#I would probably rec stuff everyone has already read

[adhd-merlin]

So I’ve been in the bbc merlin fandom for a bit now but I still havent really explored everything and I love asking peoples opinions so .

What’s your favorite AU and do you have any song or fic recs for it? Or art? Bc id love to see it!!

Sorry @itsjustclaryy this has been languishing in my inbox for a while because, well. The thing about me is that if you ask me a question about a specific thing, my brain will immediately wipe itself of all knowledge about that thing. It's like the opposite of that "don't think about a white bear" exercise.

I also haven't read a lot of Merlin fanfiction — partly out of choice, because I wanted to write my own without committing unconscious plagiarism.

So I sort of put this ask aside until I could think of at least one thing.

I assume you mean AUs as in genuine alternative universes rather than just canon-divergent scenarios? I haven't read many of those, mostly because modern AUs tend to remove magic from the picture, and I think that's such a fundamental part of Merlin’s character that it might as well not be Merlin at all. And also because I like magic.

So, for modern AUs, I like those that still preserve the magic element — like magical realism and urban fantasy.

(I can only remember reading one of those, and it was about magic users still being an oppressed minority and being, like, monitored by the government ? Having to wear some kind of tracking device? And Merlin being an activist campaigning for magic-havers' rights and being kidnapped by Arthur. I can't remember the details, I can't even say whether I liked all of it, but I was intrigued by the premise).

For canon era!AUs, I like the idea of universes where magic is legal and/or Merlin is either a literal prince or in a position akin to royalty (think King of the Druids) and he gets to interact with Arthur on a more equal footing. Or even just fics that change something about Merlin's status, like — I remember reading a story in which Merlin was kept as a prisoner/slave by another king, who used him for his magic (think of a "King Alined and his jester" kind of situation), and Arthur met Merlin while he was staying at this king's castle to negotiate a treaty. (Does it count as a "proper" AU? I'm not sure). But again, I have no links at hand, sorry.

I also enjoy soulmates AUs because I'm basic. But really, they work so well for this fandom.

Generally speaking, I enjoy fics that explore power dynamics, a lot, so I'm always a slut for Dom/sub AUs and the like (which I don't even know if it's a thing in this fandom?)

Sorry, I realise I haven't actually recommended anything and this probably wasn't what you were looking for, but yeah, I really haven't read many AUs.

Perhaps someone who follows me might have some actual recs :) I'll add to it if any specific fic comes to my mind.

(For now — this dragon!Merlin ficlet is adorable.)

[alltimefail]

ATTENTION DEAD BOYS FANDOM:

We have some unfinished business and a case to solve: The Case of the Curious Cancellation! 💀🔎

Here are the ways you can help (be sure to read until the end).

I'm not sure how many people here on Tumblr are also over on DBDA Twitter, but there have been MANY developments in the last 24 hours and it's important for all of us to be on the same page if we're going to have a chance in hell of saving our show.

First and foremost, we need to get Dead Boy Detectives in the Netflix Top 10 again. This means running it as much as possible. Read about that below:

(SOURCE x)

As the graphic says, the goal is to have it running on a loop constantly, as much as you physically can. Be sure to have some level of volume on or else it won't count. If you're on Twitter be sure to post your rewatch (photos of your tv, commentary, etc.) with the hashtag #ReviveDeadBoyDetectives !!!

Also, there's no better time to do this: the Tweet below brings up a great point! 👍

(SOURCE x)

Second, and easiest thing: KEEP TALKING ABOUT THE SHOW AND CREATING CONTENT ABOUT THE SHOW. Analysis, fics, fanart, shitposts, gif sets, memes, tik tok videos, so on - do not stop! Reblog other people's stuff and talk about it! Give fics kudos, comment, make fic rec lists and post that WIP or sketch! The most important thing to remember is to TAG YOUR POSTS AND CREATIONS. We need to trend!!! On Tumblr make sure you continue tagging your posts as you probably already are (look at my tags on this post if you need help, and remember not to use "DBD" on here because that is another fandom! We use DBDA here). On Twitter you want to use the hashtag #ReviveDeadBoyDetectives for the rewatch and #SaveDeadBoyDetectives is a popular one, too. You can also use #DeadBoyDetectives. Hell, I usually use all three if I can! Hashtag every post you make about Dead Boys, no matter how annoying or "cringe" you may feel. Flood the fucking tag and do not stop.

Third, everyone needs to sign and keep circulating the petition. We've surpassed 5,000 signatures in a day which is fantastic, but we need more. Get everyone you know to sign it; tell them it takes no more than 15 seconds. Be annoying until they do it just to shut you up.

Fourth, request "Dead Boy Detectives Season 2" through Netflix's support website. It's a small thing but if we all do this a couple times a day it will get their attention. They really do vet these suggestions, and an influx of requests for a canceled show will raise eyebrows.

Lastly, if you decide to write Netflix (via email or a letter - their office address has been floating around) please remember to stay concise and professional. Don't curse at them, don't call names. State that you are disappointed with the cancellation of the show, maybe add an anecdote about what it meant to you, and I would even recommend attaching some articles that emphasize people's displeasure with the platform abandoning shows on a whim and Netflix's flippant attitude toward queer shows in particular. Dead Boy Detective Agency on Twitter has retweeted every article on this topic so far, you can find their page here.

You can also use graphics such as the ones below to affirm that the cancellation was unjust.

(Source 1, Source 2)

I know this feels like a lot: know your limits and take care of yourself. Whether you do every single one of these things or just a few of these things, every llittle bit helps!

Even in the worst case scenario where nothing changes, this gesture will mean so much to everyone who made this show. We owe it to the writers, cast, crew, and each other to TRY. We can all agree that this show deserves at least another season and if Netflix isn't going to do it, they need to be open to selling it to someone who will. We cannot keep allowing them to axe these queer and diverse shows with little regard for their customers and their employees, but also because it sets a harmful standard in the industry that is destroying television.

Let's crack this case and bring our agency back! I truly believe in this community!! 💜 We can do this!!

If there are any spelling errors or issues with links let me know! I did this on mobile because I want to mobilize this information as quickly as possible! I'll be adding on to this with new developments and can answer any questions you all might have. Lets save our show!

[poetrysmackdown]

hi hiii i wanted to say that your account is so refreshing to see, esp with the passion you have for the arts. as someone who's been meaning to read (and write) more poetry, do you have any recommendations? some classics that everyone and their mothers know? perhaps some underrated pieces that changed you? or even just authors you like, I'm very open to suggestions :]]

Hi! Thank you so much for this kind ask :) So exciting that you’re looking to delve deeper into reading and writing! I had to take a little time to answer this because my thoughts were all over the place lol.

For a review of notable/classic poems/poets, I honestly just recommend looking at lists online or, hell, just binging Wikipedia pages for different countries’ poetry if that’s something you’re into, just to get a sense of the chronology. I read one of those little Oxford Very Short Introductions on American Poetry and thought it was pretty good, but online is quicker if you’re just searching for poets or movements to hone in on. Poetry Foundation also has lots of resources, in addition to all the poems in their database. I guess my one big classic recommendation would have to be Emily Dickinson (<3), but really the best move is just to find a poet you already enjoy and then look around to see who their peers were/are, who they were inspired by, who they’ve maybe translated here and there, etc. and follow it down the line as far as you can.

For some personal recs, here are some collections I’ve really enjoyed over the past two years or so. Bolded favorites, and linking where select poems from the book have been published online. But also, if you want a preview of a couple poems from another of the books to see if they interest you, DM me and I can send them over! You can also feel free to pilfer through my poetry tag for more stuff lol

Autobiography of Death by Kim Hyesoon trans. Don Mee Choi

Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings by Joy Harjo

DMZ Colony by Don Mee Choi

Hardly War by Don Mee Choi

Whereas by Layli Long Soldier

Geography III by Elizabeth Bishop

Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha

Don’t Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

Mouth: Eats Color—Sagawa Chika Translations, Anti-Translations, & Originals by Sawako Nakayasu

The Selected Poems of Osip Mandelstam trans. W.S. Merwin and Clarence Brown

The Branch Will Not Break by James Wright

This Journey by James Wright

God’s Silence by Franz Wright

Duino Elegies by Rainer Maria Rilke (the translation I read was by Alfred Corn—I thought it was great, but idk if there are better ones out there!)

DMZ Colony, Hardly War, Dictee, Don’t Let Me Be Lonely, and partially Whereas are all book-length poems with some prose poetry and varying levels of weirdness/denseness/multilingualism—if you were to pick one to start with, I’d say do Don’t Let Me Be Lonely or Whereas. Mouth: Eats Color is some experimental translations of Japanese modernist poet Chika Sagawa, with other translations and some of Nakayasu’s original stuff mixed in—it's definitely a bit disorienting but ultimately I remember having such fun with it, as much fun as Nakayasu probably had making it. It’s a book that emphasizes co-creation and a spirit of play, and completely changed my attitude towards translation.

If you’re less interested in that kind of formal fuckery stuff though (I get it), can’t go wrong with the other books! Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings is the one I read most recently, and it’s great—Harjo also featured in Round 1! Franz Wright also featured, and God's Silence is the collection which "Night Walk" comes from. James Wright (father of Franz) is one of my favorite poets of all time, though his poetry isn’t perfect. Even so, I’m honestly surprised he’s not doing numbers on Tumblr—Mary Oliver was a big fan of his, even wrote her "Three Poems for James Wright" after his death.

I mentioned in another post that one of my favorite poets is Paul Celan, so I’ll also recommend him here. I read Memory Rose into Threshold Speech which is a translated collection of his earlier poems, but it’s quite long if you’re just getting to know him as a poet—fortunately, both Poetry Foundation and Poets.org have a ton of his poems in their collections. There’s also an article by Ilya Kaminsky about him titled “Of Strangeness That Wakes Us” (!!!!!) that’s a great place to start, and is honestly kind of my whole mission statement when I’m reading and writing poetry. Looking at the books I’ve recommended above, a lot of them share feelings of separateness or alienation—from others, from oneself, from one’s country, from language—that breed strange, private modes of expression. That tends to be what I’m drawn to personally, and that’s some of what Kaminsky talks about.

Sorry of the length of this—I hope it's useful as a jumping-off point! And if you or anyone ends up exploring any of these poets, let me know what you think! If folks wanna reply with recommendations themselves too that'd be great :)

[cookie-crumblr]

⭐️✨Soccer Star⭐️✨

Jock-ish M!Reader x F!Yandere OC

Part 1?

