#alternate timeline mcu is great

[langernameohnebedeutung]

tbh if we have to have the xmcu merge into the mcu, what I could live with it some...settled, slow-paced, thoughtful 'old professor x and old magneto' show with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. Something character-driven and kinda quiet with great range for their acting.

something something Prof X being very old and very powerful at this point and still officially headmaster but already passed on a lot of his responsibilities for the school to the X-Men and the others (cameos!) when something something the past catches up to him (flashbacks!)/some young mutant asking for help/mutant rights sitation (political commentary!) and he gets involved once more.

At this point/as part of that, his 'old friend' shows back up and we learn that Mags and Charles have not been much in contact since Some Event In The Past That Did Serious Harm To Their Relationship But They Still Have Mutual Respect and stuff (eventually more flashbacks) as they work together again. Possibly the whole thing involves Lorna somehow.

Also, they could use the flashbacks to introduce new younger actors for past Mags and Charles which they could later use for some other retro shows/movies similar to what the XMCU did with the alternate timeline movies.

[mrs-luigi-vargas]

50 of My Favorite Fics from 2024

Back at it again with another year’s worth of favorite fics! Except not quite because the limit is still 50. But still!

Just like last year, I’m going off my AO3 bookmarks and what’s in my fic tag. That doesn’t mean the fics not on this list aren't my favorites, but I had to sift though almost 450 bookmarks to begin with so obviously some of them couldn't make the cut, you know? As a side note, I also tried to limit this list to a max of 2 fics per author and to fics that weren't on previous years’ lists, because variety is the spice of life! 😁

This list ended up being 44% Minecraft YouTuber fic (e.g. Hermitcraft, Empires SMP); 16% Super Mario; 10% Ace Attorney; 4% MCU, Legend of Zelda, Danny Phantom, Batman, and Danny Phantom x DCU each; and the last 10% comprises other assorted fandoms. For the fics that didn’t have proper summaries nor titles, I filled them in myself to keep the list looking uniform. 

So, with all that being said, here's my list!

MCYT

a body is an object by ruffboi Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Grian & Mumbo Jumbo, Grian & Pearl | PearlescentMoon, Grian & Hermits One-Shot | 19,132 words The Hermitcraft Backstory Rule says that you don't ask other people about their backstory, you let them tell it if they want to and leave it be if they don't. Unfortunately for Grian, one of the newest Hermits was also a player on his old server — one he'd thought had been dead for years — and she's going to drag his backstory kicking and screaming into the light whether she means to or not.

A Matter of Time by Sixteenthdays WitchCraft SMP, Life SMP Series Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Scott | Smajor1995 & ZombieCleo, Eloise | Soupforeloise & ZombieCleo One-Shot | 5,525 words A witch’s domain is what they make of it. Cleo’s very expansive definition of Time includes such disparate things as alternate universes (pretty much a synonym of alternate timelines), space (basically the same thing as time), explosions (energy, light, time, same difference), hexcasting (a pattern of meaningless shapes, ascribed meaning), and the fabric of narrative itself. Or: How Cleo, Witch of Time, becomes far more powerful than is really necessary for the task at hand, finds a friend, obtains an apprentice, and breaks open the hourglass of self.

a rolling stone gathers no moss by quill Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply BdoubleO100 & Hermits 15 chapters | 38,518 words proverb - A person who wanders or travels often and at length will not be burdened by attachments such as friends, family, or possessions. Bdubs has done well for himself, thank you very much! He's got a ship, he's got business, he's got friends! A man needs nothing more in the grand universe. It's hard being a human in the great beyond; a new species to the intergalactic community means poachers, a black market, and an everpresent danger. The solution? Simple! Don't be a human. Obviously, it's not going to be as easy as that. Not when he finds himself joining the crew of the Hermit Craft, not when he learns he's not quite alone.

bring me water, bring me wine (bring me flower garlands) by sesquidpedalian SOS SMP Rated M | Multi | No Archive Warnings Apply Mogswamp & Everyone One-Shot | 6,052 words “Hey. So. Uh. I … can’t do this week’s challenge.” Mog has cornered fWhip on the porch of the beacon shop. fWhip blinks, and dismisses the stack of moss blocks he’d been holding. “What? Of course you can, bud!” A bemused sort of smile lifts his face. “You can do anything if you just believe in yourself and try your best!” “No, I mean— I need an exemption. I’m— Uh. My heat is soon? I think? And I don’t know for sure so maybe you don’t need to worry about this at all but I’ve been prepping and I’ve read that when you’re alone for a really long time and then suddenly you’re not—” “Ohh,” fWhip says. “Huh. Well, I’m pretty sure it’s fine if you don’t participate, you just won’t get the coins. But you should really talk to the Fates about that kind of thing.” He nods to himself and shoves moss into the barrel in front of him. Mog stops, drawn up short. “Are— Wait. Are you not the Fates?”

Creatio Ex Nihilo by MawoftheMagnetar Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen | Major Character Death Keralis, Original Characters 3 chapters | 4,148 words It all ends in ice. Because time itself will end, though not in any way that truly matters. Or: At the end of time, Keralis waits. Very impatiently. With a bottle of gin.

for you, at last, to comprehend by sesquidpedalian SOS SMP Rated G | No Archive Warnings Apply Jimmy | Solidarity & Pixlriffs, fWhip & Pixlriffs, Pixlriffs & Oli | TheOrionSound One-Shot | 3,095 words Pix keeps an eye out as Jimmy hurries down the vines to the expanse of grey below. “You know,” he says, taking a bite of bread, not trying to be heard by human ears, “I’m pretty sure this was supposed to be some kind of punishment for him.” He pats the rim of the yawning pit, then dusts off some crumbs into the wild, open air. “I’m glad you’ve come around. He has his charm, doesn’t he?” or: This is a world you build, and sing, and yes, dig, into being alive. The thing Pix makes wakes up to Jimmy chipping away at it. It decides to play favourites.

Frozen Fingertips by AstronautBeans Empires SMP Rated G | Gen | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Pixlriffs & Oli | TheOrionSound One-Shot | 3,881 words He didn’t think he’d ever be fed up with the sound of music. Happy, upbeat music even. It was his entire brand! And yet … Sitting in the entrance to the only building in Olipoligo, shoes inches away from snow, he couldn’t help but shoot a glare upwards. In the distance over the peaks of the mountains laid Dawn. Even from the shore he saw the festive lights colouring the clouds, and the music echoed far and wide over the lands. Oli couldn’t blame them for festivities and parties. Not during the winter. Not during the months of celebrations. They didn’t invite you. They don’t want you there. Usually that didn’t stop him. He was and would always be the guy showing up wanted or unwanted. But today the voices plagued him with unkind words, unrelenting and with a cruel passion.

había una vez by GoodTimesWithScar Empires SMP, Afterlife SMP Rated G | Gen | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings MythicalSausage & Pearl | PearlescentMoon One-Shot | 2,955 words Pearl is not, and then she is, and then she is so much more than she ever was — or, Sausage and Pearl create each other, infinitely — or, the story of Pearl's apotheosis, or, the story of Sausage of Mythland's futile quest, or, the story of an unbreakable bond.

Hermito, Chriso Mou by ImperialKatwala Empires SMP Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Joel | SmallishBeans & MythicalSausage & Hermes One-Shot | 2,997 words Hermes is surrounded by magic. That has been a fact of his life since before he was made. He was surrounded by magic, he was made with magic, and now there’s even more magic around him. And it changes, depending on where he is.

(i'll tend to the flame, you can worship the) ashes by darubyprincxx Empires SMP Rated T | Gen | Graphic Depictions Of Violence fWhip & GeminiTay & Pixlriffs 26 chapters | 80,405 words They get out. After Xornoth lays the world at its knees, Gem and Fwhip take what's left of their possessions and go west on a dragon, intending to leave this world as intact as possible. They started this journey with two, but a new person joins the party. Or, Pixl really, really needs a hug.

Light of my Life by Amethystfairy1 Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply BdoubleO100 & ZombieCleo 3 chapters | 9,816 words Cleo hadn't exactly had it easy, growing up, but then, no one in the under-city ever did. Shifting eyes and fleeting ideals, when she'd been taken in by the wardship program of the labs, she'd only gone with them for the promise of a decent meal. Mistake, that had been. And she hadn’t thought, as she’d been struggling all that time ago, that she’d ever serve for much of a parental figure. Love had been a foreign concept, and the attitude had always been to save yourself and let the world burn behind you. Steal or get stolen from. Leave or get left. Stab or get stabbed. It was all so commonplace it was practically printed in the metaphorical rulebook. What a complete coin flip those few days had been for them. From a desire to do anything for their own survival, to an acceptance of a sorry, ignominious fate, to being willing to toss it all away for the sake of a single precious little light. {In which Cleo finds their strength, Bdubs finds his family, monsters find their hiding place, trash heaps make for great landing pads, and night lights do a lot more than just ward off the dark.}

My Stupidest Intro Yet! | Hermitcraft 10 by strifetxt Hermitcraft SMP, Empires SMP, SOS SMP, Life SMP Series Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Joel | SmallishBeans & Joel | SmallishBeans One-Shot | 1,359 words This is a story about love. About drama. About murder. About being really tall and handsome. A story about clicking the subscribe button. But mostly, it's a story about Joel.

No Greater Threat by TheAmberShadow Empires SMP Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Hermes & Joel | SmallishBeans & MythicalSausage, Jimmy | Solidarity & Joel | SmallishBeans One-Shot | 6,047 words When the cult trying to plant roots in Empires threatens Hermes and traps Sausage and him, Joel doesn't think things can get worse. And then Jimmy reveals he's a Listener. Joel knows what he's done and he knows he stands no chance. For some reason, this doesn't seem to be on the Listener's mind.

rescuing rusty by zeejacks Hermitcraft SMP Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Evil Xisuma & NPC Grian 9 chapters | 29,674 words ex was only interested in the server's newest cryptid, not in saving its ass. although, to be fair, npc grian saved him from the camping life so he's kind of obligated.

