#(the only fic pairing i read regularly isn't one i write for)

[vinca-majors]

Head's up, you (wonderful!) My Fair Lady stories are entirely responsible for getting me to check out the tag and, through it, discover what a wonderful little fandom it is. I just wanted to let you know since it led to my sitting down and putting together an Eliza Doolittle/Henry Higgins story. Thank you for your lovely work!

AW YEAH MORE MFL CONTENT 💪 and set at hogwarts?! psa to the fandom(s)!!

the ao3 MFL fandom is one of the kindest, most enthusiastic ones i've ever been part of! i'm so happy you'll get to encounter those lovely readers ♡

[lillypad910]

So I just read your fic with Big Dick!Billy and I were wondering if you could do something like this with reader being a Cheerleader and a Queen Bee (pretty much like Regina George) and he just put her in her place in public… >///<

Queen Bee

Pairing: King Billy! Billy Hargrove x Queen Bee! f! Reader

Warning: references sex (oral specifically), but doesn't have any smut. Sexual tension is STRONG; very much enemies with benefits vibe. Reader is dating Tommy (helped with the Regina vibe, ok).

Summary: You're the Queen Bee of Hawkins and everyone loves you, except one certain King of the school, Billy Hargrove.

A/n: You didn't specify if you wanted smut or not so I didn't write it for it, HOWEVER, I'm open to writing it if you want me to, Anon! So please let me know!!

You are the Queen of Hawkins High, from your attitude to the way you dress. Every girl wants to be you, every boy wants to fuck you. You are everything.

You smile wide as you finish out the routine, raising your pompoms up into the air for the final pose. You have been practicing all morning with the rest of the girls, well, almost. Nicole hasn't shown up, and practice is already ending.

"Alright! Good job, everyone! You've all done amazing!" Coach Lively smiles at all of you. "You are dismissed for the day, enjoy your weekend!" The lot of you step away, but you stay put, requiring Tina and Carol to come to you.

"Oh! Bev!" You turn to your fellow cheerleader, her red hair tied in a high pony, "that skirt is so cute! Where did you get it? I might have to ask Coach about getting them for the Spring Uniforms!" You smile at her.

Beverly's cheeks go red, the corners of her lips pull up into a smile. "Oh! Thank you! I actually got it from my mom's closet..." She gives a small twirl, which your posy giggle at.

"Ooh, vintage! Love it!" You watch her walk away and turn to the two girls behind you, "That skirt is so ugly. Why would her mom own that?" They snicker.

You step out of Tommy's passenger seat, him following shortly after you, throwing his arm around your waist. Carol steps up beside you, glancing away at the show of affection as her recent ex-boyfriend clings to you like a lost puppy. You all step into the house party, Tina walking up to you and smiling.

"Tommy, could you go get us a drink?" You turn to your boyfriend, hoping to make the boy feel useful.

"Of course!" He gets everyone's drink orders before going to walk off, but someone stops him.

Billy Hargrove blocks his path, making the poor guy knock right into him.

"Sorry, Billy." Tommy recoils a bit before glancing back at you. You try desperately not to roll your eyes.

"Tommy, Baby..." You bat your eyelashes at him, "Our drinks?" Carol glances at him then you, before looking away again, obviously uncomfortable with the name calling but too scared to say anything.

"On it!" Tommy perks up, but Billy once again steps in his way. This time you don't bother hiding your eyeroll.

"Ugh, Billy, let him pass. Jesus, you're such a nuisance." Your comment makes Tina giggle. "Don't you torture him enough with your stench during practice?"

"Do you always have to be such a bitch?" He counters.

"I just speak truth."

"Truth? While fucking your friend's ex-boyfriend? Please, you're just a whore who doesn't know how to behave." Billy steps closer to you, getting too close for your comfort. His comment get's the attention of some people nearby.

"Excuse you?" You scoff. No one had ever talked to you like that, and they weren't gonna start now.

"You heard me, Bitch. You bite the hand that feeds you enough times it's gonna bite back." He looks you up and down, looking at every curve of your body.

The things he could teach you...

"All high and mighty for a dick with legs." You snicker, "What? Nicole didn't give good enough head today?" You notice the girl behind him look at you, the fear in her eyes fuels you.

"You know, from what I hear, Nicole isn't the only one on her knees regularly... Even the good old King Steve," He lifts his arms, getting the attention of even more on-lookers, "used to shove his cock down your throat. So why don't you get down there and show me just what a good whore you are."

You glare at him, your blood practically boiling. "You're an ass, Billy."

"And you're just a good lay, Queen Bee."

Tag list!

@cagethemunson

@spikeybatt

@cherrycolas-things

@r-a-d-i-0-n-0-w-h-e-r-e

@ali-r3n

[saintsenara]

what are ur thoughts on all the young dudes man i gotta know

i've never read it, and i can't really see any situation in which i will. not only am i wolfstar-ambivalent, i'm also wizards-knowing-loads-about-muggle-pop-culture-ambivalent - so i'm very much not the target audience.

[although i'm not "what's going on in the 1970s"-ambivalent by any means, so there's that.]

but i suspect anyone who reads this blog regularly knew that - and so i also suspect [even though i wouldn't dare to assume this of you and your intentions in asking this, anon] that it might be presumed that i'm going to pop off about several of the phenomena all the young dudes has set into motion...

and sure, the contemporary marauders subfandom is not a space i'm interested in spending any time in - which is why i don't - but i think it's nonetheless worth saying something in defence of it.

all the young dudes deserves more credit than i think it gets in the fandom more widely - especially in those bits of the fandom which are more interested in canon compliance and canon coherence - for being a genuine pop-culture phenomenon. all corners of the fandom have benefitted from this - i guarantee that huge numbers of people who have returned to the harry potter fandom since 2020 have done so because they've read it [or, at the very least, heard of it], and i also guarantee that many of those people have gone on to make a home for themselves in spaces which seem to have very little in common with the marauders subfandom [such as canon-compliant jily or pro-snape spaces]. many of the things it does - especially the integration of muggle pop-culture into its worldbuilding - have clearly influenced how plenty of authors approach their own work, even if that work is otherwise removed from it in vibe. and its aesthetic is all over the non-fic aspects of fandom too - every "canon-compliant" moodboard or edit or playlist i've ever seen would fit well into the atyd universe. i think it doesn't hurt to acknowledge its influence - it doesn't mean that an author can't disagree with its approach.

[or: my view on all the young dudes is very similar to my view on taylor swift. i've never listened to a single one of her albums, i'm not sure i could name more than about five of her songs - and i don't think the five i can name are any good, i sometimes see flashes of the inter-swiftie discourse and it's like reading a text in a language i can only half speak - but i would be a fool to dismiss her broader pop-culture influence, including on musicians i do follow more closely, or the fact that the fandom which surrounds her is both sincerely interesting, not least from an anthropological perspective, and something in which people i like and respect participate.]

i also don't think the divisions between the marauders subfandom and other spaces are as clear-cut as is often made out. and i think that all the young dudes often gets used as a stick with which to beat this point - particularly because people in the marauders subfandom are frequently accused of not having read the books, and elevating atyd's interpretation of characters [especially sirius and remus] and events over the seven-book series.

that the subfandom elevates fanon and headcanon over canon is a legitimate point. but i think we should all get a fucking grip and recognise that this can disinterest us - or even annoy us - and still not be something any of us should think is that deep.

after all, like anyone, i've encountered people in fandom who write unrecognisable versions of characters, are completely resistant to the idea that their interpretation isn't correct, and believe that it's evidence of deep-seated prejudice to pair their faves with different people... and every single one is someone who believes that their approach is meticulously canon-compliant.

or - as the old adage goes - "people who live in glass subfandoms shouldn't throw stones at roadman remus".

[jtl07]

Love your writing! Something about your flow is so pleasant to read.

Prompt for your shenanigans, if you want: Ava and Beatrice (post war and happy and settled) meet a past almost-ex(?)/crush of Beatrice’s

aw thank you anon! also there were so many options for this prompt lol - i'm going to blame puppybusby's Love Thy Neighbour for the inspo. also shameless plug for the fic where Olivia's from: so live it

the sound of the front door bell followed by high-pitched squeals and muted screams is a regular occurrence and Olivia had learned early on to filter it out. still, she can't help but chuckle at the enthusiasm the latest visitor has entered with, having happened upon the aptly named Fluffy just inside the front door.

