#archive of modern conflict

[yther]

Sometimes people have an anxious sort of FOMO after going no contact or cutting ties on various media platforms...

if you are haunted by the curiosity,

if you can't turn from the void until it answers, yearning a sort of ultimate catharsis in our own personal narrative

✨ LOOK NO FURTHER ✨

There it is, the Tar Pit.

And it is freedom from it that grants the silence you don't know you're seeking.

I hereby release you of your moral duty to fight in the pit. This is not Gladiator. But... it can be Elysium, the mythical Elysian Fields, not the movie.

(non sequitur: JODIE FOSTER in space gotta be one of my fav genres)

[fancyhalloran]

decided to try out the x files instead of doing my homework and it’s really striking how much of its formula as a procedural relies on failure. episodes routinely end with scully and mulder stymied by official forces higher up than them or by the practical aspects of whatever paranormal threat they’re facing. they lose over and over again. It’s an element of the formula that stands apart from many of the show’s imitators like fringe and evil. in terms of its modern successors, the first season of the magnus archives feels most similar in tone. there’s a murkiness and paranoia that’s kind of addictive honestly

it’s also really interesting the way that scully’s pop culture reputation is purely that she’s the skeptic and she is but there are a lot of nuances lost in that, which is super apparent in the third episode where she repeatedly sides with mulder over her former colleagues despite her skepticism about his theory. she may not believe him but she believes in him almost immediately. there’s also a practical aspect to her skepticism. in the second episode, she acknowledges the ufos but doesn’t believe investigating them is worth a conflict with the US military, especially after they’re driven off the road and held at gunpoint. which is honestly reasonable! and i think that’s part of what made the x files so successful and has given the show such longevity: scully’s actions and beliefs are reasonable in a real world sense but, like mulder, we want to believe. there’s kind of a dialectical audience surrogacy to it: scully is our knowledge of the world and mulder is our willingness to suspend disbelief, the two are opposed but their adversarial interaction is necessary for the show to be fun.

[sayruq]

The Hamas massacres on October 7, 2023 mark a turning point in the history of anti-Semitism and in the development of the Middle East conflict. More than 1,200 Israelis were massacred and more than 200 were taken hostage. Some felt the anti-Jewish atrocities reminded them of the actions of the Einsatzgruppen in the Third Reich. In fact, Hamas' anti-Semitism follows the tradition of the National Socialist will to destroy. Nazi Germany had already discovered the anti-Semitic potential of the Koran in the 1930s and exploited it for its own propaganda in the Arab world. Zeesen, a shortwave transmitter stationed south of Berlin, deliberately spread Islamic anti-Semitism among Muslims. The radio broadcasts were broadcast daily between April 1939 and April 1945 in Arabic, but also in Persian and Turkish. Just as the Nazis radicalized Christian anti-Judaism in Europe, they took Muslim anti-Judaism as a basis in the Middle East in order to link it to the European anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. In his book “Nazis and the Middle East. “How Islamic Anti-Semitism Came About” our speaker sheds light on this previously ignored chapter of Germany’s past and, based on new archive finds, shows how the image of Jews in Islam changed between 1937 and 1948 under the influence of sophisticated Arabic-language radio propaganda and other Nazi activities. The Middle East's encounter with Nazi ideology may have been brief, but it continues to have an impact today. Because while Nazi anti-Semitism was discredited everywhere else in the world, it was able to survive as a worldview in the Arab world. Only when we understand how strongly modern Middle East history is shaped by the after-effects of National Socialism will we be able to correctly interpret the hatred of Jews in this region and its echo among Muslims in Europe and develop adequate countermeasures.

Instagram page of the event

[yuumcbr]

What are your favorite Twisted Wonderland AUs?

Like every fandom, Twisted Wonderland has countless AUs. Among them, there are some that I really like.

The purpose of this post is to share my favorite AUs and hopefully get to know others through other people. Under no circumstances do I want to cause conflict or confusion.

To begin with, I really like universes where the protagonist of the story is a secondary character in the story who is trying not to get involved or live an everyday life.I found most of these stories on AO3, such as:

In this fic, a boy from our world goes to the body of a boy from Octavinelle who committed suicide. Now he tries to adapt to his new routine at a magic school, without attracting attention (he attracts a lot of attention).

In this one, the protagonist is reincarnated as a rabbit-beastman and grows up in a watch shop. Bunny's (the protagonist's nickname) goal is to create a way to return to his world.

As time goes by, he enters RSA, but is expelled and enrolls in NRC.

Here we are introduced to a boy who had a sister who was in love with an Otome game called Twisted Wonderland. One day, he wakes up as Raphael, a boy who picked on Yuu (the protagonist of the game, not the story).But something happens, he is able to see the level of love the character has for Yuu.

Another type of AU that I love are the universes that take place in the modern world, that is, ours. And Yuu gradually gets to know other characters.

Some examples of this AU are:

In this AU, Yuu is a wizard who can see demons and works with a charlatan medium (Fellow).

Little by little, Yuu meets countless demons who want to make a contract with him and take his soul.

This one, Yuu works in a shop in Donetsk and his customers are, well, different...

Yuu is gradually introduced to the magical world of magical girls (who are actually the boys of TWST), apparently people can't see certain things around them, but Yuu discovers that he is an exception.

And this draws a lot of attention.

Here is a world of heroes and villains, Yuu is a student who adopted a cat/tanuki monster who wants to be the greatest villain of all.

Yuu's city is divided into factions, and sometimes he works at Mr. S's shop which is located in a neutral zone.

Little by little, Yuu and Grim find themselves indirectly meeting and forming bonds with people they shouldn't.

The next AU is a crossover created by two people, this AU takes place after everyone graduates from NRC, Yuu is studying at a History college and his friends got their own jobs.

But there's more to it than meets the eye, TWST x SAW Au.

As I said before, the AU was created by two people. While @kimium shows Yuu's view of their friends and everyday life at History college, @m34gs shows the characters planning murders and their past where they were trapped in someone's plan.

You can find more information on their tumblrs.

Next up is the Seven Great AU by @amarizuu , in this universe, Yuu can talk to the 7 Greats in his head.

This makes interactions with other characters very interesting, since Yuu listens to them 24 hours a day. They give opinions and discuss in Yuu's head.

Yuu went through a lot before going to NRC, being manipulated and treated like a weapon, at least now he can be treated like a normal teenager (as much as possible, since we're talking about NRC students).

Another AU that I love a lot is Deity AU or God AU, on Tumblr it was created by @ceruleancattail and on AO3 you can find the series of "twisted_wonderland_shenanigans" with this link:

I really like this AU, to summarize, the characters of TWST are gods that interact with the human world or a specific human.

You can also find other stories of this AU on Tumblr.

Now Android AU, this AU is by @ceruleancattail .Yuu is a mechanic who has always loved taking things apart and putting them back together. His curiosity about how things work has made him a great professional.

In the AU, Yuu fixes robots (who would be the characters) and treats them like any other person, not just as machines.

This makes the androids not want to go back to their owners who treat them like machines and stay with Yuu forever.

There is a touch of Yandere in the stories, but nothing too strong or explicit.

The stories in the AU vary a lot, but they are all really cool.

You can also find some stories from this AU on tumblr.

I think I mentioned most of them, I can't remember exactly which ones.

But now comes the fun part, which TWST AUs do you like the most?

This isn't a rhetorical question, I would really like to know more AUs and it's always fun to interact with other people in the fandom.

Ps: If you own one of the AUs and stories above and would like something removed or added, please let me know.

And if you didn't like me tagging you, let me know too.

[steddieunderdogfics]

Sneaky Link by morningberries

@morningberriesao3

Rating: Explicit

151,778 words, 20/20 chapters

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Tags: Alternate Universe - No Upside Down (Stranger Things), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Sex Work, OnlyFans, Sex Worker Steve Harrington, steve harrington has nipple piercings, Gay Eddie Munson, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Virgin Eddie Munson, Masturbation, Porn Watching, Sexting, Steve Harrington Has a Big Dick, Inexperienced Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Friendship, Robin Buckley & Eddie Munson Friendship, Enemies to Lovers, background ronance, Nudes, Come play, Come as Lube, Wet & Messy, moodboard, Cum Slut Eddie Munson, POV Eddie Munson, Top Eddie Munson, Bottom Steve Harrington, they’re switches bitches, Top Steve Harrington, Bottom Eddie Munson, Slow Burn, Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Getting Together, First Time, Porn With Plot, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Anal Play, Mutual Pining, Switching, Miscommunication, Mistaken Identity, Coming Out, Multiple Orgasms, Ass to Mouth, Rimming, Light Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hand Jobs, Frottage, Feminization, Public Hand Jobs, Fluff, POV Multiple, Only for one chapter tho, Religious Conflict, (aka canon typical Jason), Eventual Relationships, Everyone is gay (because I say so), Sex Toys, Moving In Together, Happy Ending, Complete

Summary:

HailToTheKing: tell me what you look like ELMst01: tall, pale af, few tats here and there Steve lifts his eyes from his phone. He must be wondering why Eddie is smiling like a fucking idiot. Eddie pretends not to notice Steve sizing him up from head to foot. Judging bastard. HailToTheKing: sounds hot HailToTheKing: just my type OR The only thing worse than Steve Harrington, is the fact that Eddie got paired with him for his college assignment. At least the sexy guy he subscribes to on OnlyFans is a good distraction to keep Eddie's mind away from Steve, and the annoying crush he hates that he's starting to develop on his project partner.

Thanks for the rec! This recommendation is apart of our Writer's Wednesday! All of the recs today are written by @morningberriesao3. Want to nominate an author? Fill out this form!