MINORS DNI.

CW: Jock-ish(a little more shy than a regular jock, is also a professional college player)M!reader, Reader has a penis, reader referred to as he/him, reader has hair(not described), boob job, oral on m, NOT PROOF READ like at al

Disclaimer: fuck real regulations on trophy’s and stuff for fifa, honestly players should get trophy’s (is that a hot take? i’m sorry if it is honestly tell me XD)

Song rec: FIFAe Theme by FIFA sound …. teeheee~😘✨

Cheers from the crowd and your team defen you, confetti falls from somewhere above.

Below you feel the many arms holding you up, as you hoist the trophy over your head.

You’re filled with the adrenaline left over from the game, so your hands are shaking against the gold, but nobody will notice that.

The audience roars and stomps in the stands around you, the very earth rumbles to applaud your victory.

As you’re paraded back to the locker rooms, a news reported stops the crowd beneath you, and gets them to let you down.

Before they begin recording they pat your face dry with a fresh towel and give you a water bottle, you hand the trophy to a team member to hold, when they stop you from actually letting it go.

“Wait, you should def’ be holding the trophy for the interview.”

“Right, sorry, hah” You apologize out of habit probably(am i the only one? i cant be. XD)

“Sall good, now, roll!” they say to the cameras behind them.

“Today we’re here with Y/N, Y/L/N, after he’s won the cup! First question of course, is how are you feeling after dominating the field today?” they hold out the mic for you to speak in.

“Elated.” You beam at them and into the camera, a smile envelops every aspect of your face. This is your time.

“I bet! You had an amazing game! Now onto the question everyone wants to know…” They pause, and hold an earpiece, listening intently at the other end, for a second, then, they nod and say: “So, what’s the real secrete behind that collar?”

Your heart, and face fall.

For a brief second you freeze, stuttering and blubbering nonsense before your brain’s wires finally reconnect, “It used to be my dog’s, and uh now it’s my good luck charm.”

You managed to save it, the reporter puts a hand over their heart and “Awww’s” at the camera, “Now that is so sweet, isn’t it everyone at home?”

Thankfully, you’ve made it into the safety of the locker room, and most everyone has already changed and was waiting for you to get back there.

An eerie silence falls over them all when you do however.

You feel it in your bones that now they’re going to ask. That’s why they hushed up, and are all quietly staring at you.

Before you can take no more anticipation and almost turn around to shout at them to just ask the damn question already, you feel a hand come down hard on your shoulder.

Your eyes fly open wide in fear.

Behind you, your teammate’s voice comes out more light hearted than you expected, “Congrats on the game today man! You did awesome!”

“Hey!” You smile back, “It was a team effort!” Your hand comes up to meet his as you turn around and bring him into a shoulder bump.

He broke the tension that was making the air in the room stale and unbearable. He saved you from further embarrassment.

“Okay now what’s the real deal with the fuckin collar” a mate with a medal asks.

You let out a shakey breath,

Shit.

“Uh, It’s uh… Um…. Lu—!!!!” You flinch as the coach startled you now, his hand suddenly clasped almost too tightly on your shoulder, you think he’s trying to be reassuring, but your heart is pounding in your ears.

“Alright lads, move on out. I need a word with our star.” His baritone is somewhat calming, and the fact that he’s stopping that conversation from happening…

Again.

“Thanks coach,”you grin sheepishly.

he looks at you like a good father would, caringly, “listen, son, I don’t really care that you wear it, but i won’t be able to help everytime, just like with that interview. Ya did good,” he sighs in a drained pause, “i just don’t know about your girlfriend.”

At first you’re offended, you know she’s a little unorthodox, but she’s so sweet! in more ways than one.

Your face feels hot for a second and you reach up to ruffle your hair as a distraction. Cant pop a boner in front of your coach now, c’mon man! “I don’t know what t’say, coach…”

“Just, take care of yourself.”

~

Her manor is the most picturesque autumn scene you could ever see. Pumpkins now sit atop hay ales, and her wild flowers are now all shades of orange and gold. The vines that had grown up the trellis and up the white bricks of her home are now sporting blood red leaves.

inside her room, she lays on her bed stomach down, idly playing with your hair as you sit on the floor in front of her. She has a projector playing old youtube videos, but you don’t mind as much as you thought you would with her around.

“You did so good today, you were so hot out on the field and in your interview.

You turn fast enough to give yourself whiplash, “You aren’t mad?” You heart thrums to life, a slight pain squeezes it.

“Nope! I’m proud of you, Y/N!”

You feel the mattress flex against your back as Lucy starts to get up.

She grabs your hands, entwinand guides you up to your feet, spinning you both around so that you’re in between her and the bed.

Her tiny hand lays flat on your chest, and gently pushes you down onto the fluffy pink covered mattress. Her other hand cups your crotch, and rubs you through your jeans.

Your face is already hot, even just from the look in her eyes. the way she keeps glancing down at your lips, and back up to your eyes.

She’s blushing as she starts lowering herself seductively, trailing her hands down your body, eliciting shivers. Her teeth pull her bottom lip up slightly, she can barley contain herself.

She takes her time popping open your pants button, and she’s even more painfully slow when unzipping your pants.

Your hips push up, trying to get some friction where you’re desperate for it.

She bites her lip harder watching you, and pulls her hands away.

“Next time tell the news the real reason” She smiles deviously.

“What?!”

“What?” She mimics with a shrug. “You’re Mine. Now let me take care of you~”

In a millisecond your cock is out, half chub standing it up with a tilt, and almost ready for her.

She licks her lips, and her eyes widen, like she’s sizing up a delicious meal.

What to taste first?

Well she decides fast, her mouth in a relaxed and cute “o” as she brings her hot tongue to your tip.

Licking, before lightly hollowing her cheeks and sucking gently on you.

When she pulls back her lips are already glistening.

She picks it up in her hand, and looks up at you as she licks a stripe up from the base back up to the tip. After that she plunges you all the way into her throat, gagging a little, and spitting around you, she pulls back and starts bobbing her head.

Then she pulls her top down and rests her voluptuous tits on your lap, her pink nipples are perked up, and the urge to touch them is almost too much to bear.

Her hands are on your hips to keep you in place but you struggle against her.

Your fists ball up in the blankets at your sides. “Mmf! haah! Lucy! please!”

She gags again around you, her throat contracts and you can feel her tongue swirling around your shaft, when she pulls away she keeps just your head in her mouth, keeping you inside her for as long as she can always.

Her mouth opens wider around you with her tongue lolling under you, so that you just lay there in her mouth for a second as she gasps for air.

Her hot breaths cover you in hot intervals with the frigid air that mix and give you chills.

Her big brown eyes are teary now, you reach out to wipe one, and she lets you with a soft, giddy smile.

She spreads your legs wider so that she can get closer, you look at her quizzically until she lifts her chest and puts your cock between her bosom.

It’s a whole new feeling, now the underside of you is being stimulated in a nice way, her chest is so soft and squishy. Her mouth remains firmly around your tip, sucking and licking as she fucks you with her chest.

Her tits look so good around your cock. Your hips buck as you get closer, and now she can’t hold you down since her hands are occupied.

You start to fuck her back, chasing your imminent high. She squeezes and sucks harder and harder until you release and she swallows most of it, until she pulls away and lets some of your cum drip down her chin.

Do you want to paint her?

You definitely can’t wait to be stuffed inside her pretty pink pussy again. Thinking about it might even keep you hard.

Especially that she’s using her breasts now to pump and milk all that was left inside you, and it’s dribbling down to her nipples making the most amazingly indecent scene before you.

(A/N, i hope this is still decent!!! i am depressed and dying and idek hope ya had fun!!!! 🙈✨)

[pythoness94]

Obscure Fic recs, the opinion piece, part one.

Okay, you see, I would put this all-in-one big master post, because the first one I did was really small, but as i started doing the second fic, i realized that I would probably hit a word count. So, here is what I'm doing. One or Two fics per post because some are REALLY fucking long analysis, and others are quick ravings. Thanks @the-aphelion-archives for the recs.

Here is how this is gonna work. I’m going to be writing my thoughts one the ones I find interesting and I will be skipping SOME (key word SOME.) of the fics I already read because I can recall them perfectly and honestly don’t have enough to say about them other then “ REALLY FUCKING GOOD! PLEASE READ!” But there will be a list of honorable mentions at the end, including these fics that I “skipped” over. Now, enjoy the show.

Movie Magic :

Chapter one:  this shit was golden. “Mike was so disgusted by a half naked guy he had to stop the movie immediately.” No, Will, honey, it’s exactly the opposite of that. I loved how Will fawned over Mike and I loved Will’s and Robin’s banter. Mhm, good soup.

Chapter two: Mike is trying his damndest to let Will know he’s into him and Will just isn’t having it. He’s so deep in denial that Mike literally turning pink right in front of his face isn’t clueing him on. Honestly I love it, and Will & Robin’s talk at the end was just…so sweet. Good food, once more.

Chapter three: THEY’RE SO FUCKING CUTE, I’m can’t-. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face, Will checking Mike out was so real of him. I love jealous Will so much, it’s my favorite trope. Lucas and Mike talking was so refreshing honestly. I’m so used to everyone in the party being a dick to Mike in fic’s like these that actual friendship has never felt so good. I’m not even gonna lie…I also blushed at that scene in the outsiders. (In the middle of class too! I can NEVER live that shit down.) Mike is BOLD, BOLD, to be pulling this stuff. (THE WILL VOICE! I’M TALKING ABOUT THE WILL VOICE!! AHHH!!! )  “Mike beamed and said, “I thought so, I saw you eating those a while ago. I gotta go, but I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” Mike you’re not fucking subtle, you’re pulling a ME with my girlfriend. ““Wow, so you're a real knight in shining armor, huh?” Will, you aren’t being slick either, GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME! “Mike, i’m gay. “Will… baby… that’s not how you do that. GET TOGETHER ALREADY!! RAHHH! (Don’t worry Will, I love men too, and women, I love people in general honestly.) 