"let us know how we can help," Olivia says easily when the woman's gaze crosses with hers. she chuckles again when she gets a pair of finger guns in return.

it's a busy day with a new delivery of books to take care of and while the cafe side isn't ever full, there's a constant stream of customers wandering through the space that fills Olivia with a certain contentment. she does, however, have to tune out most of the noise as she takes care of the inventory and shelving, trusting her employees to let her know if there's anything that needs her attention.

Olivia's halfway down the ladder when she hears it.

she nearly falls off, has to grip the handles tightly as she whips her head around to locate the source. it's a sound she hasn't heard in over a decade now. a sound that, even back then, was rare. but she knows it. knew it well.

Olivia finds her sitting on the floor, hands hovering over a dark kitten making its way up her shirt. the woman who'd given Olivia finger guns earlier has her face burrowed into that long neck, both of them shaking with laughter.

Beatrice.

she's older of course - they both are, and Olivia's knees remind her of this fact as when she lowers herself back onto solid ground - still with that unique intensity about her. but there's an easy confidence that's replaced the stiffness that she'd always carried, an openness where there used to only be a cold wall. it had taken Olivia ages to be allowed in; is glad to see that she's allowed others in.

then she finds herself caught in a familiar gaze. ah, Olivia muses, remembers Beatrice's eerie self-awareness, i see that hasn't changed either.

recognition flashes over Beatrice's face and Olivia holds her breath; wonders just how she's being remembered. the woman next to Beatrice has taken notice - her partner, gauging by the way she's pointedly wrapped herself around Beatrice - and Olivia watches as Beatrice turns to speak. relief washes through Olivia when she sees a smile.

Beatrice presses a quick kiss to the woman's temple then stands with that easy grace that had captured Olivia's attention all those years ago. she straightens her shirt before she realizes what she's doing, barely keeps herself from reaching up to fix her hair as Beatrice approaches.

"Olivia," Beatrice says, soft and surprised. "i never thought - it's been so long."

she smiles easier now, Olivia realizes as she responds with her own. glances over Beatrice's shoulder where the woman is not-so-subtly watching. "it has," she says, because how else does one summarize a forced separation, a decade apart, living lives they've built on their own? "you look well."

the way Beatrice ducks her head is still the same, but then she straightens into a person she's proud of. "i am. well, that is. and you?"

"busy," Olivia gestures to the store, "but well."

Beatrice tilts her head, glancing from her and the store, taking in the words and its implications. connecting dots even when none were given, Olivia thinks. "this is yours?"

Olivia nods, allows herself to preen. "i wanted to give people a place to call home, even for just a little while." it's an answer she gives regularly, but here, saying them now to this person - Beatrice, who'd been her port away from the storm that had been her home; Beatrice, who'd held her hand and read her poetry; Beatrice, who'd kissed her and had been sent away - it feels heavier, yet lighter at the same time.

"it's wonderful," Beatrice says, and the tremulous smile that accompanies the words makes Olivia think she's also remembering, also feeling the same way.

"well, come now, introduce me to your wife before she explodes." Olivia chuckles at the surprised look on Beatrice's face. "you're not the only one who notices things," she says, gesturing towards the ring on her hand.

Beatrice hums then starts to turn - pauses, turns back to face her fully. "i'm glad we've met again." and Olivia knows what she means: i'm glad to see you happy, i'm glad to see you here, as you are now; i'm glad we have another chance to be friends.

"me too," Olivia says. she looks over Beatrice's shoulder at her wife and smiles; recognizes the gift they have have now.

[citrusses]

January: 2023 Wrapped 🎁🍊

*some* of my favorite 2023 fics, by month they were published (or started to publish, or finished publishing, it's arbitrary bc i make the rules), plus some thoughts on what made these fics so special.

January | February | March | April, May, June | July | August | September | October | November | December

Chicken Shop Date by @sorrybutblog (T, 2K)

Draco and Harry sit down for an interview. Or is it a date?

This is such a fun premise and the Harry/Draco banter just sizzles. The atmosphere is so rich! 2K words of perfection that pack an outsized punch.

Close Behind by @oflights (M, 134K)

To rescue Draco from the Underworld, Harry has to look forward. Unfortunately, Draco has to look back.

A masterpiece that deconstructs every relationship in the HP universe and then rebuilds it, that does mind-boggling things with narrative structure, that stressed me out so badly I felt physically ill, that was so moving it left me bursting into tears for days after I read it, that had the funniest single line I've read in a fic maybe ever. So far reading this is the only time I've ever checked the tags on a fic for "happy ending" because I was so emotionally overwhelmed by it that I needed to know it would be ok in the end. I can't overstate how much I love this one.

For Lack of Wanting by @fluxweeed (E, 8K)

Over the last ten years, I’ve worked hard to become a better person. I hate being reminded of who I used to be. But Harry likes it when I’m mean.

A gorgeous, painful story that explores a kind of Harry/Draco dynamic that's not seen as often in fics (a SAD one), but is done exceptionally well here. It hurts so good!

Nights With You by @the-sinking-ship (E, 58K)

Draco is mortified when moments prior to departing for the most anticipated destination wedding of the year, he is cruelly dumped. But when he learns that Harry Potter has, at long last, split with his horrible boyfriend, Draco is certain his luck has changed. Never a man to squander an opportunity for revenge (and what would probably be a spectacular shag), Draco vows to make Potter his for the weekend. Now all Draco has to do is convince him.

@the-sinking-ship regularly writes: my favorite kind of Draco, my favorite kind of romance/getting together AND my favorite kind of smut. This fic is all of those things.

Polar Night/Midnight Sun by toomuchplor (E, 54K)

Harry travels to arctic Norway on the trail of dragon egg poachers, only to find he's been assigned to work alongside the only NorMagPol Auror north of sixty: one Draco Malfoy. It's been ten years since they crossed paths, and Malfoy isn't exactly what Harry expected or remembered. For one thing, he wears a lot more hand-knits? When a sudden winter storm strands the pair, unable to use magic to rescue themselves, they take shelter in a one-room Norwegian hytte.

The hottest fic in the coldest setting, this one made me absolutely FERAL. The most evocative scenery, incredible characterization, and the perfect pacing building to an explosively sexy and tender relationship. Also I would read like, 100K more words on just the mittens and jumpers and scarves of this fic, which are not items of clothing I have cared much about in the past. It's just that every detail, down to the smallest, is incredible!

When It Returns by @academicdisasterfic (M, 8K)

‘You’re late, layabout,’ Malfoy drawled, pushing the whiskey over to him. ‘I’ll have you know that I am very busy maintaining a whole house and garden by myself now.’ ‘Oooh, the dead husband card. Before any alcohol. Is that a record?’ Harry's husband is dead, and Malfoy is the only one who gets it. Or, the one where they drink at a straight man pub, renovate a house, and learn how to find joy again.

January was a good month for feeling bad. It's another angsty one! This one is full of beautiful healing in the face of a loss that feels very real, Draco annoying Harry out of his grief spiral (but in a loving way?) and Harry being on the right side of almost too stubborn for it to work. I have read and reread this many times already!