You can submit fic recs to our asks or the submission box!

[nostalgia-tblr]

My Next Attempt At Long Fic (by which I mean more than 10000 words and it has chapters) Should Be...

Poll and the (actually quite long) gist of each option below le cut:

The Sylki Con Artists AU

This one I have a wee bit written of already but I go back and forth on this one because it's Alternative Universe - Modern Setting and I feel like there's already a lot of those (which I also complain about a lot), and I have to justify it to myself as an experiment in whether I can do a Sylki Modern AU that doesn't just end up as "two people called Loki and Sylvie do normal stuff together". That's why they are con artists in this! Because 1) MISCHIEF (or crime, or whatever) and 2) if they have the same 'job' for similar reasons and I go on about them being similar a lot then that's maybe as close as reality can get to selfcest. (The selfcest is not just a feature of sylki, I feel it is THE feature and to admit to being Bad At Shipping (again) I'm just not that interested in it if they're different people who aren't even aliens. The same alien.) (You can tell me they are gods all you want but I've seen enough Doctor Who to know that must be A LIE so I reject it as such.)

The plot is that they meet in a bar one night and shag (obviously!) and then the reader discovers that Loki is trying to buy a painting from an old woman (planning on ripping off both her and his own buyer) and Sylvie is an artist who is selling a forged painting to some posh twat on the internet who she knows is trying to rip off her fake old lady persona on the deal but she's selling him a fake painting anyway so at least he deserves to be conned. They meet up a few times before finally realising that they are in fact conning each other under fake names on the internet, and then I have to try and fix it when they inevitably get mad at each other because of it. Also, Thor works in a shop because the brodinsons are Downwardly Mobile (dad spent all their inheritance, oh no!) Plotwise Loki is going to actually need Sylvie's painting for reasons I have not yet entirely worked out so one way or another they will have to eventually forgive each other for being con artists as they themselves are and for having attempted to con each other.

Ideally I will be able to make this one funny in some way, as I think the concept can get absurd enough to make a rom-com out of it.

2. The Jotun Heat Fic (also sylki)

I was into this one for about a day and now I have second thoughts because I am not sure I care enough about Frost Giant Biology to have to write an entire fic about it. It would continue my tradition (I did it once, that's enough for it to be a tradition) of turning a tiny ficlet into a much longer thing. This one: The Opposite of Heat, in which Loki and Sylvie go into whatever the Jotun equivalent of the fandom fave 'mating cycles/in heat' trope is, having never done so before because (see if you can guess...) they've never previously spent enough time around another Jotun for the hormones to kick in properly. They have no idea this can happen, and what starts out as Fun Porno-Fic Times soon gets a bit worrying and then I suppose they have to Investigate and that's the bit I fear might end up boring me.

This is set in an AU where S2!Loki did not instantly demand that Sylvie help him with his cop friends' problems and instead just went to live in Oklahoma with her, so the other/'real' plot is them getting used to living together and the weird-but-sexy medical issue bringing them into conflict because of course the first place Loki wants to go for help is the TVA (this not unreasonable of him, as they have a lot of info in their archives and he has no other friends anyway), which Sylvie is not keen on as she would rather just avoid them for the rest of forever. Gosh, I hope nobody goes to the TVA for help behind anyone else's back!

I need a way to make this one stay interesting once it gets to the Find Out What Is Happening part and also it needs to not just immediately end with a sensible solution like just going to Jotunheim and asking someone there for a talk about the frost-birds and the frost-bees.

Also I think they should fuck in that McDonalds. Just because.

3. Jotunheim Rejects The Guy Who Cannot Possibly Be Its Rightful King, Because I'm Annoying Like That AU (not thorki)

Speaking of going to Jotunheim, you know all those fics where Loki goes to be the Rightful King Of Frostland, as Odin apparently planned all along? That but it doesn't work, because I am not at all convinced he can have been Laufey's heir (who the fuck infanticides their only male heir?!) and even if he was well it'd just look awful, wouldn't it? Crusty Old Odin, worst friend to Jotunheim for several years running, sends back your kingdom's heir having raised him as one of his own family. (I hope at least one of you is thinking "US-Backed Puppet Ruler Who Will Do Whatever The CIA Tells Them To" because I did too! Ooh, geopolitical barely-subtext!)

The problem with this one for me is it requires a fairly large cast of Original Jotun Characters, and I still fear writing OCs because of the constant 'Mary-Sue' complaints in my fannish youth. Also I would Controversially (LOL not really) make some of them women, including Angrboda the ambitious would-be consort and Laufey's tragically spurned lover who on finding out that her long-dead son is not dead makes the most of it by insisting everyone call her 'My Lady, the King's Mother' (yes, I stole that from History but I do that sort of thing now, for the LOLs). So I have a bit of an idea what happens in this one, though I'd need to think of more political type plot stuff and also I just finished writing a multichapter fic that involved the Jotun succession so maybe I'd be overdoing it if I did this one now as well.

The other problem is Jotuns are too fucking tall. I mean really. This doesn't seem to bother anyone else but they are Too Fucking Tall to interact with the shorter characters, to the point that it just seems accidentally comedic to me. Just imagine the totally-not-a-puppet king of Jotunheim sitting on a massive throne, swinging his wee legs in the air. And I don't know how to work around that other than just saying "they are Less Fucking Tall in this fic" and I don't know if that would just annoy people. Also it does feel a bit incendiary to go against the general fandom insistence that Loki Is Totally The Rightful King Of Jotunheim. Though I suppose in this he is, it's just that he attempts to become so in the sort of circumstances that make everyone start saying things like "are we really that keen on our monarchy?" or at least "surely there's a cousin or an uncle we could give the crown to instead? yeah, even a woman would do. no, she doesn't have to be alive if there are only dead ones available."

(It was a mistake to let me read books about the Wars of the Roses, wasn't it?)

Oh and this isn't a thorki fic, but Thor is going to go to Jotunheim with his bro to help him settle in and also he will be going back to rescue him from it at the end. Bros before snows!!!!

[marvelstars]

I really loved Vader´s and Prince Xizor rivalry in old school star wars. Their conflict is different to the ones Vader traditionally has.

Xizor isn´t a military adversary, a jedi or a sith, he is a legitimate leader of a very powerful corporation that serves an important role in developing the construction for death star II but he is also a mafia Don,leader of Black Sun, an undersworld organization that shares intelligence with the rebels and the Empire because he is playing the long game and betting to both sides until there´s a clear winner, Xizor is sure the Empire will win but he is covering all his bases. He is also 300 years old so he has done this in the past with the Republic as well, his race lives for such a long time that he sometimes can get bored.

Xizor fight with Vader is mostly political and strategic, he wants to capture and kill Luke Skywalker for the Emperor in a way to show him his capabilities but also to take Vader´s role in the Imperial court, he is aware Vader is a Sith Lord but he doens´t know Palpatine is one as well and so his chances of getting Vader´s position in particular isn´t a safe bet but the Emperor allowed him to think he had an opportunity because his resources are useful and because he wants to test Vader on his political skills.

Vader prepares to confront Xizor because he doesn´t really want to relly on Black Sun for the death star, knowing all the intelligence he most definitely must be sharing with the rebels but more than that he is aware of Xizor ambitions but he isn´t truly worried about his own position, he is worried about Xizor killing his Son or hurting the Emperor which I find honestly cute, at that moment Luke and the Emperor are the people Vader cares the most about so their protection are his priority :D and so his whole role in this story, shadow of the Empire, is to get into the politics of it all, protect Luke, send Boba Fett and another of his agents to protect Han Solo´s carbonite block and keep an eye on Luke´s shennanigans, both the legitimate imperial politics and the underworld ones to keep his Son safe and to protect the Emperor.

This is an interesting story in which Vader´s foe isn´t fighting him directly but looking to show him innefective in his work as the imperial enforcer and leader of the army to defeat him politically, Vader´s initial reaction is to follow the game, aware of his Master expecting him to do that but once his darling Son and Lando decide to bomb to death Xizor´s Corustcant castle to rescue Leia and for his betrayal of the rebellion there´s clear evidence Xizor is trying to kill Luke and his friends right in front of him, so Vader no longer has to hold back.

Love this because this story is bassically about poor Xizor´s no good bad week with the Skywalker family, Leia spying on his archives, taking his intelligence of the death star, Luke bombing his castle and everything around him which is his style and Vader joining for the sake of protecting his boy but also because he kind of likes Luke´s style of burning everything in his sight even if this brings down all his political plans to deal with Xizor personally but he still offered Xizor to be captured out of professional etiquette.

This old flavor Vader is very refreshing, because he shows here how while politics isn´t his arena, he is no slouch at them whe he has to get involved there and I belive that´s something modern star wars comics have not tackled as well as this story did.

If there´s ever a Vader or Empire series, doubtful I know, I would like it to tackle his story from this perspective to truly connect the PT with the OT.

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

~*~

1. ITMF: Just finished ShanaStoryteller's "By Any Other Name" where resurrected WWX pretends to be a woman, and it's put me in the mood for fic where he is actually resurrected as a woman but, here's the key: he's hamstrung by the extremely patriarchal society he's in. The few fic I've read that have him in a woman's body usually hand wave over that but I'd love to read a fic that doesn't. Anything like that out there??? @kimboo-york

To Deserve So Much More by renysen (locked to archive) (T, 20k, wangxian, summoned by f!oc, getting together, Mojo’s post) has WWX resurrected by the youngest daughter of a non-cultivating family and deals with several issues of him being a woman as a result.

