#Their friendship has been like this B plot I've been thinking about in the back of my mind

[aruanimess]

For the ask, what about reverse warrior/paradisian Aruani, where Armin is from Marley and Annie is from Paradis? How do you think this would change the story?👀

Fanfic Author Never Have I Ever

Hey, Stella!

Well, I have shared some ideas about a similar premise here, but I've definitely never written it.

If I were to write something like this, I'd probably have Armin being a lot more lenient with the Paradisians. The plot would revolve around Armin finally deciding to give up on Marley and join the Paradisians. I know a lot of people want to see him commit war crimes (and don't get me wrong, he would), but I think a character with Armin's moral compass would snap when faced with the blatant injustice of Eldian discrimination.

As for Annie, I'd keep her backstory similar: her father wants her to join the Military Police to benefit himself. Still, I think she'd be more open to developing friendships in this scenario as she is not actively betraying anybody. She and Armin would become friends and slowly through time she'd figure out something was off about him and his mysterious friends (as I believe Armin would spend more time with RB than Annie does in canon) and she'd go into sleuth mode.

After Trost, and the revelation of Eren, she'd put two and two together and confront him. Armin would fight her off and try to silence her, revealing that he's a lot more martially inclined than he let on (as he's been trained for years in this AU and also has the benefit of healing quickly). Ultimately though, he wouldn't be able to go through with Marco-ing her as he has a) developed feelings for her and b) has become unconvinced of the supposed evilness of the Paradisians. Then, they'd devise a plan together to uncover the monarchy's secrets and make the public aware of the truth.

P.S. Sooo, there's also the problem of which Titan Armin would get, as Bertolt has the Colossus and is Armin's ally in this. My friend @midnightlighthowlite has a little project where the third member of the titan trio is Pieck instead, and, as much as I loooooove this possibility, to propose something different I say: I'd give Armin the Female. Knowing me, I'd probably turn it into a whole theme about gender identity, toxic masculinity and trans issues too, by having Armin endure bullying back home bc he was chosen for the "girl" titan. I'd have him experience gender dysphoria (either when transformed or when in his regular body depending on where I took the story) and struggle with his presentation in general. Obviously, this would be resolved by Armin embracing his feminine side, either by deciding he's some flavour of trans or by accepting that body parts are gender neutral.

[gillyweedgrl]

You should be watching Pit Babe! - A Brief Review

Saddens me to think how many people are missing out on a great show because they think it’s not worth more than a trash watch, if that.

I mean, realistically, is it the most amazing cinematic work of all time? No, not unless pretty-boy power bottoms with daddy issues are your thing, which in my case they are, so let's talk about Pit Babe!

Note: I've tried to keep the spoilers to a minimum, they're mainly in the tags and links so follow them at your own risk, you've been warned.

Honestly, Pit Babe is a pretty damn good show, especially if you A) pretend the Omegaverse factor doesn’t exist and take the show for what it is and B) you don't mind not knowing what's going on half the time, just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

Overall, Pit Babe has got a good production value, a slightly absurd yet entertaining plot, a great choice of cast with amazing chemistry and pretty decent acting skills amongst the mix of seasoned actors and newbies.

For a totally biased fair and balanced review: There are some details that are left vague instead of being explained in depth or at all (yet), but that’s to be expected when you adapt a novel into a movie or series. It would get boring for the audience if the pace was interrupted to explain all those little details that we’re likely to find out along the way anyways (shout out to those who've watched the latest episode; finally!).

There are also some scenes that feel like they’re not as necessary and some background/plot devices that made a little more sense in the novel but I personally don’t feel like they detract too much from my viewing experience.

Babe (played by Pavel) and Charlie (played by Pooh) as the main leads do a really good job at shouldering a large percentage of screen time. Charlie comes across as happy-go-lucky, a bit clumsy/goofy, entirely fearless and a little naive, which is mostly true, but there's clearly more to him than that. Right from the start Babe is clearly someone guarded, detirmined and skilled at what he does (racing cars and having sex) and he has a very tight cirlce of people he trusts. There's a winning combo right there, quite tsundere/sunshine from the outside but definitely more breath the surface that gets exploded as they go.

Way (played by Nut) is Babe's best friend and racing companion, they've been racing together at Team X-Hunter for years but there's clearly more than friendship on the mind for Way, though the feelings appear to be one sided.

Alan (played by Sailub) is the owner of Team X-Hunter and an all-round cool Uncle (which the whole team call's him (despite barely being in his mid 30's). He's kind but firm, he cares for his team like they’re his family and it does seem as though they’re his only family.

And the rest of the cast consists primarily of:

Team X-Hunter:

Dean (played by Lee); a junior racer with slight douche vibes

North and Sonic (played by Michael and TopTen); everyone’s babies, they’re junior racers and content creators

Jeff (played by Pon); the newest member of the team, he’s a part time mechanic and full time conspicuous

Pete (played by Ping); the money guy Alan brings on board to sponsor the team

Team Red Racing (the rival team):

Winner (played by Pop); the guy who never seems to win against Babe

Kim (played by Benz); the new racer they hired to beat Babe

Tony (played by S Vorarit); Red Racing's newest benefactor and *shock horror* Babe's former foster father (try saying that ten times fast)

Kenta (played by Garfield); Tony's right hand man

Then, there’s the 🌶🔥🤯

I, personally, enjoy a little spice/heat in my shows. It’s not necessary for every show, of course, but I do think that when it serves a purpose to the story and it’s done well then it can be quite enjoyable and this cast/production team is doing it really well.

As I said, the chemistry between the cast really is amazing (both on and off the screen, if you're interested in that kind of thing) and although the spicy scenes aren’t nearly as abundant as they are in the novel, there are some really good ones. I decided to bite the bullet and binge read the novel over the past couple of weeks, I blame @pharawee’s breakdown posts for those sleepless nights, and it was worth it for me but not necessary for watching the series.

Lastly (as if this post isn't long winded enough as it is) there are a handful of things in this series that we don't see too often in BL's and make it worth watching even more:

It's got race cars, murder attempts, mafia influence and supernatural powers (at least half the characters have one).

There's no evil ex-lover out to get revenge or get back together with one of the mains (thank the BL gods).

It's got a Soft Top/Dominant Bottom dynamic where the title character is both super masc and a pretty princess.

And we can't forget, it is technically an Omegaverse series (or rather, it's Omegaverse-lite) which none of us saw coming!

Anywho, to conclude; yes, you should be watching Pit Babe. No, you don't have to read the novel to understand what's going on because none of us understand what the hell is going on at any given time. Charlie and Babe are fucking around and finding out, the rest of us are just long for the ride, Alan and Jeff are having a whole ass rom-com-drama in the corner, the babies are making their content and having a blast and the others aren't quite on the map yet (or are they? *wink, wink*), but I sure hope they will be soon!

If you made it this far, thank you and are you okay? Do you need to have your brain checked?

[dean-is-love]

My thoughts on 9-1-1 and why I started watching

So, I've been seeing 9-1-1 on my dash for some years now. After the Supernatural fandom died down a bit in late 2021-2022, Eddie and Buck started showing up on my dash more and more. Frankly, I didn't really care so much, it was around the time I stopped actively blogging on tumblr.

In early 2024 I was back on tumblr occasionally, checking in with what was trending from time to time - now i'm on here almost daily again - and i saw that 9-1-1 was trending. I vaguely remembered that it was something about firefighters but didn't really pay attention to it.

Then posts started appearing on my dash about Buck coming out as bisexual in season 7, which I thought was amazing. As a bisexual person myself, I really love when there is bi representation in media, and coming out stories are really close to my heart because they helped me so much with figuring out my identity when I was younger.

I was skeptical at first because I thought it was just a one off mention kind of thing - like these things usually are - that maybe he was more of a side character.

Imagine my surprise when I saw that it was a multiple episode thing, that he was actually dating a man - I'll tell you my thoughts about Tommy later in this post - AND that he was one of the main characters of the show.

I knew about Buddie and knew that the fandom would probably be equally as happy and divided about this development.

Because I was procrastinating on my exams HARD and was sick of watching random youtube videos I decided to start watching 9-1-1 to get context for Buck's coming out and hopefully enjoy the show and the shipping while I was at it.

