#oh and I also ADORED Berlin but even that

[didnt-hear-idsb-live-again]

I know you just moved back to the US and Australia is the dream and I wouldn’t have pondered this if you were still interested in the concert circuit.. but would you ever move to Europe for a bit? You could travel between countries and work the bar scene there. Pick up different kinds of drinks knowledge since you seemed to be enjoying accumulating that experience.

It’s funny you sent this ask bc I was just talking to my bf about what I’m about to say this morning - I’m soooooooo sorry to you or any of my European followers but Europe is the most overhyped place I’ve ever been in my life 😭 a large part of the reason I went to Australia actually was because when I went to Europe in 2022, I was SO underwhelmed by everything that it made me realize how unique the way I felt about Australia actually was! and I actually say all this bc I WISH I didn't feel this way but I just do. Cool to have visited but idk if I would want to go back to most of it; I kinda got the point.

But I haven’t been to Italy, southern France, or Greece yet, and I would like to so idk maybe those regions will do it for me! But yeah nothing I’ve seen really has. I’m a lot more interested in Southeast Asia or South America and if anything have considered working in a bar in various eco-touristy Central American places! I think if I’m spending all that money to get someplace else & I won't speak the language, I want it to feel EXTREMELY foreign, where most of Western Europe to me was kind of just mildly different with a different language. The only places that for the “extreme foreign” feel were Prague & Budapest & the remote parts of the Alps, but I don't think I loved any of those in a living there sorta way

[ace-sher-bi-john]

While I absolutely love both BBC Sherlock and Sherlock & Co, Sherlock & Co definitely depicts a more healthy relationship between Sherlock and John.

For starters, on BBC Sherlock, Sherlock and John are both co-dependent on each other. John was implied to be suicidal before he met Sherlock. Sherlock relapses without John by his side. Even with Mary to substitute the void in his heart and help him find purpose again, John would never move on from Sherlock. If anything happened to John, it wouldn't end well for anyone, especially Sherlock.

On Sherlock & Co, one of John's only problems after returning home from Ukraine was that he couldn't afford a flat on his own. He seemed to be very excited about life, going on dates, couldn't wait to start his podcast. He was genuinely happy to see Mike.

Sherlock could easily manage on his own without John. He doesn't need to be reminded to eat, he doesn't need an assistant for cases, he doesn't need someone to take care of him. His only problem is that he needs a flatmate.

Although John and Sherlock both need each other to afford rent, they don't need each other for anything else. They want each other's company, they don't need it. They aren't two halves of a whole, they are two wholes coming together. That's how it should be with all healthy relationships, platonic, romantic, queerplatonic, or otherwise.

It also helps a lot that Sherlock isn't a complete jerk on Sherlock & Co. He genuinely treats John and everyone else with a kindness that while I believe BBC Sherlock is capable of it, he rarely showed it. When John's PTSD is triggered, Sherlock asks John if he'd rather sit out that case. He then asks John if he wants to hold hands and discuss his feelings. In part one of the Blue Carbuncle, Sherlock complimented, actually complimented John. That kind of scene just never happened on BBC Sherlock. John was doing his "That was fantastic! You're amazing!" and Sherlock said, "You flatter me, Watson. But you did awesome too! You should have seen the way you did that! It was brilliant!"

John seems like a much more well rounded happy person in general. Just listen to any of his viewer discretion warnings. "Greetings you handsome devil! This episode will contain a bit of the old swearing, a bit of violence, some drug use. Oh and a bit of duck poo!" I hate to make this comparison, due to how much it will sound like an insult. But he acts like the quirky Disney Princess personality that every Disney Princess from the 2010s has and I mean that in the best possible way. It's my favorite thing about him. He's so adorable.

In the Blue Carbuncle, John has a moment similar to ones that you've seen many times before on BBC Sherlock. John has plans that mean he won't be able to help with the case. He is going to Berlin to spend Christmas with his old army friends. It's going to be his first boys' trip in years. But then he gets so sucked into the case that he's almost late for his plane and decides to just stay with Sherlock anyway because the case is just so fascinating he can't leave. On BBC Sherlock, John has abandoned his plans, his job, his girlfriends, for a case because he couldn't stand to be without Sherlock for so long. Also because Sherlock would often crash is dates, ruin his relationships, just so that John could assist him on cases. On Sherlock & Co, Sherlock was happy for John that he was going out with friends, even though it would mean spending the holidays alone. And Sherlock LOVES Christmas, so it's sad to think that he would have to spend it alone.

Where BBC Sherlock would manipulate or guilt John into staying, Sherlock & Co Sherlock let John go and was genuinely fine with going it alone for a week or two, even if it meant being all alone on Christmas.

I love BBC Sherlock, toxic co-dependent relationships and all, and I always will. But Sherlock & Co gives a little something different and I am happy that my boys are happier.

SH: *laughing* What's so funny Watson? JW: *laughing* It's just hearing you say "bell end" SH: Lovely and jubbly

[hamliet]

From some of these queer classic authors, how many have you read : Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, E.M. Forester, Djuna Barnes, Gertrude Stein, Christopher Isherwood, Virginia Woolf, Evelyn Waugh, and Langston Hughes?

Which books are your favorite from the authors above?

I've read most of them and enjoyed their works!

I love Forster. Howard's End is one of my ton ten books in existence. I also love Maurice, and I'm actually glad that critics are finally starting to appreciate it for being so ahead of its time. When it first came out the main critique was that it wasn't tragic--because Forster refused to bury his gays. Now people are seeing it as it is: a beautiful refutation of the idea that gay life, even in a homophobic society, has to be primarily defined by suffering.

I also love Oscar Wilde and I do NOT want the Netflix adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray with Dorian and Basil as siblings because my god WHY, what a bastardization. (fun fact: one of my favorite songs last year was a Kpop song that referenced Dorian Gray.)

I've also read Whitman, Woolf, Stein, Isherwood, and Hughes. I have not read Waugh or Barnes but would like to. I've seen Cabaret too, which is loosely based on Goodbye to Berlin.

Insofar as the others go, they all are very good, but I really adore Hughes' poetry. The first poem I ever memorized was by him. He uses alliteration and consonance like no one else.

Other queer literary icons I wanna recommend: WH Auden (favorite poet ever), Shakespeare (most likely), Tony Kushner, and Alice Walker. Nonexhaustive list obviously.

Oh, and while Dostoyevsky himself wasn't queer, he did write the noticeably queer Netochka Nezvanova, though it was never finished thanks to being arrested and sent to Siberia.

[smimon]

There was a very special gift for me under the tree 🥹 we did a gift exchange with @j-restlessgeek and I have received so much pure joy and colors and fandom love that I don't even know what to say omg

Look at the box. The animals have little boleros and bowlcuts. The moment I grabbed this I felt super emotional because my friend held it before??? Now I hold it??? It's almost as if receiving it in person??? 😭

And the inside. It is filled with so many great little things. Jay you outdid yourself with it 🥹💛💛💛💛 there is this card with a super cute Christmas kitty and so many kind words inside and also these super adorable kitty stickers

SPARKLATIVE STICKERS

And this. Oh could you possibly understand. Back in EU tour when I got a chance to meet Häärijä in Berlin I was so overwhelmed that I completely forgot to ask him for an autograph 😭 but Jay met him too in Munich the next day, and asked him for an autograph for me 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 and now I received it framed 😩 I'm cryin g

And look at these masterpieces??? Homemade cookies shaped like Käärijä and Häärijä??? Blue eyes??? And this picture with snow and sparklative details and Häärijä's cute detailed face omg 🥰 on my wall it goes look at it. So colorful and cute and sweet and adorable. FOAM ART my beloved 💛💛💛

And there is even more, there are washi tapes, there is a new spiky bracelet so I can wear them on both arms, there are PINS, and bootleg Häärijä socks so we can wear matching pairs before he releases something official omg 😭😭😭😭💛💛💛💛

Thank you Jay for all these gifts, for making my Christmas time a bit more colorful, for all the kind words 🥹 can't wait to meet you and hug you and aaaaaaaaa 💛💛💛💛💛💛🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂

[if-only-angels-could-prevail]

