#evadne cake

[ansatsu-sha]

'This is Ludmilla,' said Mrs Cake shortly. 'Charmed, I'm sure,' said Windle. Ludmilla gave him the bright, crystalline smile perfected by people who had long ago learned not to let their feelings show.

Terry Pratchett / Reaper Man

[aeshnacyanea2000]

She wasn’t the dabbling kind. It was more a case of stamping into the spirit world and demanding to see the manager.

-- Terry Pratchett - Reaper Man

[monstrous-tournament]

Evadne Cake vs. Anagramma Hawkin

Evadne Cake

Mrs. Evadne Cake is a psychic medium, verging on small. She volunteers at all temples that she can find, taking over miscellaneous housekeeping duties and performing them so efficiently that soon no one else does them anymore. Unfortunately, sooner or later she invariably falls out with the priests (because she converses with the dead) and ends up leaving the temples in a mess because now nobody else knows how to do the housekeeping anymore. For this, Mrs. Cake is dreaded by all priests and priestesses across the continents, as far as the Lost Jewelled Temple of Offler, in Klatch, and maybe farther. Besides conversing with the dead, Mrs. Cake also has the ability to turn on or turn off her precognition, a very useful tool while walking the dangerous streets of Ankh-Morpork, but premonitions also make her conversation with normal people very confusing, because she tends to reply to a question right before it has been asked. Yet, if she has replied and then the person decides not to ask the question, she gets a terrible headache.

Anagramma Hawkin

A trainee witch of Letice Earwig. She has a tendency to boss other people around, and becomes the "leader" of the coven of apprentice witches of which Tiffany Aching is part. She takes over the cottage of Miss Treason, at which she turns out to be rather inadequate until Tiffany and the other apprentice coven members help her out. Annagramma receives a crash-course in all the things that Mrs Earwig didn't teach her, which when added to her natural strengths (she does have them) helps her to make a success of herself as a witch - despite Mrs. Earwig, not because of her.

[catlady5001]

end of year fic recs

somehow it's almost 2024. where did the year go. where.

here // part two

i want to share some fics i really enjoyed this year, organized by fandom! each fic will have a short summary, the word count, and a + symbol if it's a work in progress!

fandoms:

Fear Street

Stranger Things

Percy Jackson

under a read more for people who just want to keep scrolling :)

Fear Street

break the chain by cassiopeia721 (@cassiopeia721). when Sam is forced to move to Sunnyvale due to her parent’s divorce, she’s shocked by how weird it is there. 5k, crack and angst

Stranger Things

always surprised by what i do for love by birthdaycandles (@steveharrington). dustin, lucas and mike are at a halloween party when they find someone dressed up as an injured steve harrington, and take it upon themselves to defend his honor. 6k, oneshot, hurt/comfort

the end is here (and we do it a hundred times over) by placebythering. set during season 4, steve keeps reliving the day of the apocalypse. 126k, angst with a happy ending

strange (but not a stranger) by heartofwinterfell (@nancywheeeler). mike wheeler character study - he struggles with feeling replaced by eddie. 10k, slice of life

this must be the place by palmviolet (@palmviolet). set after starcourt, robin stays at the byer's for one night - one night that quickly turns into two, then three, then many many more. 25k+, slice of life with fluff and angst

view from a bridge by palmviolet (@palmviolet). a retelling of season four that imagines a completely different type of monster - a cosmic horror. this is one of my favorite stranger things fics of all time. 173k, horror

In A Strange Land by MrsEvadneCake (@mrs-evadne-cake). set after season 2, it focuses on the eldritch monster that has invaded hawkins. another incredible fic. 180k, horror

you are young and life is long (and there is time to kill today) by heartofwinterfell (@nancywheeeler). series with two fics, one from eddie's perspective and one from steve's, about the timeloop they went through. eddie remembers. steve doesn't. 70k, angst with a happy ending

