#this is kind of more photo manip than sketch

[autumnblooms]

Watching….

Here’s the sketch I teased that inspired a little scene in Chapter 2 👻

[911reversebang]

Rules

What is a Reverse Bang?

In a typical fandom big-bang fic is written first and then art is created for the fic.  In a Reverse Bang, the art is created first and the fic then created for the art.  Creators will have up to six months (depending on when they sign up) to create any of the accepted forms of art for fic to be written from!  Once matched, writers will have three months to work with their artists to create a fic with a minimum word count of 5K.

Minimum Age

The minimum age for participation is 16.

Artists/Writers under 18 may not submit anything explicit. 

ART

Art for this event covers many categories of creation including but not limited to: Traditional Medium, Digital Art, Gif Sets, Fan Vids, Mood Boards, Photo Manips/Collages.  Creators may submit up to 4 works.  You do not need to know how many you will do at sign ups, just by the submission dates for writer claims.

Art Requirements

Traditional and Digital Art - At minimum must be fully ‘inked’ line art.  Quick sketches will not qualify.  If in doubt, reach out to a mod for review. Minimum size - 500px square

Photo Manips - must have significant editing (i.e. more than just a filter) and lead to a prompt of some kind.

Gif Sets - Minimum of four gifs.  Each gif has a minimum size of 250px wide.  Together, the gifs must lead to a prompt of some kind.

Fan Vids - Minimum length - 1 minute

Mood Boards, Photo Manips/Collages - Minimum size - 500px square

Playlists -  Minimum number of songs - 8. Maximum two hours of music.  Must lead to a prompt of some kind.

(If you think of a medium that is not listed here and have questions about requirements, please send an ask!)

General

~ Art may not be publicly displayed or shared (including but not limited to Discord, streaming, tumblr, or AO3) prior to posting date. Sharing with betas in private is OKAY but part of the excitement of the event is the big reveal on posting day, so keep it quiet. 

~ Art Submissions for Writer Claims - At this point, art will be submitted via a form with a list of Do Not Wants (DNW) for fic content. This can include ratings, triggers, squicks, warnings, ships, etc. 

FIC

Fic Minimum Word Count 

- 5K -

Claims

~ Claims are anonymous.

~ Claims will be done via a ranking system. Authors will be given a list of art, each with a ‘code’. They will then give their top five requests in order. Only the mods will see this ranking and assign partners based on these rankings.

~ Authors who do not adhere to their artists DNW lists will not be allowed to participate in future events.

General

~ Writing must be entirely new and based on the art claimed and matched with and not posted anywhere prior to posting date.

~ Authors must work with their artists on the content and plot of the fic. This works in reverse as well. Since art is not required to be completed by claims, if there are any changes that are to be made, they should be made together and with communication going both ways on what direction to go in.

~ Fic may not be publicly displayed or shared (including but not limited to Discord, ‘live writing’, tumblr, or AO3) prior to posting date. Sharing with betas in private is OKAY but part of the excitement of the event is the big reveal on posting day, so keep it quiet. 

[bangyourselfminibang]

Bang Yourself Bang Mobile Masterpost

Since mobile users cannot access pages, please head over to desktop or click read more to access about us, FAQ, rules and schedule!

About

Have you always wondered what Dr Strange and Loki do with their clones in their private time? Wished to explore the idea of Everett Ross and Yon-Rogg finding out they are reincarnations of the same person? How would Bucky feel about his Mad Hatter self from a different universe? Do you wonder what if retired Thanos, 2014 Thanos and Ravager Thanos met? Or maybe you just want to create some domestic Sylki? Then this is the event for you!

Bang Yourself Mini Bang is a bang type event where writers are paired with artists to create fanworks together. The theme of this event is all kinds of selfcest, all kinds of art is allowed, and both a reverse bang (artists submit works first) and a normal bang (writers submit works first) will be running.

Minimum requirements:

Fanfiction: 2k words.

Art: Lineart or clean sketch, depending on the style.

Edits: Finished edit or manip.

Crafts: A clear photo of a finished item.

Moodboard: 9 images.

Video: 1 minute.

Gifset: 3 gifs.

Important links:

Claims sign-up form

ao3 collection

Discord server

Our e-mail: bangyourselfbang@gmail.com

Schedule

Sign-ups open: December

Sign-ups close: January 8

Work preview slides due: February 8

Claims: February 15

Check-in: March 8

Posting: April 1-April 14

Rules

Be respectful. This is a selfcest event - we’re all a bit freaky here, so no bashing or bullying is allowed. Treat your fellow participants the way you want to be treated.

Your work must include selfcest, naturally. It doesn’t, however, have to be explicit, and if it is, please tag it properly.

Your work must be fully finished by claims but if it went above limit and you need more time, please send us an ask or a message.

Yes, you can submit multiple works. But for the sake of organization, please do them one by one. You can send us a finished piece and then start on another.

It’s fine to make works for both this event and another as long as the other event is fine with it. However, if you participate in claims and want to collaborate with someone, we ask you to not mix it with any other exchanges or bangs, so you aren’t collaborating with more than one person at once.

Older works can be submitted as long as they follow the rules, including works created for events.

Event restrictions don’t apply if you’re creating solo!

And above all, have fun!

FAQ

What is selfcest?

Selfcest is romantic or sexual activity with an alternate version of oneself, such as a clone or a version of oneself from the past, future, or alternate universe.

What is allowed?

All properly tagged content that has selfcest between Marvel characters is allowed. It is also possible to include selfcest with a crossover character played by the same actor. No tags, themes, characters, or tropes are banned.

Do works have to be explicit?

No, all ratings are accepted.

What counts as selfcest?

We don’t want to overanalyze anyone’s submissions. If you feel your concept is true to the concept of “being romantically involved with another version of yourself”, then it’s good enough for us. We do throw much of doppelganger content under this umbrella. And if you’re still unsure, just send us an ask!

Can there be more than the character and their alternate selves?

Yes, you for example two versions of Peter Parker having a threesome with Deadpool, good to go.

[mi6-cafe]

Old Fandom Masters! Apprentices! Newbies!

Artists are always welcome to create art based on our monthly challenges but there’s no denying that those are often a bit more suited to writery creations. Therefore, following the amazing artist response to the minibang, we’ve decided to try preparing prompts and arting inspiration for our fandom artists specifically.

What kind of art are we looking for? ANY.

Traditional, digital, rough sketches, detailed realistic stuff, mixed media, photo manips, photography… Just… Give us your art, OK? We want it all.

You may choose to be inspired by one, two or combine all the prompts together. Just don’t forget to post your creation and @ the cafe. (Tracked tags, sadly, aren't working.)

There is NO DEADLINE on any of these prompts. See here for prompts from previous weeks. See here for the gorgeous creations for previous prompts.

Nautical November: Week 3

This week we would love you to combine the sea with a sunset. For no particular reason other than: pretty.

Are your characters having cocktails on a lanai? On a beach, riding into the sunset, gazing fondly at one another while trying to ignore that this is the first time they’ve been on a horse and this is all actually very uncomfortable? Complaining that the sand is coarse and gets everywhere and is iiiiiritating?

Go wild, folks!

Here's a picture for inspiration:

Photo by Prajapati Savan on Unsplash

[poi-bigbang]

Art Claims

(Thank you @caviezeldaily​ for this amazing banner!)

