#╰ written in bonds of fate || main verse

[walker-extended-universe]

August Fanfiction Masterlist

This is a list of fanfictions I've written that feature August as a main/major character.

Should's and Shouldn'ts- Trevor invites August over to his house one afternoon because he misses him. Things take a turn for the unexpected after August makes a confession.

Walkercest of the Cordaugust variety Series- A series of fics focusing on the Walkercest ship Cordell/August.

Walkercest of the Stellaugust variety Series- A series of fics focusing on the Walkercest ship Stella/August.

What Could Go Wrong?- Stella and August find a spellbook and things go wrong. Part 5 of Walkernatural

Bad School Days- August is still having trouble dealing with The Incident at the ranch. A friend offers to help.

Bonds Broken- August running away because he’s fucking tired of this family

The Proposal- Todd an August have become friends since their escape room funtime. After Ruby comes back and rejects Todd's early prom-posal, August attempts to help Todd feel better. It's what any good friend would do.

Through the Looking Glass- Stella and August experiment with a spell Rowena left for them. This opens a rift into another universe where they meet some freakily familiar characters. Eventually, they find their way back home. Part 9 of Walkernatural. Part 9 of Henry Winchester 'verse

I'm Fine- August gets into some bad habits after he loses his mom.

In the Wake of Hurricane Denise- How is August holding up after the events of 2x12?

Home- Cordell Walker doesn't handle the death of his wife very well. When her case is left cold, he tries to take things into his own hands and finds a world of danger he never expected to fall into but feels drawn to nonetheless. His family is concerned about him and they start makign moves to ensure his children, barely toddlers, are cared for if something happens to him. Upon learning about this, he does the perfectly same thing of running away with them in the middle fo the night.

14 years later, Stella and August Walker have been raised in the hunting lifestyle. Though Cordell tried to keep their lives as normal as possible, there was no keeping them away from the danger of the monster world. When he goes missing on a job, Stella and August do everything in their power to find him. After hitting one dead end too many, they decide to take a long shot and go somewhere they haven't been since that fateful night: Home

Father/Son Bonding Time(?)- And then it hit him. Twyla had clearly been prepared to talk to him. Dad had been expecting her. This wasn’t some chance meeting. It had been planned. Dad invited him out her to dinner, alone, at his favorite food truck, not because he wanted to hang out with his son, but because he wanted August to formally meet Twyla.

Don't Run Away- In which August revealed Stella's lies during the intervention scene in 1x12

A Punishment to Fit the Crime- August doesn't like these women that come around and try to replace his mother.

Desperate Measures- What if August had been taken instead of Liam? A little exploration on how he might have handled that.

The Wayward Boy Returns- Stella and August haven't spoken since he proposed to his gold-digging girlfriend five years ago. Now, he shows up on her doorstep after a divorce

No Means No, 2nd Edition- This is another version of a previously written story in which Ruby raped August in 1x17. This was actually the version I'd started writing first but I ended up going a different direction. I kept the skeleton of this version around though and now I present it to you here. Enjoy.

A Study in Arrogance- 3x02 AU- Stella promises Shannon she can get the money, she just needs a little time. Shannon decides to take August as collateral.

A Special Dinner- Cordell is making a special dinner for his and Emily's anniversary. If only she was coming…..

Shame verse- Omegaverse AU featuring Omega!August

Behind Closed Doors- AU in which Emily groomed August and no one was the wiser, least of all Cordell. Cordell has to process what his wife did to his son under his nose and August has to accept what happened to him.

Parallels- Cordell Walker is finally home after being released by the FBI. His whole family is worried about him but he's a little more worried about August.

Teetering On The Edge- Feeling as though his family doesn’t love him anymore, or even hates him, after everything he’s done, August runs away and plans to kill himself. Cassie sees him sitting on the edge of a bridge and talks him down. She takes him to her place and convinces him to stay with her for a few days (or more) while he gets his mental health in a better place. August is happy for the help, but will he have the strength to confront his family about what happened?

Big Girl Lost- Two "missing scenes" from 3x16. Chapter 1: What happened between August and Sadie before Cordell got home?

Sammy Reborn- After losing his Sammy, Dean finally found him again. He's the only one happy about it though. August Walker is taken in the dead of night, leaving his family scrambling to find him. In the meantime, he has to deal with a delusional man named Dean Winchester who seems to have him confused with his little brother. He's willing to do anything to get back home to his real family but there's only so long he can hold out. Will Cordell be able to find him in time? Or will it be too late?

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?- August has some big news for his family this Thanksgiving

At the Stables- August and Sadie have a horseback riding session

I'm August- In which August Walker comes out

No Means No- August nodded. And for some reason that made him feel dizzy. That was not good. Maybe this had been a bad idea. He clearly wasn’t feeling well. He made to get up and tell her as much but he couldn’t get his limbs to move the way he wanted them to. Or very much at all really. Just enough to shove himself off the couch and onto the patio.

Mixed Feelings- August is a romantic who believes in soulmates, Sadie is the opposite. When they meet, sparks fly and August is very excited about it. Sadie is not.

This Old Song and Dance- In which Sadie is a dancer, August plays the piano, and there's a routine they know all too well. It's a routine they perform every night, even when Sadie isn't onstage.

Skinny Dipping- A heatwave has hit Austin. August and Sadie find a way to cool off

You're Gonna Go Far Kid- August waits in the wings while Sadie gives her first TV interview

Only For You- Being a couple is all about making compromises

Funhouse Mirror- August and Stella are messing around with spells again. August suffers the consequences.

False Smiles and Pretty Lies- James told Walker that his family had to attend the medal ceremony to keep Kevin's guard down and make it easier to catch him. Cordell reluctantly agreed and did his best to prepare his family for it. Unfortunately, they lose track of August during the panic when Grey Flag attacks and Kevin takes the opportunity to use him as leverage in his escape. Now it's up to Cordell to rescue his son and try not to do something to James that will cost him his badge.

I Never Wanted To Leave- What if Cordell never came back from his undercover mission? How would the family handle it? How would Stella and August cope?

And how would the resident ghosts try to fix it?

[zablionsea]

Regularly-scheduled NOISZ SL Propaganda/j

Happy Pride Month.

As such, I'd like to make a recommendation of a game I feel has great LGBTQ representation, that's written by LGBTQ people: NOISZ STΔRLIVHT, available on iOS and Android.

You play as the Producer for the idol group STΔRLIVHT. As musicians around the world are suddenly disappearing, STΔRLIVHT nearly finds themselves meeting the same fate, until a mysterious woman named Beyond grants them the power of the NOISZ.

The group members strength their bonds, fight musical monsters from another world, and learn more about the complexities of each other's lives.

It's a bullet-hell rhythm game, consisting of 4-key (aka 4k) sections cut between (and on higher difficulties, overlapped with) moving your character around the screen to dodge bullets.

The game has a variety of queer characters (although those whose existence/queerness are spoilers will not be mentioned).

Sera and Grace are two members of the main idol group and are playable characters in battle. They're also dating and have been since the end of middle school. They have a kind, supportive relationship where Sera's extreme ambitiousness (leading to getting overwhelmed) is supported by Grace's kindness. Grace's extreme selflessness is supported by Sera's powerful affection. They complement each other well.

They have two love songs: Done in Love by Iris, and First Star by Synthion, the latter of which is the tutorial song. Both are available as charts, but they do cost money for the Clover Club Pass and Dia Club Pass respectively.

The beginning of Sera and Grace's relationship is the central focus on the prequel visual novel game 2ECONDS TO STΔRLIVHT: Forever My Diamond, which is available on Steam, and on mobile as part of the free prequel VN 2ECONDS TO STΔRLIVHT+.

There are recurring event alts in which Sera and Grace wear each other's casual clothes, and honestly, I love that so much. Good for them.

