#sath ao3

[etirabys]

dungeon meshi fandom slash roundup #1

// explicit porn & spoilers for the manga ahead

fics recs

An Old Fear by Sath – Kabru / Mithrun, first of I hope many Canary!Kabru fics I will love

Cornucopiodes by Problem_Starchild – Kabru / Laios, wip currently at 70K. I'm really excited about nightmare fics and this hits so many of my buttons; one of those reading experiences where I'm like "oh great, I don't have to write X, they've executed it so much better than I can".

foie gras by gothpigeonn – Thistle / Winged Lion (fucking with Thistle in the guise of Delgal), gore, bestiality; read the other warning tags + notes too. well crafted horror

fanart shoutout: the cutest kabru/mithrun genderswap art??

kink meme prompts I liked

Toshiro/Laios/Falin: sibling bodyswap induced bisexuality awakening on Toshiro's part

Kabru/Laois nightmare merge: "it occurs to me that Kabru's nightmare is probably Utaya, and Laios's nightmare might be destroying his home village per his youthful revenge fantasies; would love to see a Nightmare fic where one of them dives in to help the other, gets sucked in, and ends up being on the other end of the same dream"

Kabru/Mithrun, Mithrun getting Kabru to indulge in his own desires

Kabru/Past!Mithrun hatefucking: "I imagine they would absolutely despise each other, given that past!Mithrun is just as people-pleasing fake as Kabru is and who they are would only emphasize this hatred towards one another"

recent kink meme fills:

Kabru / Mithrun, elf ears are erogenous: prompt and AO3 fill

Kabru / Mithrun, Mithrun having self-image issues: prompt and AO3 fill

Kabru gangbang fic: prompt and AO3 fill

Kabru / Chilchuck: Kabru's transition from underestimating Chilchuck based on rumors to respecting his deftness: prompt and fill – multiple people were converted to the ship :D

[maironsbigboobs]

so, I just reached Beleg and Turin's part in the Silm the other day and I see you are a fan. Might you be able to recommend some good fics for them? I'm struggling to sift through ao3 for the good ones.

Yeah, I think you could say I'm a fan haha 😅 although I have to confess I don't really read a lot of very long fics, so most of these are quite short (and sweet! Or, angsty, lol)

Some of my fave Beleg & Túrin (or /, or both ;) ) fics are:

Not By Wisdom But By Love - @sallysavestheday

The Giving of Gifts - @cuarthol (in fact, all and any of their fics)

To Share This Light With You - @serregon (who I have no doubt will have some delicious recs too!)

The Wolf Sheds His Coat - sath (actually one of the first Beleg/Turin fics I read)

This ficlet by @searchingforserendipity25

And this ask has also made me think I should write more about Túrin. Love the funky guy.

[earthly-apples]

I think of the Borders of Experience by ao3 user Sath and consider eating my phone

[sathindetection]

aw crap i gotta create a custom tag for my otps so i can rt stuff regardless of how the creator tagged for t/b without being annoying for people using extensions to read tags

"but for why, sath?"

i don't care about people double-tagging my work but seeing it tagged with just aebedo puzzles the living fuck out of me... i've also gotten ao3 comments praising my 'aebedo' and i am so happy and flattered that these people like my work despite preferring a different configuration but lol?

[wild-oats-and-cornflowers]

Oh Boy Oh Boy

So, I only read canon-era Les Mis fic, and I have complex feelings about this ship which means that I prefer it on the angsty or complicated side. With that in mind, here are a few Enjoltaire-writin' AO3 authors to check out from meee, filtered to include that ship (some of the fics in their repertoires are modern AU but you can assume that I'm rec'ing the canon era ones, although I'm sure that the modern AU ones are good, for modern AUs)

Ark

arriviste

goshemily

Sath

Editing to say I almost forgot my favorite ExR fic of all time, to wit, Blood And Wine Are Red. Now fair warning, this one is LONG. It's essentially an entire historical AU novel, published without chapter breaks, but it is AMAZING. Here's the author's summary:

1653 England

A charismatic preacher, Enjolras, broke from Whinstanely's True Levelers to found his own separatist sect, hoping to bring equality and hope to a fractured England. Grantaire knows he is an atheist and a libertine and has no place among the faithful, but finds himself tied to them nonetheless - by bonds of love, if not faith. There is no way they will succeed, but until they are driven out, whether by Javert or the army, he will stay as long as they will have him. It is merely a question of the law finding them before they realize he is too worthless to keep among them.