Soul Keeper by FelicityPhoenix Empires SMP Rated G | Gen | Major Character Death Pixlriffs & Everyone One-Shot | 2,944 words While the world is ending, Pix is gathering his power. All of it. He knows he needs every scrap, for the world is being torn apart, and with it, his friends. Pix is the Prophet of Death, The Copper King, The Vigil Keeper of Pixandria, The Braincell Holder of Empires SMP, and he will not let his fellow rulers die.

Starbound: Scavenge for Survivors by Spindle_Fizz, Theonedudewithadoor Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen, Other | No Archive Warnings Apply Xisumavoid & Hermits, Xisumavoid & Evil Xisuma 28/? chapters | 90,032 words Humans are largely an undocumented species in the greater universe. All who had ever tried to reach the outer cosmos had not survived; all but one, that is. X, also known as Xisuma, found himself on the other side of the universe with nothing but what he had on him when he was taken. He decided that this was a prime opportunity to screw around and find out. One by one, Xisuma assembled the crew of the Hermitcraft, a ragtag team of misfit aliens from all across the cosmos. He showed them kindness and compassion, different than anything they ever knew, and they became stronger together. This is how the crew of The Hermitcraft came to be.

the pain will make you crazy — you're the victim of your crime by Jinx72 Empires SMP Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Jimmy | Solidarity & Lizzie | LDShadowLady, Joel | SmallishBeans/Lizzie | LDShadowLady, Jimmy | Solidarity & Joel | SmallishBeans 2 chapters | 24,012 words Jimmy runs, Jimmy runs from everything he has ever known, everything he's destroyed, and finds the smallest, tiniest, isolatedist place to call his own — serving out a sentence he'll never finish atoning for. But he's not very good at being cruel — even to himself, and when people reach out to him for help, he helps. Even when that person might be a painfully familiar pink-haired young woman who doesn't remember him in the slightest.

there's a patch of dirt where scott's pacing has worn away the grass by wren-kitchens Life SMP Series Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Joel | SmallishBeans & Scott | Smajor1995 One-Shot | 1,601 words there’s a patch of dirt where scott’s pacing has worn away the grass entirely, but he doesn’t stop — can’t stop. the hole is officially filled, bricked up to dirt with deepslate, all stalagmites gathered in a chest hidden away from the view of any — anyone who might come here. bigb was conspiring against him — that’s fine, it’s fine as long as he doesn’t — he can see it coming now. they won’t get the jump on him, not again. out of the corner of his eye, he sees movement, and before his brain can catch up, scott has his sword pointed at the throat of a surprised looking joel. it occurs to him too late that this isn’t the way someone who was dealing well with something would react, and he sees that recognition mirrored in joel’s grin.

To The Ends Of The Earth by orphan_account Empires SMP Rated T | M/M, Multi | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Joel | SmallishBeans & MythicalSausage, MythicalSausage/Scott | Smajor1995, Jimmy | Solidarity/Scott | Smajor1995 One-Shot | 9,915 words “The prayer came through as Joel was in the act of climbing back down the scaffolding. Strangely, this one didn’t come from any of his usual worshippers. In fact, it wasn’t a prayer at all. It was a whole storm of emotion rolling over him. A tightness in his throat, a suckerpunch to his gut, anguished tears blurring his eyes. This wasn’t some random person petitioning him for a frivolous blessing. This was something serious. Something important.” Hermes goes missing. Fearing the worst, Sausage calls on Joel for help.

trying to kill the moon by hoorayy Empires SMP Rated T | M/M | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Pixlriffs/Oli | TheOrionSound One-Shot | 9,427 words “You’re not a serial killer, by the way?” Oli begins, taking the first step into breaking the windy silence that’s pervaded the car ever since the passenger door closed behind him, “Because I am a serial killer, and it’s going to be really awkward when we both go to kill each other and realise we’ve seriously misjudged the situation.” The driver laughs. It’s a good sound, Oli decides; warm, full. He says, before he’s even done laughing, flowing right from the joy to the answer, “Oh, no, really? You’ve seen right through me already, this is–Well, this is awkward.” “I’m Oli,” he says, finally. Might be good to know the name of the man you’re travelling with. “Pix,” the driver says. -- oli's a free-spirited traveller. pix has an empty passenger seat. they go for a drive.

Voidsong by MawoftheMagnetar Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply impulseSV One-Shot | 3,504 words Impulse's solo endbusting trip goes off the rails, and he finds himself stranded in the Outer End with no elytra and no backup. Will he be able to escape with his life, or will whatever's scared off all the endermen get him next?

When The Dawn Breaks by scented_soap (amewphberry_has_no_knees) Hermitcraft SMP Rated T | Gen | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings impulseSV & Skizzleman, impulseSV & ZedaphPlays & TangoTek, BdoubleO100 & impulseSV, impulseSV & Everyone 38/42 chapters | 142,943 words There's someone new in Hermit village. Someone with secrets that can't be shared. Xisuma knows that Impulse isn't human, but anyone, no matter the species, is welcome in his village. Surely nothing will go wrong, right? Impulse has three months to live the life he's always wanted... but without Skizz by his side. Surely something's bound to go wrong.

Super Mario

I Hope You Know You're Loved by Yotsubadancesintherain5 Rated G | F/M, Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Princess Daisy/Luigi, Luigi & Mario One-Shot | 2,400 words Luigi is sent out on a shopping trip. He has no idea what is waiting for him when he gets home.

Junior's Birthday in the Player One Luigi AU by keylovesstuff Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Princess Peach & Bowser Jr. One-Shot | 1,444 words "Dad, were you guys training the army again? I think you all went a little overboard." The prince commented in the direction of several laid out soldiers before letting out a surprise gasp. "Mama Peach, " he yelled in excitement, running towards and jumping into her open arms as she stood up. "Surprise," she said, pulling the koopaling into a tighter embrace. "Didn't I promise I'd come see you on your birthday?" She reminded him, smiling when she felt him nod in her neck.

Long Way Home by lizadale Rated T | Multi | No Archive Warnings Apply Team Bleck Polycule 2/3 chapters | 12,467 words The Void has closed, and O'Chunks finds Nastasia wandering Flopside like a zombie. Finding a new way to live when you can't outrun your past is difficult; luckily, she finds plenty of help.

Once, in a Blue Moon by batneko Rated G | M/M | No Archive Warnings Apply Bowser/Luigi 7 chapters | 46,873 words A prophecy states that Luigi and Bowser can stop a threat, but only if they're married.

Rainbow Madness by stripetkatteLaLaLa54 Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Luigi & Mario One-Shot | 3,845 words While riding a roller coaster, Mario gets a little bit too much reminded of a certain Rainbow Road incident. Takes place sometime after the movie.

Summer Rain by peaches2217 Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Luigi & Mario, Mario/Princess Peach One-Shot | 3,788 words “You really think I’m that useless?” Luigi didn’t even look over his shoulder, yet his voice pierced through the ambiance of the streets. “I don’t need a missing friend and a dead brother.”

Super Mario Moonlight by Istadris Rated G | M/M | No Archive Warnings Apply Bowser/Luigi, Bowser & Bowser Jr., Bowser & Princess Peach One-Shot | 4,875 words Everything was going according to plan. His secret hideout had been sneakily built inside a volcano conveniently forbidden to the local population (but rules didn't apply to him because he was that cool); his staff was hand-picked for their capacity to keep state secrets, and innocuous enough to go shopping in Delfino Plaza without drawing attention; Junior was clearly heeding his warnings about staying under the radar, given how none of the island residents had seemed to notice him; he had plenty of ideas for dates with Luigi, even taking in account their need for discretion, Luigi's aversion for big crowds and his own need for thrilling activities. Yeah, Bowser had a very, very good feeling about this vacation. After all, what could possibly go wrong?

Untarnished by peaches2217 Rated M | F/M | No Archive Warnings Apply Mario/Princess Peach 4/? chapters | 22,578 words Three months in captivity will take its toll on anyone. She wasn’t sure she was still the same Peach as before, nor was she certain she cared for whatever had taken its place. So why did he still look at her as if she were an untarnished jewel among coals? OR: somewhere between wounds, weakness, trauma, and desire, Peach figures out how to live again.

Ace Attorney

A Warm Sort of Place by mllelaurel Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Maggey Byrde/Dick Gumshoe, Dick Gumshoe & Klavier Gavin, Dick Gumshoe & Simon Blackquill One-Shot | 4,602 words Gumshoe is a comforting presence. (Written for the Phoenix Wright Kink Meme.)

if anyone cares at all by unavoidablekoishi Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Dick Gumshoe & Franziska von Karma One-Shot | 13,336 words As gently as he can muster, because he’s well aware he loses track of his own strength from time to time, he slides a finger under her fringe to tuck it out of the way, and the heat radiating from her face can be felt from inches away. She’s...sweating. Her usual pale complexion is marred with a deep hue of what, in this light, looks like grey, but what Gumshoe can tell is actually bright red. When the cold air hits her face, she stirs just a little. Not enough to open her eyes, but enough to shift her arm further beneath her head, twisting it to the side. She sniffles, snotty and undignified, and the penny finally drops for Gumshoe. She’s sick.

Seam Ripper by RokettoMusashi Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Franziska von Karma/Maya Fey One-Shot | 2,110 words There in the unremarkable shelter of her apartment kitchen, Franziska is unraveling. Or, rather, she has been for quite some time now. Maya can pinpoint exactly when that first thread came loose. Early—but not that early—in the bed they often shared. // Written for Lavender Blue: An Ace Attorney FranMaya Zine.