Hakuno is canonically a trans woman, this fact being the central plot point of her and Sumire's prequel visual novel 2ECONDS TO STΔRLIVHT: My Heart's Reflection. A heads-up about MHR, the game does depict transphobia, misgendering, and family confrontation and does give warnings for it on boot-up. There is an option to obscure misgendering language; however, this only censors out incorrect pronouns/gendered terms with asterisks.

Grace's, Sera's, and Hakuno's queerness are directly mentioned very early in the main game's story, too, during Chapter 0.IV.

The game doesn't shy away from these aspects when it's relevant to the plot, but that also isn't the entire point (unfortunately, I can't name said most central focus, as I'd consider it a spoiler). The story juggles a few main threads throughout, and some of those happen to focus on queerness.

There is representation outside of STΔRLIVHT, too: Rhyme (who is sapphic), Han (who is non-binary but doesn't show up in-person after MHR), and even the Producer herself can be sapphic if you select the option in which she comes out to STΔRLIVHT.

The representation is well-written, but that's a natural side effect of the story overall being very good. There are a lot of details that lend well to analysis, and some lines with very clear double-meaning that I fangirl over every time I see them. The characters all feel nuanced, even the antagonists. I don't know how to encapsulate what I like about the story, but I think the writing style and content work well for what it's trying to do, I'll say.

The way it builds on the lore established in the original NOISZ and the re:||VERSE DLC is very interesting, too. It very much messes with your expectations if you've played the original NOISZ, but then your knowledge comes in handy for understanding the plot later on. The connections are fascinating, in both how clear some are and how unclear others are. I'm excited for how the second half of the story will wrap things up.

The game is also very fun outside overall, and that's another reason I recommend it. The bullet hell and rhythm game work together very well, and there's a lot of fun, creative charting. Stellar song selection too, especially for an indie game, with a great pool of originals (although access to many of those is paywalled). Got some absolutely great musicians on for that like Camellia, Synthion, Iris, Soleily, Nhato, and Reku Mochizuki.

Anyway, that's what I wanted to say.

[crvsaded]

⊹ @thervnaways  ♡‘d for a start !

⊹ It’s just another boring day at the animal shelter where Gabriel works. He’s humming along to the radio while filling out paperwork. When the door opens he grins brightly, “Hi! Welcome to Shake a Paw! Are you looking to adopt?”

[ncxsidusarchived]

❁ @yuseongu & Lowri !

❁ Somin feels as though he’s reasonably nervous, that he’s set himself up for this. He’s not dressed anything fancy, a nice pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a simple pattern. He’s waiting outside of the ice cream parlor for her to show up, kicking a stone both nervous and impatiently. When he sees her he offers her a little wave.

[crvsaded-aa-blog]

❝ @lavienrcse & Sehyun !

❝ Riis settles into Sehyun’s lap, dropping his head back and onto his boyfriend’s shoulder. “If you don’t feed me right now, I think I’ll die. I need sustenance. I want... ice cream... it’s so hot.” He whines, something unusual for him to do.

[direwolfrules]

Would anyone care for some unsolicited fanfic recs in this trying time?

Star Wars (because I have no other life):

(Re)convene by Nightfall_1409:

10 years after sacrificing himself for the Rebellion, Ezra Bridger is offered the chance to turn back the clock and alter the course of history forever- the Force sending back with him a ragtag band of heroes, all whom have proven themselves worthy of the chance, all of whom have the drive to prevent the events that turned their lives into living nightmares, all of whom have the chance to save their loved ones from their fates.

Now 35 years in the past, returned to the era of the Republic 6 years before the rise of the Empire, 3 years before the start of the Clone Wars, he has to unite his scattered allies- Ahsoka Tano, Din Djarin, Boba and Omega Fett- and put together the puzzle of what caused the galaxy to fall, or they'll all be doomed to watch it happen again.

Personal Thoughts:

I really like this one. Time travel is my favorite trope. It’s well written, it draws you in, and the author has done an excellent job of mashing up Legends and Canon in fun and unique ways.

It has everything: Force Sensitive Omega, Tired Space Dad Din Djarin accidentally becoming a main character, Ezra and Anakin as chaotic besties, no Jedi bashing, and much more that would be spoilers.

The author tries to update twice a month. It’s really good. Also this is the only one I���m including the summary for because I’m lazy.

Time-Traveling Artoo by SpiderMansUnfriendlyNeighbor

Crack fic go brrrr. Seriously though, it’s just Artoo fucking with Sidious and then kidnapping children to matchmake. I was laughing the whole way through.

A Means of Survival by LessAttitudeMoreAltitude

In which Ursa finds a half dead Jedi Padawan named Caleb and the Mandalorian Adoption instinct activates. Listen, Sabine has decided the Jetti’ad is her favorite person, they can’t just not adopt him

The Time Heals ‘verse by jessicas_pi

Force Sensitive Sabine travels back in time to the Clone Wars, accidentally bonds with a Force Entity that I’m 99% sure is the Brother, becomes Obi-Wan’s Padawan, and keeps accidentally-on-purpose bringing people back to the past.

Also Quinlan Vos is there.

It’s Sabezra if that’s a turn off for anyone.

You Either Die A Hero… by RennyBanette

The 501st gets trapped in a time loop on Umbara. Delightful crack full of Krell murder and fire.

The Desert Storm by Blue_Sunshine

This is the Star Wars time travel fic. It’s so good. 4 years after the fall of the Republic Obi-Wan gets caught in a sandstorm, and when it passes he’s back in time when Anakin’s just a three year old clinging to his mom’s skirt.

Naturally, Obi-Wan frees the Skywalkers, changes his name to Ben Naasade, takes his younger self as a Padawan, and gives Mace Windu so many headaches.

Featuring: Jedi Shmi Skywalker, Pong Krell getting his shit wrecked, Legends stuff, Jedi Shmi Skywalker, Mandalorians being awesome, Alderaan being awesome, Jedi Shmi Skywalker, Obitine, the Sith being evil and creepy, and most importantly, Jedi Knight Shmi Skywalker

[mornyavie]

Glossary of references in The Bifrost Incident

 It’s Very Long and yet also not really complete. If there are any questions / clarifications I can add, or I’ve messed anything up and need to fix it, let me know!

The tl;dr is that nearly every word in the album draws from either Norse mythology or the Lovecraft / Cthulhu mythos, directly or indirectly.

@moony221b here’s that glossary that I promised forever and a day ago.

Edit: I decided to create this document of annotations (x). Lyrics taken from Genius; I’m not totally sure how accurate they are, but hopefully they help get the point across! Again, questions and complaints both welcome.

Arcomba

I can’t find anything on this, would be interested if someone knows.

Asgard

One of the Nine Worlds, specifically the one where most of the Æsir (the subset of gods most associated with humans, including the well-known ones like Thor and Odin) live.

Thus Asgard is the planet on which the most powerful inhabitants of the Yggdrasil system, and those named after the gods, are found (though the subjugation / colonization relationship does not exist in myth).

Azathoth

This one’s from Lovecraft; Azathoth is the greatest of the Outer Gods, often served and worshiped by other gods themselves. Often described as mad, a demon, a sultan, or putting it all together as the Mad Demon Sultan. Resides at “the center of the universe,” where he appears as some sort of vast, amorphous, bubbling, roiling mass of “nuclear chaos.” (Nuclear probably refers to center, not nuclear power, which didn’t really exist when this was written). Servants about him play drums and flutes.

Mentioned briefly as the train travels through the Bifrost and into his realm, and a lot of the narration in those few verses draws directly from Lovecraft’s descriptions.

Baldur

The god of light and beloved by all, Baldr was killed by Loki in his final betrayal of the gods. After the murder Loki was tracked down and imprisoned, and will escape at the start of Ragnarok. In particular, Loki used a spear made of mistletoe... or, in the album, missile two. And tricked another god into throwing it, which I think is mimicked in the distance and impersonality of the crime. Look up more of his story if you want, it’s interesting and important, but that’s the relevant info here.

