#I’m like.. obsessed with this genre of Thor fic

[musclesandhammering]

I need any and all au fics where Loki actually died when he fell from the bifrost or where most of the fic takes place in the 1 year gap pre-avengers so you actually see the family and Asgard’s reactions in the aftermath.

[idy-ll-ique]

Apprentice.

Pairing: Stephen Strange x F!Reader

Genre: Fluff, Mutual Pining

Warning: Forced kissing (?) idk how to put it. Almost one non-consensual kiss.

Summary: Doctor Strange, World's Greatest Sorcerer, is in love with his apprentice. Unfortunately, when it comes to love, he's a dumbass.

Author's Note: Hey guys I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long! My college started, my classes are going on in full force and I haven't written anything readable in so long ugghhhh hope you guys enjoy this (Except for Loki, Spider-Man, Bonky and Steeb, the other characters' fics don't do that well 😳 but I'ma post this nonetheless)

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Stephen POV:

I sighed as I watched Y/N sitting on the floor talking and joking around with the Cloak of Levitation. "Skedaddle, skedoodle..." "Y/N—" "Your dick is a noodle!" Levi made a happy noise and wrapped itself tightly around Y/N. She completely ignored me, laughing as the cloak hugged her.

Y/N was my apprentice. She also, coincidentally, happened to be the woman I was totally, hopelessly and obsessively in love with. "Y/N, if you're done, maybe you can come here and help me!" I yelled as cold-heartedly as possible, finally having enough. "Sorry, sir," she whispered.

Oh, the things she did to me when she called me 'sir'. Of course, Y/N was the best apprentice ever. She was the student every teacher dreamed of. Wait, that came out a bit creepy— She got up and quickly walked to me. Levi settled herself back on my shoulders. Y/N took a book in her hand and started reading.

I silently watched her as she focused on the book. Since I was so in love with her, my mind believed that maybe being cold to her would help me. I needed to get rid of distractions and Y/N... she was my biggest distraction. "Sir, I found it!" Y/N squealed, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Give that to me," I huffed, grabbing the book from her hand. "You may leave." Y/N nodded and got up, walking out of the library. I watched. The way her hips swayed when she walked, the way she only liked to wear skirts and sweaters all the time drove me crazy.

It was hard not to be in love with such a beautiful person.

Y/N POV:

"What's his problem," I grumbled as I picked my book off the stairs. I sat down on the fourth step and opened the book again. I was an apprentice to the one and only, Doctor Stephen Strange. I liked it at the New York Sanctum, that's where the both of us lived. I liked being an apprentice to the Sorcerer Supreme too, that is, if he treated me like a person.

He never talked politely to me. I was very damn sure that whatever it was, was my fault. I did something. So I started taking care more. I never messed up. It had been months since my last mistake. All of Strange's friends commented well about me. Wong and Mordo said I was the best apprentice there was. Even the Ancient One said I was good.

So what was Strange's problem? At least Levi liked me. She was the only one I could talk to freely, even though the cloak itself couldn't talk. As I quietly sat and read on the stairs, I heard a loud knocking on the door to the sanctum. Startled, I stood up. Before I could move, Strange was running down the stairs. "Don't move," he growled, stopping me as I followed him.

His hand collided hard with my chest and I was thrown back. I landed on the stairs on my butt. I groaned and scrambled back to my feet as Strange opened the door. Outside stood the two Norse Gods, Thor and Loki. My eyes widened.

I stood silently as the three of them chatted. A blush crept up my cheeks as I noticed that instead of focusing on what Strange was saying, Loki was eyeing me up.

I honestly didn't think I looked that great. Sure, I had a maintained figure and a thankfully unblemished face but no one would be into this. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and looked away, Loki's stare still burning holes through my body. I heard Strange sighing.

"Alright, follow me. Y/N, keep an eye on Loki. Make sure he doesn't touch anything," Stephen glared at me and went upstairs with Thor. I looked down. Why did Dr Strange hate me so much? As far as I remember, I had done nothing to him. "It's sad, how he treats you."

"What do you mean?" I looked up at Loki, confused. I grew extremely self conscious as Loki took a few steps towards me, smirking. "Judging by his tone and glare, he clearly despises you. Why do you still continue to be with him, dearest?" he crooned and I took a step back.

"It's— it's not what you think... I'm his apprentice, not his girlfriend," I whispered, uncomfortable. "An apprentice? How nice."

"Wh-What?"

I got incredibly scared when Loki smirked more and stepped closer to me. "That means you're available, aren't you? Unless..." I shook my head furiously. "I'm not dating," I said in a rush. Wait, why was I acting like that? I wasn't interested in him, not at all!

There was no denying he was handsome and intelligent, but I just didn't like him that way. "Good. I've always wanted a pretty princess like you." I audibly gulped as Loki stood an inch away from me. I was standing on the sixth step on the stairs while Loki stood on the fifth. Even still, he was taller than I was. He leaned down and breathed out.

My heart rate skyrocketed, what was he doing? Whatever it was, I didn't like it. I loved someone else. I was in love with my teacher, Stephen Strange. It hurt me everyday how much he hated me but I liked him a lot. As soon as Loki's lips were about to be placed on mine... "Loki, I told you not to touch anything!" Loki quickly pulled back and stepped down.

I continued standing where I was, my eyes closed as I breathed heavily. When I opened my eyes, I saw Strange glaring daggers at Loki. It looked as if he was about to kill Loki then and there. "Sir—" I started but he cut me off. "Ah-ah! Shut up, I'll deal with you later!" he growled.

"Yes, sir," I whispered, looking down. My eyes filled with tears, what was happening? When no one was looking, I wiped my tears.

Alas, I was wrong. Strange saw me wiping my tears and his heart finally shattered.

Stephen POV:

I could not believe the audacity of that terrible excuse for a demigod. How dare he try to kiss the love of my life right under my roof?! I was incredibly upset when I saw that Y/N wasn't pushing him away. I knew she had always been a shy person, but...

"Thor, take your brother and leave," I grunted, opening a portal. Thor was just looking around awkwardly as Loki smirked at me and I glared at him. "I'll not be forgetting about you, Y/N!" Loki purposely yelled as he stepped through the portal. I looked at Y/N as he said it and saw her flinching.

So she really didn't care about that man. My heart broke. Why was I treating her like this? Like a caged animal? Like a disappointing kid? Y/N was far from disappointing, she was excellent. When the portal closed, I looked at Y/N. "Care to explain?" I snapped, crossing my arms.

"It wasn't me, it was all him," she whispered, her voice breaking. She was trying not to break down. "What did he do?" I questioned. "He... he tried to kiss me. I didn't want to do it. I don't like him that way." Y/N was still looking at the ground, her book long forgotten on the stairs.

I picked it up. "I want you to look up when we talk!" Her head snapped up and her eyes widened. I was holding her book out to her. She extended a shaking hand and accepted the book. "Th-Thank you," she stuttered. I realised that her whole body was shaking. That's when it hit me, how difficult it was for her.

I treated her like scum, blinded by my own mind. She was doing her best to impress me yet I continued ignoring her. Today's incident must have been worse for her. I mean, being taken without consent... my mind cleared up.

I had to make it up to her.

"Come on, Y/N, let's continue with our research, shall we?" I asked her softly and she nodded, still avoiding my eyes. We walked to the library. After that, I treated her like the princess, the angel she was. I complimented her all the time, became friendlier with her.

She worked as diligently as ever. But now, there was happiness around her when she worked. And I, as always, loved watching her. I wanted to confess my feelings. By now, I didn't care about rejection. I just wanted to get the feelings out. "Sir?" Yet again, I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Yes, sweetheart?" I asked, smiling at her. "Have I got something on my face or are you lost in thoughts?" she chuckled, eyes shining with teasing affection. I admit, after seeing her break down and finally treating her nicely, Y/N and I grew closer. We talked outside work now and she had a lot of interesting things to tell me.

"You've got something on your face," I smiled, getting up. I sat in front of her on the floor; she loved sitting on floors for some reason. She said it was cold and she liked it. "What?" she frowned, touching her face. "Beauty," I whispered and she froze. She looked at me.

"Sir, I—"

"I'm just gonna say it, Y/N, I'm in love with you."

"Then why did you treat me like I was nothing?"

"Because I didn't want any distraction from my work. You were the biggest distraction ever, with a beauty like that."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought that maybe by treating you coldly the feelings would go away. But they grew. And now I realize, my work is actually the biggest distraction from you." She chuckled at my joke. I took her hand and pressed a kiss to it. "Please tell me you like me back, I won't be able to sleep at night," I whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She grinned and tittered.

"Of course I do, I love you so much, sir," she whispered and I finally, after months of pining, pressed my lips to hers. She kissed back. My hands moved to her waist and I brought her on my lap, leaning against the wall behind me as we kissed passionately.

"Tell me you're mine, no one else's."

"Of course I'm yours, sir."

"Gah, you have no idea what that word does to me."

She found out that night.

---

A/N: Oop. Leave a like if you liked it lol

[justalarryblog]

I was tagged by my beautiful wifey @whatevertearsyou and the amazing @thedevilinmybrain. Sorry taking long time to do it! (I'm using the excuse I'm angry bc of Harry to do this lmao) Thank you so much, babes!😘💗

✨ Tag 9 people to learn more about their interests!

I'm tagging: @theyareloudandproud @larrysballetslippers @larentsbr @chrisltomlinson @halosanchor @justmybeautifulthings@skyyneverlookedsoblue @littleprincepleasdontgo @bluecolouredlou

MUSIC

fav genre? Pop, Rock/pop, MPB, alternative/pop, indie...

fav artist? Rob Thomas/Matchbox 20

fav song? I have tons! hahaha

most listened song recently? Insane by Black Gryph0n

song currently stuck in your head? Say What You Want by Texas (I was talking about my fic to a friend and I told them I wrote almost the whole thing listening to this song so now... lol)

5 fav lyrics?

"I will sing to you everyday, if it will take away the pain" "The person that you'd take a bullet for, is behind the trigger" Miss Missing You - FOB

"When they all make you feel like you're a problem girl remember you're no problem at all" Problem Girl - Rob Thomas

"Maybe you and me got lost somewhere we can't move on and we can't stay here, maybe we've just had enough, well, maybe we ain't meant for this love" Mockingbird - Rob Thomas

"If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me, threatening the life it belongs to and I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd 'cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud and I know that you'll use them, however you want to" Breathe (2am) - Anna Nalick

Mirrors - Niall Horan (the whole lyrics hits close to home tbh lol)

radio or your own playlist | solo artists or bands | pop or indie | loud or silent volume I slow or fast songs | music video or lyrics video | speakers or headset | riding a bus in silence or while listening to music | driving in silence or with radio on

BOOKS

fav book genre? Fantasy, sci-fi, romance (preferably all lgbt content)

fav writer? Mmmm I remember I enjoyed a lot C.S. Pacat's writing, but I don't have a fave fave writer.

fav book? The Mists of Avalon

fav book series? Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, Captive Prince.

comfort book? I have comfort fic, does it work? haha (CLH and The Murmur of Yearning)

perfect book to read on a rainy day? His Dark Materials

fav characters? Balthamos and Baruch.

5 quotes from your fav book that you know by heart?

I have a bad memory, can't help with that! hahahahaha

hardcover or paperback | buy or rent | standalone novels or book series | ebook or physical copy | reading at night or during the day | reading at home or in nature | listening to music while reading or reading in silence | reading in order or reading the ending first | reliable or unreliable narrator (never paid attention to this) | realism or fantasy | one or multiple POVS | judging by the covers or by the summary | rereading or reading just once

TV AND MOVIES

fav tv/movie genre? Fantasy, science fiction, adventure, superhero,  drama

fav movie? LOTR

comfort movie? LOTR and Harry Potter

movie you watch every year? LOTR and Harry Potter (a bit obsessive I know lmao)

fav tv show? His Dark Materials, Dark, The OA

comfort tv show? The OA

most rewatched tv show? His Dark Materials, Dark

ultimate otp? I don't think I have...?

5 fav characters? Thor, Dean, Mrs Coulter, Lee Scoresby, Iorek Byrnisson, Claudia...

tv shows or movies | short seasons (8-13 episodes) or full seasons (22 episodes or more) | one episode a week or binging | one season or multiple seasons | one part or saga | half hour or one hour long episodes | subtitles on or off | rewatching or watching just once | downloads or watches online

[lokigodofaces]

thoughts on loki ep 3: lamentis

under cut for your convenience

my first thought when i saw C-20 at the beginning was the Framework...i might be a bit too obsessed with an aos/Loki crossover...

C-20 was sorta able to find out something was wrong. from what Sylvie said, that's pretty impressive.

i wonder if Sylvie uses magic similar to Wanda's. like if Wanda just uses it on a bigger scale. the mind illusions thing checks out. and i saw on youtube that another patron looks like Evan Peters, so maybe they're connected? but most likely they just hired a dude that happens to look like Evan Peters.

going back to that, the glitch in C-20's illusion was like the glitches in WandaVision

if this really is similar to Wanda in canon, that means Sylvie and other Lokis might be nexus beings (y'know, the very thing i shout about in tags because i want)

Okay, so Sylvie tried to enchant a minuteman, which means she must have assumed the TVA operates on the same physics as the timeline. So neither Lokis thought magic could possibly be impeded.

good action sequence with Sylvie and minutemen and Sylvie and Loki

dudes...Renslayer can't fight. she literally did a horrible job.

Sylvie really thought the TVA valued Loki and that they really wanted/needed him to stop her. so she threatened to kill him, just for Renslayer to give the go ahead. shows how little the TVA cares and it echoes Odin.

Lamentis 1 sounded cool because that is a very sci-fi-ey name. It means the star the planet orbits is called Lamentis and the planet is the closest planet. That's how we name lots of planets outside the solar system. so i appreciated that.

okay, lamentis is literally just the bi flag. but still lots of purple so i will claim it as ace as well.

teleportation! and actual magic! yay!

okay, are they setting up a Loki/Sylvie romance? the way they framed the two when Sylvie tried to enchant Loki was how it's often done with kisses

Sylvie said with strong minds she has to do what she did to C-20 to enchant them, but she couldn't even do that with Loki. Which shows how powerful Loki is and how powerful the mind stone is.

i will die for more of Loki and Sylvie being chaotic together

Sylvie she said is an alias. Does this mean she is genderfluid but is female more often than male? i'm told some genderfluids are one gender more than the other, and i've considered Hiddleston's Loki to be predominantly male. Could Sylvie be the other way around? & born Loki but haven't changed her name? or have different names for different genders? and doesn't want to be called Loki when she's female because that's not her name as a woman?

literally i can't tell if they're setting up romance or sibling stuff.

i never thought i'd hear the word "savvy" from Loki. but, hey, if Jack Sparrow can say it, i'll allow it.

the effects for the gun that woman used look similar to Daisy Johnson's quakes. for a second i hoped for an aos crossover, but then i remembered that marvel hates it's non-Disney+ series.

i like the differences between Loki and Sylvie. Loki is less confrontational and more likely to mischief his way when Sylvie is more likely to rip the bandaid off and get it over with, if that makes sense. i think that Sylvie might just be so tired from living on the run, only going to apocalypses that she just wants to get it over with.

love is a serious theme throughout this episode. again, are they setting up a Loki/Sylvie romance? or will it be platonic or familial or something else?