[fonulyn]

how are things? and I was wondering if you've got a favorite fic that you wrote or if its just too hard to choose?

i've been down with a cold so things are kinda annoying but it seems to be getting better at least so maybe things are looking up :'D thanks for asking!

oh damn. it is hard to choose. and it also depends on my mood, and like... some are faves because they were fun to write, some because i like how the end result turned out, some bc friends liked them, and so forth. it depends on what kind of a favorite we're looking for :3

i scrolled through my RE fics and tried to pick only the top faves and still ended up with thirty fics :'D (and sorta sad bc so many of them were not crowd pleasers lmao)

but! shameless self-recs under the cut! (it got long lol sorry)

we didn't know how to fly so high (burned down before we reached the sky) (Chris/Leon) - this one's special because it's the first RE fic I wrote and it's what ended a three year dry spell of me not writing a single thing. it's also special because back then i could go "OH ONE NOTE!" and post the second chapter lol.

haunting in my head (tempting me, inviting me to fall asleep in its arms) (Piers/Leon) - since I picked the first one, I'm also gonna pick the latest one. this was the kind of an idea that plagued me until I got it written and i'm super pleased with how it worked out!

and it's kind of obligatory for me to mention the self-indulgent series, because for so long it was what kept me going and what kept me writing when nothing else worked. it might not be the best thing i've written but it's for sure what i've poured most love in.

tear me open (and make me whole again) (Piers/Leon, past Krauser/Leon) - from my whumptober fics this one i was the most excited about. i know it's got quite a bit of violence in it but like. i thought it hit all the right notes emotionally too, and i honestly wished it would've done better. i think it's worth it! am still happy with how it turned out.

(honorable mention to haunt you like it's part of you, another Piers/Leon and past Krauser/Leon, which is something i am really really into but apparently it's just me :'D but I really like the way the pairings clearly contrast each other tbh, i just think it's neat)

in the end it's you and I (Piers/Leon) - this is another whumptober fic I was super excited for! i'm beyond pleased with how it turned out and at least I feel all the right emotions while reading it.

all the things you are (Jake/Piers) - honestly I could've picked pretty much any of the Piers/Jake fic I've written because they were all really fun to write and their dynamic is super fun :'D I love the little bits in re6 where they interact bc they get on each other's nerves in all the right ways!

when it comes to metaltango, they're pretty much all close to my heart lol but can't help but follow in spite of going insane is something i regularly think back to and am still happy with how it turned out. same with the Krauser's back series, and question all my doubts, especially.

never too much to ask for (Piers/Leon) - this one is so very very important to me because LEON LEARNS TO BE LOVED. he learns to not only accept comfort but actually ASK FOR IT and it makes me emotional just to think about it 🥺

gonna show you tonight (Piers/Leon) - this one just makes me very happy.

and then there are the Piers/Leon ones where I've inserted Piers into a game/movie he isn't in, and honestly, those are ALL something I've had fun with and love the results! there's re2 with Piers, re4 with Piers, Damnation with Piers, and a combo of re4/Vendetta/og stuff with Piers! also the other re2 with Piers but that one only has one chapter for now so :'D

heal the scars and change the stars (Piers/Leon) - this one was based on a dream I had and I can still remember the exact vibe of the dream, and the way it haunted me afterwards, and I'm honestly really happy with the fic too. I have a thing for breaking up and getting back together it seems :'D

you're a dream (Piers/Leon) - this is something I've always always wanted to write, because soulmate aus are interesting but I've always gravitated towards imperfect soulmate systems, where it takes real effort to find them, and it's not so clear cut. and I honestly love how this turned out.

at the shore of the unknown (Piers/Leon) - another thing i always wanted to do was a soft apocalypse. this was supposed to be the first fic of a series, and the series is probably not happening, but i'm still content with the mood of this fic as is :3 i love these... slow empty worlds.

before I even knew your name (Piers/Leon) - THIS! this was SO MUCH FUN i don't know if I've ever had as much fun writing a fic :'D idk it was such a joy.

i crave therefore i am (Piers/Leon) - this fic however fought me every single step of the way, i wrote it like three times, and hated half of the process lmao, but i do love how it turned out. and the first scene is one of my all time favorite scenes i've ever written in my life.

to feel again (fwb!Chris/Leon at first, Piers/Leon eventually) - this was supposed to be a quick little oneshot but in the end it spiraled into something longer, and I do love it. like. the whole point of the Chris/Leon bit was that neither of them is the bad guy or wrong but they just weren't right for each other at that point in time, and then I enjoyed letting Leon build trust and a new relationship with Piers slowly at his own pace. 10/10 would write again :'D

last chance garage (ot3) - this one was very emotional to write and also got SO out of hand bc it was supposed to be like 1k max and in the end I wrote 8k lol. but it's my favorite ot3 fic.

winter lovin' (there's snow one like you) (Piers/Leon) - this one is super special to me because it happens in Finland :D they're vacationing on my home turf lol. but also because they're so in love, and they get to have fun and be together and. idk. the whole fic makes me all "🥺💖" like i literally turn into a physical embodiment of those two emojis. i love the fic.

stay until the end of life (Piers/Leon) - this one was also very emotional to write and I wanted to put them through a lot, and show how they really are in it for better and for worse. i wanted to show the struggles too, like... they love each other. they wanna be there for each other. but it's not always that easy. and I do think it worked out great.

three words to last forever (Piers/Leon) - I'm gonna end this way too long list with this because it's the first (and so far only) time I wrote a "choose your own ending" story and it was so much fun! I wish I could do a bigger story where you get to make multiple choices, but that would require some serious brainstorming lol. anyhow, I'm happy I got to do this! and happy with it turned out! especially the saddest ending :'D

now I'll shut up with my deepest apologies lmao.

[sarahowritesostucky]

Hi! don't know if you answer asks like this but just curious as a fic writer do you feel different fandoms have cliques where some writers only comment or promote writers they're friends with and not all? and in relation to this, do you think stats are the most important thing to a writers success in a fandom? I know this might seem random but just admire your writing and wanted to hear your thoughts

Interesting ask. Okay well, first off, I squee whenever somebody says they ADMIRE my writing *fans self with nearest flat object, in a flattered, flustered, and ego-inflated emotional state*

second off, I'm fairly new to Tumblr, so I am not the most knowledgeable about this

that said, I think that people on Tumblr do a pretty pitiful job overall of promoting content with reblogs, and comments are even rarer!

I have a core group of people whom I've noticed will always reblog my fics, and I absolutely have friendship-y feelings for them even though they're internet strangers, lol. (I love you guys! 💗)

I think that if you're creating quality content and you aren't an asshat, people will eventually catch on and wind up flocking to you. It's the quality of the content you're putting out there that matters most.

But also be smart and try to post regularly, try to write things you know people love (certain tropes, pairings, kinks, etc). Post at peak times of day, make sure your queue is full and set to post at least several times per day. Stuff like that.

If your OTP/fandom is less popular, commit to writing some micro fics about more popular pairings/fandoms/tropes, just to draw more readers in--They will then be more likely to give your niche stuff a try!

As your followers # grows, you'll get more promotion, just because of sheer numbers. So yes, I think having more followers is important if you want to see more engagement with your content overall. (but again, that follows smart posting and quality content)

However, it only takes a handful of awesome supporters to make for a great fandom experience on Tumblr!

As to cliques, I have experienced some pretty hateful bullying and exclusion on the platform, related to an incident where I was abrasive and made a point about free speech, censorship, being willing to discuss vs cancel, and people who are reactive instead of rational (antis).

long story short, my old account was sent death threats, constant harassing, and vile anons, before being vindictively deleted by a rogue staff member (yes, I've gotten confirmation that this is abuse from other Tumblr representatives)

Antis and trolls definitely flock together in cliques, so exclusion can happen there. Cliques can be helpful in that they weed out the nasties fast.

For example: on my new account, I have noticed that perhaps 20 or so accounts have me blocked--most of them are smalltime/not so great bloggers, but about five of them are very popular Chris Evans or Sebastian Stan authors whose content I would probably otherwise be reading and commenting/re-blogging.

I don't think I interacted with most of them directly on my old account, but they are in the cliques that the antis were in, so they hopped on the block-Sarah train based off of whatever their mutuals said.

I don't read other people's fics on Tumblr so much as I do on Ao3, and I'm more about posting my own stuff on Tumblr, so the blocking isn't really an issue with me (mostly they're the ones losing out on the content promotion I would be doing for them, lol).

I think if people are going to be nasty, negative, reactive-not-rational, not willing to discuss, and just generally mean spirited, do you really want them promoting you anyway? Probably not.

As to the people who are not that way, I'd say: PEOPLE NOTICE WHEN YOU REBLOG AND COMMENT on their stuff.

so the more YOU promote other content creators whose stuff you like, the more they will feel affinity for you and promote your stuff!!