Chapter four: I got up and Jumped. THE PRINCESS BRIDE! IT CAME BACK! MIKE YOU ARE SO FUCKING SMOOTH!!! YESSSS!!! RAHHHH!! GET YOUR MAN MIKE!!! Mike is such a dork, but he’s Will’s dork and i love to read about Will being inexplicably fond of one Mike Wheeler and this fic is perfect for that. Also DATE NIGHT DATE NIGHT!!! Robin is so big sister coded, that little “Romance blooming?” part had me in a chokehold.  Mike, you’re such a dork “As you wish means I love you.” (not me acting Like I don’t do the same to my girlfriend. I will casually drop lyrics to her favorite songs in conversation like the cringy person I am and she won’t notice until way later then she proceeds to yell at me for it lmao.) KISS KISS SCENE! YES WILL KISS HIM SILLY!!

Final thoughts: Really good fic that had me grinning ear to ear from start to finish. Will’s thoughts about Mike, the shameless flirting, it was all spectacular. Good food.

[nyoomfruits]

Oscar “human embodiment of the standing man emoji” Piastri LOOOOL you hit the nail on the head with this

I’ve read ALL of your Landoscar fics and loved them and now I need more — do you have any recs? I love the chaotic Lando + just some guy Oscar dynamic I demand more content 😭

oooooh anon you've come to the right adres i have SO MANY fic recs and i need to yell about all of them

first of all there's this list i posted before!

now for the newer stuff because landoscar writers are just out there creating masterpieces every single day and i'm just a grateful recipient:

carried away by venerat | E | 22k

"Oscar," Lando said. "Don't hate me, alright, but I've—”

ITS A FAKE DATING AU BY THE ONE THE ONLY VENERAT LITERALLY WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT. this is BEYOND perfect especially because you said you love the chaotic lando + just some guy oscar dynamic because this captures that PERFECTLY. anyway this is everything to me and i sleep with a printed copy of this under my pillow

how much can you fit (under your skin) by cloudcollector | E | 4,5k

Oscar has biteable thighs. Lando has teeth.

The Thigh Biting Fic (tm). this was posted like i think a week ago and it's already a classic. mandatory landoscar reading i'd say. for everyone who wants to bite oscar's thighs and for everyone who doesn't yet know they want to bite oscar's thighs. the tldr everyone comes out of this wanting to bite oscar's thighs. anyway, 10/10 characterization, features oscar's reading which i LOVE and just. so goddamn hot a++++++

signed sealed by venerat | E | 4k

Delivered.

yeah yeah another venerat fic sue me. the tldr is if you love landoscar just binge read venerat's fics. ANYWAY this one is in a VERY fun texting format which i LOVE i love when fics find different intersting ways to tell a story. also very very hot

Your Plans (And Those Slow Hands) by xxcelientje | E | 4k

He could probably fit both of Oscar’s hands in one of his own, he could for sure use one hand to hold both of Oscar’s wrist and an idea entered his mind. He smiled at Oscar. ‘You like my hands?’ Oscar’s cheeks reddened even more as he nodded, his eyes still on their joined fingers. ‘They fascinate me,’ he admitted, biting his lip. OR: Lando and Oscar have some fun (and share some feelings) after the Belgium GP

celine is insane and i have a hand kink now. anyway this is so!!!!!!!! them being all tender horny for each other and also so fucking DESPERATE for each other i'm so weak for that always. 10/10 we as a fandom should include more light choking in landoscar fics as a rule

what would you do (if I went to touch you now)? by laceyamethyst | E | chapter 4/5

“Okay, so they both like each other. We need to get them together.” “How? Lando’s too freaked out to think straight and Oscar is the human embodiment of the standing man emoji.” Charles purses his lips for a moment before he snatches his boyfriend’s phone up from the other side of the table. “What are you doing?” “Initiating Mission Landoscar.” “Did you just make that up?” Charles waves at him dismissively as he begins texting, and Max lays his head down on the coffee table and prays for strength. *** In which Max tries to prove to an oblivious Charles how glaringly obvious it is that Lando is head over heels in love with Oscar. When Charles finally gets with the program, Lestappen go on A Mission™ to get the two idiots to admit their feelings for each-other, but it’s easier said than done.

if you've been following me for a while you've probably heard me yell about this fic because i'm OBSESSED with it. especially very good for lestappen shippers trying to dip their toe into landoscar because the whole fic is from max's pov and has LOADS of cute max/charles moments. just AAAAAh. the landoscar dynamic is super super cute and so perfect in this, it has a bunch of straight up hilarious shenanigans and also a VERY VERY fun characterization of logan that i'm obsessed with. 10/10 recommend, cry over it daily, need to lay on the floor about it regularly

[olderthannetfic]

I’m probably more forgiving than I should be, but I would say most people understand there are perfectly reasonable and compassionate people who have their personal reasons for continuing to enjoy mainstream or other media with massive issues. We all have our own opinions and baggage and that doesn’t make us enemies. But “its just too hard to find indie stuff!” isn’t that. If someone has enough internet access to send a defensive anon ask they can use Google or just ask for recs.

--

It's more than that.

Fandom is a subculture, or a set of subcultures, even with how mainstream fic is now. Supernatural was on for years, so yes, it clearly had a lot of people viewing compared to some novel. However, SPN had garbage viewership compared to lots of hit shows, and most randos at one's job likely did not watch it. It was an inescapable pillar of fandom culture for a while.

Film Bros have such distinct taste someone made that hilarious fanvid to Pretty Fly for a White Guy that used all of those movies they love. Sure, everyone's heard of most of them, but have we seen them?

Film noir nerds have festivals where they go watch increasingly obscure films noir, and there are "classics" all of them have seen that other people haven't.

I know no one who cares about The Secret History... aside from literally every dark academia social media account ever.

Everyone is the protagonist of their own story if they'd just act like it.

People come to my tumblr as a sort of central location, so when I'm melting down about Beyond Evil or even some indie novel, a certain number of people will go consume it too. I'm always picking up tastes from costubers or whatever internet micro-celebrity I like this month.

If you are excited about the stuff you like, other people will consume it so they can talk to you about it. You do not have to passively jump on every bandwagon. Even the supposed normies don't all watch the same shows. (And the idea of normies is a mirage anyway.)

There are whole facebook groups and social circles around indie original m/m novels these days. There are tastemaker super fans who seem to mostly engage in that sphere, and people who hang out in those spaces have all read the big names... big names absolutely nobody outside of the m/m world has heard of.

Go look up the website for GRL, the industry conference, and see how many of the attending authors you've heard of. Probably five of sixty or something unless you follow m/m very closely.

Last time I bothered with After Ellen, they were breathlessly following that Spanish historical soap's f/f subplot. Who else outside of Spain even heard of that show?

I get not wanting to be 100% alone forever, but there is no such thing as universally popular media. We make little pods of taste, some of which amount to full on subcultures.

Those taste groups form when we take a stand for our particular Thing, whatever it is. It requires a tiny bit of proactiveness, but honestly, not that much. People who are already un-normie enough to spend their time on AO3 and Tumblr instead of Instagram or whatever are already making choices about what kinds of tastes to prioritize and what circles to join.

We could make a minimal effort for our favorite types of content and build indie versions into small but viable industries.

Or we could be lazy, spineless cowards.

[iridescentis]

RTC ASK GAME!!

30

23

20

8

1

You don’t have to answer !!

THANK YOU ofc I'll answer!!

30. Overall favourite part of RTC and/or the fandom?

Favourite part of RTC is HARD, the characters absolutely have my heart and the worldbuilding around Uranium is so important to me but I can't pick a favourite element!! Fandom wise, I adore my lovely little circle of RTC people, everyone is so lovely and super talented and it just makes me so happy!! This fandom is so comfy and creative and everyone is the sweetest <333

23. What would your catchphrase be and/or what 'The ___ in Town' would you be called?

Catchphrase: if it was short like Constance's, "Well...." with a proper elongated vowel sound is very me I say that all the time, if it was something longer it might be something with a similar vibe to Ricky's? I'd have to think about it and write one

The other thing: At first when I wrote the questions mine was The Loneliest Boy in Town, which could still work but I don't think that really fits me anymore? Ricky already stole imaginative so I can't use that! I'm not really sure how people perceive me lmao

20. Favourite RTC fanfic/fic author/fic recs in general?

YESSSSS!!! Okay, EASY. I'm sure plenty of people already know and love Sierra (Seddiefan11)'s fics BUT I'LL STILL PROMOTE EM ALL ABSOLUTELY LOVE <3333 URL I Need is literally the cutest, most precious nischa fluff ever it makes my day every single update 🥰

One of my favourite fics, Let the Light In by the wonderful vsapphire, it is so beautifully written and I ADORE it, literally some of my favourite writing ever and the plotline is deliciously angsty and full of nischa goodness, IT IS PERFECT 💖

I ALSO HAVE TO PROMOTE MY AMAZING FRIEND MADDIE (Moodles171) AND ALL OF HER STUFF GO READ!!! NOW!!! I cannot promote her multichap Born Yesterday enough it is absolutely incredible so far YOU MUST GO READ!! this is me hypnotising you you wanna read maddie's fics soooooo bad GO READ IT

is that sappho you're reading? by jup1ter_moon, absolutely lovely perfectdolls slowburn it has my whole heart the backstory is SO GOOD and I cannot recommend it enough <333

Uranium, Uranium by Cr0w_Qui11, also absolutely wonderful worldbuilding and is fully getting me on board with CDPlayer, it's a PERFECT combination of Legoland and RTC

THERE ARE PROBABLY MORE BUT THESE I LOVE <333

8. Favourite cut character?

Ooo, I'm not sure! I don't really know much about them tbh, if anyone who loves them and knows a bunch wants to rant about them in my asks PLEASE DO!! I would say I'm most curious about Astrid though, I think she could be a fun addition to fics, if I knew more I'd definitely try writing with her

1. Favourite production?

Trinity Theatre has been my favourite for a while, it's definitely still up there but I think Majestic Rep might be my favourite now?? It is SO GOOD, the characterisation is so perfect and detailed and the dynamics between characters is different but in THE BEST WAY. Oh and of course our lord and saviour the people's Mischa, Ray Winters, INSTANTLY my favourite Mischa ever

THIS IS SO LONG HELP, thanks for all the questions!!

