#it's clear who my favorites are in teen wolf lol

[teecupangel]

Hey, what you think about Desmond in Teenwolf universe? Like him working there in bar and eventually help gang with supernatural problems(because well he can fight and doesn't want these teenagers die?)

Oh, man. I was into Teen Wolf years ago so let’s see what we can do with this one.

First of all, we’ll put Desmond in the gap between Season 1 and 2. Why?

Because he’s there to investigate the killings of Season 1. It’s a personal thing.

Well…

It’s connected to Ratonhnhaké:ton because his Bleed of Ratonhnhaké:ton makes him believe that there is something familiar with the way those people were killed by a ‘wild animal’.

He’s not sure if it’s related to a POE though but it’s worth investigating (we will also be moving the timeline of Teen Wolf so S1 happened in 2013 instead of 2011 and this is after Desmond saves the world from the Solar Flare)

The real reason why he’s there though is because he’s supposed to be hiding. After his attack on Abstergo’s Rome facility, Interpol has been on his tail so he needs to lay low for a bit.

We’re also placing him between S1 and S2 so there’s some time for him to integrate himself to the plot. Specifically, he’s working in the Jungle where the problematic teenagers would get themselves in trouble later when the hunt of the Kanima starts.

That’s also when he becomes entangled with the plot because he’s been researching about the ‘new’ killings happening all around Beacon Hills and, Jesus Christ on a pogo stick, there were a lot of reds calling themselves ‘hunters’.

Desmond has a feeling that something more was going on.

In this one, Desmond actually spots the teenagers as they enter Jungle because he’s been a bartender long enough to spot problems (and Jungle doesn’t want problem, especially since being a gay club means they’re not unused to some… annoying flies) so he pats the other person working the bar with him, which is a silent signal that he was going to switch to being the teenage bouncer and give their actual bouncer another scolding (seriously, he doesn’t care if sweet boy Danny is planning to graduate early or whatever, he’s still in highschool)

Then he feels it.

Something about these teenagers that alerts him. A ghost of a Bleed from Ratonhnhaké:ton…

And then the Kamina attacks and all hell breaks loose.

Unorganized Notes:

Would absolutely push himself into Derek’s little pack because he sees the cool front that Derek is showing and calls bullshit on it. He doesn’t know they’re werewolves yet but he knows something is up and Derek’s pack has information. Caring for the pack later on was not the plan.

He sees Erica, Boyd and Isaac as recruits in need of care. Derek is annoyed with him though because he keeps butting in to tell him to be nicer or to explain it more and- Desmond has no idea what a Stiles is but he’s probably being insulted, the asshole.

He does learn what a Stiles is because Stiles annoyed him by visiting the club repeatedly. The Drag Queens love him and has adopted him and has band together to stop Desmond from throwing his underage ass out.

Stiles is the one who spills the whole werewolf hunter thing because he thought Desmond’s strange mannerism (“It reminds me of my dad but like… more spec ops?” “You play too many video games, squirt.”) might mean he’s a hunter.

Oh and Stiles being in the club a lot? Yeah. Sheriff Stilinski gets into this whole mess because he’s sus of Desmond. It doesn’t help that Desmond has been teaching Stiles a few tips of how to fight (“Why… why do you know that you should kick off the tail lights of a car if you’re inside the trunk?” “My dad’s a cop, dude. I know how to shoot too. Wanna see?” “With your flailing limbs? Nah, I’m good”)

Desmond is an annoying older brother to both Derek and Stiles. The pack loves him for it.

Scott thinks he’s cool too but he’s a bit wary of him since he’s close to Derek. He’s also worried that he’s being used to pull Stiles to Derek’s pack.

But that’s not really Desmond’s problem at the moment because the Bleed of Ratonhnhaké:ton he’s been ‘feeling’?

That’s because Ratonhnhaké:ton has confronted werewolf hunters before. To be more exact, the Argents during his time in France. Arno Dorian is actually the one who got the wrath of the Argents but that extends to the Brotherhood in general.

The Argents are not Templars but they definitely don’t like the Brotherhood. And Gerard Argent? He has a feeling an Assassin is snooping around their hunting ground. It’s only a matter of time before he finds the rat.

[hollymbryan]

Blog Tour: Top 5 Reasons to Read SWEET NIGHTMARE by Tracy Wolff! #tbrbeyondtours

Welcome to Book-Keeping and my stop on the TBR and Beyond Tours blog tour for Sweet Nightmare by Tracy Wolff, the first book in the new Calder Academy series! This one released yesterday, so you can snag it ASAP! I've got all the details for you below, plus my top 5 reasons to read it. If you're a fan of YA paranormal, you're gonna love this one!

About the Book

title: Sweet Nightmare author: Tracy Wolff publisher: Entangled Teen release date: 7 May 2024

The scariest school on earth Is about to experience real fear… Most schools are about being the best. This school? It’s about being the worst. Calder Academy is where the rogue paranormals go. The ones who break the rules or lose control. And when that happens for vamps, werewolves, witches, and dark fae? It gets pretty freaking scary. I should know. Because I’m trapped here. Look, every seventeen-year-old girl thinks their mom is a tyrant. But mine just happens to run Calder Academy, which paints a giant target on my back. The way I make it through these dark halls is by steering clear of the things―and kids―who go bump in the night. Especially Jude Abernathy-Lee. But when a freak storm hits our isolated island, I’m stuck without a backup plan. The power is gone. The lights are out. And our worst nightmares are suddenly real―and out for blood. Now the only way to survive is to align myself with one evil to avoid the other. And the only thing worse than the idea of getting close to Jude? Secretly loving every minute of it.

Add to Goodreads: Sweet Nightmare Purchase the Book: Amazon | B&N | Bookshop.org

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Tracy Wolff is a lover of vampires, dragons, and all things that go bump in the night. A onetime English professor, she now devotes all her time to writing dark and romantic stories with tortured heroes and kick-butt heroines. She has written all her sixty-plus novels from her home in Austin, Texas, which she shares with her family.

Connect with Tracy: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Top 5 Reasons to Read

Sweet Nightmare evokes all the feelings of the old glory days of paranormal YA books! ANY fan of YA paranormal is going to want to read this one asap.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Okay, so I don't think there was actually a bear shifter...and not lions or tigers, but definitely other big cats with two leopard shifters! This book has alll the great paranormal creatures plus some I'd not seen before: vampires, fae, wolf shifters, mermaids, sirens, even manticores (no, I did not know what they were until this book, lol).

Clementine has a difficult relationship with her family, but there is so much found family here that it just warmed my heart. it's one of my favorite tropes, and the Calder Academy students came together for each other in the most difficult of circumstances.

Clementine and Jude have the most adorable friends-to-lovers relationship! My favorite thing about them is how Jude calls her by the name of every citrus fruit so she calls him by the name of Beatles songs, ahhhh it's just too sweet!

Although this is YA, Tracy is not at all afraid to put her characters in dangerous situations and make them, even as teens, work through it. These kids are put through the wringer! She does not shy away from the gore and even death such situations would bring either, which I personally would have loved as a teen reader myself.

Seriously, if you're at all a fan of YA paranormal books, including Tracy's Crave series and older standards like Twilight, pick this one up!

Check out the Bookstagram tour as well! My post can be found here, and the full schedule is here.

[bibaybe]

i'll ask you things!

2, 14, 19, 23, 27, 41, 49, 50

hell yeah thank you my savior!!

2. Of the ones you've written, what's your slowest slowburn? How slow is it?

technically unwritten most of my ocs are lmao. but bay and leo are definitely the slowest! they don't get together until the trials of apollo series and they meet pretty early on in the lost hero. there's - at the very least, given i haven't decided which book they get together in - 6 books before they get together.

14. Are there any relationship dynamics/tropes you want to write in the future, but haven't yet?

i want to write more breakups! i've realized lately that most of my ocs only have one relationship during the course of their whole story, and i want to start exploring breakups and the dynamics after, along with the different reasons people might break up.

but hey, you ever want to see what kind of dynamics i want to explore in future characters, feel free to check out my future character inspo playlist!

19. Pick a work/fandom you've written for. If your couple didn't end up together, who would they get close with with instead?

omg OKAY i was just thinking about this lmao originally willow, my teen wolf oc, was supposed to be a liam ship!! so if willow wasn't head over heels for stiles, she'd definitely had a crush on him, but bc of her will-they-won't-they with stiles, she and liam end up having more of a sibling relationship when she makes it clear she isn't interested

23. Do you think you idealize relationships in fiction, or are your depictions grounded in reality? How often do your characters make mistakes?

lmao i definitely tend to idealize them, which i'm trying to change! my characters tend to be very emotionally healthy, but that isn't super realistic lol. my characters make mistakes pretty often, though some certainly make more than others

27. Do you have any characters who are hopeless romantics? How do they interact with the story?

willow! she's a secret hopeless romantic, but she hides it most of the time. for most of the story, she's getting used to the concept of really being loved, platonically and family-wise, and dealing with a seemingly unrequited crush, so it's not until season 5 that we really get to see her outwardly express her hopeless romantic tendencies. she really wants true love and will devote herself to the people she loves, but this is really shown when stiles kills donovan in s5 and she barely blinks before keeping his secret, no questions asked. all she wants is the same in return, and she gets that with stiles.

41. Who's your most repressed/oblivious character? Who's your most aware character? What makes them different?

carter is probably my most oblivious character while emika is definitely the most repressed. carter is oblivious in a romantic sense bc she tends to notice george's hints, but she convinces herself they're just friendly advances while emika has repressed most of her feelings due to trauma and it takes a long time for her to start exploring her emotions and allowing herself to feel them.

rika and ruby are probably the most aware of their feelings, but in different ways. ruby is extremely good at reading people and using that to manipulate them, and while rika is similar in that aspect, she's also very emotionally aware and is forever burying her feelings in order to survive the borderlands.

49. What's your favorite relationship dynamic that you've seen in another work of fiction? Has this influenced your writing at all?

PERCY AND ANNABETH CHASE. willow and stiles have been influenced by them so much - the devotion to each other, the willingness to go to hell for each other - they're the fucking blueprint. i can only aspire to write a relationship so well. they're everything to me.

