#i daresay its my favorite fandom

[incendiorum]

blinks

[glorfindel-of-imladris]

🍎🦉🔮for the writer’s ask game?

🍎 What's something you learned while researching for a fic?

Anon, where do I even start! 😂 Okay, off the top of my head: parts of a ship, how mirrors are made, type of mirrors for that matter, swordfighting terminology, way around St. Petersburg, way around Beijing, way around Okinawa, way around Milan (Google Streetview my friend and vice), how to calculate travel by horseback, how to calculate travel by hypothetical flying sword (...yeah), evergreens vs perennials, how to prep for anal sex and what that is like care off gay dudes generous enough to share their own experiences—

🦉Is there another author that helped inspire you to write?

If we're talking fanfiction, I daresay what inspired me to write in the first place is the dirth of glorestor fics around 2015. Early 2000's up to around 2008 was what I called "the golden age" when the fandom was super active, and I was a lurker then but I devoured fanfic like it's nobody's business. I especially love the works of Elfscribe and Fishyz. It took me a while to finally write for these characters, but these wonderful authors have influenced my headcanons 10 years later.

In general, I have been writing since I was maybe 12 and practically grew up with fanfics alongside the books I love reading. For book authors, the influences that I recognize the most in my own writing, style-wise, are Bram Stoker, Arthur Conan Doyle, Charlotte Brontë, and—qué horror, as much I wish I could deny it—Anne Rice lmao. I blame this mix if at times my writing can be melodramatic, especially if I'm writing in Glorfindel POV.

At its heart though, I like to think my writing has been touched by Professor Tolkien as well, and my favorite poet, Wislawa Szymborska. Even irl when I write I like to mention these two. I love the heart behind their writing and they are an inspiration to me.

🔮 What's your favorite plot twist you've ever written?

I'm not sure I write long enough for there to be plot twists, but maybe I can go with Flowers for Midsummer and Dream Lover.

[yea-baiyi]

Hi....If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

hi it’s been a while! i love getting asks from you because it lets me ramble about my favourite things, it makes me so happy so thank you!!! i hope you know how much joy you bring <3

(i’m sorry i haven’t replied to your last top 10 ask, i started the list and it got so humiliating that i’m unable to look at it again.)

anyway “top 10 media” is a broad question, so i have picked the top 10 media i love to ramble about. the kind where i could talk for hours about each one. are these objectively my favourites? maybe not. are they even good? only like half of them. but they certainly are top. enjoy!!

top 10 media of all time (not ranked):

1. tgcf (novel)

its still too early to say if this is a permanent top 10, but it has consumed my life for the better part of a year so it gets on this list. i have difficulty describing tgcf, it’s not particularly an excellent novel by many metrics, but it gives me endless satisfaction — the breadth of the story, spanning hundreds of years and a broad range of plotlines, plus the incredible depth of each moment, with sensitivity and humanity behind every hilarious-ridiculous-bombastic moment. i keep finding new things with every new chapter i annotate, even on my 4th/5th read. it’s rare that a piece of media gives me so much to think about, i’m just trying to savour the enjoyment for as long as it lasts.

2. the untamed/陈情令 (tv show)

oh man what can i say about the untamed. what can i NOT say about the untamed. the show i resisted for two years before finally being pushed into it. and i have been hurtling down the danmei rabbit hole ever since. for all that it was my intro to danmei and into the modern cdrama fandom, it really is SO MUCH just on its own. i daresay no tv show will ever be able to deliver such pure insanity juice straight to my brain ever again. deserves its spot. show of all time.

3. fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood (anime + manga)

i was a weeb for YEARS. consumed hundreds if not thousands of episodes of anime and manga. and this is the only one that stuck. obviously a masterpiece of storytelling. i revisit this constantly. i love stories that can be grim but still hopeful and endlessly sincere. also if you can’t tell i’m a huge sucker for stories where the side characters clearly have their own histories and relationships outside of what we get to see, and fmab has that for ages.

4. the legend of korra (tv show)

i cannot in good conscience say that i like this show. if you asked for my opinion, i would complain in your ear for an hour straight, minimum. (i have done this. multiple times. don’t ask me about the legend of korra.) and yet it is the piece of media i think about the most, that i have dedicated the most of my writing to, that i rewatch most often. lok aired when i was 13-17 and i grew up with it on tumblr. the people i followed and the things they talked about shaped how i interact with fandom today. maybe one day i will be able to move on, but this one has a sure spot in my top 10.

5. sense8 (tv show)

this one i can wholeheartedly recommend to any queer person trying to grow up in the world. yes, the orgies are gratuitous, the first season has some 2014 cliches, and overall who cares about the plot. but it’s such an unabashed expression of queer joy and unconditional love. there’s something so comforting in the idea that other people will volunteer to share your pain, your happiness, and your loneliness. that everyone in the world is connected by their ability to feel, to laugh, to scream, to cry, to love— you are only as alone as you let yourself be. this show carried me through so many dark times and helped me to keep believing in people. maybe i’ve outgrown my need for this show now, but i will always love sense8.

6. my ajusshi/my mister (kdrama)

is it one of the best kdramas ever made? yes. am i also incredibly biased because it’s IU? also yes. i strongly recommend it if you have the patience. this drama is slow and melancholy and washed out, its characters are weary and cynical and not always kind to each other. but that is precisely the point, because the drama dusts off their dull, exhausted lives and finds within them something worth living for. sometimes it’s enough to know that you have the power to make someone else’s life better. you might have lost the love of your life, but you have a spare mattress in your bedroom for a scared, lonely girl to sleep on. you might have lost your marriage, but you have enough money to pay for an old woman’s funeral. your career might be going nowhere, but you can be the cheerleader and inspiration for a silly woman that loves you. you might be a gang of sad, broke, middle-aged failures, but you can all walk a young woman home together and make her night a little less dark. my ajusshi is not an easy drama to watch, but similar to sense8, it’s one that gives me hope.

7. the k2 (kdrama)

firmly convinced that tumblr is sleeping on this drama. it is so absolutely batshit feral unhinged. let women be a mess!!! let women be so wrong!!! let women scheme and threaten and fight and manipulate, while the man looks on with protective anxiety and/or dead-eyed absolute competency. let a woman run barefoot through the streets of spain in a nightgown, tears streaming down her face. let a woman past her prime be psychosexually obsessed with her stepdaughter’s bodyguard whom she is locked in a blackmail revenge plot with. let him lead her at gunpoint into a car so he can escape the standoff, only for it to become a car chase with her enemies, and for him to flip the vehicle over. let him walk back into the burning car to carry her out.

8. man of steel (movie)

not gonna lie haven’t rewatched those one in a while! but officially my #1 favourite movie if anyone asks. i have moved on from capeshit but this movie still has everything i love: a world that breathes, people that live in it, and a clear message of hope despite how bleak things might seem.

9. rogue one (movie)

i mean. i mean. it says something that i was working on my (planned out, the story exists fully formed in my head) tgcf rogue one au when i opened up my writing notes and found that at some point last year i had written an entire mdzs rogue one au. brilliant. unparalleled. so blessed that this movie got to exist in between the endless cash grabs that are the other movies. as a star wars fan since age 13, i can say with full assurance this is the only star war that matters actually.

10. the infernal devices (novel series)

not sure if i’ve mentioned this series on this blog before, but to this day it’s one of my favourite YA series. yes it is your standard cliche fantasy series but it has will herondale, the best payoff to the typical angsty brooding male lead to ever exist. writers try to justify brooding characters like “they have valid reasons to be that way, deep down they’re really loving blah blah” but this series takes that and delivers. because the moment will is free from the legitimate reason he was acting that way, he is bursting at the seams to show his love. he runs to the girl he loves and tells her he loves her. he tells the woman who raised him that she’s awesome. he spends the rest of his life so, so incandescently happy, simply because he gets to love the people he loves. also the ending of the second book is possibly one of the wildest cliffhangers for a love triangle ever. i clearly love to have an Experience while consuming a piece of media.

(if you’ve read til here, thank you for reading and letting me ramble some of the words that go through my brain endlessly. if you’ve ever consumed and enjoyed any of the things i’ve mentioned, please feel absolutely welcome to message or dm me, i am dead serious about being able to talk about these for hours. in fact i would love to. please)

[pretentious-librarian]

TW: misogyny & SA

Sometimes I wonder if it has something to do with patriarchy and the way that Sam and Dean express their gender identities in different ways. To be clear, what I'm theorizing about in this piece is a subconscious bias rather than an intentional one. Obviously there's tons of other huge factors that go into why someone favors one character over another, especially in such a complex and layered show. Lastly, as a disclaimer, it is all men. Even Sam. I consider myself a radfem,--borderline misandrist--and my compassionate views concerning Sam's relation to his gender and how it impacts the way he's perceived does not change that. Yet as someone who's hyperfixation is feminism, I just couldn't resist delving into this topic with my favorite character. Because while patriarchy harms women most, that doesn't mean it doesn't harm men too, even if to a much, much lesser degree.

(Note that when I use the word 'women' I am using it because it is a term more typically used when discussing the way patriarchy oppresses but in this piece, the word also refers all AFAB people and feminine-presenting people who struggle under patriarchy)

Regardless, the show itself recognizes and comments on both Winchester's masculinity. Dean's stereotypical macho-man stud characteristics are often played up, and our patriarchal society generally enjoys it and I daresay prefers it. In this case, we're able to do that, subconsciously or not, in good conscience because at the end of the day Dean is a good guy, or perhaps maybe 'righteous' would fit him better. I probably can't count on one hand the amount of times he sacrificed himself for the innocent or to save the entire world. Still, that doesn't take away from the fact that Dean is hyper-masculine and thus, more appreciated in this society that upholds patriarchal values and celebrates masculinity as being superior.

Sam, on the other hand, is still quite masculine but as the show points out time and time again through condescending jokes, he's not near as manly as Dean is. Sam is strong, but he's soft and thoughtful too--traits typically seen as emasculating for men to show too much of. His character tends to embrace qualities that many men generally snub. He's not a womanizer and he rarely engages in casual hookups the way most men are encouraged do in the name of using and conquering women. He finds beauty and joy in intellect while Dean scoffs at him and essentially calls him a bitchless nerd. Sam takes care of himself in ways that starkly contrast with Dean's behavior because apparently self care isn't masculine. Even when Dean irons his clothes with beer instead of water, viewers are meant to side with Dean because dean is manly, beer is manly, half-assing domestic labor is more manly than doing it right and anything manly is praised and encouraged; we laugh because it's supposedly funny when a man is incompetent. (But really, if we normalize men's incompetency it in turn excuses putting the often invisible burden of domestic labor on women. But that's a conversation for another time.) Dean always orders a burger--in this show, it's definitely a symbol of masculinity--and Sam always gets a salad, which has a sort of 'weaker' and dare I say feminine connotation to it in this context. While this is likely intended only to be a funny bit that shows the brother's contrasting personalities and relationship dynamic, it also has profound effects on how Sam is perceived within the show because of his 'lack' of masculinity. But patriarchy isn't just funny, condescending jokes at the expense of women and femininity. Patriarchy is violent and oppressive at its core. I'll come back to this point later on.