My first surprise was Buck actually being a main character. I think because of how I have usually seen people come out - or rather not come out - in other shows, I was pleasantly surprised.

It's the kind of thing where you can theorize a character being bisexual, but you know the writers are just queerbaiting/never intend to make them actually bi. Characters who are bi in these kind of drama shows are usually bi from the start, if that makes sense.

An example that comes to mind is Magnus from Shadowhunters. He was bi from the beginning, there was no big plot about him coming out - it was just a fact. There are many examples for writers never going through with it, but it's obvious that they are intentionally writing it - two examples are Dean Winchester and Stiles Stilinski.

I have no clue what was going on behind the scenes of this show and I'm not that deep in the fandom (because I don't want to get spoilers for the later seasons), but the fact that Buck didn't start out as a character that they meant to make bisexual from the start is what means the most to me.

I think the early seasons have almost no clues to his bisexuality (i'm on season 3 as i'm writing it).

There is queerbaiting with Eddie and Buck and I think that is pretty obvious from the end of season 2. I think it started in the last episode of the season, when someone was livestreaming and comments about them being cute together popped up in the chat. After that their friendship was suddently more and more in the spotlight.

Knowing now that they -partially- went through with it and actually made Buck bisexual, I don't mind it as much as I would have without knowing.

I really enjoy the representation on this show, it feels more natural to me than other shows I've seen recently.

That being said, I need to talk about Tommy.

Disclaimer he has been in maybe 3 episodes so far so please don't crucify me if I get something wrong about him.

Piecing together information from my dash before watching the show, I had reached the conclusions that Tommy was a) a pilot b) probably a character that was newly introduced in season 7 to date Buck and then disappear forever.

The second conclusion, as sad as it is, is simply how gay characters are treated in these kinds of shows (I mean it happened to Glen in season 2).

So imagine my surprise when Tommy showed up in Chimney's flashback episode. This was honestly huge for me. And yes, he is a side character, at least for now. But I do think that two established ("straight" - the other firefighters mention Tommy's girlfriend) characters getting together is amazing.

I love that they didn't pair up Buck with someone random and instead have him date someone who is already on the show, and has been for a while.

And okay, it isn't Eddie, but if the writers have the balls to go through with Buddie, hats off to them.

But I personally think Buck+Tommy is amazing too, and I'm really excited to get to season 7 to see it all unfold. (I do have a soft spot for Tommy)

I hope that watching so many cheesy speeches about family will pay off in the end, and that I can enjoy the bi Buck storyline to its fullest once I get to it.

[louisrarepairfest]

LOUIS RARE PAIR FEST 2024

— Prompts —

[Submit a prompt you'd like to read or write here!]

🫐 The prompt can specify a particular pairing or can use Louis/Character B as the pairing.

🫐 Writers can sign up with one of these prompts or sign up with their own prompt not on this list.

🫐 Prompts will be crossed off as they are chosen during sign ups.

⬇️ Possible prompts below ⬇️

(A) Louis/Character B are uni roommates

(B) Louis/Greg James - Louis takes Clifford to a secluded park and lets him run free for a few hours. A few weeks into going to a park, a friendly dog (Barney) Louis assumes is a stray comes over by him with a stick in his mouth and Louis plays fetch. This becomes a Thing every time. Louis notices Clifford has been gaining weight and can’t figure out why. One day, Clifford doesn’t come back like he usually does. Louis goes looking for him with (Barney) trailing on his heels. He’s just about to give up when (Barney) sprints away and Louis can’t stand the thought of losing two dogs in one day so he runs after him. Cut to…Louis finding a very tall, very handsome man, very excitedly welcoming Barney back with Clifford barely looking up from the almost gone bucket of dog food said very (very) handsome man clearly brought to the park. Confusion ensues since each thinks the other’s dog was a stray. Wild accusations from Louis about Greg making Clifford fat, jokes from Greg about how Barney has taken up finding perfect sticks and running away with his best one. They fall in love and become one big happy family.

( C ) Louis/Character B are musicians vying for the role of band leader at their former high school. They went there at the same time and were rivals then too, though for a totally different reason: they both had secret crushes on one another. When I've of them learns this, it changes everything.

(D) Girl direction! Louis/Character B are star athletes on the college (you choose the) sport team. They're both on the butch side, and it takes them a while to figure out that they're into one another and don't need to femme it up to get the other to like them.

(E) Omegaverse: Alpha Louis has never questioned who he is, a strong Alpha loving Alpha who defies stereotypes. When he meets character B, a beta, he certainly doesn't expect to fall for him (and hard)

(F) Famous Louis returns to his home town for his sister's wedding. When he sees his non-famous ex-boyfriend at the first wedding event of the weekend, sparks fly. Cue a whirlwind romance and a lot of big decisions about what they're both willing to do for love.

(G) Louis is a werewolf who's gotten good at hiding his nature in order to make a quiet life for himself in a small town. Character B is the vampire whose arrival coincides with a couple of murders that threaten his peaceful existence. When it becomes clear that B isn't behind the murders, he and Louis team up to find the real culprit (and maybe accidently fall in love along the way).

(H) Louis/Liam - Bros who get married for insurance purposes and then decide divorce isn’t worth the hassle.

(i) Louis/Charlie Lightening…no plot but sex on the ping pong table. Obviously. 

(J) Louis and his bandmates/opening band let off some steam by having a circle jerk. It might turn into more for some of them.

(K) Ever since Character A was a kid they wanted to climb on a fire truck and one day they decide to just walk over to the fire station and ask if they can get on the truck. Character B is one of the firefighters.

(L) M/M Louis and Taylor Swift are rival quarterbacks for their town's 2 high school teams. Nobody knows that they've been secretly dating since sharing a NYE kiss. 

(M) Louis/Liam - everyone thinks Louis and Harry are together but it’s actually Louis and Liam

(N) Lilo hot water maintenance au based on this tumblr post

(O) Lilo Robin Hood AU

(P) Lilo Howl’s Moving Castle au

(Q) Louis and either Charlie or Nick from Heartstopper (the Netflixshow), friendship fic. Would love Louis either helping Nick through his sexuality crisis or Louis being there for Charlie through the events of the first season

(R) Omegaverse: Louis is about to turn 25 without having presented. As he debates undergoing the risky process to force a presentation, he meets Character B who helps him realize he doesn't necessarily have to "present" to be the alpha he know he is. (Omegaverse but make it trans and powerful!!)

(S) Bread van fic reimagined with all the guys in Louis' band

(T) Louis plays on the uni football team and Liam is on the athletics team. they pass each other to and from training all the time. cue attraction. they are or become friends and are secretly pining for a while before they eventually start dating

(U) Edwardian era Lilo au where they’re both working class. maybe one is a servant and one is a shop assistant, or both servants.

(V) Louis and David Dawson bond over their time with Harry

(W) Louis/Oscar Isaac- edwardian AU where Oscar is a poet and Louis is his muse

(X) Louis/Pedro Pascal AU where Louis is exploring in the arctic and needs a guide

(Y) Louis/Pedro Pascal Gladiator AU

(Z) Michael B. Jordan as a boxer and nurse Louis

(AA) Louis/Sebastian Stan arranged marriage royalty AU. Louis is betrothed to King Sebastian Stan, a widower with two kids who aren't to keen of the King's fiancé.

(BB) Louis/Sam Claflin - something based on the interview where Sam says Louis follows him on Twitter and that they've had a conversation but he doesn't want to get into it.

(CC) 27 dresses take off where Niall is always the best man, never the husband, and Louis is the snarky reporter.

(DD) Zouiam, uni AU - Zayn meets Liam at the library and falls halfway in love during a single conversation. It’s a fairy tale, only back home is Louis - his FWB, the most important person in Zayn’s life, and someone who doesn’t take well to losing out on attention. Louis' a bit put out when he meets Liam at football practice and this annoying, bossy, fit as all hell guy slides right in under all his defences. It could be the start of a beautiful term of fighting and fucking, only back home is Zayn. Zayn not only needs Louis - he’d become a full-time hermit otherwise - but it’s damn convenient having sex on tap right there in his own flat. And, oh yeah, Zayn’s like, his reflection or his shadow or his other half or something. Liam’s quite confused by having two drop dead gorgeous guys alternately sending him go signals, then just as quickly, stop. He figures if either of them settle on go, he’ll be batting a thousand. Then he realises they know each other. Biblically.