ATTENTION LES MIS FANDOM!!!!!!

i just finished reading liberte egalite demi-plies on ao3 and i LOVED it but i haven’t read any other enjoltaire fics. PLEASE recommend me some because i’m going feral and i don’t know where to start from lol

[sathinfection]

If anyone wants to read a faux-medieval epistolary fic where two monks tell each other whoppers, here's what I wrote for Yuletide.

[saltandlimes]

A confession: I wished people would also like something I did for my fandom. Any of the things really because I do a lot of things. But things never go that way. In the meantime a person who hasn't even been here for almost a year posts the most generic and bland AU ever and people fall on their hands and knees to praise them and write and draw things for them. Yes of course I am jealous. I don't even get nice anons who tell me they like anything I do. It's frustrating when people ignore you.

I’m so sorry that you’re feeling like this.

I definitely went through a phase where I felt this way in fandom. I did quite a bit of writing about six years ago, and though it went over well on LJ, I couldn’t figure out why no one read it on Ao3 or tumblr.

It took coming back to fandom a year and a half later to figure out some things. People whose work is popular in fandom have a knack for marketing themselves. They understand how to gather a fanbase, how to promote their own work, and how to satisfy people.

That’s not to say that popular creators don’t create brilliant work. THEY DO. They also combine that work with loyal followers and great marketing. And sometimes, if that doesn’t come naturally to you, it can be hard to understand that even the best content goes nowhere on the internet if you don’t devote yourself to getting it out there.

You’re not getting ignored because your work isn’t good, I swear! It took me literally years after coming back to fandom to get to a place where I feel fairly satisfied with how I’m doing in terms of feedback and in terms of appealing to people. It’s ok if it takes a long time to get to that place. It’s normal, and natural, and I can guarantee most popular creators you see when through that at some point, in one fandom or another.

[It’s Sleepover Saturday]

[bigcatchuck19]

Chapter 4 of the opus is up and running. At this rate, I’ll finally finish the dang thing in 2023. This chapter is chock full of the Sath, which isn’t really a bad thing. :)

Thanks again to @holeybubushka for beta reading as well as putting up with my being a bit of an anxious brat towards the end. :) I’ve included an excerpt below.

Excerpt

As Sam gingerly moved towards her, Beth blubbered through her tears “I'm sorry, Sam, I'm sorry. You're the last person in the world I want to scare.” She loudly wheezed to unclog her nasal passages. “If it weren't for you, I would have died out there. And sometimes, I wonder if you wouldn't be better off if I...”

“Don't you ever fucking say I would be better off if you were dead!” Beth looked over, stunned at the venom in Sam's voice. “I spent days by your bedside in the hospital. Terrified you would never wake up. Then failing to console you when the police broke off their search for Hannah. Then spending nearly a year listening as you spewed all sorts of bile towards your friends when you weren't full of self-hatred. And I would be more than glad to do it again one hundred times over if I had to. Because I love you, you big dumb stupid bitch!”

“Sam I...”

“Shut Up! You're one of the most vulgar, irritable and stubborn people in the fucking universe! But you're also the one of the bravest. You didn't hesitate for a second to go after Hannah when she ran out into the woods when the rest of us just stood there or were too drunk to stand period. Everyone knows you're the rock, the dependable one, the responsible one, the selfless one. The one who needed, still needs, to get it through her thick skull she deserves to be happy. And not to pretend I don't get anything carnal out of the equation, you're pretty fucking hot even though you're constantly trying to hide it.”

“Sam, Let...”

“As for guilt? You think you're the only person who feels guilty?! Who misses Hannah?! How many times have they all apologized to you? Even Chris who did nothing more than getting blackout drunk, like he does every damn time he comes up here. And when they first apologized, every single one of them was crying their eyes out. Did you think they're faking or were just afraid you were going to beat the shit out of them? No! They know they fucked up horribly and nothing they can ever do can change what happened."