I suggest following TONs of people who are in your fandom--many of them will notice and follow you back. That's the best way to get started if you want to grow your account. But also like I said: put out quality content--honey draws bees; and promote other people's content to create good relationships with mutuals.

[snugglebug-92]

Can you write a fic where Jimmy gets the reader pregnant?

You were about 3 months late and didn't think anything about it until Logan's girlfriend asked you for a tampon. That's when it hit you and you hadn't had your period in 3 months. You shudder as you hand her the tampon and she senses something is wrong but she doesn't pry. After the two of you are done hanging out you go to the store to buy a test.

As you stare at the wall you can't help but feel like you are being mocked. Of course, this is what's going to happen when you sneak behind your dad's back and break his one-dating rule.

You pull your hood over your head and buy the tests before leaving the store and heading back to the house you shared with a few other hockey players. With the Wild's season being over Brock is back at the house more regularly. He smiles at you before taking note of your bag.

"What's in that bag? Get me a gift?" he questions. Since you were the only one of your father's children that went to Minnesota, Brock took a spot as your older brother at college. When you don't respond right away he looks up from the sandwich he was making and fully takes in your state. You nod to your room and he follows you up there.

The two of you sit on your bed while you hand him the bag and he opens it before his eyes go wide. He looks at you before looking at the tests in the bag and then back at you. You watch as the gears turn in his head and he tries to figure everything out.

"Yes, you know him. No, you can't beat him up," you state.

"I wasn't going to beat him up just give him a talk," Brock responds.

"My dad's going to kill him anyways," you shrug.

"You didn't," Brock gasps.

"I broke his one rule."

"Holy shit with who?"

"You know."

"Didn't know Snuggs had it in him," Brock laughs.

"This isn't funny. What if I'm actually pregnant?" You whine.

"Well, you can cross that bridge when you get there. Now go pee on the stick," Brock says pushing you towards your bathroom. You read the instructions before peeing and then placing the cap back on the stick. You wait for the results to pop up on both sticks and the word positive appears on both. The tears fall and Brock breaks into the bathroom before calling Jimmy.

You don't know how long you are sitting in the bathroom crying but after a while, you feel a familiar pair of arms wrap around you. You cry into their shoulder as they pull you into their lap.

"I'm sorry," you sob into Jimmy's shoulder.

"Hey don't apologize sunshine we'll figure it out," he whispers placing a kiss on your forehead.

"I'm pregnant Jimmy. This isn't something we can just figure out," you cry.

"Honey look at me. I love you and I know we haven't been together very long but nothing is going to change how I feel about you. I'm staying here next year so I'll be by your side through the whole pregnancy and I'll always be here for you. Okay?" he says cupping your check and wiping your tear away.

"I love you, Jim," you whisper as you collapse in his arms. The two of you sit in the bathroom wrapped up in each other but you know everything will end up being okay.

[anneapocalypse]

I'm always fascinated to learn about other writers' processes, so I hope this isn't too many questions! 😅 3, 11, 41, 46, 49

(For this ask meme.)

3. Answered!

11. Are you partial to a certain character/pairing or are you more equal-opportunity? If you are partial to any character/pairing, why do you think that is?

I certainly have my faves and I think it's generally pretty obvious who they are! At the same time, I like to explore new things and consider myself open to persuasion. Especially for canons with very large casts, it would be hard to limit myself to a single favorite character or pairing.

41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”

Vincit qui se vincit by @zelroyo-blog. It's got such gorgeous world- and character-building (one of my very favorite Fallout couriers I've ever read about). When I read it I knew I wanted not only to write that well but to engage with the worlds I'm writing in on that level. Truly one of my biggest inspirations over the years (and Zel if ever you happen to see this, it's been a long time but I hope you're doing well).

46. Do you prefer writing on your phone or on a computer (or something else)? Do you think where you write affects the way you write?

I much prefer working on desktop or at least on my tablet for anything substantial, but the phone will do for jotting down short scenes, dialogue, ideas etc. that might come to me when I'm away from it. I can write more volume on my phone if it's all I've got, but if I'm in the middle of a larger project I just prefer to be able to see more of it at once. It's harder for what I'm writing to feel grounded in its larger context if I can't click around and see the context!

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

Right now I'm doing a little low-pressure challenge for myself that I'm calling 100 Word November, with the intention of getting myself back to writing regularly after a bad year. The goal is just to write at least 100 words per day, though most days I end up writing more, and it's been a lot of fun. It's all little snippets about my FFXIV character Ariane (and in particular it's a lot of Ariane/Urianger Shadowbringers-era stuff). Very unstructured and nothing set in stone, as I really don't plan on finishing or finalizing anything until I've reached endgame.

Here's a snippet from today! Mildly spoilery for Shadowbringers.

"’Tis fascinating the myriad ways in which the fae distinguisheth—” Urianger paused, giving her a sheepish smile. “Forgive me. Many a time hath Thancred admonished me for talking his ear off, as it were.” “Urianger,” Ariane said very seriously, “this is important, so listen carefully.” She wrapped both hands around her teacup, and leaned slightly forward, and he listened with all earnestness. “I want to hear everything about the fae. Everything. Should you ever doubt my desire to hear about something, you may ask me, ‘Ariane, would you like to hear about the intricacies of the customs of the fair folk?’ that I may assure you, my dear friend, that I do in fact want to hear all about it.” Urianger’s countenance positively glowed. “Thou art altogether too kind to me, my friend.”

[scienceoftheidiot]

@qs63 keeps feeding me ideas, and thus very serious meta discussion ends up with me having to write a silly fic. Expect this to happen regularly.

Summary :

Roy's a liar and a manipulator, but we have canon examples of him showing he doesn't really like lying or when other people lie, and notably when they do so to themselves. What if.... That makes him horrendously bad at poker?

End is not what I expected but I can't really say I'm sorry.

You can read it under the cut here or over on AO3

The atmosphere in the office was tense.

Or maybe it was just him.

Roy shot a suspicious glance over his hand at the whole party, sat at the table with him.

The office was filled with Havoc's cigarette smoke, and lit brightly by the neons on the ceiling. The whole team sat around the central table, cards and multi coloured chips disorderly spread on the dark wooden surface.

Havoc looked back, his face blank, an arm casually thrown over the back of his chair in his usual laid back manner. His hand that was not holding his cards shot up to his mouth to take the cigarette he'd planted there, shook the cinders in the ashtray he kept near him, then put the cigarette back. He did everything without breaking eye contact, his face betraying nothing.

Breda was munching on bretzels he'd taken out of nowhere, and returned his stare with a raised eyebrow, shaking the piece of bread around.

"Want one, boss?"

Roy shook his head with a frown. Breda better clean off the crumbs he was throwing everywhere on the office meeting table when they'd be done.

Hawkeye and Falman, both at opposite ends, looked incredibly sereine, unfazed by anything. Falman was looking at his hand calmly. Hawkeye gave Roy his glance back with a solicitous "Sir?" and an incredibly deadpan face.

And Fuery, small Fuery, on his left, was sweating buckets, and kept pushing his glasses up his nose.

Roy felt a muscle spasm in his cheek, tugging at his lips.

Havoc let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Take your time, boss. Take all your time. After all, none of us have a girlfriend or family. We can stay here until the end of time and no one will ask about us. We can wait."

"Speak for yourself, Havoc."

"What, Breda, cause you got a beautiful creature waiting for you right now, in your bed, with big –"

"Havoc." Hawkeye tutted without even looking up from her cards.

"Big breasts ain't really my thing," Breda replied with a lot more seriousness than necessary. "Besides, right now, the only thing I want is for our dear Colonel to decide if he will follow or fold so we can finally get to showdown."

Roy, his eyes on his cards, right hand fingers drumming on the table, grumbled.

"Don't be so loud about wanting me, Breda."

"Shut up and play, Colonel. We're all waiting." Hawkeye's face was just about as blank as all of the others.

The only one displaying anything was Fuery, on his left, practically vibrating. He was the next in line to play.