Loki is very clearly not okay with the fact that so many people are being left to die, and i'm here for it

so the whole thing to get on the train i think is setting those two up to be a good duo. between illusions and enchantments, they can do a lot. and Loki was able to get them part of the way, and Sylvie the rest. i think it could be foreshadowing both of them needing to use their skills to work together.

never have your back to a door, i guess

Sylvie's reaction to Loki saying he wasn't told he was adopted. man, she was worried. she knows that that is messed up and i think she feels bad for Loki. she's probably imagining how her life would be different if she didn't know she was adopted.

sounds like Odin and Frigga weren't the adopters of Sylvie. Maybe the Lushtons? i don't know anything about them, just that Lushton is Sylvie's last name in the comics. so, yay for her for not having trash parents. unless they were, then sorry for Sylvie. at least they told her she was adopted. but if the Lushtons adopted her, how did they fall across a frost giant? especially the daughter of Laufey?

i've seen suggestions that the post man Sylvie is with could be Stan Lee since a couple cameos were of him as a post man. Maybe a younger post man, but he has less of a lifespan (if he is actually human in universe. i still like to think of him as the One Above All who just really likes to see the drama of things) than Sylvie, so she could be with him for a long time. maybe that's why Stan is always cameoing. he's just trying different things to try to find his love. and maybe he has a longer lifespan (he was in First Avenger) but not as long as Sylvie's so she still was there for most his life but he's dying soon. I actually like this headcanon a lot, i think it's sweet.

YAS BISEXUAL LOKI YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM! but i'm also scared my parents will find out. they're anti-queer. my siblings saw it, & they aren't supportive either but they operate on an "ignore it" policy, so they don't really care as long as it isn't a big deal.

also it is heavily hinted Sylvie is bi as well.

yes, i will continue to headcanon Loki as greyromantic and asexual. deal with it. i will change my language from panromantic to biromantic since the director specifically said he was bi.

also, it sounded like the director might be bi as well. good for her, taking a character she saw as bi and literally making it canon.

i knew Tom could sing, he was on Broadway. but i had never heard him sing i don't think. he has a good voice. petition to make a musical with Loki. watch the episode "Duet" of The Flash. i want something similar to that. can Sophia sing? throw her in too if she can!

translation of the norwegian suggests romance between Loki and Sylvie

was i expecting an "ANOTHER" reference? no. am i glad we got it? yeah, that was a nice touch.

turns out "full" means drunk in Norwegian according to a youtuber? but don't quote that. Loki says he's full, not drunk at one point.

what were they serving on that train? Thor couldn't get drunk on Earth. heck, Steve couldn't. so it must've been a heck of a drink they were serving

ok, the dagger metaphor i actually really liked. could be a shakespeare reference?

the fireworks thing with Frigga was cute

okay, i don't like Frigga much, but this has confirmed that Frigga was, maybe possibly, better than Odin. Frigga at least believed in Loki. but then her betrayal was so much worse.

wait, i just realized. Loki gets a fight scene on a train. a superhero genre staple is a fight on a moving vehicle (bonus if it's a train). yay! Loki hasn't had this trope yet in any of his appearances. off screen before Infinity War, and i don't count his attempt to murder Thanos on the Statesman. but we can add that to his list of superhero tropes.

i feel like the TVA needs to make stronger tempads...

okay, Loki threw the dagger horribly because he was drunk, right?they aren't saying he has horrible aim, are they?

falling out of a moving vehicle is also a superhero trope...at least it went better for them than it did Bucky

i relate to Sylvie screaming in the middle of nowhere

Loki being gentle with Sylvie and letting her talk to him. gosh. i love it. was not expecting to see Loki from my fics make an appearance.

Sylvie explained the enchantment to Loki, which i think was a poor decision for her.

she said C-20's mind was hard to navigate to her original memories. maybe the TVA does something to the TVA agents that join them. maybe if Loki proved useful, they'd do it to Loki.

or maybe variants lose memory over time. Sylvie says something about her memory being like blips of a dream, but I don't remember the context. maybe over time variants lose their memories and only retain a few things. Sylvie is well down that process, Loki has had hardly any change, and those working for the TVA only have a few things to remind them.

Mobius absolutely was a jet ski enthusiast in the '90's when he was arrested, and he loved Josta.

Casey liked Boku juice, a sign he was from the '90's.

whoever makes the uniforms is from whatever period that style of suit was popular ('80's?).

if anyone isn't a variant, it's Renslayer. she knows more than she should, i'm sure of it.

C-20 likes margaritas now, i'm sure of it.

Mobius has an interesting relationship with Renslayer. I wasn't sure if it was romantic or what. Maybe Renslayer looks like his lover from the '90's so he is flirty with her because of the faint memories he has.

Loki immediately catches on to the TVA agents not knowing they're variants. they think the Time Keepers created them. he knows that, Sylvie didn't. this immediately tells Loki that the Time Keepers are messed up.

possible redemptions for Mobius? B-15? C-20? when they find out they're variants?

so does C-20 know now? she kept saying "it was real" when Mobius found her in Roxxcart. maybe she had dreams of her life before, and Sylvie showed her that they were real?

the whole scene in the city was wild. so much color, lights, people, action, it was wild

Loki being protective of Sylvie, helping her up and wrapping his arm around her, i'm here for it.

loved the bit where Loki used telekinesis to stop the tower from falling on them.

there was a bit where Loki and Sylvie fought & their moves mirrored each other and gosh that was a nice touch.

Loki's reaction to the Ark's destruction. standing there in defeat while Sylvie walks away. wow. Tom. you are amazing.

and what the heck why did the episode end there?

can't wait for the next episode

more of TVA being evil being shown, loving it.

really, is Loki/Sylvie a thing? i have a hard time seeing romance some times, so let me know.

can we please get a Kang tease?

great lighting & cinematography. beautiful. lovely. also good action. shout out to the stunt doubles since they don't get enough credit.

okay let Loki & Sylvie be friends (or lovers, i'm fine with that) and let them burn the TVA down together.

aaaaaaaaaaa how are we half way through?

also, have the TVA fixed all the messed up timelines yet?

oh wait i gotta talk about this. the minutemen don't remember their names. i doubt Mobius's name was Mobius Mobius Mobius. Casey is probably not his real name. The Clone Wars fan in me was already screaming, but now it is even more.

[alicedopey]

A Royal Night

gif by @honestsycrets​

Genre: Smut

Pairings: Harald x Reader, Hvitserk x Reader

Warnings: oral (receiving), breastfeeding king, sex in general

Words number: 3466

A/N: This fic was born during one of my evening chat with @naaladareia​ I think our naughty minds will cost us our soul.

Rain was heavily falling; a storm was raging outside. It was not a surprise. The weather had been and warm and heavy all day, making work even more difficult that it already was – that was with no thralls to help and a little girl to look after. Another boom echoed and you cringed, hoping the noise would not wake up Ygnvild. The last thing you wanted was to take care of a frightened toddler instead of sleeping.

Thor bit his hammer again, again and again. You frowned. That was too much, too fast. Then, you realized it was not a boom of thunder but a repetitive bang coming from your door. Alerted, you ran towards it. Maybe your brothers wanted to make sure you were alright. When you opened the wooden, door, two familiar faces came into view. It was not the two faces you were waiting for though.

There stood none other than King Harald and Hvitserk Ragnarsson.

“May we come in?”. The King asked quietly, with his smooth voice.

Your cheeks reddened, realizing you had probably stared a little bit too much. You opened the door to let them pass.

“Of course, I’m sorry. Please come in, you must feel cold.”

They were soaked. Water was dripping from their tunics, the fabric clinging to their chests and revealing their muscles. You hurriedly closed the wooden door and went to fetch clothes for them.

“I hope they fit.” You handed them both a dry and warm tunic that they promptly put on. You took their soaked clothes away to dry them off and invited them to sit down.

“Sorry to bother you in the middle of the night.” The King apologized in his deep hoarse voice. “The storm took us by surprise and we didn’t want to walk through the whole town.”

“It is no bother at all. It is an honor to be of any help to you.”

Prince Hvitserk cleared his throat and you looked into his deep green eyes.

“Would it be alright to ask for something to eat?”

You almost jumped from your seat, feeling suddenly ashamed. Royals were in your house and you did not offer them something to eat or drink.

“Of course! Right away.” It was a good thing you had cooked for your brothers earlier, there was a lot of rabbit stew left. You put it above the fire in your little kitchen and served the two men a horn of mead that they gladly accepted.

The prince let his eyes wander on your body and awkwardly readjusted the fur above your thin nightdress. He smirked.

“We woke you up?”

“I was about to go to bed. It has been a long day.”

“You’re alone here?” Harald asked as his eyes canned your house. You knew what he meant.

“My husband died in the war against Ivar the Boneless. He was so proud to join your ranks.” The King simply nodded at your words. “He’s in Valhalla now.” Sadness made your heart clench but it was not the time or place to lose yourself fin your feelings. “Anyways, my brothers are not very far from here so I… manage.”

The pot on the fire started boiling. You served Harald and Hvitserk the hot meal with a piece of bread on the side. The Prince almost jumped on his food but the King kept his eyes on you, making you blush and feel bothered.

“What about the fields? I remember you have some…”

Your eyes widened, almost surprised the King knew so much about his people. “My brothers and I take care of that…well, when I’m not looking after my little girl. But…we manage.”

Once again, the King simply nodded at your words. For a while, only noises of their eating could be heard – then another boom echoed through the room. This time, it was followed by a loud wail. Looks like little Ygnvild was awake.

You excused yourself and went to retrieve your daughter from her little bed. She looked absolutely scared and clutched your nightdress when another thunderclap burst into your chamber.

Gently, you rubbed her back and made soothing sounds to comfort her. You knew she would not fall asleep anytime soon though. Rocking her in your arms, you went back to the main room where your tow guests were eating.

Wails and whimpers were escaping your little girl’s mouth. The King looked up at her with an indulgent smile. “Poor thing…”

The sound coming from Ygnvild’s mouth stopped and the little girl left your neck to turn her eyes towards Harald, deeply curious.

“Honey, this is King Harald and Prince Hvitserk.” You said softly, pointing to the young prince who only stopped eating to wink at her.

Being the greedy one as well, Ygnvild spotted the bread near his plate and tried to reach out to it.

“No, no love…” You sat down and gave her a little piece of bread. “This one is for you.”

Looking up at Harald, you noticed he had not stopped looking at her with a gentle smile on his face. He frowned, suddenly. “You don’t have any thralls to help you with her?”

You shook your heard. What was this obsession of his about you having thralls? “I don’t have any. Besides, I couldn’t afford them. I manage anways…”

There was another boom and your daughter startled, dropping her piece of bread from her chubby tiny hands. Her eyes widened and her lower lip trembled.

“It’s nothing, little one. Thor is just thrashing his hammer.”

She looked at Harald with interest and held out her arms for him to take her. To your utter surprise, the King asked you silently if he could take her and you gladly accepted. Your daughter immediately settled into his arms and gently played with his beard while Harald was telling her stories about Thor and Loki to distract her.

She never had the chance to enjoy this kind of things with her father, you thought sadly. He would have been so caring and gentle with her – but the Gods had decided otherwise and you had to live with it.

Harald talked to Ygnvild for a little while, Hvitserk even joined him and it pleased you immensely to see her laugh and babble with them until she fell into a deep slumber against the King’s chest.

“I think she’s ready to go back to bed.” Harald cautiously handed her back to you so you could put her in your chamber.

Where were you going to put the two men though? They could not leave yet; the storm was still going on. There was only one solution.

“You will take my bed for the night.”

Hvitserk looked around him. “Where will you sleep? With us?”

You blushed and he smirked. Harald nudged him with his elbow but you could swear you saw a smirk on his lips as well.

“On the floor. I’ll be more than fine, here. I have enough furs to build a comfortable bed.”

Harald strongly shook his head. “We will take the floor. Trust me, we’ve done worse.” He added as you were about to protest. Hvitserk silently agreed.

“Alright then, if you are sure…” You arranged them a bed of furs on the floor and wen to your chamber. You fell asleep the moment your head hit the pillow.

Thirst woke you up late. You turned around groggily but could not find the jug of water and the cup you usually put on the floor near your bed. Of course, you had forgotten to do it and probably left it in the main room with your guests.

You gingerly got up and walked out of your chamber. Two candles were still burning, throwing a tiny ray of light into the room and you took a moment to stare at the two men sleeping on the floor. They had taken off the tunics you had given them earlier and you could admire their toned and tattooed chests. Your cheeks flushed and you turned your eyes away from the scene, feeling suddenly too nosy. You spotted the jug of water and poured yourself a cup. The fresh water quenched your thirst and helped you cool off a bit.

“You alright?”

A tiny squeak escaped your lips and you let your cup fall on the table. You turned around. Prince Hvitserk was nonchalantly standing there, his trousers undone and his bare and tattooed chest full in view.

“I…yes, I was thirsty.” And you were thirsty once again when you felt your throat going dry in in front of his body.

It has been a long time since you had been near a man, and to say it was bothering you was an understatement. You had to escape and you had to it right away.

“I’ll go back to bed now.” But you did not move. Your body was frozen in place, your eyes glued to his body.

A smile pulled Hvitserk’s lips upwards. Slowly, he got closer and your eyes went down, ashamed. He circled your body and his hands softly ran down your arms. “You are beautiful.”

“Thank you…” Very eloquent. You were so awkward you sounded like a virgin maiden. Hvitserk did not mind, though. You felt him pull your hair aside. His nose rubbed against your cheek, your neck. You were breathing heavily, your nipples got hard against the thin fabric of your nightdress. His lips finally touched your skin and left soft kisses on it.

He pressed himself against your, letting you feel his hard body. You could not resist and pushed your ass against his erection. He groaned.

“You want to have some fun?” His voice made you freeze. What were you doing?

Sensing your hesitation, Hvitserk attacked your neck with kisses again, even pulling on your dress with urgency.

Possessed with a sudden feverish desire, you unlaced the front and let the Prince make the fabric slide down your body. You felt his stare on your skin, admiring your figure with an appreciative growl. He gripped your hips and turned your around in a swift move. Instinctively, you hid yourself with your hands but he gently tugged them away.

“I’m probably not your usual type.” It was not so long ago since you had your little girl and your body had changed.

He licked his lower lip, touching the stretchmarks around your breasts. “You seem more than fine to me.” His hands weighed your heavy breasts, he eyed them with greed and envy but he let go of them to stroke your neck and end up on your lips. “Do you want to have some fun?”

He was asking your permission again. Unusual for a prince. They took and never gave – and Hvitserk had won quite the reputation in this area.

Your body was craving it but…could you take it? “Here? In the middle of the room?”

“I don’t see how it is a problem?” He chuckled before crashing his lips against yours. A moan escaped your lips and you feverishly gripped the braids on his head to pull him more against you and kiss him back. His tongue deliciously danced with yours and it felt like heaven.

