#(I know there is some fanon elements to this)

[becausebuckley]

michelle's buddie fic recs: week 51!

almost the last fic rec list of the year, can you believe it? like last week, i haven't cross-referenced this list with previous ones, so apologies for any potential double recs!

this is a mix of fics with all ratings, so some include NSFW content. please take a look at both the ratings and the fic tags before reading! some might also contain spoilers for season 8.

if you come across something you like in this list, remember to show some love to the author by leaving kudos and a comment!

before the night fades | MilenaDaniels/@milenadaniels| 8.6k | T

EddieAna and BuckTaylor double date and it ruins everyone's night. this fic is one of my favourite outsider povs ever! it does such a wonderful job of capturing our 911 characters as well as fleshing out a lovely cast of ocs <3

chicken alfredo | EiraLloyd/@unlifeira | 4.6k | T

when Helena laughs at the idea that her son is now able to cook well, Buck ropes Eddie into proving her otherwise. this captures the buddie dynamic so so well <3 also made me hungry lol

do you want me (or do you want me dead) | carpediaz/@sofa-king-lame | 2.3k | T

The one where Buck finds out Eddie wears reading glasses and loses his fucking mind over them, and Eddie knows exactly what he's doing. eddie in reading glasses is a VISION holy shit buck is so relatable in this. i love the silly fun!!

emails i can't send | heartbeatdiaz/@lonelychicago | 6k | T

buck should've known better than to let his email account open and then give his computer to a toddler to play with. i love love love the formatting of this one, with the emails and everything <3 so so good!! they're just french angelfish <3

i took a little journey to the unknown | 42hrb/@exhuastedpigeon | 4.3k | T

“I-it’s okay, you don’t have to talk,” Buck says and the comforting warmth is back on Eddie’s hand. The only thought that rings clearly through his head is that Buck’s hand is safe. Buck is going to keep him safe. “Just - can you squeeze my hand if you’re awake?” this is just such a lovely fic. i love the character study elements and the hand holding and just <3

in the dark (with the stars) | tawaifeddiediaz/@aashiqeddiediaz | 13k | M

Eddie’s relationship with food, anxiety and cooking, as told through the past and present. eddie's relationship with food in both canon and fanon is absolutely fascinating to me. i loved this take on it so much <3

last first kiss | songbvrd/@songbvrd | 3.4k | GA

Buck tries to say goodbye. Eddie isn't ready. frankly i think the best promo i can give this fic is exactly what i said in my comment here, which is "tim minear better be taking notes" because wow it's just that good <3

lucky boy | serenelystrange/@serenelystrange | 1.9k | T

In which Buck and Eddie are so bad at being in a secret relationship, but instead of show-typical angst, fluff! secret relationship buddie, the gift that keeps on giving <3 exactly the fic i needed on a cold early bus ride this week!!

platonic co-parents don't kiss like we do | thelikesofus/@thelikesofus | 7.1k | M

5 times other people see Buck and Eddie kiss + 1 time they really mean it. i love love love all these different types of kisses <3 the loveliest buddie fic from the perspective of the firefam!!

take what the water gave me | Daisies_and_Briars/@cal-daisies-and-briars | 20.7k | M

New transfer to the 118, Eddie Diaz, has a secret. And upon getting to know his coworker, Buck, who is also hiding something, he begins to suspect their secret is the same. He's wrong. i've been devouring every little snippet of this fic i've seen on tumblr and i was so so excited to see the full thing land in my inbox! and wow did it not disappoint. such great worldbuilding and such a fantastic characterisation of eddie <3

the bunkroom fic | exvichan | 11.5k | T

The Station 118 bunkroom has witnessed a lot over the years. Private conversations, spats, occasions of affection, joy, and anguish. It’s seen pranks, and games, and camaraderie. It’s even been privy to an unfolding love story or two. It holds the memory of each of these moments. the 118 bunkroom my beloved <3 i love these little moments so much, especially the conversations between the firefam!!

the wayward son | brewrosemilk/@gayhoediaz | 56.9k | E

Eddie misses his son, grows a mustache, pines after his best friend, and becomes a regular at a gay sex club. That last part is either an indulgence or an inevitable, somewhat self-destructive conclusion to several decades worth of compulsory heterosexuality and catholic guilt. Don’t ask him which. i can't even capture the vibe of this fic in just a few lines but holy shit is it brilliant. the most incredibly writing, great characterisation, and also just very hot stuff. an immediate bookmark and new favourite!

[mamawasatesttube]

one other thing that really makes me roll my eyes in dc fics is the insistence that the bats can take down anyone, even their most op teammates. like... you guys know a character doesn't have to be the most physically capable one in the room in order to be interesting or strong in their own right, right? look me in the eye. cass had to save tim from shrike. bane broke bruce's back. mind-controlled kon snapped tim's arm like a twig. trying to make them ~always~ able to counter even the most powerful opponents is so boring im sorry like they can and do lose fights sometimes, and that's interesting actually. they are all incredibly competent martial artists, yes! that doesn't mean they can win every single matchup. that's simply neither the point of nor the strength in their characters.

[moonilit]

I just love these fics where Bruce straight up losses control and his kids just start serial adopting each others. There is something so funny about someone who is not ready to be parenting, traumatized, going through life, thinking they have it handled. until they see a kid mimics their behaviors (/coping mechanisms) and have the horrible realization thats how their behavior looks like from the outside and they DO NOT, in fact, have it handled.

it happened to Lighting Farron in ffxiii it happened to Bruce Wayne in DC comics and every time its so funny trying to see some stoic badass fumble as they run trying to stop a kid from doing murder

[recklessinventor]

[ guys if i added a muse from s/o/u/t/h p/a/r/k to my multi would you leave be honest

WAIT WAIT WAIT-

IF IT CHANGES YOUR ANSWER... IT’S JIMMY VALMER ]

[catcake24]

The g1 fanon, which was started back in the 80s and 90s from what I’ve been told, is so crazy in how it can flesh out formerly flat or boring characters. So many were just slowly built up by fanfics becoming popular and inspiring other people. Some of it is based on the cartoon in some way, but just as much was made up but stuck because people liked it.