I've seen your face before, my friend, but I don't know if you know who I am by HMSLusitania (@hmslusitania). after S4, the stranger things gang has to time travel back to 1983 to fix everything. they get the chance to lead normal lives from that point onward, but everything has changed - making things very weird for eddie munson, who has no idea what's happened that makes Steve Harrington of all people try to befriend him. 27k, fix-it (this fic is ao3 locked)

a boy, a tender age by Kostas. in the aftermath of season 4, joyce byers adopts steve harrington. 11k, hurt/comfort

good for my boy by MacksDramaticShenanigans (@stevethehairington). the first time wayne munson met steve harrington (completely by accident). 7k, domestic fluff

HEARING DAMAGE by yes_bella_no. steve learns to live with his hearing damage, post S4. 35k, hurt/comfort

light my way by lesbianrobin (@lesbianrobin). in which Wayne doesn't meet Steve until quite a while after he and Eddie start dating. 10k, domestic fluff

Love and Honor but Not Obey by crow_of_crimes (Theyna_Shipper). a story about steve and robin's marriage of convenience and their (failed) attempt to keep it a secret. 11k, angst and fluff

the lathe by palmviolet (@palmviolet). my favorite steve timeloop fic. set during the season four apocalypse.

sub-culture by palmviolet (@palmviolet). steve is pretty convinced eddie now hates him. turns out eddie has the opposite problem. 61k, hurt/comfort

eating in the underworld by greatunironic (@greatunironic). 8-fic series in an au where steve goes with hopper, joyce and murray to the underground russian base and doesn't return. 103k, angst with a happy ending

an eye for an by pukner (@pukner). six times that the boy who calls himself Steve Harrington feels real, and one time he realizes that he isn't. 18k, angst with an unhappy ending. tw violence

i can give you a heartbeat by soupbitchin. ghost eddie tries to get someone to notice him. 114k, fix-it

STEVE’S FIRST BRUISE by cairparavels. spider-man steve au. 47k, hurt/comfort

hellfire (save my soul) by philomendron (tetrapteryx). steve asks eddie for help planning robin a birthday party set in the Cabaret of Hell . everything spirals from there. 49k+, slice of life / hurt/comfort

always burning, world keeps turning by pukner (@pukner). eddie survives season four, and is around to deal with the massive post-apocalyptic fallout. between all of the 'post-earthquake' mess, he and steve figure out what they mean to each other. 2-fic series, 61k+, hurt/comfort

i'll kiss your mouth, and you'll be better for it by cpressmn. somehow, steve and eddie are the last ones to realize they are dating. 8k, minor hurt/comfort

The Very Best People by scioscribe. something is very wrong in a seemingly normal suburb. steve and robin go undercover to investigate. 18k, mystery

this demo will save your life by oh_simone (@aiyahsimone). The summer after Vecna, Steve ends up managing Eddie’s band. 13k, fluff

I Like to See You in the Morning Light by BonitaBreezy (@bonitabreezy). eddie survived the apocalypse. now everyone has to deal with the fallout. 27k, hurt/comfort

you're beautiful (every little piece, love) by strawberryspence (@strawberryspence). for eleven, steve shaves his hair. 7k, hurt/comfort

Of Kings and Cult-Leaders by ladyofthenorthernlights. dustin convinces steve to host eddie's latest d&d campaign. 12k, hurt/comfort

It's Not a Big Deal by AidaRonan (@aidaronan). after S4, eddie survives, but his entire life is locked away in the Upside Down forever (his books, his DnD stuff, his guitar.). steve takes it upon himself to replace them. 12k, hurt/comfort

Percy Jackson

here comes the sun by seaweedbraens (@seaweedbraens). au where percy and annabeth are soulmates, and percy is a roman. 23k, hurt/comfort

if i were to pluck on your heartstrings and if i were to pluck on your heartstrings.by seaweedbraens (@seaweedbraens). a percabeth soulmate au told from two perspectives. annabeth knows who her soulmate is before percy knows his, and misunderstandings ensue. 45k, hurt/comfort

kiss me once 'cause you know i had a long night by herecomesthepun. no powers au where the PJO gang work together. "Annabeth is married, Percy is new and Jason is really trying to be a good friend here." 12k, comedy