Hi! Long-time follower here ig lmao. I'm moving to Chicago next week, any recommendations for stuff (to do/eat/see/go, etc.)?

oh lol this is such a huge question! and it also depends which area you're moving to. ummmm if you like theatre, there's a TON, more than i can keep track of tbh. but if you want something cool and late-night, the neo-futurists is a very Chicago thing to do. i think the two most famous regional theatres in chicago are the goodman and steppenwolf. they both do great work, and they're a good starting point. also shout out to the court theatre, blank theatre company, theatre wit, trap door theatre, a red orchid theatre, and lyric opera. i've adored at least one show from each of these companies (and they all do VERY different work).

in my neighborhood (andersonville), check out the bookstores women and children first, and uncharted books. and if you like thrifting, check out brown elephant. (i'm also addicted to going to tuesday night piano karaoke at elixir in andersonville lol. if you end up going sometime, there's like a 50% chance i'll be there)

the chicago symphony is where i spend most of my evenings these days tbh (the promo code "student" will get you a ticket discount lol)

the art institute is just as good as you've heard. the MCA also rules.

some of my personal favorite live music venues are: SPACE in Evanston, Old Town School of Folk Music, city winery in the loop, and constellation. i like these venues because they have chairs and i'm tired of going to concerts where i'm constantly bumping into twinks with $12 white claws, but also because they program great music at relatively affordable prices.

if you like dancing/nightlife, i like sidetrack, queen on sunday nights at smartbar (amazing djs), a diy queer drag party called boots (they're on instagram), and berlin (berlin is where the cool queers go, and has arguably the best drag in chicago--keep in mind it does get a bit crowded and claustrophobic). (NVM, BERLIN WORKERS JUST ANNOUNCED THEY’RE ON STRIKE, SO DON’T GO THERE LOL). the drag competition on thursday nights at charlie's is also a fabulous time.

oh and if you like going to movies, you have to check out the gene siskel film center (the best programming in the city), the music box (the COOLEST movie theatre in the city), and facets. be sure to look into the series (serieses?) that these theatres program—they do a lot of fabulous screenings of older movies, and also some great film festivals. i also go to the alamo drafthouse a lot for convenience, even tho they piss me off. but they do sometimes have cool programming.

that's what i got off the top of my head!!! congrats on the move, i love chicago and i hope you do too!!!

[deeptrashwitch]

Interview with Profesor Moore (2018)

*Charles is sat behind his desk, waiting for the interviewer to start, trying to get into his "public" persona. Soon the director calls "action!" and everything starts*

Interviewer: Welcome to our segment, today we're here with the renowned internacionalist and professor of Mercy University, Charles Moore *looks at Charles* thank you for accepting this interview, Professor

Charles: It's fine, I'm glad to be here, sweetheart *smiles*

Interviewer: Your books are certanly a thing every respected internacionalist should read, don't you think? Even people outside your field use them as examples

Charles: I'm...proud of it, indeed, I've sacrificed a lot to write them

Interviewer: And today is the 27th anniversary of your book "Red vs Stripes: An identity conflict", isn't it?

Charles: Yes it is, almost thirty years since I first wrote the manuscript in, what in that time was, West Berlin *sighs* how quick the time passes, it feels like that time was just yesterday

Interviewer: Such a long time! There's something you especially remember during your time on West Berlin?

Charles: Many things, mostly how difficult it was to get some trustful and real information. That, of course, without putting the danger of being called an spy by the other side

Interviewer: Then how did you write the book with such corrrect data?

Charles: I met through the years some people that helped me, it was risky, obviously

Interviewer: Friends?

Charles: Most of them no, we were just colleagues and nothing more. We clashed for so many things that it was impossible to get along, we barely tolerated each other *chuckles* I clashed a lot with a man that was...his own kind of person, short-tempered I must say, but capable in a different way than me

Interviewer: He sounds like a rival

Charles: Rival? Oh dear, no *laughs* we hated each other, its just that after so many years I've thought about that days and kinda respect him a bit more

Interviewer: There was someone that you consider a friend?

Charles: Maybe two people, but I'm not sure

Interviewer: How come?

Charles: There was this girl, intelligent, brave and sly, which was very important during those years *smiles slightly* we didn't get along completely, mostly because of me. I was quite the bitter asshole during that time

Interviewer: I can't imagine you like that *giggles*

Charles: Yeah well, there was another man with who I got along pretty well. Quiet, cold maybe, also really intelligent, distrustful of every person around him...like he should've been. Ironically, he was the closest one whom I could call a friend

Interviewer: Maybe can we know their name?

Charles: Unfortunately no, that should stay as a mystery

Interviewer: Oh, what a shame

Charles: It is a ashame, we lost contact after I came back to the US. But the memories are ones I hold dearly

Interviewer: That's adorable, professor

*After the interview*

Park: What a liar you are, Moore *from the door* you? Holding memories dearly? What a joke

Charles: *sighs* Park, what the fuck do you want? I told you all those years ago that I have no shit to do with you or people like you. Are you fucking deaf?

Park: Just wanted to make sure that you didn't say anything you shouldn't *scoffs* but with all the shit you spew, I have nothing to worry about. You fucking hypocrite

Charles: *looking how Park walked away* ...Unlike you, I still a human, maybe a bastard, but human. Goddamned emotionless bitch

*Charles opens a hidden drawer on his desk, where his old notebook, a bullet cap and a picture awaited. He took the picture, smiling slightly when he saw and remembered that time. It was a time when he was fighting with Koa (@islandtarochips OC) while Mason stopped the Captain, as Aleks (@alypink OC) tried to stop him and Bell/Vasili (@welldonekhushi OC) was just watching everything from the background with a smile...and was Hudson who took the photo*

Charles: ...I should've smacked Nakiu with the chair *scoffs with a side smile*

[moonlitkilljoy]

Lo and behold! i’ve finally finished making it, the promised list of Pacific Rim fic recs for anon :-) everyone thank @ihavenomoralsss for proofreading this for me!

There’s a good chance most people who've read any amount of newmann fanfiction will have read the first two on this list, as they’re found on the first and fifth pages of the newmann ship tag on ao3 when its sorted by most kudos descending– however i’ve included them anyway because they’re there for a very good reason (which is that they’re FANTASTIC). also, i've grouped all of the "pov outsider" fics together at the end of this post, as they pretty much make up one third of the list– which feels like it warrants it's own section. feel free to dm me or send me an ask to let me know of your thoughts about any of these (or just pacific rim in general!!)! without further ado, may i present to thou, 10 fantastic newmann fics

It’s All in the Hands of a Lazy Projector by patster223

“Hermann is cursed as a child so that he may never remember anyone he meets. Theoretically, this should make falling in love impossible, but then he meets (and meets and meets and meets) Newton Geiszler.”

~10k words, 1 chapter, rated T; exactly what the summary says, it’s an au in which hermann is cursed to forget everyone he meets, it centers around newt and hermanns interactions and how they manage to grow close despite this

if i had to choose a single favorite pacific rim fanfic it’d probably have to be this one. it’s gorgeously written and tackles some themes that hit very close to home for me, personally. i’ve struggled with memory loss for a very long time now, and this fic manages to encapsulate that experience through the lens of magical-realism in a way i’ve never seen captured in any context. i left a comment to that effect (under a pseudonym because i rarely log into ao3 on my phone) and the author’s response is something that still makes me emotional pretty much every time i look at it, “I wanted to imagine a world where memory still mattered, even if it wasn’t remembered. And now, years later, I think that it does. You and I and Hermann hold memory in our bodies and our minds, even if what’s being held isn’t an exact picture or description, but rather an emotion or a question. Memory still has to matter to those with memory loss, even if we end up experiencing it differently.” so, this is not only a recommendation for quality, but also from a very personal place— it’s a fic that addresses the concept of memory loss through a lens of comfort and hope, which it is so rarely seen through, and does it phenomenally. if anyone looking at this post were to read one fic and only one fic from this list i’d want it to be this one. it also characterizes newt and hermann very well and i love their dynamic in it, it’s PHENOMENAL

Letters From Berlin by spenshi

“Newton keeps in touch with his family when he's shipped off to the Shatterdome. Jacob and Illia send care packages to the K-Science Lab.”