Actually - I don’t have the post, but and older fan accounted that JazzProwl started on livejournal as a crack pairing. And now it’s literally the most tagged ship on AO3 because people liked their dynamic!! O_O

So much of the fanon was built this way, by people inspiring people, and I think that’s pretty neat!

one thing i love about the transformers fandom is that there are so many iterations of the same characters over and over, sometimes with wildly different characterizations, that anything you do fanon-wise will never feel completely off the mark. I constantly see people coming up with their own fanon continuities or continuity soups that are wildly creative and yet still feel in-line with the core of the franchise, because canon is so varied that really nothing feels impossible.

transformers started as toys to play with and the fandom really captures the spirit of that with the way we play with the characters. we're having fun playing with our toys :)

[afsosville]

You know what would've been nice? Shen Jiu ending up on a different peak that's actually good for him. Maybe Qian Cao, or the beast taming peak could've been hella therapeutic. Or the alcohol/brewery peak to drown away all his sorrows. But what if he stayed fucked up, in a way that's actually good and productive for society? Yeah, I wanna toss him over to Yin Hui and let him run wild! I've seen many iterations of Yin Hui, the fanon peak for espionage and poisons in fanfics. By extension, Yin Hui is also covertly the assassination peak, and I wish this peak got more attention around here tbh. Why do I think this peak is the most well suited for Shen Jiu? BECAUSE ASSASSINS. Duh.

So here comes a baby demonic cultivator Shen Jiu and the Yin Hui peak lord immediately wants him. Shen Jiu would be more readily accepted by his peak martial siblings, and no one would bat an eye at Shen Jiu, his standoffish personality or shady past. A lot of Yin Hui disciples are from questionable backgrounds since the Yin Hui peak lord naturally has to be very particular about selecting their disciples. Yin Hui was established to protect the sect and its people by any means necessary. Sure, the rest of the sect may fight against the supernatural, demons, and the undead, but Yin Hui fights an even greater monster: people.

The Yin Hui peak lord manipulated things so that the first impression the rest of the sect has about Shen Jiu is 'that new badass Yin Hui disciple that killed the criminal Wu Yanzi and saved the future sect leader!' (Seeing as Wu Yanzi would be the very sort of ppl they assassinate, he's already getting goated on Yin Hui too.) So Shen Jiu is known as that new prodigious disciple from Yin Hui and is getting some goddamn respect! And just because of his association with his peak, fewer people are inclined to question his background and whatnot since there's an understanding that the identity of the YH disciples needs to be heavily guarded. The Yin Hui peak lord finds out about the Qiu's soon enough, and they erase any and all traces leading back to Shen Jiu. Even framing it in a way that makes it look like WY did the massacre. Any credibility Qiu Haitang could've had for Shen Jiu's murder accusations is thrown out the window. (Ain’t no way in hell the Yin Hui peak lord is going to name SJ that stupid trauma inducing name like a certain Qing Jing peak lord, that's for sure.)

I'm pulling in elements from MDZS over here. In my version of Yin Hui, they have disciples who practice demonic cultivation, but they make sure it's in a safer way that won't hurt them. There's a surprising number of disciples who have damaged cultivation and chose to cultivate the ghost path. The previous generations of Yin Hui peak lords have created Wei Wuxian's inventions in this AU, and is used by the rest of the peak, like the compass of ill winds, paper metamorphosis, the spirit attraction flag, and empathy. I lowkey want a Wei Wuxian that's native to SV to be the Yin Hui peak lord, now that I think about it. He's good with his kiddos and would be an awesome shizun. And ofc, Shen Jiu is a reflection of his environment, so he's certainly making an example out of Wei Wuxian, one of the only positive influences in his life.

Shen Jiu still has his violent tendencies, so nothing has changed about that, but he learns to take that pent-up energy out on missions instead. And he does them well. It even gives him an edge. Everyone else thinks he's just reallyyy good at his job, as expected of the talented head disciple of Yin Hui!!

He really does try his best to not be an ass (bc he gets the love he deserves on Yin Hui) and ends up venting in a different way (coz he knows better than to take it out on people who don’t deserve it.) His shizun really gave him the free reign to kill sl@ve trad3rs, human tr@ffick3rs, r-ists, and other scum whenever he wanted, in the name of stress relief lol. If killing a particular person becomes politically complicated, like the Old Palace Bastard, then you best believe he's going to scheme like the little schemer he is. He's going to Nie Huaisang the OPM.

Since Shen Jiu is not salty about his fucked up cultivation, and his martial siblings respect him, they get along just fine. His cultivation is some parts similar to Wei Wuxian's: Shen Jiu is a ghost cultivator influenced by music. Sure, he may not be that great of a spiritual cultivator, so what? He's pulling up like the Yiling Patriarch with his demonic cultivation and a haunted guqin of his own.

And guess what? Shen Jiu enjoys teaching. He's training miniature assassins, spies, and the art of demonic cultivation, so forgive him if he's more than a little enthusiastic about it. I imagine that he's exactly like Shifu from kung fu panda when it comes to teaching. Still extremely harsh and strict when training, but outside of actually teaching, he's an attentive and caring shizun. And yes, he completely does act like a father figure who is proud of his murder babies, and ends up being called A-Ba so much that all of Cang Qiong thinks he's officially adopted every single one of his disciples. (After being saved by SJ on a mission, NYY persistently begs SJ to take her in even though he desperately thinks Yin Hui isn't a good fit for her. And then, after being under him for a while, she's completed her first mission successfully, has smn else's blood on her face, and is smiling brightly. 

Ning Yingying: "I completed my mission shizun! Are you proud of me?"

Shen Jiu: "..."

Some other peaklord: "Haha like father like daughter! She's definitely your girl alright!"

Shen Jiu: "...!?!" )

Yue Qingyuan is conerneth about his Xiao Jiu, but as long as he's happy, who cares. Shen Jiu has a better relationship with the other peak lords, so when asked about why he visits brothels, he straight up tells them that it's the best place to gather information in the dark. He doesn't have that mentality of "why explain myself when no ones finna believe me anyway" He actually trusts them and is more honest with time. Shen Jiu does come clean about killing the Qiu's at some point, and the peak lords are all like-

"I didn't hear shit"

"See, I'm blind in my left eye, and 75% blind in my right-"

"Completely understandable, Shen shidi!"