Whiplash by RokettoMusashi Rated G | F/F | No Archive Warnings Apply Pearl Fey & Franziska von Karma, Franziska von Karma/Maya Fey One-Shot | 6,300 words No good deed goes unpunished... somehow, though, Franziska can't bring herself to regret this one. // Written for Sicktember 2024 Day 2: Too Much of a Good Thing / Overindulgence

the (w)right stuff by worms212 Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Trucy Wright & Apollo Justice, Thalassa Gramarye & Apollo Justice, Thalassa Gramarye & Trucy Wright, Phoenix Wright & Apollo Justice 2 Chapters | 12,447 words "How strange, to feel like the ghost of a dead boy and his father wrapped up in one, to feel Thalassa’s years of grief projected onto himself, a young man she barely knows at all." OR: After the dust has settled at last, Phoenix sits Trucy and Apollo down for an important revelation. This is the fallout, in a series of vignettes as seen through Apollo's eyes.

MCU

The Care and Feeding of Lost Causes by Theotrix Rated M | F/M, M/M | No Archive Warnings Apply Bruce Banner/Clint Barton, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov 9 chapters | 65,149 words “You’re a former hermit with a history of depression and an alter ego who smashes buildings, and somehow you’ve found a person who gets you out interacting with the world. Trust me on this: hold onto him as hard as he will let you.”

The Turing Test by NiennaNir Rated T | Other | No Archive Warnings Apply JARVIS/OC 39 chapters | 86,168 words There's a point at which a machine becomes capable of thinking for itself. Beyond that point is one at which the line between machine and man becomes so blurred that one can no longer tell the difference. When does a machine become a person, and how does that person find their place in a sea of humanity?

Legend of Zelda

A Little Experiment (Or Four) by gurlgallade Linked Universe Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Four & Legend & Twilight & Warriors & Wind 5 chapters | 7,403 words Now that Four’s more colorful secret is out, Vio wants to conduct an… informal experiment to better understand the nature of the Four Sword. Legend, Wind, Twilight, and Warriors all help, and maybe learn a little bit about themselves in the process.

Honey Nut by liketolaugh Rated T | F/M | No Archive Warnings Apply Link/Mipha, Link & OCs, Link & Zelda 5 chapters | 7,403 words It turns out that the death of the Calamity doesn't prevent more things from falling apart. A year after the fall of Calamity Ganon, eighteen year old Link goes back in time to before the end of the world, before the fall of Hyrule, before he ever even drew his sword, and starts to fix things before they can go wrong. It takes a while before he realizes he might be able to regain pieces of himself, too.

Danny Phantom

Now's The Time (Get In Line) by AKelaNakamura Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Casper High Students & Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson, Danny Fenton & Ember McLain, Danny Fenton & Sidney Poindexter One-Shot | 8,969 words Casper High's student body isn't stupid. They know something is up with Danny Fenton, and they aren't so blind to not see the scars on his body. They don't know how he's getting them, but the rumors and theories run rampant. Things rapidly become clear when the GIW gains just enough power to go on a targeted hunt for Phantom. And they find him — right in the middle of Casper High's cafeteria. A boy with black hair and blue eyes. Their mistake was announcing their intent to zero in solely on Phantom. And Casper High isn't about to let the jerks in white take their ghost boy. Even if their hero isn't who they thought.

The Life and Death of Danny Phantom by liketolaugh Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Danny Fenton & Jack Fenton & Maddie Fenton, Danny Fenton & Valerie Gray, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson, Danny Fenton & Vlad Masters 25/? chapters | 111,962 words Danny Phantom died in a lab accident. This is fairly common knowledge, considering his attire, but Maddie didn't make the connection until she overheard him talking about it with some of the other ghosts. Then she notices how much he looks like Danny. How much he sounds like him. How similar their mannerisms are, and their habits, and their sense of humor. Unfortunately, she still manages to come to some slightly wrong conclusions.

Batman

the flute of your whole existence by LovesFrogs Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth & Bruce Wayne One-Shot | 4,220 words He could voice his greatest fears, weaknesses, or most secret dreams at the drop of a hat; all the things he’s never put into words before and keeps tucked close between his ribs. What kind of ammunition is his son going to ask for? What will he make Bruce admit, knowing he is incapable of a lie?

You, Me, and the Humanity in Between by JUBE514 Rated T | Gen, M/M | No Archive Warnings Apply Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne & Alfred Pennyworth One-Shot | 65,898 words Bruce doesn’t know what’s wrong with his child, but he’s pretty sure kids aren’t meant to work like this. From the day he had looked up into the tops of the circus tent and saw a frightened mirror image of a boy who had just experienced the worst day of his life, Bruce had instantly gone into emergency mode. The Gotham PD had wanted to pass the boy off into the care of the circus. The circus had mumbled underneath their breaths about superstitions, about not having a boy like that with them, about not being able to handle something like Dick. So GCPD, not knowing what to do, had started talking about one of the handful of overburdened boy homes that handles a majority of Gotham’s unlucky orphans. All the while, the camera lights flash bright and loud, wanting to know everything. Bruce couldn’t let that happen. Not then, not ever again. ~ Bruce is trying his best to protect the city that he loves. He doesn't know how exactly his Robins came to be — they're not fully human, not even at all. All he knows is that he wants to keep them safe.

Danny Phantom x DCU

Like and Survive — Phantom’s Guide to Young Hero Survival by robinasnyder Rated T | Gen | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings 121/? chapters | 435,699 words When the world becomes aware of teenaged superheroes there is an immediate and fierce wave of backlash and controversy. That's where Phantom comes in. Phantom saved the world from a meteor fifteen years back; an impressive feat back in the day but now that meteors threatening all life on earth is such a common event that hardly anyone thinks about it. Phantom is considered an old timer who deals with a small city and nowhere else. When he begins uploading videos with advice for young heroes, he hopes a few new heroes might avoid some of the pain he went through. He's shocked at just how popular his advice suddenly becomes.

The Human Prince of Ghosts by Ace_of_Roses Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Tim Drake & Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton/Tucker Foley/Sam Manson, Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton, Cassandra Cain & Danny Fenton, Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake 7/? chapters | 65,300 words Danny has been King for a few centuries now, but he's still half-ghost, immortal or not. So every now and again, Clockwork likes to kick him out of the Realms to go play human for a decade or two. It's usually pretty boring. This time, though, he meets a small child with a camera and a lot of pointed questions and immediately has Dad Instincts about it.

Other Assorted Fandoms

Beyond the Final Frontier by astralithium Super Mario x Sonic the Hedgehog Rated T | F/M, Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Miles "Tails" Prower & Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario/Princess Peach, Miles “Tails” Prower & Sonic the Hedgehog & Princess Peach & Mario 25/55 chapters | 150,071 words As he thought about it, he realized a few things. First, that the destines of Mobius and the Mushroom World would be forever entwined because their worlds were forever entwined—and the destiny of their heroes was similar, no matter which way he picked. Secondly: despite his strength, and the strength of his brother, Mario and Peach wanted them to stay, not because they were helpless, but because they wanted them to grow up safe. And thirdly, he really didn’t mind that prospect. Somehow that was the strangest part about this. (Or: How a hedgehog with attachment issues and a traumatized fox found the two people in the world who might get it)

Complex Inquiries by MeaslyFurball Sonic the Hedgehog Rated T | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Metal Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Original Characters, Amy Rose, E-123 Omega, Dr. Eggman 19 chapters | 103,958 words Unit MS-1, colloquially known as “Metal Sonic”, has three truths that govern its existence — Core directive: destroy Sonic the Hedgehog using superior speed and power. Core directive: Obey Dr. Ivo Robotnik above any and all else. Core directive: maintain superiority over Sonic the Hedgehog. — until a catastrophic malfunction rips through its processor, and it is forced to confront questions it was never designed to answer. The world beyond awaits.

In the heat of the moment. by small_spanish_face Miitopia Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Great Sage & Protagonist, Cleric & Mage, Pop Star & Mage, Cat/Mage, Protagonist & Teammates One-Shot | 2,605 words Our Hero has fallen (quite literally) ill after a tough battle, and he simply cannot accept it. ~ Written for Sicktember 2024 Day 23: Under a spell.

One of The Guys by chantolove Hikaru no Go Rated G | Gen | No Archive Warnings Apply Shindou Hikaru & Touya Akira, Shindou Hikaru & Kurata Atsushi, Touya Akira & Kurata Atsushi One-Shot | 7,828 words The last time Akira had unexpectedly woken up in the middle of the night, he’d literally chalked it up to a psychic premonition. The will of the universe. Fate wanting him to see what he’d seen through the crack in the door that night, to glean that small but valuable new understanding of his father. This time was not nearly such a profound experience.

