#fanfiction writers - where art thou?

[prof-jigglypuff]

Naryu Virian & Vestige having heart-to-heart about Veya in Necrom DLC (2023)

My fucking heart!

PS. Razum-dar, you little shit, when exactly did you ride that griffon into Daedric plain with me, huh?? Must've missed that part XD

[theskee]

today (day BEFORE yesterday as of posting, i started this but... uh. didn't finish it.) i ventured out to the local used book store to see if they carried calendars.

you see, my child just started school as of yesterday, today was their first full day of kindergarten and they are in the process of being evaluated for either a 504 Plan or an IEP and it's been stressful. i have been in fight or flight mode for i dunno. nine months now. the process of all of this was a nightmare but now i'm finally across what feels like the real starting line.

i had to get a lot of help from my friends to get through this whole situation and today... i decided to do something good for myself and try and reclaim the independence i gave up the last nearly six years when i decided to become a full time stay at home parent.

i have experienced so many interesting and life affirming things recently, from reconnecting with one of my dearest friends, to being corrected by the school social worker when i met him-- i said 'i don't work' and he emphatically and encouragingly said "outside the home" offering more value and credit than i am ever prone to offering myself.

today... was special.

i went in while my child was at school and perused the CD section to bring home some new fun soundtracks for the kiddo and then an employee approached me. he's an older gentleman, maybe early sixties or late fifties, a little stiff at first, but he asked if i needed any help.

i asked if they sold any calendars, and he said no but he thought they might still have some free ones hanging around and found one for me. it was very kind and i was like 'well thank you, just the CDs then.'

he saw one of my choices was the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack (my kiddo likes some country and is really into soundtracks right now and i personally love the soundtrack, it always reminds me of my late father, who was a big fan of the movie and had a massive crush on Clooney) and commented on how much he thought he didn't like country music until he started listening to older country.

myself, being from KY originally, and raised on good ol' bluegrass and a healthy dose of pro union, working-man's country, completely understand the distinction between the popularized modern country music we are most likely to hear, and and what came before that informed some of it. we got to talking about that, and the next thing i know we're talking about the importance of buying local, how much supporting small businesses is, and how hard it can be for a small business to compete with the likes of bezosmart.

i mentioned my favorite author, Jason Pargin, who encouraged his readers to buy from their local bookstores first and foremost and then i said as a writer, i hope to advocate that way if i can ever get published. this-- sparked a conversation in which he joyfully told me that he was finally getting a couple books he'd written published, one traditionally and one self published.

I congratulated him and expressed that I hope to do the same, that I've been writing since I was 12, told him about my long history with fanfiction, how I love writing but haven't managed to get myself to finish anything original in that time. And he gave me this look... it was so fond and kind.

He said, with just... reverence in his voice. "You've been writing since you were 12? You're a writer."

And I gotta say this man did more to heal my soul with that one statement than all my years of therapy.

[boykingofhellsam]

HELLO EVERYONE

About Me:

Call me Lorcan, I'm a transman (He/Him) Im 27, based in New Zealand, and this is a supernatural side blog. Chances are you'll get a follow from a furry account: @cursedobjects. (which is an all-encompassing Tumblr blog).

Sam Winchester is my spirit animal, and I have a soft spot for the devil. I am a shameless Samifer shipper, so expect that content on here. If it's not for you, please leave because I'm obsessed with that archangel dork and his freak of a vessel. I'm a proshipper; you're supposed to have fun with fandoms! Ship what you want. Just be nice, and don't be an ass!

I'm a fanfiction writer. I also make Moodboards.

My Ao3 is Cursedobjects

I also post my writing rambles here.

This blog will contain 18+ content, so minors DNI!

My Fics:

Our Confluence: Sam is pregnant with Lucifer's child. Set in Season 6. Up For Adoption - UNFINISHED

Defying Expectations: Lucifer is freed from his cage, and the first thing to do is find Sam Winchester. COMPLETED.

Folie à Deux: Sams wall falls and he becomes unhealthy obsessive over the fallen angel - COMPLETED

Stellam Matutinam: Sam is an angel researcher starting a new job at and tries to ignore the attraction between him and his non-human charge. CHAPTER 4/20

Paradise Lost, Paradise Found: Student Sam/Teacher Lucifer. CHAPTER 5/8

At Least We Have Each Other: Dragon Sam x Human Lucifer Smut. One Shot - COMPLETED.

Sam And Lucifer Whumptober Series: All of my fics for the 2023 Ai-Less Whunptober Event. Fics 10/10 posted - COMPLETED.

Samifer Kink Countdown 2023 Series: All my fics for the 2023 SPN Kink Event. Fics 16/16 posted - COMPLETED.

O Mother Where Art Thou: Samifer Dead Dove Fic with Lucifer Possessing Mary Winchester. - COMPLETED.

Cursedobject's SPN Short Stories (Series) - More Keeps Getting Posted!

YALL ARE WELCOME TO MAKE REQUESTS I LOVE MAKING STUFF, SO JUST SEND IN A MESSAGE AND INDULGE ME~

Credits:

Icon: Miloevej

Header: J2LoveMoose

Dividers: animatedglittergraphics-n-more

[arthurmargon]

kind of insane to me how fucking fantastic fanfic is. purposeful alliteration to emphasize my point aside, fanfic goes so hard. it’s incredible that a piece of media or a character from any point in time can affect someone so much that they create new art for it.

every time i write a lil fic or drabble in my notes app i get chills fr. like that just came from my brain bc i love this character so much and the source material had such an impact on me that i had to create smth. and when i read fics…… brother it’s so good.

i love every single person who writes and reads fic like is that an unreasonable thing to say? especially on tumblr where most everyone reads or writes but there’s still a group of holier than thou pseudo-intellectuals who think they’re too good for the common peasant’s pen? idgaf!

i love you fanfiction and i love you fanfiction writers! on that note i have an idea for a story abt a minor character from a book series that ended 20 years ago burning a hole through my frontal cortex and she needs to get out

[pebblysand]

[writing rant - on the monetisation of fanfiction]

a couple of months ago, when i updated my long fic, one of the people on the comments wrote to me the nicest possible review (one of the ones that you keep in your feel-good 'saved' emails - you know the ones), which, amongst other things also said: 'If I could pay you for this...believe me, I would.'

in the moment, i kind of smiled and laughed, and thanked the person for their kind words before moving on with my life. yet, since then, i have to admit that this sentence has kind of been living rent-free in my head. i think it is also because since diving back into fandom a few months ago, i've noticed something that kind of shocked me at first: more and more fanfiction writers seem to be monetising (or attempting to monetise) their craft.

now, back when i started writing fanfic, we wrote fanfic on ffnet and livejournal. it was accepted that thou shalt never (ever) charge money for your writing or else the author and their mean, angry lawyers will come after you for damages and you will die a slow and painful death. we wrote disclaimers at the start of all of our posts and thanked the gods every day when we did not get sued.

i have seen this change gradually over the years. first, in the mid 2010s, the disclaimers went. then, i noticed that people were getting 'tipped' for fanart, sometimes even charging commission. from what i understand (though, don't quote me on this, i'm not an ip lawyer and this post is not intended as legal advice), this is because the way the concept of fair use is framed under us law makes it easier to monetise fanart than it does fanfiction. maybe this is why visual artists came first on this trend. later still (and more recently) i've noticed fanfic writers, doing the same thing.

to be fully honest, the first thought i had when i saw this trend, considering the fear of god (and his lawyers) that was instilled in me in the past, was: how on earth is this even possible? (i'll come back to that in a bit). the second, though, was: fuck, i wish i had the guts to do that, lol.

because, yeah, i will admit, the idea of getting paid for writing what i love to write does appeal, to a certain extent. i won't lie. dear fanfiction writers who've tried to do that recently: i one hundred per cent get it.

looking back at the last fifteen years, i would say that for me, writing fanfiction has been (in terms of time commitment and energy consumed) the equivalent of having an on-and-off part time job. a job that i have held for one or two years at a time, then quit for a while, before coming back to it when i needed (wanted) it again. i obviously can't realistically give you a number re:the actual total of hours i have spent at this since i started out, but i can give you an idea. recently, i started clocking my hours out of interest and calculated that a chapter of my current long fic takes roughly between one hundred to two hundred hours to produce (and they're around 10,000 words). at that rate, i'm probably working 20 hours a week-ish? sometimes more, sometimes less? something as small as a three-sentence fic (like this for instance), takes roughly two/three hours. i'll be honest, i have cancelled plans to write fic. when i'm working on a long project, i do tend to organise my life to give myself the time to write, so i opt for socialising after work during the week rather than on weekends, as i've found this is when i write best. i won't lie: it is - for me (i know some people write quicker, bless them) - a huge time suck.

so, yeah, i understand, in the capitalist society we live in, wanting to make that time count. our world has unfortunately, repeatedly taught us that time is money and getting more does seem like a nice bonus (as long as you have an audience for your art that's willing to pay, obviously). after all, year after year, i've seen a lot of my friends try and monetise their passions as side hustles, with varying success. at first, glance, i look at the time i spend on writing fanfiction and think: man, i wish i could get a bit back from that too. i couldn't even draw a stick figure to save my life but i assume that the time commitment and energy put into that kind of work is roughly similar for visual fanartists as well. i thus very much understand the sentiment, both with fanart and fanfiction.

