic that posits a different origin, because hey, we’re just trying to have fun here, do what you want and I’ve probably read a lot of it already - but this is the canon explanation, please stop messaging me to tell me I’m wrong when I say it’s Odin’s spell doing it. Also, the reason it didn’t break when Odin died is because magic can outlive the caster, as Doctor Strange said. This ain’t the Phantom Menace.

(Incidentally, this dictionary is fun and even has entries for Huginn and Muninn!)

3. Step-brothers and Half-brothers are different things and neither is correct for Thor and Loki’s relationship. Nor is Odin Loki’s step-father.

I don’t see this in the Thor Fandom much, it’s more in articles and reviews I’ve read, but it’s kinda appalling how people don’t know the difference between brothers, step-brothers, half-brothers, and blood-brothers. Not being sure who your second cousin twice removed is I get, but I would hope that these are much more commonly understood. Just to get it off my chest, even though I’m sure no-one reading has ever thought different -

Step-brothers are when two unrelated families are joined by marriage. The children share no biological parents, but their parents are married. Unless Odin married Laufey at some point, he is not Loki’s step-father, and Thor is not Loki’s step-brother. (I mean, Odin’s had a long and probably very interesting and mysterious life, so I suppose it’s POSSIBLE he had a real bender at one point, but even if he had a Vegas wedding to the King of the Frost Giants and then decided to throw away the ring as if nothing had happened, the relationship he has with Loki has always been identified as ‘Father’).

Half-brothers are when children share one biological parent, but not two. So unless that bender with Laufey got REALLY crazy, Loki is not Thor’s half-brother either.

Blood-brothers - So some people will use this phrase to refer to people who are related by blood, but that’s sort of an older phrase. However, for most elementary school kids and in the context of Norse Mythology, it has another meaning - two people, unrelated by birth, who undergo a ceremony that involves blood mixing as an oath of brotherhood. Norse-Myth Loki is usually depicted as blood-brothers with Odin (and, in a few rare stories I read, with Thor, instead, but that’s a long story about how Thor was slowly starting to replace Odin as chief patriarch and therefore subsuming a lot of his traits and relationships). However, in the MCU, neither of these meanings currently applies to Thor and Loki. They are not blood related, and they’ve not undergone any blood oath ceremony either (although you can bet your briskets I’d LOVE to see that and it’s been in my general prediction box/wish-list since 2011. Imagine how happy it’d make us to see Thor and Loki choose to have their relationship, rather than feeling like it was Odin’s decision and they’re just living with it.).

Brothers - if in doubt about any brotherly relationship, just say this and you won’t be wrong. Thor and Loki are brothers, or adopted brothers, full stop. So no more step-half-blood nonsense.

And to be clear, if you’re writing fanfic that re-imagines this relationship, this is in no way directed at you. I’m more venting at the dearth of articles, presumably written by university graduates with an English degree, who can’t seem to keep this straight.

4. Brother is a Proper Noun

While I’m on this brother train, a small grammatical note - ‘Father’, ‘Mother’, and ‘Brother’, if being used in place of a name, are proper nouns, which means they’re capitalized.

Ex. “Stop smearing your booger on my shirt, Brother.”

It’s not capitalized if it’s not being used in place of a name, but is simply referring to the noun.

Ex. 2 “My brother once ate a whole goat without noticing it was still alive.”

Ex. 3 “I never knew we had a sister.”

Sorry, sorry - but I see this mistake a lot while I’m reading and I daresay I make it myself all the time!

5. Frigga isn’t perfect

Real talk, one of my least favourite tropes in fiction is ‘Woman on a Pedestal’. I really feel it denies female characters agency if they’re made out to be perfect lovely angels loved by everyone. I’ve read a ton of great fics that explore the flaws Frigga is suggested to have in the MCU but never got the screen time to deal with, and they are some of my favourites. I’ve also read a ton where she’s endlessly patient, wise, righteous, and oh-so-much-better than that heartless Odin or oaf Thor, if only she’d been in charge the whole time, nothing would have gone wrong! It’s a matter of taste and I’d never tell anyone to not write what makes them happy, but I really do think Frigga’s a better character when you engage with her mistakes and oversights and less-than-noble aspects. Women in the MCU have really gotten a short shaft when it comes to character arcs, flaws, and general humanity. Almost all the mothers are on pedestals in it, and with that comes a lack of introspection. Frigga could be argued to be in that category, but at least there is some material to suggest her imperfections that can be exploited. (Unlike Quill and Stark’s mothers, say.)

I leave it up to everyone to interpret the character for themselves, but for me her weaknesses are that she

tends to deflect blame for her choices onto others, particularly Odin.

sometimes acts to smooth things over without really acknowledging hurt, either caused or experienced.

has a manipulative streak and isn’t afraid to leverage her sons’ affection for her to get them to do what she wants, which is often ‘smoothing things over’.

probably spoiled her kids a bit

has an allergy to giant knives

Personally I like these things about her. They come from her life as a peace-maker, both in her role as a politician and a Queen and in her role in the family. She’s loyal, clever, witty, a confidant, and had the best scene in Endgame by a long mile. Frigga is the mom we’ve seen the most of, and I would love to see more in any form.