(EE) Louis is an actor in a murder mystery troupe. Character B (maybe Nick Grimshaw...?) is the audience member who’s clearly too cool for all this but giving joining in his best shot anyway. Louis is distracted by him all night, and then after the denouement they meet in the bar.

(FF) Louis/Greg James - Louis won’t stop whanging on about not getting to do the breakfast show with his new album, and character X (maybe Niall, or Oli?) eventually realises it's less career-related jealousy and more about who sits behind the mic. He hatches a matchmaking plan.

(GG) Character A does embarrassing things when interacting with Character B because of their massive crush. Like Character B reaches out to do a fist bump and Character A thinks it's supposed to be a microphone and says hello into their fist.

(HH) Character B joins local amateur dramatics society and suddenly Louis is no longer a shoo-in for every lead role. Cue the drama!

(ii) AU. Preschool teacher Louis / Boxer Sebastian Stan

(JJ) Yellowjackets AU! Girl direction, any pairing from the show, cutting from 1996 to present.

(KK) Louis/Cillian Murphy - 1970s criminal au (preferably with Louis as the criminal), based on this photo: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FvyDkCnWAAk1UwS?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

(LL) Louis/Isaac: Louis and his band Rogue Direction are doing their first tour in their beat-up van at questionable bars across the country. One night, Isaac is hurled into his life, fleeing from an abusive boyfriend in parking lot of the band’s gig. Louis can’t help but feel..protective of the scrappy tagalong who’ll do anything to earn his keep.

(MM) Louis/Isaac: Louis fucks Isaac’s gauged ears.

(NN) Omega Louis / Male Alpha / Female Alpha polyamorous relationship

(OO) Louis/Patrick Dempsey. AU Patrick is Louis’ dad’s best friend. Possible tags: age difference, secret relationship, feminine Louis, hung Patrick

(PP) Louis Tomlinson/Alex Turner AU. Is basically based in the Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino where Louis and Alex are imprisoned together; so they must find a way to escape. But while they try to escape they begin to fall in love with each other however it will be difficult for both of them to escape.

(QQ) Louis and Rob Pattinson are in a secret relationship during the 1d days (around 2014 or 2015) unknown to everyone but then louis gets pregnant.

(RR) Beta Louis with alpha whomever, not established relationship.

(SS) Louis and Michael are secretly dating and navigating the resurgence of the Larry rumor mill. Larry was once real, Louis has insecurities about secretly dating another band mate, and Michael has some insecurities over Harry being Louis ex. Maybe an awkward run in or two with Harry trying to get him back but Michael and Louis being endgame.

(TT) Louis tomlinson/Dev Patel- second chance romance

(UU) louis/charles Leclerc, could title the fic as -my good luck charm- (or some such since charles won the race when louis was there etc) and or u could have charles say that to louis and louis getting smug and or bashful & giggly!

(VV) Charles Leclerc at one of Louis gigs? Or him joining the band onstage?

(WW) Louis had to wear multiple badges to have F1 access, so Louis makes Charles wear multiple badges to have VIP access to his concerts. All’s fair…

[becauseanders]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤️

ahhh hi thank you! (finally answering this!) 🖤

It Took the Night to Believe: chapterfic, complete, 100k. dragon age ii, anders/male hawke. pacific rim au. i am honestly really fucking proud of this fic, like i thought it was great even though it didn't do super well kudos-wise and i did notice that i definitely did lose readers as it went on. i truly have no idea why, this fic is fucking great. it's got angst, it's got comfort, it's got near death experiences, it's got fluff, it's got kaiju—what's not to love??

No Wound as Sharp as the Will of God: chapterfic, complete, 99k. dragon age ii, anders/female hawke. canonverse, post-da2. it took me seven years to post a second chapter of this and a total of eight years to finish it, and the whole time i was writing it after i picked it up again i was so unsure of it, but turns out i really like it. very heavy content, please do mind the tags. takes place while hawke is with the inquisition. anders positive, justice positive. a very intense, very deep, very affectionate friendship between anders and fenris is an extremely important part of the story. like, seriously, the platonic fenders is just as important as the romantic handers. a lot of angst, like so much angst, but the hurt/comfort is real. the b-plot pertains to my theory that justice cures anders of the taint. cole is there. the emotions are high and you can feel them strongly in the writing. again, be careful, but this is a good fic.

A Thing With Feathers Now, Elevate: one shot, 11k. dragon age: origins, alistair/female amell. canonverse, takes place over the course of da:o. this fic is a fucking masterpiece. another that didn't do well numbers-wise but this is easily one of the absolute best things i've ever written and is quite possibly one of the best fics on ao3. i am so fucking proud of this one. the prose, the metaphors, the handling of trauma, the found family—this one deserved way more love than it got. like, i'm serious, this fic is amazing.

It Means Tumult: chapterfic, wip, 349k (yes, you read that right). dragon age ii, anders/female hawke. modern au. okay, obviously i've got to mention this one. i have been working on this fic for eight years and i am very sorry to everyone who saw this go from updating multiple times a week and asking me how the fuck i write so fast to three years without a single update and then i think only one more in the past two years. i'm working on the penultimate chapter, i swear i am, i'm just super stuck right now. this fic is…this fic. i'm not going to lie, i don't really know if this is any longer some of my better writing, but the premise is fucking solid and i have been told more than once that it's clear this is a labor of love and that this is endearing. au where the obvious metaphors are made reality: the circles are psychiatric institutions and being mentally ill is a crime. a lot of angst, but a lot of love. pay no mind to how much better of a character and person aveline is when i write her. i also do admittedly use this fic to deal with my own demons frequently. an andrea gibson poem helped me write one chapter and i later got to tell them about it and they hugged me. this is also very heavily centered on music and has a lengthy soundtrack. please ignore the fact that when i first started writing this i used british english when i typed because i thought it looked better, as i had started doing as a teenager, which tbh i still kind of do but i also realized that's just fucking pretentious to do when you're american, and it was already so long by the time i stopped doing it that there was no way in hell i was going back to editing all of that (as i actually did do with nwasatwog). so that's just the way it is. but yeah, there's a lot of feelings happening here. also the only fic on this list that has an original title instead of song lyrics despite being the one with the most music involved, lol.

Through the Fall and the Feel: chapterfic, wip, 52k. dragon age ii, anders/male hawke. modern au. this is the one i'm working on most right because that's just where the brainworms are. hawke is a teddy bear doctor and anders goes to see him because instead of a pillow from his mother he has a stuffed cat, and she has seen much better days. this fic has a very wholesome premise but has gone into some pretty heavy angst already and i did not mean for eating disorders to be as important to the story as they have become, so be mindful of that. but this fic has a lot of heart and it's absolutely tanking, so if this piques your interest maybe go give it a look? this is also my second foray into m!handers and i am again having fun writing them. but yeah, i actually like this fic a lot and i do recommend it.

[hazbinsponsoredbyvee]

Mel, why do you like staticapple? Just a general question because it's definitely one of the more rare pairings since they don't actually interact with the show and many Radioapple/Radiostatic fans often depict them in a battle trying to win Alastor's affections so I wanna know what about it drew you into it?

So, this is a bit of a long story, and I've been drinking, so I might ramble. I'll start with I'm not into RadioApple. I have honestly tried because I love enemies-to-lovers, but I just don't see it, no matter how hard I try.

Now, Lucifer and Vox are both among those tied for my favorite character, and so I spend a lot of time thinking about them both. If I remember correctly, I was thinking about how two of my favorite characters hate Alastor and them bonding over that fact if they met, and then I went on to think about how Vox being the opportunist that he is would definitely try to win favor with the King of Hell, and Lucifer would just eat up the attention. And that's where it started to turn into a crack ship.

I very jokingly came up with a scenario of Alastor and Vox starting to rekindle their friendship, but Alastor being the asshole that he is, doesn't actually care to show up on time when they were supposed to meet at the hotel. Lucifer ends up being there, so Vox complains to him, they share a few drinks, and end up making out. Alastor walks in on this and gets all jealous, but Vox is just like "Ha! Should've valued my time, bitch!" and leaves with Lucifer.