additionally, though i appreciate this is a bit tangential, the fact that fanfiction is free, i would argue, hinders its potential to be as representative as it could be. it's a bit sad because on the one hand, the fact that it is free makes it completely accessible to the masses but on the other, it makes fanfiction quite exclusive to rich, privileged people who can afford to spend the time and energy putting content out for free. if i spend this much time writing fanfiction, just because i like it and it makes me happy, it's because my full time job pays me enough to cover my bills. if it didn't, i probably would have to forgo writing and get a proper side gig. if you look at my periods of inactivity on ao3, those also kind of coincide with the times in my life when i had to have more things going on to put food on the table.

so, now, assuming that monetisation is a thing that, as a fic writer, one might want to look at, the next question is: how do you go about monetising it? obviously, the law hasn't changed since the days where we were all terrified of getting sued (although enforcement has been quite lax over the years) so it's more about finding workarounds around the law as it is, rather than actively seeking payment for fanart.

from what i've seen: two main solutions seem to exist.

first, there's the tipping/buy-me-coffee technique. as i understand it, this involves either setting up a page on one of the dedicated websites or just putting up your paypal account link on your tumblr posts. with these links, people can then send you however much money they want (however much money they can afford/think you deserve?) on a one-off basis. they're not actually paying for fanfic because there is no actual exchange of services, it's basically like them giving money to charity, except that charity is a fanfic writer/ fan artist whose work they enjoy.

there are two main issues i see with this: one, legally, i'm not sure how much ground this actually holds. assuming you're quite prolific/successful, if every time you're producing new content, you receive dozens of tips, although you're not actively charging for your fanart, making the argument that your content isn't what these people are actively paying for seems hard. imo, the fact that this method sort of holds is that realistically, you're going to make very little out of this. even if you're really good, you might make what? a couple hundred dollars. now, sure, that's a lot of money for a lot of people but in the grand scheme of things, no one sues anyone for such a low amount. as long as you're not making 'proper' money from it, it is highly unlikely that anyone would come after you.

this being said, the second issue, from my perspective, is that this is not in any way, shape or form, a reliable income. it also does not represent, at all, the cost of the time and investment actually put into said fanfiction (or fanart, i assume). for example: if you're going to tip someone who's worked on something for, say, fifty hours, ten dollars, that's very good of you, but that isn't going to be 'worth' their time. it is only worth their time if tipping is done at as scale, which imo is quite unlikely considering you're putting your content out for free anyway. there are kind souls who will tip you, but not that many, meaning that ultimately, you're not working for free anymore, but you're still working at a huge loss.

additionally, because this income is not even reliable on a monthly/weekly basis, it isn't something that anyone can actually rely on, even if only to fund their coffee habit. it's nice to have, don't get me wrong, but from my perspective, is the legal risk outlined above worth the trouble for the $20/30 tips i'd get every once in a while - not really. such low amounts also don't help diminish the class issue that i talked about earlier. again, if you're going to spend fifty hours on something, you might as well work a minimum wage job - even that will pay you more and will be dependable.

second, there's patreon (and patreon-like sites). here, the income is monthly, people pledge on a subscription basis, which does solve the last point above. it might not be much, but at least it's regular.

the main issue i see with patreon is that it is contingent on the author providing more services on top of what they already provide. in most cases, the author will keep putting their usual content out for free + provide their patreons (depending on tiers) with more content, specifically for them. this, to me, makes this scheme even less appealing than the previous one because a) if i can't provide fanfic to potential patreons (again, you can't sell fanfic), i'm not sure what on earth i could give them (original content? that's not really the same market) and b) that's even more work on my plate. honestly, considering the amount of time i already spend writing fanfic, i have neither the energy nor the willpower to provide extra content for an amount that, regardless, will probably pay me less than a part-time job would. again, you'd have to scale this (i.e. have enough patreons) to make it all worth your while, and even in very big fandoms, even for someone waaaaay more successful than me, i doubt it would be likely.

lastly, as a side note, both of these "methods" are solely accepted if they occur on tumblr/writer's own website, rather than on the writer's ao3 page/fic. there was a post going around explaining why that is (nutshell: it endangers ao3's status as a non-profit archive) but as with all things, i seem to have lost it. [if you do have the link to that post/know what i'm talking about, hit me up and i'll rectify this]. this, regardless, supposes driving traffic from wherever you post your fics towards tumblr/your own website which, again, decreases your chances of scaling this.

so, in the end, where does that leave us?

i think, at this point, we've kind of reached a crossroad. ultimately, i see two ways to look at this:

option one: if you believe that fanfiction writers should be paid for their art, you also probably agree that the methods outlined above, while they do offer some sort of solution, are less than ideal. the ideal solution (for this option) would obviously be to allow fanfiction authors to be properly paid for the publication of their work through 'normal' publishing/self-publishing deals, without the need for a licence from the author (bar - perhaps - the payment of royalties). that would create a proper 'market' for fanfiction, treating it as any other form of writing/art form. it would mean a complete overhaul of the laws currently in place, but why not? ultimately, in a democracy, laws are meant to be changeable.

this being said, though, while my personal knee jerk reaction would be to shout 'hurray!' at this solution, i do not actually think i want this. or, maybe, only part of me does. the part of me who has been writing fanfiction for free for fifteen years is like 'hey, yay, maybe i could get paid!'. but then, there is another part of me that would like, maybe, one day, to write more original fiction (i already do a bit, but not much). that part of me is feels frankly a bit icky about giving up her ip rights.

would i be comfortable with people writing fanfiction of my original work? hell yes. that would be the dream. imagine having your own ao3 fandom, omg. however, would i be comfortable with people profiting from writing fanfiction of my work? honestly, i'm not sure. to me, the answer to that is: it depends (how much time investment was put in? how original the concept is? etc.) which, in fact, kind of brings us back to the current concept of licensing. and yes, maybe the current frame imposed by copyright law has also shaped the way i view the concept of property, and maybe i should be more of a communist, free-for-all kind of person, but unfortunately, i'm not that revolutionary.

also, and slightly tangentially, i find it interesting how profiting from fanficition/fanart is seen as more acceptable i certain fandoms rather than in others. taking the hp fandom for instance, even prior to jkr expressing her views on transgender rights, i often read things like: 'ah, she's so rich anyway, she doesn't need the money.' now, that argument has not only gained traction but is also reinforced by: 'ah, she's the devil and i don't want to fund her. it'd rather give my money to fanfic authors/buy things on etsy.'

while i completely understand the sentiment and do not, in any way, shape or form, support jkr's views, i do find that argument quite problematic. if you set the precedent that because someone is too rich, or because they've expressed views you disagree with, you don't believe that they should be entitled to their own intellectual property rights, i do wonder: where does this stop? this being justified for jkr could lead to all sorts of small artists seeing other people stealing/profiting from their original work without authorisation. 'i don't pay you 'cause i disagree with you,' would then act as a justification, with i find highly unfair. the fact of the matter is: jkr created hp. knowing that, the choice of buying hp products, regardless of her opinions is completely and entirely yours, but buying the same stuff unlicensed, from people who are infringing on her copyrights seems, to me, very problematic as this could potentially be scaled to all artists. either we overhaul the entire copyright system or we don't, but making special cases is dangerous, in my humble opinion.

option two: we choose to preserve copyright law as it is, for the reasons outlined above. this means that most people will not get paid for the content they put out and that the few that do will operate on a very tight, legal rope, and work for tips that are a 'nice bonus' but not a proper pay. this sort of perpetuates the idea that fanfiction is 'less than' other art forms, because in our capitalist society, things that don't generate money (things often made by women, may i add) are not seen as being as valuable as things that do.

for me, personally, while getting paid to write fanfiction sounds lovely (and makes my bank account purr) in theory, i think i side to preserve the current system. as an artist, i think that intellectual property protects us and our concepts from being ripped off by others, including by big companies who might find it handy to steal a design, a quote, anything, without proper remuneration. this is even more important for smaller artists who wouldn't necessarily have the means to defend their craft otherwise.

this being said, i do appreciate that it depends on why you're writing fanfiction. i think that topic probably deserves a whole different post in its own right but ultimately, most people write fanfic because it's fun. we know it's for fun, and not for profit. and if that's the case, then we're okay to receive compliments, reblogs and sometimes, for some people a little bit of an awkward tip for our work. for me, fanfic has been a space to make friends, to get feedback, to learn and to experiment without the pressure of money being involved. that's why i don't particularly mind doing it for free, and wouldn't even bother setting up a patreon or tip-me jar. i love being able to do it just for the enjoyment of myself and my five followers (lol), without worrying about scaling it, or making it profitable. not every part of our lives, not every passion has to be profitable. as we say in ireland, you do it 'for the craic' and nothing else.

this, though, as i already said, also depends on your means and level of privilege. to me, writing for free is fantastic and a bloody relief - it means being able to do exactly what i want. original fiction writing is full of rules, and editors, and publishers. in fanfic, i can write whatever i feel like, and i'm willing to forgo a salary in exchange of that freedom. again, i have a full time job that covers my bills. this does mean, though, that i don't have as much time to dedicate to writing as i would like to.

and also, the thing is: i'm a small author. i happily write in my own little niche. bar that one comment, it is highly unlikely that anyone would actually want to pay me (or even tip me) for my content. but when you look at very successful people, like the author of all the young dudes, i could see how they'd want to get paid for their art, and why they'd feel differently.

bottom line for me is: the flaws of the current systems of remuneration combined with my strong belief in copyright law as a means to protect small, original creators, means that i don't really think it would be right for me to get paid for fanfic, even if i was the kind of person who had the market for it. whilst it would be nice, this very long rant has, hopefully, explained why.

[thetvmoviefan]

Nabrina Fanfics Part 4

Updated July 14, 2019

Here’s a new list (Old and New) of Nabrina (Nick Scratch and Sabrina Spellman) fanfiction for anyone waiting for the one and only Power Couple of the show to come back in Part 3 and 4. Will update again if anyone wants to add a fic or recommend a fic.