AH.... that felt good. I might do another post on my problems with how Thor is sometimes portrayed, but that’s a whole other, very personal, thing. Thanks for reading this dumb thing.

[zuulosdovah]

2, 6, and 13 for the HPHM ask meme! :)

Definitely going to put this one under a read more, because I’ve never talked about the Malins as a family before, so I kind of info dump a lot

Thank you so much for the prompts

2. How did you come up with your MC and Jacob’s backstory (family, where they’re from, their relationship with each other, etc.)?6. Describe your MC in 5 words or less &/or using 5 or less gifs13. What is your Jacob’s favourite thing from Honeydukes?

2. How did you come up with your MC and Jacob’s backstory (family, where they’re from, their relationship with each other, etc.)?

Basically I have a vague idea of what kind of characters I have to work with, then I just ask myself follow-up questions about why they are the way they are, how that affects the way they interact with one another, and how i can tie that in with canon, which gives me new ideas and new follow-up questions ect ect.

Brace yourselves, cus I’ve never talked about their family before, so it’s time for that info dump.

Jacob and Kaina’s relationship is very inspired by the relationship I have with my own little sister. We’re very close and I, too, am an anxious older sibling who has to rely on my more competent, outgoing younger sibling. It’s funny cus initially, Kaina was the shy one who was scared of people, and Jacob was suave and confident (which you can kind of see in this post). But that clashed with the way the MC acted in game, so I ended up switching their personalities, which worked out a lot better imo.

Their dad - Sigurd Malin - is pretty much just an excuse for me to project all my ideas about Wizarding Sweden onto a single person, because I’m from Sweden and I refuse to believe that magic in the north is the exact same as magic in Britain.

For example, Sigurd - being a pureblood from Sweden - definitely went to Durmstrang. And hey, look at that, there’s a viking era witch called Völvur. We’ll bring them into modern day wizarding society, make them a kind of professional Seer/shaman who can allegedly shape the future as well as see it, and make Sigurd one.

Oh, but male Völvur used to be seen as ergi (=unmanly, perverse). Modern society is probably past that, but it might be an issue with traditional and old fashioned families, which Sigurd definitely came from, before being disowned for his controversial career choice. The falling out with his family prompted him to move to Britain, where he met his future wife.

Because of his upbringing and falling out, he would probably decide early on that he’d never be like his parents, and instead became a very relaxed and fun parent to Jacob and Kaina, dedicated to throwing pureblood values to the wind. He was almost as excited as Jacob was when Jacob developed an interest in muggle punk, because his own father would have a stroke if he came home wearing a leather jacket and jeans.

But he’s barely mentioned in canon. In fact, he doesn’t seem to be present at all. So what happened to him?

He left.

When Jacob disappeared, The Daily Prophet made a lot of “speculations” about the whole family. One theory that caught on was that the Durmstrang father with his dark arts inspired Jacob to become a death eater. This is just after Voldemort’s fall, and the backlash towards Sigurd was so strong he had to move back home to Sweden just to escape it and take the heat off his family.

Their mum - Lucy Malin - is mostly taken directly from canon. 

It’s mentioned she has relatives in America and both her kids are Legilimens, so I totally subscribe to the Grandpa Kowalski Theory. She always came off as strict to me, not letting her kids practice magic outside of school and such even though they live in a wizarding neighborhood, so I thought it’d make sense for her to work in the Improper Use of Magic office. 

But she’s married to Sigur, who would definitely marry out of love to stick it to pureblood tradition, so she’s can’t be strict as in traditional, but rather strict as in having a strong sense of justice and belief in following the rules. If the rules are unjust, you don’t break them, you change them. Or you maliciously comply the shit out of them. She falls under the same kind of gryffindor as Percy or Hermione does.

She balanced her husband out well, until Jacob disappeared and Sigurd left, which messed up the family dynamic badly. Her strict attitude was taken to an extreme to protect the one family member she had left, which pretty much ruined her relationship with said family member, since Kaina values her freedom highly and saw it as a betrayal that they ever stopped looking for Jacob.

And it’s apparent enough in the game that Jacob didn’t really talk to his family about what was going on, but I also have a sneaking suspicion that this is something the entire family was guilty of?

Like, you are a Legilimens like your mother before you, so you know it’s something your kids could inherit, but since they haven’t shown any signs of it, you just don’t mention it to them at all.

You are a Seer, and you’re having prophetic dreams about your son going missing, but you don’t want to spook the rest of your family, so you just keep that to yourself.

You are in deep trouble, and now the cult you’ve been helping is threatening to harm your family and friends. Better go missing rather than tell anyone about it.

You’ve found definite proof that your brother is alive, a cult is trying to murder you, and the Cursed Vaults are very very real, but no one listened to you before, so this time you’re just not going to tell anyone. That way no one can stop you. (Can you tell Kaina has issues with authority figures?)

(insp.)