Groaning, Hvitserk grabbed your ass and smashed your cheeks which he pushed against his erected shaft. His mouth left yours to pepper kisses down your neck, your breasts he had stared at earlier.

It was so good, it had been so long… Something was bothering you though.

“Wait…what about the King?” Hvitserk did not stop.

“I’m awake.” The hoarse voice made the Prince stop this time. He exchanged a mischievous glance with the King before looking at you. “What do you say?”

You were a stuttering mess by then. “Well I… you mean both of you? With me?”

“I’m up to it.” Harald answered, checking you out lazily.

It could be fun and you did not know when or if a man could come back between your sheets.

“Okay…”

Hvitserk jumped excitedly and led you to Harald by the hand. He made you lie down next to him before taking his place beside you. The attack came before you could take another thought.

The King took your lips softly. He seemed to be less in a hurry than the younger one who was already going down your body, leaving a wet trail on your nipples, between the valley of your breasts, your navel, your lips. Your body jolted when his lips touched your soft mound and you groaned into Harald’s mouth. The prince was skilled, teasing your outer lips with his tongue before thrusting in between. You set one of your hands on his head to lead him where you wanted to.

Harald separated his lips from yours and gently took your other hand towards his trousers as he unlaced them. Once his shaft was free from any restraint, you took the lead and circled it with your fingers. It was soft and hard under your hand. The King tilted his hips upwards and your started jerking him off awkwardly. It has been a long time since you had done that.

A deep snarl escaped the King’s lips. “By the Gods!” Not that awkward, then.

Harald closed his eyes and you smiled. It felt special to have power over the King…even if it was because you were holding his dick between your hands.

In the meantime, Hvitserk had power over you, making you whine and wiggle on the floor, completely at the mercy of his lips.

Your legs were quivering by now, you were getting close…when he stopped. The feeling of frustration made your let go of Harald’s cock. The King protested and rubbed himself against your thigh. His lips found your neck, sucking wildly.

The Prince went up your body and smirked at you. He was undoubtedly seeing the deep need in your eyes. His twinkled with mischief. Of course, he knew what he was doing! But you could play too…you raised your hips and rubbed your core against his pulsating sex.

He chuckled. “In a hurry, are we? Alright…” He added as you whimpered.

He jerked himself once and dived into you to the hilt. You bit your lip to prevent yourself from crying and drew blood. Hvitserk smirked again, proud of his work. He pulled out before pushing in again, even more forcefully. His thrusts were wild and rough, almost hurting but so pleasurable at the same time. He hiked up one of your legs over his waist and went deeper.

Biting your lip was not enough…you looked at Harald, who was still worshipping your neck. “Kiss me.”

The King happily complied. He explored your mouth slowly while the Prince was wildly rutting inside of you.

Your orgasm was getting close again and this time, you would not let it escape. You hiked up your other leg over the Prince’s body, encircling his waist so that he would not go away. He did not, thrusting deeper and deeper.

Your whole body spasmed as you came, loudly whimpering inside Harald’s mouth. Hvitserk growled and managed to pull out to come onto your stomach.

Out of breath, you slightly pushed Harald away. The King shared a glance with the Prince before the two men switched positions and Hvitserk lay down next to you. He softly kissed your nose and smiled. “Felt good?”

You simply nodded, completely out of words. Your eyelids were heavy, sleep was calling for you but you were well aware the King would probably ask for his turn. He was already stoking your body and was watching you with lust.

“On all fours.” He ordered in his deep hoarse voice.

Your body was sore but you managed to put yourself on your hands and knees. Harald caressed your back, your ass, your shoulders which he gripped to pull you up. Your back hit his chest as he entered in a smooth move. His warm hands rested on your hips, hands you gripped when the King pulled in and out of you languidly. It was almost too slow. You pushed your ass against his pelvis, urging him to go faster but he kept his place slow and steady inside your core.

“Please….” You whined desperately. But Harald just kissed the love bite he had put on your neck. You let out another whine and he chuckled this time.

“You need to learn to be patient, my sweet. Everything will come just in time…even you. “

You could almost feel the smirk on his lips as he said it. Feeling revengeful, you clenched around him and felt satisfied when he groaned. A smile stretched your lips. Maybe you could finally win, but no…the King was too stubborn to go faster. You had to admit it was pleasurable. This slowly building up pleasure was making you weak in the knees as well. You were eager for it to intensify and yet, you did not want it to end at the same time.

One of Harald’s hands found his way to your nipple. He tugged gently on it, eliciting some other moans coming out of your mouth.

“She’s leaking.” Hvitserk’s curious eyes caught yours and he licked his lips. Milk was indeed leaking from your breast since you were still breastfeeding.

Hvitserk crawled towards you. “Can I have a taste?” He licked his lips again. You did not really feel comfortable with his kinky interest to your breast milk. Nonetheless, you were well aware that he would do whatever he wanted even if he asked first so you simply agreed.

The young Prince almost squealed in joy, he pushed Harald’s hand away from your breast to replace it with his lips. He latched on it like a starving baby and drew some more milk. You gasped, surprised and slightly ashamed of the pleasure you were getting from his actions.

Your head fell backwards in bliss on Harald’s pleasure and your searched for Harald’s lips once again.

Hvitserk sucked one breast dry and greedily attacked the other one. The sound he was making were obscene to say the least but you could not care less. You were only focused on your pleasure now, on Harald’s hips snapping a little more forcefully against your backside, on the way his tongue erotically danced with yours, on Hvitserk’s lips making you feel this forbidden pleasure.

You came undone suddenly, your whole body spasming and trembling life a leaf in the wind. Lost in his own pleasure, Harald released your hips and your body fell against Hvitserk who was too happy to welcome you in his arms. He embraced you and kissed your lips. He smelled of milk, you milk – you did not mind. At all. When you fell something warm and sticky on your lower back as you were kissing Hvitserk, you knew the King had come too.

Out of breath, the three of you fell on the furs. You were sated and happy. Your mind was telling you to get up, get dressed – and cleaned up – and go back to bed but your body did not have the strength to do so.

Your eyelids were feeling heavy again. This time, you would not fight and you let sleep take you as your two lovers were leaving kisses on your exhausted body.

The gentle babbling of Ygnvild woke you up. It took a few seconds for you to remember where you were and what happened. Then you did… A nice flush colored your cheeks and you got up in a hurry, looking for your nightdress. When you found it abandoned on the floor, you hastily reached for it and put it on, hiding your soiled body from view. You did not have time to have a bath right now.

They were gone – Gone without a word, without a trace…except for the marks they left on your body.

You bent down to gather the furs on the floor and put them back where they belonged, on your own bed. Then, you finally took care of your little girl and sat her down for her first meal.

When your brothers arrived, you were fresh and ready for another day of work in the fields, too happy not to have to tell anything.

Though you figured you might have some explaining to make when two thralls appeared out of nowhere, claiming they had been sent by the King himself to help you.

Tagging (feel free to ask to be added or removed): @naaladareia​ @ivarswickedqueen​ @therealcalicali​ @tephi101​ @mblaqgi​ @captstefanbrandt​ @medievalfangirl​ @inforapound​ @gearhead66​ @peaceisadirtyword​ @akamaiden​ @thevikingsheaux​

[antis-delete-your-blogs-pls-thx]

Mouse’s Reclist (#1/?)

Okay, it is time. Time to get working on the incredibly frustrating (but rewarding) task of putting together a fic reclist (the EDM one is next). No, none of my own are going to be on here, I literally know antis would accuse me of doing that for clout. If you want my own fics, DM me :). They probably suck, most of them are really self-indulgent, and I have an update schedule that embodies the slow feeling of trying to download free porn from a dial-up connection in 1997. And your mother is picking up the phone when you’re at the last megabyte and makes you start over. Or something.

I’m going to put a hotlink on the title and probably the author, if that’ll work super easy in a format transfer. Then I’ll post the fandom, pairing, and fic summary in italics, and uh, possibly a small review with some warnings. Keep in mind I can’t be as thorough as the authors themselves, if they’ve chosen to tag at all, because while I do reread these often, I can’t remember every exact trigger. Some of these are fluffy, and some of these are FUCKED UP. Capital F, capital U. Let’s get started. Not organised by fandom or by alphabetical order or by length because my ADHD just says “ONTO THE NEXT LINK GOGOGOGOGOGO” every five seconds. Google docs,,,, stop yelling at my grammar and let me do this thing. There should be about 30 or so under the cut. (Maybe I’ll do more?)

Obviously the first is Three Missing Girls in Madison, Wisconsin by lapsi. This is the Mindhunter Bill/Holden rec that I posted, like, four days ago, and what inspired me to post my own little oneshot drabble. You can check for that in my recs tag for a more detailed description. Let’s just say it’s fucking gorgeous. Everything by lapsi is gorgeous.

Revalations by Anonymous - MCU/Starker/WIP - “I still don’t get it,” Ned says. “How you just... keep being ordinary in spite of all the craziness you’ve lived through. You were in space. You helped Iron Man save the universe. And nobody knows it was you.” His tone softens, becomes almost sad. As though he realizes that what he’s saying is so completely alien to him that he will never be able to understand this part of Peter’s life. “Peter, don’t you want people to know you for who you are?”//An AU where they get the Gauntlet off of Thanos that first time, on Titan. - This is a sort of supremely fucked up but also absolutely beautiful Starker fic with aged up!Peter. By, like, three years, and he’s still essentially Tony’s sugar baby, but whatever. It’s literally an absolute amazing ride.

the spaces between the stars by indigostohelit - Generation Kill/Bradnate - Lieutenant Nathaniel Fick of the USS Devil Dog is returning to Earth with the weight of the world on his shoulders: his captain is incompetent, his crew is half in mutiny, and the mission to a distant star may have been more of a failure than anyone could have comprehended. But on the journey back, something in the ship goes terribly wrong—and Nate may have to bear far more than the weight of the world if he's going to keep his men safe. - Okay, what fandom ancients still remember Generation Kill? Warnings in and of itself for just the general nature of camaraderie on that show. I’m usually a Bradray sucker (remind me to get to those next time), but this was fucking fantastic. Sci-fi mystery AU is my absolute FAVOURITE genre, hands down, all time, ever. And indigo has written a veritable basketload of my fav fics besides, so I can always trust in them.

All of Astolat’s MegOp fic - Transformers/MegOp - ‘Nuff said. She’s the founder of the goddamn site. You’re damn straight I’m going to fawn over her fic. Also it’s fucking good, founding the site aside. I cried. I cried so fucking much. I dripped tears like a sponge.

The White Road by perverse_idyll - Harry Potter/Snarry - One day, comfortably set up in the afterlife, Lily Evans Potter switches on the telly and gets hooked on the Harry Potter show. - Okay, first, this is the only time I’ve literally ever seen one-sided Snily where Lily was the one pining. Anyway, the summary explains the premise, but doesn’t do it justice. Lily watches down on the many possible universes that contain her son’s future from a comfy spot in the afterlife. The relationship between literally everyone in the fic and Severus is… exquisitely-detailed and heart-wrenchingly painful. I’d die for this fic, so I could read a million versions of it in the afterlife.

Rapture by mia_ugly - Harry Potter/Snarry - Snape sees the man, for the first time, on his twenty-fifth birthday. - I fucking bawled my eyes out the first time I read this. And the second. And the third. Dumbledore gives Harry a time-travelling watch for his birthday. A watch that travels to a young Severus, who Harry gets to know. On a pretense, of course. And then he falls in love with him. They both do. It’s absolutely agonising angst, but it has a happy ending. It will fucking pack a punch though, so get the tissues ready. This one is perhaps my favourite Snarry fic of all time. Period. Please don’t pass it up. The writing is so fucking amazingly-crafted. I would sell my soul to write like this.

Shell Game by forthegreatergood - DCU/Superbat - Batman wants Superman. Superman wants Batman. Eventually they'll get it sorted out. - An absolutely spot-on identity porn fic. As cheesy as the summary sounds, this fic hits hard. And it has sex pollen. Who can resist sex pollen? Pun intended, maybe.

Every Superbat fic by Susiecarter. - DCU/Superbat - Susie is a friend of mine (fucking,,, don’t know how I managed that one, apparently I write good enough fic for them to read,,, astonishing), and one of Superbat fandom’s greatest contributors. One of DCEU fandom’s greatest contributors, in fact. Everything they’ve written is a masterpiece. But the ultimate fav? as to which may be the true. Hands down. IDENTITY PORN GALORE.

The Long Hangover by CoffioCake - DCU/Superbat - Clark knows he should take a break: His powers are on the fritz, he feels like shit, and Batman’s treating him like a liability. But Gotham's villains seem to have it in for Metropolis' Big Blue Boy Scout and Clark won't just wait around for answers. Batman might be the world’s greatest detective, but Clark Kent is one of the Daily Planet’s most tenacious reporters.//This is definitely a job for Superman. - Okay, I can’t promise another Superbat won’t show up on this list. I’m a sucker for it. I’m also a sucker for case fic. Which is this. It’s so good. So good.

No Glory (and everything else in the HP fandom) by ObsidianPen - Harry Potter/Tomarry/WIP - The Dark Lord divines what Harry Potter is in the Forbidden Forest, and revelations lead to incomprehensible consequences. Lord Voldemort has won... and the dystopia is damning.//A tale of a fallen hero, dark desires, and a Dark Lord's obsession with something he has lost and finds himself unwillingly lusting after: a soul. - This is a Voldemort wins!AU. A fucking delicious one. If only my own Tomarry could aspire, by god. The imagery in this is so vivid I could swear it was painted on my eyelids. The concept of soul magic and interpretations on Horcruxes is unique and perfectly-executed. Honestly, everything Obsidian has ever written for HP is perfectly-executed. I would probably consider this the definitive Tomarry/Harrymort fic. Seriously.

It Cages a Demon by TripleX_Tyrant - Rick & Morty/C137cest/WIP - When Rick captures a powerful being from a demonic dimension - a demon with the ability to devour thoughts - Morty's consciousness is pulled into the demon's cage. Rick must go in after him before Morty's consciousness is completely consumed. But this isn't what the inside of the cage should look like. And if Rick wants to save Morty, he'll have to survive in a place where paths are unclear and monsters manifest.//Rick knew his own mind was complex. But he wasn't ready for this. - A goddamn Silent Hill-style horror mystery AU??????? FOR RICKMORTY? Yep, you heard me. And every second of it is liquid gold. It’s also gory as all fuck and pants-shittingly terrifying at times, so read at your own risk. But if you can risk it, please do. It’s honestly the best execution of C137cest I’ve seen outside of Harmon’s own damn writing lmao.

The Book of Secrets by Are - Downton Abbey/Thommy - With a war of words and wills, Jimmy Kent and Thomas Barrow embark on a strange romance. Set Post Christmas Special. - Thommy is another rare-ish (now, post-2016) pairing that I would die for. And everything Are has ever written for the pairing could kill me and I would thank it. But TBS is the best. Jimmy finds Thomas’ diary (and poetry book), which was also the diary (and sketchbook) of Courtenay before his passing, and learns more about his past and his innermost thoughts. It’s the most haunting, heartbreaking, poignant fic in the pairing. It ends well, but the journey you’ll take from the first chapter is one I would pay money to experience for the first time again. I literally couldn’t even breathe for a while after this. Lapsi’s fic has the same effect, so if you’ve worked through that one by now, be prepared.