They don't even ask why he did it and just assume he had a valid reason, and he absolutely fucking did.

Oh, Shen Jiu gets accused of playing dirty? Liu Qingge, he literally kills ppl and makes poison as a daytime fucking job ofc he's gonna play dirty! Shen Jiu tried killing you that one time on the well mission? Bro you good? The fact that you think he tried to kill you and failed?? You just insulted an entire peak of disciples and their ancestors. You would've been dead before you could even think of sensing their killing intent if it were true. And there was a witness too, doofus. Be fucking for real. Nahh coz there definitely would be more people who are taking Shen Jiu's side whenever the two of them fight.

Shen Jiu uses a shit ton of versatile weapons because most of his fighting and cultivation prowess comes from his wits and adapting to fighting with different styles/methods. He is kinda similar to Xie Lian bc both of them lack spiritual energy/qi (damaged spirit roots in Shen Jiu's case), but that does not mean they are weaker. It just means they learned to train their body and minds instead of relying on cultivation/qi. He has a massive arsenal of weapons along with the demonic cultivation. (Airport security would hate him)

Yin Hui has got to be my favorite fanon peak, and Yin Hui! Shen Jiu plauges so many of my waking thoughts, I can't stop-

I can add elements from my other hyperfixation into this AU, the Avatar Chronicles. Which are the written books from ATLA. The criminal organization Kyoshi joined, the Daofei, for example, could be a good plot point. Or the Platinum Affair from the Yangchen books. If you don’t know what the Avatar Chronicles are, just ignore this last part lol.

[rodolfoparras]

Anyways.... Omega soap is a baby trapper. No questions asked. (Wanted to make it poly, but idk how to write multiple people jumping on one dick (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠) / I think this all comes across fanon in cod but, Johnny's is a certified baby trapper, even higher than Price.)

Tw: Not beta read, we die like so-🔫 men, a/b/o elements , Baby trapping , Dubious Consent

Johnny is a rambunctious wild spirit for an omega, Free spirited in ways that turns off people, but you, you do atleast that's what he thinks. You've grown distant in a few days, noticeably busying yourself with tasks handed to you by Price and steered away from him at every turn.

He's grown antsy, frantic, pheromones all over the place at the prospect of losing you. He decides to sweeten himself up, acting docile in your presence, purposely spraying enhancing pheromone perfumes to catch even a speck of your attention, acting like a good omega should.

But you don't, not even a single lingering glance and it sends him whining to himself like a kicked dog. Have you grown tired of him? Have you found a sweeter omega? Has his personality rubbed you off some wrong way?

He has grown to share this with the other members of the omega's task force, yapping on from your rather sudden change.

"He's... Probably nearing his rut, you know how alpha's get in a loner phase when it's time" Gaz remarks, returning to his own work, frankly tired of the redundant complaining reaching his ears on each break.

A lightbulb lights up on his head and he's racing to your room, he can practically hear the low mewls and rustling of fabric being dragged on the floor.

He opens it to reveal you all hot and bothered, without a mate in sight and a musk that practically sends him down on all fours.

He cooes at you gently, letting you sniff and pull him down with you, letting you claw his hips as you get a scent of slick starting to gather in his trousers.

It's not long before he's all bare, clawing at the floor, while his poor neglected hole gets eaten and prepped, two fingers slotted in.

Not one word is spared between you, an obvious scowl on your face, but your cock head already pushing his rim. He shouldn't be here, not at your most potent state, not wanting to tie him with a pup or an inconvenient knot.

Meanwhile his mind is scrambled, eyes brimming with tears from relieve from being wanted again, arms clawing and legs trapping you, to lock you at each knot.

He can't possibly relive those hellish weeks of your ignorance. He decides there and then. He has to intertwine you with him.

He comes by your barracks after weeks after your initial rut, a little box, filled with tests all positive pregnancy tests. He wants you, he needs you, and baby would all make that more solidified.

-💫

( Didn't expect people to like omega Price so well,,, I'm so shy )

[Read more]

[galedekarios]

gale as a professor at blackstaff academy

i have to say that at first i wasn't too sold on the (then still fanon) idea of a professor ending because of gale's own prior anecdote about being irked by his previous students and their inadequacies.

i thought it might not be a good fit for him as far as professions go.

but reading the epilogue files, i have come around on it.

i think it's just one more way in which he's really grown into himself, become content with who he was in the past, the mistakes he made and what he has learned from them, and the person he wants to be in the future:

Player: You? A teacher? I'd hardly say you set the best example for impressionable young wizards... Gale: I think it makes perfect sense. devnote: Surprised you wouldn't recognise this, a tiny bit offended you don't trust him to do this Gale: Who better to warn of the perils of misusing magic than someone who was once only a wayward sneeze away from destroying a mid-sized settlement? devnote: playing up to his past a bit, you can imagine this is how he acts with his students Tara the Tressym: Don't remind me of those terrible times, Mr Dekarios. My blood pressure has only just recovered.

a few more cute banters & things we learn about gale and his new teaching position:

tara swipes at students who fall asleep in gale's classes, which he himself doesn't mind. he, too, slept through some of them (like his calishite lessons):

Player: Perhaps that's a good thing. I'm sure they're far better students than I was... Gale: Ah, so you still remember our little lesson? devnote: A little bit bashful, it was a vulnerable moment for him Gale: 'Teaching' you was hardly an effort at all. Not like my present cohort of apprentices. devnote: Complimentary, pulling the thought back to the teaching element after getting lost in the memory of the moment Gale: They try their best, of course - when they can manage to stay awake. devnote: Not upset by this - he slept through his fair share of classes as a student Tara the Tressym: The cheek of them! Nothing a well-placed swipe from Tara can't fix, though.