"Sam, please..."

"Or how about the smug prick, as you like to call him. Did you know he went out there with me to find you and Hannah?" Beth's astonished look answered Sam's question. "Of course not. Because then you might think better of him. And he wants you to hate him. Because I know damn well he hates himself. But you owe him your life as much as you owe me. And I owe him mine as well because I wouldn't have been able to carry you back myself, and I sure as fuck wasn't going to leave you there alone, so I would have frozen to death next to you."

Sam's breathing grew heavier as she grew winded and her voice started to waver. "As for me, the only one you've never blamed? I deserve blame as much as anyone. Every day, every moment, I hate myself with every fiber of my being for not going out there with you. Because I know together we would have found some way to save her. And you know what gets me through my guilt? What helps me out of bed every morning? The fact I was able to save you. So how fucking dare you say my life would be better if you were dead!”

Sam's diatribe halted as her eyes started to glister and her breathing quickened. Before she could fully break down, Beth enveloped her in a comforting bear-hug, resting her chin on Sam's top knot as Sam allowed herself to grieve openly in front of Beth for the first time.

[maglors-anion-gap]

January 2021 Fic List (Part 1):

Here’s the first installment of the project I mentioned earlier today.  The goal of this project is to collect the fics that I’ve read over the month and post the links here.  I want to give our content creators some appreciation, showcase their content, and increase the foot traffic on their works.  

I’ve provided links to the fics and to the authors’ ao3 pages; the quotes are generally taken from the summaries.  I have listed rating and wordcount but I have not added tags as the works are tagged individually. 

All works below the cut because the list has grown quite long!

Part 2

Part 3

“Studies in Session” by Tyelperintal

Maedhros/Fingon (M) (2266 words)

“Findekáno cannot reach a book on a high shelf. This necessitates Maitimo following him to an unused corner of the library”

“Of Like Kind” by Sath

Maedhros/Fingon, Maedhros/Sauron (E) (12448 words)

“Sauron has long found as much utility in kindness as in cruelty”

(this is six years old now, but it remains one of my favorites of all time)

“Challenge” and “Decisions” by Aipilosse

Celebrimor/Gil-Galad (E) (~5000 words for the whole series)

“Celebrimbor almost regrets taking Gil-galad up on his challenge. Almost.” 

“Being High King requires making many difficult decisions. Celebrimbor has a temporary solution at least.”

“Love Me Tender, Love Me Fierce” by joanofarcstan

Caranthir/Finrod (E) (2805 words)

“These are momentous words. Of course Finrod trusts Caranthir, has trusted him since the beginning, but these two pairs of question and answer—I have you / I know; trust me / I do—have become a sort of ritual between them”

“Heart and Head” by bunn

Celegorm & Nimloth (G) (1391 words)

“In a far-off land West of the Moon, East of the Sun, Nimloth of Doriath and Celegorm go roaming in pursuit of dragonflies, but it's not quite as easy to think only of the interests they share as Nimloth would like.”

(Reconcilliation fic, focusing on love and loss) 

“(Never) Let Go” by justonelastdance

Maedhros/Fingon (M) (1189 words)

“The question — because it is a question, as though Maedhros is unsure not only if his request will be granted, but also if he should have made it at all — asked in the quietest of whispers, pierces Fingon's heart like a dagger.”

“Our Defiance Redeems Us” by joanofarcstan

Gil-Galad | Finduilas (Fin-Galad AU) & Elendil  (T) (967 words)

“A good death, if such a thing exists; an honourable one if not. And if such a thing still does not exist, then a defiant death—that is just as good. I will die on my feet, spitting blood and curses at the Enemy, not kneeling and waiting meekly for the blade to fall.The Last Alliance will fight, not because they are sure to win or because there will be glory there or because there are oaths to bind them; but because it is right.”

“The Sanctity of Love” by joanofarcstan

Finrod/Ulmo (E) (3536 words)

“In a world where snakes devour their own tails, traitors their own protectors, and cities their own kings, all comes full circle: from hoping first because you can and then because you must, to Tol Sirion reclaiming her priest and setting his sacrifice into the very soul of her earth, to our heroes finding themselves in each other's arms at the end as in the beginning.”