ENJOY!!!

1. “Be True to Your School”

Author: Rayo aka @its-nabrina-bitch​

Summary: Nicholas Scratch is the Golden Boy™ of Baxter High; star athlete, top of his class academically, and devastatingly handsome. Sabrina Spellman sees Sophomore year as an opportunity to expand her horizons; joining the cheerleading squad, running for student council, and making new friends along the way while working to maintain her relationships with her old friends. What Sabrina Spellman doesn't know: sophomore year is about to turn her world upside-down. AU - Rated General - Chapters 3/?

2. “The Institute for Divine Craft”

Author: Rayo aka @its-nabrina-bitch​

Summary: After a humiliating spat with Father Blackwood pushes Sabrina away from her witching life and the Academy, Madam Satan crafts an alternative solution to move Sabrina Spellman further down the path of night. Ultimately leading her to the Institute for the Divine Craft. A handsome Headmaster with mysterious ties to her father, convinces Sabrina to abandon her mortal life, and cultivate her abilities as a child of the Church of Lucifer. AU - Rated Mature - Chapters 12/?

3. “Off the Record”

Author: Sarahkwut

Summary: AU. Detective Nicholas Scratch left New York for Greendale in desperate need of a change of scenery. The small town takes some getting used to, but local reporter Sabrina Spellman quickly grabs his attention. It's the fresh start he needed until Greendale's residents start turning up dead. With a murderer on the loose, no one is innocent - and anyone might be next. AU - AH - Rated Mature - Chapters 26/?

4. “My only love sprung from my only hate”

Author: filmharlot

Summary: High School AU where Nick is based on the version of him that Sabrina creates in her dream during the Batibat episode. Harvey and Sabrina have broken up and don't want to work together on the Romeo and Juliet assignment in Drama class, so she ends up being partners with Nick AU - Not Rated - Chapters 7/?

5. “Ground Beneath Her Feet”

Author: mindlesshappy

Summary: Sabrina is born out of a miracle - one that she wishes would repeat for her, but when she is destined for someone else, how much can she resist before her heart decides to give in. Alternatively, Nick is Sabrina's soulmate, but she really just wants Harvey to be it. Also, in the backseat are all the other possible ships, getting their own soulmate glories. AU - Rated Teen - Chapters 2/?

6. “Secrets, Secrets are Fun”

Author: filmharlot

Summary: Sabrina is the new kid for the first time in her life. Choosing to go to the Academy full-time seems to be a hard transition than she was expecting. With the Weird Sisters harassment at an all-time high, dealing with leaving her mortal friend's and condescending teachers, Sabrina is suffering. She's not even allowed to have Salem for comfort.It's not all bad though. She is finally free to do magic whenever she wants, and there's a charming warlock who is being particularly nice to her. Plus, someone is leaving kind gifts on her bed at the end of the night. She just wishes she knew who it was. Rated Teen - Chapters 1/?

7. “Fire”

Author: OnlyInAutumn

Summary: Their power—together—was overwhelming. It was something that she had not felt either, the consuming feeling of expanding power.It was entirely addicting. Rated Mature - Chapters 2/2

8. “Under Your Spell”

Author: londonmarie

Summary: Sabrina doesn't hesitate to have her Dark Baptism and things go differently. Rated Teen - Chapters 10/?

9. “To Hell and Back”

Author: swtnerdgirl

Summary: A year has passed since Sabrina and her friends rescued Nick from Hell. No one came back the same. They all had their scars. Some emotionally. Some physically. In the days leading to Hilda's wedding, they all prepare for their lives to change and heal their wounds. Rated Mature - Chapters 16/?

10. “An Itch That Needed Scratching”

Author: umbrellacorp

Summary: What if Nick slayed his familiar and Sabrina and Nick got to experience the last night of the Lupercalia festival alone. Tonight, Sabrina would be transformed. Nick was going to show her power that she never knew she had, an innate carnal power. They were about to become the most powerful union of the Church of Night. Rated Explicit - Chapters 1/1

11. “Photographs”

Author: Greyowl9831

Summary: It's been at least 150 years since Sabrina signed her name in the Book of the Beast. One day she finds an old photo album. Will the memories it contains be a great walk down memory lane or will it be more than she can bare? Not Rated - Chapters 4/?

12. “Homecoming”

Author: cherrystems

Summary: After several months Sabrina is able to get Nick back from Hell with the help of her family and friends. However, Nick has to adjust to Earth again while dealing with PTSD and anxiety. This tells the story of the growth of Sabrina and Nick's relationship over the recovery time. Not Rated - Chapters 3/?

13. “Selfless”

Author: sarahwut

Summary: Sabrina Spellman dragged Nicholas Scratch back from Hell. But Hell might be better than a world in which they aren't together. Rated Mature - Chapters 1/1

14. “The Hunt”

Author: OnlyInAutumn

Summary: Nick howled into the night, up at the stars to signify that he was ready on the eve of Lupercalia, the darkness of midnight around them. The first sound of the horn sent them into the forest.The hunt had begun. Rated Explicit - Chapters 1/1

15.  “The Jock”

Autor: mikalia_ealum

Summary: An Alternate Universe where Nicholas Scratch is Baxter High’s quarterback along with one of the most popular boys at school. With few knowing the truth, Scratch is living a double life as a warlock at the Academy of Unseen Arts. Sabrina takes a hiatus from the Academy to get more in touch with her mortal side. When Sabrina gets back she becomes partners with Nicholas for a project in theatre class. AU - Not Rated - Chapters 3/?

16. "Jealousy is a Killer”

Author: melissa122683

Summary: Will Sabrina and Nick Start something new? and who is watching them from the shadow full of jealousy? Rated Mature - Chapters 7/?

17. “and I keep waiting (but I won’t say I’m waiting)”

Author: lost_n_stero aka @lost-n-stereo​

18. “Dead Witch Walking”

Author: rayo aka @its-nabrina-bitch​

Summary: Faced with the possibility of being harrowed to death by her classmates, Sabrina finds an escape Rated Explicit - Chapters 1/1

19. “Bring You Close to Me”

Author: Anonymous

Summary: Sabrina and her friends managed to bring Nicholas back from Hell. There was a lot the two of them needed to discuss, but tonight, they had this. Rated Explicit - Chapters 1/1

20. “act 5, scene 2 (thou and i are too wise to woo peaceably)”

Author: ghostemo aka @wickedscratch​

Summary: “Spellman,” he greeted with a smirk. “Coming over to say hello?”She scowled.-When Sabrina Spellman rose to a challenge issued by Prudence Night, she never imagined she’d actually make the variety cheer squad - or that doing so would upend life as she knew it. Now she has to navigate her new role within the social hierarchy of hell -er Baxter High as well as trying to get her boyfriend to actually communicate. It certainly doesn’t help that she’s been paired up with the annoyingly handsome Nicholas Scratch, captain of Greendale’s beloved football team, for a project in her theater class. It’s exactly as, if not more so, cliche as it sounds. AU- AH - Rated Teen - Chapters 1/?

THERE YOU GO!!!

Make sure you leave comments/love/kudos to all the writers for their amazing hard work on these Nabrina fics.

[tayegi]

The beautiful thing about writing and reading fanfictions is that you get to explore and learn about diverse possibilities. Like most of the time, me, when I get too immersed in a scenario or fanfiction, I tend to get immersed with ALL the characters as well. What I'm trying to say hear is that, you really have that creativity and wide imagination with regards to writing about every single character. That's so beautiful. I hope I made sense ahhh ❤❤❤

Anonymous said:Hey Lu! You always had a talent for character development but what you're doing with new rules is amazing. You created so much dept in the oc's character and now she feels so real. I really think you outdid yourself in nr

haruka-the-panda said:Hello! Just wanted to tell you that I love your fics and your writing 😂 it's so amazing and I get captivated by the plot and the characters like wow ✨

Anonymous said:il new rules il ur writing u'r amazing ily

Anonymous said:I really loved ch 7 of new rules !!! It was soo good and like time past soo fast when I was reading it .

Anonymous said:NR CH7!!!!!! I'M FUCKING !!!!! JUNGKOOK MAKES MY HEART SKIP A BEAT OMG 😩😩😩 PLEASE GIVE THIS BOY ALL THE LOVE HE DESERVES HE CARES SO MUCH

mirageofcapricorn said:Hi Lu,1st of all ily😍 i love your thoughts and they mirror mine so much.We could be great friends if knew each other for real. i have been advised a lot if i don chng my feminist ass much i wont get a bf ever(im still single!) When all i ever asked was equality.I love the JK of new rules and how he understands the diff btwn the auction for men n women n what he said is so true.n thou hes labelled as fuckboy bt its visible he is diff n his asking for consent is hot!i hope ur havin a good day.

Anonymous said:I don't really send asks/msgs to authors but I just wanted to say that with every chapter of New Rules I love you and your writing even more. Especially with chapter 7 it really opened my eyes to issues that I have yet to deal with (i.e. consent, sex, relationships etc.) and I'm happy that through your writing I'm being educated on this. Also It's so hard to definitively state my favourite story of yours because they're all amazing. Hope your having a great day/night :)

rxsewxtch said:new rules? a fucking masterpiece

Anonymous said:Oh... my god. I just got finished reading ch 7 of NR and can I just say this is my fav ch EVER??? Perhaps even my fav thing youve written??? God srsly everything about it was perfect. It’s now 3:30 am and I’ve laughed, cried, then laughed again, then cried again... the oc’s performance was the most hilarious thing I’ve ever read in a fic hands down 😂😂😂 but her internal monologue when she wasn’t getting any bids... it really hit close to home. This is a masterpiece, truly. Thank you so much Lu

Anonymous said:Girl!! Ch. 7 has me shooketh to the core it was amazing! You made my night by updating!