~12k words, 1 chapter, rated T; once more, exactly what the summary says– newt sends letters to his family and they send him packages. eventually hermann starts sending them letters (+ emails) as well :]

i read this one most recently out of all the others so it’s the freshest in my memory :-) it’s extremely homely and heartwarming!! additionally, it includes some really fun and sweet interactions between newt’s family and hermann. OH! and, of course, some very fun characterization of newt’s family

Plausible Possibility by cissues / @cacaesthesia

“Newt and Hermann experience some odd post-drift effects.”

~1k words, 1 chapter, rated G; a little exploration of ghost-drift

short and sweet! absolutely fucking adorable too. plus, this contains some headcanons/a discussion of sexuality that i was delighted to find very relatable (as an aromantic person)

Red Patent by highseize

“It's been months since the ocean closed up. Nothing will take this from her now.”

~2k words, 1 chapter, rated G; a snapshot of what mako’s life looks like after the events of the movie ^^

a rare non-hermann-and-newt-centered fic on this list!! this one actually centers around mako :D it’s adorable and i love mako with my entire heart, especially this depiction of her

fool by kaijusalad

“Newton is going to die thinking no-one left on this Earth loves him. (Fool.) He can't have that.”

~6k words, 1 chapter, rated T; hermann believes that seeking out hannibal chau and drifting with a kaiju brain once more will kill newt, and acts accordingly

i LOVE the way this fic is formatted and written– the word choice and unique use of italics and parentheses is incredible and works so well. it describes every action and scene so gorgeously and it just. man. here’s a small except devoid of context that i think showcases this perfectly: “His words are hollow, anyway. They hang in the air, lies filled with helium, a new year's resolution, an 'I'll quit smoking'. (God is real in belief; maybe if he believes in them hard enough they'll come true, and isn't that something for a man who works in numbers to think?)”

One day from lonely by Raehimura

“Hermann is standing outside Newton Geiszler’s private quarters, bony ankles poking out from under too-short standard-issue sweatpants, his hair a wreck and his red-ringed eye still sore, with a lifetime of stolen memories in his head. What if Newt isn’t there? What if he’s sleeping? Or, worse, what if he is waiting on the other side of the door with his own stolen memories fresh on his mind? Above all he remembers, sudden and frighteningly clear: This is not what they do.”

~2.5k words, 1 chapter, rated G; another very interesting exploration of newt and hermann post-drift

i disagree a little bit with some of the characterization in this fic (particular, newt thinking hermann hates him. i think newt very well knows that hermann’s very fond of him) but it’s a great read nonetheless! the best word to describe it would probably be “cozy”

This is a Totally Normal Thing for Friends to Do by SolarMorrigan / @solarmorrigan

“Hermann and Newt don't talk about it (until they do)”

~21k words, 4 chapters, rated T; a fake dating au in which hermann’s dad nags him about not having found a partner yet and hermann panics, telling him that he actually does have a partner just to get him to asking about it, but it backfires when lars expresses interest in meeting him. newt offers to play the part of partner, hijinks and relationship progression ensue. this fic also has an explicit sequel, if that’s your kind of thing

THIS FIC IS SO FUCKING GOOD. there were multiple times where i reacted out loud to things that happened in the fic– most notably a series of “holy fucking shit”s while eating lunch with some friends. it’s adorable and includes some transmasc newt content :3 this fic also includes hermann snapping and standing up to his shithead dad and its GREAT. one of my absolute favorite pacrim fics ever, i can’t recommend it enough

POV OUTSIDER FICS:

HR Complaints by IDoNotBitMyThumbAtYou / @idonotbitemythumbatyou

“Manny Flores has been with the PPDC for nearly a decade by the time he’s transferred to Hong Kong. He just wants to do his job. And he’s good at it. But when he receives the 15th complaint from one Dr. Hermann Gottlieb in only three days, he finds his patience running thin. He wonders which of the two scientists would be more of a nightmare to cohabitate a working space with: Dr. Gottlieb - sender of endless petty complaints, or Dr. Geiszler, their hapless subject. (...)”

~3k words, 1 chapter, unrated (probably G or T); hermann and newt’s relationship through the eyes of someone reading the (non-serious) complaints that hermann sends to hr

i spent three uninterrupted hours looking for this fic to link it here and it was ABSOLUTELY worth it. this fic is so fun, and it uses my favorite trope of all time!! i’m an absolute sucker for “pov outsider” type fics <3 the characterization is phenomenal, i love the oc from whose pov we view the story, and some of the lines made me actually audibly laugh. definitely another one of my absolute favorites. i think i sent a screenshot of the first sentence from the following lines to virtually everyone i know: “After another few weeks of complaints (“Dr. Geiszler asked me if I have any tattoos.” “Dr. Geiszler made an offensive tweet alluding to my personal style. I have attached a link.” “Dr. Geiszler has named his invention ‘the milking machine.’”) And continued insistence that no disciplinary action be taken, Manny was starting to suspect that the latter was closer to the truth: these were the missives of someone deeply, inconveniently in love. Christ, Manny was half in love with the guy himself at this point.” this fic rocks, do yourself a solid and please read it

On The Outside by combeferrer

“Petra Gottlieb, Hermann's mother, watches the first PPDC press conference after the world is saved and notices her son, particularly his relationship with his fellow scientist.”

~1k words, 1 chapter, rated G; for the third and final time, exactly what the description says! newt and hermanns relationship through the eyes of hermann’s mother, who watches a press conference with her son– who she hasn’t really interacted with lately– in it

ANOTHER GREAT FIC!! I love this characterization of newt and hermann’s relationship, and i find the premise and extremely enticing in and of itself so i won’t be saying anything more here <3

Disconnect, Connect Again by cypress_tree / @cypress-tree

“Raising Newt Geiszler has never been easy. Seeing him fall in love can be harder. The development of Newt and Hermann's relationship, from Jacob Geiszler's point-of-view.”

~13.5k words, 4 chapters, rated T; newt and hermann’s relationship through the eyes of newt’s father, over the course of 12 years

LOVE LOVE LOVE this author’s take on newt’s family. it works so well and is very enjoyable to read about. i wish i could articulate how much and why exactly i love this fic in a better manner, but i can’t quite find the right word’s ^^; i’m just going to leave it at “i love it dearly and i adore it’s depiction/interpretation of newt and hermann’s history (and present + future!)”

thank you for reading!! have a lovely day/night ^^ <3

[il3x]

Tagged by @vikugnavikugna!

coke or pepsi? beverage BITE miette?? beverage STING her tongue like the insect??? jail!!! jail for beverage for One Thousand Years!!!

disney or dreamworks? dreamworks did HTTYD, right? them.

coffee or tea? tea

books or movies? books hehe

windows or mac? never used mac so windows it is

dc or marvel? ok, exposing myself here, worm was like my 2nd superhero media ever. i haven't read either 🙈 i have seen a few marvel movies but i'm not sure whether that should count for or against them

x-box or playstation? mine crafdt on my laptop

dragon age or mass effect? mass effect bc incuriouscat on youtube makes sick ass fan PMVs

night owl or early riser? night owl

cards or chess? chess, you can narrate stories about the pieces and thoroughly annoy your opponent (sibling) even as you lose >:3

chocolate or vanilla? chocolate all the way!!

vans or converse? wgat

Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar? I can't tell if these are fantasy names or antidepressants

fluff or angst? uhhhhdfcgvhbjnk gonna have to say fluff

beach or forest? beach

dogs or cats? cats 100%! (or secret third option: fish...)

clear skies or rain? clear. god. please... 🙏🙏

cooking or eating out? cooking :P

spicy food or mild food? Mild by any sane standards, but spicy according to my family and/or BBC Food haha

halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas? chris mas :))

would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot? uuuhhhh .. hh. hard one here. gonna have to also go cold

if you could have a superpower, what would it be? SUPERSPEED!! Or time powers. My irl friend has convinced me of their usefulness.

animation or live action? animation

paragon or renegade? renegade, it's the name of my serial killer dark forest!hollyleaf fanfic (only half kidding...)