~*~

2. do you know any fics that explore what happens if yzy lives past the wen attack on lp? wwx blamed himself enough without her active vitriol so i'd love to read how her survival would impact the yunmeng trio (esp wwx) and/or the war. thank you!

💖  Lessons relearned by Iamnotawriter (T, 44k, WangXian, LQR & WWX, Not Madam Yu Friendly, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inventor WWX, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, No Golden Core Transfer, YZY Bashing) has YZY surviving the fall of LP & has stuff about how her leadership is different from JC

Yearning for Miles by Murahi (M, 378k, WangXian, LQR/SiSi, Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, Slow burn, Mutual Pining, seeing the future) has YZY surviving IIRC (it's been a while since I read it & I bailed partway through so idk how it goes) & the tags mention YZY redemption

~*~

3. hi ! in the mood for fics (canon) that feature wangxian and lan sizhui ! it doesn’t need to be about them as parents, although it definitely can, but just having them (especially lwj) act parental or acknowledged as parents or exist as a family unit would be much appreciated, kind of like “Crack me open, pour you out” by tenillypo. basically any parental canon wangxian (even just featured) would be amazing thank you !! @willesnelson

to the act of making noise by words-writ-in-starlight (WordsWritInStarlight) (G, 19k, LSZ & LWJ, LSZ & WWX, wangxian, Grief/Mourning, Father-Son Relationship, inquiry, Music, Angst, Fluff, Found Family, podfic available)

kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight by AlfAlfAlfAlfAlf, tardigradeschool (T, 75k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eventual Happy Ending, Getting Together, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Inspired by The Parent Trap (1998), Kid Fic, teen shenanigans, two a-yuans, Fluff and Angst) it's set in canon times however its def an AU storyline but you get a lot of family feels

Finding Balance Series by Zombubble (G/T, 117k, WangXian, Character Study, Canon Compliant, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of Violence, Mentions of Death, Grief, But only a little, Nightmare, Canon-Typical Violence, within a nightmare, injuries, Underage Drinking, Light Angst, Happy Ending, JC Being an Asshole, but not too bad, Anxiety, Grief/Mourning, Self-Reflection, Conflict Resolution, Internal Conflict, lots of talking, Lots of Thinking, LSZ-centric, Soft LQR, Sort Of, Collective Bargaining, LSZ accidentally incites a mini off-screen rebellion, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Angst with a Happy Ending, Post-Canon, mild panic attack) not sure if its quite what #3 is asking (most recent itmf post) but there's a post-canon sizhui-centric series about sizhui coming to terms with remembering he's a wen and stuff, and the last two in the series (esp the last one) have parental wangxian helping him work through things

~*~

4. Itmf wwx n friends as a crazy crack funny af potty mouthed wholesome group!! Modern au. Them being crack heads in a nut. Like, doing stuff like sneaking out, putting skates and running at night, sitting in shopping trolly and pushing it ahead, Fighting in Instagram comments section. Just wwx an friends. Idm relationships.

He lo I'm for #4 itmf. fic is really good, but not what I was aiming for, cuz yeah the plot was chef's kiss, but didn't had much of wy n frnds, lemme clear: wy n frnds shenanigans, doing stupid things, what the fuk moments. This time doesn't matter if it's canon, modern or alternate Universe. Thankyou

The Fifth Type of Non-Contact Force by Caixx (Not Rated, 83k, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Fluff and Humor, Actually Somewhat Canon, Mutual Pining, Horny Teenagers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Graphic Smut) lots of shenanigans here

Carefully Orchestrated Plans (no strings attached) by Maledictius (T, 101k, WangXian, Modern AU, Chatting & Messaging, Orchestra, Fluff and Humor, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gossip)

~*~

5. ITMF!! What’s a wangxian fic you’ve read where, as you sadly leave your last kudos on the last chapter, you think, THIS COULD BE A MOVIE 😤!

Those fast paced, edge of your seat, tight plot, spot on character fics that you’d buy a ticket to see? Or maybe a smaller lyrical fic that could totally be an art house short film?

I was rereading Hobbsy3’s Tragedy is Not the End. I always have to make myself popcorn it’s so good! So yep, that’s my movie fic!

Dear mods, please direct me to the right list if this has been asked before!! 💚

Wei Wuxian Makes a Wish series by natcat5 (M, 119k, wangxian, major character death, underage, madoka magica au, modern w/ magic, time travel, high school au, body horror, self-harm, angst w/ bittersweet ending, time loop, mental instability, suicidal thoughts) is it cheating if it's technically based on a movie? I didn't need to know anything about what this is based on besides a quick Google but if asker is looking for something that leaves them feeling breathless with all kinds of feelings this is the first one that came to mind

The Fifth Type of Non-Contact Force by Caixx (Not Rated, 83k, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Fluff and Humor, Actually Somewhat Canon, Mutual Pining, Horny Teenagers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Graphic Smut) link in #4 honestly this also felt like a teenage coming of age indie movie

💖 Echo, Murmur, Dream, Here by bluerainmist (M, 51k, wangxian, canon divergence, WWX survives, sect leader WWX, yiling wei sect au, slow burn, angst w/ happy ending, getting together, pining, love confessions, reunions, mind all the tags) I just read this and the descriptions of the armor and battlefields really felt like they would suit huge movie screens. It just had that imax vibe, ya know?

Also maybe 5 should look at the “Beautiful Writing and Good Plot” Compilation | Pt. 2 comps a lot of the fics on there feel like a movie

花无百日红; the flower that withers by yiqie (M, 29k, wangxian, Time Travel Fix-It of Sorts, Case Fic, Spells & Enchantments, Hurt/Comfort, Forgiveness, It's about the emotional catharsis, If you have ever laughed at WWX clowning himself for the 'no one will marry you' scene, This fic is: for you) i'm not a writer so i can't describe the feelings this fic evoked in me, but this is one of those fics that is so prettily written and if it's got a movie adaptation i would definitely watch it

In Imitation of Life by travelingneuritis (E, 70k, wangxian, modern cultivation, scifi au, android WWX, tone: neon seedy, rich people are bored and terrible, post-apocalyptoc landscape, happy ending, smut, severe major characger injury, time loss) everything this author writes is like a movie tbh

symmetry by bleuett (M, 44k, WangXian, Space, Science Fiction, Happy Ending, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Holding Hands, Blow Jobs, Hand Feeding, Cultivation in Space, Yearning, Reunions, Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Injuries, Grief/Mourning, Unconventional Time Travel, Burial Mounds) I remember reading this and getting major interstellar vibes

💖 Pentimento. by orange_crushed (E, 73k, wangxian, modern, college/university au, art conservation, museums, pining, not actually unrequited love, angst w/ happy ending, misunderstandings, smut, major character injury, hospitalization, hurt/comfort, past incarceration, forgery) this is like an A24 Sundance festival winner, author writes such incredible prose

Post Mortem by Cataclysmic_Calamity (E, 78k, wangxian, modern, Psychological Horror, friends with benefits, they're both fucked up but they love each other so much, Slow Burn Mystery, Unnegotiated Kink, Dom/sub, Anal Sex, Consensual Non-Con, Stalking, Drug Addiction, Serial Killers, in Wei Ying's desire to critique the 'final girl' trope he accidentally becomes one, Angst with a Happy Ending, meta commentary on the horror and true crime genres) A horror movie!!!! Very much on the edge of your seat.

~*~

6. Huge thanks to the mods and participants for this wonderful blog! You keep my Mark for Later list going strong.

ITMF fics where someone tries to harm WWX because of LWJ. Maybe they're obsessively in love with him and want to get rid of the competition, or maybe they hate him and want to hurt him in the worst way possible by hurting the one he loves most, or whatever. Bonus points if Wangxian assume that whoever seems to be coming after WWX is coming after him because he's the Yiling Laozu instead of because he's LWJs love, and so they make wrong assumptions and mistakes. Happy for similar recs also, even if it's not a perfect fit! No Jiang Cheng bashing though plz. Thanks all! @flamingwell

this body yet survives by RoseThorne (T, 50k, WIP, WangXian, No War AU, Recovery, Trauma, Dissociation, Courting Rituals, Near Death Experiences, Attempted Murder, Eventual Happy Ending, Panic Attacks, Protective Siblings, Triggers, Protective LWJ, Protective LQR, Yúnmèng Siblings Dynamics, Bad Parent YZY, POV Third Person, POV LWJ, Depression, Good Sibling JC, Good Sibling JYL)

A Soft Storm by AvoOwO (Not rated, 47k, wangxian, modern au, hurt WWX, LWJ pov, protective LWJ, not SS friendly, car accidents, hurt/comfort, heavy angst w happy ending, sexual harrasment, stalking, crying, blood & injury & gore, major character injury, college, slut shaming, insults)

Coincidence is Another Man's Fate by TriviasFolly (M, 164k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O Dynamics, Alpha LWJ, Omega wwx, Sexual Harassment, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, WangXian play the long game, UNTIL THEY DON'T, Getting Together, fated pairs, Eventual Attempted Sexual Assult and Recovery, Modern Setting - Office, Mpreg)

~*~

7. Hi!! Does anyone know of any fics where dual cultivation classes are part of the lectures that all the young masters attend? I’d love to see them paired up to meditate, study, duel, night hunt, perhaps even take a couple of sex magic classes. In my head I am picturing something like those Harry Potter fics where students are paired due to compatible magic and they study together regardless of house division. Thank you!