6. Describe your MC in 5 words or less &/or using 5 or less gifs

13. What is your Jacob’s favourite thing from Honeydukes?

True to canon, his favourite treats are peppermint frogs. Then liquorice wands, then sugar quills.

[neversatisfiedswitch]

So I’ve been meaning to post more images of my OCs, as I’ve made them in The Sims 4. So under the cut here is exactly that, sans the majority of my vampire OCs and a couple of others that I don’t write about or RP that often. Their names and a little info about them are above their pictures. :3

Myarel, aka my first ever OC. My grouchy demon boy. Has 5 siblings and a ton of cousins. His adoptive parent is his wife’s grandmother, Rowan. Externally grumpy, internally sweet. He and his siblings are Shadow demons.

Colton, a shy cyborg cutie. Is dating Myarel’s youngest sister Keida. Doesn’t like talking about his dad all that much. His right arm from the elbow down and his legs from his knees to about the soles of his feet are metal. His right eye has a small red dot in the pupil that grows when he experiences negative emotions.

Lyn, a blind, polyamorous Southern gentleman. Flirty and independent, and will whack you with his cane if you do something he doesn’t like. Lives with his three lovers on his farm. His father was a fairy, and his mother was a Shadow Demon. He has wings, but rarely exposes them, and can do a bit of magic.

Isaac, a gay former pirate. Prankster, makes stupid jokes, and can often be irritating, but still a sweetie. Adores his boyfriend. Helps Lyn out on his farm, and still loves the sea, though the land will be his home from now on.

Vi, a vampiress. Myarel’s wife and mother of their triplets. Is often told she looks like her grandmother. Adores her family, and acts as an older sister to her younger cousins.

Rose, Vi and Myarel’s daughter. A total Daddy’s girl, and the oldest of the triplets. (She and her siblings are shown here as teenagers, around 14.)

Viktor, Vi and Myarel’s son. Very close to his mom, and the youngest of the triplets.

Axel, Vi and Myarel’s son. As the middle child, he loves to mess with his siblings and parents alike, but he’s still sweet.

Dormir, one of Lyn’s lovers. A vampire who was born with double fangs, giving him a slight lisp. Is protective of his little sister.

Estrella, a mermaid. She’s engaged to Tiburón, and is another of Lyn’s lovers, as well as the mother of the quartet’s children.

Tiburón, a merman. Engaged to Estrella since they were young. Is mute, and speaks through sign language.

Aria, a young vampire, shown here as a teenager. Dormir’s younger sister, and admirer of everything he does.

Esteban, Estrella and Tiburón’s son. Oldest of his siblings, protective over them and Aria alike. (He and his siblings are shown as teenagers here.)

Angelita, daughter of Dormir and Estrella. The middle child of her siblings, she adores all of her parents, and especially adores her aunt Aria, who is more like a sister to her.

Cristobal, son of Estrella and Lyn. Shares his father’s eye color, but not his blindness. The youngest of his siblings, very close to his father.

Erika, Isaac’s older sister. Is kind of a social media celebrity, but she doesn’t care about fame as much as she cares about her brother and father.

Xalia, Myarel’s oldest sister. Likes bright colors, and is sometimes snappy, but cares more about her siblings than anything else.

Zukari, the middle child in Myarel’s family. Quiet, kind of shy, and bad at talking to people. More open around his family than around strangers.

Keida, Colton’s girlfriend and one of the two second-youngest kids in her family. She and Kikaru are twins. She’s more confident than both her brother and her boyfriend and makes them be social.

Kikaru, Keida’s twin and one of the second-youngest kids in his family. Doesn’t enjoy being social, but as he and his sister are usually together, he’s better than he used to be.

Zexion, the youngest child of Myarel’s family. Prefers spending time birdwatching rather than making friends, but is always joined by someone else in his room eventually.

Hexxian, Myarel’s oldest cousin. His nickname is Hexx. He was one of a set of quadruplets, but his sisters died in utero. The spirits of his sisters matured with him, and he’s always had their guidance. Married to Opal. His mother is a Shadow Demon, and his father is a warlock.

Opal, a rare Prism fairy, Hexx’s wife, and Lyn’s former guardian. Kind-hearted and soft-spoken, but not as delicate as she seems. Has helped Lyn glamour part of his farm so he can keep magical creatures in it.

Tarja, Myarel’s cousin. The oldest of her siblings. In the band she and her brothers made together, she plays bass and provides vocals. Genderfluid, mostly presents as female and accepts he/she/they pronouns. As a shapeshifter, she can take any form she wishes, though her eyes stay the same. She and her brothers are Shadow demons.

Xandon, nicknamed Xan. Oldest of Tarja’s brothers. Quiet and bookish. Plays piano and synthesizer for his family’s band.

Nexxan, nicknamed Nexx. The middle child in his family. Hyperactive, funny, and always full of energy. Plays drums in his family’s band.

Vixaine, nicknamed Vix. Second-youngest in his family. Unlucky in love, but believes he’ll find the one someday. Provides lead vocals in his family’s band, and can also play guitar.