Everything, And Then Some by palestinianpercy (@sar-soor). no powers au. percy is a wildlife photographer who ends up coming on his best friend's band tour to help them out while he looks for a new job and gets his life back on track. 127k, hurt/comfort

ends and beginnings series by palestinianpercy (@sar-soor). no powers au where percy and annabeth meet by chance, and while they know that what they have can't last forever, they can't resist each other. 146k, hurt/comfort

we made a lot of music dancing (you and i) by vll8586 (@percyheartsannabeth). au where percy and annabeth are dancers in a ballet company, and grow closer after being cast to perform a pas de deux together. 11k, fluff and romance

Not By Design by inkncoffee. Paul's journey from that guy dating Sally to being Percy's father. 11k, hurt/comfort

constellations by liketolaugh (@liketolaugh-writes). a series fic detailing the immense therapy percy goes through post PJO and post HoO. it's incredibly therapeutic to read. 310k+, hurt/comfort

Laying Waste To Halloween by pinspec (@pinspec). follows percy and annabeth through their childhood and teenage years. 127k, hurt/comfort

Not So Shore by bananannabeth (@bananannabeth). mortals meet percabeth au. 10k, slice of life

bring me home by pjoseries (divineauthor). percy jackson is twenty-six when hera takes his memories. alternate HoO AU. 4k, canon-divergent

is this the way to exit my youth? by afromaniiac (@afromaniiac). Percy gets a bottle of vodka for his birthday. He isn’t a fan. He and Annabeth talk about it. 1k, hurt/comfort

[martian-martian-martian]

🍰💖 do both this time /lh

💖What do you like best about your own writing?

This is a bit silly but -- that it makes me laugh.

I usually include jokes and situations in my work because they? genuinely amuse me! And reading back, when I can stomach it, I get a lot of joy out of feeling like a joke landed, or that I got timing right or described something in a really amusing way.

I also really like that I think I care about character a lot. I love to show who a person is in little things; what they like to eat and drink, how they spend their free time, what they choose to wear and how they wear it. I love describing the spaces people inhabit-- bedrooms, offices-- what do they surround themselves with. I believe that soul is encapsulated in a bunch of small aspects.

Lastly I would say I'm proud of the research I do, specifically regarding past eras. Historical accuracy mean a lot to me, but I also cherish nostalgia as a central part of my work. If a character is watching TV or eating cereal, I'm going to make sure that show or brand is true to the world I've put my story in.

🍰What are some comfort fics of yours?

I got a few classics. A lot of what makes a 'comfort' fic of mine comes down to things I actually enjoy reading and often admire, and use as goalposts for my own work. When you can enjoy a fic like literature, and it lets you see characters in a new light, you keep coming back.

This is sort of an honorable mention but I read a lot of NorriBeth fics back in the day on fanfiction.net. It's a favorite ship I always treasured, and I still stand by it, even if learning that Keira Knightly's age was much younger than her character's was a bit of a 'woof' moment (17 vs 19, I know it's not a lot but geez, UK age of consent, cmon now...). So many of my favorite fics are literally lost either to time or to the deteriorating watery grave of the FFN platform, but they forever have my heart.

Of the ones that survived Davy Jones' Locker, I adored Bound in her bones by snowbryneich.

A 27 chapter masterpiece of romantic tension, featuring a realistic take on arranged marriage of convenience to lovers with an empowered and relatable Elizabeth, a Darcyesque Norrington, an perfect historical accuracy to the nines. I was fucking riveted, and the same author did a couple other great ones, such as 'Fresh As A BrideGroom'. Other than that, I would be remiss to answer this without touching on one of my all time favorite fics, In A Strange Land by @mrs-evadne-cake, a phenominal writer who I'm sure is tired of both the Stranger Things fandom at large and also me, this specific fanfic author greenhorn, continually singing her praises. It almost embarasses me to gush MORE about it, especially since the author is an honest to god professional. I've written on it before, it's well paced, well crafted, terrifying, and exceptional use of every character. The kids are well written and adorable, the teens are nuanced and REAL in a way the show never grasped. There's enough Steve to sate my voracious need to watch his character development, and I even got a bit of Murray who is probably my weirdest blorbo of all time. If a fic is a weapon, this fic is a mythic one-of-a-kind sword, OP is a legendary dwarven blacksmith, and i am an awestruck lil hobbit apprentice hastily scribbling notes. If I had to rate my favorite Stranger Things seasons it would go like this: 1. Season 3

2. In A Strange Land

3. Season 2

4. Season 1

5. Season 4

That's all I have to say about that.