turn towards the sun by Ariaste (E, 21k, WangXian, Kushiel's Legacy Fusion, The Night Court (Kushiel's Legacy), Kink Negotiation, Courtesans, Intimacy, BDSM, Consent, Wangxian's canonical fetishes, roughly Cloud Recesses-era, Extracurricular Kissing, Impact Play, Kink Experimentation, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, (aka Madam Yu being canonically willing to hit WWX)) This may not be exactly what was requested but it’s definitely school and wangxian definitely “study” together:)

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8. Are there any fics where Wei Wuxian purposely tries to seduce Lan Wangji? Like he wears revealing clothes, touches him more often, moans while eating...etc? Like, Wei Wuxian knows Lan Wangji likes him and is trying to make him crack by being all flirty/seductive?

puzzle pieces by Yuisaki (T, 6k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Roommates, Fluff, Humor, Friends to Lovers, Sharing Clothes, Getting Together, Pining)

~*~

9. Hi mods! Can I ask for the next ITMF for some fics where WWX, JFM or even LQR are angry at Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren for not being careful enough during night hunts and leaving WWX alone? Something along the lines of why they didn't have a back up plan or why didn't they leave WY in Lotus Pier or somewhere else where he would be looked after while they were busy and risking something happening to him bc they didn't tell anyone where their child was if something happened to them. Doesn't really need to be bashing but definitely some abandonment issues and not WWX just being alright with what his parents did and wanting to do the same

Thanks!! @jiangclaritybell

❤️ The One-Body Problem by metisket (T, 29k, LJY & WWX, LJY & LSZ, wangxian, possession, cohabitation, Mojo’s bookmark) Lan Jingyi (very) briefly mentions how stupid it was for WWX's parents to just leave him when they went off night hunting

~*~

10. Hii!! I hope you guys are well <3

I have a request for the next itmf, i recently read a fic where wwx is adopted by hua lian, so I was wondering if you had more fics in the same category?? The fic i read was the hearth series by eccentrick!!

Thank you in advance ❤️❤️

there's a whole tag Huā Chéng & Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú) Adopt Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn for that, but in specific

Hua Xianle by Tiffany_Guinne (Not rated, 170k, hualian, wangxian, TGCF, canon divergence, not Jiang friendly, madam lan lives, WWX adopted by hualian, WWX with different name, overprotective hualian, hurt WWX, WIP)

Narrative of Strength by MeltedIceAngel (T, 61k, WIP, WangXian, HuaLian, Canon Divergence, Adopt WWX, Found Family, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective XL, Protective HC, Adoption, Kidnapping, Attempted Kidnapping, Serious Injuries, Angst with a Happy Ending, TGCF)

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11. Hello, for the next In the mood for, do you have any wangxian fan fic recs of novel canon divergence/fix it that do not feature yunmeng bros reconciliation? Thank you so much in advance!

Lay my body down by tawaen (M, 48k, WWX & WQ, WWX & WN, wangxian, WWX & JYL, canon divergence, time travel, rogue cultivator WWX, no golden core transfer, not cultivation world friendly, not JC friendly, OCs) WWX travels back in time & goes fuck the cultivation world & JC in particular

The Core Issue by Hauntcats (T, 21k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Not JC Friendly, Canon Divergence) WWX rebuilds his core while living in the Burial Mounds, JC loses his & is pissed about it

~*~

12. Can you recommend me Darkji fanfic and an oblivious weiying or a dark dark lanzhan where there's an abuse and manipulation included I don't mind🫶🏻

Obelus by Celestios (Not rated, 167k, wangxian, rape/non-con, non-con elements, NO rape, Non-Consensual Spanking, Non-Consensual Punishments, Spanking, Punishments, Dubious Morality, Dubious Consent, physical discipline, Physical Abuse, Toxic Relationships, Abusive Relationship, Kidnapping, Stockholm Syndrome, mention of violence, mention of drugs, Mention of alcohol, Possessive Behavior, Obsessive Behavior, Unhealthy Relationships, dark LWJ, Baker WWX, Bodyguard WN, Mentions of weapons, Gun mentions, Slow Burn, Long, Doctor WQ, Self Medicating, WWX has ADHD, Trauma Bonding, Psychological Manipulation, Gaslighting, Organized Crime, underground crime, Underground business, illegal business)

3-in-1 Shampoo/Conditioner/Bodywash - the Real Gateway Drug by Anonymous (E, 22k, WIP, WangXian, one sided wangxian (but for how long?), sketchy as fuck LWJ, does this count as dark! LWJ, implied bi WWX, modern au - no cultivation, Piss Marking, Come Marking, cum in food, brief cameo of food fucking, piss in food, Exhibitionism, Sloppy Seconds, Alcoholism, mention piss drinking, No Sex, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, sexually charged assisted pissing, accidental hold, Omorashi, freak4freak, emotional manipulation/subdrop of sorts, co-pissing, panty huffing, Degradation, dubcon blowjob, FaceFucking, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, pissing on someone who's passed out drunk, Spanking, Verbal Humiliation, Mutual Masturbation, jerking off walkthrough (with commentary), threats of edging, mutual CNC fantasies, Unreliable Narrator, I gave LWJ the LBH sized cock he deserves, Bathing, pissing in fleshlight) 3-in-1 shampoo/conditioner/bodywash - the real gateway drug for itfm 12. It’s more extremely dubious consent than actual abuse, but there is definitely a bit of gaslighting.

Kinkotber Day 4: A Shift in Perspective by Anonymous (E, 2k, WangXian, Stockholm Syndrome, Rape/Non-con Elements, there's no violence but he certainly doesn't ask for concent, Dark LWJ, Oblivious WWX, Cockwarming, Exhibitionism, bimboification (kind of), collaring (at the end), Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, PWP, Almost No Dialogue) as the tags say - no actual violence but deffo non/dubcon elements

~*~

13. Hello, do you know any modern or canon au wx fics where wangxian never interacted when they were kids/students but lwj still had a quiet crush on wwx?

and having a marvelous time by varnes (E, 108k, WangXian, Yúnmèng Siblings, Sound of Music AU, (i know!!! i know. stay with me on this.), Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Family Feels, spies to lovers???, Protective Siblings, Sometimes You Just Want Your Dads To Admit They’re Your Dads, Angst with a Happy Ending)

~*~

14. this might be a weirdly specific request for itmf, but I was wondering if you know of any fics where, either through reincarnation or time travel what have you, Lan Sizhui/Wen Yuan raises Wei Ying or Lan Zhan as his child(ren)?

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15. For the next ITMF, can you recommend fic where characters OTHER than wangxian take ownership of their actions prior to wwx's death? (e.g. abandoning wwx/wen civilians to their fate, the mass slaughter of innocents, stealing & profiting off his work while slandering him, etc). I'm not interested in fics where this ownership has a caveat ("it was bad, but wwx was equally bad or worse" - these are fine but it's just not what I want to read.) Thanks! @balleyboley

~*~

16. Anything with wwx with low self-steem????

the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break by RoseThorne (E, 88k, WIP,   WangXian, Canon Divergence, Soulmates, Self-Esteem Issues, Fix-It, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, PTSD, Handfasting, Panic Attacks, Getting Together, First Time, Aftercare, Implied/Referenced Alcohol   Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Torture, Scars, Chronic Pain, Golden Core Reveal, First Time, Switching, sex-related injury, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, LSZ is a Wèi, Good Sibling JC, Dissociation, Burial Mounds Settlement Days)

Welcome to the Family Series by jiejieaini (E, 237k, WangXian, Modern, Hurt/comfort, Fluff, Angst, Explicit Sex)

❤️ The One-Body Problem by metisket (T, 29k, LJY & WWX, LJY & LSZ, wangxian, possession, cohabitation, Mojo’s bookmark) (link in #9) Seeing the “low self esteem” ask in ITMF made me go: any fic ever? If you want a funny response to it, metisket’s One Body Problem has Jingyi. Enough said.

Don't Leave Me by TrippinOnSkies (E, 19k, WangXian, Modern AU, Marriage Proposal, Mental Breakdown, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Panic Attacks, But they are very mild, Overthinking, Good Sibling JC, Break Up, Gentle Sex, Gentle Kissing, Idiots in Love, Pining, Misunderstandings, Oblivious WWX, LWJ Has Feelings, LWJ is Whipped, Getting Together, NHS & WWX Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy EndingInsecure WWX, WWX Has Issues, WWX Has Self-Esteem Issues, Sad WWX, WWX is Bad at Communicating)

could you find a way to let me down slowly, if you're leaving baby let me down slowly by ravenditefairylights (M, 36k, WangXian, XuanLi, Past MingXian, Canon Divergence, Golden Core Reveal, Implied/Referenced Sex, Miscommunication, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Dynamics, Hurt WWX, Mutual Pining, Unreliable Narrator, Self-Esteem Issues, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Protective Siblings, Trauma, Slightly dubious consent, courtesy of drunk sex, Inventor WWX, Genius WWX, Phoenix Mountain, Chronic Pain, Getting Together, Fix-It of Sorts, One Braincell Trio, PTSD)

See Me, Feel Me (Listening to You) by Ghost_Honey (T, 29k, WangXian, POV WWX, WWX Needs a Hug, WWX's Abyssmal Self-Esteem, Emotional Healing, Angst, The Juniors love their Senior Wei, Curses, WWX is an Unreliable Narrator, JC & WWX Reconciliation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Cuddling)

pastel by antebunny (G, 6k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Soulmates, Angst, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Self-Esteem Issues, Misunderstandings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Unrequited Love, but not actually)

to be loved by wqngji (G, 1k, WangXian, Insecure WWX, Petty LWJ, JC is So Done, Domestic Fluff, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Doubt, Hugs, Hurt WWX)

leading tone by silencemostofall (G, 32k, WangXian, Modern AU, Soulmates, with a lil twist, Eventual Happy Ending, it will not look like it until the very end but I promise there's a happy ending, lesbian wq rights, Music, Orchestra, platonic and romantic pining, wwx's serious self-worth issues, [Podfic] Leading Tone by silencemostofall by Beria1021)

~*~

17. Is there a fic in which yiling people are protective of wei ying and wants him to come back

End Racism in the OTW | The Fire Lapping Up the Creek by notevenyou (E, 66k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Blood, Respiratory Illness, Major Illness, Fever, Grief/Mourning, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hunger and food scarcity, Surgery, Fix-It of Sorts) it’s mentioned briefly, I believe

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[depraveddame]

Tempt, my omegaverse glory hole fic, is now posted!