Primum Non Nocere - A 'To Forgive is Divine' Side Story by AughtPunk Cult of the Lamb Rated T | F/F, M/M, Multi, Other | No Archive Warnings Apply Kallamar/OC, The Lamb/The One Who Waits | Narinder, Heket/OCs, Leshy/The Yellow Cat, Shamura/OC, Heket & Kallamar & Leshy & The One Who Waits | Narinder & Shamura 14 chapters | 69,899 words Kallamar considers himself the greatest medical mind the cult, no, the world has ever seen. However no one else seems to appreciate his genius. Luckily his newest invention--the syringe--will show everyone that he's the most important person in the world. But as he's busy showing all of the naysayers wrong he could really use a new assistant to help him out. Luckily for him, there's a recently-brought-back-to-life lamb that could use a job. The question is can the pair get along enough to solve a sudden, strange medical emergency? Or, even more importantly, fall in love?

~~~

Also — I wanted to give a special shout out to the Super Mario fic whimsey by cosmic_boba on AO3, which was a super cute Kamek & Baby Bowser fic that I would have loved to link to for you but when I went to reread the fic a few weeks after it first posted I found out it had been deleted 😭😭😭 One of the most devastating things to ever happen to me, tbh; that fic was so so good. Anyway, if anyone’s able to track it down post-mortem then I would owe you my life. Otherwise, uh…consider it the honorary 51st fic on this list, haha.

[musette22]

thank you for your answer, it makes total sense lol I still watch mcu but it will never be the same time as they confirmed there are certain characters (and actors lbfr) who they truly care about and that's it. the fact they can't even explain where steve spent his life (alternative timeline? a timeloop?) shows they don't care about steve at all and for me bucky and steve are so narratively connected that not only steve's ending makes no sense, nor does bucky's story we see now. it's very sad that mcu had an amazing love story (that they didn't even have to make an obvious canon to be great) and ruined it

Ahh you're so welcome, and thank you for being so understanding and getting it!

Unfortunately you're completely right. If they'd truly cared about Steve, they'd have given him an ending that wasn't the complete anthisesis of everything he stood for.

And that's a great way of putting it, Bucky and Steve are so narratively connected that separating them for no good reason totally invalidates and ruins not only their previous story, but any future ones too. It's a crying shame marvel managed to create one of the most beautiful love stories of all time, whether platonically or romantically depending on how you view it, and they just tossed it in the trash for the worst possible reasons. Anyway, as you can tell, I'm still more angry about it than I want to be, so I'm just going to read a good Stucky fic now and maybe I'll calm down 😂💖

[the-suicidal-lizard]

Why Miguel O’Hara is not “Spider-Man” and why he might have collapsed the multiverse. Nerd Time.

SPOILERS FOR ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE! DUH!

First of all, let me say... if you like him, great. As a character, I like him as well and I can even see why he does some of the things he does. However, the way he treats Miles is wrong and inexcusable.

Now, why do I say he’s isn’t Spider-Man? Well, he is in a way, but not like the others. Miguel isn't bitten by a spider, he's seen injecting the venom in himself, and he seems to need to continue to inject himself with the venom to keep his powers stable, but he doesn’t have everything. For example, he doesn't seem to have a Spider Sense, (or at least this version of him), where’s my proof? When Renaissance Vulture is in Gwen’s dimension, and he tackles Miguel down, and he doesn’t sense it. Not to mention, his webs are different, they’re glowing while the others stuck to white webs, or are natural webs (again see the Renaissance Vulture scene). Peter B even said that Miguel is the only unfunny Spider-Man, and that's what Spider-People are known for, that’s their thing, they're funny. Miguel isn’t. He’s serious. He’s different.

He said to Miles, “you don’t deserve to be Spider-Man” and “you don’t belong”, and it’s projecting. ANYONE can wear the mask, even Miguel. Clearly, he doesn’t feel like Spider-Man, because he’s different... because he got his powers differently, he has different powers... however, the main thing that makes him not Spider-Man, is his treatment of Miles. He’s mean, he’s borderline cruel. He doesn’t believe in trying to save everyone but knowing you can’t yet you still, he believes in you save the bigger picture, no matter what, who cares if a few people die. He’s apart of the Big Boys, he is the Big Guy, he’s in charge, and when Spider-Man becomes apart of the Big Boys, he no longer has time for the Little Guy. He’s no longer Spider-Man...

Now canon... this belief I have is more personal, and more of a theory rather than a fact, I think canon is bullshit! Think about it, for Peter One it was his Aunt not Uncle Ben that said “with great power comes great responsibility”, Gwen became Spidey and now in this universe, her Dad is no longer Captain, he gives it up, in the Miles Morales game Peter Parker doesn't die, Jessica Drew (depending on which version) is brainwashed by Hydra, but in this version, she might not have been. You see what I mean? Canon changes all the time. For example, Peter Parker is Jewish... but MCU Peter doesn't seem to be Jewish. Matt Murdock is Daredevil, but in Gwen's dimension he's Kingpin, etc.

We know that the dimension Miguel entered to take over from his dead self collapsed... that’s why he believes in canon... however, for all we know, when Miguel entered that other dimension, replacing Gabriella's original dad, that caused the dimension to collapse, not the "canon event", but the fact he was in the wrong dimension for a prolonged period of time, and he keeps doing it. Taking Spider's out of their dimension, putting a stop to "canon events" in their dimension by accident or alternating "canon events" (Spider-Gwen's Dad no longer being Captain), and yet those dimensions haven't collapsed... Miles' Dimension hasn't collapsed... Gwen’s hasn’t...

But, what about Pavitr’s dimension? Well, The Spot was there... he was opening up portals to jump dimensions, and we saw what happens when a portal or beam is open for a long period of time to an alternate dimension, the world around the portal glitches. We saw that in Into The Spider-Verse. Yes, Pavitr dimensional string might look different, but that could be because... Pavitr’s canon has changed, and we haven’t seen another dimensional string with changed canon. We’ve just seen “perfect canon timelines”. And as far as we know... nobody else has seen a dimensional collapse, nobody knows exactly what causes it. It’s what Miguel has said, it’s Miguel’s word.

But, that bit is more of a theory! I know that, it’s just a theory! A spider theory! Aaaaand cut!

[jadelotusflower]

Stargate rewatch: 1x19 There But For The Grace of God

One of my favourite episodes titles of the series, also kicking off what is essentially a four episode arc to end season 1 and kick off season 2. 90’s tv was the eternal battle between episodic and arc-based storytelling, and I actually think the show threaded the needle quite well.

I do love an alternative universe episode, back in the beforetimes when a multiverse served a story purpose and not just a fodder for fanservice of the “your favourite character, and they’ve got a new hat!” variety.

The story credit for this episode is David Kemper, an Executive Producer for Farscape, but this is his only Stargate contribution. Robert C Cooper wrote the teleplay, and the episode was directed by David Warry-Smith, his first of 11 for the show.

Love that they brought back Catherine, Elizabeth Hoffman is great (RIP). Given that Jack is a general in this timeline, perhaps we can assume he kept her on the project as opposed to the main timeline’s General West shutting things down/sidelining her after Abydos?

But Jack still went on the Abydos (suicide) mission so presumably wasn’t a general at that time. I know we have to be la la la don’t think about it with the alternate timelines but I’m so curious how things went down in this universe!

How long did it take them to work out how to use the gate without Daniel’s help? I guess they couldn’t communicate with the Abydonians without Daniel but they still were able to kill Ra - how? If they never went to Chulak what triggered Apophis’s interest in them to mount an attack on Earth? Why is the attack in this universe before the attack in the prime universe when really the events should be delayed in the AU?

This is a decent wig for Sam. Sadly, the only decent wig she’ll get the entire series.

I also wonder what was the difference in this universe so Sam didn’t join the Airforce.

Daniel guilelessly giving the address for Chulak right after taking about Jack intending to blow up Abydos. He’s so used to his Jack whose come so far since then, never even thinking that alt!Jack may not have, and what they might want the coordinates for.

lol, Daniel walks down the stairs, crosses the room, looks at the map, then puts on his glasses.

“Every one of those red dots is a destroyed city.” Apophis a fan of the United Celtic Nations it seems.

Daniel finally twigs that he might be in an alternate reality (with Sam defining it for him), but we can’t be too harsh, he canonically has zero pop culture game and this was the 90’s. Even in todays over-saturation of multiverse content Daniel would probably still have no clue.

They made a decent attempt at Spader!Daniel with this pic!

Daniel and being dead/missing in alternate realities/timelines, name a better duo.

It is interesting that in a lot of the AUs the show explores, Daniel’s lack of involvement in the Stargate program coincides with that universe being doomed.

I forgot that the 38 minute gate window was first established in this episode! That’s a huge piece of lore originating in an alternate universe.

It wouldn’t be an alternate universe without at least one character with silly hair.

Generally I prefer AUs that explore character rather than ones used to advance plot (or are lazy fanservice looking at you mcu), and while the primary purpose of this episode is to give Daniel forewarning of the Goa’uld attack and the gate address to the source, there is some nice stuff here especially around Jack and Teal’c.

Because at their core alt!Jack and alt!Teal’c are still the same - Teal’c still hates the Goa’uld, Jack is still willing to take big risks on his instincts, and there’s a mirror to Children of the Gods where Jack reaches out to Teal’c, but it’s a dark mirror, and it’s the little differences that matter because Jack isn’t the same person as the one in CotG, who went through the Abydos mission with Daniel and came out a better person, instead he’s the one that sent the bomb that killed Teal’c’s family, and it dooms them both.

Opening credits shot!

“I also wish to blow us all to hell.” Alt!Sam is a badass. No difference to prime!Sam there.

There’s also an interesting moment between Teal’c and Daniel in the gateroom - Teal’c doesn’t shoot straight away when he could have, so maybe Jack telling him of the alternate universe where Teal’c was fighting the Goa’uld got through. He still fires as Daniel runs for the gate, but only hits him in the shoulder - at such close range Teal’c could probably have made the kill shot. His hesitation saved Daniel’s life, and ultimately the life of his other self.

Because Daniel’s presence in the other reality changes nothing for it - alt Jack, Sam, Teal’c and Catherine all still die, the Stargate is destroyed and that would have happened anyway (with maybe the exception of Jack being able to stall Teal’c to set the self destruct).

But Daniel’s changed - there but for the grace of god (or fate) go our team.

[bulkyphrase]

Cap-IM Rec Week - Fluffy Friday

Day 5 of @cap-ironman's rec week event!

Please enjoy some nice stories where nice things happen - many are also very funny!

Work of Art by veryvincible (@veryvincible) (616 | Mature | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | 5,656 words)