Third space I would say is a tie between : Praise You by HeartlessMemo, which is a master class on erotica and plus size bodies, but speaks to me personally as a bulimic and will likely touch anyone with body issues. It's hot, it's passionate, it's kinky as hell. Nandermo from WWDITS at its absolute best.

And the other one is A Bastard's Carol by scumbaganarchy @scumbaganarchy, who I have been honored to get to know as of late! What the hell do you want me to say. It's 'A Christmas Carol' with the entire Rik Mayall cinematic universe. Not only is funny, but it's also touching, genuinely heartwarming, treats all these bizarre characters like real, breathing people. I cozy up to it every holiday when I can with a hot drink, it's a true classic and just goes to show that passion and creative understanding of any fandom no matter how niche can produce something really meaningful. This fic is the pride of the 1980s Bitish Anarchocomedy Fandom of the modern era, and any Young Ones (or Bottom) fan should give it a look.

[certified-diplodocus]

Proofreading @mrs-evadne-cake's most excellent Stranger Things fic In A Strange Land (read it!) and I will never not be entertained by all the people in it furiously stanning for Joyce Byers.

(Bonus Jonathan vs Billy Hargrove, as perceived by Drunk Steve Harrington, because apparently it runs in the family:)

[lesbianrobin]

Not sure if there's an ask post associated with this, but I do know you are laying out the real shit right now with some absolutely amaaazing insight.

Would you prefer the show stay on the Russia Route, find some way back to Brenner's MK Ultra experiments, or find some way to combine the two?

hello thank u for this ask!!

so i think there's definitely room for melding the two. the russians were only in hawkins so they could piggyback off of the americans' work, after all. now that hopper's in siberia, i don't think there's really any... repacking pandora's box, so to speak. the russians are part of the plot now, for better or for worse, and while this opinion is unpopular, i think it may be for the better. here's my thinking:

mk ultra was the american continuation of grossly unethical "experiments" (torture) conducted by nazis during ww2. the reason WHY the us government went in for mk ultra was to potentially develop mind control technology that could be utilized against the soviets and other perceived threats to capitalism.

if i had to choose one concept which lies at the core of stranger things (besides the power of friendship <3) it would be paranoia. government paranoia was the impetus of mk ultra. joyce's paranoia was the driving force behind s1. and yknow what? the ussr was a part of the plot all the way back in s1! brenner and the lab used the wheelers' paranoia about communist infiltration to manipulate them into helping hunt down el. the threat of soviet infiltration and sabotage are ever-present in the backdrop of s1 and s2. remember, murray's initial conspiracy theories were along the soviet infiltration route.

now, having soviets Actually infiltrate hawkins changes things. in one sense, you might say that it validates brenner's atrocities- see, he was right! the soviets have much of the same technology we do, which means we need to everything in our power to beat them to any potentially dangerous weapons (in this case, mind control technology, superpowers, bigass machines that punch holes into other dimensions). however... there would be no possibility of punching that hole into the upside down without brenner and mk ultra.

in this case, the soviets actually never would have even come to hawkins and posed any threat to american citizens without the american government having ALREADY tortured and exploited their own people. it was american wrongdoing that led to soviet wrongdoing. it's the cold war, an endless game of tug-of-war (aka habitual dick-measuring contests that were somehow meant prove the superiority of one economic model over the other). i think it's likely that the soviet infiltration of hawkins might lead to some retaliatory action or even further human rights abuses/experimentation from brenner/the americans.

we know that there's something going on in an asylum in s4. what if that something is brenner, starting his experiments back up on vulnerable patients after el's powers successfully fought off the monster brought forth by soviet forces? whatever the threat in the asylum is, i'd wager that it's domestic. the whole american asylum system was functionally dissolved at the end of the decade, and i think the show will probably end up making some statement about that, though i'm unsure as of yet what that statement will be. either way, it'll be a statement about us government action, y'know?

in s1 and s2, the general idea was that the american government doesn't care about you. in s3, the general idea was that the american government protects you from scary foreign governments (though, notably, the us military only arrives in s3 once the protagonists have basically handled the whole fuckin thing already, and it was an elected us offical who helped get that whole underground base get built in the first place).

personally, i think the overall narrative of stranger things thus far illustrates pretty consistently that the government cares more about defending its image and proving its superiority than it does about defending its people. while s3's depiction of the soviets was questionable, i believe there's absolutely room going forward for the show to incorporate both antagonists. after all, it's innocent citizens who pay the price when two nations go to war (or when they dance around going to war for decades on end raising an entire generation of children who figured an atomic bomb might get dropped on their heads someday at school).

so... yeah! i'd really like to see those two elements in play simultaneously.