“On Light Feet” by Elesianne

Curufin, Curufin’s Wife (Netyarë), Sons of Fëanor (G) (1091)

“During Curufin and Netyarë’s year of engagement, he and his family offer to help Netyarë perfect her dancing skills. The help from Curufin’s brothers proves to be of questionable value.”

“Age Before Beaty” (orphan account)

Haleth/Caranthir (G) (1352)

“He seemed to feel her staring. He rolled over and regarded her, heavy-lidded. The eyes beneath the long lashes were glittering dark and knowing, the eyes of a grown man in the face of a beardless youth fair as a girl. It was the face of a young god or a dream-vision.”

“Russingon Art Dump” by BabyImDead

Maedhros/Fingon (M) (Art Post)

from cosmicgong on tumblr

“Desperate Measures” from A Bending, Breaking Wheel by Hrunting_License 

Fëanor/Maedhros, Maedhros/Maglor (E) (14021)

"I'm your older brother, Káno. That means it's my duty to protect you."

(Dead Dove do Not Eat applies here, read tags carefully)

“I Will be the Wolf (And When You’re Starving, You’ll Need it Too” by Hrunting_License 

Eöl/Maeglin, Maeglin/Sauron (E) (5882)

“Maeglin protects his mother from Eöl and learns about monstrosity. Years later, he meets another monster, but his experience is very different.”

(Dead Dove do Not Eat, read tags carefully)

[saurons-pr-department]

Would you please recommend some of your fav Miron fics. Love your blog very much❤️

Hello anon! I would be more than happy to recommend some Mairon fics! I’m just going to scroll through my bookmarks on AO3 and start linking!

In the interest of keeping this post neat and not too cluttered, I’m just going to post the title and author of each fic. They’ll be a mixture of crack, smut, dark, fluff etc.. so just remember to check tags and things before reading! I’m sure everyone knows the drill.

Seductions by The LCM  Of Use by Lairenuriel  Portrait by asenath_waite Sunset in Númenor by MissAntlers Offering by ancient_moonshine (and the rest of the series) To Those I Love by heartstone Of Like Kind by Sath Contempt by  goldtoashes, heirsofbrokenlegacies (jarofhearts) Rewind by psychedaleka Build Up a New Us by Harp_of_Gold (and just their writing in general!) The Eggsepectations of Celebrimbor by an_evasive_author (and the rest of the series)    You should also look up the ‘writing reblog’ tag on my blog, there should be some Mairon stuff there too I believe.

You should also check out the work of @outofangband here on Tumblr. Their stuff mostly focuses on Maedhros, but Mairon is often featured and they have one of my favourite characterisations for him!

I’m also going to be a bit silly and say here’s my fanfiction which is mostly Mairon related XD

Also, I’m so glad you enjoy my blog! I’m always afraid that people will get annoyed with me constantly mentioning Mairon XD But I physically cannot stop myself XD

[acernor]

Did you create bingliushen? Because I honestly don’t remember this being a ship before your fuck or die fic of them

DCOD ALL CAME FROM THE GREAT INSPIRATION OF SATH, who posted a delicious bingliu fuck or die fic on ao3, combined with FEYNITE, ROLE MODEL AND LIFE GOALS, who wrote the tastiest lqg pining for sqq content in iwiwyh... there were one or two bingliushen fics posted before that too tho i think? it did get a little more... popular, after the 90k of pwp went up for them tho hahahha

[ficclique]

Episode 18: “Brother Matthew What Is Up”

In this semi-themed episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "Home for the Holidays" by Lexie (Dream Daddy) @14:37, "The Marvels of Whitby" by Sath (Medieval Manuscript Illustrations) @38:07, and "Out of the Night: An Interview With a Mockingjay" by athousandwinds (The Hunger Games) @1:02:48. It's Yuletide in July here at Fic Clique! The nature of Yuletide lends itself to a wide variety of fandoms and content, which you can see in our discussions on Marxism, marketing advice, and the politics of journalism. Truly this episode has it all. 

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.