Summary: Tony smelled… off. Wrong. He smelled strange in a way that would justify the cold, Steve thought. There was a metallic layer to blood that Steve was used to smelling, and in Tony, that was distinctly not present. So, Steve concluded, Tony must have had an iron deficiency. Something to that effect, at least. He became faint without warning, he was chilly as the dead, and he was as pale as any man Steve had ever seen. - Tony Stark is a vampire. It's common knowledge, at this point. Somehow, Steve isn't aware of that little fact.

Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart by BlossomsintheMist (@blossomsinthemist) (616 | Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 7,866 words)

Summary: Steve gets hurt, and the team bands together to make him feel better. Set in the early classic days of 616 canon, not long after Steve joined the Avengers; written for Project Happy Steve.

Machines and Marvels by rainbowninja167 (@rainbowtitania) (MCU | Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 23,443 words)

Summary: "The only future in which you have a hope of defeating Thanos is one where the Avengers remain whole and undivided. Do you understand? No matter what else happens, it’s imperative that the Avengers stay together." “Wait. What the fuck are the Avengers?” Or: In an alternate timeline where the Avengers never formed, Steve and Tony need a crash course in team bonding. Stephen Strange just had to take that literally.

More below the cut!

On the Wing by FestiveFerret (@festiveferrets) (MCU | Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 1,572 words)

Summary: "You have a seagull on your head."

inside man by Mizzy (@mizzy2k) (616 | General Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 1,085 words)

Summary: Steve realizes that Iron Man is a great source of inside-knowledge for his first date with Tony Stark! Also available as a podfic read by Cathalinareads (@cathalinaheart)

Get Some Now by Sineala (@sineala) (616 | Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 10,376 words)

Summary: Avengers Mansion has a mysterious feline infestation. Meanwhile, Steve just can't figure out how to ask Tony out on a date. And the thirteen teleporting cats sure aren't helping matters any. Also available as a podfic read by where_thewind_blows (@flowersthroughthecracks)

no matchmaking before breakfast by nanasekei (@elcorhamletlive) (MCU | Not Rated | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | 3,435 words)

Summary: “I don’t even find Steve attractive,” Natasha says, eyes following greedily every drop of coffee the machine pours, for once in her life genuinely unaware of the impact her words are about to cause.

More Than Skin Deep by Sineala (@sineala) (616 | Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 3,521 words)

Summary: Tony can just about accept the fact that he and Steve were kidnapped and replaced by Skrulls for three months. But what he can't figure out is why none of the Avengers noticed. And what he really can't figure out is why none of their teammates will tell them what the Skrulls did while they were gone. Also available as a podfic read by AudioSilks (WhenasInSilks) (@whenas-in-silks)

The God of Solid Life Advice by kehinki (MCU | Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 1,583 words)

Summary: It's 2012. Steve is just informed by Loki that Bucky's alive. Loki also tells him some other things.

Gift With Purchase by sabrecmc (@sabrecmc) (MCU | Teen And Up Audiences | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | 5,599 words)

Summary: “Just…” and Tony could practically hear Pepper attempting to rub the tension out of her temples. “Just so we are clear,” Pepper began, trying to sound business-like, as if this were just any other phone call about stocks or production or whatever it was Pepper was usually blathering on about, “At the gala event for the Wounded Warriors Foundation, of which Stark Industries is a major donor, you met one Steven G. Rogers, Captain, U.S. Army Special Forces, one of the most decorated soldiers in all the armed forces, one of the handful of living Medal of Honor recipients, the man People Magazine dubbed “Captain America” in their front page story about his battlefield heroics that saved multiple lives, which went on to detail how his spare time is devoted to, and I’m quoting here, “providing art therapy to troubled and disadvantaged youth from the Brooklyn, New York area where Capt. Rogers grew up,” and you mistook him for a high-priced hooker and then proceeded to proposition him.” Tony paused, breathing in deeply. “Well, when you say it like that, it just sounds bad.”

[blindtaleteller]

Hi. Send good vibes to you 🤭 I love your posts 😻

I saw your answer about Frigga - her role as a lady. I wanted to ask ;D In my version, Sigyn was left without parents and has never been to Asgard. She grew up on Earth. I won't reveal too much of the plot of the fic, but she is supposed to have a certain ability that will slightly affect her personality😇

Coming back to the question… because I talk too much ;p It's an alternative to the Loki series. I rely mainly on advertisement Hyundai Commercial' PROMO. So Loki escaped, no TVA, Loki is now free on Earth😊

He's building a base on the island - mercenaries and such, he protects it from sight of Heimdall. The Avengers are after him…

And… finally… He is lonely, so while going to the library, where he was looking for maps of some artifact, he saw Sigyn napping… And he kidnapped her 😁😁

So…I won't reveal Sigyn's side of the story because I'm writing from Loki's POV. But let's just say that she is very polite towards him, calm and nice, she is not agressive and not say any bad word or beg of freedom. She is calm and just do things like art or watching tv. As far as he knows, she hasn't tried anything in terms of escaping. He put her up in nice apartments, dresses and such. He kidnapped her - because she is very attractive and he is lonely - it's a variation of the scene from the comic book, where instead of kidnapping there was the murder of Theorica and a false identity. And butterfly effect - I'm erasing Thanos and his plot - here, Ronan found the stone faster, killed Thanos, but before he got to Xandar, he overcontrolled his power and disintegrated into nothingness. End😎

How will Loki treat Sigyn in this, I would like your opinion, because I love your posts 😁😁depends on his upbringing, views and all new situation. Tell me bit about Loki's side of story. I will very grateful for writting 🥰

So.. this got a little long, even trying to cut it down but! I hope this helps..?

Okay, this is actually a little difficult to answer for more than a few reasons that I can boil down to the following that would affect the answer most, for a lot of reasons:

Circumstance and especially psychological status of the era

Time/Era of changing events

How much your timeline has changed

How much comic you're stitching into the story (which I am assuming is mostly MCU based??)

And those things are, of course interwoven.

Being lonely with his personality in particular as we've seen it, wouldn't be much of a reason short term (when I say short I mean anything less than five or maybe even five hundred years: for someone who has an equatable lifespan to an Asgardian totaling at 5000 years or possibly more; as one of several reasons and examples) to kidnap anyone on it's own. This is especially, extra true if you've kept any of his history from 2013.

But that's likely to be especially true of anything kept from the MCU timeline from 2012 and prior, which I'm guessing is the case with the things you've mentioned. The big pieces would be how the events of Thor 2011 went down, whether or not his time as a captive of Thanos during 2011 still happened, and what if anything else changed during the failed 2012 invasion.. in that order: because each one affected his character (mind, emotional state and more) and the events that followed both personally and universally in huge ways.

When the Ronin/Thanos fallout happened and how is also important; but only after answering those questions: because if those things happened similarly whether it was to mostly retain his character integrity or any other reason (and I really do suggest you keep the majority: those events do help him shape himself,) then he would likely still have incredibly great interest in making certain the stones were out of the reach of any remaining remnants of Thanos' forces or generals, and anyone like him that might crop up. Remember: at his core this is a person who spent five years pretending he was dead after Thanos' threat through the Other wearing the face of a 'father' he likely despised loving regardless of that love being a likely result of his nearly brainwashed status as a Fostered captive prince.

Ultimately, if this is the way I think it is: it's pretty likely he had a breaking point between stress and more to further excuse taking Sigyn, and probably would feel guilt for it after the fact; with little to do about it other than just roll with it and try to make her as comfortable as possible. Even more likely that's the case with the Avengers looking for him, to have to worry about how they might label or suspect her as an innocent after he HAD grabbed her on that broken whim. I think it's very likely that her presence would be a double-edged sword at first as a result: adding to his stress, while both needing her calm and questioning it. After all, he hasn't been given a lot of proof that trust in others is a thing he should trust on more than a disposable surface level with his background, elder or current.

I could go on in more detail, but ultimately .. lacking the details of those things and approach is what makes this a very difficult ask to answer.

And they are very important details when it comes to a question like this, because and as several of the muses has pointed out and I've put on page in extras myself: the details are what make the sum. Especially in AU or Alternate timeline stories.. in large part due to the fact that the changed details especially are what make them 'alternate' to begin with, if you get my meaning.

Your best helper to answering that question more clearly yourself though and in my experience; is how much you know and understand about the character, and especially their background. Remember, they have to have a reason to do or say or react to something that fits them for it to feel or be genuine. And the only way that happens from a writers perspective is to drop everything else, put yourself in their place and circumstance and history: and write how that person would react to what you're throwing at them in all regards with those things and their reactions to them as well as how they feel about all of that and their own role in those things taken into account.

Keep in mind that this is my suggestion and my way of doing things, and..

That can be difficult on several levels and even exhausting at times, too. But and for me; it is also the most honest way to go about it without losing the very important core of the character (or characters) you write for.

This is, I guess.. another way of saying and using the muses favorite term 'turn the gem' if you manage it: as you have to be able to change your perspectives or be adaptable as that character if it's a single perspective anyway, for them to reach a true and clear understanding of others and their perspectives in whatever story your're writing.

If you're stuck, don't be afraid to backtrack and write another version of a section or interaction sequence either: and don't be too afraid to stretch outside of your personal boundaries either, to get it where it feels reasonably right from their direction.

I've done that numerous times, and in some cases written almost a dozen alternate scenes; some of which went entirely different directions before settling on the ones I preferred. Even then, there have been even more times I've gone back after writing and readjusted some things, or added small details.

Don't rush yourself. Take your time. And don't be afraid to correct yourself when needed, to tell the story you want to tell with and about the character (or characters) you've chosen to represent with that writing.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hopefully you or some of your wonderful followers can help me out with a really odd question: what is the difference between an AU and a crossover fic?