2. gale offered to teach more subjects than illusion via simulacra:

Player: Only a professor? With your expertise, I'd have thought you could teach every kind of magic going... Gale: I did offer, as a matter of fact. devnote: Secretly glad the player thinks so highly of him Gale: However, the Blackstaff insisted I couldn't teach every subject, nor could the simulacra of myself I offered to create for that purpose. devnote: Reluctantly accepts that this was the right decision Gale: So, I've settled for teaching the art of illusion. Magic to confound the senses, to render the impossible into reality, and to allow expression of that most magical attribute of all - imagination. devnote: Selling it a bit - he wants to make sure you appreciate how cool this is

3. gale has told his students about the player's adventures and will invite a player to be a guest lecturer:

Player: I found the love of my life. I'd say I'm pretty happy. Gale: And I couldn't be happier for you. A fitting reward for the sacrifices you made in getting here. Gale: I've told my students plenty of tales about our escapades. You're something of a hero to them, you know. Gale: I'd be delighted to introduce you to my current cohort - as a guest lecturer, perhaps? I'm sure they'd have plenty of questions for you. Player: It would be my pleasure. Gale: Excellent. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist the allure of sharing your expertise. Gale: Of course you'll be most welcome to stay with me in my tower- Tara the Tressym: Ahem. Gale: My apologies, Tara. That would be our tower.

4. his students find him somewhat intimidating due to his backstory with mystra and the orb:

Gale: Well, that was quite lovely. I'm glad you're as pleased to see me as I am you. Gale: I have to say, I'm quite grateful to just be 'Gale' for the evening. Gale: I fear my students find me somewhat intimidating, due to my erm, explosive former reputation. I seem to put the fear of the gods into them. devnote: He plays up to his reputations a bit, so he isn't overly surprised Gale: Or the fear of Mystra, to be more specific. Gale: I surrendered the Crown of Karsus to her, as I told you I would. And in return, she cured me of the orb at last. Gale: Even now, I struggle to put the feeling into words. It was like exhaling for the first time, after holding my breath for so very long. Gale: Of course, I haven't clarified with my students that the orb is no longer a threat. The legend of my explosive capabilities is an excellent means of controlling a classroom. Too good, if anything.

5. he wants to teach his students that there is fun in studying magic:

Gale: I spend most of my time trying to convince them how much fun the study of magic can be, but it'd be easier to crack a smile on an intellect devourer than some of my pupils... devnote: Despairing a little, doesn't understand why they aren't all as passionate as he was Player: Or on a mind flayer, perhaps... Gale: Smiling may no longer come easy to you, but I've seen how your tentacles twitch at my jokes. Even the ones I'm not entirely certain I was trying to make... devnote: Last sentence a tiny bit self-conscious, aware that people sometimes find him ridiculous. Gale: Still, I hoped my students might be a little more open to the playful side of such magic.

anyhow, i hope this was insightful to someone! 🖤

[stupidlittlespirit]

Do you have a list of smut headcanons you have for Ford? Including what his… size and width is under the belt lmao

So, I don't really put much stock into dick sizes and stuff, I don't like to think about them too closely bc I think they're a bit gross LMAO.

but for general smut hcs?

oh boy do i........

I'd just say 'the right size for you' and let you do the imagining. i know it's big though on god i know it is

Here's an ask I already answered about this and it still stands, though I'll repeat myself here because it's fun.

These all apply to my fanon version of post portal!Ford because he's my favourite. They aren't really comprehensive nor are they exhaustive but hey ho:

I think we've all established as a group that praise is big for him. Any kind, provided it's genuine, gets him all warm and toasty inside. He's driven (compelled, really) to earn more of it and will go about doing so as 'subtly' as he can.... As subtle as a sledgehammer to the knee is, anyway. He fold for it immediately and he likes to hear and know that he's doing well and is liked, which makes him generous with the attention he gives. Likes to hear that he's smart/the best etc.

Virgin. Don't care what anyone says. That motherfucker is a virgin. Maybe he's held hands and kissed someone behind the bike sheds at school, but not much more. He's shy about it but he's an inquisitive, quick learner and he strives to do his best, so it makes for a nice combo once he does lose it.

Because he's new to all this, he wants to practise. He wants his partner to teach him. He'll still get overconfident and try to act like he knows what he's doing after one or two tries, but he ultimately enjoys getting to be taken along for the ride (heh).

It would take him time to get comfortable enough to pursue sexual and romantic contact. New forms and layers of trust have to be built and that kind of stuff takes time. Sex makes you vulnerable and he's not the kind of person that generally allows himself to be vulnerable, so I think he'd probably be quite nervous about it all. He'd feel very powerless and out of his depth so a partner would have to hold his hand through it (literally, too).

Adding onto that scary element, I think he'd be a switch with a preference for subbing and service, and being submissive requires a lot of trust. He's been taken advantage of over and over again, and he'd be frightened of it happening again. A partner would have to work hard to ease that fear.

Bi/pan. No one traverses inter-dimensionally and stays straight, whether you're fucking your way across the multiverse like Rick Sanchez or you're pure as untouched snow. He likes men, women, all the in-between genders, the interspecies aliens and fuck it, cryptids too.

Is romantically driven before anything else. Falls with feelings over physical attraction.

Cums quickly (virgin, duh) but knows that'll be the case, so spends more time performing on his partner before he gets his turn. He'll do literal experiments later on (with or without his partner) to up his resistance and delay himself.

He's also sixty-something, which means that once he's done, he's done. He can work on his refractory period and fuck it, maybe even find some/make some stuff that will help improve that for a special occasion, but he's still human. I get a good giggle when he's portrayed as a fuck machine (same with Stan) because trust me on this: old men are not! That!

I think he'd start out trying to be very efficient: like okay, I make you cum and then I cum and then that's it, until his partner reassures him that he doesn't have to do that at all and actually if he takes a breath, he'll enjoy it more.

Which then gives way to him taking that advice to heart and discovering long, drawn out, messy make out/ heavy petting sessions. The guy has a lot of time to make up for and he never got to do them in college so he’s going to enjoy them to their fullest now. These last for a while and then often lead into…..

Painfully drawn out, slow sex. Ford finds out that he is a thorough Love Maker, not a fucker. As I linked above, I think he could switch up styles and be adventurous with it, but he prefers taking his time and really bonding through the experience. He’ll get so involved with the sensations and the sights and the sounds that he’ll just forget that there’s technically an ‘end goal’ with sex and will drag things on for an age because he’s enjoying himself and the attention.