baths or showers? shower

team cap or team ironman? hm. remember when I said I watched a few marvel movies? yeah none of them were this one :(

fantasy or sci-fi? fantasy baybey!!! but I adore both

do you have three or four favourite quotes, if so what are they? oh god okay. hm... "Where did we learn it, this talent for insatiability?" from The Handmaid's Tale still Lives In My Head from high school english. If song lyrics count, then, "You don't know me / don't you question my love" from Berlin, Without Return. "Sometimes a hypocrite is just a man in the process of changing" (I don't recall the exact wording) from... Oathbringer? is my fav cliche cosmere pick. Oh! And I forget the episode or even who said it, but at some point during the s3 All Might/AFO fight in MHA, one of the side characters stuck on guard duty said "You're confusing difficulty with importance", and that changed my life.

youtube or netflix? youtube :) it has fun little AMVs

[REDACTED] [Clearance Level 9]

when do you feel accomplished? when I bake something! making concrete stuff is really fulfilling, especially if I'm baking for other people.

star wars or star trek? spaceballs (jk, star wars, but I haven't seen star trek so sw wins by default)

paperback books or hardcover books? paperback

to live in a world without literature or without music? [sad character song assigner noises]... without music.

who was the last person to make you laugh? that would be @ty-bayonet-betteridge with several lines in their riley fic hehe

city or countryside? city! much as I complain about missing nature :') ideally a city that's near the sea

favorite chips? anything plain sea salt and properly crunchy 🤌

pants or dresses? pants, though dresses are fun for fancy occasions!

libraries or museums? is it a natural history museum? pleamse?? if so museum! otherwise library all the way.

character driven stories or plot driven stories? I don't really have a preference ngl

bookmarks or folding pages? i was one of those heretical kids who just plonked their books face down open 🙈😭 and now I mostly read online so... idk? Probably bookmarks.

Dream job? honestly would love to be on the management council for a small nature conservancy. second choice would be ecological research, but data-based, not fieldwork (animals scare me >.<)

What gives you comfort? thinking about The Characters...

what are some of your favorite song lyrics? literally ANY pun or double meaning lyric by idkhow!! gonna go with "lose yourself inside the city / lose your mind inside a week".

favorite ice cream flavor ever? chocolate my beloved...

first fandom? warrior cats......

deep ocean or deep space? (personally, i gotta pick ocean, because theres fish in there 👍😊)

Your desert island band?

@thesternest @seroquelfan @chaoticrushu, but no pressure to answer, and anyone is welcome to join! add your own question at the end if you answer :]

[mushroomwriter]

Hermanos anon here - WHY WOULD YOU PUT THAT GIFSET ON MY DASH AAAAAAAH!!!!! i came out here to have a good time and honestly i feel so attacked rn

Anyway, so happy for you that the exam is over and you passed <3 I actually have exams coming up myself lol so I completely understand... also have you heard? Berlin was renewed for s2! Really really hoping Alvaro returns and we get Sergio and hermanos rights in the next season 🤞 (and to fill the need for hermanos content!!) Also pls don't feel like you have to make a set again soon, happy to wait until you get the inspiration, and ofc it's always a good idea to rewatch their scenes, instant serotonin boost - just skip that minor scene that shall not be named at the end of the Mint Heist 😭

Haha I'm sorryyyy! It's something I realised long back but I never had the chance to inflict the angst on anyone else lmao. you added the cherry on top with how you worded it "literally a little brother begging his big brother not to leave him, and knowing on some level that he'll never be able to make him change his mind" 🥺 in some way he would've known right at the moment nairobi and helsinki emerged alone so seeing him going from denial to desperation. hurts

(pt 2) YES, brotherssss!!! Oh, the fact that Andrés is so selfish and narcissistic otherwise just makes the hermanos bond even more special to me?? it hits different than if they'd just been relatively normal/good characters, idk. And yes that's such older brother behaviour of him!! I will tell you some happier observations of mine this time. One of my favourite "older bro" things Andrés does in the series, when he and Sergio sit down to drink together, he ALWAYS pours wine for Sergio first. In the bella ciao scene, his wedding scene in s4, even s3 he literally wakes up Sergio to come have breakfast with them, which means he didn't even allow either Martin or Tatiana to start without his hermanito lol. It's a very sweet minor detail that melts my heart. I can totally imagine them in the Toledo house, pretending they don't know each other but then andrés does little things like these, serving Sergio first or preparing coffee for his brother just the way he likes it before making his own cup :') OH, the feels. Yes, I agree, I definitely think the Bella Ciao lyrics are foreshadowing, and that is exactly what happened in the end. (I have been struck by that thought too, more than once 🥲 it's heartbreaking isn't it? especially when you consider that oslo/moscow had their loved ones with them when they died + a funeral. nairobi had a funeral too. tokio had rio with her before she died. but andrés had none of that, sergio was miles away and then ofc they had to escape leaving him behind... don't think about the guantanamera scene lyrics in this context too. Poor Sergio :( (pt 3) Btw sorry for how long this got!! Please feel free to put everything under a cut if you want 😅 I'm just out here rambling like there's no tmrw. Back to the happier note (omg we really just keep switching between angst and joy) I love that idea!! Yeah, I can definitely see them having that as an inside joke, something that only they share from their childhood memories, it's very sweet! Sergio "I don't dance" Marquina WILL dance if his big bro requires, and it makes me a puddle everytime. Somehow he has the most stiff yet adorable dance moves ever, I loved those moments we got. Andrés mirroring Sergio's moves in the guantanamera scene never fails to bring a smile to my face. Unironically, I used to watch that scene so many times during the pandemic days. I was not doing too well but those few seconds seeing them smile and laugh and dance despite everything used to give me such comfort :D I was glad to see your reply (and once again, completely understand, hope you're taking care of yourself <3) Thank you for putting up (and being so kind) about my rambles, glad you like them! And ofc, please feel free to tell me to shut up if I get too annoying 😭 As always, such a JOY sharing the enthusiasm for these heist bros with you and i hope you have a great week!

AT LEAST WE CAN SUFFER TOGETHER!!! And talk about Sergio, who usually considers every single possible outcome, Never considering his brother could die... whew!

Thank you so much! The best of luck on your exams!! (If you've already taken them, I hope they went well!) I saw that, yeah... and speaking of the spin-off I watched some more of it, I need to watch the fifth episode next... anyway, they better use that new season to give us some new hermanos content or ELSE 🔪🔪 like, just Andrés mentioning Sergio was enough to reawaken my heist brothers obsession, an actual new scene with the two of them would be so Powerful (also I miss Sergio sooo) Thank you, I'd like to gif them again soon but right now the inspiration isn't really on my side, UGH. But I really hope watching and rewatching their scenes (and looking for possible quotes) can help! Honestly since I love pain I will probably watch the Scene That Shall Not Be Named as well but I promise I'll proceed with caution...

Well, I can't blame you, angst is made to be shared! Poor Sergio, he really is in denial at the beginning, huh, insisting Andrés should get into the tunnel... and that's another thing that gets me, because truly there was no time, waiting for Andrés and not blowing up the tunnel basically meant getting captured, and yet Sergio who's usually so cautious and always aware of every risk just refuses to see it. Andrés must get into the tunnel and to safety! And then he gets more and more desperate when it really becomes apparent that it isn't going to happen :(

Oh, I definitely agree! Part of the appeal of big brother Andrés and of their bond imo is the contrast between their usual demeanor and how they behave around each other. When they're together they're a big brother and a little brother, you know 🥺🥺 OOOH thanks for sharing! I don't know if I ever noticed that (if I did I forgot) it really is sweet! I'm smiling a bit at the thought of Andrés not allowing Martín and Tatiana to have breakfast because the most precious hermanito in the world is not there yet! I love that thought! I enjoy picturing how it was for them in Toledo, having to pretend they didn't know each other, and the image of Andrés finding all the sneaky ways to take care of his hermanito makes me melt <3

What can I say, Bella Ciao, Guantanamera, they truly looked at the lyrics and went "ooooh 😈" That completely breaks my heart, like it makes Sergio's grief even WORSE.