A simple pair of jacks. That was all Roy got. He'd lost all the turns until now. Damn it, he was the boss! He was the youngest Alchemist to ever get the State license! He was smart! He was brave, reckless, even! He never went down, whatever hand he was dealt with! How come he was always defeated by Breda or Hawkeye, no matter what they had in hand?

Falman, too.

In fact, the only one who had, like him, not won any round was Fuery.

Roy shot him a side glance as the Master Sergeant took off his glasses to wipe off the condensation on them.

Roy ran the numbers in his head again. Falman had a pretty good straight at the precedent turn. That was 0,39% in odds, before the first draw. What were the odds, now? Havoc had folded, which meant his hand must have been awful - no figures, nothing. Falman, Breda and Hawkeye had bet. Fuery would probably fold, considering the –

"Come on, Boss, this isn't a fucking game of chess!" Havoc was making big gestures with his arms, ready to light another cigarette.

"Of course it's not, I'd have beaten you up all long ago!"

"Colonel," Hawkeye scolded him. "Stop being a child, and tell us if you follow or if you fold."

"Yeah, Colonel," Breda quipped while picking up a new bretzel. "Well all know you got a shitty hand. Either own it or not, but please free us."

Roy's head jerked up from his hand.

"What? How?"

"You're a terrible liar, sir. And terrible at seeing through us, too."

Havoc snickered at Breda's retort, Falman and Fuery hid their faces behind their cards, and even Hawkeye couldn't stop the corner of her mouth from twitching up for a split second.

Roy scowled, deeply offended.

"I am the best liar in this room. And you all know it."

Hawkeye leaned towards him.

"Of course, sir, in the right context. You're calculating. You can talk anyone out of their wits, seduce them and turn them around like no one else."

Roy frowned at the mocking glance Breda and Havoc exchanged.

"But poker doesn't ask of you to talk and manipulate people with speech. It asks for a pokerface," Hawkeye continued, giving him her best rendition of it.

"I don't think his hand is that bad," she concluded placidly as she turned to Breda, "I think he's got a couple of figures and he's calculating the probabilities for each one of us to have a better game."

Roy scrunched up his nose and opened his mouth, ready to reply. But nothing came out, and he closed his mouth again with a sour scowl. Looked at his hand. And sighed.

"Alright, alright."

He knocked on the table once. He would not fold. He had honour.

"Thank you, sir." Breda said with a flourish. "Fuery?"

Fuery, blinking rapidly, placed his hand down on the table.

"I – folding."

"I'm glad we opted out of the strip poker option," Havoc sneered, and it pulled a short laugh from poor Fuery.

"You were the only one who wanted it, Havoc." Hawkeye said in her usual dry tone.

"No one can be foolish enough to play strip poker against Lieutenant Hawkeye," Falman added, extremely serious.

"Now, now that you say it," Hawkeye frowned, side eyeing Roy, who felt a sudden wave of warmth climb up his nape, "Maybe this is what we should have done, so I could be kept up on how that scar's healing, sir."

Hawkeye. Good old Hawkeye, throwing her lines like a bucket of ice cold water onto his head, as usual.

"None of your business, Lieutenant."

"I'm your bodyguard, sir. If I want to do my job properly I have to assess your health. Be sure you won't start limping if we ever need to make for a quick cover."

"I do not –"

"Right, showdown," Breda interrupted, just as Roy's hand uncontrollably shot down to the top of his right thigh, where a bullet had grazed a week before.

"You got hurt, sir?" Fuery piped, oblivious of the dark look Roy threw at him for keeping Riza focused on him this way, and the glare Breda and Havoc shot him for yet again derailing from the game.

"Yeah, during the operation last week," Riza stated in a slightly too formal voice as she showed her hand. Three of a kind, queens. "He managed to hide it until I saw him limp around the day after," she added with a scowl, avoiding Roy's annoyed looks.

"It was just a scratch," Roy grumbled, his mood plummeting yet lower when Breda uncovered a flush in hearts.

Falman showed a pair of tens with a sheepish smile.

"I tried," he said, pushing his chips towards Breda.

Roy groaned and hid his face behind his right hand as he showed his cards.

He groaned yet lounder when Fuery quipped from over his shoulder : "Oh, I had a pair of kings !"

"That's it, I'm done," Roy pushed all his chips and cards towards Breda. "This game is only about luck. There is no skill and no honour in winning at poker."

"No honour, maybe, but you owe me a hundred cenz, boss," laughed Breda as he grabbed the chips and counted them. "And I won two rounds with less than what you had on your current hand."

"Pokerface, boss! Gotta work on yours." Havoc clapped Roy's back.

"Work on being a better loser, too, maybe?" Breda snatched the couple of notes Roy was handing him. "At least Fuery is gracious about it."

Roy got up with another groan, leaning on his closed fists on the table.

"I should have you sacked, the lot of you."

"Nah, boss, you'd miss us."

"Everyone's so fond of you, where else would you get your reality check?"

Roy glared at Havoc. The line was very fine between playful banter and insubordination, and he and Breda were currently doing somersaults over it.

"Clean this all and get out, before I snap."

The two of them sneered, but did as they were ordered, picking up the cards and chips. Falman and Fuery cleaned where they'd sat, pushing their chairs in place. All of them saluted and bid the others – and their boss – good night before they took their leave.

Hawkeye took her time, turning around the central table to look for forgotten chips or bretzel crumbs, checking some papers on her own desk that didn't need to be checked, before she walked towards Roy's desk, where he'd retreated to sulk in peace.

He observed her little game from the corner of his eye until she stopped in front of him.

She placed something he'd seen her retrieve from her desk drawer in front of him.

One painkiller and one antibiotic. When had she taken those from him, already?

"Oh, so that's why I played so bad. Drugging our superior, are we, Lieutenant?"

"I wish. You should have taken those two hours ago."

Roy's first impulse was to tell her to get lost, still grumpy as he was to have been made to look like a fool in front of his subordinates. Then he remembered. All those years ago, he'd pushed the same pills in her hand. And when she couldn't herself, he'd pushed them through her lips, and held her head for her to drink some water to swallow. He'd done that for days. Watched her sleep, guilt and fear for this girl he in fact barely knew gnawing at his brain. He hoped he would never have to do it again, but if he had to, he would.

That instantly wiped any offended ego feelings off his mind. Who was he to push her away when she wanted to show the same concern?

Roy shrugged, but he grabbed the pills, and gulped them down, using what remained of cold coffee in a cup that was lying around his desk. Hawkeye went on, sitting on the desk, while he winced – that coffee had been older than he thought.

"And no, I don't think you lost because of this, and pain is no excuse either – you might not lie to people or even yourself that well, and I know you don't like it, but where pain is concerned I know you can be stubborn enough to forget it."

"That bad, uh?"

Hawkeye had left her pokerface behind – her subtle expressions might not be noticeably different for the untrained eye, but Roy'd had years to train. Her eyes were slightly narrowed, and her mouth imperceptibly curved upwards.

He smiled in return.

"That bad. Please do not play poker ever again. It was awful."

"Oh, not gonna happen, Lieutenant. I don't like to lose."

"Oh, really? Didn't notice." Hawkeye saluted, the small smile not leaving her lips. "Good night, Colonel."

She turned around and went to leave, but Roy called her.

"Hawkeye?"

She turned back.

"Sir?"

"The wound is alright. Cleaned and closed and supervised. Don't worry, please."

"Take your antibiotics, sir."

"Promise, Lieutenant. Good night."

"Good night."

[crystalelemental]

Did you know that sometimes I write for stuff that isn't Pokemon? Unbelievable, I know. I'm back on MagiRevo. I've been reading the light novels, specifically got through the first three and finally received book 4 today, and listen. Listen. I am well aware that Lainie/Ilia is the canon pair. But Book 2 provided me crumbs, and I am a scavenger at heart, so consider: Lainie/Tilty.

First point! The crumbs in question largely come from how Tilty is presented, and how she acts in Book 2. This is somehow who is effectively a shut-in, does not like to interact with others, and only expresses interest in curses and the occasional Anis shenanigans. This is contrasted immediately when Lainie joins the villa, as Tilty is the one most directly helping get her powers under control, then starts showing up regularly at the villa just to check in on her. For someone who never leaves, and apparently never bothers going to Anis, this feels like a big deal.