Well, that scenario stuck with me and evolved until I eventually started plotting a whole ass fic - again fully thinking of it as a crack fic. But then I started plotting out their interactions. And I thought about how they both have a passion for creating things, and they would admire each other for that; I headcanon them both as ADHD (Lucifer as AuDHD), and they would totally relate to each other in the way they hyperfocus on their projects; and they're both starved for touch and attention, with neither of them capable of doing things halfway, so they would inevitably end up completely devoted to each other. And suddenly I wasn't so sure it was crack anymore.

I started consuming StaticApple content (though still not as much as RadioStatic, I'll admit), and that funny, crack scenario I mentioned above evolved into my not-at-all crack fic, Red with Envy.

And then I realized that while enemies-to-lovers is definitely my favorite trope (bonus if it's friends-to-enemies-to-lovers), I do have a second-favorite romantic trope that I've never seen labeled before. I'll call it assumptions-to-friends-to-lovers. For me, this harkens back to Supernatural, with my main ship being drowley (enemies-to-lovers), and my secondary ship being sastiel (assumptions-to-friends-to-lovers).

Essentially, Person A is prepared to not like Person B (Lucifer's very prejudiced against Sinners/Castiel sees Sam as 'the boy with the demon blood'), but is surprised when they meet them to find that Person B was not at all what they expected. Person A gives them a chance, despite their preconceived notions, and find that they actually relate to Person B in a few ways. They become close and end up falling in love. Once I realized that, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't so surprising I ended up shipping StaticApple.

Thanks for the question!

[repldemiurge]

Four months.

The honeymoon period feels like it's over - and July was kinda teh suckz0rs in general. Not even related to gender stuff, it was just a kinda bleh month. I couldn't really see or feel any physical differences since the end of June, which is frustrating. That's not to say I'm having regrets or second thoughts, God no. Just that HRT has become daily life I guess.

Meanwhile, I've been having this nagging feeling of a catch-22 where I'm kinda stuck between:

A) Feeling like I'm not even a human being anymore - just a tgirl, and whatever aspects of me that are outside of my gender are difficult to express, or feel hard to engage people with. (Didn't fucking Halimede make a good post about this???)

B) Being myself obsessed with my gender presentation, in no small part because I relish the attention and support that I get for talking about my gender

I think this is a pretty fake problem outside of my head, but it does leave me stuck where I want to just bombard people with talking about being a girl, because I'm socially rewarded for it, but also feeling awkward that I have nothing to provide to my relationships besides being a girl.

This probably speaks more to more general social issues I have, and the desperation, hell, borderline obsession,,, I tend to approach friendships with. I still have a lot of self-image problems with feeling like I'm too intense, come on way too strong, and impatiently overcommit. I feel so, creepy all the time. I'd avoided this issue for the previous couple years by just...not really having friends? To no surprise, having friends is universally better, but I wonder how capable I am of being friends outside of only. Being trans at people.

But ahhhhh I like being trans at people! And people are very nice and positive to me when I am! And heaven knows I'm addicted to hearing about other people talk about being trans!

A very tense situation.

It's all exacerbated by me breaking my longstanding "no net only friendships" rule, but I've met some like. Miracles of people this year, so. No putting that genie back in the bottle.

Good news is I at least have gotten better about being someone who messages first. Folks seem to dream about people like that, so I can internalize that fantasy I suppose. And I've gotten more comfortable with different people's responses to it. Some people take my message toy and are very playful and conversational, I just have to get the ball rolling. Others take it and just slow blink at me, but I think it's still appreciated. These are both fine and good.

This doesn't really feel like it has anything to do with HRT anymore I've kinda lost the plot. Oh well. Classes start up again at the end of August so hopefully that structure will help me organize my time a little bit better, when compared to this incorporeal July

[lookingatacupoftea]

What's up with Whicker Street?

Crack theory time! This is an attempt to explain the weirdness on Whickber Street. Unlike the other theories I've been revolving in my mind, this theory operates on a symbolic level, foreshadowing a possible future. It does not preclude a more plot-relevant primary explanation, but offers what could be a hidden, extra layer of meaning.

Please don't ask or tag Neil about fan theory. 

Okay, here it is: Whickber Street in s2 is the future of heaven/hell/the afterlife following s3. It foreshadows a post-revolution heaven/hell/afterlife that is not about misery and abstinence or strict dividing lines but about community and enjoyment. 

Evidence in s2: 

WS and the surrounding streets are fairly self-contained, encompassing many human experiences and pleasures: food, drink, sex, music, clothes, theater, books, magic (see the layout here). This foreshadows a more fun afterlife/heaven/hell that is more like life on earth.

A&C spend more time both with other angels and demons and with humans this season, also foreshadowing a greater sense of community in the future.

The frequent use of B-sides in the musical score and references relates to how everyone is getting a second chance in this kinder afterlife/heaven/hell.  

Maggie's shop is the afterlife records office (think Dead Boy Detectives). 

Maggie is angel coded and functions as a parallel or mirror character to Muriel. They're both sweet tempered, enthusiastic and lonely, maintaining the records that no one visits. 

The coffee shop is a portal to the afterlife because “life begins after coffee.” It also represents liberty from the dull-to-torturous spectrum that we’ve seen in heaven, hell and the afterlife so far. 

Image from r/goodomens

Nina is demon coded and her closest parallel is Eric. Like Eric, she's more aware of what's going on than others and just can't stop herself from sharing facts (think Eric in the recruitment meeting pointing out the issues with Shax's plan v. Nina being aware that the ball is all wrong). And like Eric she has a very familiar face that crops up in the show again and again.

The WS traders’ meeting to talk about the “proposed rubbish collection times” parallels the “cleaning rota” at the archangels’ meeting. I think the shopkeepers may mirror higher-ranking angels and demons, but I don't know if they match up one to one. 

The extras on the street walk in circles and double back on each other, a lot like the demons (or damned?) circulating behind Crowley and Beez in hell in ep1. 

GIF by mametupa

The extras’ bright clothes represent a happier way of life than the dead, angels and demons had before - neither the blandness of heaven nor the darkness of hell. 

The vintage aspect to the clothes could be influenced by when humans died or by angels’ and demons’ unique fashion senses.

If this is indeed symbolic foreshadowing, in s3 we could see more about building this sense of community and enabling angels, demons and the dead to practice more free will and have a better quality of life. A particular pair of scenes that might be mirrored in s3 is the ball and resulting battle. Instead of textually human characters (plus Jim) needing to be protected, we could see A&C defend a gathering of the dead and other angels and demons. And we could see an ending where angels go “over the road” (a phrase used multiple times in reference to the coffee shop) to be friendly with demons en masse, not just in these one-off pairings we’ve seen so far.

Another possible s3 development that could grow from this theory is a friendship or romance between Muriel and Eric as mirrors to Maggie and Nina (and A&C and G&B), which tons of writers have already included in their fics.

Finally, if the primary meaning of the weird extras is that they're angelic or demonic spies, that could align with this secondary level of meaning and foreshadowing: Spying on these traitors on WS is the most fun they’ve had in millennia and maybe they won’t be happy to go back to their normal routine. 

I'm not at all sold on this theory and there are lots of discontinuities it doesn't explain. I’m also not sure how much this foreshadows a new heaven/hell or a new afterlife or both. But I haven't been able to get it out of my head, so I offer it up on the altar of meta discussion.  