Here are the remaining summaries up for claim in the POI Big Bang: 

1. Title: Carbines and Capacitors

Relationships: Gen (Joss & Cheyenne, other Team Machine friendships); background John/Joss, brief Harold/Grace and Laskey/OFC, brief unrequited Shaw/Cheyenne, mention of past Joss/Cal and Cheyenne/Irene Travers, two staged scenes that are explicitly not preludes to romance Characters: (in order of appearance) Cheyenne Bodie, Joss Carter, Mike Laskey, Lionel Fusco, John Reese, Harold Finch, Bear, The Machine, Sameen Shaw, Zoe Morgan, Patrick Simmons, Raymond Terney, Genrika Zhirova, Timothy Sloan, Root | Samantha Groves, Peter Collier, Anthony Marconi, Carl Elias, Peter Yogorov, Grace Hendricks, Andrew Monahan, Alonzo Quinn, Fermin Ordoñez, Arthur Claypool, Tom "Sugarfoot" Brewster, Bronco Layne Rating: Teen Summary: A routine day for Team Machine turns into anything but when a cowboy from 1880 falls out of thin air and lands practically at Carter's feet.  Getting him well and acclimated to life in 2013 is only half the battle.  Computers are out of his line, but he does have other skills Finch can use… so the best laid schemes of Greer and Quinn are about to run into a 6'6" tank named Cheyenne Bodie. (Season 3 AU, crossover with Cheyenne, with cameos from Sugarfoot and Bronco)

(Wikipedia links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyenne_(TV_series); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarfoot; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronco_(TV_series); Fandom wiki: https://cheyenne.fandom.com/wiki/Cheyenne_Wiki; IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047720/) Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply; References to historical atrocities, uncomfortably timely conversations, canon-typical violence, canon-typical threats of violence, crude remarks by Shaw, Cheyenne comes from a 1950s Western and speaks/thinks/acts accordingly (but as in canon, he hates racism and injustice) Art Wishlist: Open to any media, although traditional/digital might be more suitable than manips because most available images of Cheyenne are B&W--as was the show, so vids and gifs might have the same problem.  Podfic would be welcome, and the story is finished (and long!), but recording could be a challenge because Cheyenne's voice is lower than John's and because there are lots of footnotes and a few words in the Northern Cheyenne dialect, Dutch, Spanish, Sioux, Russian, and Hebrew.  Cheyenne wears a very distinctive hat (brown with silver arrowheads around the band) that could be drawn as part of a still-life banner or divider, possibly with a Colt Peacemaker and a Desert Eagle (crossed?).  Also, if you're interested in illustrating a scene, there are... rather a lot to choose from, but I think I'd go for one of Cheyenne with John, Joss, and/or Shaw.  I will happily work with any artist to find what source/reference materials are needed--I don't know where Cheyenne is available to watch outside the US, but there are at least clips posted on YouTube.

2. Title: Spare Me Relationships: Lionel Fusco/John Reese Characters: Lionel Fusco, John Reese, Lee Fusco, Harold Finch, Bear, Root, Original Characters Rating: (use AO3 system) T (for a kiss and Fusco's bad language) Summary: (<100 words) "I don't need a genius to tell me that you're lonely." Fusco invites John to join the NYPD bowling league to give John something normal and fun to do for once. But soon Fusco realizes that John isn't the only one who's lonely. Warnings: (use AO3 system) None Art Wishlist: (what media you're open to, hoping for, any ideas) Anything is fine by me! I've never had someone make art for a story of mine, so I'm easy to please! 

3. Title: Kingfishers

Relationships: Harold Finch/John Reese/Grace Hendricks

Rating: M at the moment, maaaybe E by the time I’m done

Summary:

One morning, a handsome stranger walks up to Grace Hendricks in a park and introduces himself. His name is John, and he likes her paintings.

That afternoon, Grace meets a wealthy insurance executive who offers her a sizable art commission. He’s intelligent, interesting, and easy to talk to. His name is Harold.

(A different-first-meeting story, in which Harold ignored the Machine’s attempts to set him up with Grace in 2006, only to receive her number in 2012 after he and John have been working together for over a year.)

Warnings: inexplicit references to child abuse and alcoholism

Art Wishlist: Grace’s paintings and sketches, and her feelings about the art and artists she admires, are pretty important to the story. There are passages where I describe pictures and paintings she’s created, or beautiful objects of various kinds that she and Harold both admire. An illustration of any of that stuff would be amazing, or maybe a kind of Pre-Raphaelite picture of the characters. Also, kingfishers are kind of thematically/symbolically important, and very beautiful, and would make lovely art.

Two requests: please don’t make art of Harold and John that excludes Grace, and please no NSFW art.

4. [Fic previously claimed! Should not have been here! Apologies!]

5. Title: More Than Words Relationships: John Reese/Harold Finch/Grace Hendricks Characters: John Reese, Harold Finch, Grace Hendricks Rating: General Audiences Summary: John and Harold have a lot in common. They've loved. They've lost. They've done their best to help people. And now they have a matching pair of soulmarks- tattoos bearing the first words your soulmate says to you. The marks aren't what bring John and Harold together. But they might end up tearing the two of them apart. Warnings: Choose Not to Use Archive Warnings (this fic should be tagged for some of John's suicidal ideation pre-season 1 and in the fic) Art Wishlist: Looking for visual media/graphic design. Since this is a soulmate/soulmark AU, I would be very happy if someone could design the tattoos I have in mind, in their medium of choice. I am willing to collaborate, or just see what they come up with. But while that is my ideal art pairing, I am open to anything!

6. Title: Untitled Relationships: Harold/John Characters: Harold, John, Bear, Shaw, Fusco, Carter, OCs, *possibly* an appearance by Root Rating: Teen & Up Summary: When a number goes wrong and Harold is stabbed, his entire life is thrown into disarray. Seriously injured, he's left with no choice but to rely on someone else as he recovers. He chooses John (or, rather, John chooses himself) and invites John into his home and his very private life as he slowly heals from the trauma and the wounds.

What happens when he realizes he wants John to stay close? Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply (additional warning for panic attacks and memories of a violent attack) Art Wishlist: I'd especially love illustrations (traditional or digital), but I'm game for anything.

7. Title: Bonds Not Broken - Maybe??? Relationships: John Reese/Harold Finch Characters: John Reese, Harold Finch, Sameen Shaw, OCs, Elias, Heralds of Valdemar characters, Rolan, Weaponmaster Hersch, King Jesse, Bear the dog, a cast of thousands Rating: Adult M/M Summary: An AU Person of Interest/Heralds of Valdemar crossover. John is not only a Herald, but the King's Own. The story begins with the death of the king, and this is John's journey to find his place in Valdemar. Warnings: Author Chooses None Art Wishlist: I like most styles of fanart except chibi. I love a good photo manip but really anything! If the artist is interested, I have an Instagram where I put pictures that helped me write this monster. The instagram is blackchaps with a Hawkeye icon, easy to find.