Second point! Similarities do exist between their respective histories. Tilty has tremendous magical power that causes her to go wild when she uses it too much, the only solution to which is "never use your magic ever," making her exceedingly bitter about her own life and loss, and being the one most adamant about living for oneself. On the other hand, we have Lainie, whose powers have been a life-long curse that made people either adore her unconditionally, or loathe her based on the perceived slight of her not returning their attentions. Tilty receded into her manor due to her powers, but also out of choice. Lainie wants nothing more than to be left alone, but initially feels duty-bound to do what she can in service of others. Which is why she goes maid route. But like. You see where I'm going with this?

Third point! Okay come on, be honest with me. Tilty's basically the medical expert of the group and is super gloomy and dresses all in black and lives how she wants, while Lainie is a vampire that dresses all in white and is super mild-mannered and feels obligated to give back to people. That's a nice contrast, right? Do you feel what I feel? Are our hearts beating as one?

Probably not. I dunno. This is my first foray into specifically non-canon pairings. No all the Pokemon stuff doesn't really count; nothing is made canon so nothing is hardline unconfirmed either. This is the only time I've gone in defiance of canon for a ship. In what is, admittedly, a fairly small fandom space. I feel like if one person likes this one, I'd consider it well received. I wrote this for me. And that...might show a little. Look, I tend to write my relationships very PG, and while I wouldn't really call this anything serious, I aimed to make their engagement a little spicier than my usual fare. Which is like. "Mild curry made in the northeastern US" level spice, but I am prudish by nature and I have to build up the tolerance. I need you to understand, the first actual pairing fic I wrote where people kissed? I could not let this go while talking about it to my wife. Wife, do you understand? They're going to kiss. On the mouth. No, not with tongue, that is way too much, what do you take me for? I am a particularly repressed victorian maiden, I have to fan myself writing something like this and they're fully clothed. I'm trying my best, okay?

[mannatea]

The World Could Be Beautiful, a Tales of Symphonia ‘fic (Chapter 2)

Word Count: 10,786 Summary: After a chance encounter in Izoold, Raine and Regal both get a lot more than they bargained for. (A one-night stand 'fic with consequences.) Chapter Summary: Raine travels to Palmacosta hoping to find work for the winter and meets up with Genis. Pairing/Characters: Regal/Raine, mention of assorted OCs as the story requires. Other characters set to appear are Genis, George, Lloyd, Colette. Warnings: Blanket warnings for the entire fic: pregnancy (and all that comes with it), discussion/mention of abortion, power imbalance, fantasy racism. Rating: Explicit, because there is sex in it. I don't write particularly explicit sex, but because it's here the rating has to be like this. Genre: Romance/angst/bumbling through an awkward and frankly frightening situation.

The title is the link to Ao3 for Chapter 2!

Notes under a cut.

I skimmed over the travel to Palmacosta because nobody really wants to read about Raine feeling like absolute shit for half a chapter, and there's no one else with her to even talk to her so...

Genis was surprisingly easy to write. He's 15, he's still kind of a brat, and he's still a know-it-all (something he and Raine have in common lmao). The only real change is that he's bolder in how he speaks. As far as his tease at Raine about how he knows how to filter his speech goes, I like to imagine if she gets worked up too much or stressed, her filter goes quickly. 🤣

A cannery is a place where things are...canned. LOL. In this case, it's a fish cannery, where fish (and possibly other seafood) are processed. It's pretty hard work and a lot of lifting (which isn't easy for Raine; she's not very strong). Palmacosta is such a busy town I imagine they could run shifts around the clock, and even if she might prefer the morning shift, she'd take what paid best to try and save up as much money as possible for the spring.

Genis being uncomfortable with her staying outside: yeah, I mean...his concerns are very valid. She could get robbed, hurt, or even killed and there's no one that far out of town that she can turn to for help.

There's also the fact that it's not very good for her to just be out in the weather like that all the time. Sure, it doesn't get terribly cold, but it probably gets chilly enough at night to be at least a little concerning.

--

The pregnancy: Raine is a bit naïve here, but in her defense if her cycle is regularly pretty late (and usually beats the ever-living shit out of her when it does arrive), she probably doesn't track it very seriously (waste of time and energy).

Also, she was out in the weather quite a bit. Her first thought being "ugh I'm coming down with something I can just feel it!" seemed reasonable to me.

More importantly, she DID DO THE INCANTATION to try to stop a pregnancy from occurring. You just have to imagine that, like any other birth control method, it's not 100% guaranteed to work. It just doesn't occur to her that she could have failed at something she's usually very skilled at (magic).

--

As the author I shouldn't have to say that my opinions are not those of the characters, but just in case: take note. My opinion is that it's Raine's body at stake and Raine's opinion that matters regarding this baby.

HOWEVER, Raine's stance here is not quite the same because she is in a unique situation: the father of her baby is a very rich man, and he's someone she considers a friend. She feels she should tell him about the baby (out of respect for him) and get an idea of what he thinks about it before she chooses what to do.

In this story's universe abortion is not legal in Sylvarant and considered a somewhat dangerous option in Tethe'alla. The issue with coathanger-style abortions is that if the person doing the procedure messes it up (which can happen even when done by a practicing doctor), it can tear open a blood vessel and you can hemorrhage, oftentimes to death. Raine is a healer, but it doesn't mean she'd be able to save herself if something like this happened to her. And even if she did save herself, her health could take a long-term hit from the complications anyway.

(TO BE CLEAR: this is not indicative or representative of modern-day abortions, so please don't get it twisted. I'm sort of trying to match something that feels vaguely "period-appropriate.")

If Regal wants no involvement and won't offer any financial support, abortion is probably worth the risk to Raine. She doesn't want to go back to labor work with an infant in tow. She doesn't want to have to raise a baby from scratch again, and by herself with no help at all and all the fears she had while raising Genis still very real and present in her life.

That said, she doesn't know what he might have to say about it. Experience with him--and Genis points this out-- says that he's a good person who will probably want to take responsibility in some way, but Raine doesn't like uncertainties and will not latch onto them as fact. She would rather hear it directly from him. (And this isn't the kind of thing she can tell him in a letter.)

Anyway, half of Raine and Genis's conversation is just them heavily speculating because none of them know what Regal will actually say or do. Like yes ideally he will at least throw money at Raine for the inconvenience, but...this is not a guarantee.

--

Genis's anger/argumentative nature/discussion of Raine's sex life: yeah this was weird to write. I think he's ride or die for Raine in a similar vein to how Mithos was for Martel. Raine is more or less Genis's mother but she is also his sister and to some extent his friend. I DO NOT think he'd take kindly to someone treating her badly, and the idea of Regal tossing his own child aside like garbage (and Raine along with it) just pisses him off. He doesn't think Regal will do that, but if he does he's ready to be Big Mad about it.

I'm sure Raine tried to hide the truth of why she was pregnant to some degree, but spilled the metaphorical tea in an attempt to protect Regal from her brother's anger lmao. (She also just VERY MUCH doesn't want Genis to be angry about anything, anger is too consuming.) Her telling Genis that she told Regal he didn't have to pull out was her trying to take responsibility for the majority of the mistake. Like she led him to believe he didn't have to pull out and then her incantation didn't work. In her mind this makes it mostly her fault.

While I do view Raine as a pretty private person, I also think she would try not to let her own anxieties affect her brother, or her relationship with her brother. I also don't see her as being particularly shy, so it doesn't feel too weird to me to imagine she would have just let him know the general situation—again, if only to prove the blame belonged to her and not to Regal.

Genis is definitely right in this chapter a lot (if Regal was mature enough to have sex with her he should be mature enough to take responsibility) but I wanted to kind of write his attitude toward the whole thing as a bit more clinical/crass. Like his line about logic--where was HER logic when she needed it, huh? What can I say, he's 15 and he doesn't know shit BUT HE SURE THINKS HE KNOWS BETTER.