[sorrelpaws]

Sorrel imma listen to each song and the playlist and give my take! I wanna see how close or off or just any feedback tbh! For funzies! LMAO The first song is JUST THE VIIIBE FOR THE SHOW OVERALL <33

YOU ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH EVERYTHING honestly im so giddy over this. I'LL PUT MORE SPECIFIC THOUGHTS under the readmore, BUT U WERE PRETTY SPOT ON DUDE!!!

arrival - totally for the vibe. Just sounds like them to me daydream in blue - originally this was more so about rick/diane and how rick (badly)copes with her loss. BUT HONESTLY your interpretations centering morty's disillusionment ARE ALSO REALLY NEAT and i cant believe i didnt think of that sooner hehe i think it might be hell - YUP!!! mostly rick song but also has some lines that work for morty them changes - ALSO WORKS FOR BOTH OF THEM!! but personally i think of it more as a rick song snake eyes - I'LL ADMIT THAT THIS is half here for the vibe, BUT ALSO yeah definitely morty at a breaking point toy plane - YESSS EXACTLY!!!! i've been plugging this as a morty song basically since i found it. Very much about the dynamic between him and rick. TO BE HONEST i've never even thought about the "though this house is unchanged" LINES BUT YOU'RE SO RIGHT. RICK POTION #9. found god in a tomato - YUPPP very much their vibe. also makes me think very much about rick and just The way he is. his whole "i'm better than everyone" shtick just - YESSS EXACTLY THIS IS LITERALLY JUST rick being an asshole 180db_[130] - YUP just here for the vibe B) everything hurts - YEAH YEAH YEAH just completely rick's angsty sad miserable life no need for a leader - actually this for me is very much an evil morty song. specifically s3e7's whole plot starstruck - YUP MORTY SONG!!! for all his hurt feelings and protests, morty still obviously looks up to rick A Lot, so while he may be mad about something, he'll still go along with whatever rick wants fifteen minutes - THEM BOTH YEAH. here for the vibe cadence - this one is just kind of Rick and Morty to me. i dont even know how to explain it, just has their vibe. BUT I LIKE your interpretation a lot!! about how morty is aware of rick's self loathing and trying to kind of help him in his own way i'm your dog - YEAH. this is the most morty song ever to me. he really wants to act like he doesnt need rick, but he's also disgustingly codependent so the moment rick needs him, he comes running back. in the yard - YES!!! huge morty song. kind of has rick potion #9 vibes again, BUT I REALLY like the idea that there's some pressure to never mess up around rick, and feeling like his family prefers each other over him who is she ? - YEAH kind of here for the vibes, but also a bit for rick and diane! i don't know, i just feel like after searching for her killer for a couple of decades she might morph into less of a person and more of just an idea running on a treadmill - HEHE YESSSS morty doing everything for ricks approval to the point he sacrifices his own comfrot barbarism begins at home - YES about rick and morty's weird abusive relationship. morty not being "good enough", rick being a terrible role model/adult presence and not knowing how to be Nice call this # now - JUST FOR THE VIBES!!!! money - THIS ONE to me is about rick wanting to be better for morty, but having a really hard time stepping out of his nihilistic-asshole comfort zone. he knows he sucks, he acknowledges it, and he really wants to be better kiss me, son of god - very much a rick song hehe. specifically im imagining him in the era where he's contributing to the citadel's creation, but there's a line here that also make me think a bit about his relationship with prime (i destroyed the bond of friendship and respect between the only people left who'd even look me in the eye) birdhouse in your soul - just Rick and Morty and their relationship dungen - another Just for The Vibe song, BUT YEAH works well as a "throwback to the "good" ol' days" interpretation too drunk to come - YEPPPP RICK SONG ALL THE WAY BABY nugget killer - i'll be honest i also have no idea what this song says or means But it just Feels like rick and morty to me. i can feel it in my bones glue - YUHHHH MORTY ABOUT RICK YEOP YEP YEP YEOP oulala - YEP rick and his whole attachment and substance abuse issues two weeks - YEAH. their whole relationship

[qprstobin]

i used to like steddie but tbh its just boring now. everyone writes the same tropes and now there's a/b/o flooding the tag and like fine whatever but it's just so boring. not to mention most fics are so out of character...and don't get me started on how they treat robin, she's completely sidelined it's annoying. they make steve this feminized uwu babygirl and robin into a mean lesbian that contantly berates hi its disgusting!

I'm ngl. Same. Ste/ddie is what got me into the fandom! I still really like the characters a lot but the way fandom has been handling them is just not my thing lol. I like both my Steve and my Eddie a little mean and rough around the edges but carrying and that's just... not what I am seeing at all lol. The fandom trends in this ship have been absolutely wild. Like I said last night, the fic that we were getting in October/November of last year is soooo different from the fic we are getting now.

I miss early days Ste/ddie, the relationship just felt much more balanced? Like both sides brought things to the table? But yeah, I'll admit I've gotten pretty bored with it too. I have a fic or two in my wips folders that I still want to write that have Ste/ddie in them, but I've sort of hit my limit with fandom consumption of it lol.

Omegaverse stuff can be fun on occasion but I'll admit aside from one or two fics I've seen so far, I don't super vibe with it. (Where is my alpha/alpha and omega/omega content!!) Omegaverse has always been a "my hormones are out of whack" fic time for me lmao. But this is one of those things I don't think is ST exclusive, a lot of fandoms I'm in have seen an influx of omegaverse and mpreg lately. I didn't even notice at first because Star Wars fandom is always a mess of kink, but it's legit everywhere now.

Gods yeah, the babygirl Steve was fun at first, I love me a pretty boy. (Anakin Skywalker fan here lmaooo) but yeah it's been taken to an extreme that feels less like oh this is just a little sexy thing on occasion or "yeah gender exploration!" thing, and more either fetishizing or heteronormativity. Like I was talking about yesterday I swear some people write tradwife Steve which is just wild to me. Love househusband Steve but tradwife Steve?? Where am I??

And yeah, even back when I liked the fanon characterization better, Robin so often got sidelined. Literally only there to be a supportive best friend without her own plot or to help further drive Steve into Eddie's arms, which is sad! This show is about friendship first and foremost and it feels like fandom doesn't appreciate that anymore.

(I will be fair though, pushing aside the best friend for the sake of romance is a tried and true shipping thing across many fandoms, but it did feel startling when so many post s3 fics about either of Stobin were about their friendship, and it just kind of all got taken over by shipping fics in s4.)

Like idk, I will say I still like the ship and Eddie but the fandom has definitely exhausted me a bit lol.

[laufire]

I'd like to hear your opinions on jaysteph & jayeddie no pressure though :)

Have a nice day!

Jaysteph

I've enjoyed it in fandom; I remember reading some really good fics way back when (like, either pre-reboot days or soon after the reboot was implemented. I know the film version of utrh had already come out). As things are right now I wouldn't want it to happen in canon; for one, I also have some qualms about how their friendship is written, even if I'm glad it... actually exists lol. But my interest in them is quite low-key.

Re: a plot I might write for them... hmm. I have three WIPs* where Jason-Stephanie is an important, if not always central dynamic. So far it's been platonic but really, it would be easy to turn it the other way -it's a ship that's easy to see working, IMO.

*said WIPs are a.) amnesiac!Jason (also known as "@ gotham war's writers, hold my beer -it CAN be more fucked up"); b.) Jason's Journals (kind of a post/war games AU where Stephanie finds journals Jason wrote** during his time with Bruce, and she, Tim, and Cass, aka the post-Jason kid/teen heroes, have feelings about it); c.) Jason Survives The Joker, where they develop a close friendship. As of now, I have no intentions of introducing romance in any of these, for various reasons, but it wouldn't be a stretch tbh.

**idea taken from detective comics #555, an issue narrated by (pre-crisis) Jason's failed attempt at journaling.

Jayeddie

Probably the Jason ship that has awakened my curiousity the most. Nothing wild (that's next to no canon material does to a canon-adjacent motherfucker like myself), but I think it's telling that the only WIP (so far) where I might veer into a romantic direction for Jason's character is theirs.

(and I think that answers the other question!)

SEND ME A DCU SHIP (from any and all versions, canon or not) and I'LL GIVE YOU MY THOUGHTS ON IT. and maybe an idea for a plot between them that I'd enjoy.

[starlight-tea-writing]

Ask games! Loves these things.

Anyway, 4, 34, 35, and/or 64! Take your pick on how many lol

sorry that this sat for, like, two days...but thank you for the asks!

4. what is the plot bunny you've been carrying around the longest? optional bonus question: do you ever wonder why you haven't written it yet and experience deep existential dread?

I have many. many. many ideas. and not just for ATLA. but I think these are my favorites:

for ATLA

a. book 2, Iroh and Zuko are in Ba Sing Se. I say "screw you" to canon a bit and extend their time there. during that time, Zuko and Jin start actually dating, they become friends with the Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot. with that friendship, they slowly relax into being teens and having fun (in part because they're committing Blue and Green Spirit shenanigans together). Zuko kinda forgets he was Zuko and really starts to embrace Lee. and then, Jet sees a poster about Appa and drags Lee with them, he sees the Gaang, and Zuko come crashing back to reality. they retrieve Ty Lee and Mai from the Palace (by accident, cause they think Suki is there), and then it's a trek of a dozen teens across the Earth Kingdom to take down Ozai. oh, and also, Jin is a secret (but very bad) earthbender.