[up-in-space-reading]

Average Weekly Screentime - Chap 8: The Best Non-Detective Detective

pairing: Jake Peralta x Amy Santiago

word count: 412

warnings/tags: college au, texting, drunk texting, text fic (mostly, there's prose a few chaps in), bets, bisexual!jake peralta, jake peralta has adhd, parties, drinking and alcohol, sexual references, implied sexual content (nothing explicit, just suggested its going to happen/has happened), friends to lovers, swearing, mentions of cannibalism, lighthearted threats of violence (typical rosa stuff yk), fluff

read on ao3

Average Weekly Screentime masterlist

Story Summary: texting fic college AU with the squad! It's the beginning of the school year and while everyone else thinks it'll be the same as the previous year, Gina has a feeling things are going to be different and wagers a bet with Rosa and Charles. Told through all the various group chats everyone is in.

Chap 1 | Chap 2 | Chap 3 | Chap 4 | Chap 5 | Chap 6 | Chap 7 | Chap 8 | Chap 9 | Chap 10

authors note: accompanying chapter to the previous one to hold you over until i finish the next chapter!!

Jimmy Jabbers

[05:24pm, Thursday]

Queen G: i need movie recs now pls

RoRo: robocop

Mr Grapes: Bullets Over Broadway

Queen G: seriously??? Queen G: THOSE are my options

Mr Grapes: You asked

-

Dance Squad

[05:43pm, Thursday]

G-Hive: is anyone else hearing the deafening silence from jake and amy

Charlese: Jake told me he wasn’t feeling well tonight

Scary: you know damn well amy is probably nose first in a book

G-Hive: something is off about it G-Hive: im gonna investigate

-

DDC

[05:45pm, Thursday]

G: charles said u werent feeling well G: u ok?

-

[06:28pm, Thursday]

G: r u dead??

-

Dance Squad

[06:33pm, Thursday]

G-Hive: jake hasnt responded to me

Scary: he’s probably asleep then

G-Hive: i dont buy it

Charlese: Do you want me to message Amy?

G-Hive: about what charles? G-Hive: leave this to me

-

Girls, Girls, Girls

[06:39pm, Thursday]

Gina: @Amy did u want the lipstick u wore on nye? Gina: i dont wear it anymore but i dont wanna throw it out yk

-

Dance Squad

[07:14pm, Thursday]

G-Hive: amy has not responded to me

Scary: i’ll admit that’s weird

Charlese: Usually one of them will respond

Scary: gotta ask gina, do you have nothing better to do?

G-Hive: all my dates are on the weekend G-Hive: im also waiting for my tan to set

Scary: fair enough

Charlese: Do you have a date with Sam?

G-Hive: yeessss G-Hive: me and his fine ass going to some fancy place G-Hive: and yes he WILL be paying

Charlese: I assume Sasha doesn’t know??

G-Hive: pls charles im not an idiot G-Hive: ill be posting an insta story while im out

Charlese: Oh that’s perfect

Scary: you two lead lives that i just can’t relate to

Charlese: You don’t go on dates?

Scary: i go on dates Scary: only if they end in sex

G-Hive: seriously??

Scary: so many lesbians on this campus

G-Hive: why did i not know about this

Scary: keeping secrets from you is fun

G-Hive: the way im being treated tonight I stg

-

DDC

[08:02pm, Thursday]

Jacob: hey g Jacob: sorry i didnt text sooner Jacob: was asleep but feeling better

G: thats cool G: as long as ur not dead G: ur mom would kill me

Jacob: lol

-

Dance Squad

[08:04pm, Thursday]

G-Hive: what were the lyrics to the wizards of waverly place theme song again

Charlese: “Everything is not what it seems”?

G-Hive: exactly right charles G-Hive: exactly

Chap 1 | Chap 2 | Chap 3 | Chap 4 | Chap 5 | Chap 6 | Chap 7 | Chap 8 | Chap 9 | Chap 10

authors note: I've already said it like twenty times but I'll say it again - thank you for reading, leaving kudos, and commenting, i see you all and i love you all <3

I'm going to guess there will only be one more chapter left of this story BUT i promise i'll make it a hefty one!

[baelpenrose]

Project Praetorian 47: Planning Home

The team begins planning out their ideal space to live for their custom barracks now that the check has cleared. They get word of an approaching team, and Echo draws a a boundary. Beta-read and brainstormed by @canyouhearthelight.

Molly

“A space that lets me and Xavier practice music without disturbing Vergil, and maybe put on some kind of show - like room for an audience?”

“Maybe just a broader, sound-sensitive performance room. With mats.” Kimmy added. “I want to be able to use it, too, and you keep teasing me with the promise of a soundtrack for rhythmic gymnastics.” 

Molly blushed. Why did Kimmy talk like that, and why did she want to see Kimmy move so badly? 

“Uh…yeah. Right. Definitely a broader purpose room where you can do your tumbling and flips.”

Kimmy was doing a casual cartwheel, and Molly tried to focus on the diagram she was looking at. “What about you, Mia?”

“Garden. My mom kept one, and I want one.”

Casey bumped Mia’s hand when that was translated. “Yes.” 

“Okay, okay. Imperator says we have to have an exercise room, and an armory. Basically it still has to function as a barracks, so make sure we have room for that stuff.”

“Industrial kitchen though?” Casey jumped in. 

“Yes.” 

Jared was walking by. “Oh, barbecue pit out back. Or even just the space for one. I’ll dig.”

Xavier jumped in and Molly began feeling overwhelmed. “Oh, good, Molly already said it. Uh…den, and a more casual rec room for after missions. And we’re probably going to need some kind of motor pool for both civilian cars and armor.”

“Mass decontam showers. I do not want to have to wait in line with that much alien blood on me.” Mia’s eyes widened when Shiloh signed that, and even more when everyone assented, but Molly banged on the table. 

“YES! Oh, God, yes. We cannot go without that.” She had just remembered how gross the alien blood had felt drying in her hair last time, but…

Then she realized how eagerly she’d just agreed to locker room showers and blushed. It only got worse when she realized that Kimmy and Mia were both looking at her. 

Mia added something rapidly that she hurried to translate. “Mia says that she wants to make sure we still have private showers, that we just have massive ones for decontam, right?” She stammered to add, “I mean, obviously when we’re all covered in alien gore the priority is getting it off, but most of the time, we’re gonna want privacy…” 

Mia nodded, vigorously. 

Shiloh blinked, then signed in a fashion that, despite the generally deliberate nature of ASL, still managed to come off as though they were explaining something to a child, “I suggested it because I hate how gross it feels to have alien blood drying on me. I figure all of us showering that off together after a battle was the lesser evil, but yeah, most of the time, private showers.”

“Okay, but what else?”

Molly thought about it. “Some kind of chapel or like somewhere to pray? Non-denom, like I want it to be as comfortable for Mark or Micah or Casey as it would be for me or Mia…”

Casey blinked, then laughed. “Oh, you’re old school catholic.” 

“Yep. Went to Latin mass and everything.” 

Xavier waved a hand. “Comms center? I mean, I know we don’t like the rest of Imperator, but we’re gonna need to be part of the decisions…”

“Yeah. Conference room for the same reason: it’d be good to invite other people to us. Wouldn’t kill us to have our own mess either.” Mark replied, looking at it. “I know Casey already wants a kitchen, if we can get that we can get a mess.”

“This feels like we’re not arguing for a barracks anymore; but, almost like our own compound.” Echo noted, a bit dryly. 

“Do me a favor and try not to think about the fact that we’re designing our own autonomous, highly militarized group home, and try to focus instead on the possibility that when Imperator is decommissioned we may or may not buy whatever we have designed from the government as a permanent center for our corps to spend time together.” Mark’s response was almost detached. 

That comment brought the conversation almost to a halt. 

“Wait.” Molly said, slowly. “What do you mean?”

Xavier took the que. “It’s been a discussion for a while. Our goal is to make the world better, after the war. Leverage the credibility we get as war heroes, take on the system. But we also kinda…made peace with the fact that we’re not going to really…fit in with normal people, after everything. So a lot of us are making plans to stay close to each other, after it all ends. You know?”

Molly thought about it. She’d figured on performing with her fame, maybe using her powers to do things with music that no one else ever could, but….Hm. With what she could do…

She glanced over. Mia said something, something too quiet. Then Mia repeated herself. “After this is over. You guys want to deal with the cartel and the gringo companies that use them as heavies?” 

Echo chuckled. “I’d be down. But aim higher, sis, because by the time we’re done you’ll be able to do that on your own.” 

Mia laughed at that, and Molly high fived her, but Molly also shivered. She had seen Casey blasting away hundreds of Croaks at a time. It wasn’t a joke. 

Then Jared spoke. “Uh…Not sure what I want. Not sure I’m ready to have a goal, yet.” 

Xavier nodded. “Progress. You’ll get there. What about you, Kimmy? Shooting for the Olympics might be cheating now.”

Kimmy blinked. “Oh, shit, yeah, I guess you’re right, uh…Maybe disability advocacy? Weird, since I’ll never actually be disabled again - probably - but it was so fucking frustrating. There were so many places where I couldn’t go, and no one ever fucking just put a sign up or seemed to think about wheelchair access the entire time I was trying to travel or get anywhere. Fuck, even hospitals a lot of the time were like the most inconveniently laid out places if you couldn’t walk.”

Micah shrugged. “I mean, depending on where I wind up, and how - if it’s even still relevant - hey, Mark. Peace in the Mideast?” 

Mark doubled over, howling. “See, Mia? That. That is how you set a goal I’m 90 percent sure only a Praetorian can reach. Sure, man, if we’re both still alive, let’s give it a swing. Also if any of the governments there still exist.”

Molly sighed at that - she was still focused in on building somewhere nice to live. 

Then she looked up as Echo walked in the room, face grim. The hacker looked between Mark and Xavier and beckoned them both. “We need to talk. Meeting.”

“Officers only?”  Mark’s voice was tight. 

“At first.”

Mark said something Molly was positive she’d have gotten in trouble for saying with her parents; for that matter, something that Mark would probably have gotten in trouble for saying back when he lived at home.

Xavier

“Alright, Echo, what’s this about?”

“Leon and Curtis aren’t being honest. Look at the comm logs from the week the new kids arrived.”

Xavier froze. “What do you mean, they’re not being honest?”

Echo put down her laptop, and pulled up a set of communication logs. “Check this out. The ones from Franklin.”

“There’s more coming soon - from Esquiline Base…” Mark’s face went pale. “There’s a third Imperator base. Another location where they’re making more of us. And it’s worse. They’re expanding.” 