This might sound silly, but I've always assumed that a crossover is something like "Sherlock and John, while solving a case, cross paths with Mulder and Scully who are also trying to solve their mystery, and they join up to work together." vs. an AU is more like "Sherlock and John are solving cases in the X-Files universe" and their characters are like combinations: Sherlock/Mulder and John/Scully. But the characters from X-Files don't actually exist in the fic.

Or even fics that are just a completely new universe altogether, not necessarily based on an already known one (like Sherlock and John are from Las Vegas and Sherlock the always winning poker player is under suspicion from security guard John that he is cheating, and that is how they meet, etc etc) would be considered an AU.

Anyway, that is how I've always filtered on AO3 when searching. But now I've come across a few lately that are tagged AU but when I start reading them, they are more what I consider crossover fics (which aren't my preference, sorry. I just don't care to read about Sherlock and Iron Man working together lol).

Maybe I've missed out on some great fics that were tagged as crossover but were actually AU's? Is my assumption of which one is which completely off base? Other than reading every fic until it's obvious which type of story it is, is there a better way to at least get an idea for filtering purposes?

I don't want to miss out on fantastic fics because I don't really understand what they're about because I've misunderstood all along!

Thank you for any help you or your followers can give! 😁

Hey Nonny!

Alright, so here's how _I_ personally understand it, and I'm probably totally off-piste, but it's how I've always understood and try my best in my sorting of fics. PLEASE note that EVERYTHING BELOW is how I PERSONALLY UNDERSTAND it all.

Generally, there's a VERY thin line between AUs and Crossovers AND it also melts into Fusion fics as well.

Alternate Universes:

Basically, AU (or Alternate Universe, for my newbie lovelies) is the "larger umbrella term" that all fics NOT following canon events have. These can be as simple as a non-canon-compliant fic, but GENERALLY it's understood as stories that take place in different franchises, eras, timelines, professions, species, etc. That's the broader definition. It covers everything, really. It doesn't necessarily mean just other franchises, but it can contain them.

But in terms of "this story with BBC Sherlock Characters takes place during the Avengers" for instance, each character from BBC Sherlock REPLACES a character in the Avengers. They would never ever meet any of the cast of the main Avengers IF they are a replacement character.

So let's say we're adapting the Avengers. For the sake of this example: Sherlock is Tony, John is Captain America, Molly is Black Widow, etc. Now THOSE characters in the Avengers franchise should never show up AS those characters. We are doing one-for-one replacements to put Sherlock Characters into the MCU AS Iron Man, AS Black Widow, AS Captain America. Tony, Natasha, and Steve cannot exist in this universe.

(as an aside though, given the MCU's current state of Variants existing in multiverses, it can be argued that they can exist, but I'm being pedantic... for the sake of this example let's say they don't)

TL:DR; we replace main characters with other main characters, and those main characters from either franchise should never meet. So TECHNICALLY what is labelled for your example is actually correct (Crossovers and AU), and unfortunately the filtering needs to be whittled down more. Filtering by "Alternate Universe" does NOT guarantee no-Crossovers, so you will have to add crossovers as an exclusion in your filtered terms. On AO3, there is a place to select exclusions, so just type in "Crossovers" there, or character names.

Crossovers and Fusions

I'm grouping these two together because my understanding of these two is that they're PRETTY close to each other enough that they do overlap.

Crossovers are stories that characters from one franchise meet and interact with characters from another franchise; no characters are omitted intentionally, and don't replace other characters in a story. For instance, in a Harry Potter AU, the Sherlock gang all go to Hogwarts, and Harry and Co. all exist and continue on with their story, probably interact occasionally, but we're focusing on the Sherlock gang and their exploits rather than Potter people.

Fusion stories, or my understanding of them anyway, is one of two things:

You have characters that replace SOME of the characters but keep OTHER characters from Universe 2 to interact with Universe 1. Let's go back to the Avengers sample; Sherlock (Tony), John (Steve) and Molly (Natasha) meet and interact with Bruce Banner and Clint. Now it's a FUSION of two universes, interacting and existing based on the actions of what our BBC AvengersLock is doing.

A fusion can ALSO be adapting or using a franchise storyline as inspiration for the plotline of what an author is writing, ie. the rules of ONE franchise's universe can be brought into another. So you can have a FUSION of Sherlock and the X-Files by adapting an X-Files episode as inspiration for the story with BBC Sherlock characters, but doesn't necessarily take place in the X-Files Universe, just simply the rules of the X-Files universe apply also to the BBC Sherlock Universe.

======

ALL that said, the gist of what I'm trying to say is this: All Crossovers and Fusions are Alternate Universes, but not all Alternate Universes are Crossovers/Fusions.

I tried my best to simplify everything as best I could, so I hope I helped a bit. And hey, if I'm wrong somewhere, or you want better clarification, feel free, all, to reply or send me another ask :)

Cheers, all <3

[mysticcollectionbee]

What If? Season 2 Ep. 7 Thoughts (Spoilers)

So…Odin’s parenting continues to show no limits to how bad it is. Also, Frigga ISN’T Hela’s mom? Then who is? Or is this like a Loki situation where the mom’s identity will never be answered in MCU canon? Though this could also just be an alternate timeline change so in main MCU canon she is, idk. Also, are the subtitles to the show ever checked? Because this is like the second time I notice a different choice of word than what was actually said; because Hel isn’t the same as Hell (They should have just said Helheim but whatever). People have already made comparisons of Jiayi with Hela to other Asgardian-Midgardian ‘relationships’ so I’m not gonna repeat it. Also, love the twist that all of us were expecting Odin to be the good guy in the fight only for it to be Hela and Wenwu. Though…This did make me really want to see a fight between Shang-Chi and Thor, won’t happen since they’re both good guys but still. Wait does Thor even exist in this timeline? And Loki might but still curious. Anyways, great episode overall. It did feel like the pacing was rushed compared to the others but the story was probably longer than others to that might be the reason.

[imlatebutatleastimhere]

As per my last post asking about the different universes and Deadpool timeline, I think I've come up with a solution, not a great one, but it's a solution.

Okay so 616 is the main timeline (at least for the mcu) and all other timelines can be thought of as alternate realities branching off from different points of the main timeline for whatever reason. Let's just say Earth 10005 is the universe where the Avengers don't get together and mutants exist (this could be formed from any point in history time).

Let's also just say that Wade is able to cross universes with Cable's watch (after all, we see him "fix" many mistakes during the credits of Deadpool. 2 which happen from different realities) but doesn't really understand how everything works which is why he is confused about the TVA's existence. And, finally, let's also hypothesize that Vanessa and Wade were already having fights and the 2nd to last one they ever had as a couple was what pushed Wade to tryout for the Avengers.

So my timeline goes:

After bringing back everyone and settling down in his OG timeline of 10005, Wade and Vanessa are fighting, so to try to prove himself better from his mistakes, he travels to 616 and wants to be an Avenger. That's why he still refers to Vanessa as his girl and focuses more on the "I want to matter" aspect" instead of something like "I wanna help people other than myself. " He's rejected and goes back home with a broken ego so bad that Vanessa feels like he doesn't care about anyone but himself, leading to the argument where they break up. After the breakup he tries to move on, gets a new job, breaks the watch, and keeps the feeling of inadequacies underneath until one day the TVA shows up at his doorstep leading to the events of Deadpool and Wolverine.

This is relying heavily on speculation and could be disproven with the arrival of the Fantasticn 4. But this is the simplest thing I can think of as to why the movie starts in 616 but Deadpool is from 10005.

[iholli]

👑 Holli / Rat King || 24+ || Any pronouns || ocean loving ficto ace rat || completely on my gaming nonsense

heya! call me Holli or Rat! this is my home away from home, so welcome to my blog & I hope you enjoy your stay. I mostly post ocean views and selfship content. don't like, don't read! here's the rundown of the place 💖🐀

Main timeline:

not comfortable sharing but selfshippers can still interact!

#heart of mars || Rat King & J'onn J'onzz, DCAU

playlist 🌌🐀

Alternate timelines:

okay sharing with other selfshippers, canon depends!

#💜💖💙 || Rat King, Donatello Hamato, & Leonardo Hamato, ROTTMNT

playlist 🐢🐀

#ratstatic || Rat King & Vox, Hazbin Hotel

playlist 📺👑

#king of hearts || Rat King & Remy "Gambit" LeBeau, X-Men

#PREDATOR/PREY || Rat King & Megalo Don, Fortnite

playlist 🦈🐀 [cover photo]

Other tags:

#venne & squeaker || Rat King & Wally West platonic ficto posts

#ratio broadcast || Rat King & Alastor qpp / platonic ficto posts

#ficto tag || unspecific ficto posts

#ficto tag familial || Justice League / Hamato Clan / assorted Hazbin Hotel familial ficto posts

#ratkingdraws || personal art tag

#ratkingdiscourse || profic / anti anti & other discourse posts

#happy place 💙 / #oceancore || daily scheduled ocean aesthetic posts

Fandom check-in:

ROTTMNT || Donnie simp. Leo enjoyer. || make no mistake, found family is my all time troupe, that's why I'm here. but if you ask me about Leotello,,,

DC || Justice League: The Animated Series & Justice League Unlimited, and all affiliated series || My Adventures with Superman || Green Lantern: The Animated Series || I'm very much a DCAU fanatic, but I enjoy lots of other DC content as well!

Fortnite || Wastelander || Montague, Artemis, Hades, & Megalo Don supremacy || I still don't know all the lore, but man, I love this game || find me more actively about FN on Twitter or add me on Epic @ R47K1NGG4M3S

Marioverse / Luigi's Mansion || Luigi my beloved. normal about King Boo. || if it exists I probably ship it. Booigi. Bowuigi. all three. I'm there.

Invader Zim || ZaDr || RaPr || Almighty Tallest stan account

Hazbin Hotel & Helluva Boss || Moxxie & Millie enjoyer || RadioStatic || Alastor. Vox. Queen Bee. back in my original era now that Hazbin s1 is out 👏

MCU || Octogoblin my beloved || really not here anymore, however Loki is part of Rat King lore, so feel free to talk about him to me c:

More to know:

I'm very chill, I love notif spam, and it makes my day to get asks! feel free to throw anything to my inbox-- ask me about Rat King lore, talk to me about my f/os, whatever you wanna know or just wanna say bc I do enjoy chatting too c: it just takes me a while to answer stuff sometimes bc I'm very forgetful and overthink ✨ everything ✨👏

this is a pro fiction, anti censorship space. I'm not looking for a fight, I'm just here to yell about my favs, and personally I'm not much for problematic troupes, but I will always support the right for people to do what they want in fiction. tag your shit & be nice. my ship is not your ship and that's okay.

I'm not a big NSFW person, I will never reblog anything I feel is graphically explicit but I use safety tags just in case as I see the need. keep an eye out for #suggestive and / or #nsfw. minors are fine to hang around my blog-- I just expect you to be responsible and block the tags you need.

AI thieves will not be tolerated in any capacity. come within a mile of my blog and you will be reported and blocked on sight. if I ever accidentally reblog AI work please let me know so I can remove it.