50. Free space! Brag on yourself! Advertise your writing! What are you most proud of recently?

screaming i haven't posted anything in forever help.... OKAY went through my drabbles and this is probably my favorite thing i've posted! it's about jordan and will's first kiss and i really like how i wrote the kiss itself -

Instead, Jordan pushes himself up and Will meets him in the middle, noses bumping as they tilt their heads, trying to get the right angle. Jordan giggles at the absurdity of it all but is cut off but Will’s lips pressing against his own. Jordan’s body crackles with electricity as their lips move slowly, uncertainly, against each other. His ADHD brain latches onto the feeling of Will’s hands, slack against his shoulder, pinkie rubbing his skin lightly. Every inch of him begs him to move closer, to touch him in some way, but he holds himself back, focusing instead on memorizing how their lips fit together, the chapped skin digging into his lips in a way that sends delighted shivers through his body. 

idk its just sweet and he's pining so hard and for someone whose never been in a relationship, i like to think i did a good job lmao

thanks so much for asking!! loved answering these :)

ask game / ask me!

[iamnotawomanimagod]

yayy you watched yellowjackets 💕💕 if you don't mind me asking.. do you already have fave characters /ships?

Sorry I left this waiting for a bit! I actually wanted to watch a second time before I answered, haha.

I'm SO obsessed with Yellowjackets, I've been thinking about it so much since I finished it. It only took me two days to mainline all ten episodes, and I was hooked from the very first scene. So thank you for posting about it, because if you (and a few others) hadn't, I never would've discovered it!

It's so hard to choose a favorite character, I love them all so much. They're all so compelling, and fucked up, and strangely likeable despite all of their very evident flaws. Even with how manipulative and single-minded they can all be, I still feel so much for them because of everything they went through as teens, and because the actresses (the adult versions and teen versions) are doing such an incredible job of making their characters believable.

My heart is telling me that Natalie is my favorite. I've always had a soft spot for jaded alternative girls (Octavia Blake, Effy Stonem, Nico Minoru, Rue Bennett - the list is endless) and I feel like Natalie is so tragically lovable. Getting to see that horrible bit of backstory about her home life, and her father's death, just made it so painfully clear why Nat was messed up before she even got on that plane. It makes who she becomes as an adult all the more understandable, and heartbreaking.

And yet, I think she manages to (at least, so far as the story stands post s1 and pre s2) maintain her levelheadedness, kindness, and compassion in places where the other girls resort to impulse, cruelty, and carelessness, especially when it comes to the way they all deal with their grief after the crash. Plus I just love a burnout druggie character, y'all. They hit me where I live, and when it's done well, I'm pretty much doomed to love that character regardless. (Let's not examine the "why" of that one too closely, lol.)

That being said, I still love all of the others. I don't really have anyone I truly dislike. The closest might be Misty, but I love how batshit insane she is, and how chaotic her character is, because it adds a lot more tension and conflict. But she's definitely the character I'd want to like, kick it with the least. I hope we find out more about Van, Lottie, Mari, and Akilah next season. I really like the core four, but I'm also very curious about the others who were in the crash.

In terms of ships, only a small amount of time in the Yellowjackets tags tells me that my tastes are very common. I LOVE Shauna/Jackie (god the angst and pain and absolute heartbreak,) really loved seeing Taissa/Van (the whole wolf incident + everything that happened after was so horrible and then so touching,) and have a very fun time imagining Natalie/Misty (adult versions) as a very chaotic couple.

I can't wait until s2, I feel so bad for everyone who has had to wait this long. I don't know how I'm going to manage with one episode a week! This show was unbelievably binge-able and such a wild ride, from moment one to the very end.

Thanks for the ask! I can't wait to chat with you about s2 soon!!

[imreallyloveleee]

ok my braindump on Yellowjackets (just under a cut bc it’s long)

- Christina Ricci is my absolute favorite thing to watch on this show. what a fun and creepy and weird performance. no notes. (though, sidenote, before i actually watched the show and had only seen GIFs, i 100% thought she was playing the adult version of Ella Purnell, because they both have that “disproportionately large eyeballs” thing going on. when they showed her “Misty” nametag in the pilot i was like “oh so Jackie changed her name” lolol)

- Juliette Lewis is also fantastic. my heart just aches for Natalie. even though they’re not that physically similar, i think the teen/adult actors do such a good job syncing their performances. out of all the survivors, it’s least clear to me what role she might fill in regard to the forest cult that seems to be forming (though as an adult she sounds like one of the skeptics), and that’s very intriguing. please see previous post for my thoughts on her hair, which seems to be emerging from her skull already bleached.

- that said, the romance with Travis doesn’t really work for me...i think it’s that the actor playing him is pretty flat. he's a straight-up dick to her at times but on the other hand he a) saw his father die pretty horrifically and b) was sexually assaulted and almost murdered by a pack of feral teen girls so like...he is arguably having one of the rougher times out there, and he’s a 16-yr-old boy so of course he doesn’t know how to manage those emotions in a productive way. i think that would come across better with a stronger actor, here he does just sort of come off as dickish.

- now is where i admit that i find Shauna incredibly boring in both timelines. granted, you do need someone more grounded than Misty or Natalie as the center of the show. but i have seen so much chatter about how incredible Melanie Lynskey is, and while i do think she’s a very good actor...almost nothing about adult Shauna compels me. idk. her scenes are the ones where i usually find my attention drifting. teen Shauna is boring too. it’s also funny to me that there was apparently SO MUCH speculation about who Adam was over the weeks, because watching it all in one go, it never really occurred to me to think he was anything other than...some guy she rear-ended. all that said, her pregnancy is definitely one of the most horrifying things about the wilderness timeline to me. in all honesty i think that will probably result in a stillbirth, given the lack of sustenance they’re all going to face through the winter. but generally not looking forward to the resolution on that lol.

- Taissa falls somewhere in between for me. i find her VERY compelling in the wilderness timeline. she’s much more proactive than the other girls, and i’m extremely interested to see whether she ends up emerging as the leader of rationalists in opposition to Lottie’s occultism, or - maybe she eventually challenges Lottie as leader, and Taissa is the actual Antler Queen we see in the pilot? in the present, the freaky occult stuff that’s going on with her is interesting too - like that shot where you realize she’s the woman in the tree! ahhh! but i felt like there were too many endless scenes of her worrying about her campaign, and it was so strange to me that her wife was constantly complaining “you’re never around! you’re always on the job!” and yet we NEVER see her with a single campaign staffer until the finale? i’m going to assume it was a covid/budget issue but felt off and very repetitive. that discovery of her little shrine at the end of the season suggests there’s lots of room for things to get really wild and creepy with her though.

- i love Van, we all love Van, i’ll be psyched if she’s revealed to still be alive in the present, but: no way she would have survived that wolf attack. and the idea that they would have been able to stitch up her face like that is absurd. immediately after the attack, you could see her teeth and her jaw; part of her cheek was missing. you could not accomplish that kind of surgery on her face without skin grafts. i’m also not 100% sure whether i buy that she would be one of the first to go all-in on being a Lottie follower but i’m more than willing to see how they develop it.

- Lottie is interesting but would be much more interesting if they gave her some personality traits other than “clairvoyant.” like right now it’s very tough to get a read on whether she’s sort of accumulating these followers intentionally or not...it would be nice to know more of her backstory so you could get a sense of like - is this someone like Misty, who is seizing their chance to play a different role in the group than she did back in the real world? or is this all more incidental than that? psyched to learn that she’s still alive in the present though!! 

- gotta admit that were i to ever end up in this situation i would absolutely be the Jackie, who is completely helpless at survival skills, uninterested in learning them, and mostly contributes by being like “ok but a seance would be so dope!!” i was surprised that she died this early on in the story, but i liked the symbolism, and i suspect it’s the right decision story-wise, because i don’t know that there were actually a lot of different ways for that character to grow? anyway RIP, she didn’t deserve it. i hope she comes back as a ghost, this show could use more ghosts.

- one thing that drove me CRAZY about the finale was that girl Allie chairing the class reunion after they explicitly stated in the pilot that she was a freshman. what is this, Riverdale? and it’s extra annoying because a “i was supposed to be there too!!” character trying to capture a piece of the attention for herself feels so spot-on, but they kind of ruined it by making her so cartoonish (that accent! where did it come from!?)

- overall, i’m really enjoying the show, but find it slightly lacking because of how much hype i’ve seen around it (both online and from friends IRL). i think it’s like, maybe 10% less smart than people are giving it credit for, and a lot of the dialogue is pretty clunky. the performances are what save it. but, i’m intrigued and excited for next season!

[thebigoblin]

2021 Fic Year In Review

Thanks for the tag @greyhavenisback and @radio-chatter!

*

Total Number Of Completed Works:

102 on AO3. I crosspost between Tumblr and there so I'm pretty sure that's all of the fics I've written this year (which is actually my first year publishing fanfics!!!) Oh, wait, make that 103 because of the Sterek Secret Santa fic that hasn't been revealed yet!

Total Word Count:

*checks stats* It's a whopping 165, 447 words!! Including the SSS fic.

Looking Back, Did You Write More Fic Than You Thought You Would This Year, Less, Or About What You’d Expected?

Definitely more. Way, way more. Like, I just wanted to write because Ideas, you know, that kept knocking at my brain to be let out. And I did let them out and now here we are. Wow. I'm feeling incredible right now 😂

Fandoms I’ve Written In:

Teen Wolf, MCU, 911 Show, Supernatural and BBC Merlin. Tho maximum fics are for a certain Sourwolf and Spark ♡

Most Popular Story Of The Year?

By both Hits & Kudos: Hidden Treasure (MCU)—it is so bad though ohmigod and it has 10k hits. What the ever loving fuck. But also, I get the appeal 😂 any and all "Peter Parker gets embarrassed by his adoptive family aka The Avengers and his classmates find out he is Spider-Man/find out how he is a well-loved BAMF" are top-tier, tbh.

What’s Your Own Favorite Story Of The Year?

Hmm, let me think. Orbit (yours is the only one i'd follow) is probably my favorite. It's just me sort of being introspective on the various romantic relationships, with Stiles' POV. I especially love my Petopher one:

Peter and Chris are like gunpowder and a match, waiting to touch and to spark; Stiles doesn’t know who is who, all he knows is that they are two people who are meant to be in the same circles. On the exact opposite sides, maybe, but always with a path laid out for them to trace back to the other one.  

Like a never-ending path of love. More than love; family, hate, trust, respect.  

Peter and Chris have covered everything, and now they’re on the same side, in each other’s reach but still their own person as they move forward.  

Do You Have Any Fanfic Or Profic Goals For The New Year?

Keep writing? Yeah, that's one. Get the @sterek-roundrobinchallenge to be a successful Sterek event, that's another. And I'm planning on trying to do the 24 Fics in 24 Hours thing [edit: I linked their masterpost] that @bleep0bleep did... it looks pretty interesting. But I'll limit myself to just writing Sterek. (Can you tell they're my OTP by now? Lol). But I'll do that in like... May 2022. Maybe. Who knows? Not me. But it's nice to dream.

Did You Take Any Writing Risks This Year?