—

Reid’s Pick: Home for the Holidays, by @growingintheweeds Dream Daddy, Dadsona/Damien Bloodmarch Our tags: reid's video game corner (again), feel good fic, loving family relationships, incorrect use of marxism CW: canonical character death ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17133614

Brenna’s Pick: The Marvels of Whitby, by Sath Medieval Manuscript Illustration, Gen Our tags: utterly delightful, what counts as fanfic, epistolary, some bees praising the lord in the vernacular   CW: none ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16927806

Nicole’s Pick: Out of the Night: An Interview with a Mockingjay, by athousandwinds Hunger Games, Katniss/Peeta Our tags: biased journalism but in a sexy way, the mockingjay as a martyr figure, real or not real? (sob), media fic, post-dystopian setting CW: canonical ptsd, allusions to canonical violence ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/140575

[prismatic-starstuff]

If you like the idea of Maedhros/Sauron, there is a fic called “Of Like Kind” by Sath on Ao3. It has a really creepy Sauron, and Maedhros pining after Fingon. Perhaps you’ve already read it?

Ooh, I haven't read it yet, but thank you for the recommendation! It sounds right up my alley; Maedhros/Sauron, Russingon, Sauron being really creepy? Yes to all! 💜

[titleleaf]

sathinfection replied to your post: “What’s the sexiest aspect of butt stuff? Is it...

it’s that no one can settle on what to call a butthole

why sath it’s so simple

his tightly furled flower, ready for its petal to be teased apart by an insistent touch

“that hole” 

him

there

THE ASSHOLE 

“i know you’re horny for florid language but if you call it a fissure i’m calling the cops” - my ao3 subscribers

bussy

[mr. goodsir voice] the anus 

[cakelanguage]

Had a request on AO3 to write a Sath story where Beth comes out to Josh and Hannah, so here it is!

You can also read on AO3

“Beth,” Sam said, “When are we going to tell Josh?”

Beth looked up at Sam from her spot on the couch. “Tell Josh what?”

Sam rolled her eyes. “About us silly.”

Beth tensed at the statement. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell her brother about her and Sam’s relationship, she really did. She wanted to shout it to the heavens that she was the luckiest girl ever to have a girl like Sam by her side. But she couldn't. There were too many variables she had no control over. And there was Josh himself to consider.

Her brother was a huge part of her life, heck he’d practically raised her and Hannah. He was kind and cared about them dearly, but that didn't stop the nagging fear poking at her brain. She hadn't told anyone she was a lesbian, though Hannah had found out by herself. But Josh wasn't perceptive of these things, he was actually quite oblivious to romance in general and only teased Hannah about Mike because Hannah's crush could be seen three countries over. How would Josh react?

Would Josh be disgusted? Doubtful, but it was a possibility that made her heart clench. Or would Josh be okay with her liking girls, but be angry about her dating one of his friends? Would he feel like she was trying to steal Sam? Or maybe everything would be fine. It terrified her to think that Josh would feel betrayed by her or hate her, not that she’d ever admit it aloud.

“Soon,” Beth mumbled, burying her face in Sam’s thigh. She hummed pleasantly when Sam’s fingers carded through her hair.

“Beth, are you nervous to tell Josh about us?”

She released a sigh. “Maybe a little…”

“But you know Josh would be for us,” Sam tilted her head. “Right?”

“And if he isn't?”

“Beth, I promise he won't care. He’ll probably care more that we didn't tell him sooner.”

Beth grumbled intelligibly. Of course Sam was right, but it didn’t make her feel any better about the situation. “Can we wait a little longer, please? I promise we’ll tell him, just a little longer.” Just a little longer of it being just the two of them with no expectations or opinions.

Sam pulled her hand up and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Okay just a little while longer.”

A little while longer would have turned into weeks had Sam not put her foot down and said that they had to tell Josh only a few days later. Beth only agreed to go along with Sam’s demands because Sam agreed to be there with her when she came out to Josh and Hannah and told them that they were dating. Hopefully no one would freak out and they could get a good lunch or something. Maybe go see a movie.