8. Title: Untitled (for now) Relationships: Harold Finch/Lionel Fusco, Lionel Fusco & Sameen Shaw, Harold Finch & Sameen Shaw Characters: Harold Finch, Lionel Fusco, Sameen Shaw, Bear, Leon Tao Rating: E Summary: One year after the death of Samaritan, Harold Finch returns to New York City and reunites with his old friends. Sameen Shaw and Lionel Fusco, who have believed him to be dead for the past 12 months, are not exactly eager to trust him again. As Harold handles mysterious cases on the outside of their new organization, he works to repair his relationships with both. Sameen, who doubts his commitment, will be hard to convince. Lionel, who bears deep emotional scars, will be impossible. Warnings: Canon typical violence, drug/alcohol use Art Wishlist: I’m super flexible re: medium. I’m very into the idea of space-centric or detail-centric art, as opposed to character-centric art, if that makes sense. Re: space-centric, a lot of the fic is about loneliness and puts the characters in empty, uncomfortable, or sad rooms and the vibe is very like these Edward Hopper paintings, I think. Alternatively, it’s Finch POV and he’s doing a lot of focusing on tiiiiiiny details and significant objects, and I’d love some fancypants studies or edits of those.

9. Title: Degrees of Separation Relationships: Gen (but the whole point of the story is that they’ve all been separated, so there are no relationships in action) Characters: John Reese, Harold Finch, Sameen Shaw, Root, Lionel Fusco, Bear Rating: Teen and Up (due to a limited use of common profanity) Summary: The lives of the members of Team Machine in their new identities during the first months of Samaritan’s full operation, from the separation of the team at the end of “Deus Ex Machina” through the events that take place in “Panopticon.” Warnings: Choose Not to Use Archive Warnings Art Wishlist: I am open to any medium.  It would be great if the art focused on the separation that the characters are experiencing.

10. Title: If I Could Tell Him Relationships: Harold Finch/John Reese; Harold Finch & Root; minor Root/Sameen Shaw; past Harold Finch/Nathan Ingram Characters: Harold Finch, John Reese, Root, Nathan Ingram (mentioned) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Summary: Harold manages to tap on the fourth wall of 4x17 “Karma” and has some thoughts about the mirroring of himself with the victim counselor vigilante Shane Edwards. He and John go on their walk with Bear, but Harold keeps what he’s feeling to himself. Years later, after all of Team Machine survives the defeat of Samaritan, Harold comes across Edwards and realizes he never talked with John about all of the emotions that number still fosters, specifically regarding Nathan. Root gives him some advice, and they all work on a happiness that encompasses the past, present, and future. Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Art Wishlist: I’m open to anything, from digital art to fanmixes and anything else, really. This is a rinch fic but it’s also basically a Harold character study (entirely from his POV and a lot of internal narrative) so any art could probably focus on him.

11. 

Title: The Mysterious Human Heart in New York Relationships: Jessica/John, Harold and Jessica, Harold and John Characters: Jessica, John, Harold, Fusco Rating: Teen Summary: Agent Jessica Reese has managed to claw her way back from Ordos after being betrayed by her partner and the CIA. Gutshot and purposeless, she spends her days haunting the hospital in New Rochelle, watching her ex, John. John has his happily ever after: got his nursing degree, married a great guy, lives in a beautiful house. Jess is glad. He should be happy with Peter.

When she bumps into the mysterious Harold Finch, who knows too much about everyone, he tells her the unpleasant truth about John's dream marriage. Jess must face up to the fact that John needs her help to find safety and happiness. Warnings: Show level violence, some medical detail as John is a nurse. Art Wishlist: I am open to any medium except audio.  

12. Title: To my God, I sacrifice Relationships: John Reese & Root, John Reese/ Kara Stanton Characters: John Reese, Root, Sameen Shaw, Hersh, Kara Stanton, Harold Finch (mentioned) Rating: Mature Summary: Former soldier and CIA agent John Reese has condemned himself to a slow death after being burned by the agency. After witnessing a strange woman answering a forgotten payphone, he suddenly finds himself entangled in a web of secrets, zealotry and violence. Warnings: Canon typical violence, canon typical torture, mentions of suicide and rape, abusive/unbalanced dynamics, alcoholism Art Wishlist: I don't have any particular requests in regards to the art, I'm curious about what will the artist choose to interpret. If I had to choose, a scene illustration or a cover would be very cool :)

If you’d like to make art for any of these fics, the sign-ups for artists are here: 

https://poi-fanworks.dreamwidth.org/27461.html

And the claim post is here: 

https://poi-fanworks.dreamwidth.org/31548.html

[guylty]

The great thing about missing a round-up? That is catching up with double the fun the next week! Hello and sorry for the radio silence. You know me… once out of step, Guylty finds it hard to commit to coming back. Commitment issues, yeah right. Having said that – the reason I didn’t post last weekend was a short break in Germany with all the family on the occasion of my mother’s 70th birthday. As is the custom in (Northern) Germany, it was a big affair, but semi-formal this time, as it was not an evening dinner but a lunchtime, sit-down meal of a traditional local winter dish. We started off with a little walk to my dad’s ginkgo tree where all participants (half the invited guests are older than my mum and not necessarily avid walkers anymore) were greeted with a traditional schnapps. From there it was back to the restaurant for the meal with coffee and cake in the afternoon and finally one for the road at about 7pm. It was great fun, and even though I realise that our local speciality does not look particularly attractive on the plate – plus, I won’t even tell you what it is called; its name sounds worse than it already looks – it was delicious and brought back many memories.

The ginkgo tree… not that impressive in winter

The table of presents

Flowers are always good

The meaty part of the meal

The 18th century gate house of our local castle

Anyway, sorry for the detour, you have come here for the round-up, and the round-up you shall have.

Look, Adam is already grumpy because I have waffled about non-RA stuff…

Riepu10 says “just Guy”. But listen, how could Guy ever be “just”…

For the Cats enthusiasts among you (I am looking at one person in particular), maybe this post by grumpy-jellicle-cat makes sense? I couldn’t really see RA in any of the shots, but then again…

Lip-smackingly good gifs of Adam by spensermonroe

This had never occurred to me, but peneigh-dzredfohl has a point. The curly hair is the give-away

I hadn’t seen the My Zoe trailer in English yet. And strangely, with the non-dubbed, original voices there now, it suddenly feels much more interesting and real to me. Trailer posted by deepestfirefun

I don’t think I will ever watch The Lodge, but I could look at a million screenshots of Richard drinking water. Thank you to deepestfirefun again

The stuff of a thousand fangirls’ dreams. Thank you, Riepu10

Throwback to RDC5 with this picture of RA’s signature and comment in gatissed’s signed book

Interesting reinterpretation of a much-loved scene in TS, giffed and put together by mezzmerizedbyrichard

Richardarmitagefanpage has a few new pics of RA – from TS set and last week’s Graham Norton radio show

Also by richardarmitagefanpage – cool fan art/birthday cards

Great interpretation by crazytxgradstudent of the well-known theatre picture of Astrov wet and drunk. You know what? I would love to make this a series of posts where we look at pictures and re-interpret them for a different chaRActer

This two-gif-set by riepu10 is in the same category as the one from SDCC of Richard simply breathing. Another thing that I could watch for hours 😂

Ooooh, Valentine’s Day. I totally missed it. Here’s richardarmitagefanpage’s gift for you

Nice one… Anthony Head on playing Adam’s father… And lovely Richard being as complimentary as usual. Found by richardarmitagefanpage

Riepu10’s Valentine’s cards – always good

Ride a horse with him??? *raises eyebrow* Ooookay, omgopalsapphire

Nice manip for Valentine’s Day by nellindreams

21st century Thornton? A comic sketch by skepticalfrog

If you haven’t seen it yet on Twitter – sinnaminie has plushified Astrov. This is really cute, and I am sure tempted to have this one in my collection