Mizane, nicknamed Zane. The youngest in his family. Shy, sensitive, and very attached to his sister. Very rarely sings, but he can. Taught himself to play guitar, and plays it in his family’s band.

Draiman, Myarel’s cousin. Goofy and outgoing, always looking for ways to bug Myarel, but genuinely cares about him. Oldest of his siblings, first to move out of his family’s home. He and his siblings are Shadow demon/ Water demon hybrids.

Liberty, Draiman’s oldest sister and second-oldest in her family. Independent and always creating her own fashion trends. Can’t wait to move out.

Quill, Draiman’s brother. A bit lazy, but mostly just laid-back. Doesn’t worry about anything, even school, but still gets good grades.

Ingrid, Draiman’s youngest sister. Optimistic and outgoing, and always looking forward to tomorrow.

Rowan, a vampiress. Adoptive mother of Colton and Myarel, grandmother of Violet, and great-grandmother to Vi and Myarel’s triplets. She considers herself the mother of anyone who needs one. Youngest of her 12 siblings, and one of the two who survived. Kind and cares for her family.

Everett, aka my self-insert. Isaac’s boyfriend and Rowan’s grandson. Transgender and gay. Is the only one who can successfully play pranks on Isaac without him suspecting anything. Outgoing and always looks out for his twin brother. He and his brother are half vampire and half shapeshifter, and he can shapeshift into a white Cheetah.

Ethan, Everett’s twin and Xan’s boyfriend. Quiet, shy, and mostly scared of new people, but his brother drags him along when he feels he needs to meet people. Despite his shyness, he’s still sweet as can be. Can only shapeshift halfway into a white Cheetah, meaning he has all the characteristics of the Cheetah, but not the body.

Hickory, a shapeshifter that can turn into a Barn Owl, shown here in human form. Is often Rowan’s companion, though she doesn’t know he’s a shapeshifter and thinks he’s a normal owl. Is around 15 years old in human form. Knows he’ll have to come clean to Rowan eventually.

Jolene, nicknamed Buttercup. A Fire demon/succubus hybrid who abstains from using her seduction. Wears her mask to hide facial scars. Zukari is her boyfriend, and she loves him dearly. Also loves her two adopted siblings, Ren and Selene. Mistrustful of most people, but can come around eventually.

Selene, nicknamed Twitch. A Lightning demon/succubus hybrid who hasn’t used her seduction once in her life-- she’s terrible at it, it turns out. Nexx is her boyfriend, the only one who can keep up with her motormouth. Loves making new friends, very hyperactive.

Ren, nicknamed River. A Water demon/incubus hybrid, great at seduction but more content to make friends the normal way. Doesn’t talk much, but is willing to make friends. Despite being the same age as his sisters, he’s extremely protective over them.

Chris, a ghost. Was murdered, though he doesn’t remember who did it. He still has the scars on his chest, but he really isn’t looking for his killer. He’s just happy spending his days with his husband, Paul. Very mischievous, but only toward people he knows.

Paul, a ghost. When he met Chris he was alive, but he won’t disclose his manner of death to anyone, not even his husband. Is a DJ, and is super friendly despite his tendency to scare people who are unprepared.

Chimaera, a humanoid Chimera (lion/goat/snake), seen in a form closest to their normal one. Gender-neutral, will accept any pronouns but prefers they/them. It’s unclear if they choose not to speak, or if they just can’t. Shy and rarely wants to be around people, though they’re comfortable around Lyn.

Dee, a werewolf. She was born as a werewolf rather than turned into one, and as such she can become a wolf at will. Outgoing and loves to meet new people, and of course, loves sparkly things.

Wisteria, a Nature fairy. Lives with Draiman, though the two are just friends. Always surrounded by butterflies, and where her bare feet tread, flowers spring up. Rarely shows her wings to anyone. Is comfortable around people, but is more comfortable around nature.

Amelia, currently a zombie, formerly a shapeshifter who can become a Barn Owl-- and Wisteria’s younger sister. Doesn’t remember her real name, but people who’ve met her gave her the name Amelia. Very shy, and can hardly speak as her voice is raspy. Her cause of death is unclear, but she’s not decaying. Loves animals and doesn’t like killing anything or anyone.

Emily, Amelia’s girlfriend and the daughter of two gay men. She’s outspoken and takes no shit from anyone. Is very strong, and can lift her tiny girlfriend above her head. Thought zombies were all mindless until she met Amelia. Hopes to find a cure one day.

Erin, a dragon shapeshifter and distant cousin to Ethan and Everett. Reclusive, as his temper is not something he likes to show people due to his inability to control his shapeshifting when he’s angry. Is very close to Dementia, who has become his assistant and companion over the years.

Dementia, a Mist demon. She feels a connection to Myarel, though why she feels it is unknown. Has grown close to Erin, helping calm him down when his temper flares and coaxing him out of his dragon form. Hopes to be able to approach Myarel someday, but for now is content helping Erin.

Journey, aka my newest OC. A deer-inspired ball-jointed doll given life by Erin. Is quiet as she doesn’t know how to speak yet, but is also very stubborn. Assists Erin and Dementia when she can, but is independent and longs to explore the world.