Anonymous said:I just want to say that your writing style is some of the best I’ve personally read on this site. You do such a good job at developing characters and making the reader feel ridiculously invested in those characters. I really appreciate the way you give each character a unique personality and flaws to make them more realistic. New Rules: Chapter 7 was great and worth the wait. Thanks for amazing writing!

Anonymous said:The newest update for NR was not what I was expecting, it was way better!!! I’m not the best at expressing my thoughts/feelings but NR incorporates so many problems that are present in society rn but in an understandable way. And I just wanted to let you know that your works are some of my favorite. NR is a piece of art and has made me open my eyes to things I hadn’t realized before. You’re such an amazing writer and person. Thank you for all that you do! ❤️

Anonymous said:New Rules made me bust a phat nut 🤧🤧 oh my god the nut throwing scene had me screaming!!!! I was like yes !!!! Men are nothing !!!! A mood !!!! Love u Lu 💞💞 I’ve been really sick these past few days and this brightened up my whole week!!!!

Anonymous said:Im actually crying new rules 7 was so damn good im still recovering😭wow that christina aguilera scene and the fucking mixed nuts my lord that was so good I was cackling through the whole thing, wow i love you and I love this and I love jungkook’s suffragettes and sexism rant and wow im just so in love

im sorry that i cant respond to every single message, but i seriously read, reread and appreciate every single one of them!!!! i love you guys so much!!! ajskdfljklsdf idk where id be without you and you brighten my day! THANK YOU 

[ancient-day]

Maybe it’s because the Persona series is severely lacking in complex antagonists, but I just can’t hate Maruki. I think he’s a nightmare and a half as a researcher and counselor, and I think his methods are absolutely atrocious, but it’s so refreshing to have an antagonist be a character that isn’t objectively “evil.” He’s childish in his desires, completely out of his mind justifying these means to an end, but it’s a distorted desire for a reason. It’s stemming from grief and sorrow and the desperate desire for no one to have to endure that pain.

He isn’t right, and he even acknowledges that he knows people do better when they overcome their hardships, but he’s focusing on the people like himself who try and still can’t overcome that pain. Escapism isn’t the way. We all know that. But how many of us can truly say we don’t fall into that pattern? For me, I was glad to be confronted with my own flaws in his character. Call me out, man. Let me kick my own ass.

And maybe his being relatable is why people find him so immensely frustrating.  He wants to escape his problems, drown them out. He wants everyone to be happy and rewrite the rules so intense loss never happens. It’s absolutely absurd, impossible to do successfully, and overall a terrible idea. And with the PT especially, his happy little realities for each of them reads like an au fanfiction where everyone’s fine and nothing hurts. Who hasn’t indulged in an au like that at least once? It’s not that anyone would agree with his methods, and he’s completely arrogant in believing that he knows what they want more than they do, but it’s just funny to think about from the whole “Maruki’s a fanfic writer given too much power” angle.

Another thing is Azathoth. His persona is extremely aggressive, and it didn’t even wait for him to give his consent to awakening. It went right into the I am thou, thou art I before Maruki even finished processing what was happening. This isn’t to excuse him, but he’d been getting headaches and having Azathoth yell at him for a while, it seems, and it’s obvious he never went to anyone about it. With a voice like that constantly keeping you on that path, even when you express your own doubts, it’s not unbelievable to have developed such an unhealthy mindset.

I think it’s also worth noting that he was present just as Rumi was for her family’s murder and her own assault, and the reason he sympathizes so greatly with Sumire’s pain is because he also endured severe survivor’s guilt from the incident. Obviously Rumi’s pain had been more severe as those were her parents, but that was going to be his family, as well. I’m sure they meant a lot to him. It’s the event that results in his distortion and costs him everything that matters to him. He accepts that he’s going to be alone forever if it means others can be happy (this is also implied in the ending where Joker accepts his deal, as he just becomes an observer and helper, but doesn’t stay in any one place).

And then, of course, he was given the power of a god without any real say in the matter, as far as we know. Just as the thieves had no idea they’d inherited that position after defeating Yaldy, I doubt Maruki noticed right away. And that influence, once acknowledged, could have had more influence on his psyche. Since we don’t really know, that’s more speculation and personal headcanon. I just don’t think a human given sudden god powers would keep all the same human judgements. I always have a hard time applying human mentality to nonhuman beings, and this kinda falls into that a little bit.

Again, I’m not saying he’s actually a saint or a great person. He isn’t. And Akechi is completely valid in hating him and comparing him to Shido because Akechi is a person who does not care about how people became the way they are; he cares about who they are now and their current actions. But even Akechi admits after his initial judgements that Maruki isn’t like other palace rulers (since he wasn’t present for a situation like Futaba’s palace, it’s very possible the existence of a palace, to him, means the ruler is a horrible person). In the end, Maruki is controlling others, robbing them of their autonomy, and changing the world into a lifeless void of false happiness that no one consented to. That’s all he needs to know to be absolutely revolted by him and his actions, and it’s consistent with his disgust with the Phantom Thieves actions, as well.

So yeah. Maruki’s not an innocent dude, not by a long shot. But he is a very human character who had unexpected godhood placed upon him, and with an already unstable mentality, it was a recipe for disaster. That’s not to absolve him of responsibility, but it makes perfect sense to me how he ended up as warped as he did. I’m glad Persona 5 finally gave us another palace ruler who wasn’t actively harming others for their own benefit because it fleshed out the concept beautifully, and Maruki’s full of flaws that are fun to explore.

And thankfully, he learns his lesson and completely changes professions. So that’s something, at least.

[bettsfic]

for fanfic authors considering a creative writing graduate degree

i’ve had a few people PM me about the grad program i’m in, and i thought maybe i would share some information i’ve learned about creative writing graduate degrees plus all the stuff i wish someone had told me before i started applying. 

to give you some context: i own a house (that i purchased, i didn’t inherit) and i support myself completely. i’m not married or in a relationship and i don’t have kids yet. my undergraduate degree is in psychology. i came from a lower-class upbringing. i had never written an original work of fiction before applying; i had only written fanfic. i worked in finance for ten years at a dead-end job before i decided to go back to school. i applied to six schools and got accepted into one.

basic info

usually a creative writing graduate degree is called an MFA, or a Master of Fine Arts. it’s considered a terminal degree, that is to say, it’s the highest degree you can attain in the field of creative writing. 

however, some programs are also MAs, and usually those are combined with literature or pedagogy. there are also a number of creative writing PhDs, which are less about the craft of writing and more about teaching and research.

MAs are generally two years, MFAs are anywhere from two to three years, and PhDs are around four. most schools offer the MFA, so going forward that’s the type of degree i’ll be discussing. the MA doesn’t stray far from the MFA, and the PhD is a whole other beast.

you’ll need to choose a focus for your degree. most MFAs offer fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. some offer scriptwriting or experimental/hybrid forms. some expect you to play around with multiple genres. 

MFA classwork revolves around the creative writing workshop. a workshop is a class where you meet with your peers once a week to discuss the work you’ve read the prior week. you take turns submitting a story, poem, or excerpt, and while you’re the one being workshopped, you take notes while everyone talks. when you workshop your peers, you offer a letter of critique and participate in the discussion. workshop is also the place where you can ask about craft, publishing, or anything else you have questions about. workshops are run by a leader, usually a professor, someone who has a significant publishing history and experience teaching. 

other classwork for MFAs include literature seminars, where you read already published work and discuss it with your peers while applying it to established theory. 

an MFA thesis is generally a book-length work of your given genre, due at the end of your studies to grant your degree. it may also include some research component, like a craft essay or reading list, and an oral examination. you work with an advising committee throughout your degree to hone and revise your thesis, and generally use workshop to get peer feedback on early drafts.

MFA extracurriculars include working on your school’s literary magazine, doing readings of your work, and participating in your English department’s student organizations. there are usually additional opportunities that pop up throughout each semester, including meeting with established visiting writers (and hopefully these are writers of the super famous variety, which makes for great networking). 

applying to an MFA involves a writing sample (the most important piece of the application), undergraduate transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a letter of intent. some also require the GRE. many have a $50-100 fee, but sometimes you can request a waiver. 

assumptions debunked

here are some misconceptions i’ve come across and some i had when i began researching.

expectation: i can’t afford it

reality: that’s possible, but consider that many programs are fully funded, that is to say, the school will pay you to go there. no tuition, no loans, just a stipend that you’ll receive in monthly disbursements. it’s not a lot, but usually enough to get by. 

the way it works is that in exchange for grad classes, you teach undergraduate english. this is usually a class called english composition, and many schools make it mandatory for all incoming freshman, which is how the english department gets funded, and they can return those funds to you, the grad student. 

personally, teaching has become one of my favorite things i’ve ever done. i want to continue teaching when i graduate because it’s just really fun and incredibly rewarding. i highly recommend this route for an MFA because you won’t end up in debt afterward and you’ll gain a marketable skill (pedagogy) if your writing career doesn’t take off immediately.

expectation: i can’t quit my job

reality: there are a growing number of what are called low-residency MFAs. the above fully funded scenario are programs called full-residency, where you have to be on campus a few days a week, but low-res programs are mostly online, with 1-2 weeks per year spent on campus. 

the downside to this is that there is usually minimal funding for these programs, which means you’re paying for them out of pocket or with loans. the people who go into low-res programs are usually people firmly established in their lives with some disposable income and a desire to improve their work. this is a great option if you’re currently working full time and can’t move to be near a fully funded program. 

expectation: but my undergrad degree isn’t in english or CW

reality: GOOD. that’s what’s so great about writing as an academic discipline -- when we get nothing but formally trained writers, we get too many stories about the formally trained life. 

your background, your work history, and your life experiences are all enormously valuable to a writing program. the weirder and more diverse you are, the more intrigued admissions people will be. they want people who can bring new perspectives to workshop, who see the world in different ways than those who have been trapped in academia for ages.

it’s definitely valuable to have an english undergrad degree, but it’s equally valuable to have life experience.

expectation: i’m just a fanfic writer

reality: GOOD. do you know how amazing fanfic is? of course you do, you write it. now imagine the sense of community and purpose and drive you have while writing fanfic, and put that in a physical place, and you basically have grad school. so if you like fanfic for all those things -- community, purpose, drive -- you’re going to love getting an MFA.

from a skill perspective, fanfic authors have something major that non-established ofic writers are missing: an audience. if you write fanfic to post on tumblr or ao3, you’re writing it with a specific audience in mind. you are probably acutely aware of how that audience will react, how to entertain them, and most importantly, HOW TO DEVELOP CHARACTERS. 

i really thought i would get into an MFA and turn into some kind of holier-than-thou snob about fanfic, like suddenly my eyes would open and i would gain such an appreciation for, idk, Hemingway or some shit that i would completely forget about my fanfic roots. 