Mezzmerizedbyrichard has also focussed on Adam’s lips…

If I hadn’t already binged TS, mzannthropy would have completely convinced me. Convincing arguments

He’s never been in *my* home town, but I kind of understand the feeling that theliveshipparagon describes

I know, daddy!Armitage doesn’t really rock everybody’s boat, but I think mezzmerizedbyrichard’s gif set might warm a few hearts here and there

I have to admit that those family pictures from TS made me want to see a whole spin-off about the pre-drama times of the Prices… Picture posted by richardarmitagefanpage

All the official pictures from Richard’s appearance on Lorraine in one handy photo set by fullerology. Man, he looks great at the mo…

WORD! mzannthropy

Nice! Richard Armitage – or rather: Guy of Gisborne als live action Trevor Belmont. By indigoneutrino

Seeing this gif (plus comment) by yorkshirewench, I am beginning to agree with the suggestion of RA as Jackman and Siobhan Finneran as Marie Evans…

Seriously, “lose the hat, dad”! That also applies to you, Richard!!!! Gifs by riepu10

Right, 30 items? Got to be a new record here!? And I haven’t even delved in the other tags apart from #richardarmitage. Yep, as I said, sometimes it is actually a good thing when I miss a week.

Hope you have enjoyed that. Quick shout-out to everyone who has commented in the last while. I will catch up, soon, also with my e-mails. Apologies for my lack of replying. Yeah, I admit I was lazy. But then I was also completely distracted the last couple of days because RAnet had suddenly developed a major hiccup: For most of Thursday and Friday the site was stuck on a round-about. Well, or in tech terms: it was endlessly redirecting, which meant the site was not accessible. Added to the problem was that for some reason my login details suddenly did not work anymore and I was unable to re-set my password. It took several hours on live chat with my hoster’s support team to sort out the issue. But it *has* been sorted, the site is up and running again. Phew.

We all deserve a nice long weekend now!

Sonja ❤

2020 Armitage Weekly Round-up #7 The great thing about missing a round-up? That is catching up with double the fun the next week!

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing 14-20 July 2019

Here’s this week’s roundup!

Remember to give your content creators some love! And join in on the events at the bottom!

~Mod Hel

Fanfiction/Snippets/AU Ideas:

@bobo-is-tha-bomb​

Unchain Utopia (Ch. 8-13) https://archiveofourown.org/works/19717810/chapters/46896790

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Zechs Merquise/Reader

Characters: Zechs Merquise, Relena Peacecraft

Additional Tags: Romance, Fluff, Summer of Zechs, Summer of Zechs 2019, Sexual Content, Lime, Drama, Family

Summary: When unexpected political roles are pushed upon you and your husband, you find your life turned upside down. The challenge is far greater than anything you have encountered before, but also leads to new insights. And who knows, you might even find the ultimate happiness there.

@duointherain​

Beneath (Ch. 10) https://duointherain.tumblr.com/post/186326980629/beneath-10

They’d been under the lake. Not deep enough for any kind of pressure concerns, but Heero was absolutely sure he’d have felt some kind of repercussion from the approach, however slow, of such a large vessel. He wasn’t even sure a vessel of this size could have fit in the lake, but then, he admitted, he wasn’t sure that it had.  

From Duo’s bubble, Heero had stepped into what seemed like an airlock to him, but it was long, well lit, and clean on some kind of storybook-movie kind of level, like things just weren’t like that in real life.

@sevdrag​

Mandatory Leave https://archiveofourown.org/works/19825453

Relationships: Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Characters: Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell

Additional Tags: Mutual Pining, Idiots in Love

Series: Part 9 of Sev’s Commission Run 2019

Summary: “Yo,” Duo greeted him, breezing past into Heero’s apartment. “Figured you’d be as out-of-sorts as I am. Probably more, really, cause I’m not the kinda guy who’s not gonna enjoy a few days on the D-L, you know, so I figured I’d come help you out.”

Heero and Duo are assigned mandatory leave after a slew of missions. Duo decides Heero needs some guidance as to how to enjoy it. Heero decides he needs to do something about Duo.

Fanart/Gunpla/Photo Manips:

@cyberbeastswordwolfe​

https://cyberbeastswordwolfe.tumblr.com/post/186426877654/custom-build-dm-1100-tallgeese-iii-led-unit

Custom Build: DM 1/100 Tallgeese III + LED uni, gunpla

MODELER: 最后的月牙天冲

@duointherain​

https://duointherain.tumblr.com/post/186348212474/just-a-silly-sketch

Duo Maxwell

https://duointherain.tumblr.com/post/186373582564/duo-referenced-from-a-photo-by-olliumi-on-da

Duo Maxwell

@janaverse​

https://janaverse.tumblr.com/post/186379199883

Heero Yuy, photo edit

https://janaverse.tumblr.com/post/186423023663/playing-around-with-screencaps-in-photoshop-i

Trowa Barton, photo edit

https://janaverse.tumblr.com/post/186378095873/i-love-the-battles-between-01-and-05-and-02-and-03

Heero Yuy, photo edit

@jellyfishflan​

https://jellyfishflan.com/post/186434469199/wild-wing-boys-even-more-stickers-for-animefest

Heero and Duo, stickers

kohakuyureru

https://mobile.twitter.com/kohakuyureru/status/1150921537899204610

Hilde and Duo near a lighthouse.

@letsbuildgunpla​

https://letsbuildgunpla.com/post/186423134482/mg-gundam-the-origin-rx-78-2-and-mg-anime-version

MG Gundam the Origin RX-78-2 and MG Anime Version Wing Gundam, gunpla

@dbressler

@lookitsmorefandomtrash​

https://lookitsmorefandomtrash.tumblr.com/post/186347475335/felt-ambitious-drew-hands

Quatre Raberba Winner

@rx-79bluedestiny​

https://rx-79bluedestiny.tumblr.com/post/186388255070/its-coming-p-bandai-but-i-dont-care-i-am-so

Heavyarms coming to Bandi gunpla!

SeraphicZero

https://www.deviantart.com/seraphiczero/art/Lineart-Wing-Gundam-HYC-unarmored-2019-07-14-805675794

Wing Gundam HYC (unarmored)

@yourfavehatesautismspeaks​

https://yourfavehatesautismspeaks.tumblr.com/post/186395151580/duo-maxwell-from-gundam-wing-hates-autism

Duo Maxwell from Gundam Wing hates Autism Speaks!

Photosets/Gifsets/Screenshots/Manga Pages:

@disturbed02girl

https://disturbed02girl.tumblr.com/post/186408773480

Heero Yuy, Mercurius

https://disturbed02girl.tumblr.com/post/186347782205/this-cracks-me-up-every-time

WuFei taking out a guard.

@janaverse

https://janaverse.tumblr.com/post/186382917333/do-i-need-a-reason-to-share-grrrduo-i-didnt

Duo Maxwell, screencap

@posthumanwanderings

https://posthumanwanderings.tumblr.com/post/186343212343

Small take from the end of an episode.