Yup, sure did. I joined the @stereksecretsanta challenge, which was fun, but risky given that this is my first year writing and the deadline... oooof. Glad to have been done on time, tho. I'm just hoping now that my Giftee likes their gift <3

Oh, also, I wrote Thiam-centric fics. One or two, I think. I don't think I have a clear grasp on them yet, or it's like, I am not used to writing them. So writing them anyways was a risk.

Story Of Mine Most Under-Appreciated By The Universe, In My Opinion:

Lmao, Idk? No wait I lied. I'm definitely of the opinion that my fic We Honor The Dead by Fighting For The Living is severely underrated. I had a lot of fun coming up with the Legend! I actually really love this fic. I just wish more people would too :(

Most Fun Story To Write:

The fic mentioned just above.

Most Unintentionally Telling Story:

Uhhh, maybe all? Like in the way that I'm still forming my opinions on things that are not fanfic/fandom stuff, so I don't actually have many personal character headcanons—like, I don't have a favorite genre/artist of songs, neither do any of my characters etc. Stuff like that.

Biggest Disappointment:

The Song Challenge that nobody did except me and @deepestbelieverstranger 🙃 sooo I might've deleted the blog.

Biggest Surprise:

Meeting so many cool people on here and not being so socially inept that I ignored them in my anxiety 😂 but uhh in fic things, probably being able to hate a character—S*ott McCall—so, so much. Because while watching the show in 2020 I hadn't like... picked up on all the shitty things he did? I just didn't like him I knew that, because he literally told Derek in S1 that his family deserved to die, and the S2 Finale Bite Rape obviously. But that was disliking S*ott. Now I actively hate him. The canon version, anyways.

My Favorite Part Of Fandom This Year:

Meeting all the amazing people and being able to just share my love for these characters from a decade old growly-dramatic-over-the-top show ♡ Sure, there're always a group in all fandoms that's just here to rile others up and be Trolls, but I think the Teen Wolf fandom that I've talked to/interacted with are good. Most of them. And it's really nice because I've heard a lot of horror stories, too.

*

Okay, so that's it! This got sooo long lmao. 🤣🤣 Anyways, I'm tagging the following people (No pressure):

@deepestbelieverstranger @ilovepeachystuff @novemberhush @steve-x-bucky @veryprecisehans @elisela @raisesomehale @ronni-right @ash-mcj @nutellarghh @fairytales-and-folklore @princecharmingwinks @eusuntgratie @sheetghsts @pray-for-sound and anyone else who wants to play!!! Open Tag <3

[boxoftheskyking]

It’s my birthday so I’m doing a fun thing

Stolen from @deputychairman​ bc it looks like a good time and I miss writing

List the first lines of your last 20 stories. See if there are any patterns and choose your favorite opening line!

(I’m not counting my little Tumblr fills)

There are bodies in the creek bed.  (Pick Up Every Piece, The Untamed, 2021 WIP)  I dig it. Economical, sets up the recurring image, sets up a question

It’s meant to be redemption, or at least a chance in that direction. (Something Good, The Untamed, 2020) A little clumsy, but I also tend to start with a series of short sentence so it’s better in context. Does set up the question.

He does still love life on the road, even after three years. (Something for Yourself, The Untamed, 2020) Pretty straightforward, not super hooky

Nina doesn’t expect to arrive on deck first. (Continue to Continue, Six of Crows, 2020, WIP) Man, I do have a pattern of short little establishing lines

On a typically cold early morning in October, Daryl talks to himself. (A Man Asks for Help, Letterkenny, 2018) I do like this one. It’s followed with an “Or, rather” which I slightly regret, but I do like this fic

PLEASE BE ADVISED, the notice on the door to the mess hall reads in clear red print. (The Mountains and Hills Before You, Star Wars, 2018) Good setup of a question, if not the central question

Steve, if pressed, would say that they are fine. (Fourth of July, Stranger Things, 2018) I like this bc it feels very evocative and also Steve is always pressed poor thing

Caleb would never hurt him. (Ye Shall Receive, Turn, 2017) aw I miss Caleb and Ben. I think there’s some good tension here. Again with the choppy little babies.

Ben comes back to see him off, which he appreciates. (The Sticking Place, Turn, 2017) I do so much “clause,” comma “which”—I gotta work on that 

“I don’t like it.” (Resurrection, Turn, 2017) I mean, typical.

“One month,” says Jesper, kissing Marya’s knuckles. (Delay, Six of Crows, 2016) I mean he’s a sweet lil boy, and it does set up a question

The guy who comes into the pub looks every inch like a potential client. (The One Where There’s a Kid, Leverage, 2016) This one I was trying to do as similar to an episode in my style, which was very to the point and script-like, not much emotion

Adam wakes up on Saturday morning in his own bed, which is the first disturbing thing. (Friday, Raven Cycle, 2016) Nice setup of a question and also a recurring image. Nice use of “disturbing” since that’s the overall tone of the piece lol

The crack of the bat is the first sound of summer. (Summertime, Teen Wolf, 2012-2016) Boom, bam, classic, doesn’t get better than that, ultimate my-style opening. THIS IS IT

It’s a Resistance-friendly bar, one that attracts all sorts but the fights are never too bad and the drinks are probably not poisonous. (Interlude: In Flashback, Star Wars, 2016) mehhhh too long and not hooky enough

Poe and Snap were gone a month longer than planned this time, narrowly avoiding capture on a sparsely populated planet hardly bigger than a moon. (An Old Song, 2016) It’s decent setup but I wish it gave more preview of the tone of the piece you’re about to read. 

“It’s not going to show us the actual future though, right?” Blue sounds more hesitant than Adam expected. (Impossible Things, Raven Cycle, 2015) This was so long ago! I so rarely actually start with dialogue, which is wild bc that’s like all I ever write.

Two weeks after the funeral, Calla sends everyone out of the house on various contrived errands. (Dissertation: in fragments, Raven Cycle, 2015) I kind of wished I’d started this with a line from the dissertation out of context to knock the reader a little off kilter

“No, no, no, no.” (A Thousand, Thousand Years, Raven Cycle, 2015) Suits this fic, actually, quite well.

"What's on the docket, Wonderboy?" (Wonderboy, Maze Runner, 2014) I think it’s classic, it works, it’s hooky, not overthought

[usermischief]

One of my favorite Steo scenes is where Theo shamelessly admits “I came for Void Stiles!” and then points out that Stiles never needed Scott anyway. And Stiles doesn’t even bother to contradict him because he knows it’s true.

Oooooh, that scene. Oh dear, that scene is

That scene... you have no idea how much joy I feel whenever I watch it. It's such a great scene. There is so much going on. It's one of the Steo scenes on the show for me for multiple reasons. 

Like, damn. I have so much to say about it. 

This question made my Sunday evening, so please, excuse the rambling (and going slightly off topic). Holy crap, I have a lot of thoughts, and I will write them down. But I'll do it under the cut.

I mean this scene starts with Theo being offended that Stiles ruined his plan. Seriously, he’s so bitter that he went through all this trouble, putting the blame on himself and convincing the sheriff that he’s the one who killed Donovan (without consequences, I might add). That’s some aggressive wooing right there. lol

Okay, no, but now on a more """serious""" note. I find it a super interesting choice that Stiles is the one that gets the villain monologue, you know? Because usually it’s the hero of the show. When everything is dire, the villain has the upper hand, and the hero is all alone, the villain puts their cards on the table. You’d expect he’d do it when he locks Scott up because Scott is all alone and singled out.It seems like the perfect opportunity because Theo just revealed that he’s the first chimera. But nope, Theo doesn’t say anything. He just tells him that he’s gotta wait for what happens next and leaves. It’s a clear dismissal. 

Instead, Theo got rid of Stiles’ friends, so Stiles would have to call him to achieve something (in this case: Stiles needs a car to get to Scott to warn him about Parrish/to follow Parrish (?)). Does that mean Stiles trusts Theo? Nope, it just means he needs him because he can’t reach any of his friends and poor Roscoe has broken down. And Theo knew that. So, he basically created a situation in which he gets Stiles all to himself, and the second they’re alone, Theo drops the bomb. It’s Stiles who gets to hear the plan. It’s Stiles who gets to hear everything, and with that the confirmation that he’s been right about Theo all along. 

Theo’s arc in 5a focuses on Stiles much more than on his plan to become alpha (enough so that Theo kills Scott when said plan doesn’t work out, yet he’s still sure that the rest of Scott’s pack will come to him because that’s what he actually came for). He doesn’t even seem particularly broken up about it, ‘cause he resurrects the chimeras and crowns himself alpha. We hear him complain in 5x11 once more because he happens to run into the Dread Doctors, but that’s it. He’s already moved on. 

Then there’s the Void Stiles comment. Aside from Theo being every Teen Wolf fan ever (seriously who doesn’t want Void Stiles?) it’s extremely interesting that Theo calls Stiles ‘Void Stiles’ when he talks about his dream pack instead of nogitsune. Because Theo knows about the nogitsune, but he seperates the two. 

“I came for Void Stiles.”

“Nogitsune is gone, but you've still got more blood on your hands than any of us.”

(after Stiles punches him): “There he is! That's Void Stiles.”

See what I mean? Void Stiles still exists, but the nogitsune is gone. So for Theo, Void and the nogitsune are two different entities. I wonder why that is... I wonder if Theo knows something we’ve suspected/hoped all along. That Stiles is something. (Interesting sidenote: Stiles never looks surprised when Theo "calls" him Void Stiles. Plus, Stiles hits him hard enough that Theo goes down and spits out blood.)

But, there’s more. 

“We won’t tell Scott. ‘cause you can’t lose your best friend, right? Even though we both know, you never needed him.”

Not only does Stiles not correct Theo about the comment regarding Scott, he doesn’t correct Theo about something else either. Namely, we. “We won’t tell Scott”, ”[...]we both know [...].” Stiles never tells Theo that he’s wrong, or that he isn’t like him. Because that’s what “we won’t tell Scott” is most likely about - that Stiles has blood on his hands, that he’s ready to get more blood on his hands if the need arises, that there’ something dark inside of him. But Stiles doesn’t move away either. He moves towards Theo, and when Theo leans up, Stiles doesn’t pull away. Stiles doesn’t even really pin him down. He just grabs his jacket and glares at Theo. We never see him move away, and in the next scene we see Stiles, he’s running towards his dad. And since both Scott and the sheriff are at the school, it seems that Stiles got into Theo’s car after all. 

On top of that, in the following episode, Stiles is not only dropping his iconic “He’ll come to me” line, he’s also very adamant about just wanting talk to Theo - and Theo, of fucking course, comes and talks to Stiles. Not just that, Stiles also believes Theo when he tells him that he doesn’t want the sheriff to die (even before it’s proven during the staircase scene).