I've written about half of it. maybe I'll finish and post it one day. there's also a GREAT scene where Zuko (as Lee) goes to Jin's for dinner and to meet her parents and younger sister (that I added for funsies). it's so awkward and fun and I love it so much.

b. I got permission to write a story based on @gemgirl28's idea. I have yet to write it yet, but it is outlined. that delay just makes me feel bad, because I want to do the story justice.

Spy X Family

a. like many others, I have been sucked into the Spy X Family world. it's three years ahead of where the story is now, and it starts with Donovan Desmond dying in a plane crash. and then it's just sort of how the cold war grows from there, Loid has to fake his death, Yuri evacuates Yor and Anya, it's a whole thing. a whole, very messy, very chaotic...thing. :)

I've already started writing it. I'm maybe a chapter into it.

34. how do you name characters and places?

characters: baby name lists. so many baby name lists. the targeted ads I get make my mother-in-law VERY curious and happy.

places: I tend to come up with a connecting theme for a place. so like, for the Earth Kingdom: a lot of actual real-life Chinese towns/cities are named sort-of based on their location (Bei Jing: Northern Capital). so, in Eight Years Later, the few smaller EK towns I created are named after the location they're at. however, for the Fire Nation in EYL, because I kind of view the cultural side of the Fire Nation as a pan-Asian country made up of a whole collection of cultures, each island I've "named" is just a "firebender associated" word from different Southeast Asian languages. so like, in EYL, Araw Island is "Day" in Filipino/Tagalog (don't remember exactly which one, sorry!), Moesashi Island is "Embers" in Japanese, and so on.

(fun fact: Mosu actually has MANY meanings...such as "ember" and "humble"...he's kinda the only character in EYL, at least, that I didn't find from a baby name list and instead went the language route - but it is an actual name, also, I think...I'm pretty sure I found it somewhere...it's been years at this point, apologies)

35. tell us about a character who's very different than you who you love a whole lot.

Ty Lee. I am not that bubbly and positive. I wish I could be. I know she's hiding mountains of hurt, which honestly, aren't we all? but she's able to put on a very compelling facade to get through her day, and I'm not sure if that's admirable or even more depressing. but I like to think that post-canon Ty Lee is very happy and doesn't have to fake it.

64. what is your favorite title for a fic you've read?

people can be real clever with their titles, and I wish I had that skill. I really like goofy, silly titles. little jokes and what not. I don't have any immediately in mind, I tend to forget details like that, but scrolling through my Ao3 history, I found this one and it made me chuckle:

Mission Impossible: Loid teaches Yor to cook

(^ pretty much all I read at the moment are cute little domestic one-shots, so...this is cute and silly and sweet)

thanks for the asks! in true starlight fashion, I wrote WAY too much, haha

[rxvenhairedprincesss]

pinkxperfectionisms

leagueofdccm

perfectioncursed

inkedmuses

👀

Send me a URL and I’ll share some positivity about them || Always accepting

.・゜-: ✧ :- @pinkxperfectionisms : Josie is the kindest person i've ever met and you'd be lucky to write with her! She gives Betty an incredible back story and I love to see her on my dash. And in my DM's on discord. We have so many wonderful ships and friendships that we write together, and i'm glad I get to do it with her. Forever one of my B to my V.

.・゜-: ✧ :-@leagueofdccm : I don't know how anyone would not know about Della. Cause she a real one and has been my best bitch since day one. Always there for anything and to talk shit and to write the best fucking ships. I've followed her on millions of blogs, and don't intend on stopping anytime soon. If you ever have a chance to write with her, you can see how the passion for her characters come out through her writing. The storylines and backstories she makes up can rival any shows plot line. A wonderful friend and writer and you should totally get to know her.

.・゜-: ✧ :-@perfectioncursed : Beth is my OG Betty, who I adore and love so much. She is who you think of when you think of Betty. She embodies her so well and writes her flawlessly, and even better than the show. She is the sweetest and kindest friend that anyone could ever ask for. And I will always adore getting to talk to her and get to know her more and more each day.

.・゜-: ✧ :-@inkedmuses / @goldenboybarracuda : Vivi is my favorite girl to talk all things Taylor swift. We just be clowning on Clownelia Street always. She also has a million characters that have such a depth to them and our characters will forever be in a feud over people they like. That is just the dynamics we have and I adore everything about it. I'll also happily skip hand in hand with you to the therapy we both clearly need. *wink wink*

BONUS:

.・゜-: ✧ :- @serpentsprince : If ya'll don't follow pressy, what are you even doing with your life? She is an amazing person, friend and writer. I love every character she brings to life and her witty commentary. We've been friends for awhile now, and I always get excited to write with her. getting to write ships against pressy is actually an honor. One that hurts, cause she always has so much damn angst...but I love it and keep coming back for it.

[louisrarepairfest]

LOUIS RARE PAIR FEST 2023

—Prompts—

[Submit a prompt you'd like to read here!]

✦ The prompt can specify a particular pairing or can use Louis/Character B as the pairing.

✦ Writers can sign up with one of these prompts or sign up with their own prompt not on this list.

✦ Prompts will be crossed off as they are chosen during sign ups.

(A) Louis/Character B are uni roommates

(B) Louis/Greg James - Louis takes Clifford to a secluded park and lets him run free for a few hours. A few weeks into going to a park, a friendly dog (Barney) Louis assumes is a stray comes over by him with a stick in his mouth and Louis plays fetch. This becomes a Thing every time. Louis notices Clifford has been gaining weight and can’t figure out why. One day, Clifford doesn’t come back like he usually does. Louis goes looking for him with (Barney) trailing on his heels. He’s just about to give up when (Barney) sprints away and Louis can’t stand the thought of losing two dogs in one day so he runs after him. Cut to…Louis finding a very tall, very handsome man, very excitedly welcoming Barney back with Clifford barely looking up from the almost gone bucket of dog food said very (very) handsome man clearly brought to the park. Confusion ensues since each thinks the other’s dog was a stray. Wild accusations from Louis about Greg making Clifford fat, jokes from Greg about how Barney has taken up finding perfect sticks and running away with his best one. They fall in love and become one big happy family.

( C ) Louis/Character B are musicians vying for the role of band leader at their former high school. They went there at the same time and were rivals then too, though for a totally different reason: they both had secret crushes on one another. When I've of them learns this, it changes everything.

(D) Girl direction! Louis/Character B are star athletes on the college (you choose the) sport team. They're both on the butch side, and it takes them a while to figure out that they're into one another and don't need to femme it up to get the other to like them.

(E) Omegaverse: Alpha Louis has never questioned who he is, a strong Alpha loving Alpha who defies stereotypes. When he meets character B, a beta, he certainly doesn't expect to fall for him (and hard)

(F) Famous Louis returns to his home town for his sister's wedding. When he sees his non-famous ex-boyfriend at the first wedding event of the weekend, sparks fly. Cue a whirlwind romance and a lot of big decisions about what they're both willing to do for love.

(G) Louis is a werewolf who's gotten good at hiding his nature in order to make a quiet life for himself in a small town. Character B is the vampire whose arrival coincides with a couple of murders that threaten his peaceful existence. When it becomes clear that B isn't behind the murders, he and Louis team up to find the real culprit (and maybe accidently fall in love along the way).

(H) Louis/Liam - Bros who get married for insurance purposes and then decide divorce isn’t worth the hassle.

(i) Louis/Charlie Lightening…no plot but sex on the ping pong table. Obviously. 

(J) Louis and his bandmates/opening band let off some steam by having a circle jerk. It might turn into more for some of them.

(K) Girl direction! Louis and character B are star athletes on the college (you choose the) sport team. They're both on the butch side, and it takes them a while to figure out that they're into one another and don't need to femme it up to get the other to like them.

(L) M/M Louis and Taylor Swift are rival quarterbacks for their town's 2 high school teams. Nobody knows that they've been secretly dating since sharing a NYE kiss. 