Bifrost

The rainbow bridge that the gods use to travel between worlds. 

Which is, of course, directly analogous to the wormhole-ish extradimensional-ish space of “shifting, undulating hues” through which the train travels.

Edda

The Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda are the names given to two pieces of literature that are most people’s main source for Norse mythology. The Prose Edda was written by Snorri Sturluson around 1200 to teach his (mostly Christian) contemporaries about the mythology and mythological references that made up a big chunk of Norse literature. The Poetic Edda is a set of poems that serve as a major source for Norse tales.

This is partially just a way to connect our hero Lyfrassir Edda to the Norse traditions, but also definitely a reference to their (presumed) role as the main “recorder” and source of information to get out of the Yggdrasil system.

Fate

Honestly the way the Mechanisms deal with fate in general is very interesting and arguably sometimes quite Nordic... but in particular, Bifrost Incident references fate or destiny a number of times and features a number of situations where the outcome is fixed and can’t be changed, but you have to fight anyways: “Killing me won’t save your world” “I don’t care” or how Loki and Sigyn can’t stop the train, but can only delay it. A lot of Norse tragedy revolves around people heading into battle knowing that they’re doomed and fighting anyways, or around the cycle of conflict that marked the cultural requirements for avenging insults. And the myth cycle is notable for the fact that the gods know, explicitly, exactly what Ragnarok is, what’s going to happen, and how they’re going to die, but will fight in it anyways. 

Inevitability and helplessness in the face of what you can’t possibly understand, let alone fight, which is a depiction slightly sideways of the Nordic version, are very Lovecraftian themes.

Fenrir

A wolf, child of Loki and father of Skoll and Hati, who was chained by the gods (particularly by Tyr, who placed his hand in the wolf’s mouth as “hostage” to assure him they would unchain him later, and lost the hand). He will break free at Ragnarok to join the battle against them and kill Odin.

With his association with monsters and with Loki, it’s fairly clear why he was aligned with the resistance movement. He’s serving “five life sentences” as a reference to his being chained, and the whole motif of the train’s journey being hijacked for a prison break certainly references the various characters who will be freed or break free as Ragnarok begins.

Frey

The brief reference of Frey being killed by the raging fire of the sun, with “no weapon, no defense,” is a direct translation of the god’s role in Ragnarok, when he will be killed by Surtr. Frey gave away his sword for the opportunity to woo his eventual wife, and so will be armed only with a stag’s antlers in his final combat. Also called Freyr.

Freya (“weeps tears of red-gold”)

Like her brother Frey (and yeah, these names get confusing), Freya is associated with harvest and fertility, though unlike him she also gets battle. In the song she weeps red-gold tears at the death of her husband Odr, which in myth she is said to do when her husband is absent. Also called Freyja.

Garm

Garm is another wolf, who guards Hel’s gates. He also breaks free at Ragnarok, and his howling heralds its coming. As in the album, he will fight and kill Tyr. Also called Garmr.

Hati

There’s a lot of wolves in Norse mythology. This one is a child of Fenrir. He chases the moon across the sky, and will swallow it when Ragnarok comes.

Mentioned briefly only as one of the resistance members on the train.

Heimdall

Heimdall is the watchman of the gods, with keen eyes and foresight, and guards the Bifrost as the entrance to Asgard. He will blow his horn to summon the gods to the final battle during Ragnarok, and he and Loki will kill one another. Also called Heimdallr; you’re probably noticing a pattern. It’s a grammar thing.

Mentioned as guarding the train and “doing his part.” His dying screams initiate the train’s destruction and echo throughout it, which presumably recalls the horn thing.

Hel

Another daughter of Loki, and, as the name will imply to English speakers, a guardian of the dead. She refuses to give Baldur back to the world of the living after Loki kills him. Also the name of the realm in which she resides, and to which go those who die of disease or old age. Doesn’t necessarily have the same bad-punishment connotation as modern Hell. I don’t know whether there’s any indication of what she herself is doing in Ragnarok, but many of her people and associates are certainly fighting against the gods, and I’m fairly certain the ship Naglfar, which carries Loki and his allies to Ragnarok, sets sail from Hel.

Hel as a prison colony clearly references the various characters the gods have chained or otherwise imprisoned (though, in myth, not all within Hel) as well as her alignment with “other side” during Ragnarok, and the jailbreak the resistance members are planning recalls the breaking of all these bonds as Ragnarok begins.

Hoddmimis

The woods in which Líf and Lífþrasir (see Lyfrassir) will shelter to survive Ragnarok and the various disasters accompanying it. 

So, good news! We can be marginally assured of Lyfrassir’s survival after taking shelter at the mining-colony of Hoddmimis.

Jormungandr

The world serpent, which lives in the seas and encircles the earth. Will arise during Ragnarok, causing great floods, and fight Thor; Thor will slay the serpent, but in turn the serpent’s poison will cause his death, after he staggers “nine steps back.”

Thor’s fight with Odin-turned-serpent is pretty clearly analogous to this, especially the taking nine steps to the window before destroying it with his hammer, resulting in both their deaths. I don’t think there’s any mythological basis to Odin turning into the serpent, though

Kvasir (“blood drained out”)

Kvasir was a very wise man/god and the originator of poetry. I’m leaving out a fair amount of his birth and life; the important information here is that two dwarves who were jealous of his knowledge tricked him, killed him, drained his blood, and mixed it with honey to make mead. Any who drank of the mead gained the gift of poetry / scholarship; eventually the gods stole it.

I’m not sure if there’s a reason they decided to specifically describe him as a resistance member, but there’s a clear parallel in Kvasir’s blood being drained and used to power the train, especially with the language of glyphs and sigils providing power.

Loki

Ah, Loki. Male in the general canon, though not without genderbending (he turns into a mare and gives birth to Fenrir, Hel, and Jormungandr, for instance). Inasmuch as the Norse myths we have can be organized into a “chronology,” you could do it (in my opinion) along Loki’s path from a mostly benevolent trickster god whose antics occasionally cause trouble to a genuinely malevolent figure. Associated with wit, magic, and trickery. Despite how modern lore (I suspect influenced by Marvel) often portrays Thor and Loki as brothers and children of Odin, in the myth Loki and Odin are bonded as blood-brothers. But Loki also often appears alongside Thor. As mentioned, parent of three of the main figures of Ragnarok. In the “final” myth, he jealously arranges the death of the god Baldr, who was loved by all; then he appears at a feast, where he exchanges insults with the other gods. This is the last straw; they capture him and chain him to a stone, over which they tie a serpent. Venom drips from the serpent’s fangs, causing him great agony. His wife Sigyn stays by his side, catching the venom in a bowl, but when she is forced to leave for a moment to dump it out his thrashing causes earthquakes. He will break free at the start of Ragnarok and sail to Asgard, where he and Heimdall will kill each other.

Hopefully that’s enough to give you a good background for Loki’s role in the album... it’s pretty clear why she’s framed as the opposition to the gods and the “leader” of the resistance movement, as a call to her role in Ragnarok. Her association with magic and trickery make sense for her being the “expert” in the twisted Lovecraftian “science” that produces the train. It also parallels her role in myth; her actions often get the gods into trouble, but they just as often need her wit and knowledge to get them out of it, as Odin needs her knowledge despite her taking action to destroy the train. And the setup at the end - drip, drip, drip, her face twisted in pain, her wife beside her, her “release” heralding the end of the world - precisely echoes the language of her bondage in myth; though her mind-destroying imprisonment by Odin also invokes this.