What I’m actually trying to say is, these two know each other. They don’t just know a lot about each other. Aside from his name and the confirmation that he is a chimera, we get almost all of Theo’s backstory (Tara, the Dread Doctors, that Theo’s different now, etc.) through Stiles. We also learn a couple new things about Stiles through Theo (how he felt about Donovan, Void Stiles).

They have a thrilling dynamic because of that. They’re working perfectly together because they know each other so well. They’re on a par, and Theo accepts that and treats Stiles as an equal. 

.... this is probably so not what you wanted to point out, nonnie. But this is one of my favourite Steo scenes, and I couldn’t help myself. It just came over me. These are the mad Sunday evening ramblings of a Steo shipper. You’re welcome. 

[princeescaluswords]

Read a ~wonderful~ fic with all the fanon born tropes we've come to love: Left Hand, ~shades of gray~, "Scott sees world in black and white", Marin is "not to be trusted" and "barely a druid" whatever that means lol, Stiles is "more of a kitsune than Kira" says Noshiko who literally has her power ripped out of her by Stiles, and more I'm forgetting probably. But it's funny, especially the "Left Hand" concept that was never a thing in the show but was fabricated to excuse Peter's selfishness and viciousness.

Have you read George Orwell?  He was extraordinarily critical of extreme right political thought -- fascism -- and extreme left political thought -- totalitarianism. The moment I read this ask, I thought about his quote, written from the perspective of the villain in his book 1984:

“Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power.” 

What has this to do with Teen Wolf?  Apparently, plenty.     

The quote interacts with its story, and one of the reasons that Scott McCall is among my favorite fictional characters, by showing how Scott McCall subverts this concept completely.   Is Scott capable of doing terrible things?  Absolutely.  But when forced to by circumstance, he does them for a definite and beneficial end.  He doesn’t prepare to do bad things in order to maintain his own status.  Every time people complained that “Scott is so weak for an alpha!” I smiled because that’s the point. In a crisis, his first thought isn’t -- how do I use my status, physical strength, and mystical skills to perpetuate my and my pack’s advantages and my own authority?  His first thought is -- who is hurting?

Which is why his first profound statement in Season 6 was “They don’t need us.”

Fandom experiences a thrill of projecting onto characters.  Nothing wrong with that at all!  That’s the reason those characters were made in the first place.   But I have to question parts of a fandom who derive a thrill from celebrating those who manipulate, torture, enslave, and kill others and do so by creating elaborate justifications for that thrill.  

Peter wasn’t the Left Hand.  It was never even hinted at in the story.  He knew things and had useful competencies, but so did Deaton.  Only Deaton never looked straight at the camera and said, “I want what I’ve always wanted --power.” and his actions backed up his benevolence.  Peter wasn’t the Left Hand because Talia didn’t need a Left Hand, Derek didn’t need a Left Hand (he needed a pack member he could trust), and Scott didn’t need a Left Hand.  The concept of the Left Hand is fandom’s way of not only justifying Peter’s past actions, but a way to celebrate someone who would do terrible things like manipulate his newly-found daughter to get that power and respond to her anger with a snide quip in order to gain power and keep it.

“Shades of gray” is nothing more than utilitarianism run amuck.  It’s a con artist’s scam, a way to get others to agree that “what you need is more important than what anyone else needs, so use any means available to get what you want.”  It’s a blank check to excuse any act as long as you can paint someone as the enemy.  It’s vulgar selfishness in sunglasses and a raincoat.  

Strangely enough -- No, not strangely enough, absolutely and completely in tune with the greater culture -- when freed of personal responsibility for their desires by the self-serving mantra of ‘fiction =/= reality,’ this always takes the form of white men being superior, hurting, or even killing minorities, women, and -- most especially -- women of color.  

Compare fandom’s reaction to Peter Hale and to Marin Morrell.  Compare fandom’s reaction to Derek Hale and to Marin Morrell.  Compare fandom’s reaction to Stiles Stilinski and Marin Morrell.  The show made it clear that Marin was playing a dangerous game to keep the worst impulses of the Alpha Pack in check (they talk about this in scene after scene, that she’s risking her life to stop them from the inside), but somehow this makes her untrustworthy and unlikable.  Peter Hale can use Lydia Martin as a get-out-of-death free card, Derek Hale can recruit children to fight a war, Stiles can lie and break the law with impunity, but Marin acting in ‘shades of grey’ to keep the Alpha Pack’s body count to a minimum is completely disqualifying her for protection or regard.

Now, on one hand, Peter can be celebrated for avenging his family from their brutal murder by killing his niece, almost killing his nephew, torturing teenagers, and killing his allies and innocent bystanders because of the pain and torment of experiencing his family burning alive.  On the other hand, Noshiko Yukimura watched her neighbors die due to the venality of the people who imprisoned them unfairly, experienced being gunned down while watching soldiers gun down unarmed civilians, know her love died screaming in indescribable agony, and she, barely able to move, uses the only power she has left to get revenge, but she deserves her power to be ripped away from her.

You see at the base it’s about us vs. them.  Parts of fandom saw hot white guys who can cry about their problems while other people are dying and they said -- hey, that’s me!  So they select these people as theirs, or us, and all the other as them -- which tend to be minorities, women, and, most especially women of color -- and celebrate them taking whatever power or actions necessary to achieve victory ... forever.

Even though Peter’s self-serving attempt to paint Scott as a black-and-white thinker was supposed to be seen through as the manipulation it was by the audience, it gave people who wanted the hot, evil white guys to win a means to disparage their primary opponent.  Because the fundamental aspect of Scott’s heroism is that he sees everyone -- even people he doesn’t like, such as Peter -- as deserving of the same chances.   He doesn��t value himself or his pack above others in a violent free-for-all that is one step above the law of the jungle.  You can see their disdain when they interpret Scott’s beliefs as neglecting Stiles or being stubborn towards Derek or never understanding Peter.  

They know that Scott doesn’t hold his purity above the good of others, because they constantly condemn him for it.  In Code Breaker, in Master Plan, in The Overlooked, in Echo House, in Orphaned, in Ouroboros, in Apotheosis, in The Werewolves of London, we see him do things he doesn’t like, he doesn’t want to do, things that are utilitarian, to save others.   Their real complaint isn’t that he won’t do what’s necessary, it’s that he does what’s necessary for everyone and not exclusively for their hot white male favorites.

A friend of mine argued that an audience member only has a certain number of characters they can feel empathy for at any one time.  They are most likely correct.  That’s why we have morality.   A lot of us believe that everyone has the right to life and freedom even if we, personally, don’t care about them.  Teen Wolf stated that the most legitimate form of power is that which is used to the benefit of all others, not just the holder of the power and his close friends.  That the object of power is making the world a better place.   Parts of fandom just don’t get that.

[stephkaylor]

FAVES & FAILS: #1 (Teen Wolf)

I’ve decided to do this questionnaire when a show/book series/movies where I answer these questions with fun gifs too (its Tumblr, what did you expect?), if you want more info, the original idea post with links to each of my completed lists is here ⚡️. A bunch of my faves have already ended so getting all of these out will take a minute, but I’m aiming to post a new one twice per week. 🤞🏻Anyway, enjoy!! OH!! ALSO, I’ll be discussing plot elements in this list so...SPOILER ALERT!!

TV Show FAVES and FAILS: TEEN WOLF

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER: STILES STILINSKI

HANDS DOWN, no question about it! He was the soul of the show, and funny, and so incredibly human on a show full of the inhuman, and that was what made him so integral.  Anyway, I could go on forever about how much I love Stiles, but here’s a gif:

LEAST FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER: GERARD ARGENT

There isn’t really a male that makes me want to punch something, so good for the writers, I guess?

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER: LYDIA MARTIN

I really want to say Allison but it HAS to be Lydia, hands down! Her character development from a girl pretending to be vapid and shallow and who hid her genius so she could “fit in”, to a strong, powerful, confident woman secure in who she really is and the power inside of her (figuratively AND literally, lol), this girl is the real MVP.

LEAST FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER: MONROE

This was hard because there are several female characters that made me want to throw my laptop out of the window.  The short list is Kate Argent, Allison’s mom... I could go on... but Monroe’s systematic attempt to wipe all supernaturals out of Beacon Hills and then maybe the rest of the world gave me fucking high blood pressure and a rage issue. I don't care how “scared” you are, killing a kid who hasn't done anything wrong just because they are different than you is some fucked up, borderline genocidal bullshit. And she survived the finale!!? Like I had to deal with her self-righteous smirky attitude and you didn't even have the decency to punch her in the face and let me watch?!? Rude.

THE CHARACTER THAT DESERVED BETTER: Aiden (and kind of Ethan)

I badly want to say Allison again here because I love and miss her tons. But she died protecting her family and friends and I believe that she is happy wherever she went afterward.  Watching Aiden die in his twin brother’s arms I don’t know who I felt the worst for.  The boy dying, or his brother who now has to live without him... I’m gonna go cry now, brb.

THE DEADWEIGHT CHARACTER WE SHOULD’VE DUMPED IN 2009: Kate Argent

Luckily she was not a regularly appearing character, but when she showed up it was always “for revenge” and I'm like...can we just...not this season? I was having a lovely time and then you showed up with your petty anger for whatever fucking shit that happened in, like season one.  Like, honey... if it’s been so long since you’ve been relevant that I have to google what you’re upset about because I have honestly forgotten...maybe it’s time to let that shit go.  Kindly fuck off now, please...

OVERHYPED CHARACTER: Derek Hale

Like, don’t get me wrong, he’s great and I loved when he was on the show, but I feel like some people think he carried the show and it wouldn't survive without him.  Well, surprise! because he went away after season 4 and I still think some of their best shit came in season 5 and the beginning of season 6.  

UNDERHYPED CHARACTER: Deaton

Um, he was basically Scott’s druid emissary and he got no recognition for it.  He saved all of the main pack members’ lives at least once.  Also he didn't make Stiles pay for the windows, so he’s apparently not an asshole. 

OVERHYPED SHIP: Scott and Malia

I feel like they had to adjust the final season A TON because of Dylan’s injury and Kira not coming back and I think the writers panicked when they didn't know who to put Scott with (because our leading man could never not have a girlfriend, *gasp* THE HORROR!) because Lydia needed to be with Stiles and I think they picked Malia because she was basically the only one left...I was never into it.  In fact, when my friend texted me after we watched the episode where they get together, my response back to her was literally “meh 🤷🏻‍♀️”.