Please never apologize about how long your message gets, as far as I'm concerned it only means I have more stuff to enjoy (also thank you for reminding me I can put this under a cut, I probably should lol) It's kind of amusing how we can switch between oh no Andrés was killed and Sergio was completely helpless and awww nice little childhood memories but hey it's great how they give us tragic and happy thoughts both! I absolutely agree about Sergio having the most stiff yet adorable dance moves ever, at some point he's basically like "ok, since I'm doing this with my big brother I'm... actually enjoying it, but this doesn't take all my awkwardness away" and it's so CUTE, Alvaro plays it so well! And Andrés mirroring his moves makes me smile so much!! It truly is a comfort scene and I'm glad it helped you through those times (man, it was surreal).

Thanks so much for your patience! And nooo don't worry, I LOVE your rambles!! It really is a real joy to talk with you about these brothers!

Thank you so much, I hope you have a great week too! (And if you're still studying for your exams, well, I wish you a productive study and hope it doesn't stress you out too much!)

[umnitsa]

HONEST? Ok. THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG TEXT, but it's an interesting investigation in character. I really don't think I would pull any of them doing to foot in the mouth disease (brought by BEING NEUROATIPICAL™), talking WAY TOO MUCH, being loud and weird. Also, I'm fat, and I am a bit of a mess. I tend to love characters who don't seem interested in what I have to bring to the table (oh, loving the ones who will hate you), you'll see.

Let's start with my beloved Jim Hopper: don't think I could pull him. I would be severely intimidated by how HOT he is, he would look at me being super weird and think I was weird, block me right away. My only chance is for him to find me endearing and have fun feeling exasperated to my side, which I would love, but I feel it would be very out of character for him XD Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, on the other hand, I think I could pull. This silly goof would for sure find me adorable, with my big eyes and loud mouth. We would probably run away together, having some serious fun and pulling some shit on the way. I also think he would melt at the way I tend to swoon and blush around my partners, even having this loud and domineering personality (he would be super happy to see me melt against him). He would also love that I love to praise my partners. I also think Alexei would love to see me on stage doing my comedy. He wouldn't understand a word, but he would be the loudest laugh in the room (he also would slam his big hand on the table) <3 (And we would watch Nu Pogodi together, fuck yeah.) Come on, Santa Claus (from Violent Night) is married and I am NOT a temping sight, so no. I would fall squarely in Maxwell Lord's friendzone, I'm sure. We would have a fuckload of fun together, I would never tell him I find him attractive, he would laugh at my weird antics. I'm also pretty sure he would fawn over standardized beauty and I would feel so bad watching him. That's it, sadly. So so sad. Damn it's sad.

Joel Miller would be weird. I would be intimidated with how hot he is, but I really think we could bond over grouchiness and depression. I can see myself feeling comfortable around him to grouch together, and he would be the only human being in the world I would feel comfortable in silence, whenever we're alone (I speak a lot, also, because of social anxiety; I kinda entertain people socially). I'm just not sure he would even consider me this way (although I can see him enjoying feeling exasperated with my antics around other people). I don't think Javi Peña would bat an eyelash in my direction, I would be mesmerized at how sexy he is and would make a fool of myself. He would find me pathetic.

Javi Gutierrez, on the other hand... God, we would be weirdos together, beautifully. I love Nicholas Cage too, and my fangirl energy would win him over. I can see wild discussions as we write together. He's absolutely too sweet for me, but it would be lovely while it lasted. I don't think I could pull my beloved Larry Kline, by the way. I know I believe he loves all women, but I would be so intimidated. Maybe if he found that attractive.

As you can see, I think way too much about this. Waaaay too much. But it's fun!

(Bonus round: The Professor, from Money Heist, and Berlin. But while The Professor would enjoy my presence and I would enjoy his, I am so not their types. Berlin would be a traumatic rejection, even.)

Okay, dearest followers, be honest.

Which one of your fictional crushes do you truly believe that you could pull irl? Realistically. Taking all factors into account. Whether you were in their universe or not, up to you. But be HONEST.

[fff777]

watched dream sketch #7 in london, paris, and berlin

Renjun doing a ballet spin and Haechan stretching. Renhyuck ballet AU.

Whatever Jaemren are doing.

Dream practices are always just cuddlefests

Look at this brat, Chenle acts tough and talks big but he's the biggest princess ever

Just a million things going on while Renjun takes cam control

Jaemin, in Korean: How do you say "get it together" in English Mark, in English: I love you

Jisung hyping up DJ Renjun even though he is not DJ-ing right now

Whatever's going on here

I'd seen a gif of this before watching this video and y'all must know I lost my shit. Jaemrenists we are so back.

Renjun just permanently at 180 degrees while practising

Oh wow they performed at Wembley. I only know that name because of soccer lol.

Mark explaining how "guys" refers to men but is also now used as a catchall term for everyone.

They're always just chatting amongst each other in huddles in the breaks between practice <3

Mark's already got his pretty hair done

Yeah okay Nohyuck

Renjun: I'm feelin it are you feelin it Chenle: No

I want to highlight the fact that I am only 3 minutes into this half hour video. There is always so much going on with these dudes.

Saturday Drip rehearsal (y)

Haechan is a sun but suns are also stars

Nomin

Game time! They all look so pretty

It's cool that Hrvy met them backstage :P Hrvy remembers all the details hehe.

Hrvy @ Jisung: You got a lot taller and your voice got a lot deeper ToT I know dude ToT I wasn't even there for it but he's all growed up.

Jisung prepared a little something in English :3 That's my son <3

I wonder why Chenle spoke in Korean (since he's pretty good at English ^^;;)

Kyuu pose strikes again

Deja vu's been growing on me. It's a pretty hype song eh.

My little guys. Also I'm so mean but every time Renjun wears that outfit I think of McLovin.

Low angle Chenji

Jeno flip!!!!!!

Jaemin: Don't skip a meal He's so malewife coded and yet not

Kissu

Picking up and playing with the toys that the fans throw on to the stage

樂樂又在撒嬌啦

Aigo with 350% energy by Haechan

Group huddle. Also Jisung looming over Renjun.

Renjun continues to be horizontal

Their rehearsal space in Paris is pretty small ^^;;

Chenle just promoting Starbs' iced vanilla latte for free and with his homemade slogan.

Mark sliding to the food and Chenle finding him adorable

My little guys again

Princess x Princess (I originally had so many screenshots for this part but I had to delete on account of the Tumblr pictures per post limit hmph)

Headlock of love

Whatever they were doing

They were all just having an insane dance party while Mark watched

Chenle and Renjun having a high pitched siren voice competition

Haechan believing in the power of Ratatouille inside his beanie

Getting hyped while practising Trigger the fever. It does hit different doesn't it.

Jaemin practising French :3 He likes Paris a lot :3

I took sooo many screenshots during this video but Tumblr only allows 30 so I keep having to delete some ToT

Anyway here's more Jaemren

And Markmin

Oh wow the standing spaces are REALLY close to the stage

Aw Haechan picked up a Crayon Shin-chan plush :3 And Chenle picked up a Daegal pillow X3

Lil cuties

Wait omg who gave Renjun and Jisung PSG jerseys??

Now onto Berlin

Mark taking a video of German pigeons

Did Haechan back his ass up into the huddle to get spanked

Jaemin's sweater said "GO HOME SOCIETY" which I assume is some form of introvert social club

Creation of Jeno?

They're such energetic performers. Watching them in concert must be so much fun~

Jeno helping Mark fix the back of his shirt?

Quite a few of them prepared something in German :3

Haechan tummy

Nomin again

Chenle wearing sunglasses during boom

Oh man this video was soooo much fun. I would have included so many more screenshots but alas, Tumblr said no. (I know I could technically reblog this post to add more photos but I am queueing this so I'll forgo the hassle and just cut down on number of photos).

[coveredinsweetpea]

secret santa [eddie munson x reader]

A/n: this is 100% self indulgent. Don't ask me why I wrote this in the middle of summer.

Summary: you have to get Eddie a present for secret santa and Steve helps!! (FLUFF?) 1.9k

Warnings: mentions of shitty Christmases. I think this is it? It's just cute :)

-

“Who’d you get?” Steve poked his head over your shoulder and sneaked a peek at the little piece of paper in your hand. “Eddie!?”

“Shhh!” you nudged him, “Keep quiet!”