It was inevitable, perhaps, that I’d dip my toes into omegaverse- I’m easily squicked by a lot of common omegaverse elements, so I’ve changed a lot of typical tropes in order to create more of what I have been referring to as my ‘hedonismverse’- a modern day omegaverse that's evolved as far as sex and pleasure with little to no emphasis on reproduction. No angst for once 😂 everyone is happy, healthy, and horny as fuck.

Some CWs: omegaverse, alpha Aziraphale, omega Crowley, D/s, glory hole, oral knotting, wet & messy, praise/degradation/humiliation, implied open relationships/non monogamy, scent kink, boot grinding - please read the rest of the tags on AO3 for more!

Excerpt:

His companion smells fucking divine— Crowley’s mouth waters like a slutty fountain as he breathes in deeply and takes in the fragrance of dark, sweet cocoa that’s spiked with cayenne pepper and something jammy on the end, like a lush, full bodied red wine of some sort, blackberries or currants crushed in a glass that’s been stained with the blood of its juice and doused in the tannic kiss of wine and chocolate. It’s all wrapped in the heady scent of want, it’s cloaked by the musky, smoky quality of alpha pheromones and the clear, overarching note of I’m going to ruin you, omega, and you’ll thank me for it.

And Crowley will— he most certainly, certainly will.

The shoes finally make their way to stand in front of the wall between them, and the open space beneath shows Crowley black leather and grey tartan tweed balmoral boots— they’re expensive and beautiful, undoubtedly bespoke, and his tongue itches with the desire to slide along the contour of their toes.

“I—” there’s a beat before the alpha continues, and the hesitation of an internal conflict registers in Crowley’s sensitive ears, “forgive me, I don’t wish to assume or offend, but I must ask— you’re here of your own volition, am I correct? You’re not being…coerced in any way, to be here, yes?”

Even his voice is delicious, Crowley thinks before he registers he’s being asked a question, and his brow furrows. He’d just been about to beg for this stranger to please get on with it and fuck his mouth, but the hint of nervousness that permeates the arousal in the room has him pausing— for the first time, he picks up on the smell of old, well worn leather, and maybe something earthy and woodsy— perhaps paper.

Books.

“First time at an upscale sex club?” Crowley asks loftily, a little incredulous. It would be very unlikely for someone inexperienced in the scene to be accepted for membership here, but it could happen, he supposes, with the right sway.

There’s a slight, huffy scoff that borders on irritated above him.

“First time at this particular establishment, yes,” the voice continues, and Crowley would categorize its tone as lightly irked as well as anxious, “and while things have improved exponentially within the last two decades or so for such things, I know you’re an omega, and while this business seems extremely reputable thus far, you’ll have to indulge a jaded old alpha who has seen far too many of your gender forced into similar situations they’d rather not be in.”

Crowley sits stunned for a few seconds, nonplussed, as he considers the alpha’s speech.

I hope you’ll enjoy this slutty and smutty fic!

@goodomensafterdark

[abeautifulblog]

Hi! You said you could help talk me through feudal worldbuilding, and I’d love to pick your brain!

Absolutely! Probably easiest to hit me up over discord (I'm _gremble) and then I would be happy to talk your ear off. 🤣 My wheelhouse is very narrowly focused on mid 9th century England (re: what Anglo Saxon society/military/governance looked like when the vikings rolled up), and iirc, some of the features you mentioned being interested in are more the product of later medieval political structures. I cannot help you with those, but I can probably help with some of the overall mental shifts, because a lot of the things we take for granted in the modern era were just............ not the way things worked back then.

In particular, the word "general" in your initial ask jumped out at me, because it brought up one of the exact issues that I'd run into. The character I was working with had been presented in canon as "the king's top general" -- not those words, but definitely those vibes -- that he was The Guy In Charge Of The Army. Except as soon as I started researching military structures in that period, I found out that that's not how armies worked. When the king needed to go to war, he would call on all his top landholding nobles to round up a bunch of their dudes -- which would be a large number of armed peasants, and a smaller number of fulltime warriors -- and bring their portion of the army to bear.

But these various segments of the army remained under the command of their various lords, marching under separate banners. The lords, in essence, were the generals -- there's not one guy commanding the entire army as a single unit (except for the king, sort of), and there's certainly not any non-noble who doesn't own any dudes getting to call the shots and dictate strategy. Talented and successful warriors might well get rewarded for their service, and given land grants that would generate tons of money for them and put a large number of conscriptable peasants under their control -- and might have the ear of the king if they're known to be good at tactics -- but they don't have authority over anyone else's forces.

The politically neutral, career military guy that we think of when we hear the word "general," who has no independent power of his own but receives a paycheck from his higher-ups to command their men for them, didn't exist yet.

It's a bit of a paradigm shift, because we're used to the military as something separate, that's subordinate to civilian leadership and works in service to it, not for those to be one and the same. We're also used to a norm of strong nation-states with one centralized army, which was very much not the case throughout feudalism/manorialism -- at least in the Anglo Saxon period, power was decentralized and delegated, and being king involved a lot of herding cats wrangling your nobles, not exercising direct control. The king was the guy who could get the most other guys to back him up.

(In the same vein, early kingdoms also tended to be a patchwork of other, smaller kingdoms that retained a great deal of their own autonomy and identity. The modern nation-state that we're so used to, with a single national identity, is an astonishingly recent invention.)

Anyway, hands-down the most useful and eye-opening book I've read on the subject is Clifford J. Rogers' Soldiers Lives Throughout History: The Middle Ages. It's like $80 to buy (😭) but the pdf is on Anna's Archive, and it's invaluable. It is, essentially, a social history of medieval warfare -- most military histories focus on the politics of a particular conflict, or the technology and tactics involved, but this book is all about what life on the ground looked like. A+++ resource for anyone writing war and military logistics in a medieval (or medieval-flavored) setting.

[paeliae-occasionally]

Placeholder Ask - Naveena Qs Part 2

Hello, @thecomfywriter I told you I would circle back to these questions so here we are maybe a month later…

i read your post on the runes system briefly (gorgeous by the way. great distraction from pathology. i’m always doing pathology 😔) BUTTTTT can you pls ramble more about it? i wanna know what makes someone of magic. sponsorship from ike? is there drama between the gods? how has it affected history? how does it affect believers and their contrasting dynamics? how does it affect politics?

I always have more magic rambles!

How is magic acquired?

Ok so it depends what type of magic.

Ahinti (Arcane) magic - this is the type that the mages use. This is taught as it manipulates the naturally occurring Ike in the world.

Druidic magic - This can also be taught as it also draws from the magic naturally around you

Sorcerers - To be a sorcerer you have to be born magic as you cast from a personal store of magic that you have since birth.

Runics - You can learn the runes under certain conditions.

So essentially the runes are weird because they cast using the natural Ike but using the runes like a catalyst to break individual simple components out of strands.

The runes themselves are cursed by the god of magic Ezemhaziel so that the weirder has to have suffered as he and Rin suffered at the hands of mortals. This essentially means they have to go through extreme loss and pain to the point of emptiness to be able to channel through the runes.

But after the condition is met they can be taught and train like other magic users.

Is there drama between the gods? How has this effected history?

The answer is yes and the relevant posts are here and here.

How does it affect believers and their contrasting dynamics? How does it effect politics?

Now this is an interesting one.

So in this world there is not a distinction between believers and non-believers in the gods, as they were quite obviously real and present in the past.

But, there are different religions that hold things higher than the gods, and think if the gods differently because of it. (I am not explaining the whole church of the eternal lore here but feel free to ask)

There is however conflict over what they believe about the gods.

Before the dissolution, many cities had patron gods and rituals and festivals surrounding a variety of gods. Notably some were treated more like folk heroes than how you would expect a god to be treated as many people has higher beliefs than the gods they could see before them.

These alignments with certain gods still effect culture in the modern day, whether through a societies values, their art, or their industry. Their favour with a god also likely acted as a shield in the pre-dissolution massacres, especially if they were protected by one of the older, more powerful gods.

The various churches have dramatically impacted politics especially surrounding the support or animosity towards magical research. (This parallels the supposed ‘religion/science divide in our world) They also have impacted laws in the will of the eternal, or control the daily schedule of entire nations as giant ethno-religions.

I might need to make another post about the various religions in the world. Not all of them are as fully fleshed out as I would like but there are a couple strong ones.