UNDERHYPED SHIP: Allison and Isaac

It would’ve been so nice to see where that relationship went.  Don’t get me wrong, had she lived, I would’ve wanted Allison to end up with Scott.  But I loved that the show was willing to say that it is okay to fall in love more than once in your life.  Sometimes the shows aimed at a younger audience have a tendency to act like your first love has to be the one you’re with until you die and that’s just not realistic. It was nice that the writers didn't box these characters into that mold because it gave them more depth as characters. 

FAVORITE SHIP: Stiles and Lydia

I don’t know how to explain how much I love this pairing.  Like, from the beginning he saw her for how amazing she was and he supported her as she came into her powers and then she was always there making sure that someone was taking care of him when he was taking care of, literally, everyone else, and then when he disappeared SHE KNEW something was wrong nearly instantly, and ‘remeMBER I LOVE YOU’ I need to stop before this run-on sentence goes on forever.  ALSO they’re canon official, which never fucking happens for my ships so I’m fucking excited, sue me.

FAVORITE VILLAIN: Deucalion

His backstory was well-developed and deep, he was clear with his goals, he actually executed said goals in a logical and timely manner, he was a fucking ALPHA OF ALPHAS, nuf said. 

MOST HEARTBREAKING MOMENT: Allison’s Death

Hands down, the most heartbreaking moment on the show, and I will fight anyone who comes at me with a different opinion. Because like--she was smiling when she was stabbed because she had figured out a way to help her friends and then she died in Scott’s arms and told him she loved him even though they weren’t together she still loved him and he still loved her, and I truly believe that she had zero regrets when she died, and how bittersweet is that???!  But Scott couldn't take her pain because it didn’t hurt anymore, and Lydia had to feel her best friend die and she screamed Allison’s name and if you are not hurting right now are you a monster???!?!

FAVORITE STORYLINE: Eichen House Escape/Dread Doctors in Season 5

It was hard to pick between the Dark Druid storyline in season 3A, but the Eichen rescue/Lydia learning how to be a BAMF Banshee from Meredith while she was catatonic (ALSO ‘Stiles saved me’ I AM DEAD!!!), and the whole la bête du gévaudan thing was great, and reuniting the pack after Theo had royally fucked it up earlier that season, it was all just superb! *chef’s kiss*

STORYLINE WE COULD’VE DONE WITHOUT: Like, the whole second half of the last season, TBH

It was a petty, counterintuitive, and just garbage. The monster was dumb, Monroe is a royal twat (as I stated above), and it didn't have a conclusion.  Like, the fuck? This isn't Game of Fucking Thrones you guys do not need to leave every season finale with so many loose ends it make people want to throw their laptops off of a cliff into a vat of hydrochloric acid.  And it was the LAST SEASON so there’s no hope of fixing this bullshit storyline. ugh, kill me now. 

BIGGEST PLOTHOLE: Scott’s pretty selective “True Alpha” powers

They, like, kind of tried to pass it off as it taking a ton of energy so he can’t always do it all the time.  But he got through a mountain ash barrier to save Deaton and activated his True Alpha but then couldn't get into Eichen to get Lydia out because of the mountain ash...? oh and also where the fuck did Cora and Isaac go? (I, sincerely, hope he’s not still just chinning in fucking France wondering were Argent fucked off to)

OVERALL MARKS OUT OF TEN (10 being that watching this show has probably increased your life’s worth by at least five percent; 1 being the only thing this show has given me is a stomach ulcer and trust issues): 

8.75 out of 10.  This show was a blessing and I would definitely recommend it to other people. (mostly because I love to get people hooked on my favorite shows and then they're stuck and we can be tortured together). 

THE END! Thanks for reading my overly-long and overly-obsessive list.  Do come again soon.  I’ll probably have another of these up next week.  🤍🤍🤍

[dlwritings]

Call Him Hers | Dean Winchester | pt 6

series masterlist found here

general masterlist found here

pairing - Mark-of-Cain!Dean x plus-size!reader word count - 2,769 warnings - language, someone is an asshole to (Y/N)

(A/N) - find my Office reference lol

summary - (Y/N), Charlie, and the Winchesters are headed to the reunion! With a new friend and a hot outfit, (Y/N) is feeling pretty optimistic. Like Dean says, the night’s just gonna be fun. What could go wrong?

(previous) (next)

Charlie insisted on (Y/N) and Dean getting ready separately, just like she had the night they went out to the bars. (Y/N) knew now that Charlie was right and she couldn’t wear jeans and a flannel, so she reluctantly asked her what else she packed for her. “Well, your school colors are blue and white, right?” she asked. (Y/N) nodded. “Well, then I got you this.” She went in her bag and pulled out a short blue wrap dress with spaghetti straps and a deep neckline. (Y/N) clenched her jaw and raised her eyebrows.

“Seriously?” she said.

“You still don’t trust me?” Charlie said back. “Even after how Dean looked at you the other night?” (Y/N) groaned and surrendered, knowing she was right, as usual. She went to the bathroom to change, curl her hair, and add a bit of intensity to her makeup. She had only been in there for all of ten minutes when there was a knock at the door. She opened it, one hand still on her curling iron, to reveal Charlie. She immediately started wolf whistling at her, gawking and pretending to drool like she was a piece of meat.

“Get out before I suffocate you with hairspray,” (Y/N) said to her. Charlie blew her a kiss.

“Sam texted,” she said. “Dean’s gonna be ready in twenty. Me and Sam have to head out to get ready for the catering thing.”

“Okay,” she said. “Leave the door unlocked for Dean then. I’ll probably still be getting ready when he gets here.”

“Okay,” Charlie said with a nod. “Good luck tonight.” (Y/N) furrowed her eyebrows.

“Yeah,” she said slowly. “You too?”

“You know what I mean,” Charlie said.

“I really don’t,” (Y/N) said back.

Charlie groaned in annoyance. “If you don’t make a move on Dean, I’m gonna make one for you.” (Y/N) held her hands up with a short shake of her head.

“What does that even mean?”

Charlie opened her mouth to say something only to close it again.

“Right,” (Y/N) said with a slight chuckle. “Go. I’ll see you at the school.”

Once (Y/N) was alone, she grabbed her phone to play some music as she got ready. She had a playlist called Dean Approved that she would play when Dean was in the room. It wasn’t that she wasn’t a fan of the same music he was, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t have some Demi Lovato marathons from time to time. But if Dean walked in and heard her playing Cool for the Summer, she wasn’t sure he’d ever let her live it down.

She finished adding some curls to her hair and braiding a headband across her head with a few sections just as her favorite Night Ranger song, Sister Christian started to play. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she danced around the bathroom, singing along to the song.

“Motorin! What’s your price for flight? *na na na na na na* And finding Mr Right?”

“Really?” (Y/N) jumped out of her skin and turned around to see Dean. She hadn’t been looking in the mirror, too busy going through her makeup bag, which was why she hadn’t seen him walk in.

“What?” she asked once she caught her breath.

Dean laughed. “Na na na na na na?”

“I like to sing to the instrumental,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him when he mocked the way she mimicked the guitar tune.

She leaned over the counter a bit, trying to get closer to the mirror as she applied her eyeliner. Dean had to bite his lips just so he wouldn’t moan at the way the fabric hugged her ass. He knew if she bent over anymore, he’d have a perfect view of her underwear.

Unless she wasn’t wearing underwear.

“Well,” Dean said, clearing his throat. “You are boner-ific.”

He made the joke to get his mind off the truth behind it.

“Ew,” she said, scrunching her nose up with a grin as she looked at his reflection. “Please don’t ever say that to me again.”

Dean laughed. “I’m just saying. You look good.” She capped her eyeliner and turned to look at Dean. He must’ve known her school colors too, because he was wearing royal blue slacks that perfectly matched her dress, a white button-up dress shirt, and some brown dress shoes.

“Well,” she said, composing herself a bit and reaching out to brush her hand across his shoulder. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

She passed Dean to leave the bathroom and saw Charlie left her a pair of shoes. They were gold, strappy heels, and she sighed as soon as she saw them. “If I have to kick any ass tonight in these heels,” she said, “I will not be happy.”

“Don’t worry,” Dean said. “Tonight’s just gonna be fun. I can feel it.”

“Oh you can feel it?” she repeated sarcastically. “Well then I’m ready.” Dean rolled his eyes at her with a grin and grabbed her hand.

“C’mon,” he said. “I’m ready to show off my smokin’ wife.”

“You know,” she said, “your positivity is really ruining my cynical mood.” Dean just laughed, and the two of them headed off to school.

On the drive over, they ran through their game plan. They had talked with Charlie and Sam, and they split up the targets amongst themselves to observe throughout the night. She’d keep an eye on Jennifer and Chris, Dean would watch Ryan and Jojo, Charlie would watch Danny, and Sam would look out for anyone else who might look suspicious. The other two suspects (Jamie and Natasha) weren’t at the reunion, so they were really banking on one of these five being their vamp.

(Y/N) couldn’t lie. After her whole interaction with Jennifer, she was feeling more comfortable about going to the reunion. Nicole and Stephanie were nice to talk to, and it looked like things between her and Jennifer weren’t as horrible as they once seemed. Now that she could actually relax about the whole event, she hoped she’d be able to achieve a little bit more in terms of the job.

She and Dean walked inside the school and were immediately met with loud music. They were playing all the tunes that were the biggest hits when she graduated in 2005. After only being there for 15 minutes, they heard Beverly Hills by Weezer, Sugar, We’re Goin Down by Fall Out Boy, and My Humps by The Black Eyed Peas. There were some similarities to her prom, except she was much happier and had the best looking man on her arm.

The two of them got some drinks and made their way through the gym, looking at all the photos and paraphernalia Jennifer had managed to get together. Just like she had told her earlier in the day, Jennifer had done an awesome job organizing the event. Her senior class picture was blown up and hanging on the wall, and there were some other blown up prints that were scattered throughout the room. She recognized some of the events: the homecoming football game, her senior prom, the school’s musical, and spirit week. Some people had a great high school experience.

“(Y/N)! Dean!”

They both turned around and saw Nicole and Stephanie sitting at a table, so they smiled and headed over. “(Y/N) you’re looking hot,” Nicole said as they sat down. “Dean, you’re a lucky man.” Dean smiled -though it didn’t meet his eyes- and nodded.

Sure, he was a lucky man, but only until this job was over.

“I know,” he said. (Y/N) cocked her head to the side and looked at him, silently trying to ask him if he was okay. He just leaned forward and placed a kiss to her lips. She was a little caught off guard, but she hid it well. She knew her cheeks turned pink as he pulled away. She took a large sip of her drink and smiled at Nicole and Stephanie.

“So this looks great, right?”