If it isn't obvious, I think he likes to take his time. He isn't on the run anymore and once he's reminded that he has the luxury of slowing down now, he'll stomp the breaks and use intimacy to really remind himself of that safety. Not a fan of quickies unless they're risky. Despite being shy, he likes the risk of being caught (by adults only, please, not anyone else) and I think he probably enjoys outdoor sex because he likes being outdoors! It's always the quiet ones....

Somewhat of a mommy/parental/authority kink.

Big fan of edging until he can't talk.

I think he's also a bit of a pervert. It mostly comes from a curious place, but he likes to check out the person he's into ("am I really into them or am I just imagining my attraction?...") and he definitely thinks about them in unholy ways in his private time. I'm drafting a fic where he makes a janky JOI programme on an old PC in the lab with Reader's voice because I think he's a little weirdo sometimes and he likes being bad because he thinks he's too smart to get caught for it. Spoiler: he is not.

Experimentation kink.

I think he's also very shy about it all. Like, really shy. Charmingly so. He definitely holds himself back initially because of noble reasons (his trauma, his age, lack of confidence etc) but even once he's got the go ahead he's still awkward with it. He'll have a brave moment every now and then, though.

Although I think he is predominantly a shy, submissive type in this kind of scenario, I do think he's prone to outbursts (the BPD brothers, helloooo), so every now and then if he's pissed off or excited or whatever, he might be inclined to toss his partner over a nearby surface and have at it. In this kind of scenario, he's probably a lot more demanding for the praise and stuff.

Anyway I'll shut up now :)

[luna-rainbow]

The shield-bearer vs the gun-wielder

(Unmarked GIFs are credited to @lost-shoe - miss you 😭)

One frequent interpretation of the Steve-Bucky dichotomy sees Steve as the protector and defender with the shield, while Bucky is the aggressor and assailant wielding a gun or knife or even his metal arm. It's hard to shake that impression when we remember just how savage Bucky can be as the Winter Soldier, whereas Steve notably did not carry a weapon after CATFA. Promotional stills where they appear together reinforce that image, with Bucky often appearing with an offensive weapon (or holding his arm up offensively) while Steve holds his shield defensively.

But the picture of Bucky stepping in front of Karpov made me rethink. Despite Bucky's loss at the new super soldiers' hands a moment before, he is remarkably restrained in what he does as he leads Karpov out of the cage. I am not against the meta that suggested he gained some satisfaction at striking back at the new super soldiers, but he stuck to his goal of guarding Karpov instead of getting swept up in the adrenaline and joining the brawl - as other guards in the background did.

Bucky is a protector. I know there are already lots of meta about this: from the moment we meet him in the back alley, Bucky is using himself as a human shield between Steve and the bully. He puts himself at Steve's back when he's rescued from the Hydra facility and he picks up the shield to protect Steve on the train. Even that one scene of Bucky being a sniper in CATFA, he shot the enemy to protect Steve. As Bucky, his acts of aggression happens when he's protecting someone (usually Steve).

So it's interesting to re-examine the violence in CATWS. Yes, Bucky/Winter Soldier is capable of extraordinary ferocity in taking down Fury and Steve and Nat, but he's also someone who sits there placidly when Pierce's maid startles them. Proactive attack isn't his instinctual state - and that becomes clearer when we see more of Bucky in CACW. He waits until violence is upon him before he retaliates: whether in Bucharest, or in the German airport, or finally in Siberia with Tony.

And on reflection, even in this climactic CATWS scene, the visuals are consistent with Bucky’s modus operandi — he is placing himself as a human shield between his enemy (Steve) and what he needs to guard (the Helicarrier behind him). The trail of destruction he leaves behind on his way onto the Helicarrier is frank reminder of how capable of violence he is, but this moment on the bridge holds a curious stillness. He is waiting, but not as a predator waiting for his prey, but rather like a lone guard’s final stand against inevitable doom. And perhaps — his aim was never on taking the most number of lives on the airfield, it was to disperse and disable anyone who might interfere with the Helicarrier’s launch.

Bucky's focus during the first part of the fight with Steve seems to be more on the drive Steve is carrying rather than on killing Steve. Killing Steve only comes after the Helicarriers fail (which begs the question: was Bucky specifically instructed to stop Steve without killing him and then kill him afterwards, or did Bucky have enough presence of mind to hold back for as long as he could?) Even as the Winter Soldier, Bucky seems most in his element when protecting something behind him.

On the converse, we have Steve, whose symbol is the shield, and I think it misleads (maybe even intentionally on Steve's part) the audience and his enemies into thinking that Steve's strong point is defence.

But it's not. I wouldn't call Steve an aggressor (and I'm not a huge fan of the angry chihuahua fanon), but he is far more proactive in his actions and a lot more aggressive in his attacks than the shield might suggest.

Even this memorable image, which seems to suggest Steve is on the defense against Bucky's raging attack is actually the opposite -- Steve is rushing Bucky from the side, and Bucky's punch serves to stop Steve in his tracks (i.e. it’s Bucky's self-defense against Steve's attack).

Our first meeting with Steve establishes him as a challenger - he challenges the recruitment rules, he challenges the disrespectful guy in the cinema, he challenges Colonel Philips and Hydra and the Red Skull - and eventually, he goes on to challenge Loki and Tony and Fury and Pierce and SHIELD in the modern world.

We don't see Steve carrying a weapon in the modern era (except for maybe brief moments of him using a weapon in Avengers) and it's easy, for the audience but also for Steve’s enemies, to forget that Steve uses the shield as an offensive weapon. Sure, it serves its function as an actual shield, but Steve hurls it as a projectile weapon intended to incapacitate so many times I won't be able to list them all so I'll just let this picture speak for itself.

Even at their first reunion, Bucky is running away to avoid a confrontation with the witness (Steve) while Steve is chasing after him to confront the sniper.

And I think this describes their different traits to a tee - Steve is like the bloodhound with a keen nose for trouble and doesn’t rest until he’s chased it down, while Bucky is like the guard dog who patiently sits by his family until commanded to fight or provoked. That's not to say Steve is always picking fights, but rather he's got an intuitive awareness of where the source of the conflict is and has no qualms putting himself into the fray. It’s also not to say that Bucky is always avoidant or apathetic, but rather he tends to watch and wait unless it threatens those he cares about...and that is probably deserving of its own meta to discuss how their separate upbringings make Steve and Bucky different in their confrontation readiness.