Fandom Discourse:

@vegalume

https://vegalume.tumblr.com/post/186435340340/incorrectgundamwingquotes-quatre-wakes-up-after

Quatre & Heero

@incorrectgundamwingquotes

Quotes:

@incorrectgundamwingquotes

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/186433000444/mariemaia-theres-a-monster-under-my-bed-trowa

Mariamaia & Trowa

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/186428485329/relena-one-quick-question-before-we-sit-down-to

Relena, Quatre, Sally, Noin, and Heero

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/186335003351/undercover-work

Duo Maxwell

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/186405662725/duo-excuse-me-little-lady-mariemaia-uncle

Duo, Mariemaia, & WuFei

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/185717832052/wufei-knowledge-is-knowing-that-tomato-is-a

WuFei, Quatre, Heero, Trowa, & Duo

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/186424576779/wufei-whats-for-dinner-duo-updog-heero

WuFei, Duo, & Heero

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/186381903735/im-worried-about-what-would-happen-if-i-asked-for

Heero Yuy

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/186386992833/quatre-why-cant-we-just-all-love-each

Quatre & Heero

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/186410621534/duo-have-you-considered-telling-relena-how-you

Duo & Heero

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/186420742604/noin-to-the-gundam-pilots-how-do-you-ever-get

Noin & Duo

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/186417936488/quatre-ive-never-seen-a-ghost-quatre-i-asked

Quatre, Iria, & Zayeed

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/186391293947/bar-fights

Where they all stand in a Bar Fight.

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/186374165993/wufei-how-did-this-happen-trowa-stuck-in-a

WuFei & Trowa

Calendar Events:

@gundam-wing-bingo

Gundam Wingo is a go!

Come and sign up for a card here: https://gundam-wing-bingo.tumblr.com/post/185466400076/gundam-wing-bingo

@gwcocktailfriday

Cocktail Fridays!

Post responses on Friday, during Happy Hour between 3 & 5 pm in your own timezone.

Here’s the prompt for Friday, July 26th! https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/post/186422282550/cocktail-friday-post-responses-on-friday-july

For those going to Pillowfort, find us here.

If anyone has ideas for prompts, PLEASE send them in! Our ask box is always open.

In need of Fall and Winter prompts!

@thisweekingundamevents

Gundam Wing Unorthodox Undercover Work Mini Bang

Sign-ups are open!

https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/186251049145/unorthodox-undercover-work-gundam-wing-mini-bang

An update! https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/186338370655/unorthodox-undercover-work-mini-bang

[lostinreality014]

You Look Perfect Tonight - Part I 

Part I  Part II  Part III

Author’s Notes: I started picturing ideas in my head for Niall’s and Evie’s wedding as soon as I finished A Perfect Christmas. There is a third part planned (The Reception), but I’m having trouble writing it at the moment. There is no timeline for when the third part will be posted, but it will be eventually. The title of this piece is an Ed Sheeran lyric. It was his song that inspired the ending scene to the third part, which in turn inspired this whole piece.

Have to give a shoutout and thank you to @imagine-that-one-thing for being my beta again on this piece. :)

Also Note: this piece is posted on my Wattpad account.

Photo Credits as follows: Niall Manip - @horanps;  Japanese Gardens; Bride 

Any pieces I post here are mine and all rights are reserved. I do not give permission for my work to be posted on any other platform. Unless I explicitly state that I have posted one of my works on another platform, please let me know immediately if you see my writing anywhere other than Tumblr. Thank you.

The First Look

“All set?” Mum asked with a smile after she’d finished pinning my small, flower crown head band in place. The same head piece she’d made herself and surprised me with at my final dress fitting about six weeks ago.

Well, it wasn’t a complete surprise. I’d known she was making it. Upon returning home after a particularly frustrating shopping day, I decided I was done searching for a veil. Over a cup of hot tea and chocolate chip cookies, I asked mum if she would make me a head piece for my wedding day. She immediately said yes. Before she could pull out her sketch book and ask me what I wanted, I told her to surprise me because I knew she would come up with something I could never even dream of. I hadn’t been wrong.

“I think so.” I answered as I turned around to face the mirror for the first time since getting into my dress and having mum pin in my head piece. When I finally lifted my gaze, my breath caught in my throat. Not only was I met with my own reflection, which I almost didn’t recognize, I was met with the smiles from some of the most important women in my life. All of whom were smiling ear to ear and fighting back tears just as I was.

“You look stunning, love.” Mum whispered.

“This might be the one time I see my son cry.” Maura said, sniffling.

“His tears better be caught on film.” Lou piped up. I laughed as I caught her gaze in the mirror.

“If you’re ready, Evie, we should starting making our way out to the grounds.” Molly, one of our two photographers, said with a kind smile. She’s been snapping away all morning while we enjoyed brunch and started getting ready, joining in on the conversation at times. There had been a few times where I forgot she was here as a photographer because she clicked with all of us so easily it was like we’d known her for years. Declan and Shane, our videographers, had also been in and out throughout the morning filming bits and pieces here and there.

“I’m ready.” I said after taking a deep breath and turn back to look at mum.

“Go on. Go have a few minutes with him, just the two of you. I’ll be right here when you get back.”

“Are you taking your bouquet with you?” Denise asked.

“Not for our first look photos.” I smiled. “Don’t want to take the chance of tossing it off the bridge into the pond.” Everyone chuckled and nodded knowingly because I have been known to throw things when suddenly overwhelmed by emotion, whether good or bad.

“Go on. Don’t keep him waiting any longer.” Lottie urged gently. If it weren’t for the fact that the location of our first look photos was a decent ways away from the main estate building, I was pretty sure they would have bolted out the door after me just to try and catch a glimpse of Niall’s reaction. But I knew the moment would be captured on film and I couldn’t wait to watch it back ourselves and share it with the girls.

“I’m going.” I smirked, winking at her before turning to follow Molly out of the room.

“I think this might be one of the best first look reactions I’ll be lucky enough to witness.” Molly said with a warm smile as she adjusted the camera strap around her neck.

“You think so?” I asked as we turned a corner to head down a corridor that lead us down a less visible route through the foyer of the building.

“Oh absolutely. I’ve photographed a lot of weddings and seen some memorable first look reactions. But there’s something about you and Niall. You two have this...” she paused for a moment trying to think of the right words, before pointing in the direction we needed to go. “There’s this undeniable spark between the two of you. A real, magical, love that I don’t think I’ve seen between a couple before.”

“You’re being too kind.” I smiled shyly. 

“It’s true. And I can’t wait for you two to see it on film.”

“I can’t wait to see him.” I breathed out as we turned down another corridor. “And I can assure you that all composure I have will go out the window the second I see him.”

“Only makes this moment between you two even more special.” I nodded in agreement as the door leading outside toward the Japanese gardens grew closer. “As I understand it, Niall will be waiting in the gazebo for you, back to the walkway we’re coming up. And he knows that you’ll get his attention. The four of us will be nearby to catch everything on film. And no matter what anyone has told you, you can take a little extra time with each other if you like. This is one of the few moments today you’ll have together, just the two of you until after the reception.” I nodded again as we saw Declan step up in front of the door to pull it open.

I thanked him softly as I stepped out into pleasantly warm, early summer sunshine, and following the winding path leading toward the Japanese gardens. We truly could not have asked for more perfect weather on our wedding day, especially since we had planned for an outdoor ceremony. Thankfully, because we had been able to rent out the entire estate (there had been an intense discussion about this), we were able to have a contingency plan for an indoor ceremony in one of the reception rooms if the weather was not favorable for an outdoor ceremony. But fate was on our side and I was very grateful we didn’t have to fall back to said contingency plan.