The four of them chatted for a long time. Jennifer and Alec came over at one point to join them, and they all praised her on how well it was turning out. Most other people didn’t pay them any attention, and (Y/N) truthfully didn’t mind. Dean at one point stepped away to get more food (in actuality, just to chat with Sam) and Nicole and Stephanie both gave her sweet smiles. “What?” she asked with a laugh. “Why’re you looking at me like that?”

“Okay,” Stephanie laughed, holding her hands up, “I may not be attracted to men, but even I’ll say it. Dean’s smokin’.”

“And the way he looks at you,” Nicole gushed. “God. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“You know,” (Y/N) said, gazing over at Dean, “Jennifer said the same thing. I just don’t see it.”

“Well,” Nicole said, “he only does it when you’re not looking. Sometimes he looks away like you’re two nervous teens and he doesn’t want to get caught. It’s completely endearing.”

As they were gazing over at Dean, (Y/N) caught a glimpse of Chris. He was looking around, and something about him was putting her off. When she saw him head for the exit, she excused herself from the table and casually went to follow him. She cursed her heels for clicking against the linoleum, and there was a part of her that was grateful when he left the school so her footsteps wouldn’t be as loud.

When Chris made his way down to the pool house, she felt her thigh holster just to make sure her knife was still where it needed to be. She couldn’t exactly carry a machete with her, so her knife soaked in vampire poison would have to do. She snuck into the pool house and grabbed her flashlight from her handbag, holding it up as she crept through the dark building. Rookie mistake, she thought, the minute something hard hit her over the head.

-

When Dean got back to the table, he was confused when (Y/N) wasn’t there. “Oh, I think she ran to the bathroom or something,” Nicole said with a wave of her hand. “She just stepped out, like, a minute ago.”

“Great,” Dean said. “Thanks.”

He left the gym, knowing the bathroom was probably the last place (Y/N) actually was. When he stepped out of the gym, he checked his phone and saw that he missed a text from her: Tailing Chris. Looks like pool house.

“Fuck,” Dean mumbled. He shot Sam and Charlie a quick text explaining what was happening and jogged down to the pool house.

He opened the door and walked in, keeping his flashlight off and his machete in hand, grateful he could hide the latter in his coat at the event. He knew she only had a knife with vampire poison, and he hoped she was able to survive with it.

Before he knew it, he was out cold.

-

She woke up tied to a pole in the pool house. Beside her, Dean was still unconscious. “Shit,” she mumbled to herself, fighting against the ropes she was tied with. “Dean.” She tried to speak loud enough to wake him up but quiet enough that whoever had captured her didn’t hear.

She heard someone come into the room and tensed, looking in the direction of the sound.

“How long have you been turned?” she asked as soon as Chris crept out of the shadows.

“Well,” he said sarcastically, tapping his finger against his chin, “how long has Amanda been missing?”

“Three weeks,” she answered.

“Then three weeks,” he said with a smile.

“How many are in your nest?” she asked. She was just trying to bide her time before Dean woke up and managed to get out his pocket knife and cut through his ropes. This was why she hated wearing dresses. No pockets for hiding tools!

“You really just want all my secrets, don’t you (Y/N)?” he asked with a grin.

“I guess so,” she said.

“Well, I hate to break it to you,” he said, “but I’m the only one left. A couple other hunters came by and killed off the rest of the nest.”

“Who were they?”

Chris shrugged. “Didn’t bother to learn their names before I killed them.”

Dean woke up then, and she and Chris both turned to look at him. “Well, good morning, Mr. Winchester,” Chris said, crouching in front of Dean. “I’ve heard so much about you. I’ve been dying to meet you.”

“Look man,” Dean said, shaking his head a bit to clear away the fuzziness in his brain, “I don’t swing that way.”

“Mm,” Chris said, standing up. “Just as charming as they say.”

“So what’s your play here, Chris?” (Y/N) asked as Chris fished his phone out of his pocket. “Are you turning these girls? Trying to build a new nest?”

“No, no,” Chris said casually, waving his hand as he put his phone back in his pocket after typing something out. “I’m just killing them.” He sauntered over to her and crouched in front of her. “But you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Because if I turned you, you’d have a family.” She swallowed thickly and clenched her jaw, refusing to break eye contact with Chris. If she did that, he won. “You see, you’re so desperate for love. You cling to guys like the Winchesters here-” He waved offhandedly to Dean. “-in a pathetic attempt to make up for your dad. You remember your dad, right?” She bit her tongue and breathed heavily through her nose. “You think we didn’t notice? All of us at school? Think Shawn didn’t tell us about how your daddy used to hit you? We’d have a nice laugh about it, because you might not’ve been able to see it, but we all could.”

“See what?” she asked. She couldn’t help it. He was saying all the things that would get her to cave. She knew she fell into his trap, but she wasn’t sure she cared.

Chris grinned. “How no one could ever love you. How Shawn was always pretending. How your dad couldn’t handle pretending anymore. We saw your present, (Y/N), and it sure wasn’t hard to see your future.” He looked over at Dean before turning to her again. “And we were right, because Dean here? Dean doesn’t love you either. How could he? How could anyone love a girl like you?”

She felt tears pooling in her eyes, and she hung her head so he wouldn’t see them. Her action just made him laugh and lift her chin with his fingers. “Get away from her before I break every bone in your body,” Dean suddenly growled. Chris looked over at him with an amused smirk. “I’ll fucking kill you, man, I swear to god.” Chris stood up and walked over to Dean.

“I really think this is bullshit, man,” he said, motioning between her and Dean. “I just don’t get it. You’re obviously pretending for her, but why go as far as marriage? Why pretend you love her that much? Unless-” He gasped like he cracked the whole case. “Oh! This is all fake! You’re not actually married, are you?” He started laughing, resting his hand on his stomach as he threw his head back. “That is hilarious. God, you-” He turned to her again. “You really are pathetic.”

Chris grabbed a knife from the inside of his jacket and walked back over to her. “You know, Dean,” Chris said, crouching in front of her again. “I think (Y/N) over here might really love you. I think you might be pretending, but for her, she thinks she can make it real. Because I know for a fact-” He gently ran the tip of the knife against her chest. “-she’s not wearing a bra. And her underwear?” He grinned. “Practically see-through. I think she was hoping for some action with you tonight.”

Her cheeks were bright red, and she knew there were tears falling from her eyes. She was embarrassed, and if Dean hadn’t broken out of his restraints yet, she wasn’t sure he was going to. Was she going to die after getting humiliated by some loser from high school?

“You know,” she said, sniffing to stop her tears, “you used to be an alright guy, Chris. A little creepy, but not an asshole. Not like this.”

Chris shrugged. “Well, people change.”

----- ----- ----- -----

TAGLIST

@bangtan-serendipity | @planetdemon | @the-singing-clown406 | @tomshufflepuff | @bluelalal | @grandloser | @jackiehollanderr | @mindset-jupiter | @bisexual-sk8r | @feel-like-gold | @runaway-apple | @miraclesoflove | @marvelismylifffe| @wonderbyers | @coraz0ndcristal| @lizmarvel | @delicately-important-trash​ | @vicmc624​ | @chixkencxrry​​ | @chloepart03 |  @superavengerpotterstar​​ | @eunomiasloane | @dvnmbabe​

If you want to be taken off the list (or be put on for only certain people) just message me and let me know!  

[betareaderwanted]

New Beta Readers

@wearediscussingit

Fandom: Naruto, my hero academia, Tokyo ghoul, avatar the last airbender, voltron, witcher, last kingdom, inuyasha, castlevania, haikyuu, fullmetal alchemist, dragon prince, Derry girls, sex education, devilman crybaby, merlin, riverdale

Rating: Any

No: incest

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories. “I did karate for about 6 years so I have decent knowledge on action/fighting scenes. I'm willing to do or help out with research or anything else. I probably forgot a couple fandoms so message me about anything and I'll see if I can help. I'm really open to pretty much anything so just message me.”

How to contact: @wearediscussingit on tumblr or @we_are_discussing_it on instagram

@shortlittleninja

Fandom: BTS, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus, Avengers, Shadowhunters, The Hunger Games, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, How I met your mother, John Green novels,  Divergent, Maze Runner, Sherlock

Rating: Any

No: incest, child abuse, rape/non-con

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories. “I'm not a native speaker, exactly, but I have studied the language since I was a little kid, and speak it better than my native language. I'm a decent writer working on my own fic as well,  and I'm doing my A Levels right now. Excellent proficiency, and I love books more than anything, if it wasn't already clear :) I'd love to help out and be a soundboard and grammar checker!

How to contact: email: mankodianushka@gmail.com

@johnsuhbruh

Fandom: kpop (any and every group, old and new), haikyuu, inuyasha, boku no hero, ouran high school host club, the last airbender, legend of korra, anime in general lol

Rating: Any

No: incest

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories.

How to contact: (is not letting me tag them and they did not provide any other contact info)

Amory

Fandom: All mainstream fandoms.

Rating: Any

No: incest, rape/non-con

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories. 

How to contact: email: clairk10@gmail.com

@have-a-little-faith

Fandom: Once Upon a Time (Captain Swan), Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Spike/Buffy, Faith/Buffy, Spike/Buffy/Faith), The 100 (Bellamy/Clarke, Murphy/Clarke)

Rating: Any

No: Main character deaths. Heavy angst with no happy ending

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories. “Happy to beta any of the above ships, I’ll keep it real with you and I’m not easily offended. Proofreading is part of my day job, pretty much anything goes and I’m open to most things. I only do happy endings so as long as we get there I’m good!”

How to contact: email: 0havealittleFaith@gmail.com

@negativetheodore

Fandom: I'll read any fanfiction, even for fandoms with which I'm unfamiliar. My favorite fandoms include Harry Potter, Teen Wolf, X-Men, Sherlock, Hockey RPF, and many others.

Rating: Any

No: gore

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories. “I have a lot of editing experience.”

How to contact: Tumblr @negativetheodore

@sueshiishell

Fandom: Harry Potter. Tokyo Ghoul. Attack On Titan. The Maze Runner. Star Wars. Durarara. Noragami. Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Rating: Any

No: incest, A/B/O dynamics, rape/non-con

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta in French as well. Available for original stories. “I’m open to reading and editing anything even dark or strange content”

How to contact: instagram: iam.sueshii or twitter: iamsueshiii

@crapoftheworldblr

Fandom: Voltron, Adventure Time, early Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Sherlock, Marvel, Carry On, DC, Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, Star Wars

Rating: up to T

No: incest, A/B/O dynamics, rape/non-con

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta original stories. “I'm generally more interested in fics where the main focus isn't the ship (i.e. an action-based story or an angsty story) but I'm also pretty flexible and willing to help out with anything.”