“What are you gonna get him? A trident?”

Rolling your eyes at Steve, you folded the note and stuffed it in your pocket. 

“You know? Cause he’s a satanist?”

You blinked. “That is so wrong on so many- why am I even trying?”

“For someone with straight C’s, you know an awful lot about satanism.” Steve grinned, awfully close to your face. “Is that because you like him?”

“Don’t think I won’t slap you”

“Ok, ok, but seriously now, what are you gonna get him?”

“I don't know, something badass”

-

“A bat plushie, are you serious?” Steve scoffed and threw the toy back in the basket.

“Hey!” Without thinking twice, you picked it back up and petted its little head a few times. “Don’t listen to him, he’s just cranky because Nancy won’t take him back”

“That is absolutely not true-” Steve raised his voice as he pointed to the toy. “Don’t lie to him”

“Admit he’s a cutie” you grinned and brought the bat up to his face. “Say it”

Steve blinked in disbelief a few times and then stared at you as he spoke with not even a hint of a smile on his face. “Adorable”

“Was that so hard?” you giggled and moved along.

Moments later, something shiny caught your eye and you took off in that direction. Steve roamed around for a bit, catching up to you when your hands were almost already full.

“Are all of these for Eddie?” Steve gasped as he offered to help you carry them.

“No, don’t be ridiculous” you scoffed, “The Metallica shirt is for me”

“Yeah, no, of course, and the bunny ears are for Eddie”

“Yes” you nodded and at this point Steve was at a loss for words, confused out of his mind.

“...right”

“Right” you beamed, and started pointing at the stuff you were holding. “Ok, look what I have so far! This one right here is like a whole kit, but to be honest with you, I wanted it for the shampoo mostly. Like our hair textures are quite different, but I’m willing to bet heavy money on the fact that these right here will make his curls shine! And not to mention it’s the peach version which you can’t find anywhere! And also there’s a lipstick in there but its… not his color”

“Ok!” Steve laughed, “Shampoo and and a lipstick that’s not his color”

“... yeah and conditioner, 3 different masks, oil, leave-in cond-”

“Ok! Hair stuff, got it, what’s next?”

“Ok, so since that lipstick is a miss, I got him-”

“You got him one that’s his color?” Steve asked enthusiastically but you just squinted and rolled your eyes in confusion. 

“No, don’t be ridiculous. I got him eye liner”

Steve opened his mouth to speak but then changed his mind. He just… smiled, so you continued.

“Oh, this!” you said, picking up a vinyl. “Young Americans is such a great album, but it's so easily overlooked! People go from Ziggy Stardust straight to the Berlin era which is such a shame”

“I love David Bowie” Steve exclaimed, “But it doesn’t really seem like Eddie’s style”

“You never know,” you shrugged. “This album means a lot to me, maybe it’ll mean something to him too”

“Ok” he nodded, his attitude much calmer than before. “What else?”

You were about to grab the poster you just picked out and roll it out for Steve to see but then stopped. “Listen, I’m not dumb, ok? I know what you’re thinking. You think all of these are stupid, don’t you?”

“No! No! I’m so sorry if I made you believe that, it’s just that I- I don’t know, they don’t seem to be very… Eddie”

“I mean, I only got stuff he can use inside his room without anyone seeing. My ex boyfriend never wore anything I bought for him, like he used to say I had no sense of style whatsoever. It’s not like I believe him or something, but like… the shampoo? This poster? The plushie? The vinyl? All of these? Are just for him, no one has to see them, you know? And I think they’re really cute, I’d like to receive this… Am I being stupid?”

“No!” Steve jumped to stop you. He was confident, looking you dead in the eye, more honest and serious than before. “No, absolutely not. This is literally the best present in the world. No one could’ve come up with a better gift.”

“You really mean that?” 

“Absolutely!”

“Ok” you smiled weakly and grabbed a little black, shiny envelope. “Guess what’s in here?”

“Bobby pins?”

“Guitar picks!”

“Oh!” Stave laughed, “Ignore me, that was an obvious one”

“Yeah” you giggled along, “And they have little monkeys on them!”

“Of course they do” -

After paying for all the presents, you made your way to the car, stuffed them in the trunk and then returned for round two. It was Steve’s turn, and following your display of enthusiastic gift shopping, he was counting on you to do most of the work. And you happily did.

The next day at school, you were in your seat, leaning back as you watched your teacher call out names for the kids to come to the front and claim their gifts.

“Eddie Munson” she eventually said and the class went silent.

Your heart rate sped up. “Why isn’t he standing up?” you whispered to Steve who was sitting directly behind you.

“Do you want me to look?”

“No! He’ll know!”

“Eddie?” your teacher tried again.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry” Eddie eventually muttered and hurried to his feet. He clumsily rushed to the front of the class and stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes landed on the big, pink, sparkly gift bag. “This one?”

“Well, it says Eddie Munson, doesn’t it? There’s a little heart beside the name, so unless you’re Eddie Munson without a little heart, then yes, Eddie, this one's for you”

“Ok, then” he smiled shyly and grabbed the bag with both hands, “Thank you”

“Merry Christmas, honey” she said and then resumed distributing the gifts.

“Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“I think my ears are melting”

“Aww” he chuckled, “Are you nervous?”

“Yes, I’m fucking nervous!” you snapped back.

“Do you want me to look? See what he’s doing?”

“Yeah” you nodded, “But don’t make it too obvious”

You’d never know how casually Steve turned around, but for whatever reason, you doubted that he had been even the tiniest bit subtle.

“He’s elbow deep inside that bag, Y/n!” Steve said with enthusiasm. “I think he loves it!”

“What if he’s disgusted and is just looking around hoping to find something that he doesn’t hate?”

“You’re being ridiculous!”

“Steve?”

“Yes?”

“As soon as the bell rings, I’m gonna need you to distract him, ok? So I can get out of here”

“How exactly do you want me to do that!?”

“I don’t know,” you shrugged. “Wrestle. Tackle him to the ground, figure something out. You fought demogorgons, Eddie’s not gonna be a problem for you”

Steve sighed loudly, but didn’t argue with you.

When the bell rang, you didn’t linger around to see how Steve chose to distract Eddie. All you knew was that it worked, as you were able to sprint out of that classroom and hide in the girls bathroom before the next class started - a class Eddie wasn’t in.

You didn’t really pay attention to anything that the teacher had said, instead just made up scenarios and thought of all the different things about your present that Eddie could possibly hate.

As soon as that class was over too, you stood up and left the building. Fairly sure there was no chance for Eddie to be already outside, you didn’t bother to hide or look around. You just walked down the main path, lost in thought, when you heard your name being called.

Before getting a chance to turn around you felt a gentle hand grab your elbow, and your breath stopped.

“Hey, Y/n, are you in a hurry?”

“No, yeah, yeah, no, I’m-” you mumbled and shook your head, “No, I’m not in a hurry, why? What’s up?”

“I blinked earlier and you were gone” Eddie chuckled, “I wanted to, I don’t know, it feels kinda weird getting this present. I feel like it’s not even for me”

“Why not?”

“No, no, no!” he jumped to reassure you, “I saw the little bat, he’s adorable, I know it’s for me… I’m just saying… I don’t know what I’m saying. Thank you!” He finally cleared his throat. “Thank you so much”

“You like it?” you asked, eyes open wide.

“Do I like- I love it, Y/n, it’s by far the best present I’ve ever gotten”

“Really, because-”

“Don’t bring up the fact that last year I didn’t get anything for secret santa-”

Your heart broke. “What do you mean? Why didn’t you get anything?”

“I don’t know” Eddie answered and shrugged, “It’s fine, I don’t mind but like that’s why I was so shocked when the teacher called my name”

“I’m sorry” you said softly, and looked into his eyes. “You should’ve gotten something!”

“I did!” Eddie exclaimed and pointed at the gift from you, “This makes up for every failed Christmas-”

“Failed Christmases!?” you whined. Your nose started to itch as tears built up in your eyes. “Do you really wanna make me cry right now?”

“No, no, no, never” he shook his head. “Don’t cry! It was just a joke!”