N O P E. i’ve found a lot of published authors i like, sure, but i like them because their writing reminds me of my favorite things about fanfic. you will not have to sacrifice your love of fanfiction* to pursue an MFA, and you won’t have to change the things you love writing. people may think what you write is weird, but fuck ‘em. write what you want to write.

*you won’t be able to write actual fanfic in grad school, but there’s nothing stopping you from filing off the serial numbers. if str8 white men can do it over the entire span of civilization, so can you.

expectation: i don’t need an MFA to be a writer

reality: god, so true. if you write fanfic, you probably already have all the skill necessary to begin the publishing game if you want to go that route, and potentially all the feedback you need to keep improving. which begs the question, why would you even want an MFA?

i can only tell you why i applied:

i had reached a ceiling in my writing and wanted to explore and experiment with things i knew would never fly in the land of fanfic

i wanted to belong in a physical community of people who took creative writing as seriously as i did

i wanted ofic reading recommendations and a structured environment in which to work 

i wanted to teach!! 

i wanted to learn about and discuss literature at a level that is difficult to find outside of academia

i didn’t feel like my education was complete, and while i could have gone back to school for psychology, my qualifications more closely aligned with creative writing programs and honestly, it just sounded way more fun

i wanted access to databases beyond jstor

i had a lot of perspectives and opinions i wanted to learn to voice more articulately and in an artistic or research-based form

i was tired of my job and looking for a different career path

you might have different needs, or maybe some of these resonate with you. people get MFAs for all sorts of reasons. plus, your perceptions might change when you get there; mine definitely did.

expectation: i only write genre fiction, not “literature”

reality: you can write whatever the hell you want for whatever reason you want. you’re going to get feedback regardless, and your peers are going to care about the things you care about, and if they’re worth a damn, they’ll give you crit on their perception of your priorities, not what they think is important to the field of literature. 

in the past year, i’ve read workshop submissions ranging from the onion style satire, to children’s literature, to hard sci fi. the point of an MFA is that you’re there to explore the work that interests you. you don’t have to conform for anyone for any reason. you are there to do your work, and the program is there to guide you and offer you support.

expectation: i’m not qualified because don’t have any publications

reality: you don’t need to be published to apply for an MFA. most people aren’t even published by the time they graduate. what you do need is evidence of your commitment to writing and the discipline thereof, that is to say, you write consistently, you’re passionate about writing, and that your writing sample shows both a command of writing as well as promise of improvement. 

expectation: i don’t have what it takes to pursue a graduate degree

reality: i promise you do. the reason i’m writing this is because the fanfic community has some of the most humble individuals i’ve ever met, who are compulsively shy about their craft, and who have no concept how good they actually are. i see so much self-defeated mentality, so much impostor syndrome. but please believe me when i say

LITERATURE NEEDS YOU

literature needs the way you see humanity, your compassion, your interest in telling stories without want of profit, your eye for character, your drive, your commitment, your voice.

you are so much better than most of what’s out there. you may not see it now but it’s true. 

expectation: i won’t be able to get a job with an MFA 

reality: ehhhh kinda true, but if that’s the only thing stopping you, ignore it. a (full-res) MFA trains you for three things: writing, editing, and teaching. all of these are lucrative careers that are no more difficult to establish yourself in than most other fields. the graduate chemist has the same concerns about the job market as the graduate writer. it’s all gatekeeping rhetoric steeped in a terrible economy. you just have to trust you’ll be ok.

expectation: i don’t know what i would write about

reality: you can figure it out when you get there. no one else knows what they’re doing either.

i’m happy to answer more questions if you have them! i hope this helps some of you who are curious about how MFAs work. i’m sharing this because i never thought i would be able to do a graduate degree, and now that i’m here, even though it was a huge risk, it’s the best decision i’ve ever made. 

[writing advice tag]

[purple-spring]

Some late Ep.2 thoughts (thanks, anon)

Hello anon! *waves* So, funny story. I’ve tried posting this TWICE now from mobile and it’s disappeared completely both times. It’s crazy. Before I get on to your asks, please allow me to take this moment to yell at Tumblr @staff - GUYS. Your mobile app is awful and it is killing the content and it’s killing us. For the love of god, fix it.

ANYWAY.

These sound like they’re coming from the same person, so I thought to answer them all in the one post. I hope that’s okay. You’ll find my responses after the cut.

Bughead milkshake scene, where art thou? Is this true? It would be a complete bummer if we missed out on Bughead goodness because of some stray camera. I mean, look. This happens all the time in TV and it’s a bit unfortunate, but at least we know that canonically this kiss happened. So I guess it’s over to the fanfiction writers to fill this little moment in! 

The “Milkshake” cover, or, here’s an excuse for me to take about my love Pharrell Williams. Potentially an ~unpopular opinion~ but the Pussycats covers are a little bit hit and miss with me. I really liked it when they covered “Sugar Sugar” in S1, but since then I haven’t loved anything that they’ve done. Which I think is pretty annoying considering the insane talents of Ashleigh, Hayley and Asha and the fact that the town makes a really big deal out of them (so sue me but I want that to be believable for the audience). 

The “Milkshake” cover was cute but I really, really, really loved the original. I’m old enough to remember when it was originally released and that thing lit shit up. It was absolute PEAK NEPTUNES, and it came out in the middle of one of the hottest producer streaks in history. So any cover of it had to be out of this world amazing. And this... wasn’t. Sorry, anon! 

RIP Moose and Midge. Look, I was just super bummed that we didn’t get to see more of the beautiful Emilija Baranac. FUN FACT! Did you know that Emilija will be featuring in the movie version of “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” (which I stan so hard and if you’re a fan too BROOOOO HIT ME UP) and is co-starring with none other than Lili’s audition pal, Israel Broussard?! Small world! Anyway. Moose and Midge, let me tell you, are beloved in the Archie universe. So it was a little upsetting to see them disposed of so quickly and unceremoniously, especially when they had so much potential to be so cute. I’m sure the writers have some sort of purpose to all this, but I’m with you anon - I’m sad that they’re now swaying together in the afterlife

[fanfictionlive]

People who write for ATLA, I need thine help! How do you translate "bending" into words?

Greetings fellow fanfic writers and readers!

If it's not too much to ask, I would like to ask for your assistance for my quite-particular and precarious situation.

As the title of the post reads, I am having a lot of trouble to represent the art of "bending" the elements of Avatar: The Last Airbender into cohesive and understandable sentences for my story. I am no stranger to describing elaborate displays of magic and fantastic locations with bombastic words, but my current approach of "character throws a punch and then fire comes out from it" is not making the cut for me.

All of you probably know this by now, but "bending" in the Avatar series is heavily inspired by several types of martial arts, a quality that shines greatly in a visual medium like animation. As such, I haven't figured out a good way to translate this magic system into the literary realm in a way that is not a chore to read through.

And to add insult to injury, my own references from other stories in the fandom have not helped me in the capacity I require.

So please, tell me, my fellow writers: What did you do to circumvent the issue of transfigurating an entirely visual sequence into writing? Could you to point me to a story that handles this problem successfully? Feel free to share thine own stories if thou deems it appropiate.

In the mean time, I thank you, for reading this and not letting my plea arrive go unnoticed. My best wishes for every soul in this subreddit, I wish you all the best of luck in everything you set your mind on, peace!

submitted by /u/Knight-Rhapsodios [link] [comments] from FanFiction: Where Magical Ponies battle Imperial Titans https://ift.tt/2zpQVJ6

[whispersandwhiskerburn]

Much Ado About SPN Results:

SPN Fanfic Writers Team Up With Shakespeare!

It’s April 23, 2017--453 years to the day since (historians believe) that William Shakespeare, one of the greatest English writers ever, was born...and 401 years to the day since the day the Bard died! :’(

However, his words live on in his plays that are performed each year, the movie adaptations, the sayings in everyday conversation...and now in Supernatural fanfiction!

When I hit 1.5k followers, I put out a rather daunting challenge to my followers: Write a Supernatural fic using a line from one of Shakespeare’s plays, and incorporate 2-3 SPN-themed words that begin with the same letter (I, like WS appreciate alliteration).

24 brave souls took on the challenge.