Anyway tagging the tag list:

@thelovelymachinery, @an-indecisive-nerd, @the-letterbox-archives, @oliolioxenfreewrites, @winvyre

@happypup-kitcat24, @wyked-ao3, @leahnardo-da-veggie, @alnaperera, @dearunreliablenarrator

@rumeysawrites, @urnumber1star, @seastarblue, @thecomfywriter

[honeyblockm]

Emerges from @extremetimedchallengeexchange covered in blood. I did these:

all the nicer things you could have been: tgcf, hua cheng/bai wuxiang, in the aftermath of ch190

emduo xianxia au art: dsmp. This->

only, it seems, when the dark surrounds me: dsmp, quackity/karl, modern au, quackity keeps picking up a vanishing hitchhiker on his night drives

if you'll be the bones: original work, morally conflicted shixiong/beloved shidi who admires him

[stormblessed95]

Stormy - I have been wanting to start reading Brandon Sanderson's cosmere? books, but I can't figure out where to start.

I have seen conflicting arguments. Some say to start with "Mistborn" (which is my default thinking, as it was the first), some say to start with "The Way of Kings".

Several posts and videos have suggested that no matter where you start you don't read them in chronological order?

Help a girl out? 🙏

-From Fantasy girl who is getting really tired of TikTok trying to convince her ACOTAR is the greatest thing since Tolkien. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Friend, if all booktok is giving you is ACOTAR then you need to expand your algorithm! Lol I'm MORE than happy to talk cosmere and reading order!

SO it's important to know that there really isn't a right or wrong way to do this. Everyone will have their own preferred reading order, or the way they did it. As for the chronological comment, it's because each series takes place at a different point in time in the universe.... It can get a little confusing, and I wouldn't necessarily worry too much about it. Lol if you get really into the cosmere and want all the lore, the timeline of each story on each planet, the 17th shard or coppermind websites do a great job and you could spend DAYS going through it all. Lol but it's also spoiler galore, so I would stay away until you read through the books.

Sanderson himself does say that he breaks a ton of rules of writing/in fantasy in the way he starts The Stormlight Archive. That's his center piece of the cosmere really and he personally recommends reading that one after he has earned your trust as an author. And that's fair because boy does that series have a long, slow and confusing start. But DAMN does it pay off. It is my FAVORITE cosmere series. I named my BTS blog after it 😂😂

The cosmere is an multiverse made up of multiple different book series taking place on multiple different planets, each planet is ruled by different shards (their "gods") and they all, in some ways interconnect, mostly right now in smaller ways, but things are coming together more and more. Finding Easter eggs from different series is one of my favorite things. You also have one character, who is a world hopper (there are lots but he is the main one we see) who appears somewhere in every single series. You can read by series.... You can read in publication order.... You can read in phases.... Lol truly, you can't go wrong!

Mistborn is a great start if you want to try that. It's one of his most well known, but it is not his first published work in the cosmere! It's set on the planet Scadriel. It's a solid series, super strong AND it's a great way to *ease* into it, especially if you are newer to fantasy. Which is sounds like you are not! But still. It's the classic fantasy tropes with Brandon's own take/twist on it. Prophecy chosen one hero, an immortal evil god-emperor, a plucky found family band of misfit rebels, with book 1 being a heist story with magic. It's got a metal based magic system that's one of the most unique hard magic systems I've read

Mistborn starts with the Era 1 trilogy, which includes:

- The Final Empire

-The Well of Ascension

- The Hero of Ages

- The Eleventh Metal (novella)

- The Traveler (short story, only found online)

Era 2, which includes:

- The Alloy of Law

- Allomancer Jak (short story)

- Shadows of Self

- Bands of Mourning

- Mistborn: Secret History (novella)

Mistborn will continue into 2 further eras as well in the future on Scadriel. They haven't been published yet, all we know about it is that Era 1 was your classic epic fantasy trilogy world set up for the most part, Era 2 is set 300 years after the end of era 1 and has a steampunk western feel to it. (It also has lesbians with guns as a side couple/character, and one of my FAVORITE cosmere couples in the main pairing). Era 3 will be set more modern fantasy/magic, he said think 80s/90s, and Era 4 will be a scifi/fantasy feel set in space!

You could also start in publication order with Elantris. His first book ever published, and you can low-key tell. It's still a great book, but it's not as strong as the others and so I tend to rec this one as definitely please read it, but maybe not as an intro to Sanderson as an author. Elantris is a standalone and set on the world of Sel. This world has two other novellas set in it, which are Emperor's Soul (one of the best novellas I've ever read in my life) and the Hope of Elantris. Emperor's Soul is the story of a prisoner tasked with reconstructing the mind of the Emperor to save her own life. Elantris is based on a magic system that broke, triad narrative structure and heavy political intrigue that is told in a way that won't go over my head

If you want to ease into the world by way of Graphic Novel, check of White Sand. It's set on the world of Taldain, takes place timeline wise WAY EARLIER than most of the other cosmere and is just pretty fun honestly. There are 3 volumes total.

Warbreaker is one i used to recommend to my friends all the time as an intro to Sanderson as it was super fun, super colorful, a standalone and a fantastic read with a great romance subplot. Since it's a standalone, alot of people find it less daunting to pick up and it hooks a lot of people in to wanting to read more of his stuff. It's set on the planet Nalthis and has one of the more obvious crossovers in the cosmere into another book series. Characters (and a sword) from this book, also appear as side characters in the Stormlight Archive. Brandon Sanderson also gives a download of Warbreaker for free as an ebook on his website. This is a story of two princesses (sisters) who grew up knowing their lot and fate in life, and then suddenly they have to switch. It's got romance, politics, intrigue and crazy twists and a color based magic system.

My husband started with Stormlight Archive and has zero regrets. Lol and lots of people do start here and love it. Because again, no wrong way to do this! When I mentioned earlier that it really throws you into the deep end, it does. The first boom has a prelude that shows events 5000 years ago, then a prologue with events 5 years ago, then ch 1 with events 6 months ago, then you finally get to present day with the MCs and have no idea how they got to where they are or what's happening at first. Lol but it's got horribly broken characters who are just desperately trying to save themselves and then the world. It's the most badass fantasy world with epic anime level fight scenes, an intricate and so cool magic system and a truly unique world that you are fully emersed in. The video above is like my favorite trailer make people watch to say "read this!!"

Stormlight is set on Roshar and includes:

- The Way of Kings

- Words of Radiance

- Edgedancer (novella)

- Oathbringer

- Dawnshard

- Rhythm of War

- Wind and Truth (releasing Dec 2024)

And the latest release will conclude the first arc of the Stormlight Archive. He plans to have another arc in this series as well with another 5 books and a few more novellas.

You could also start with a few of his newer cosmere related standalones as well! This are all newer releases that he did as secret projects and could all be good entry points into the cosmere as well with a good fun standalone read!

Tress of the Emerald Sea is set on Lumar. It's like pirates of the Caribbean meets Princess's Bride

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter is set on Komashi. Two people find themselves switching bodies, have to solve a mystery to save their respective people's and slowly fall in love along the way (inspired by Your Name)

And The Sunlit Man, I wouldn't read this one as an intro to the cosmere personally, but you could! Its main character is actually one of the side characters from the Stormlight Archive and is set way in the future from that time as well as on a different planet, Canticle.

You can also just jump into some novellas instead if you would rather. There are two novellas out now that have no connection to a series (yet) but are part of the cosmere and set on different planets.

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell is my other favorite cosmere novella and is INCREDIBLE and is set on Threnody

Sixth of Dust is set on First of the Sun

This is old, so missing some of the newer books, but still a great resource:

And if you've made it through all that and are still a little like okayyyy but where do I start??? Some extra resources....

Brandon explaining what the cosmere is himself

Brandon recommended where to start:

If you want the closet to chronological, I'd go:

Publication Order can be found here, the cosmere books are in Green:

https://coppermind.net/wiki/Bibliography

And personally? I'd start Mistborn or Warbreaker. Unless you are fully ready to dive deep into trusting him with a story lol then full send it with Stormlight Archive.

AND if you are reading these, please feel free to DM me to chat about it or send your reactions or anything at all!!

Good luck! Hope I didn't just confuse you more!! Lol

[feral-teeth]

This bed is on fire with passionate love

(it’s the best thing that you’ve ever had, the best thing that you’ve ever, ever had) 

by Arrow Valentine (feral_tooth on archiveofourown.org) for Arthur @tommybones

Link to fic on ao3

Spotify playlist for this fic

Pinterest board for this fic

Summary: Spencer likes Courtney. A lot. But he also really likes Tommy.

Rating: Mature No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M, Multi, Other Fandom: Smosh Relationship: Courtney Miller x Spencer Agnew x Tommy Bowe

Additional Tags: She/Her and They/Them Pronouns for Courtney Miller, Movie Night, Cuddling & Snuggling, Character Analysis, Neck Kissing, Sleepy Cuddles, Sleepy Kisses, Queer Character, Queer Themes, Nonbinary Character, Sexual Tension, Internalized Homophobia, Internal Conflict, Neurodiversity, Synesthesia, Kissing, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Polyamory, RPF

Read under the line <3

Spencer likes Courtney. 

A lot. 

But he also really likes Tommy. 

And that shouldn’t be allowed. 

At least that’s what society tells him time and time again. 

Not exactly directly to his face. 

But anything around it just feels… taboo. 

Growing up, Spencer never really understood why people would only date and marry one person at a time, cause it seemed so boring. 

He loves the idea of holding two others hands, and can’t imagine himself next to only one face when he goes down the aisle. 

What he saw on TV as a kid was always only two people in a relationship. 

Starting with a man and a woman. 

Then later in his life, when people became more open to the ‘lifestyle’, it turned into two people with any gender. 

But it was still two people. 

Like pillars. 

standing side by side.

Totally equal. 

Equally balanced.

It feels unbalanced to Spencer though.