Lovecraft(ian)

A highly influential horror writer from the early 20th century. He’s largely credited with the creation of the creation of the “cosmic horror” genre, a type of horror which emphasises a vast, unknowable, uncaring universe against which we cannot hope to even begin to fight. His ideas and the gods / demons / creatures he created form the basis of the “Cthulhu mythos” or even “Lovecraft mythos,” which today is a sort of standard set of assumptions on which writers can build. Lovecraftian themes of apocalypse, inevitability, and powerlessness are highly prevalent in the album. Several of the gods in this mythos are used; in particular, Yog-Sothoth (see below). Also, a lot of the general description (madness, roiling chaos, undulating colors) draws from his distinctive vocabulary that remains staple of the genre. It’s worth noting that Lovecraft was a horrible and very racist person, but the genre today is widely used by people who are not terrible.

Lyfrassir

Líf and Lífþrasir in Norse mythology are the two humans who will survive Ragnarok and rebuild humanity; a hopeful sign for our album’s protagonist!

Midgard

In Norse mythology, the “middle” world where humans live. Earth.

Nagthrod

I don’t know this one.

@acorn-mushroom pointed out that it may be a mis-transcription of Naglfar, the name of the (ocean) ship which will carry Loki and his followers from the shores of Hel to the battlefield at Ragnarok. It’s made of dead men’s nails.

Odin

The king of the gods in Norse mythology. As the god of both wisdom and madness, Odin’s role in the album as a researcher and technological ruler whose discoveries drive her slowly mad is both very Lovecraftian and a reasonable leap. I could say a lot about the figure of Odin, but I think this character is one of the most divergent from the myth, in detail if not in role.

Odr

Óðr is Freya’s husband.

Outer gods

A Lovecraft thing referring to several of the most horrible and powerful gods, including Yog-Sothoth.

Ragnarok

The apocalypse, basically, in Norse mythology. Proceeded by various catastrophes, especially a very long winter, mentioned in the album, culminating in a great battle between the gods and their enemies, and resulting in the death of the majority of gods and other creatures of the world.

Ratatosk

A squirrel who runs up and down Yggdrasil, carrying messages between some of the tree’s other inhabitants and sowing discord. The Ratatosk Express links the worlds of the Yggdrasil System, and causes “discord” in the resistance’s opposition to it.

Sigyn

Loki’s wife. See Loki for her role in his imprisonment.

Skoll

Sköll in Norse mythology is the wolf that chases and will someday eat the sun. Association with Fenrir (another wolf) and other monsters motivates his inclusion in the list of resistance members.

Thor

A Norse god, associated with war, lightning/thunder, strength, and in general sort of... common people, as opposed to Odin’s association with kings and royalty. Prone to anger, which makes sense with his depiction as a volatile military leader in the album. He is heavily associated with his hammer mjölnir, hence jokes about “throwing a hammer in the works” and whatnot. Often associates with Loki, both as friends and as enemies as Loki progresses from a mostly-harmless trickster to actively opposing the other gods; thus how in the album he and Loki were once friends. See above for his death fighting Jormungandr.

Tyr

Another Norse god associated with war. He sacrificed a hand to bind Fenrir, and will be killed by Garmr during Ragnarok, both events referenced in the album.

Yggdrasil

The world-tree of Norse mythology, which supports the nine worlds of the cosmology. 

Yog-Sothoth

An Outer God of Lovecraftian mythos; also called the Gate and Key. It is associated as sort of the substance of time and space, binding together the cosmos. A lot of the description during the Ragnarok sequences draws directly from the “canonical” descriptions of this deity, and the invocation spoken by Lyfrassir in Red Signal draws from a story about this creature, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

[pencilofawesomeness]

Fics I Absolutely Adore and Would Recommend to Anyone

I’ve been meaning to do this for a long, long time, because I love reading fanworks and they deserve a lot of love and I love sharing things that I love. 

Obviously this isn’t everything, and if it’s not on this list that doesn’t mean I don’t love it, it just means I forgot at this moment. I will be adding to the list and I remember things or come across it again. (Trying to sort through my bookmarks and subscriptions is like trying to catch a fish bare-handed.) I’m also gonna shy away from the one-shots, even though I adore fun one-shots, just for the sake of organization. The list would be super long otherwise, and those are best sorted by fandom. Here... Here are just some brilliant works I want to rant about. 

Disclaimer: I say “recommend” because I would recommend these works, any time any place, but do keep in mind the story’s rating and tags and stuff. Not everything is kid-friendly.

There is absolutely no hierarchy to the list below. They are added as I add.

Fairy Dance of Death

by Catsy ( @fairydanceofdeath​ )

Fandom: Sword Art Online Word Count: 660,282 Status: ongoing

「AU reboot of the entire SAO storyline, beginning from the premise that Kayaba Akihiko was obsessed with magic and Norse Mythology rather than swords and pure melee. As a result, he created the Death Game of Alfheim Online rather than the floating castle of Aincrad—a world in which player-killing is not a crime, and the nine player races are in competition with each other to reach the top of the World Tree. Multi-POV epic following the stories of multiple canon characters throughout the game.」

If Catsy wrote the SAO light novels and anime, SAO would be among the legendary series. Fairy Dance of Death has this amazingly simple premise of making Alfheim Online, the video game from the original series’ less-than-stellar second part, the game that the main cast becomes trapped in. However, it’s so much more. They took the characters and made them characters, and everyone gets ample spotlight—even background characters that normally wouldn’t receive a second thought. It’s masterful work, and to boot, there is a lovely frame of in-game mystery and player conflict. The organization is phenomenal and I aspire to world-build the way they did. Not to mention that stakes are so much higher and this series has ripped my heart to shreds more than once. 

It has also brought me great joy, and even when I was in the dumps and didn’t want to read anything, a FDOD update made me pick up my phone and read when I otherwise wouldn’t have. It has a really special place in my heart. It updates once in a blue moon, but that’s okay. 

Even if you have never seen a single piece of Sword Art Online, Fairy Dance of Death is still a great read. In fact, it’s the Better Version of SAO, if we’re all being honest, so I would especially recommend it if you hadn’t seen the original. Or if you have. The characters are given so much love and detail, to the point where Fairy Dance of Death’s characterizations are More Canon to me than Kawahara Reki’s work. It is just a beautiful piece of fiction, and it makes you question the depravity of man on levels that SAO shied away from. 

Poisoned Dreams

by StrangeDiamond

Fandom: Genshin Impact Word Count: 82,852 Status: Complete, with a complete sequel and more to come

「 Every night now, Diluc dreams of death. Usually Kaeya's. In between these nightmares his life is falling apart. It doesn't take Kaeya long to realize that this is something much more insidious than simple bad dreams. His brother's life and sanity are on the line and there is nothing Kaeya won't do to save him. Bonus chapter added.」

In a growing fandom from a new game, StrangeDiamond swooped in and characterized these bad boys so well I think it’s canon. It really breathes life into the video game lore, and it’s an A+ depiction of awkward sibling re-bonding post-Terrible-Happenings. Poisoned Dreams can be read alone with a basic understanding of Genshin storybuilding, but StrangeDiamond has an entire group of fics and oneshots set in the same headcanon, and they integrate them really well and subtly together. Not to mention that the narrative style is really clever with making you question what is real and what is dream (a big point in this story) and the inner voices of the point-of-view characters are very compelling. 

One Word to Change the World

by AgentMalkere 

Fandom: Fairy Tail Collective Word Count: 43,988 (30 parts) Status: probably never coming back

「 In just one universe, Ultear called out to her mother instead of turning away and the fate of Fairy Tail and the world was irrevocably altered. These are glimpses of a world where a single word made all the difference.

In other words, welcome to the Butterfly Effect - Fairy Tail style. 」

It’s a really cute canon-divergent, and while the series makes no attempt to re-write Fairy Tail, it addresses the major events and just snippets in between. It does a good job at giving the vast cast ample spotlight, but it’s also an easy read. It’s special to me because it was the series that made me really pay attention to Bickslow in particular, and I respect that.

Vigilantis Pretium Libertatis

by aradian_nights 

Fandom: Attack on Titan Word Count: 399,226 Status: Complete

「 Five years ago, an accident freed Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlelt from an experiment that forced the most extraordinary powers onto them. After five years of separation, of being raised apart to be heroes by a set of three very different adults, they meet again. As they uncover the truth behind their captivity they realize being free and being heroes are sadly nothing but an illusion. 」

This wrecked me.