How to contact: Tumblr: @crapoftheworldblr AO3: crapoftheworld

@ayanaki

Fandom: Supernatural, Marvel, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, The Witcher, Fairy Tail, Voltron, NCIS, The Mentalist, Transformers, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts, Good Omens, Game of Thrones, Kingsman, Person of Interest, etc etc

Rating: Any

No: incest, rape/non-con

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories. “I am willing to work with any fandom that is not listed above. “

How to contact: tumblr message [for ayanaki: there are too many people with a similar handle so I’m not sure who to tag,contact me so I can update it]

@slothday

Fandom: Avatar The Last Airbender, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Rating: Any

No: incest

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories. 

How to contact: @slothday on tumblr or email sunny.lvtt@gmail.com

@five-rats-in-a-trenchcoat

Fandom: Sanders Sides, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter

Rating: up to T

No: incest, A/B/O dynamics

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories.

How to contact: auclarke33@gmail.com on Gmail, didhejusthissatme on ao3, five-rats-in-a-trenchcoat on Tumblr.

@smudgedinkwriting

Fandom: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, Red White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston,  The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee, Harry Potter by JK Rowling,  Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Rating: Any

No: A/B/O dynamics

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories. 

How to contact: smudgedinkwriting@gmail.com, or just through Tumblr

@beta-reader-bean

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sherlock (TV), Percy Jackson Books (burn the movies), Miraculous Ladybug, The Flash (TV), Arrow (TV), others open for discussion.

Rating: Any

No: incest, mpreg, boss/employee, teacher/student

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories. “Call me Sera”

How to contact: @beta-reader-bean on tumblr

@Muffinlover246fics

Fandom: Supernatural & The Witcher

Rating: Any

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories.

How to contact: email: muffinlover246@gmail.com

@thatone-nerdygirl

Fandom: Harry Potter, Merlin, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Skam, open for Supernatural

Rating: Any

No: incest, gore, child abuse, rape/non-con

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories. 

How to contact: @thatone-nerdygirl

@skyr-gobbler

Fandom: My big ones are most story-driven video game fandoms (NOT The Last of Us Part II because I’m avoiding spoilers, but the first game is fine), Avatar the Last Airbender, Stranger Things, Sherlock, a lot of musicals, Hannibal TV, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones. Fandoms I‘ve touched on are BBC’s Merlin, It (2017 & 2019), Marvel, and the Rick Riordan books. Anime isn’t really my thing. I’ll be ok to beta other fandoms outside this list, though.

Rating: up to T

No: incest, A/B/O dynamics, rape/non-con

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories. “Strengths are dialogue, imagery, and grammar/prose. Time zone is EST USA.”

How to contact: on tumblr @skyr-gobbler or my AO3 skyr_gobbler.

@ravensfordays

Fandom: MCU, The Witcher, The Arcana, Merlin (BBC), Kingsman, Good Omens, loads of Kpop groups but best to check with me

Rating: up to T

No: gore, child abuse, rape/non-con

Additional info: native English speaker, will beta for original stories. “This is my first time doing this so forgive me if I'm not great”

How to contact: @ravensfordays on tumblr

[gangrenados]

Dude!! I need your advice. I kinda want to start a writing blog? I mean I'm not an awesome writer AND English is not my first language either. But like, i really want to have that something of my own u know? and to start writing for people is the first idea i got.

But damn if idk what the hell to do lol. So, if you could tell me how it was for u and how u did it would be awsome!! (Since i think your writing is amazing)

Wanna be my sidekick in this?

And also im to shy the even take off the anon lmao im in trouble haha

First of all thank you so much, I'm happy to know that you like what I write! I'll be glad to help you so don't hesitate to drop another ask or send me a dm 💕

Hopefully these tips can help you ♡

•English is not my first language either and sometimes I worry about my grammar and even if the thing I write makes sense, so the first thing is that keep the translator close to you if you're as paranoid as me!

° What I do is check that everything makes sense in both languages (Spanish and English)

° and if you wanna have more control (and use more fancy words in your fic) write everything in your mother tongue and then translate it. Remember to fix those little mistakes the translator can make!

However, takes this with a grain of salt cuz sometimes the translator fucks up no matter what...that little bitch.

•Also you're gonna use a lot of the ol' urban dictionary...yeah, that makes you feel like a grandma.

•And just to make this clear: you're gonna make a lot of weird research. I personally prefer to do the research of the nsfw things in the incognito mode...I feel less dirty lol.

•And it's not harmful to look up how a particular words is written and used, also keep in mind that English way of writing can differ from how things are written in your language.

For example, I noticed that anglos use this "" to sign when someone is talking, while in Spanish we use this —

•What about my writing style? Every writer has their own unique style of writing and that can only came out if you practice and take to time to write something. So be patient with yourself.

Visualize the scene in your head and how everything flows, sometimes those ideas then to come before you write and sometimes when you're doing it.

I reccomend you to not compare yourself to others, it's just gonna be really exhausting for you.

•What I did in this blog was to make an announcement that I was a new fanfiction writing blog and then tag all the fandoms I wanted to make stuff about.

I didn't really rely on any big blog to ask for a shout out cuz I was pretty shy at the time, but doing that sure help. It can make you more known in the community and peek the attention of potentials readers.

•You can make a character list for the characters you want to write about and list of rules your blog will rely on.

I guess that with this you can set boundaries and somehow make the work easier? Yeah

•In my opinion is really hard to grasp the personality of character perfectly, even more when you're just starting in a new fandom. However, don't let that pressure knock you off!

Keep in mind that even professional writers then to fuck up with their own creations (likes those dc people and batman or teen wolf writes for example)

•Just write whatever the fuck you wanna write, it doesn't matter if it's about an overused trope or a crazy ass idea.

It takes practice, try and error to finally have a work you can confidently say you're proud of it, besides it's those wacky fics that will help you to get better at writing.

So don't be afraid to fuck up! 🤠

•I have noticed that doing preferences (aka taking a bunch of characters and talking about what they will do in a specific situation) attracts a lot of attention.

Headcanons have this effect too. I usually prefer to write long headcanons rather than those who just put a word in the dot cuz it's annoying to me.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's something like this

•Juancho likes apples

•very

•fucking

•much.

•Ships tends to attract a massive audience, but I recommend you to do this as an event cuz although you're gonna have a bunch of asks, the majority of the requesters just want their ship and will leave with no trace.

Also it gets boring pretty damn fast imo.

•For some weird reason zodiac attracts a lot of people's attention, maybe we like to feel superior when some blogger says that we're compatible with our favorite character.

I know damn well that I would get excited if some random blog says that Jason Todd is compatible with aquarius (which he is cuz he's a Leo JA)

This is all that comes into my mind at the moment, but don't be afraid to send another ask if you want to idk have more advice??

[colorful-yarns-queer-stories]

Wayward Son: You’re Probably Going to Hate Me for This

A quick caveat: This post took me almost 8 months to write because Wayward Son wrecked me that thoroughly. It left me that much of a mess, reeling that hard over how very wrong it went after Carry On. This post reflects those kinds of feelings from a queer reader, so if you love the book and feel extremely positively toward it, this post is not for you. Just keep scrolling and go on to enjoy your day. Your opinion is valid. If Wayward Son left you feeling sick, betrayed, and worse than before you got it, maybe we can commiserate. If you’re teetering back and forth on whether to read it, this post offers you the worst to look at opposite the best. If you don’t want to hear it, don’t read it. It’s that easy. 

On September 24, 2019, I was practically shaking when I opened my eyes and began setting up my cozy reading nook. I requested the day off work, cleared my entire schedule, and settled in my comfiest sweater and blankets with a fully stocked tea cabinet to read what was, for me, one of the most highly anticipated book releases of the year. I pre-ordered a signed physical copy of the book, the audiobook, even got the collectible patch. I could not WAIT to sit down and read the healing story of Simon Snow’s cross-country queer road-trip with his boyfriend Baz and his best friend Penny. I was so excited to see how Simon was helped on his road to recovery from the trauma of the previous book. Rainbow had psyched us up so much to see how things would get better for our favorite Chosen One, despite how hard his journey to mental wellness might be.

Oh, reader. I was so naive.

Now, before I go into my complicated emotions about this book, I need to clarify something. This is not really a book review. This is a brief and personal  examination of how queer characters and audiences are advertised toward vs. what product/representation they receive. Because Wayward Son? As a book, it was solid. Great story, great conflict, great characters. A Very Good Book. But it wasn’t the book we were advertised.

If you are a member of the LGBT+ community, you know what it is to be queerbaited. Shows advertise as though there will be LGBT+ representation, market these stories as queer love stories or stories about queer people learning to love themselves, but in the end, those promises are never delivered upon, leaving LGBT+ audiences open to attacks from cishet fans mocking them for hoping for representation in the first place and reminding LGBT+ audiences that their stories will never be center-stage unless they are fetishes, jokes, or tragedies. (Teen Wolf, BBC Sherlock, and The Cursed Child are just a few immediate examples that spring to mind.)

Rainbow Rowell did not technically queerbait. She wrote two LGBT+ main characters! They got together at the end of the first book! She delivered, right? Mmmm, not quite. Yeah, Simon and Baz got together at the end of the first book, and it was wonderful and heartwarming and hopeful, even if it was still a little bittersweet. After all, that’s realistic right? And they are both still the main characters of the second book. They are still together. She kept her word, right? Wrong.

Rainbow Rowell marketed us a hopeful cross-country road-trip with the Chosen One’s boyfriend and best friend in pursuit of healing and recovery for Simon Snow after he was left traumatized and adrift in the wake of saving the magical world. Well, we got a road trip. He did have a boyfriend and best friend present, sort of. Healing? Hahaha no. None. Not even a little bit. We were promised recovery and hope. What we got instead was a whole lot of Queer Suffering. Literally hundreds of pages of it.

Look, part of writing solid representation is being aware of the cultural and political climate in which you are writing. After the 2016 U.S. election, the LGBT+ and POC communities came under massive fire from the U.S. President, the federal government, and all of the devoted bigots who have loudly and violently sworn themselves to the cause of rooting out and eliminating every minority present here in the States. Since 2016, minority communities have done nothing but suffer under attack after attack over and over and over again. If you look at the majority of books published for LGBT+ audiences since 2016, you will notice that most of them are geared toward messages of healing, of hope, of strength in the face of adversity, because that is what we need given the reality of our existence right now. We need strength, we need hope, we need healing. We exist under a constant barrage of hate and vitriol and violence, and the number of hate crimes being committed against minority communities have risen consistently through the entirety of this Presidential term. So when we are marketed a book about hope and healing, by god we are putting faith in you to deliver on that promise, that commitment you are making to us as a community. We are trusting you, giving you our money, our time, our emotional commitment.