Xavier shook his head. “More than that, we were set up with this last wave - this was a test and they knew how we’d react, and they didn’t tell us. That’s why Curtis stood off and waited to see what we’d do.”  That was gonna be a whole-ass conversation unto itself. Yeah, he and Mark had figured it out and played it off like pros, but they’d had to be willing to put each other on the line for it more than either of them had liked. Just knowing it was a test up front would have made a difference. 

“Obviously a test to see if we’d be able to hack absorbing a bunch of challenges that we’re likely to see long term, right? Language acquisition from multinationals, AND personality clashes, AND someone we’d need to protect with Kimmy. I think we’re passing on all fronts right now, but damn. They really threw all of it at us at once to see if we’d fail and have any excuse to undercut our autonomous command.” Mark’s voice was clipped. “And Leon and Curtis didn’t warn us.”

Echo shrugged. “We do have evidence they’re still being monitored.”

Xavier waved a hand. “And we can take that shit offline on a whim. Come on, if they wanted to collaborate, they can do it at any time. No, those two are out of the loop til they decide they’re not their own faction but subordinate to us. They can say they’re looking after us, but it’s obvious that they think we’re children to be watched over rather than a formation to be worked with. In that sense, I’d actually rather deal with Franklin.” 

From the corner of his eye, he could see Mark nodding his assent - though he could already feel how uncomfortable everyone would be with cutting Leon and Curtis off without more information. 

“Esquiline though - I think Franklin owes us some reparations. We were promised no more secrets, and now there’s a whole base and two more siblings we know nothing about.” Mark’s voice would have come across tranquil if Xavier hadn’t heard him use that exact same tone to drop his death threat to Jared a week ago.  “And we’d still be in the dark if Echo wasn’t making Imperator’s bullshit irrelevant.” 

Echo broke in. “Exactly. So, I found where Esqualine is - and for the record, Aventine is out West. Esqualine is down south. But it’s more than that. I snapped a bit after all this and found a bunch more. There’s more bases - one in Europe, in Geneva, specifically. Two more in Asia, and they’re land grabbing to build more in Africa and South America. And pretty much all the plans are massive - hell, Palatine is looking at expansion. Our own barracks shouldn’t be hard in all this, but they’re making more and more labs. Whatever they’re anticipating, they’re planning on mass producing us to match it.”

Xavier felt light headed at that statement. Not that they hadn’t known it was coming, but…

Oh, God. Seeing the infrastructure plans that Echo had found to actually do it…

“Focus, focus. Okay. What do we know about the people we’re getting?”

“There’s two of them. One is a girl named Amaryllis, and the other is a boy named Dante. Boy has developed some kind of electromagnetic powers. Girl has some kind of hyper reaction times, being trained to operate a lot of vehicles? May well be our dedicated pilot if the Praetorian corps gets its own pilot.” 

“Anything about their personalities?” 

Echo paused. “I…Mark, they’re both from a really rough background from the very cursory notes that aren’t flagged confidential, and they’ve been in five months. I can take some guesses, but any real detail is going to be flagged confidential. I will breach that if Lieutenant Ascher orders because he believes it absolutely necessary to our survival to have that information as soon as possible.” 

Xavier did not believe anyone could have missed the emphasis she put on Mark’s military title, and she let it hang in the air for a moment before she continued. “But I know what it is to have nothing to my name but my secrets. I won’t do it unless it really is necessary.” 

Xavier shook his head and let out an amount of tension he hadn’t realized he was holding when Mark nodded. “Understood. No, we don’t need that. We’ll get them to tell us what’s happened like we have everyone else. Or we won’t. It’s not like Shiloh and Jonathan don’t have secrets they keep separate from everyone but each other.”

Xavier nodded. “Hey, wait. Do we have a schedule for their arrival?’

“Yeah. Three days from now, apparently.”

“Okay. Let’s let everyone know and make sure we roll out a hell of a welcome wagon. Make that a proper tradition too.”

[isalabells]

Die drei ??? books you would recommend reading?

In general? Pick up the books for every episode you love or find intriguing for whatever reason, esp if some (or all) of these were released until 2008ish, when they were still trying to stick to the 60 minutes mark. You'll be surprised to discover how many things got cut or moved around for the sake of the adaptation(like e.g., not to rec a BJHW book, but Späte Rache is soooo interesting, bc they completely omitted Peter's pov in the adaptation while in the novel, there are entire chapters told by him. He fucking adapts a dog in that one.)

My specific recs? This is so funny bc I haven't picked up a ddf book in so long BUT I recently started listening to one of these fan podcasts (me, 5 weeks ago: who tf listens to episode discussions that run 2,5 to 3 hours on average?!?? me now, knee-deep into catching up on 3 years worth of pod episodes, having already relistened to my fav ones several times:🤡🤡🤡), and they usually draw a comparison to the books, and it really made me want to start (re)reading again, so who knows. Just off the of my head and in no particular order

Toteninsel bc I'll always answer Toteninsel, no matter what anyone asks me. It's that good, and I actually reread it every other year or so, and sometimes I even log on to tumblrdotcom and have a meltdown over it (actually that one contains even more reasons why this is a rec). The best trilogy of the series, fight me. Extra fun if you're looking for more Bob/Jelena (I know most of you don't). But also gives you a better sense of how Marx tried to structure the narrative, putting each of our three little dudes into the spotlight in one of the three parts (that, understandably, gets lost in the adaptation).

Feuermond bc it's the series' second best trilogy, and it's even more charming in written form. The epistolary parts, which admittedly do drag in the adapation, just fly a lot better here. It gets even more apparent that Mary invented the entire second act because he had pages to fill, but it's such a delightful read that it doesn't matter at all. Must-read for the crazy sports stuff Peter pulls near the end when they're trying to get to Knox Island.

Karpatenhund bc anything written by my girl Mary Virginia is Worth It, but also iirc that story has some freaky shit in it for children's lit. Astral body, anyone??

und der verschwundene Filmstar bc it's the best take on (Old) Hollywood and the craziness of The Industry and everyone involved with it.

Pistenteufel bc I just checked my goodreads review and OH LORD. Worth it for whatever fucking homoerotic thing is going on between Bob and Toni the entire time.

Meuterei auf hoher See bc heterotopian setting x crime mystery is a perfect combo, always.

Rufmord bc stylistically (and probably storywise as well), this is Minninger's best work.

Gift per E-Mail, that is if you like Kelly, bc she has a more prominent role in that one which I, Kelly stan #1, enjoyed immensely.

Shoot the Works, preferably the OV (hmu in case you need it, I think I still have the pdf somewhere) bc I love it even more than all the other crimebusters (and I LOVE the other crimebusters), and also I need us all to team up and pressure Europa to finally adapt this episode. I've been desperate for a release for years. (omg but yes PLEASE read Shoot the Works I BEG)

[raccoon-eyed-rebel]

✨If you get this, someone thinks you are awesome!✨

✨Send this anon to 10 blogs that make you happy when you see them on your dash ✨

Hi anon, anon, anon, anon, anon, and anon. I hope you'll forgive me that I'm just gonna answer this once - but with a li'l twist!

I love that people took time out of their lives to tell me they think I'm awesome; I think they're all awesome, too! Now instead of answering this six times and then sending this on to 10 people anonymously... I'm gonna call out the people I was gonna send this to publicly! With a little bonus...

#1

It has to be @geralts-yenn! I couldn't call myself her rodent bestie if I didn't have this number 1 spot reserved for her. Now, first this bitch wonderful person writes me Ray of Sunshine, a modern-day Melot AU wet dream filled with bikers and beaches and sex, but she also hit us with anahita - a Napoleon smutfic so hot you'll be sweating like a whore in church before you're even through the first paragraph. Go read that. You're welcome.

#2

Next, we've got my co-Dutchie @keanureevesisbae, who is busy with her own projects instead of fanfics nowadays. Still: Go read endeavors and thank me later. Or, if you're into a little RPF and want to live life vicariously through sugarbaby Becky there's also sugar sugar, which is very nice as well... (I just want a man to come take me shopping, okay?)

#3

@deandoesthingstome is an amazing writer, I am often jealous of her way with words, and she is one of the kindest people I know on here. Go read Holiday Angel. It has everything. A luxurious mansion to mentally vacay in for a bit, gentle!Dom!August, forbidden fruit romance. It's a long one, but so, so worth it... Another good one? Why, of course! Hall Pass. Just read it. She also deserves a shoutout to being one of the most supportive readers in this entire fandom

#4

They haven't been on here long, but my tumblrverse would already be so incomplete without @ellethespaceunicorn! Not only did they write Treat Me Like A Slut, which has August just the way we like him; dominant and deep inside you, they also found it necessary to write Make That Kitty Purr. And I agree. It was necessary. Nevermind that my babyboy Mikey gets hurt, I'll forgive Elle for that because this shit was so fucking good.

#5

Next up we've got @peyton-warren, who only recently returned from a little Tumblr hiatus, and I thus haven't spoken that much just yet, but the drabble Arresting and Arrested should be enough to get you to take a look at the rest of her masterlist.

#6

Go check out @mayloma, creator of Behind The Curtain, which has a lovely August and some anal action - which means I'm always game! She's also very sweet. I know I haven't read much of her stuff, but if I ever get my act together and get reading again, Yenn assured me there's some Sy to check out here.

#7

It's no secret I don't particularly like my Sy's in the military, which makes it all the more impressive that @sillyrabbit81 wrote one that I did fall head over heels in love with! He's in Even if you don't mean it, and if you haven't read that, go do it now. And I do mean that. Then, perhaps my all-time favorite fic so far has to be The Fallen Wolves Brotherhood. Maybe I should elaborate on that, probably, but instead I'm just gonna say: Bikers. Proceed with caution, because when that next chapter hits, you're gonna have to pause Criminal Minds. I'm also going to leave the link to Prying here, because it's so fucking dirty it melts my brain a little every time I re-read it.

#8

Now, we all love seeing @angryschnauzer on our dashes, keeping things horny on main and yeeting the occasional fic into the dark void that is this hellsite. For instance Cuddles and Snuggles, an unholy combination of Mike and Charles - something that had never even crossed my mind - and a guest appearance from sugardaddy August. Mad perfection. Now my next rec for her may be a little odd, because she makes it very clear that it's a crack fic; Full Mast. I'm a sucker for everything pirate - and so is reader... just check out Part 2...

#9

@poledancingdinos amazed me with You've got me hooked, which has stripping and sex work and Sy, who is great. I think I read this entire (or almost entire?) series in a single night while I was in bed. Couldn't stop... She's also responsible for Soundtrack of Debauchery, which I still haven't finished, because my ADHD has been a bitch, but I started it, and it was very good!!!