Mad Man by griseldajane - MCU/Thorki - In all the years they spent together, it never occurred to Loki that there might be a time when Thor would not be available to him. The god of mischief conceals himself, coming and going as he pleases, doing what he wants.//That Thor might one day do the same never crossed his mind. - All the mindfuckery a Convinced-You-Were-in-an-Insane-Asylum-the-Whole-Time!fic entails and more. If you have issues with dissociating from reality, this is probably a bit much, because it absolutely nails everything about derealisation, delusional thinking, and paranoia. GOD, if you’re willing to let your mind take that battering, though, it’s a damn work of art.

Switch by Ceres_Libera - Star Trek/McKirk - The life and times of Leonard H. McCoy MD/PhD … If Leonard McCoy's life could get any fucking weirder, it would be … Jesus, he didn't even want to think what that could possibly mean, because it's already been too fucking weird to make any kind of rational sense.//A Starfleet Academy story, set in the ST:XI universe. - The ultimate McKirk fic imho. We’ll get to my ultimate Spirk fic in a second. Please do read this. It’s everything you could want out of an Academy!fic. Especially a roommates/UST!fic. 

Black Mirror by DarthNickels - Star Wars/Gen - The Ghost crew returns to the Lothal when they hear the Empire is investigating the Jedi Temple there. They learn Vader is alone and decide to take him out-- but what they find could change the course of Galactic history. - What, you think I don’t read Gen? I read Gen!!!! Look at all this Gen I read. Put simply, Dad!Vader redemption arc set in the Rebels era. FUCKING,,, what more could I ask for,,, literally. What more?????????? Sci-fi mystery??? ASKING FOR MORE WHOMMMMMST’VE????

The Lotus Eaters by aldora89 - Star Trek/Spirk - Stranded on the planet Sigma Nox while searching for a missing away team, Spock and Kirk find themselves pitted against a disturbing native life form. With the captain out of commission on a regular basis and Spock struggling to preserve his stoicism, staying alive is difficult enough – but when a slim chance for escape surfaces, their resolve is truly put to the test. Together they must fight for survival in the heart of an alien jungle, and in the process, uncover the mystery of the planet’s past. Slow build K/S. - Here’s that aforementioned ultimate Spirk fic. Okay, what, it’s sci-fi mystery again. Give me a break. You just heard how much I would absolutely die for it. Seriously, there is no Spirk fic I adore more than this. I mean, I adore an absolute shittonne of Spirk fics, but this one is my raison d’etre.

In Good Company by weialala - Naruto/Sasunaru - This will sound a little ridiculous, no matter how Sasuke phrases it. I see dead people is embarrassingly tacky, and I'm half-spirit seems like something Sakura might say when she's stoned sky high. So he settles for a shrug. - Sasuke sees dead people. Sasuke bonds with the goddamn fae. Kuchiyose no Jutsu taken to the fucking max. An epic that does what The Last pretty much couldn’t. Shippuden who???

The Boy Who Died A Lot by starcrossedgirl - Harry Potter/Snarry - Harry’s always been known as The Boy Who Lived. Only Severus knows that this is a lie. (Or: a portrait of Severus Snape, in seven acts.) - Oh, there’s Snarry again. Bite me. This is my second (third? Tied with the White Road?) favourite Snarry fic. Time travel, almost Groundhog Day style. Severus has to go back and fix every mistake Harry makes that leads to his untimely death throughout the seven books. I honestly could believe this is what really happened, and we just don’t know otherwise because Rowling hasn’t deigned to make this shit up and put a woke spin on it yet.

Kisses Cursed by The_Fictionist - Harry Potter/Tomarry - Fairytale AU. Loosely inspired by Beauty and the Beast.//Some said he was once a man, cursed, and some that he sold his soul to demons and became one in turn. Others said that such evil as he could never have been human. That he was instead a nightmare, left lingering upon the earth a very long time ago.//Harry just knew it wasn't safe to walk near the Riddle House after dark. - Not just a fairytale AU, but a MYSTERY(!!!!) fairytale!AU. Okay, who’s gotten that I love mystery by now? This one is amazing, no matter how many puzzle pieces have slotted into place. The ride is a wild one and a great one. My second favourite Tomarry fic. I’d rank more of The_Fictionist’s higher, but they’ve deleted a lot of their old stuff, despite me absolutely adoring it.

United States v. Barnes, 617 F. Supp. 2d 143 (D.D.C. 2015) by fallingvoices & radialarch - MCU/Stucky - The Associated Press @AP//Winter Soldier set to stand trial for Washington D.C. massacre and treason apne.ws/1og6SWE - Both an epistolary/media fic and a case fic? Sign me tf up. Came out mere seconds (I exaggerate a little) after TWS, which I instantly fell in love with in theatres (still my fav MCU movie, folks). Details what a trial would be like for James Buchanan Barnes, should the MCU function more like real life, all in newspaper/tweet/blog form. Best way I’ve seen epistolary!fic formatted, tbh. Only on the AO3, huh?

The Mirror by cloudyjenn - Supernatural/Destiel - When Dean touches a strange mirror, he's whisked away to one alternate reality after another and it doesn't take him long to realize the universe is trying to tell him something. - I love dimension hopping. And it’s for my first ever hardcore fandom (besides Pokemon), too! I usually see dimension hopping more in sci-fi and superhero fandoms, so it was nice to see it in fantasy, too. A million alternate dimensions where Dean and Cas are in love. It’s definitely a message. :eyes emoji:

Stay With Me (home is where your mind is.) by sara_holmes - Marvel/Stony - Where Steve doesn’t quite die, ends up stranded in the multiverse and would quite like to know how the hell so many versions of himself ended up sleeping with Tony Stark. Well, that’s going to make things a tad awkward when he gets home. - Speaking of dimension hopping in superhero fandoms. This is honestly the most interesting way I’ve seen dimension hopping played out. Or rather, dimension consolidating. Steve ends up in a purgatory-style void populated only by other versions of himself from throughout the Multiverse. Like the Mirror, there’s definitely a message being sent here about how many versions of him are doing the do with a certain genius playboy billionaire philanthropist. 

Thicker than Water by StarkatHeart - Marvel/Stony/Superfamily - Neither of them would admit it, but blood does count for something.//When Peter Parker discovers his biological father is actually none other than Tony Stark, it's not exactly news that's well received. By either party. But they're Avengers. They're teammates. They'll just have to work through it. ...Or maybe just ignore it. - On a completely different note from Starker, or not-so-different, depending on how depraved you like your fic to be flavoured, Peter as Tony’s biological son. This is pure Superfamily, not a hint of fucked up incest to be found. Though if anyone has any fucked up incest recs, I’m down to get my dirty paws on them.

the undiscovered country by indigostohelit - Shakespeare/Hamratio - It's 1959, and the mayor of Chicago is dead. - Remember how I said indigo had written some of my fav fics before? Yeah, 1950’s Americana!AU Hamlet, with added Hamratio. It is as good as it sounds.

All of astolat’s GoT and Thor works TBH. But please don’t pass up her Thorki, especially not Chaos War and Revelations. 

Reaching as I Fall by apokteino - Supernatural/Destiel - “Service to God was the meaning of existence; service to Michael is nothing but slavery.” Castiel is part of an underground network helping angels fall, in resistance to heaven. At the same time that a fallen angel by the name of Dean Winchester turns up, some of those in the network are murdered by Michael’s forces – there’s a spy. What does Dean have to do with it? Who is Dean? And why are they hunting him so fiercely?//A story about love, family, and choice. - Let me introduce you to my favourite AU concept from all of SPN fandom. No, I won’t spoil it. Needless to say, I’ve tried to write it myself a thousand times, and only succeeded in a thousand false starts. Maybe one day I’ll get around to it. Plus, I always disagree with these authors, anyway. Dean is totally a bottom. ;P

I Got a Soul but I’m Not a Soldier by starandrea - Supernatural/Destiel - AU: Castiel is on the road (saving people, helping things) when he meets Dean and realizes that his soul is different - and not just because he's the pastor's son. - Here it is again, my favourite trope (well, I’d call it a trope, if there were more than a dozen or so fics for it). If you haven’t read RAIF, I’m wondering if you’ve caught on yet. ;P.

Chosen Man by Sineala - The Eagle/Marcus x Esca - The son of the man who lost the Eagle of the Ninth would never be allowed a first command of his very own fort, would he?//Marcus is posted not to Isca Dumnoniorum, but to a wretched and run-down garrison north of the Wall. There he finds that he is the new centurion of a group of scouts and spies, all of them British. He has few supplies and no experience. His men distrust him. His superiors despise him. His second-in-command is an incompetent drunkard. And the local tribes are determined to kill all of them.//But the worst thing of all is one of Marcus' soldiers. He is an enigmatic, dangerous, and insubordinate man by the name of Esca, who makes Marcus yearn for terrifying things he has never before wanted and can never, ever let himself have… - Sine pretty much engineered the Eagle fandom. 

I followed them from the Eagle and into all their other ventures, too, and when they started writing for Stony I practically screamed in excitement. PLEASE read their Stony, if it’s the only Stony you ever read.

The Leonardo Effect by Phoenike - Assassin’s Creed/EzioLeo - To Ezio’s best knowledge, Leonardo's idea of debauchery was staying up until morning with a bottle of wine and too many sketching supplies. But why would the gondolier have lied? It was a heavy accusation. In both Firenze and Venezia, mere allegations of unnatural conduct had condemned men to be pilloried or hanged. - My favourite EzioLeo fic of all time. Everything Phoe has ever written is a gem, but this one takes the cake. Have I said that already? A lot of cake is being taken. Please read. It’s the epitome of what makes EzioLeo good.

Naked to Mine Enemies by mundungus42 - Pirates of the Caribbean/Sparrington - The Pirate Code doesn't expressly command its adherents to repay debts that bridge life and death, but the Code is more of a set of guidelines, anyway. Sparrow/Norrington, set after At World's End, ignores all films released thereafter. - A classic fic for a classic ship. My ship pun both is and isn’t intended. I’d read this one over and over. Okay, I already do. Whenever I go back to Sparrington, I go back to this.

The Persistence of Iron by Sylvia - Marvel/X-Men Cinematic Universe/Cherik - Waking up in a lab with no memories and a blue-eyed stranger calling him by someone else's name is only the beginning of Erik's problems.- Sci-fi mystery. You don’t need to ask me to clarify at this point, do you? Cloning tech? CLONING TECH? DE-AGING CLONING TECH? So many favourite tropes.

Take the Heat Out of Me by quipquipquip - DCU/Jaydick - Lost Days!Jason trolls Officer Grayson!Dick in Blüdhaven. Dick counter-trolls with the power of love. (It's super effective.) - A classic Jaydick fic. I think it was quip’s last foray into fic. Under that name, at least. What a bang to go out with.

Don’t Quote Me by TKodami - DCU/Superbat/WIP - Bruce Wayne has weathered scandal before, and Wayne Enterprises can handle another publicity crisis. What Bruce can’t handle is one crashing up against his plans to infiltrate Lex’s estate. Set during Batman v. Superman. - There’s that more Superbat. I’m sure… one day… the author will finish it. It’s a goddamn sex tape scandal!fic. Glorious.

Speaking of, every Superbat fic by Liodain. 

In This White Wave I Am Sinking by queeniegalore - Generation Kill/Bradray - He felt like he wasn’t really living, like he was in an in-between state, something that came between war and real life, something like purgatory. - The atmosphere for this is consistently beautiful and bittersweet. 

Okay, that’s about it for now. Save for an honourable mention to one of the fics that I started off with in the SPN fandom. I’d honour some more, but most everything’s been purged at this point. Come on, 2012!fandom, stop hiding behind how “cringe” you think shit was. I want my fic back.

Pull Me Under by AwesomeDistractions -- a Destiel handprint!kink WIP.

And finally, the most honourable mention, the first slash fic I ever read, from the Pokemon fandom, of all places. Originalshipping horror/mystery!AU. Wow, my tastes have always been, well, my tastes. Believe it or not, best place I can find it is a Waybackmachine archive of a creepypasta uploading site that went defunct a while back. I never found out the original author. But here it is, Missing, the first ever slash fic I stumbled across.

If you guys want more, I can definitely provide more. I have thousands of bookmarks. These are just my very, very favourites. What ones are still remaining on AO3, anyway. This is why I save most in PDFs. Though there are a few completely lost to time, and I’m pretty sure the OTW says fuck you to Waybackmachine, which. Uhghgh. Please. I want my nostalgia rush back.

[flying-elliska]

salut ellie! someone once asked you about your writing and you recommended falling in love with language and finding ways of writing you love. i was wondering, what books and/or writing styles are you in love with? it's just so interesting to know what somehow had an impact on the way you're writing bc i honestly adore your style

wow do you remember that ? that is such a flattering question oh my god. well, i’m still working on it. some of my favorites are (i’m very eclectic lmao) : 

- His Dark Materials (it’s a fantasy book series ‘for kids’ but it’s actually insanely deep and philosophic) is pretty much the first book series that made me fall in love with stories, and made me want to write. I think I found it when I was 10, and it completely shaped me. It’s so ambitious and clever, it never talks down to the reader, brings up those amazing worlds and philosophical concepts and is still accessible to kids. Most of all it is so committed to atmosphere, to making it vivid, to really make you go through what the characters are. I’m thinking of it and I can remember exactly certain passages in an almost sensory way : the witch Serafina Pekkala describing what it feels like to feel the Aurora Borealis on her bare skin as she is flying through the arctic. The polar bear Iorek giving Lyra frozen moss to help bandage his wounds after a battle. The grilled poppy heads that the Jordan College scholars at Oxford eat during a meeting. The little Gallivespians on their dragonflies and the way the sun reflects off their poisonous spurs. That’s how you make a story stick ; that’s how you can put in deep stuff without ever making it boring. I am so excited they’re making a tv series because that shit deserves some recognition. And I mean the whole plot about the importance of stories, free will, the horror of religious fundamentalism....always relevant. Philip Pullman’s stuff is great in general, I love his Sally Lockhart series, which is more adult and adventure focused, and is a great deal of fun. And of course, the sequel to HDM he’s been putting out recently. 

- I spent a lot of my teen years reading either crime novels or historical novels. (When I think of some of the stuff I read when I was 13 I’m like oh my god what were my parents doing lmao some of that was really horrible.) And I think it gave me a good feeling for suspense and setting, and how important tension is. One of my all time faves is Andrea Japp. She is a French writer who does mostly crime, involving complex/monstrous woman characters and a very sensory, poetic approach to language, often involving food, plants and poisons. My favorite by her is the “Season of the Beast”/Agnès de Souarcy chronicles, which is a crime series set in medieval times, with a cool independent lady at its core, crimes in a monastery, and this very gloomy end of times vibe that I love. I also read a lot of Scandi Noir stuff, I love the kind of ...laconic approach to life. And again : vibe. Vibe is so important. And Sherlock Holmes stories. I love the Mary Russell series that take place in that universe and are basically a big Mary Sue self insert guilty pleasure but are just. So much fun. 