The results are below the read more link, along with a brief review/rec from me for each. I hope you enjoy these and take the time to share some love with the writers--this challenge was truly out of the box and they wrote some incredible things as a result.

Let the fun begin....

Thank you all for taking on this ridiculous challenge of mine. I was blown away by the submissions, and I truly hope you had as much, or at least half as much, fun writing them as I did reading them. Thank you so much!!

Fics are in alphabetical order by prompts, not by any preferences list.

“A Life I Would Have Known” by @buffylovesfoxmulder

Prompts: Anna, Angel Blade, AU (French Mistake/EndVerse) and “This above all: to thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man” (Hamlet I.3).

My Fangirling:  An episode rewrite of the French Mistake where Anna subs in for a much more earnest Balthazar and the reader has a surprise up her sleeve for the Winchesters. I loved it. Lengthy, but worth the read. :) 

“Wanted” by @arlaina28

Prompts: Benny Lafitte, Bunker, Brothers,  “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother” (Henry V IV.3).

My Fangirling: An absolutely lovely smut fic between Benny and the Reader that builds up in canon-style characterizations from first meeting to the “I love you” stage. An excellent read, and a brilliant use of her prompts.

*******A Fic is on the way here!!******

“Nothing Either Good or Bad” by @deansdirtylittlesecretsblog

Prompts: Donna Hanscum, Devil's Gate, Deals, and “ “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” (Hamlet II.2).

My Fangirling:  Mimi delivered again! An angsty-suspense with flashes of fluff Donna x Dean fic around the danger of a Devil’s Gate—the one in Wyoming. I loved this fic, and it’s not even my ship, so definitely check it out….and hold onto your seat!

“The Valiant” by @littlegreenplasticsoldier

Prompts: Ellen Harvelle, EMF Reader, and “Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once” (Julius Caesar II.2). 

My Fangirling:  I--I don’t know what to say here…it was beautiful and sad and it must have taken you so much time to create this, and I love it. It’s an angsty peek into Dean’s head during his time with Lisa, how he’s struggling to maintain, how he’s trying to cope with Sam’s loss—and it’s done in VERSE. You almost want to read it out loud. I just love this…and I think Shakespeare would be proud.

“Papa Don’t Preach” by @whatareyousearchingfordean

Prompts: First Blade, Fathers, “What’s gone and what’s past help should be past grief” (Winter’s Tale III.2)

My Fangirling: A Reader x Dean angst fic where she learns of a pregnancy that she hadn’t planned on and tries to explain to a Dean who worries about fatherhood. I loved the canon characterization.

*******A Fic is on the way here!!******

“All Dogs Go To Heaven” by @rachelladytietjens

Prompts: Hell Hound, Hex Bags, Heaven, and  “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” (Hamlet IV.5)

My Fangirling:  With what was probably the coolest title in this challenge, she did an amazing job on this fic that had some really conflicting and challenging prompts! It’s short and sweet, with no pairing, but extremely intriguing and it raised so many questions for me. Brava!

“Not So Innocent After All” by @im-most-definitely-fangirling

Prompts: Impala (Baby), Innocence, and “If music be the food of love, play on” (Twelfth Night I.1).

My Fangirling:  A body-swap fic between the Reader and Dean that reveals a lot of what they’ve been hiding from each other. I loved this—besides, where can you go wrong when you end up riding Dean on the Impala? AmIright ladies? 

“Wine, Meddling, and Temptation” by @avasmommy224

Prompts: Jody Mills, John's Journal, Job (Hunting),  “Tempt not a desperate man” (Romeo and Juliet IV.3). 

My Fangirling:  I love it! The fluff with a hint of angst and reader being besties with Jody? Brilliant! She did a great job working in ALL of the prompts and this fic is fantastic. I absolutely love Jody as a matchmaker--I can just see her worrying about finding the boys the perfect lady. :) Dean x Reader with future fun times—nothing wrong with that!

*******A Fic is on the way here!!******

*******A Fic is on the way here!!******

“Just a Little Magic...” by @wi-deangirl77

Prompts: Meg Masters, Mark of Cain, Magic (Witchcraft), “I am one who loved not wisely but too well” (Othello V.2). 

My Fangirling: I was prepared for weird when I put Mark of Cain with Meg Masters and Magic, but Jess managed a canon style fic of angsty goodness that everyone should read. It’s MOC!Dean x Reader and...oh, it’s just lovely. Go read! She says it’s the start of a new series—and I, personally, can’t wait to read it!

“Chase the Nightmares Away” by @destiel-addict-forever

Prompts: Nephilim, Naomi's Room, Nightmares, “You pay a great deal too dear for something that’s given freely” (Winter’s Tale I.1).

My Fangirling:  This cute little fluffy drabble is a Daddy!Lucifer fic (not kink, reader is Luci’s kid), something I imagine we’ll see more and more of as this current series continues. I swear, when I made the prompt list and put Nephilim on it, I had no idea it would become such a big thing this year on the show! Great job.

*******A Fic is on the way here!!******

“Purple Moose, Orange Squirrel, and A Pink Dress” by @mrsbatesmotel53

Prompts: Pagan God (Not Loki/Gabriel), Pie, Pranks, “We have seen better days” (As You Like It II.7) and (Timon of Athens IV.2). 

My Fangirling: I absolutely loved this! It was beautifully characterized: witty reader, western-loving Dean, sassy Rowena, protective/knowledgeable Sam….and the way you combined your prompts…I just loved it. Comedy, alternate timeline, canon style…what is not to love here?

“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by @roxy-davenport

Promtps: Queen of Hell (Abaddon), Quincunx (Hoodoo symbol), Quips, and  “Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall. Some run from breaks of ice, and answer none, and some condemned for one fault alone” (Measure for Measure II.1). 

My Fangirling:  A rewrite of an awesome episode to include a reader insert and pairing with Crowley, this fic, like many of @roxy-davenport’s, shows a sentimental and charming side of the King of Hell in a way that even makes this Dean!Girl think fondly of the red-eyed demon. I loved the sassy way she broke down the Shakespeare quote in the fic.

“Together We Thrive” by @deansarms

Prompts: Ruby's Knife, Revenge  “I burn, I pine, I perish” (Taming of the Shrew I.1).

My Fangirling: I can NOT compliment this work enough. Absolute brilliance. It’s a poem that switches from Dean’s perspective (in italics) to Sam’s perspective. It centers around the Shakespeare quote, but it provides canon accurate characterization and plot in verse form, and it….ugh, just go read it. I think I’ve reread it like five times now. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.

“Friendships is Constant” by @atc74

Prompts: Samuel Campbell, Sigils, Souls, “Friendship is constant in all other things” (Much Ado About Nothing, II.1). 

My Fangirling:  Canon-style fluff and character analysis set in season 12, Angelina used all of her prompts, and created a catch-up moment between the boys and their mother that I think we all want to see happen on the show. Short, sweet, and adorable. 

“Goodnight” by @besslincoln-bruh

Prompts: Uriel, Uniforms (Outfits), Underdog, and “Strong reasons make strong actions” (King John III.4). 

My Fangirling:  An interesting AU with a future Dean x Reader pairing. Reader is a lawyer trying her first defense case—to prove Dean Winchester innocent when the world (and the evidence) is against him. It was hard to tear myself away from this fic, and a creative use of all the prompts. Well worth a read!

“Sweet Revenge” by @plaidstiel-wormstache

This is a completed series. The link above is to the masterlist. She wrote it at as one long one-shot with the quote at the end, but I encouraged her to make it a series--and the whole thing is fabulous.

Prompts: Vengeful Spirits, the Veil, Vessel, and “If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?” (Merchant of Venice III.1).

My Fangirling: This friend went way above and beyond the call of duty and wrote a truly spectacular SERIES based off this prompt, with some inspiration in the form of a rather intriguing OFC. No pairing, but a beautiful use of all prompts in a canon-style fic set during John’s first solo hunt. Angst, sprinkles of fluff, some dark emotional stuff, and so much canon beauty…I love it. I don’t want to play favorites on this challenge, but this one is my favorite.

“Wrath” by @waywardjoy

Prompts: Werewolf, Wooden Stake, Wrath, and  “Is this a dagger which I see before me…or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation” (Macbeth II.1).

My Fangirling: Short but strong, an angsty Dean x Reader piece where you see the unbridled danger that is a wrathful Winchester. My wonderful bestie worked in all of her alphabet prompts and her Shakespeare quote brilliantly. She also helped me put this whole challenge together, so extra kudos to her. :D

“Forgotten Rituals” by @thegreatficmaster

This is a completed two-part fic. The link above is to the masterlist. Both parts are for this challenge--@thegreatficmaster took on two prompts.

Prompts: Yellow-Eyed Demon, Yarrow, Youth, Zachariah, Zoroastrian Symbol, Zenith (the most powerful time), “Hell is empty and all the devils are here” (Tempest I.2), and “Pray you now, forget and forgive.” (King Lear IV.7).

My Fangirling: Nini created a very original reader here for a story the likes of which I’ve never seen before, and doubt I will see again. Azazel x Reader, sexy times, strange magics, manipulation of time and angels, old world religions, unexpected fluff…just wow….  I won’t be forgetting this series any time soon. Great job!

This link will take you to the masterpost I made of all of my celebration challenges!

Fics still to come for this challenge: 

C @bringmesomepie56, 15.  “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them” (Twelfth Night II.5).

G @therealdeanwinchester13, 10.  “Lord, what fools these mortals be!” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream III.2)

K @kalliravenne, 11.  “I do love nothing in the world so well as you: is not that strange?” (Much Ado About Nothing IV.2).

L  @hellssarcasticqueen, 19.  “The miserable have no other medicine, but only hope” (Measure for Measure III.1).