Also, yes, Genis was worried that baby might have been a product of something non-consensual at first, which was the primary reason he was so uncomfortable bringing it up. If it was the product of a traumatic experience, he didn't really want to make her relive it.

--

"He has all the power!" Yeah. I mean...let's not pretend Raine has any leverage here. She doesn't. She's at Regal's mercy. He can choose to throw her away or choose to help but aside from appealing to him as a friend, there is very little she can do. All the power is in his hands. (Hence the warning for power imbalance.)

Raine would be painfully aware of this. It's right up there with her understanding how important Regal is in the world right now (to half-elves, to the lower classes, to Sylvarant), and knowing how badly this scandal could damage his reputation—not just because it's a baby out of wedlock, but because it's a half-elf baby out of wedlock and Regal is Tethe'allan. Most people within his company and on the board and the court are Tethe'allan and therefore more likely to judge him harshly.

When Raine says it could ruin his life she is NOT talking about it in modern terms. She means that the scandal of having a half-elf baby out of wedlock and recognizing it/being open about it could cost him his job and his title, and without those things he cannot continue to help the lower classes, half-elves, or Sylvarant. That is a HUGE DEAL. Jeopardizing that over one baby seems extremely stupid to Raine. If he tells her to keep her mouth shut and take some money she'll respect it—not because she likes the idea but for the sake of the world. And at least it's something. He can definitely afford to pay her off (and while it's not ideal she could raise a child comfortably).

The important takeaway here is that Raine will choose the greater good in this instance.

--

Little things:

Teachers needing a license? Just something I made up, but it makes sense to me.

Raine's fear of settling down? This is based pretty much 100% on the fact that she's just never been able to stay anywhere long-term and while she wants the safety and security of a settled life, she's afraid of trying to take that for herself because it feels fake to her. Like she just feels like she'll get bullied out of town or something a month or ten months or ten years down the road.

"I'm a healer, remember? It won't kill me." I mean it could though. She can't heal illness.

Genis being able to 'sense' the baby: I figured if a half-elf can sense other half-elves, it might be possible to sense a second mana signature, especially alongside one he knew as well as his sister's. Raine just can't sense it because she's too busy feeling like garbage.

I feel like I skipped over some small detail but you know how it is. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Thanks for reading!

[fanwork-exchange-promos]

SGA Secret Santa 2024!

Posted by: goddess47 We've had a bit of a shuffle and popkin16, after many years of wonderful modding, finds she won't be able to mod SGA Secret Santa 2024... Many thanks to Popkin for her work over the years!!! I'm goddess47, if you don't know me, and I'm going to be your mod, with some background help from melagan... And look at the pretty icon tarlanx made for us... isn't it pretty? Feel free to tell her so! On to the fest! Schedule ★ Sign-ups: Now thru Nov 10 Assignments will be sent out by the 12th. You must reply to the email to confirm receipt. Yes, this is a quick turn-around, but we want to make sure folk have time to create their works. ★ Required Check-In: Dec 1 Check-in will be done via email. If I don't hear from you, your assignment will be turned over to a pinch hitter. ★ Posting Period: Dec. 10 to Dec. 23 You are responsible for posting your gift to AO3 (links on the sga_secretsanta community will be encouraged but not required). Posting instructions will be provided when the time nears. ★ Author Reveals: December 25th Rules This is a secret-santa style exchange open to all pairings and genres (gen/het/slash/femslash/multi). Both FIC and ART are welcome as gifts! 1. FIC: All stories must be at least 1,000 words in length. Everyone who signs up to receive a story is expected to write one in return. 1A. ART: Art should be comparable to the work on a 1K fic. Drawings should be on unlined backgrounds. (Okay, I'm not an artist, do what you think is fair.) 2. Additionally, all stories must be a complete, stand-alone work and must be beta read. 3. Remember: keep your identity a secret from your recipient until you post your gift! If you need to ask a question of your recipient, contact me and I'll be your go-between. 4. Be responsive to all mod communications. This includes replying to the assignment email and responding at check-in. Please provide an email you check regularly, and make sure stargatefests@gmail.com is white-listed. 4. Stick to the deadlines. This is my only Christmas wish! However, if you find yourself needing to drop out or needing an extension, email me right away. 5. If you drop out after the Check-in OR if you simply disappear, you will not be allowed to participate next year. If you think you might be ineligible this year, you can contact me to double-check before signing up. 6. Please provide a gen option in your request. This will make matching with people requesting rare pairs or fic about minor characters much easier to match. Signing Up Please consider carefully before signing up. You are making a commitment to another person (your giftee), not just me. To sign up, click this link to fill out a google form. You can edit your comment up until sign-ups close. If you are not a member of the sga_secretsanta community yet, please join/watch now, so that you see all important announcements. And as always, feel free to send questions/comments to: stargatefests@gmail.com. Happy Secret Santa-ing! :) comments via The Fandom Calendar https://ift.tt/wlVZCz7

[curiouschaosstarlight]

For the ask game: 🙊💪😁🐸

🙊 Your coworkers or classmates stumble across one of your fics, but don't know you're the author. Do you fess up? Or keep quiet?

I wish I could say I'd handle this with grace and responsibility and all that, but I know me. If they compliment, I'm going "oh that's me!!! :O" and if they start talking shit, I'm going "o-kay, that's my fic tho >:(" because I don't wanna hear that. Sssso... 💪 What motivates you to write?

Lots of things, including music and my fixations, but especially other people's stories! Like...I literally just turned out a 3K drabble in 4hrs yesterday (that NEVER happens to me, I usually struggle to write over 500 words a day, and even when I'm really inspired it'll only get up to like 2K...) because I read a REALLY good fic. ...Unfortunately, I can't share the damn thing, because it's heavily connected to an rp me and my friend are doing, and would read almost completely nonsensical to anyone who isn't 1. familiar with that rp, and 2. familiar with my headcanons >:Y 😁 What makes you happiest? New fic comments, kudos, bookmarks, user subscribers, story subscribers, or Tumblr asks?

Literally any amount of interaction rn, because I'm rather starved for it (；′⌒`) I'm one of those people who, when I DO post, gets like...no reblogs, maybe a like. Or five to ten kudos and no comments. No one sends me asks, nobody asks about my theories or where I'm going next, or about my headcanons or ships...even when I was in a discord server where I wasn't being ignored and tons of praise and fic speculation was going around for everyone else, the response I got to questioning why no one was ever doing the same for me was "oh, well you never talk about your stuff!" which. was nonsense because I actively WAS talking about my stuff and posting updates regularly...

Though, I've nothing for it right now, unfortunately. Hopefully soon, though... Hopefully... 🐸 If you incorporated your OTP into a Disney movie plot, which would it be?

This one's funny to me because I'm not a classic OTP person; I'm a shameless multishipper and whoever my fave currently is, I'm attempting to pair them up with EVERY character I can feasibly put them with. (With limitations to the fact that either I or my friends have to be able to write the other character.) Anyways, I would go with something like Lilo and Stitch, where the destructive lil guy is adopted and loved and doesn't have to be alone.

[jinkieswouldyoulookatthis]

Thank you for reblogging and sharing that ask regarding being blocked by a blogger who didn't like the serial likes of their stories. That was me. Thank you for making me feel validated and for understanding. I've been a long time silent reader never making comments or reblogs just by my account isn't marvel related. I spam like people's stories so I can read them later, I don't even unlike them. Reading all these fics are like my escape from my very busy life and to be blocked by that person bc I liked 5 or so of their posts honestly has made me insecure about liking other stories from different people. I was so excited to read them fully and even tried to follow them only to realise they blocked me. Now I'm scared everyone who's friends with that person who writes fics that I read regularly will also block me too. Idk now I'm a little discouraged to read stories in that fandom.

I'm so sorry, that has got to be disheartening. Have you checked out AO3? It's possible that they have cross posted their fics there, possibly under the same user name. Otherwise, the search/filtering functionality on AO3 is really good. It lets you even filter out characters or pairings or other tags that you want to exclude from the results. And, no one blocks you for just leaving kudos on fics there.

[olderthannetfic]

@marzipanandminutiae mentioned at least one canon that totally was catnip for fanworks fandom.