The moment the gazebo came into view, and I saw him standing at the railing, looking out at the back of the gardens, I felt my knees go weak. I could see Kelly and Shane off in the distance and was almost positive they were sporting ear to ear smiles. Niall must have seen one of them react to me walking up because I saw him fidget and run his hands through his hair.

I paused on the small bridge that led up to the gazebo and steadied myself against the railing and once again reminded myself to breathe. For a very brief moment, I considered calling out to him so he’d turn around. But the overwhelming need for physical contact got my feet moving and I decided I wanted to hug him first before he turned around to see me.

“Lookin good, Irish.” I said softly as I slid my hands around his waist. He jumped slightly, but immediately relaxed and laced his fingers with mine, giving my hands a firm squeeze. A feeling of calm washed over me as I turned my head to rest my cheek against his back, my eyes falling closed as I inhaled the familiar scent of him. This was without a doubt, the most calm I’d felt so far today. Niall truly was my rock and I was so happy I’d get to spend the rest of my life with him.

“Only seen me back so far.” He teased. I could hear the smirk in his tone, but I could also hear the tightness in his voice as he lifted my hands and kissed my knuckles softly.

“You’re shaking, love.” I noted, as he held my hands against his chest.

“Just anxious to see ya. I’ve missed ya.”

“I’ve missed you too. Why don’t you turn around so I can see the handsome man I’m about to marry.” He lowered our hands from his chest, releasing one of mine so he could turn around. I in turn took a small step back to allow him a bit more room, my breath catching in my throat in anticipation.

As soon as we came face to face, he let out a soft, choked off laugh as he fell back into the railing, his free hand going up to his face and covering his mouth. My reaction is very much the same. How either of us have remained standing is beyond me.

“Never thought I’d see the day Niall Horan got so overwhelmed he cried.” I teased gently, sniffling and gently wiping the tears from under my eyes with my free hand.

“Evie…” his voice was barely above a whisper, as I did a small three-sixty for him, making sure our hands were never disconnected. “Oh my god. You’re stunning, darlin.”

“Not so bad yourself.” I whispered. “You look very handsome, mister.” I hiccuped as we both reached out to wipe the tears from each other’s faces, before he wrapped me up in a hug and burying his face in my neck. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly, my fingers gently combing through the hair at the back of his neck.

There have been many times in my life where I swore I would never forget a specific moment in time when it came to Niall and our relationship. And these last couple of moments - his reaction to seeing me for the first time on our wedding day, and standing here just the two of us - these moments just jumped to the top of my ‘moments I’ll never forget’ list.”

“I’m the luckiest man alive.” He whispered a couple minutes later, lifting his head from my neck and pinning his forehead against mine. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes, please.” I pleaded softly. His thumbs gently stroked my cheeks as he kissed my forehead before capturing my lips in a kiss so tender and sweet I was pretty sure my heart disintegrated into mush instantaneously.

“I love you, Evelyn Joy.” His lips were just a breath away from mine when he spoke.

“I love you too, Niall James.” I smiled up at him. “Feet still toasty warm?” He chuckled and sniffled.

“Boiling if I’m honest. Never been so sure of anything in me life.”

“Yeah?”

“Known since Kim’s wedding two and a half years ago I was gonna marry you. Probably knew before then and just didn’t realize it.”

“We’re getting married.” I whispered with a soft laugh, like it was hitting me all over again that it it was finally our wedding day. Tears were welling up in my eyes again as I smiled up at him.

“We’re getting married.” He repeated with a smile that could light up the darkest of rooms and kissed my nose.

“Thank you for my frame and necklace. They’re both stunning.”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled, pecking a soft kiss to my lips. “Wanted to do something special for ya even though you said today was enough.” I giggled and sniffled, nodding in agreement.

“Did you get my note?”

“I did. Had to kick everyone out so I could read it in peace.” His cheeks flushed and I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Niall Horan? Did you cry reading my note?” I inquired with a smirk.

“I did no such thing.”

“You’re a terrible liar, Horan.” He nodded in agreement, giving me a sheepish grin.

“I can’t believe you got me a new set of clubs. Told ya I didn’t need anything. Marryin ya is the best gift I could have asked for.”

“And I distinctly remember telling you the same thing.” His cheeks flushed a shade darker as he continued to grin sheepishly at me.

“Guess we’re even then.”

“Yes we are.” I reached up to kiss him softly for a moment. It was then that Kelly got our attention.

“There’s no rush.” She said with a soft smile when we turned to look at her. “If you’d like to, we thought we could capture some more photos down there along the path by the water.” We looked at each other, silently agreeing that we would like to get a few more shots before going our separate ways until the ceremony.

“We’d love to.” Niall said with a smile, kissing my temple gently.

We spent the next ten or fifteen minutes taking various shots in the gardens before Kelly, Molly, Declan, and Shane headed back toward the main building to give us a couple minutes on our own.

“As much as I don’t want to, I think it’s time we head back inside and finish gettin ready.”  He said as we made our way back up the walk way, pausing at the point where it forked.

“I agree.” I smiled. “Since I know he’s been hanging out with you and will until he’s told to find his seat, but tell Harold he’s not allowed to cry.” he barked out a laugh and kissed my forehead. “And he better not be wearing one of his Gucci suits that will surely outshine me.” I smirked. He dissolved into fit of giggles.

“You’re hilarious.” he kissed me on the nose. “I love you.” he kissed my nose again. “And I can tell you he’s not wearing one of his custom Gucci suits. I warned him you wouldn’t be pleased with him if he ended up outshining you on your wedding day.”

“I knew I picked the right guy to be my partner in crime.” I smiled.

“I love you a whole lot.”

“I love you a whole lot, too. I’ll see you very soon.” I kissed him softly just once before stepping back from him, our fingers holding on to each other until the very last minute.

“I’ll be the one at the end of the aisle.” he smirked softly.

“I’ll be the one in white.” We blew a kiss to each other before I turned and made my way back up the side walk, Molly meeting half way back to the main building.

[sherlockedfanshani]

Johnlock: Two years on

I posted the following on a Sherlock fan forum in August 2016. I’ve just found it again and revisited it. It thought it might be interesting to reflect on how things have panned out in the Sherlock fandom: 