- I like poetry a lot - not stuff that is too wordy, but something short, sharp and vivid. i think reading poetry is essential to feeding your inner ‘metaphor culture’. I love Mary Oliver. Rimbaud, too, that I read at 17 and rocked my world. One of my underrated faves is  Hồ Xuân Hương, a Vietnamese poet from the 18th century who was adept at using nature metaphors to hide both erotic stuff, irreverent jokes, and political criticism, and correspond with all the great scholars of her time under a pseudonym. Badass.  Recently I bought ‘Soft Science’ by Franny Choi, which is about cyborgs, having a female body, emotions and politics and it’s absolutely brilliant. 

- I love reading fairy tales, too. Currently reading (i always read a lot of books at once lol) Angela Carter’s Book of Fairy Tales, basically fairy tales for grown ups, collected from folklore all over the world, with an amazing kind of gruesome humor and wisdom. Norse mythology is also so damn funny. That one bit with Thor dressing up as a bride or Loki’s shenanigans...amazing. And I like fantasy, I find it very soothing to read for some reason, my fave has to be Robin Hobb and her Realm of the Elderlings series. And Terry Pratchett, especially the series with Death or the Witches. Just brilliant. Neil Gaiman too. 

- I tend to be very impatient when it comes to literary fiction, I find a lot of it is self-indulgent, dreary. I’m a genre reader through and through, I need to be amazed. I loved ‘the Elegance of the Hedgehog’ by Muriel Barbery though. Some stuff by Amélie Nothomb, Virginie Despentes occasionally (they’re French writers with a very dark, wry approach to life, tho the first is more polished acid and the second very punk rock). And ‘Special Topics in Calamity Physics’ by Marisha Pessl is pretentious as hell but a lot of fun, if you like dark academia. Salman Rushdie has a way with language that is amazing. 

- I read a lot of non-fiction. At the moment : the Cabaret of Plants (about the symbolic/socio historical meaning of plants and how they shaped history) by Richard Mabey and ‘Feminist Fight Club’ by Jessica Bennett. One I absolutely love is ‘the Botany of Desire’ by Michael Pollan in which he traces the history of four plant species (apple, potato, cannabis, tulip) and how they impacted us as much as we impacted them. I was obsessed with plants for most of my life as you can see lol (my mother is a herbalist and I wanted to become a botanist for quite a while.). Also philosophy/anthropology in little bits. I love Tim Ingold. Things about witches. Anything by Rebecca Solnit is incredible. 

- I’ve been reading a lot of YA recently, because it’s fun and quick and keeps me reading, and has a lot of good female characters. Big fave recently : Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore. It’s about a young bisexual woman who’s grieving and comes to this weird house full of doors, each of which leads to a different path in life, and we follow her through each choice she can potentially make, each of one becomes a different genre of story : creepy ghost story, spy story, sci-fi, cute romance, etc. It’s so innovative and it’s a story that is also bisexual culture at its core. Also I absolutely love love love love love (etc forever) the Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater. What she does with language is just so cool, because she stays simple and efficient but uses her metaphors in such a fulgurant, vivid way. Some of her lines are just. bam! genius. #goals. Also Ronan Lynch is probably THE character that helped me the most with my coming out. He’s one of my forever faves.  Of course Harry Potter, lmao, I was of the generation that pretty much grew up with him, the last book came out when I was 17. JK Rowling really should just stop rn. But I learned so much from those, about the importance of making your story feel like home, and having a clear emotional journey. And Harry is such a sarcastic little shit, I love him. And I love a Series of Unfortunate Events too, the darkly funny tone of it, the celebration of knowledge and resilience. 

- I think in terms of the classics (I had to read in school lmao), I do like Victor Hugo a lot even though some of his stuff just doesn’t fucking stop. I also like Balzac and his Comédie Humaine, he’s very observant, mean and funny when it comes to people (even though it’s depressing.) Colette is my grandma’s fave writer and she is a rockstar, I love her (also hella bi culture). Jane Austen is great, I read Pride and Prejudice in one night straight, I was so hooked. Love Jane Eyre too. I read On the Road by Jack Kerouac while hopped up on opioid pain killers and that’s probably the only way to appreciate it, but it did mark me.  

- But to be completely fucking candid, I probably read the most fanfic nowadays still. Esp since I got to college, I need to unwind when I read, and having characters you already know can be so comforting. Now, of course, there’s a lot of fanfic that is just fluff (nothing wrong with that) but I honestly really believe in the literary value of fanfic. Because some of that shit simply just really slaps and is well written. But also as a genre on its own : you just simply don’t get so much emotional nuance, and depth in most other things. Because these are characters we already know and the writers are not afraid to be self-indulgent and plot is secondary, we see shades of things that we never see anywhere else, we see relationships developping in the small things and wow that shit is breathtaking, bro, sometimes. The art of infinite variation on a theme. Even though a lot of fic writers could use a bit of stricter editing, and do stuff a bit too many unnecessary details in here, so does Victor Hugo soooooooo....

lol i could go on forever. i love book soooo much. uni kinda killed my reading appetite, I used to read several books a week when I was in middle school. hope i can get back there (although maybe not as much bc i have a life now lol.) but thinking about everything i have yet to read makes me sooooo happy. I want to get more into sci-fi, English lit classics. Basically I like stuff that’s witty, dark, political, hedonistic, with dry humor, but a warm heart. Stories that celebrate knowledge, curiosity and human weirdness. And that gets to the point. When I get bored by a book, I put it down, because I just don’t have the time. I also hate writers where you can tell that they think they’re better than other people. Misanthropy is boring. Thank you for this question anon I had a blast

[miskiett]

Tag game

Thank you @delyth88​ for tagging me :D

What name/nickname would you like people to call you here on Tumblr? Miskiett - which funnily enough sort of means mosquito.

Gender: Female

Height: 171cm

Are you on the older or younger end of the spectrum on Tumblr? Probably on the younger, mid twenties.

Can you think in both metric and imperial? Na dude, metric

What time is it where you are now? 10.58pm CAT/GMT+2

Do you use AM/PM or 24 hour clock?  AM/PM I hate the 24 hour one, always have to work it out and never know what it’s actually saying.

Are you usually early or late? Usually early for stuff that is important, late for stuff that is less important. 

Favourite band: oh wooow... uhm, I don’t have a favourite because the music I listen to drastically changes with who I’m feeling like, my mood, or what I’m daydreaming about, and I don’t have a “favourite” out of all that. 

What is your favourite unusual genre of music to listen to? I love old Norse/Germanic/proto Germanic revival stuff, like Heilung.

Last movie I saw: I watched Toy Story 2 with my cousin and was bored out of my mind. 

Last TV show I watched: 7de laan lol, it was just on while I made supper

Did you last read a book or fan fic? Book. Bought Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology. I’ve been reading the mythology online but it’s nice to have a book.

What sort of fan fic do you like to read? Idk but I have a lot of turn offs. If the characters are not in character, I leave very quickly. If the AU is too far from my ideas or conflicts with them, then I leave, but I don’t mind AU. There are quite a few characters which I don’t like to ship, so I often avoid ship fics, which reeeeally narrows the pool of fics to read. I tend to avoid shipping with Loki almost to 100% because I find it to often be full of unresolved or fetishized dysfunction, which is not fine with me. I really don’t like x reader AT ALL lol, but if an OC is not lame then I don’t mind that. 

What do I post on this blog? This blog was originally made to be a sad, saad place where I sit and scream into the void about my disappointment in Thor Ragnarok. I complain about TR, the treatment of Loki in that film, as well as the problems I have with the “growth” seen in TR version of Thor. I also just tend to reblog cool gifs etc of Loki because it’s cool; I don’t reblog much Thor because TR ruined Thor for me a bit and I just have to deal with that first. I really love the Loki Helason theory so I reblog stuff about that. Occasionally I make my own posts, which are normally kind of salty as this is a bit of a vent blog. I like to “ramble” on other people’s posts just to express my thoughts, which isn’t always that coherent. 

If you could live in another country which one would it be? Namibia but only if I have aircon in my house. Also would like to live in Europe, but I haven’t been there so I don’t know if I would like it. I would struggle to leave the southern African countries though as my heart lies here. 

Do you consider yourself adventurous?  Na not really. I get very anxious and manage that with consistency and routine. I find one interesting thing and then obsess over it and dissect it a million ways; I don’t go looking for many things.

What hobby would you get into if time and money weren’t an issue? I would get into horse riding again. I would properly kit up my camping equipment and go to nature reserves to camp. I pick up a bigger lens for my camera and do bird and wildlife photography. I would get macro flashes for my macro setup. Hmm, I’d buy a better PC to improve my photo and video editing, and then also get more into gaming. And I’d get a million pets. I want a budgie, and a snake. I would also set up a low-tech but automated planted aquarium. 

What would be your first question after waking up from being cryogenically frozen for 100 years? Are there any surviving descendants of my family? And then I’d want to know if South Africa still exists or if crazy political people destroyed it yet.

What superpower would you like to have?  Shape shifting and the ability to talk to animals. It would mean I could do anything and everything I ever wanted. It would be a perfect superpower. 

If you are following me you are auto tagged. @ me in your response so I can learn about you :D 

@seiramili7 @motherhela @nox-th-lk-sf @shadowassassin32 @trickster-grrrl @lasimo74allmyworld @miharu87

[aikainkauna]

Movie meeeehm

Thanks to @nitrateglow for these!

1: A movie you enjoyed as a kid that you don't now

-Probs some comedy I'd find awfully sexist/racist/homophobic etc. now. But of course, I can't recall a specific one, probs because the experience is so deeply squicky and traumatic. Oh, wait, I know. I adored The Great Mouse Detective as a kid, but have heard so many "bleh" comments about it later that I don't want to ruin it by rewatching it as an adult. Why take a happy, cherished, pure and joyous memory away, especially as there are so few of those in my life anyway in proportion to the bad memories?

2: A movie you disliked as a kid that you like/love now

-Not a movie, but I was literally too fucking terrified to watch Doctor Who as a kid on cable, because the Tom Baker repeats they were showing terrified me with the title sequence alone. That empty stare and howling, diddly-duming music were enough to give me nightmares. So I only got into Who in my late teens!

3: Your favorite movie as a kid

-Define "kid." I went through several. I loved the Disney Robin Hood, of course, and at puberty, Wayne's World (yes) and The Princess Bride were my own cult movies, before I had anyone to fangirl them with. Ah, the pre-Internet era.

4: An actor/actress it took you time to warm up to

I remember being weirdly terrified and disturbed by Jeremy Brett as a kid, but then I felt the same about Bowie, and... well. Clearly it was my baby self not knowing WTF to do with all this stirring, restless energy that later turned out to be my skinnyandrogynousbisexualguy orientation thingy. And while I'd first seen Caligari and Casablanca as a teen in the early 90s, I wasn't ready for Connie until he pounced me in 2012. I would not have "got" him the same way and as hard until I was a grown-up, with a wide variety of experiences from many areas of life and a boatload of books/learning behind me. Just... no way.

5: A director it took you time to warm up to

-If anything, I've cooled off various directors I was impressed by when younger. So much of the auteur stuff gets wanky and self-imposing, in this Arrogant Artist Guy "look at my GENIUS big VISION and also insecurity about my penis size" kind of way. I like directors who can be warm and have fun and who show some real humanity (not wanky anvilly/kitchen sink-y sort of "humanity" either). Maybe Branagh? I found him a bit annoying as a kid, but now fap all over his stuff because now I'm old enough to Get It. He is the best kind of fanboy director; his geekiness is catching. Listening to his Thor commentary was a real eye-opener into my realising just how massive a nerd he is, and in a good, "one of us" kind of way.

6: Top five favorite soundtracks of your favorite movie composer

-There isn't just one! But Clint Mansell and Debbie Wiseman turn to gold everything they touch. Debbie especially is hugely unknown still, but she has this most amazing, swellingly Romantic music full of sweeping emotion that I just can't rec her enough. Do check her out; she'll give you goosebumps.

7: Three movies that defined your teen/childhood years

-I think I mentioned those already! But as a teenager, Bram Stoker's Dracula, La Reine Margot and Heavenly Creatures were formative. There were others I obsessed about way more than those, but they weren't as influential--it's more like they were massaging buttons I already had.

8: Sci-fi or westerns?

-Blake's 7! AKA "The Dirty Dozen in Space."

9: Are there any movies you own more than one copy of?

-Ahhahaha. AAAHHAHAHAHA! Of The Thief of Bagdad, I own: The Criterion clusterfuck with the awful clumsy cover someone had their 5-year-old draw, the Nordic DVD, the German Blu-Ray because I live on the edge (what with those Veidt Eye Closeups in HD being a hazard to any uterus) and at least three different digital copies. Because I'm me. I also own two digital copies and one DVD of Casablanca, three digital and one DVD of A Woman's Face and don't get me started on the British telefantasy I have on both DVD and VHS. I have spare copies of both the Caligari Masters of Cinema release and the ITV DVD of The Spy In Black, so I guess I should throw them at somebody.

10: Physical media or streaming?

-Neither. Video files firmly saved onto and run from my hard drive. Fuck streaming with its choppiness (ruins the viewing experience for me) and physical media are usually beyond my budget (unless I save up for a Connie DVD). Besides, I rip my favourite movie discs onto my HD anyway. I want to be able to gif that shit, dammit!

11: Are there any movies you watch on special occasions every year (Christmas, Halloween, birthdays, your mother's aunt's wedding anniversary, etc.)

-Used to do Nightmare Before Christmas on Halloween, but not any more. I still attempt ToB every Christmas. And I used to do All Through The Night with wine on my birthday, but as I can't tolerate alcohol anymore, the experience of Watching ATTN Drunk is no more. Someone start a Halloween tradition with me where we watch either The Student of Prague or Eerie Tales (or both) every year?

12: What movie do you most associate with your best friend(s)?

-Gosh, so few have stayed, so it's more like "movie that reminds you of a broken friendship," yay...?! I've learned to try and not associate movies with people that way any more, because it's more painful than it's worth. Connie is my best friend. He's like Krishna that way.

13: Name a movie adaptation you thought was better than or equal to its source material.

-LOTR put in more facial features and characterisation than Tolkien ever did, and did the tales far less fucking tediously. Imagine if you'd had to sit and watch hobbits walking through the countryside for 6 hours with barely anything happening?! Yeah...

14: What genres do your favorite movies tend to be?

-Historical, fantasy, Gothic Romantic, just Romantic stuff on the whole. More old than new movies these days. Why watch shitty modern chick flicks when I have far better characterisation and far less narrowly defined female lives in old-timey "women's pictures?" And guys who actually fucking shaved, dressed in clothes that were tailored for them instead of rented and saggy, whose bodily expressions weren't frozen for fear of "fagginess," and who weren't pumped full of 'roids.

15: Are you a fan of period dramas and if so, what era do you enjoy best?