(M) Louis/Liam - everyone thinks Louis and Harry are together but it’s actually Louis and Liam

(N) Lilo hot water maintenance au based on this tumblr post

(O) Lilo Robin Hood AU

(P) Lilo Howl’s Moving Castle au

(Q) Louis and either Charlie or Nick from Heartstopper (the Netflixshow), friendship fic. Would love Louis either helping Nick through his sexuality crisis or Louis being there for Charlie through the events of the first season

(R) Omegaverse: Louis is about to turn 25 without having presented. As he debates undergoing the risky process to force a presentation, he meets Character B who helps him realize he doesn't necessarily have to "present" to be the alpha he know he is. (Omegaverse but make it trans and powerful!!)

(S) Person A falls in love with his gym bro, Louis based on this post

(T) Louis plays on the uni football team and Liam is on the athletics team. they pass each other to and from training all the time. cue attraction. they are or become friends and are secretly pining for a while before they eventually start dating

(U) Edwardian era Lilo au where they’re both working class. maybe one is a servant and one is a shop assistant, or both servants.

(V) Louis and David Dawson bond over their time with Harry

(W) Louis/Oscar Isaac- edwardian AU where Oscar is a poet and Louis is his muse

(X) Louis/Pedro Pascal AU where Louis is exploring in the arctic and needs a guide

(Y) Louis/Pedro Pascal Gladiator AU

(Z) Michael B. Jordan as a boxer and nurse Louis

(AA) Louis/Sebastian Stan arranged marriage royalty AU. Louis is betrothed to King Sebastian Stan, a widower with two kids who aren't to keen of the King's fiancé.

(BB) Louis/Sam Claflin - something based on the interview where Sam says Louis follows him on Twitter and that they've had a conversation but he doesn't want to get into it.

(CC) 27 dresses take off where Niall is always the best man, never the husband, and Louis is the snarky reporter.

(DD) Zouiam, uni AU - Zayn meets Liam at the library and falls halfway in love during a single conversation. It’s a fairy tale, only back home is Louis - his FWB, the most important person in Zayn’s life, and someone who doesn’t take well to losing out on attention. Louis' a bit put out when he meets Liam at football practice and this annoying, bossy, fit as all hell guy slides right in under all his defences. It could be the start of a beautiful term of fighting and fucking, only back home is Zayn. Zayn not only needs Louis - he’d become a full-time hermit otherwise - but it’s damn convenient having sex on tap right there in his own flat. And, oh yeah, Zayn’s like, his reflection or his shadow or his other half or something. Liam’s quite confused by having two drop dead gorgeous guys alternately sending him go signals, then just as quickly, stop. He figures if either of them settle on go, he’ll be batting a thousand. Then he realises they know each other. Biblically.

(EE) Louis is an actor in a murder mystery troupe. Character B (maybe Nick Grimshaw...?) is the audience member who’s clearly too cool for all this but giving joining in his best shot anyway. Louis is distracted by him all night, and then after the denouement they meet in the bar.

(FF) Louis/Greg James - Louis won’t stop whanging on about not getting to do the breakfast show with his new album, and character X (maybe Niall, or Oli?) eventually realises it's less career-related jealousy and more about who sits behind the mic. He hatches a matchmaking plan.

(GG) Louis/Zayn/Liam - something soft, canon and present day. Maybe Louis comes home to them after being away on tour. Lots of domesticity.

(HH) Character B joins local amateur dramatics society and suddenly Louis is no longer a shoo-in for every lead role. Cue the drama!

(ii) AU. Preschool teacher Louis / Boxer Sebastian Stan

(JJ) Yellowjackets AU! Girl direction, any pairing from the show, cutting from 1996 to present.

(KK) Louis/Cillian Murphy - 1970s criminal au (preferably with Louis as the criminal), based on this photo: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FvyDkCnWAAk1UwS?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

[spaceorphan18]

What is your opinion about the newbies and why they didn't work? Once I read a comment hey didn't work, because they didn't have plots with Rachel and Kurt. I'm not sure how it suppose to work, they were in different states, but I found this opinion interesting.

This is an interesting question and has a somewhat complex answer!

Let's break it down...

So, first, I've heard that people who've come to the show post-it airing don't seem to have as much of an issue with the newbies as the people who originally watched it. I mean, I haven't taken a poll in a while (BECAUSE I CAN'T) but I think the animosity towards the newbies has a few layers to it.

1. Let's look at what was going on with the rest of the show at the time. First of all, you've majorly reduced the screen time and/or have let go some of your old favorites. Puck, Quinn, Mercedes, and Mike are essentially /not/ on the show anymore. Santana doesn't really come back until half way through the season. Finn doesn't show up until episode four. And even Kurt's time has been reduced.

So -- we're going into the fourth season of the show and it feels like you've replaced half the cast.

2. The old casts' story lines are revolving around the break ups of all the major ships. So now there's new people we don't know taking up space, and all of our favorites lives are miserable.

2.B In addition -- the cast was already too big in Season 3, the fact that they've added more people just feels like a lot and so unnecessary. The should have trimmed the cast and let it stay trim -- but that damn 12 person per glee club rule...

3. The new cast is intentionally mirroring the characters we already know and care about. Marley = Rachel. Jake = Puck. Kitty = Quinn. Ryder = Finn. Unique = Mercedes/Kurt. (And later Bree = Santana.) Yes, I do think the new cast kind of grew into their own about half way through the fourth season, but recreating the molds of the original characters felt like the old characters we already loved were being replaced.

4. The new casts' story lines were terrible. They're already trying to shove Jake/Marley down our throats the minute they start interacting. It quickly turns into a love triangle that will drag on and on and on.... And then there's Marley's eating disorder story that was /terrible/.

5. And... yes, then there's the fact that they're mostly isolated from the old cast. They didn't need to be involved with Rachel and Kurt (who... should have been on a different show entirely, but that's a whole other thing). But they should have been more involved with Sam, Blaine, Brittany, Tina and Artie. In fact -- The five seniors should have had the focused story lines, and the new kids should have folded into theirs. There was barely any integration and by the time they started to fix this issue, it kind of felt like too little too late.

****

In contrast, look at how they handled the Season 6 newbies (which, imo, were better). Each of those characters were vastly different than anyone who came before them. And they were there to service Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine's stories. (Technically - the season 4 newbies were there to service Finn's, but not to the same extent.) The Season 6 newbies (with the exception of their one episode) did not over power the original casts' story lines -- they were integrated into them, and were mostly used for comic relief. If they had handled the Season 4 newbies the same way - the push back might not have been so hard.

And look - there are people (and ever were people back then) who like the Season 4 newbies. I think most of them have grown on me over the years. I enjoy Marley and Unique's friendship. Once Kitty gets out of the mean girl phase, I like her, too. And even Jake isn't that bad. (Ryder, I just can't even with him though, and the whole love triangle was so drawn out and boring...)

So, yeah. It's a thing where you can't just point to one issue and claim that was the reason. It was a mix of just an incredible mishandling of the beginning of Season 4. :P

[carriagelamp]

Well, if nothing else I read a shocking number of B books this month. I felt very fortunate this month -- I've been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately because of general stress and a lack of free time, but I managed to settle into quite a few physical books over February. It's honestly been a bit of a relief to have the time and headspace to curl up with a book.

A Boy Called Bat / Bat and the Waiting Game / Bat and the End of Everything

I read this trilogy because I had heard some pretty positive reviews for it. The story is about an autistic boy called Bixby Alexander Tam, nicknamed Bat. He has the nickname for a few reasons besides for the acronym — Bat feels it’s appropriate because he also: loves animals, has very sensitive hearing like a bat, and will flap his hands like wings when he’s excited. The story starts when his mom, a vet, brings home an orphaned skunk kit that needs caring for and Bat falls in love with it. The trilogy extends over the rest of Bat’s school year, a budding new friendship, and how he helps raise the kit and tries to convince his mom that he doesn’t need to be released into the wild but instead would make a perfect pet.

I felt… lukewarm to it, honestly. I think my problem is I went into it with the wrong expectations. The way it had been described to me, I thought it would be one of those more “artsy” ““highbrow”” children’s novels but it really reads more like a pretty standard fare Child Animal Story. Which is fine! A standard animal story is appealing to kids, and having some autistic rep in a basic book instead of exclusively in more artsy stuff is great. It was just a bit of a disappointment after I heard it so hyped.