I still remember when I read it. It was the beginning of 2018, and I had the flu and a lot of time on my hands, so I binge-read this. It was simultaneously the best and the worst thing I have ever done, because I resonated with it so deeply there were times I was just staring up at the ceiling wondering what was real. I empathized with the characters to a level I rarely achieve, and I empathize easily. I laughed. I cried. It was amazing.

I refer to this story in conversation to this day. It handled themes published authors have only dreamed of achieving. Heck, if Dani (the author) took out the names of the AoT cast and replaced it with new ones, it could be its own stand alone novel. It is worldbuilding from the ground up, and any fandom knowledge you take in with you is used against you like a knife leveraged against your throat. Yet, no one is out of character. It’s phenomenal. I would say more, but this is something I daren’t spoil for anybody, because you must be as wrecked as I was. Vigilantis Pretium Libertatis is a level of writing I achieve to gain as a writer myself. It is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

Life in Glass Houses

by blueskyscribe ( @blueskyscribe​ )

Fandom: Transformers (Transformers Prime, Transformers: Shattered Glass) Word Count: 119,900 Status: Ongoing (maybe, I hope)

「 No one would have thought Bumblebee and Knock Out were capable of getting along, but when they're stuck in a strange new world and their only hope of survival is cooperation . . . Yeah, they're probably doomed. 」

I could be biased because Knock Out and Bumblebee are two of my favorite characters, but it really is brilliant. Two enemies, stuck together—but not in an overly cliché way. It’s the right amount of cliché, with heaps moral conflict and inner conflict and sometimes just beating each other with a broom when no one is looking. It’s also a fascinating look into what makes a character the way they are in relation to the morals they possess, and how stalwart those morals can be. I can’t help but think of this story whenever I see or write a “role reverse” or mirror-verse AU. It does an excellent job at making all of the characters engaging and their own character, despite being in a mirror-verse.

Yesterday Upon the Stair

by PitViperOfDoom ( @pitviperofdoom​ )

Fandom: My Hero Academia Word Count: 424,070 Status: Complete

「 Midoriya Izuku has always been written off as weird. As if it's not bad enough to be the quirkless weakling, he has to be the weird quirkless weakling on top of it.

But truthfully, the "weird" part is the only part that's accurate. He's determined not to be a weakling, and in spite of what it says on paper, he's not actually quirkless. Even before meeting All-Might and taking on the power of One For All, Izuku isn't quirkless.

Not that anyone would believe it if he told them. 」

As a person who normally doesn’t read these kind of minor canon divergences, especially at the time of reading, I frickin’ love this fic. In fact, I think YUTS gave me a deep appreciation for canon divergence fics. It’s MHA in all of its glory but it’s so much more, and even the parts that rehash canon give new light to the characters and their points of view. 

I had read Viper’s work before and saw Yesterday Upon the Stair filling my inbox, and then I finally watched My Hero Academia. It was one of the first MHA fics I read and it still has a very special place in my heart. I recommend this series to people who don’t even watch MHA; in fact, there are some who might prefer the darker tones and themes of heroism vs apathy to the main series. Not to mention the writing style is phenomenal, and I aspire to be that good. It made me laugh. It made me cry. Yes, tears streaming down my face crying. It is the best ghost story I have ever read.

the Vantage Point Universe

by Aggie2011 ( @aggie2011whoop​ )

Fandom: The Avengers (MCU) Collective Word Count: 1,032,651 (35 parts) Status: Ongoing (just slowed down)

「 Six months after the Loki incident, Clint isn't adjusting well. When an enemy from his days in the Army comes back to haunt him, he'll be forced to face a part of his past - and to move past Loki, if he has a hope of finding his place with the Avengers. (First of a universe created to center around Clint Barton) 」

// description taken from first installment

Have you enjoyed the MCU, especially the first-era Avengers phase, but like me, were disappointed in the fact that Hawkeye was barely there? The VP universe is for you. 

I honestly have a hard time remembering what was canon and what was VP. And if it’s not canon, it should be. The VP universe gave so much life to Clint and to Natasha and to all of SHIELD and even the rest of the Avengers. It’s just...so good. It’s completely immersive. It focuses a lot on Hawkeye and Black Widow from before the Avengers team-up, as well as after, and it all flows together so beautifully. Not to mention that I can be reading a mission that happened pre-series, so I know that they are going to live with all of their limbs, and I still sit there on the edge of my seat the whole time.

The OCs, minor as they are, that are created for this are also wonderfully done. I can’t believe Dan and Phil don’t exist in canon. Every character, canon or no, is engaging and dynamic, it is a pleasure to follow each point of view. The emotional turmoil is also handled very well, and the VP universe carries the MCU trend of humanizing its heroes and takes it so much further. 

Ghosts of the Future

by Evan Stanley ( @evanstanleyportfolio​ )

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog Word Count: comic (18 issues) Status: ongoing

「 About 200 years in the future, Silver the Hedgehog is an average kid living in San Francisco... except for his strange and terrible dreams of a dying Blue Hedgehog, a Black Hedgehog, and mysterious gems called "Chaos Emeralds". What will he do, when these "figments of his imagination" appear before him in his real life? 」

// description taken from first installment

Okay so this is the only one that isn’t an Ao3 story, but rather a comic on DeviantArt. However, it is still one of my favorite stories. Even though it takes the commonalities of Sonic canon and turns them on its head, GotF really treats the characters well. There are enough familiar world elements to create intrigue, but it is set in a completely different take of the future, so there is ample opportunity for world building and being able to engage with a completely new thing. I wish SEGA put as much love in the series (namely the games, because the comics are *chef’s kiss*) and all of its possibilities as creators like Evan Stanley do.

The friendship and family relationships in GotF are so diverse and all so fantastic to witness. It’s a keynote example of the new hero and the old veterans, and both parties are active and trying their best.

Do not be alarmed by the starting art style. Sure, it’s rough around the edges at first, but then it gets better, and then it gets gorgeous, and then you’re left there so stunned that it looks like just life canon art. And then you could be like me, blinking slowly as my small brain finally connected that this Evan Stanley is in fact the Evan Stanley. GotF is an amazing fanwork, but she also draws and writes for the Official Canon comics (the IDW ones now) and that work is also phenomenal and should be supported. 

Whirlwind

by Lynse ( @ladylynse​ )

Fandom: Danny Phantom, American Dragon: Jake Long, Miraculous Ladybug, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja Word Count: 75,556 Status: Complete

「 Jake should be used to ominous predictions by now. Randy should know better than to blindly follow McFist. Adrien should think twice before sneaking away. And Danny really should've expected something like this when he got that phone call from Jake. (Secret Quartet fic) 」

I have to start by saying that I adore all of Lynse’s fics, and I chose this one simply because it is one of my favorites. But it’s all fantastic, one hundred percent. I also love Mirrored, the sort-of prequel to this fic, but Whirlwind just has the chaotic pure bean energy that each of the shows bring and it foils against each other so perfectly. This is the epitome of the Secret Quartet crossover, truly.

All fandoms and all characters get ample love, and the way the reader gets to see just how badly the characters’ assumptions are going is positively wonderful. It’s so easy to fall into the “I know what’s happening and so do the characters” trap, but Lynse leaps over it gracefully and lands in greatness. The fic had me smiling like a maniac one minute, and feeling sorry for my babies the next. Wonderful. Simply fantastic!