[riverrunscold]

Candle and Statue.

Candle- what is your favorite scent?

Interesting question. I guess probably campfire, chalk dust. I do like the smell of tires too. Can't forget to mention the smell of old books. But, out of those, probably tires and or rubber.

Statue- Who is your favorite artist?

This question is a bit open ended because so many people and professions could be considered artistic. But if I were strictly limited to a painter, I'd say Van Gough, I had a whole book with all his paintings in it and information about each when I was younger.

But, if I were to pick another type of artist, I'd have to say Shawn James because holy shit are not only his songs good, his voice is amazing. I could listen to any one of his songs all day. My favorite has to be Burn the Witch though because I was so inspired the first time I heard it I made a whole hand drawn animatic for it.

[mrs-steve-harrington]

Song Asks! 3:A song that reminds you of summer and 6: A song that reminds you of your favorite book

3. A song that reminds you of summer

C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)

I used to visit my gma in Michigan over the summer. One trip, my sister, my cousin, and I made up a dance to this song. Still reminds me of summer :D

6. A song that reminds you of your favorite book

This feels a little like cheating but the first one that comes to mind is:

It's All In Your Hands

The theme song for the Animorphs tv show 😂

Idk that those are my favorite books now but they were for most of my childhood and I still have a bunch of them on my shelf.

[steveharrington]

Literally all of them. Like Anon down there I totally read your fics to check my own characterization. Twist my arm and I'd say Half Moon Above, Teenage Wasteland, and Somebody Else's Child. But no one is twisting my arm so actually just all of them.

this is still like. the Highest compliment coming from you esp considering the amount of times i’ve read in a strange land and like marveled at your ability and your grasp on the characters!!! seriously every time you comment on my stuff i get a burst of serotonin so thank u for doing it 💓💓💓💓

[ansatsu-sha]

It wasn't that Mrs Cake wasn't a religious woman. She was, as has already been hinted, a very religious woman indeed. There wasn't a temple, church, mosque or small group of standing stones anywhere in the city that she hadn't attended at one time or another, as a result of which she was more feared than an Age of Enlightenment; the mere sight of Mrs Cake's small fat body on the threshold was enough to stop most priests dead in the middle of their invocation.

Terry Pratchett / Reaper Man

[aeshnacyanea2000]

All the religions had very strong views about talking to the dead. And so did Mrs Cake. They held that it was sinful. Mrs Cake held that it was only common courtesy. This usually led to a fierce ecclesiastical debate which resulted in Mrs Cake giving the chief priest what she called ‘a piece of her mind’. There were so many pieces of Mrs Cake’s mind left around the city now that it was quite surprising that there was enough left to power Mrs Cake but, strangely enough, the more pieces of her mind she gave away the more there seemed to be left.

Terry Pratchett - Reaper Man

[monstrous-tournament]

Evadne Cake vs. Sarah "Granny" Aching

Evadne Cake

Mrs. Evadne Cake is a psychic medium, verging on small. She volunteers at all temples that she can find, taking over miscellaneous housekeeping duties and performing them so efficiently that soon no one else does them anymore. Unfortunately, sooner or later she invariably falls out with the priests (because she converses with the dead) and ends up leaving the temples in a mess because now nobody else knows how to do the housekeeping anymore. For this, Mrs. Cake is dreaded by all priests and priestesses across the continents, as far as the Lost Jewelled Temple of Offler, in Klatch, and maybe farther. Besides conversing with the dead, Mrs. Cake also has the ability to turn on or turn off her precognition, a very useful tool while walking the dangerous streets of Ankh-Morpork, but premonitions also make her conversation with normal people very confusing, because she tends to reply to a question right before it has been asked. Yet, if she has replied and then the person decides not to ask the question, she gets a terrible headache.