"I thought you were more than just a shield," Batroc says, so Steve clips his shield back on his harness and dukes it out with his fists.

Of course Steve is more than his shield, because the shield is just a piece of disguise for who Steve Rogers really is - someone who's always assessing the world around him (rather than hiding behind the shield) and ready to challenge the injustices (rather than waiting for the fight to come to him).

The real dichotomy between Steve and Bucky is that Steve is a natural challenger, who first picks up the shield to help him undertake a single-man offence on a Hydra base. When he wakes up in the modern world and sees that the imagery of the shield is entrenched with his identity, he uses that symbol to mask his fiery defiance while turning the shield itself into a weapon that works both in offense and defence. Bucky is a natural protector, who had picked up fighting and later weapons for defence and self-defence. Hydra then turned his loyal temperament and his skill set into “the fist of Hydra” - capable of both protection and targeted destruction.

They seem to have chosen (or been assigned) a weapon that is opposite to their instincts, but it’s also why they work so well together as a unit. Steve's convictions and idealism give Bucky the impetus to take up arms, and Bucky's constancy and protection give Steve the confidence to forge ahead.

The man who attacks injustices with a shield, and at his back, the man who defends him with a gun.

[inkpotsprite]

Okay, so, I've noticed a lot of discourse between canon and fanon for the DC fandom (particularly the Batfam) and I agree with elements of both sides, disagree with some too, and understand but don't necessarily agree with certain things.

Like Romani Dick Grayson for instance. I agree that the canon portrayal of it was utterly appalling, mostly because it was written by someone (Devin Grayson, if I'm remembering correctly) with clear biases who had done very little research, as what was written was almost completely based on harmful stereotypes.

As someone who's not white (or straight), I know what it's like to be misrepresented in media like this, how confusing and hurtful it can be. So what I'm writing next isn't coming from a privileged place of 'suck it up and stop being a snowflake.' It's just my perspective which may be flawed and I'm open to being corrected if I'm missing anything.

Also, disclaimer, while I'm not white, I'm also not Romani, so I'm definitely not an authority on any of this.

So, let's get started:

A lot of people say that fanon shouldn't make works with Romani Dick Grayson due to it's origins. While I understand that, I also disagree.

Because most works I've read where Dick is Romani tend to be well researched and coming from a place of love and respect, unlike canon. They also do what they can to avoid falling into tired tropes or harmful stereotypes, again, unlike canon.

Of course, any work where the person who's creating it isn't the race/ethnicity that they're representing may not be perfect, because respect and understanding don't always go hand in hand. But I think that so long as they're willing to listen to constructive criticism on the issue from those with the perspective they lack, then it shouldn't be too much of an issue?

If fanon were doing the same thing as canon did with this representation, then I'd be against it. But instead, they're trying to make something good out of canon's mess. Though I could be missing something so please feel free to comment or message me if I am.

To me, fanon presenting Dick's Romani heritage with the love and respect the original author should have is similar to when fanon explores the sexual assault storylines that occurred in DC with the gravity and care the original writers failed to.

Now, in cases where they write Cass as a glorified prop, Duke as a generic background character, or Damian as a feral creature in need of "domestication," I totally get where people are coming from with wanting to shut that down. It's lazy, harmful, racist and gross as hell. I don't fuck with any of that.

But with Romani Dick I don't see (again I could be missing something so please tell me) many, if any, harmful stereotypes in the majority of fanon works.

Which is why I think Romani Dick Grayson can be a good thing when in the right hands. But, as someone who's not Romani it's hardly my place to say what the right hands are, this is just me saying what I've seen, if I'm wrong, then that truly is my bad and I apologise in advance.

[malenjoyer]

I'm interested in reading tim's comics but I fear I may have gotten too many (general) spoilers about what happens to actually manage to enjoy it. if you've read his comics, how much did you know beforehand?

I knew the timeline of when he became robin, his general approximate meetings with characters like Steph, jason, Damian, and existence of Red Robin before. Who he loses.

The good thing about getting into reading character comics is that it’s impossible to know everything. It really is unless you’ve got around 10 years or so invested into it or you’ve got maybe 4-5 years of hardcore reading. Even then if you only read solos, you don’t know how the character exists in other people’s pov until you read outside of the main popular recommended comics. For example, in some comics Batman might the biggest broodiest saddest asshole, in others he’s a sopping wet cat broken hearted man, in some he’s really funny and beats people up.

Knowing things didn’t spoil enjoyment for me because knowing big events didn’t mean I knew how they were set up, which character interactions lead up to that part, and how the author weaves around elements for the build up. I don’t know about what happened in the timeline, in real life, that causes editorial to make those decisions specifically until I read the comics and I learn what happens in the background.

If you’ve got a serious detail obsessive brain itch like me, no amount of spoilers will ruin it for you, probably! You should read it anyways. Reading the comics yourself will feel good because you can feel the puzzles start to piece itself together- in a sense. And a bit of a hot take but if you are ever uncomfortable with a specific fanon depiction that ends up developing, which yknow is okay, we all play with toys. Reading the comics allows you to develop a sense of who they are in a…real way? I don’t know. In a way where they exist outside of shipping, I suppose. It allows you to enjoy the character better because he will exist for you, on a separate plane that will be hard to be ruined by any associations with fandom.

[ardafanonarch]

Is there any basis in canon for Fëanor and his followers wearing red? I know he and his sons have "tall helms with plumes of red", but that's the only mention of the colour in any sort of symbolic connection to them that I can think of.

Fëanorian Red

Jumping the Inbox queue for you because this is a fairly easy one to answer.*

You're right! The idea of Fëanor and his followers wearing red is fanon. I would speculate it comes from two sources:

1. The passage you identified

And Fëanor made a secret forge, of which not even Melkor was aware; and there he tempered fell swords for himself and for his sons, and made tall helms with plumes of red. The Silmarillion, "Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor"

2. The fact that we do know Fingolfin's colours were blue and silver

But as the host of Fingolfin marched into Mithrim the Sun rose flaming in the West; and Fingolfin unfurled his blue and silver banners... The Silmarillion, "Of the Return of the Noldor"

The "blue and silver" banners are again referred to when Fingon is killed in the Nirnaeth, and in Fingolfin's duel with Morgoth his shield is described as blue.