#10

And last but not least: @littlefreya. I'm fairly sure there are still things on her massive masterlist I haven't read, and a lot of which I read in my pre- and early fandom tumblr days, and haven't reblogged (for which I apologize, by the way). The sheer vastness of her masterlist makes it a bit tricky to pick, but let's go for some delightful dark fics; The Devil's Tongue and Destroyer of Angels

SO: The challenge. If you're on this list (or if you're not on this list, this is an open invitation to everyone!) rec some fics! Write an essay, like this one, or don't. Toss a few names and some titles in a list and be done with it, that's fine. Recommend one, or ten, or twenty authors. Hell; Recommend yourself! Recommend your favorite artist, link some art! Spread the love!

[mumms-the-word]

THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT MY FELLOW WRITERS

I can’t remember who tagged me with this or if I stole it 😭

Tagging: @elspethdekarios @sorceresssundries @fantasyfictionfables @lewdisescariot and anyone else??

No pressure friends as always and sorry for double tagging, this has sat in drafts for like days

Last book I read: For fun? I honestly can't remember. For my dissertation, Phantasmion by Sara Coleridge (and I haven't recovered, it was an acid trip of a fantasy novel)

Greatest literary inspirations: Bram Stoker (fave classic writer), Marissa Meyer (influenced my love of YA fairy tales), Ursula K. Le Guin (her style is SO GOOD)

Things in my current fandom I want to read but I don't want to write: I skim/read a lot of smut for someone who will never write it. I don't even read it that much, but occasionally something catches my eye (I appreciate you smutty, smutty people). What I'd want to read but not write is slice-of-life style shenanigans between characters, the kind that comic artists like @a2zillustration do really well. Send me recs if you know other BG3 comic artists!

Things in my current fandoms I want to write but I think nobody would be interested in them but me: my current masquerade fic I love writing stuff that is incredibly specific to my Tavs because I find it fascinating to explore different character perspectives and voices? But I know the fandom tends to enjoy generalized Tavs or "you" POVs more than specific OC characters, which is fair given the nature of the game, so I don't share as much of my Tav-specific stuff these days

You can recognise my writing by: the lack of smut...and probably an overuse of adverbs. and the fact that every chapter/oneshot is ridiculously long. I'm new to fanfic, okay, I wrote full books as a hobby before this lol

My most controversial take (current fandom): oh boy I have...many, probably...I've already gotten blocked for one hot take (I think it was a misunderstanding??) but it wasn't even my most controversial take. I think my most controversial take is that there is no One Correct Way to interpret a character, and anyone who tells you that "you're reading the game files wrong" or "that isn't what is canon" is ignoring the fact that a) that's not how interpretation works, and b) the branching nature of the game is going to necessarily mean that different people encounter different things in different orders and may not even get the dialogue that you hold so dear to your interpretation of the character, and that is okay. We shouldn't ask everyone to become an expert in every facet of their favorite character's identity because not everybody has the time or energy for that. We should just hope that people are having fun. Like I know this is a complex topic and I don't want to ramble about it here lol but that's the gist

Top three favourite tropes: in no particular order, 1) arranged/convenient marriage that leads to genuine love between characters, 2) super big tall buff scary guy (tortured past optional) is actually a total sweetheart who is a little afraid of his own strength (bonus points if he falls in love with a smol person he must protect and feels slightly unworthy of), and 3) FOUND FAMILY I love it every time

What’s your current writing mood (10 – super motivated and churning out words like crazy, 0 – in a complete rut): fic writing I'm like....idk a 6? dissertation writing, which I am actually supposed to be writing, is a solid 1.

Share a random frustration: my students keep insisting on using AI to write their assignments and it is BEYOND frustrating how much time it takes up for me to read their assignment, mark where they've used AI, and then forward it to the next tier in our "Guess what you done fucked up" system for this class

[jovenshires]

🦚 for the queer ask game!

🦚 - Are there any queer books/shows/etc. that you would suggest?

oh my god YEAH absolutely. i used to be a queer media connoisseur (im no longer a romance girlie when i consume media bc i write so much of it but i still have love for the genre). i'll do one rec for each category up here but ill put some more under the cut!!

book: aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe. it's my favorite book i've gotta put it out there. literally changed my life when i was like 16 i love it so much

show: there's so many popular ones that i feel like if you're gay you've already seen them by now, so im gonna throw a curveball and go with crazy ex-girlfriend. they talk a LOT about lgbtq+ identities and explore dynamics with different couples, and if you love musicals, you absolutely must go watch it rn i fear

movie: moonlight. oh my god if you haven't seen moonlight go watch moonlight it's so so incredible 10/10. a drama that follows a black gay man from childhood to adulthood, explores the themes of masculinity, family, and friendship as well as romantic love. it's just an incredible movie it deserves all the hype tbh

music: once again there's so many popular queer musicians nowadays that i Do Not HAVE to rec (you know the ones they go hard), so im gonna rec chrissy chlapecka!! she just makes such incredible, sugary-sweet pop music about such amazing fucked up shit i love her

send me some gay asks!

okie doke as promised here's some more recs from yours truly bc i really, really love media and have a collection to rec atp NDNKFNKND ill try to order them by genre from least to most obscure LMAO

BE WARNED: i do read some graphic stuff - im an adult and my media taste reflects that. before you read anything i rec, look it up for trigger warnings!! i don't want anybody to be hurt by something i recommend. <3

books:

of course like. simon vs the homosapien agenda by becky albertalli is out there. this is one of those classics i was talking about KDNKFNFK it's very ya-gay-romance-romcom you can eat up ya know. the movie's also not too bad (people think it's 'cringey' nowadays but that was HUGE for me when i was like 19 and had my first girlfriend). anyway it's feel-good fluff if you like that kind of thing!!

red white and royal blue is obviously another classic and one i can't rec enough. i love the way its written, i love the characters, i love the plot. like it's everything, if you're into the romcom vibe this is a great one to check out. (and as a bonus this one also has a movie and it Slaps)

it's not like it's a secret by misa sigura is a pretty solid wlw coming-of-age novel that i highly rec if you're into the rom-com type book. it's also got some EXCELLENT poc representation!!

bloom by kevin panetta is a graphic novel and i love it. so so so much. truly i think i read this in a day and i am NOT a huge graphic novel reader. feel-good romcom, poc rep, body diversity, AND pretty pictures. what is there not to love. everyone should read bloom tbh

lies we tell ourselves by robin talley is Probably my favorite wlw book ever. it's historical fiction and it is Everything to me. and im actually a known historical fiction hater so take it from me - its Good.

carry on by rainbow rowell is i think a classic at this point and i love it. so so so much. you ever identify with a character a little too hard. yeah thats me and this book. i gave my best friend a copy for her graduation. it is an Excellent take on 'remember all the heroes you wanted to be gay when you were a kid. imagine if they were.' it's my beloved

a hero at the end of the world by erin claiborne is another great one in the same vein, with a punchy, dry humor twist. basically if you were a harry potter kid but you hate jkr. you'll love this one and carry on KSNDKDNFK

nimona by nd stevenson is another graphic novel!! it's another fantasy, so if that's your cup of tea, i highly recommend it. it's got an amazing queer love story, a genderfluid protag, and most importantly, found family. literally everything. (it also has a movie but i haven't seen it yet

the raven cycle by maggie stiefvater is HUGEEEE i love that series it reshaped me. it's. mystery/supernatural i would say? it has multiple of my fave queer characters of all time and honestly. everyone there is a little gay. one of my absolute faves <3

we are the ants by shaun david hutchinson is a sci-fi horror adventure story and this one. it stuck with me. the main character hit me so hard and his internal struggle is so SO interesting. if you're into this kind of shit. give it a shot!

every day by david levithan is not one of MY all-time faves, but i can still say it's super interesting and has great rep!! it has a genderfluid/agender main character (depending on how you look at it). i will say i think there are multiple books in the series (?) but i stopped at one bc. it made me too sad anyway. <3

the perks of being a wallflower by stephen chbosky is not queer bc it's explicitly about a queer character or a queer love story, BUT. it still has one of my favorite lgbt characters of all time. patrick you will always be famous to me. as a bisexual girl in a catholic high school, saw a Lot of myself in patrick. (i do also have a special place in my heart for the movie bc it was my depression movie as a teen but patrick is played by ezra miller so be warned)

one of us is lying by karen mcmanus is another one that's not just. About a Gay Couple BUT it is one of my fave books (a murder mystery retelling of the breakfast club) and it has a gay main character!! his struggle with his sexuality is something he really struggles with and he has a boyfriend and i adore him.

shows:

i mean obviously like. heartstopper is incredible. like i said im not super into the romcom/young adult genre anymore but that show is just so beautiful and amazing and really healed my inner gay teen. it has a really diverse cast and representation for all kinds. i really recommend it!!!

everything sucks was gone before its time, but it is SUCH an amazing show. it has one of my fave on-screen wlw couples of all time. it's a feel-good, coming of age classic and i miss it deeply. (what did you just say??? 'katie rewatch it' oh my god you're onto something)

now if yall know me. glee is absolutely gonna be on this list. is it good? technically no. is it one of the greatest pieces of satire ever created? up until season three yes. i realized i was gay via santana lopez. THE gay character of all time. and all the love in my heart for all the other lgbt characters (kurt hummel you will always be famous to me......) some of it's a little dated (don't get me STARTED on unique) but it does genuinely have some great lgbt rep and if you watch it with a grain of salt it's a great comedy

julie and the phantoms made by kenny ortega (of THE high school musical and descendants fame) and it has a gay character i love!! (actually technically it has a few <3)

i'm a huge consumer of kids' media (i think phineas and ferb is a literal masterpiece and im not even kidding) so if you're like me and enjoy the disney/kid show beat i cannot rec andi mack enough. it's dramatic it's campy it's fun it's silly it's got a FANTASTIC gay character and a gay couple i deeply adore and not to mention!! so much representation!! it's like junior fosters tbh

we're gonna get into a little pocket here of like. normal romance but slightly niche - animes! sasaki to miyano is like my top lgbt anime rec. it is so, SO good. just absolute feel-good romcom goodness pls give it a shot

depending on interpretation, ouran high school host club arguably has a nonbinary character, some bi/gay characters, and a trans character! now. it IS hella dated do not get me wrong. BUT for the time? incredibly progressive and a wonderful watch. just brace yourself for some out of pocket shit

stars align has one of my favorite lgbt characters EVER, a nonbinary icon <3 and it's like. a PLOT. truly so rare to see something like that done on tv, let alone in anime. this is a sports anime - soft tennis my beloved - but it has So Much More To It than that.