It did have some interesting parallels/symbolism, but over all the plot was rather meandering without any real upticks, and the language was fairly plain and uninteresting. And the ending fell completely flat. It felt like the few themes the book was clinging were just completely dropped in the final yard. I would totally recommend them to an elementary kid that wants a cute animal/school story, but that’s about it. 

Ballet Shoes

This book I had a great time with. I’m reading a completely different novel that referenced back to this classic children’s novel and I ended up needing to detour to read this first so I could get the references. I’m glad I did! Normally I’d be put off by the title/aesthetic, because I’ve never been a kid into “ballerina stories” but I ended up really loving it. It made me think of similar books from the earlier 20th century, like A Little Princess or The Secret Garden or Anne of Green Gables, all of which I love.

Ballet Shoes is about a trio of adopted sister: Pauline, Petrova and Posy. Their guardian does their best to make ends meet and ensure the girls get an education, but the household funds are gradually dwindling and they’re soon struggling. Luck strikes though when they decided to let out rooms of their home for borders, and one ended up suggesting all three girls join a local ballet school — there they can train in dance, but can also start earning money at the age of twelve if they get cast in productions. The girls take to this training with varying degrees of enthusiasm, each one being a very unique, enjoyable character, and the book follows the different misadventures they have as they grow and enter the entertainment industry and continue to fight to make ends meet.

Despite how heavy that might sound, it was ultimately quite a charming, feel-good novel. It was perfect for a cosy blanket and a cup of tea.

Bedknob and Broomstick

I had watched the movie a number of times growing up but never once read the novel, so I finally remedied that. Did you realize that what we know as Bed-Knob and Broomstick is actually a compilation of two separate books, The Magic Bed-Knob and Bonfires and Broomsticks? I hadn’t! And I have to say, I think I enjoyed the second story more than the first.

For those who haven’t heard of the story at all, it’s about three children who are sent to the country to stay with their aunt, and during their summer they end up meeting a neighbour called Miss Price. Miss Price is a rather regular, proper young woman, with the added detail that she’s learning to become a witch through correspondence classes. When the children promise not to reveal her secret, Miss Price gifts them an enchanted bed-knob, one that will take them anywhere in place or time they would like to travel. The first story is about the places they adventure too. The second is some time later, when they are able to visit Miss Price once again, and are horrified to discover that she has given up witchcraft for good. The kids however are determined to use the bed-knob once more, this time to venture back into the past.

In all honesty, I was rather neutral to the book, especially given how racist the first half is. I was happy to have read the classic but I wouldn’t go out of my way to read it again.

The Boy in the Dress

Now, caveat right at the top: this book isn’t explicitly queer. At no point does anyone come out as gay or trans. But I do consider it queer in that the entire narrative is an ongoing conversation about what the gender binary means, and how one’s own identity, passions, and presentation can challenge that, and how people respond to those challenges.

The story follows 12 year old Dennis who lives in a very ordinary, plain household with his older brother and father, who attends a very ordinary, plain school, in a very ordinary, plain town. He loves playing football (soccer), hanging out with his friend, and he also loves dresses. He loves how bright and colourful and joyful they can be, when his life feels very bland. Dennis struggles with figuring out how to explore the interest while contending with the other people in his life who clearly disapprove. 

It’s a really earnest, heartwarming story.

Dogsbody

Ah, I love Diana Wynne Jones’ books, they’re always completely buckwild. This book was a ton of fun; as always with her books it really felt like I was reading something different and quirky and attention grabbing.

The main character of Dogsbody is Sirius — yes, the star. The story opens with him being put on trial, accused of killing another luminary and losing a powerful instrument called a Zoi. His sentence for this crime is to be stripped of his powers and cast down to earth, to spend one lifetime living in a humble, mortal form. If he can survive and find the Zoi within that lifetime, he will be welcomed back to the cosmos. 

Sirius is reborn a regular puppy, one with no memories of his previous life or powers or mission. The novel follows him gradually growing up under the care of a young girl and her cruel family as he attempts to regain his memories and figure out how to find his lost Zoi.

Dragon Rider

I haven’t read Dragon Rider since I was a kid, but I realized they had done a film of it… and man, that adaptation was not great. I remembered the book being better so I had to investigate. And I was right, the book is a really cute, enjoyable adventure with some charming characters.

The adventure starts when the hidden valley that Firedrake lives in is threatened by humans. The dragons have lived in small, hidden pockets for years, and now that it seems that the constant tide of humanity is pushing towards them they have no idea what to do. Only Firedrake takes up the challenge of venturing out of the valley in the search of a legendary place called the Rim of Heaven where dragons allegedly live in safety. Along with his dear friend the brownie Sorrel, and a young human they run into, they must plot of course that will take them across the globe, while avoiding an ancient, fearsome, dragon-hunting monster which has been without its preferred prey for centuries.

Grandpa’s Great Escape

I’ve been meaning to read David Walliams books for ages, ever since I saw them beginning to pop up in our local bookstore. I finally bought one on a whim, and wow, I was not disappointed. It reads exactly like a Roald Dahl novel, which is about the highest praise I can offer — I don’t think I’ve ever read anything that satisfies in the same way as Dahl before.

This novel follows Jack and his grandfather, a retired RAF pilot from WWII. His grandfather has become increasingly confused as the years progress, and often finds himself mixing up the present and his past glory days as a pilot; Jack is one of the few people who still finds it easy to talk to his grandfather because he is completely willing to meet him at his level, talk to him as if he really is still the Wing Commander. When his parents can no longer handle it though, they’re duped into send Jack’s grandpa to the wicked Twilight Towers. As the only one who can see how sinister the place really is, Jack is determined to save his grandfather.

It’s a truly hilarious story, since it’s written very much to read like a RAF pilot trying to escape from a Nazi concentration camp… except set in a nursing home! I can’t recommend this book enough, between the silly, heartfelt story, the occasional tragedy, and the fun illustrations, it’s such an addictive read.

I Think Our Son Is Gay v3

I read the first book of this series last month (whoops, I skipped 2… my library just happened to have the third in) and decided to try another. It’s a cute little series about a teenage boy experiencing his first crush. Though he hasn’t come out to his family yet, he’s a boy who seems incapable of lying, who has a face that gives him away easily, so his mother (the main POV character) is quite certain he’s gay and that he has a crush on his best friend. She is determined to be quietly supportive of her son until he’s ready to come out. The series is predominantly sweet and supportive little episodic stories, but it also layers in some of the everyday homophobia and microaggressions a gay teenager might experience in a homophobic society, even when people around him don’t know he’s gay. It’s a very worthwhile read.

Socks

This was a book that I read over and over in grade 2 and I had forgotten its name until just recently. I never read many Beverly Clearly books as a kid, since I preferred genre fiction over stories based around the real world / school, but I loved the silly story told from the pet cat's point of view.

The story is about Socks and the perfect family he’s adopted into… perfect until a new baby comes around and suddenly Socks is competing for attention.

The Squirrel, the Hare and the Little Grey Rabbit/ Hare Joins the Home Guard

I mentioned in my review about Ballet Shoes that I read it because another novel I’m reading referenced it: same for this book! The Squirrel, the Hare, and the Little Grey Rabbit is one of the picture books the main character of the other book often alludes to so I decided I needed to read it as well. This book was a cute, standard fare little picture book from that era. It’s about the very gentle, virtuous Grey Rabbit, and her rather bossier, lazier housemates, the Hare and the Squirrel. It was cute and the art was lovely, though I can’t say much beyond that.

I also read Hare Joins the Home Guard mostly because I was stunned and baffled by a Cute Animal Story explicitly jumping into WWII… though I suppose it makes sense! It came out in 1942 and it’s a pretty gentle way of holding a mirror up to some of the things children were certainly hearing about and experiencing in their real lives. In this, the various animals join the “home guard” in different roles (such as taking up arms, becoming a Red Cross nurse, digging shelters to protect children, or knitting for the “troops”) in order to fight off invading weasels. I would say it was also fairly “basic” were it not for the fact that it was hilarious to see this next to titles like Little Grey Rabbit Makes Lace. How often do you see Cute Lil Animals preparing gas masks for their chemical warfare plans?