[katewaliss]

! write with me or fight with me!

you either die by my sword or the most painful head canons imaginable! *merida vc* choose yer fate

just kidding!

 hey there gaymers, i am crissy! i am 22, live in pst, go by she/her pronouns and honestly would very much like a distraction from life -- preferably in the form of 1x1 and rp in general. i am currently doing online school plus trying/failing at adulting, being a crazy pink haired college student living on microwave dimsum with my crazy fluffy demon cat, but that still leaves me with a lot of time and what better way to spend that time then crying and dying, am i right, boys? 

so without further ado ( adieu? idk gusundheit ) here are a list of discomboblulated plot things that have been floating around in my head that i might be fun to do ( plot fragments, ideas, ocs, fcs i like, settings, genres etc )! i’d prefer a message if u liked any of these in the inbox or dm form, my tumblr ims are open and my discord user is mr. worldwide#2918 ( pitbull supremacy ) but if ur shy i will message u and be annoying! 

lastly: i prefer hcing in the dms to replies, however i will do replies/ask memes slowly, i don’t really like making blogs and prefer google docs/discord and i ask ( gently and respectfully ) that minors do not interact.

thank u and happy hunger games! xx

COLLEGE TOTALLY SPIES -- i was really obsessed with this picture right here and i thought that the picture would be a good premise for a little four person group based on totally spies. i was thinking that these three college students/young adults some friends maybe not some enemies or just on completely different ends of the social agenda get bonded together when they accidentally end up roped in a top secret spy organization that is fronted by a record store. the details and flesh of the plot i think would be cute to figure out all together maybe in a google doc or a big discord so we can make the rp to perfect world building specifications. right now i have two spots open! 

my friend lexi over at comradc has taken the cool goth asian girl and is using lyrica okano

i am playing the freckly backwards hat lesbian in the red polo named aj mccallis and i think im using diana silvers ( not sure might switch to tati rodriguez )

we also have the cute blond girl w the dyed hair who is giving me kind of like sydney sweeney energies, blonde girl maybe like lalisa manoban/jinsoul,

and we have the rad black girl with the bandids who i would only accept black fcs for for such as diamond white, ryan destiny, salem mitchell, 

i’d prefer if this stayed kind of sapphic and female and enby friendly. we can def make make npcs and characters but i’d prefer if the characters looked like they do in the picture ( minus the white girls who can be racebent as long as there are vibes ) mostly bc i want the poc people to stay the correct poc! but yeah! if u like this message me specifically!!!!! seperately and hit me w a role ud like maybe an fc an idea anything < 3 im working on a google doc and discord sever

- i really want to play a himbo skater boy evan mock like its my dream i know nothing abt him other than he probably goes by something like mouth or juice or tris or dex or dante but !!!! he has buzzed hair he buzzes designs into, does stick n pokes, hates cops, will kiss anyone, likes to mosh at house shows, smokes a lot and sounds like crush from finding nemo, probably ur parents worst nightmare if im honest rodrick heffley energy -- adopt him for any plot

- i also really am obsessed with simay barlas who is my mascot rn -- i want to play her in some sort of dark academia setting with like gossip girl blair waldorf energies lu from elite and have her be really mean and cold and pretentious and play the cello and probably have secrets and be uptight idk the name mallory is resonating hard w me ( we could even do a gossip girl the secret history type group if people liked that ) 

-ok i also really really want to play streak aka silas montgomery who is like very like sidekick best friend to the golden boy main character, does a kick ass goat impression, class clown, relentlessly hits on like the most difficult person in school, does crazy things for laughs and attention, just wants to make people happy, only wears hawaiian shirts, finger guns, is going nowhere in life, his dad is probably the dean at whatever prestigious school also he is very very depressed and drinks often! love u! a I Feel Like Im The Worst So I Always Act Like Im The Best electra heart baby PINTEREST

also yes his hair is pink reg verse he did it on a dare but hp verse he did a potion wrong and it never came out

SOMEONE DO A LADY HANNIBAL WILL GRAHAM RP KILLING EVE RP W ME! i made this will graham adjacent gal for a genderbent hannigram rp her name is bisexual disaster enida johnson and sometimes goes by needy or will bc her middle name is willamena! has basically all the will things wears flannels is a mess but has a bunch of cats instead of dogs in her woods log cabin and im using crystal reed bc it fits perfect in my head idk if u like her hmu hit me w a lady hannibal PINTEREST

other stuff

ok i really want to do a princess and knight plot but with knight zendaya and princess anya taylor joy ???? ALKHALKSHALK LITERALLY HELLO literally modern or like dnd style i do not care but know i love dnd! we could make it like them goin on some skyrim quests like hi

speaking of dnd and skyrim if anyone wants to do like anything based in dnd stuff or skyrim stuff i am DOWN

jennifers body plot!!!! maybe set in college!!!!! sounds spicy i will do a f/f or m/m version leggo leggo 

UNTIL DAWN UNTIL DAWN!!!! i wanted to do a little like 6 person or mumu until dawn thing where everyone either makes new characters or characters based on the existing six! i made a girl adjacent josh character named riley PINTEREST who i love very much ( fc might change im thinking maybe medallion rahimi ) pls hmu if ur down

i looooooove breakfast at tiffanys!!!! like i really love breakfast at tiffanys we love a call girl broody author ship and i want to play a mishti rahman holly golightly type character so so bad 

pygmalion plot!!! basically like an author and the main character of their book comes to life and the book character is probably from a different period of time or realm so doesnt know how to do modern 2020 stuff like microwaves and the tv! and then maybe they get sucked into the characters book world thats written by the author and have to navigate that! enchanted! w the kdrama! energy!

GOSSIP GIRL PLOT ENERGIES

any sort of the secret history murder society until dawn ahs horror type setting i am on a kick rn 

i still really want a deaf sailor and siren plot bc that is so spicy or even like anything involving sirens like maybe one thats like vegetarian and doesnt like to eat humans so it ariel rescues one and keeps it safe!! or like only men are susceptible to the sirens song but aha! i am a woman! Romance!

anything in the realm of percy jackson i love mythology lets go i kind of want a echo narcisuss plot and i want it to hurt me so bad 

i will do harry potter stuff but only if its completely removed from the current canon like years in the future no existing families also maybe beauxbatons salem and drumstrang plots bc thats what matters

iiiiiiiii really like anime so i will do anything kakegurui, soul eater, ohshc

i kind of like grew up on the hunger games so i will gladly take any hunger games plots like young effie and haymitch is spicy or like a career tribute and one of the weaker poorer distracts enemies to lovers leggo

i have a kind of oc that had their parents die in a factory gas leak that was the governments fault and it turned them into a vigilante assasin that is slowly picking off bootlicker government people one by one pretending to be one of them until bam! gets attached to the rich asshole son or daughter of the head hauncho or one of the higher ups ... drama

rich little celebrity fussy wussy being held captive by the mafia and the tired stoic mafia guard but they fall in love 

i kind of like any plot that involves one person that is really loud or angry or dramatic or whiny and the other one is kind of sweet and gentle or does not talk much idk make brain happy 

speaking of!

no nonsense law student studying abroad in a european country and an artist there falls in love w them and is all romantic and gush and is like ur my muse!!! and they are like Go awAy and they explore the city together and themelseves its nice!

i want to be an avan jogia super villain idk why i need to but i do 

not to be a disney adult bc i am not but anastasia princesses dont kiss kitchen boys 

rival cheer captians? best friends brother? pop princess celebrity singer and like antiestablishment really angry rockstar in a publicity relationship? broody detective and sunshiney diner person that works at the diner they eat at everyday?

idk i will think of more hmu these can all be made f/f or m/m if they arent 

[koorinohebi]

3. What’s something you like about how you write? + 7. What’s a negative thing about your character that you enjoy writing?

Mun Interview || Accepting

3. What’s something you like about how you write?

I honestly don't know, embarrassing as it sounds. Hmn, maybe I like it when I can bring out certain emotions in the characters I'm playing along with the characters that they interact with.

I do take pleasure in knowing that a piece that I've written can evoke emotions in my partners and in my readers. If they can somehow get lost in my characters when I write them, I think that's part of what I like about my writing. Of course, I have no idea if people feel that unless they tell me.