O @little-red-83, 18.  “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt” (Measure for Measure I.4). 

Tagging my Forever Crowd, because you guys need to see these so very much!

@2wonderinsighlents, @adaliamalfoy, @alcpegasus22, @andrastesflamingtitties, @angelofwinchester17, @alexastacio, @anokhi07, @ariethegreat98, @arryn-nyxx, @autopistaaningunaparte, @avasmommy224, @bennyyh, @benjerry707, @bringmesomepie56, @bucky-thorin-winchester, @bulletscrossbowpie, @but-deans-back-tho, @captainemwinchester, @carry-on-ms-believer, @casownsmyass, @cfordwrites, @chaos-and-the-calm67, @dancingalone21, @d-s-winchester, @deafgirlsarecooler, @deandoesthingstome, @deanfuckingwinchesterrr, @deanscherrypie, @deansdirtylittlesecretsblog, @deanwinchesterforpromqueen, @deliciouslyshadowymilkshake, @demonangelimpala, @demondeansdomme, @end-lessnights, @faith-in-dean, @fandommaniacx, @feelmyroarrrr, @fiveleaf, @graceforme86, @i-is-for-inspiring, @ilostmyshoe-79, @impala-dreamer, @jalove-wecallhimdean, @jarpadandjensenaremyheroes, @jencharlan, @jensen-gal, @jotink78, @just-a-touch-of-sass-and-fandoms, @katnharper, @kittenofdoomage, @kristaparadowski, @lipstickandwhiskey, @littlegreenplasticsoldier, @leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid, @love-kittykat21, @loreleilara, @lunarsaturn88, @luv4jensen, @marilynnlew, @millaraysuyai, @mogaruke, @moonstonemystyk, @mrsbatesmotel53, @mrsjohnsmith, @mrswhozeewhatsis, @mzpearlz, @nicolesyneah25, @nightmaredean, @notnatural-supernatural, @paintrider13-blog, @pinknerdpanda, @plaidstiel-wormstache, @rizlowwritessortof, @roxy-davenport, @rushernparadise, @salvachester,  @septicxsoulxdarkxmind, @scorpiongirl1, @skathan-omaha, @spnrvt, @supernatural-jackles, @supernaturalyobsessed, @theafinnerup, @thegreatficmaster, @vote-for-pedro, @waywardjoy, @wevegotworktodo, @wi-deangirl77, @wonderange, @withoutaplease, @writingbeautifulmen, @xtina2191, @yoursmilemakesmeloveyou, and @yume-deaimashou

[marvelandponder]

More Than Half the World Away

Let’s start with another question: How aware was Luna when she was Nightmare Moon? Because there’s two theories.

Both are based on whether or not Nightmare Moon originated from Luna herself.

In the beginning, a number of fans originally assumed it was all Luna, all the time (same Luna time, same Luna channel)! It seemed like a logical conclusion. Nightmare Moon is just a representation of Luna’s depression, loneliness, pride, and jealousy because those were the things responsible for both the her downfall.

The IDW comics, on the other hand, had a different interpretation.

Nightmare Moon as a whole was still meant to represent all those things, but the “Nightmare Forces” instead became a separate entity entirely that Luna gradually let take over her mind.

So, either it was all her fault and she was all there, or she gave into something darker and, it seems, might’ve been a little less so.

Although, even if the latter is the case, we know for a fact that she had some semblance of memory. She wasn’t just straight up possessed and/or unconscious; even as Nightmare Moon, Luna missed her sister, meaning Nightmare Moon had Luna’s memories, emotions, and doubts, along with the jealousy and pride that drove her to villainy.

The first thing Luna says after Nightmare Moon was defeated all the way back in season 1 was:

“I’m so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister.”

So, since we know for a fact that Luna was still there to some degree, that bring us back to the real question!

If Luna was in exile for one thousand years, how did the isolation not drive her insane? Or at the very least leave some brutal mental scars?

The specifics may differ when we’re talking about our favourite magical talking horses, but you’ve probably heard about how extreme isolation can have a huge impact on people, even for relatively short periods of time. Solitary confinement has been known to make people’s minds slip after two months, with auditory and visual hallucinations along with paranoia, obsessions, and delusions to boot. Isolation and sensory deprivation experiments are even worse, leaving participants hallucinating and emotionally distressed after two days.

So, that brings us to the crux of the issue. One thousand years with potentially nothing but you and the dark voices in your head. Even for an immortal character in a kid-friendly universe, that’s a long, long time. How did she get through it?

And if not those thousand years, what about the stress of reintegrating into a society 1000 years ahead of the one you left behind? Even if she’s now found her place in this time period, how hard was it for her to adjust?

Let’s see how Mental Illness Horse managed.

B-Canon or Bust

So, if we’re dividing this up into what it was like for her on the moon and what it was like for her to have to come back, we’ll start with the easy one. If you’ve read the comics (and consider them canon), you actually already have an answer as to how Luna/Nightmare Moon could’ve maintained her sanity all that time.

According to the Nightmare Rarity arc and the Nightmare Moon issue of Fiendship is Magic, Nightmare Moon had little moon creatures to keep her company (and they’re called the “Nyx”... ‘the writers can’t read fanfiction’ my ass).

And aside from them, by the end of the Fiendship is Magic comic, we see that Nightmare Moon gained the ability to create nightmares for the ponies of Equestria. She wasn’t able to torture Celestia anymore, but the ending seems to imply she still very much had access to the rest of the population’s dreamscapes.

So, I mean, she wasn’t having a jolly little romp with some adorable moon friends (but seriously, MoonStuck still holds up so if you haven’t read it I advise you change that), but, hey, social interaction is magic!

Because any kind of social interaction, even if it’s in the form of tormenting others, is still better than pure solitary confinement.

So, that’s how she she didn’t go insane, per se, but I still have to wonder what kinds of psychological stress this put Luna under.

But, thankfully, I don’t have to wonder all that much, thanks to Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?

The Tantabus was a creature Luna created to torture herself every night. Taking her Fiendship issue into account, it’s actually a fitting punishment (too harsh on herself still, but very fitting).

If she spent those thousand years tormenting the ponies of Equestria at random, in a way it’s logical for the punishment she came up with to involve a constant onslaught of nightmares.

Especially knowing Luna. From the way we’ve seen her carefully look after them on a personal basis in their dreams and valued the opinion of the common ponies, we know Luna places a lot of importance on her subjects well-being on a micro level.

Personalizing her nightmares to her own worst memories and fears is fitting of the crime, in a pony like Luna’s mind. If all of them suffered their worst fears and insecurities, she should have to, too. Again and again. Forever.

And to her, I think it’s essentially an eye for an eye. Not just a reminder to never become Nightmare Moon again, but a punishment fit to the crime.

I know because the Tantabus is only held at bay when Luna starts to forgive herself based on what her subjects and friends think of her now. With their help, she can carry the guilt with her, but at a more manageable size.

That guilt seems to be be something she only experienced in hindsight, though. Nightmare Moon herself was definitely never wracked with guilt over what she was doing, so the troubling implication is there were parts of Luna, like her morality, that were lost. If parts of her psyche could be overwhelmed or otherwise hidden, my question then becomes, how did Luna stay Luna?

Back Home

This is mostly based on a small detail that probably means nothing that I still love pointing out.

Okay, so, we know that the entirety of Luna Eclipsed has to do with Luna readjusting to society and society readjusting to Luna after her stint as the sky rock dictator.

The culture shock is a wonderfully in depth thing for a kids show to address, and it���s a fun episode to boot.

What got me on the rewatch, though, was a moment that deals with a part of that the rest of the episode doesn’t: the fact that Luna left ponies behind.

It comes when Twilight first approaches Luna in her Starswirl the Bearded costume, and the scene goes a little something like this:

Twilight: “Princess Luna? Hi, my name is---” Luna: “Starswirl the Bearded. Commendable costume. Thou even got the bells right.” Twilight: “Thank you! Finally! Somepony who gets my costume!”

And that’s when we hold on Luna making this face:

I’m willing to admit I could be reading into things, but it honestly seems to me Luna’s having a moment where she remembers he’s not around anymore.

The fact that ponies could ever not instantly recognize a pony like Starswirl would be baffling in his time, when he was alive and, well, a very important wizard. The comics may have retconned this in Legends of Magic (Still unclear if Celestia was lying about that or what), but in the Reflections arc, Starswirl was still around after Luna was sent to the moon, which sadly means she probably didn’t get to say goodbye when he went missing.

This is such a small moment, but it’s a reminder of what she lost, and that’s a consequence we don’t see her deal with a lot because she felt so isolated and alone from most other ponies when she was young---but it is a consequence.

Even if the show’s canon hasn’t confirmed that she was friends with a ton of other ponies at the time, there were ponies who missed her, and who she missed in turn. And she can never really get that time and those relationships back.

Although, in a way, I think that’s why the parts of Luna’s mind that were hers survived. She missed her big sister.

She just had a good reason to return that kept her going.

This post has a companion! 

Part 1: Nightmare Moon and Part 2: The Royal Family

Here’s a link to all the MLP editorials I’ve done, and just for kicks, have the latest three:

Supporting Cast, Legends of Magic #1,and S7E1andE2 Review

Year of the Pony

Header Image Wouldn’t be Possible Without...

Moon and Earth by Sigmavirus1 Celestia and Luna by JordiLa-Forge

If you’re ever in need of some gorgeous vector art, looks like you’re covered with these two! Browse through their galleries, show them some love!

My Body Feels Young/ But My Mind is Very Old

[orionsangel86]

Hi I've just been part of this fandom for a year and a half and I like to know how the fandom and the producers work with each other. So can you please explain to me why you don't like Bucklemming? And what else do you think about the other writers?