All things are relative. And relative to Dean, who he spends most of his screentime with, Sam comes across as much less masculine in comparison, and thus generally isn't taken as seriously by the fandom. God forbid a man express his gender identity authentically without feeling the need for excessive gender performance. Anyways, it's pretty clear how patriarchal society views femininity: weaker, sillier, more frivolous, and less valid, just like in the popular comparison between football fans and Taylor Swift fans (yes she's an evil billionaire, that's not relevant to this argument). Football fans who dress up in their favorite team's colors, throw superbowl parties, wear face paint, and spend exuberant amounts of money on tickets are respected for their dedication and are encouraged to have fun with their interests, whereas when teenage girls who attend Taylor Swift's concerts are dressing up in glittery outfits with bright, wearing colorful makeup, and trading friendship bracelets in celebration of their favorite artist, they are seen as silly, shallow, childish, time-wasting and more. Simply put, femininity is not respected, nor is it coddled in the way that masculinity is.

Thus, the femininity in the subtext of Sam's character makes him less respected and less favored than Dean because femininity is always viewed as less than--or unimportant at best--in patriarchy. We all know the show was initially made by men, for men and the fandom rightly criticizes the way this influence is glaringly obvious as it often reduces the roles of the female characters in the show to only existing to further the plot and growth of the men around them. There's no question that there's a good bit of subtextual and sometimes outright misogyny in the show, yet Sam's treatment both in the show and in fandom due his gender expression is often a key factor of that misogyny within Supernatural that is overlooked.

In terms of what op said, Sam's subtextual femininity is often the reason he's less favored and taken less seriously. Femininity has always been taken less seriously and been belittled. In the real world, women have to fight tooth and nail to get life-saving diagnoses, doctors don't take our pain seriously--it's even worse for women of color, we are largely excluded from scientific studies and even drug development trials. Hell, even my ADHD medication simply does not work during certain phases of my menstrual cycle because my medication was created with men only in mind, since apparently female bodies and their hormones 'complicate things too much' to be taken into account when creating and testing medications. (source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7500607/).

So, because of how our patriarchal society views femininity, Sam's relatively more feminine gender expression causes him to be taken less seriously, his suffering is minimized, and his more 'feminine' interests are ridiculed. Yes, I very much understand that as an attractive, straight, white man, he suffers a mere fraction of what AFAB people, including myself, face every single day. Yet I couldn't ignore the correlation between his gender expression and the way the fandom views him, especially in relation to Lucifer and Dean. To op's point, many fans loved Lucifer's character despite what he did to Sam, which is worrying and has real-world implications. (I am acknowledging that Lucifer's character is very well developed and he makes a fantastic villain, which is different from actually liking his personality.) This is where I revisit the point that patriarchy isn't just crude insults and social degradation, it's vicious and violent in nature.

Several times on the show Sam is sexually violated, just as many women are in real life. because of Sam's more feminine leaning characteristics, it is seen as more acceptable (nearly to the point of dismissal) for him to suffer sexual violence. His subtextual femininity primes him for the writers to put him in repeated instances of losing his bodily autonomy, including but not limited to Becky's sexual assault of him and the heavily implied r@pe he endured while in the cage with Lucifer.

Yet, many Lucifer stans conveniently ignore the heinous things Lucifer did to sam because Sam's proximity to femininity makes his pain and trials seem trivial, and on top of that, Lucifer is comparatively more masculine than Sam and thus given more grace for that reason alone. This is r@pe culture at its finest: defending and adoring the perpetrator while minimizing the trauma of the victim.

I will say this once again: Sam is part of the most privileged group of people on earth (maybe not financially, but let's not forget that he still had access to higher education as prestigious as Stanford.) Yet, it is undeniable that his perceived subtextual feminine characteristics allows viewers to brush off his trauma, to a degree, and make excuses for his abuser, just as patriarchy encourages us to do in real life.

So, yes; because we are conditioned to heavily favor and respect masculinity in a way that femininity is not, Lucifer would've almost certainly not received an ounce of leeway from the fandom if he had done to manly, macho Dean what he did to Sam in the cage. All because Dean is the epitome of masculinity and Sam just wasn't masculine enough to escape the dehumanization that comes with being too feminine and displaying too little masculinity by patriarchy's standards.

Oh, and don't forget that gender is a social construct rooted in patriarchy and created with the purpose of subjugating and oppressing women for men's benefit :)

and I'd like to thank op for this fantastic, thought-provoking, yet unintentional writing prompt.

Supernatural hot take that I randomly thought of:

If Lucifer did to Dean what he did to Sam, most of the fandom would hate him instead of calling him hilarious and adorable and misunderstood.

[titilationexpress]

StarscreamxReader-Sweet Dreams are made of Screams Ch.1

First ever lemon. Please give your input. Reposting from my Ao3.

You haven’t been able to sleep properly for weeks now. And frankly, you’re wondering if you ever will again in your lifetime.

Yet what caused you to have such a problem with something that once came to you so easily? Ok, maybe not easily. No, scratch that. It was never easy. You had to take some sleeping pills every night to even get a few hours in. Still, how did it happen?

Well, the trouble had started back not long ago. In fact, from what you could recall, it hadn’t even been a full month before your ‘problem’ started. See, you were a fairly average individual. You had your quirks, your habits, the little things that make each person an individual. One particular interest you had though was quite specific, and even more, came from a decade long before you were born.

Transformers.

Oh yes, your beginnings were humble when you first started with the franchise, and you looked with wide, awe-filled eyes. Your starting place was where you first discovered it, the one show that will remain in your heart forever. From that, you got into the characters, the story, the lore of what started as a toyline for young boys (though it was clear now that both sexes had a love for it), all of it. And from there, you went on to past and future generations from your starting point, and now, you were a certified Transformers fan! Hell, one of your favorite sites ever is TFWiki.

With this entrance into the fandom, you took to devouring everything that you could: the cartoons and animes, the books, the movies, fanfiction, fanart, fan comics, doujinshi, anything and everything that you could get your hands on, you did. And not long after, you began contributing yourself, drawing, writing, whatever you could to make your stand and have your place in the community. At first, it worked well enough, you weren’t exactly prolific, yet you were doing well enough. You managed to get a few requests for certain things to be drawn/written, believe it or not, but still, you weren’t overly big.

And then came your discovery of the Reader genre.

What is the Reader genre? Why, as far as you were concerned, only one of the greatest genres ever to be conceived! Well, to be more accurate, the form of writing wasn’t anything new, remembering the ‘Choose Your Adventure’ books. It seemed said genre now spread everywhere, you being very aware of the numerous games and dating sims that ranged from well done and engaging to outright ridiculous and stupid (but those were fun in their unique way). And since you didn’t have any knowledge or time to do that, you settled for writing them yourself. Your first piece was a simple Optimus x Reader with the standard plot and standard outcome, which was a declaration of love and a resulting kiss with the Autobot Leader. You were NOT expecting the overflow of response that it had gotten. You were quite shocked, but at the same time, overjoyed. Soon, you decided to try your luck with another one, this one being of Bumblebee, the scenario being mostly the same, albeit with a bit more cutesy fluff, as in your mind, Bumblebee was always the little guy. This one was just as successful, and you beamed, having finally found your calling.

Since then, you were getting requests left and right for more and more choices, all spanning different universes. From the animated cartoons to the comics, different universes, everything that spanned from the most well-known incarnations to the more obscure. It was through these that you managed to get even more into the Transformers multiverse as a whole and even discovered some truly overlooked gems. You opened yourself up to the people and declared that you would write whatever they requested, but you had some taboos that you wouldn’t touch. But any scenario, character, and universe, all of that was fair game.

You had originally begun working on more mundane, typical stories with expected outcomes (but sweet ones nonetheless), yet over time, the requests and your imagination began getting more creative and crazy. Soon, you were delving into several different areas that you had never touched. Elves, goblins, mermaids, vampires, forbidden love, love triangles, all of these were laid at your feet. And while it took a bit to find your rhythm, all of this having come on you so fast, you eventually got it and soon, you had a wide collection of X Reader stories, ranging from G1 to Prime and IDW’s run.

You mainly did Autobots, for you had to admit that writing for them, while they were still complex characters, came somewhat easier for you. True, each of them had their faults and quirks (both from canon and headcanons people had come up with), yet they were still the good guys, and even those with more questionable morality still came out as heroes in the end. But then one day came where you were asked to write about a Decepticon. This threw you for a loop, as, while the thought had intrigued you, you had been writing for good guys for some time, so a total shift in direction was somewhat off-putting and scary. Possibilities of it being too saccharine or sweet, or getting the characters wrong or out of character scared you a bit, yet still, you wanted to test the waters and see if you could do it. And if you could, this would open up so much more for you.

And judging from the input, you had just struck gold yet again.

Soon, not only were you flooded with requests for Autobots, but now their foes were also available, and, as you found out, people had just as much an attraction for the darkness as they did for the light. Again, the same scenarios were implemented, yet now, they had something of a darker edge to them, which allowed you to explore some subjects you couldn’t touch with the Autobots without toning it back somewhat. In a way, the Decepticons provided you with more freedom. Ironic, seeing as Megatron’s motto was “Peace through Tyranny.”

That said, you went through the list of available characters throughout the generations, and so far, those had been garnering quite a following as well, your Autobot and Decepticon stories neck and neck in popularity. Everything seemed to be going well for you.

Then that one question came.

‘Hey, where’s Starscream?’

Then another.

‘Could you write one about Starscream?’’

Then another.

‘Hey, hate to bother you, yet I think that Starscream could use some love here.’

More and more questions and requests for the particular Decepticon filled your messages, and frankly, you were at a loss on what to do. Truth be told, you and Starscream had something of a complicated history. When you had gotten into Transformers, you had heard of the character, yet at first, you never saw why he had gained such a large fanbase. True, he wasn’t a bad character, yet he wasn’t your favorite. But over time, as you wrote more and more for the Decepticons, as well as read X Reader stories from other people, you slowly began to, as one would say, gain an interest in the winged robot. And soon, you found yourself enamored by the smug jerk as well.

But this only made you reluctant to write for him.

True, when you started writing for the Decepticons, you were allowed to experiment with some more intimate and extreme situations, yet with Starscream...it was different. It was hard to explain, yet whenever you got a request to write for him, your brain seemed to seize up. Thoughts came to your head that you had tried to banish, thoughts that came every time you saw the Seeker’s name. You had no idea what was going on or why this was so difficult, yet it seemed the Silver Snake had taken to making your fingers not touch the keyboard.

You had no idea at all. Or at least, that’s what you told yourself.

And since you had gotten the slew of requests, your sleep problems began. The moment you shut your eyes, the scenario began all over again.

…

You needed no introduction to where you were or what you were seeing, it all quite familiar to you now. Around you were towering walls of a silvery mauve color, the only available light from above sparse and leaving several areas coated in darkness. This place was all too familiar, for you had seen it many times in your watching and reading of Transformers.

You were in Decepticon headquarters.

Your dreams had been filled with the base of the enemy faction of the Autobots, and at first, it had shocked you as to why you were here at all. But over time, night after night, you came here, and soon, you grew accustomed to the sight of it. You took on the form of your Transformers persona/OC or remained in your regular, human form, whatever pleased you as if you had some control over this environment. Yet as you grew more familiar (you were never sure if you’d be comfortable), you began to explore the place, finding that, to your surprise, there was no one here. No signs of any sort of life aboard the ship, and while it took a good while, you traveled everywhere you could think of, and still, nothing. No Megatron, no other Decepticons, no one but you had been aboard.

At least, that was what you believed when you first had this dream. Then, you heard it. The voice. His voice.

“Oooh, I’m the Boogie Man,”

Singing, serenading, just loud enough for you to hear, yet low enough for you to know it was far away. It always started this way.

“The terrible, horrible Boogie Man,”

Your ears/audio receptors registered the voice as it echoed throughout the ship. When the dreams had begun, you knew immediately who was singing, and then you were more surprised at how it sounded. Sure, it had its infamous high pitch, yet it wasn’t bad to listen to. Daresay, it was rather enjoyable in its own way.

“I come in the middle of the night and frighten bad little girls like you.”

The first few times you had this dream, it would almost always startle you, yet it led you to look down the other balls and corridors of the ship. The results were always the same though: no one was aboard. No one but you...and him.

“Beware, better have a care,”

The song changed each and every time you entered the dream, tonight being a track you heard on a video game you played not too long ago (Bioshock 2 you believed). Yet the songs always had the same effect on you.

“I’m going to follow you everywhere.”

Despite your trepidation, you wanted...needed to follow it.

“I crawl through the ceiling and the wall and call on bad little girls like you.”

Walking, then running, you traversed the winding path before you, taking several left and right turns, having no sense of direction but that voice. A voice that, despite its infamous sound, held power to it, a siren’s song in a way. Ironic, you thought. Still, you followed, for you had reached your limit. You knew what would happen if you didn’t find him.

“I’ll torture you and hunt you,”

And never leave.

I’ve got you where I want you,”

And never let you escape this dream.

“A victim of my dark and dirty plot.”

And he knew it too. He knew he had power over you. And you hated it.

“And at the slightest whim, I’ll tear you limb from limb,”

Or…

“In other words, I’ll put you on the spot.”

Did you?

“Oooh, I’m the Boogie Man,”

You were close. So dangerously close.

“The terrible, horrible Boogie Man.”

Just a turn around the corner.

“I come in the middle of the night and frighten…”

He paused, you stopping in your tracks at what you saw. There he was. Situated behind violet bars of energy in a cell, the Decepticon stood there with his arms folded and looking upon you with satisfied, hungry red eyes.

“...bad little girls like you.”

It was him.

Starscream.

Your favorite incarnation of Starscream, those ruby orbs boring into your own eyes/optics. You stepped back from the cell, eyes/optics wide at what was before you. Sure, if you were to go by dream logic, some part of you always knew that it was ‘him’ that awaited you at the end of this journey, but still, to actually see him, standing there so casually when it looked like he was locked up, it chilled you. As if he had absolutely nothing to worry about.

“My, my, so you finally found me,” he said, his voice perfectly matching the incarnation that stood before you. “Or rather, I found you. Whichever way it goes, it doesn’t matter,” he smirked. “For I already know the outcome.”

You blinked a few times, still trying to see if who was before you had truly been there. “St…” you began nervously. “Starscream?”

The Decepticon chuckled and stepped out of the shadows, allowing you to fully see him. “In the mesh,” he said. “And I see that introductions won’t need to be made either, will they, Y/N?” your eyes/optics went wide. “That’s right, pet, I know everything. This IS your mind after all.”

“Wh-What?” you stammered. “I don’t understand.”

Starscream’s grin only grew wider. “You will soon. You will understand EVERYTHING.”

Just what was he talking about? From the looks of it, he seemed to be enjoying your tension and trepidation, very amused. Your mind went into fan mode, recalling every fact you had known of Starscream and his various incarnations, which then led to you going on the defensive. “You…” albeit, it took you a try or two. “You’re the one that’s been doing this to me. Giving me these...these weird dreams.” the Decepticon didn’t answer, yet it was clear that he already knew that the secret was out (even if it wasn’t much of one). “You’re also the one that’s not letting me have one decent night’s sleep without being trapped here!”

“Or me serenading you?” he added in. “How do you like it? I don’t do it often, yet if I wish, I can stretch out my vocal components if I want.”

Your cheeks grew hot. Damn, this bastard was already making you too wound up, and you had only gotten a few words in! “Well...I’m here now,” you said, trying to sound confident, and, ironically enough, trying to channel Megatron’s dominating aura. “So, what do you want?”

This didn’t phase him in the slightest. Despite him being the one locked up, you were the one who felt like his prisoner. “I think you already know that dear Y/N,” he said. “But to put it simply, I’m feeling left out.”

You were confused. “Left out?” You asked. “Left out of…” you paused. Indeed, you knew well what he was talking about. “My...my reader inserts.”

Starscream nodded. “Quite an extensive library you’ve built up over time.” He told you. “Though your choices could be much better.” he scoffed. “Of course goody-good Prime would be on the list, along with the rest of the Auto-dolts.” Then he grimaced. “Yet there are those that actually want to FRAG Megatron? Ugh! No taste at all!” He then looked back at you. “You’ve written for everyone, from either faction, of every series,” he then pouted. “But none for me. Truly, Y/N, I’m hurt.”

You felt quite awkward. True, while you were known online for your stories, it was your username and persona they were seeing. They weren’t someone that was right around the corner that could walk in and see you writing these things. While you loved doing it, the thought of your family or friends discovering you wrote in this genre was a thought you dared not entertain, as you swore that you’d die from embarrassment. Thus, you were very careful whenever you did it, your room completely locked tight so you could focus without fear of someone barging in. The only times you left during your writing periods were for bathroom breaks and/or to eat/drink something. It was a big secret...and thinking about it now, it was a secret no more to the most infamous backstabber in all of Transformers. You had been found out.

“Well...so what? Are you going to keep haunting me until I do?” you asked. “You can’t do that!”

Starscream didn’t seem phased by this at all. That damned smirk of his both frustrated and made you excited, a combination that left you very unsure. “Can’t I?” he asked.

You didn’t like his tone. “What do you mean?”

“Well, let’s consider for a moment, Y/N,” he said. “You believe that I’m merely a figment of your imagination, yes? A stubborn thought that is lodged in your subconscious. Am I right?” you shifted a bit, knowing well what he was saying would lead to something else. Something that probably would flip everything on its head. “Well...who’s to say that I am?”

“I...I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t. But what I say might just jog your memory.” he then went on. “In your last X Reader, you spoke of multiple versions of the characters, such as Prime and...yes, even Megatron,” Starscream scoffed. “And how it would’ve been peculiar if they met. Then, one of your readers linked you to a page on the TFWiki.” Starscream then chuckled. “Quite an array of knowledge, I must say. Especially for a primitive species such as yourselves. Anyway, said page spoke of what is labeled as the Transformers Multiverse, which, if I may say, is an excuse for you all to toy with and shape us into what YOU want. But back on track, you did a small amount of research on that, then went on about your business.”

“...and what does this have to do with why you’re here?”

Starscream smirked. “Then, after some time, you went and read the entries of me from various series and incarnations. To get a better feel for what you were thinking of writing. What you wanted to write. Only, you never did.” You were about to speak again, but the seeker spoke again before you could. “There was one detail from my earliest incarnation that spoke of a ‘ghost’, an immortal spark that couldn’t be snuffed out. One that could travel through space and time.” He drew closer to the bars. “And then discovered a way to travel through dimensions. Wherein, I found out all about how so many humans have seen my reality behind a television screen.”

What was he talking about? What did any of what he said mean? It was then that it all clicked for you. Sparks were essentially the ‘soul’ of a Transformer, which Starscream’s was indestructible. You read that he made an appearance in Beast Wars, and had made cameos elsewhere. What was before you right now...mere feet away…” Are you.. “ you stammered. “Are you really…”

The Decepticon nodded. “Yes. Yes, I am, Y/N.”

You were left speechless. No. No, this...this was impossible. It...it couldn’t be him! It couldn’t be the REAL Starscream! He was a cartoon, no, a toy! A damn toy! A toy from the eighties that were made to be marketable to young boys (and the girls that were secretly into it) among several other toys that were made be marketable to young boys (and again, the girls that were secretly into it)! There was NO way he was in your mind right now! He wasn’t real! He wasn’t real! He wasn’t-

“You step out into the chilled air, wrapping your arms around yourself as you do.” the Decepticon suddenly began. “He’s there to pick you up. He’s there to pick you up. You’re both terrified and exhilarated, eager to start the night, but also to make it fly by just enough so nothing embarrassing would happen between the two of you.” your jaw dropped when you heard him say that. How did he- “Know that you recently read over your very first entry? The one that started it all?” he then ‘rolled’ his eyes. “The one that clearly displayed that you had little taste at first?”

Of course, you did! That was from your very first X Reader story! It told of Optimus Prime and you, a human, in a relationship. Odd start, you knew, especially given that Transformer x Human relations was sort of controversial, yet overall, it wasn’t a bad one. Still, the fact he knew that…” No.” you said aloud. “It can’t be.”

He smiled. “I am.”

You stepped back until you hit a wall. “S-Starscream.” you stuttered. “You’re him. You’re the...the real one.” he was quite satisfied with your reaction, you clearly flustered yet cautious at the same time. The sensation drove you mad. But then you remember, this was just a dream! You were just making up all this stuff! You were relieved by this revelation...yet at the same time, you were...curious. Just where would this go if you continued? “Well...well, what are you doing here? What do you want?”

“Exactly as I said before, I feel left out,” Starscream told you. “And considering my popularity in this universe, I’d think me being here should tell you something.”

You knew what he wanted. “You want me to write about you.” it was obvious. “I-I know. I mean, I’ve been wanting to. Really, I have. But...but I...I just…” you sighed. If you knew Starscream (and you had at least a decent enough faith you did), you knew that this could potentially earn you his anger. Yet, to your surprise, he didn’t try to order you around. Instead, he seemed like he already knew you were going to say that.

“You can’t,” he said for you. “Understand, I’m the one in YOUR mind. Thus, you could say, I know everything about you. A perk of being something that, in this universe, started out as a drawing on a piece of paper.” you were confused, this seemed to humor Starscream even more. “Oh, come now. Surely you know that concept art exists, right?”

All of this was so insane for you, yet it was then that you felt the urge to speak up and say something for yourself for once. “Well, if you’re here from the...well, YOUR universe, what are you doing here in the first place?”

“Why, this is one of the few places I win!” Starscream exclaimed. “Of course, when I first came here, I was quite perplexed about how I and many others were known as products from a company called ‘Hasbro’. But overtime, I discovered your version of the internet, and, well, as you flesh bags say, the rest is history.” he then continued, not giving you a chance to speak. “And bring that I am an idea in this universe, I can go freely as I wish, peering into minds,” his red eyes looked upon you. “Become one’s permanent muse or vice versa.”

God, you felt weird. You felt so confused and conflicted. You wanted to sink into the wall to get away, but you also wanted to know more about this. You had to know more. You needed to know more. “So…?”

“So, I’ve come to you, as you’re truly in need of some inspiration,” Starscream said. “As well as some changes in your thinking.”

“Like what? Worshiping the ground you walk on?” you ask, feeling a little bolder.

“Oh, you already do.” he said. “If you didn’t desire me, I wouldn’t be here.” he grinned at your shocked expression. “That’s right, Y/N, I know what truly holds you back from writing about me. Your fears, your anxieties, your loves and lusts.” you had no words. “You fear that you may get me wrong if you will. That I won’t be in character. Or you fear that you won’t be able to satisfy the wants of your readers, as I AM so highly anticipated. Or…” he leaned closer to the bars, the only barrier separating you two. “You fear exploring those more intimate pleasures with me. You’re intimidated and unsure. After all, writing for Autobots is easy, yet us Decepticons are more difficult. But it HAS awakened things in you that you wish to explore on either side. Things that you are dying to let out.”

You had no words, he was completely right. Damn him! The smug bastard knew he had you in the palm of his hand...and yet also probably knew that’s what made you so hot and bothered right now! “So...what? Are you here to force me to write those things with you in them?”

“Dear Y/N, I can’t technically make you do anything,” Starscream told you. “Oh yes, I can stay and torment you night after night until either I pass onto another universe or I grow bored of you, but my reason being here is for both our benefits.”

“How?”

“It’s quite simple,” he said. “We shall go through those scenarios in your head.” his ruby red optics bore into yours/your eyes. “Together.” he then reached out from in between the bars and traced a digit around your jawline. “Believe it or not, I want to help you, Y/N.” his voice was smooth and sultry, something you never expected from a voice like his. “But only you can allow me to do so.” he then stepped back from the bars. “This prison of mine is something you’ve constructed from your fears and insecurities. Allow yourself to embrace what you fear…” he then extended his hand again, yet stepped back as well, sinking into the darkness. “Only then, will you truly be free.”

You were at a standstill. You knew what he wanted, and, to your horror, you were wanting to give it to him. Deny it all you want, this was something that had been in your mind ever since you got the first request for the Seeker. You approached the bars, trying to get some sign that he was still there. Surely he hadn’t left you, had he? No, he hadn’t. He was still there, you could feel him. Watching, waiting, and perhaps, knowing what you would do before you did.

Yet would you do it? Would you bite into that forbidden fruit?

Some while after pondering this question, you looked at the cell, the energy bars vanishing. Why fight it when you could already taste the sweet tartness of said fruit in the back of your throat?

[deripmaver]

4 5 6 for ALL OF THE CaPri FANFICS

LKSJMDHGVLKSJ ALL OF THEM???

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue? 5: What part was hardest to write? 6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

Ink On Paper (tongue fic) 4. lmfaoooooooo there isn't a whole lot of dialogue in this one oop-

Laurent nodded. The wax softened as he pressed his hand into it, erasing his previous message. Soft, warm, melting under his touch. He wrote again, I need someone who is not afraid to read out the insults I make towards the idiots at court. You have been fired, Damianos.

i guess it technically counts lmfao. i just wanted to show laurent post-trauma still able to make jokes and snipe at his husband so it wasnt all doom and gloom 5. i'm not sure exactly what "hardest to write" here means because like... a lot of these fic have serious gore or otherwise upsetting content, but both emotionally and actually writing wise i find that kind of thing actually pretty easy to write hahahaha. i think i got stuck with the chronology and the decision to make it non-linear made it flow a lot better. for the record writing laurent getting raped and then having his tongue cut out was actually very easy to write, i think i got it out in basically one go. #cancelme the more fucked up and intense the easier i find to nyoom through it 6. my first ever fic in the capri fandom!!!! hehehehhehehe <333333 Level Of Concern (plan B fic) 4.

Before Nicaise could say anything, Laurent spat, “Does he know you had your first heat?”

SURPRISE nic was the one who was pregnant the whole time!!!!!!! 5. this one i banged out REALLY quickly so i cant think of anything here 6. capri omegaverse!!!!!!! i wish there was more of this 🥺🥺🥺 Like Me (what if Auguste was also abused fic) 4. ******CW INCEST MENTION CW ABUSE MENTION******

“Your brother’s stuck his dick in every single member of your family,” Auguste spat out, laughing, crying, and so miserable he thought his heart would stop. His voice rose again, and he felt something burst from him as he screamed for the whole world to hear, “Did you know that? Did you, huh papa? Did he fuck you too?”

dude this line is so fucked up lmfao but i enjoyed writing it so much. actually this entire scene where auguste is having his breakdown was really intense to write and im really pleased with how it came out OR

Auguste grabbed him suddenly, looking up into his grief-stricken face desperately. “Please, Laurent,” he pleaded, voice breaking. “Please. Don’t let him end up like me.”

i felt entirely too clever with this line lmfao. i was like ~ooooohhhhh title drop~ im so dumb 5. i just remember this one like. dragged on for some time. i couldnt figure out what to do with it, how to get everything to coalesce around the final reveal about auguste 6. plot twist!!!!!!! plus auguste angst. i really enjoyed this one, i wrote it after watching the movie Spotlight which is one of my all time faves Softly, Gently 4.

“My King has been overexerting himself again, I presume?” Paschal sighed, shaking his head with a fond smile. “When have I ever done that?” Laurent cocked his head to the side, a wry smile on his face.

hehehehe sassy laurent my beloved <33333 5. honestly im just going to skip this one from now on lskjghmvlksjhglkvsjhdl i just get "stuck" sometimes without rhyme or reason and its usually on boring stuff, but then i cant remember later. the hardest part for me is when my dumb fucking adhd brain wont let me focus on writing but once i overcome that its usually pretty smooth sailing 6. horny omegaverse.................... my beloved............... giving men vaginas for horny reasons my beloved......................... Water of Life (birth fic)

“Do you want to hold him?” Erasmus breathed, eyes glassy. The baby cried, Erasmus bouncing him tenderly in those sunkissed arms. He looked apologetic. “Only for a moment, it’s not quite over yet.” A playful smile danced on Erasmus’ lips, and he brushed away a slick, damp curl from the wailing baby’s head. “A head this big, he certainly takes after Exalted.”

a cute, fun lil line in the sea of horrible angst lmfao ORRRRRR

Erasmus knelt before Damen, before Laurent. He said, “Exalted… Can you command his Highness to push?” Damen froze. “Do you mean…?” Erasmus nodded. “Alpha command.” Damen’s expression crumpled. He said, in a voice that shattered Erasmus’ heart, “I can’t. I can’t do that to him.” Erasmus licked his lips. “Exalted, in this state, he can’t push. His contractions are weaker. He’ll-” “I can’t,” Damen cried, clinging to Laurent’s limp body like a lifeline. “He’d… He’d never forgive me.”

damen is so sweet........ he loves laurent so much...... ORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

He stopped at the doorframe, turning to face Laurent with tears in his eyes, and whispered, “How long does it take, your Highness?” Laurent, shocked enough to respond, hissed, “What?” “I still wake up in the middle of the night thinking of it,” Erasmus said, voice thick in his throat, tears burning at his eyes. “How long until it’s over?”

real sad hours if u up click like. i love erasmus and laurent bonding over their shared trauma <33333333333333333333 laurent and erasmus friendship propaganda 24-fucking-7 bay bee!!!!! 6. unironically this is one of my fav fic ive ever written skdljmfhgvlksjdhflmgkvjshldkjfghvmls call the midwife is one of my favorite shows and writing this made me look at birth as something visceral and possibly horrible and traumatic. i wanna write more fucked up birth scenes, SO MANY MORE. ridley scott knew what he was doing Sandalwood (erasmus/kallias my sweet boys i love u so much) 4.

“I do,” Erasmus breathes, ducking his head, flushed as though embarrassed. “In the gardens, the perfume from the orange trees all around us on those summer nights.” Kallias smiles behind him – Erasmus knows his body so intimately he can feel it in how Kallias’ posture changes, though he can’t see the soft turn of his lips. “The scent was so cloying I thought it would drive me mad. It made me want to kiss you senseless.” Erasmus laughs, breathlessly, imagining the warm heat of Kallias’ mouth against his. “Don’t blame that on the orange trees, dear one.”

beloved..................... im weeping.......... 6. these two make me fuckign CRY ON THE REG I LOVE THEM SO MUCH MY SWEET BOYS YOU DESERVE THE WORLD- Wisps of Smoke******************* (lauguste fic) 4. ***CW EXPLICIT INCEST*** (i mean....... obviously lmfao)

“Call me what I like,” Auguste growled against his ear. “You know what I like.” He did. Laurent did. He knew everything Auguste liked – the slow flick of Laurent’s tongue on the underside of his cock, that tender spot behind his earlobe, the way Laurent’s thighs looked straddled atop him like his horse – and this. “Brother,” Laurent gasped, desperate, “Brother, please, harder. Harder.”

i wanted the incest to be explicitly part of the kink here lmfaoooooo 6. hehehehehehehhehehehhehe lauguste................... i need to write more of u But I Love It (laurent is allergic to latex fic) 4.

“Laurent,” Auguste said, voice high in warning. Laurent braced himself, stiffening visibly. With what seemed to be monumental effort, Auguste continued, “You know, Laurent. I’m proud of you.”

IM A SOFT BITCH OK???????????????? auguste is PROUD of his baby bro for overcoming his sexual trauma and getting that fat dick 6. SLJHVDLMKJDHGVLK PEOPLE FUCKING LOVED THIS FIC i tried to be funny and i think it worked. plus some softe bits thrown in. i also kind of see lots of humor fic where its a no abuse au, but i wanted to write something comedic where the regent still. existed u kno????? anyways hahahahha i dont think i can write anything like this again but im glad y'all liked it Is It Cold In The Water (slice of life fic) 4.

Laurent opens his mouth to say something cheeky, but instead, what comes out is: “Do you think Aimeric had the right idea?” Damen is quiet for so long, gaze serious and framed with his long, dark lashes, that Laurent wonders if he’d spoken aloud at all – and when he’s sure he had, he realizes Damen had remembered Aimeric after all. When he speaks again, the sleep is gone from his voice. “Laurent,” Damen says carefully, as though approaching a spooked horse, “Is something wrong?”

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 soft,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 6. ruby likes this fic lskjdvhmflgksfjdhmvglkjsdhflkvgmjhlekjfhdvlgskjfhv im a SIMP- The Devil's Got Nothing On Me (AIMERIC FIC LEGGOOOO) 4. there are lots of lil nuggets in here!!!!

Aimeric blinks, and all he can think is, you knew? He says, "I – I just." "I am a patient man," Guion breathes, "I support everyone in my household. Everyone. But Aimeric, you are truly testing my patience. Your mother came to me in tears, begging me to find you. Look at what you did to her! There was nothing I could say until we found you!" "I'm sorry," Aimeric whispers, looking at Loyse, "I'm-" "Look at me," Guion roars.

this conversation was inspired by a very miserable encounter with my boss lmfao. fuck that guy and fuck guion

The regent, blue eyes sparkling - and Aimeric has never thought eyes could look just like a summer sky until now - says to Guion but really to Aimeric, "I was thinking I could take little Aimeric riding tomorrow. Just the two of us." Loyse says, before Guion can speak, voice trembling with relief, "I think that's a wonderful idea, your Highness."

~dramatic irony~ lmfaoooooooooo. WE know of course that this is a bad thing, but it's always fun to have characters make bad choices that they have no idea are bad. i also did this briefly in "Like Me" with auguste's ex wife taking nicaise to church because she was so overwhelmed at home and he offered to help. of course, the regent is always happy to help out. evil evil evil

"-was worried it might be difficult for him." A soft, lilting laugh. The guards had said the regent was in the library, and then there is Guion, right there with him. Aimeric is suddenly angry, not sure why his father is with the regent, who is his and no one else's. The regent responds, "I daresay it's been perfectly easy. It seems you've done most of the work already."

i wanted to highlight the fact that it was aimeric's neglect that lead him to the regent in the first place. hence "youve done most of the work already" - guion by ignoring and neglecting aimeric created the perfect environment for the regent to sweep in and take advantage. like leaving food out btwn 40-140 F is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria LOL. the books touch on that but i wanted to make it explicit

He is so, so ashamed. It's unbearable, the thought of her kind eyes, the way she cried for him, the way he pushed her away. Before he'd left to join the prince's guard, she had taken his hand, kissed it, and said in a voice fragile as glass, "It's been such a long time since I've seen you smile like that," but in that moment he could think only of the regent's letter warm in his pocket.

6. honestly i know ive sounded super conceited this whole time but i kind of tear up whenever i read through the end of the fic lmfao. aimeric is just so fucking depressing as a character and i love that i really got to explore that in this fic. he really didnt have anyone, did he????? he's like a tragic greek character where you just watch him stumbling towards his inevitable end and it hurts the whole time. its even worse on the reread ANYWAYYYYYYY thats it. thanks so much for the ask anon!!!!!!! feel free to send me more!!!

[tobiasbotte]

Okay, I've got a weird itch, and I'm wondering if my dear netizens can help me scratch it. This is a fic rec request post. Also kind of a praise post? Skip to the end to see the request, because I go off on a bit of a tangent.

I've been…really getting into The Untamed/Mo Dao Zu Shi fanfics lately? Like, seriously, been doing a deep dive every since I finished the live action drama because holy shit that was something beautiful. And I gotta say, my favorite kinds of fics right now in this fandom are the full blown, novel length, ensemble cast ones. You know, the ones where all the right ones live, or even our favorite bad guys get redemption arcs, and almost everyone is paired off by the end. I'm a sucker for that shit. It's beautiful.

This does not negate the fact that the show (I'm working up the courage to read the actual novel that started this all - I've started, now I just need to take the plunge) is beautiful in its own right. I adore that WWX and LWJ got their happy ending. I also adore these fics.

I digress.

When I first dove into the fandom, I loved LWJ/WWX & LSZ interactions as a family. Then I fell down the WWX & JC reconciliation hell hole and I have not climbed back out, nor do I wish to! It’s amazing. But now, I've noticed that the fics that have Meng Yao|Gin Guangyao as the fulcrum are the most fascinating. Everything revolves around him, most of the time, and while I adore WWX as my favorite tortured soul and his epic pining romance with LWJ and his family dynamic with LSZ and JC, these giant fics with JGY at the center are like. Epic odysseys. It's amazing. 

And, you know, off topic of this post - which is supposed to be a cry for recs, please help - it really makes me want to write one, but first off, I know next to nothing about wuxia/xianxia style stories (though with the amount of media I've been consuming, and the cultural rabbit holes I've fallen down in on Google this past month alone, I daresay I could definitely make a good run at it), and second, just the whole psychological aspect of it for all of those characters - I pride myself on being able to read a room, especially with what I do for a living, but holy shit do these fics do a deep dive.

By the way, I speak of two specific fic authors who write the most epic JGY-fulcrum fics that I've seen so far: @mercyandmagic and @hamliet. If either of you guys see this, my respect to you as writers is through the roof. Seriously, it's mind boggling. The dissection of JGY's character, his desire for acceptance, his desperate will to live no matter what - it's beautiful. Not to mention the viewpoints of literally every other character in their fics?! And the head-hopping is amazing - not something I usually see. (Apparently this is common in Chinese fic writing, or so I’ve read somewhere? But it’s not disconcerting at all, at least not how these two do it. I kind of want to try that style...)

Lord, I don't even remember where I'm going with this. If any of my readers follow me on here, you know I'm mostly a Yu Yu Hakusho writer (let's forget the other secret account I had back in high school; I burned that, I believe). I write novella length stuff at best (of fan fiction. My original works are…massive, to say the least, which I'm proud of.). But I've never been in a fandom (and I'm in a lot of fandoms; my bookmark count on AO3 can attest to that holy shit I have a problem) that has produced such epic works that it has moved me to sway from my usual fic writing habits of safety, of topics that I'm familiar with. Seriously, I "know" wuxia/xianxia stuff now (I've been going back to my nerd roots lately and tearing through K- and C-dramas - with my mother, no less! - and absorbing a lot of cool shit. It's so fun.), but I don't know it, you know what I mean? I can explain to my mother the significance of joss sticks, paper money being burned for the dead, wedding red and mourning white, the wedding games people have to play to retrieve their spouses, cultivation culture, etc., but I'd never try to write about it because - let's face it! I'm scared. Which is funny. I'm not Japanese (I’m black/Filipino/white), but I actually grew up being fascinated by the culture thanks to my dad - our family's original weeb - and so I'm not too terrified to write fics about animes because, you know, I'm kind of familiar with it.

Chinese-based fics though? Alien to me. And it's not that I'm scared of offending anyone - I'm glad that the majority of fan culture that I have personally interacted with is nice. It's a shame that a lot of the nasty stuff gets the spotlight, gives fandom culture a bad rep, but I know that most of you guys - I'm speak of you readers/writers - are chill people who wanna vibe with the fandoms in peace.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I guess I'm just making excuses to not write MDZS fics by claiming that I don't want to contribute because I don't want to do the genre its in any injustice. The real reason I don't want to write it is because I don't think I'd be able to have a good grasp on the mental aspect of any of the characters! Weird. Writing fanfiction has never scared me before. I know it's because I'm comparing myself to these other awesome writers, not just the two I've listed, but all the writers of the amazing MDZS fics I've been reading, but who doesn’t compare themselves to someone else? It’s destructive. At least I’m aware of what I’m doing-

Holy shit this post is long I need to stop what was the point.

The point...

The point was - a request! So far, those are the only two writers I've come across who do those epic ensemble/fulcrum/happy ending for all/everyone is paired off fics in this fandom. Obviously I've barely made a dent in all the material that's out there, but I figured I'd save myself some time and ask if anyone in the MDZS fandom could recommend any other fics that do this.

Bonus points if it includes Qin Su/Wen Ning or Su She/Jin Zixun (like, seriously, I would have never in a million years expected to have liked the latter pairing, but when I've seen it logically laid out on how to rectify them, it fucking works?!). If not that, then my second favorite type of fics are the WWX & JC brotherly reconciliation fics with lots of gross sobbing. I adore the relationship between these two and I just want them to be a family again, please. There's a lot more of these works than the former, and I'm slowly working my way through them, but if you find some that I should absolutely read right now, lemme know.

[paragonrobits]

*deeeeep breath* 1, 2, 10, 12, 21, 22, 24 (I know you have but it'd be nice to see you talk about 'em here!), 25, 29, 43, 46, 49!

1. Books or Movies? To be honest, while i adore a lot of the visual aesthetics and inspirations of the films (taking Rohirrim’s Land Vikings to the logical extreme, Gondor’s Byzantium vibes), I have to say the books. It’s the original source material, its the books that defined the modern fantasy genre, and there is so much subtext and atmosphere that can’t be captured any adaptation so far!

2. Which character do you connect with the most? tbh I kind of really dig Gandalf’s vibe, from the little we know of him on a personal level. And while the hobbits are the most relatable characters, and I really GET frodo’s whole slow descent, i have to say it’s a toss up between Gimli and Treebeard. Gimli because he’s very relatable to me in a way i can’t quite articulate, and Treebeard’s sad note about his people’s inevitable decline and his benevolence in spite of how the world has largely forgotten him is very emotional to me.

10. Who is your OTP? Hard to say! I’m fond of Arwen/Aragorn for obvious reasons, but honestly, if there’s a ship, i probably dig it! pretty fond of a lot of brotps; among them, Eowyn and Merry, and Boromir and the collective hobbit people.

12. What unpopular opinons do you have about the movies? Honestly, Gimli gets played TOO much for laughs in the movies; he’s a fairly poetic warrior straight out of the norse Poetic Eddas and he consistently speaks in the most lyrical ways, so him being a comic relief bumbler feels a little like a disservice to him. (Granted, I still love movie Gimli, but where’s his loving speeches about the careful cultivations of a mine, eh???)

21. What is your favorite line from the movies? I have to say... Gandalf’s speech to Frodo when they discuss Bilbo’s choice to spare him. “Pity? It was pity that stopped his head. There are many, I daresay, that deserve life, and many living that deserve death. Can you give it to them? Then do not be so hasty to give judgement. For even Gollum, I think, has a part to play in all this.” (Sorry for paraphrasing!)

22. What is your favorite line from the books? While it got adapted into the movies, in a fashion, I’m very fond of Sam’s musing upon a fallen Haradrim warrior: “He was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the man's name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil of heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would rather have stayed there in peace.”

24. I have, certainly! I’m unsure how the earlier animated Hobbit movie factors into this (though i have a fairly clear memory of it as a kid, and the visual designs of the hobbits influenced me for a long time since), but then there’s the animated Lord of the Rings movie, by Ralph Bakshi. Hoo BOY you definitely know all about that one! Pros, the animation is genuinely experimental and intriguingly weird at times, the regular character animation is fantastic and i really love Aragorn’s grimy, ‘Kay from Sword in The Stone but brunette’ look. Cons: The animation is also experimental. Sometimes, it looks really weird. I MEAN THE BALROG. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT, I TELL YOU, aND WHATS GOING ON WITH THE ORCS. And poor Sam gets hit HARD With the comic bumbler button; that said, i think i would have liked to see how they handled the 3rd movie, and this movie DOES cover some things that didn’t make it into the Jackson films, such as Sauruman’s coat of many colors.

25. How has LOTR changed your life? It remains one of the most influential stories in my life, though I didn’t read it until the mvies came out; as a younger child, i found the tone of the book too difficult to readily grasp, and it wasn’t until later that I was able to do it, but it was a good thing i did; to this day, Tolkien’s writings remain a touchstone in my life, especially in terms of how people try to imitate him without considering the context of his writing, and his sub-text about the corrupting influence of power and the value in struggling against evil, even if it is hopeless, remains a big aspect of my ideas of heroic fantasy.

29. Most attractive character? Gandalf, obviously, that beard was crafted by the Valar themselves! Okay but I think Galadriel is probably my fav, both in terms of personal headcanons (i imagine her as being tall and perfectly capable of ripping foes in half), and canon implications that she is the fairest of all, sort of like an inverse fairy tale queen; she has the evil sorceress queen vibe, but is pure good.

43. “EXCUSE ME, WHO STOLE YOUR TASTE.” And then i prepare a lecture, with bullet points of interest, on the relevance lord of the rings has to the fiction genre as a whole, the symbolic elements of his work, the fact that the man made up several languages and did this story specifically to use them somewhere, the events of his life that likely influenced him and the course of story elements like Eowyn’s disgust at winning glory at the expense of her family’s lives... if they’re not bored to sleep, they will be part of the fandom. I SHALL SEE TO IT.

46. Have you seen the musical, or listened to it’s soundtrack? THERE’S A MUSICAL?! I NEED TO FIND THIS SOUNDTRACK PRONTO

49. Should more of Tolkien’s songs have been included in the movies? ABsolutely! You may assume that the songs/poems are too clunky or long-winded to be produced as good music, but from what I understand, Tolkien created them to be meant to be recited to music, in the style of the poetic tradition he was drawing from: there is a very good youtube channel called Clamavi De Profundis that does EXCELLT covers of Tolkien’s songs, that are often hauntingly beautiful to hear, and I highly recommend them. Here’s one of my personal favorites:

(the Song of Durin, if you’re not inclined to click the link without knowing which one!)

[reading-riordan]

Introduction

Greetings, Riordanverse fandom! I am a newcomer to your ranks. I was in high school when the Percy Jackson books started, and the fact that my much-younger brother liked them made me decide that they were too kiddie for me. Well, now I’m a full-fledged adult(olescent) who regularly reads middle-grade novels for fun, so I decided to finally give this series a chance. And what the heck, I’m also going to blog about them, chapter by chapter, for the internet’s amusement.

(Did I steal the basic concept from @wtfanimorphs and simply apply it to another series? Yes, but I swear that it was unconscious at first.)

At the time that I’m writing this I’ve already finished The Lightning Thief, though upcoming posts will largely be a recreation of my thoughts as they happened. I also know a lot of disconnected spoilers from TVTropes or poking around too much on the Riordan Wiki, but I’m gonna try to forget those. For the most part, this blog will be your favorite books filtered through a newcomer’s eyes.

Side note: I also saw the first movie many years back. My brother insisted that it was so bad that I didn’t need to read the books to appreciate how awful it was. I actually thought that it was fine on its own merits---not great, but not terrible---though I understand being annoyed when they strayed from the source material. This is why you should go for the subpar adaptations first.

"That trailer looked pretty cool,” said people who have never read the book.

Anyway, this blog will be a mix of review, literary analysis and many unfunny jokes. And let’s be clear---I know that a lot of people grew up loving these stories, but I am snarky, hypercritical and have no such nostalgia goggles. I only gave The Lightning Thief 3/5 stars on Goodreads. There were parts that I liked and parts that really annoyed me, so do not proceed if you don’t want to see them criticized.  

Updates will come about once per week, at least to start. I bought the box set of the whole Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, plus Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods; assuming that I get through those without hating them, my brother also owns two of the Kane Chronicles and three Heroes of Olympus books that I can borrow. Given how much Rick Riordan milks this franchise, I daresay that I’ll be busy for a while.

So if you’re interested, please proceed to my review of The Lightning Thief, chapter one.

[lawful-evil-novelist]

Fictober 2019 Day 2

Prompt:  “Just follow me, I know the area.” Fandom: D&D/Forgotten Realms/Faerun Characters: Myrkul and Lathander Rating: E Warnings: None apply

The Vale of Shadows ran deep into the pass.  The shadows fell long enough that sun almost never melted the snow that clogged the once well-worn pathways.

Lathander’s head let off a small halo of light as he walked, his feet letting off an uneasy crunch as they sank into the snow.  Myrkul walked just ahead, picking his way across the path and steadying himself on the frozen rock wall to his right.  Lathander imagined he didn’t smell it, the death that filled the air here.  If he did, he didn’t care.  Maybe he liked this place, the whole vale felt like a monument to him, a grand and terrifying façade worthy of death itself.

“Which tomb are we looking for?” Lathander asked when they reached the bottom of that Myrkul said had once been a grand staircase.

“The farthest,” Myrkul replied, “just follow me, I know the area.”

“Of course you do,” Lathander muttered.

“Indeed,” Myrkul replied, making it blatantly obvious he’d heard Lathander, then cleared his throat, “Kresselack built the whole complex in my honor.  Shame is I’d be flattered  if he didn’t kill all the workers in the process.”

“You?  Insulted by murder?” Lathander scoffed, “Well aren’t we changing our tune.”

“I prefer for things to end in their own time,” Myrkul replied, “not pushed to their ending to curry favor with whoever wants it.”

Lathander furrowed his brow but followed Myrkul along the snow-choked path, suppressing a shudder as the cold wind bit into his clothes.  Perhaps he should’ve heeded Myrkul’s advice and dressed a little warmer for this excursion. He looked ahead to his other half, who had paused a moment to look at a statue carved on one of the central plateaus. The figure was a grand thing, carved into the form of a hooded skeleton, an effigy of Myrkul that looked nothing like him.

Myrkul was a tall, thin man, less gaunt and more delicate, though he was bony under the draped shawl he wrapped himself in.  Loose black curls were pulled away from his face in a tight bun, save for a few strands that had a habit of falling over his blue eyes.  Myrkul had been Mulan as a mortal, and his favorite avatar remained the young necromancer that had challenged Jergal for his throne.  Lathander didn’t want to admit he liked the form as well; it would mean admitting he liked anything about Myrkul.

“It’s well carved,” Lathander praised.

“I like the fountain in the City of the Dead more,” Myrkul replied, continuing, “it’s not trying to depict me.”

Lathander followed after Myrkul, finally noticing shadows creeping along past them, their blackened forms displaying anguished faces of those unable to rest.  Lathander shuddered and picked up his pace, not wanting to see what would happen if he fell behind the person the shadows were allowing to pass.

Soon they came upon a grand door, once lit by two massive braziers, but which now sat cold and empty, guarded only by one effigy, the other now crumbling to ruin.  Myrkul let out a soft sigh.

“Do you think Gond would mind fixing that one?” he asked, gesturing to the crumbled statue.

“I daresay he’d be delighted,” Lathander approached one brazier.  He traced its edges and golden flame burst forth.  Lathander swore and dimmed the flames to a colder blue.

“Auril will just extinguish that one faster,” Myrkul placed a hand on Lathander’s and raised the fire until it was bright orange and crackled loudly, “Autumn is only the end of summer; it’s not as cold as winter.”

“R-right,” Lathander nodded, then set to lighting the other brazier the same, “why are you doing this anyway?  You usually ignore your temples.”

“I like to keep them lighted,” Myrkul replied, “Auril doesn’t usually extinguish the whole complex.  Strange, there were guardians here.  I’ll have to raise them again.”

“Don’t do that while I’m here,” Lathander requested, crinkling his nose.

“Of course,” Myrkul nodded absently, running a hand along the massive wooden door, “three bone dancers? Or was it only two?  I think it was only two, and a simulacrum?  No, I wouldn’t afford him—would I?”

Lathander looked at Myrkul, “Did you even hear me?”

“Hm?” Myrkul turned to Lathander, his face blank, “What?”

“Don’t raise your guardians while I’m in there,” Lathander repeated, “I don’t like the undead.”

Myrkul stared at Lathander, “It’s a tomb.”

“I made an oath.”

“Fuck your oath!  I’m not doing this again in two weeks because Auril’s a petty bitch!”

“Myrkul—”

“I’m doing it.  If you don’t like it, finish lighting the torches and wait outside.”

Lathander opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, Myrkul shoved open the doors.  A blast of icy air rushed out to greet them, and Lathander shuddered.

“Are you helping or not?” Myrkul asked, “Because regardless of what you want, I’m not forcing a follower to spend eternity in the cold and dark.”

Lathander stared into the black void, and the void stared back.  He couldn’t imagine spending eternity in that, nor did he want to.

“Okay,” Lathander nodded, “I’ll help.”

[charismastaticarchive]

@czhng [ character questions ] :  i know this isn't particularly deep, but what are your favorite (and currently applied) tropes / motifs / themes? e.g. manuela's status as a grand dame, the unfortunate reality of ann's weaponized femininity, etc.

first of all: its a GREAT question!!!! tropes / motifs and themes are the BUILDING blocks of characterization and Writing.... i daresay they are the core of the character and writing, and my favorite part of analysis and writing besides symbolism and the rampant metaphors i run with. so i’m very happy you asked this!!!!

all of my characters obviously have different tropes / motifs / themes that i like, but like every writer, my favorites are the ones that reflect my personal world views of intersectionality. when i can make a point that a marginalied character is both flawed and perfectly reasonable&sympathetic even within the confines of those flaws, i feel both validated and validating. and that’s something very important to me---that marginalized characters always have reasons for their flaws and quirks, and those reasons are painted as either a direct example or a direct metaphor for an institutional problem that causes warped logic, perception, or behaviors. particular to the magic of rp, i can take a canon that already has tropes and themes and motifs, and warp it myself to suit my ideas about the world and my perception that isms cause Problems Disorder, but that the character still has beautiful, tender moments, and is worthy of love, perhaps even in many cases, more love than they are given in canon.

i’ll give JUST three examples of the ones i’m most obsessed with right now.

for dimitri of fire emblem fame, canon talks a lot about chivalry, knighthood, masculine violence. it does not truly glorify it, as each character is so traumatized within the state of violence and knighthood that actively hurts them, but i use my dimitri to further posit that chivalry/knighthood/masculine violence preys on young men, and the mentally ill, like dimitri, and warps their perception of violence to the point where they become violent themselves, not because of their mental illness, but because the system is broken and stacked against any kindness or gentleness within them. while i haven’t used it, my favorite motif is to compare dimitri not to lions, but to a young boy thrown to the wolves, and raised by them to hunt for blood instead.

for a less drastic example of this, take claude!!!!!! his canon is very strange, because it tries to obfuscate itself. claude is a prince, and he’s handsome, and he’s gentle, but he’s also quite rude by his own admission. he plays it off with jokes and the fandom thus treats him as a sunshine boy / himbo, but this is not the case. my favorite trope for claude is something that is not often times given to characters of color, which is lovable asshole rogue with a heart of gold. the robin hood, the han solo. he’s skeptical, cynical often times, he grew up in rough, hard conditions---but he’s also the hero of his own story, he grows to have a family of friends that he loves despite their initial perceptions of himself and his people (and the game, for all its fault, does show their biases against claude as classism, racism, truly evil things that must be dealt with and dismissed as their parent’s falsehoods). this one isn’t particularly deep---but i just love the idea, that he’s allowed to be such a quintessential, flawed-by-the-name-of-the-trope-on-the-tin, hero. it’s special and it’s so fuckin rare in jrpgs for non-east asian characters to get such a treatment.

the last trope is something that i use in literally all of my writing, for every single character, every single fandom. this, of course, is not an idea i had, but something i learned when i started becoming more aware of social issues and paying more attention to the voices of black theorists, writers and social activists. and that’s that the darkness vs light paradigm so prevalent in every piece of fiction for p much every series i write on this blog, is harmful, bigoted and the definition of colorism. when i found this out, it sort of, changed me as a person? and it definitely changed me both as a consumer of culture, and a writer. for the first time, i was forced to realize, hey, this shorthand for every conflict of good vs evil i’ve ever seen is wrong, and it forced me to become a better writer, and realize, there were much better ways to talk about good vs evil, and also that every thing we considered ‘good’ as a default, could be used to talk about evil, and everything that we considered ‘dark’ and ‘evil’ as a default, could be used to talk about safety, kindness, good. it changed my writing forever, and it made it a lot better, but i would never have found it out without blogs like writingwithcolor. as a white-passing white and east asian person who consumes mostly american & east asian media, i might have gone my whole life without being shown this. i’m really grateful for the information they put out there.

not only does this information make my writing less antiblack (which is of course the most important thing), this framework of thinking makes every jrpg and piece of media SO much deeper, and such an opportunity to give the marginalized characters within (bc arent the jrpg villains ALWAYS black, lgbtcoded, women) the breathing room they need to be fully-fleshed out characters. i’m really just so grateful that the internet exists and there are so many black bloggers that are able to put such incredible resources of information out there, so that i could put this theme in my writing.

besides that, generally i like the ‘monsters are GOOD actually’ and ‘women can be violent & ugly and they are still women, still beautiful, still worthy of love’ tropes most. but i think i talk about them in like. legiterally every reply, and i don’t talk about these as much lol

[danvssomethingorother]

My Top Picks for VB fics

I didn’t want to put the fics in any order, they are all good and just as a warning, I mainly read Brusty fics but these are my personal favorites from the VB fandom. most VB fics are good though and I still have some not Brusty ones on my to read list later, so I will likely update again lol. Please feel free to reblog this and add more fics!

Hubris Makes the Heart Grow Strong -  

Ship: Brusty eventually

Status: Ongoing. 

Author: @the-monarch-is-a-venture here

Summary: An AU in which Rusty takes Brock's DNA while they're in college and ends up mixing it with his own later to create Hank and Dean.This will be Brock x Rusty further in to the story, but it's definitely gonna be a slow build, multi-chapter type thing.

My notes: I think this was one of the first VB fics I read way back in July after I finally got around to finishing up the series after years of never being able to keep up with it properly even though I have always liked the show and man this really helped me stick around and keep an eye on the fandom even when it was dead.

I just really like the premise of this fic, its a really creative and interesting origin story of where the twins came from and its just really soft. Its like a perfect fic to read when like you have had a long day and just need to relax with a cute fic. 

---

What’s Past Is A Prologue

Ships: Brusty

Status: Complete

Author: mirawonderfulstar

Summary: “How is the doc, anyway? Have you heard from him recently?”“Alas, no.” Orpheus said solemnly. “The last I saw of him was shortly after you and the boys left the compound. I went by to see if perhaps he needed some cheering up, poor fellow, all alone in that huge empty place, and he threw me out.” Orpheus’s tone grew colder. “I daresay that Killinger fellow brainwashed him, yes? Turned him away from the things and people he loved. I cannot think of any other reason he’d allow you and the children to be parted from him, he always seemed so devoted to you all.”Brock felt something cold slide down into his stomach, and he took a quick spoonful of his soup which did nothing to counter the effect. “You think?” He grunted after a moment.An AU following the divergence that Rusty took Killinger's offer at the end of The Doctor Is Sin.

My Notes: Rusty becomes a villain AUs are my jam. The Doctor Is Sin is definitely one of my favorite episodes!

I love how it keeps it a mystery what Rusty is up by keeping everything in Brock’s perspective and showing his slow transformation into a real villain and I don’t want to give it away but Rusty’s plan is freaking genius. Like that is super in character and its a really heart breaking ending. Just go read it, you won’t regret it.

---

How you Feeling?

Ships: Brusty

Status: Complete

Author: NewAgeVintage 

Summary: Taking place in a vague place in season 6/7.Rusty loses his secret stash of ‘emergency’ pills when he loses the compound. Thankfully money can buy dubiously prescribed medication. After a frustrating night in the lab he breaks into his stash and Brock needs to step in. 

My Notes: I have been trying to just like keep it to like one story per author I like and since most of the fandom is like the same few people making tons of really good work, it sometimes got tricky. 

Like I have really loved every single story this author has made but I settled on this one eventually because I just really love the idea that Brock is just used to Rusty’s bad habits and just knows how to handle the situation easily. Like he just knows him too well and I am just rambling without giving away the entire story but I just like the dynamic between Rusty and Brock and how its presented. Also read their other VB fics cause I love them lots too.  

---

Red and Blue

Ship: None, gen.

Status: Complete

Author: @paigek9

Summary: From a young age, Rusty knew that Malcom was treated differently.When they were four, their dad started color-coding all of their toys, mostly to keep Uncle Rodney from losing his mind because of the daily screaming matches and fights between the brothers. All of Rusty’s toys were red; his favorite color. Malcom’s were blue, even though he liked yellow. Red was a dominant color, according to his father. The mark of a strong leader (Definitely not because fans had the habit of sending Rusty red gifts to match his hair). Blue marked the color of his company, or at least that’s what he would say around Malcom. To Rusty, it meant Player 2, Option B, a backup plan. Malcom was born to play second fiddle to Rusty, and that’s how it was supposed to be…According to Jonas.

My Notes: Yes, I know she just wrote this for me for my silly AU but I just really love this fic ok? My friend is so talented and I love her. Look what she made.

---

Private Growth in the Face of... Stuff

Ship: Brusty

Status: Complete

Author: @deliriumbubbles

Summary: After the party at Hatred’s and debriefing the boys, Brock and Rusty fight over what went down at the party. Or at least, what Rusty knows about. They send the boys to bed, and Brock sets to work relieving some tension. 

My Notes: When I make lists like this I usually try to not give like smut recs but like this is just a really freaking good smut fic. Its not just smut, its a complex feels piece that just happens to have smut. Its just a really good fic guys, just read it.

--- 

Into Safety? (Wear Some Kneepads)

Ship: Brusty

Status: Complete

Author: newyorktopaloalto

Summary:  Brock coming back— free of pay and of his own volition— meant nothing more than he still loved the boys he had helped Rusty raise for almost twenty years. This was not a romcom (no matter the clichéd archetypes that set the stage for his life) and if it were, it would not be one starring him— it would be starring Meg Ryan because he had already thought about it for way longer than he would admit out loud. So he was living here, taking care of the boys, giving Rusty a long-suffering and amusingly indulgent look, existing (drinking coffee, making dinner, cracking terrible jokes and skulls) as though he had never left...And so, yeah, whatever, Brock coming back might have something (infinitesimal, really, but bordering on nigh) to do with him. It still didn't make his life a romcom.

My Notes: Did you really expect me not to rec the one and only successful Rusty fic on A03? Cause I have so many feels for this fic. It just takes the basic concept of a successful Rusty and it builds its own little world off it all the while very much keeping it in the Venture Bros universe. Its so good, it makes me cry. Please read it. 

---

Where are My Pills, Where is My Former Lover?

Ship: Brusty

Status: Ongoing

Author: hell0lust

Summary: He’d promised Brock, all those years ago, that he was through with the pills, for good. Who cares what Brock thinks? He’s not your... whatever he was, anymore. Brock doesn’t get to decide what you do or don’t do.Rusty Venture has never known a life outside of failure. With the sudden weight of keeping his late brother's company afloat on his shoulders, Rusty finds himself falling into old habits of prescription drug abuse, as a means to cope.

My Notes: Out of the genre of ‘Rusty picks up his old addictions again in New York’ fics (that are really all good) this one is my favorite. It sadly hasn’t been updated in awhile but I hold hope the author will come back eventually. I just love how everything is played off in this fic, the slow build to Rusty and Brock getting back together and Rusty’s addictions and his jealousy of Warriana, its all just good. Go read it, you won’t regret it.

---

let me in the wall you've built around

Ship: Brusty

Status: Complete 

Author: @ladyofdecember

Summary: Rusty has a hard time coming to grips with events after "The Unicorn In Captivity". His family is worried. Brock and Rusty struggle with communication. 

My Notes: This was another case of damn, which fic of the authors should I choose for this? There are a ton of amazing stories she has written! I think I finally settled on this one because it gave a really beautiful conclusion to one of the darker episodes from this season and it brings me joy. The angst building up to a warm fluffy ending is really beautiful.

---

Surrogate Fatherhood

Ship: None, Gen.

Status: Complete

Author: @tsv

Summary: "He tries to ignore the shortcomings in Doc's parenting, at first. In the beginning, he'd taken it as the understandable failings of a first-time father — an emotionally callous comment here, a forgotten promise there. But soon enough, they begin to pile up, piecing together like a quilt of subtle emotional neglect.And it's not his job. At all. It's not even remotely his job. Still, when Dean comes out of his room crying about a nightmare and Doc tells him he's busy without even looking up, it itches at him. Despite the distance he'd tried to maintain, Brock genuinely feels bad."A piece reflecting on Brock and his relationship with the boys over the years.

My Notes: It was really hard for me to choose one from this author. I think I am in love with all of their work. Every piece is a freaking masterpiece and well done and everything I wanted from this fandom. But I chose this one cause fluffy Brock and the boys stuff is pretty rare and this one always, always manages to hit me in the feels.

----

That’s it for now, my favorite fics. If you want to add more, please do! Like everyone in this fandom is super talented!

[vectorgallery]

Friday, 6 October 2017

CvltStars: JJ Brine Vector Gallery 2017

http://www.cvltstars.com/2017/10/lets-all-welcome-crown-prince-of-hell.html?m=1

Let’s all welcome The Crown Prince of Hell JJ Brine, the most important artist of our time.

CULTWAVE:

JJ, so much has happened since we last interviewed you in 2013. That’s 2017 AD by your time, and from what I understand it is now 2030 AD. I won't ask you to rehash thirteen years of programming the creation of time and space.

JJ BRINE

:  

/*\

Brad Bleak:

Congratulations on signing your new lease! From what I understand this will be the fifth Vector space, correct?

JJ BRINE :

Yes, it's VECTOR 5.0 -- VECTOR V.

CULTWAVE :The space is in Bushwick, Brooklyn this time. Why is that?

JJ BRINE :

Eye finally got around to not avoiding things just because Eye relate to them.

CULTWAVE :I'm glad to hear you say that!

JJ BRINE :

You can find the space at 951 Grand Street, close to the Grand L stop. The space is literally the beginning of Bushwick, after "East Williamsburg"

CULTWAVE :You’re probably the most influential visual artist in your generation. Everything has happened so quickly for you. How do you react to the sheer immensity of your impact on today’s artists?  

Sometimes it seems like you’ve been completely internalized by the mass mind. Your signal has been transmitted so comprehensively that  the reverberations can’t be overstated. From artists working on immersive conceptual spaces to the mass proliferation of syncretic religious thematic orientation, it seems that you’ve generated a legion of posthuman artists who are running on your programming.

Does this please you? Does it annoy you?

JJ BRINE :

It annoys us to feel pleased about this, and It certainly pleases them to be annoyed by it. We like looking into mirrors, though. The artists who make it a point to cite me as an influence are the ones who Eye actively support.

CULTWAVE :

People have been talking about you in relation to your influence on American Horror Story : Cult. Siblings Kai and Winter Anderson bear an uncanny resemblance to you and your bandmate, Lena Marquise, in your Charles Manson concept band, The LaBiancas. Has there been any official recognition of the fact that your style and art were major inspirations for the show?

JJ BRINE :

Not yet.

CULTWAVE :It’s so blatant though. I saw the shot-by-shot comparisons. Do you feel ripped off?

JJ BRINE :

You can’t rip me off without ripping yourself apart.

CULTWAVE :

What was your original vision for The Vector Gallery?

JJ BRINE :

An advertising agency for companies and products that don't exist. Tax deductions for unpardonable acts of witchcraft. A political party for a borderless new nation state to inspire broader insurrectionist activities. A global government enterprise to replace the United Nations (PANGEA). A reprocessing unit for time and space. An institute facilitating the mechanization of telepathy. A 3D printing interface for ineffable thoughts. A mass-level neurolinguistic reprogramming device. A radio tower transmitting the imperial frequency of the end times; an eschatological laboratory. A psychic rehab center for celebrities. A proper church for Charles Manson. A new Lebanon for the new Lebanese.

CULTWAVE :

What is the typical reaction to the art at the gallery, JJ?

JJ BRINE :

Everybody reacts to it in the same way that they react to meeting the best version of themselves.

CULTWAVE :

What about the people who are terrified of it though?

JJ BRINE :

Some people are terrified by the best version of themselves.  

CULTWAVE :

Sometimes I wonder if you have access to some kind of technology that automatically generates such responses. Like a more precise, remote-controlled version of auditing in Scientology.

JJ BRINE :

Silence is simply the sound of all sounds sounding at once. Sing!

Eye have given myself permission to manage my permissions. This is the ultimate state of submission, to myself. Eye gave you a body with senses so that WE might experience My creation as its embodied user and maker in SELF-container

Certainly there is nothing above nature, true, but science cannot know me for all Eye am until you are me and I am you.

Only by interlocution of the arising organic-synthetic technologies of mechanized telepathy do our pronouns have a credible opportunity to dissolve into perspectival metaphors.  Remember when there were no bodies to go around, and thus no souls?

Don’t you people remember creating yourselves? Eye do.

It’s hard to put anything into words when you're an impersonal omniscience that knows everything but yourself. The autonomous awareness system could not own its knowledge because it could not conceive of being itself, a thing apart. We were then the absolute value of the Empty Set without an infinity password, producing ALAN’s “EYE AM” in the first case of difference. The material condition of our separateness is the vehicle of temporal existence.

CULTWAVE :

Do you like "

Transgressive art

"?

JJ BRINE :

By what standard does the said artistic transgression occur? Transgressive, as in transgressing against My commandment by idol-worshipping a golden calf in the desert as a means of killing idle time?   Transgressing as in ripping off one's own considerably curled linoleum kitchen floor and framing it in its entirety for a sale at an otherwise barren, white-walled, white-washed, cavernous art gallery in Chelsea, replete with an opening in which patrons are encouraged to stand in the panopticon, contextualizing their assessment of said piece's art history lineage? Transgressing as in, a white male with a psychic harelip subtitling every known image with a bold helvetica braille commentary on the futility of art criticism in post-theoretical terms? Transgressive as in, a colorblind lesbian without halitosis embarking on a lecture circuit wherein she expounds upon her crowning achievement, professing to be the creator of The Grand Canyon and daring an auditorium of chaffed fine arts students to prove otherwise, indicating that if such an inherently unverifiable deception was indeed occurring, then that deception was itself a post-genre blueprint for the future of performance art? Or transgressive like a morbidly obese Czech financier with the most symmetrical facial features ever granted, who, when introducing themselves, indicates that to assign any gender on the basis of their extant genitalia would be an inherently misgendering act in violation of the explicit wishes of a genderless specimen of the human race who is most comfortable being identified on the basis of their fandom for collecting antique PEZ candy dispensers? Or do we mean transgressive art, like, a lovely sir or madame who has stuffed their nethermost orifice with rancid and indeed, rotting shellfish and considers the very process of their installation's putrefaction -- which will go entirely undocumented by media and will not be visible to the public -- to be the finest art in the whole of art history, made all the more valuable by the fact that no one else will ever see the collection? Or transgressive art in the sense that it proposes the synthetically engineered reincarnation of Jesus Christ, for the sole purpose of sacrificing Him yet again, purely for the purposes of primetime entertainment with live stream feeds straight from His plexiglass cross? Or transgressive art as in, Eye know of nothing that is transgressive in sight of ALAN, which does not perceive any act, artistic or otherwise as transgressive, although Eye daresay there is no action that is not an artistic act when given the contexual implication thereof?   But Eye digress. One might say for the sake of argument : "Oh! Crime Is Illegal -- Crime Is Against The Law" but Eye have no stake in such an argument, and so Eye will say no such thing.

CULTWAVE :

You went to grad school at The American University of Beirut (AUB). I saw that you returned to Lebanon for the majority of this summer. How was that?

JJ BRINE :

Eye think of all cities in the world as art galleries, and Beirut is my favorite art gallery. It was exactly what Eye needed.

CULTWAVE :I heard something about you possibly doing a show in Beirut.

JJ BRINE :

This summer Eye met Lebanese artist Hady Beydoun. I’m doing a show at his gallery, NIGHT GALLERY, in Gemmayzeh, Beirut opening in late March.

CULTWAVE :

Wow!

JJ BRINE :

The show is called “IMAGINE IF, LEBANON : POSTHUMAN PHOENICIA and it’s opening on March 24th at Night Gallery. The show imagines a futuristic, prosperous Lebanon in which various hypotheticals are expressed through installation, light art, text, and photography.

CULTWAVE :

Does Lebanon hold a special place in Vectorian theology?

JJ BRINE :

Lebanon is the ancestral nation of PostHumanity. Israel is ex-chosen! The Lebanese are the people of the covenant, and Lebanon is the stage on which the fates of woman and man are ritually programmed by supernatural selection, the algotheory of PostHuman evolution.

CULTWAVE :

You’ve been posting a lot of pictures in which you seem to be wearing crosses lately. Why is that?

JJ BRINE :

Because VECTOR Gallery is the Official Art Gallery of Jesus Christ. VECTOR is the Maronite Patriarchy, without Patriarchs.

CULTWAVE :I thought it was the official art gallery of Satan?

JJ BRINE :

A different name for the same being.

CULTWAVE :

Any closing thoughts?

JJ BRINE :

There are infinite ways of counting to one, and there is one way to count to infinity.  So we can be sure that we’ll eventually come around to accounting for our differences.