So it makes sense to me that the fandom would set Fëanor's House up in contrast to Fingolfin's by making his colours red -- supported, perhaps, by the mention of their red-plumed helms.

Red is also, of course, a colour historically and culturally associated with passion, violence, and war -- all things that rather suit the House of Fëanor. (Red, it bears mentioning, is a very common colour for helmet plumes -- either contributing to or because of red's association with war.)

Tolkien's design for Fëanor's heraldic device does contain some red, but its most striking element is perhaps the rainbow centre in a blue circle, and the most dominant colour is yellow.

*Opening the floor, as always, to any other evidence of the Fëanorian colour being red that might be buried deep in the lore where I have not found it.

Thanks to this Reddit post for doing a lot of the research for me.

[luciaintheskyainthi]

author I know you've probably been asked this before but what are your comic recs for understanding ECM better? I genuinely don't know where to start... (-_-")

You know what?! I get asked this a lot less than you'd think!

I use footnotes to make the background in Existential Crisis Mode as accessible as possible, but I'm more than happy to share my reading list!!!

In regards to DC, there's a great deal I'm not counting, but if you're interested, these are my recs!

In terms of core texts related to Jason, there's the following for you to peruse (in order!):

Death in the Family: it contextualises Jason's death (which in the DC revamps like New 52 and Rebirth has since been retconned to a lesser [Rebirth] or greater [N52] degree). I'm working on this as the core events that led to Jason's death.

Red Hood: The Lost Days: an excellent volume, it documents the time between Jason's resurrection (which was NOT via Lazarus Pit as a lot of fanfics claim!) and his return to Gotham as the Red Hood. It's critical for understanding Jason's motivations, his training and personality.

Under the Red Hood: honestly I think this could be watched or read, although Jason's resurrection in the animated version is credited to the Lazarus pit (and Talia Al Ghul is erased from the narrative), so just keep that in mind. BUT Jensen Ackles voices Jason in the animated version which is scrum-diddly-umptious!!! And the opening scene?!?!?! Lives RENT FREE in my head. My GOD it fucks me up!

There are plenty of other comics with Jason in them before first of the Red Hood and the Outlaws were published, but I'll be honest, I've not read them. Largely due to access (I have a friend from work who was kind enough to share their collection with me!). For the purposes of understanding Jason's history, his personality and motivators as a vigilante, the above three are a solid start.

Beyond these, you've got both the New 52 (came first) and then Rebirth runs of Red Hood and the Outlaws.

I'm not the biggest fan of the New 52 run, largely because I Did Not Enjoy the in-your-face sexualisation of Koriand'r, however world-building elements like the All Caste, Jason's magic soul-consuming swords the All Blades (fun fact! They only work on people/creatures of pure evil), along with Jason's friendship with Roy and Kori are of worth!

As the All Blades have already been mentioned in ECM, so there's benefit to checking the New 52 RHATO volumes out. New 52 RHATO is also what birthed my headcanon of Jason being demisexual!

I much preferred the Rebirth RHATO, and Artemis and Bizarro (he's actually a clone of the OG Bizarro) are planned to appear at some point in ECM. A lot of the most recent events in Jason's life from ECM tie back to Rebirth's RHATO, along with Red Hood: Outlaw (which is what the run was called after volume 4), where Jason works mostly alone.

Other DC comics of interest include:

The "We Are Robin" series, "Robin Wars" and "Batman and the Signal": all great for learning more about Duke, but we see all the former Robins working together in "Robin Wars". The events of these volumes/series aren't likely to be used much in ECM, but good for characterisation!

Juni Ba's "The Boy Wonder" is excellent for characterising Damian! He's someone who gets Flanderised about as badly as Jason does in a lot of fanon, so it's nice to be reminded of his complexity!

In regards to Peter and Spider-Man, as he's from the MCU, there's no comics needed to be read for his background. But I WILL say, for reasons I will not disclose, I have read / am in the process of reading through...

Spider-Man: The Other. 'Evolve or Die'

Spider-Verse, Spider-Geddon and End of the Spider-Verse

My first recommendation for any of these comics would be to see if your local library has them!

(Though admittedly, I've purchased quite a few on Kindle, mostly for my own convenience since I'm using it as canon.)

[purple-dreams9]

If Thea was Theo, a controversial opinion

I want to preface this post by stating that this is not meant to change anyone's mind or opinion. I am not here to tell you to like a character or to ship a certain ship. You are free to hate Thea, write her off your fics, ignore her existence, and ship Kevin with the milkman if you so desire. This is also not an essay. Instead, think of it as the thought dump of someone munching over it for days.

This all started with a conversation about Thea with a couple people on a Discord server. I've been mostly neutral about Thea, not understanding the overall hate but not knowing much about her either. It led me to read Nora's most recent post about Thea, the replies and the "Why do you not like Thea?" poll, and I've seen plenty of Tweets about her, too.

In general, I noticed one main element when people explain their stance: it is not because Thea is a woman and people want to ship Kevin with male characters. The real reason(s), branched in different directions: the age gap, the lack of building of her character, how little she shows up/how little we know about her/the feeling of her being shoo-ed in out of nowhere as Kevin's love interest, and her attitude (inc. her lack for communication with Kevin after he left the Nest, her comment to Jean in TSC, etc.)

I have been in many fandoms for over a decade, some with more prominent mlm ships, and to be honest, none of those reasons seemed to truly justify the dislike of Thea to the degree she is disliked in the fandom as a whole, especially as the romantic interest of a main character. It seemed to me that most of it is rooted in the desire for Kevin NOT to be straight, but to be gay and be with a guy (or bi, but I see more people using "gay" for Kevin. And some prefer Aro/Ace Kevin, but these fans are a bit more quiet and subdued with their headcanon.) See, even taking Thea out of the equation, there are no popular mlw ships for Kevin with characters from canon, and even in fanon ships the counterparts are mostly (if not all) men.