He enjoyed the idea of having more when it came to the people in his relationships.

He also had a crush on basically everyone he met. 

Or whoever was hot. 

So how could he choose? 

Why did he have to choose? 

It felt unfair to him.

So now when he’s lying in bed with his friends Tommy and Courtney, all of them wrapped up in each other's arms, he shouldn’t be feeling this way. 

He should only want one of them. 

One part of him feels like what he was doing was wrong. 

That he had to choose one person. To send one away to the other room and continue doing what they were doing without the other.

But another part of him knew what they were doing was so right.

Lying there, hugging, felt so electric. He felt the most alive he had ever felt in a long time. It was like there was a constant electric current running through him, electricity shooting through his body and out of his fingers.

--

Spencer has always been extremely close friends with both Courtney and Tommy from the beginning of his time at Smosh. 

When the three of them were together, it was like something clicked into place. 

Like three lego pieces that were meant to be together. 

Spencer has always been quiet around others. But not when Courtney and Tommy were around.

Courtney brings him out of his shell, and encourages him to be more open with others. And to be more confident with himself and his talents and strengths.

With Tommy however, Spencer becomes the loudest one in the room. Tommy just has that effect on him. But Tommy is always watching and listening with open ears, smiling at Spencer’s dumb rants and vulgar jokes. 

When Spencer became the director of the Smosh Games channel, it was Tommy and Courtney that he told first. They both immediately cheered, Courtney and Tommy squealing, squeezing him into a big bear hug as they spun him around in the air. 

Ever since that hug, being so close to the both of them, a spark grew in Spencer’s stomach.

And no matter how hard he tried to blow out the flame or stifle it, it just got brighter and louder.

No matter how hard he tried.

He had always been attracted to Courtney and Tommy respectively.

Courtney is so encouraging and personable with others, with an amazing style and personality to match. 

Tommy with his witty, quick and dark personality. He has a shyness to him that Spencer finds charming. Spencer would always make jokes to try and see that part of him for a split second. 

Courtney and Tommy were also both so hot.

It didn't help working with them and hanging out with them almost every week to stifle those thoughts.

Those thoughts of possibly. 

Those thoughts that maybe he was attracted to both of them? Starting to swarm. 

But then so did the guilt. 

And the shame that stabbed him in the back of his mind for wanting both of them when the world pushed for him to only choose one of them.

Sure, he’s had crushes on people at the same time. But there was never anyone who he wanted to step into something more with like Courtney and Tommy. 

They had also mostly been celebrities he had multiple crushes on at the same time, but he felt like that didn’t really count. 

Not really. 

But oh god did he want both of them. 

This type of cuddling feels different for Spencer. It felt like there was more tension in the air. 

It was also going on for a really, really long time. 

Before this, Spencer, Courtney and Tommy were all watching a movie on the couch. But they decided to move to the bed since it was starting to get dark outside and they wanted to be more comfortable. 

As soon as the movie was set up and they sat on the bed, they all immediately gravitated towards each other like magnets.

--

Spencer and Courtney were always close. Especially Courtney, with the way they would always be touching an arm or a leg when she would talk to him. 

But Tommy usually was more reserved with his hands in public. Keeping them close to his body when he was at the office. Looking over his shoulder before resting his palm on Spencer’s arm.

Feeling like he would get caught somehow if he was too handsy with him.

Maybe it’s the gay guilt embedded into his skin from the beginning. 

To not get too close to someone of the same gender in public. 

Just in case. 

Spencer was also a bit more reserved with touching others.

But he was happy to cop a feel at Tommy’s arm when the cast ever mentioned him working out. Enjoying the feeling of his strong muscles against his hand. 

Tommy was in fact, getting stronger. And Spencer noticed how strong Tommy was getting over the past couple of months.

Even if he was shy about it, Tommy was looking even better than before. So much more fit. And, to Spencer’s delight, and in his own words, so much more tastier than before. 

Tommy also had a boyfriend before, so he always felt off limits to Spencer. Like he was safe from his feelings developing into something more because it couldn't go anywhere. 

It felt safer to Spencer when Tommy and his boyfriend were in what Spencer knew was a monogamous relationship. 

But then Tommy and his boyfriend broke up. 

And when Spencer heard the news, his ears couldn’t help but perk up. 

He couldn’t stop his thoughts from swirling about how nice Tommy would look in his bed. 

--

After Tommy and his boyfriend broke up, Spencer immediately became the support system for Tommy.

Spencer told himself it wasn't just an excuse to get closer to him. 

But he couldn't erase his what if thoughts. 

Spencer especially couldn't erase the thoughts of Tommy’s lips. And what they must taste like.

Since Spencer hadn’t filled the role of supportive best friend for his crush during a breakup before, it was new to him. But he liked the feeling of being a shoulder to lean on when Tommy needed. 

He finally started allowing himself to get closer to Tommy. To feel his muscles, to flirt with him on and off camera whenever he could. It was worth it to get closer to the man that he craved so desperately. 

He played them off as jokes, but he always blushed after saying them. 

--

On the other hand, Spencer also got closer with Courtney when they came out to him as nonbinary. 

He already knew that Courtney was pansexual, so Spencer was immediately supportive.

Spencer was a part of the queer community, sure, but he also felt like he was on the outskirts of it. His interests and his wants for more in his relationships were placed outside of the social norm, even for the group of outcasts.  

No matter how far away Spencer felt from this so-called fully accepting community, He still knew how to support his friend and knew the lingo for what they were going through. 

He made sure to do more research, though, as he wanted to be more supportive to the best of his ability. 

He even drove Courtney to a gender therapist so that she could explore their gender identity and expression, and to talk more about the gender dysphoria they were dealing with. Spencer enjoyed helping Courtney out with anything she needed. He wanted to be as supportive as he could be for his other best friend. 

Tommy was also immediately supportive when Courtney came out as nonbinary.

Both Spencer and Tommy made sure to use their pronouns right away, and they even threw a small party when she came out to more people around the office and to their friends. 

They were already such a close-knit group. 

--

They were now lying on the bed, backs on the headboard, slipping down into a more comfortable position. Their eyes were glued forward to the TV as Jurassic Park was playing. 

It was probably the third time Spencer watched Jurassic Park this week. 

His response to any ridicule is that it was his comfort movie. 

Both Tommy and Courtney found that endearing and valid as they both dabbled in being neurodivergent, and both had their own respective shows and movies that were on repeat when they needed some kind of comfort in their life. So they never judged him.

Giant dinosaurs were taking up the entirety of the screen while the three comparatively tiny actors stood and gazed up at them in awe in their bisexual-coded outfits. 

“That’s us!” Courtney giggles into Spencer’s shoulder, pointing and mimicking the amazed look the characters held on their faces. Tommy and Spencer caught onto the bit right away, making the same face as each character on the screen and joking together about it.

Tommy laughs into his hand, falling into Spencer while they all have a giggling fit over the truth in her words.

It really was them.

After the fit of giggles fade, they all focus their attention back on the movie. They all felt a warm glowing ball of light that was growing in the pit of each of their stomachs. All three of their lights were mixing together, glowing brightly together, warming up the room and them in the process. 

For once, Spencer isn't paying attention while watching his favorite comfort movie. He couldn't stop thinking about the two stunning people who he called best friends that were in his arms.

It was like magic. It finally hits Spencer who he's with and the situation they're all in, wrapped up in each other's arms in bed. 

Spencer finally realized how safe and accepted he finally felt, and he truly found people that understood him. 

He glows even brighter. The warmth glows so brightly that it warms Courtney and Tommy. They were feeling it too.

Spencer leans back against the headboard, sighing in contentment as Tommy and Courtney cuddle back into him. Tommy lies to his right, but as on top of him as he can be without squishing him. Tommy’s arms and legs lay over on top of Spencer, wrapping his body closer towards him. And Courtney does the same.

The movie is long forgotten and is just a distant memory after the credits rolled and a blank screen sits on the tv.

They were too busy to turn it off. Arms were being rubbed, the softest nuzzle, and a sigh from Courtney into Spencer’s ear made him blush. Not to mention the fact that Spencer noticed Tommy’s fingertips rubbing circles on his back, giving him goosebumps and chills along his spine. 

The tension was growing. The whole group could feel it. 

Courtney nuzzles into Spencer’s neck, lightly grazing her lips over his neck.

Tommy followed suit, kissing the other side of his neck. 

Spencer couldn’t help but giggle at the feeling, ticklish. 

The warmth that was growing within him was something he had never felt before. The nerves in his neck were tingling, flowing all the way down his back. 

“Is that ok?” Courtney whispered into Spencer’s ear, concerned. 

Spencer leans back on his elbows and moves his head slightly to look at Courtney, a soft smile on his face. 

He noticed she was furrowing her brow, a worried look in her eye. Worried that she had stepped over a line. But she also had a glaze over her eyes and a soft smile on her lips. 

He nodded, looking to Tommy to see his reaction. Tommy smiled at him, a dazed look in his eye. Smiling and giddy. 

They all looked like we were drunk, dazed and content with each other. With messy hair and soft smiles. It was like where they were felt right.

Like they were on a whole other planet, floating in space with just the three of them together, and they could watch movies all day in bed together if they wanted to.

Tommy leaned down and kissed Spencer. Softly, tentatively, as this was the first kiss between them.

His kiss felt like soda pop fizzing in Spencer’s skull. 

It reminded him of a hot summer's day. Popsicles dripping onto his tongue and onto the sidewalk. He was a relief from the heat, like a refreshing glass of lemonade.

Spencer’s brain bubbled, the sensation catching him off guard as he had never felt it before. 