[wegoddessofhell]

Time Won’t Let Me

A/N: Welcome to @aketch-22 and I’s beautiful disaster! This is chapter one of part one to our hopefully three part series. Chapters will be posted once a week, probably on Sunday! It’s a crossover between Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Supernatural. We took characters from all three fandom’s and stuck em’ in Hogwarts, but we see things through the eyes of Dean and Castiel. Reblogs and likes would be gladly appreciated and if you have questions you can direct them to mine or @aketch-22‘s ask box! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: Long Train Runnin’ - The Doobie Brothers

Dean Winchester studied Platform 9 ¾ with a weary eye. He was ready to go back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but he wasn’t entirely eager to leave the safety of his home. Despite the current state of the Wizarding World, Dean and his brother Sam had managed to have a pretty fun summer. Sam was a Gryffindor, just like Dean - but a year younger. Sam was going into his fourth year and Dean was heading into his fifth - which meant things would be different for him now. Ever since the dark wizard Voldemort overthrew whoever the last Minister of Magic was, Hogwarts has been more of a training ground for the older students rather than a place of actual learning. That suited Dean fine on most days, he preferred a hands-on experience to pouring over some dusty old book in the library.

He chewed on his lip, watching Sam make his way through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. Sam was safe from the worst changes at Hogwarts, at least for now. That fact comforted Dean slightly as he pushed his own cart through the seemingly solid brick wall that separated the Muggle world from the Wizarding world. The crowd of people he was met with blocked his path, and he lost sight of Sam in the fray. He groaned, maneuvering his possessions around kids and their parents kissing each other goodbye. He tried not to let his gaze linger on any particular farewell, partially due to the pang of jealousy he felt at seeing the level of affection most of these parents were freely showing their children, and partially because he simply felt like he was intruding.  As he made his way onto the train, he caught sight of Sam ducking into a compartment about midway down. He stowed his baggage and followed his brother, just long enough to make sure he was okay. He smiled as he passed, seeing Sam with a few of his friends and getting his hair mussed by the girl he pined over all summer. Dean ducked into an empty compartment, pulling out his dad’s journal.

His parents never came to see him or Sam get on the train… they’d drive them to King’s Cross, but Dean had never been able to get them to even get out of the car. He frowned at the yellowing pages of  the journal that used to connect him to his father. Now, the stories of creatures John Winchester had hunted only caused a pit to form in Dean’s stomach. Sure, the stories were great when Dean was a kid. His dad was a hunter, which to most kids would have meant he got dressed in some sort of camo and hunted deer, or maybe coyotes, but it didn’t take long for Dean to find out that his father’s targets were much… bigger. His dad hunted creatures like werewolves and vampires, ghosts and ghouls. Definitely not deer. Dean used to think he was a hero, until his 11th birthday when an owl of all creatures delivered a letter that changed his life. A year later, the same thing would happen to his brother. They were wizards… the very sort of things that their father spent his life trying to kill. Dean didn’t think he’d ever seen his father that mad. The letter that explained Hogwarts and the wizarding world was, of course, burned immediately. It didn’t deter Dean and it most certainly didn’t deter the flock of owls that followed, each carrying a letter identical to the one that found a home amongst the ashes in their fireplace. It took weeks for his mom to convince his dad to let him go, and in the end, Dean was fairly sure his dad only agreed because he couldn’t stand the sight of him anymore.

He turned the page in the journal, running his thumb over the words he’s read a thousand times: “In their transformed state, werewolves are mindless beasts - acting purely on instinct and are incapable of rational thought.” He was interrupted when Lisa Braeden slid open the compartment door and sat down across from him.

She grinned broadly at him, her eyes shining. “Hey Dean! How was your summer?” Her smile faded slightly as she added, “I guess you didn’t get my letters.”

Dean glanced at her quickly and then averted his eyes. “Nah, I got ‘em, just couldn’t write you back. You never gave me your address, and the owls near my house don’t exactly know how to deliver letters. The one you sent always took off again before I could find my damn quill.”

Lisa frowned slightly, forgetting again that Dean was technically from a muggle family. He had such a natural gift for magic, it was sometimes hard to remember he hadn’t been doing it his whole life. Her voice softened. “Hey, that’s okay. Are you ready for another year?”

He gave a noncommittal shrug in response, looking at the floor and trying not to think about what was potentially in store for him. “Yeah, I guess. It’s gonna be like any other year, right?”

Lisa moved over to sit next to Dean, taking one of his hands in her own and leaning into his shoulder. “It’s going to be fine, Dean. Hogwarts is a big place, and they’re only going to take one kid from our house and year. I’m sure you’ll be fine, even if your name does get picked… I’d bet my whole stock of Chocolate Frogs that Gordon Walker takes your place. He actually wants to go.” Dean leaned back, kicking his feet up on the seat where Lisa had been sitting and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. He tried to remember that her name is up for The Choosing this year too, and the gloomier he was about it, the worse it would be for her. He squeezed her gently and chuckled. “Yeah, that crazy son of a bitch has been chompin’ at the bit to get to his 5th year. Guess it’s his time to shine, huh?”