Wayward Son did not deliver on those promises of healing and hope and recovery. Nothing positive happened to any of the characters in the book. Nothing. What hope? What healing? What love? You made Simon and Baz essentially strangers planning their breakup from chapter one, not to mention their individual suffering you attached to their own identities (Simon as ex-Chosen One, Baz as a vampire). You made Penelope Bunce lose her partner of several years. You forced Agatha Wellbelove into a traumatic kidnapping specifically imitating and amplifying her brand of trauma from the end of Carry On. Every single character in your book was a minority (LGBT+, POC, QPOC, women), and every single one was forced to suffer even greater trauma this time with no reprieve or recovery from their previous experiences. YOU MARKETED THE BOOK WITH A FU**ING PRIDE PATCH ONLY TO HAVE YOUR QUEER CHARACTERS PLANNING THEIR BREAK UP FROM CHAPTER ONE. WHAT ABOUT THAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BE PROUD OF? Did you even take the time to become aware of the big tropes aimed at queer characters by straight authors? Of either burying your gays or making them end up apart? Of why it’s wrong to use your female characters constantly as damsels in distress (I thought you wanted Agatha to be the opposite of that, but here she is being the damsel in distress AGAIN)? Rainbow, YOU were the one who wrote Agatha hating her part in the Chosen One BS. You wrote her hating danger and magic and you wrote her escape only to reel her right back in? Wayward Son felt like Rainbow Rowell hitting the “Undo” button on all of the positive rep she gave us in the last book and replacing it with loads of misery just because cynicism is “In.”

If someone asked me to recommend a YA fantasy for their teen with solid queer rep, a diverse cast, and healthy messages, I absolutely would have had no problem recommending Carry On. I have, in fact, put it into the hands of LGBTQIA+ teens on multiple occasions. I could not, however, recommend Wayward Son. This book was the antithesis to Carry On and destroyed everything I loved about the original. Was Wayward Son, from a literary standpoint, a good book? Absolutely. But I cannot in good conscience recommend it to any LGBT+ readers, especially given the current political and social climate in which we live. Maybe the third installment will be a fix-it. Maybe things will get better. As for me, though, my faith in this author’s representation of minority characters was broken with Wayward Son.

What kills me about it, though… the thing that really just tears me up inside… is that if she had marketed it to us as, “Lol you’re all going to suffer, this book is totally going to hurt,” I would have been okay with it. I love TJ Klune’s books, but they tear your beating heart out of your chest and then feed it back to you by hand. His books hurt. The difference between him and Rainbow Rowell, though, is that he advertises them that way. When he writes something painful, he markets it as painful. When he writes something soft, he markets it as soft. We know we can trust him because he makes realistic promises and then delivers on them. Rainbow did the exact opposite, promising us recovery and giving us nothing but several hundred pages of pain for literally every single character involved. How are we supposed to trust you now? Honestly, for my part, now I know I can’t.

I’m sorry if this is upsetting. I know lots of people (if they ever see this) are gonna be VERY, VERY angry with me for writing it and for feeling this way. But this is my honest take on Wayward Son: the entire book is one giant trigger, and I think that, until there is anything at all positive to offer in its place, that it’s better for LGBT+ and other minority readers to avoid this one. Maybe wait until the next book or stop after Carry On. If you are a member of a minority group and struggle hard with mental health issues, this might be one to avoid for now.

[teenwolf-rarepairs]

Teen wolf Scott/Lydia 1 8 10 11 15 18 19 24 30

I really like this one. Thanks for asking!

1. Who made the first move and how?

Lydia. She’s observant and even though she made her interest very clear, she knew Scott still had a lot of doubts. So after a couple of moths skirting around their feelings, she had a chat with him about her feelings being serious. Scott was relivied it was mutual. 

8. What do they like in bed?

While Scott might be an alpha on the streets, he discovered he enjoys when Lydia takes control. It’s cathartic, just letting go and and be, knowing that she could take care of the rest. 

10. What two songs, two books, and two luxury items do they take to a desert island?

Oh, this is one of my favorite questions.

Songs: “Everything has changed” - Ed Sheeran and “Unsteady” - X Ambassadors

Books: The call of the wild by Jack London and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (because deeply inside Lydia is a romantic and loves a strong heroine)

Luxury items: A bed, cause they can build a house, but not a comfortable bed. And a solar powered grill (yes, that’s a thing, lol)

11. What do they hide from one another?

Scott might be a grown up, but he still has his collectable action figures and he loves them dearly. Still, he’s embarassed of showing them to Lydia, afraid that she might think he’s inmature (she doesn’t, she finds it adorable)

Even though theres no secret that Lydia likes romantic books and movies, she finds embarassing how many romantic movies and books she owns. Also, her teenage magazines. 

15. When they watch a movie what do they choose and why? Who gets the final vote?

Lydia has grown past her commanding stage in this matter, so she’s open to negotiate with Scott about their movie nights. They like to vary, but their favorites are documental, noir, and because even when she lets him have the final vote, Scott loves to indulge her, romantic dramas are always on the list. 

18. When they fight, how do they make up?

Neither of them like to leave things unresolved. When they fight, they’re quick to apologize to one another after the anger has cooled off. Then they compromise and find a solution to the matter at hand.

19. Where do they go on their first date?

Scott thinks about taking Lydia to an expensive restaurant, but he decides he wants something more personal, something that shows how much he likes her. So instead of that, he sets a picnic at night, a few days before the full moon, and they watch a movie under the stars, sharing a bottle of wine and their favorite foods. 

24. Where do they first have sex?

Right after their third date, in Lydia’s apartment in Massachusetts, while Scott was visiting her. She had just moved there and wanted to show him her new place. Things got heated after a bit...

30. Why does it work (or not work) between them?

It works, and it works really well, because their relationship has a solid foundation. They had more than enough time to know each other, and going through all the shit Beacon Hills threw their way made them closer, stronger. Their love built up with time, and their connection is deep. They’re no perfect by any means, but they support and love each other enough to make it work (and make it last)

[panharmonium]

@brambleberrycottage tagged me in this - thank you!

Rules: Pick 5 shows, then answer the following questions. Don’t cheat. Tag some people.

Picking the last five things I watched, in reverse order.

Teen Wolf

Merlin

Stranger Things

The Office

The Good Place

[disclaimer: I haven’t finished the third season of Stranger Things or anything past season 4 of Teen Wolf, so please avoid talking to me about anything past those points; thanks!] 

Who is your favorite character in 2?

MERLIN.  NO QUESTION.

Who is your least favorite character in 1?

Right, so, in the first three seasons of Teen Wolf, I love everybody, including the villains (like, Gerard is my least favorite person in terms of ‘he’s awful,’ but he literally is Teen Wolf’s best villain and an amazing character.)  

Season 4, though...I really had trouble with Liam (and his friend - what was his friend’s name?  i’ve only seen this season once, like two/three years ago), because they were so clearly just…copy-pasted versions of Jackson and Danny and I just…was frustrated by it.  It was irritating enough that I couldn’t really emotionally connect with them.

What is your favorite episode of 4?

Oh, geez, just one?  Basically all of Season 7 - Counseling, China, Threat Level Midnight, Sex Ed come to mind as some amazing ones…oh, and Murder and Koi Pond from Season 6.  And I actually adore the first 2/3 of Season 8, which might be an unpopular opinion; I’m not familiar with The Office’s fandom or its critical reception, lol; but The Incentive and Garden Party are two of my favorite episodes.

What is your favorite season of 5?

I don’t think I have one!  They were all consistently good (rare in tv), and I enjoyed them all equally.  

Who is your favorite couple in 3?

Stranger Things is the first time in my life that I watched a piece of media and went, “OT3!”  Nancy/Jonathan vs. Nancy/Steve is nonsense - all three of them make the BEST team ever and I wish they could all just be buddies.

Who is your favorite couple in 2?

None.  I like the canon pairings that we see just fine, but my favorite thing about Merlin is how non-focused on romance its main character is, so I don’t focus on that at all when I watch that show.  

(silly answer - Uther/Catrina XD)

What is your favorite episode of 1?

IMPOSSIBLE.  ughhhhhh um.  In Season 1?  The Tell.  In Season 2?  Battlefields, but barely; I mean, Season 2 of Teen Wolf is honestly just some of the best tv I’ve ever seen all the way through.

What is your favorite episode of 5?

I’ve only watched The Good Place once, so unfortunately I don’t remember the episodes with enough separation to answer this well.  One that stands out to me is the one in Season 2 where Michael has his existential crisis - that was both funny and incredibly poignant.

What is your favorite season of 2?

Season 2 and 3 of Merlin are probably tied for this.

How long have you watched 1?

I started Teen Wolf in 2015…………and I still haven’t finished it, lol.

How did you become interested in 3?

I’d obviously heard the general hype when Stranger Things came out, and I had multiple people at work tell me multiple times that it was exactly the kind of thing I would like.  I believed them; it just took me a really long time to get to it, because I’m slow about TV.

Who is your favorite actor in 4?

Every single person in this show is killing it.  Steve Carrell and Rainn Wilson, though...wow.

Which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5?

Merlin and Teen Wolf are equally important to me, in different ways, so they’re tied.  The Good Place was more something I just watched for fun (and which I thoroughly enjoyed, but I don’t have the same intimate connection to it).

Which show have you seen more episodes of - 1 or 3?

Teen Wolf.  I’ve watched seasons 1-4.  Stranger Things I’ve only seen the first two seasons.

If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

Lol, um, I don’t think I would want to be anybody from The Office, exactly.  I just like watching their silliness.

Would a crossover between 3 and 4 work?

Stranger Things x The Office LMAO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT

Pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple?

I can’t, sorry. XD  My brain just doesn’t work that way.  It has no gas for shipping; it gives up immediately when I try to think about it.  The interest factor is zero. XD

Overall, which show has the better storyline, 3 or 5?

I haven’t finished Stranger Things yet, so I’m not sure I can answer appropriately.  If I were just judging by Season 1 of Stranger Things vs. all four seasons of The Good Place, I would have said they were equal.  But I was really disappointed by Stranger Things’ lack of focus and inconsistent character development in S2, so I’m gonna go with The Good Place, which had a strong story and a clear arc for the entirety of its run.  That show knew exactly where it was going from the very first episode, and you can feel that when you watch it.  I’m not sure Stranger Things has any idea what their ultimate endgame is.

Which has better theme music, 2 or 4?

Merlin vs. The Office - I mean, they basically can’t be compared in any meaningful way.  They’re on two completely separate planes of existence.  Both equally burned into my brain, though.  XD