7. What’s a negative thing about your character that you enjoy writing?

Aaaaaah~ ahaha~ this blog has a lot of treachery in it. So like, me per say, I can't stand fucking backstabbers and traitors, but for some reason here on this blog, I have three characters who exercise varying degrees of it.

And as much as I love Mitsuhide who is constantly deceiving himself and is in denial about Nobunaga, and going out of his way to make the people that he hurt from his time hate him; Takechi is probably my favorite source of negativity on this blog because he's absolutely horrible.

He really goes all out in the deception department, in order to accomplish what he sets out to do. As we normally joke about on discord, he often "Gaslight. Gatekeeps. Girlboss" his way around; preventing his targets from progressing in areas where he doesn't want them to progress. He fuels his rage and agends with a seemingly kind facade and then slowly just breaks down everything from within. And I really do like writing it, even if I also complain a lot that I hate his guts.

When people get the feeling that they wanna murder Takechi, I feel a little proud of myself because they hate him as much as I do. xD Please hate him with me, we can plot his end together.

In Kiomi's case. I do love writing out her crippling insecurity about herself. There's never a time when she feels like she's worthy of anything that she has. So when someone does good for her or thinks well of her, as much she's thankful, in the back of her mind she wonders what she's done to deserve it. Or how hard she tries at certain things because she knows how expendable and replaceable she is. In her main verse, she's kind of more accepting of this and doesnt really fight the tide. She does her best, but she understands at the end of the day, she can die and no one will bat an eye. In her Fate verse however, she knows that she isn't the best master. She could even be one of the worsts (she doesn't really give herself any credit), which is why she does her best to learn anything and everything that she can. Go out of her way to fight even if it's dangerous because she doesnt want to lose her place. Servants can choose to contract with other masters too, so if she's less than what they expect, she could lose them. As replaceable as she believes herself to be, I feel like she wouldn't be able to take it if its her servants who began feeling that way. Because that just proves her fears that despite the bond, she really isn't worth anything.

[carynsilver]

Favorite Fics: Drarry Edition

Like I mentioned last time, reading has been a big comfort to me with all this craziness and sheltering at home, so I want to pay it forward and send love to some of the writers whose work has been brightening my quarantine. Thanks, guys!

For this list, we’re leaving the MCU for a while and heading over to the Wizarding World. I liked Harry Potter when it came out, but I never really read much fanfic until I realized a couple of years ago how much a redeemed Draco fit into the redemption trope that I loved in Harringrove, LoVe, SnowBaz, and other fandoms and ships. Once I started perusing the fics out there, I realized that one of the strengths of this fandom is the length and quality of the stories. I love stories that are a meal, and Drarry provides so many!

As I’ve gotten into the ship (so many years late, lol), these are my top 10 favorites.

dirtynumbangelboy by @magpiefngrl

This is probably the Drarry fic that I most enjoy. I come back to it fairly often when I need just a good read in the HP world. Fake dating is one of my absolute favorite tropes, which made this one an automatic win for me, but it’s written with such heart. I really, really love Draco in this fic. His uni studies and his flat being so different from the diffident image he projects. This is also probably the best Astoria I’ve ever read. Also--Jam Today! Read it now!

Do It All Over Again by DracoWillHearAboutThis

I only discovered this series earlier this year, and I’ve already read it at least three times from beginning to end. It’s a re-telling of the original series starting from Book 1. Draco sends himself a letter from the future basically saying that his dad is wrong, and he needs to give up his pure blood ideals and befriend Harry, then--boom--the Golden Trio’s adventures all happen with Draco in tow (and eventual romance, of course). The plot is fairly similar to the actual series, but I am there for the angst and the character growth. Narcissa kicks ass in this ‘verse, and Draco/Hermionie as besties is a treat! Book 4 and Book 6 are both amazing. And her titles are hilarious. This is the only series on my list that is still a WIP, but there’s plenty to read. Books 1 - 6 are complete, and a new chapter for 7 comes out every two weeks. It’s a safe bet so far, and it’s so good--why wait?

A Secondary Education by Thunderbird587

In this fic, Draco takes a job as Potions Professor at Hogwarts after getting divorced under horrible circumstances and renews his acquaintance with Harry, who is the DADA Professor. It’s got a bisexual awakening, and manages to combine friends with benefits with some supreme pining. Like a whole pine forest. Thunderbird587′s Draco POV is so fleshed out, and yet it also lets us see how Harry is pining, even when Draco himself doesn’t. Plus, at over 200K, it is long enough to get lost in for ages, which is perfect right about now. And when you finish the main fic, there are three other ancillary fics, two in Harry’s POV that take place during the main one. The cufflinks one is my favorite, but the writing is so good that I even thoroughly enjoyed the third sub-fic that fleshed out an OC. So, so worth the read--all of it!

The Foundations!verse by Saras_Girl

All of the fics by Saras_Girl are great. You can’t go wrong with any of them. But Reparations, Foundations, and all the little one-shots after are my favorite. It honestly surprised me at first, because alcoholism is a trigger for me, but this fic actually helped me realize that it’s the addiction part, the fall to rock bottom that triggers me. Recovery stories are different. And, I guess, this one is a bit different in that, though it has plenty of characters recovering, Draco himself is actually in a healthy place and facilitating recovery without relapsing. Harry is a Healer in this one, which is not the usual, and I quite enjoy his other relationships in this ‘verse, as well. He, Ron, and Hermione’s friendship is great in this one (their pub nights crack me up), but I also really like Harry’s friends at St. Mungo’s. My second favorite Terry Boot ever, and two awesome OC chicks. And the process of Drarry going from can’t stand each other to in love is slow and prickly and yet really believable. Oh, and Harry and Narcissa’s relationship in this one is just fabulous.

Golden Age by zeitgeistic (faire_weather)

The Hufflepuff in me was bound to fall in love with this fic. I really enjoy Eighth Year fics, especially the ones that embrace inter-house unity (shouldn’t have taken them a war to see the need for that!). This one takes it to a new level when everyone in... I think it was 6th - 8th years were resorted at the welcome feast, and the whole 8th year dynamic is shaken up. Harry, Draco and Neville become Hufflepuffs; Hermione and Pansy become Ravenclaws; Ginny becomes a Slytherin; and somehow Ron and Blaise are the ones who stay in their houses because the hat thinks they are basically the uber Gryffindor and Slytherin. But with the rest of them, we get to see them embrace other facets of their personalities, which is super interesting. And then, after the resorting, we find out that Hufflepuffs have a whole different world going on that basically no one outside their house knows about, and that world is brilliant. Even Hufflepuff food in the Great Hall is different! Everyone would enjoy this story, I think, but if you are a ‘Puff, you really, truly should not miss it. And if you like this one, check out some of zeitgeistic’s other works. Her world building is fabulous.

Life skills outside the curriculum by Endrina

In this fic, Harry gets fed up with the Dursleys before his 11th birthday and runs away before he gets his Hogwarts letter. He ends up on the streets and somehow embraces this kind of instinctual magic that is really fascinating. A few years later, Draco runs away rather than get involved more closely with the Dark Lord, and of course they meet up. This whole fic is super compelling. Harry’s world view and the way people gravitate toward him even without chosen one status. Also, this fic has one of my favorite versions of Remus and Sirius ever. I really wish there was a part two that went in depth on everything that happened after the end of this one, but even on its own it is so worth the read. And everything is wrapped up. I’m just greedy and would’ve loved more. :-)

A Convenient Impracticality by @firethesound

This fic combines friends with benefits and fake dating into a really enjoyable story. Harry is so oblivious, but it all works out in the end. And Draco is a secret mastermind, but in a good way. So is Hermione. Unlike some of the other, angstier stories on my list, this one is so fun, and I love it. And if you like it, check out more of firethesound’s work, as well. It’s worth it!

you’ve got the antidote for me by kandakicksass

And then, back on the angst train, lol. Soulmates, red string of fate, rejected bond = terminal disease. Whew! There’s a lot to unpack in this one, but after I read it, I never forgot it. I read a lot of fic in a lot of fandoms, and I always know a story is going to become a favorite if it stands out so much that I remember it later and think about it. That surely happened here.