Lisa nodded briefly and then fell quiet, allowing Dean to slip back into his thoughts. The Choosing. Already? How the hell did time pass so damn quick? Every year since Voldemort gained power, 5th, 6th, and 7th year students were chosen from each of the four Hogwarts Houses - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. One kid from each year in each house, for a total of 12. They were always… lesser students, ones that Voldemort deemed unworthy. Voldemort hated anyone and anything that wasn’t a pureblood wizard. That included half-bloods, muggle-borns, and just about any creature that wasn’t a giant. Even Voldemort knew the tactical advantages behind having a giant on his side. The rest were disposable, and seen as less than human. There was a problem, though, as there so often is when bigotry is involved. And that problem was population. The purebloods were dwindling in numbers, and Voldemort created a solution: The Mudblood Hunger Games. He’d round up a mix of students and magical creatures from Hogwarts and give them a chance to prove that they belonged in his new world order. Names would be drawn from The Goblet of Fire, and unless someone volunteered to take your place, you were transported with the rest of the chosen few to Purgatory. Not much is known about what happens in Purgatory, but only one tribute ever makes it out alive. The rest either die in Purgatory, remain trapped, or… by some outlandish theories, are fed to Voldemort’s snake Nagini if they aren’t the first one to find the portal out of there. Dean shuddered at the thought of being fed to a giant snake, which causes Lisa to sit up and squeeze his hand.

“Seriously, Dean. Quit worrying. You’re not going to get chosen, and neither am I. We’re going to have a great year and you’re going to pass all your exams and then I’m kidnapping both you and Sam over the summer.” She nodded her head once, matter-of-factly.

Dean narrowed his eyes at her. “Sorry, what now?”

Lisa nodded again, more insistently this time. “You heard me, Winchester. You and your brother are going to come stay with me whether you like it or not. My mom already talked to yours, it’s all set up.” She grins and kisses him quickly. “It took me ages to convince my mom, but I finally did it. I told her how you have to stay at school over the holidays and you dread going home for the summer break, because your dad is such a --” She cut off abruptly and pursed her lips. “I’m sorry, Dean. You know what I mean, though. She thought it would be good for you two to spend some time with proper wizards, and I --” She blushed, and continued quietly, “I didn’t want to spend another summer away from you. Please tell me you’ll at least consider it?”

And he did consider it. A summer away from his dad sounded too good to be true. He smiled widely and kissed her again, just as Finnick Odair opened the compartment door and made a very disgusted noise when he saw them. “Oy! Get a room, you two, other people have to share this train too.” He walked over and shimmied himself between them, then looked over at Lisa and winked, clicking his tongue. “Hey Braeden, you miss me?”

Lisa scowled and Dean smacked Finnick’s arm, then pushed him to the seat opposite him. “Don’t be a tool-bag, Finn. You know she’s about as taken as it gets, so knock it off.”

Finnick’s eyes danced as he smirked at Dean. “What, are you afraid of a little competition, Winchester? That doesn’t sound like you at all. Who hurt you over the summer?”

Dean rolled his eyes, but was more or less thankful for the distraction. He had a feeling he was going to need a lot of those if he was going to survive this year.

[mittensmorgul]

The mixtape thing is hard for me to see as a romantic gesture only- In Stranger Shings, Jonathan Bayers gave a Mixtape to his little brother, In Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill got his Mixtape from his mother-So it seems that can be a family thing too?And we and the show, claim that Castiel is family- I would love it to be pure romantic love thing,but with many mixtapes showing up as a family affair it is hard

Hi there! First of all, my intent behind this reply is one part mild exasperation, one part humorous jibing, and maybe two or three parts coffee (It took a lot of coffee to drown out the part that just wanted to delete this in a fit of less-than-mild exasperation, but I just want to assure you that this reply is in no way intended to be mean-spirited or condescending, and I hope you don’t take it that way).

For my second disclaimer, I’d like to make it known that I have seen neither of these things-- GotG or Stranger Things-- but because I don’t live under a rock, I at least know what they are. So if I say something about them that people who are actually familiar with these things would take issue with, just know that I am not prepared for a meta debate on either GotG or Stranger Things, but that no ill is intended in referencing them here.

(for my third disclaimer, I’d like to again state how sad I am that meta writers need to paste these sorts of disclaimers on everything, but such is the way things go...)

Righto! I think we can get down to business now. :)

There has already been a very well-written defense of the mixtape as romantic as used in GotG and GotG 2, and how it even STRENGTHENS the romantic reading of the mixtape scene in 12.19. But being me, the post somehow didn’t make it into the proper tag on my blog, and despite trying to search for it multiple different ways, I can’t seem to find it anywhere... >.>

(additional disclaimer that I’m in the middle of a Death Migraine, so apologies for any lack of due diligence in linking relevant references... searching for things hurts my brain right now)

The gist of it was that the mixtape contained songs that Peter Quill’s parents listened to together, so the tape’s ORIGINS were without question romantically coded. Despite the fact that the movie opens with Peter’s dying mother giving him the tape (this was what happened, right? I’m not mistaken here?) as a gift of love from mother to son, from what I understand about the sequel, PETER TURNS RIGHT AROUND AND USES THE TAPE TO WOO GAMORA. Restoring the “romantic” associations the tape began with, imbuing the mixtape with a sort of “legacy of love.”