another gay sports anime is run with the wind, a recent fave of mine. and i don't mean gay in the way that most sports animes are kinda gay. i mean he literally says 'im in love with this guy.' it's an amazing watch if you like that kinda thing!!

if you want an aroace genderfluid protag. the disastrous life of saiki k is up there as one of my fave animes ever AND saiki (the main character) is my fave protag of all time. this silly lil show is supernatural (ish?) and comedy all wrapped into one fantastic show i highly recommend!!

segueing back into live action shows, buffy the vampire slayer is an AMAZING, iconic, female-led supernatural dramedy with some early and, for its time, incredible lesbian rep.

yellowjackets because i LOVE unhinged lesbians. i didn't even know there was gay people in this - i started watching because i love horror and girls' soccer DLNKFNFLN and it's amazing!! if you like tragic gay women i HIGHLY endorse yellowjackets.

in the flesh. look. here's my pitch for itf. do you love being sad. do you love catharsis. do you love zombies. you will LOVE in the flesh. please. i miss it so bad i've seen this show 4 times (and you're right i should also watch this one again!!!) and i never tire of it.

sense8 is a sci-fi show and IT IS EVERYTHING TO ME. truly the diversity is unparalleled. so many lgbt characters of so many different identities. polyamory, trans people, a neuro-link that's destroying peoples' lives. it literally has everything.

the get down is not just an lgbt show, BUT it has an incredible lgbt character/storyline that i adore. a musical show, a historical fiction piece (which means a lot coming from me), and almost every character is a poc. pls give it a shot it's everything

bodies is another one that isn't just about lgbt+ rep BUT. it's incredibly diverse, examining people facing discrimination throughout history (you've got a gay mc, a jewish mc, a muslim mc, AND a disabled mc) and it just has such amazing plot lines and representation. it's a murder mystery/sci-fi double whammy, so give it a shot if you're interested!!

movies:

alex strangelove is a good, underrated, coming of age classic. it follows a guy who struggles with his sexuality. very teen rom-com-dramedy core!!

i adored boy meets girl when i watched it. a very romcom-y movie about a trans woman from a small town dreaming of getting out....... friends to lovers.......... i adore it

happiest season is a christmas movie and it's very sweet. its been panned (there are some just criticisms on the plot tbf) BUT i do think it's really cute

to wong fu thanks for everything julie newmar is just. so so good. it's an underrated classic imo. three drag queens go on road trip, end up in a small town, and change it for the better. it's literally so amazing it's just feel good found family PLEASE give this one a shot

the birdcage is another classic i so genuinely enjoy. who doesn't want robin williams and nathan lane as their gay dads. at the end of the day it's all about found family, love, and old gay men.

handsome devil is a foreign film - irish to be exact! - and i love it so much. once again as a catholic school kid.......... yeah. YEAH. anyway go watch the og gay nicholas galitzine movie LKNDKFNKNLFNKLF

pride is a historical piece and an excellent movie. it's got its ups and downs but god it's just an overall good movie. another irish film, coincidentally!

the way he looks is also a foreign film, this time in spanish, BUTTTTT it's one of my faves i love it so much. it's very feel-good, sweet, romcom so if you feel like you could be into that - give it a shot!!

rent, if you're into musicals, has some of my fave musical characters ever. angel dumott schunard you will ALWAYS be the love of my life. it is deeply sad but. other than that. i live in denial.

the prom is a much more light-hearted and silly lgbt musical. people shat on that movie but i think it's SWEET and cute and has some bangers!!

i mean like. we can joke ab how hyped it is all we want but brokeback mountain is basically required gay watching. it is EXACTLY as amazing as everyone says it is. the chemistry..... oh my god we could never make that movie again it was like catching lightning in a bottle.

bodies, bodies, bodies is a fun and campy lgbt horror if you're into that kind of thing!! the ending was a bit not my fave but otherwise it's an incredible cast and got some great silly scares

on the topic of gay horror, jennifer's body is gay and again, exactly as good as everyone hypes it up to be. you want gay women who are terrible to each other? oh boy do i have the movie for you

and i promise ill wrap on gay horror with it chapters 1 & 2. reddie will unfortunately always be famous.

everything, everywhere, all at once is not Just a gay movie BUT. it has an incredible gay character and it factors so interestingly into the mother/daughter relationship. i love that movie i will always talk about it

music (these are all just people i personally listen to but there are SO many more. im not gonna expand on these ones too much just go check em out you'll get it):

lil nas x

troye sivan

kim petras

kesha

tegan and sara

brandi carlile

hayley kiyoko

rina sawayama

peach prc

renee rapp

adam lambert

scene queen

willow

halsey

clairo

cavetown

janelle monae

[jade-of-mourning]

okay sorry hi I know I just sent you an ask about my cat being alive but you’re like,, my favorite internet stranger so I thought you should know. I calmed down a little bit and read your response to my fourteen page ask

IM SO HAPPY I HYPE YOU UP‼️‼️ I love being peoples’ hypeman and you’re like,,, awesome so that’s super cool. don’t rush yourself but if you’re feeling pumped to share I will be your #1 fan. I’m probably gonna finish a little 4+1 thing and post it to my blog as a little grand reveal as snailon if that’s cool :3

ALSO I’m so happy you posted the cat thing on ao3 it was really nice and super well written and thank you for the suggestion! the cat is being washed thoroughly right now and I am on guard duty of the bathroom door. he was (we guess) stuck in the sewage of the construction sight beyond the wooded area behind our house.

SO MORE LOK THOUGHTS

you exactly caught my vibe (again) when you mentioned the insane repression mako and bolin are doing in canon. I honestly think there’s nothing more than elevator music behind bo’s eyes in canon because if the creators allowed anything else it would solely be The Horrors and they needed someone on that godforsaken team to be emotionally available and somewhat happy. and try as he might, mako will always be uncontrollably feral. I know by b4 he just has an all out brawl every morning fighting to get his hair presentable. give up and be the scraggly, strange detective that somehow knows everything that you were always meant to be.

which, for the record, is not to say I like his hair. I want him to grow it out more so he stops looking so fucking dumb with his stupid pointy ass hair (I really really really hate mako’s hair) but I also think it would grow out kind of wavy/curly which. yeah. I will be coming back to this later when I yap about avatar mako btw.

also PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEE write mako absolutely losing his shit he 100% so much deserves that. he cries maybe once yearly and it is scheduled so I think he should get to murder y’know. just a little bit. he’s just a girl (insert sad coquette hamster)

makos hand being fucked up is the Vision. you understand so much. the gloves are so suspicious (the same way the shirt-on-at-the-sauna is in the comics. i see you, you little transmasc) and going off the logic of the last ep that with enough charge/consistency, lightning output can scar/mangle the exit point of the bender so. mako learning to use his bending mostly on his own fucking up and rocking his own shit until zolt shoves someone over to go clean up the rookie cause finding someone new is a pain. of course it’s a patch job (as you mentioned everything for them would be) so I imagine it’s like. pretty mangled. like stuff just slightly out of place, lots of raised skin and discolored patches and generally like uncomfortable to look at. I’d bet (like you said) bolin is really the only one he’d trust to see his hands unless makorrasami became like. a thing.

also if you have any,, fic recs,, I would be very not opposed,,,,,

OKAY OKAY SO AVATAR MAKO THOUGHTS. I’m actually going insane about this au.

so for 1: this idea was mostly a silly little ha-ha but imagine raava gets really fucking confused being in their first ever mixed kid and just. skips right back to air after mako. would that not be the funniest shit ever. like the earth kingdom would already be pressed that their go was a mixed kid who was a criminal firebender for the first bit of his life, but imagine how the FIRE NATION feels having their avatar “skipped over” because mako (again, CRIMINAL FIREBENDER) was technically a fn avatar.

and this keeps happening. more mixed kids. mixed kids out of the cycle ordered pairs become avatar. raava gets fucking lost. everyone loses track of whose element is next and world leaders everywhere are sobbing. mako would be so very pleased with himself. he and the half-avatar water tribe person would be clinking together glasses of alcohol in heaving and watching it all go down.

I was also thinking about this half-avatar playing a role in mako’s journey. They would be roughly fifteen years younger than the gaang, so it would make sense for them to still be alive (since raava could return to aang and still maintain them well enough) during mako’s era. do you think they could take on a mentor or distant relative role for mako? maybe being half-avatar would make them the world’s only dual bender, and they would understand mako’s struggle with wielding more than one element in a way no one else would be able to. bonus points if the styles they maintain are either earth and fire or the ‘opposite’ elements (like air+earth/water+fire—water+fire would be good to use to teach balance and that fire is not only to harm but to nurture, and that water parallels it as not only to nurture but to harm)

and that brings me to my third thought; both avatars followed in series have had a conflict or struggle with their bending. aang had to learn the other three types of bending—his conflict was finding teachers. korra needed to find it in herself to flow with the winds of airbending. but copying korra would be lame. so what’s mako’s conflict?

there’s where my pitch comes in (and kind of the point of the half-avatar); mako figured out how to use air, earth, and water as well as he uses fire (if with less refinement) within maybe a week (if that) of being discovered as the avatar. he’s a scraggly street kid used to clawing at what he can get and holding on tight: being discovered means he doesn’t have a particular reason not to make use of the other elements if need be, so he figures out how.

but the key words there are if need be. he absolutely can lift a chunk of earth five times his size, or entirely soak a full grown adult in pond water, or slap someone around with a strong gust of wind or power a building for a month with a bolt of lightning. will he be doing any of this? no. not unless his or bolin’s lives or livelihoods are threatened. mako’s struggle is that outside of life-or-death combat? he’s about the same as a nonbender. because bending has always been a risk—a life threatening and life ending risk—and one he isn’t willing to take unnecessarily. his journey is learning that bending can be used for more than harm or to enforce fearful order.