-Yes. I love me some costume dramas, but I am seriously picky about them--most post-90s ones have been fucking awful and tend to feature shitty costumes and unkempt hair that would've sent real historical people to Bedlam, wobblycam from hell, vomit-inducingly excessive modernisation to be "edgy", and that one painfully skeletal bint they shove into every period drama ever these days, so it's... slim pickings for a history nerd, these days. There aren't many good ones set in the 17th century/Baroque era, which I love the most: the two Baroque dramas I wholeheartedly love are both series. (The Devil's Whore and By The Sword Divided.) The Angeliques and Musketeer adaptations are riddled with flaws, but there are some glowing bits within. As for The Golden Age of Islam... bloody hell, there really aren't that many good ones out there, are there?! ToB and Jodhaa Akbar and Disney's Aladdin, obviously. La Reine Margot isn't "my" period but it's great, as is Dangerous Liaisons (also not my period)--those are so fucking perfect. And the Connie period dramas, well... I think of them as primarily "silent movies" or "old movies," actually. Of those, The Student of Prague, ToB and The Wandering Jew are the best "costume" ones, IMHO. (I'd probs enjoy Lucrezia Borgia and Carlos and Elisabeth way more, were the copies we have not so smudgy.)

16: Name a movie you love that you would recommend to just about everyone.

-Ah, but we know there are always cynical cunts out there who'd give even Casablanca two stars, so what's the point? I'd still recommend it, though. And The Lion King, I guess.

17: Name a movie you love that you consider an acquired taste.

-Honestly, I'm thinking of telly rather than movies again. You will pry my cherished copy of The Time Monster from my cold, dead hands. Does The Devil of Winterborne count as a movie or TV? That's how far back my love for Mark Gatiss goes. Um... Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood makes me fucking cry with laughter (the comedic timing is what does it. *beat* "Ain't dat some shit!"). Of Connie's oeuvre, yes, I know Bella Donna is rubbish, but Connie and Mary are SIZZLING and horny and juicy and it's Valid as a BDSM porn movie. And the novel is actually good.

18: Name a film you like directed by/starring a filmmaker/actor you normally don't care for.

-Not so much actor/director, but I did *not* expect to love Thor as much as I did, because I expected a dumb popcorn movie but got great adventure cinema with a touch of Shakespeare instead. I really am not the right audience for regular Marvel features at all, before or after. Fuck Marvel up its dumb macho Republican ass. But Thor is fucking beautiful and operatic and poetic and majestic and Pagan and shit. Branagh knows what I like.

19: Name a movie that blew your mind.

-A Woman's Face (1941). Because. Holy. Fuck. How can I keep on finding yet more details in it six years after first watching it, having watched it countless times by now?! And obvs all the other stuff, like the shockingly good female POV, amazing and complex woman protagonist, amazing writing, amazing ensemble cast, amazing direction, amazing lighting, amazing evil Torsten Slinkypussy Barring and The. Goddamn. Attic. Scene.

20: What genre mash-up would you most love to see that either hasn't been done yet or hasn't been done enough?

-Feminist-savvy historical romance with fantasy elements and hot explicit sex that's not shit. Basically, like the stuff you see in my fics, but better paced and woven into coherent adventure movies.

21: The coolest movie you've ever seen

-Too, too many. But Bogie was the coolest. And Claude Rains had the best acting skills. And Conrad Veidt was Conrad motherfucking Veidt. So what with those three mountains of coolness all converging under the Moroccan sky, I'm sure it's safe to say "Casablanca."

[creideamhgradochas]

Thanks to the lovely @abovethesmokestacks for taking the time to answer these! Get to know more about lovely Pia, go give her a follow and then show her some love!

These questions are from this list. You should check it out, there’s 50 questions all together and they’d be great to ask your favorite fic writer!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fan-fiction?

I started back in 2008 when I was 21 years old.

2) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

I do enjoy both, but lately it's been more reader inserts. It's challenge to write a good reader insert, to make them a natural part of the setting, to make them relatable to your audience and find a way to make them click with the other characters. Because they are meant to be a character you should be able to see yourself in, it tests your ability to make the character both approachable to a wide range of readers, yet specific enough to mesh with the story. 

3) What is your favorite genre to write for?

Well, I have been called the angst queen on numerous occasions. Apparently I am a sucker for making myself and others hurt. 

4) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

Oh Jesus, probably one of the Twilight fics I wrote during the dark days of my ff.net run. I got swept up in the hype and with a few exceptions, I have no qualms about tossing those fics into a volcano. 

5) When is your preferred time to write?

When I have both inspiration, motivation and time. Sadly, sometimes that happens at night and let's just say I have sometimes sacrificed sleep in favour of a story. Generally, though, I don't have a preferred time of day.

6) Where do you take your inspiration from?

From anything and everything. Something I've seen or heard or experienced, videos I've seen, songs I've listened to.

7) In your Sweet Dreams - Assorted Flavors fic, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote?

The final scenes of Assorted Flavours is close to my heart. Same with the scene in the Easy As Pie-chapter where they discuss Bucky's metal arm.

8) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

I haven't made major amendments. Someone may have pointed out typos or missing words which I have edited, but nothing storyline-wise. 

9) Who is your favorite character to write for? Why?

I am a sucker for a lot of Seb's characters, especially Bucky and Hal. And Chris Beck. They are fun to write and there is so much that can be done and explored with them. 

10) Who is your least favorite character to write for? Why?

I wanna preface this by saying it's not so much I dislike them as I find them hard to write well. Tony and Thor hard for me to write because I can't seem to connect as easily with them as I can with other characters, and I'd hate to do these guys wrong.

11) How did you come up with the title for the Sweet Dreams - Assorted Flavors?

This is the eternal struggle with me, to come up with a good title. I knew I wanted something that alluded to reader being a baker and one my Spotify playlist shuffled to Emily Browning's rendition of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This). For the sequel series, I wanted to continue on the same theme, and my friend Loup helped me land on Sweet Dreams - Assorted Flavours. 

12) How did you come up with the idea for Sweet Dreams - Assorted Flavours?

I am not entirely sure anymore, but it may have included a conversation about Bucky Barnes (or Seb, or both) and cupcakes, and evolved into an idea about Bucky finding a nightopen bakery during one of his nightly walks through Brooklyn (because obviously). 

13) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

I have two. One is a Twilight fic that I abandoned and deleted when I left behind my ff.net account for good. It was never going to get finished and I didn't want any WIPs on the account. I didn't delete the account, it's basically there as an archive, but yeah. Deleted that story because I was never going to finish it. The second fic is a Gilmore Girls collab fic I started YEARS ago with a friend from Australia. It was put on hiatus when my friend started writing original fiction. That one I would love to finish, but I don't know how likely that is.

14) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

None that I am really aching to do a sequel for. That being said, with the right inspiration, I could possibly nake a third fic in the little verse I created with Hal in Cling To Me and Cling To You.

15) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

Surprisingly, no. I've been happy with the endings to all of my fics.

16) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

Are we talking other fanfic writers or other fiction writers? For fanfic writers, just go into my fic rec tag. All of them are immensely talented in their own way. I will give special props to the writers of Not Easily Conquered because what they did with that series has fucked me up for life and I have the tattoo to prove it. For fiction writers, I do love Rowling for what she created with Harry Potter. I remember reading the books as they were published and just... I was mezmerized! I also love everything Neil Gaiman writes, it's dark and quirky and has that little something that takes hold of you. I can reread Pullman's His Dark Materials over and over just for the amazing world and mythology he created for that series. 

17) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

I usually don't reread stories I haven't clicked with, so not really.

18) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

Both. I have a Bucky playlist on Spotify that I usually crank whenever I am writing a fic that features him. But I can just as well write in silence.

19) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

Yes. I cried while writing With Him I Will Stay and Goodbye for example.

20) Which part of your Sweet Dreams fic was the hardest to write?

There wasn't one part that was specifically harder to write than others. I do sometimes get stuck on transitions, how to move from one scene to the next as smoothly as possible. If anything, writing Sweet Dreams has taught me that sometimes it's totally okay to just shift scenes and not make a big deal out of it. Not everything has to be complex.

21) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

Often I have a rough idea of how I want things to play out, focus points that I want to include that function as pit stops for me as I write. The only time I haven't made a clear outline was for Kintsugi. I let the prompt guide me and hopes like hell it made sense.

22) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fanfiction?

That it's a process and you learn. I was so worried about writing perfectly. When I started out in the Gilmore Girls fandom and posting at ff.net, it was really common to have a beta reader. I was new, I had no one to beta read and I kept obsessing over getting things right until I realized that I didn't HAVE to have a beta reader and that yeah, I made mistakes but I could learn from them and from reading other what other people wrote.

23) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

Maybe Snapshots. Or my T.J fic. I love them both dearly.

24) In contrast to 23 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

Not to the point where it's an eye roll because I do like the attention my fics get. I was very surprised though by the amount of notes that flooded in for a drabble called Fight Night.

25) Are any of your characters based on real people?

I haven't really made use of a lot of OC's. Aiden from Make Me Feel Like I'm Real is the only one that qualifies and with him it's all in how he looks. When I came up with him, I had a very vivid image of a man that looked like a mix of Donald Glover and Daveed Diggs. His personality came quite naturally as he started interacting more with T.J.

26) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

There are so many that have made me blush so hard. One that I remember very vividly was when @lostinthoughtsandfeelings-blog commented on Soft Devotion that it made them feel the same kind of empowerment that the Wonder Woman soundtrack evoked!

27) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

I have been very lucky so far in the criticism that I've gotten. Mostly it's just been typos or something similar that's been pointed out. When I started out on ff.net there were a few who commented that they didn't understand where I was going with a certain story. I think for one fic I got a comment about having dragged it out for too long, but that's about it.

28) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest?

I do share some of them, simply because I get excited about them or because it's an idea that comes from a conversation that ends with "I need to fic this!!"

29) Do people know you write fan-fiction?

My husband knows, but he doesn't really know what it is (despite my attempts to explain). A few of my old school mates know I write, but otherwise no. I don't really talk about writing fan-fiction with people outside the fandoms I write for.

30) What’s you favorite minor character you’ve written?

I love Steve's parts in Sweet Dreams, and anything that involves Sam.

31) What spurs you on during the writing process?

If I'm writing a series, the feedback from previous chapters do so much to encourage me. Feedback in general motivates me. I often ask friends to give me feedback on certain scenes or passages while I write and seeing their excitement does a lot to help me push through and finish.

32) What’s your favorite trope to write?

AUs and A/B/O for sure.

33) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

I can't remember exactly which one, but it was a Gilmore Girls fic.

34) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

I'd love to say fluff, but angst just hurts so good, and getting screamed at in caps-lock is kinda fun.

[maple-moose-muffin]

Getting to Know Me Meme

Tagged by: @cobrilee a little bit ago -- I didn’t see this at first, whoops!

Rules: Tag 9 people you want to get to know better

Relationship Status: 100% dedicated to an amazing young woman who apparently likes me too? Still wrapping my head around that tbh

Chapstick or Lipstick?: Lipstick -- I don’t wear it often, really only for cosplay or LARP things, or if I’m in one of my occasional fashion moods. But I absolutely hate the sticky feeling of lip glosses and chapsticks. If I have to be sticky, I might as well be fashionably sticky.

Favorite Colors: Teals, seafoams, turquoise -- a whole lot of blue-greens. Every third thing I own is some kind of aqua. I also like blue and green on their own.

Last Movie I Saw: If I’m not mistaken it was Thor: Ragnorok a few weeks ago (we own it apparently), but I feel like I’m forgetting something between then and now. I find it hard to sit through movies because I’m impatient and distractable.

Top 3 Shows: Voltron (VLD), Series of Unfortunate Events (on Netflix), uh.... I’ve watched a lot of cartoons and anime in my time so it’s hard to pick something I’m not currently obsessed with....

Top 3 Bands/Artists: Uuuuugh this is such a hard one. Marianas Trench for sure, The Neighborhood, after that it’s really hard to pick. Let’s go wiiiiiith....Sleeping At Last, because I’m sitting on a full series of fics based on their space albums. Honorable mentions go to FoB and PatD (of course), Twenty One Pilots, Halsey, Arctic Monkeys, and so on. Honestly if someone would label it alternative, indie, or punk, then I’d probably like it.

Books I’m Currently Reading: None. I haven’t read a physical book for fun since like November -- that book was The Missing by Jerico Lenk (aka @themissinglenk, go check out his stuff), which was super great and I highly recommend to anyone looking for paranormal queer fiction. It is very niche, admittedly, but I enjoyed it thoroughly, so I advise giving it a chance even if it seems out of your typical genre. I have been reading a boatload of fic, though -- I recently finished Romance Novels (also by Lenk -- he’s absolutely my favorite author) which is an AoT fic -- novel really -- about Grey-Romantic Levi and an in-love-with-the-idea-of-love-rather-than-love-itself Eren, and its expertly executed and seriously changed me. 15/10 would recommend. I’ve also been meaning to pick Slip the Surly Bonds by Sol1056 back up because that was an A+ pre-kerberos platonic sheith story (which seriously nailed the canon pre-kerberos now that we have season 6).

I would tag people, but they wouldn’t be mutuals probably and then I’d feel socially awkward about drawing their attention? Ahhhhh If you see this and you wanna do it then consider yourself tagged by me, I guess. You can @ me if you want and I’ll check yours out. I’m friendly I just don’t know how to communicate with humans aldksjflasj

[mysticdragon3md3]

This past week, I finally got around to watching the Loki series.

It still bothers me how I could like WandaVision so much and enjoy Falcon and the Winter Soldier and What If, but I just couldn't connect with the Loki series, which everyone seems to be saying is a great series.

I think "connect" is the problem. After failing to enjoy the first Harry Potter movie, I realized that I can't enjoy the Mystery genre. I can't enjoy Mysteries because I am such an anxious person, that being mentally put into situations where everyone is suspect, is not enjoyable for me. I can't connect to characters when I'm too busy wondering if every attempt of theirs to be endearing, is a lie, a ruse meant to distract from them being the real culprit. And if I can't enjoy the company of fictional characters, then I can't enjoy a story (film, book, movie, fic, manga, comic, radio drama, etc.) at all. I can't enjoy the experience. I have to enjoy their company, enjoy the characters. It was back in the Ranma 1/2 fandom when I realized enjoying the company of characters was more important to me than plot. I will follow characters I like into any ridiculous plot and enjoy the experience. But a plot with characters I don't enjoy, is just a bunch of stuff happening. I was afraid this is why I couldn't enjoy Loki. Normally, failings in this were easy to recognize because some series just have jerk characters who I do not enjoy spending time with. But it's taken me from Harry Potter, all the way through today to realize that I can also fail to enjoy characters' company if the very structure of the genre disallows me from establishing a fun, endearing connection to them, through mental/emotional safety in their presence. I guess if characters aren't trustworthy, then I can't drop my guard enough to connect to them and find them endearing.

Which is so strange, because I thought I was able to do all that in other situations/series/fandoms. You should not trust Lelouch vi Britannia, but I love Code Geass. WandaVision is also a kind of mystery throughout most of the series, yet I loved WandaVision. Despite all that, I think it really does come down to those concepts of comfortability and connection again.