Sarah "Granny" Aching

Sarah "Granny" Aching (née Grizzel) would never have called herself a witch. She was a shepherd; she took care of sheep, and the Chalk where they grazed, and others who lived there, including the Nac Mac Feegle. While she was alive, shepherds would seek out Granny Aching to get help for sick sheep. After her death, they sometimes used to leave packets of Jolly Sailor tobacco where her hut used to be, with a wish. The Feegles dealt with the tobacco end of the business (after allowing a decent period for her to take it if she wished). 

[pterawaters]

3 and 4 for Writing Asks!

3. How far will you go to research a character?

Too far, lol! Actually, if I can’t find it in ten minutes of googling around, I will probably either not use the detail I was thinking of, or I’ll BS my way through it with an educated guess. The problem is getting stuck in a Wikipedia spiral, which has been known to happen to me more often than not!

4. What’s a writing rule you swear by?

I mean, “show don’t tell” is the big rule that I try to follow. And when it comes to grammar, I can’t stand anything other than proper dialog formatting. Other than that, I go where the story dictates!

Thanks so much for the ask!

[mrsevadnecake]

My job

On paper- to ensure the smooth running of the household, including any food-related issues, as well as the care and transportation of member of the family.

In practice- Make sure all memebers of the household (including able-bodied adults) are smartly turned out, and transported to their respective daily activities. Make sure everyone is fed, and is eating a healthy variety of foods, lest they go back to eating only microwave pizza and chicken nuggets. Cut up exactly 6 green bell peppers, every week, making sure to do away with all the pith and seeds; and soak in bottled water. Make sure youngest member of household is making age-appropriate advancements in socialization, education, and emotional maturation. Discipline youngest member when necessary. Teach her manners. Do not let her eat with her fingers or speak with her mouth full or wipe her hands clean on the carpet. Continually remind adults that youngest member should be getting 10 hours of sleep a night and do not throttle adults when she only gets 8 because they were watching YouTube videos. Make sure child does not mimic adults obsessive compulsive behaviors. Plan birthday parties, play dates, workman appointments, vacations, and extended-family visits. Investigate potential private schools, investigate potential after-school activities, investigate food recalls. Do the food shopping, do the school shopping, do the shopping for presents for other people’s parents, do the clothes shopping. Do the clothes washing. Do the clothes mending and tailoring. Be everyone’s emergency contact. Drive child to dentist and doctor. Tend to sick members of the household. Mail out post. Mail out returns. Buy stamps. Buy end-of-year gifts for teachers. Pack breakfasts. Pack lunches. Pack snacks. Pack whatever meal the nocturnal adult requires that must be easily eaten while driving. Get oil changed in several cars. Get several cars cleaned. Drive youngest member of household to private school. Sit in traffic both ways, morning and afternoon. Make sure the youngest isn’t the only child without a homemade treat to share with classmates on their birthday... even if it means working on a Sunday.

Realize after nearly 7 years, that these people are absolutely fucked without you.

My real name won’t strike any chords, and isn’t as delicious but you may as well call me Mrs. Cake.

(And if you understand that reference: say “hi!”)

[thelonelybrilliance]

The Figurehead: Chapter 7

Meditations in an Emergency, Cameron Awkward-Rich

I wake up & it breaks my heart. I draw the blinds & the thrill of rain breaks my heart. I go outside. I ride the train, walk among the buildings, men in Monday suits. The flight of doves, the city of tents beneath the underpass, the huddled mass, old women hawking roses, & children all of them, break my heart. There’s a dream I have in which I love the world. I run from end to end like fingers through her hair. There are no borders, only wind. Like you, I was born. Like you, I was raised in the institution of dreaming. Hand on my heart. Hand on my stupid heart.

Excerpt:

Fumbling for the spare key under his parents’ doorstep like a kid breaking curfew is a weird experience to have in front of the Chief, basically all his friends, a few people he wouldn’t really count as friends, and Nancy.

Steve gets through it. He’s had weirder.

This one has a little tribute to @mrs-evadne-cake in it :)