Did I get all that right?

This is EXACTLY what I was referring to in my post yesterday as the show’s history of using Led Zeppelin songs in explicitly romantic situations.

In the OPENING SCENE of 12.01, as Dean’s establishing his identity for a very confused and suddenly-alive-after-33-years Mary, this is what he tells her:

Dean: Listen to me. Your name - your name is Mary Sandra Campbell, you were born December 5, 1954 to Samuel and Deanna Campbell. Your father, he bounced around a lot for work, and you bounced right along with him and you ended up in Lawrence, Kansas.Mary: How do you know all that?Dean: Dad told me. March 23, 1972 you walked out of a movie theater, Slaughterhouse-Five, you loved it. And you bumped into a big marine and knocked him on his ass. You were embarrassed and he laughed it off, said you could make it up to him with a cup of coffee. So you went to, uh, Mulroni's, and you talked and he was cute, and he knew the words to every Zeppelin song, so when he asked you for your number you gave it to him even though you knew your dad would be pissed. That was the night that you met-Mary: John Winchester.Dean: August 19, 1975 you were married, in Reno, your idea. Few years later I came along, then Sammy.Mary: Then I burned. How long have I been gone?Dean: Thirty-three years.

SHE GAVE JOHN WINCHESTER HER NUMBER BECAUSE HE KNEW ALL THE WORDS TO EVERY LED ZEPPELIN SONG. IT WAS A FLIRTATION. IT WAS THE FOUNDING STONE IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP.

LED ZEPPELIN LYRICS.

EXPLICITLY ROMANTIC.

Not only that, but we know that Dean has known this story his whole life. As if Mary (who had died long ago when he was a child, just like Peter Quill’s mother) had given him a reason to love these songs, too. For Dean they weren’t just ///romantic/// coded, but a link to that happier and more innocent time from his childhood, where his life was normal and his mom cut the crusts off his PBJ and gave him pie. From a time when Dean thought life could even be normal at all.

So, not solely romantic, but absolutely romanticized. Or idealized, at least. These were memories he clung to like a koala as his life fell to pieces after Mary died. He remembered that old life as only a child could, through rose-tinted soft-focus, reinforced by John’s vague and infrequent recounting of his memories of Mary.

(remember in 3.09, how 9-year-old Sam complained that they NEVER talked about mom? and how upset Dean became when Sam probed him for more information? And even in the pilot episode Sam said something about never being able to get mom back, and Dean threw him against the bridge pillar and told him to NEVER say stuff like that about Mary... I mean, it’s HEAVILY implied that talking about her AT ALL was something that just didn’t happen, but when it did, it was the sort of memory Dean referenced in his speech in 12.01... those were the “important details” he’d memorized... and maybe that entire description of their first meeting hadn’t even been John’s words at all, but things Dean had been carrying in his own mind since he was a child-- something Mary might’ve told him herself before she died, since that bit of Dean’s story is related back to Mary in Mary’s own pov.)

The show has also lampshaded the use of Led Zeppelin as a sexual overture, in 2.02:

Jo: You know, I thought you were gonna toss me some cheap pickup line. Most hunters come through that door think they can get in my pants with some... pizza, a six pack, and side one of Zeppelin IV.

Jo had been expecting Dean to hit on her, and it’s implied all the way up through her appearance as a ghost in 7.04 that she’d WANTED him to hit on her, that she’d had a crush on him or was attracted to him... and the only reason she turned him down in 5.10 was because she didn’t just want the “last night on earth” fling with him... This was 100% a come-on.

And Dean’s two favorite songs? Ramble On (which yes, on the surface is a LotR reference, but the deeper message is the search for a lover), and Traveling Riverside Blues (which is 100% about sex... I mean... It’s just pure lust). Put together, they’re like the peak of Love and Lust. And being Dean’s two top favorite songs? I’d bet both of them are on that mixtape.

So back to the point with the GotG reference. It not only does not invalidate Dean’s gift of the tape to Cas as a romantic gesture, but REINFORCES the romantic nature of the gift.

These songs that united Peter’s parents, which his mom left to him after she died, and eventually he uses to romance someone he’s in love with...

If Peter had turned around and given the mixtape to another relative, or to a friend he had no romantic interest in, then I would’ve given you this example. But that is explicitly NOT what happened. Sorry. When taken in the larger context of the entire story around it, saying the mixtape there was only about a mother’s love for her son is being deliberately obtuse. Context matters, and taking that one link in Peter’s mixtape chain out of the larger interconnected story is cherry picking.

So that leaves us with ONE SINGLE EXAMPLE (which I won’t argue with because I have not seen Stranger Things and therefore have zero context with which to debate what you stated about it) OUT OF THE ENTIRE CANON OF HUMAN STORYTELLING in which a mixtape is used as a platonic or familial gift with no romantic coding whatsoever.