OK if you can bear with me, this is a long one! I wanted to set down some thoughts on this whole situation, which - frankly - I think has become a bit of a mess. Whether it can be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction at this stage I think is unlikely, but who knows?! As far as I can see it, there are two entrenched sides now: TJLC shippers on one, TPTB on the other, and other fans - both non-Johnlockers and Johnlockers who don’t want or don’t expect their ship to become canon - caught somewhere in the middle. This is just my personal interpretation. I realise others will see things very differently so please accept that my intention is only to try and set things out in a non-inflammatory way. I will set my cards on the table from the start. I don’t think it is or has ever been Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss’ intention for Sherlock and John to enter into a romantic or a sexual relationship in their version of this story. I take at face value what they have said about addressing the fact that, in the 21st century, two close male friends living together would make some people question whether their relationship was more than platonic. And that, combined with the fact that both Moffat & Gatiss’ careers began in comedy and sitcoms, the way they have explored this in ‘Sherlock’ has mostly been through humour. That humour, incidentally, is never at the expense of gay people or gay relationships. If anything it’s a gentle mockery of any characters (Mrs Hudson, Angelo, the innkeepers in THOB) who make erroneous assumptions. In fact, humour is derived from the notion that homosexuality is so unremarkable these days. Therefore characters automatically jump to the conclusion that what Sherlock and John are gay, simply because such a close male friendship is more unusual! Do I think the “gay jokes” are always successful? Not entirely. Even Gatiss is on record as having said maybe they overdid them. However, I don’t think for a moment that they ever expected any section of their audience to interpret these occasional moments in each episode as hints or subtext that Sherlock and John would actually get together as a couple. So what happened way back in 2010? The show airs and becomes a bigger hit than Moffat & Gatiss could ever have imagined. At some stage it becomes clear to them that the show is attracting a very devoted collection of predominantly young and predominantly female fans. And via social media interaction, the creators become aware that for this fanbase, the largest part of the appeal of the show is the relationship between John and Sherlock. I’ve no idea if they’d heard of slash fiction and shipping before it became such a phenomenon in the Sherlock fandom, but presumably they became aware pretty rapidly. In the early days, the cast and crew responded in different ways whenever the fourth wall was broken and they were confronted with the Johnlock-related stories, photo manips and artwork that the fandom was producing. Initially they seemed amused and even played along. However, their responses to some of the more explicit, NSFW stuff that was shoved in their faces - either by fans or by journalists such as Caitlin Moran or Graham Norton - was less genial, and you got the definite sense that they weren’t entirely comfortable. The image of these fans that was being presented then was that they were hysterical, teenage, heterosexual girls: unable or unwilling to have physical, real-world relationships of their own, and fantasising about two men getting together for their titillation in much the same cliched way that straight men fantasise over lesbians. (Note: I’m not saying this was the reality - just the perception which was promoted all the time and which presumably TPTB also inherited.) So their responses began to shift. The creators have always said that fans are absolutely at liberty to write or create whatever they like. To my knowledge they have stood by that. No legal action of any kind has ever been threatened against any of the Sherlock fanbase for anything they have written, drawn or photoshopped. They have even expressed admiration for some of the artwork. However, they definitely took a step back and cooled on this stuff. Over time, both Gatiss and Moffat’s attitude towards and relationship with online fanbases has definitely suffered. They are fans themselves as they frequently remind us. Massive fans. And although there was no ‘Sherlock’ when they were younger and growing up, there was of course the other big TV show that has shaped their careers: ‘Doctor Who’. Remember, they are from a different generation. When they were kids, teenagers, even young men, the fan experience was totally different and almost entirely passive. You couldn’t post your opinions on a massive global forum, there was practically no way to contact other fans outside your immediate geographic locality, and there was no way of contacting the people who made the series, or at least certainly no way of guaranteeing they could see what you wrote or elicit a reply from them. Maybe this means that they haven’t adapted to the way modern fandom works. Maybe it means that as middle-aged men, they expect their fanbases to be more respectful and more passive, and ultimately to accept what they are given or, alternatively, exercise the only other option: stop watching and walk away. So what do they experience in this brave new world? Steven Moffat takes over the show-running job on ‘Doctor Who’, and has a colossal amount of vitriol flung at him by its fanbase. So much so that he decides to quit twitter altogether. He’s also routinely accused of misogyny, to the point where he is forced to give interviews rebutting the notion. I’m not going to get into whether or not the claims have any validity, I’m just trying to make the case for why he he may appear prickly or thin-skinned when it comes to criticism in general. Fan interaction also complicates matters just because the vocabulary that fans use is different. Young fans tweet “u lil shit” to Mark Gatiss in the way they would to their friends, and this is unsurprisingly not interpreted in the way it is intended. Offence is caused, people are blocked, and more barriers are erected between TPTB and the people who love and are inspired by their work. At some point, attitudes within fandom began to shift. Rather than just shipping two characters whose relationship nobody ever believed would become canon, many of the online/tumblr fanbase began to believe that Johnlock could and should do so. The notion took hold that if Gatiss were solely in charge of the show, this would indeed happen, and it was only Moffat - the nasty heterosexual - who was getting in the way. Gatiss was tweeted countless times to this effect. Only recently, someone on tumblr discovered an old League of Gentlemen sketch where Gatiss plays a gay character whose relationship (and its subsequent break-up) is fetishised and patronised by an overbearing straight woman called Tish. Whilst this sketch is problematic and can certainly be viewed as being misogynistic on some level, I don’t think it’s stretching credulity to speculate that ‘Tish’ is probably based on a real-life person and that Gatiss was indulging in some therapy by yelling at her on stage night after night. Did Gatiss connect this person with the Johnlock shippers? Did it seem to him that he was now having his professional career diminished by a bunch of pubescent teenage girls with a crush on Benedict Cumberbatch who counted him amongst their number “shipping Johnlock”? It also presumptuously placed him in the position of junior partner to his straight colleague Moffat, banning him from writing what he really wants. Another patronising assumption. This is total speculation, but I wonder if John’s vehement “I am NOT GAY!” to Mrs Hudson in the Gatiss-penned “The Empty Hearse” was provoked by all the online speculation directed at Gatiss via his twitter feed. Was this intended as the ultimate response - to shut down the Johnlock debate once and for all? Ironically, of course, it had the opposite effect. It was interpreted that Mrs Hudson was the ultimate Johnlock shipper, and she of course could see the fact staring in her face that John and Sherlock were simply made for each other! Then we come to Mumbai in 2014. And Gatiss - in a departure from the creators’ habitually evasive and jokey means of answering questions about forthcoming plot points - embarks on a lengthy and heartfelt explanation/justification when he is questioned about Johnlock. I’ve watched this video more than once and I can’t interpret his speech as anything other than sincere. And this is also why I think Gatiss and Moffat’s reactions to whenever Johnlock is raised are becoming more irritable, more frustrated and with none of the playfulness they exhibit everywhere else. Gatiss must be aware of the accusations of “queerbaiting”. They have appeared on his twitter feed, apart from anything else. And just as Moffat feels hypersensitive to accusations of misogyny, Gatiss must surely feel the same way about being accused of effectively betraying his community and having internalised homophobia. He tries to set the record state but what happens? He still isn’t believed. Of course, a big part of this is a problem entirely of Moffat and Gatiss’ making. When you spend the bulk of interviews smugly declaring that you lie to protect future plot points, you can’t then be surprised when your fans don’t then believe you about other things: no matter how impassioned or frustrated you might sound. They really have made a rod for their own backs. The With An Accent journalist detected a difference in tone and attitude to the Johnlock denials compared to other obfuscations about plot, but if you’re not in the room, AND it’s not something you want to hear, why would you believe them? Johnlockers have varying degrees of expectation of their ship becoming canon, ranging from those who want it to remain strictly in their own heads and never be actualised on the show, via those who think it would be nice but is unlikely, through to those who desperately want it to be but remain unsure. And then we have TJLC. TJLC is a conspiracy in the truest sense of the word. Every piece of data is viewed through the prism of an utter conviction that not only should Johnlock happen, it will. Costume choices, set designs, drinks, lighting, everything is presented as evidence of confirmation of Johnlock, and some of it in the most convoluted way, with no acknowledgment that there could be any other possible interpretation for what appears on screen. A coincidentally commissioned survey into LGB representation is cited as conclusive proof, as well as a quote from Gatiss from an interview years ago that the way to introduce more LGBT representation is “softly, softly”, so as not to frighten the horses, so that everyone just sees it as mundane, everyday and normal. Ironically, if the conspiracy is true, and Johnlock is ultimately going to be the ‘big reveal’, that would be precisely the opposite approach to what Gatiss describes. It would make gay representation into a sensational shock twist, just like Mary’s reveal as the assassin or Jim from IT being Moriarty. That’s not treating LGBT issues with the respect they deserve in my eyes, and maybe that’s what Moffat is getting at when he describes that approach as ‘trivialising’. The TJLCers express the certainty that such a shock reveal would shake the foundations of society to its core, and it would be such a landmark, water cooler moment, that TV and gay representation, and indeed society itself, would never be the same again. Even if I remotely believed Johnlock were on the cards, I actually think the reverse would happen. The show would be universally derided as having ‘jumped the shark’. Not because its viewers are homophobic or resistant to the idea of gay couples, just because it would genuinely come out of nowhere for them. It would be perceived as pandering to a tiny minority of its fanbase - that is for those few of the general audience who are even aware that this is what some of the fans expect from the show. And for the vast majority of the audience it would come completely out of the blue and be utterly confusing. After all, in their eyes, at no point in the show, have John or Sherlock ever exhibited any kind of sexual attraction to another man. And this is another problem, and I’m sad to say, feeds into the sense of entitlement which some fans do exhibit. ‘Sherlock’ is a massive, mainstream, worldwide hit show. It is very easy to forget that in the little bubble of tumblr where you’re speaking to a self-selected group of people who all feel the same way and all agree with you. But the online fanbase is a tiny minority of the people who watch the show. Threats to ‘desert it’ and expect that to hold any weight with the creators really are meaningless. It’s not a niche, cult show where a fan can expect to stamp her feet and automatically get her wish. To put it bluntly, when your worldwide viewership is in the hundreds of millions, if a few thousand storm off because their ship is not actualised, it really makes no difference. What really makes me sad is that I can’t see any way that this is not going to end horribly for some people. I don’t think Gatiss and Moffat realise that - whatever it may have been to begin with - the fanbase now, or at least the ultra-ardent TJLC part of the fanbase, contains a number of young people who identify as LGBTQIA. For these young people - again predominantly women but also with a number of trans, non-binary and gender queer members - they feel their sexuality, their gender and indeed their whole identity has been helped and in some cases shaped by ‘Sherlock’: specifically by their conviction that Johnlock will be realised in the show. Watching the youtube video TJLCExplained Episode 25 “Why it matters” gives a glimpse into the passion and the desperate certainty these people have. It grieves me to see these bright, passionate, articulate and intelligent young people ploughing their energies into this conspiracy. They’re politically aware: educated in and fired up by gender politics and sexual awareness. So why waste all that energy and passion on two white, middle-class, middle-aged fictional men who - if the conspiracy is correct - are so far into the closet they have been unable to express their true feelings emotionally or sexually for many years to the one person they have shared a home with in all that time? I wish Gatiss and Moffat could see these inspired yet vulnerable people. I wonder what they would think. Would they be gratified that their show has had such a profound and positive effect on their fans? Or would they be sad or bewildered that these young people’s convictions have foundations built on sand? I’m not sure how or when it will end. Of the TJLCers who were fully signed up theorists before last week’s interview dropped, I have observed a couple of reactions. A few of them seem to have now been convinced that it isn’t going to happen and have already expressed disappointment and anger that they were duped or queerbaited. Presumably if they do feel so betrayed, this marks the end of their relationship with the show. However, most of the fan responses I have seen on tumblr have assimilated the new data as ‘yet more lies’ and rejected it, along with anything else that does not fit the conspiracy, whilst at the same time reserving some anger at the way Moffat and Gatiss spoke in order to protect their great ‘lie’. So what happens in five months’ time when Series 4 airs and - as I fully expect - Johnlock doesn’t happen? Will there be an explosion of rage and bitterness which will make last week’s little flare-up look minor in comparison? Or will the conspiracy continue on the basis that Series 5 is the ultimate destination? Or the special after that? Or the one after that? Until sufficient time elapses and everyone moves on? Only time will tell. It just makes me sad that fandom - which should be a positive, happy place - and which, when everything works, means friendships are made and creativity flourishes - can and has become such a toxic environment for both fans and creators. I’m sorry this has been so long and I apologise if I have offended anyone with either what I said or the way I said it. I guess I wanted to lay out my position - to clarify it in my own mind if nothing else!  