She texted Josh and Hannah to make sure they would be home around noon. And then she waited, nervously clenching at Sam’s hand when she wasn’t pacing a moat into the living room floor. She just wanted them both to be here already so that she could get this over with to either confirm or deny her anxiety over the whole thing.

“Please sit down,” Sam said, patting the seat beside her. “You’re making me nervous, and I wasn’t even worried before now.” Beth wrinkled her nose at the suggestion, but sat down anyway. “They’re going to be here any minute now, do you know what you’re going to say?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Oh yeah, got it all nailed down, I’m going to start with ‘hey Josh and Hannah, guess what? I’m gay! And Sam here is my girl, yep my girl.’”

Sam snorted. “Yeah, that sounds great.”

“Well I don’t really know how else to say it, coming out doesn’t come with a manual and I’ve checked websites for advice and they all say that each person is different, so that’s no help either.”

“Which are you more worried about right now?”

“Is both an option?”

“Beth.”

Beth sighed. “I think Hannah actually.”

Sam raised her eyebrows. “Really? Doesn’t she already know about the whole lesbian thing?”

She nodded. “Sure she knows that part, but not that I’m dating you. You’re her best friend, how’s that going to make her feel?”

“Hopefully happy for both of us?”

Beth made a face but didn’t argue with Sam about the topic. “I’m just-“

“Nervous, believe me I know.”

Before Beth could dwell on it any longer they heard the front door open.

“Beth!” Josh’s voice echoed through the house. “Hannah and I are here!” She heard the clatter of Josh kicking off his shoes. “Where are you?”

Beth had to clear her throat a few times before the words could come out. “I-In the living room!” Each footstep she heard made her anxiety spike and she was once again thankful for Sam’s calming presence. Josh and Hannah walked through the archway and gave her a smile when they saw her.

“Hey Beth,” Hannah said, her eyebrows raised towards her hairline, “and Sam?”

Josh looked equally confused. “I thought this was a family conversation,” he said before sending Sam a sheepish expression. “No offense Sam.”

Sam shrugged. “I’m here for moral support.”

“Moral support?” Josh asked. “Why do you need moral support?” His shoulders hunched a little. “You know you can tell us everything, right?”

Beth nodded her head hurriedly seeing Josh’s reaction. “I know, I know, I just didn’t-don’t know how to tell you this,” Beth confessed.

Hannah tilted her head. “Should we sit down?”

“Yes, god please sit down,” Beth said.

Hannah and Josh sat down warily on the couch in front of them, the awkward silence stretching as the seconds passed. Beth couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes, still trying to muddle through what she was going to say. Sam was trying to rub comforting circles into Beth’s back, but it wasn’t really doing much to calm her down.

Josh cleared his throat. “So uh-“

“I’m gay,” Beth said. It wasn’t exactly how she wanted to reveal her sexuality to her family, but it just came out and she couldn’t stop it now. The room was silent for a moment, and Beth swore her heartbeat was echoing against the walls. Sam leaned against her to offer her some support but she was focused on Josh and Hannah. Hannah didn’t look surprised by the revelation, not that she would seeing as how she’d already guessed Beth’s sexuality months ago. But Josh wasn’t showing any emotion, his mouth parted slightly a blank look in his eyes. “Well? Are you going to say anything?”

“I already knew Beth,” Hannah said with a shrug, “so this isn’t exactly news to me.”

Beth nodded. “Yeah, okay, cool, and uh- you Josh? You still in there?”

Josh blinked a few times before focusing on Beth. “So, you’re a lesbian?” Josh asked, his voice bereft of emotion.

“Yep.”

Josh made a confirming noise before shooting her a mischievous grin. “Is that all? Man, I thought you were going to tell us you needed to hide a body or something with the look you had on your face when we got here.” Beth’s jaw dropped a little. “What? Did you think we would suddenly not love you anymore? Because sorry Beth-y Bear, you’re stuck with us.”

Beth felt her eyes water, but quickly blinked them away. “Thanks guys.”

Hannah snorted. “You don’t need to thank us you dork.”

“Hey you’re the dork,” Beth shot back.

“We’re all dorks,” Josh said.

Sam laughed. “I resent that, I’m just surrounded by dorks,” she said.