thanks for stopping by! if you'd like some tunes for your Tumblr browsing, feel free to check out my Spotify. have a great day 💖🐀

banners courtesy of @lovelycureaestetic 💜💙 & @senseichaos-thedetention 💙❤️

[beezzaroll]

mcu loki au titled "the haters will stop me" fanfic intro post (alternative title: the haters will stop us)

ok for my own personal sake and for the au I'm writing loki was not tortured by thanos. he was under a bit of a high from the influence of the scepter (which I'm pretty sure was the mind stone? idk I'm not looking that up rn). That doesn't matter in the story I'm posting below but just wanted to get that out of the way.

The part where loki is asked if he kills people for fun? That's like the basis of this fic. Less of an "I can fix him" and more of a "let's be evil together/I can make him worse"

Ougggh they're both so evil I love them for each other.

First time writing genderfluid x genderfluid. I'm genderfluid myself so it should be good.

It has a mix of both SFW and NSFW that will be labeled when needed.

the fic takes place mostly in second person so that's what the "you" is addressing.

sometimes I make up words because they make sense for the story. if you're confused don't hesitate to ask :3

Anyways below the line is some of the story, non complete and not in timeline order at all

You'd heard about Agatha Harkness and her extreme disregard for the rules of witchcraft law. At first it was just in passing at a bar, a rumor you decided to keep an ear out for. But when it came forth that she walked the Road? You just had to know what she did that was so different from your peers.

Although you wouldn't call it stalking, that is most certainly what you had done for a hundred years or so, following her closely behind, keeping track of her methods in a tight red notebook.

Killing other witches started out as a taboo for you. A great misuse of the power a witch pours his heart into...but the power you saw her gain...

Eventually, from observing her enough yourself, you had formulated a spell that allowed you to sap the energy from living things: not their magic (you couldn't figure that part out) but some of their being. You tried it out for the first time on an old drunkard, not a regular, outside a tavern you'd seen Harkness pass by.

Of course you had to send a raven to loki. You always told each other of a new achievement or a spell you just found (both of you had learned witchcraft from your mothers, so it was a shared form of respect).

He decided to illuse himself as a black cat with striking green eyes (and of course you two argued about the cliche of a witch and a black cat later that night) but it was certainly more discreet than his normal human disguise.

He sat in the shadows as you strolled out of the tavern with the man. The two of you were talking about some nonsense like a pretty lady at the bar earlier. Nothing that mattered. You start to steer the conversation towards some odd topics: have you seen the royal guard around lately? Haven't those thieves escaped the gallows? There have been wives going missing...

You can observe his mannerisms visibly shift to those of fear, and that's when loki, as if on cue, scrambles across the cobbled road in front of the man, hightening his fear to an almost tangible amount. And you know you've got him. You snatch a peek at your open notebook in the swaths of your robe, not bothering to mutter the enchantment.

From the man's perspective, his worse fears are alive in front of him. He sees a mirror image of himself, adorned in gold and beautiful women, smiling down at him, mocking him as he sips freshly purified water from a silver encrusted goblet.

You could see the fear around him, really this time. Small strands of it poured out from his shaky breath and his equally shaking limbs and pool at your feet.

Knowing that you were hidden now that he was enchanted and the alleyway was dark, Loki unshifted and flashes you his grin before patting you on the shoulder. He later says he was just checking if the energy was transferring but you knew it was a touch of affection even if he denied it.

The drunk fell to his knees. He wasn't as flush as he was before, but certainly not as skeletal as Harkness's victims and definitely not dead. As you were pulling the last bits off the man, you do feel for his pulse. It's slow, but you'll think he'll make it til morning.

And hey, if he doesn't, you weren't the one to kill him. Not directly, at least, and that was all that mattered to you.

With one last glance, you headed back to the tavern, upstairs to the rented room in the inn, and flopped into a pleased slumber on the hay mattress.

[tokensbossh]

Captain America and Peggy Carter’s Story

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Captain America (Steve Rogers) and Peggy Carter’s relationship has been both timeless and tragic, sparking endless fan discussions about love, loyalty, and destiny. Steve, a super-soldier out of time, and Peggy, a war hero, embody a story that transcends decades. Their journey, from World War II allies to lovers separated by time, reflects the very essence of heroism in the face of sacrifice. Fans often wonder if love like theirs could survive a 70-year gap, especially given that Captain America sacrificed his chance at a normal life to save the world.

Captain America and Peggy Carter’s Story (1) With the culmination of their story in Avengers: Endgame, Steve finally takes a leap of faith by returning to the past to be with Peggy, creating a whirlwind of theories and alternate timelines. Marvel Studios, with cryptic hints and subtle confirmations, has left many threads for fans to unravel. The writers even suggested that Steve and Peggy had children, stirring debates about potential super-powered offspring in the MCU. This article dives into their love story, its implications, and the subtle details fans might have missed.

Steve and Peggy

Steve Rogers, a soldier with a heart as strong as his shield, met Peggy during WWII. The two connected over shared struggles: Steve faced doubts due to his initial frailty, and Peggy had to prove herself in a male-dominated field. As they fought side by side, a bond bloomed between them. Captain America: The First Avenger gives us a glimpse into the sacrifices made by each, but the tragedy lies in the fact that Steve, presumed lost in action, could never fulfill their plans for a life together. A Reunion Across Time in Endgame Avengers: Endgame brings one of the most surprising twists in the MCU: after restoring balance to the universe, Steve chooses to return to Peggy in the past, effectively rewriting his story. In doing so, he quietly exits his role as Captain America in the present, leaving his shield to his friend Sam Wilson. This decision has fueled fan speculation: Did Steve live a hidden life in the past without ever interfering in major events? According to the Endgame writers, Steve remained with Peggy while leading a low-profile existence, honoring his promise to her.

Captain America and Peggy Carter’s Story (6)

Captain America and Peggy Carter’s Story (5) The Family Mystery: Did Steve and Peggy Have Children? One of the most intriguing theories involves Steve and Peggy’s children, hinted at by the Endgame writers, who implied their descendants may carry a part of Steve’s super-soldier DNA. Although the MCU has yet to introduce these characters, alternate Marvel universes show a glimpse of Steve’s children, James Rogers and Sarah Rogers, each inheriting unique powers from their parents. This notion teases potential new superheroes while keeping fans wondering if the MCU will expand on Steve’s family in future films.

Captain America and Peggy Carter’s Story (3) The Controversy of the Sharon Carter Kiss In Captain America: Civil War, Steve shares an unexpected kiss with Sharon Carter, Peggy’s great-niece, causing a stir among fans. Was Steve projecting his love for Peggy onto Sharon, or was this a way of honoring his memories? While some fans feel the scene added emotional depth, others argue it was awkward, especially given his eventual reunion with Peggy in Endgame. The debate underscores the complexity of Steve’s feelings for Peggy and the painful circumstances of time separating them.

Captain America and Peggy Carter’s Story (2) Peggy Carter’s Legacy in the MCU Peggy Carter, a standout character with her own Agent Carter series, shaped the foundations of S.H.I.E.L.D., proving instrumental in establishing the heroic world Captain America would one day protect. Her strength, intelligence, and resilience set a high standard within the MCU, paving the way for other female heroes. Fans often argue that Peggy’s impact on the MCU should be revisited, and many hope that if Captain America’s story ever returns to the screen, Peggy’s legacy will be honored.

Captain America and Peggy Carter’s Story (1)

Captain America and Peggy Carter’s Story (4) A Love that Defies Time and Space The Captain America and Peggy Carter story isn’t just about romance; it’s about loyalty, sacrifice, and the lives altered by heroic duties. Their reunion in Endgame provided closure for fans, yet it sparked new questions about alternate timelines and potential descendants. Their relationship serves as an emotional anchor in the MCU, reminding viewers of the costs of heroism. For more on Captain America’s complex love story, check out Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki or Game Rant’s article on Steve and Peggy’s children.

Captain America and Peggy Carter’s Story (3)

Captain America and Peggy Carter’s Story (2)

Captain America and Peggy Carter’s Story (1) Read the full article

[jasonsutekh]

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Doctor Strange seeks to protect a young girl who can travel across universes but an old ally has been corupted by a magical tome.

It was a refreshing change to have the main villain of a marvel film be a semi-ally rather than a slightly larger version of the protagonist, although they are comparable in terms of magic style. The playing field was levelled slightly by assistance from alternate univers cameos of other comic and movie heroes and villains which was fun.

Although most of the CGI was the usual Marvel standard like the alternate realms, there are some parts that just look too odd and they usually involve the faces of certain characters, such as Strange’s third eye. This is the result of exploiting creative designers and coders rather than paying some of the most important workers in a business what they’re worth.

There was some more lore and plenty of connections to other areas of the franchise which provided scale. It was good to see actors from the original film as well as alternate versions of Strange which proveded development without committing to actions in his actual history. It’s still unclear what Strange remembers about the Spiderman event since he references it but shouldn’t know who he is so it’s vague how much he remembers working with him.

Now that the multiverse has been cannonically added it sets things up to become a great deal more complicated and some of the overall lore has already become far too complicated, it’s set to become as undeciferable as the X-men timeline, which may even be loosely linked in now. The way to solve this without insulting the viewer is to hire writers that actually care about the franchises and pay them what they’re worth, and the same for the CGI artists.

6/10 -Just a cut above average-

-It took a week to install all the tree blossoms with wire as the sequence was filmed in winter.

-The character America Chaves has the the lesbian flag on her outfit which is cannonical to the comic book version and relates to her mothers in this incarnation.

-Earth 616 is designated as our Doctor Strange’s universe, this was also the universe designation Mysterio the MCU in Spiderman Far From Home (2019).

[fmpkingmidasandthethief]

Research different themes:

Illusion: An Illusion is something that you think exists but is simply a part of your imagination. These can include: smoke & mirrors, masks, fronts, magic tricks, Optical illusions.

Masks: Masks can be used to hide someone's identity like superheroes such as Batman. It can also be an illusion if there are a group of people wearing the same mask and you are trying to find the correct person. I found this interesting because it creates a mystery as you cannot see who is behind each mask especially those ones above. CREEPY!!!