[bangyourselfminibang]

Bang Yourself Bang Mobile Masterpost

Since mobile users cannot access pages, please head over to desktop or click read more to access about us, FAQ, rules and schedule!

About

Have you always wondered what Dr Strange and Loki do with their clones in their private time? Wished to explore the idea of Everett Ross and Yon-Rogg finding out they are reincarnations of the same person? How would Bucky feel about his Mad Hatter self from a different universe? Do you wonder what if retired Thanos, 2014 Thanos and Ravager Thanos met? Or maybe you just want to create some domestic Sylki? Then this is the event for you!

Bang Yourself Mini Bang is a bang type event where writers are paired with artists to create fanworks together. The theme of this event is all kinds of selfcest, all kinds of art is allowed, and both a reverse bang (artists submit works first) and a normal bang (writers submit works first) will be running.

Minimum requirements:

Fanfiction: 2k words.

Art: Lineart or clean sketch, depending on the style.

Edits: Finished edit or manip.

Crafts: A clear photo of a finished item.

Moodboard: 9 images.

Video: 1 minute.

Gifset: 3 gifs.

Important links:

Claims sign-up form

ao3 collection

Discord server

Our e-mail: bangyourselfbang@gmail.com

Schedule

Sign-ups open: December 6

Sign-ups close: January 6th

Work preview slides due: February 6th

Claims: February 14th

Check-in: March 6th

Posting: April 1st

Rules

Be respectful. This is a selfcest event - we’re all a bit freaky here, so no bashing or bullying is allowed. Treat your fellow participants the way you want to be treated.

Your work must include selfcest, naturally. It doesn’t, however, have to be explicit, and if it is, please tag it properly.

Your work must be fully finished by claims but if it went above limit and you need more time, please send us an ask or a message.

Yes, you can submit multiple works. But for the sake of organization, please do them one by one. You can send us a finished piece and then start on another.

It's fine to make works for both this event and another as long as the other event is fine with it. However, if you participate in claims and want to collaborate with someone, we ask you to not mix it with any other exchanges or bangs, so you aren't collaborating with more than one person at once.

Older works can be submitted as long as they follow the rules, including works created for events.

Event restrictions don't apply if you're creating solo!

And above all, have fun!

FAQ

What is selfcest?

Selfcest is romantic or sexual activity with an alternate version of oneself, such as a clone or a version of oneself from the past, future, or alternate universe.

What is allowed?

All properly tagged content that has selfcest between Marvel characters is allowed. It is also possible to include selfcest with a crossover character played by the same actor. No tags, themes, characters, or tropes are banned.

Do works have to be explicit?

No, all ratings are accepted.

What counts as selfcest?

We don’t want to overanalyze anyone’s submissions. If you feel your concept is true to the concept of “being romantically involved with another version of yourself”, then it’s good enough for us. You can also have more than two versions of the person getting it on!

Can there be more than the character and their alternate selves?

Yes, you for example two versions of Peter Parker having a threesome with Deadpool, good to go.