(We’ll Call This Fixer-Upper) Home by phdmama

This is one of the first fics I read on my first Drarry binge, and I’ve always remembered it. Just like I love Eighth Year and Hogwarts professor fics, I also love fics where they have really unexpected jobs--pretty much anything other than Aurors. In this one, Harry is an artist/photographer and Draco is an up-and-coming rock star. The music and art, the creativity is important in this fic, but it also really looks at Draco’s recovery after the war in ways I haven’t read since, and I’m also a sucker for our favorite characters actually addressing and recovering from their trauma. 

Boom Clap (The Sound of My Heart) by @femmequixotic and noeon (noe)

This fic takes the Eighth Year trope to the next level. Draco, Harry, Hermione, and some other faves are teaching fellows at Hogwarts. Junior professors, kind of. It read like if the HP crew went to college. And, of course, Draco and Harry fall in love along the way, but not without much angst and obliviousness. I really enjoy the Draco POV in this. His worries and anxieties feel so real for that stage in his life, but amped up because of the past. This was one I read, never forgot, and then had to go back and find so i could read it again.

So, those are my top 10, but there is lots of other good Drarry out there--both from these authors and all the others in the ship and the fandom. Thanks for all the writing you guys do.

Oh, and tagging @virtual-insomnia, but only because she said she might want to make some quarantine fic lists of her own. :-)

[kaigashi]

new year + update / activity gradual burst.

honestly this has been a harsh couple of months heading into the end of a very hard year for all of us. that said, i know my activity besides memes and reblogs hasn’t been ideal for my own person. i love higurashi kagome and i fully intend to write all i’ve said i will, read / write what i want, and aim to have tags for the people i’ve bonded with. i don’t know with how open our fandom is...if ‘mains’ is the word but if you’ve written with me and you want to do that? please let me know. it’s less...weird if i ask you aha, but i’m open to mains who are mains with other mains because i believe sharing is caring!

some things to do next year and as the year ends

work on icons / manga and anime of inuyasha.

work on my meme asks.

work on my fgo / fate verse, okami, even genshin.

be more active in reaching out to people who want to be partners. remember, if you write with more than one kagome aka me, i don’t mind. i don’t own the market and i want you to write with everyone because that is my goal. 

work more on analysis. 

possibly commission a promo at some point? i’d feel selfish otherwise. 

pick up the pace because i want to as my focus improves, which naturally comes first. 

eventually watch yashahime with salt so i can have a separate verse for it. 

take everything one step at a time, even if i do one ask a day, that’s fine. 

basically i’m gonna be kind to myself. i’m gonna keep being here and loving kagome for the hero she is. i’m not going to water her power down for anyone. i’m going to play this loving, heroic, sweet and flawed while incredible girl for my own sake. i won’t let bad experiences or unkindness ruin that ever. because kind people are outweighing in this community the bad! 

to all of you still invested even with my slowness, thank you so much. i promise it isn’t out of lack of interest in you. i think you know me well enough that i’m sincere. if not, well, i can’t do much about that! but i am going to get faster as time goes by. and i hope you’ll enjoy my own journey as a kagome and give me a chance as i will give you. take care okay? lily.

[crvsaded]

⊹ @lavienrcse & Jonghoon !

⊹ Gabriel pries himself from Jonghoon’s arms, he doesn’t want to move. He feels so lazy, and all he wants to do is lay in the other’s arms and kiss him until he falls back asleep. But he can’t, he has commitment and duties. “I have to go to the animal shelter. Wanna come?”

[ncxsidusarchived]

✮  @yuseongu & Seola !

✮ Moon looks up when she walks up to him looking almost stressed perhaps. “Did someone cancel on you, or did you eat something sour?”

[crvsaded-aa-blog]

◈ @stardustkiisses & Min Jae !

◈ “Are you stalking me at my place of work now, or are you in need of medical assistant?” Soori asks, looking up from his papers, white lab coat on and pressed. He’s on his way to lunch when he bumps into Min Jae.

[obeyme-and-you]

Simeon the Angel

What does the little prophet have in store for us?

Italics is Gabriel

Bold is Kimimela 

Normal is Verses

The Bible consists of 44 verses that mention the name Simeon. Most of which are in reference to the son of Jacob, and The Tribe of Simeon which is named after him. It’s also mentioned 3 times in the Gospels, all 3 in the Gospel of Luke. 2 verses are about a man who gives a prophecy about Jesus upon meeting him and his parents. Taking into consideration that Simeon from Obey Me wrote TSL, which seems to consist of prophecies, and his companion being a young angel named Luke, if Simeon is a reference to someone in The Bible, it would be him.  

Okay Simeon, let’s talk

(I apologize in advance for the weird mix of vagueness and explanations, I had to partially explain this before the MC essays but have to use the MC essays to further explain this rip)

UP TO CHAPTER 28 SPOILERS

Simeon the Angel

What does the little prophet have in store for us?

NASB Luke 2:25-35 

“25)And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26)And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

27)And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,

28)Then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 

29)“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word;

30)For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

31)Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32)A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33)And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 

34)And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed-

35)And a sword will pierce even your own soul-to the end that many hearts may be revealed”

Knowing who Simeon is in Obey Me in reference to The Bible, tells us less about him as a character, and more about a prophecy he tells. So what does this mean?

If we put this into the context of Obey Me, it would make sense that Simeon is a prophet considering he wrote TSL. (And the play in chapter 28) TSL describes seven demon brothers as different Lords (all of them being one of the seven demon brothers that the MC knows) and has a main protagonist, Henry, that helps the seven demon brothers throughout the story (just as the MC helps the seven demon brothers). Considering that TSL had already been, at least partially, written before the MC shows up, and talks about the main protagonist helping the brothers, this would be a prophecy that came to pass.

“34) And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed-

35)And a sword will pierce even your own soul-to the end that many hearts may be revealed”

Simeon has a very important role within the story, because he’s the one who will prophesize about a figure who will come and “save” the world(s). He has the power to know about the coming of someone who will be the cause of significant change. The one he will prophesize about will, inevitably, bring with them salvation and destruction.( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

“29)“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word;

30)For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

31)Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32)A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.””

There is a very real possibility that Simeon will die. It was established early on within the story that angels can die because we know that Lilith was supposed to die. In both instances of Simeon, he is a significant character; both are prophets that have said prophecies about very important characters within each story. The Bible’s Simeon prophesied about Jesus, who is literally the defining character that makes Christianity well, Christianity. Obey Me’s Simeon, who seems to be based off of Bible Simeon, should prophesize about someone equally important, aka Henry in TSL who is MC. The two important facts about Bible Simeon is that he prophesied about Jesus, and that he was promised he wouldn’t die until he met Jesus. Obey Me’s Simeon has met one of these fates so far, who’s to say he won’t meet the other?

Note: I highly doubt anyone who dies will stay dead just considering the type of story Obey Me is.  (Even Lilith didn't stay dead >.<)

Summary: Simeon is honestly the only character I haven’t had the urge to fist fight in the parking lot of a Denny’s at 2 pm, which is pretty neat of him I think. The one thing I have against him is the fact that I can’t marry him which I think is bullshit. Simeon is a prophet and will probably die but like, I hope I’m wrong but I don’t think I will be lmao. My lovely little Trope™ sensors have been going off for a long while that are yelling “he’s gonna die babey!!!” and he ain’t the only one makin them go off so have fun with that fact!

Summary: Simeon is based on a prophet who was kinda important because he prophesied about Jesus and was told he wouldn’t die until he met him. OM Simeon prophesied about MC aka Henry in TSL and now only has one thing left to do! :) (You’re so mean)