I’m going to go ahead and call the use of the mixtape in Stranger Things THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE. This was the subversion of the standard trope.

I asked Mr. Mittens and kidperson (who HAVE watched Stranger Things) what the context of the mixtape was, just so I could have a general idea. Apparently it was given to a younger brother by an older brother as a sort of “This is important music that you need to know to be cool” sort of gift. Or maybe “music that is important to me.” Apparently the older brother was hospitalized for something at some point? So there was also this generalized feeling of “taking care of my little brother” aspect to it? I’m just spitballing on the like three things I know about ST, so no actual meta value is being ascribed to these statements.

But this is what really bothers me about your question, because this is something that’s been discussed since 12.19 aired, and I would like to put forth this argument:

The VAST MAJORITY of references to the gift of a mixtape in popular culture ARE EXPLICITLY ROMANTICALLY OR SEXUALLY CODED. The OVERWHELMING number of references over DECADES of storytelling simply cannot be invalidated by a SINGLE use of the mixtape in a non-romantic way.

PLUS: CONTEXT MATTERS. You can’t just say, “Dean gave Cas a mixtape, but because one time on one show someone gave a mixtape to his brother, so therefore these situations could be identical, and it could be a gesture of brotherly camaraderie and not specifically romantic.” THAT IS NOT A VALID ARGUMENT WHEN TAKEN IN CONTEXT.

The entire scene in 12.19 was framed, shot, and edited with multiple other romantically coded tropes. The absolute QUIET that settled over the scene (no background music, the only sounds those of their voices, speaking earnestly and emotionally to one another), the fact that we didn’t see Dean GIVE the tape TO CAS, but only Cas attempting to return the tape to Dean because his recent actions HURT DEAN. Dean was ANGRY that Cas had gone missing for a time and had ignored his calls, and had stormed off to his room in a huff. Cas’s response to this was to offer to RETURN the tape to Dean (now explicitly coded as a gift of love, because he worried that Dean may have withdrawn whatever feelings that had inspired the gift in the first place).

The fact that Dean can’t even LOOK at Cas because of his hurt, and yet picks up the tape and hands it back to Cas (in a shot that frames JUST THEIR HANDS PASSING THE TAPE like THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT PLS PAY ATTENTION PLS), and tells him, “It’s a gift. You keep those.”

I can’t believe people need me to spell out all the subtext in that one line, but here it is:

At this moment, the fact that the gift object itself is a mixtape is practically irrelevant, because THAT LINE ITSELF carries about nine miles of romantic subtext. In this context, the mixtape takes on the same narrative weight as Arwen’s necklace in Lord of the Rings. It’s a symbol of her immortality as an elf, AND a symbol for her heart. AND SHE OFFERS IT TO ARAGORN, AND THEN HE TRIES TO GIVE IT BACK BECAUSE HE FEELS HE DOES NOT DESERVE IT, BECAUSE HE’S ABOUT TO LEAVE HER TO GO ON HIS MISSION TO SAVE THE WORLD.

Sound familiar?

This familiarity IS NOT AN ACCIDENT. IT IS A VERY LONG-LIVED ROMANTIC TROPE.

The fact that the Macguffin in this case happens to be a Led Zeppelin mixtape in 12.19 only ADDS to the inherently romantically coded GESTURE of what happened in that whole entire scene, compounded by A DECADE of other romantically coded subtext between Dean and Cas.

*screams into the void and the apologizes to the void and tucks it back under its blanket*

There’s also the fact that we have no idea when, or under what circumstances, Dean gave that tape to Cas in the first place. We can only speculate that it may have happened after the events of 12.12, but honestly it could’ve been any time in the preceding ten years. For argument’s sake, let’s suppose it was a relatively recent gift, considering the circumstances under which Cas attempted to return it-- immediately after being confronted with his unexplained absence and Dean’s anger over it, and immediately PRIOR to his PLANNED BETRAYAL, his theft of the Colt, and his abandonment of Dean yet again... The circumstances under which Cas felt he might not ///deserve/// this specific token of Dean’s feelings for him involved betrayal of those feelings by virtue of his absence and abandonment of Dean (at least, he understood this much of what that tape seemed to represent to Dean).

*another disclaimer: I’ve been writing this for like four hours now, and my Death Migraine has progressed to the point where I need to not look at things for a while. I could keep going here, but I’m failing at basic human things like “being able to sit upright” and “not throwing up every time I open my eyes” so I’m gonna stop typing now*

*no wait, one more thing because I can type with my eyes closed*

Isn’t it amazing that we’ve now evolved to the point where instead of combing through the subtext to find romantically coded things in their interactions, folks are now actively scrambling to find ways to explain away the blatantly in-your-face romantically coded text? I mean... what have we come to here? When the more OBVIOUS and far more defensible read of the scene is the romantic read? And yet still there’s this scramble to suggest it could be non-romantic...

And do you know how these sorts of arguments all sound to me? I’ll let the Simpsons explain it for me: