#i realize a lot of this is tropey/cliche but

[suddencolds]

Fool Me Twice | [1/?]

Original fic ft. my OCs! To be honest, l’m a little nervous about posting this—I’ve never posted anything with my OCs on here before—but I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope it’s interesting to someone :’)

I envision this to be the first (chronologically) in their series, so no context needed!

Summary: Yves needs a date to the party, and Vincent seems happy to play the part, for better or for worse. But a last-minute cold throws a wrench in their plans. - (ft. fake dating, heartbreak, a New Year’s party, and a cold)

—

Yves tries to be the bigger person about it, really.

He has every intention of never contacting Erika again. He thinks he never wants to speak to her again, and he certainly has no intention of doing anything in retaliation. Not that she would care if he tried. He tells himself he’ll take all of it in stride—the cheating, the breakup, her immediate engagement with Brendon—and never speak to her again.

The problem is that he and Erika were friends before they dated. The problem, really, is that they both know Margot, who’s throwing an end-of-the-year party—an annual occasion, and one which he promised her months back he would attend—and Erika is, without a doubt, going to be there with the very person she left him for.

The problem is, Margot knows he’s in town. He could take the easy way out—say he’s been called away last minute for some cousin’s wedding in Europe—and tell her he isn’t attending, and he’s half considering it when Erika texts him.

E: what are you thinking of getting for margot?

Yves thinks of ten responses to that, which do not exclude please do not ever contact me again and I’m definitely not going to the party if you are. Instead, he shuts his phone off, takes a run around the neighborhood, showers, makes breakfast. Then, against all better judgment, he texts her back.

Y: nice try. can’t have you stealing my idea

And he knows he should leave it. He knows that if he doesn’t show up to the party, everything will be fine, even if it means that Erika will get to tell her side of the story—frame her own infidelity in such skewed, oversimplifying terms that it will seem perfectly reasonable, and maybe even shift some of the blame to Yves in the process—to practically everyone he’d spoken to in university. It will be for the better.

But part of him is bitter. Part of him wants to show up to the party and show her just how fine he is, just how little he needs her. Part of him wants to show her that he hasn’t thought about her at all since the breakup. That he’s doing perfectly fine without her—or, better yet, that he’s better off now; even more ludicrously, that their breakup was one of the best things that’s ever happened to him. 

It wasn’t. It isn’t. He misses her more than he’d like to admit. But he can’t help but think it would be nice to even out the score, for once, after everything she’s put him through.

It’s that train of thought that leads him to… well, drastic measures.

“I can’t believe the year’s almost over,” he says, at work, to Vincent Gates, in the break room. “It really felt like it dragged at the start.” this, he thinks, is probably not a relatable sentiment to Vincent Gates, who probably keeps impeccable track of time, but at least it’s a half-decent setup to the next question he’s planning to ask: “are you going anywhere for the holidays?”

Vincent has been his coworker for almost a year now—ever since Yves started working with Evertech Solutions. 

And Vincent is good at his job, as far as Yves can see. He minds his own business, and—as Yves had told Erika when they were still dating—he “looks like the kind of person they hire for photoshoots.” He’s attractive in a natural, boyish sort of way—he has soft, feathery dark hair that hangs just short of his eyes; high, angular cheekbones, and a decent jawline. He wears glasses with wiry red frames, and he almost always wears ties, and he brings the same laptop bag to work every morning.

All in all, he carries himself like someone who takes himself all too seriously. And, most importantly, Erika has heard of him.

“I don’t have anything planned,” Vincent says.

“Great,” Yves says. Here goes nothing. “One of my friends is throwing a New Year’s party, and I was wondering if you’d—”

“I’m not interested.”

Really, it’s not as though Yves hadn’t expected this.

“Okay,” he says evenly. “Not a fan of parties?”

“Not exactly,” Vincent says, which is Yves’s cue to take his coffee and get out of here before this gets any more awkward. Except, then he adds, “I mean, if your friend was desperate enough to have you soliciting your coworkers…”  

Yves blinks. “I’m not allowed to invite my coworkers?”

Vincent shrugs. “We don’t know each other very well. If you’re asking me, I assume you’ve already asked half the office.”

“I haven’t.” he hadn’t intended to explain himself—or any part of this situation, really—unless Vincent had said yes. But now, he thinks, leaving things on this note would probably come across as some sort of clumsy proposition. Better to clarify while he still can. “It’s not really that sizeable of a party.”

“So,” Vincent says.

“So,” Yves clears his throat. “If i’m being really honest here, my ex is going to be there. At the party, I mean, with the guy she cheated on me with like, half a year ago, whom she’s currently dating. So I wanted to find someone to go with too. And you’re right—this is probably the worst place in the world to be looking for a plus one. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“And you’re asking me because?”

She knows you, he doesn’t say. “You didn’t seem like the type of person who would make a big deal out of it,” he reasons instead, with a shrug, which isn’t untrue. “That’s all. Forget I asked.” he swipes his coffee mug from the counter, turns to leave.

“I wouldn’t mind,” Vincent says.

Yves doesn’t turn around. Swallows down the faintest semblance of hope that those words stir in his chest. “What?”

“Like I said, parties aren’t my scene. But if one of us is getting something out of this, I would be fine with it.”

“Oh.” This is better news than expected. He doesn’t manage to hide his surprise. “Great. You’re a lifesaver, Vincent. I’ll give you my number so we can coordinate?”

—

Vincent texts him later that night.

V: Do you think your ex will ask me about you?

It’s not out of the question: if they’re going to pretend to be dating, Vincent is going to need much more context than what he’s presumably picked up from their limited interactions in the office. So Yves spends the weekend getting Vincent up to speed:

His ex’s name is Erika, they dated for two years before he caught her making out with a colleague at a party he wasn’t invited to, she hadn’t had the courtesy to pretend to be remorseful when he confronted her about it. (“It wouldn’t have been any more forgivable if she were remorseful about it,” Vincent says over lunch, which Yves guesses is technically true, even if it doesn’t feel that way). When they’d broken up, he’d never wanted to talk to her again. But they were friends before they ever dated, and half of his close friends are her friends, too. So naturally, she has her way of showing up in his life when he least wants to see her.

They’d been friends ever since their first year in university—they’d gotten close over sleepless nights at the library and pre-sunrise mornings with the rowing team (“Somehow you rowing crew doesn’t really surprise me,” Vincent says. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Yves says, and Vincent laughs.)—and when she asked him out it had only felt like a natural progression, like something that had felt so right he had barely thought to question it. The worst part of all of it is that he would’ve been more than happy to give her the benefit of the doubt. He would’ve been ready to forgive her, to dismiss the entire incident as a decision she’d been too drunk to think clearly about, and move on from it. (To this admission, Vincent frowns in a manner which Yves thinks can only be disapproving, but he keeps his mouth shut.) But Erika left no room for doubt.

Then they discuss logistics: on New Year’s Eve, Yves will pick Vincent up at seven and drive them both to the party. They’ll tell everyone that they met at work and that they’ve been together since august. They’ll say that they’re keeping the relationship an open secret between themselves and their friends, so that it doesn’t complicate things unnecessarily at work. Yves won’t drink, in part because he’s driving and in part because drunk Yves can be a little too honest for his own good, but Vincent can. Yves cares about catching up with Margot. Yves does not care about catching up with Erika. There will be maybe thirty people there, and there will probably be fireworks. They’ll stay for dinner, but they can both leave before midnight if Vincent has family or friends he wants to call. 

All in all, by the time Yves goes home for winter break, it seems like things are all set to go smoothly.

That is, until he wakes up three days before the party with a twinge in his throat.

It’s nothing he can’t sleep off, he tells himself. He’s just tired—he’s been busy getting everyone gifts for Christmas and New Year’s and getting them delivered; having dinner with Leon, his younger brother, and Victoire, his younger sister; helping his neighbors set up their Christmas tree; running errands for the Miss Elodie, the old lady who lives across the street; helping Mikhail, his roommate from college, with moving in. He just needs a proper night’s rest, or maybe two. No need to text Vincent about it if this turns out to be nothing.

But the twinge in his throat turns into a terrible sore throat, which gets worse, not better, until it hurts to swallow anything aside from hot tea. He wakes up on the second day congested, with a tickle in his nose so intense that he has barely any warning before he’s jerking forward with a loud, miserable sneeze. 

He texts Margot first:

Y: think i’m coming down with a cold. do you still want me to go?

—to which she responds,

M: PLEASE COME 

M: (if you’re feeling up to it?)

Y: i feel fine

Y: just don’t want to pass it on if i’m contagious 🤧 

M: it’s about to be 2017, live a little

M: would rather have you here and catch your cold personally then have you skip

Y: haha okay, i’ll take some dayquil

Then he texts Vincent:

Y: i think i have a cold

Y: i’m sorry, i know it’s shitty timing. i totally get it if you’d rather not go w me

Y: just let me know

Vincent doesn’t respond immediately. Yves takes a seat on the couch, sets the tissue box down beside him, and tries to mentally prepare himself for showing up alone. On second thought, maybe he’ll have to drink, within reason, to get through the night. To put up a convincing enough act that he’s doing fine. To see Erika again—with Brendon, probably—and pretend he doesn’t miss her at all. To—

V: Do you need anything?

Yves blinks down at the screen. It’s not the response he expects.

Y: thanks for asking :) i’m good Y: just don’t want to get you sick

V: I’m not worried about that at all

V: I have a pretty good immune system

That seems like it could be true. Yves doesn’t think he’s ever seen Vincent take a sick day, much less show up to work looking anything less than healthy.

V: Just tell me if you’re not feeling up to it?

Y: okay

Y: i’m definitely going to go

Y: are you sure you’re okay w this? i would feel really bad if you caught my cold

V: Not going to happen. See you tomorrow at 7

Yves sets his phone down beside him, tilts his head back onto the couch, and shuts his eyes. They’re really doing this.

[ Part 2 ]

[thetypedwriter]

Klara and the Sun Book Review

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

I have been on such a journey lately. A journey of rediscovery. 

For a while now, I have felt…bored with YA. Don’t get me wrong, there are some absolute gems. Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat and Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross come to mind.

However, a lot of the other YA books I’ve read in the last year or two have felt incredibly mundane, cliched, and tropey. They all feel the same.  

So lately, I have been getting out of my comfort zone. I’ve been reading less YA and instead as many books as possible in as many myriad genres as possible.

It has been enlightening.

I feel invigorated with reading again, falling in love with words and pages like I did so long ago that set me on this path of creating book reviews and becoming an English teacher and writing my own book. 

I haven’t written reviews for them all, but I’ve read Brave New World, The Outsiders, Murder on the Orient Express, The Women, and plan on reading an adult horror novel called Home Before Dark by Riley Sager and Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt soon. 

All this to say, I’ve rekindled my love for stories and characters, all thanks to the variety of novels I’ve recently been consuming. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro is no exception. 

Klara and the Sun is an adult novel that is told from the perspective of Klara, an artificial friend (AF). Klara is essentially a selfless robot who yearns to be put in a home and given a ward.

She watches the outside from her shop window, pining for the sun (she is a solar powered robot) and dreaming of the day she can go outside the shop on her own and be given a purpose. 

Her day comes. Klara is taken home by Josie, a thirteen-year-old girl, and her mother. What unfolds is Klara’s experience in this new place with Josie and her mother, the people in their life, the despairing world around them, and a nefarious secret with ambiguous motivations. 

I would get into the plot more, but that really is the basics. It would take an unbelievable amount of work to explain the complexities of Klara and this new life she’s found herself in and it’s better for people to read the book and see the mystery unravel for themselves.

Ishiguro as an author is really intriguing because he gives you nothing but bread crumbs. In a direct comparison to YA, Klara and the Sun gives you teensy morsels about society and the world, but never enough for you to piece things together until well into more than halfway through the book.

I only found this frustrating near the 200 page mark when I was desperate for answers. Up until then, though, I found it refreshing that an author wasn’t shoving lengthy exposition down my throat. 

I will say that the ending of Klara and the Sun was anticlimactic for me. What you expect

to happen just…happens. There’s no twist, no shock, no great revelations. When you finally realize Klara’s true purpose it comes across as a bit…problematic, but it’s not that wild of an idea once you think about it more fully and realize all the foreshadowing leading up to it. 

My favorite part of Klara and the Sun was Klara herself. I love the trope of robots becoming more human-like or learning about humanity (the movie, The Wild Robot, is a great example of this that I saw and loved recently). So I’m a bit biased when it comes to this trope in general. 

Ishiguro’s writing wasn’t beautiful exactly, but very dialogue driven which I found interesting. I liked that he didn’t push his world building in my face every opportunity he got, but I would have appreciated a little more explanation about the society and world he created.

There are still facts and details that are hazy after finishing the book that I would have expected to be more fleshed out. It would have been a better book with more of everything expanded upon. 

Recommendation: If you love robots becoming human as much as I do, you will enjoy Klara and the Sun. While it wasn’t the deepest read, nor one that I thought stuck the landing at the end, I still enjoyed the process.

I loved Klara’s POV, the ethics that arise from her place in the world, and the questions that popped up in my mind as a result from this story. As always, any book that makes me think is a book worth reading. 

Score: 7/10

[laminy]

I saw Unicorns today at TIFF! I don’t want to spoil anything (unless you message and ask, then I’ll tell you whatever you want), so this won’t be too in depth in terms of the actual story beats. I’ll put it behind a cut anyway just in terms of length.

The basic premise is that Luke (Ben’s character), a single father who works as a mechanic, ends up at an underground drag performance, and doesn’t realize that the performer, Aysha, is a drag queen. He thinks she’s a female dancer, and finds himself attracted to her. Then Aysha hires him to be her driver.

In general, I would say that I liked it, and am glad I saw it, but I didn’t love it. It is probably as tropey and cliche as you might imagine, based on the premise, which doesn’t necessarily make it bad, it just means that most of what happened probably isn’t much of a surprise (though a couple moments are). The main characters themselves are bordering-ish on stereotype. Ben’s in particular made me wince a few times. But obviously, I don’t think there are a lot of interracial gay romances out there, so this is successful in its differences (though I personally didn’t really buy into the chemistry between the leads and thought the hottest scene was a brief moment Ben had with another male character early on, though other reviews I’ve seen disagree and loved their chemistry).

It did get a few really big laughs from the audience, but I also heard someone say, as we were leaving, that the best part of it was the music, so that might not really be a great sign?

Not being part of either community represented in the film, I can’t speak to how successful that representation is. I definitely have my own thoughts about it, as a viewer, but they would be verging too close into spoiler territory. The story is mostly through Ben’s eyes, not Aysha’s, and it largely follows him, but James Krishna Floyd, who wrote and co-directed is Indian so I trust that at least parts of Aysha’s story ring true.

In terms of Ben (which is the reason I went) and his career, I think it is an interesting trajectory and does the make the future of his career more exciting. Even if something might not be great, at least he’s not afraid of taking chances. I think based on looks and body type (no judgment) producers are always going to want to stick him in a box of like, romantic leading man or blockbuster action. And I suspect he also has bills to pay so will continue to do those (no shame, I personally loved 6 Underground even if no one else did). But this at least says to me he’s not afraid of looking absolutely pathetic and unsexy on screen. His giant green eyes (a character described them as ~mysterious~ which is not at all accurate because I feel like his eyes constantly telegraph everything going on) spend the entire movie on the verge of tears, honestly the personification of 🥺🥺

He’s obviously doing films he enjoys and scripts that speak to him because this is going to go nowhere at the box office and probably fly totally under the radar.

In terms of trigger warnings, there are a couple I could give that would be spoilers but mainly I do not recommend this film if you’re affected by flashing or strobe lights, which are basically all of Aysha’s performance scenes.

[periprose]

I ship Carmy x Sydney, but I just hope other shippers consider that the writers could be heavily baiting them. I still can't get over how they initially reacted to the shipping and straight up said they never considered it and it wasn't happening. Not that feelings can't change, but it was such an aggressive shut down? I'll keep enjoying the theories and analyses, but I won't be surprised if they randomly decide to make Sydney a lesbian next season (which isn't a bad thing don't get me wrong, it would just very much feel like a vindictive reaction to me after all the baiting)

feel this. I think the writers don't realize that a lot of "platonic" chemistry can be attributed to romantic as well, it's not exactly exclusive.

I also think that the aggressive shut down was a huge mistake and a bit mean. because you shouldn't turn away your audiences for what they're interpreting, right? I personally feel that if they really were so anti-romance they wouldn't have shoehorned claire in.

And besides: telling people romance isn't everything while also throwing in the most cliche, tropey romance for a white woman while making the black woman be sidelined just seems a bit odd to me. Like I'm gonna be honest, I agree romance isn't everything and this show is really interesting if it had just stuck to that idea, but they threw it out for such a bland character.

I wouldn't mind if Syd was lesbian but you're right that it would feel vindictive and potentially kind of like a permanent shut down. I am pretty much kind of hoping s3 wont have claire and it will be better written.

[stormblessed95]

Heaven's Official Blessings (Tian Guan Ci Fu) Vol 1

Volume 1 in print stated that it covered through chapters 31 in the web novel edition for anyone who sees this and read it that way, please don't spoil me for the future books!

So I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It started off slow, wasn't sure if I'd be into it or not, took about 100+ pages to really snag my interest. Then I binged the other 2/3rds of the book in 2ish hours. Lol it's also fairly tropey in some ways, but not so in others. If that makes any type of sense. It's giving me the slowburn red string soulmates vibe of my dreams though. It's giving a will they won't they, but we know they will just wondering when vibes. It's clearly first and foremost going to be a romance book with fairly character focused plot lines, but it doesn't overshadow the adventures and mysteries they are solving either.

The first adventure Xie Lian goes on, I will be honest and say I wasn't sure why we (as readers) were there or what relevance it had to the story at all other than perhaps just as a character introduction. But the author looped it all around and tied it back in to the main plot line, our next adventure and it all connected. Which made me realize I should trust her to not just give me pointless information and to take it all in because who knows where we are going next. It was an easy read, the tone and world building were for the most part fairly simplistic and didn't require a lot of brain power, but was fun. I would have loved to see more foundation here for this world and the magic within it. It did get me blushing over bridal carries, gentle hand holds, fixing each other's hair and the oh so cliche "we only have one bed" which was done all so innocently. The slow burn is oh so good.

The book ending with a promise of a next meeting and a promise to see his "true form" and I can't wait. Xie Lian is a little too.... good natured? Idk the best word to describe this one, but he is very gentle and while I know he can fight and be a badass, I want to see more of it. I'm not sure if he will ever be a favorite MC for me in general, but I didn't dislike him either. Hua Cheng though, he has potential to make me really fall for him and these books! Lol

Overall, yeah, I'd recommend these books so far! I plan to check my library for the next volumes and hope they have it so I can keep reading. And this is marketed under romance so if these two don't have a HEA, I'm going to feel very lied to! Lol also the art (official and otherwise) for this series is STUNNING wow

[phoenixyfriend]

Jedi Political Marriage AU

AU where a regular 'duty' of Jedi is to get married off for politics Fic starts out like a classic "ooh, make our ship get together by way of arranged marriage plot where this is a once-in-a-millennium event, (usually an ob*kin fic where one of them isn't a Jedi)" plot and then slowly spirals out and pulls back the masquerade into something more like the Jedi Indentured AU (which has several authors, but I think the main one is @primeemeraldheiress).

Imagine Jedi living with the knowledge that, at any given moment, one of them might be called upon like a medieval princess to get married for the sake of the Republic.

And the marriage might be just on paper. It might be... significantly (horrifically) more. Not everyone goes through this specific duty. Maybe one in ten, if that.

But nobody wants to be noticed, really. Not by those outside the Temple. There's always a risk, see, that someone might decide it's time to claim their... promised tithe. That's not how it works, really, but more than once, a particularly selfish or mercurial planetary leader has threatened to secede from the Republic in order to secure the hand of a Jedi they had their eyes on.

Getting married to bring a necessary peace is one thing. Getting sold off to the highest bidder is something else entirely.

I think this would work best as a Mando/Jedi fic (Jangobi? Obitine? Clones as heirs with Rexwalker or Codywan or Rexsoka? IDK and IDC) that's mostly from the Mando POV where they specifically do not know that this is standard practice and has been for a few centuries, so when someone suggests an arranged marriage to assure each other that Mandalorians and the Republic are going to stay allies, the Mando is just like "well, that's old-fashioned and kind of icky, but I guess that works."

The Jedi that's asked to perform the deed is under the impression that the Mando asked for them specifically.

I think. I think it needs to be either Obi-Wan or Ahsoka getting sent out to marry, as a Palpatine plot to isolate Anakin.

I just think the reader journey from 'oh, fun premise, very standard but could be fun and romantic and tropey or cliched' to 'wait… WAIT…' has potential.

Anakin's pissed because he thinks the Mandos asked for his master or padawan because they saw holos and thought I Wanna Fuck That. The person getting married also thinks this. The Mando is just expecting to sign a piece of paper and then let their new spouse go off to fight a war because, well, there is a war on, they know you don't keep your spouse from a fight they believe in just because you got married, especially if you're not even in love.

Palpatine and his cronies just dropping Implications that this is a very important connection so You Better Be Ready To Just Go Along With Any Sexual Tastes The Mando Leader Has.

And like. Obi-Wan's a good actor. Ahsoka's decent, and can excuse nervousness with her age. She'd break sooner, but Obi-Wan could keep up the pretense of being perfectly happy and willing to enter this arrangement for a very long time before his partner realizes he's under the impression that he has no other choice.

So that was the original AU and then I came up with a more specific one a day or so later. Kicks off as seemingly Jangobi.

Jango didn't have a lot of qualifications in mind for his Jedi War Bride or whatever, just 'competent fighter that can avoid assassination, competent speaker that can avoid getting trapped in conversation with Jango's political enemies, willing to learn Mando'a and wear a vambrace.'

When Obi-Wan is sent, Jango's just like 'oh cool, they found someone that already speaks Mando'a, and he's a war general that's called The Negotiator, that fits' and assumes that Obi-Wan was picked for those reasons.

Satine doesn't find out who the marrying Jedi is until the wedding. This is because Jango also doesn't know who the marrying Jedi is until the wedding.

IDK what exactly Satine and Obi-Wan's year together was about here, since Jango is still Mand'alor so the Death Watch situation definitely played out differently, but it happened and they're still kind of in love. Jango's deeply uncomfortable when he catches them looking longingly at each other. He asks if he can step back and just let them marry, since Satine's head of civvie government and basically his second in terms of diplomatic matters?

He is told by the attending senator (someone on Palpatine's side) that this is not appropriate, because all the contracts and treaties were drawn up with the assumption that the Mand'alor would be marrying. None of the Jedi are there to hear the conversation. They still think Jango's doing this for Horny Reasons.

Jango meanwhile is just like "well, if they're both cool with extramarital nonsense, I can just foist him off on the Duchess and pretend I don't know what's going on when he sneaks off during visits for Mandatory Marital Meetings."

Satine is a little bitter but at least she'll get to see Obi-Wan more often. It's not like Jango's doing this for anything other than Politics, after all.

(Obi-Wan is steeling himself for getting forced into a pregnancy the second the war is over.)

(Everyone is going into this with very different expectations.)

Obi-Wan goes into the Wedding Night uncomfortable but ready to lay back and think of the Republic, and flirts accordingly. Jango is now under the impression that the Jedi is sort of into him, but not particularly ready to sleep with a new spouse without knowing him. There is a conversation full of mistaken assumptions that do not get corrected before they get to sleep. Obi-Wan expects he's going to have to do the deed the next day and just got a pass tonight because Jango's tired.

Of course, none of this gets clarified the next day, because Obi-Wan gets Called Away To War. Jango spends the goodbye stiff and ready for all this political bullshit to be over, and avoiding the glare of Kenobi's apprentice. He assumes Anakin's just annoyed that someone's stealing his dad, like many kids whose parent is getting married.

Time passes. Anakin gets knighted. He starts gaining notoriety, and there are whispers in the Senate…

Padme approaches Obi-Wan and tells him that Senators are starting to show interest in Anakin's hand as a possible Jedi Spouse. Some are disgustingly old. Padme's fond of Anakin and wouldn't force him into anything, may she have Obi-Wan's permission to ask his hand in marriage?

Obi-Wan doesn't see what his opinion has to do with anything, but Anakin's been drawing their names in a heart since he was ten years old and knew that was a thing people did, so he's pretty sure Anakin would be elated. Go get it, girl.

Padme and Anakin get married. It is bliss, at least compared to most Jedi marriages. The Jedi as a whole politely ignore Anakin's Many Emotions.

They do not need to politely ignore this marriage, but they do need to ignore the two making out like horny teenagers in the corner. They are insufferable without the need for secrecy. Calm the fuck down, guys.

There is a visit to Mandalore, for Official Political Marriage Reasons. There is another Jedi-Politician marriage that shows up a day later. It's with a Senator that was very much banking on having a Pet Spouse that couldn't talk back or refuse him in bed. The Jedi in question maintains a quiet, reserved countenance that Jango and Satine both take several days to realize is less "Jedi are tranquil and detached" and more "abused spouse is not allowed to speak until spoken to," and that's mostly triggered by Obi-Wan maneuvering to get some alone time with the Jedi in question to get them a bit of respite.

Nobody feels comfortable actually asking Obi-Wan directly about this, but Satine gets someone to start researching Jedi marriages and looking for Sketchy Incidents, of which there are many.

They do not get a chance to confront Obi-Wan and ask if he'd thought this was what he was signing up for--especially since Jango's been finding him weirdly sexually available this past week, and had thought it was a 'let's both make the best of it' vibe and not a 'I need to keep you happy and expect you to use me as you'd like' situation--because war calls. Again.

The next time Obi-Wan visits his unwanted husband, it is with padawan and grandpadawan in tow. Anakin is still glaring at Jango at every chance, but seems incredibly protective of his baby sister. Baby sister is fifteen.

Everyone is very busy, because Death Watch is annoying. Neither Jango nor Satine can get Obi-Wan alone to have That Very Important Conversation. Anakin looks ready to claw apart anyone who gets too close to Ahsoka. Nobody's sure of how to take this.

Do not ask me what the Clone Situation is, I do not know. Jango doesn't have a reason to deal with Kamino in this AU but maybe his DNA was stolen and part of the reason the Republic was so desperate to treat with Mandalore was because he was raising a fuss about his clones--his kids--being enslaved by the Republic? Let's go with that.

Someone, maybe a less-shitty Bo who stuck with Satine instead of becoming a terrorist, overhears Anakin and Obi-Wan having a hissed conversation about how another politician seems to have taken interest in Ahsoka with The Intent To Demand Her Marriage, something that's been happening far more often since the war started and catapulted Jedi into social media.

Bo is like "wow, that sounds… fucked. I hope I misunderstood but I don't want to have to talk to these people. I'll tell Satine and make it her problem."

Satine and Jango finally get Obi-Wan (and Anakin, who's angry and upset and all such Anakin things) to sit down and talk over the reality of this marriage in light of what the standards for Jedi political marriages are. They manage to clarify a few points, like:

Nobody on Mandalore's side actually asked for a Jedi marriage. The Chancellor did that.

Jango didn't actually ask for anyone in particular, he just wanted to make sure his Jedi could defend themselves verbally and physically if necessary, because extremist assassins and bitchy politicians are a reality.

If Jango had known the Senate would send Obi-Wan, he'd have renegotiated to get Satine as his spouse, because she'd have told him they had a thing and he'd have happily opted out of a marriage he had no interest in.

The Chancellor's thinly-veiled suggestion that Obi-Wan would have to spread his legs at any chance comes to light. Jango is disgusted. Satine is horrified. Anakin insists there must have been a miscommunication. Anakin is summarily told to shut the fuck up.

The standard of Jedi Political Marriages is finally explained, and the Jedi get confirmation that Mandalore has until recently been part of the wider galaxy that the reality of those marriages is hidden from. In the Senate, it's a Worst Kept Secret kind of deal, but only the worst tabloids ever talk about the fact that the Jedi don't have a choice and are often functionally the Senate's forced volunteers for marital rape. Official publications are strong-armed into skirting around the issue.

Jango has no intention of forcing himself on Obi-Wan. He'd take back the heavy petting they've done so far (they got to third base) if that was a thing he could do. Please just go fuck Satine instead, you both actually want that and nobody is going to be forcing themselves in that situation.

Anakin's marriage is a happy one, don't worry. He is on cloud nine. Nobody needs to intervene with that.

Yes, people are starting to show interest in Ahsoka, and that is why Anakin has been so snappish with everyone that gets near her except the clones and Obi-Wan.

Satine, after a few minutes, says that Mandalore has no laws against polygamy, and she has an heir that would be entirely understanding of a marriage to save someone from a worse fate where neither party has expectations of more than the singular kiss to 'seal the deal' at the wedding itself. Getting married to Ahsoka wouldn't stop him from getting married to someone else as well, later. Korkie and Ahsoka have already become friends, so…

The kids are called in. They're asked if a marriage on paper only is something they'd be open to, just to keep Ahsoka safe from a much worse situation. Korkie immediately agrees, because he is his mother's son aunt's heir, and she raised him to be this way. The adults hammer out most of the details, and everyone splits.

Jango starts making a fuss about the Republic and the clones again, and somehow (re: he let Satine do most of the talking) drags another Jedi marriage out of the Senate. Since Korkie and Ahsoka have already met, it's easy to point out that they should be the pairing and then just bitch until even the Chancellor lets it happen.

Satine and Obi-Wan are sneaking off at any opportunity. Jango is politely ignoring them, and then they ask if he wants to join in, like two years in. (Ahsoka and Korkie are mildly disgusted that grownups have romantic lives.) (Anakin is freaking out over his impending fatherhood and has not noticed a goddamn thing because Padme.)

Something something, the Separatist Crisis is almost over but before Palpatine can set off O66, Jango up and declares a war on the Republic if they don't release his clones and also end the Jedi marriages. IDK where it goes from there but Palps dies, chips are gone, Jedi survive and get to send a big fuck you to the Senate and remove all the Jedi stuck in abusive marriages (nobody touches Anidala, they are more than happy, just ignore their general insanity), etc.

That's it, that's all I've got.

[fangirleaconmigo]

Thanks for your show/book analysis. Just a question? Do you think they portrayed the female characters well in s2? I see that said but personally I disagree. I think all the female characters were simplified and fell into the trope territory in s2 compared to the complex characters in the books (with few exceptions). For instance Tissaia, she was made into a blind by love/manipulated by a man woman, not a strong leader. She made wrong choices in the books too, but she was multilayered. Same with Yen, she's my fave and in s1 her past was the best part but in s2 they also simplified her arc. No progress, nothing. Yes, she had the loose of power, wanted power, realizing power is not everything but didn't she realized that in s1? Wasn't her story a bit of a Hollywood cliche compared to the books which her character was very original? Philippa was following orders by Dijkstra? Why? So she can have the enpowered arc later? Another tired trope which I hate. Why can't we have women in power? And so on.

Hi Nonny!

So, the female characters in S2. I'll break down my thoughts in a list form.

Yennefer. So, I will not deny that it is very tropey to have the powerful female lose her powers. Having someone lose their powers is a popular trope, because when people are very powerful, it makes it more difficult to write obstacles. And it seems especially popular to do this to women. Women's power is always seen as dangerous, uncontrollable, and leading to nothing but evil.

And actually, as I was watching with my older sister, she was like NOOOOOOOOOO I HATE THIS (at first) because she said 'they do these things to take the powerful woman down a peg. They're gonna have her be sexually assaulted or something." And they did have Stregobor violate her mind.

And yet we were both ultimately won over by the 'losing power' story line. The thing about tropes is, even the over used ones can be good if you write it well.

And for me, what the story line did was show that Yen's specialness, her strength, her resilience, all of it resided in HER. Not her power. We saw her again, and again, and again, get out of scrapes, survive, and even save OTHER people's lives, all without her power.

When we first see Yen walking with Fringilla, she just INSTANTLY starts working the angle. Starts poking Fringilla to find out her doubts and vulnerabilities. When she is talking to Filavandrel, she's INSTANTLY just instinctively working him for their advantage.

She is a goddamn survivor and I loved to watch her go.

I love the choice she makes to flee instead of kill Cahir. That plot point is pretty thin and wobbly. Definitely don't shake that tree, it'll fall down. But the choice she makes is very Yen. And that is, if you give me two choices, I'll pick a third one and flip you off on the way out. She does not play the game. She goes outside of the game.

Then she saves Jaskier's life. (I was so fucking glad they kept her burning Rience and saving his life even though she didn't have her powers. I know it isn't as cool for a lot of people as the magical rescue, and I get that, but I was so happy they kept it.) She was resourceful and brave.

She saved Cahir's ass in the alley. (and then when that cute boy elf helps them because of his crush on her, Cahir fucking tells her...you do have use after all. I wanted to kick his shins. She just walloped those guards for you, asshole).

I didn't think it was repetitive to season one, because in season one, I really saw her as searching for who she was. Where she would find meaning. Was it Geralt? (no, he basically told her 'you're a raging ego maniac who would be a terrible mom. also, yes, I hid my wish from you. I understood why she left.) Was it Istredd (no, we knew that wasn't gonna happen. Yen ain't following you around to be a science nerd) and was it a baby? (that didn't work either.) To me, when she stood up at Sodden, she realized who she was meant to be. She was meant to be a hero.

But when we see her in S2, we see that she associated that act of heroism with her magic. But it wasn't her magic! It was her willingness to be there. To take a stand! That was her true power. And I think that's what she learns this season.

Now, all that being said, I absolutely despise what they had her do to Geralt and Ciri with my whole entire heart. They had her betraying them and playing Voleth Meir's game. What? No! Yen is a fucking rebel. She doesn't get pushed into a) and b) choices. Come on now. Even the symbolism and full circle of her bleeding for Ciri could not make up for or undo that for me. But if I start with that, I'll breathe fire and write a novel about it. It hate it. We'll just leave it at that.

Also, yeah, I hated what Stregobor did to her. And though I was happy Tissaia helped her, I wanted her to HURT him way more than throwing him against a wall. But again, to me, the vast majority of that plot was letting her shine as a person, to show how extraordinary and brave and strong she is without her magic. So I was good with that. Just don't get me started on what she did to Ciri.

Tissaia. Ok, so Tissaia is my baby. And I thought Myanna Buring KNOCKED it out of the fucking park. I love that she got to be the face of grief for Yen. I think it's interesting (and though not in book character necessarily) that she basically tortured Cahir. Because watching her grief and having her deliver that line make the hair on my neck stand up.

Fun fact (sorry if you already know) those menacing lines that she delivers to Cahir? Those are actually said by Philippa, to someone else, in the books. Fucking with someone's mind is a whole lot more Philippa than Tissaia. But I have let go of expecting book Tissaia in favor of just being in love with Myanna Buring's performance. Her unhinged grief was such a highlight of this season for me.

I loved that her relationship with Yen is very very intense but still, complicated. Not exactly healthy. I just like watching the dynamic. Again, defo not book Tissaia, but their chemistry is electric for me. I think you can leave behind the book if you create something compelling on it's own. And I think Tissaia is. I think they do something really interesting with her.

Now, the big caveat here is that I agree with you about Vilgefortz, but we'll see how it plays out on Thanned. Tissaia makes the choices she makes in Time of Contempt because she BELIEVES IN THE BROTHERHOOD. She TRUSTS them. She is a true believer. And the fact that this is her undoing is poetic and very powerful to the themes of the witcher.

If they are doing that romance so that her choices are motivated or influenced by romantic feelings for a man, and being gullible about him, oh god, that is WAY WAY WAY less fucking interesting and thematic. It is sooooooo reductive and cringey to me. So, I don't know if that is the way they are headed, but it looks like it. And I will be severely, severely disappointed if that's how it plays out on Thanned.

Fringilla. So again, yes, we have a big trope that could be seen as sexist. I will not deny that. We learn Fringilla's motivation for going to Emhyr. And it is the fact that she was sexually assaulted repeatedly, and he saved her.

Lots and lots and lots of people hate this. Want to explain a woman's choices? Want a shortcut to seeing that she is strong? Need an insta backstory? Rape. Want her to be loyal to a man? Have him save her from rape.

But like all tropes, it isn't bad to write it in and of itself. Many people appreciate characters who have been through abuse and persevere, in whatever way that is. When she was sleeping poorly, I called it instantly. Because I recognized it. So. I think it is completely legitimate to either go oH GOD REALLY? I'M SO TIRED OF THIS? and it's EQUALLY completely legitimate to say, I saw myself in her and I like and deserve to feel seen.

So, I don't know. That is very personal, and I wouldn't tell anyone how to feel about it.

But I was compelled by her challenge managing the city. I was compelled by her relationship with Francesca. Her face when the baby is born warmed my heart. Her conversation with her Uncle, I thought this was all interesting and not stereotypical at all.

There were some things I didn't understand at all. I won't say the plot was airtight. I don't expect prestige television from Netflix at this point. But, I thought they created a compelling, strong, (meaning written strongly) female character.

Francesca. Ok, I'm doing this in descending order of how interesting their character arc is. I thought Francesca was excessively naive. She was a leader, which is great. But for me personally, her arc of losing her baby then killing babies is part of a pretty underwhelming trend lately of 'grieving mother = murderer'.

It was in The Umbrella Academy this season. It was in the Multiverse of Madness in Marvel. I am a mother. I get what they're going for. The love of a mother is so strong and the grief of separation from your child or loss of your child is so unthinkable, people can do unhinged things.

However, it doesn't work for me at all.

The power of a mother's love is the greatest force on earth. (Please, no one tell me there are exceptions and some mothers are abusive and unloving. I'm well aware. I have one of those for a mother. I am speaking in generalities and as my own experience as mother.) So. Mother's love. Strongest force in the universe. Can result in violence from the gentlest people.

BUT

It's like writers forget that a mother's grief is the result of LOVE. IT EXISTS BECAUSE OF LOVE IT IS BIRTHED BY LOVE. And a mother's love turns deadly when it is in DEFENSE OF THE CHILD. It isn't just a short trip to murder-innocent-people-ville in ways that are not gonna help your child in any way.

I am not compelled. It does not compel me. I think it's a really reductive model of motherhood and a low effort character arc.

But I loved the casting, and it wasn't all bad.

Philippa. I'll admit I do not know what the fuck they are doing. Who is that dude? It ain't Djikstra. And we saw her for a flash of a heartbeat. Again, obsessed with the casting. Primo casting. But I guess we'll wait to see if they do better by her next season. Philippa is supposed to be a morally gray, deeply ambitious, gutsy, conniving leader with biting wit and lots of jokes about being lesbian. I hope we still get that.

I just realized I haven't mentioned Triss. I'm afraid Miss Merigold would take me another fifty pages to put my thoughts down so I'll stop here.

But I think the way they wrote the women was good and bad. But it was mostly good. I loved that they gave them a genuine friendship. I get tired of the constant cattiness in the books. Like. I get it. Sorceresses. Politics. But I find it exhausting after awhile. And I find a more complex relationship inclusive of friendship is more interesting.

So. My opinion, the tl:dr is, while the dated or cliche gender tropes were there, they were written well enough that they did the characters justice for the most part.

[i-just-want-to-destroy]

Would love to hear your thoughts on gintama the final, if you want to share!!

Fucked me up. Punched me in the face. Obliterated me.

CW GINTAMA SPOILERS

I spent my middle-high school years reading/watching gintama n its a huge influence on me—it probably has the most influence on me compared to other animanga tbh—storytelling and humor wise this series just engineered me lol. Its also the first fandom i was active in, this was literally a gintama blog to whoever remembered that era.

When gin said this^ i was bout to cry fr -_- when i saw kagura looking all grown up in this movie i was like 🧍‍♂️so SHOCKED bc pretty sure i was kaguras age when i started gintama. so looking at adult her as an adult myself… insane meta moment. Like u know how uncle iroh is everyones uncle, gintoki u are my father

Anyway. takasugi

Takasugi’s redemption arc is so fucking crazy. Idc how tropey everything is bc it was done so well. Maybe im biased but it doesnt matter. The storyboarding in the gintoki vs utsuro/takasugis fight was done SO WELL. !! The sound design also! They translated n elevated the scene insanely well from the manga. The interpersing flashbacks and mutliple callbacks with the present fight uogoggh. THE SILENT MOMENTS!!! the staff knew what they were doing. It was so devastating. The script is also very crazy like…. Everything they told each other at their last moments together…… I think it was done perfectly. It was a perfect, most miserable moment.

His iconic catchphrase..

I actually did not think i would like takasugi this much (funny since i got my url from him lol) but like. I always thought takasugi n gin’s dynamic is rly good in a rly fucked up way but idk i was not obsessed w him the way im obsessed w the other characters. But now. Oh man. WHAT a character. Yeah its a cliche to die to get your character redeemed but goddamn he did it SO WELL. SO WELL! He didnt turn nice a la zuko or whatever, but the script rly allowed us to see the best of him despite everything he has done. Or in spite of it. Like his character rly, rly just shines through. I feel like the first time he showed up as a villain his motivation felt vague and chaotic—violence for violence’s sake—but now we know its nothing like that at all. Its vengeance, but it isnt vengeance for him, its vengeance for the three of them: gintoki, zura, n himself. When i realized his want to “destroy” isnt egocentric in the least… [shakes head] his character just changed completely to my eyes its sooo. CRAZY. WHAT a character.

my fav character dynamic is enemies who know each other best. Obsessed with it truly. and also characters who try to kill each other (which is takasugi+gintoki in the past arcs of the series) out of love. Bc it is out of love! Out of guilt and pride and really love. The way that we thought takasugi’s pain centers fully around their teacher—and it turns out what tortures him the most is gintoki’s suffering all along?!?! WTF. And the way they mirror each other! Its fucking insane! Gin chose to sacrifice himself in the past to carry the burden at the beginning of it all VS the series ending with takasugi sacrificing himself bc he doesnt want gin to carry that burden anymore -> literal insanity. Yes character death is tedious but its the perfect conclusion to their conflict. Full fucking circle. Im frothing at the mouth thinking about it. Its such a tender end for the both of them it was beautiful and it hurt like shit.

If there is anything i have gripes about the movie is the lack of zura and sakamotos involvement at the core of their conflict—esp zura! Bc shoyou is his teacher too ): and also the poor character screentime distribution for the rest of the cast (it cant be helped on some level ig, gintama has a shitload of characters) though i appreciate that otae has a lot of scenes, good for her :)

But overall i loved it—very biasedly, but i really do. I mean it hurt but it hurt so good. Im happy that it ended that way. Bittersweet and hopeful and in good, good humor is the very essence of gintama and that was the ending that it got, so: perfect. And therefore i will think abt gintama fondly onwards as i always have

[sugako]

c+k: iwa

iwa x gn!reader

cw: slight angst (insecurities about relationships), fluff (literally so cliche, tooth achey, etc.), friends to lovers 

wc: 800

a/n: first installment of the c+k valentine’s special!! this one is just pure fluff romantic tropey grossness ❤ please enjoy 

“What are you doing next Thursday?” You checked through your calendar trying to find the best date. It had been a while since you had seen Iwaizumi, and running into him outside the convenience store had led to the two of you trying to plan to meet up for coffee or lunch sometime soon. 

“Well, it’s, uh, Valentine’s Day.” He said before quickly chugging down some of his water. 

Your face dropped with the realization. It was such an inconsequential holiday for you, you hadn’t really paid attention. 

“Ohh, sorry, you probably have plans then. I didn’t even notice, my bad.” 

“Not at all, just figured you would be.” He mumbled, looking away from you. 

You just scoffed and crossed your arms. “Yeah, I definitely don’t.” 

“Oh yeah?” He smirked as he watched a grey cloud drift by. “Sound a little bitter, wanna talk about it?” His tone bordering on sincere and joking. 

“Not really, I just kind of feel like I’m doing something wrong, I guess. It’s not like it’s anyone else’s fault that no one has any interest in me.” You sigh softly, already regretting your brief venture into oversharing. “Uh, anyway, Thursday cool?”

Iwa shifted on his feet, glancing down at you. 

“I get it.” He said softly, lightly brushing against your shoulder with his own. “I wasn’t super popular with people in high school, not romantically anyway. And even-”

“It’s okay, Iwa, really. I’m not looking for comfort, just stating a… a fact.” 

“I wouldn’t really call it a fact.” He rolled his eyes, swallowing down another big drink of water before tucking the bottle into his bag. 

You wanted to hold yourself back from pushing the point, wanting him to settle on a day, but you couldn’t help it. “Well, when no one has even asked for your number in forever it feels like a fact.” Although the words seemed harsh, your tone was ragged and strained. Your hands gripped tighter around your phone while you regretted even running into him. This sort of conversation was never fun, but right now especially it felt worse for some reason. 

“Ugh,” his rough sigh made your chest tighten, “it’s not your fault. I mean why wouldn’t someone want to date you when you’re kind to everyone and easy to hang out with, you have a cute laugh, you’re really smart, you give the best gifts, and not to mention you’re so beautiful, but, incredibly, that’s the least interesting thing about you.” 

Now your chest was tight for a different reason. While Iwa had babbled on, he had grown impossibly red in the face, as he struggled to maintain eye contact with you. Your mouth parted as your mind scrambled to find the words. 

“I, um, thanks, but don’t say that just bec-”

“I’m not.” He gently reached out to hold your shoulders. “I really mean it. I’m sorry we don’t keep in great touch, we should because I miss you, a lot. I miss just spending time with you.” 

You swallowed past the dryness of your mouth, finding it impossible to look anywhere but his eyes. “Me too, I miss you too.” Truthfully, you really did miss him. Just spending any extra time you had together. Everything was always so simple and easy with him. It clicked and just made sense. So much sense you had never really paused to examine your feelings for him. 

Sure, you recognized he was handsome and you loved every minute you spent with him, but he had always been a friend. There were never expectations or awkward phases. But now that you were looking deeply, you realized you would happily find comfort in elevating that relationship. Even so, some part of you couldn’t shake the feeling that this would just fall through again like everything else. 

“Uh, Thursday works great for me, but I don’t want to hang out...” 

There it is, you thought. 

“...I want to go on a date. With you.” 

Your mind felt like it was on pause. When you didn’t respond right away, panic flashed across his face. 

“If you don’t like me, or any idea of that, we can forget I said any of that stuff.” He sputtered out, peeling his hands off your shoulders and shoving them into his pockets. 

“Sorry, I just… you just surprised me, I-I would love to go on a date with you.” 

Relief washed over him in seconds. Letting out a small breath, he took his hands back from his pockets and took your hand into his. 

“Great, wow, this is kind of corny, huh?” He muttered with a small smile, rubbing over your knuckles with his thumb. 

Finally letting yourself relax in the moment, you smiled back. “A little bit.” You whisper. “But I think it’s a good start.” 

[durotoswrites]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Give me all the director's commentary rambling about Shy Newcomer!

Oh, wow... I don’t know if you realize the depth of what you said, haha.  My ramblings on The Shy Newcomer are probably longer than the fic itself.  I’ll stick with an overview of the basic premise/early stage drafting without any major spoilers.  If you have any questions about specific characters/chapters/arcs, lemme know.

So...

A long, long time ago... 2008, really...  (OMG TSN is going to be a teenager this year! T^T) I started writing a fic with the basic premise that the dating mechanics in the HM games make absolutely no sense.  Following someone around, giving gifts every day, and breaking into their room to talk to them every single day is really creepy in real life.

Also, I wanted to play around with the idea of, “What if that method of wooing was a huge turnoff for the target?”

The fic was only around three tropey, cliche chapters long for several years as I gave up writing for a really long time.  The basic premise was for Claire to be Gray’s stalker, who had no interest in her.  She’d spend a lot of time at the inn in the evenings, and Cliff was there as well, so she’d start to talk to him out of politeness.  

With time, her conversations with Cliff would be more genuine and she’d enjoy spending time with both of them, oblivious to Gray’s annoyance at her unrelenting visits.  Long story short, she’d end up attracting Cliff while she was trying to go for Gray.  So then, there’d be the drama of a jealous Cliff trying to get Gray to be honest with Claire and make a choice.  

Earlier drafts of the story included a direct confrontation with the two guys in their room.  Cliff was totally passive aggressive in this scene, mentioning something along the lines of “it must be nice to have a girl for each arm” or something like that.  Gray asked him what he meant by that, and Cliff went silent.  Gray then called Cliff a coward for not admitting he was jealous.

There was another scene in the draft with Cliff visiting Claire for dinner at her house and sitting outside by the river, dipping their feet in the water and watching the stars.  There was the awful cliche discussion of Claire leaning in real close and asking Cliff if he had ever been in love.  Cue awkward nodding and blushing, only for his heart to be crushed as she rambled on about how amazing she thought Gray was in this fantasy she had created of him.

Another drafted scene was Cliff coming to visit Claire, seeing the farm in disarray and Koro pacing the farm and pawing on the door of the farmhouse.  Cliff enters the house to find a heartbroken Claire, who is an absolute mess.  (Insert Cliff to the rescue scene here).

I’m so glad that I went back and overhauled the thing.  Some things are still similar, (the general love triangle), but I never really knew what my plans were beyond that at first.  This story has turned into so much more than I could’ve imagined.  Over a hundred chapters in, and I still have so much to tell.

Despite the overhaul, I know the story is still riddled with grammatical errors as I got back into writing, and there are tons of cringey moments, cliches, and places that could be improved upon.  I had set upon revamping everything, but the story’s grown so long at the point that the task is beyond daunting.  Maybe someday?  I dunno.  In a way, I kinda like seeing how much it has changed and evolved.  You can see parts where I became obsessed with semicolons, you can find the cringey stage where I wore out epithets to no end.

I honestly don’t feel like I really hit my stride until maybe the fall season in the story (around chapter 80).  It’s really hard to go back and read specific chapters out of embarrassment.  But that’s a sign of change, right?

Thanks so much for the ask, and thank you for all of your support for TSN!  Honestly, I could ramble on this fic forever.  If you have any specific questions, send me another ask! <3

Any burning questions about my writing, and want a director’s commentary?  Send me an ask! <3

[agent-of-sam]

Favorite Thor Ships: Part 1

Out of all the MCU, the Thor movies are my favorites.

It helps that I'm a multi shipper and all the women in Thor's life are awesome. So I want to do some posts about my favorite Thor ships. And I’m starting with my personal favorite: Thor/Sif.

                                                      Totally biased, I've been quietly rooting for Thor and Sif to hook up since 2011 and no matter what direction the story takes Thor x Sif will always be my favorite potential relationship.

Obviously, part of this is just because I have a massive crush on Sif, the character, and Jaimie Alexander, the actress. I love her...why?

Lady Sif is sort of the MCU equivalent of Wonder Woman, an immortal who combines strength and nobility with a sense of warmth, compassion, and emotional openness. 

She doesn't get a huge amount of screen time but comes off as an incredibly well-rounded character, especially in a genre where many female character are assigned valued based on how well they can mimic the traditional cliches of male Action Heroes.  

Sif is able to switch from playful and cocky, to stoic and serious, to gentle and supportive, depending on the situation (as benefiting a literal goddess).

In other word's, she's Girlfriend Material of the absolute highest quality! 

Beyond that, I love that she's so high-key Romantic in her feelings for Thor. Having your Badass Warrior Princess character mournfully pining as she gazes across a crowded room at her lifelong friend, her eyes brimming with unspoken feeling... it's exactly the kind of over the top, melodramatic bullshit that I love about the Asgardians and their weird alien/pseudo-Shakespearian/mythic warrior culture. 

At the same time, she's never fawning in her interactions with Thor. They banter like old friends and flirt in mid-combat. 

Sif tries to counsel him when she thinks he needs perspective or patience. 

She advocates for him when he's not around.

To me it's a very romantic set-up, a long-term friendship based on loyalty and mutual trust with the potential to develop into a very deep relationship. (Though, flipping it around, I can definitely see how female viewers might not appreciate their Super-Hero/Immortal Warrior Woman power fantasy character being portrayed, pining from the sidelines for several centuries).

Plus, their dynamic has this tropey, genderswap thing going on. A Fantasy Prince and his Loyal Female Knight. Except the Fantasy Prince is a giant Viking Immortal with a magic hammer and he and his girlfriend ride into battle side by side which is both hot and romantic to me.

Of course the downside  to Thor x Sif as a relationship (also maybe what makes it appealing)... is that it's all potential. As far as we know, Thor is either unaware of Sif's feelings or does not reciprocate. Which is weird because Thor generally comes off as a very socially/emotionally aware guy... at least in the context of Asgardian society. 

One of my favorite things about Thor is that he's confident but honest and genuine as well. He never comes off as a "ladies man" i.e someone who puts on a smooth, crafted persona specifically to interact with women. 

However, he clearly seems to be aware when women are attracted to him (Jane Foster, the woman in the subway)...so how come he doesn't seem to notice the very obvious torch Sif is carrying?

My personal headcannon for this is that they either casually dated as adolescent (whatever age that is for Asgardians) or came very close to it. But then Frigga and/or Odin stepped in, took Sif aside and basically told her to hold off because they thought she had the potential to be a good queen.

Before his time on Earth, Thor was reckless, arrogant, impulsive, and quick to violence. He wasn't ready to be a king or a committed lover. And so Sif was encouraged to do the responsible thing and wait. 

The irony being that by the time he had matured into the person he was supposed to be, he had met somebody else.

To me, there's something there that mirrors the fall of Asgard. Why not wait? They're gods after all, there's always going to be more time.

Then Thor gets banished and comes back different. He's met a mortal woman and doesn't want to be king anymore. Frigga, who Sif always thought would be her mother-in-law one day, is dead. 

Thor goes searching across the universe and then Odin sends her away from Asgard. And when she finds her way back even her home is gone. Her people live on Earth now, or at least the fraction of them that still survive after Hela, Surtur, and Thanos. 

Thor is gone again, traveling through space with a bunch of mercenaries she’s never heard of.

Maybe I'm just projecting because I want someone in-universe to mourn Asgard and everything those people must have lost in what must seem like a very short amount of time to them.

I always thought Thor x Sif had the potential to be a very stable, well-rounded couple. However, given Thor's general arc in the first two movies  it would have seemed a little off, thematically speaking, if he ended up with the immortal warrior princess/long-time friend that his parents wanted him to get with all along.

However, post-Ragnarok/Endgame I think there is a lot of dramatic/narrative potential to a romantic reunion between Thor and Sif, someone who knew him before everything started and can see how much he has changed. Maybe someone he didn't realize how much he cared for until she was gone. 

For her it's a second chance at something she thought was lost, a piece of her past that's come back damaged and different but still worth fighting for.  

--

Obviously, this is all conjecture. There's no guarantee that Sif will return in Thor 4. As a shipper part of me is hoping for it, however as a fan of her character I'm also worried about her being crammed in and either sidelined or mischaracterized by the those behind the scenes.

If she shows up in the Loki show, that's more screen time and room for character development. 

However, I'm not hugely interested in Loki's show and depending on the direction it takes I'm not sure that it will play to her strengths as a character. My dream scenario was for Sif to have her own Xena-style high fantasy adventure (with Thor showing up in a supporting role) but that’s seem very unlikely.

---

Anyway, I'm a multi shipper and I'm planning to do more of these for Thor x Valkyrie and Thor x Jane. I just wanted to get my fave out of the way first.

[gideongrace]

5 & 23 from the ace prompts 🤩

5. "I have been waiting for you my entire life." 

+

23. "You are not allowed to die first, got it?" 

Okay, this one had me stuck for like, a week. I just couldn't come up with anything for it that wasn't super cheesy and tropey and cliche. But then I just decided to be cheesy and tropey and cliche instead anyway. 

(And to everyone else that sent prompts, sorry! I did get them, I am getting to them! I just also sorta got carried away by plotting out that amnesia steve fic…)

//

Billy runs in through the front doors of the hospital at full speed, ready to roar and to scream and to tear the place apart but instead of any of that, he takes a deep breath, adjusts the strap of his duffle bag that he suddenly realizes he had no need to drag inside and looks around for the front desk. This isn't the hospital he's used to, so he has no idea where it is. 

And he can't find it.

He looks and he looks and he looks and still, he can't find it.

This isn't the hospital he's used to, he doesn't know anybody who works here and he's fresh off a really rough, really long shift. 

He hadn't even gotten to go home and shower, he'd only just stepped out the door into the bright, warm, mid-afternoon sun, taken a single, deep breath and only just decided his plan of action was he was gonna go home, shower, then maybe go surprise Steve with a pizza when he'd gotten the phone call.

And he hasn't taken a single deep breath since. He just ran straight for his car, drove all the way across town to this neighborhood he doesn't know and this hospital he doesn't know and he tries to think of everything, of anything El's ever told him about PTSD or panic attacks, stuff she's said help people calm down when they're experiencing things like that, because he's experiencing something like that right now, he's got enough sense left to know that much but none of what she's said is sticking, none of it is applicable and -

The rage he's gotten so good at tamping down boils over in his blood and swims in his skin and he feels like he's gonna scream but instead he pulls at his hair, but he only manages to grab at too-short, freshly shaved sides with not near enough left on top and he takes a breath, and he's going to scream, he's going to scream - 

But then there's a hand on his shoulder and a soft, sweet voice saying, "You need some help?" and everything in him crumbles as he turns to see a sweet-faced and tall (very, very tall) man in poorly-fitting light blue scrubs behind him. 

"Uh, yeah," Billy says, somehow managing to get the words to push out past his numb, numb lips, "do you, uh, do you know where the, uh, front desk is?"

The guy nods, shaggy brown hair falling into his big, brown eyes. (It doesn't make Billy think of anybody. It doesn't.)

"Sure," the guy says, his hand still clamped to Billy's shoulder. "I'll show you." 

He directs Billy towards a slightly labyrinthine-looking set of corridors that Billy had distinctly avoided and he does it still with his hand on Billy's shoulder, guiding him like a captain guides a ship, like he'd seen the look on Billy's face, the terror and the panic and he'd recognized it. It makes sense. El and Mike are always telling him people panicked about - about loved ones, those who really, truly care, they almost always have the same look, even if it's contained itself to just their eyes, it's always there, it's always present, that panic, that fear. And Billy guesses this guy, working in a hospital as he does, he's probably as familiar with that look as EMTs like El and Mike would be. 

"Just right here. Ellen'll help you find who you're looking for," the guy says as he deposits Billy in front of the front desk with its big, red 'reception' sign, the one Billy wishes he could've - knows he should've - found on his own. 

"Yeah, thanks," Billy says as the guy claps him on the back and wanders off, probably to help some other poor soul like the good, good dude he is. 

Ellen, the nurse behind the desk, on the other hand, looks Billy up and down appraisingly, cold green eyes assessing, assessing, assessing and clearly finding him wanting somehow. Maybe it's the rough haircut he'd given himself, maybe it's the sweatpants and grungy white tank top he's wearing, maybe it's the big, fat, homemade "Station 52" logo patch on the front of his duffle bag that Max had custom made for him. Maybe this woman hates firefighters. Maybe she can tell that he's gay, can smell it on him and maybe she's homophobic.

Or maybe, the last five percent of his brain capable of rational thought tells him, maybe that's just her face and it's not personal.

"Who're you looking for, dear?" she asks, even though she clearly thinks he's anything but dear. 

"Um, uh," he stammers and god, he hasn't been this awkward, hasn't said um and uh this much since middle school, "Steve Harrington?"

Her face tightens, her tall stack of thick gray hair wobbles just a little and Billy's stomach prepares itself for free fall, for bad news, for - 

"Alright, he's in Room 357, just on the third floor-" and she keeps going, keeps giving instructions after that, but Billy doesn't hear them, is too overwhelmed with the taste, the feeling, the rush of sheer relief that hits him with the knowledge that Steve has a room number, which means that Steve has a room, which means that Steve hasn't died in the time it took him to drive here or in the time he spent wandering, lost. It means Steve isn't in surgery and these are both very, very good things.

That surge of joy fades out with a mewling whimper after Billy gets lost another two times looking for Steve's room, as it occurs to him, What if Steve's only not in surgery because he's too weak to survive it? and, Just because he wasn't dead however many minutes ago, doesn't mean he's not dead now.

And he still can't find the room, isn't even sure he's on the right floor anymore, but there is one thing he knows for sure, one thing he knows for certain:

Whenever he sees that partner of Steve's, Dustin whatever, he's gonna tear him limb from limb, gonna tear him apart, gonna rend flesh from bone for not telling him more over the phone than, "Steve's been shot and we're at St. Mary's, you should get here like, now."

As he wanders down yet another meaningless white hallway, he feels that rage boiling again, feels like he's going to lose it again until he turns a corner and sees a row of feet all clad in plain, dark, sensible shoes and looks up to see a line of officers, most still in uniform, all sitting stuffed end over end, just one too many in a row of old, creaky, metal and ugly navy felt hospital chairs. 

He almost smiles at having finally, finally found them - because of course there's a whole crew of people waiting for his boy, of course there is, that's probably why the nurse at the front desk got so annoyed, there's at least ten people sitting and jamming up this small hallway and here he is, adding to it, but -

Then it occurs to him:

Why are all these people waiting here? 

Why are they all…

He looks around at all their faces and each and every one of them has that pinched look, that capsized-rowboat-in-the-ocean look that Mike's told him about, that panicked look that loved ones get that El's talked about, that restless, hopeless rage that he's been feeling on and off since he got that call and if -

And if they all look the same way then maybe…

Then maybe those feelings he's been feeling aren't an overreaction like the last five percent of his brain capable of hope has been hoping, praying, wishing for it to be.

That last five percent shuts down and dies a quiet, lonely death as his eyes connect with those of one of the guys sitting in the middle of the row and he sees fear there, sees panic, and sees rage there. 

He feels himself capsizing in the ocean of this near stranger's sad blue eyes and as his terror over this spreads he feels his stomach pick itself up and ready to launch at his lungs which have suddenly decided to forget what it is they're supposed to do, like they've ever had more than just the one job and now maybe they're just a little confused. 

Billy himself is a lot confused, because he and this guy just keep staring at each other and nobody is saying anything.

Why is nobody saying anything? 

Then someone comes stumbling into him from behind, saying, "Well, it certainly took you long enough," and it's Heather and the way she says it sets Billy's teeth on edge because he can't figure out her tone, can't figure out what she means and - 

She points him in the direction of Steve's room, even if it's almost right in front of him and he's grateful, really, he's grateful (he's grateful and he's terrified) as she pushes him inside, not giving him the space nor the time to chicken out or run away. 

And he lets out a sigh at the sight of Steve lying before him, lets out a sigh even as his heart ripples and creaks under the weight of his exhaustion. 

He pulls a smooth, blue, and terribly squeaky plastic chair up to Steve's good side and tries to hold his breath, tries not to smell that cloying, abrasive antiseptic smell that fills the room, tries instead to imagine Steve's favorite cologne, that woodsy, citrusy one. 

He tries not to focus on the IV in the back of Steve's hand, tries not to focus on the cannula in his nose, tries instead to think of Steve pressed up behind him in bed, of Steve's hands warm and comforting on his chest and Steve's nose pressed into his hair or the back of his neck and inhaling deeply.

He tries to ignore the thick, white, starchy-looking bandages covering Steve up from his left shoulder to his elbow, he tries to ignore the way Steve's eyes are closed and what that might mean, he tries to ignore all of that and just see Steve -

He tries to but he can't. 

"I have been waiting for you my entire life," Billy says. He grabs Steve's hand and grips it tight. "You are not allowed to die first, got it?" 

Steve surprises him by squeezing back and saying, "I'll try my best," and being an idiot and trying to sit up with a freaking bullet wound in his freaking arm.

Billy pushes him back to the bed with his free hand on his good shoulder and winds up positioned very awkwardly for a moment before Steve finally relents and lays back down.

What he says next makes it worse. 

"I'm fine, though, you know." 

Like it's nothing. Like getting shot is nothing. Billy supposes it's meant to be comforting, to be reassuring, but instead it makes Billy see red. 

"You're in the hospital." Billy tries for soft, he really does. He wants to cradle Steve's face in his hands and press sweet, quiet kisses to his lips, but instead Steve said that and now he's snarling.

"Yeah," Steve says, voice either forced calm or drugged oblivious and Billy isn't sure which, "but it's okay, it didn't hit anything vital and the doc says I'll be fine in about a month or two." 

"You're in the hospital," Billy says again, louder this time. He can feel himself growing claws and he feels overwhelmed, feels a need to claw at something, to scratch, to bite. To destroy. 

Lucky for him, this is exactly when Dustin strolls in carrying flowers and looking particularly guilty.

Unlucky for him, Dustin says, "What the hell, man? I barely got to telling you we were here and you told me you were coming and hung up. Me and Heather tried calling you back like six times and no answer. We  were just about to send someone out looking for you." 

And. 

"Oh." It's all Billy can think to say. Then, "Sorry."

But then Steve just has to pipe back in with, "See? If you'd let Dustin get to it, he'd have told you that I'm fine, too." 

And boy, is that ever the wrong thing to say because it has Billy roaring with, "You are in a hospital with a bullet in your arm, Steve, you're not fine."

And Dustin politely interjecting with, "Okay, woah, woah, nobody said anything about you being fine. There's a lot of distance between you and 'fine' right now, Steve."

Steve's eyes narrow, that medicated calm sliding from his face even as Billy sees the last drops of whatever medication they've got him on dripping down from the bag and into the IV line. 

"You literally came home with your hair singed last week," Steve says, like he thinks the fact that they both have dangerous jobs is somehow going to win him this argument. 

"Yeah, and that was just my hair! You're in the hospital!" Billy shouts. This time, he fully shouts because apparently, Steve's not going to get it unless it's screamed at him.

"And I'm fine!" 

Or maybe he's just not going to get it at all.

From the doorway, Dustin laughs and Billy is on him in a second.

"What's so funny?" he snarls but Dustin keeps laughing.

"Just…" he says, unable to stop laughing even as he's trying to speak, "Just say 'I love you' and get it over with, already, both of you."

Steve's face goes as tomato red as Billy's suddenly feels. 

But neither of them says it. Neither of them says anything. 

fic tag squad:

@a-magey @xgardensinspace @myboyfriendsteve @haxpr0cess @thinger-strang @nagdabbit @demi-don @lissieisspacey @tracy7307 @ihni @yourneighborhoodace

@harringrovetrashh

[ao3feed-bnha-girls]

Accidentally Undercover

Accidentally Undercover by Strings and Keys 97

While on patrol, Izuku and Ochaco are hit by a quirk that restores memory. Thinking nothing of it, they both continue with their lives. After all, what memories could they have lost?

But suddenly, Izuku was never quirkless.

Ochaco's parents never worked in construction.

They both realize that there's a whole lot more to their lives than they thought and what they knew before UA is not what they thought it to be.

But how did their memories get altered?

Why were they changed in the first place?

And why is the one constant in these new memories each other?

Words: 2525, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Uraraka Ochako, Midoriya Inko, Midoriya Hisashi, Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Bakugou Katsuki, Hadou Nejire, Original Characters, Class 1-A, Uraraka Ochako's Family

Relationships: Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako, Midoriya Izuku & Uraraka Ochako, Iida Tenya & Midoriya Izuku & Uraraka Ochako, Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku, Class 1-A & Midoriya Izuku, Class 1-A & Uraraka Ochako, Midoriya Izuku & Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou, Amajiki Tamaki & Hadou Nejire & Toogata Mirio, Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto

Additional Tags: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, the angst isn't really there for awhile guys, Romantic Fluff, Family Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Childhood Friends, Protective Midoriya Izuku, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, BAMF Uraraka Ochako, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Recovered Memories, Memory Alteration, Midoriya Izuku Has One for All Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Has a Fire Quirk, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, this will all make sense... evnetually, Hadou Nejire is a Good Friend, Uraraka Ochako is a Good Friend, Kirishima and Bakugou ship is there but it's small and doesn't really play until later, Self-Indulgent, this fic is so tropey and cliche but I love it so much, Good Parent Midoriya Hisashi, Good Parent Midoriya Inko, Izuku and Ochaco are dorks and are very much smitten, All for One and the League were stopped at Kamino Ward in this timeline, All Might is still retired though, Purely Self-Indulgent Fic

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32974903

[imgoingtocrash]

So I just read I fell for mantle photographs and LOVE it! And want to take you up on Pepperony fic recs you offered. I’m going to go through your previously written fics and your bookmarked on AO3 but thought I would get a head start by sending you a msg.

Thank you so much for reading my fic! I’ve been ridiculously excited to share what I’ve made this week, so seeing people enjoying so far has been awesome!

Also thanks so much for reading my other fics as well! I was in the Marvel fandom back in 2012-2014, but never ended up writing any fic for it, so it’s been fun to see how the fandom’s changed. (Also, I keep a word document instead of bookmarking things a lot, for whatever reason, so they’re not super accurate. I applaud you for looking, though.)

Onto the fic recs, of which I have many! I’m going to stick to older fics here, but feel free to ask what more recent fics I’ve read, as I have some favorites there too. I’m also going to publish this ask, so that other people that were curious can read some fun Pepperony fic in honor of Pepperony Week.

lake buddies by Quillium - Rated T

A cute little pre-meeting AU, where Pepper and Tony bond over swimming together at different points in their lives as young adults. (They’ve written other good Tony/Pepper ones as well as some good IronDad fics I’ve really enjoyed!)

Drive by roboticonography - Rated M

This fic showcases a super sexy Post-IM2 Friends With Benefits situation that turns into feelings (or always was about feelings?) Anyway, this author is one where essentially anything they write is good. I read their Steve/Peggy fic Flames We Never Lit back in the day, and was ecstatic to find out they’d written great Tony/Pepper stuff too.

Palmer’s Kiss and Mnemosyne’s Lock and Winterlight by VR_Trakowski

This author is one of the best for Tony and Pepper imo, hands down. Almost all of their fic is Pre-IM2, and despite the fact that canon went totally different ways, they have these two perfectly written to how in love they are in current canon as well. Palmer’s Kiss is a perfectly tropey Fake Married!AU, Mnemosyne’s Lock is an expert example of an Amnesia!AU (one of my favorite tropes but sometimes hard to execute), and Winterlight is a sweet Christmas fic where Tony uses the holidays to woo Pepper.

Travels (series) by pukajen - Rated M-E

Tony and Pepper get away after IM1/2/Avengers 2012. While a decent amount of the content is smut, the other half also includes them going out into various cities and learning each other in different stages of their relationship, and it’s super fun.

[More under the cut, to keep the post short.]

love is like a stubborn youth by owlvsdove - Rated T

A story that follows Tony and Pepper from their first meeting to their fifteen year anniversary. They’re both stumbling through who and what they are to each other and it’s great world-building.

Ring of Fire and Stretch Out My Life And Pick The Seams Out by NyxEtoile and OlivesAwl - Both Rated M

In Ring of Fire, Tony and Pepper go on what’s supposed to be a relaxing, sexy post-IM2 vacation. It is that, and it’s also the two of them realizing they work great together when it turns into a survival situation. The more recently written Stretch Out My Life And Pick The Seams Out, is a Post-CW fic that goes into Homecoming fic. Tony comes home from the confrontation in Siberia to Pepper, who he’s also fighting with. To fix things, your boy gets some therapy and makes good on his promises to deal from his trauma, bless.

The Most Adequate Christmas Ever by igrockspock - Rated T

I actually recognized this author from work I’d read in the Veronica Mars fandom, and this Marvel fic is just as good. It shows Tony—used to Big Ass Gestures of Affection—giving Pepper a quiet, loving Christmas.

Almost No One Makes It Out by atrata - Rated T

This AU changed my life??? It’s SUCH an interesting AU that I’m recommending it even though the Tony/Pepper herein is IM1-levels of “teased but not the explicit focus of the story”. It’s a Military AU where instead of being--to quote the author--“richer than god”, Tony uses his intelligence to go into the military, and his relationships with the characters we know and love as well as his origin story change because of it.

Secret Feelings (From Childhood) by emorosadiaz - Rated T

You may have already seen this art and be aware of this fic made for Pepperony Week 2016, but if not, it’s a Friends-From-Childhood!AU Where Tony and Pepper go from best friends forever to dating, and it’s soooo funny and cute and pure.

Nutcracker by cincoflex and VR_Trakowski - Rated T

A Ballet!AU which??? normally might not be my first choice, but it’s very sweet, well written, and wonderfully holiday filled.

Black Market Baby and They Take Apart Their Nightmares by sabinelagrande - Rated E and M

This author has all of the smutty Tony/Pepper you could want, but these pieces in particular are my favorites. I haven’t read a lot of sex worker!AU or seen a lot of “sub/dom dynamic as a way to heal from PTSD” fic before, and these fics made me believe they’re actually really great concepts I’d be interested to see more of.

How Not To Be A Cliche (series) by lettered - Rated E

I’m gonna warn you right now: that rating is there for a reason. This series, within the last fic especially, became smutty in a way that was a little squick-y for me. However, if you can power through, it’s some really great Post-IM2 smut about defining boundaries and getting to know likes and dislikes as a couple. So, yanno. Read at your own risk. (Also, it has the honor of being the first fic that’s ever given me a GOOGLE SPREADSHEET mid-fic that is 100% in context and makes sense. It just wilded me out in my decade+ of reading fic.)

Succession by amonitrate - Rated E + includes a Rape/Non-Con Warning

If you didn’t watch Dollhouse, why I liked this fic might go over your head a bit (though the author does include a basic rundown). For someone like me that really loved that show, seeing it used in this fic HOW it was used was both brilliant and terrifying. They also have some other interesting Iron Man fics, both with and without Tony/Pepper.

Between the Darkness and the Stage by marinarusalka - Rated T

Back when Pepper wearing the Iron Man armor was only a dream many fans surely had, this fic was written, showing Tony being rescued from (another) kidnapping by Pepper. He’s left with some (more) PTSD, and the IronFam works through it together upon his rescue.

All My Killers in the Street by quigonejinn - Rated T

This fic and many more AUs written by this author are kinda twisted, but it’s engaging as hell every time. Like…I don’t want this universe, but I’ll give them that it’s interesting to engage with. This one in particular is where Pepper and Stane are married pre-IM1…and so she isn’t as helpful to Tony as she is in the movie. It’s Tony/Pepper, but it’s kinda one-sided due to the nature of the plot.

Velveteen Rabbit by PutItBriefly - Tony/Pepper - Rated M

IM2 AU where Tony tells Pepper that he’s dying from Palladium poisoning. Tony’s most important take away is that he loves Pepper, and defining their relationship when he’s NOT dying anymore is a whole other story.

I hope that’s enough to keep you reading for a while! I know it took me time to get through them all. (Although, there’s NEVER enough good fic for a ship you love, lbh.) Thanks so much for reading my fic! Keep enjoying Pepperony Week!

[aquaburst3]

Some general writing advice from my years of creative writing both original works and fanfics. (Also, I’m only saying a few of these, just to keep this shorter. Might go into more depth later on.)

Keep in mind, you don’t have to heed all of these. Like all writing advice, you can ignore some of these. 

Disclaimer: I don’t have a degree in English or Creative Writing, I just took some random classes in college. Take this with a grain of salt.

Diversify your prose and sentence structure. 

Take out filler or redundant words to make the prose sound more punchy. (ie Basically, actually, there is, suddenly, etc) 

Have what I like to call “Standing in Front of Someone’s House in My Underwear Factor” within in the first couple chapters of your story. Hook in the reader right before or during a turning point or interesting part of the story, so they keep on turning the page. (For example, in FMA manga, it starts when Edward Elric is bleeding out on the floor with an arm torn off. This hooks in the reader, because it makes you wonder, “Hang on, what?! How the hell did that happen? I got read more of this to see what happens next.”) 

Focus on the core cast in the first few chapters in order to keep the story tighter. 

For the first couple chapters, limit the amount of information about the main character to the amount you would find on a profile page, such as: likes & dislikes, name, age, ethnicity, and, most importantly, their goal/motivation. 

In the first couple chapters, you want to establish tone and setting as well. 

Know when to “Show or Tell.” Usually when you are describing character’s emotions or how they see things, show. (Example: The man lumbered towards Jackson, brows furrowed.  “Hey, kid,” the man grunted, beefy arms folded over his pot belly.  “Where are you doing?” ) When you are transitioning from one scene to the next or need to give information in a quick amount of time, tell. 

Stay away from epithets (dialogue tags saying things like “the blond”). Describe the character in smaller increments within the first chapter, hitting the main details like hair, body type and things like that. After that, just use their name unless you want to put empathize on a key feature for dramatic effect. 

Along that same notion, avoid super long description paragraphs, since they can bog down the reader. 

Stay away from describing a character in a mirror or other reflective surfaces like the plague. 

Something that helps me to describe a character is comparing them to a family member or sibling, which also works for first person. Adding it into character actions works for first person as well. 

The amount you describe a character depends on their importance. If they’re a main character, you can describe them in more detail when they’re first introduced. If they are a minor or background character, only a couple descriptors would be good enough. 

Try not to describe the POV character doing actions they wouldn’t see themselves doing like blushing. Instead try describing it in a way how the character would “feel it.” (Saying, “My cheeks heated up,” vs, “I blushed.”) This doesn’t apply as much to things like smirking, smiling, frowning, quirking a brow or wiggling a brow, since you can feel yourself doing those actions. 

You don’t need any fancy tags with adverbs or use random words you find in a thesaurus. Just say “said” or “asked” for regular dialogue. If a character is really yelling or whispering, only use that word only then.     

Everything in a novel should serve a purpose. If an element or scene adds nothing to the story, scrap it. (Only do this during the second or third draft) 

If there are two characters that are very similar to one another, it’s better to combine them or scrap one of them all together. Having two very similar characters would make the story more muddled and you don’t want that. 

Characters should always be active and want something. No, not want. Desire something and will do anything to get it. But in order to get it, they have to overcome a lot of obstacles and struggle along the way. 

Good way to add a character arc is “want vs need.” Your character wants one things, but needs something else. 

Having a villain with a sob story isn’t necessary. Sometimes it’s more effective to have more monstrous characters, who had good upbringings that are still evil (like Gaston or Light Yagami) or have good intentions, but went about about it the wrong way (Verin from The Dragon Prince). 

A good way to humanize the mentor, keeping from seeming like a paragon with infinite expository wisdom rather then a character, is by having them make the same mistake as the person in the past, but they learnt from it. (For example, Iroh was once a general, who only cared about power. It wasn’t until his son died that he saw the error of his ways. Iroh tries to make Zuko realize the same thing throughout his journey.) Another is giving them a character arc or have flaws themselves. (Think Kamina from Gurren Laggan or Arataka from Mob Psycho.) 

Make sure your character’s motivations are clear and understandable. Not in the sense that they need to be sympathetic, but in that you can see the logic behind their choices. For example, while characters like Dexter Morgan, Aang and The Joker have varying degrees of sympathy, you understand why they make the choices that they do and their motivations. If you don’t do this, it’s an easy way to make your audience turn into that reaction picture of Winnie the Pooh looking at a page in confusion. 

If you imagine a character being white, write them like that. If you imagine a character being apart of a marginalized group (POC, LGBT, etc), even when you’re not apart of that group yourself, write them like that. However, if you choose to add diversity of any kind into your work and you are not apart of that group, do proper research, be self aware and make sure it's done respectfully. Using and listening to feedback from “Sensitivity Readers” or beta readers from that group will help you out a lot. Adding a character from any marginalized group for the hell of it, or worse, for "Woke Points," without knowing anything can also really backfire. 

One of the best ways to avoid cliche or tropey characters, at least for me, is getting inspired by people you know.  Think about other people in your life, whether they are friends, schoolmates, co workers or even people you know in passing and use them as inspiration for your characters. Just make sure that if you do that you do so respectfully and add in different traits to separate them the actual person.

Watch some writing advice videos on YouTube. Some great ones on the top of my head are: Hello Future Me, ShaelinWrites, Alexa Donne and Terrible Writing Advice (who has the funniest sponsorship bits I’ve seen from any YouTuber.) 

[dewitty1]

Chapters: 23/23 Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Mature Warnings: Underage Relationships: H/D, AS/S Characters: Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Albus Severus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy, Lily Luna Potter, James Sirius Potter, Ginny Weasley, Astoria Greengrass, Luna Lovegood, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Rose Weasley, Hugo Weasley Additional Tags: Suicide Attempt, Teen Angst, Mpreg, Veela, Cliche, Accidental Bondage, HP: Epilogue Compliant, Novel, Underage Sex, Bottom Harry, Bottom Draco, Switching Series: Part 26 of Mab’s Harry/Draco fic

Summary:

Harry has been seeing Luna, Mind Healer, for twelve years. Recently his repressed homosexuality resurfaces in a way that turns his world and his family upside down. Epilogue compliant

Notes: I wrote this fic about 7 years ago as a challenge to myself to write a novel-length fic. As a bit of a joke, and to make the process easier, I decided to throw as many fandom tropes and cliches into the mix as I could manage. Kinda shake things up and make learning how to write a process that I could just have fun with. I am now, a little ashamed of having fallen into the trap that many, many new fanfic writers do: female character bashing. Looking back, I think I had realized my error partway through and tried to salvage the plot and Ginny’s character in particular, but my fix was to throw another female character unnecessarily under the bus.Having said that, I do not regret writing this fic. I have grown leaps and bounds as a writer largely because of having taken this project on and successfully completing it. I’m more aware now of the problematic areas I hadn’t recognized in the past and largely, the plot with mental illness struggles, ending of relationships and the emotional impact that comes from it, struggling with suicidal ideation personally or having a family member in that position - were included as a sort of self-therapy. Writing about these subjects by putting them into a fanfiction perspective creates the distance I needed to be able to see them from a ‘big picture’ perspective and to work out my own grief/trauma responses from events in my own life. This fic represents healing for me and second chances and is not executed on any sort of “professional level”. I don’t write fanfiction in order to build my skills in preparation of becoming a “professional” writer; I do it because it’s the only method I have found that gives me mastery of my own thoughts and feelings and it helps me become a more caring and mature person.

Excerpt:

“You look really hot when you smile,” he said, disbelieving the words as they came out of his mouth.

“You look really hot when you’re embarrassed,” Draco said running his hand through his hair once more, letting it fall back into its just-been-shagged look.

“Fuck,” Harry said looking over at Draco as if seeing him for the first time. “This is more like it, the whisky I mean.” He downed the rest of his shot and set the glass on the table.

Draco shrugged and did the same.

“You know, Potter, I always fancied you back at Hogwarts,” he said, nonchalant.

“No you didn’t,” Harry insisted. “You hated me, you always insulted us, tried to get us in trouble. Hell, you even joined the wrong side of the war because you hated me so much.”

“That’s really what you think, isn’t it?” Draco asked, tapping the arm of his chair with his fingertips.

“Yeah, that’s really how it is,” Harry said, suddenly confused. “How can you even joke about fancying me back then? I thought you’d grown up.”

“Oh, I have, Potter. I’m a lot bigger now than I was then. My eyes are open to the realities of the world, but I’ve fancied you since the day you refused to take my hand in friendship. You were the first person to ever refuse me anything, and I wanted you.”

Harry gulped, “Well, why weren’t you nicer then? You have to admit you were a fucking racist bastard back then. That wasn’t any way to go about impressing me.”

Draco shrugged. “I did what I was raised to do, Potter. I started coming to my senses sixth year, but—” he shuddered, “—I was already in too deep. I don’t want to talk about the past though; we can talk about that some other time.”

Harry shrugged, unstoppering the bottle and pouring himself another splash. He held the bottle up to Draco, as if to ask if he’d like some as well, and Draco nodded, holding out his glass for Harry to pour. “In for a knut, in for a Galleon.”

“What’s that you’re saying?” Harry asked drinking down the whole of his glass.

Draco downed his as well. “I’m drinking the same amount as you are to even the score, Potter. It’s spiked with Veritaserum. If you’re going to be honest with me, then you may as well realise that I’m being just as honest as you are.”

Harry stared at him aghast. “Don’t you serve anything that’s not spiked?”

Draco barked his laughter. “Potter, I entertain gay Muggle men. I want to know when I’m being lied to. It’s become a bit of a habit, but this is the first time I’ve drunk alongside.”

“What do you want?” Harry asked, growing suspicious.

“I want your body, naked, sprawled across my bed,” Draco said, without a hint of sarcasm. “What do you want, Harry?”

***

This fic is full of tropes,and does contain some Ginny bashing as the Notes I included say, but it’s still a fun,  smutty, if also tropey, ride, that you may just enjoy if you check it out. Xo  😊💗 Carey