“I know it wasn’t, but I’m not gonna push you. Just… I’m sorry for all those things, and in case I managed to make this one eve the tiniest bit better, I’m really happy”

“You really did, thank you, sweetheart” Eddie grinned and opened his arms, “Can I hug you?”

“Yes” you laughed.

Eddie brought you against his chest in a sweet but firm embrace and when you pulled away, it seemed like he was about to say something. But he closed his mouth, waved his hand dismissively, and nodded towards his van.

“What?” you questioned, not moving an inch.

“Nothing!”

“It seemed like you were about to ask something. Is it about the hair products? There’s an instruction manual in there, in case-”

Eddie scratched the top of his head and avoided your eyes as a smile peaked at the corner of his lips. “It wasn’t about the hair things”

“Then?”

“I just… wanted to ask if you wanted to… maybe yeah, about the hair products. Like, maybe you wanted to come over? You could show me how to use them?”

“Oh!” you beamed, “Sure, yeah, I can do that”

“And the eyeliner! I always wanted to try it”

“Deal! Yes!”

After that, Eddie offered to drive, and as you made your way to his van, he started waving the bag around and sighed. “You know, this is the best present ever, but I hate that there isn’t something I can just, put on, I don’t know, wave around, like carry with me, so that everyone sees. Oh-” he belted, “The bunny ears!”

“Oh my god” you laughed out loud when you saw him put them on.

“How do I look?”

“Very… metal”

“Good” Eddie nodded and threw his arm around your shoulders. “I absolutely love them”

-

feedback makes my day? :) Thanks for reading!!!

[aurora-australis-tumbles]

Fanfic Recs!

In honor of Fanfic Writer Appreciation Day I thought I would celebrate by reccing a couple of fics from each of the fandoms I read/write in, because I know I am always looking for recs myself, and this lets me shine a light on some that I adore. Of course, this proved a tremendously difficult task, because there are literally so many amazing fics to choose from, but in the interest of time and space I am limiting myself to two.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

One Night In Berlin by @firesign23 I love me a good trope subversion and Fire_Sign is the master. This one is short but packs a punch and even has two follow-up fics to continue the story!

Revolution of the Times by @arlome Without giving too much away, this fic manages to combine so many of my favorite things - Jack's family, Phryne's past, Phrack at their finest - and the writing is just gorgeous.

Agent Carter

Renegades by @ink-dust This could genuinely be the the season 3 we were all denied. The writing, story and characterizations are just top notch. 😚 👌 

The Song Remains the Same by @sholiofic​ An OT3 with Peggy/Daniel/Jack that takes a really interesting path to explore Peggy's growth from the beginning of S1 to post S2. Lovely.

HTTYD/Race to the Edge

Cold North Wind by sunflowerb A beautiful exploration of Valka's return and the consequences of her absence from her perspective. Love, love, love.

Simple Gifts by @listentoyourdragon / Ecoutez A sweet and authentic deep dive into the years between adolescence and adulthood where everything is sort of in flux and you're just starting to figure yourself out. Read it and then do yourself a favor and read the sequel which is just as amazing.

---

So there you go, two of each even though I could easily rec dozens and dozens and dozens more (and ultimately kinda did after the cut 😂). But hey, that’s what future August 21st-s are for, right? 😊 

Thank you so much to all the fanfic writers out there - you're amazing and I appreciate the hell out of each and every one of you. ❤️ 

---

Ok, so shorter and under the cut because I'm still not totally comfortable reccing my own stuff, I've decided to add one of mine from each from these fandoms because I was ordered encouraged to. And also if I'm going to rec what I like, I write what I like so that does feel a bit like low hanging fruit anyway. ;-)

MFMM: An Instrument of Grace Case fic, Phrack conflict, and female friendships, oh my!

Agent Carter: Peony and Thisbe An undercover AU with Peggy out on her own and a familiar voice as her only agency contact.

HTTYD: Pieces Four years post-canon, Hiccup meets someone from his past who has the potential to change his future.

[khodorkovskaya]

okay here we go.

(translated with deepl)

here is my first impression of oxford bestie. when i read this i died. like who is this bella swan mysterious and lonely not-like-other-girls icon???

As I listen to other girls' stories, I look away. There I notice a cute girl with brown hair and fringe. I vaguely remember her from last year. I remember noticing her in maths class. She was sitting so lonely in the corner of the classroom that I thought. felt I felt a little sorry for her. That day, she stood out from everyone I'd seen. That's when I decided that when I moved to this school, I'd try to make friends with her. Today, she looks the same lonely, even though she's surrounded by people. I find it strange that, instead of standing with everyone else, it's like she's trying to fit in with the guys. I'm gonna have to find out more about her.

this is the part i read and wanted to kms. what in the weaboo emo teen is this somebody kill me.

The atmosphere of the new school distracts me from bad dark thoughts: that no one needs me; that I'm making things worse; that I should die.

"You like anime, don't you? - smiling sweetly *Manchester bestie* asks me before class starts.

"Yeah, I love it," I exclaim.

dEeP dArK tHoUgHtS ahhhhhh

After taking a warm shower and turning off the light, I lie on my side, staring at the wall, and listen to my roommates talking as they listen to music in the same bed. They're talking about virginity and how it's stupid to wait to get married. I think of Yasmin, who is adamantly against it.

"How long do we have to wait?" says Clara in a whisper. "I'm ready now!"

there's something so cute about this idk. like we were such babies.

"Oh my God!" gasped Yasmin horrified, looking at the mailbox. "That's Vladimir Stosic! The crazy Serbian who teaches us chemistry." Yasmin had told me a lot about Stosic. According to her, he's a Satanist and a member of the Order of the Dragon. They say he even has a devil tattoo! His daughter is in sixth form and it turns out he drove her into depression and she shaved her head. Even though he teaches chemistry, he's a bit of a mess and all he's told his students is that he killed his wife, by throwing a plugged-in light bulb into her bathtub.

bro whatttt what is this lore who tf is vladimir stosic 😭😭

then there's the scandalous berlin trip! and there's a passage about how my london bestie and my oxford bestie went to KDW to buy bras and it's so funny to read about bc it was such a scandal back then! like that's so cute. then we play truth or dare and i have to kiss my crush! 😱😱😱 also very cute and very much like "aww baby me, you were adorable".

then we go to the holocaust memorial and take very disrespectful photos that facebook never fails to remind me about every year. like "x years ago you took these super quirky photos" and every time im like oh god.

then oh my god! i put my head on my crush's shoulder!!! wowwwww (tbh that's more action than im getting these days, so 14 yr old me was winning)

then fuckkk okay i can't read this part. i had a north korea phase so i go on about american propaganda and how evil capitalism is. but not in a based way, but in a "im 14 and this is deep" way. fuck. and then i go on about gay marriage and how im such a passionate ally but not because im gay or anything i just like gay people and i believe in equality haha ha ha im not gay what. and then i talk about atheism and how religion is evil.

and then there's this

I've never been fallen in love with a guy before, and I don't know what kind of feelings are called love. Maybe I was in love with someone and I didn't realise it, thinking I just wanted to be friends with them, because you can feel that way about girls, too, right? Right?

and like bestieeee that's the gayest thing anyone's ever said, sorry to break it to you.

"Has anyone seen my T-shirt?" asks C suddenly, returning from the lake shore, where he was probably looking for it.

I look around, following the others' lead, and suddenly realise that, somehow, I've had his T-shirt all along! And how is it that after spending half an hour here by the fire, I hadn't realised I'd been clutching it to my chest. I hand it to C immediately, looking up into his eyes, the reflection of the fire playing in the muted blue.

"I'm sorry I didn't give it to you sooner," I tell him, putting my hand on his shoulder. "You must be freezing cold!"

"It's nothing," he waves it off.

you know, as cringe as it is like... there's something so cute and pure about this. like i want to hug my past self and tell her that everything is gonna be okay. and that it's okay to be in love. and that he's not worth it. like. i want to cry a little bit. </3

and then it gets even more heartbreaking for little me:

Suddenly, Dixie, a cute girl I had met long ago in my first German class, runs up to C. In her manner, she laughs loudly and hugs C, saying how cold he must have been the whole time. She strokes his head, pulling him tight against her.

"Dixie, Dixie," C resists, "I'm uncomfortable! I'm not cold at all!"

"Oh, come on, come on," she interrupts him. "Let's go to the tents at once! You're shivering, for heaven's sake!"

And with both arms round C, she leads him away from the fire.

It is sometimes embarrassing for her, for she, in her childish naivety, never hides her emotions. She probably doesn't even realise that such a thing is even possible.

I catch myself thinking that for the rest of my life, or at least for the rest of this school year, I'll be cursing myself for that I wasn't in Dixie's shoes at that moment.

babyyyy 🥺🥺🥺🥺 it's okay, you'll survive </3

and then! my bestie and C get together! and the book ends!!!!!!!

(and then there's an epilogue where i get into communism again and talk about how i hate rich people. no, literally, i fucking say that.)

so yeah....

honestly now im glad that i wrote it bc it's like a little time capsule of what being a teenager was like. like a pre-teenager id say. bc that was before my weird sugardaddy phase and sex and alcohol.

it's extremely badly written, but there's a charm to it. like i know 14 year old me was sincere when she wrote it and you can feel her pain and it's so precious. the overall ~vibe~ of it reminded me of elif batuman's the idiot (not literally. this "book" of mine is a 3/10 at best, meanwhile the idiot is a solid 10) in the sense that there's this awkward tension between me and my crush and it doesn't go anywhere and it's very pathetic and you just want to shake her and say "he's not worth it!!!". but it's so sincere and innocent and she just wants to clench his tshirt against her chest and look into his deep blue eyes, like that's so adorable.

anyway, yeah. what an experience.

my london bestie's family is moving (mum got remarried so the family house is going to her older sister, long story) and so she was going through her old stuff. and she found the book i wrote when i was 15 and gave it to me.

and i wanted to maybe translate some parts of it and put it on here bc it just feels appropriate. but im reading it now and it's so cringe like i am in physical pain reading it.

here is how i summarised it on my insta yesterday:

im in year 10. i befriend *oxford bestie* who's like this bella swan mysterious lonely brunette who's friends with boys

we go to berlin and it's like hbo euphoria but even more dramatic! there's erotic dancing and suicide tw

i develop a massive crush on C. guess who else has a crush on C? oxford bestie! 😱

i become a communist as a coping mechanism

common themes: lust, homosexuality, wealth inequality, alcoholism

3/10

[anderwater]

What did you learn about him? Please tell us what you’re comfortable sharing! Thanks :) also I hope you had fun

Hi! Thanks, I had a lot of fun - and now a lot of regrets, can’t believe I forgot to record it all. So, mostly from my (sad but fresh) memory and my written notes :

- London : very big city, very expensive (« fuck me, that’s too much », his words). Got an intensive 6 months acting course instead of two years and now have his diploma! He even mentioned his teacher‘s advices a few times.

- Two weeks ago, he got back to Berlin to get back into the business so he could find some work (« because London is so expensive » - which confirms fan’s assumptions : the boy needs to eat). He had an audition last week for a fairy tale ? He also would like to try theater in the future (Hamlet)

- After the MC praised him for having the balls to work as an actor, Michi agreed that it’s hard, that you get rejected all the time «  you think : am i shit? are /they/ shit ? ». His teacher told him that rejection is also part of life and you just need to stand up again until you die.

- Since he grew up in a family theater, he was always passionated about acting. His aunt always tells that story about how he’d put his backpack under his shirt and pretended to be the hunchback of Notre Dame in front of the mirror - he did stood up and showed us how while laughing, cute.

- A genre he hasn’t tried yet but would like to do next is Comedy. He thinks that we all need to laugh a bit and be happy after the Covid times, (« everything is so f-ing boring » « comedy is one of the hardest genre » « making people laugh is hard »)

- He would have loved to see a season about David, to see what happened before he came to the new school, with his family and why he lived with his sister, how he got there : that it’d be a good depiction of finding yourself and accepting yourself which he thinks the whole show is about. It would have been a good opportunity to see a completely different character.

- Plus : when we were talking about having to dig in your own feelings to act, he also mentioned Lukas’ emotional scene in Druck as an example, that he found it touching, that you could see his real feelings, how he used his experience and he did admire how he put himself out there like this.

- He doesn’t have much contact with the cast anymore since they’re all doing their own things but the connection is still there, « it goes beyond ». Even if they see each other once a year, they still have that thing they did together, « It’s beautiful »

- He gets really attached to his characters when he‘s filming. It was especially hard for him when he was very busy back in the days since he had to keep jumping from one location to another, one character to another. Had to find ways to seperate from those roles so he could go home as « himself ». Though, he has kept one piece of clothing for every character he played to remember them.

- Axel (from Skam France) apparently watched Druck S3 and complimented him about it, he couldn’t answer anything to him so now he’s thinking about watching his Skam France season (pls). He asked what were the best seasons of this remake, how we liked it, and one other fan suggested most of the seasons to him while i was hesitating.

- Random : if he was an Avengers, he’d be Iron Man because rich, handsome, sexy, have a nice robot costume and can shoot anyone.

- Oh and what happened to Benni (Nakte Tiere) will stay a secret.

If they ever post the video of his panel, you may find most of what i wrote. The rest come from small parts of the meetings i had with him. Michi was adorable and very open to share. Good chats.

I litterally only attended this convention for his little person, and was part of the few who were fans of Druck (over other remakes), so it was funny to see other Skam fans appreciate his very honest, very friendly, very chill (non-performing) attitude. I hope it did satisfy your curiosity (I should have recorded it, I’m realizing how much bits i’m losing already).

[formulatrash]

Hi Hazel! Same question as previous but with FE drivers if that’s ok?

oh sure. this one is easier because I speak to them all the frickin time. or, I guess. I used to. ow.

so basically all the FE drivers are really nice. I can't really think of any of them that have been anything but nice to me apart from Sam Bird has a slightly aggro tendency that you can't read anything into. (he gets super stressed sometimes and will be snappy but there's nothing like, personal or bad about it. it's just like if a cat gets stressed and has a screechy moment. (he also for whatever reason just does not like being interviewed by me so I try to avoid it unless absolutely necessary)

JEV can be a pain in the arse to journalists (apparently) but he is absolutely an adorable kitten with me and has never been anything but extremely sincere and willing to discuss anything. he made me cry on the Saturday in Berlin because as we were leaving the media centre to go to media pen he hugged me and said he had to win the race for me tomorrow, if it was my last - he didn't but that's irrelevant. idk if drivers are attached to journalists like that in other series. tbf idk if they are attached to other FE journalists like that. oh no now I've upset myself, my stupid blorbos I miss them.

if you get Sam in a non-aggro mood he's also very sweet and patient (I totally understand the aggro-ness, definitely don't want to make him sound unpleasant because Sam Bird is A Genuinely Very Good Man) and has given me some really heartfelt answers over the years.

Lucas has never been anything other than hilarious and friendly and very kind to me. he's awesome to talk to and contrary to what his internet persona might project, really good at listening and understanding things that are new to him. asks a lot of questions.

Pascal once gave me a tour of his house on Zoom because he was, idk, just a bit bored in lockdown. Mitch is just an endless joy to interview because he gives incredibly long answers and is like, fervently sincere about them. Nick Cassidy gets super anxious about giving good enough answers - I did a podcast with him that I need to edit and put up and he was so nervous he wasn't doing well enough but so friendly and sweet, he's really lovely.

Edo is the genuinely most sincere man alive. Alex Sims is so nice, the absolute nicest man. all men should either be Alex Sims or Jake Dennis, ideally, who is also incredibly lovely.

idk, I could list all of them really? Seb Buemi is genuinely lovely, not at all the image you'd get from the infamous clip. the Olivers (collective) are all very down to earth, generous people. Antonio Giovinazzi gets in that goddamn travesty of a car every weekend and does it with a smile and with nothing but generosity towards his team and the fans. I mean, I literally could pretty much list all of them tbh. even Lotterer, who I had a bit of a conflagration with in season 4 and took quite a dislike to, has mellowed and is honestly lovely.

there is one of the drivers I have never seen anything but total mardiness from even when I told him he'd scored a point but I don't see any point in calling him out for it as he clearly has either no intention of or no ability to change and already has a reputation for it.