Josh laughed. “Yeah okay, Sammy.” Once he calmed down he really looked at Sam. “So, were you really here for moral support or something else, Sam?”

Beth had assumed that Josh wouldn’t question why Sam was here with her, but she supposed it made it easier to breach the topic. Hannah was now looking between her and Sam with her eyebrows raised. She turned to Sam, but Sam was giving her that look she’d give her when she was encouraging Beth to do something. Aw, damn it Sam, can’t you tell them something?

“Okay, don’t get mad,” Beth said raising her hands. She winced, great start there Beth. “Sam and I have been dating for a while now.”

“About two months now,” Sam chimed in.

Josh grinned at the two of them again. “So Sammy’s part of the family then?” He pondered the idea for a moment before nodding his head. “Yeah, I like it. Though you really could have told me sooner Beth, I wouldn’t have done anything besides have a little chat with Sam about the consequences of hurting you.”

“And I’d talk to you, Beth, to let you know the consequences of hurting my best friend,” Hannah said, her arms crossed. Hannah looked a bit conflicted about the reveal of Sam and Beth’s relationship and Beth could have smack herself at not thinking about how Hannah would feel. Why wouldn’t her twin feel like she was taking her best friend away from her?

“But you’re okay with us?” Beth asked.

Hannah sighed. “It’ll take some getting used to, but I want you two to be happy,” Hannah’s soft smile came out, “and if that’s the two of you together in a relationship, well that’s fine with me.” Hannah mockingly brought her hand to her forehead. “I guess I’ll have to find someone else to talk smack about you to.”

Beth gave an indignant cry, but quickly dissolved into relieved laughter. She scurried over to her siblings and threw her arms around them, her head fitting nicely between the two of them. “I love you guys.” If her voice was watery no one brought it up. “Thank you for being accepting.”

“We love you too much to let something like that make us think differently about you,” Josh said, his plaid shirt scratchy but warm against her exposed skin.

“Yeah, we love you too,” Hannah said, carding her fingers through Beth’s hair like Sam did. “Sam, come join the family hug.”

Sam laughed a little wetly before Beth felt her join the hug. It looks like Sam was right in the end, her family loved her and accepted her.

[femslashrevolution]

Writing An(other): Celebrating Women in Sexist SFF Canons

This post is part of Femslash Revolution’s I Am Femslash series, sharing voices of F/F creators from all walks of life. The views represented within are those of the author only.

Most of us have at least one canon where we love the setting so much—often since childhood—and yet the canon lacks women. What women there are might simply be names, or wives and mothers who briefly appear and then leave the scene. While canons with great representation of women absolutely should be supported with fanworks, that doesn’t mean that you have to leave behind something you love just so that you can write femslash. If a canon doesn’t give you the women you want, there’s another option: put the women you want to see into the world.

Original characters occupy a unique place in femslash fandom. While M/M (and to a lesser degree, M/F) focused corners of fandom have a variety of characters to choose from, femslashers are often restricted in their choices. But what makes me really enjoy femslash and its community is that so many people have decided they won’t accept the limitation of the canon. It’s an attitude that leads to a great sense of solidarity—in my experience, femslashers are so much more willing to read about original female characters, or stories that take the canon’s world as a first step and then spin off their own narratives that are about women loving women, and finding a better place for themselves than the canon creator assigned to women.

Femslash can be about resistance. How many of us are tired of reading about dutiful wives or dead mothers? About women who serve only to advance the plot of a man? The women I want to read about have their own motivations, needs, and goals. Those aren’t always particularly kind, or virtuous, but they get to be complex. I want them to resemble the woman that I am, and the women that I know, love, and admire. Pairing original female characters with canon ones has allowed me to write storylines I never could if I were working strictly with the canon setting—it allows me to share the kinds of stories I love and engage with fandom in new ways. My experience with writing femslash with original female characters has been creative and empowering.

If you’re worried that you can’t work with a sexist canon that you love because there aren’t enough or the right type of women in it, make up your own. Because with femslash, you’ll find people who want to read something new. 

About the author: 

I live with my wife, two cats, and respond to requests for selfies with pictures of praying mantises. You can find me on Tumblr as sathinfection and on AO3 as Sath.