Lelouch may not be someone anyone from that world should trust, but we in the audience have seen most of his quiet, lone moments, and who his true self is when he's alone. He may be scheming and an increasingly less repentant murderer as the Code Geass series progresses, but we in the audience know that Lelouch is motivated by compassion, even behind his layer of indignant vengeance. I can drop my guard enough to connect to Lelouch and find him endearing, because the series has convinced me that he is worth trusting to be guided by compassion, at crucial moment(s). Plus also, all his schemes save everyone from the most dire, hopeless situations, so his presence literally provides safety. And he is enjoyable to be around in a straight-man type of humorous way. Even an "untrustworthy" character can be endearing to me.

WandaVision may have kept us on our toes, in our lack of knowledge about what is really going on here, but I never felt the type of tension that constantly needles at my anxiety. The tone was "happy go lucky sitcom" for 6 out of 9 episodes, for goodness sakes. Can I be surprised that a story which *might* qualify as a Mystery, was able to keep my anxiety feeling safe and able to enjoy the series as endearing, when the tone was mostly, old, cheesy sitcoms? What was happening may have always been a background question, but in the meantime, the experiences were nice, safe, and the characters we enjoyable to spend time with. WandaVision's mystery was never a question that disallowed connection to any characters for me. Even if I didn't know what was going on really, I liked spending time with these characters. ^_^ It didn't feel like a Mystery at all. It was just spending time with characters I liked, alongside a fun tone. ^_^

Knowing that Mysteries disallow me from connecting to characters, when the Loki series began to feel like "just a bunch of stuff happening" and I bemoaned trudging through to the series end, I defaulted to my usual explanations from Harry Potter: I must have not been able to connect to the characters. I didn't come to care about them. But why? I mean, was the series built specifically for people who were already big time Loki fans? I liked him fine as a character from the movies, but I was never the "squee at the top of my lungs" obsessed with him, the way the rest of the internet was. I could never explain why, but it didn't seem like an important question to answer anyway. But now, I MUST KNOW WHY. I mean, you can't tell me I dislike the Trickster archetype. My past 2 fandoms' favorite characters have been the Trickster archetype: Persona 5's Joker, FE3H's Claude. And you can't tell me I don't like an untrustworthy, even villainous schemer, because I love Lelouch. So is it because Loki's schemes often fail? If there's one thing I like about a scheming Trickster, it's when their plans come together in unforeseen, clever ways. Has Loki ever done that for me? Like on Lelouch levels? Hell, I will even take Claude and Joker levels! But has Loki...? I remember watching the Loki series and constantly thinking that maybe everything he was doing was part of some bigger plan that hadn't been revealed to the audience yet. I kept waiting for him to pull off something clever. But so many times, that was not the case. I felt like he was always scrambling to adapt and foolishly failing many times. Maybe people wanted to see him look foolish because they knew him as a villain. I know that was fun for me during Thor Ragnarok. But this was supposed to be a Loki series. Please convince me he's a cool protagonist. And yes, there were some scenes with nice acting and character-building bits, peppered throughout the series. Which is why I'm so confused why I wasn't enjoy it. Why wasn't I having a good time? I thought all I needed to do was enjoy spending time with a character? ...So if I wasn't enjoying spending time in this series, does that mean I wasn't enjoying this character? o_o???? I had to presume so. I mean, Harry Potter proved that very concretely to me. I mean, if a character is up to something, I can't trust them, I can't drop my guard enough to find them endearing, and then I can't connect with them, but that's apparently if their schemes are more dire or ominous, than clever. Or maybe "clever" schemes solve the story's point of conflict, resolve the tension, and/or turn disastrous stakes into safety. Whereas a villain's plotting schemes raise the tension by increasing the "disaster" (from the audience's point of view). Well, that explains a "clever scheme" versus a "villain's plot". But how does that explain why I couldn't enjoy Loki? Because Loki didn't have any clever schemes,--But also, he didn't feel threatening enough to have a "villain's plot" that would've prevented me from trusting/connecting with finding him endearing. I was fine with following him as a protagonist. I began to think that maybe my problem was being unable to trust any of the other characters. Even if I began to become willing to follow Loki as a protagonist, if he couldn't connect to anyone, he was just tossing around in the wind. But that doesn't sound right, because I've enjoyed series with "lone wolf" wandering protagonists before. Maybe it's because the supporting cast building around Loki in this series was meant to be endearing too. And I know I couldn't connect with them, because I couldn't trust any of them. I found Mobius endearing though. So endearing, that I gasped when he was Pruned. Heck, I even felt bad when old Classic Loki (as the subtitles named him) disappeared. ;~;! (Really, I needed time to grip with that sadness! ;o; ) So was the problem Sylvie? I couldn't trust her because she was the antagonist for the first half of the series, too dangerous and untrustworthy for Loki (and

others) for the middle part of the series, then the last part of the series required you to care about her connection to Loki for the emotional stakes/tension/drama to be effective. It was not effective on me. WHYYYYYYYYYYY??????????????????? I felt like I had no anchor throughout the series. Even though I say I became okay with Loki, I didn't exactly care about his character. He just wasn't annoying enough to make me drop the series. I don't even know if I continued watching the series out of any enjoyment. I just knew that I had to finish it, because everyone was talking about spoilers, references to the series, and I was a little curious about what the heck was going on. But unlike WandaVision, I didn't enjoy the time before finding those answers. I was in a waiting room with a bunch of people, plus Loki, who were just doing stuff. Whereas WandaVision had me in a waiting room with people I cared about and enjoyed the company of. I wasn't specifically a fan of Wanda or Vision before that series. Maybe I expected the Loki series to preform that same type of endearment for anyone who walked in. But it couldn't be that the Loki series wasn't trying to be endearing with it's characters... I think that maybe it's version of the "characters being endearing" revolved around a technique that didn't effect me? The audience's enjoyment of watching a character be silly, maybe unpredictable...and maybe show some occasional pathos? I don't know. But whatever it was, it obviously didn't work on me. Maybe for me, their attempts at endearment were overshadowed by my suspicions, my anxiety over who was going to double cross who, what was everyone's real goals, etc. o_o? Maybe I just couldn't get any footing. Maybe without a clear sense of characters' motives, I couldn't get a clear sense of who characters were, before even starting to decide if they were characters whom I enjoyed the company of. o_o? I remember feeling like the series was just a bunch of stuff happening. Maybe because I couldn't trust characters, couldn't get a sense of their goals (and thus stakes), and so I couldn't feel what new events really meant to them? Maybe? Like Ravonna Renslayer: Whose side is she on? What is she up to? Where did she go at the end? Who is she trying to help? What is she going to do from now on? Even during her courtroom fight scene with Sylvie, she went back and forth so much, I didn't know what side she was trying to land on. So how am I supposed to feel bad for her being pushed into corners? Is she being pushed into corners, or is this all working for her plans? Beyond Mobius and Classic Loki, it seems I couldn't find anyone else endearing. Maybe the others, I couldn't sympathize with, because I couldn't understand? But by the end, they pretty much explained the characters. Maybe I needed such explanations sooner? I feel like I couldn't grasp who characters really were, so whenever they did things, it didn't make sense to any understanding I had of them, it didn't contradict my images of them; I couldn't get a sense if they were getting closer or farther to their goals, because "who they are" could have all been a lie/act anyway---And now I'm back to the explanation of "I can't enjoy Mysteries because I'm too busy being suspicious of everyone (preforming an untruthful act) to be able to know who they are or find them endearing and enjoy their presence". But is that what happened with me and the Loki series?

Well, I've gone around too much in circles and I'm still unsure what happened. I just couldn't get into the Loki series and I'm not looking forward to trudging through a 2nd season, just so I could keep up with MCU worldbuilding spoilers. Is this how people sick of watching all the MCU movies, so they can understand 1 MCU movie, feel like? O_o???

Me being unable to enjoy the Loki series is especially crazy to me, because I've loved interdimensional themes since I was in grade school!!!!!!! ;o;!!!!!!!!!!!! This is nuts! I LOVE this stuff. Parallel universes? Altering timelines? Alternate universe versions of people? This has been my bread and butter since before I was 10 years old. ...But is it because I've already made my own decisions about "Determinism vs Free will" themes, that I'm easily tired of watching people run around, acting like such a discussion is going to make them lose their minds? Calm down people. All things exist everywhere, all the time. It's always been like that. No need to have an existential crisis freak out over it. Am I even unwilling to act like it's a thing of gravitas, at this point? Everyone spends all this time coming to grips with the enormity of Space and Time and the Astral Plane, giving lengthy speeches with grandiose pauses...And I'm the Rumiko Takahashi character with a deadpanned expression in the corner, waiting for them to finish. lol Maybe. ^.^;

[mild-lunacy]

Inevitability and The One True Character

Alas, though it may seem from my last post on Sherlock Series 4 that I'm always obsessively going 'with the grain' of the text, I'm actually not a total purist.... Though I admit it sounds false when I just say so. So, all right, I'm probably a textual purist and/or a canon-whore (as I've often lamented), but I've been around. I mean, I've been a lurker in so many fandoms (usually at the far edges, where the truly wild things are), of course I've worn the 'transformative reading' shoe on my own foot before, so to speak. Usually I make up all sorts of *reasons* for why my relationship with Draco Malfoy or Loki is 'not the same' (and I did just recently), but my point is that I know what frustration with the canon feels like. I think that's a pretty universal experience, surely. It's probably impossible to always take everything in stride; if nothing else, sometimes the writing is just... bad. Right?

Sometimes that's not the problem, of course. I was never in fandom for Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, but I remember my outrage quite clearly. I felt let down on a very fundamental level, even though now, I would probably try to rationalize it. I would probably say, 'well of course Will and Lyra are apart, that's the kind of story it always was'. That's the sort of thing I'm used to saying about The Raven Cycle and Sherlock, right? Except even then, young and relatively innocent as I was, I was certainly aware that it was an inevitable, built-in issue of narrative type. It's just... I didn't want to accept it. It went against every natural feeling in me, 'cause I was so certain the protagonist shouldn't *have to* go back home after their adventure in the fantasy world. Like, yeah, I know that's a founding trope of the entire genre, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Well, everyone has their limits, and things they are and aren't interested in seeing, particularly in genre fiction (where the whole idea is to have a special slant to reality). I don't begrudge people who need to nope out of any story, and of course I also understand the urge to fix what seems 'wrong' even if technically it's intrinsic to the story. I rebelled against Spike having to die as the ending of his relationship with Buffy, for sure. I read tons of fix-it fics. For an even better example than Buffy, or even Draco's arc in the Harry Potter books, you have Loki in the Thor movies. I was talking about it recently, and my friend told me that Loki and Thor's relationship is tragically doomed. Like, well, I get that it's basically what the story is saying, but... well, I don't think Loki and Thor *have* to be doomed. I think they're stuck in an endless cycle, stuck in this story *together* without beginning or end, and it ultimately seems satisfying and natural to imagine an actual resolution and growth for Loki. Same for Draco or Spike: where there's growth, there's a way.

Honestly, I'm not really sure how one can be a fan of a character and yet refuse to integrate a development that's truly logical for them, *regardless* of whether one accepts what happens in canon plot-wise. For example, to me, rejecting Spike's choice to go find his soul because of Buffy is *fundamentally* different than choosing to rewrite his death and/or have him get back together with Buffy afterwards anyway. Like... a *lot* of people in Buffy fandom did reject this choice for Spike, and I remember feeling really confused and frustrated by that, 'cause like... whether or not you ever *wanted* this for his character, it was so obviously necessary, so clearly in-character and a sign of progress. It's essentially equivalent to rejecting Spike if you reject it, rather than being about rejecting the *narrative*. There's no way around that, 'cause characters have their own logic. It's only when the narrative demonstrably *ignores* the characters' logic (as BBC Sherlock probably did by never allowing explicitly canon Johnlock) that you have real wiggle room. Even then, there's ways such a relationship does and does not make sense, depending how you write it.

Essentially, it seems that my frustration with the resolution of Will and Lyra or Buffy and Spike's relationships seems fundamentally different, even if it's still rejecting the canon on some level. I just feel like the *plot* development is a different animal altogether; it's not nearly so important as it is to maintain character continuity. That's why I said in my most recent S4 John post that the real problem with denying the plot in TST and TLD is the ramifications for the *characters*. Rejecting a character arc is absolutely not equivalent to saying you wish TFP didn't happen the way it did. TFP may or may not happen, as the plot of any episode is essentially fungible (as AU fics demonstrate), but the characters develop a logic that cannot be denied. Even in AUs... or perhaps especially in AUs, in my opinion.

I suppose I fundamentally don't think 'anything goes' even in reading transformatively; I've certainly felt that way when I shipped transformative pairings like Harry/Draco or Thor/Loki. It was always about rearranging canon trajectories while leaving the heart of the canon characters intact, 'cause otherwise, y'know, it's no longer recognizable as the canon character, and then what's the point? And that applies both to fic and to meta. Like, that happy ending I've often wanted to see 'my way' only seems valuable if it's fully believable and congruent with the text as far as possible... 'cause otherwise it's pure wish-fulfillment, and isn't that people's main critique of TFP to start with? Wish-fulfillment driven plotting makes for questionable storytelling choices, and I feel like if you're not actually going to genuinely improve on canon, why bother?

In the end, maybe you can convince me that Will and Lyra being apart is 'for the best' in terms of storytelling, of course. Maybe I could see it that way... but wish-fulfillment is a powerful thing, so I'd want to make it happen my way anyway. That's certainly natural. That's how one relates to fiction. I just... I want to believe in it. And for that, the characters have to remain who they are, every step of the way. That's something like my One True Character theory, and in the end it's a matter of faith, I suppose.

[sweetumms33]

A dip in the pool

I have no idea how tumblr works, and have been lurking for a bit. I was a hardcore LJ user, and posted fairly regularly (about a decade ago). Nonetheless, I’ve dived back into fandom in a real way in the last few months, mainly for a few specific ships. I started reading Clint Barton/Darcy Lewis, discovered Darcy Lewis/Bucky Barnes, and Darcy Lewis/Steve Rogers. Which led me to the best of all best things, Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes. To be fair, as a heterosexual female, I’ve never really read a lot of homosexual couples. But then, I realized that my ship and of all ships, that I always, always go back to, is Remus Lupin/Sirius Black. I love nothing like I love a rewrite to make everything a little bit better, #wolfstar style. I’m currently working on my own version of that.

But the MCU world is full of awesome, and fixing the glaring holes that the movies leave. I realize that some people feel like Darcy Lewis is sort of a Mary Sue, but most of the fics I read allow for a normal person’s viewpoint in all the madness. Plus her snarky silliness is quite lovable in the Thor movies. 

The best of the things I’ve found lately:

Clint Barton/Darcy Lewis

The Only John Wayne Left in this Town

Sad, sweet and a wonderful coming of age story. It’s less about the relationship and more about Clint finding himself, in the ridiculous life he’s created. The music in the story is great and the podfic is even better!