He fell into the kiss, seeing sparkles and warm colors moving like blobs of paint being traced with a paintbrush behind his eyes. Like soft ghosts of light were having a dance party. 

Tommy’s lips were soft, but still rough from the dry air and the coldness of what LA can give. Tommy’s mustache and beard scratched against Spencer’s skin lightly, as if it was a group of tiny little hands that wanted to get closer to his face. Their stubble rubbed against each other, causing friction that heat up their faces. 

Courtney kissed and nipped at the skin on Spencer’s neck after a while of watching. Grazing her lips along his stubble, the rough sensation tickled their lips.

Both of their lips on him radiated through Spencer’s body, sending waves of shivers through him.

After Spencer was satisfied, and taking a long time to taste Tommy’s lips to the full extent that he could eagerly, he wanted to taste Courtney. He was craving her lips. 

Spencer leaned down towards them. Courtney awkwardly shuffles up with a laugh that broke the tension a bit as they waited for Courtney to meet Spencer’s lips for the first time.

When she finally did, it was like fireworks. He literally saw fireworks behind his eyes. Bright flashes of strong, bold colours were dancing behind his eyes, pulsating and moving as if it were the perfect symphony and choreographed for him.

It was different than kissing Tommy, but equally as delicious and sweet. 

They tasted different. Both delicious in their respective tastes.

Tommy had a deeper musky flavour to Spencer. He tasted like the coffee he just drank and dark chocolate.

Courtney tasted sweeter than Tommy. She tasted warm, with a hint of cotton candy. They also tasted like apples and cinnamon, the oatmeal she decided to eat for her midnight snack.

They both tasted so good to Spencer. 

But he liked the taste of them mixed together best.

“You taste so good” Courtney murmurs between their long, stretched out kisses that stretch like toffee. 

“Fuck, You’re so hot,” Spencer moans into Courtney’s mouth, leaning back over to kiss Tommy again, feeling new and different sensations than his first kiss with him. “And you’re so hot” Spencer mumbles into Tommy’s mouth. Kissing Tommy harder than before, he was inspired by their words to be more confident. 

Tommy moans into the kiss between them, too caught up in the feeling to really say anything coherent, but sounded enough like what he just said to feel satisfied.

He felt so comfortable kissing them. Like this was what they were meant to be doing the entire time

They were all a blur of soft touches, first time kisses and tentative movements that got more fluid as they went along. 

It became more sloppy, more lazy, as they started to enjoy the feeling and cared less about their inhibitions. 

It also got more rough, but it never went away from them. They were all in the moment, still there but also a million miles away in pleasure.

The most important thing is that Spencer had never felt more right in the moment than he ever had before. 

He’s had partners in the past, sure, but there was always something missing, like there could always be something more.

He didn’t want to, but inevitably he always ended up breaking up with them because there was always something off about the relationship. But he could never quite put his finger on it. 

He always made the excuse as the other not being the right person for him. 

And now he knew why.

Because there was always someone else missing.

And as they slowly stopped kissing, breathless with beet red faces and panting from the intensity of it all, they unanimously decided that they were going to wait to doing something more.

This was all so new to the three of them, so they were definitely going to talk more about it in the morning. 

But for now, they were too spent. They were making new paths in their lives, afterall.

So they cuddled closer and settled into the comfortable silence.

With Spencer wedged between his two best friends, he was the most content he had been in a long time.

Maybe even in his whole life. 

He also felt excited to see what was next for the three of them. 

And Courtney and Tommy were too. 

Courtney and Tommy felt like the last two puzzle pieces in the empty spaces in his heart. And then when he finally found them, they fit just right.

[misslouder]

Relationships:

Sherlock Holmes/William James Moriarty (Yuukoku no Moriarty)

Sherlock Holmes & William James Moriarty (Yuukoku no Moriarty)

Additional Tags:

Arranged Marriage

Alternate Universe - Non-Royal (Young Royals)

Unresolved Romantic Tension

Fluff and Angst

Eventual Romance

social conflict

Social Justice

Sherliam Week 2024 (Yuukoku no Moriarty)

Summary:

[Modern AU] The British monarchy faces its greatest crisis since the abdication of Edward VIII. The young King Mycroft V, after the death of his father Charles III, announces his intention to modify the Law of Succession to allow same-sex marriage in the royal family, inspired by the freedom of his younger brother, who will form an unbreakable bond with William II Moriarty, knowing the many consequences that it could bring. Day 4: Royal AU #sherliamweek2024

Preview:

“Through that bloodlust, William had planned since he was ten years old that he would marry with Prince Sherlock Holmes by any means possible...”

[whencyclopedia]

Red Horse's Account of the Battle of the Little Bighorn

Red Horse (Tasunka Luta, l. c. 1822-1907) was a chief of the Miniconjou Lakota Sioux best known for his firsthand account of the Battle of the Little Bighorn (25-26 June 1876) and his 42 ledger book drawings depicting the engagement. The account was given in 1881, the same year that Red Horse drew the images, which were rediscovered in 2016.

Red Horse Pictographic Account of Little Bighorn

Red Horse (CC BY-ND)

Little is known of Red Horse outside of his participation in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. He was a subchief, married twice, and had three children. In his accounts of the battle (there is another beside the one given below), his focus is on the event itself, not his participation in it, although he makes clear that he was in the thick of the fight. In 1881, Dr. Charles E. McChesney of the Smithsonian Bureau of Ethnology commissioned a study of Native American sign language and art ("picture-writing") which inspired the drawings of Red Horse and his account of the battle, which he gave using sign language which was then translated to English.

The best-known version of the account was published by Garrick Mallery in Picture Writing of the American Indians (1893) along with copies of some of the drawings, but these were not seen by many outside of the Bureau of American Ethnology, and the original artwork was sent to the Smithsonian Institution's National Anthropological Archives where they were carefully stored in drawers and forgotten, until Professor Scott D. Sagan of Stanford University, California, and his research assistant Sarah Sadlier (a Miniconjou Sioux) brought them to light in 2016 when they were featured in the exhibit, Red Horse: Drawings of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, at the Cantor Arts Center, California.

Today, the ledger drawings and account are more widely known and, like the Cheyenne and Arapaho description of the Battle of the Little Bighorn and Washita Massacre, Yellow Hair: George Armstrong Custer, present the Native American view of the battle and the wider conflict known as the Indian Wars of the mid- to late 19th century.

Background & Red Horse's Account

The Battle of the Little Bighorn is the best-known engagement of the Great Sioux War (1876-1877) and among the most famous in American history. Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer (l. 1839-1876), leading the 7th Cavalry, met the combined forces of Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho, gathered by the Sioux chief Sitting Bull (l. c. 1837-1890), near the Little Bighorn River in modern-day Montana. Custer and five divisions of the 7th cavalry were wiped out, and the US government retaliated by pursuing the bands of the Plains Indians, eventually pushing them onto reservations.

The battle was presented in the US press of the time as "the massacre of our troops", as though the 7th cavalry had been out for a jaunt one day when they were suddenly attacked and killed by "savages" for no reason. Actually, the Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and other nations had been trying to negotiate peaceful relations with the Euro-Americans since the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851. This treaty was never honored by the United States, and neither were the others, including the Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867 and the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. Westward expansion in the name of Manifest Destiny would not be paused just because the Plains Indians had been living on the land long before the first Europeans reached North America.

Red Horse Depiction of Sioux Casualties at the Little Bighorn

Red Horse & G. Mallery (Public Domain)

Sitting Bull called for the great gathering at the Little Bighorn (known to the Natives as the Greasy Grass, and so their name for the conflict is the Battle of the Greasy Grass) to hold council with the other chiefs and try to find a way to defend their lands from the ongoing invasion. Custer had been sent to find their camp, kill the warriors, and capture the women and children to be held as hostages.

Although he had been warned by his Native American scouts that Sitting Bull's camp was larger – and had more warriors – than anyone had expected, Custer ignored them. He divided his troops to surround the camp – as he had successfully done at the Washita Massacre – and launched the attack, which would result in his death and those of five divisions of his cavalry.

Red Horse's account does not touch on any of these details but focuses on the battle itself. The details he includes match those of other Native American reports later given on the chaos of the conflict, including the one by the Sioux warrior Rain-in-the-Face (l. c. 1835-1905) and the one by the Oglala Sioux medicine man Black Elk (l. 1863-1950) given as Black Elk on the Battle of the Little Bighorn from Black Elk Speaks. Although Red Horse mentions Custer in his account, most of the reports make clear that no one knew Custer was on the field that day owing to the cavalry's swift attack and the dust raised by the horses.

Accompanying Red Horse's account were the 42 ledger book drawings of the battle depicting casualties on both sides, hand-to-hand combat, and each side leaving the field. Ledger art was drawings or paintings done on cloth or paper used in ledgers and was adopted by the Plains Indians in the 1860s. Previously, Native Americans of the region used hides (primarily of buffalo) for their art, but, as the US government systematically exterminated the buffalo herds to deprive the Plains Indians of their major food source, the animals became scarce, and so cloth or paper were used as canvas.

Lakota Chief Red Horse

D.F. Barry (Public Domain)

Ledger art of the Plains Indians depicts many aspects of everyday life including courtship rituals and hunting parties but primarily focuses on battles. The artist was always careful to depict the events in detail and so, as in the case of Red Horse's work, one can tell who the people are, what nation or band the warriors belonged to, and even, roughly, the locale and terrain. Taken together, Red Horse's account and artwork present one of the most interesting depictions of the Battle of the Little Bighorn extant.

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