Hi! Well, we don’t really work with the producers much at all,, unless you count interaction with writers on twitter, and they don’t really understand fandom much at all either. The majority of the writers are kept really separate from fandom in general and Andrew Dabb only ever appears on social media rarely and usually to troll us before disappearing back into his writer cave. Robbie Thompson was the best at fan interactions and the best at understanding what makes the fandom tick (hence he wrote 10x05 fanfiction). Sadly he left us after season 11 to move on to greener pastures.

Do you really want me to start up the Bucklemming argument? Oh boy nonny you are in for some moaning if you start that! lol :P

I take it that you know that Bucklemming are the writer duo Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross Leming (who is Bob Singer aka executive producers wife). 

They can do no wrong and basically get away with all kinds of shitty writing because she is Bob Singers wife (disclaimer - that’s my opinion but come on, its a pretty fair one given the level of shit they’ve given us). Let me just give you a brief run down of Bucklemmings greatest hits:

8x15 - Mans Best Friend with Benefits - Black Servant Girl/Dog in collar has sex with witch master - Issue in case you didn’t catch it black girl in collar and bestiality

8x19 - Taxi Driver - retconned reapers into angels, Hell has a back door into purgatory which I’m sure Cas and Crowley would have loved to know about in s6!!!

9x03 - I’m No Angel - Raped Cas whilst simultaneously having him rape an innocent girl.

9x09 - Holy Terror - Killed Kevin by burning his eyes out

9x21 - King of the Damned - The extremely violent and over sexualised death of Abaddon at the hands of Dean. Needlessly gross.

10x21 - Dark Dynasty - Slashed up our beloved lesbian Charlie by Nazi’s and left her body in a bathtub in a classic case of fridging to further male pain.

11x09 - O Brother Where Art Thou - Whole episode was horrifyingly bad. Made no sense whatsoever. Every character caught a case of stupid. Where the FUCK was Cas?

12x02 - Mamma Mia - Had Sam (mind) raped by the British woman during a really messed up torture scene. The rape made no fucking sense. It was there for gratuitous purposes only.

12x08 - LOTUS - Had Lucifer possess and knock up an innocent woman whilst masquerading as her lover against her knowledge and therefore against her consent in yet another scene of wholly dubious consent... then went on with a storyline that basically had a bunch of male characters try to force a woman to decide what to do with her unborn baby, threatening her with violence and the whole thing was really gross and nasty and just plain wrong in this current climate in America where woman are having their right to choose taken away from them by actual evil in power.

And yet people wonder why I hate Bucklemming? This would be why. 

Honestly nonny I swear I am usually very positive about Spn as a whole, but Bucklemming episodes fill me with dread. The worst part is that they show absolutely no remorse over their story lines and insanely enough think they are doing a good job based on recent interviews. 

I recently answered this ask about Bucklemming and the other writers which sums up the writing team for season 12. So you can go there for my opinions on the other writers, which are actually very positive. We have a lot of new talent on the team this year and so far their episodes have shown promise. Going into the second part of the season I am very curious to see how they do going forward, but I am delighted for Andrew Dabb to be showrunner as he is a huge Cas fan (as we can see now that we know Cas gets 2 episodes at least dedicated to him) yay!

Anyway, I did warn you that I would moan if you got me talking about Bucklemming!

I am a positive person I swear! I am perhaps having an off night. Ankle is all twisted and making me grouchy perhaps. :P

[nebulawriter]

Voltron Season 2

Overall, I am VERY VERY HAPPY with this and eagerly look forward to Season 3, but in the meantime, will enjoy what we have and look forward to making fanfictions with all this!

Because Voltron is so character heavy, we’ll divide this by characters and groups. 

Main Cast, from least fave in the season to most:

Hunk--I am very disappointed with the way Hunk was portrayed this season. It was my biggest issue with the season as a whole. The Hunk we got in the first season was a mechanical GENIUS, had a great sense of humor, and was a true and loyal friend who, yes, had a passion for good food. In the second season, it felt like he was reduced to food. That was his only characterization. Any time they needed a joke from hunk it was about how he was thinking of space tacos or calzones or how he farted and vomited a lot. This was most apparent #1 in episode 4, where I understand it was supposed to be a pidge-centric episode, but you can’t tell me Hunk wouldn’t be just as enthralled with the amazing machines of the Omikari (am I spelling that right? IDK) and #2 in episode 7 Space Mall, where Hunk took over as chef instead of, I dunno, FIXING THE ROBOT. Don’t tell me he couldn’t. Oh, Also, Why was he being so MEAN to Keith in The Belly of the Weblum? Like, I get his being a Galra would make him awkward, but some of his lines were...well, really mean. That’s not really Hunk’s style. 

Lance--not AS disappointed, but I feel like more could have been done with just a couple switches. Most importantly in Escape from Beta Traz, which was kinda like ‘his episode’ I felt that it was less his insecurities about himself (which were definitely there) and more about how his friends see him? What with the way he got that way when Pidge insulted him, and...I mean, I GUESS that was resolved with Shiro complimenting him, but. I was going for something deeper, I think. Some kind of raw emotion. I wanted them to make Lance cry is what I’m saying. 

Coran--is an amazing, amazing character though I wish he would get some of his own juicy screen time. But hilarious, absolutely hilarious. 

Allura--I liked the way they dealt with her coming to terms with Keith. I sorta wish Coran or Shiro called her out for it, but it made sense. I know people are going to bully her and say she was racist (I’ve already seen it) and yeah, it was wrong of her to lump Keith in with the other Galra, no question, but...her people were literally genocided. I don’t know if thats a word, but. All of them. ALL her people. And she’s still young, so she doesn’t know how to handle it all well, but she did eventually come around. So, I’m satisfied. I wish we got to see her kick some more ass on the Balmera, but what we got was acceptable. 

Pidge--I am satisfied with Pidge’s character here. They were funny, smart, got to come into their own a bit. Vines are a...weird power to have, but okay. Could be worse. And she has another hint at where her brother might be! I look forward to this. OH! and if you’ve noticed the pronoun shift I have firmly adapted to nonbinary pidge canon, primarily for the bathrooms. Like. Choosing between the two felt like a strong hint towards Pidge being unsure which gender they fit under. So, I think they might still be coming to terms with that, but. Thats where I am with that. 

Shiro--Where art thou????? But really, this was some good characterization for Shiro, between settling in as the Black Paladin, dealing with Keith, dealing with the Blade of Marmora...just in general real good. And we got to see some paladin backstory through the eyes of the black lion! I wonder if they’re ALL made of that asteroid stuff, or just Black. I think this was very important, as last season he seemed unsure if he was ‘worthy’ of Black, so to see him fight for Black was nice. 

Keith--is it any surprise Keith had my fave development this season? Mostly because he had the MOST development this season? I think it was all handled very nicely, very in character, and while on one hand I’m sad to see it may have taken time out from some other character’s development, I coulda used even more. I don’t appreciate as much the writers dangling Keith and Shiro’s backstory over our heads, but I want to know what it IS. Also, I truly believe that the stranger in the Weblum is his mother. I’ve seen theories that state it was Lotor, but I disagree. First off, I don’t think Lotor could have been missing that long, and also, why would he be wearing ORANGE armor and not the traditional red or grey? Second, I know Keith called the stranger ‘he’ but thats because the kid was raised in a patriarchal society and assumed things. Personally, the way the character was standing in certain shots felt more like a woman’s stance (thinking in terms purely of character design and animation) and so, that is my theory. Also the shack was where he lived with his dad???? I was surprised by that, I had assumed he found it after he got booted from the Garrison so he could search for Blue, but. Hmm. HMMMM.

Others:

Villains--I was glad to see a seed of tension between Haggar and Zarkon, that felt more interesting to me storywise than the both of them going “mwahahaha we will soon have them.” Also, is Zarkon fucking dead? I’ll have to rewatch. Oh yeah, and Haggar’s an Altean. Who knew? I swear, though, if those theories I saw about her being Allura’s mother are true I QUIT. Honestly, looking at the OG design for Prince Lotor, I might not be surprised if he’s the son of Zarkon and Haggar (not that I want to think about THAT relationship (shiver)). So, we’ll see, I look forward to seeing Lotor’s design+Character. 

The Blade of Marmora--I was sad about Thace and....that other guy....but not as much as I maybe should have. IDK they were an interesting plot device? Also, are there any women Galra? Like, I suspect Keith’s mom, but....you couldn’t have thrown in some lady villains or rebels or something? Please?

Omikiri: They were a fun race. I wish we got to see more of the slave who was working for the King? He seemed interesting. But otherwise, cool, helpful people are helpful. 

Slav.--Uh. Hm. I want to know who voiced him. Its just. With the accent it felt like they were trying to do a stereotype, and a fairly offensive one at that. Maybe thats just me, and actually Indian people can say that its not stereotypical to have a character with an accent, which...is true but...hmm. I felt uneasy. Its just weird with so many diverse characters in the cast that this is what they try to do. Outside the accent, though, it was funny seeing a character test Shiro’s seemingly limitless patience. 

Other others--Shay was there! didn’t expect that. Varkon the mall cop was glorious (was that Al Yankovic? I know he was supposed to be in this season and that felt like the most him character, but its hard to tell sometimes) The various Galra mini-bosses were funny in a pathetic kinda way, though I liked the Yupper. The mermaids were a thing, we didn’t get to see much of them outside brain control, but they were interesting. 

IDK what else to say...Like I said, I look forward to season 3 and also the fanworks that are created in the intervening time.