fourth and kind of final thought for avatar mako for now—he’s the earth avatar in this, but he looks very fire nation in canon (at least, my understanding of ‘fire nation’ v ‘earth kingdom’ features) so I was thinking, the avatar represents the four nations (kind of five now if we’re counting republic separately) (oh my god new thought what if there was an rc avatar ‘whose avatar is it’ ‘air by my guess’ ‘nah it’s republic city’s turn now’ ‘how does that even make sense? their blood is of the four nations.’ ‘I don’t make the rules man. ask the spirits, they’re right there.’) but they always look like the nation they’re from so. what if all the avatars look a little mixed but just lean heavy into native. so mako looks like a mixed kid already (though I’d make him more ek—will specify in a sec) but then just gets more mixed from. everywhere. but it’s not even generalized like,,, he looks like he’s from specific subcultures the last avatars came from. earth part looks kyoshi even though his dad wasn’t from the island. fn part looks like caldera city even though mom wasn’t. air—less noticeable, but he looks like aang, in a way. very temple-kid-y and less nomad-y. if that makes sense. and I’d say water part is kuruk but there’s also the ‘avatars look like their past life’s lover’ so. katara (ADDING TO THE PARALLELS IM GOING INSANE)

so this is the part where I elaborate on the ‘more earth kingdom’ part of mako’s design in my head. this also is part of the avatar-looking-like-lover thing. so ek complexions are pretty ranged, but a good deal of them are darker skinned. mako’s pretty fair, but I propose as a kid whose dad is white-brown (he’s an Italian farmer boy who tans heavy and he looks brown) and is also white-brown when I spend too long outside (ten minutes) in the summer; mako who tans so quick into a more typical dark ek tone. also bolin is darker because he deserves melanin. he gets to keep gold eyes cause they’re cool but I propose.. heterochromia!!! green/gold, could be some grayish/blue? js an absolute melting pot in there. then I associate ek with less pronounced but boxier facial structure, so either his face stays like,,, long, and is softer or stays sharp and is boxier like bolin’s. honestly prefer the first one but both are neat. also hooked nose. I don’t make the rules. katara also has a hooked nose btw it’s real I saw it.

also mako and katara have the same glare (sokka told me) and they scrunch their faces up like little carbon copies of each other when they’re focused. by the way I love to parallel the shit out of katara and mako can you tell,,

I just realized I wrote a longpost length ask. I’m so sorry.

I think I had something else to say but it’s getting late and it’s a school night 4 me so I’ve gotta get to sleep.

rest well! your favorite anon,

🐌

ah hello sorry for the extremely late response snailon!

I honestly think there’s nothing more than elevator music behind bo’s eyes in canon because if the creators allowed anything else it would solely be The Horrors

tbh you're so correct about this. let bolin have Feelings, 2024!!! (i find it so interesting that the general consensus is that bolin is more well-liked by the lok fanbase, but mako's fans are deep in the trenches whereas it's a lot harder to find active bolin fans. i stay forever respectful of the even fewer of them out there. not entirely sure how to articulate it, but yeah. bolin deserves better both from canon and the fanbase and one day i'll have to deconstruct his entire existence because he's just a fascinating creature who represents sort of a paper cutout of a stereotype

which, for the record, is not to say I like [mako's] hair. I want him to grow it out more so he stops looking so fucking dumb with his stupid pointy ass hair (I really really really hate mako’s hair)

HAHA that's valid. tbh i'm pretty neutral towards it; i like s1-s3 hair better than s4 hair because while i think that mako's poor attempt to comb himself into some semblance of Proper Society is pretty accurate to his character, i'm just not a big fan of it (though the fact that it looks bad is probably a further testament to his character never finding proper integration into society)

he’s just a girl (insert sad coquette hamster)

again. coughing at the essay i'll never finish writing on this. (okay off topic but i really really love transfem mako so much but also just fem mako in general and i need to put this out into the world. early lok fandom was on a seriously good kick when they were all drawing and writing lesbian makorra is my confession. mako being a girl makes my brain whirr)

also if you have any,, fic recs,, I would be very not opposed,,,,,

fic recs list i've written up but there's a lot of other good ones out there. immediately off the top of my head, people whose writing on mako i really like in general include slacktension (incredible author & artist from original airing with a mako voice of all time and great character dynamic exploration), rockingthegraveyard (best mako & bolin dynamics), wastetimeandtype (i especially like their casual ship fics and they made me an accidental fan of huan/mako), deerstalkerdeathfrisbee (wuko author but their mako voice is impeccable), bobtailsquid/steinbecks (another author from original airing whose writing style is just so poignant and accurate to character), themanofmanyhats, and velkynkarma. idk how you feel on makorra specifically but i confess, i accidentally really do like them and there's a lot of good stuff on ao3/ffn for them that i could share :P and i too am a fan of makorrasami but tragically, there's not a lot of that out there; however, all of old_and_new_friends' makorrasami works are fantastic. they're a multishipper who writes a lot of mako and very well, and while while i haven't read a lot of their fics because not all the ships speak to me, the ones i have read are all great. so yeah i'd suggest you take a look to see if there's anything there up your alley!

raava gets really fucking confused being in their first ever mixed kid and just. skips right back to air after mako. would that not be the funniest shit ever. like the earth kingdom would already be pressed that their go was a mixed kid who was a criminal firebender for the first bit of his life, but imagine how the FIRE NATION feels having their avatar “skipped over” because mako (again, CRIMINAL FIREBENDER) was technically a fn avatar.

okay this is actually so funny what LMFAO i didn't take into consideration that the avatar of the generation being from your nation is probably generally a point of pride and that mako's general existence is like,, the greatest possible insult to that in all the ways khsjdfbhfhsdbh i might have to casually include that in some outsider pov because the sheer comedy potential oh my god

do you think they could take on a mentor or distant relative role for mako?

i realize i probably didn't word it very explicitly in my initial explanation of this au, but what i actually meant was that raava couldn't leave the non-aang host entirely until their death because her presence was vital to their living. it's casually playing off the theory that yue was meant to be the water avatar, and so she was born sickly because of the absence of spiritual energy her destiny had intended for her — that raava's presence plays a role in the sustaining of her host's life. to sum up what i mean: raava is the vital life juice infused in the destined avatars. (roughly. it's been a while since i looked at this theory lol) therefore, while they continue to live independently of aang's actual death, raava can't move onto the next avatar until this not-avatar also dies. so they are very much dead as mako's immediate predecessor. but it's a great idea and i love that your brain thinks this way!

mako’s struggle is that outside of life-or-death combat? he’s about the same as a nonbender. because bending has always been a risk—a life threatening and life ending risk—and one he isn’t willing to take unnecessarily. his journey is learning that bending can be used for more than harm or to enforce fearful order.

oh interesting take. i can see that. in planning this au, i was thinking more among the lines of him only viewing bending other than fire to be a risk, and that he only ever figured out earthbending up until the point of where the story starts, but yeah i didn't really consider which element would be his block. he's honestly a pretty versatile guy in my opinion — i feel that he moves in a very airbender way (read: korra's spiral-motions in a leaf in the wind are meant to demonstrate her picking up mako's style of deflection, evasion, and waiting to strike), but his mannerisms are very earthbender in his stability in reality/rooted nature despite his lack of general stability in life. obviously he's got the firebender in him; i think he has a lot of pent up emotions and he generally represses them very well, but when it does get unleashed then he has a very typical-firebender explosive sort of manner. (i'm still adamantly against the take that he's a hotheaded no-thoughts raging firebender man though LMAO i don't understand how it's such a thing. sorry for the tangent. i'm resigned.) and for water, i feel it's adjacent to air in being less about head-on motions, and it's pretty reflective of mako's tendancies of roundabout-ness when it comes to matters of the heart. i don't really know how to articuate it but he has the most waterbender vibe. it's the katara so what i'm saying is that i don't really see him struggling with any of the elements in the way aang struggled with earth and korra with air, and you pose an interesting point. i'm not sure if your proposal would be in line with my current planning of this au, but it's still a really interesting idea that i'll mull over! it's a neat segway into the whole amon/equalists arc that i'd never cover but would still be set in the near future and i like the concept. thank you for sharing :)

but he looks very fire nation in canon

oh yeah i agree LOL i've seen edits of switching mako & bolin's eye colors (+ that iconic screencap from s1e2) and as much as it doesn't suit him i still stand by that he SHOULD'VE had green eyes and bolin gold. it's a small detail i've seen randomly included in a couple fics from way back when and it always makes my heart happy haha. i agree that lok dropped the ball in terms of portraying all the mixed families that exist in the series and that there was so much potential there, both with mako & bolin as main cast characters and background in the kataang kids (plus by proxy the airkids) — not just in the crossover of cultures, but just physical character design as well.

(also katara & mako parallels actually drive me crazy too lhfdhgksfjd)

(gonna be real dude by the time we finish feeding off of each other we're going to have oc-ified mako so much that he's not even from the legend of korra anymore)

i really love receiving your asks!! <33 but yeah this was a long one so it took a while to find the time to sit down & deconstruct into halfway cohesive responses. i'd love to chat about mako with u more in greater detail but it's a little bit tough with these longass askbox exchanges </3 i'll just put it out there — if you're comfortable, feel free to reach out to me from your main and we can talk through dms! and if not i'll always be happy to receive you in my inbox; just know that my responses will tend to be delayed because i have a lot going on in my life haha. it's lovely to hear from you again :)

[mostlikelynothuman]

Heyy, I went thru your list of recs for Reveal Fics and loved it! I realised FF.net has a lot not on Ao3, but I genuenly don't know how to find stuff in there I wanna read ^^"

Do you have any Everlasting Trio Recommendations? I basically went thru everyone on Ao3 already but am not yet sated xD

Would be awesome, but if nit, that's also ok!

Thank you! 💜

I really don't, sorry.

The problem with FFN is that its search function really just kinda sucks. This is probably symptomatic of the fact that you can't tag fics on FFN, so you have to just cram as many related phrases as you can into the summary if you want someone looking for a specific type of fic to find it.

Everlasting trio has, at least as far as I'm aware as someone who doesn't keep up with ships, gained a lot more popularity in recent years. In the same time, the phandom has largely shifted to AO3 as its fanfiction site of choosing. Most of the Everlasting Trio fics are going to be there. You can search 'Everlasting Trio' on FFN, granting you a grand total of... three fics. There's almost certainly more out there, but you'd have to dig through the entire DP category to find them. As someone who generally doesn't read ship fics, I don't have any stored in my Super Secret Fic Collection™ either.

Sorry I can't be more help. Maybe some of my followers have recommendations?