Bucky Barnes/Darcy Lewis

Here I am, and I stand -Inkbert

Heartbreaking, gorgeous and everything I want in a story. Angst with a happy ending. During my original dive into this fandom, I skipped this story, because of the lower word count and need to avoid the angst. Poor decision. I’ve read this, and its sequel probably a dozen times, and fall a little more in love with every read. There’s something so powerful in the writing and emotions. My favorite by far, and the rest of this author’s work is well worth the investment.

Queen of Wonderland - Queenspuppet

Great world-building, and expands on what the Avengers would be working with, post-Civil War, but in a totally unique direction. Great characterization, growth and so much hot lovin’ for this couple!

Home Alone: Lost in New York -Lara

Random, hilarious and so on-point. One of my favorite one-shots with a great kick of Christmas spirit.

If you were my love - LeTessitrice

I discovered “soul-mark” fits through #wintershock, and this has to be my favorite of the genre. It takes the notion of soul marks and plays with it in such an interesting way. Highly recommended. Definitely try this author’s other stories, all well written. (I especially love the hot/angsty/happy ending Never Have I ever!)

Pulling Me Under- Anogete

Funny, with witty repartee and some smokin’ hot scenes. I love all of Anogete’s stuff, but this in particular hits the recovered Barnes asshole that I know he could grow to be. All around fun! Plus the author seems like a lovely person, and was great about organizing updates (and damn organized, I’m that on top of anything, much less fandom)!

Steve Rogers/Darcy Lewis

The Reports of My Love Life have been Greatly Exaggerated- by Amerna

I loved the use of paparazzi, the logical movement forward of the story, and the real growth of both characters. Steve is an asshole, which is my favorite kind of Steve. Darcy is the fabulous sarcastic woman that fandom has made her to be, and a joy here. 

Bygone- Inkbert

The epic, lyrical, gorgeousness of this story cannot be undersold. I read this almost obsessively for a 24 hour period forsaking all else, and bawled my eyes out. I am literally in awe of inkbert for this insane gem of a story, and basically made it my head cannon. 

Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes

Ain’t No Grave (Can Keep My Body Down)- spitandvinegar

Hard to read, because its so painfully real. There’s heroin, PTSD, adorable foster children, epic levels of horribleness, and falling so hard in love with both Bucky and Steve that you literally get up and dance at the idea of their happy ending. I hate that MCU just decided to let Bucky work through his massive psychiatric issues privately while Steve helps clean up Tony’s idiocy, and we are left with a fairly well-adjusted man buying plums. Seriously though, all the warnings, this is not for the faint-hearted, or uncomfortable with the explicit. The payoff is more than worth it.

The Not-Christmas Not-Truce of 1944- dropdeaddream

This came from Tumblr and made its way to AO3, but it is a goddamn gem and needs cross posted everywhere. I laughed so hard I cried. I also need this made, in all of its glory. Because this, more than anything else, is definitely definitely head cannon. 

4 Minute Window- speranza

I loved all of her West Wing works, and when discovering this fandom was delighted to see her name. This fic is so angsty but so damn good. There’s something so redeeming in everything happens. Plus, the podfic’s are made good!

[creideamhgradochas]

Thanks to the lovely @marvelmom for taking the time to answer these! Get to know more about her, go give her a follow and then show her some love!

These questions are from this list. You should check it out, there’s 50 questions all together and they’d be great to ask your favorite fic writer!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fan-fiction?

A woman never tells her (fanfic) age ;)

2) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

I can't honestly say that I prefer one over the other since I've never written a fic for an OC.  I guess my style of writing is better suited to allowing readers to insert themselves into the narrative. I like the challenge of writing a character that allows the reader to flesh out in their own image but still have some substance on their own within the story.

3) What is your favorite genre to write for?

Is smut considered a genre? LOL.  Seriously though, I love humour so you'll find most of my stories have an underlying comedic thread.  I have a really dark sense of humour and I'm sarcastic af so I love when people respond favourably to it in my writing.

4) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

Wow, this is a really good question!  I think it would probably be the very first fic I wrote called "Marked."  I wrote it for a friend when I was deep in the Cumberbatch fandom.  She was complaining about the lack of Khan fics so I wrote one for her.  It's on Ao3 and every now and then I get a kudo and I cringe.  The writing seems so basic and stilted compared to my newer works.  If anything it shows how much I'm improving.

5) When is your preferred time to write? 

I find I do my best work late at night.  I'm a single mom with a full time job and busy teenagers so I don't usually get to sit down at my computer until after 11pm.  I love being able to leave the day behind and just focus on my writing without any interruptions.  I typically go until 2am.  It's a little crazy but writing relaxes me and helps me sleep better.  And it inspires some really great dreams ;)

6) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Most my inspiration comes from real life, my experiences and passions like music, film and literature.  I like to daydream and I find I'm constantly having conversations with characters or constructing scenes in my head.  I'm a little crazy I guess lol

7) What’s your favorite scene that you’ve written?

Another great question...let me think.  I have one in my head that I haven't written yet that I know will eventually be my favourite but at this very moment it's the scene in Chapter 10 of The Contest where Bucky and the reader are dancing in the antique store and they finally kiss. It was the very first scene that came to me when I started to think about this story and to finally get to write it was incredible.  But man did I stress over it...I wanted it to be perfect.  Exactly like I had pictured it in my head.

8) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

Hasn't happened yet.  I'm very stubborn and it would take a lot for me to deviate from the vision I have playing in my head. My muse won't let me rest until I've captured a scene note for note on paper.

9) Who is your favorite character to write for? Why?

Bucky!  I can't seem to get him out of my head.  For me, Bucky is the most fascinating character in the MCU.  His story arc has brought him from one end of the spectrum to the other and back again in so many facets and I love exploring these layers of his personality,

10) Who is your least favorite character to write for? Why?

Thor but only because I stress over his speech patterns when I'm writing his dialogue.  I want to make sure I'm doing his character justice and capturing him accurately on paper.

11) How do you come up with the titles for your stories?

For one shots, I usually wait until I'm done and then riff on a major theme in the story or what inspired my to write it in the first place. The title for "The Contest" series came from the Seinfeld episode of the same name that inspired the story.

12) What do you think is the best idea you’ve had for a story so far?

Considering that The Contest is my very first Bucky fic (and series) I would have to say this is my best story idea so far.  More to come I hope ;)

13) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

Thankfully none yet!  I find that when story pops into my head I can't move on until I get it down on paper and out in the wild.

14) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

I get a lot of requests for part 2 of "Three Creams, No Sugar".  Everyone wants that shower scene ;)

15) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

Yes, Infinity War. Oh wait....do you mean one of mine?

16) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

Oh wow, there are so many incredible writers in this fandom that it's hard to pick just a few.  I'm grateful to have fallen in with amazing writers such as @evansrogerskitten, @Thewife101 and @avenger-nerd-mom on Twitter.  Their support and guidance are the reasons I gathered up the courage to start posting my fics on Tumblr.

Writers like @unicorns-and-fairy-dust-blog own my emotional ass....Dre is the master of angst.  I love the wit and humour in  @tilltheendwillIwrite 's stories - I think it's a Canadian thing born out of bitter cold winters and ketchup chips.  @lovelynemesis has such a great style of writing, very flowing and descriptive.  The depth of talented creators in this fandom is insane.  There are just too many to mention!

17) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

Definitely "Marked"

18) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

Complete silence.  If I have music or Netflix playing I start to daydream and boom, a whole new story.

19) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

Not while writing but as I listened to a song and imagined a Bucky one shot to the words.  I was ugly crying by the end.  I may get around to writing it one day..

20) Which part of your fics have been the hardest to write?

I would say the first few starting paragraphs of a new story or chapter.  I take way too long with the beginning sections.

21) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

I pretty much have the whole story plotted out before I get started. "The Contest" has been in my head from beginning to end for over a year now.

22) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fan-fiction?

I wish I had known about Tumblr to be honest.  It's a great outlet for fanfic and the source of so much inspiration and support.

23) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

I'm always in awe of the fact that people want to read my stories period so I appreciate every single note, comment and message whether it's 4 or 400 :)

24) In contrast to 23 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?   

I'm always in awe of the fact that people want to read my stories period so I appreciate every single note, comment and message whether it's 4 or 400 :)

25) Are any of your characters based on real people?

Not so much characters but personality traits.  I find that I project my style of humour and sarcasm (plus my lack of filter) onto characters all the time.

26) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

I must be the slowest writer in this fandom.  I seriously don't know how you all put up with me.  I've had so many incredible compliments but it always amazes me to hear readers tell me that a new chapter was worth the wait.

27) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten? 

One that really stands out is someone telling me that I was going to lose all my followers if I didn't update my fics faster.  That one really hurt because like most writers here, I really beat myself up knowing that I can't turn around stories or chapters as quickly as I would like.

28) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest?

I have a few writers here that I talk to regularly and we feel comfortable enough to share our ideas.  Some of my favourite messages have been from other writers wanting to talk through an idea or ask for some help with a scene or ask for some help with a scene or some dialogue.

29) Do people know you write fan-fiction? 

Aside from a few twitter mutuals I have met, no one in my "real life" knows I write fanfic. Though I think my kids may have their suspicions...I have a writing degree and my friends and family are always telling me that I should write more.  If they only knew LOL

30) What’s you favorite minor character you’ve written?

I can't tell you because they are about to make an appearance in the next chapter of "The Contest" and I'm excited to write their scene.

31) What spurs you on during the writing process? 

The incredible feedback and messages I get from readers like you (I live for your chapter summaries....seriously), pictures of Sebastian Stan, reading all the amazing fanfic out there, Bucky's thighs, Marvel, eating chocolate....eating chocolate off of Bucky's thighs.... (Need to add that to my list of future fics)

32) What’s your favorite trope to write? 

Definitely slowburns.  I love the flirting, the teasing, the witty dialogue as the sexual tension builds....it's delicious.

33) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

This is going to date me....please no judgment.  It was a 'NSYNC fic. Wish I could remember the name but it was a JC x reader.  I was obsessed with JC back in the day...ok, stop laughing.

34) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why? 

SMUT with my fucky Bucky and my side boo Sebby ;)

[mild-lunacy]

The Mathematically Ideal Pairing

I have two main types of OTP: impossible and inevitable. My favorite is when it somehow feels like both on some level, of course, because they're both expressions of the same ideal. I think I always loved the 'obvious' ones, the inevitable ones, which is often the same as the canon pairing, but only the good canon texts. While homophobia ran rampant, obviously any queer ship was never inevitable (even in 'Brokeback Mountain', which is rather recent, you have the tragic gays' tragedy being what's inevitable). But anyway, Kirk/Spock, Sherlock/John-- it's not like there's an alternative.

It's funny to me that some people don't get this. I mean, that's inevitable, but I just think, wow. I can't help being amazed and bemused, no matter how well I understand it intellectually. I mean, in *theory*, I get that people just get very different things from fiction, full stop. But in actuality, let's be real, some things are really obvious. And I'm talking about what happens when you control for heteronormativity; plenty of slash-friendly people (some friends of mine, haha) ship Kirk/McCoy. Shipping is all about personal preference, right? Well, I always thought, yeah, but. OK, except not entirely, because some things are built into the story at a really deep level. Like how Achilles felt about Patroclus. How are you going to tell the story of Achilles and Troy and pretend Patroclus is not, in fact, Achilles's driving motivation? How would his motivation even make sense without that absolute importance, the hold Patroclus's death had on Achilles? Everything turns on that bond, the same way the whole thing starts with jealousy, and Paris choosing Helen over a goddess. You could start the story of the fall of Troy in many places, but you can only talk about Achilles if you also talk about Patroclus. That's how it is with Kirk and Spock, Sherlock and John. That's what inevitability is. Stories-- real stories, at their heart-- seem endless and infinite, as infinite as the heart of each listener, but in fact stories too have a singular heart. A thing that makes them turn. Stories about great friendships are just like stories about great love, because in terms of motivation and the driving force of the narrative, they are the same.

I don't think most people would like many of the most popular, famous and legendary stories if they really understood them, especially if they understood this unyielding part of them at heart. The legends always have this sort of iron core; that's why and how they become true legends. Usually you know it's true 'cause you can change anything in retelling *except* the core (like, King Arthur needs Merlin and Guinevere to fulfill their roles, for example, and Achilles needs Patroclus and Hector). People are drawn to stories 'cause they reflect their own hearts, their own experiences, in telling and retelling. I understand that. I'm just saying-- that may be so, but the fact is, the truth is the truth and you can't escape its inevitable bend. A good story certainly pleases the audience, but a great story turns upon this inevitable iron axis of the characters' clashing and/or coalescing drives.

So what do I mean by 'impossible', then, and why do I like it if I'm so obsessed with the One True Reading in all things?

Well, I feel like when you take a certain kind of non-canon pairing, like Heero/Duo or Harry/Draco (or even Thor/Loki), what you have is a unique, poignant feeling of an unfulfilled destiny. A story untold, a story that *wants* to be told, to be given the chance to be itself, to *live*. There's usually some serious obstacle in the canon-- I'm not referring to pairings where the canon went three quarters of the way and then stopped at 'just friends'. That may suck for the shippers and for that story, but it's not what really feels powerful to me. What's really powerful is the feeling of thwarted inevitability never even tapped. Always tantalizingly out of reach, but potentially absolutely transformative. I get the feeling like there's some perfect universe, some perfect fic, where the True Story is finally told, and I can rest. I can be at peace, because the canon would be finally overwritten in a satisfactory manner. Of course... that's never happened. I've never read anything even close to said 'perfect fic' that can really replace or even just supplement a flawed canon, in any fandom, and I've read a *lot* of fanfiction. Most fics don't dream so big; fanfic is almost always too different from the canon style and genre to really compete while *also* being transformative, and that's on purpose. But the dream is there, for me, and it's what ultimately drives me to read and/or write fic for those pairings.

Anyway, so really I always see my OTPs as inevitable, even if they're impossible. In the 'One True Story', the story with the ideal shape and meaning, the One True Pairing is at the inevitable heart of the narrative, just like Patroclus is at the heart of Achilles's story. Consequently, this doesn't mean happily ever after, by any means. It just means that I think every story *can* certainly mean endless things, potentially, like how you can write endless plots in fics for your favorite OTP and they'll coexist and even feel true if they're in-character, right? At the same time, I can't help feeling like there's some deeper, underlying *intended* meaning that fits the starting points of characterization and motivation and the historical context best. Like you put all these factors together, like constructing a mathematical theorem from a bunch of given values and axioms, and you're left with the most elegant, neatest solution. The Perfect Solution, the simplest and most complete expression of all the emotional and social factors you started with at the beginning of the story. And sometimes-- maybe even often-- that story is never told, and never understood even by the original author, let alone fanfic writers. But that potential fulfilled is how you create a masterpiece.

In retrospect, it's no wonder I never wrote that sort of fanfic myself, given that true masterpieces are a bit difficult to come by, let alone produce on command by an inexperienced writer. And it's also why I'm so protective of the stories where the canon works just how it's supposed to, following a perfect narrative logic with mathematical precision. It's not that this always necessarily makes for consistently happy stories, as BBC Sherlock has always shown, but it is the only kind of narrative worthy of legends.