That got me thinking: "What if Thea was Theo? How would that change how fans interact with this character, even if her personality was the same? What about the relationship with Kevin? Would fans approach the ship differently if he had had Theo as a boyfriend instead of Thea as a girlfriend?"

Of course, it is all hypothetical. For one, a big part of her character is that she is a woman of color (note that I am not black, so I am in no position to talk about how her race plays out with her character) in a predominately male and white team (violent cult) that had to fight her way to the top. It wouldn't quite have the same weight or the same background if she was a male. For two, I am aware it would bring another discourse to the table, that of the "predatory gay men stereotype" (even though there was nothing predatory or "grooming" in their relationship, but that conversation is not for this post.) I am sure plenty of fans would still hate the Kevin/Theo ship, and Theo himself.

Still, I allowed myself to picture it. I read, once, that women used to ship male characters together because female characters were underdeveloped and were not interesting. I wondered if this applies to fandom as well, how certain fandoms prefer to develop and grow male characters.

Things like "lack of canon information about Theo" would not be an issue. Fans are very good at filling in the blanks and building a character from the few spare parts given by the source. This also applies to "there is almost no interaction with Kevin" because let's be honest here, guys, ships are sometimes made from nothing. Rarepairs exist, and even ships like pre-TSC Jerejean can explode in popularity.

With how big of a part Kevin plays in the books and how big his shipping fandom is, if Theo was a thing, I truly believe we would have seen him bloom in fanon spaces. He would have given space and opportunity to grow, change and develop both as a character and in his relationship with Kevin.

The "forbidden relationship" trope and the possibility for angst would have fans foaming, fics working around Theo's past and how he had to fight his way to the top would be written, AUs where he leaves the beliefs of the cult behind and reunites with Kevin would also exist. We would see stories about how his and Kevin's love story played out before and after Kevin left the Nest (at least one primarily focused on the notes they used to pass each other in secret). His mean comments and bitchiness would be ignored, played down, understood, forgiven, or found charming (like Andrew's throughout the series, or even Abby's in TSC.) In a few words, he would be more present and less disliked.

AFTG is a predominately queer fandom, and there is nothing wrong with wanting representation, but I also think it's necessary to use the same scale for female and male characters that are romantically or sexually involved with more popular ones. It's fine not to like Thea, but also to sit and think: would I asses a male character in the same way? How would my view of them change regarding their gender? Just food for thought, I guess.

Again, this is not a call to action of any sort. It is just me, rambling and putting my thoughts down. I can't see different realities so this is basically all fiction. I wanted to take it out of my brain, hear what others think and that's it. Ship what makes you happy. Create what inspires you. Curate your experience. All that being said, Id love to hear your thoughts, but I wont debate anyone's opinion because that's truly, not what Im seeking.

This got longer than I intended so I'll end this here. If you made it, thanks! I hope you have a nice day.

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

why do so many people keep calling ed izzy's abuser? I thought it was kind of funny how wrong they were at first because I love being right but at this point I feel like, if you really believe that why do you even like this show? where the main love interest is a violently abusive indigenous man? that sounds boring as shit. what would possess the writers of the show for them to make such an awful decision?

but then I think, if this many people believe it does that mean I'm the one who's wrong? or is it that the creators fumbled that storyline when they should have been clearer about it? or maybe it's just that most people on here have had their reading comprehension scorched away by Sherlock Holmes conspiracy theories and Steven Universe discourse. I can't tell. sometimes I think the internet may have been a mistake.

No they're wrong here's what's going on. People all read this shitty fic called Hell or High Water where Ed was everything the Izzy stans say he was and then instead of realizing that Ed is sad everyone regressed into thinking that the Kraken Era TM was going to be incredibly violent, like serial killing blond men because they look like Stede levels of violence. Even if you didn't read HoHW you saw art or read fic from people who had engaged with this fic and succumbed to it's premise. So there's been this background radiation of misunderstanding what the Kraken is on the fandom for several months. So inevitably when Ed did some mild violence and then attempted suicide by threatening murder until the crew took matters into their own hands, which is not abuse or torture by any stretch, btw, it's a murder-suicide at worst (I say at worst because I consider it fuckery-suicide I don't think Ed was trying to kill people I think he was trying to force them into a situation where they thought it was kill or be killed so that they would choose to kill him, but that is my interpretation and you are free to think it's a botched murder-suicide I have no problem with that), which, murder is something the show has never condemned and if it did it would be horribly inconsistent. So anyway, Ed's whole Kraken Era was categorized in the show by him being sad and doing so many drugs and begging someone please god anyone to kill him and trying to break Ned Low's record out of the evil boredom, but because it had a murder-suicide element to it and Izzy's toes were getting removed and he waved a gun around at everyone once (in a way that felt to me like he was trying and failing to work up the nerve to blow his own brains out but I digress) people who liked HoHW and were mad that people had called it out were like "see hes being violent HoHW author vindicated" as if anything Ed did rose to the level of that fic

And you want to know how I know this read is bullshit? Because when I watch the show with people who don't read fic or interact with the fandom and then I gauge their reactions without showing my hand they all implicitly understand that Ed is reacting to Izzy in a way appropriate to how pirate captains react to threats from subordinates. The spectrum of reactions has been from "hey isn't it weird how Ed was the Kraken because his dad was abusive and now he's the kraken because of Izzy? Maybe there's something there but idk" to "I don't think you can apply the logic of domestic abuse to a pirate captain and first mate but also Izzy had it coming" to "I cannot feel bad for Izzy after last season, I'm sorry." To "lmao Izcel" and I've showed this show to roughly everyone I know. The only thing I can conclude from the fact that people who don't engage with OFMD fic almost unilaterally thinking that Izzy is in the wrong and then coming online to see people thinking the opposite is that Izzy as victim and Ed as abuser is pure fanon, like how Stede is a cinnamon roll who talks like Azeriphael.

But anyway yeah you're completely right about the fact that this would be a bad show if they decided to make Ed into a domestic abuser. I don't want to watch a rom com about a domestic abuser falling in love and I don't want a show that decided to make it's indigenous lead abusive when the stereotype of indigenous men as abusers is still to this day used as an excuse to separate indigenous children from their families and put them with white Christians in order to erase their culture. Good thing OFMD didn't make Ed abusive, so I still like the show.