Wynonna Earp's big ship starts with Waverly getting beer all over herself and getting caught in her shirt. Deputy Hotass Haught helps her with it and Waverly is all "Ahaha. This would be super awkward if you were a man..." as Nicole oggles her.

I absolutely shipped it. I just didn't get back into the show after first season and so never talked about it much on here. I made a pimp vid of all the different things I shipped on that show after S1 to try to get other fans into it, but that was about the extent of my participation. Dolls was my favorite though, so that soured the show for me later.

I'm not usually into canon pairings, which is tricky because a lot of the really good stuff for female characters is canon f/f ships, often ones with a very different vibe from the m/m that gets big in fandom and that I tend to prefer.

What I appreciated about the setup at the beginning of Wynonna Earp is that one of them was all "I'm straight! OH NO!" in a more comedic than self-hating way. (Catnip!) The other one leered at her and gave off horny vibes. (Catnip!) Both actresses were super hot to me, which is just about never true on TV. And it's an urban fantasy trash show full of stupid monster of the week shit and other things I like, not a prestige drama that I'll never care about fanfic of because the canon writing is what I'm drawn to.

Would I have written f/f fic for it if I'd stuck around? Hard to say. My output is pretty minimal at the best of times. I might have been satisfied with canon. I'd probably have read some fic and made a couple more vids.

(At 6k+, that ship is in the top 250 or so on AO3 if you go by tag search. It's just not top for new works in 2023. Only half of them are otp:true, but that's still more fic for this ship than most fandoms have total.)

My big exception to not liking canon ships is that I like a fair amount of BL, indie "m/m romance", etc. I've pondered why that is, and I think it's a number of specific vibe things that I find regularly there. There's a disconnect where this stuff isn't literal representation by and for the same group. Even when the author is possibly a cis man, there's still that assumed audience. In the ones I like, the ships often have a fucked up element even if the ending is happy. Some of them are goofy comedy and it's comedy that works for me, which is always so subjective. I recently finally got around to Scum Villain, and I loved the meta shit and humor, but it was really LBH being such an obsessed little creep that sold me on it. Clueless senior + stalkertastic junior is my catnip.

When I've tried indie f/f fiction, it has often been extremely serious, featured rather blandly wholesome ships, and put lesbian identity front and center. But checking or not checking those tickyboxes isn't the issue: it's a vibe thing. I was looking forward to Gideon the Ninth since it sounded a lot more interesting and messy, but I ended up getting distracted before it came out. (This happens often. I still haven't seen KinnPorsche on the m/m side of things. If I find out about it too long before release, I often never end up getting the canon.)

The most recent queer female character I can remember making me go "Ooh!" is the protagonist of Knife+Heart. She's a violent creep and a total mess, and the movie is a bloody art film horror nobody saw outside of film festivals. It's about a lesbian director of m/m porno movies in the 70s trying to track down a serial killer who is preying on her actors. There is constant meta in her increasingly artsy porn films and in the narrative overall. There are 57 layers of identity bullshit going on at all times, but none of them are just about orientation qua orientation. They're about the closet and violence and parents and fans and voyeurs and projection. I don't know if I'm really rooting for Anne to get back with her ex. She's so terrible and the ex deserves better. But it's apparently possible to write a lesbian character I am all over... if you're a dude who makes gay art films.

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Of course, just asking for f/f that is exactly like the m/m I enjoy is silly. I'm always going to have slightly different standards for what bugs me in a sex scene or what hits to close to home and all of that.

What I want is f/f that makes me feel like the m/m I enjoy does.

And I've virtually never found that. I've found canon m/m and f/f Western live action media that I like and that give me similar feelings, and I'll vid those ships but not usually write them. I have not found female buddy or enemy relationships with the subtext I like that would inspire me to write fic. Well... Xena. If it were on now and I were watching it for the first time now, Xena would probably inspire me like this.

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This started with people finding an older post where I spent months hand-compiling shipping stats for FFN and Wattpad to show how het they are and coming away with the idea that m/m is the problem.

And I'm not saying it was TERFy because it was a stupid response. I'm saying it was radfemmy in that I got reblogs from open radfems who had worse shit to say than "fandom hates women" within one or two reblogs down that chain. There's a certain "It is the duty of all queer women to support the movement by ___" vibe that pops up constantly on posts like these. Whether you agree that the subtext is there, it attracts accounts with blatant radfem stuff in their headers and then a wave of nonsense hits my inbox. That's just the practical reality.

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/746553097204203521/the-fandom-hates-women-response-to-lack-of-ff

The "fandom hates women" part of it comes from the fact that fandom as an entity just doesn't watch the kind of media that draws femslash, even if it ticks all of the boxes of things those very same people say they like. There are so many times I've watched a show that I've seen mega-popular Tumblr posts wishing existed, and then the fandom is so, so small comparatively and often in general. There have been superheroes, vampire/supernatural shows, fantasy shows, movies, books, the list goes on, that feel like they were generated out of Tumblr's desires for ideal fandom media, and everyone knows they're never going to attract anywhere near the same attention for fandom and fanworks because the common denominator just tends to be that if there isn't a full ensemble of attractive men to ship either with each other or with the women, fandom's not interested.

So it's not about prioritizing women in that sense, it's about people witnessing hypocrisy over and over again the second a show doesn't have a mostly-male ensemble. The people who are in these fandoms are frustrated that good faith attempts to get people interested are met with every excuse in the book that all eventually boils down to "I don't like watching stuff with women in it as much as I like watching stuff with men in it." And if that's how people feel about it... sometimes the conclusions are going to turn into the more uncharitable take of "fandom hates women."

--

Maybe, but whenever I see a "fandom hates women" reblog of my stuff, one or two reblogs further down the chain I get an overt TERF. I just had to go block several people today, in fact.

The first person to reblog with a comment like that is usually subtle, but their friends and friends of friends are not. The rhetoric that very quickly starts is the fandom equivalent of that "All the butches are becoming trans men! We're losing lesbians!" stuff.

Here's the thing: I've been in ten billion fandoms that were so awesome and fit fandom's supposed tastes to a T and yet no amount of promoting them could get anyone to try the canon. This goes for canons that are all men or all white men or all majority ethnicity men or whatever else.

The default state of media is to not engender a big fic fandom.

I agree that the rare outliers mostly follow certain patterns, but we extrapolate too far when we say that a lack of those patterns is why a fandom is small.

A fandom is small because that's the near-universal default.

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Yes, a small slice of fandom consists of guilt-ridden queer fujoshi who say they want more f/f but don't make much of a move to make that happen. I tend to run into that a lot because of my own tastes and having friends who share those tastes.

Far more of fandom is people talking generally about how representation matters without saying they would personally join these fandoms if they existed.

Neither group is large enough to be the real reason some woman-heavy canon fails to take off to HP levels.

The real reason is not hypocrisy but the fact that most things don't take off like that. Most things without massive, massive audiences especially don't take off like that. And the very few things that do are flukes and don't actually predict that another similar thing will take off in the future.

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Go to AO3's tag search. Search for all canonical fandom tags. Sort by uses and descending order.

Right now, I get 64,390 tags.

The first page, 50 tags, goes from HP with 497,845 works to the Thor movies with 59,266 works. By page 6, we're below 10 thousand works.

By the end of page 10, we're down to Labyrinth with 3,906.

Somewhere in the top 500 AO3 fandom tags (many of which are just franchise metatags for each other), we go all the way from megafandoms to medium size and down to relatively modest ones.

That's not a lot of room for a big f/f-heavy fandom given the trends in mainstream media and that mainstream media is where most really big fandoms come from.

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I also notice that you're conflating a lack of desire to watch something that's primarily about women with a lack of desire to watch something that includes women.

There are tons of fans who want something more like The Mummy with a leading man and leading woman they love.

Granted, that's not me and that's not a lot of my fujoshi/slasher audience, but it's extraordinarily common. I know plenty of people who don't like canons that are only dudes, but since they also don't like canons that are only ladies and they don't ship f/f, this gets spun into "fandom hates women".

--

Let me be clear:

Conflating "lesbians" and "women" is a radfem position.