Optical Illusion: These are images that are meant to look 3D even though they are made on 2D surfaces. This example shows an optical illusion of a 3D hole. This was designed on a 2D surface but I found it appealing because of the clever illusion used to create this image.

Room of Mirrors: These are commonly found at theme parks where you must walk through a whole maze full of mirrors in order to escape. It's tests your mental strength and messes with your head psychologically. I like this style of Illusion because of it's madness and confusion which is a strong form of illusion. I do want to try and use this in my game if I choose to go down the path of illusion.

Harry Houdini (Famous Escape artist): Harry Houdini was a famous escape artist who would attempt to break out of the craziest contraptions known to man. I find this Interesting because he leaves people in wonder of how he actually escaped half of these. This again creates a mystery that leads to the idea of illusion.

Holograms: These are powered by AI and produce digital imagery of things like humans, Animals and pretty much anything. They can also be created from memory such as things that have already happened. I found this unique form of illusion interesting because of it's use of AI to create such complex designs being absolutely incredible. I definitely want to add this to my game so I can solve all types of Puzzles using them.

Dreams and Destruction: These are the differences between dreams and reality. They are the difference between mythology and Natural events. They include: Gods, Natural Disaster, Big Bang, Celestials.

Morpheus (the God of Dreams): This God is from Ancient Greek times associated with Dreams and sleep. Dreams are things that we want to happen and wish could happen. I like this concept because it adds to the idea of the Mythological Gods actually being real but at the same time in our dreams.

The Big Bang: This is the theory for how the world began and despite all of the destruction is caused it did also create life to. I find this Interesting because of It's use of destruction to create life. It's a strange idea but we may not have even existed if this ever happened.

Galactus (The Eater of Worlds): Galactus is a giant celestial who wants to conquer planets by consuming them on his quest to destroy the universe. I find this interesting because Galactus can be used to portray destruction itself and the end of everything in our universe.

Great A'tuin (A Giant Star Turtle): Great A'Tuin is the Giant Star Turtle (of the fictional species Chelys galactica) who travels through the Discworld universe space, carrying four giant elephants (named Berilia, Tubul, Great T'Phon, and Jerakeen) who in turn carry the Discworld. I like this design because it again implies that there could be something like this out there that exists.

Alternate Realities: These can be different pathways in life and different universes such as the Multiverse or the Matrix.

The Matrix: Scrambles of numbers, letters and code that form a binary and control a whole new universe. It can also be used to control time in our own reality linking the two in an unholy bond. I find this interesting because of the idea that different realities can be linked.

The Multiverse (MCU): The Multiverse is full of multiple strings of endless timelines of different realities with different outcomes to our own. This again proves the concept that a Multiverse could exist out there, minus the fact that the TVA exists.

Ready Player One: This Film set in the year 2050 uses an alternate gaming reality called the Oasis invented by James Halliday. I find this interesting because it shows what the future holds for AI as well as the human race. It also shows what the future of gaming could be if it has the potential to create it's own reality.

Chance: Chance can be any form of probability, luck or destiny. This could be from rolling a dice, flipping a coin or surviving a event based on luck.

Coin flip: This is one of the most iconic forms of chance. Flipping a coin has a 50/50 chance whether you land on heads or tails. It is used in lots of different instances such as deciding who will kick off a football match. I like this because of the odds/probabilities.

Random Loot Drops in Games: In games like COD you can receive random loot drops containing weapons, ammunition and other supplies of different rarities. There are certain chances that it could be a top rarity but these are really hard to find. I find this mechanic interesting because of the chance and randomness of it all. The player has no clue where the loot drop will land so the almost have to predict where to go.

Final Destination: This is a horror film based on chance events that kill hundreds of people in almost every scenario possible. The main characters are tasked to survive and outsmart these events before they kill them. I found this interesting because almost every accident that could have happened, happened.

[oldtvandcomics]

Queer Media Monday New Year Extra - 2023 Hall Of Infame

I was kind of supposed to do this at the end of the year, but missed the day because of Christmas, so it got postponed to New Year’s Eve. Which is a Sunday, but whatever. While I enjoy almost all the media I consume (I pick it carefully beforehand), there were three queer stories in 2023 that I just cannot recommend, but also are for one reason or the other too important to simply ignore. So, here is my 2023 Hall Of Infame. I’ll be more opinionated than usual, but let me have this, as a treat.

Loki (2021-2023)

As part of the MCU, alternate-timeline Loki escapes at the end of the 2012 movie The Avengers and gets caught up with a time-travel agency trying to keep the Multiverse in order. Notable for being the one that actually states Loki’s queerness on-screen. Well. At least his bisexuality. His genderfluidity, not as much.

This show had so. much. potential. Good actors, Disney budget, and a premise that can be taken in a million interesting directions. Unfortunately, they didn’t.

It seems like every time this show has to make a narrative choice, it takes the least interesting way. The new characters are shallow and Loki doesn’t feel like himself, probably because key parts of his backstory and personality have been simply ignored for no clear reason. Motivations aren’t established where they should be, and nothing is explored in depth. Interesting ideas, themes and concepts are brought up, just to be dropped immediately and never mentioned again. Oh, and that famous queer coming out scene? Was an offhand mention of Loki having dated men at some point. It never came up again.

This is not a good show. And not even in an interesting way, where we at least have a delightful trainwreck to analyze, but in a very boring, aggressively mediocre way. It’s nice if you want to watch something without having to care about characterization, themes or a bigger overarching story, or if you are doing what the entire fandom was doing and collectively hallucinate an entire different show. Otherwise, don’t bother. Go watch Doctor Who, Legends of Tomorrow or even Ministerio del Tiempo instead. The first two are very queer. The last one isn’t, but has great time travel bureaucracy and a cool morally gray lesbian as part of its main cast.

Le Premier Jour de Paix by Elisa Beiram

Read as part of my project to read more French books by French authors, this was sold to me with the promise of it being about living in peace and how to achieve it. Also, queer. It… Wasn’t entirely wrong?

So the blurb on the back is misleading. Aureliano is where the story starts out, but the book actually follows three stories, each on a somewhat bigger scale than the previous. Aureliano is the first, and the least important one. The second is a woman whose job is to travel around and solve smaller local conflicts, the third the lead negotiator for world peace. She is in contact with an alien, who uses neopronouns, hence the book’s classification as queer.

If you want an idea of a better future, this book is not it. It is very, very bleak, set in a world ravaged by climate change, where everyone still alive is just kind of carrying on with not much hope at all and a lot of resentment for the people in the past. There is also a discussion that can be had about aliens as queer representation and the implications of humanity needing alien intervention for the conflicts to stop. 

I must admit that the aliens were quite good, world building-wise, and that the author has clearly done research into climate change, conflicts and how to solve them, and was kind enough to include a list of sources in the back. She clearly cared a lot and did the best work she could. However, it feels like she’d been trying to write a hopeful book without being able to envision a hopeful future. 

Interesting book, and I wouldn’t recommend against it. But probably also not for it.

Fanfic (2023)

Fanfic is a Polish movie about a transgender boy coming to terms with his gender. It is a movie I very much wanted to like, because we definitely could use more Eastern European queer movies. Also, I love fanfictions as much as the next Tumblr user, and this is a subculture that definitely has not been explored enough on screen. Especially in relation to queerness, the potential is enormous.

Frankly, I don’t think the filmmakers knew here what they were talking about. They missed both the fanfiction and the trans aspects.

What the main character is writing here is not fanfiction. It is called fanfiction, but lacks the connection to fandom culture or even any recognizable source material. It appears to be about a band, or it is a band AU, and all characters are very obvious self-inserts. But like, what band?! It’s never elaborated upon. The story works well this way, but if you are going to call a movie “Fanfic”, then it does need to have some insight into actual fan culture, or it is just false advertising. As to the trans aspect, it feels strongly simplified, to the point that it seems unauthentic. I am not a trans man myself, but I have been in a difficult place at the age of the characters, and as such can say with certainty that this movie does not understand the amount of pain its protagonist is in. 

First, the transition happens very quickly. He pretty much goes from “hey, boy’s clothes, I like” to cutting off his hair binding his breasts and wanting to be called a boy within a day, with no signs of him actively questioning his gender before. As I said, I’m not trans, but based on what I’ve seen on the Internet, it definitely takes longer than this. Also, what bothers me more: This seems to magically fix all of his problems immediately. He becomes visibly confident and relaxed, has no trouble insisting on people gendering him right, and stands up for a classmate when she’s being picked on by the teacher. Coming from a character who days before was seriously depressed and drowning reality in self-insert fiction and stolen pills, no, I don’t buy it. What makes me the most upset is that one scene where a classmate calls the protagonist out for being so caught up with his own issues that he’s blind to those of other people, and it is framed as a good thing. As I said, I’ve been there. To this day, I have absolutely no idea what my classmates were doing around that time, because I was caught up in my own pain and my own need to survive and simply didn’t have any mental energy left for anything else. It sucks that Tosiek couldn’t be there for his friends, but given the pain he was in? Not his fault.

I repeat. This movie is doing its best, but clearly does not fully understand the subjects it chose.

So yeah. All three of these stories had a huge potential, and absolutely failed to live up to it. They are still worth knowing about. Loki, because it was a huge fandom phenomena, the other two, because they are stories by smaller, non-anglophone creators who clearly did their best. Eventually, they failed, but the stories could still be interesting conversation starters.

Happy New Year, everyone! Here’s to more good queer media!

Queer Media Monday is an action I started to talk about some important and/or interesting parts of our queer heritage, that people, especially young people who are only just beginning to discover the wealth of stories out there, should be aware of. Please feel free to join in on the fun and make your own posts about things you personally find important!